Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

JESUS CHRIST AUTHOR OF LIFE

John 1:3-4

Why do I exist? Why does anything exist? Why isn't there just ... nothing? Because Jesus created all things, life is in Him. You are ... for His glory.

YOUR LIFE BEGINS

It is difficult for me to see why anything I am or do is meaningful unless I begin to understand my connectedness to others, to the past, and to the future. That connectedness is primarily the connectedness of story — of lives interwoven over time in a purposeful plot. Understanding my life in this way gives me better reasons than I otherwise have to live life with optimism and courage.

DANIEL TAYLOR

Sometimes ideas and thoughts are referred to as seeds because they grow and develop in your mind as you think about and ponder them. Write one seed-thought from this quotation that you can plant in the fertile soil of your mind.

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Two thoughts came to my mind after reading Daniel Taylor's concept. First, when I "begin to understand my connectedness to others, to the past," I think of all the Christians who have preserved, preached, and portrayed the Gospel throughout history at tremendous cost. Someone once said, "We are the bus in which our ancestors ride." Who we are today is a direct result of characteristics and traits that we have inherited from our ancestors. This also applies to us who belong to Christ's Kingdom. When we step into God's story, we immediately inherit spiritual ancestors. We become the bus these spiritual ancestors ride in as well. What a legacy! What a heritage! I am connected to others ... to the past.

Secondly, when I consider the phrase — "and to the future." I see I am also connected to individuals who have not yet been born. Consequently, I am a vital link between those who lived in the past and those who will live in the future. This brings new questions, such as, what spiritual legacy will I leave? How will I impact Christ's church? What am I doing for the Lord right now, in my moment in history?

Richard Paul Evans made the following statement. Not only does it apply to each and every one of us, but it is also very motivating.

"Believe you have been sent from God as an arrow pulled from His own bow."

Think about how you are depicted in that statement. This is a poetic way of saying that you have been purposefully shot like an arrow from God into this particular moment in time.

Your personal story has already begun, and you are currently living your moment in history. If you have at a specific moment in your life been introduced to the gospel story of Jesus, and have chosen by faith to believe Jesus' story and to follow Him, you have stepped into the pages of God's story. You now have your very own chapter in His book, and you play an essential role in His purposeful plot. Your chapter will be filled with significance, direction, and purpose. It will be all about the role you play in building Christ's Eternal Kingdom.

Not only are you allowing God to direct your life's story, your name has been entered into a special book called the Lamb's (Jesus') book of life. This book is undoubtedly the most important book of all time because it is the register of all who have been saved by faith in Jesus' redeeming work on the cross. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life will live forever in God's Kingdom. (Revelation 21:27; 3:5; 20:15)

But perhaps you don't have a specific moment in your life where you've made this decision. Your story is independent from God's story. Tragically, you will not write the end of your story. Rather, God will be the one to write the final words in the last chapter of your life story.

Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV)

"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated upon it ... I saw the dead great [you may be great] and small [you may be small], standing before the throne, and books were opened [your book included.] Another book was opened which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they [you] had done as recorded in the books [your own book] ... If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Think about the significance of these verses. If your name is not registered in this book, it is urgent that you do something about it.

So, what exactly is your purpose? What part do you play in God's great plot? Perhaps, after completing this study, you will see that you have been placed into, what I consider, the most unique of all moments in history — the end times — the last chapter of this Present Age.

THE PROPHETIC EVENTS OF YOUR LIFE

The Prophetic Events discussed in this book are "unconditional" Events. In other words, nothing can be done to stop or prevent these Prophetic Events from taking place.

Unlike the unconditional Events described in this book, many of the prophecies found in the Old Testament were conditional. In other words, the people directly involved with or affected by these conditional prophecies could do specific things that dictated whether or not God would carry out certain judgments. For example, Exodus 7-12 records the story of God telling Pharaoh that the Egyptian people would endure ten plagues if Pharaoh did not release the Hebrew people from slavery. The condition was: don't let them go — plagues; let them go — no plagues. It was Pharaoh's choice. However, this is not the case with the Prophetic Events of end-time prophecy.

