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.
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!
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