Bible Study Guides – Page 148

Lesson 18 – Would God Burn Sinners Forever?

June 24, 2024June 1, 2017 by Jana Wagner

Introduction: In the last lesson we learned that the dead sleep in their graves until Jesus resurrects them. When the righteous are resurrected they will go to heaven, and when the wicked are resurrected they will go to the lake of “everlasting fire.” Yet, how could a God of LOVE torture sinners forever? It seems inconsistent with His character! In this lesson, as we compare “Scripture with Scripture,” letting the Bible explain itself, we will find the truth of this matter, and you will understand the love of God as never before.

1. How does the Bible describe God? 1 John 4:7, 8 [The Further-study verse is Eze. 33:11.]

2. Will God’s love excuse those who neglect or refuse to let Jesus take away their guilt? Num. 14:18 [Note: God does not hold the children accountable for their parents’ sins (Eze. 18:20), but the results of sin are often passed on. God will forgive the sins of the penitent, but He will not excuse sin in those who try to justify themselves. Ex. 34:6, 7; Luke 12:47, 48; 2 Peter 2:9; 3:7]

3. When and how will the wicked be punished for their deeds? Matt. 25:31, 41, 46 [John 5:28, 29; Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12]

4. Thus the wicked will be cast into hell after the judgment of the last days. Some people, not comparing Scripture with Scripture, misinterpret 1 Peter 3:18-20 that says that Jesus was “put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient . . . in the days of Noah.” What is a “soul in prison”? Isa. 42:6, 7 [Luke 4:18; John 8:34, 36; Isa. 61:1]

5. When did Jesus preach with the power of the Spirit to the souls who were prisoners of sin in Noah’s day? Gen. 6:3 [Rom. 8:11; Matt. 24:38, 39]

6. When the wicked are cast into hell, will there be any rest during the time they are burning, and will their smoke or memory or anything about them ever return to earth again? Rev. 14:11 [Rev. 20:10]

7. Who has already suffered “eternal fire” as an example of the hell fire in the last days? Jude 7 [Note: “Eternal” or “everlasting” fire was a common Hebrew expression for a fire that could not be put out but burned until everything was consumed. Even today, if you say a fire could not be put out, it does not mean that it continues to burn even after everything has been reduced to ashes. 2 Peter 2:6; Eze. 20:47, 48; Jer. 17:27]

8. What will be left when the fire is through burning? Mal. 4:1, 3 [Isa. 47:14]

9. Is man immortal? 1 Tim. 6:15, 16 [Note: The Bible never calls man or his soul or his spirit or anything else about him, immortal. It says: God “alone has immortality.” 1 Cor. 15:51-55; 2 Tim. 1:9, 10]

10. What will happen to the “soul” of the unrepentant person? Eze. 18:4, 20 [Obadiah 1:16]

11. How will the soul be destroyed? Matt. 10:28 [2 Peter 3:9-11]

12. What is death in hell called? Rev. 20:12-15 [Ans. The Second Death. Nahum 1:9]

13. Will every sinner receive the same punishment? Luke 12:45-48 [Rom. 2:6; Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12]

14. What will happen to Satan in the fire of hell? Eze. 28:18, 19 [Note: Though the Hebrew verbs here can technically be translated in either the past or future tense, the King James Version correctly translates this as future, for Satan obviously hasn’t died yet!– “Therefore WILL I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it SHALL devour thee, and I WILL bring thee to ashes upon the earth” (KJV). Rev. 20:9, 10]

15. After the wicked are through burning, where will they be found? Ps. 37:9, 10 [Ps. 145:20; Oba. 1:16; Prov. 24:20]

16. What is the wages of sin? Rom. 6:23 [Rom. 5:21]

17. If we believe in Jesus, from what will we be saved? John 3:16 [John 17:3; John 4:14; John 6:27, 47]

Commitment: Isaiah 28:9, 10 says that anyone who clings to a preconceived interpretation of an isolated text, without comparing everything else the Bible says on the subject, cannot be taught truth! As we compare ALL that the Bible says on hell, it is evident that a God of love will not burn people forever. Satan has slandered and misrepresented the character of God! Aren’t you glad that you can enjoy heaven without worrying about one of your relatives being tortured throughout eternal ages, while you are trying to be happy regardless? Does this wonderful truth help you to understand God’s love more? Will you respond to that love by accepting Christ as your Savior?

STEP 2 (Lessons 11-20): Accepting Christ’s Final Message

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Lesson 17 – Where Are the Dead?

May 27, 2024June 1, 2017 by Jana Wagner

Introduction: If, as some teach, the dead are already in heaven with Jesus, why are they resurrected at His second coming? Why did Jesus tell the disciples they would be with Him again when He returned instead of when they died (John 14:3)? Why does God forbid us to consult with our departed loved ones, if they are alive and can talk to us? In this lesson, we will learn the answers to these important questions.

