Truth from the Earth: End-Time Prophecies—Fulfilled and Soon to Be Fulfilled

By Art Shotwell

Written in semi-autobiographical style, the book intertwines personal testimony, scripture, and the nature of God. The author shows how seemingly trivial or isolated events combine with sad or challenging circumstances over a period of years or even decades to work together for good according to Romans 8:28. These same events may be key factors necessary for us to experience in order to fulfill the plans and purposes God has for nations or individuals as described in Jeremiah 29:11.
The book addresses issues which are either unclear or unmentioned in the Bible. These include the fate of infants or small children who die before having faith or being baptized; what happens to friends, relatives, or others we love who may have gone through life without knowing Christ as their personal savior; and entire populations who have never heard of Christ over many centuries. The book identifies the unpardonable sin in a manner that removes all doubts and questions. The book also confronts serious misinterpretation of scripture in what the author calls Gods Greatest Truth or Satans Greatest Deception.
Finally, the author compares the Commentary on Habakkukuncovered in the Dead Sea Scrollsto events in modern history, showing that this prophecy of things which were destined for the last generation have been fulfilled. Additionally, he describes in detail another archeological discovery yet to be revealed which can be verified scientifically and will be incontrovertible proof to Jews and gentiles alike that God is real and Jesus is Lord and Savior.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514408902

Art Shotwell

As a babe in arms the habit of meeting often in the house of the Lord was firmly entrenched. He was taught to worship God, have reverence for the word of the Lord, love his fellow man, and “study all good books.” As a teenager he was admonished to prepare for service to God. When he was ordained in 1966 he followed his grandfather, father, and brother into the ministry. In 1969, to prevent being drafted, he chose to enter the navy with a guarantee that he would be trained as a hospital corpsman. While in school he contacted a member of a local church for transportation on Sunday. He states he had three goals: to participate in worship, to go home with a family for fun and fellowship, and to meet eligible young ladies. On his second visit only one young lady had a vacant seat next to her. He asked and was given permission to occupy that seat. If you don’t believe in destiny or that marriages are made in heaven you may want to reconsider your beliefs. Her grandmother had been his mother’s Sunday school teacher in the late 1920s or early 1930s several hundred miles away. Art and Dawn had their first date in August, became engaged in September, and wed on Valentine’s Day in 1970. After being struck by a car while crossing the street in November 2000 he spent thirty-seven days in the hospital and a rehab facility. He became friends with the facility chaplain. When a spot opened up in the pastoral care department, Art and Dawn became voluntary guest chaplains, leading non-denominational services one Sunday every other month. They began their fourteenth year of service in January 2015.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Art Shotwell.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2015915538

ISBN:                  Hardcover                    978-1-5144-0888-9

                            Softcover                      978-1-5144-0889-6

                            eBook                           978-1-5144-0890-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Scripture quotations taken from Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission, (www.Lockman.org), identified as Amplified.

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, New Century Version, copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. Identified as NCV.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. Identified as NIV.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Identified as NKJV.

Rev. date: 10/30/2015

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

677439

Contents

Dedication

Chapter 1 In the Beginning, God

Chapter 2 Seeing the Master Plan

Chapter 3 Truth from the Earth, Part One End-Time Prophecies Fulfilled

Chapter 4 The Kittim, Part One

Chapter 5 The Kittim, Part Two

Chapter 6 The Nature, Character, and Attributes of God

Chapter 7 God’s Greatest Truth or Satan’s Greatest Deception?

Chapter 8 Truth from the Earth, Part Two End-Time Prophecies Soon to Be Fulfilled

Chapter 9 God’s Grace and Plan of Salvation

Appendix A Through the Valley

Appendix B This Is True

Citations

Bibliography

Dedication

Because they make the world on which we live a better place,

I dedicate this book to

Emily and Katie.

When I met Emily and we became friends, she was twenty-something. Emily is a dedicated and skilled teacher. When her father, the rabbi, was out of the country, Emily was entrusted with the responsibility of teaching his class. She did not disappoint him. The last I heard about Emily she was taking an advanced class in the Hebrew language. If Emily had lived in Europe in the 1940s she would probably have been among the first people chosen for the gas chambers because she is unable to perform physical slave labor. Emily has to walk with a walker. She has one of those fancy models equipped with a seat in case she tires. If you ever think you have overcome big challenges in your life think of Emily who chooses not to remain a victim of cerebral palsy.

