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Combatting Evil Influences

1. Ask God to show you dangers in your life:

"Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind" (Psalms 26:2 NIV)

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalms 139:23-24 NIV)

2. Confess known sin and ask for forgiveness; then Satan can not hold accusations of sin against you:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9 NIV)

"[God] will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his anger for ever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalms 103:9-12 NIV)

3. Develop a godly heritage for you and your family:

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NIV)

"If you make the Most High your dwelling--even the LORD, who is my refuge-- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;. . .
'Because he loves me,' says the LORD, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.'" (Psalms 91:9-11, 14-15 NIV)

"But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children-- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts." (Psalms 103:17-18 NIV)

4. Use spiritual weapons and pray for protection from evil.
(See the rest of this and the next devotion.)

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The Believer's Defensive Armor, Part 1

NOTE: The source of this armor is God, and it never leaves the believer. Claim it!

NOTE: The descriptions of the pieces of armor come from What You Need to Know About Spiritual Warfare by Max Anders.

1. Buckle the belt of truth: "The belt of truth pictures a commitment to the truth of the Word of God." (Anders, p. 40)

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist." (Ephesians 6:14a NIV)

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13a NIV)

"Righteousness will be his [Messiah's] belt and faithfulness the sash round his waist." (Isaiah 11:5 NIV)

2. Put on the breastplate of righteousness: "The breastplate of righteousness pictures a lifestyle of trusting obedience to God." (Anders, p. 52)

"Stand firm then. . . with the breastplate of righteousness in place" (Ephesians 6:14 NIV)

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1 NIV)

"It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." (1 Corinthians 1:30 NIV)

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The Believer's Defensive Armor, Part 2

1. Clad your feet with the gospel of peace: "The shoes of the gospel of peace picture a trusting confidence in the promises of God and the sense of peace that such trust brings." (Anders, p. 64)

"Stand firm then. . .with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." (Ephesians 6:15 NIV)

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'" (Isaiah 52:7 NIV)

2. Take up the shield of faith: "The shield of faith pictures a life of protection based on our faith in God's character, word, and deeds." (Anders, p. 77)

"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." (Ephesians 6:16 NIV)

"For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield." (Psalms 5:12 NIV)

3. Put on the helmet of salvation: "The helmet of salvation pictures a lifestyle of hope that comes from focusing on our ultimate salvation." (Anders, p. 88)

"Take the helmet of salvation. . ." (Ephesians 6:17a NIV)

"But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet." (1 Thessalonians 5:8 NIV)

Further reading suggestion on spiritual armor: Overcoming the Adversary by Mark I. Bubeck

NOTE: The discussion of spiritual weapons will continue in the next devotions.

The Believer's Weapon of the Word of God
The Believer's Use of Prayer in the Spirit
Other Spiritual Weapons, Part 1
Other Spiritual Weapons, Part 2

Spiritual Warfare and Weapons, Part 2

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV)

The Believer's Weapon of the Word of God

NOTE: The descriptions of the pieces of armor in Lessons One and Two come from What You Need to Know About Spiritual Warfare by Max Anders.

1. The Word of God as a sword: "The sword of the Spirit pictures an offensive and defensive use of the Bible in spiritual warfare." (Anders, p. 102)

"Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17 New International Version)

2. Defensive use of the sword: "The sword is used defensively by applying Scripture to every doubt, temptation, and discouragement hurled at us by Satan." (Anders, p. 105)

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
The tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.'
Jesus answered, 'It is written: "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."'
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 'If you are the Son of God,' he said, 'throw yourself down. For it is written: "He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."'
Jesus answered him, 'It is also written: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."'
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. 'All this I will give you,' he said, 'if you will bow down and worship me.'
Jesus said to him, 'Away from me, Satan! For it is written: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."'
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him." (Matthew 4:1-11 NIV)

3. Offensive use of the sword: "The sword is used offensively to cause change, encouraging spiritual growth through evangelism, teaching, preaching, and counseling." (Anders, p. 105)

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12 NIV)

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV)

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (Romans 10:14 NIV)

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The Believer's Use of Prayer in the Spirit

1. Picturing prayer in the Spirit: "In the spiritual war, we make contact with our Commander through prayer." (Anders, p. 115)

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:18 NIV)

NOTE: The following four points are taken from Anders, pp. 115-116.

2. The attitude of prayer--"pray in the Spirit on all occasions":
"We should be in an attitude of prayer through the whole day. Praying in the Spirit means. . .that we depend on God's guidance in what we pray for." (Anders, p. 115)

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." (Romans 8:26-27 NIV)

"pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV)

3. The scope of prayer--"with all kinds of prayers and requests":
"This includes thanks and praise to God, confession of sin, pouring out to God the thoughts and feelings of our minds, and requests for specific things that concern us." (Anders, p. 115)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6 NIV)

4. The fervency of prayer--"always keep on praying":

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
He said: 'In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, "Grant me justice against my adversary." For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, "Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!"' And the Lord said, 'Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?'" (Luke 18:1-7 NIV)

5. The subjects of prayer--"for all the saints":

"Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones." (1 Thessalonians 3:10-13 NIV)

"I [Paul] urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me." (Romans 15:30 NIV)

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Other Spiritual Weapons, Part 1

NOTE: Lessons Three and Four are adapted from a sidebar by Mell Winger to the article "Satan's Favorite Schemes Against the Church" by Timothy James in Pray, Issue 5 March/April 1998, p. 24.

1. The indwelling Holy Spirit: In Lessons One and Two the Holy Spirit is also a Helper in the use of the spiritual armor of the Word and prayer.

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you [the Holy Spirit] is greater than the one [Satan] who is in the world." (1 John 4:4 NIV)

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." (Romans 8:16 NIV)

2. The name of Jesus: Jesus' name is given to believers to grant them the legal right to use Jesus' power and authority for their protection as his spiritual siblings.

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12 NIV)

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11 NIV)

"I [Jesus] will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me." (John 17:11-12a NIV)

3. The blood of Jesus: Jesus' blood is the covering that protects us from the consequences of sin and the power of evil.

"and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood" (Revelation 1:5 NIV)

"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser [Satan] of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.'" (Revelation 12:10-11 NIV)

4. Praising God: "Praise is a positive force that not only drives out depression and doubts, but actually causes evil forces to be defeated." (Winger)

"After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendour of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: 'Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures for ever.' As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated." (2 Chronicles 20:21-22 NIV)

"Let the saints rejoice in this honour and sing for joy on their beds. May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all his saints. Praise the LORD." (Psalms 149:5-9 NIV)

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Other Spiritual Weapons, Part 2

1. Silence: "King Hezekiah commanded his people not to answer a word to the enemy. We are not to dialogue with the enemy. We are only to speak the Word of God to him--not our own thoughts or reasoning." (Winger)

NOTE: See also Jesus' example in Lesson One, point 2.

"But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, 'Do not answer him [Sennacherib's commander].'" (2 Kings 18:36 NIV)

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalms 46:10 NIV)

2. Humility: "'[Satan] is terrified of humility. . .his hairs stand up when Christians kneel down, for humility is the surrender of the soul to God.'" (Winger, quoting The Three Battlegrounds by Francis Frangipane)

"But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:6-7 NIV)

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:6-9 NIV)

3. Peace: "'When we maintain peace during warfare, it is a crushing blow to satanic oppression and fear.'" (Winger, quoting Frangipane)

"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." (Romans 16:20 NIV)

"But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will 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." (John 14:26-27 NIV)

4. Not fearing death: "This attitude protects us from fear and intimidation. It also keeps us walking in a holy relationship with God, which is a strong protection against the enemy's manipulation." (Winger)

"When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?'. . .
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:54-57 NIV)

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:28-31 NIV)

Meet the Tempter and His Assistants
Examples of Temptation in the Bible
Discerning Satan's Techniques of Temptation
The Believer's Battle Against Temptation

Temptation

Meet the Tempter and His Assistants

"Satan is not to be compared to mythical creatures. Satan is a fallen angel with sophisticated powers to delude, tempt, and accuse people. Satan is a finite creature without divine powers or attributes. . .Demons are fallen angels under the rule of Satan." (R.C. Sproul, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, pp. 140,142)

1. Satan and demons are fallen angels who rebelled against God:

"The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him." (Revelation 12:9 New International Version)

"[Jesus] replied, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.'" (Luke 10:18 NIV)

"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment." (2 Peter 2:4 NIV)

2. Satan and demons are not equal to God:

"They sacrificed to demons, which are not God--gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear." (Deuteronomy 32:17 NIV)

a. Satan is limited to existing in one place at a time:

"The LORD said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?' Satan answered the LORD, 'From roaming through the earth and going to and fro in it.'" (Job 1:7 NIV)

b. Satan's powers are limited; he needs permission to harm believers:

"'Does Job fear God for nothing?' Satan replied. 'Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.' The LORD said to Satan, 'Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.' Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD." (Job 1:9-12 NIV)

3. Satan is crafty:

"Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:11-12 NIV)

"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44 NIV)

"And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." (2 Corinthians 11:14-15 NIV)

4. Satan is defeated by Jesus Christ and is ultimately doomed:

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." (1 John 3:8b NIV)

"And having disarmed the powers and authorities, [Jesus] made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (Colossians 2:15 NIV)

"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.'" (Revelation 12:10 NIV)

"And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day." (Jude 1:6 NIV)

"And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 20:10 NIV)

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Examples of Temptation in the Bible

". . .as usurpers [Satan and his demons] have not conceded defeat or been destroyed [yet]. So they continue to exercise considerable power." (John Stott, The Message of Ephesians, as quoted in Lord, Is It Warfare? by Kay Arthur, p. 195)

1. Eve

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?'
The woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die."'
'You will not surely die,' the serpent said to the woman. 'For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." (Genesis 3:1-6 NIV)

2. David

"In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her.
The man said, 'Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?'
Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home
. . .[Nathan said to David] 'Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.'
. . .Then David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the LORD.'" (2 Samuel 11:1-4; 12:9,13 NIV).

3. Jesus

4. Judas

"After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, 'I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.'
His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.
Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, 'Ask him which one he means.'
Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, 'Lord, who is it?'
Jesus answered, 'It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.' Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon.
As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him." (John 13:21-27 NIV)

5. Peter:

"'Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers'. . .

About an hour later another asserted, 'Certainly this fellow was with [Jesus], for he is a Galilean.'
Peter replied, 'Man, I don't know what you're talking about!' Just as he was speaking, the cock crowed.
The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: 'Before the cock crows today, you will disown me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly." (Luke 22:31-32, 59-62 NIV)

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Discerning Satan's Techniques of Temptation

NOTE: God does not tempt:

"When tempted, no-one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." (James 1:13-15 NIV)

NOTE: Satan's attacks differ from trials:

"An enemy attack is an accusation or condemnation of you, accompanied by depression, hopelessness, and destruction of self-esteem.

A trial is a conviction concerning a sinful attitude or deed, accompanied by a call to repentance, assurance of forgiveness, and restoration of a sense of value as God's child."
(Adapted from A Woman's Guide to Spiritual Warfare by Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock, p. 199)

1. Satan casts doubt on God's character and his word:

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?. . . 'For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'" (Genesis 3:1,5 NIV)

2. Satan undermines spiritual victories:

The example of Elijah:
"Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, 'May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.'
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. 'I have had enough, LORD,' he said. 'Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.'" (1 Kings 19:1-4 NIV)

3. Satan falsifies true doctrine and teachings:

"But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough." (2 Corinthians 11:3-4 NIV)

4. Satan hinders believers' service for God:

"To keep me [Paul] from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." (2 Corinthians 12:7 NIV)

5. Satan attacks Christian unity with division:

"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.
What I mean is this: One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow Cephas'; still another, 'I follow Christ.'
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptised into the name of Paul?" (1 Corinthians 1:10-13 NIV)

6. Satan leads into worldliness:

"For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world." (1 John 2:16 NIV)

7. Satan leads into rebellion against God:

"Then Peter said, 'Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?'" (Acts 5:3 NIV)

8. Satan blinds unbelievers to God's truths:

"The god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV)

The Believer's Battle Against Temptation

"Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin,
Each vict'ry will help you some other to win;
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue,
Look ever to Jesus--He'll carry you through.

Ask the Savior to help you, comfort, strengthen and keep you;
He is willing to aid you--He will carry you through."
(Horatio R. Palmer, "Yield Not To Temptation", Great Hymns of the Faith, 364)

1. Know who you are in Christ:

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. . .
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:3-7,13-14 NIV).

2. Test the spirits of influence:

3. Know that being tempted is not the same as sinning:

"For we do not have a high priest [Jesus] who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin." (Hebrews 4:15 NIV)

4. Be alert to temptation:

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8 NIV)

5. Look for God's way out:

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7 NIV)

"Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:9 NIV).

6. Defeating the three sources of temptation:

a. Flee temptations of the flesh:

"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body." (1 Corinthians 6:18 NIV)

"Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22 NIV)

b. Overcome worldly temptations by renewed thinking:

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2 NIV)

c. Resist satanic temptations as Jesus did, with God's Word:

(See Jesus' example in Lesson Two point 3, above.)

7. Rely on the Lord's armor and weapons:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:10-17 NIV)

8. Pray for strength and deliverance for yourself and for others:

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV)

Pray: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (Matthew 6:13 NIV)

NOTE: For further information on spiritual warfare, see the devotions on "Spiritual Warfare and Weapons".

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God Has A Plan of Salvation For Sinners
Jesus Christ Is The Way Of God's Salvation
Living For Jesus Part I
Living For Jesus Part II

A Trip Through the New Testament

Instructions For This Lesson:

The verses listed for this lesson can be marked in any Bible in the following manner:

Go through the list in order. Begin with John 3:16 and write "start" in the margin. Underline the passage in your Bible. Write next to each verse the page number for the next reference in the list. Do this for all 25 verses. Write "end" in the margin next to the last verse. If you return to the same Bible page during your marking, write a 1, 2, etc. by the appropriate references from their order in the list.

How To Use This Verse List:

1. Review God's plan and blessings for you personally. Memorize the verses.

2. Mark Bibles to give away as witnessing tools. Try to go through the verses with the person you are giving the Bible to. If there is no time to do so, be confident in the power of God's Word to communicate his truths and in his power to answer your prayers for the recipient.

3. Mark even foreign language Bibles to give away. You can do this as long as the language uses Arabic numerals. Compare book lengths, chapters, and verses to underline properly. This is a great way to witness across a language barrier!.

God Has A Plan of Salvation For Sinners

1. John 3:16, New International Version:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

2. John 10:10b, NIV:

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

3. Romans 3:23-24, NIV:

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

4. Romans 6:23, NIV:

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

5. Romans 5:8, NIV:

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

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Jesus Christ Is The Way Of God's Salvation

6. John 14:6, NIV:

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.'"

7. John 1:12, NIV:

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God"

8. Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV:

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no-one can boast."

9. Revelation 3:20, NIV:

"Here I am! I [Jesus] stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

10. 1 John 5:11-14, NIV:

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."

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Living For Jesus Part I

11. John 14:15-17, 21, NIV:

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever--the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.. . .Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

12. Luke 11:13, NIV:

"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

13. Colossians 1:10-14, NIV:

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

14. 2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

15. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV:

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

16. John 15:7, NIV:

"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."

17. Acts 17:11, NIV:

"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."

18. 2 Peter 1:5-8, NIV:

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

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Living For Jesus Part II

19. Galatians 5:16-17, 22-25, NIV:

"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

20. Acts 1:8, NIV:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

21. Hebrews 10:25, NIV:

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

22. Ephesians 3:16-21, NIV:

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

23. Hebrews 13:5-6, NIV:

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'
"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

24. Romans 8:37-39, NIV:

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

25. 2 Corinthians 13:11,14, NIV:

"Finally, brothers, good-bye. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. . . .May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

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Who Is The Holy Spirit?

