PROPHETIC UNDERSTANDING (Blog-1)
God’s Plan for Our Lives
Our Website is new and this is my first Blog article. More Blogs will come each month and, eventually, weekly. Our goal at the Prophetic Understanding Website is to teach Biblical prophecy in both its forthtelling Gospel aspect and also in its foretelling Prophetic aspect. Predictive prophecy foretells what the future events leading up to the last days of this age will be. They are God’s way of writing history before it actually happens. All past Biblical predictive prophecies up to our present day have had a 100% accuracy record; so, that gives us encouragement that the remaining unfulfilled last day’s prophecies will likewise come to pass with 100% accuracy. God’s Word is always trustworthy.
The prospect of the end of this present age may be frightening for some of you but do not be afraid. According to the Bible, a much brighter and better age awaits you if you will simply turn to your God and Savior, Yeshua, (Jesus), and trust Him to bring you through these last days to His return. He has promised in His Word (the Bible) that He is coming back to this Earth to reign as the King of kings one of these days and that Day may be much sooner than any of us think!
If history has taught us anything, the times are not getting better; rather, they appear to be getting worse. That is not to say that innovation and amazing discoveries in science and technology haven’t been spectacular—they truly have been. We have seen great medical breakthroughs, electronics proliferation, aviation advances, space travel and so much more. All of these changes have occurred during our lifetimes since WWII. These increases in knowledge have been wonderful but, at the same time, human interactions and societal changes have not kept pace for the betterment of humanity; in fact, the world has become a very dangerous place. Many of our own neighborhoods are not safe anymore.
Over the past 100 years, our planet has suffered through two world wars, the Great Depression, untold dislocations, revolutions and atrocities in countries all over the world. Global pandemics have taken the lives of millions and the breakdown of society and culture has become epidemic in virtually every nation on Earth. So, with such rapid increases in science, knowledge and technology taking place all across the world, why have human beings fallen into such a morass of hatred, immorality and discrimination against each other? These problems are not just in America; they are a worldwide phenomenon.
Science, it was said, was going to lead the world into a golden age where societal dislocations, poverty and discrimination would become a thing of the past. Actually, however, the cruelty of humans toward each other appears to have only increased. Russia has invaded the much smaller and less populous country of Ukraine; Israel is surrounded by enemies and is at war with its hatful neighbors on every side; genocide and ethnic cleansing is occurring worldwide; human trafficking and sex-slavery is rampant; billionaires across the globe are funding the onslaughts of protest and revolution every day, such that no one feels safe on the streets, even in our smaller cities and towns. Children under 18 are routinely killing each other in gun violence on a daily basis while millions across the globe are ignoring long-established immigration laws and are invading countries in mass migrations all across the globe. The cost of these mass movements of unassimilated peoples in both lives and treasure is staggering and cannot be sustained by any country, including the USA.
Enter prophecy! From the time that Adam and Eve defied their Creator God in the Garden of Eden, (by disobeying His command that they trust only in Him and not lean on their own understanding), only sorrow and misery have resulted. This was seen with their first children; neither of them, it seemed, could get along with the other. In the end, Cain killed his brother, Able, out of envy and jealousy. Just as Adam and Eve disobeyed God and fell under the beguiling influences of Satan, so did their sons and that sad state of affairs has continued with mankind ever since. Without a firm allegiance to the God that made each of us, we humans have become helpless slaves to wrong-thinking and thus have fallen into all sorts of evil conduct and sorrow, both in our individual lives and as nations.
No sooner had Adam and Eve fallen into sin, (that is, were at enmity against God), than the Lord pronounced that He would someday defeat the evil influences and the evil influencer (Satan) that had beguiled them and has kept every succeeding generation in bondage under sin ever since, (see: Genesis 3:15). God promised that a Deliverer would come from the Seed of the woman to “crush” Satan’s head but, in that confrontation, even God’s Deliverer (Jesus) would be “bruised.”
True to His prophetic Word, God did send His Deliverer to the people of Israel at just the right time in history. His name was Yeshua (Jesus). He came from Eve’s Seed, and not from the seed of a man. He was God incarnate, taking on human flesh, and His mission was to save everyone who would believe in Him—both Jew and Gentile alike. The Scriptures prophesied that this Deliverer would be “bruised for our iniquities, pierced for our transgressions and by His stripes we would be healed [from sin],” (Isaiah 53:1-12). Praise be to God—Satan was defeated on that momentous Day when Yeshua died on the cross for our sins. As a result, Satan was defeated and no longer has had power over anyone who would turn in faith to Yeshua, their great God and Savior.
Isaiah wrote those wonderful words, found in Chapter 53, seven hundred years before Yeshua appeared to the people of Israel; yet, every word in that prophecy came to pass exactlyas it was written. Yeshua was beaten, humiliated and nailed to a cruel cross outside the walls of Jerusalem in A.D. 30. He was the perfect sacrifice that God the Father demanded of Him in order to atone for the sins of the whole world.