1. What does God say about consulting spiritualists and the supposed spirits of the dead? Lev. 19:31 [Note: God warns that in the last days some “will give heed to deceiving spirits” (1 Tim. 4:1). These spirits deceive us by coming to us in “familiar” form, such as the form of some departed loved one. That is one reason they are called “familiar” spirits. The Further-study verses are Lev. 20:27; Deut. 18:10-12; Rev. 22:15]

2. Where does the spirit go at death? Eccl. 12:7 [Note: The spirit is the breath of life from God (i.e., the “element of life,” the “spark of life,” or the “life force”). Solomon uses “breath” and “spirit” interchangeably in Eccl. 3:19-21. Job 27:3; Gen. 2:7]

3. Is this spirit that returns to God, conscious? Eccl. 9:5 [Ps. 146:4; Ps 115:17]

4. What did Jesus call death? John 11:11-14 [Note: Paul also called death a sleep. See 1 Cor. 15:51, 52; 1 Thess. 4:15-17; 1 Cor. 15:16-18; 11:30]

5. What did David call death? Ps. 13:3 [Note: Other Old Testament writers also called death a sleep. See Job 14:12; Jer. 51:39, 57; Dan. 12:2; 1 Kings 1:21]

6. Is there any memory in this sleep of death? Ps. 6:5 [Isa. 38:18; Ecc. 9:5,6,10]

7. Did David go to heaven when he died? Acts 2:29, 34 [Acts 13:36]

8. Where will the dead be when Jesus resurrects them at His second coming? John 5:28, 29 [Job 14:12-15]

9. When do the dead go to heaven or to hell? Matt. 25:31-34, 41 [Matt. 16:27; John 14:2, 3; Rev. 22:12]

10. When did the thief on the cross look forward to being with Jesus? Did Jesus assure Him of salvation that very day? Luke 23:42, 43 [Note: The punctuation in the Bible was supplied by the translators, for there was no punctuation in the original Greek. The comma should go after the word “today” (“Assuredly I say unto you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.”), for Jesus Himself did not go to heaven that day. See John 20:17; Luke 19:9]

11. Jesus often illustrated truth with parables which, like prophecies, use symbols. Yet some have rejected the very truth Jesus so plainly taught about death by taking literally some of the symbols in the parable of the “Rich man and Lazarus” (Luke 16). What did Jesus say would happen to those who try to understand parables without “having” (or knowing) what the rest of the Bible says on a subject? Matt. 13:10-13 [1 Cor. 2:12-14; 2 Tim. 2:15; Luke 16:19-31]

12. What was the devil’s first lie? Gen. 3:3, 4 [Question: Who do you think told the truth, Satan or God? Today Satan is still perpetuating his original lie, and he is doing so through religion and by misapplying and twisting Scripture, as he did with Jesus in Matthew 4:5, 6. 2 Cor. 11:13-15; 2 Thess. 2:9-12]

13. With what promise did Paul tell us to “comfort one another” when death occurs? 1 Thess. 4:15-18 [1 Cor. 15:51-55; 1 John 5:11, 12; Rev. 1:18; John 6:39, 40]

Commitment: Isn’t God’s way really the best? Instead of floating around somewhere after death, a person sleeps until he is bodily resurrected as Jesus was. And, since he is unconscious, the resurrection is the next instant to him! Instead of a dying baby going to a strange place alone, the next thing he knows is his mother’s smiling kiss! The parents will take up the raising of their departed child right where it left off! Will you accept Jesus’ assurance that we will all go to heaven together, at the same time, after the resurrection?

Notes on the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31): God has written the Bible in such a way that we must compare Scripture with Scripture to understand it (Isa. 28:9, 10; I Cor. 2:13, 14; 2 Thess. 2:11, 12). If this parable provided the only information the Bible gives on death, we would have to conclude that the dead go directly to heaven or hell, but it is not. This story comes in the middle of a group of parables and is itself a parable, for it uses figurative language throughout–i.e., Lazarus went to “Abraham’s bosom”; those in Hades and Heaven can see and talk to each other; and a drop of water suffices to cool one’s tongue in hell. In this parable Jesus used common Jewish and Greek ideas (as evidenced in Josephus’ works) to teach that (1) the rich have no advantage for salvation, (2) this life provides our only chance for salvation, and (3) the Scriptures are all sufficient for salvation. Jesus was not teaching a new doctrine on death, or He would be contradicting what He Himself repeatedly taught in other places.

STEP 2 (Lessons 11-20): Accepting Christ’s Final Message

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Lesson S3 – Speaking in Tongues

May 27, 2024June 1, 2017 by Jana Wagner

Introduction: The tongues movement is bringing divergent religions into harmony, and could be paving the way for a united effort to enforce the mark of the Beast.