"I believe in the Holy Spirit."
(From: "Apostles' Creed", Psalter Hymnal, 1987, by CRC Publications, p. 813)

"Every time we say, 'I believe in the Holy Spirit,' we mean that we believe that there is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it." (J.B. Phillips in Plain Christianity, as quoted in The Mystery of the Holy Spirit, by R.C. Sproul [Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1990], p. 22)

The Identity of the Holy Spirit
Some General Roles of the Holy Spirit
What the Holy Spirit Does for the Believer
The Believer's Responses to the Work of the Holy Spirit

The Identity of the Holy Spirit

1. The Holy Spirit is God:

a. He is the Spirit of Jesus Christ:

"You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." (Romans 8:9 New International Version)

b. The Bible identifies him as God:

Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? . . .You have not lied to men but to God." (Acts 5:3-4 NIV)

2. The Bible presents God as Trinity (one God in three persons):

NOTE: Please see The Mystery of the Holy Spirit, by R.C. Sproul, chapters 3 and 4 for a thorough examination of the doctrine of the Trinity.

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God [the Father], and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV)

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19 NIV)

3. The Holy Spirit is a Person, referred to as "he":

"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." (John 16:13 NIV)

4. Some names of the Holy Spirit:

NOTE: Please see The Names of the Holy Spirit by Elmer L. Towns, [Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1994] for an exhaustive study on the names of the Holy Spirit in the Bible.

a. Isaiah 11:2 (several names):

"The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD." (Isaiah 11:2 NIV)

b. Counsellor (or Comforter or Helper):

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever." (John 14:16 NIV)

c. the anointing:

"As for you, the anointing you received from [Jesus] remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him. (1 John 2:27 NIV)

d. the Spirit of truth:

"And I [Jesus] will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever--the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17 NIV)

5. Some characteristics of the Holy Spirit:

a. He is eternal:

"How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" (Hebrews 9:14 NIV)

b. He is omnipresent (present everywhere):

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" (Psalms 139:7 NIV)

c. He is omniscient (all-knowing):

"But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no-one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." (1 Corinthians 2:10-11 NIV)

6. Some symbols of the Holy Spirit

"The high priest was to be anointed with oil symbolizing the pouring out of the Spirit on the church to empower it for service. Jesus was anointed by the Spirit [in the form of a dove] for His public ministry, and after He ascended into heaven, He sent the Spirit to His disciples. In the form of fire, the Spirit anointed Christ's chosen vessels, equipping them for their work of service to the Lord and preparing them to proclaim the Gospel." (Tabletalk, by Ligonier Ministries, July 1998, p. 48)

a. the oil of anointing for office:

"And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron [the high priest] and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated." (Exodus 29:21 NIV)

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." (Isaiah 61:1 NIV)

b. a dove:

"As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove." (Mark 1:10 NIV)

c. fire:

"They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:3-4a NIV)

d. water:

"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.' By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified." (John 7:37-39 NIV)

Some General Roles of the Holy Spirit

Creator Spirit, by whose aid

the world's foundations first were laid,

come visit every pious mind;

come, pour thy joys on humankind;

from sin and sorrow set us free

and make thy temples worthy thee.

("Creator Spirit by Whose Aid," by John Dryden, Psalter Hymnal, 1987, by CRC Publications, No. 425)

1. Participation in creation:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." (Genesis 1:1-2 NIV)

"The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life." (Job 33:4 NIV)

"When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth." (Psalms 104:30 NIV)

2. Inspiration of the Bible:

"Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:20-21 NIV)

"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17 NIV)

These are the last words of David: "The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, Israel's singer of songs: 'The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.'" (2 Samuel 23:1-2 NIV)

3. Influence in the life of Jesus Christ on earth:

a. At Jesus' birth:

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born [Jesus] will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35 NIV)

b. At Jesus' baptism:

"At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove." (Mark 1:9-10 NIV)

c. During Jesus' ministry:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed." (Luke 4:18 NIV)

d. At Jesus' death:

"How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" (Hebrews 9:14 NIV)

e. At Jesus' resurrection:

"And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." (Romans 8:11 NIV)

4. Empowers people for God (Note the difference between before and after Pentecost--Acts 2):

a. Before Pentecost:

The Holy Spirit came upon people temporarily, to enable them to fulfill a special task for God. Example:

"The Spirit of the LORD came upon [Samson] in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done." (Judges 14:6 NIV)

b. After the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost:

Once the Holy Spirit enters and lives within a person at their conversion to Jesus Christ, he remains living there and doesn't leave. Example:

"But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:55 NIV)

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" (1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV)

5. Brings people to salvation in Christ:

NOTE: This section is adapted from Max Anders, The Holy Spirit: Knowing Our Comforter, [Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995], p. 27.

a. He convicts people of sin:

"When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment." (John 16:8 NIV)

b. He causes them to be born again (regeneration):

"He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5 NIV)

c. He comes to live within every new believer (indwelling or baptism of the Holy Spirit):

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38 NIV)

d. He baptises them into the body of Christ (the church):

"For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." (1 Corinthians 12:13 NIV)

e. He seals them or guarantees their eternal salvation:

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV)

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What the Holy Spirit Does for the Believer

"When we are down, [the Holy Spirit] helps us up. When we need a shove, He gets us moving in the right direction. When we need wisdom, He opens our mind to God's Word. He helps us witness to Jesus both by opening the door of opportunity and by giving us the words to share." (Anders, p. 20)

1. Helps to understand God's Word:

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words." (1 Corinthians 2:12-13 NIV)

2. Teaches:

"But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26 NIV)

3. Guides and counsels:

"those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." (Romans 8:14 NIV)

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13a NIV)

4. Assures believers they are God's children through Christ:

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." (Romans 8:15-16 NIV)

5. Intercedes:

6. Encourages:

"Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord." (Acts 9:31 NIV)

7. Makes holy (or sanctifies):

"But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth." (2 Thessalonians 2:13 NIV)

8. Helps witness about Christ:

"When the Counsellor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning." (John 15:26-27 NIV)

9. Produces spiritual fruit:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13 NIV).

10. Gives spiritual gifts:

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." (1 Corinthians 12:4-7 NIV)

11. Empowers:

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being." (Ephesians 3:16 NIV)

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The Believer's Response to the Work of the Holy Spirit

"Since the Holy Spirit is with you, beloved, in all your learning ask him to teach you, in all your suffering ask him to sustain you, in all your teaching ask him to give you the right words; in all your witness-bearing ask him to give you constant wisdom, and in all service depend upon him for his help."
(Charles Haddon Spurgeon, "The Paraclete--John 14:16," A Sermon delivered on October 6, 1872 at the Metroplitan Tabernacle, Newington, Spurgeons' Encyclopedia of Sermons)

1. Treat your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit:

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV)

2. Do not grieve or quench the Holy Spirit:

NOTE: These are examples of what grieves the Holy Spirit: unbelief, disobedience, forgetting God, grumbling, pride, hypocrisy, legalism, doubt, cherishing idols, refusal to yield to Him, dishonoring Scripture, and disunity among believers.
(Summarized from: "Nine Things That Grieve the Holy Spirit" by Lorraine Pintus, and "Still More Things That Grieve the Holy Spirit" by A.B. Simpson in Discipleship Journal Issue 91, pp. 60-63)

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30 NIV)

"Do not put out the Spirit's fire." (1 Thessalonians 5:19 NIV)

3. Pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit:

NOTE: Believers have the indwelling Holy Spirit with them at all times, but must choose to respond to Him continually and so be filled with him.

"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:18 NIV)

"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." (Acts 4:31 NIV)

4. Repent of sin:

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." (Acts 3:19 NIV)

5. Respond to truth:

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32 NIV)

6. Follow the Holy Spirit's leading:

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:24-25 NIV)

7. Minister as the Spirit enables:

"I [Paul] became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. (Ephesians 3:7 NIV)

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." (Ephesians 4:2-7 NIV)

The Fruit of the Spirit

"The fruit of the Spirit cannot grow on a dead tree. If the root of the tree is not made alive, then it cannot bear fruit. We cannot make the mistake of confusing natural temperaments with the fruit of the Spirit. A person might be soft-spoken, patient and kind, but unless these come from a living faith [in Jesus Christ], they are not fruit of the Spirit. Only those who believe in Christ can bear spiritual fruit, for barren soil cannot bear life." (Tabletalk, by Ligonier Ministries, August 1998, p. 28)

Produce Spiritual Fruit
Spiritual Fruit Results From Our Relationship with God
Spiritual Fruit is Revealed in Relationships with Others
Spiritual Fruit is Represented by Individual Attitudes and Behavior

Produce Spiritual Fruit

"The fruit of the Spirit are character qualities that God possesses and that the Holy Spirit imparts to us as we live in trusting obedience to Jesus." (Max Anders, The Holy Spirit: Knowing Our Comforter, [Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995], p. 146)

1. What spiritual fruit is:

a. Character traits which illustrate spiritual fruit in action:

NOTE: Lessons Two, Three, and Four will focus on these qualities individually.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23 New International Version)

b. Spiritual fruitfulness results from a close relationship with God:

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." (Psalms 1:1-3 NIV)

c. The heart's attitude is a source of spiritual fruit:

"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognised by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn-bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:43-45 NIV)

2. How spiritual fruit is produced:

a. Spiritual fruit is produced by a life of faith in Jesus Christ:

"I [Jesus] am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. . . .Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. . . .This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (John 15:1,4-5,8 NIV)

b. Spiritual fruit results from following the leading of the Holy Spirit (who lives within believers):

"So then, dear friends,the point is this: The law no longer holds you in its power, because you died to its power when you died with Christ on the cross. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead [Jesus Christ]. As a result, you can produce good fruit, that is, good deeds for God. When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power. Now we can really serve God, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way, by the Spirit." (Romans 7:4-6 New Living Translation)

3. The importance of producing spiritual fruit:

a. God commands us to bear spiritual fruit:

"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." (Matthew 3:8 NIV)

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last." (John 15:16a NIV)

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God." (Colossians 1:10 NIV)

b. Unfruitfulness will be eternally judged:

" [The Father] cuts off every branch in me [Jesus] that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. . . .If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." (John 15:2,6 NIV)

"The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." (Matthew 3:10 NIV)

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Spiritual Fruit Results From Our Relationship with God

1. Love:

"Love is the doorway through which the human soul passes from selfishness to service and from solitude to kinship with all mankind."
(Anonymous, 12,000 Religious Quotations, ed. by Frank S. Mead [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, reprint 1989], p. 274)

a. Definition:

"Love is the steady direction of our will toward the lasting good of another." (Anders, p. 147)

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV)

b. Biblical example--God:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV)

c. Biblical instructions:

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. . . .And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." (1 John 4:7-8,21 NIV)

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:37-39 NIV)

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35 NIV)

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." (Colossians 3:12-15, NIV)

2. Joy:

"Joy is the echo of God's life within us."
(Joseph Marmion, Orthodoxy, quoted in Mead, p. 258)

a. Definition:

"Joy is a deep sense of well-being that is not dependent upon favorable circumstances, but rooted in a fundamental acceptance of, and confidence in, the will of God." (Anders, p. 151)

b. Biblical example--Jesus:

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2 NIV)

c. Biblical references:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4 NIV)

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17 NIV)

"I [Jesus] have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." (John 15:11 NIV)

"Though you have not seen him [Jesus], you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:8-9 NIV)

3. Peace:

"Drop thy still dews of quietness

till all our striving cease;

Take from our souls the strain and stress,

And let our ordered lives confess

The beauty of thy Peace."

(John Greenleaf Whittier, quoted in Mead, p. 328)

a. Definition:

"Peace is the absence of anxiety and the presence of trusting assurance in the promises of God." (Anders, p. 153)

b. Biblical example--Jesus:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he [Jesus] will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6 NIV)

"Peace I [Jesus] 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." (John 14:27 NIV)

c. Biblical instructions:

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2 NIV)

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." (Isaiah 26:3 NIV)

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." (Romans 12:18 NIV)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9 NIV)

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Spiritual Fruit is Revealed in Relationships with Others

1. Patience:

"Patience is the transcendent radiance of a loving and tender heart which, in its dealings with those around it, looks kindly and graciously upon them. Patience graciously, compassionately, and with understanding judges the faults of others without unjust criticism. Patience also includes perseverance--the ability to bear up under weariness, strain, and persecution when doing the work of the Lord."
(Billy Graham, The Faithful Christian, as quoted in God's Treasury of Virtues, [Tulsa, OK: Honor Books, Inc., 1995], p. 154)

a. Definition:

"Patience is the ability to endure unpleasant people or circumstances for a higher cause." (Anders, p. 160)

b. Biblical example--the prophets and Job:

"Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." (James 5:10-11 NIV)

c. Biblical instructions:

"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." (James 5:7-8 NIV)

"And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone." (1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV)

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (Romans 12:12 NIV)

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." (Colossians 1:10-12 NIV)

2. Kindness:

"The greatest thing a man can do for his heavenly Father is to be kind to some of His other children."
(Henry Drummond, quoted in Mead, p. 264)

a. Definition:

"Kindness is treating others well in word and deed." (Anders, p. 162)

b. Biblical example--God:

"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:6-7 NIV)

c. Biblical instructions:

"Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." (1 Thessalonians 5:15 NIV)

"And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." (2 Timothy 2:24 NIV)

"Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses. . . . in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love." (2 Corinthians 6:4,6 NIV)

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:5-8 NIV)

3. Goodness:

"Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can."

(John Wesley, as quoted in God's Treasury of Virtues, p. 269)

a. Definition:

"Goodness is doing that which is beneficial to others." (Anders, p. 165)

b. Biblical example--God:

"But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God.'. . . .How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you." (Psalms 31:14,19 NIV)

c. Biblical instructions:

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)" (Ephesians 5:8-9 NIV)

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge." (2 Peter 1:5 NIV)

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9 NIV)

"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." (Hebrews 13:16 NIV)

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Spiritual Fruit is Represented by Individual Attitudes and Behavior

1. Faithfulness:

"God's question on the last day will not be, 'How much were you noticed?' Or even, 'How much did you do?' Rather, His question will be, 'Were you faithful in fulfilling your calling where I placed you?' The question with God is not how obscure or prominent a place we occupy, but how faithful we are.

We must strive to be more faithful one day at a time in taking time for others, in doing deeds of kindness, in performing the small everyday run of things faithfully. We must see such as our primary responsibility. Then, says Jesus, the big things will also be taken care of. By the faithfulness with which we fulfill the common daily duties, we make the character which we will have to spend in eternity."
(John M. Drescher, quoted in God's Treasury of Virtues, pp. 303-304)

a. Definition:

"Faithfulness is being reliable in doing what you should do." (Anders, p.166)

b. Biblical example--Moses:

"He [Jesus] was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house." (Hebrews 3:2 NIV)

c. Biblical instructions:

"So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today--to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul--then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil." (Deuteronomy 11:13-14 NIV)

"It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you." (3 John 3-5 NIV)

"Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10 NIV)

"His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" (Matthew 25:23 NIV)

2. Gentleness:

"The word gentle was rarely heard before the Christian era, and the word gentleman was not known. This high quality of character was a direct by-product of Christian faith."
(Billy Graham, as quoted in God's Treasury of Virtues, p. 386)

a. Definition:

"Gentleness is treating others carefully, with respect and sensitivity." (Anders, p. 167)

b. Biblical example--Paul and his companions:

"As apostles of Christ we [Paul, Silas, Timothy] could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children." (1 Thessalonians 2:6b-7 NIV)

c. Biblical instructions:

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." (Ephesians 4:2 NIV)

"But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness." (1 Timothy 6:11 NIV)

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." (1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV)

"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." (Philippians 4:5 NIV)

3. Self-control:

"I choose self-control. . . .I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control."
(Max Lucado, When God Whispers Your Name, quoted in God's Treasury of Virtues, p. 433)

a. Definition:

"Self-control is the ability to resist immediate gratification for the sake of a higher goal." (Anders, p. 169)

b. Biblical example--Paul:

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV)

c. Biblical instructions:

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8 NIV)

"The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." (1 Peter 4:7 NIV)

"But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet." (1 Thessalonians 5:8 NIV)

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:13 NIV)

Rocks, Stones, and Gems in the Bible

The study for this lesson focuses on the study of the imagery of rocks, stones, and gems as used in the Bible. The study will not be exhaustive but will hopefully inspire you to examine these and other images and themes in the Bible on your own.
Not every object in the Bible has significance as a Bible theme, but rocks and similar images, used throughout the Bible, are an interesting and beneficial subject of study:

(James B. Jordan, Through New Eyes: Developing a Biblical View of the World, [Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1988], pp. 69, 78)

The Bible's second chapter and second-to-last chapter both contain images of gems and stones:

Genesis 2:11-12

"And he [the angel] carried me [John] away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. . .The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass." (Revelation 21:10-14,18 NIV)

Rocks, Stones, and Gems Describing God and His Own
Rocks and Stones of Protection and Foundation
Rocks and Stones of Judgment
Rocks, Stones, and Gems Used In Worship

Rocks, Stones, and Gems Describing God and His Own

The Lord liveth,
and blessed be the Rock,
And let the God of my salvation be exalted.

