Two Years in Review

I started this blog in December, two years ago. I thought it would be fun to see some stats.

Apparently I have posted 147 articles. Of those, I have mentioned the Book of John the most. That makes a lot of sense as it is one of my favorite books.

Here are the top 20 books of the Bible I have referenced:

John - 50

Matthew - 36

Psalms - 34

Romans - 34

Corinthians (that is first and second combined) - 24

Ephesians - 20

Galatians - 20

Isaiah - 20

Luke - 19

Philippians - 16

Proverbs - 14

Jeremiah - 13

Mark - 13

Timothy (that is also first and second combined) - 13

Acts - 12

Hebrews - 12

James - 12

Exodus - 11

Peter (first and second) - 11

Revelation - 10

Remember to use the list on the right. I have tried to tag each post and list each book I reference, to make a cross-referenced list, so that you can click on any book and see what I have pulled out, to help you in your own study of that book.

I pray you have a blessed New Year and that you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

The Odds

I promised at the beginning of my Christmas Prophecy series to answer a few questions. What are the odds that one man could fulfill all these prophecies? Is it likely that many other people in our world coincidentally fulfilled some of these prophecies also? Or could it be that Jesus organized this and made things in His life fit the Scriptures?

To answer those questions, I consulted The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict, by Josh McDowell. This book is an amazing resource! If you have questions about the validity of the virgin birth, the reality of the resurrection, the historical reliability and accuracy of our Bible, and more, please check this book out. Our faith is not based merely on feelings, but facts.

McDowell deals with every possible question and criticism. He even brings up incongruities and contradictions, like if Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, why do they record his death? McDowell was an atheist, and in college was challenged to prove the Bible to be untrue. He did intense homework, including travel throughout Europe to access various documents, and became thoroughly convinced for himself and became a believer.

If you, too, have doubts about Jesus, God, and the Bible, I challenge you to prove them. Check out Josh McDowell's materials and also C. S. Lewis'. C. S. Lewis was also an atheist. He was highly intelligent--he taught at both Oxford and Cambridge universities. (Christianity doesn't defy rational thought, it is actually the most logical thing in this world.) But he became a believer, too. You can find out why in his books. My favorite is Mere Christianity.

I covered 24 different prophecies about Jesus in my Christmas Prophecy series. There are actually 61 listed in Josh McDowell's book. If you include types of Christ and all the symbolism of the Old Testament, there are many, many more. What are the odds that one man would fulfill 24 prophecies, or 61, or what about just 8?

Let's examine just eight prophecies. These eight, specifically, were totally beyond the human control of Jesus. He could not have possible planned them.

1. Place of birth - Bethlehem

2. Time of birth - for more explanation on this one, see the book. I did not specifically go into detail on this one in my series.

3. Manner of birth - by a virgin

4. Betrayal

5. Manner of death - crucifixion

6. People's reactions (mocking, spitting, staring, etc.)

7. Piercing

8. Burial

These could not have been engineered by the Christ.

Now, this list of eight prophecies is slightly different, and this is where the odds come in. Peter Stoner published a mathematical analysis for Science Speaks, and it was carefully reviewed by a committee of the American Scientific Affiliation members.

1. Place of birth - Bethlehem

2. Preceded by a messenger (John the Baptist--Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1, fulfilled in Matthew 3:1-2) - I did not include this one in my series

3. Entering Jerusalem on a donkey

4. Betrayed and crucified

5. Sold for 30 pieces of silver

6. Money to be thrown into God's house & Money used to buy Potter's field

7. Silent before accusers

8. Crucified and with thieves

I am not a scientist or a mathematician, but I know the logic goes something like this. You look at each prophecy individually and figure the odds. Such as, what are the odds of a person being born in Bethlehem? I know Bethlehem has always been a small town, do you think there have been one million people born there over time? That would make the odds of being born in Bethlehem 1 in 1,000,000. What are the odds of someone being betrayed by a friend and the results are crucifixion? That one seems pretty slim. I know that Peter Stoner was even generous in his figuring of each individual item. Let's say 1 in 1,000 people in the world have been betrayed by a friend and crucified. How many people have been sold for 30 pieces of silver? Joseph was sold for 20. How many people are silent and don't even try to defend themselves in court, EVEN though they are innocent? That one seems incredibly slim, but again, shall we say 1 in 1,000? These aren't the real numbers, but that is to give you the idea of how Peter Stoner figured these. Then he takes all these and adds them together.

