Titus 1:16: “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”

This is true of all-too-many people today. There are many people who profess to be Christians but have never actually been saved. As Jesus said, they may talk a good line but their heart is far from Him. They may attend church (or even be in church leadership), they may tithe, they may be active church workers, and they may claim to know God, but the way they live their lives says otherwise.

Knowing God is not just something you say; it is something you do – it is who you are. If you really do know Him then your life will make that clear. If you don’t – well, your life will make that clear as well. People who are saved are fundamentally different from people who are not; as I John explains, when you become saved you become a different person. You change. You may still sin, but you are no longer comfortable with sin, and you are not who you used to be. There is a difference, and it shows.

I strongly suspect that the reason many people cannot tell the difference between a Christian and an atheist is because many people who call themselves Christians are not Christians at all. People these days love their sins and dislike repentance; they want to avoid Hell but they have no desire to bow the knee to God. They don’t want some sovereign God telling them what to do. So they pray “God, keep me from going to Hell, but stay out of my life. Don’t try to tell me what to do. Just make sure my life goes well and that I’m happy all the time. If you do that then we’ll get along fine. If you don’t then I’m going to get mad at you.” That’s not Christianity – but many people don’t see the difference.

Titus 1:2: “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”

The Bible is clear in many places (not just here) that God cannot lie. This is quite different from “Allah”, as Islam teaches that he is capable of doing good or evil. God cannot sin; Allah is free to sin all he wants. This is just another example of why the God of the Bible and Allah are not the same. Allah is not just another name for God; he is something altogether different. The Biblical God is holy, upright, and truthful; He cannot lie or do evil. It is not in His nature.

I like this sermon:

http://ellerslie.com/Eric_Ludy_Sermons/Entries/2011/5/1_Gritted_Teeth.html

He does a great job of explaining what real faith looks like – and how faith is tested. Well worth listening to.

As it turns out, chapter 30 is as far as I’ve made it in the fourth Stryker book. There is still quite a lot of story left, but I’m currently wrapped up in other projects and don’t have a lot of time to spend on it. I’m still planning on finishing the book, but it may be a while before I get back to it.

Just wanted to let everyone know what was going on!

True to Noel’s word, things did start happening the next morning. News that the ancient city of Tikal had been rediscovered spread like wildfire, and Noel had no trouble putting together a team of people to scout out the city’s ruins. Over the next few days everyone was talking about what the discovery meant and what treasures might be found. Noel ended up with thousands of volunteers, all willing and eager to explore the ruins.

To the surprise of Amy, even Mayor Thornton was enthusiastic. He issued a statement urging the citizens of the colony to do whatever they could to help Noel. Amy had to read the statement three times before she figured out what is going on.

“He thinks the ruin is some kind of treasure chest!” Amy told Miles. “He wants people to loot it and bring its riches back here, so he can lead a more comfortable life.”

“Did you really expect anything else? I don’t think he has the faintest idea that people are going to want to leave New Tikal and return to the surface. That thought has probably never crossed his mind.”

Amy laughed. “You know, I think he’s going to be in for a bit of a shock! The city we built is so much nicer than these dingy corridors. There’s simply no comparison! People are going to flock to it – they won’t be able to help themselves. Everything is going to change.”

“Or so we hope,” Miles commented.

“It’ll happen,” Amy said confidently.

“I wonder what the mayor will think when he realizes what’s going on,” Miles said thoughtfully. “Do you really think he’s just going to sit back and let it happen?”

“Probably not. Still, if he’s smart he’ll try to get on board and establish a place in the new city. That city is the future.”

“Or he may try to shut down the project altogether. He has too much at stake here, and I’m sure he’s not excited at the prospect of change. I don’t see the political class giving up easily.”

“You could be right,” Amy replied. “Speaking of that, do you think we should go with Noel on his scouting expedition?”

“I don’t think so,” Miles said. “He’s got plenty of help, and he has access to the best and brightest minds of his generation. Let’s give him some space and see what he does. This is their project, after all. Once this gets going neither of us are going to be there to hold his hand. I’ve almost reached the end of my life, and you – well, you have other things that need your attention.”

Amy sighed. “I know. But let’s take care of this first.”