(MIchael O' Shields, "I Will Call Upon the Lord," The Celebration Hymnal, [Word / Integrity, 1997], No. 530)

1. God the Rock:

"He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he." (Deuteronomy 32:4 NIV)

"There is no-one holy like the LORD; there is no-one besides you; there is no Rock like our God." (1 Samuel 2:2 NIV)

"Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me." (Psalms 31:3 NIV)

"From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I." (Psalms 61:2 NIV)

"The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him." (Psalms 92:15 NIV)

"Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water." (Psalms 114:7-8 NIV)

"At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne." (Revelation 4:2-3 NIV)

2. Christ the Rock:

"Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation." (Psalms 95:1 NIV)

"The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;" (Psalms 118:22 NIV)

"So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.'" (Isaiah 28:16 NIV)

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn;" (Isaiah 51:1 NIV)

As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (Romans 9:33 NIV)

"They [the Israelites] all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ." (1 Corinthians 10:3-4 NIV)

"As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:4-5 NIV)

3. Contrast to false gods:

"This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession." (Deuteronomy 7:5-6 NIV)

"You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold." (Deuteronomy 29:17 NIV)

"How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up? For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede. . .
He will say: 'Now where are their gods, the rock they took refuge in, the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up to help you! Let them give you shelter!'" (Deuteronomy 32:30-31, 37-38 NIV)

"For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?" (Psalms 18:31 NIV)

4. Believers as God's precious stones:

Like the stars of the morning
His bright crown adorning;
They shall shine in their beauty--
Bright gems for His crown.

(William O. Cushing, "When He Cometh," Great Hymns of the Faith, [Grand Rapids, MI: Singspiration Inc. and Zondervan Publishing House, 1968], no. 150)

"O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will build you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with sapphires. I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. (Isaiah 54:11-12 NIV)

"The LORD their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown." (Zechariah 9:16 NIV)

"The foundations of the city walls [the New Jerusalem] were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst." (Revelation 21:19-20 NIV)

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Rocks and Stones of Protection and Foundation

"Fear not, I am with you; O be not dismayed,
for I am your God and will still give you aid;
I'll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

"The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
that soul, thought all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake!"

(J. Rippon, "How Firm a Foundation," Psalter Hymnal, 1987, by CRC Publications, No. 500)

1. God, the protecting Rock:

Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen." (Exodus 33:21-23 NIV)

He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my saviour--from violent men you save me." (2 Samuel 22:2-3 NIV)

"He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I shall never be shaken." (Psalms 62:2 NIV)

"You have forgotten God your Saviour; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress." (Isaiah 17:10a NIV)

2. Proper foundations:

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine [Jesus] and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." (Matthew 7:24-25 NIV)

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock [Peter's confession of Jesus as Christ] I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." (Matthew 16:15-18 NIV)

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." (Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV)

3. Stones as guards:

"Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. There he saw a well in the field, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well." (Genesis 29:1-3 NIV)

"Do not move your neighbour's boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess." (Deuteronomy 19:14 NIV)

"Joseph took the body [of Jesus], wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. . .
So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it." (Matthew 27:59-60, 66 and 28:2 NIV)

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Rocks and Stones of Judgment

judgment.

(Jordan p. 72)

1. Stones of execution:

"You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone him to death, because he tried to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." (Deuteronomy 13:9-10 NIV)

"Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, 'Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.'
Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger." (Joshua 7:24-26a NIV)

"David said to the Philistine, 'You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. . . '
Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine [Goliath] on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him." (1 Samuel 17:45, 49-50 NIV)

Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied round his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin." (Luke 17:1-2 NIV)

"From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible." (Revelation 16:21 NIV)

2. Christ, the Judgment Stone:

"You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue--an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a rock [Christ's Kingdom] was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing-floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth." (Daniel 2:31-35 NIV)

"Look, your house is left to you desolate. . ."
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." (Matthew 23:38; 24:1-2 NIV)

Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written:

'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone'? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."
The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. (Luke 20:17-19 NIV)

"Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,' and, 'A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.' They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for." (1 Peter 2:7-8 NIV)

3. Stones of persecution:

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I [Jesus] have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." (Matthew 23:37 NIV)

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:55-60 NIV)

"Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered round him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe." (Acts 14:19-20 NIV)

"They [people of faith] were stoned; they were sawn in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and ill-treated-- "(Hebrews 11:37 NIV)

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Back to the top of "Rocks, Stones, and Gems in the Bible"

Rocks, Stones, and Gems Used In Worship

(Robert Robinson, "Come, Thou Fount," Great Hymns of the Faith, No. 17)

1. Altars:

"Build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool upon them. Build the altar of the LORD your God with stones from the field and offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God." (Deuteronomy 27:5-6 NIV)

"Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, 'Your name shall be Israel.' With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench round it large enough to hold two seahs of seed." (1 Kings 18:31-32 NIV)

2. Stones of remembrance:

When he [Jacob] reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. . .Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel." (Genesis 28:11, 18-19 NIV)

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."
So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, `What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel for ever." (Joshua 4:1-7 NIV)

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us." (1 Samuel 7:12 NIV)

3. Worship elements:

a. The Word:

The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction." (Exodus 24:12 NIV)

"When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God." (Exodus 31:18 NIV)

b. The high priest's garments:

"Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel in the order of their birth--six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the LORD." (Exodus 28:9-12 NIV)

"Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions--the work of a skilled craftsman. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. It is to be square--a span long and a span wide--and folded double. Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz and a beryl; in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald; in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper. Mount them in gold filigree settings. There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes." (Exodus 28:15-21 NIV)

4. Believers' acts of worship:

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God." (Ezekiel 36:25-28 NIV)

"By the grace God has given me, I [Paul] laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work." (1 Corinthians 3:10-13 NIV)

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple." (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NIV)

"you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5 NIV)

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

(Edward Mote, "The Solid Rock," The Celebration Hymnal, [Word / Integrity, 1997], No. 526)

On Your Own:

1. God is solid, firm, and unchanging. He is committed to being there for you at all times. The Bible was written by people of the rocky, mountainous land of Palestine. Rocks surrounded them. As they heard and read of God, the true Rock, they would constantly recall his presence and his teachings. Rocks would remind them to shape their lives in obedience to God. What reminds you to worship and obey God?

2. As the Bible begins and ends with stones and jewels, so even the path of our study of rocks, stones, and gems imagery has led to Christ. If your path in life has not yet led you to the solid Rock of Christ, please click on the link "Steps to Salvation" below to begin your journey of knowing Him. It will change your life forever!

3. Worship the Lord, the Rock, with prayers and songs (like these):

4. God uses parts of creation to point to his glory and to the way of salvation. Other paths of Bible imagery to explore on your own may include: water, light and darkness, trees and vegetation, animals and birds, and others. Enjoy exploring!

An Introduction to the End Times

"I believe in Jesus Christ [who]. . .is seated at the right hand of God the Father, almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. . .
I believe in . . .the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting."
(From: "Apostle's Creed", Psalter Hymnal, [Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Publications, 1987], p. 813)

"Why study the subject of end times? Some of us have a fascination with numbers, dates, mysterious events and secret meanings to veiled prophecies. But others find "end times" study too complicated and so avoid it.
The study of end times is a very personal subject. It addresses fundamental questions which every person asks: What will happen when I die? Will the world end with a fizzle or a bang? Does my work in this world have any lasting significance? Why be good if the world will be blown up anyway? What will heaven be like? And who will go there?. . .
These studies may not satisfy the longing for some to have a fixed timetable of end-times events or a comprehensive chart that coordinates all the images and metaphors of Scripture. But we will soon discover that all we needto know is clear. And not only clear but immensely helpful to live life in Christ fully both now and forever."
(Paul Stevens, End Times: Practical Heavenly Mindedness, A Lifeguide Bible Study, [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994], pp. 8-9)

What Beliefs do Christians Share About the End Times?
What Are the Four Different Views of the Millennium and the End Times?
How Do Believers Prepare for the End Times?
An Introduction to the End Times Bible Studies

What Beliefs do Christians Share About the End Times?

"[F]undamental and evangelical amillennialists, premillennialists, and postmillnennialists are brothers and sisters in Christ who share a belief in the character and power of God, the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, the inspiration of Scripture, the depravity of humanity, salvation by grace through faith in Jesus, and the responsibility to proclaim the message of salvation until Jesus returns. If we share that much in common, we are indeed members of one another in the body of Christ."
(Max Anders, Bible Prophecy, [Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997] Lesson 12)

1. Basic definitions of words used in speaking about the end times:

a. apocalypse = "revelation" or "unveiling" (Greek)
b. eschatology = the study of end time events (Greek)
c. millennium = from mille for 1000 (Latin)
d. parousia = the second coming of Christ (Greek)
e. rapture = "catching up" of believers to meet Christ when he returns (from the Latin translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:17)

2. Bible references to our incomplete knowledge of God and his plans:

"Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counsellor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?" (Isaiah 40:13-14 New International Version)

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV)

"No-one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36 NIV)

"For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. . . Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:9,10,12 NIV)

"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2 NIV)

(Note: points 3 and 4 below are adapted from Anders.)

3. End times beliefs Christian believers agree on:

a. Jesus is coming again and God will set all things right.
b. Jesus is the ultimate focal point of all prophecy.
c. Holy living should be the end result of prophecy.
d. Believers must be personally committed to the Great Commission.
e. God is sovereign, and in spite of seeming evidence to the contrary, He is guiding history to a meaningful conclusion, just as He said he would.

4. Christians agree on the following end times time-line:

First, Jesus came already as God-man, and the message of salvation is entrusted to the church to tell to the world until Jesus returns.

Second, Jesus will return at some future time to bring the fullness of the kingdom of God to humanity, and there will be a new heaven and a new earth.

Third, all humans who have ever died will be resurrected from the grave. All people, living or dead, will be given new bodies.

Fourth, there will be a time of judgment for Christians and non-Christians, with divine rewards for God's children and eternal destruction for those who reject God. Each of us will be held accountable for how we lived while on earth.

Fifth, there will be an eternal union of God and all of His children in the new earth and heaven.

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What Are the Four Different Views of the Millennium and the End Times?

NOTE: The "thousand years" is referred to as the millennium (see above).

"And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations any more until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:1-6 NIV)

NOTE: The following viewpoints explain this passage and end times events differently according to how they interpret the "thousand years," the "first resurrection," and "reigning" with Christ, along with other philosophies of interpreting Scripture as a whole. These viewpoint summaries are partly compiled from Daniel J. Lewis, 3 Crucial Questions About the Last Days, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), pp. 126-128, 143-145 and from Leonard Kuyvenhoven, The Day of Christ's Return: Study Guide, (Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Publications, 1999), pp. 49-50.

1. Dispensational premillennialism:

Dispensationalists interpret the thousand years as a literal future time period during which Satan will be bound.
Jesus returns before the millennium begins and sets up an earthly reign for a thousand years.
They stress the differences between 2 peoples of God--Israel and the Church.
They believe the time of the Church is a parenthesis in prophecy which was not foreseen in the Old Testament. The Church will be "raptured" before the millennium. The Church and Israel remain separate in prophecy.
They believe many Old Testament promises to Israel were not completely fulfilled when Israel was "set aside" by the Church: they will be fulfilled during the millennium.
Much of prophecy also applies to the Antichrist and the great 7-year tribulation they expect to occur just before the millennium begins.
Consequently, they believe in at least 2 comings of Christ ("for" and "with" his saints), 2 or more resurrections of people, and 3 or more judgments during the end times.

2. Historic premillennialism:

Historic premillennialists interpret the thousand years as a long time period in the future during which Satan will be bound.
Jesus returns before the millennium begins and sets up an earthly millennial reign.
They do not divide the Church and Israel as the Dispensationalists do, although they remain open to a special work of God among the Jews in the future.
Their beliefs reflect the premillennialism which was present in the early church.
Consequently, they believe in 2 comings of Christ, 2 resurrections, and 2 judgments during the end times.

3. Postmillennialism:

Postmillennialists expect that gradually through the mission of the Church and the work of the Holy Spirit the dominant world view will become Christian.
It will be increasingly evident that Satan was bound since Christ's first coming and his death and resurrection.
This progression of the Christian faith is the millennium.
The Church consists of all believing Jews and Gentiles, although they remain open to a special work of God among the Jews in the future.
Just before Christ returns Satan will be released for a final attack against Christianity and will be defeated.
Christ will return after the millennium has been completed.
Consequently, they believe in 1 coming of Christ, 1 resurrection and 1 final judgment during the end times.

4. Amillennialism:

Amillennialists believe in no future utopian millennium or earthly millennial reign of Christ.
The binding of Satan and the "thousand years" began at Christ's first coming and will end at his second coming.
The millennium is symbolic of Christ's rule from heaven and in the hearts of Christians now, and Christ's reign will be perfectly completed at his second coming.
The Church consists of all believing Jews and Gentiles.
God's promises are for all of God's people, not just biological descendants of Abraham, and the promises will be completely fulfilled in the new heaven and the new earth.
They expect that the tension between Christ and his Church and Christ's enemies will continue and possibly increase until Jesus returns.
Consequently, they believe in 1 coming of Christ, 1 resurrection and 1 final judgment during the end times.

NOTE: Amillennialism is the official theological position of the Christian Reformed Church on the end times.

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How Do Believers Prepare for the End Times?

1. What must Christians believe about the end times?

Believe in a "personal, literal, and visible second coming of Jesus Christ." (Lewis, p. 130)

None of the ecumenical creeds demands belief in a particular escatological system. (Lewis p. 129)

"The various eschatological systems superimposed upon the text of Scripture attempt to provide interpretations of the biblical data that are cohesive, logical, and plausible. Since these systems sharply differ at various points, it is clear that they cannot all be right. In fact, we must recognize the possibility that while they all cannot be right, they all could be wrong. Thus it is critical that Christians not establish any eschatological system at the center of theology. The center of theology is Jesus Christ, God's Son, the Savior of the world. To be sure, part of the Bible's clear teaching about him is that he will come again, but the timing and the surrounding events are ambiguous." (Lewis, p. 130)

ACTION POINT: Investigate the different viewpoints above, compare them with Scripture, and arrive at your own personal conclusions about the end times. Be discerning about your resources. You can begin with the six Bible studies. (see #4 below). Don't worry about not having all of the answers!