The Prophetic Events of Your Life ... this phrase Your Life indicates that you will be directly involved in these God-planned Events. This book is about God, you, and your place in end-time history.

Now that you have a better understanding of the title "The Prophetic Events of Your Life," we can begin this study and discover each of the pre-planned Events that you will encounter in your lifetime.

In this lesson we will study:

Event 1: Birth

Event 2: New Birth Experienced

New Birth Not Experienced

EVENT I: BIRTH

YOUR BIRTH

This is your beginning. Although your birth is not specifically mentioned in the Bible. Psalm 139:13-18 expresses the truth that God knew you and formed you even before your birth. This is the first Event that God planned for your life.

Look at Timeline One (located at the end of Part One of this book). Above the timeline, write: Event I, the year you were born, and draw an arrow pointing to the appropriate place on the timeline. You will find an example of how to do this at the end of this lesson.

The Bible reveals many significant truths that specifically pertain to you. Consider the following two truths:

• You were born under the power of sin

This means that you were born a sinner and have a sinful nature. When you were born, you were born under the power of sin and spiritual darkness. The Bible says you are a member of the fallen human race.

Romans 5:12

"When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned."

Psalm 51:5

"I was born a sinner — yes, from the moment my mother conceived me."

• You were born during the World System of the Antichrist

The Present Age in which we are currently living is a period of history known as the World System of the Antichrist. This System can be described as being evil, and it will be further addressed within this book.

EVENT 2: NEW BIRTH

The New Birth is the second God-planned Event for all people. The scope of God's love is all-inclusive, "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9 NIV)

NEW BIRTH EXPERIENCED

By His sovereignty and authoritative power, God created you to carry out a unique purpose in history. (Ephesians 1:4) Having been born a sinner, you needed to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. You did this by repenting of your sins, and believing that Jesus died to take the penalty for your sin. By doing this, you have been born-again through faith. You have experienced personally the second Event — the New Birth. This Event has placed you in a relationship with God so that you may fulfil His purpose for your life.

In the following verse underline the part that the Bible states regarding how you were saved and how you were not saved. Circle the word "not."

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast."

On Timeline One (located at the end of Part One of this book) write Event 2, and the year you were born again. Then, draw a cross at the appropriate place. You will find an example of how to do this at the end of this lesson.

This visually marks the date when you were born-again into the Eternal Kingdom of God. Even though you still live in the world, where the kingdom of spiritual darkness reigns, you belong to God and have everlasting life. As a result, you will never come under judgment for sin. You have passed from death into life. God's divine purpose for your life as His child is to love Him with all your heart, and as His servant to willingly obey Him in joyful submission.

YOUR DEATH

As a Believer, you may not physically die before the return of Jesus at the Rapture, but if you do, both your soul and spirit will ascend to heaven to join Jesus and all Believers who have died before you. Your earthly body will return to dust. It is stated in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that to be absent from your body is to be present with the Lord. See Heaven on Timeline One (located at the end of Part One of this book).

After you die, your body will lie in the grave until the First Resurrection of God's children. Then, your new, glorified body will be reunited with your soul and spirit to enjoy eternal life in the presence of God.

Time wise, the First Resurrection will take place when Jesus comes at the Rapture. Most of us will likely be alive at that time. The Rapture will be discussed in much more detail further along in our study.

John 5:28-29 (NKJV)

"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life [First Resurrection], and those who have done evil, to the resurrection o f condemnation [Second Resurrection]."

Participants in the Resurrection of Life — the First Resurrection

• Jesus Christ was the first to rise from the dead. This resurrection occurred on the third day after His crucifixion. It should be mentioned here that Jesus' resurrection made it possible for Believers to also be resurrected from the dead. (1 Corinthians 15:20, 20-23; Acts 26:23)

• All Believers, Old and New Testament ages and the Present Age, who have died before the time of the Rapture. This resurrection occurs during the Rapture process. You will be included in this group on the condition that you are a Believer. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:23)

• The Two Christian-Jewish Witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11. This resurrection occurs after the Rapture.