Katie entered my life when she was six. One of her physical challenges is Down syndrome which is caused by cell division problems involving chromosome 21. It has been my experience and also the experience of my wife that people with Down syndrome are less inhibited in expressing affection. Katie is no exception. As we left church, we heard knocking on the glass door. We turned in time to see Katie knocking and our hearts were lifted as she said in a loud voice, I love you. In Hitler’s Germany, Katie probably would not have seen her sixth birthday. She would have been classified a useless mouth and would have been disposed of in lieu of allowing her to consume precious food supplies.

Chapter 1

In the Beginning, God

T he overwhelming majority of English translations of the Bible begin with the words, In the beginning God…, Genesis 1:1. This affirmation is foundational for the Judeo-Christian community and will ultimately prove true for all of humanity. Simply stated:

God Is

The fool says in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one (emphasis mine).

——Psalm 14:1–3 (NIV).

With only a minor change in the reference to God, the italicized statement is repeated at the beginning of Psalm 53. God looks down from heaven on the sons of men. This is absolute reality: God is!

An entire chapter will be devoted to select attributes about the nature of God. It will not be an exhaustive study about the nature of God, but qualities that people must keep in mind as they discuss or establish their beliefs about ways in which God has acted in history and interacted with humanity, ways God presently acts and interacts, and our expectations for how God will act and interact in the future. It is paramount for us to understand that God does not do anything in a whimsical manner and at all times must act in ways that are consistent with the nature of God. Because God is omnipotent (all powerful), some persons believe God can do whatever God wants to do whenever God wants to do it. In theory that is true, but God places restrictions on himself so people can know what God has done and whether God is directing us to take certain actions. If a person hears a voice or senses guidance within their spirit that seems to tell them to do anything contrary to the nature of God, great care must be taken to ascertain if there is a high probability that it is from God.

God Has a Plan for My Life and Your Life

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord (emphasis mine).

——Jeremiah 29:11–14 (NIV)

You did not choose me; I chose you. And I gave you this work: to go and produce fruit, fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. This is my command: Love each other (emphasis mine).

——John 15:16, 17 (NCV)

I declare with Job:

Keep silent and let me speak; then let come to me what may. Why do I put myself in jeopardy and take my life in my hands? Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face. Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless man would dare come before him! Listen carefully to my words; let your ears take in what I say. Now that I have prepared my case, I know I will be vindicated (emphasis mine).

——Job 13:13–18 (NIV)

In order to know God’s plan for me, I must petition the throne of grace and listen to the guidance I receive. Then I must act on it!

Holy Father, as I share my testimonies and the insights I have received in a study of the scriptures under the guidance of your Holy Spirit, I echo David’s prayer. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer, Psalm 19:14 (NIV). I thank you for the assurance that he who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus, Philippians 1:6 (NIV). As I have many times in my life, I rely on the promise you gave us through John, the Beloved Apostle:

"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (emphasis mine)."

——John 14:23–27 (NIV)

As I struggle with what words to use and which memories to share, may I open my heart, mind, eyes, and ears to the Holy Spirit [who] will teach [me] at that time what [I] should say, Luke 12:12 (NIV). May I do [my] best to present [myself] to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth, Timothy 2:15 (NIV).

Father, we know that faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ, Romans 10:17 (NIV). We are reminded that:

The followers came to Jesus and asked, Why do you use stories to teach the people? Jesus answered, "You have been chosen to know the secrets about the kingdom of heaven, but others cannot know these secrets. Those who have understanding will be given more, and they will have all they need. But those who do not have understanding, even what they have will be taken away from them. This is why I use stories to teach the people: They see, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really hear or understand. So they show that the things Isaiah [6:9–10] said about them are true: ‘You will listen and listen, but you will not understand. You will look and look, but you will not learn. For the minds of these people have become stubborn. They do not hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might really understand what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears. They might really understand in their minds and come back to me and be healed (emphasis mine).’"