2. What must believers not do to prepare for the end times?

Believers must not speculate about the details of the end times.

"[H]uman standards are inappropriate standards for calculating divine appointments." (Lewis, p. 74)

"To expect something is not at all the same thing as predicting when it will happen." (Lewis p. 84)

"Christians must never put God in a box" (Lewis, p. 85)

"Failed prognostications [predictions] have taken a heavy toll, both emotionally and financially, on the faith of many sincere people. Not only have they lost faith in the prognosticators, they have often lost faith in the Word of God and the blessed hope of the church. Those who attempt to predict the future should be more sensitive to the aftermath of their failures. Without doubt, they shall be accountable in the great judgment, where every idle word will be examined." (Lewis, p. 88)

So when they [the disciples] met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority." (Acts 1:6-7 NIV)

3. What must believers do to prepare for the end times?

a. Affirm their salvation through Jesus Christ and take comfort in God's assurance of their eternal salvation.

CLICK on the link below if you would like to have that assurance right now.

Steps to Salvation

b. Witness to unbelievers and disciple believers:

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8 NIV)

c. Watch for Jesus' return:

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." (Matthew 24:42 NIV)

"No-one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." (Mark 13:32-33 NIV)

d. Continue your God-given work in readiness for Jesus' return:

"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning. . .You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Luke 12:35,40 NIV)

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:57-58 NIV)

e. Live a holy life:

"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming." (2 Peter 3:11-12a NIV)

"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure." (1 John 3:2-3 NIV)

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Preparing for the End Times Bible Studies

1. Study suggestions:

1. As you begin each study, pray that God will help you to understand and apply the passage to your life.

2. Read and reread the assigned Bible passages to familiarize yourself with what the author is saying.

3. A good modern translation of the Bible, rather than the King James Version or a paraphrase, will give you the most help. The New International Version, the New American Standard Bible and the New Revised Standard Version are all recommended. However, the questions are based on the New International Version.

4. Write your answers down on paper and save them in a notebook. This will help you to express your understanding of the Bible passages clearly.

5. It might be good to have a Bible dictionary handy. Use it to look up any unfamiliar words, names or places.

2. A preface to Lesson 1: Are we living in the last days?

Daniel Lewis devotes an entire chapter in his book answering "yes" to this question. Here are some highlights of his evidence (space does not permit me to include the full texts of the references, but please look them up):

a. Jesus' birth narratives:

Prophecies fulfilled by Jesus' birth: Malachi 4:6 and Luke 1:17 , Matthew 17:10-13 (These passages focus on John the Baptist as fulfilling the prophecy of Elijah's return.)
Titles given to Jesus fulfill prophecy: "Son of God" (Luke 1:32), "Lord" (Luke 1:43), "Savior" (Luke 2:11), "Messiah" (Matthew 1:1, Luke 2:11), "Immanuel" (Matthew 1:23), "son of David" (Matthew 1:1)

b. The gospel accounts:

A new kingdom is announced: Mark 1:15, Isaiah 61:1-2 and Luke 4:16-21
Jesus as man embodied Israel: in Egypt (Matthew 2:13), as God's Son (Matthew 2:15), passed through the waters (Matthew 3:13-17), tempted in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11), God's interpretation of the Law (Matthew 5), transfigured with Moses (Matthew 17:1-3), exodus in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31), fulfillment of Moses and the prophets (John 8:56, Luke 24:44-47)
Jesus inaugurated a new covenant: Matthew 26:28, 1 Corinthians 11:25, 2 Corinthians 3:6

c. The apostles' accounts:

Israel/remnant language is transferred to Christians: Romans 2:28-29; 4:16; 11:13-24, Galatians 3:29 and 6:16, 1 Peter 1:1-4,
Callings of Christians resemble the callings of Israel: holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16), priests (1 Peter 2:5), chosen people (1 Peter 2:9-10), aliens and strangers (1 Peter 2:11-12, Hebrews 11:13-16)

d. Jewish worship imagery is transferred to Christ and the Church:

Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7, 1 Peter 1:18-19)
Menorah or lampstand (John 8:12, Revelation 1:12, 20)
Altar (Romans 12:1, Revelation 6:9)
Incense (Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4)
Temple (1 Corinthians 6:19, Revelation 11:19)
Ark (Revelation 11:19)
Jerusalem becomes the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2, 10)

e. Sample Bible references a. to d.:

"Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:27-28 NIV)

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." (John 19:28 NIV)

"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31 NIV)

"No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.'" (Acts 2:16-17a NIV)

"These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfilment of the ages has come." (1 Corinthians 10:11 NIV)

"He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant-- not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:6 NIV)

"If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29 NIV)

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe." (Hebrews 1:1-2 NIV)

"Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Hebrews 9:26 NIV)

f. Quotes from Lewis:

"It may well be asked what criteria determine if an Old Testament prophecy was to be fulfilled in Jesus' day or at the end of the age. The most important criterion surely must be the interpretations of the apostles themselves. Inasmuch as the apostles were writing under the guidance of the Spirit, their interpretations of prophetic fulfilment are vouched for by God. Of course, there are a considerable number of prophecies about which the apostles gave no opinion; however, the many cases where they did give an opinion clearly demonstrate that in their view the last days had begun with the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus." (Lewis, p. 58)

The disciples and apostles "believed that the future age had begun in the Jesus event before the present age had run out. Thus their viewpoint was that the ages overlapped. The future and the present were so intertwined that the believer in Jesus Christ stood, as it were, with one foot in the present age and the other in the future age." [This overlap is also referred to as the "already, not yet" tension or "the presence of the future".]
(Lewis, pp. 64, 66)

"Between the enthronement of Christ at the Father's right hand and the Lord's second coming believers experience eschatology, and at the same time they anticipate eschatology. They live in both the present and the future." (Lewis, p. 67)

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3. Summary of the six studies:

NOTE: The first 4 lessons were adapted for small groups using LessonBuilder's (by Logos) versions of the Lifeguide Bible Studies by Paul Stevens on the "End Times" and on "Revelation." The last 2 lessons consist mostly of original material. Considerable editing took place to reduce the study to 6 central lessons and to expand the helper notes within the lessons.

Lesson 1: The Last Days Are Here! (Background to this lesson is given above in point 2.) We start with Acts 2 because the outpouring of the Holy Spirit after the resurrection of Jesus signaled the beginning of the last days. Included in Acts 2 is a portion of Joel 2, which shows that the Day of the Lord has already begun, though yet to be finally fulfilled. Central to last things is the conviction that Jesus will return in glory to receive his own. The words of Jesus assure us of this, but they also show us how the Holy Spirit, now at work in our hearts, is a tangible pledge of the reunion to come.

Lesson 2: Signs of the Times Then we turn to some of the words of Jesus in Matthew 24 concerning the fall of Jerusalem (in his own day) and his own return in the future.

Lesson 3: Waiting with Hope for the Bridegroom and the Judge We will continue with Matthew 25 amd Revelation 20 on waiting hopefully for Jesus, the Bridegroom and Judge.

Lesson 4: The Resurrection Our ultimate future personally is not merely the immortality of the soul but the resurrection of the body (1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4) and physical reunion with Christ.

Lesson 5: Coping with Evil Powers Our study of 2 Thessalonians 2, 2 John 2, and Revelation 13 and 19-20 helps us understand the reality that believers encounter evil in this world as they attempt to live and work for God and that evil will ultimately be judged.

Lesson 6: The Believer's Destination The last study focuses on the eternal future of the believer in a renewed heaven and earth as we study parts of John 14, 2 Peter 3, and Revelation 21-22, compared to Genesis 2-3.

1. The Last Days Are Here!

Acts 2:1-41; 1 Corinthians 10:1-12;

Hebrews 1:1-3

Purpose: To explore the lifestyle challenge of living in the last days inaugurated by the ascension of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit. To study the way the New Testament quotes and interprets Old Testament prophecies. To distinguish the "last days" from the end times.

"The last days have arrived!" When we hear this, we immediately think it means history has drawn to a close. And we are partly right. But, according to the apostles of Jesus, the last days began with the ascension of Jesus to heaven and the outpouring of the Spirit on the church. And we have been in the last days ever since--almost two thousand years of last days! Indeed, the last days will continue until Christ comes again. It is hard to keep a balanced perspective on this. Like a small child on a long journey, the spirit of humankind keeps asking, "Are we almost there?" This study shows that in one sense we have "arrived," but in another sense we are still waiting. To keep the balance we must learn how to live "to the hilt" in these days of fulfillment while waiting hopefully for the last of the last days.

1. When you hear that these are the "last days", what thoughts and emotions do you have?

2. Read Acts 2:1-15. Jesus has been crucified and resurrected. He has also ascended into heaven out of sight (1:9). What happens to the waiting disciples to assure them that Jesus will continue to expand the worldwide mission he entrusted to them (1:8 and Matthew 28:19-20)?

Question 2. The Acts 2 events fulfill John the Baptizer's prophecy in Luke 3:16 and Jesus' own promise in Acts 1:8a of what Jesus would do. In contrast to the breakdown of communication at Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), the Spirit empowers the disciples to experience community of speech with great numbers of people. Note that they were empowered to speak understandable foreign languages they had never learned.

The three great festivals of Israel at the time of Jesus were Passover (remembering deliverance from Egypt), Pentecost (a harvest festival coming seven weeks after Passover, during which the first-fruits were offered to God--Exodus 23:16; Leviticus 23:15-21) and Tabernacles (recalling the wilderness wanderings).

Sometimes over a million people jammed into Jerusalem for these festivals, arriving from all over the Mediterranean (from modern Italy to Egypt). Many of the visitors were Jews who had been scattered all over the Roman empire. You may want to look up the places mentioned in Acts 2:9-11 on a map. Some were proselytes (Gentiles who had converted to Judaism by baptism and circumcision). Some were God-fearers (non-Jews who were earnestly seeking God--see Zechariah 8:23).

The Feast of Pentecost was a favorable occasion for the church to be sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), for the missionary task of the church to begin, and for the first harvests of believers to be brought in.

How were the disciples misunderstood? How does Peter's response help you handle witnessing misunderstandings today?

Question 2. Notice Peter is assertive and firm, but that he is also polite and uses humor in his response.

3. Read Acts 2:16-21. Peter explains the strange events of this feast day in terms of the Old Testament prophecy of Joel (Joel 2:28-31). What has happened to show that Peter is correct in claiming the "last days" (Acts 2:17) have arrived?

Question 3. Peter is addressing a Jewish audience which knew the Old Testament very well. Peter interprets the Pentecost fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. The day of the Lord was not to be calculated on a clock or a calendar. It is God's own time-- extending from Pentecost and, as we now know, through centuries since Pentecost (2 Peter 3:8).

"If you compare the Old Testament quotations in Acts with the same passages in an English Old Testament, you will notice differences for several reasons: 1) New Testament writers and speakers often give 'the general sense' of a passage rather than quoting it word for word; 2) They often quote from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament which was used by many Jews; 3) A New Testament writer or speaker sometimes enlarges, abbreviates, or adapts an Old Testament passage, or combines two or more passages to make his point. The Holy Spirit has imspired these adaptations just as He has inspired the rest of the New Testament." (From LifeChange Series: Acts, [Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1987], p. 38; see also The NIV Study Bible at Romans 3:10-18.)

**The principle Peter establishes here is that the New Testament interprets the Old Testament. Joel, the prophet, would not have dreamed how his prophecy would be fulfilled on this Pentecost day! Premillennialists interpret the New Testament teachings in light of their literal interpretations of Old Testament prophecies. Thus they reverse the direction of Biblical interpretation --the Old Testament interprets the New Testament, rather than the New interpreting the Old. (Vern S. Poythress in Understanding Dispensationalists [P & R Publishing, 1987, 1994] pp. 68-70 and Herman Bavinck in The Last Things [translated by John Vriend, Baker Books, 1996] pp. 96-98 make more detailed arguments for this direction of interpretation.)

Other examples of the New Testament interpreting the Old Testament can be found in Acts 15:13-21, as James interprets Amos 9:11-12, and in Hebrews 8:8-13, where the author interprets Jeremiah 31:31-34. The whole book of Hebrews illustrates this principle of interpretation.

4. Read Acts 2:22-32. How does Peter explain the fulfillment of David's prophecy from Psalm 16:8-11 (Acts 2:25-28) in Christ's: a) death and b) resurrection?

Question 4. "[David] was Israel's greatest king, a man who lived very close to God and wrote many of the psalms in the Old Testament. Some of David's psalms prophesy about the Christ [Messiah], and the quotes in Peter's sermon are from these 'Messianic' psalms. . .Peter first shows that David's words were indeed prophecy because they could not possibly be applied to David himself." (From Discover Acts: Chapters 1-12, by Neva Evenhouse, [Grand Rapids: CRC Publications, 1994], p. 20)

5. Read Acts 2:33-36. How does Peter explain the fulfillment of David's prophecy in Psalm 110:1 (Acts 2:34-35) in Christ's: a) ascension and b) exaltation as "Lord"?

Question 5. To his Jewish audience, Peter declares the victory of Jesus Christ by quoting and interpreting Psalm 16:8-11 and 110:1, which envision a triumph over death by God's anointed messenger and an ascension by the Messiah to rule over everything at God's right hand.

"[Peter] is trying to get the people to see that the man Jesus whom they had crucified (by the hands of Roman soldiers) was the very Messiah who had been promised to them by God. This same Jesus, having carried out his work, is now reigning in heaven as the true, eternal King. . .

'Messiah' (Hebrew) and 'Christ' (Greek) essentially mean 'Anointed One,' implying kingship. In the Old Testament kings, priests, and prophets were anointed for their special offices and tasks. Old Testament prophecies pointed to the coming Messiah as the great Savior-King. As a result, the Jewish people expected an earthly king and a material kingdom. Jesus had to spend much of his time showing that his kingdom was spiritual and not physical." (Discover Acts, pp. 20-21)

6. Read Acts 2:37-41. Who initiates Peter's instructions? Why might that be important in any witnessing situation?

Question 6. Remember the role of the Holy Spirit behind the scene.

At least some of Peter's audience were "cut to the heart" (see Hebrews 4:12) by this revelation as they realized they had unwittingly participated in the murder of God's Anointed One, even though they may have believed at the time they were doing God's will in eliminating someone who they believed was an imposter and a blasphemer.

Helpful to us in our mission is the way Peter addresses the need of the people to believe by appealing to Scripture, to the facts of the crucifixion and the empty tomb, and to the supernatural phenomenon of Pentecost, evidences that carry weight even today. (Who Moved the Stone? by Frank Morison is a testimony of how a skeptic was converted to Christ by examining the Biblical evidence of Jesus' resurrection.)

What does Peter say people must do to respond to the arrival of the last days (Acts 2:38)?

Question 6. Look for three things Peter tells his audience to do.

You may wonder about the relationship between the baptism mentioned in this passage and two other baptisms--John's baptism of repentance (Mark 1:4 and Luke 3:3) and the baptism of Gentile converts to Judaism. It is uncertain when Jewish baptism of proselytes began, so John's baptism may or may not have been modeled after that Jewish tradition. Both baptism after Pentecost and John's baptism were one-time events reflecting an inner change in a person's life. Baptism after Pentecost also emphasizes the Holy Spirit's indwelling of the believer (see also the note under question 9).

7. Peter stresses the grace available to his hearers (Acts 2:21) rather than the judgment aspect (Acts 2:19-20) of the "day of the LORD". What hope does this give you and to people today who are currently rejecting Jesus as their Lord and Savior? What urgency does future judgment bring to presenting the gospel now?

Question 7. Two dimensions of the day of the Lord (grace and judgment) are locked together in Joel's prophecy (Acts 2:17-21) but are separated, at least temporarily, in fulfillment. The day now is a day of grace--of the opportunity to experience new life, forgiveness and the full endowment of the Spirit by faith in Christ (2 Corinthians 6:1-2). But the day will eventually come when God will bring final irrevocable judgment on the obstinate and unbelieving.