Doing all the calculations for each prophecy (remember, mine weren't the real calculations), Peter Stoner came up with this total. The odds that one man could fulfill all eight of these things is 1 in 10 to the 17th power. That is a 1 with 17 zeros behind it. It looks like this--100,000,000,000,000,000. That is a really, really big number. That's not millions, or billions, or trillions. That's one hundred quadrillion!!! So the chances of one person fulfilling all eight of these prophecies is 1 in one hundred quadrillion!

That's hard to visualize, so let's think about it like this. Suppose that was your chance of winning a lottery prize. Say I told you all you had to do to win the prize money is pick out the red-marked silver dollar out of a group of unmarked silver dollars. Not too bad, you say? Well, the area of unmarked silver dollars for you to pull from is the state of Texas. And those unmarked silver dollars cover the ENTIRE surface of the state, AND are stacked two feet deep. I've just thrown the red-marked silver dollar in there somewhere, you have one chance to pull it out. Are you going to try Dallas, how about Houston, how about up in the panhandle, how about down near the Rio Grande? I hope now you can see how utterly impossible these odds are! And that is just for eight prophecies! Jesus fulfilled many, many more. (If you would like to dig into this further and see the probability of Jesus fulfilling 48 prophecies, you need to check out The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict, by Josh McDowell, or even track down a copy of Science Speaks, by Peter Stoner.)

Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord of lords. He could not just merely be a man that taught some good moral lessons. You just can't leave it at that. If he taught some good moral lessons, but wasn't really God incarnate, then that says he was either a liar or a raving lunatic. Do you want to listen to the moral lessons a liar has to teach? That makes him a hypocrite. Same with lunacy. I don't know about you, but if I know someone is certifiably insane, I'm not going to trust their teachings. That leaves the only other alternative, that Jesus was in fact God, come in the flesh, the Bible is true, every Word, and I had better make sure I am right with the God of the universe. I have a choice to make. You have a choice to make.

"You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." --C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity

The Plan Bible

Amos 3:7 - Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

Did you know that God tells us what He's going to do, before He does it? That is one of the things His Word is for. Our Bible is the literal Word of God. Every single detail contained in it is important (yes, even the genealogies!).

Do you know why God saved you? Do you know that God has a plan for your life? He says so in Jeremiah 29:11-13. Do you have questions concerning God's plan for you and for this world? Do you have questions concerning His will for you? I have questions regarding the millennium. (What does this have to do with life here and now, you say? Plenty, and I will be posting more about that in January.) That is why I like to pass along good study tools every chance I get. I believe the key to walking the victorious Christian life is revelation of God's will. That will only come through your own study, not through a hand-me-down revelation someone else received in their own study time.

I am excited to tell you about a new Bible called The Plan. The Plan is available in ebook form, BUT I was SO happy to learn that you don't have to have a Kindle to read it! Amazon now offers Kindle software for free download to a PC. That is good news for me. And at the bottom of this post there is a link to a giveaway of The Plan Bible. If you enter before December 23rd, you could win a free copy! This would make a great Christmas gift, too!

About The Plan

Jeff Swanson has a passion for the truth of God’s word. He believes that understanding is being revealed today like never before in history because the enemy has unleashed more deception than ever before on this generation. Jeff was part of the first American generation educated in the public school system after the removal of the Bible. The same school system that was founded over 300 years ago to teach students how to read the Bible!

