THE THIRD DAWN:
FROM BETHLEHEM TO GOLGOTHA
by
Thomas J. Nichols
Inspirational Religious Fiction / Historical Fiction
Publisher: Nicholson Books
Page Count: 212 pages
Publication Date: September 14, 2023
Updated version with new dialogue and more detailed descriptions
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Nichols turns his award-winning writing career to the greatest mystery of all time in The Third Dawn: From Bethlehem to Golgotha.
Accompanied by His lifelong friend, Nur, the young Jesus ventures throughout the towns and villages of Israel, Palestine, and across the sea to the port city of Ephesus. With Nur always at His side, Jesus experiences the joys and hardships of humanity—Jews and gentiles, rich and poor, believers and nonbelievers, freemen and slaves.
Nichols’s gifted storytelling brings forth this unique perspective on the life of the Messiah, providing a rare insight into His personal joys and suffering. The reader will experience the emotions of His power and authority when, on a mountaintop above Capernaum, He pronounces the future, and a spectacular miracle occurs in the city below.
The Third Dawn was initially published in 2011 but is now updated with new dialogue and more detailed settings.
Have you ever wondered about the stories and details that might have been left out of the Bible? It is the Word of God, the story of His plan of redemption for man and its fulfillment in and through Jesus Christ. But it doesn’t include ALL the stories about Jesus’ life. As the Gospel of John says, there are so many things Jesus did that “if they were written in detail, I expect that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25 NASB). In The Third Dawn, Thomas J. Nichols does an outstanding job filling in some of that detail we might wonder about.
The child Nur comes to Mary and Joseph, and they take him in as their own. From Jesus’ earliest days, Nur has a special affinity for Him, and he willingly fills the role of elder brother. He and Jesus play together, grow together, and travel together. Nur also has an air of the supernatural about him, and he often seems to receive guidance from God, which he shares with his family as needed. Jesus also tells Nur that it is he who will stay with Mary until the end, he who will prepare a place for her.
The Christian faith teaches that Jesus incarnate was both fully God and fully man, both human and divine. Nichols gives us a plausible portrait of what that may have looked like. Jesus is shown doing everyday things, learning carpentry from his father, enjoying a meal. He lives a normal life, but some of the things He says show that He is well aware of His divinely ordained role.
I was enthralled by the portrayal of Jesus’ and Nur’s travels, undertaken so that they could learn about many different cultures and people in different circumstances. Even as a young man, Jesus was aware of and preparing for His fulfillment of God’s plan. I found it especially interesting that as Jesus and Nur encountered people of various faiths, believers in other gods, they didn’t try to change minds or hearts. They were just themselves, and yet people still saw something different about Jesus. They were still drawn to Him, even though the time had not yet come for Him to reveal His purpose and begin His ministry.
The story follows Jesus and Nur through the Crucifixion and Jesus’ resurrection, and then follows Nur, Mary, and a host of believers through Mary’s death. Nichols vividly imagines how events could have unfolded and shares his vision in prose that is often straightforward but at other times remarkably beautiful. He deftly weaves the events of his own creation with the words and actual events laid out in Scripture. As readers, we know where the story is going, but that doesn’t take away from the joy we can find in traveling with Nichols as he takes us on the journey.
Five stars for an engaging and uplifting story, based on the truth of Scripture.
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Thomas J. (Tom) Nichols’s law enforcement career ranged from patrol, detective, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Deputy Chief, and Chief of Police. spanning the era of the growth of the Mexican drug cartels and war on drugs. He has written seven novels and three short stories with themes of the border wars, espionage, international intrigue, and the supernatural.
Tom’s latest work is The Third Dawn, an inspirational retelling of the early life of Jesus galvanized by his devotion to local and international church affairs. His ideas were brought to life while traveling with Gwen, his wife who also serves as his editor, to experience of the Holy Land—the Church of the Nativity, the Holy Sepulcher, The Annunciation, the Mount of Olives, the River Jordan, Capernaum, Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee, Jericho, and Ephesus.
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First Prize:
Signed copy of THE THIRD DAWN + $25 Amazon gift card
Second & Third Prizes: signed copy.
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I love the filling in of the blanks that this book suggests for those missing years in Jesus’ life.
It’s always interesting to imagine what could have happened! So much that we aren’t specifically told in Scripture.
I cannot express how I receive the words you have written. It is as if they are my own thoughts. To say the least, you certainly touched me with your comments.
I’m so glad to hear that! You’ve made my day. Thank you for stopping by the blog.