8. People today are seldom asking Christians, "What shall we do?" (v. 37). Why do you think this is so?

Question 8. What is troubling is the apathetic response of people today to the same gospel message of judgment and grace that Peter preached.

What is one thing you could do to change this in your sphere of influence?

9. Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-12 and Hebrews 1:1-3. How do these last days differ from times previous?

What comfort and warnings stand out to you in these verses? Explain.

Question 9. Pentecost inaugurated a new era of the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers. In the Old Testament the Spirit came upon people as God directed. The Spirit did not permanently dwell within even God-fearing persons. The change in the degree of the Holy Spirit's influence is part of how these "last days" are different from the time before Christ.

In this lesson we are also distinguishing between the last days and the end times. The last days are continuing, and the end times are yet to be fulfilled at Jesus' second coming.

10. What does living "in the last days" now mean to you?

11. What change do you most need to make to better live for Christ in the last days? Whom will you find to help support you and hold you accountable in making that change?

2. Signs of the Times

Matthew 23:29-24:51; Acts 1:9-11

Purpose: To examine Jesus' prophecy of the "great distress" (also known as the Great Tribulation) and its fulfillment. To show how fulfilled promises made by Jesus inspire our watchfulness for the fulfillment of the greatest promise of all-the promise that Jesus will come back in glory to receive his own.

Occasionally a dying parent or a dear friend has the privilege of saying good-bye and sharing their final words with those they love. Such words are so full of meaning that one hangs on the meaning of every phrase. Such is the farewell discourse of Jesus in the first Gospel. It is Jesus' final words of warning and encouragement to his disciples about two coming events: one which would happen in the lifetime of the first disciples and another which may take place in ours. While the chapter is considered one of the most difficult in the Gospel of Matthew, it contains an encouraging promise. Since God brought about the events that Jesus prophesied would take place in the lifetime of the first disciples, he will certainly accomplish the final event. In this study we will explore the connection between the two and learn how to be watchful.

Parallel accounts of Jesus' teachings in Matthew 24 occur in Mark 13 and Luke 21. It is probable that the original reason for this message was the disciples' questions concerning Jesus' prophecy of the Jerusalem temple's destruction in Matthew 24:1-3. Jesus counsels his disciples in two main areas: 1) watching for his return and 2) discouraging speculation regarding the time of his return. "Readiness, not the date on the calendar, was the clear focus of Jesus' words." (Daniel J. Lewis, 3 Crucial Questions About the Last Days, [Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998], p. 83)

1. Share any experience you have had of a dying person's farewell thoughts. If this has not been your experience, describe what would be uppermost in your own mind if you were given one last chance to speak with those you love.

Question 1. Jesus was nearing the time of his crucifixion. In his farewell address on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem, Jesus was pointing to events which would happen in the future and instructing his disciples on how they were to live when he would no longer be with them. Jesus' prophecy in Matthew 24 and 25 is called the "Olivet Discourse" because Jesus delivered it on the Mount of Olives.

2. Read Matthew 23:29-24:3. Overlooking the temple from the Mount of Olives, Jesus and the disciples would have an excellent view of Herod's temple, described as a mountain of white marble covered with pure gold. What terrible events does Jesus predict?

From Matthew 23:29-36 why were these things going to happen?

Question 2. You may want to read Matthew 21:33-46 and all of Matthew 23 for some additional background to Jesus' prophecy. Jesus' prophecy addresses the "great distress" (24:21--NIV) or the "great tribulation" (KJV) mentioned frequently in some end-times teachings. Jesus says this distress was a judgment of God upon the unbelief of and persecutions by the Jewish nation--see Matthew 23:29-38.

The historical background of this passage (in our time) is the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by the armies of Roman general, Titus, in response to Jewish rebellion and resistance. Luke 21:20 (NIV) records Jesus' instruction: "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near." The destruction of the temple was a literal fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy in Matthew 24:2. Visitors to Jerusalem today can see some of the huge temple stones underground in a tunnel beneath the former temple site.

However, Matthew was writing before the events of A.D. 70 and the temple's destruction had not yet occurred. Jesus' prophecy and its warnings had immediate urgency for the disciples and for the first generation of believers, who were about to enter a tumultuous period of history within the next generation. Matthew 24 also has great significance for us long after the prophecy of the destruction of the temple was fulfilled. While the first readers of the Gospel were asked to trust the eternal word of Jesus (24:35) concerning two future events--(1) the destruction of the temple and the surrounding disorders, and (2) the coming of the Son of Man to consummate the end of the ages--we have the privilege of being able to trust the God who fulfilled the first prophecy as we wait for the fulfillment of the second.

3. Read Matthew 24:4-14. In your own words, summarize the answer Jesus gives to the first of the disciples' questions in verse 3: "When will this happen?".

What promises and assurances does Jesus offer believers in verses 13-14?

Question 3. The words of Jesus concerning the stresses ahead were literally fulfilled in the lifetime of the first disciples during the years leading up to A.D. 70.

Jesus' words also offer stark realism about the difficulties believers will face in every generation. Most generations of believers have experienced wars, false Christs and prophets, famines, earthquakes, and persecutions at least in some places in the world. Jesus does not promise that the Christian life will ever be easy. Believers in every generation will experience rejection because they are associated with Jesus (John 15:18-19).

The statement that these religious, social, personal, familial and natural disasters are only "the beginning of birth pangs" (24:8) suggests that the second fulfillment of the passage (the appearance of the Lord Jesus in triumph) might be long delayed. In the meantime the disciples will proclaim the gospel to all humankind (24:14). In Lesson 1, we studied the experiences of the disciples on Pentecost (Acts 2:5-11). The gospel was preached in many tongues to people from many countries. The New Testament records the continuing fulfillment of Matthew 24:14 in Romans 16:25-26 and Colossians 1:5-6, 23.

4. Read Matthew 24:15-26. Jesus describes the imperative of being ready for an escape to a safe haven. What might divert disciples from watching carefully for the signs of these times and from readiness for their escape from Judea into the mountains? (Luke 21:20 gives an additional sign for the first-century believers to watch for: "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies. . .")

In what similar ways could natural disasters and false spiritualities lead believers today to a false sense that the end has come?

Question 4. The unique conclusion of the Palestine events in A.D. 66-70 was the Jerusalem temple's destruction. Jewish family records (and documentation of priesthood eligibility) were destroyed and temple sacrifices ceased, changing Judaism permanently. Their "house" was indeed left to them "desolate" (Matthew 23:38).

Some of the other indications that the warnings in this passage refer to a local, historical event are Jesus' instructions: 1) for those in Judea to flee to the mountains in v. 16 (see the note on this flight in the last paragraph), 2) not to go inside from the roofs of houses in v. 17 (flat roofs on Palestine houses provided increased living space), and 3) to pray it wouldn't be on the Sabbath in v. 20 (Jewish Sabbath observances included restricting the distance that could be travelled and the amount of burden that could be carried).

The "abomination that causes desolation" alludes to Daniel 9:27; 11:31 and refers to the desecration of the temple in Jerusalem by a profane person or a profane object that makes necessary the abandonment of the temple as a place of worship by the people of God. (For an example, Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the temple with a pig sacrifice in 168 B.C.) The most likely fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy happened in the events of A.D. 67-68 when Jewish fanatics occupied the temple area and allowed people who had committed crimes to roam freely in the Holy of Holies--even those who had committed murder within the temple precincts. This sacrilege climaxed in the profane appointment of the clown Phanni as high priest.

A second fulfillment to Jesus' prophecy occurred in August A.D. 70 when the temple was captured by the Romans and set on fire. Titus, the Roman general, entered the holy of holies and erected the Roman military standards there. Soon fire and destruction led to "not one stone...left on another, every one...thrown down" (Matthew 24:2).

These events happened in the lifetime of the first disciples. At that time, Jewish Christians were still worshiping daily within the temple precincts (see Acts 3:1). In response to these warnings of Jesus, they fled across the Jordan River to the Transjordan foothills and found refuge in Pella.

5. Read Matthew 24:27-35. Jesus says (of the destruction of the temple) twice that these things will happen "in this generation" (23:36 and 24:34). What are sure signs that Jesus himself is returning?

What assurances does Jesus offer believers in this passage (notice his promise in v. 35 that his words stand forever)?

Question 5. The "Son of Man" is the chosen title of Jesus for himself, drawn from the figure of a supernatural person in Daniel 7:13 who receives the worship of all nations.

This section of the Olivet Discourse is expressed in a form of literature called apocalyptic--meaning "to unveil." Apocalypse is a dramatic form of literature in which cosmic upheavals affecting the sun, moon, and stars signal God's intervention in history. Jesus used this form of speech to call for committed discipleship on the part of believers.

The coming of the Son of Man "with the clouds" (24:29-30) is similar to Old Testament descriptions of God coming in judgment (see Isaiah 19:1, Ezekiel 30:3) upon his enemies. In Matthew 23:30-38, Jesus warned the Jewish religious leaders that they had become God's enemies and that their "house," the temple, would be destroyed. Here Jesus (who claimed to be greater than the temple--Matthew 12:6 and John 2:19-21) uses the destruction of the temple--the visible center of the gathered chosen people--to speak of the eventual replacement of the temple by the Son of Man surrounded by his gathered people from all nations (24:31). The gathering of the elect, the body of believers (the true church), is related to the proclamation of the gospel to all nations (24:14)--see the note under question #3.

The fig tree in 24:32 has been interpreted by dispensationalists to refer to Israel's return to Palestine in 1948. The parallel passage in Luke 21:29-30 refers to the leaves of "the fig tree and all the trees" heralding the coming of summer. The fig tree is here a simple parable for a visible sign, not a national symbol for Israel.

6. Read Matthew 24:36-41. What does Jesus say in 24:36?

As Jesus describes another event in 24:36-41, how is he answering the second question of the disciples in 24:3 regarding the end of the age?

Question 6. Jesus repeats a similar answer in Acts 1:6-8. Jesus redirects the disciples' focus from speculation of timing to the mission he has for them (see the introduction to this lesson).

J. I. Packer says that Christ's final coming has the following purposes: (1) for victory, as the final triumph of God's kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:24), (2) for judgment, as the ratifying of destinies (1 Corinthians 4:5), (3) for salvation, the final glory of the saints (Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:16), (4) for new creation of mortal humans (1 Corinthians 15:50–55), (5) for the renewal of the decaying cosmos (Romans 8:21; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1) and (6) for the glory of God (2 Thessalonians 1:10) [Adapted by Paul Stevens from J. I. Packer, "Notes on Systematic Theology IV," Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.]

7. How do the circumstances of people's lives described in 24:37-41 differ from those described in 24:4-24?

What will it mean for you to be faithful both in times of disruption (Matthew 24:4-24) and in times of security (24:37-41)?

Question 7. Believers all face different phases of life--those of crisis and those of routine. Faithfulness in each kind of circumstance has its own challenge. Believers need to focus on God's purpose for them through God's word, prayer, the leading of the Holy Spirit, and the support of the Christian community in all circumstances.

8. Read Matthew 24:42-44. Have you ever been violated by a crime such as breaking and entering or theft? How did that event affect your preparedness and watchfulness afterwards?

Question 8. Note that Jesus' return will be unexpected, but not secret.

9. Read Matthew 24:45-51. What qualities did Jesus say his servant will need to be ready for his coming? How will Jesus reward the expectant servant?

What did Jesus warn would happen to those who doubt his coming?

Question 9. It should now be clear that Matthew 24:34 ("this generation") and 24:36 ("that day") relate to two distinct events, the first of which Jesus is sure will happen in the generation of the first disciples, and the second of which even Jesus (while on earth) did not know the exact date or time. The parable of the servant would apply to Jesus' first disciples and to both events--the coming of judgment on Jerusalem and the temple and Jesus' second coming. To us it applies only to Jesus' second coming.

Those who doubt that Jesus will return would do well to reflect that the sign of his coming, the destruction of the temple, took place as he said it would. All other prophecies of Jesus--his death and resurrection, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the persecution of his followers, the rise of the Jewish "sign" prophets, the desecration and destruction of the temple, and the sufferings in Judea--have been fulfilled in history at the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in A.D. 70. Only his prophecy of the Second Coming awaits historical fulfillment. (Adapted by Paul Stevens from Paul Barnett, The Servant King: Reading Mark Today [Sydney: Anglican Information Office, 1991], pp. 250, 254)

10. Read Acts 1:9-11. What further details does this passage give about Jesus' return?

Question 10. Note that this will be a visible return and not a secret return. The cloud Jesus was taken up into was probably the Shekinah glory cloud of the LORD (Exodus 13:21-22 and 40:34).

11. What specific diversions keep you from being a faithful "watcher" as Jesus' disciple? Whom will you find to pray for you as you cope with these distractions?

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3. Waiting with Hope for the Bridegroom and the Judge

Matthew 25:1-13, 31-46; Revelation 20:11-15

Purpose: To examine how the Christian's hope for Christ's return inspires a willingness to plan for a long-term future and to live preparing for Jesus' return. To study the Biblical picture of a single last judgment during the end times.

Waiting is not easy, especially if the future is uncertain or threatening. Think of how much time we spend standing in line--from grocery stores, to ticket windows, to bus stops, to the cafeteria, at banks, airports, restrooms, and public crowded events. Even if we try to beat the system by getting there early enough to be the first in line, we will still have to wait for the doors to open.

Amid the crowd of persons and things that move around our lives, we have the capacity to assign numbers to those that will be first. In the midst of all of this, Christ keeps asking our hearts where he stands in the line of our lives. He seeks to be first--and deserves to be first. He has every right to hold the unchallenged priority in our lives, not only in our respect and worship, but also in our submission to his authority and faithfulness to his Word.

For some, the prospect of a short-term future on earth leads them to interpret the prayer "Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20) as a prayer for instant evacuation. But as we will see, waiting hopefully is far more constructive than that. (Adapted from "When All Things Become New" by Joseph M. Stowell [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995], p. 21.)

This lesson examines Part 2 of the Olivet Discourse of Jesus, continuing the study from Lesson 2. Two teachings of Jesus--the parable of the ten virgins and the allegory of the sheep and the goats--illustrate two spiritual dimensions of waiting. While you study the Bible passages and answer the questions in this lesson, keep the following questions in mind also: What priority number have you assigned to Christ? Who or what comes before him? Would you really want to demonstrate to a watching world that those other things are more important to you than Jesus is?

What we do while we wait and anticipate Jesus' return has eternal consequences. Each person will be judged by the LORD and have their eternal destiny determined by him. Following the lesson are Bible passages teaching the criteria by which people will be judged.

1. How do you react when when you have to stand in line or wait for someone? How does it affect your attitude if you expect that you will have to wait?

2. Read Matthew 25:1-13. "At that time" refers to the day of the coming of the Lord (Matthew 24:42). In what ways was the behavior of the wise and foolish virgins similar as they waited for the coming of the groom?

How were their behaviors different?

Question 2. The custom of the day required that on the evening of the wedding day the bridegroom would lead the bride home, along with friends and accompanied with people carrying lamps in honor of the couple. The exact time of the arrival of the groom could never be predicted, and the crucial thing was to be ready. Sometimes the festivities lasted as long as seven days.

Other Bible passages support the kingdom of heaven/wedding motif. Jesus refers to himself as a bridegroom in Luke 5:34-35. Jesus tells a kingdom of heaven parable about guests invited to a wedding banquet in Matthew 22:1-14. Paul compares the relationship of Christ and the Church to a marriage relationship in Ephesians 5:23-32. John speaks of the wedding and the wedding supper of the Lamb (Jesus) in Revelation 19:7-9.

