Author Archives: William Struse

Christmas and the Course of Abia (Abijah)

Have you ever wondered why the birth of Yeshua (Jesus) is celebrated on December 25th? Most of us take this date for granted but what Biblical evidence is there to support it? Was is made up or is there a basis in real Bible history?

Today, I’d like to explore these questions and provide you with some reasonable Biblical evidence for timing the birth of our Savior.

Now, I know this is a controversial subject for some. On one side of the spectrum are those who believe that the 25th of December was in fact the birth date of Yeshua. On the other side of the spectrum are those who believe nothing about this date has a basis in Biblical history. Then there are those who believe the date doesn’t matter so much as what the date represents.

Personally, my belief is that context is always important. Wonderful insights in the Bible’s redemptive message are often gleaned by simply placing people and events in their proper context. This is especially true of Yeshua the promised Messiah.

So today let’s place the birth of Yeshua in its chronological context. Continue reading

Thanksgiving 2016

family-picture-2016

From left: Noah, Hannah, Hope, Zane, Maranatha, William, Winnie

I know Thanksgiving is an American holiday and that I have readers of this blog from 193 different countries in this world, nevertheless, Winnie, myself, and the rest of our family would like to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving.

  That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.
– Psalm 26:7

 

FREE Book Download:
If you would like to learn more about Biblical history and Bible prophecy, you might also appreciate my books in the Prophecies and Patterns series.

At the following link you may download one of the three books shown below.  If you like the book and would like to download the other two, all I ask is that you subscribe to my blog. I won’t share your email or spam you with advertisements or other requests. Just every couple of weeks I’ll share with you my love of Biblical history and Bible Prophecy. Should you decide you no longer wish to be a subscriber you can unsubscribe at any time.

Click the following link to download your Free book: Book Download

I hope you’ll join the adventure!

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The Flood, the Exodus, and the Coming Messiah

Noah-offering-sacrifices

Noah Offering Sacrifices

In my last blog post, Finding Halloween in the Graveyard of Biblial Hisotry, we looked at the fascinating history of Halloween and the flood of Noah. Today I want to share with you how those events are related to Israel’s exodus from Egypt, the Biblical calendar, and the promise of the coming Messiah. Continue reading

Finding Halloween in the Graveyard of Biblical History

An-Egyptian-Temple600With Halloween coming up I thought it might be helpful to provide some Biblical history about this popular celebration of death and mayhem. My hope is that the history I’m about to share will help you see the bigger picture so that you as a believer will have the courage to let the light of truth shine in this increasingly dark world.

The Spanish poet and philosopher George Santayana wisely observed, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Each year about this time the truth of this statement hits me just little bit more. To me, it is truly sobering to realize just how much of the past we have forgotten. Despite what we’d like to believe, human nature has not changed much over the past 6000 years.

As you all know it’s about this time of year, (it gets a little earlier each year) that we see preparations for the celebration of Halloween. Ironically, (and you will see the irony by the end of this article) Continue reading

Sovereign For a Day

futteh-ali-shah-king-of-peIf you were the sovereign of this world for a day and you had a message for a generation 2500 years in the future, a message so important that their very lives depended upon it, how would you go about ensuring that they got the message?

  • Would you give this message yourself?
  • would the message have credible witnesses to support its authenticity?
  • Would the message have a clear date time stamp which could be historically verified?

I think most of us would agree, that at a minimum, the answers would be yes to the above three questions.

Now let’s take these questions one step further. If YHWH, the sovereign of this world, wanted to ensure that a future generation would know and understand, 2500 years in the future, the date He would send His son to redeem mankind, would He Continue reading

Prophecy Hour Radio Program

This past Thursday Pastor Dan Catlin graciously invited me to talk about my books on his Prophecy Hour radio program. We talked about messianic symbolism of the 13th Enumeration as well as the redemptive message of Daniel 9 and the Prophecy of 70 Weeks.

Here is the link for those who might be interested. Prophecy Hour Radio

I haven’t done many radio interviews but I enjoyed talking with Pastor Dan. If you appreciate the program please take a moment to share.

Next week, YHWH willing, I’ll finish our look at Daniel 9 and the “Commandment to restore and build Jerusalem” by sharing the one “commandant” most often overlooked when discussing this wonderful prophecy.  Pastor Dan and I briefly discussed the subject during his radio program.

I hope you enjoy the adventure!

Book 1
Book I - Description

The 13th Enumeration
"A book that will change how you look at the Bible's Messianic Symbolism."

Book 2
Book 2 - Description

Daniel's 70 Weeks -
"A book that will forever change how you understand the Bible's greatest Messianic prophecy."