• The Christian-Jewish Martyrs who die for their faith after the Rapture and during the 3 A year period of the Wrath of God. This resurrection will take place at the Second Coming of Christ. (Revelation 20:4-5)

Even though all of these individuals are not resurrected simultaneously; they all belong to the First Resurrection. Let me explain. The Greek word proton, meaning "foremost" (ahead of all others) in time and place, or first as opposed to last, was a Greek term used to describe the First Resurrection. In other words, the First Resurrection is first in the sense of before. It does not mean only. Consequently, all Believers will be resurrected before the Second Resurrection occurs. The Second Resurrection is the resurrection of the wicked and will take place at the time of the Great White Throne judgment. This will be discussed later on in our studies.

A simple illustration will help you better understand the meaning of the word first in reference to the First Resurrection. Imagine a large group of people flying out of an airport. As they arrive at the terminal, they are divided into two groups: group one and group two. Now imagine that group one is to leave first. However, the people in group one are scheduled to leave at different times on different planes. Not everyone in group one will leave at exactly the same time. It could take hours for everyone in group one to finally depart. Moreover, no one from group two is permitted to leave until everyone in group one has departed.

YOUR GOD-ORDAINED LIFE

Psalm 139:16

"You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

Job 14:5

"You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live and we are not given a minute longer."

These are two of the most remarkable truths found in Scripture. God has a plan for your life, and He is so interested in you that He actually records every minute detail of your life. God desires to walk down life's path with you, hand in hand, as you make decisions and face circumstances, stormy or joyful. Can you think of a better way to live your life?

The following quote from Kyle M. Yeats is not meant to discourage you. Rather, it should encourage you to embrace the wonderful experience of living the reality of God's Word as stated above in Psalm 139:16 and Job 14:5.

"He knows the weak places in your being, and the aims and purposes that you have had. He knows how hard you have tried and how heavy the burdens are that you have been forced to carry. He understands the handicaps that have kept you from reaching the goals you set for yourself. He also knows how miserably you have failed to live up to His standard for your life.

He can sense the barrenness, the ignorance, the lost opportunities, the wasted years. He can count up the lost souls who will spend eternity in hell because you failed to tell them the story of saving grace. He knows, too, the many deeds of kindness and thoughtfulness that you have taken time out to do in His holy name.

He can put your own little puny life up against His blueprint of your life and record all the differences.

Yes, dear friend, He knows it all. He is able to use His own divine fluoroscope and look through all the veneer, the tinsel, the make-up, and the genuine. It hurts to know that our God is like this — and yet it helps, too, since we will be spurred to live bigger, richer, sweeter, nobler, more Christ-like lives because of it. We will be encouraged to know that an all-wise and an all-knowing God will take account of some of the hidden riches and qualities that otherwise would be unnoticed and unrewarded. Thank God for the knowledge that He knows me!"

If God has marvelously planned out my life, shouldn't my greatest passion, pursuit, and purpose be to live the life that God has planned for me? With God, it is never too late to start!

NEW BIRTH NOT EXPERIENCED

If you have not entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you have not experienced Event 2. God wants you to experience the new birth, and He has even planned for you to do so. Because you have been born with a sinful nature, you commit sins. As a sinner, you cannot enter heaven. Therefore, your condition or status as a sinner must be changed, and your sins must be forgiven. Jesus says in John 3:3 (NKJV), "unless one is born again, he cannot see the 'Kingdom of God.'" Again, in Mark 1:15 (NKJV), Jesus says, "repent and believe in the gospel."

You see ... to be born-again is to be born from above, or from God. This means you are supernaturally regenerated by God, the Holy Spirit, enabling you to enter the Kingdom of God and empowering you to live a holy life. To belong to God's Forever-Kingdom, you must be born into it. Your natural birth into this world came by the will of your natural parents, so your spiritual birth into God's Kingdom comes by a spiritual means — God's will. (John 1:12-13)

---

Excerpted from "The Prophetic Events of Your Life"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Kathryn Garland.
Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---