——Matthew 13:10–15 (NCV)

O my Father, I know that much of what I present in these pages will seem strange and foreign to many readers. Remind them of the wisdom of Solomon when he said:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.

——Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)

Reassure them that the counsel of James is still valid today when he says:

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does (emphasis mine).

——James 1:5–8 (NIV)

Let them reconsider the meaning of the words of your Son when he said:

I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you (emphasis mine).

——John 16:12–15 (NIV)

May it be said of me as it was said of John, the Baptist:

This man came to witness, that he might testify of the light, that all men might believe in it [adhere to it, trust it, and rely upon it] through him. He was not the Light himself, but came that he might bear witness regarding the Light. There it was—the true Light [was then] coming into the world [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] that illumines every person. [Isaiah 49:6.] He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him]. He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own—His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him. But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—[Isaiah 56:5] (emphasis mine).

——John 1:7–12 (Amplified)

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen (emphasis mine).

——Romans 16:25–27 (NKJV)

Earlier I had the audacity to quote from the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of John, using emphasis to imply that God planned my life and chose me to write this book. Perhaps my audacity comes from my life experience when I have followed Solomon’s advice:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

——Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)

Like many people, I said I trusted God if he told me to do something the way I wanted. Or I argued, but I’ve always done it this way. Sometimes I was afraid that I wouldn’t succeed or I was afraid of what people would say to me or about me. The Amplified Bible gives us additional meaning about what it means to trust in the Lord. "Lean on, trust and be confident in the Lord… As my parents would say, Do it—no ifs, ands, or buts."

If we’re sure our directions come from the Lord, we don’t try to put conditions on our obedience, but try to do what we’re told, confident that he controls the result. In a meeting for all chaplains who serve at Riverside Rehabilitation Institute, we were given this valuable advice: When God pushes you to the edge of difficulty, trust him fully, because two things can happen—either he’ll catch you when you fall or he will teach you how to fly. It is appropriate that I provide information to show how I reached the conclusion that I was called to this task.

Late in May or early in June of the year 2009, on a Friday morning, I had gone to a pedestrian overpass in the city of Hampton, Virginia. The overpass provides safe passage over the Hampton Roads Center Parkway, giving residents of a housing area access to a wide sidewalk used by walkers, joggers, bikers, and parents pushing baby strollers. The sidewalk is just outside, and provides access to Sandy Bottom Nature Park, a quiet place for rest and relaxation and the site of several walking trails, picnic shelters, campsites, a playground, two lakes, and a nature center where one can learn about the park’s flora and fauna. The overpass features three ramps on each side, rising to a height of seventeen feet, where a walkway crosses four lanes of traffic and a wide median.

Some people utilize the parking lot near the entrance to Sandy Bottom and take their daily walks on the sidewalk. Others will include a round-trip on the pedestrian overpass, either because of where they live, or as a means of increasing the amount of stress in their exercise. Exercise buffs, or those seeking a maximum workout in their walking, will ascend the ramps on one side, cross to the other side, descend to the bottom, then turn around and repeat the process in the opposite direction. This may be done several times. I am neither an exercise buff nor a glutton for punishment.

In February I had been diagnosed with a mild heart attack. As recovery from the heart attack progressed, my cardiologist ordered a mini stress test to determine if I was healthy enough for therapy. This was a six-minute test on a treadmill. The first two minutes were horizontal at a slow speed. The pace was quickened for the next two minutes. For the last two minutes the plane was inclined about ten degrees. I don’t remember if the speed was again increased. If the test was prolonged, the speed again increased, or the angle of elevation made steeper, I would not have been able to continue. It was obvious I would need to improve my strength, speed, and stamina if the full stress test was to be done on the treadmill and if I was to return to work. I had been told at the conclusion of the mini stress test that the full stress test started where the mini test ended and increased in difficulty from that point. I decided the ramps on the pedestrian overpass would give me the best approximation of test conditions without buying equipment or going to a gym.