1. How will religious leaders of the United States deceive “those who dwell on the earth” into making an image to the Beast? Rev. 13:12, 13 [Note: See Lesson S-2. Some Bible students understand the fire to be literal; others consider it symbolic. The Further-study verses are 2 Cor. 11:13-15; 2 Thess. 2:9, 10; Matt. 24:24; Rev. 16:13, 14; 19:20]

2. At Pentecost, what group received “fire from heaven,” and what did it cause them to do? Acts 2:1-4 [Luke 3:16]

3. The spiritual gifts (“fire”) in Revelation 13 bring a kind of unity, but they are counterfeit, for they result in efforts to cause all to worship the Beast. Can Satan counterfeit the gift of tongues by speaking through people? Mark 1:23-26 [Note: Ecstatic utterances have been reported in non-Christian cultures too. (See Phaedrus and Timaeus by Plato, and Aeneid by Virgil.) Mark 5:7-9]

4. 1 John 4:1 says, “Test the spirits, whether they are of God.” How can we test tongues? Isa. 8:19, 20 [Note: A spirit must uphold God’s law, including the Sabbath, or it is a counterfeit. Matt. 7:15, 20-23]

5. At Pentecost, did the apostles speak in languages or in unknown tongues? Acts 2:5-11 [Note: This gift enabled the disciples to fulfill Jesus’ commission to take the gospel to “all the nations;” to every “tribe, tongue, and people” (Matt. 28:19; Rev. 14:6). The Pentecostal gift of tongues was the ability to speak in other languages. Some who did not understand these languages thought the disciples were drunk (Acts 2:13). Each person did not miraculously hear in his own language while one of the apostles spoke, for the multitude did not receive the ”gift of ears.” Apparently each disciple spoke to a different group, using its particular language. Acts 1:8; Col. 1:23]

6. Was the next occurrence of tongues like that at Pentecost? Acts 10:44-47 [Note: They “received . . . just as we have. ” Acts 11:15; 15:8]

7. Do all born-again Christians receive the gift of tongues? 1 Cor. 12:4-11 [Rom. 12:6-8]

8. Did Jesus say every believer would receive every sign? Mark 16:17, 18 [Note: Are all Christians to “take up serpents”? Phil. 4:19; Matt. 28:18-20]

9. Who decides which gifts a person shall receive? 1 Cor. 12:11, 18 [Rom 12:6; Matt. 25:15]

10. Where are the gifts placed? 1 Cor. 12:18, 28 [Eph. 1:22, 23; 4:11, 12; Col. 1:24; 1 Cor. 12:13]

11. How important is the gift of tongues in relation to other spiritual gifts? 1 Cor. 12:28-31 [Note: Of the three places Paul enumerates these gifts he mentions tongues in only one, and there he lists it last. Paul was not encouraging the Corinthians to speak in tongues; he was correcting their misuse of the gift. Rom. 12:3-16; Eph. 4:7-16]

12. In 1 Corinthians 13:1 Paul says that to have love is more important than to speak in the language (or with the ability) of angels. What language do angels speak? Luke 1:26-31 [Dan. 9:21-23; Rev. 22:6-9; Matt. 1:20]

13. Tongues in 1 Corinthians 14 must be understood in harmony with the rest of the New Testament. Evidently some who had received the gift of tongues for missionary work exulted in their ability and began to preach, pray and sing in these foreign languages which the uneducated, who probably knew only Greek, did not understand. What was Paul’s counsel to these people who misused their gifts? 1 Cor. 14:9-12 [Note: Most versions say “kinds of languages.” Isa. 28:9, 10]

14. Paul did not forbid the use of tongues in church, but when one was used, what counsel did he give? 1 Cor. 14:27, 28

15. 1 Corinthians 14:14 says that one’s “understanding is unfruitful” (in others) when thus misusing tongues. How does a speaker’s understanding bear fruit? Col. 1:36 [Ans: By being understood by others. Rom. 1:13; John 15:8, 16; Phil. 1:22; 4:17]

16. Some congregations still pray or sing or preach in another language (e.g., Latin). Does this edify the congregation? 1 Cor. 14:14-17 [Note: Praying with the understanding means “understandably.” 1 Cor. 14:2; Luke 1:47; 1 Cor. 2:11]

17. Why was the gift of tongues given? 1 Cor. 14:22 [Ans: Primarily for witnessing to others who spoke foreign languages. Mark 16:15-17]

18. What kind of ecumenical spirits are going to unite the world? Rev. 16:13, 14 [Note: These spirits come out of the “mouth” and are likened to “frogs.” Frogs catch their prey with their tongues! Rev. 18:1-5]

19. For what purpose is the Holy Spirit given? John 16:13, 14 [Ans: To teach truth. 2 Thess. 2:9, 10]

Commitment: Though each spiritual gift is still given where needed, the special gift for the last days is the spirit of prophecy (Lesson 21), not tongues. Ecstatic utterances are a counterfeit gift that is uniting apostate Protestantism, Catholicism, and Spiritualism into spiritual Babylon (“Babel”). Will you heed God’s invitation to come out of Babylon (Rev 18:1-5)?