It took Noel several days to pick out his team, but by April 5th he had reached a decision. He picked twenty of the most qualified personnel, gathered up the necessary equipment, and set out the next day. His plan was for them to spend the next two weeks scouting out the ruin. He knew that there was no way his team could complete an exhaustive survey in that amount of time, but he hoped that it would be long enough for them to understand the ruins a bit better and see what it would take to make them inhabitable again.

Despite his protests, when the expedition left thousands of people followed it across the desert. The only thing that stopped them from flooding into the ruin was the steep cliff that was the city’s only means of access. The crowd watched as the expedition lowered its supplies and personnel into the fissure. When everyone had made it safely to the bottom the crowd dispersed and returned to New Tikal.

While they were disappointed that they hadn’t been able to enter the city, they weren’t entirely despondent. They had seen the city with their own eyes and knew that it wasn’t a myth or mirage. Over the next few weeks the story of the fabled lost city continued to grow. For the first time in centuries something new and exciting was happening, and people were eager to be a part of it. The terraformation of the planet was a monumental event, but this – this was different. In the eyes of many, the city offered them a second chance – a new place to live, a new way of life, and a new challenge to overcome.

The expedition ended up going much better than Noel had predicted. By the end of the two-week period they were able to restore electricity and running water to one of the city’s buildings. The next challenge would be securing a food supply. The city offered several options, but they would all take time to implement.

What was clear to everyone who explored the city was that the ruin was far more advanced than their home back in New Tikal. There were definitely challenges, but if they were able to overcome them then their civilization would take a giant leap forward. There were obstacles, but the rewards for overcoming them were great.

When the expedition returned to New Tikal it was greeted with great excitement. After resting and taking some time to go over their findings, Noel publicized the results of their trip. In the documents that he released he talked about the great treasures he had found in the city, its staggering level of technology, and the tremendous promise that it held to be the new home of mankind. The challenges, he said, could all be overcome. With some effort, it would be possible for all of them to leave their decaying, underground city and move back to the surface. Rather than waiting underground for the end to come, they could create a new future for themselves. All they had to do was work for it.

This message proved to be tremendously popular. Not everyone was in favor of it. Many people were content with their lives in New Tikal and saw no particular reason to change. But there were countless others who were restless and eager to do something with their lives. Without even knowing it they had been longing for excitement and adventure, and what Noel offered them was the chance of a lifetime.

But there were others who were very concerned about Noel’s proposal. The mayor of New Tikal saw this as a threat – and he was determined to do something about it.

Recently I’ve been working on the writer’s toolkit. Now that it can generate titles, I’m trying to get it to add little plot summaries to the books. The results are pretty hilarious – I think I have a lot of work to do. Here’s a sample of a recent test run:

The Tamara Noble Series
by Gail Pena

1. The Dancing Hamster

Tamara tracks down the marksman who has been trying to cripple the runway.

2. The Clue Of The Brooding Dagger

Tamara endangers her fortune looking for the baron who has been angrily devastating the valuable dagger.

3. The Secret At Creepy Cannery

Tamara tracks down the jailer who has been trying to undermine the mansion.

On the bright side, the character generator is coming along pretty well. I’ve beefed it up with additional detail:

Murray Everett
Age: 49 years
Job: Hair Stylist
Eyes: Gray
Hair: Auburn
Phone: (337) 685-2381
Email: everett.murray@hotmail.com

Brandon Raymond
Age: 55 years
Job: Executive Chef
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond
Phone: (212) 266-1568
Email: brandon.raymond@hotmail.com

Shannon Pennington
Age: 24 years
Job: Veterinary Technician
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Red
Phone: (517) 331-4686
Email: shannon.pennington@comcast.net

It’s progress!

As always, the book title generator can be downloaded free-of-charge from the top of the Free Books page.

This is a mocked-up cover for the unwritten book Starman #12, The Stones of Juno. It was one of the books that we originally planned to write and even created a brief plot summary for, but ultimately ended up skipping.

If you would like to read the proposed plot for the book, simply click on the image below to see a higher-resolution scan.

(I do not know who created the cover artwork, but it was not me.)

To the best of my knowledge, there is only one book in the Bible whose introduction includes a specific blessing for anyone who reads the book. Ironically, this blessing is found in a book that many Christians tend to avoid. That book, of course, is the book of Revelation:

Revelation 1:3: “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

As you can see, God blesses those who read Revelation or who have it read to them. There’s also a blessing for those who “keep those things which are written therein”. That word “keep” is the Greek word tereo, which means “to attend to carefully, take care of, to guard”. In other words, God promises to bless those who read the book of Revelation and who pay careful attention to what it says.