Several people were there, including a couple I had never seen before, or since. As our paths crossed we exchanged tidbits of information—names, physical challenges, and how many round-trips they expected to make. I learned their names were Carlos and Vanessa. Carlos said they usually did ten round-trips. I pushed myself to do seven round-trips that day. If I had pushed harder I might have been able to go farther. Carlos and Vanessa were walking much faster than I was able to walk, but ten round-trips still require time. Why had I never seen them before? In 2010 I learned the names of more than forty people (and three dogs) that use the sidewalk by the parkway. Others I recognized, but have not learned their names. I have walked in the morning, the afternoon, and a few times after dark. Carlos and Vanessa have not made another appearance.

I suspect we had an appointment similar to the time Jesus met the woman at the well (John 4). The third or fourth time our paths crossed Carlos asked if they could walk with me. I agreed, as long as they went at my pace. Carlos had learned that I have arthritis from head to toe. He also learned that I was recovering from a heart attack and was trying to build up my strength and stamina to return to work as a city letter carrier—a mailman. We hadn’t walked far together when Carlos asked if they could pray with me. He also said, "The Holy Spirit instructed us to pray with you." Please note the specific choice of words. They were not instructed to pray for me. They could have gone home and prayed for me, but they were instructed to pray with me.

The Holy Spirit provided the words that Carlos used in his prayer. Carlos did not pray that I would be healed, that my pain would be lessened, that my heart would be strengthened, or that I would be able to return to work. Carlos prayed that my testimony would go forth to the world. Then they excused themselves and walked away. I knew that I had just been told God’s plan for my life.

I Proclaim Jesus Christ

Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, Jesus be cursed, and no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit (emphasis mine). ——1 Corinthians 12:3 (NIV)

By the power of the Holy Spirit resident within me I declare, Jesus is Lord! Readers may say that writing the words doesn’t qualify or meet the criterion specified in the scripture above. In the late 1990s, one of the adult classes in a local Methodist Church was doing a comparative study of other religions. I had opportunity to be the guest teacher for three classes. I began the first class by reading the verse above and declaring, Jesus is Lord! Okay, you may say, for five seconds, once in my life, I was led by the Holy Spirit to affirm the Lordship of Christ. I can do better than that.

On November 26, 2000, I preached an entire sermon based on the theme, Jesus Is Lord. Using alliteration, I divided the Lordship of Christ into seven categories, each beginning with the letter D. Because of subsequent events I have repeated these affirmations several times as part of my oral testimony, and handed out copies of my written testimony concerning this date and the weeks following. Although technically not accurate by strict definitions of words, I have combined disfigurement and dismemberment with deformity and continue to give these five affirmations:

Jesus Is Lord Over Deformity;

Jesus Is Lord Over Death;

Jesus Is Lord Over Disease;

Jesus Is Lord Over Disability; and

Jesus Is Lord Over Destiny.

I provide this scriptural support for these assertions:

Jesus Is Lord Over Deformity

An unnamed disciple cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. Peter is named as the attacker and Malchus as the servant in John 18:10. With the empathy of a physician, Luke records that Jesus touched the man’s ear and healed him, Matthew 26:5; Mark 14:47; Luke 22:50–51.

Jesus healed a man with a withered hand, on the Sabbath, in the synagogue. Jesus, of course, was chastised for healing on the Sabbath. No compassion was shown for the man with the withered hand, Mark 3:1–5.

Jesus Is Lord Over Death

Wrapped around the story of the woman that was healed when she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment is the story of Jairus’s twelve-year-old daughter. Jairus, a leader of the synagogue, had come to Jesus asking that his only daughter be healed. Before Jesus could accompany him to his home, someone came from the house and said it was too late. The girl had already died. Jesus told Jairus not to be afraid and to believe. He then went to Jairus’s home and raised her from her deathbed, Mark 5:21–24, 35–43; Luke 8:40–42, 49–56.

A lengthy passage in John describes Jesus’ friendship and interaction with Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha. They sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was ill, but Jesus delayed going to see him. Finally, after Lazarus died and had been buried in a tomb for four days, Jesus went to Bethany and called him back to life, proving to the world that Jesus is indeed "the resurrection and the life (v 25) (emphasis mine)," John 11:1–44.