THE PLAN is the first Bible, rearranged verse by verse into chronological order beginning with the creation of all things and ending with prophesied events yet to come. A world history outline provides the framework including all biblical dates. Prophetic verses are placed at the time of either their historical fulfillment (Red) or future fulfillment (Orange). Prophecies are hyperlinked from when they were spoken (Blue) to when they are fulfilled in over 650 threads. There is also a reading plan so it can be read in one year in less than 30 minutes a day.

You can learn more about the story of The Plan Bible at www.PlanBible.com

Interview

Jeff has graciously agreed to answer a few of my questions. I think you will gain a wealth of wisdom reading his answers. And at the bottom, follow the link to a giveaway of a copy of The Plan. Hurry and enter, the giveaway ends December 23rd!

Shannon (SS): What sparked your passion for God's Word?

Jeff (JS): At age 18 I had a spiritual encounter that solidified my desire to walk in the truth and to never be lied to again. It was a temptation that, without the authority of the name of Jesus, would have led my life to destruction. This led me on a journey of seeking absolute truth. I purchased a Ryrie New American Standard study Bible that was excellent for researching truth. This is when I made the discovery that some events in the Bible had not occurred yet (prophecy) and others that were predicted had already come to pass. It was at that time that I made a decision to master the book of revelation. It did not take me long to realize that would take a lot of study. First, I would have to understand Old Testament prophecy such as the Book of Daniel which corresponds with the Book of Revelation. Second, I learned I was going to have to understand Old Testament history. When I came to ORU that helped me in the journey, however, I found I was still going to have to do the studying myself. I found myself seeking the truth of history further and further back until I had a desire to understand “The days of Noah” since they are likened to the time we are in now.

SS: How did you find the time to do this in-depth study?

JS: Starting out requires very little time, just the decision to do it daily: even if it is only one verse a day. The important thing is to do something daily. My study time keeps increasing over the 28 years of study required to develop The Plan. For me the best study time is in between 3:00–6:00 am. That is when life is at the most peace and the greatest concentration levels can be attained. Second, I have a great respect for the Sabbath principle. I enjoy studying on Sundays as a time set aside to honor God’s word. [SS: Even just a verse a day--love that! So true!]

SS: As a writer personally (I have a book God has placed in my heart), I would like to know how long this project took you, from idea to completion? And was there ever a time during that period that you felt like giving up?

JS: The belief of this project being published as an eBook came to me in the fall of 2009 (10/5/09). Before that it was a vision to have a website available for people to obtain the truth. I studied for 9 years before I started my first chronology (1989). Then I compiled a prophetic list for the next 14 years before God led me to intensify my study and consolidate the chronological history and prophetic list in 2006. In all, this work required more than 12,000 hours of study, research, and development time. Do not let that discourage a new writer, this is not your average first time project. It was God leading me step by step without realizing what the final outcome would be. As a matter of fact it took a huge adjustment for me to even grasp that God wanted me to publish this. It would require a miracle. See the story on the website www.PlanBible.com. God leads us through the process. It starts as a desire or a word in our hearts. As we accept the assignment, we get understanding in our minds, and then we ultimately put our hand to work. That is when you do a little each day until your goals are completed. [SS: I can see how this can apply to anyone, whether writing a book, or adopting a child, waiting on the right person to marry, whatever it is God has called you to do. Waiting patiently on God's timing, letting Him lead, step by step, and not trying to figure out the whole picture at once.]

SS: How has this study personally impacted your life? Has it changed you, helped your relationship with God grow, etc.?

JS: It has changed the way I see everything. So much of what we interpret in the now is based on who we believe God is. The way we see things currently, is based on what we believe happened in the past and what we believe will happen in the future. This would be considered our worldview. I also understand what the enemy is doing. He has tried to remove God’s word from our education system to try to change God’s word. The picture of this can be found in Genesis chapter 3. Satan has been trying to revise history since the beginning and in Daniel chapter 7:25 states that he will try to do this again in the future. How much easier will it be to have people believe a lie about the future if they already believe a lie about the past? I thank God that we have God’s unbreakable word that we stand upon so that we can escape the lies of the enemy.