SUPPLEMENTAL LESSONS (Sl-S4): Studies for Further Knowledge

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Lesson S2 – The United States in Prophecy

May 27, 2024June 1, 2017 by Jana Wagner

Introduction: Today’s lesson focuses on a dramatic event in the political and religious world.

1. In Lesson 15 we discovered that the Beast power of Revelation 13 represented the Papacy that reigned as a political power for 1260 years, from 538 A.D. until it received a deadly (but not permanent) wound in 1798. What did John see “coming up out of the earth” about the time this deadly wound (in verse 10) was inflicted? Rev. 13:10, 11

2. Notice that this is the only prophetic beast arising from “the earth.” What does water symbolize? Rev. 17:15 [Note: All the other prophetic powers arose from existing civilizations (“water”). But here was a power arising toward the end of the 1700s in a largely unpopulated area. What country could this be? The Further-study verses are Dan. 7:3; Rev. 13:1]

3. How did this beast evolve? Rev. 13:11 [Note: “Coming up” is from the Greek word “anabaino,” meaning to “grow or spring up as a plant” (see Matt. 13:7). Could this be the United States? Did this nation come from conquest or from growth (e.g., immigrants and land purchases)?]

4. The beast of Revelation 13:1, representing the nations of Europe, had crowns to represent kingdoms. Did the beast of verse 11 have any crowns? [Now note these clues: This nation was to (1) grow to power, (2) arise from a largely uninhabited territory, (3) toward the end of the 1700s, (4) without a king.]

5. What kind of horns did this beast have? Rev. 13:11 [Note: A lamb (versus a ram) depicts a young, new power, as America was in 1798.]

6. The dragon of Revelation 12 was pagan and the Beast of Revelation 13:1-10 was Catholic. Is the Lamblike beast involved with religion too? Rev. 13:12 [Note: He would cause to “worship.” America became the seat of Protestant strength. Protestants brought separation of church and state. Thus this beast has two harmless-appearing horns, representing religious power and civil power.]

7. Contrary to appearance, what will this beast eventually do? Rev. 13:11b, 12 [Note: Like a false prophet, its appearance is deceiving. The first Beast used civil power to enforce religion. Protestant America, “the land of the free,” eventually will do the same! And it will lead the world in following the beast whose “deadly wound was healed.” Rev. 13:3, 7, 12; 16:13, 14; 19:20]

8. What religious dogma will America enforce? Rev. 13:16 [As noted in Lesson 16, the mark of the Beast is its lawlessness, specifically its attempt to change the Sabbath, God’s holy day, from Saturday to Sunday. America will thus enforce the mark of the papacy. Dan. 7:25; 2 Thess. 2:3, 8; Rev. 12:17]

9. This mark is symbolic. What mark do God’s people receive, and how are they identified? Rev. 14:1, 12 [They receive their Father’s name (i.e.,character) in their foreheads (i.e., minds) by keeping His laws, while the Beast’s followers receive his name in their foreheads by keeping his laws. Ex. 13:9; Deut. 11:18; Eze. 20:20; Heb. 8:10; Rom. 6:16]

10. How will America enforce Sunday observance? Rev. 13:15-17 [Note: As disasters multiply because of the world’s wickedness, there will be a great “back-to-God” movement to reclaim His blessings. This will result in stringent Sunday laws and oppressive acts against those who keep God’s Sabbath. Rev. 12:17]

11. What kind of agents does Satan often use to deceive people? 2 Cor. 11:13-15 [Ans: Religious leaders. Matt. 7:15]

12. How will religious leaders who have discarded God’s law deceive the people of America into enacting Sunday laws? Rev. 13:13, 14 [ Rev.16:14; 18:2, 3; 19:20]

13. What “signs” will these religious leaders use to deceive the people? 2 Thess. 2:8-10 [ Matt. 24:24]

14. The book of Revelation contains many symbols. What is one possible meaning of “fire from heaven” (Rev. 13:13)? Acts 2:3, 4 [Note: In Acts 2, fire from heaven represents the Holy Spirit and symbolizes the gift of tongues (See Lesson S3). However, the apparent gift of the Holy Spirit in Revelation 13 is a counterfeit, for it leads people to worship the Beast rather than to worship God. Matt. 3:11]

15. When Jesus comes again, what will He say to those who have received the counterfeit gifts of the Holy Spirit and the mark of the Beast (“lawlessness”)? Matt. 7:21-23.

16. How deceptive will these signs be? Matt. 24:24 [ Rev. 12:9, 12]

Commitment: Before Jesus comes, all the world will be forced, on pain of boycott and death, to receive the mark of the Beast by keeping Sunday holy. But those who receive this mark will receive “the wrath of God” (Rev. 14:9,10). The question, then, is, Whom will we obey? Will we say, “The Lord is my light and . . . strength . . . Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear . . . for in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion” (Ps. 27:1-5)? Will you follow God regardless of any and all human pressure to follow another master?