There’s something else unique about this book. While the Bible is full of verses that command people to not tamper with God’s Word, this is the only book that includes a specific curse for anyone who dares to alter its contents. This can be found at the end of the book:

Revelation 22:18: “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

Notice the tremendous severity of this curse! Now, this curse isn’t directed at those who misunderstand the prophecy or have trouble figuring out what it means. What this is saying is that if anyone tampers with the text of the prophecy itself, and removes a portion of it, God will remove their name from the Book of Life and condemn them to the Lake of Fire for all eternity. In other words, tampering with Revelation and altering its contents is as great a crime in God’s eyes as taking the Mark of the Beast! It’s a very serious matter.

So, God promises to bless those who read Revelation and pay attention to it, and He also threatens eternal damnation on anyone who dares to tamper with its text. That tells us that there is something very special about this book. God clearly wants His people to be familiar with what it has to say – after all, that’s the whole point of Revelation 1:3!

Yet, there are a great many people today who simply do not care about prophecy. Some of them say that they are “pan-millennial”, meaning “it will all pan out in the end, so why should I care?” Others say “Well, all this end-times stuff doesn’t really impact the way I live my life, so why does it matter?” There are still others who are simply intimidated by the book and are confused by the many different ways it has been interpreted. They see no reason to get mixed up in something that complex and controversial.

So why should we care about Bible prophecy? The simple answer is because God wants us to care. We see that right in Revelation 1:3, but that’s not the only verse that teaches this. Jesus Himself had this to say when He was asked about matters relating to end-times:

Matthew 24:3: “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.”

Notice that Jesus didn’t say “Oh, don’t worry about it! All that end-times stuff is going to pan out in the end anyway, and it really doesn’t have any practical applications. Just focus on serving God and you will be fine.” That’s what a lot of people believe, but that’s not what Jesus said! In fact, what He actually said was “Take heed that no man deceive you” – and He then described in great detail the events that would foreshadow His Second Coming. He wanted the disciples to know what was going to happen so that they would not be deceived, and He wanted them to be watching because it could happen at any time:

Mark 13:34: “For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”

Notice that we don’t see any trace of Jesus saying “Oh, just don’t worry about it. Life is too short to be focusing on things like that.” He actually told His disciples not once, but several times that they needed to be watching! Saying “oh, it doesn’t matter; it will all pan out in the end” is not at all the same thing as understanding end-times prophecy and being watchful for the return of Christ.

Paul echoes this very same idea:

I Thessalonians 4:13: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Notice that Paul did not tell the Thessalonian church “Hey, don’t worry about all this prophecy stuff.” No, what he actually said was “I would not have you to be ignorant”. He wanted them to understand the doctrines that surround the Second Coming. Paul, like Jesus, was against this “pan-millennial” idea. He wanted them to know what God had to say about the Lord’s return, and he wanted them to comfort each other with these teachings. In fact, in Paul’s second letter to them he repeated that idea:

2 Thessalonians 2:1: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?”

Paul didn’t want them to be deceived by false or erroneous teachings, and he expected the Thessalonians to remember what he had taught them. Each time the Second Coming is mentioned we find God urging us to pay attention and hear what He has to say about it! I find it interesting that one of the last things Jesus does in the Bible is bless those who “keep” (tereo) what He had just revealed about end-times prophecy:

Revelation 22:7: “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”

(You can almost hear Jesus saying “P.S.: This Revelation stuff is important! Pay attention to it.”)

I’ve already explained what that word “keepeth” means. God is very clear on this point: He wants us to not only care about end-times prophecy, but to also pay attention and understand it. After all, how can we possibly avoid being deceived if we ignore the subject altogether? How can churches tell the truth apart from lies if they don’t know anything about the subject?

Yes, it’s true that Revelation has been interpreted in many different ways. Since God clearly wants His children to understand Revelation, doesn’t it seem likely that Satan would go out of his way to spread confusion, doubt, and distrust over this subject? After all, if people aren’t paying attention anyway then spreading lies is a great way of suppressing the truth!