Jesus Is Lord Over Disease

Matthew states that Jesus traveled everywhere in Galilee. In addition to preaching and teaching, he healed all of the peoples’ diseases and sicknesses (Matthew 4:23). All four gospels are filled with actual accounts of people being healed by Jesus.

Jesus not only has the power to heal, but this verse says he gave his disciples the power to cast out evil spirits and heal every kind of disease and sickness as well (Matthew 10:1).

Jesus Is Lord Over Disability

The word disability means a person lacks the ability to do certain things because of physical or mental impairment. In the twenty-first century, we refer to a person as either physically challenged or differently able. A person may be able to perform certain tasks, but perhaps not in the same way someone else would, or with the same speed or dexterity. In this story, a man had been sick for thirty-eight years. He was lying near the pool at Bethesda, close to the Sheep Gate. Tradition held that when the waters were stirred up (by an unknown force), the first person into the water would be healed of any infirmity. This man had enough mobility to make it to the pool, but he could never get there first. When Jesus asked him, Do you want to be made well? (v 6), the man answered him by saying, Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me (v 7), John 5:1–15.

The account of this healing is different from most healings in the Gospels. Jesus did not say to him, Your faith has made you well. The man did not know who Jesus was. He never called out Jesus or Master or Son of David. His presence at the pool showed he believed he could be healed, but his faith was in the troubling of the waters. Jesus healed him, on the Sabbath once again, out of compassion.

At a later meeting (v 14), Jesus told him, Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you. This statement suggests that Jesus had knowledge of the circumstance that caused the man’s paralysis. Unfortunately, many people use it in an attempt to connect all negative physical and emotional conditions to God’s punishment for our sinful actions. We must not forget the exchange recorded in John 9:1–3, when Jesus healed a man who had been born blind. When Jesus was asked, Who sinned, this man or his parents? Jesus answered, Neither.

While not all of our challenges are caused by sin, this story shows that Jesus was aware of the crippling or paralyzing effect of sin in our lives. A man was paralyzed. Four friends carried him to the house where Jesus was teaching, but could not approach because of the press of the crowd. Finally, they carried him onto the roof of the house, removed some tiles, and lowered him to the place where Jesus was standing. In this story, Jesus asserted his deity by forgiving the man’s sins. He then proved he had the authority to do so by telling the paralyzed man to get up and walk, which he did (Matthew 9:1–8; Mark 2:1–12; Luke 5:17–26).

In a different story recorded in Matthew, the verses tell us that some of our disabilities are caused by demonic control. In this story, a man had lost the ability to speak—at least coherently—until Jesus cast out the demon that possessed him. His speech was restored, Matthew 9:32–33.

Jesus Is Lord Over Destiny

The entire book of Exodus tells the story of Moses. The Israelites were in slavery in Egypt. The Hebrew population was growing so large that Pharaoh was afraid they would outnumber the Egyptians, stage a revolt, and rise up to overthrow their keepers. He decreed that the midwives must kill all Israelite male babies as soon as they were born. The midwives disobeyed this law whenever they could.

Moses was spared at birth. When he could no longer be hidden, he was placed in a homemade basket that had been sealed with pitch (tar). Then he was set afloat among tall reeds called bulrushes. His sister, Miriam, watched from hiding to make sure he was safe. Pharaoh’s daughter came to the river to bathe and saw the basket floating nearby. She sent her handmaidens to retrieve it, and seeing baby Moses, she decided to raise him in the palace. Miriam came out of hiding and asked if she should get a Hebrew woman to nurse him. After the princess consented, Miriam went and brought back the child’s mother.

Moses was raised as a member of Pharaoh’s household. He remained in Egypt for forty years, but he had to flee after killing a guard who was beating a Hebrew slave. He spent the next forty years in Midian, where Jethro was a priest. Moses married Jethro’s daughter, and tended the sheep of his father-in-law.

While tending the sheep, he encountered God on Mount Sinai, the Mountain of God (also called Mount Horeb). He saw a bush that appeared to be on fire, but was not being consumed. He approached to investigate when he heard a voice calling to him from out of the bush.