SUPPLEMENTAL LESSONS (Sl-S4): Studies for Further Knowledge

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Lesson 16 – The Mark of the Beast

May 27, 2024June 1, 2017 by Jana Wagner

Introduction: The Bible tells of a mark, or sign, that will identify the Beast and his followers. By receiving this mark one gives allegiance to the Beast, and acknowledges His authority to be greater than God’s! In this lesson we will identify that mark.

1. What sign, or mark, reveals allegiance to God? Deut. 11:1, 8, 18 [Note: The outward observance of God’s commandments is a “sign on your hand,” and believing them is as “frontlets between your eyes.” This is GOD’S symbolic mark in the forehead and in the hand. The Further-study verses are Duet. 6:6, 8; Ex. 13:9.]

2. People look at outward marks, but where does God look? 1 Sam. 16:7b [Ps. 37:37; Eze. 9:4]

3. Everyone will one day receive a mark. What mark will God’s people receive? Rev. 14:1 [Rev. 7:2-4]

4. Anciently a name represented one’s character. God wants to write His name-or character-in us. God’s character is described in His law. Where will God’s character, or law, be written? Will this writing be visible to mankind? Heb. 10:16 [Note: In prophecy the forehead symbolizes thoughts, and the hand symbolizes actions. Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10]

5. Which one of God’s laws especially identifies God’s people, marking them as those who accept His authority? Eze. 20:12, 20 [Note: The fourth commandment is God’s “seal.” It contains His NAME, TITLE, and DOMAIN-the elements of an official seal. Ex. 20:8-11]

6. Will the Beast power acknowledge God’s authority? 2 Thess. 2:4 [Isa. 14:12-14]

7. What will the Beast boast that he can do to God’s law? Dan. 7:25 [Note: The Pope claims preeminence over God, for he says he can change His laws! (See Lesson 15.) Only one of greater authority can change another’s law. The Catholic Church repeatedly claims the responsibility for changing the Sabbath commandment as proof of its authority. “The day mentioned in the Bible is not the Sunday . . . but the Saturday It was the Apostolic Church which changed the changed to the Sunday.” “Isn’t it curious that non-Catholics . . . observe Sunday . . .[which] rests upon the authority of the Catholic Church and not upon an explicit text in the Bible? That observance remains as a reminder of the Mother Church.”-John O’Brien of Notre Dame in The Faith of Millions, 1974, pp. 136-137, 400, 401. Rom. 6:16]

8. What is it that identifies and marks the Beast power? 2 Thess. 2:3, 7-9 [Ans: “Sin” and “lawlessness” (NKJV). Note: “Sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).]

9. When Jesus comes, all will have accepted God’s mark or the Beast’s mark. How are those who have received the mark of the Beast described? Matt. 7:21-23 [Ans: They call Jesus “Lord” but “practice lawlessness” (NKJV). 2 Cor. 11:13-15; Matt. 7:13, 14; 1 John 2:3, 4]

10. How are those who receive God’s mark (Rev. 14:1) described? Rev. 14:12 [Ans: They too call Jesus Lord, but they “KEEP” God’s commandments. James 2:10]

11. What will Satan do to those who refuse to receive the mark of the Beasts authority by keeping Sunday? Rev. 12:17 [Rev. 22:14 (KJV or NKJV)]

12. How will Satan make war with them? Rev. 13:16, 17 [2 Tim. 3:12]

13. While God’s followers symbolically receive God’s name in their foreheads, the Beast’s followers receive the Beast’s name (his character of lawlessness), signified by a number. What is the number of the Beast? Rev. 13:18 [Note: This is the number of a “man.” The Douay Bible notes that “The numeral letters of his name shall make up this number.” In ancient Rome, numbers were letters of the alphabet-called Roman numerals. As such, every name had a numerical value. The Pope’s official title is: VICARIUS FILII DEI- “Vicar of the Son of God” (Our Sunday Visitor, April 18, 1915). The numerical value of this name is 666. This is one explanation that fits the prophecy and, when compared with all other prophecies, helps to identify the Beast power. People will receive the Beast’s name in their right hand when Sunday laws become enforced and they yield obedience, and they will receive it in their foreheads when his character of lawlessness is written in their minds. Rev. 15:2]

14. What warning has God given against receiving the mark of the Beast? Rev. 14:9-11 [Ps. 37:12-20, 32-40]

Commitment: God says that the Sabbath marks His people as His, and that the Beast would make war on them. The Beast is that “lawless” one who would try to “change” God’s law, specifically the command involving “times”- i. e., the Sabbath. Thus, when Sunday keeping is enforced by law it will constitute the mark of the Beast. “You are that one’s slaves whom you obey” (Rom. 6:16). Today God is calling us to receive His mark (or seal). As you look upon your crucified Savior, will you acknowledge His authority by obeying Him and keeping His Sabbath?

STEP 2 (Lessons 11-20): Accepting Christ’s Final Message

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Lesson 15 – The Beast

June 23, 2024June 1, 2017 by Jana Wagner

Introduction: One of God’s strongest warnings for the last days is against receiving the mark of the Beast. Before identifying this mark, let us learn the identity of the Beast.

