What do you hope your readers take away from The Book of Mysteries?
The awesome and amazing wonders of God. And since each mystery contains keys and truths to apply to one’s life, to change and transform one’s life, I pray it’s a life-changing journey. At the end of each mystery the teacher gives the traveler a mission to take and apply the revelation to his or her life. It is, of course, also for the reader to take the keys and apply it to their daily life. If one does that, I believe it will lead the reader to change, growth, transformation and victory in all areas of their lives. Beyond that I pray that The Book of Mysteries strengthens their faith, deepens their devotion to God and empowers them for breakthrough.
What will readers experience as they go through The Book of Mysteries?
They will be taken with the traveler on the journey, to mountaintops to chambers of ancient books, scrolls and victories, to the tents of desert dwellers, even to a desert wedding – and in each place they will be shown a mystery to touch their lives. On top of that each chapter includes several scriptures that relate to the mystery given.
With 365 chapters, it can be read through in a year.
Yes. The Book of Mysteries functions on several different levels. In one realm, of course, it is the revelation of the mysteries. On another realm it is a novel and an odyssey. On the other hand, since it is a journey of 365 days, it also functions as a daily devotional, and yet because of its uniqueness, it’s unlike other devotionals. So it can be read straight through, or every day, or at any rate as led by the reader.
What about readers who want to dive more deeply into what they learn in The Book of Mysteries?
I hope everyone who reads The Book of Mysteries will want to learn more. In fact, it’s designed to facilitate that. The reader can open more of the mystery through the scriptures themselves. And at the end of each mystery a title identifies the full teaching or message that either relates to the mystery, supplements it or opens it up in more detail and fullness. Readers can go to HopeoftheWorld.org for those expanded messages.
If you’re looking for proof God can work in surprising ways, your conversion story packs a punch. Tell us about that.
I was raised in a Jewish home but became an atheist at the age of eight. But I soon lost faith in atheism and began a quest to find the truth, searching science, religion, spirituality, everything. One day I found a book on end-time prophecy. I began to read the Hebrew Bible we had at home and discovered that there was only one person who fulfilled the Hebrew prophecies of the Messiah – Yeshua or Jesus of Nazareth. But I didn’t want to give up what I was doing to follow him. So I made a deal with God: I would accept Him when I was old and on my deathbed. But God had other plans. Most dramatically they included my being hit by a locomotive train. I called out to God. My car was destroyed – but I didn’t get a scratch. In light of that, I decided it would be a wise thing to accept the Lord – sooner than later.
How does a Jew come to belief in Jesus?
All he or she has to do is seek, be open and look at the prophecies given of the Jewish Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures. For example, the Hebrew prophecies say that the Jewish Messiah must be born in Bethlehem. He must be rejected and die for our sins. And He must become the light to the Gentiles. The fact is, Christianity is Jewish. And when a non-Jewish person comes to Messiah, it is written, they become a citizen of Israel. So how much more natural is it for a Jewish person to come to the Lord. There is nothing more Jewish than to believe in and follow the Messiah of Israel. FF