It is true that there is nothing easy about studying the Second Coming. Revelation is not a simple book, and it took me years of concentrated effort before I finally understood what it was saying. It was difficult, but it was well worth the effort. As the Bible says, “Seek, and ye shall find”. If we seek the truth, we will find it. That doesn’t mean that it will be easy, but we need to remember that we do have help: God has promised to give wisdom to all who ask for it, and we have the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth. We’re not in this alone. If we apply ourselves, God will be there to help us.

Today is actually a great time in history to begin studying eschatology (the study of end-times) because there are so many great resources available. If you’re new to this subject, a great place to start is Footsteps of the Messiah by Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum. He begins by explaining the rules that he uses to interpret Scripture, and he then consistently applies those rules to all of the prophetic passages that are throughout the Bible. He takes each passage, quotes it, applies the rules, and then shows the interpretation. It is a very easy book to read, and it’s easy to see how the author arrived at his conclusions.

My point, though, is that there’s nothing Biblical or godly about what people call “pan-millennialism”. It is not God’s will for us to adopt a “who cares?” attitude to this subject – or to any Biblical doctrine, for that matter. These days it’s common for people to say “Let’s just stick to the major truths; they’re all that really matters”. Frankly, God is not amused. The Lord did not give mankind a 3-page booklet that outlined the major truths and then say “Just stick to these and you’ll be fine”. No, He spent thousands of years writing a 1000+ page book that was filled with all kinds of truths, and He expects us to know and believe all of it. This idea that we can ignore most of what the Bible says “because it’s not core truth” does not come from God. Do you really think that the Lord is up in Heaven thinking “Boy, I sure hope My Church ignores 90+% of what I had to say”?

Finally, let me close by saying that the study of eschatology is important for another reason as well: without a good working knowledge of the subject, there are many Bible passages that just won’t make any sense. For example, take this passage:

Matthew 25:1: “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.”

This is a pretty well-known Bible story, but people misinterpret it all the time. They approach this passage thinking that they already know what it means, and in doing so they gloss over all of the important points and arrive at an erroneous conclusion. First of all, notice that these 10 virgins (or bridesmaids) are waiting on the bridegroom to come so that they can go with him to the wedding. Right away we have a problem because the Church is always represented as the Bride, not as ten bridesmaids. Nor is the Church in danger of being excluded from her own wedding – in fact, it’s impossible for the wedding to even happen without her! This passage isn’t talking about the Church at all. It’s actually talking about a very different group of people.

Plus there’s the odd deal surrounding the lamps. Back in ancient times lamps used oil as a fuel, and in the Bible oil always represents the Holy Spirit. When these 10 bridesmaids started waiting, all 10 of them had oil; the problem was that the groom tarried for so long that 5 of them ran out. This presents another huge problem, because what this story is saying is that half of these people ran out of the Holy Spirit. In other words, they originally had the Spirit, but they eventually lost Him and were caught empty-handed when Jesus returned. Since they lacked the Spirit at the moment of Christ’s return, Jesus left them behind and rejected them.

However, as we all know, Christians today can’t run out of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is sealed within us and cannot be lost. We can offend the Spirit, and grieve it, and we can even ignore the Spirit, but we can’t lose it. Moreover, having the Spirit sealed within us means that our salvation is assured and cannot be lost. Christians don’t have to worry about doing something wrong, losing the Spirit, and then having to scramble to get saved again; that’s not how it works. All of this is more evidence that the story isn’t talking about the Church at all, but a very different group of people in a very different period in history. Once you understand the events that surround the Second Coming then this passage makes a great deal of sense, but without that understanding these verses are a real mess.

Another passage that seems bizarre is this one:

Matthew 25:31: “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: . . .
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? . . .
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: . . .
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

If you don’t understand the events that surround the Second Coming then this whole event seems strangely redundant. Is Jesus really going to take all the righteous people out of Heaven, and all the wicked people out of Hell, and then judge them again? Why would people who were already in Heaven be so shocked at what Jesus had to say, and why would the people who had already been burning in Hell be amazed that Jesus was upset with them? It seems rather pointless to judge people who had already gone on to everlasting life or everlasting punishment! Why would He regather everyone just to give a short speech and then send them right back to where they came from?

The answer is that there’s a great deal more going on here – but that only becomes apparent once you understand all the events that surround the Second Coming.