1. What warning does God give against worshiping the Beast? Rev. 14:9, 10 [The Further-study verse is Rev. 18:1-5]

2. Why is God opposed to the Beast power? Rev. 13:1, 5-7 [Rev. 19:11,19; 18:6]

3. What does Paul call this power who seeks to exalt himself above God? 2 Thess. 2:3, 4, 8 [Ans: The “man of sin” and “the lawless one,” (NKJV). Rev. 17:1-6]

4. What descriptions in Daniel, compared with what we read in Revelation 13:5-7, show that the “Beast” power is the same as the “Little Horn” of Daniel 7? Dan. 7:25 [Note: A “time” is a year (Dan. 4:16-32; Rev. 12:6,14). A time, two times, and a half a time equal 3 1/2 years, or 42 months, as denoted in Revelation 13. Revelation 12:14 refers to this period of time when the Beast rules as 1260 prophetic days (or literal years). Symbolic time prophecies are based on 30-day months, making 360 days a year. 3 1/2 times 360 equals 1260 days. Rev, 11:2, 3; 12:6, 14; 13:5; Dan 12:7; Eze. 4:6; Num. 14:34]

5. Out of what kingdom did the little horn (Beast power) arise? Dan. 7:7, 8 [Ans: Out of the fourth kingdom, pagan Rome. See Lesson 7. Rev. 12:1-5; 13:2]

6. What happened to the Roman empire that made it possible for this new power to arise from its midst? Dan. 2:40, 41 [Ans: It was broken up. 2 Thess. 2:6,7]

7. Pagan Rome was divided into ten kingdoms between 351 and 476 A.D. When would the little horn arise? Dan. 7:24 [Note: It arose as a political power AFTER the ten; but Paul notes in 2 Thessalonians that, though not ruling politically until pagan Rome was “taken out of the way,” it was already present in his day and would continue until Jesus’ second coming. 2 Thess. 2:7-12]

8. What happened to three kingdoms before the little horn arose and exercised kingly power? Dan. 7:8 [Note: Three kingdoms from the divisions of Rome opposed the spiritual supremacy of the papacy. They were the Heruls, destroyed in 493; the Vandals, destroyed in 534; and the Ostrogoths, “uprooted” from Rome in 538 and destroyed in 553. The Pope began exercising civil authority in 538 A.D. 2 Thess. 2:7-9]

9. Would the little-horn kingdom be like the others? Dan. 7:24 [Ans. No. It would be religious as well as political. See verse 25. Acts 20:29, 30; 2 Cor. 11: 13-15]

10. What religious-political power arose out of Rome around 538? [Ans: The Papacy. Emperor Justinian declared the Pope the ruler of Rome in 533, but he did not start to reign until 538. The Pope was the temporal ruler of Rome from 538 until taken captive by Napoleon’s General, Berthier, in 1798–EXACTLY 1260 YEARS FROM WHEN HE STARTED RULING! Rev. 17:3, 9, 18]

11. What kind of words does the little horn speak? Dan. 7:25a [Note: The Roman Catholic Church claims that the Pope “Is not a mere man, but as it were God.” He is crowned with a triple crown as “king of heaven . . ., earth and . . . the lower regions.” He “is of so great authority that he can modify . . . even divine laws.”– L. Ferraris, Prompt Bibliotheca, vol. VI, pp. 26-29. 2 Thess. 2:3, 4; Dan. 11:36, 37; Matt. 23:9; 1 Tim. 4:1-3]

12. What would this power do to the saints? Dan. 7:25b [Note: It is estimated that 50 million Christians were martyred during the middle ages. Rev. 17:6; 18:24]

13. Though the Pope was wounded by losing his political power in 1798, how large an influence will he again exert in the world? Rev. 13:3 [Rev. 18:1-3]

14. Does God have true and sincere followers in spiritual “Babylon”? Rev. 18:4 [Ans: Yes. God calls those within, who are obeying the truth they know, “My people.” It is the system, not the people, to which God is opposed, for it is a mixture of truth and error. God loves every person within every false system, but He is calling them to come out and to join His “sheepfold.” John 10:16]

Commitment: Protestants arose from “protesting” against Rome, but now even they are “wondering” after the Beast. God has many people in the Catholic Church, but He is saying, “Come out of her, My people . . .” (Rev. 18:4). As we will see in the next lesson, soon all will have to decide between the traditions of Rome and the commandments of God. Are you willing to follow God all the way, even if all the world acknowledges another authority?

STEP 2 (Lessons 11-20): Accepting Christ’s Final Message

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Lesson 14 – The Sign of Allegiance to God

May 27, 2024June 1, 2017 by Jana Wagner

Introduction: In our last lesson we saw that we will be judged according to God’s law. Keeping the law does not save us, but it shows whether we have been born again. In Revelation, the keeping of God’s law is also what distinguishes God’s people from those who follow the Beast. In this lesson we will learn why.

