Author Dr. Richard Spillman

Dr. Richard Spillman Ph.D. Electrical and Computer Engineering Utah State University 1975 Retired 2013 Prof of Computer Science and Engineering Pacific Lutheran University Started The Kingdom is Near Ministries, 1997 We took people who, because of their background (former drug user/dealer, felon) would never get a chance to serve God in the mission field, overseas for a short term mission. Places we ministered: Philippines, South Korea, India, Mali, Uganda, Mozambique, … In 2014 my team was ministering in the jungles of the Philippines when ISIS discovered we were there and got hold of our cell phone numbers. For a week, they called us telling us to stop, turn over a pastor to them and leave the area or they would hunt us down. We took precautions but didn’t obey any of their commands. It was a scary time but one in which we all felt the protection of the Lord. When I got home I was moved to write my trilogy which plays out the conflict between good and evil on a world wide scale. I am writing a trilogy: The Awakened, The Ascension, and The Atonement (the first two books are done and published). SUMMARY The sudden emergence of a vicious international terrorist, a secret that lies hidden in a 2,000 year-old personal journal, two mysterious ancient societies locked in a never ending battle, mankind on the brink of destruction these and more are on a collision course. And Ricki Spenser a lonely woman teaching at a medium sized university holds the one key to everything. One of the ancient societies listed above is run by Lazarus (yes, that Lazarus) Hebrews says man only dies once so since Lazarus had already died he never died again and still lives among us working to bring out the best in mankind and to protect us from the forces of evil.