Book 3
Book 3 - Description

The Jubilee Code -
"A book that will show you real Biblical evidence for Yahweh's guiding in hand history bringing about His redemptive plan for mankind."

 

 

 

Who was Sir Robert Anderson’s “Artaxerxes”?

ezraTo this day one of the most important, yet least understood aspects of Bible prophecy is the history of Ezra, Nehemiah and  their contemporary, the great Persian king “Artaxerxes”. Even less understood is how this history has shaped Continue reading

Who is the Artaxerxes in Your Prophecy?

belshazzrs-vision-westIf there is one bit of Biblical history that reaches across the ages to touch the lives of you and me, (besides the death and resurrection of Yeshua) the reign of the Biblical “Artaxerxes” in the book of Ezra would be at the top of the list.  You see, in the 2nd temple era the Bible records that a Persian king “Artaxerxes” gave two different decrees which helped the Jewish people build the temple and the city of Jerusalem. Today the majority of Biblical scholars hold that this king was the Persian Longimanus who ruled from 464-424 BC.

The reason this is important to you an me is because it is from the reign of this king that most scholars date the start of Daniel 9 and the 70 Weeks countdown to the Messiah. This date then becomes an important pillar in how we understand the future 7 year tribulation, the rapture, the Antichrist and the second coming of Yeshua. Pretty influential date isn’t it? Continue reading

Darius: Benefactor of the Jewish People

Ancient-Persian-SoildersIf I had to name the most unsung secular hero in the Biblical record, hands down it would be Darius the son of Hystaspes also know as Darius ‘the Great’ Artaxerxes.

Practically unknown to most readers of the Old Testament, Darius’ influence on the affairs of the Jewish people during the 2nd temple era is unrivaled.  It was during his reign that some of the most important events in the history of the Jewish people took place.

So this week in our search for the the person who gave the “commandment to restore and build Jerusalem” mentioned in Daniel 9:25 we will look at this unsung Biblical hero to see if he qualifies as the one who gave the “commandment” which began our countdown to the Messiah.

“And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.”
Ezra 6:12

It could be argued that Persia’s power and influence reached its zenith during the reign of Darius ‘the Great’ Artaxerxes. Darius played a central role in the Jewish people’s reestablishment of Jerusalem and the temple service. By his sixth year of rule the Second Temple, the very heart of Jerusalem, was completed, nearly sixteen years after permission to build it had first been given by Cyrus.

Darius was the third Persian ruler after Cyrus the Great. (For more on Cyrus see last weeks blog post: Cyrus the “Messiah”) Cyrus died in 530 BC, and his son Cambyses II ruled for eight years. For a short period after Cambyses’s death, Bardis the Magian usurper (aka Smerdis) ruled. This imposter, by some accounts, was a double for Cambyses II’s murdered brother. When Cambyses died, Bardis, who was already impersonating the brother of Cambyses II, took the game to a whole new level and assumed the throne as Artaxerxes of Persia. After ruling for less than a year, he was deposed by Darius ‘the Great’, son of Hystaspes, also known historically as Artaxerxes (Ezra 6:14. See also Ussher, Annals of the World, page 126, section 1015.)

Trouble in the Promised Land
To understand the decree given by Darius ‘the Great’, we need to back up a bit and give a little history of the Jewish people’s efforts to Continue reading

Cyrus the “Messiah”

So who gave the commandment which began the countdown to the Messiah mentioned in Daniel 9:25? In last weeks post A Divine “Command” to Return and Build Jerusalem we asked whether this commandment was of men or God. Scholars have long held that there were four Persian decrees or commandment which might qualify. In this weeks post we will look at the first of four Persian rulers who have been deemed the person who gave the “commandment” of Daniel 9:25.

“That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.”
Isaiah 44:28

We begin our search for the “commandment” of Daniel 9:25 with Cyrus the Great of Persia, founder of the Achaemenid Empire. It is believed by some scholars that it was Cyrus’s viceroy or general, Darius the Median, who is mentioned in Daniel 5:31. If you recall, this Darius conquered Babylon on that infamous night when Belshazzar, king of Babylon, asked Daniel to Continue reading

A Divine “Command” to Return and Build Jerusalem

Rebuild_JerusalemThe Word to Restore and Build
I don’t know about you, but if I’ve read Daniel 9:25 once, I’ve read it a hundred times. Then one day I realized that I’d never given much thought to the word “commandment” found in the text. Here take a look for yourself:

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks.” Daniel 9:25

The English word “commandment,” as it comes to us in Daniel 9:25, is a translation of the Hebrew word dabar. It means speech, word, speaking, utterance, etc. Of the 1439 times the word dabar is used in the KJV of the Bible, it is only translated as “commandment” twenty times. A bit curious don’t you think?

Today most scholars Continue reading