SS: Did you have any special training that made you feel qualified to study the Bible? Or would you consider yourself a layman?

JS: I do not have a degree from a Bible school; my training at ORU was management. So yes, I consider myself a layman who diligently studies the word of God. I like to turn to God’s word as the authority and guide. This has been one of my guiding scriptures since I was 18:

John 16:13a - But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. (NIV)

As I studied and researched scripture through the years, I used many prophecy Bibles in order to get as much of a consortium as possible. The prophecy Bibles utilized were by Grant Jeffery, Tim LaHaye, and Jack Van Impe. Hilton Sutton also has an excellent book on Revelation. Another man who has influenced my understanding of prophecy is Pastor Willie George, who is well grounded in prophecy.

We must remember that men can give you their opinions, but God gives you revelation. That is one reason that I wanted to keep The Plan as simple as possible and let the Word of God speak for itself.

Here is what I believe the one who studies The Plan will obtain:

-- God's perspective of history unfolding

-- God’s time schedule for world history

-- The big picture and where you fit into it

-- God’s faithfulness to fulfill His unbreakable word

-- The future as God has already spoken it

[SS: Readers, I hope this makes you feel confident, that you don't have to have a special degree or training, to open up your Bible and study it for yourself. There are so many good resources out there to help you along.]

SS: Is there anything else you would like to let people know about?

JS: Walking in obedience to what God is telling you may require everything of you. However, you will be grateful for the satisfied feeling of knowing you are doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way.

Thank you Jeff for taking time out of your busy Christmas season to answer my questions! If you want to learn more about The Plan Bible, please visit the website at www.PlanBible.com. And go on over to A Sequence of Continuous Delights to enter the giveaway by December 23rd!

I Don't Know How to Study

Need some study ideas? Do you feel like you just won't understand what you're reading? I know how you feel. I was in that same place not too many years ago. Finding the right tools and methods will make your study much more fruitful.

Write It Down - The more ways you get information into your brain, the better it stays. You can read it, say it aloud, write it down, the more ways the better. Copying down any scripture will help you slow down and really focus on the words and let it sink in. I copy a Psalm a day, or sometimes just a part of a Psalm if it's long. You can go through a book of the Bible, or just write down some favorite verses.

Understanding - Understanding what you're reading is key. Matthew 13:19 - When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. A good study Bible is very useful. I like my New King James Spirit-Filled Life Bible, many people like the ESV Study Bible. A study Bible will give you commentary (comments on passages), and other helpful things, like maps. My study Bible has little boxes here and there that explain certain concepts, or certain words. And it has articles on popular topics.

Commentary - Another way to gain understanding is to read various commentaries. You can download e-Sword for free, and download various commentaries they have available. My favorite commentaries are Dr. Chuck Missler's audio commentaries. I believe he has one on every single book of the Bible, many of them are streaming free on his website. If you pay, you actually get college credit for these. They are in-depth. Click here to see. Sometimes I listen and take notes, and if I'm short on time, I will listen while I do housework.

Teaching - Another useful tool is to listen to sermons by seasoned, mature Bible teachers and preachers. My favorite is Andrew Wommack (click on Extras at the top and then browse the left bar). He offers a large selection of free content. I also warn not to just go around listening to anyone and everyone. I listen on the recommendation of close, spiritually like-minded friends, or my pastor. And above all, check your Bible, to see that what they're teaching is truth.

Reading Schedules - There are many reading schedules out there that take you through the Bible. I tried the One Year Schedule for a while. I completed the Bible in 90 Days schedule. Biblegateway has many schedules to choose from, some short, others long, some on Bible highlights, other on Bible characters. I think these are useful because they keep us reading the whole counsel of God. Also, there is a time for shallow and a time for deep. And we need balance of both. When you dig into a topic so deep that you ignore all else, you can fall into error. But if you only ever skim the surface, shallowly, you also won't get the wisdom and insight that you need. So, some of both is wise.