For four thousand years before the coming of Yeshua, people everywhere on the Earth had been sinning against God and refusing to follow Him. Even so, the Lord was patient with humanity and, at just the right time, God sent His one and only Son, Yeshua, born of a woman but not by the seed of a man—God the Holy Spirit miraculously conceived Yeshua in Mary’s womb, (Matthew 1:18-25), and so began the Lord’s amazing plan for the redemption of people everywhere, freeing them from sin, death and the evil workings of Satan in this world.
So, as we delve into the wonderful world of prophecy, you will see how it all came to pass, from the creation of the world right up to the time of Yeshua’s first coming to His people in Israel. There were many messianic prophecies of His coming; in fact, the entire Old Testament (called the Tanakh in Hebrew) is the story of God’s preparation of His people in Israel for Messiah Yeshua’s arrival in their midst.
God selected the Jewish nation to be His Chosen People from whom the Messiah would someday come. The Jews were not special or better than any other people; rather, it was God’s purpose that, through them, at a preordained time and place, He would bring salvation and deliverance from sin to men and women everywhere. The prophecies of Yeshua’s coming were, in this instance, God’s unfolding revelation to mankind, given to show everyone who would believe how He could create both angels and humans with their own free wills to do as they pleased, but, at the same time, to also bring His plan of salvation to fulfillment while not invading mankind’s freedom of choice to accept or reject Yeshua.
This, then, is the essence of God’s relationship with His people: He is sovereign over them in everything that He does but He also allows His created beings the freedom to choose whether they will follow Him or not. How each of those opposing purposes can be true and still be perfectly effectuated is a profound mystery—seeing, on the one hand, that everything in prophecy will come to pass exactly as it was recorded in God’s divine Word but, on the other hand, the Lord does not compel either the angels or humans to follow what He has prophesied in order to gain their love and devotion or to force His will upon them. Such freedom only goes to prove God’s great love for His created beings, like you and me.
Always remember, our God is a loving Father to us. He only wants what is best for His creation. Unfortunately, sinful humanity is in constant conflict with God’s will. Human nature runs counter to God’s Commandments, which were given to guide our lives while showing us how far we miss the mark when we rebel against Him. Because of this sin and rebellion, human beings are helpless to consistently do good and not sin. Only through an abiding faith and close relationship with God can any of us find peace, joy and live in harmony with our fellow humans.
Going our own way is the very definition of sin, a condition that ultimately ends with evil and calamity in our present world and eternal punishment in the next. God’s prophetic Word promised that His Messiah, Yeshua, would come to pay the price for our sin and would thereafter send His Holy Spirit to live within us, producing the “fruit of the Spirit” as we walk with Him. Sadly, far too many have pushed Yeshua away and His Holy Spirit is not evident in their lives. The proof of that rebellion is what we see all around us and on our nightly newscasts: chaos, hatred, murders, wars, lawlessness and dishonesty.
Is that what you want out of life? Even if you are fortunate enough to live in relative safety and have a good family and friends, you know that the world all around you is not right. Lies and deceptions abound. The nations are in turmoil and politics has become so divisive that it is quickly becoming a blood sport.
As we rush towards the climax of this present age, ask yourself: am I ready to meet my God face to face and, when I do, what will I say to Him? Do I have anything to offer Him that could save me or have I trusted in His grace through Yeshua’s sacrifice on Calvary’s cross? I pray that your decision is the latter one, since none of us can stand before a just and holy God apart from the grace He has provided through Yeshua’s sacrificial death for our sins. “I am the way, the truth and the life,” said Yeshua, (John 14:6), “no one can come to the Father (God) except through me.” Only through faith in Him and His sacrificial death for us can we ever find rest for our souls and a place in His Kingdom. So, choose life. Choose to follow Yeshua!
In my next Blog, I will discuss the purpose for why I wrote my new book: The Jewish Messiah and the Second Coming. In brief, my book will systematically take you through all of the prophecies that point to the First Coming of Messiah, Yeshua, (Jesus) to the people living in the Land of Israel in the First Century, A.D. That First Coming was to fulfill God’s prophecies for the salvation of His Jewish people and, through them, the salvation of the rest of mankind also.
The Second Coming concerns Yeshua’s return to Israel in the last days to rescue the remnant of His Jewish people from certain disaster and, then, to set up His thousand-year millennial reign on David’s throne, just as it has been prophesied. My book: The Jewish Messiah and the Second Coming is truly different from any other publication on the Revelation and predictive prophecy. The book’s Endnotes explain each of the revelations that Yeshua gave to John, His disciple, concerning what will take place in the last days.