I could go on, and on, and on, but I’ll give just a few more examples:

Isaiah 65:17: “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.”

At first it’s easy to think that this is talking about the New Heaven and Earth that are created after the Great White Throne judgment. However, we have a problem: verse 20 tells us that there are still sinners, and people still die. Yes, people are living such a long time that someone who dies at the age of 100 is considered to be just a child, but the point is that people still die. Yet, the Bible tells us that at the Great White Throne judgment the Lord will put an end to sin and death! So what, exactly, is this passage talking about? (The answer involves a teaching that many people have never even heard of, but nevertheless will one day become a huge part of the lives of every saint.)

Here’s another really bizarre passage:

Zechariah 14:16: “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.”

Here we see God saying that one day all of the nations of the world will be required to go to Jerusalem every year to worship God and “to keep the feast of tabernacles”. If any nations refuse to go then God will curse them by withholding rain. This is not just unexpected; this is astounding! In all of history nothing like this has ever happened. Just when is this going to take place? How does it fit in with God’s plan for history? Is there really going to come a day when the entire world will keep Jewish feasts?

There are answers to all of these questions, but you have to work to find them. I can say this: those who have a “who cares?” attitude will never find the answers. Those who seek wisdom, though, will find it – along with amazing truths that they never knew existed.

I’ve added a new feature to the writer’s toolkit! It can now generate business names. For example, here is a recent test run of the product:

Reed Industries
Osborn Family Clinic
Horton Collection Service, Inc
Hahn Systems
Terrace Park Christian Store
Spangsville Boat Dock
Shepherd Hair Fashions
Simon’s Enterprises
Phillips Solutions
Jerseyville Debt Solutions
Sophia’s Industries
Gurney Solutions
Sandra’s Industries
Jeanne’s Boat Trailers
Bonita Shores Barber Shop
Sally’s Demolition
Judy’s Industries
Ned’s Industries
Miranda Oil
Blevins Healthcare
Rickey’s Pest Control
Michael Enterprises
Wildrose National Bank
Contee Hospital Supplies
Heberlig Enterprises

It’s not bad – those are pretty coherent. It’s a good step in the right direction.

As always, the book title generator can be downloaded free-of-charge from the top of the Free Books page.

“You’ve discovered what?” Noel asked incredulously.

“It’s a giant city, all right!” Miles said excitedly. “You’ve got to come and see it! It looks like the city was buried intact, for the most part. There’s no telling how big it is!”

“The lost city of Tikal,” Noel said thoughtfully. “I guess it is possible. If the original city was buried long ago, then the recent rains and seismic activity could have unearthed it. I would think, though, that there wouldn’t be much of it left by now. After all, the city would have been buried for five thousand years! How could anything have survived? Metals tarnish, rust, and disappear; machines break; buildings crumble…”

“Come and see for yourself!” Miles urged.

Noel shook his head. “I think you must be mistaken. Amy, what do you think about all this?”

“I think he’s right. This is something you have to see with your own eyes to believe.”

“But…” Noel said reluctantly.

Amy and Miles had found him in New Tikal’s waste treatment facility, struggling to connect it to a series of new water lines that he had just installed. He was deeply involved in a series of infrastructure projects, and even the discovery of a legendary city wasn’t quite enough to motivate him to leave. As intrigued as he was, he hated abandoning something before he had a chance to finish it.

“Don’t think that I’m not interested in your discovery. It’s not that. What you have to understand, though, is that it’s going to take me at least another week to get this project finished, and then there’s the new aquifer that I want to investigate. There’s just so much that needs to be done around here!”

“Let your underlings handle it,” Miles urged. “They can surely lay a few pipes, Noel! You have something much bigger to investigate – and much more important. What you find in that city could change the future of Mars forever.”

“I guess you’re right,” Noel replied. “It would be irresponsible to ignore it altogether. And – who knows – perhaps there really is some truth to the fabled treasure of Don Elliott! Maybe–”

“That’s the spirit!” Miles said enthusiastically. “Hang on to that thought and come along with us. I’ve already gotten everything loaded into the Raptor. We’ll take you straight to the site!”

“All right,” Noel said. “I’ll come.”

Even after he agreed to join them, however, it took Miles and Amy more than an hour to actually get him away from the colony. Noel had a long list of instructions to give to his assistants, and he went over the plans no less than six times. Miles finally told him that his engineers could figure out the rest on their own, and pushed him right out the door.