R.T. France points out that readers of Matthew 25 need not get caught up in exactly what the oil in this parable represents. The main emphasis is on preparedness for Christ's return. (The Gospel According to Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary, [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans 1985, 1997], p. 350.)

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3. Both the foolish and wise wanted a short wait. What evidence do we have that the wise were also ready for a long wait?

Question 3. The NIV Study Bible notes at Matthew 25: 1 that "Torches [rather than small clay lamps] consisted of a long pole with oil-drenched rags at the top," and at Matthew 25: 9 that the torches of that day "required large amounts of oil in order to keep burning, and the oil had to be replenished about every 15 minutes." Therefore "jars" of oil would be required to be adequately lighted for the bridegroom's arrival and continual attention would need to be paid to the lamps.

This parable invites the exploration of how biblical eschatology relates to futurology. Eschatology is concerned about end times events including the issues of: the resurrection of the body, the completion of the kingdom, the last judgment, and all things being renewed. Futurology relates to how we are to live on planet earth until the end comes.

There are several views about how these two concepts should be combined. Some Christians hold to an eschatology with no futurology. They believe that Christ will come tonight, or tomorrow at the latest. So there is nothing to do in this world except wait for the coming of the Lord. However, this results in a totally other-worldly perspective in which one abandons the will to work on the problems humanity now faces.

The New Testament invites Christians to have an eschatology with a long-term futurology. They are ready for the Lord to come back at any moment, but they are also ready to work in this world in the light of that glorious certainty for another thousand years or more if necessary.

While our way of life in this world must be influenced by the possible shortness of time, the real reason for living in this world differently from the secularist is the fact that the kingdom has begun and will come fully in the future. So Luther is reported to have said, "If I knew that tomorrow the world would perish, I would still plant a little apple tree in my back-yard."

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4. What difference will it make to your lifestyle to be ready for a long wait while simultaneously being ready for the Lord to come immediately?

Question 4. R. T. France gleans two other lessons from this parable. In terms of readiness for Jesus' return, "no-one can ultimately rely on another's preparedness" and "there is a 'too late' in God's timetable." (p. 351) Individuals are responsible to God as individuals now. Leaving personal salvation through Jesus Christ until later is to risk being shut out from the LORD's presence forever (see also Matthew 7:22-23). "[N]ow is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2)

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5. Read Matthew 25:31-46. This section of Jesus' teaching on the end times adds the further dimension to his return of the final judgment of humanity. Describe the setting for this judgment.

Who is present for the judgment? How many judgments are described?

Question 5. We tend to think of judgment day as if it were all about us. But really it's all about Christ. The main purpose of the last judgment is the glory of God and of his Son. A person's final destiny is merely the end of the road on which that person is travelling now. (Leonard Kuyvenhoven, The Day of Christ's Return Study Guide [Grand Rapids: CRC Publications, 1999], p. 82)

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6. On what basis are the sheep and the goats separated?

What is the ultimate end of the sheep? the goats?

Question 6. Sheep and goats may be very similar in outward appearance, but the LORD knows each one individually and can distinguish and separate them from each other. The righteous sheep enter eternal life in God's presence, while the unrighteous goats depart to a place prepared for God's enemies (v. 41), eternally separated from God.

A disturbing feature of Jesus' description of the last judgment is the appearance of determining eternal destiny solely on the basis of works. This, however, is a criterion stated in Revelation 20:12–13 and elsewhere in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). See also the judgment criteria passages at the end of this lesson.

Personal faith in Jesus Christ must inevitably be expressed by one's works. If there is no love toward others, there is no spiritual life (see James 2:14-17 and 1 John 3:17-18). To paraphrase John Calvin, we are saved by faith alone, but true faith is never alone.

The Bible balances Matthew 25's emphasis on works by emphasizing God's work of salvation: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV) See also Romans 3:20, 28 and 4:5-8 and 5:1, 8-9, Galatians 2:16, Philippians 3:9, Titus 3:5-6, and 1 John 5:11-13.

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7. What does the surprise of the righteous (v. 39) indicate about the possible motives for the good works they did?

Question 7. Genuine righteousness (being declared "not guilty") with God involves more than consciously doing acts with the goal of being rewarded by Jesus, or even pretending that the person being served is Jesus, disguised. The acts of true agape love do not focus on possible religious benefits of loving others. Hypocrisy is removed by a lifestyle faithful to Jesus.

The person with Christ in his or her heart will help the needy because they are needy and because they are anticipating Jesus' coming kingdom, not merely because there is a reward for doing so. That kind of loving service makes believers truly kin to Jesus. The importance of true personal fellowship with Jesus is consistent with the rejection of the foolish virgins when they were told, "I don't know you" (v. 12) by the groom (representing Jesus).

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8. How does the self-defense of the unrighteous (v. 44) indicate that the object of their faith is deficient?

Question 8. The faith and eyes of the unrighteous were focussed on themselves and not with the eyes of faith in Christ on others.

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9. Read Revelation 20:11-15. What further details are revealed here about the last judgment?

What details do you find the most interesting? Why?

Question 9. The book of life (Revelation 20:12-15) has a long biblical history. It is mentioned in Exodus 32:32-33, Daniel 12:1, Luke 10:20, Philippians 4:3, Revelation 3:5, 13:18, and 21:27. See also the Bible passages on the criteria for judgment at the end of the lesson.

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10. Take the brief self-inventory below, based on Matthew 25:40 "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.":

Answer yes or no
Were you a friend of Jesus when He was hungry ?
Were you a friend of Jesus when He was thirsty ?
Were you a friend of Jesus when He was a stranger ?
Were you a friend of Jesus when He was naked ?
Were you a friend of Jesus when He was sick ?
Were you a friend of Jesus when He was in prison ?
(From The Word in Life Study Bible, [Thomas Nelson, 1993, 1996], p. 1691)

From the inventory, in what areas of service to Jesus do you need to improve?

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11. What practical steps can you take to be ready like the righteous for the coming of the Son of Man?

Criteria for the Last Judgment:

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10, NIV)

1. Relationship to Jesus Christ:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV)

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John 3:36, NIV)

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." (1 John 5:11-12, NIV)

2. Revelation from God:

"But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:48, NIV)

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:20, NIV)

"All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)" (Romans 2:12-15, NIV italics added)

3. Deeds, words, and motives as evidence of faith in Jesus Christ:

"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." (Revelation 22:12, NIV)

"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37, NIV)

"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." (1 Corinthians 4:5, NIV)

4. The books of God:

"He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels." (Revelation 3:5, NIV)

"And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books." (Revelation 20:12, NIV)

"Nothing impure will ever enter [the New Jerusalem], nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:27, NIV)

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4. The Resurrection

Daniel 12:2; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15;
1 Corinthians 15:12-28, 35-44, 50-58;
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Purpose: To show how the unique promise of resurrection with Christ makes life in our present bodies meaningful. To examine the Biblical description of a single, public coming of Christ with and for his own.

A Christian believer was once asked what he thought would happen to him when he died. "I shall immediately depart into eternal happiness," he replied, then added, "but I wish you would not talk to me about such an unpleasant subject!"

The man's ambiguity is perfectly understandable. Everyone wants to go to heaven. Almost no one wants to die! However, unless we are present on earth when Christ comes again, death is one step toward our final existence in Christ. That final existence involves being fully human persons, equipped with a "spiritual" body (a transformed physical body like Jesus' resurrection body) to be with Jesus and his people eternally in a perfect environment. That ultimate hope of our own resurrection, founded on the fact of Christ's resurrection, makes a difference in how we live our bodily life now.

NOTES: We have moved on from the study of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew. The next three lessons cover different aspects of the end times, not necessarily in chronological order. For instance, the resurrection of all people studied in Lesson 4 will probably occur before the Last Judgment of Lesson 3. However, no one knows exactly in what order end times events will unfold.

Lesson 4 mainly addresses the resurrection experience of the Christian believer. Unbelievers will be resurrected too, but to a very different destiny than that of believers. As studied in Lesson 3 regarding the Last Judgment, unbelievers (the goats, who do not know Jesus) will spend eternity separated from God and his people (the sheep, who know Jesus--John 10:14).

1. How do you picture Jesus' return for believers?

Which aspects of Jesus' return are you most excited about? anxious about?

Question 1. Philippians 2: 9-11 says that every knee will bow before Jesus. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 describes the future return of Jesus from both unbelievers' and believers' points of view. Titus 2:13 describes Jesus' appearance as "glorious." Revelation 1:13-16 describes how Jesus appeared to John in John's vision. We will also study other passages in this lesson relating to descriptions of the setting for Jesus' second coming.

2. Read Daniel 12:2, John 5:28-29 and Acts 24:15. How many resurrections do these passages say there will be? Who will be resurrected at that time?

Question 2. The Bible consistently seems to teach a single resurrection of believers and unbelievers together. Amillennialists and Postmillennialists (see the introductory lesson for the end times--Lesson 2) teach a single resurrection at Jesus' single second coming.

Premillennialists teach that there will be at least two separate resurrections--one for believers before the millennium (1000 years) and one for unbelievers after the millennium (based exclusively on Revelation 20:4-5), separated by 1000 years of Christ's reign on earth. This single passage in Revelation is very difficult to interpret. It seems best to rely primarily on clear teachings of the Bible when formulating doctrines (statements of beliefs) about any subject, including the end times.

In addition, Dispensational Premillennialists teach that believers will be raptured to heaven when Jesus returns secretly for his own. Then they will return bodily to earth for the millennium after a 7-year tribulation, at which time Jesus returns with his own. According to them, during the earthly millennial reign of Christ that the resurrection bodies of believers would mingle with bodies of unresurrected unbelievers at the same time!

Another issue for all premillennialists to explain is the timing of bodily resurrection for people who are saved (become believers) during the tribulation and the millennium.

3. Skim 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 and read 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. Paul is addressing believers here. If there is no resurrection, what are the consequences for Christ, for Paul and for believers?

Question 3. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Paul carefully records the eyewitnesses of Jesus after Jesus' resurrection. Paul lists himself as the final eyewitness of the risen Christ (though different, as his encounter was the only post-ascension appearance of Christ). Presumably Paul is referring to his Damascus road experience (Acts 9). We have no independent details of the appearances to five hundred brethren or to James, the Lord's brother.

Christ's death (and burial) as a substitute receiver of sin's death penalty is obviously critical to believers being saved from God's wrath against sin. However, Paul establishes the resurrection of Christ as the ultimate validation of Paul's preaching, and of his listeners' faith in Christ. Christ's resurrection proved the Father accepted Jesus' sacrifice for sin. Without Jesus' resurrection Christians have futile faith and no future hope for eternity.

Paul knows he needs to correct some misconceptions the Greek church of Corinth may have about Jesus' resurrection and their own resurrection. Some Corinthians, influenced by Greek philosophy, may have found the thought of the actual physical burial and resurrection of Christ's body to be distasteful. The Greeks valued the spiritual dimension of reality above the dimension of physical reality to the extent that a physical resurrection of the body would seem to be unnecessary.

4. Read 1 Corinthians 15:20-28. What does the resurrection of Christ guarantee for the rest of us?

Over what, does Paul say, is Jesus victorious? How are Jesus' victories comforting to believers?

Question 4. This passage gives a comprehensive overview of the work of Christ at the end times. As we have observed in our studies, end-time events are not laid out in a fixed sequence but are presented in big-picture fashion. Further, the last days occur over a long period of time. They began with the death and resurrection of Christ (the beginning of "the day of the Lord") and will finish with the Second Coming of Christ and all the realities associated with that coming (the completion of "the day of the Lord"). The last days and the end times were studied and defined in Lesson 1.

Without offering a specific time line, the end-times events in 1 Corinthians 15 include:

the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (v. 20),

our future resurrection with Christ (v. 23),

the Second Coming of Jesus (v. 23),

the end (possibly to be understood as the "end" of the end times-v. 24),

the full consummation of the kingdom of God (vv. 24-25),

the destruction of all (rebellious) dominion, authority and power (v. 24),

the final destruction of death, the "last enemy"--death (v. 26; see also Revelation 20:13-14),

and the ultimate sovereignty and glory of God as the whole of the renewed cosmos is gathered under the headship of Jesus (v. 28; see also Ephesians 1:20-22).

Some Christians may take death less seriously than they might, because death is ultimately a conquered foe (see vv. 54b-55) making its last desperate attack. Christ's resurrection proves that death is not an undefeatable enemy. But in the interim between Christ's resurrection and ours, death still has limited power over believers; they are missing their bodies. Upon their physical deaths believers enter a deeper degree of spiritual communion with Christ, while those who do not die "in Christ" (unbelievers) enter a deeper degree of darkness and hopelessness.

5. Read 1 Corinthians 15:35-44, 50. Paul turns now to the question of what form the future existence of believers will take. What similarities will exist between this life and the next?

Question 5. Andrew Kuyvenhoven's comments are very helpful here (The Day of Christ's Return:What the Bible Teaches, What You Need to Know, CRC Publications, 1999, pp. 156). "Paul wants us to see the enormous variety of 'bodies' that God creates in this world. . . In his sovereign freedom, God gives each seed that goes into the ground its own body. Also people, animals, fish, and fowl have different 'flesh.'. . .There are also heavenly bodies that have a splendor that differs from the splendor of earthly bodies. . . .Each has its own manner of existence in this present world. That's how incredibly rich and inexhaustible God's resources are." The NIV Study Bible notes at vv. 40-41 that "God can take similar physical material and organize it differently to accomplish his purpose."

Kuyvenhoven describes how Jesus illustrates the resources and transformation power of God. "[Jesus] came as the sower to bring the kingdom (Matthew 13). He himself became the seed (John 12:23-26) that had to fall to the ground before the crop could be harvested. But when we see him again, he will come to harvest what he has sown (Revelation 14:14)." (p. 152) I would add that Jesus continues the illustration by being the firstfruits of the harvest himself (1 Corinthians 15:23).

Kuyvenhoven continues, "A spiritual body [resurrection body] is still a body. We are not going to be disembodied ghosts. Spiritual is not the opposite of material. When we have a spiritual body we are no longer weak, sinful, mortal. . . .We will have a body like the one Jesus has had since his resurrection. You will still be you and I will still be me. There will be [both] continuity and change." (pp. 157-8)

Paul makes 4 comparisons in 15:42-44 between the body sown and the body raised. Fill in the chart:

SOWN RAISED

a.

b.

c.

d.

Question 5. Some of the best glimpses of what our resurrection bodies will be like can be found in Luke 24:36-43, which describes Jesus after his resurrection. He was visible, touchable, had flesh and bones, and was able to eat food. (John 20:11-29 also describes post-resurrection appearances of Jesus.) Jesus also teaches that there will be no marriage after the resurrection (Luke 20:34). 1 John 3:2 teaches we will be like Jesus when he appears. Our hope of an incorruptible body (Philippians 3:21) is guaranteed through Jesus. We are further assured of this as we are presently being transformed into the likeness of Christ by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18) and will be raised by the power of the Spirit (Romans 8:11).

Paul's discussion of how our natural body and our future spiritual body will be both alike and different informs us of all we need to know, though less than we might wish to know. 1 Corinthians 15:50 assures us that believers' resurrection bodies will be fit for life in God's eternal kingdom.

James I. Packer says this new body will be a perfect vehicle for the Christian's self-expression, communication and relationships, including seeing and enjoying God, perfect personal integration, freedom from all frustration and evil, fulfilling all continuing desires, a sense of completeness in relation to all that is remembered as incomplete in this world, stable sinlessness, and active work and unending personal growth . ( "Notes on Systematic Theology IV," Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.).