1. How is the “man of sin” (sometimes called the “Beast” power in Scripture) described by Paul? 2 Thess. 2:3, 4, 7-10 [Ans: “The lawless one” (NKJV) The Further-study verse is Dan. 7:25]

2. We will study about the Beast in our next lesson. There we will learn that most of the world will receive his mark of authority. These people who receive the mark of the Beast (unknowingly, of course,) will actually think they are saved through faith in Jesus and will be astounded to find, too late, that they are lost! How did Jesus describe these professed Christians in the last days who follow the “lawless” Beast power? Matt. 7:21-23 [Ans: Like the Beast, they “practice lawlessness” (NKJV) Rev. 22:14]

3. How many commandments may we disregard without being considered “lawless” by God? James 2:10-12 [Matt. 5:17-19]

4. What commandment in God’s law do most Christians disregard? Ex. 20:8-11 [Note: By looking at the calendar we find that the seventh day of the week is Saturday, not Sunday! According to the Ten Commandments, “the seventh day [not the first day] is the Sabbath of the Lord [not of the Jews].” The Jews kept this day simply because, until they rejected Jesus, they were God’s people. Our Further-study verse also makes it clear that the Sabbath is for Gentiles who are God’s people. Is. 56:1-8]

5. When does the Biblical Sabbath begin and end? Lev. 23:32 [Ans: It begins at sundown Friday and ends at sundown Saturday. Gen. 1:5; Luke 23:54-56]

6. What day does Jesus claim as His day, the Lord’s day? Mark 2:27, 28 [ Matt. 12:8]

7. What right does Jesus have to claim a day as His? Col. 1:16 [Ans. Because He made it. He is the Creator. John 1:3]

8. When did Jesus make the Sabbath? Gen. 2:1-3 [Note: Our Further-study verses show that God’s people kept the Sabbath before Sinai; and there is still, after Jesus’ death on the cross, a Sabbath rest to be kept. It was not just for the Jews and it has not passed away. There were, however, old-covenant yearly, ceremonial sabbaths (such as the Passover) which were given at Sinai and which, as “shadows of things to come,” pointed forward to Christ and were fulfilled and done away with at the cross. Ex. 16:21-30; Matt. 24:20; Col. 2:16, 17 cf. Lev. 23:23-44]

9. How did Jesus relate to the Sabbath when He was on earth? Luke 4:16 [ Matt. 24:20; Isa. 42:21; Heb. 13:8]

10. On what day did Paul, long after the crucifixion, worship with both the Jews and the Gentiles? Acts 13:42-44 [ Acts 13:14; 16:13; 18:4, 11]

11. Was this Paul’s custom? Acts 17:2 [Note: Paul was accused of many things by the Jews, but one thing he was never accused of was Sabbath breaking! The Bible contains a record of only one meeting that Paul held on the first day, and that was a farewell service that continued until after midnight. Also, Paul told the Corinthians to gather up their poor fund on the first day of the week. This was a weekday activity. Acts 20:7-11 (In this passage, the New English Bible says “Saturday night,” instead of “the first day of the week.”); 1 Cor. 16: 1, 2]

12. On what day did John, the last apostle, have a vision while in exile? Rev. 1:10 [Note: The only “Lord’s Day” throughout Scripture is the Seventh-day Sabbath. Luke 23:56 (In this verse the followers of Jesus continued to recognize the binding claims of the fourth commandment after Jesus’ death on the cross. And Luke, writing decades after the crucifixion, continues to call the seventh day “the Sabbath.”)]

13. The Bible describes a people who will repair a broken-down law of God that has been trampled on for many generations. What commandment is it? Isa. 58:12-14 [ Rev. 12:17]

14. On what day will the redeemed worship God in the new earth? Isa. 66:22, 23 [ Ps. 119:152]

15. While all the commandments show our allegiance, which one is a special sign of allegiance that we may know that we are truly following God, as His people, and that He is our God? Eze. 20:19, 20 [ Rev. 14: 12]

Commitment: The Sabbath is the one commandment we must accept solely by faith in Jesus’ authority. Keeping it does not save us, but it demonstrates our true allegiance. Today, during the judgment, God is again bringing His people back to full obedience. Though we are not held accountable until we have an opportunity to know the truth (James 4:17), out of love for us God is again teaching us these forgotten principles, that we may not inadvertently become followers of the “lawless” Beast. Is it your desire to follow Jesus all the way? Will you show your allegiance and love to Jesus by keeping His day of worship?

STEP 2 (Lessons 11-20): Accepting Christ’s Final Message

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Lesson 13 – By What Standard Will We Be Judged?

May 27, 2024June 1, 2017 by Jana Wagner

Introduction: In our last lesson we learned that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” In this lesson we will discover the standard by which we are to be judged.