My Favorite - A schedule I have found that I like a lot is different from the others. Dr. Chuck Missler's wife, Nancy, came up with it. You divide your Bible into eight sections and ideally read one chapter from each per day. Eight chapters a day were too much for me, so I cut it back to four. More recently I added sermon time to my study, so I have cut it back to one chapter a day, but I still go through the eight sections.

The eight sections I am referring to are as follows:
*Pentateuch/Torah - Five Books of Moses - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
*Historical - Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
*Poetic - Job & Psalms
*Wisdom - Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
*Prophetic - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekial, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
*Gospels + Acts - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
*Epistles - Romans, I & II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, I & II Peter, I, II, & III John, Jude
*Revelation - this one is in its own group, it is prophetic, but references so many other books of the Bible. This book promises that the reader will be blessed. Rev. 1:3

Word Studies - Sometimes digging into the original language helps clarify meaning. You can go to BlueLetterBible.org or use a concordance to lookup the Hebrew and Greek. Greek especially is much more descriptive than English. For example, there are ten Hebrew and Greek words in Scripture translated by our one English word "world." All these words have a different shade of meaning. Even looking up the tense of verbs is very helpful. Greek has more tenses than English.

Dictionary - Would you like to know the difference between training and admonition, as described in Ephesians 6:4? It might be helpful, since this verse is about a topic that most of us are involved in every day--parenting. I wanted to know, so I looked them up in Vine's Expository Dictionary. I don't own one, so I used the online version, you can too, click here!

I hope these have been helpful. The important thing is to just dig in. Even if you only have 10 minutes a day, start now, and you will see a change in your life. And don't be afraid to change up your routine if it starts to feel stale.

Pray Ephesians 1:17 - 23, that God would open your eyes to His wisdom and He will!

Tonight

I am so excited to go to the Joyce Meyer Conference tonight!  I have been listening to her radio broadcasts lately, they have been awesome!  I encourage you to download her podcasts (download iTunes, if you don't have it).  You don't even have to have an MP3 player, you can listen on your computer or burn CDs.  Her most recent topic has been so great--Keeping God First.

Reading

Too many good books to read, too little time.

I bought a used copy of Our Father Abraham, by Marvin Wilson, the other day and read the first chapter.  I'm excited to read the rest, but it will have to wait a bit.  Read on.

I was perusing our local library web site and came across The Handbook of Today's Religions, by Josh McDowell.  I have always wondered what Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses believe that is different from Evangelical Christians.  If a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness came to the door, I would not know what to say to them.  I have tried reading on Wikipedia to find out what they believe, but this book is better.  This book gives a brief rundown of each different religion's views, in light of scripture--and that is the important detail.

I would not suggest reading this book cover to cover.  I have read the chapter on Worldwide Church of God, because of certain family members, and the chapter on Jehovah Witnesses.  I will read the chapter on Mormonism and then be done with it.  This book also covers Satanism, Islam, Marxism, and much more.  I personally think it's a bit dangerous to read too much on this stuff.  Just the two chapters I have read so far have my heard swirling with what these groups believe to be true.  I wouldn't even read the chapters on Satanism, unless you have a friend or family member involved in it or you yourself are involved and are seeking answers.  That said, this is a wonderful reference.

I checked this book out from the library, but I think it will have to wait for a later time.  I heard Dutch Sheets speak the other day on The Joyce Meyer radio show.  He was talking about the authority that we have in Christ.  It really helped me, which is why I checked this book out, but no time right now.  :)

I just received this book in the mail today, I've been waiting on it for quite a while.  I think everyone should read at least one story of Christian/Jewish persecution, it will make you appreciate the freedoms we have in America.  I also recommend The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.

I have been skimming The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren to help me in a study I've been preparing for my son and I.  I have been compiling a list of Who I Am and Why Am I Here?  I will share details of that soon.

And finally, I checked my library account today and saw that Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis is now available for me.  Yeah!  I've been waiting on this one quite a while.  I will drop everything else and read this one.  I have heard great things about this one.

Please also check out the list of books I recommend on the right-hand side bar, below.