WHERE are the Children of Light Series of books set?

For my stories, the time frame is very long, seventy years, but in my books, we are at the 11th hour of that time. It is, in fact, less than a year before the attack on Israel by the King of the North takes place. So, 70 years had elapsed after the Rapture and the beginning of this new world. In the series, we are down to the last few months.

WHERE is the Children of Light series in Time?

Now, I will look at the WHERE of the Children of Light Series, which means the physical location. To set that up, I had to think about what could have happened during the Great War. That is the apocalyptic war that takes place shortly after the Rapture.

It would have been a horrible war, with no holds barred. The absence of millions of Christians would be advantageous for certain countries. The disappearances would weaken many countries, throwing them off balance. Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and their allies could be responsible for a catastrophic war after the Rapture. Worldwide destruction takes place. In the end, nobody is the winner. Nuclear weapons make parts of the world uninhabitable. The resulting nuclear winter, plus the diseases that arise as a result, kill millions upon millions of people. The world’s population is decimated, with only maybe 10 percent, or 1 billion, people remaining on the earth.

Economic and Social Recovery

It takes years for societies and economies to recover. But increased knowledge and skill sets move things along faster. So by the time of the storyline of the COL series, society has restructured itself. It has similarities to what we know now, but it also has differences… an evolution of sorts. (Not all evolution is good, but it is inevitable.)

Vast areas of the world either no longer exist, or are not inhabitable because of radiation or chemical pollution in the soil. Plus, the twist to my fictional books is that the world is separated into areas of Light and Shadow. The evolution of this dichotomy is a mystery, even to the characters most in the know. It is all based on heavy speculation by me and artistic license.

Removal of the Restrainer

However, the division and existence of the Shadow and Light portions of this new world are partly based on Scripture. The  Restrainer, the Holy Spirit, will be removed from the earth following the Rapture (2Thes2:7). Therefore, the Holy Spirit’s protection of both people and God’s creation has ceased. The areas of Light are where the new Christian societies developed.

The rest of the world, which has rejected God, is under the control of the OneWorld Government and remains in Shadow. Permanent clouds cover those parts of the world. I got this from the account of the plagues, where one was a plague of darkness (Exodus 10:22-23). God, in his omnipotent power, can do anything. So, in my stories, God separated the world into Light and Shadow.

New Society in Archaeons

Within each area of either Light or Shadow, is the evolution of a new society. The Light Society is based on Christian values and a continued belief in the one true God. There are four areas in the world that have Light, and have been named Archaeons. (I know an unusual word, but remember, I am a science nerd. Archaeon comes from a word that loosely means ‘survival under pressure’, and that is what these communities are doing. They are surviving under immense pressure, with more pressure yet to come.)

There are the four Archaeons: (the names and locations came to me while flying to visit our grandchildren. God is amazing in how he gives us inspiration. I was not writing, so it allowed me to listen.)

1. Oxaline Archaeon – which represents Israel, and the Archangel Michael is its protector. The image of an Ox serves as their shield symbol.

2. Viritate Archaeon – which represents the United States of America, or what is left of it. The angel Raphael is its protector and the image of a man serves as their shield symbol.

3. Aquilate Archaeon – representing Egypt and Europe, with the angel Cyrel being its protector. The image of an Eagle serves as their shield symbol.

4. Leonine Archaeon – represents a conglomerate of the remnants of the British Empire. It includes the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. The angel Gabriel is their protector and a Lion serves as their shield symbol. Since the three components of the Archaeon are geographically separated, they are short-formed. LA West is Canada, LA North which is UK, including Scotland, Ireland, Whales and Britain, and finally LA South, with is Australia.

A Complication to the WHERE

Now, having said that, note that each global designation I gave to the Light areas still have areas of Shadow in their realms. No area is a hundred percent clear of Shadow. Not one of these ‘Archaeons’ is fully in the Light. There are swaths of each that live in Shadow. The rest of the world that I’ve not listed here is in Shadow. I imagine that once people had the ability, they would have moved to be located with ‘like’ people. So, the gathering of Christians and Jews would have taken place.

The Shadow/Light areas would have developed slowly following the nuclear winter. One could imagine much of the world to be cloud-covered after such a war. So, Light might have come to some areas, under God’s direct intervention. While others remained in permanent Shadow. However, since it is seventy years later, it is all firmly established.

Book 1 of COL – Into the Light

This book is located outside of Calgary, in the foothills. The city of Calgary is now simply called the CITY. Since there are so few, it holds the title in that region. There is also mention of Israel, still in the same location and Jerusalem, also in the same location as we know it today. In fact, if I mention any cities that we know today by a name, it is in the same location, for it survived the war, and people have either remained in it or returned to it.

Book 2 of COL – In the Shadows

The story of the location becomes more complex. In this book, Emma and Grayson find themselves in the ShadowLands, where Nestor holds them captive. So, where is this located? In all honesty, I have struggled with this for months while writing, but my final positioning location is in southern Europe… Albania. It all has to do with geography and proximity.

Most Shadow/Darkness activity takes place in Europe and Asia, despite the presence of ShadowLands in North America. It is the location of the Master’s Palace and most of his Prefectures/Provinces. Most of Asia is in Shadow. Since travel is faster, crossing the world is not as time consuming.

Book 3 of COL – Orphan Lights

Book 3, Orphan Lights take place in three distinct locations. Israel, Scotland, specifically the Isle of Sky near Portree, and finally the City (Calgary) in LA West on the North American continent (from Book 1).

Book 4 of COL – Hidden People

Written is the same time-frame as Book 3, Book 4 shares similar locations. Scotland, specifically the Isle of Sky near Portree, the City (Calgary) and surrounding area. However, The most prominent location of the Eleos Caves is in the mountainous area of Albania – at least I think. Just use your imagination.

Book 5 – Sorrow and Joy

This book ties up all the loose ends, so it is spread among all the previous locations. The Master’s palace is in Rome as before. Nestor’s house and the alternate location are in the destroyed lands of southern Europe.  A wasteland.

ShadowLands and the Master’s Palace

The most likely location is Rome. You may be shocked by that, but the war had devastating effects on the world and many countries succumbed, and so did Rome, not having any military might. So, I’ve placed the Palace in Rome. It may have kept some of the splendor after the war but is now occupied by the Master, the head of the unwieldy Government, who is opposed to the LIGHT.

The rest of the world makes up the Shadowlands, which us divided into Protectorates or Provinces. The divisions are along old national divisions, with Governor Generals replacing heads of state. All are under the Master’s control.

Travel between Places

Finally, I had to resolve the speed of travel between places. Today, it takes a while to go from say Canada to Scotland, about 9 to 10 hours, if flying from Calgary. However, you must remember my fictional story is in the future, with advanced technology allowing for faster travel. So, in my timeline, one can travel between places in less than half the time that we are familiar with.

This is the beauty of fiction, which allows for space travel in the blink of an eye, so why not faster flight times on Earth? Just use your imagination, or as Jerry Jenkins says, ‘engage the theater of your mind.’

Blessings,
Jana

Future blog… ShadowLands Society