DRACULA

I just finished reading Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 edition. It was a free Kindle e-book download. I debated about reading it because I'm not into horror movies, vampires, zombies, etc but it was free and it's considered a classic.

I've never seen the movie. I've seen small bits and pieces and I know how they portray Dracula at his castle. One of the character's is name Van Helsing and I wouldn't be surprised if the character in Van Helsing movies is loosely based on this character.

What surprised me the most is that this could be a book from an author who could be a Christian. Before you write me off, let me tell you why.

First, although Dracula is a big character in the book and he does make other people vampires, that is not the main thrust of the book. This was a big surprise to me. I thought it would be centered around him making new vampires.

Second,  the premise of the book was good, upstanding, God-fearing people trying to fight back the force of evil and wickedness, namely, Dracula. They were consistently talking about the will of God, God protecting them, and the outcome being all in the hands of God.

Third, they were concerned with the long-term and future generations of ridding the world of Dracula and not just getting him out of England. This seemed significant to me because they wanted to do the right thing even though nobody would believe them, or what they had to go through, and they willingly put their lives in danger.

Fourth, and the biggest surprise I had with this book, several times one of the characters referred to God's Son's obedience and death on the Cross. Below are some excerpts so you can read them yourself.

"For so surely as we live, that scar shall pass away when God sees right to lift the 

burden that is hard upon us. Till then we bear our Cross, as His Son did in obedience to His Will. It may be that we are chosen instruments of His good pleasure, and that we ascend to His bidding as that other through the stripes and shame."

“Thus are we ministers of God’s own wish. That the world, and men for whom His Son die, will not be given over to monsters, whose very existence would defame Him."

Overall, I found it a very intriguing book and I was very surprised that the premise of the book was good overcoming evil and not evil overcoming good.