In addition to my book, each of my Blogs will endeavor to expand on my book and teach you, the reader, what is the mind and will of God for you and me. The Blogs will be numbered in consecutive order so that you can refer back to them as needed for further study and encouragement. An Index will also be provided on our Blog page for easy access to the topics that were covered in previous Blogs. Also, if there’s a topic that you would like me to cover, please bring it to my attention in the “Forum” and “Contact Us” Sections of this Website.
As we proceed through the prophetic Word, you will see God’s grace to His people despite their rebellion towards Him. It is my opinion that in the near future, all of the Lord’s blessings that He has poured out on His Jewish people in Israel will go unappreciated. Like so many other people groups, they will become so filled with their own sense of power and success that they will refuse to give God the glory. For that, He will have to test them once again, just like He did so many times in their ancient past. But, even with the harshest of testings, God will still keep a remnant of His people alive to witness Yeshua’s return in glory on the clouds of Heaven. At that time, everything that was written in the prophecies about His people in the last days will come to fulfillment, (See: Isaiah 66:15-24; Jeremiah 31;31-40; Daniel 12:1-12; Zechariah 14:1-21).
Currently, Israel has been repeatedly tested since 1948 with over twenty wars and dislocations in their society. In each case, they have prevailed against unbelievable odds, not by reason of their own strength as they may think, but on account of God’s grace towards them. Yet, for the most part, the people of Israel have had nothing to do with Yeshua or His body of believers, the Church. However, a time is coming when Satan and his demonic followers will begin to run rampant throughout the Land of Israel and the people living there will find themselves pressed down on every side.
The Bible says that, at that time, the people of Israel will enter into what it describes as “the Valley of Decision,” (See: Joel 3:1-16). Great destruction is prophesied to come upon Israel from the very bowels of hell itself and many will die in that Land; yet, the Lord will preserve His remnant who have trusted in Him and who will be longing for Messiah’s coming. During that time of testing, (which will be Yeshua’s opening of the Seven Seals of the Revelation), two-thirds in Israel will die but the remaining third in Israel will be saved to enter into Yeshua’s Kingdom when He comes, (See: Zech. 13:1-9).
Keep in mind, Satan has always hated the Jewish people more than any other ethnicity or nation. He believes that he can actually prevent Messiah’s return to judge him and his evil cohorts if there are no Jewish people left in the Land for Yeshua to save. This time of testing in Israel was foretold by the prophets and was called: “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” [i.e. Jewish trouble], (See: Jeremiah 30:7). That time will come upon the people living in the Land of Israel in the last days just before Yeshua returns to the Mount of Olives outside of Jerusalem, (Zech. 14:1-4). This will be a time of great distress for the Jewish people. Yeshua referred to this time as the “Great Tribulation,” saying that there will never have been such a time in all of Israel’s prior history and will never be again, (Matthew 24:15-22).
With all of the troubling events taking place in Israel right now, it would seem wise if all of us paid very close attention to what is happening in that Land. God is clearly at work in His Land, the place He chose over every other location on the Earth, to put His Name and His Holy Temple in it. The present wars that have been raging right now in Israel and the Middle East are not the “end,” just as Yeshua said in Matthew 24:3-8, but they may very well be the precursors and signs that are leading up to the final tribulation of the last days. So, stay tuned. Watch and pray so that you will not be caught unawares when Yeshua returns.
To understand what is coming, you can order the print or e-book version of my treatise:The Jewish Messiah and The Second Coming, by simply going to the “Shop” button at the top of this Website or go to Amazon.com or any of the other online bookseller. You can also subscribe to my monthly Newsletter for $24.00 USD per year. These monthly Newsletters will keep you abreast of which events to watch for and to give you Biblical insight into what they may portend. With each Newsletter subscription, several of my recent Blogs on the signs of the Second Coming will be included.
Finally, we have available for you or your Church Small Group, a variety of teaching and learning aids. Our Prophecy Study Guides will systematically take you through my Book and God’s prophetic Word, teaching you the ins and outs of His mind and plan for your life, salvation and deliverance in the last days. We will also be offering a variety of Learning Materials on various prophetic subjects that are designed to guide you in your study of Bible prophecy and the understanding of Biblical interpretation. Each of our Prophecy Study Guides and Learning Materials are available for $1.00 USD each. You can place your credit card orders on our “Shop” page by simply clicking on the “Shop” button at the top of our Website. Your materials will be downloaded to your email address within a few days.
If you have questions, need to talk or want recommendations for other books or videos for further studies in God’s Word, go to our “Contact Us” page and type in your question, inquiry or statement. We will try to get back to you via email in a timely fashion. You can also dialog with us or with each other on our “Forum” page. Just post a question or a comment and we can get started. See the Forum page rules before going onto the Forum page.
Thank you for visiting our Website and may God bless and keep you in His tender mercy and care. John Schwulst