As the Raptor climbed out the canyon that housed the entrance to New Tikal, Noel began to relax. “Perhaps I have been a bit too busy lately,” he remarked. When the tank finally left the canyon road and began driving through the grassland he gasped in admiration. “The planet’s transformation has been remarkable! Things have progressed much quicker than I would have expected. I wonder if one day we’ll see forests again?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Amy said. “There’s even an ocean out there, if you’re interested in that sort of thing.”

“I’ve never seen an ocean before,” Noel said. “I’ve heard they were quite popular, back in the day.”

“You’ll love it!” Miles commented. “Just wait until you see the beach. Now that’s a fine way to spend an afternoon.”

“Is that where the two of you have been hiding?” Noel asked. “I’ve been wondering why you were gone so long. In fact, I was starting to get a bit worried.”

“Oh, we’ve been working on some projects together,” Amy said vaguely. “I actually don’t care much for the beach, but that’s just my opinion.”

“You don’t care much for the rain either,” Miles pointed out. “For that matter, is there any part of the outdoors that you enjoy?”

Amy thought for a moment. “You know, there’s a lot to be said for small fuzzy creatures. Oh, and for my dog Alex! Poor Alex. I wonder how he’s been? You know, I haven’t seen him for months. I hope he’s ok.”

“Your dog?” Noel asked. “Do you mean, as in the four-legged animals that were used as pets thousands of years ago? You have a dog?”

“Of course I have a dog!” Amy replied. “He’s amazing. I bet he’s been so unhappy. When we get done with this I just have to go see him. I’m sure he’s been lonely. He’s never been left alone before – well, not for this long, anyway. He must be so worried about us.”

Noel sighed. “Amy, dogs have been extinct for thousands of years. You can’t possibly have a real, live dog. There just aren’t any left.”

“That’s what you think,” Amy replied. “Just wait until I introduce you to him. If you’re nice I’ll tell him not to bite you.”

“I’m sure it will be an honor to meet your imaginary dog,” Noel replied.

Miles interrupted. “You know, we’re going to need a road around here at some point. I have a feeling that a lot of people are going to be traveling from New Tikal to the chasm we’ve discovered.”

“Perhaps,” Noel said. “If the site is as significant as you claim then it will probably attract thousands of people, looking to find whatever they can scavenge.”

“I think it will do more than that. If I’m right about this, what we’re looking at is the start of an entirely new colony – one located on the surface. I think it may be time for us to leave our homes underground and return to the open air. That is where we belong, Noel – up here, in the sunshine.”

It was late in the afternoon by the time they finally reached the fissure. Miles parked the Raptor a couple hundred feet from the edge of the newly-formed rift, and the three of them exited the vehicle.

“It certainly is a big hole,” Noel remarked. “And it looks pretty deep, too! I don’t remember there being anything like that in this area.”

“It’s pretty new,” Amy commented.

Miles led the way to the edge of the fissure and motioned down to the city below. Noel crept cautiously toward the edge and glanced down. When he saw the city that was stretched out below he gasped. “Why, there must be at least a dozen buildings down there!”

“And there’s more hidden underground,” Miles added. “The earthquake only revealed part of them. It could extend for miles!”

Noel stared at the buildings in astonishment, taking in their every detail. “The architecture definitely dates back to the 19th century. Just look at the detail! In fact, the buildings almost look familiar. Is it possible that this is part of the actual capitol of ancient Mars – kept intact, underground, for all these years?”

Amy smiled and handed him a rope. “Care to scale down into the fissure and find out?”

It took nearly an hour for the three of them to make it to the bottom of the fissure. Noel had never done anything remotely like rock climbing before, and Miles had to show him how it worked. Under normal circumstances Noel would have been very hesitant to rappel down the side of a thousand-foot cliff, but his excitement over the lost city outweighed his sense of caution.

After they finally reached the city, the three of them spent the remainder of the afternoon scouting out the abandoned buildings. Noel wanted to spend the night there and continue exploring the next day, but Miles pointed out that they hadn’t brought any supplies. He ended up tarrying so long that it was actually dark by the time they climbed out of the fissure and returned to the Raptor.