Do not come any closer, God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. Then he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

——Exodus 3:5–6 (NIV)

God sent Moses back to Egypt with a message to Pharaoh to, Let My people go! (Exodus 7:16). Because Pharaoh refused, God sent a series of plagues upon Egypt. The last plague was the actual Passover, the night when the destroying angel killed the firstborn of every household in Egypt except the houses that had been marked with blood from sacrificial lambs. Some Israelites did not mark their homes and suffered the loss of their firstborn. Some Egyptians who were in close proximity to the Israelites and had come to believe in Israel’s God did mark their homes with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. Because of their faith, their households were spared from the avenging angel. These Egyptians accompanied the Israelites when Pharaoh told them to leave.

When Pharaoh realized he had lost his slave labor, he changed his mind about allowing the Israelites to depart and pursued them. God parted the waters of the Red Sea and the Israelites walked through "on dry ground (emphasis mine)" (Exodus 14:22). When Pharaoh’s army tried to follow, the waters rushed back on them, killing them all. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years until all but two of that generation of disobedient idolaters died. Only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the Promised Land.

During the forty years in the desert, Moses had again encountered God on Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments, a part of the Mosaic Law. Because of sin, even Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. A rabbi I know says Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because the people would have worshiped him. It is an interesting, but valid, interpretation of the scripture story. In any event, in the preparatory events and the development of his faith, Moses fulfilled his destiny.

My next example of a person’s destiny being under the Lordship of Jesus Christ was Jonah, an Israelite and God’s servant sent to preach to the Gentiles.¹ Jonah is the central figure in the Old Testament book that bears his name. Because of the disagreement as to the authorship of the Book of Jonah, and as an example of how people become bogged down and sidetracked over issues that are not the focal point of the lessons intended for our edification, I am including contrasting statements from four sources that were not part of the sermon Jesus Is Lord, but which contribute to our understanding of how we come to the knowledge of the truth.

It has been observed that The Book of Jonah nowhere claims to have been written by that prophet… . A post-exilic date for the writer of The Book of Jonah seems more probable. The date of composition has nothing to do with the historicity of Jonah the son of Amittai who prophesied in the reign of Jeroboam II. There is no evidence that Jonah wrote the book that bears his name.²

In contrast, John MacArthur makes this statement in his preface to The Book of Jonah:

The book makes no direct claim regarding authorship. Throughout the book, Jonah is repeatedly referred to in the third person, causing some to search for another author. It was not an uncommon OT practice, however, to write in the third person (e.g., Ex. 11:3; 1 Sam. 12:11). Furthermore, the autobiographical information revealed within its pages clearly points to Jonah as the author. The firsthand accounts of such unusual events and experiences would be best recounted from the hand of Jonah himself. Nor should the introductory verse suggest otherwise, since other prophets such as Hosea, Joel, Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai, and Zechariah, have similar openings.³

An equally compelling, but opposing viewpoint, was presented in the introduction to The Book of Jonah in a College Edition of the Revised Standard Version:

The principal figure of this artful story is an obscure Galilean prophet from Gath-hepher who counseled Jeroboam II (786–746 B.C.) in a successful conflict with the Syrians (2 Kg.14.25) and with whom some of the earlier traditional material was probably associated. Its author, however, must have lived in the post-exilic period because he betrays the influence of Jeremiah and Second Isaiah, opposes the narrow Jewish nationalism exhibited in Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles, and writes in a late form of Hebrew. A date sometime in the fourth or third century B.C. would meet these requirements.⁴

MacArthur verifies and adds to the biographical information about Jonah:

According to 2 Kin. 14:25, Jonah came from Gath-hepher near Nazareth. The context places him during the long and prosperous reign of Jeroboam II (ca. 793–753B.C.), making him a prophet to the northern tribes just prior to Amos during the first half of the eighth century B.C., ca. 760 B.C. The Pharisees were wrong when they said no prophet has arisen out of Galilee (John 7:52), because Jonah was a Galilean. An unverifiable Jewish tradition says Jonah was the son of the widow of Zarephath whom Elijah raised from the dead (1 Kin. 17:8–24).⁵

God commanded Jonah to go to the great city of Nineveh. His message was the same message proclaimed by many prophets: If you don’t repent, God will punish you (Jonah 1:1–2). In this case, the punishment was that Nineveh would be overthrown in forty days (Jonah 3:4). Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh, preferring that they be defeated.

Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrian Empire was a World-Empire for about 300 years, 900–607 B. C. It began its rise to world power about the time of the Division of the Hebrew Kingdom at the close of Solomon’s reign. It gradually absorbed and destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel… . Thus Jonah was called of God to prolong the life of the enemy nation which was already in the process of exterminating his own nation. No wonder he fled in the opposite direction. Preachers sometimes use Jonah as an example of race prejudice. It was not exactly that, but rather patriotic dread of a brutal and relentless military machine which was closing in on God’s people.⁶

Jonah acted on his wish that Nineveh would not be spared. He got on a ship headed in the opposite direction. A great storm arose, threatening the safety of the ship and crew. After Jonah confessed that he had disobeyed God, he was thrown overboard. The sea calmed. Jonah was swallowed by a great fish, and remained in the belly of the fish for three days until he repented. The fish expelled Jonah. This is the original big fish story.

Naturally, because of the fish story, the unbelieving mind rebels at accepting it as factual. They call it fiction, or an allegory, or a parable, or a prose poem, etc., etc. Jesus unmistakably regarded it as an historical fact, Mt. 12:39–41. It takes considerable straining to make anything else out of his language. He called it a sign of his own resurrection. He put the fish, the repentance of the Ninevites, his resurrection, and the judgment day in the same category. He surely was talking of REALITY when he spoke of his resurrection and the judgment day. Thus Jesus accepted the Jonah story. For us that settles it. We believe that it actually occurred, just as recorded; and that Jonah himself, under the direction of God’s Spirit, wrote the book, with no attempt to excuse his own unworthy showing; and that the book, under the direction of God’s Spirit, was placed among the Sacred Writings in the Temple as a part of God’s unfolding revelation of Himself.⁷

After the coercion or intimidation of being swallowed by a fish, Jonah went to Nineveh and preached repentance as he had been commanded. Everyone in the city repented in sackcloth and ashes and the city was spared. Whether fact or fiction, the story teaches this valuable lesson: When you are called by God to do something, even if you don’t want to or feel inadequate for the task, the wise choice is to obey God and fulfill your destiny.

My final example that Jesus Is Lord Over Destiny was the story of Saul of Tarsus, which is recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. In chapter eight, Saul is introduced as a persecutor of Christians. In chapter nine, Jesus appears to Saul on the road to Damascus. Saul becomes a believer, changes his name to Paul, and becomes an evangelist, apostle, and church planter. Throughout the remainder of Acts, we find accounts of Paul’s missionary journeys as he shared the story of his encounter with Christ and started churches throughout Asia Minor and Greece. Many of the letters he wrote to the congregations he started were inspired by God and canonized in the New Testament of the Bible as Holy Scripture. Although a person lives as an enemy of God, their destiny may be like that of Saul, to become a great servant of God and win many souls to Christ.

I have included more narrative here than I did in the preaching of my sermon on November 26, 2000. When I preached that day, I was speaking to people who were, for the most part, familiar with the biblical accounts. The additional narrative I have included here is for the benefit of readers unfamiliar with some of the stories.

And Now… the Rest of the Story

Three days after I proclaimed in a sermon that Jesus Is Lord, God provided the proof. I am considered a lay minister. I preach, teach, administer the sacraments, and participate in other acts of ministry without financial remuneration. On November 29, 2000, I was delivering mail in Norfolk, Virginia, as part of my paid occupation. Shortly after 12:30 PM, I prepared to cross W. Little Creek Road. I pressed the button to activate the pedestrian crossing signal. Then I checked to see if there was any traffic. I looked to the left and did not see any cars. I looked to the right and saw a van about a block away. I thought, If I hurry I can beat the van. I broke two cardinal rules of crossing safety. I did not look back to the left and I did not wait for the signal to cross. I stepped onto the road and had time to think one word, Car!

It took me a year to figure out why I had not seen the car approaching. I was standing near the same spot by the crosswalk at the same intersection. I looked to the left and saw a string of light poles and telephone poles. Visually, from where I stood, the poles created a fence. The car that hit me was there all the time, but I couldn’t see it. The brain will answer the question you ask of it.