For those who haven’t read volumes 1 & 2, the story starts in the pre-existence and describes the war in heaven from the perspective of four characters (our main characters).  It continues as each of the main characters come to earth during the last days. These spirits are some of Heavenly Father’s strongest children, and each has been sent to earth during the last days to complete a special work.  From Iraq to Washington DC, we follow them as they work to keep their faith in a very dangerous world. In “The Great and the Terrible, Vol. 3:  The Second Sun” by Chris Stewart, the adversary’s plan is revealed, and the first blow of the final battle is dealt.

Power. That’s what this book is about. Who has it, who wants it, and what some are willing to do to get it. This is an eye opening story of the disintegration of stability in the world.  Relatable characters, international intrigue, and a plot to destroy the world, led by Lucifer himself, make The Second Sun hard to put down.  The overriding theme of power struck me about halfway through this book (leave it to me to take 2 1/2 books in the series to finally pick up on one of the major themes).  The desire for power, or in other words the desire to have our will supercede the will of our Heavenly Father, and its destructive capacity can be traced all the way back to the pre-mortal life, where Lucifer sought to have power over all Heavenly Father’s children.  Over one third of our spirit brothers and sisters were lost as a result.  On earth, the story has been repeated many times over.  In the Book of Mormon, the Lamanites sought to rule over the Nephites, killing thousands on both sides.  In recent world history, evil dictators have sought to rule over many through war and the expansion of communist governments.  In this book the theme continues, as the second son of a Saudi King seeks for power, and in his lust, sets in motion a chain of events that could destroy the world.

“The Great and the Terrible, Volume 3: The Second Sun” by Chris Stewart has reminded me that there are two sides to this struggle, that I have the power to choose which way I will go, and that Jesus loved each of us enough to die to give us this opportunity – the opportunity to live, to love and to choose what we want to become.

J. Smith
Maple Valley, Washington