“That was amazing!” Noel exclaimed, as Miles drove the tank back to New Tikal. “I really think that, with a little effort, we could get that city operational again. The electrical systems appeared to be mostly intact, and the buildings still had a remarkable degree of structural integrity. I’d love to know what sort of metal they’re made of! To be buried for so long, with so little damage, is just astonishing.”

“It does seem pretty unlikely,” Amy commented.

“Now, I do think our work is cut out for us,” Noel continued. “It’s not going to be easy to dig out the rest of the city, but I think it’s certainly possible. I bet we have more than enough manpower, if everyone from New Tikal lends a hand.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to persuade them?” Amy asked.

“Oh, absolutely. Just wait until I tell them what we’ve discovered! The technology I saw today was just incredible. This is generations ahead of anything we’ve got today. It’s a huge leap forward! Who wouldn’t want to live in the city of tomorrow?”

“Isn’t it actually the city from yesterday?” Amy asked.

“I think that city is our future. It could revitalize our entire culture! It’s a fantastic opportunity.”

“It’s going to take some time, you know,” Miles commented. “There’s a lot of work to be done before you can start moving people in. You’ll need to put together a scouting party first, and spend a few weeks mapping out the area and figuring out what challenges need to be overcome. Then you’ll need to put together teams–”

“I’ve got it all covered,” Noel commented. “Tomorrow morning things are going to start happening. You just wait and see!”

I’ve made further progress on my latest project – the writer’s toolkit. It can now automatically generate very nice title listings:

As you can see, the program comes with numerous options. It can generate as many titles as needed. Here is a larger run of the application:

The Stan Barr Series
By Vicente Travis

1. The Secret Of The Primitive Boulevard
2. The Secret At Copper Boathouse
3. The Sign Of The Grotesque Raceway
4. The Mystery At Moss-Covered Jail
5. The Arcane Fort
6. The Clue Of The Screaming Cabin
7. The Case Of The Treacherous Room
8. The Mystery Of The Orange Cavern
9. The Sign Of The Stumbling Stream
10. The Sign Of The Alabaster Brewery
11. The Case Of The Arcane Bog
12. The Mystery Of The Warped Bog
13. The Secret At Spanish Dock
14. The Mysterious Igloo
15. The Violet Forest Mystery
16. The Sign Of The Abandoned Hillside
17. The Green Planetoid
18. The Clue Of The Smoldering Alcove
19. The Forbidden Palace Mystery
20. The Mystery Of The Colossal Winery
21. The Clue Of The Corrupt Skyscraper
22. The Secret Of The Wooden Storeroom
23. The Clue In The Tabernacle
24. The Clandestine Trail
25. The Case Of The Enchanted City
26. The Secret Of The Primitive Cave
27. The Mystery Of The Corroded Hermitage
28. The Bounding Stream
29. The Mysterious Runway
30. The Loathsome Lagoon
31. The Secret Of The Shocking Plantation
32. The Mystery Of The Sunken Hall
33. The Quest Of The British Boathouse
34. The Secret Of The Crashing Savanna
35. The Case Of The Red Forest
36. The Clue Of The Grisly Archipelago
37. The Quest Of The Wayward Farm
38. The Mystery Of The Shrieking Ranch
39. The Clue Of The Yelling Cafe
40. The Case Of The Chinese Crematorium

There is still a lot to do, but this is progress!

Ten days later, Amy met Miles outside his underground bunker. A few months ago his bunker had been located deep in the arid Martian desert. The terraformation project had changed all that. When Miles emerged from his home he was greeted by a vast blue sky that was dotted with fluffy white clouds. The rain had stopped and the air was warm and humid. The endless miles of sand had disappeared, replaced with a rolling field of bright green grass. There was a sense of hope and life in the air – something that had been missing from Mars for a millennia.

“It’s beautiful!” Miles exclaimed.

“It’s April 1st,” Amy replied. “Right on schedule! Mars is really looking good. I wish I could have accelerated the growth of trees, but that seemed a little risky. Even Noel would have had a hard time explaining how an old-growth forest could appear in just a couple months.”

“You know, I wouldn’t put it past him. His powers of imagination are pretty vast! He’s absolutely determined to find a natural explanation for all of this. He is convinced that this is part of an ordinary planetary cycle.”

“Which is exactly what I was hoping for. That’s the whole reason I did it this way – to keep myself out of the picture. I really don’t want anyone to stop and realize that their whole planet started to change right after a strange girl appeared out of nowhere. I’m not interested in that kind of attention.”