6. What new ideas have you gained concerning the importance of the resurrection and about the resurrection body?

Question 6. Some reassurances about what is called the "intermediate state" (between death and resurrction) may be in order. Spiritual existence of the soul continues after death. Jesus says to the believing thief on the cross "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43) Jesus tells the Sadducees that "God said to [Moses], 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' He is not the God of the dead, but of the living." Paul also expresses certainty that he will be in the presence of the Lord at the moment of his death (see Philippians 1:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:6-8).

7. Read 1 Corinthians 15:51-57. What sights and sounds await us at Jesus' second coming?

How does this description affect the possibility of a secret return of Christ?

Question 7. A "mystery" is information that was once concealed and now is revealed at the proper time. Paul ties together his description of the resurrection body in vv. 35-44 with the events at the second coming of Christ in vv. 52-54.

Gordon D. Fee addresses the sound of the trumpet (The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Eerdmans, 1987, p. 801). Trumpets were used "to sound the last battle cry (Jeremiah 51:27), to warn of the approaching day of judgment (Joel 2:1), to announce the coming of the Lord (Zechariah 9:14), to summon the people of God from the four corners (Isaiah 27:13)."

This is the last trumpet. Once it is sounded, there are no second chances! Hebrews 9:27 says, "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment." No one will have a chance to accept Christ as their Savior after they die. After death, each person is in God's hands, not his/her own hands.

At the last trumpet, all death is conquered, all people are resurrected, and no one is left behind.

8. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. What new perspectives does this passage bring regarding what will happen when Jesus comes back? What are believers to do with this information?

Questions 8. This passage teaches one second coming of Jesus. To reassure those whose loved ones died before the Lord's return, Paul explains how there will be no disadvantage to those who have died--they will be resurrected to meet Jesus. But those who remain alive at Jesus' coming will also be caught up to meet Jesus. It promises to be the greatest reunion of all time.

The word used ("caught up") has given rise to a dispensational doctrine called the"rapture "--the secret evacuation of believers from the earth prior to the time of the great tribulation. Dispensationalists teach that Christ comes for his saints at the beginning of the tribulation (a pre-tribulational rapture) and comes again with his saints after the tribulation to establish his earthly millennial kingdom. The saints avoid the persecutions of the tribulation. Thus they teach there are 2 second comings of Christ (see also the note under question 2).

This belief, unique to dispensationalism, of the secret rapture was developed in England beginning around 1830. (Dave MacPherson has written several books investigating the origin of this belief.) Even those who accept this belief have difficulty in finding Bible passages to unequivocably back up their belief, and they are uncertain as to exactly how it was originated. They are forced into assuming a rapture to keep the church and Israel separate (according to their belief system) and then they have to "discover" passages that would "allow" such a rapture. Dispensationalists also differ over the timing of the rapture--at what point it occurs in relation to the great tribulation.

Daniel L. Lewis (3 Crucial Questions About the Last Days, Baker, 1998, p. 112) says Jesus' teaching in the Olivet Discourse (our Lessons 2 and 3) gives no indication of a secret rapture either. "[T]he discourse envisions a single coming of Christ . . . .Jesus does not envision a rapture of the church separated from his coming at the end of the age." He also says that "since pretribulationism is the newest of the interpretations in Christian history, the burden of proof naturally falls on pretribulationists [those who teach a rapture before the tribulation] to substantiate their claims." (p. 114)

Leaving this dispute over a secret rapture behind, it is more important not to lose the beauty and meaning of Paul's words. Just as the leading citizens in a Greek city would go out to meet a visiting dignitary, escorting him on the final stage of the journey, so the Lord is pictured as escorted to the earth by his people, both those newly resurrected and those who were alive at his coming. The heart of it is simply that we will be with Jesus and he will be with us forever. Not even death can separate us from the glory of that reunion.

9. What comfort and encouragement did you receive from your study of 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4?

10. Read 1 Corinthians 15:58. Taken as a whole, how does this lesson show that our own future resurrection brings great meaning to our lives and work as Christians now?

Question 10. The first meaning of this beautiful promise relates to the Christian activities explored in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19: preaching (v. 14), believing (v. 14), truthful testimony (v. 15), faith for the present (v. 17), forgiveness for the past (v. 17) and hope for the future (vv. 18-19). But Paul holds a larger view of the implication of resurrection for personal morality and daily work in this world.

Other encouraging passages are Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." and Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Serving the Lord is always meaningful.

11. What area of service in your life doesn't really feel like the Lord's work? How will you change your attitude toward that activity this week, knowing that all parts of your labor in the Lord are not in vain?

Question 11. Remember Lesson 3 question 10!

From End Times by Paul Stevens. Copyright 1994 by R. Paul Stevens. Published by InterVarsity Press. Questions #3 and #7 are adapted from 1 Corinthians: The Challenge of Life Together. Copyright 1988 by Paul Stevens and Dan Williams. Editing copyright 2000 by Jennifer Scheeres.

5. Coping with Evil Powers

1 John 2:18-19, 22-23; 4:1-3; 2 John 7;
2 Thessalonians 2:3-12; Revelation 12:10-11;
Revelation 13; 19:11-21; 20:7-10

Purpose: To accept the challenge to stand firm when we encounter evil influence in an ungodly society and to realize Christ's sure and eternal victory over Satan and evil.

On that first night before Christmas, there was something more than houses where creatures weren't stirring and children were sleeping with visions of sugarplums dancing in their sweet heads. There was a dark, invisible positioning of the powers of hell against the birth of the One who would bring ultimate defeat to the domain of Satan. . .(see Revelation 12). These forces advanced their cause through the political and religious powers of Christ's day and throughout history. Their struggle for victory reached its pinnacle when they nailed the Messiah to an instrument of ancient torture.

But their apparent victory was short-lived. Christ bound Satan on the cross and three days later the Son rose, and the dawn of redemption was assured. When Jesus ascended to heaven, the victory over evil was secured. The bitter anger of the defeated foe expressed his rage.

When we think of Christmas and the birth of Christ, we must not think so much of toys and tots, but of the reality that there is a spiritual warfare raging. We must remember that Satan focuses his wrath toward those who carry the Messiah's message of victory today (see John 15:18-21). Faithful Christianity inevitably involves conflict, tension, and suffering. Even when we do not face open hostility, we are pressured--indeed seduced--by a seemingly friendly society. The Bible unmasks the powers of darkness at work in everyday life and at the end of history.

(Adapted from Revelation: When All Things Become New by Joseph M. Stowell [Zondervan,1995], p. 45 and from Revelation: The Triumph of God by R. Paul Stevens [Intervarsity, 1987], lesson 9.)

1. What pressures from society most frustrate your desire to live by the teachings of Jesus?

Question 1. Christians face worldly philosophies (humanism, atheism, relativism, postmodernism), worldly values (materialism, power, appearance, selfism), false religions (pluralism accepts all roads as leading to God--except atheism which doesn't desire to find Him), and our own inner temptations through our thoughts, our senses, and our desires.

2. Read 1 John 2:18-19, 22-23; 4:1-3; 2 John 7. All the New Testament authors viewed the first coming of Christ as marking the beginning of the end--"the last hour." What are some of the signs of the last hour?

What characterizes "antichrist"? How many antichrists are there? When do they exist?

Question 2. Only John's letters mention "antichrist."

The meaning of the word antichrist is important to understand. It is formed by joining two words together: Christ ["anointed one" or the Messiah] and the prefix anti, which in this context means "against." As "antichrists," their false teaching concentrates on opposing and denying the truth that the man Jesus is the divine, eternal Christ (1 John 4:22). They are identified "not as those who are outside the Church, but as those who at least for a time were within it. In other words, they are not the outright pagan opponents of Christianity but rather those who were attempting to destroy the faith from within by pretending to be Christians" (James M. Boice, The Epistles of John [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1983], pp. 85–86)

John's teaching that many antichrists have already come does not appear to fit with the idea of one gigantic future figure Antichrist individual, but it still leaves open that possibility. (Leonard Kuyvenhoven, The Day of Christ's Return Study Guide, p. 38 [CRC Publications, 1999])

**The Bible calls believers to "test the spirits". John gives one of the tests in 1 John 4:1-3. Another sure test is comparing all teaching to the Bible's teaching (Acts 17:11). Believers are not to rely on their own feelings and experiences or on charismatic teachers alone for truth.

3. Read 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-12. How does the "man of lawlessness" both resemble and differ from antichrist as described in John's letters?

Question 3. This passage is one of the most difficult in the whole Bible. 2 Thessalonians was a very early letter in the New Testament, probably written by Paul around A.D. 51-52. The temple was still standing (v. 4) and Paul claims that the Thessalonian church knows who is restraining the man of lawlessness (v. 6). False teachers were saying that the day of the Lord had already come, and this message, from a document that claimed to be from Paul himself, was being circulated (vv. 1-2). We are at a disadvantage in interpreting this passage today because we do not know the specifics of what Paul had already taught the Thessalonians.

Paul responds by indicating that the Lord cannot return until both an event occurs and a person appears. Remember that these events were future to Paul, even if they did have a fulfillment in the A.D. 70 destruction of Jerusalem. In our study of Matthew 24:15 (Lesson 2) we encountered "the abomination that causes desolation" (a gross and blasphemous desecration of the physical temple in Jerusalem), a prophecy that was fulfilled in the first generation of believers.

Here Paul appears to broaden this concept, drawn largely from Daniel 9, and applies it to a principle of rebellion that will be at work throughout history--whether that history is long or short--and a person who embodies that full and final revolt against God. In 2 Thessalonians Paul uses four titles for this person: the lawless one who is defiant of all law (see Matthew 24:12), the doomed, the enemy, and the God-pretender.

Many people struggle as they try to identify this puzzling figure because of the reference to setting himself up in God's temple (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Preliminary manifestations of the desecration of the temple during the Jewish war of A.D. 66-70 were explored in Lesson 2, question 4's note. Many guesses have been made as to what is holding back the lawless one (v. 7). Among the most widely held ideas are: the Roman Empire, missionary preaching, the principle of order, and God himself (perhaps through the person of the Holy Spirit).

Paul talks about a "secret power of lawlessness that is already at work" (v. 7) but says the one who will exemplify this power is being held back until the time is right for him to be revealed (v. 8). So the power is many and now but the "man of lawlessness" seems to be single and future--at least in Paul's time (Kuyvenhoven, p. 38).

Sometimes the man of lawlessness is also identified with antichrist of John's letters and the beasts of Revelation 13. Perhaps neither 2 Thessalonians nor Revelation 13 find their complete fulfillment in the first century but point to multiple fulfillments in both political and religious leaders throughout the history of the church.

4. Read Revelation 13:1-10. The Beast Out of the Sea: In what ways is the beast a satanic imitation of Christ? What is his sphere of influence/position in society?

What is the mission of this beast?

Question 4. Commentators have for some time recognized that the description of the beast in Revelation 13:1-2 and 17:8-14 is a composite image. The image of the beast brings to mind animals--the lions of Daniel's lions' den--and humans, like Nebuchadnezzar of Daniel 4 and wicked kings throughout Israel's history. The sources of this image may be Daniel 7:2-6 [the lion as Babylon, the bear as Medo-Persian and the leopard as Greece] and Daniel 7:20-26 [the 10 horns of Rome and its opposition to the saints] (see Kuyvenhoven, p. 38). The ten horms and seven heads are also similar to Satan's (the dragon--see Revelation 20:2) description in Revelation 12:3.

The "head" that was fatally slain (Revelation 13:4) yet was healed (13:3) may refer to a rumor common in John's day that the Roman emperor Nero had taken his own life but somehow was still miraculously alive hidden somewhere. An alternative explanation is that the Roman Empire nearly disintegrated into civil war after Nero's suicide in A.D. 68. Four Caesars ruled within two years, yet the empire was revived under the victorious Vespasian, responsible for commanding Jerusalem's destruction by Titus in A.D. 70. The Empire came back to life.

The comfort to believers is in Revelation 13:5, where God limits the authority and time-frame of the beast's activities.

5. Read Revelation 13:11-18. The Beast Out of the Earth: (also called the false prophet--Revelation 16:13) What new powers are given to this second beast? What seems to be his sphere of influence/position in society?

How does this beast ensure that people worship the first beast?

Question 5. Notice how this beast in his work resembles Satan, the "father of lies" (John 8:44) and the false miracle-workers under Pharaoh (Exodus 7:11-12). New Testament examples of false miracle-workers include Simon in Acts 8:9-13, Elymas in Acts 13:8-11, and the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13-16. The beast may be appealing, appearing as Satan does as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:4).

**The note under question 2 summarizes the ways believers can test the source of apparent miracles. Deuteronomy 18:14-22 gives God's test and penalty for false prophecy. Matthew 7:21-23 warns unbelievers who presume to act falsely and do false wonders in Jesus' name.

Although 13:18 begins with the words, "Here is wisdom," the history of interpretation demonstrates that no consensus has been reached on what John meant by 666. Two approaches can be used. The first is numero-logical. Each letter of the Greek or Hebrew alphabet can be assigned a numerical value, which in this case makes 666 the numerical value for Nero, an emperor who vigorously persecuted the church. The second approach is symbolic. In the number 666 each digit falls short of perfection (7). Therefore, 666 represents "failure upon failure upon failure." Six is also the number of man, as man was created by God on the 6th day (Genesis 1:26-27). Either way the important thing is to direct the meaning of this vision to the reality of spiritual warfare in every age.

6. Read Revelation 13:2 and 20:2. Who is the dragon? How does he complete the false trinity that tries to replace the true Trinity?

Name some ways we see this false trinity's influence today and throughout history.

Question 6. Using several overlapping images, John shows us that evil is centered in an evil spiritual being—the red dragon (Revelation 12:3-4) or Satan (Revelation 20:2). The two beasts (Revelation 13), one from the sea and the other from the earth, combine secular authority and a religious system to support it.

The work and appearing of Satan is presented as a parody of the parousia (second coming) of Jesus in several dimensions, so that people unfortified by Biblical truth can easily be led astray by the counterfeit presence, appearance and miraculous works of the beast from the sea. See again the tests for Biblical truth in the notes for questions 2 and 5.

7. Putting all these descriptions of evil together, how would you summarize the opposition that Christians face?

Question 7. We've looked at political, religious, and Satanic origins of evil. Terms for some of these influences include antichrist (within the body of believers), the man of lawlessness, the two beasts, and the dragon. See also the note under question 1.

8. Read Revelation 12:10-11. How do Christians, as Christ's representatives, battle evil?

Question 8. Refer to Job 1 to see Satan in the role of accuser. Christians need to distinguish between genuine conviction of sin, which is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8), and condemnation which is Satan's way of hassling God's children. Conviction leads to repentance, believing the gospel more deeply, and freedom from guilt (Romans 8:1). Satan's accusations leave no hope for failure; we are never good enough. Believers need to cling to the assurance of forgiveness received in faith that Jesus' shed blood covers sin (see 1 John 1:7-9).

Click here for articles on spiritual warfare.

9. Read Revelation 19:11-21. How are the 2 beasts finally defeated?

What new characteristics do you learn about Christ from this passage?

Question 9. "The war vision shows Jesus on a white horse, splendidly and victoriously robed, leading Christians in triumphant rout of the. . . beasts. . . One function of the vision is to train our perceptions so that we will never again overlook [evil opposition]. At the same time the vision raises our adrenalin level, so that we bring our energetic best to the high spiritual drama that we participate in every day as we confess the lordship of Christ. Once having seen this, we are not likely to fight a halfhearted war against a wholehearted enemy." (Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder, [HarperCollins, 1988], pp. 159-160)

"A name. . .that no one knows" (Revelation 19:12) may be YHWH, which the Jews never pronounced because it was so holy, or "the name that is above every name" (Philippians 2:9) or a name beyond the understanding of humans. (LifeChange Series: Revelation from NavPress, 1989, p.137)

Notice Christ's title "the Word of God" (19:13) and his weapon, a sword (19:15), which represents Scripture (Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12). Scripture is God-breathed--its source is God. "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5, NIV) The Bible is God's standard for truth.