“I don’t think you’re in any danger of that. These people just aren’t that curious. Do you realize that everyone is still living in New Tikal? I made a trip there last week and found that they’ve already taken the new atmosphere for granted and have gone back to their old lives. I guess the novelty has worn off.”

“Everyone?” Amy asked. “Even Noel?”

“Well, Noel has actually been pretty busy lately. He’s planning on borrowing the Raptor soon, but right now he’s trying to adjust the life support systems in New Tikal to take advantage of all the new resources. The atmosphere towers have to be changed, the water system needs to be adjusted…”

“Then I guess we’d better get to work and give him a new set of challenges to face! It’s time for him to leave the nest and move boldly into the future. So, what do you think – should we put the city right behind that hill over there?”

“Sure, why not? Although I see that you’ve made the same mistake that I did – there aren’t any patches of desert lying around! Everything is green, as far as the eye can see.”

“Goodness, you’re right! I don’t know what I was thinking. All right, then let’s fix that. I think we need to make a slight adjustment to our plans. Let’s put the city right over…there.”

Without warning, the ground began trembling. A few miles away the ground began rippling, as if it was made of water. With a sudden crack, the ground parted and a fissure opened. The hole quickly grew in size until it was nearly half a mile wide.

Miles gasped. “I didn’t know there was a fault lie around here!”

“There’s not,” Amy replied. “But what we have now is a path to our buried city. Now I just need to put the city in the fissure.”

“But the fissure isn’t big enough! At best, it could only hold a small section of the city.”

“Which is exactly what we want. The rest of the city will be buried underground. The only different is that, instead of hiding it under sand, it will be hidden under dirt and rock. I think it’ll still work. It will take them more effort to dig it out, but they have the manpower to do it.”

Miles saw Amy close her eyes and make a quick gesture with her hands. In the distance he saw the ground around the fissure rumbling, as if something was happening underneath the surface. Over the next few minutes the ground shook, and then all became quiet again. Amy opened her eyes and smiled. “That should do it!”

“Where’s the city?” Miles asked. “I still don’t see anything.”

“I’ll show you,” Amy replied. In a moment she transported them to the top of the fissure.

“Oof,” Miles exclaimed, shocked at the sudden change in location. “I wasn’t expecting that! Please let me know before you transport me across spacetime. It’s a little unsettling.”

“Sorry – I forgot you weren’t connected to the network anymore. But look down there!”

Miles looked down into the fissure and gasped. At the bottom of the chasm he saw buildings rising out of the ground. The metal structures looked old and worn, but they were still largely intact. At the very bottom he could see broken streets that were littered with debris. More skyscrapers could be seen partially buried in the sides of the fissure. Judging by the street layout, it looked like the city continued on to the north, just beneath the surface.

“It’s beautiful,” Miles said. “It’s exactly as we designed it. But how are they going to get down there?”

“They’ll have to build a road,” Amy replied. “I guess that will be their first challenge. They should be able to manage it, though. After all, if they can’t build a road then they have much bigger problems.”

“So what do we do now?” Miles asked.

Amy smiled. “We go to New Tikal and tell them what we’ve found.”

“What if they don’t come? You don’t suppose we’ve miscalculated, do you? I mean, it should work, but–”

Amy shook her head. “People have been risking their lives for centuries, trying to find the lost treasure of Don Elliott. Do you really think they’re just going to ignore this? That city isn’t phony, you know; it really does contain treasure. Not just treasure in silver and gold, but something far more valuable – knowledge. No, they’ll come all right! I’m not worried about that.”

“Then let’s go!” Miles replied.

Before Amy could move, however, Miles grabbed her arm. “Let’s not go that way, though. I think it would be much better if we took the Raptor. That way we could use it to actually drive back here, like civilized people.”

Amy grinned. “You mean like people who haven’t discovered the art of teleportation yet. All right, you have a point. Lead the way, then!”

This is a mocked-up cover for the unwritten book Starman #9, The Lost Mine of the Lucians. It was one of the books that we originally planned to write and even created a brief plot summary for, but ultimately ended up skipping.

If you would like to read the proposed plot for the book, simply click on the image below to see a higher-resolution scan.

(I do not know who created the cover artwork, but it was not me.)