The fiery lake of burning sulfur creates the impression of enveloping stench and heat. Revelation 20:10 states that the beasts' torment lasts forever. The feast of the carrion birds in 19:21 contrasts with the wedding supper of the Lamb in 19:7-9.

10. Read Revelation 20:2, 7-10 with Matthew 12:25-29 and Colossians 1:6, 13. How and when is Satan: 1) bound and 2) finally defeated?

Question 10. Matthew 12:29 refers to the binding of the strong man. The strong man is Satan and the binder is Jesus Christ himself:

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live when you followed the ways of the world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. . .But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ." (Ephesians 2:1-2, 4-5, NIV)

Jesus bound Satan at the cross and rescued believers from the strong man's house--Satan's dominion (Colossians 1:13-14 ).

Satan's binding began at Christ's first coming, and Satan's destruction will be completed at his second coming with the eternal punishment and banishment of evil. Leon Morris describes it this way: "God is using the very evil that men and Satan produce for the working out of his purpose. They think that they are acting in defiance of Him. But in the end they find that those very acts in which they expressed their defiance were the vehicle of their punishment." (Leon Morris, The First and Second Epistles of Thessalonians, p. 234). The punishment of Satan and his cohorts includes torment that continues "day and night for ever and ever." (20:10)

The identity of Gog and Magog in Revelation 20:8 is negligible compared to the completeness of their defeat by God. "Whatever actual enemy went by the name of 'Gog, of the land of Magog' in Ezekiel's prophecy (38:2), in Revelation he cannot be any particular power, or even bloc of powers: the scale of the conflict makes it impossible. . . [In Revelation 19] where the beast gathers 'the kings of the earth with their armies' to fight against the Rider on the white horse and perishes with all his hosts [the defeat is simlar to Satan's defeat in ch. 20.] In each case the rout is too complete for these passages [Revelation 19 and 20] to be anything other than varied descriptions of the same event--the last battle of history." (Michael Wilcock, The Message of Revelation, [Intervarsity, 1975], p. 193)

In the last book of Scripture, evil has been punished and will not be revived or recycled for believers--those whose names are written in the book of life. Believers will be eternally separated from evil when Jesus returns.

11. What resources does the Christian have to avoid being led astray by false teaching and to resist spiritual conflicts initiated by Satan?

Question 11. Thanksgiving (humble, grateful dependence on God and continuous appreciation of his goodness) and holding to sound teaching are two anchors for the soul. Believers can face the mounting pressures and storms without panic or unnecessary apprehension. Don't forget Ephesians 6:10-18, which lists both defensive and offensive weapons available to the believer.

A summary list of the Christian's resources would include: the blood of Christ shed for sin, the Bible--the word of God, prayer, the fellowship of believers, personal testimony and experience of God's grace, the defensive armor of Ephesians 6--the belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet--and the inner guidance of the Holy Spirit.

See www.cfcrc.org/archivedev/ for two articles on spiritual warfare.

12. In what areas of your life are you experiencing resistance and conflict with spiritual growth? What steps can you take to begin dealing with these conflicts?

Question 12. A plan of action might include: 1) daily prayer and Bible reading (these are the Christian's offensive weapons), 2) putting on the defensive armor of Ephesians 6:10-18 (question 11 note), 3) keeping a short list with God--confessing sin and receiving forgiveness frequently, 4) assembling a support team of mature believers and a pastor to consult with and be accountable to, 5) exercising forgiveness and reconciliation in broken relationships, 6) practicing discipline in the use of mind, body, time, the media, money, possessions, and education/training.

From End Times by Paul Stevens. Copyright 1994 by R. Paul Stevens. Also from Revelation: The Triumph of God by R. Paul Stevens, lesson 9. Copyright 1987 , 1999 by R. Paul Stevens. Published by InterVarsity Press. Editing copyright 2001 by Jennifer Scheeres.

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6. The Believer's Destination

John 14:1-3; 2 Peter 3:3-10; Revelation 21;
22:1-6; Genesis 2:8-10; Genesis 3:16-24

Purpose: To show how our relationship to Christ as his people should be shaped by the vision of our final home with God.

God did not first of all think up creation and then consider where it all might end. He first of all thought about the final rendezvous of Jesus with believers in a perfect environment. And then God made a world to get ready for it. Our study in the last chapters of the Bible with other passages offers an empowering vision of our ultimate future. In view of this, end-times living makes perfect sense.

C.S. Lewis describes the believer's final destination in The Last Battle :

Aslan turned to them and said:
"You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be."
Lucy said, "We're so afraid of being sent away, Aslan. And you have sent
us back into our own world so often."
"No fear of that," said Aslan. "Have you not guessed?"
Their hearts leaped and a wild hope rose within them.
"There was a real railway accident," said Aslan softly. "Your father and
mother and all of you are--as you used to call it in the
Shadow-Lands--dead. The term is over: the holidays have
begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning."

And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things
that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful
that I cannot write them. And for us, this is the end of
all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived
happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of
the real story. All their life in this world and all their
adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page:
now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story,
which no one on earth has read: which goes on
for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.

A highly recommended resource for this entire series is The Day of Christ's Return: What the Bible Teaches What You Need to Know, by Andrew Kuyvenhoven (Grand Rapids: CRC Publications, 1999).

1. What images does the word heaven bring to your mind?

What longings do you expect to be fulfilled in eternity?

Question 1. You may want to read Hebrews 11:13-16 on the longings of believers for the future in "Faith's Hall of Fame." 1 Corinthians 2:9 says "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." (NIV) Eternity will be glorious beyond all of our expectations.

2. Read John 14:1-3. What reason does Jesus give here for the importance of his coming back a second time after his death and resurrection?

What indications does Jesus give that our ultimate destiny is much more than a mere place?

Question 2. Remarkably, Jesus stresses the ministry of preparing heaven for us rather than merely preparing us for heaven! Jesus' concern for our future is further evidence of his great love for believers.

The meaning of monai ("rooms" v. 2, NIV) is not entirely clear. One thing it does not mean is that there are different levels of heaven with God's presence and blessings distributed unequally among them. While some have translated this Greek word as "mansions" or "resting places," it appears from the context that permanent abodes are meant. While nothing is said about the nature of the place being prepared, it is enough to know that the content of the experience will be that the believer is with Jesus. In this passage "where" gives way to "how" and ultimately to "who."

3. Read 2 Peter 3:3-9. What reasons does Peter offer for a delay in Christ's return?

Question 3. See verses 8–9. Verse 15 adds that "our Lord's patience means salvation."

Why might this delay be considered an act of God's mercy? The question of God's approach to time alludes to Psalm 90:4 ("A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by" --NIV) Peter suggests that what we see as delay may, from the perspective of eternity, be the very opposite. God intentionally allows time for people to repent and for the gospel to be preached to every nation (Mathew 24:14 and 28:19-20). The apostle Paul modeled a person living for the end times, hastening the coming of the Lord by proclaiming the gospel and making disciples, but doing so in a thorough, unhurried way.

2 Peter 3:9 "has been cited as an argument for universalism (everyone is saved): in fact it teaches the opposite. The plain thrust of it is that after the second coming, ushering in Christ's judgment, there will be no further opportunity for repentance (see Hebrews 9:27), and so God in His mercy is giving men as long as possible to repent" (The New Bible Commentary, [Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity, 4th edition reprint, 1998], p. 1395).

4. Read 2 Peter 3:7, 10. How does God clear the way for heaven and earth to be renewed?

Optional: If you are interested, compare 2 Peter 3:5-7,10 to the flood in Noah's time (Genesis 6-9).

Question 4. Interestingly, Romans 8:19-21 speaks of the earth's longing to be renewed by the Lord, to be liberated from bondage to decay into glorious freedom.

Fire is a recurring theme in the Bible. The Old Testament covenant with Israel was instituted by God from fiery Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16-19) and the Holy Spirit came with tongues of fire (Acts 2:3) in the New Testament. Malachi 3:2-3 and 4:1 refer to God's refining fire on the day of His coming; Hebrews 12:29 says "our God is a consuming fire."

Peter uses apocalyptic language (figurative language describing judgment and end times events) similar to Matthew 24:29 and Isaiah 34:4. But just because the language is figurative doesn't mean it is not related to reality. The Second Coming of Christ is associated with the end of the world as we now know it and the introduction of a new heaven and a new earth.

That there is a correspondence between this world and the next is powerfully stated, but it is beyond our understanding. That there is a radical discontinuity between the old earth and the new earth is the point Peter is making. This world will not simply make a pleasant transition into utopia through human effort (as the humanists would have us believe), with a little divine assistance. There will be a dramatic transformation, associated with the greatest event of all--the Second Coming of Jesus. Any true renewal requires the presence of the Biblical God.

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5. Read Revelation 21:1-7. What new information do we gain about believers' final destiny?

Who is the bride? Who is her husband?

Questions 5. John envisions in Revelation 21:2 the consummation of the Biblical spiritual life as a marriage with the Lord (see Ephesians 5:23-32). Read Revelation 19:6-9 for more details about the bride and the wedding supper.

The formula for the covenant, frequently reaffirmed in the Bible--"you are my people and I am your God"--finds its fulfillment in the final union: "the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God" --NIV (Revelation 21: 3 and 7--compare Leviticus 26:11-12 and 2 Corinthians 6:16).

The basis of this hope is the saving work of Christ exemplified in the Lamb slain (Revelation 5:6; Isaiah 53:7; John 1:29, and 1 Peter 1:18-19). The work of Christ in the individual believer, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17--NIV), has been multiplied: "I am making everything new!" (Revelation 21:5--NIV)

For cross-references on Revelation 21:4-5 to tears being wiped away and the end of death, see: Isaiah 25:7-9; John 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:55-58; and 1 Thessalonians 4:13.

The removal of the "sea" in 21:1 is contrasted to the"spring of the water of life" in 21:6. Gregory K. Beale has a fascinating discussion of what "there was no longer any sea" means in The Book of Revelation (NIGTC), (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), pp. 1041-1043. Some reassurance to water-lovers may be in order. "[T]he evil nuance of the sea metaphorically represents the entire range of afflictions that formerly threatened God's people in the old world. . .Therefore the presence of a literal sea in the new creation would not be inconsistent with the figurative exclusion of the sea in 21:1." (p. 1043)

6. Read Revelation 21:9-21. What do you think is significant in John's vision of the New Jerusalem?

How does the New Jerusalem represent both change from and continuity with the past?

Question 6. No one would think of heaven as a modern metropolis. The New Testament regards the New Jerusalem as beginning to be realized at Jesus' first coming and being a present reality (Galatians 4:21-31, Hebrews 12:22--"You have come. . .to the heavenly Jerusalem").

A vision so rich in symbolism and Old Testament fulfillment presents the challenge of discerning the reality behind the symbols. The jewels of the New Jerusalem have a glorious transparent quality (Isaiah 54:12) and are similar to the gems in the breastplate of the Old Testament High Priest (Exodus 28:15-21). The twelve gates may represent the church of the Old and New Covenants. The city is a 1400 mile cube, just as the Holy of Holies (or the Most Holy Place) in the tabernacle and the temples were cubes. Ephesians 2:19b-21 says, "God's household [is] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord." (NIV) The citizens of the New Jerusalem will include believers "from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9--NIV) and Christian church denomination.

The symbolism of this ideal city would present the perfect opportunity for the fullest exploration of human creativity and community life--worship, work and leisure in the Lord.

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7. Read Revelation 21:8, 22-27. What is worship like in the New Jerusalem?

Who is included and excluded from the city? How would that affect life and worship there?

Question 7. For a review of passages on the book of life, see Lesson # 3, note on question #9.

In the New Testament the Christian believer and community are viewed as the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 2:21, and 1 Peter 2:5). For similar descriptions of worship in the Old Testament see Isaiah 56:6-7; 60:1-3, 19-20. Revelation beautifully completes the Biblical theme of worship. No guilt or distractions can interfere with the completeness and harmony of fellowship with the Lord and other believers.

8. Read Revelation 22:1-6 with Genesis 2:8-10 and Genesis 3:16-24. Compare the cursed earth with the new heaven and earth, using the chart below:

Cursed earth New heaven and earth

curse

rivers

length of
human life

crops grown

access to
tree of life

tree of
knowledge

purpose of
angel(s)

Questions 8. Revelation 22:1-6 takes up the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy about the new heaven and the new earth (Isaiah 55:12-13; 65:17-25). Water and vegetation are frequently used symbols in the Bible. For example, the river can be connected with Ezekiel 47:1-10, John 4:14 and 7:37-39 (The Holy Spirit is the living water). Trees are mentioned in Ezekiel 47:12.

Some of the meanings of Revelation 22 symbolism as compared to Genesis 2-3 are the removed curses resulting from sin, access to the water of life and the living water of the Holy Spirit, the restoration of man's immortality by access to the tree of life, the restoration of the creation purpose of human fellowship with God, the healing of the nations by receiving the gospel of Christ, and angels no longer being the agents of judgment against God's own people.

Lesson 4 (1 Corinthians 15) shows that the Christian hope is not the immortality of the soul but the resurrection of the body. Now at the end of the Bible (and the end of the end times) we discover a thoroughly material environment: a garden city, music, art, movement and community. Above all else and in the center of everything is the Lamb who replaces the temple (21:22 and Matthew 12:6) and illuminates everything (John 8:12 and Revelation 22:5). The ultimate dignity of the people of God is to be the "bride, the wife of the Lamb" (21:9).

9. How does your image of eternity now compare to your answer in question 1?
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10. After reviewing John's visions of the future of the church, what difference will this make to your present relationships with the people of God? Which relationships do you need to work on? What person do you know who needs to hear the healing gospel and have access to eternity in God's presence?

Question 10. In Revelation we are invited to live with an open heaven. If we "see" heaven, we will see earth the way it really is. Kingdom-consciousness is another way of saying this. We live hopefully within the tension of the "here" and "not-yet-but coming" kingdom of Jesus. This heavenly mindedness is conspicuously lacking in Western Christianity today. Kingdom-consciousness delivers us from believing that our work, social action, and compassionate ministry will save society and from false impressions that our work in this world has to be successful in the world's eyes to be meaningful. Witnessing through lifestyle and the Word is meaningful beyond our understanding both in this world and the next. Read Romans 13:11-12, 1 Thessalonians 5:2-9, and 2 Peter 3:11-13 as encouragements to holy living.

To pray "Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20) is not a request to escape or to be evacuated from this life, but rather to pray imaginatively, to worship while working in this world, and to cultivate kingdom-consciousness until Christ introduces us to a better world by his Second Coming. The believer prays, "Come, Lord Jesus" and therefore lives in the light of heaven's triumphant cry: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15) and we with him (Revelation 22:6).

11. Please summarize the highlights of significant things you learned during this study of the end times.

Question 11. As a memory jogger, the introductory lesson compared the millennial views of Christians, highlighted how to prepare for the end times, and introduced the first lesson on the beginning of the last days. Lesson 2 addressed the signs of the times. Lesson 3 covered the last judgment. Lesson 4 studied the resurrection of believers. Lesson 5 gave assistance on coping with evil powers. Lesson 6 concluded with the final state of believers. If these lessons have helped you in a way that you would like to share with the church, please write us at office@cfcrc.org.

From End Times by Paul Stevens. Copyright 1994 by R. Paul Stevens. Also from Revelation: The Triumph of God by R.Paul Stevens. Copyright 1987, 1999 by R. Paul Stevens. Published by InterVarsity Press. Editing copyright 2001 by Jennifer Scheeres. I am also indebted to Andrew Kuyvenhoven in The Day of Christ's Return for many of the cross-references in this study. Copyright 1999 by Andrew Kuyvenhoven. Published by CRC Publications.

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