1. Can we earn salvation? Eph. 2:8-10 [The Further-study verses are Rom.6:23; Gal. 2:16; Titus 3:5-8.]

2. What experience must we have to receive this free gift? John 3:3 [Note: While the gift is free and cannot be earned, it is conditional upon our being born again. John 1:12, 13; 1 John 5:4]

3. To be born again means to receive the gift of Jesus’ divine nature (In the Scriptures, this nature is variously called life, power, seed, or spirit.) How can we receive this new nature? 2 Peter 1:3, 4 [Ps. 119:11]

4. Unless we are “eating” the Word of God, through Bible study and prayer, can we have Jesus’ life (or nature) abiding in us? John 6:53, 63 [Note: God gives us a new spiritual birth through Christ Jesus, but we must nourish that spiritual life with spiritual food, just as our physical life is kept alive with physical food. Are we as careful about spending time in Bible study and prayer as we are in eating physical food? Matt. 4:4; John 15:4-7]

5. When we are born again, what must happen to the sinful habits in our life? Rom. 6:4-6 [1 John 3:3-9]

6. What is sin? 1 John 3:4 [Note: If sin is breaking God’s law, and to be born again involves overcoming sin, then the truly born-again person who will pass the judgment must become a law-keeper. Rom. 4:15; 7:7]

7. How will God know that we have been born again? By what standard will He judge us on the day of judgment? James 2:10-12 [1 John 2:3-6]

8. Since we were born in sin, and love sin, how can we have the new birth experience of victory over sin? Rom. 8:2-6, 13 [Note: We were born with a weak and fallen nature. This is the hereditary “law of sin and death.” But when Jesus became the Son of Man, He conquered sin by combining human nature with His divine nature, thereby “condemning sin in the flesh.” He now offers us His divine nature “that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us” also. We are born again when we by faith surrender the soul to Christ to be filled with His Spirit, and, thus strengthened, begin to live a life of righteousness. John 8:34-36; I John 3:3-9; Titus 2:11-14]

9. How do we know that Jesus had no advantage over us so that we, too, can live victoriously over sin “just as” Jesus did (1 John 3:3)? Heb. 4:15, 16 [1 Cor. 10:13]

10. How could Jesus have been “tempted as we are”? Heb. 2:11, 14-18 [Ans: Because He was “made like His brethren.” He came with a “heredity” like ours “to share our . . . temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life.” “As the Son of Man, He gave us an example of obedience; as the Son of God, He gives us power to obey.” “Jesus . . . exercised no powers, that men may not have through faith in Him. His perfect humanity is that which all His followers may possess.” “In Christ, God has provided means for subduing every sinful trait, and resisting every temptation, however strong.”–The Desire of Ages, pp. 49, 24, 664, 429. Heb. 5:8, 9; Matt. 1:21, 23; Rom. 1:3; Phil. 2:7 cf. Rom. 8:3]

11. When Jesus gives us a new beginning (new birth) by imparting to us His Spirit (or nature), what does He write on our hearts? Heb. 8:10 [Phil. 2:5; Rev. 14:1]

12.What motive should prompt us to keep God’s law? John 14:15 [2 Cor. 5:14; John 15:10; 2 Thess. 2:8-12 (especially note verse 10)]

13. Are God’s commandments burdensome to those who are truly born again? 1 John 5:3, 4 [Ps. 119:47, 77, 97, 174]

14. Why will many who think they are born again be disappointed on the day of judgment? Matt. 7:21-23 [Note: The Greek literally reads: “Depart . . . you who work LAWLESSNESS” (ergazomenoi ten anomian). 1 John 2:3-6, 28]

15. How does the Bible summarize the answer to our question, “By what standard will we be judged on the day of judgment”? Eccl. 12:13, 14 [Rom. 2:13; James 1:25]

16. Who will be admitted into heaven? Rev. 22:14 [Note: The KJV and NKJV based on the “textus receptus” manuscript, read: “Blessed are they who do His commandments, that they may have the right to . . . enter.” Rev. 14:12]

Commitment: Our salvation cost Jesus His life, but He offers salvation to us free if we will but surrender our sinful natures to Him, who has promised to “take away our sins” (1 John 3:5) and to write His law on our hearts. Thus it is that we will be judged according to God’s law, for our works show whether we have been born again (1 John 2:29). “Let no one deceive you” on this point (1 John 3:6, 7)! The new birth involves a total, growing change of character, habits, and thinking (2 Cor. 5:17). Do you want Jesus to give you this new-birth experience, beginning today?

STEP 2 (Lessons 11-20): Accepting Christ’s Final Message

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Lesson 12 – God’s Court of Justice

November 3, 2024June 1, 2017 by Jana Wagner

Introduction: In our last lesson we learned that Jesus is working (ministering) for us in the heavenly sanctuary. We might call this sanctuary Jesus’ and His Father’s office or court. The ministering angels are their staff. There are many types of work carried on in the sanctuary, but one of the most important is that of judgment. Sometimes we think of judgment in negative terms, but the purpose of this judgment is to declare us “not guilty”–if possible! In this lesson we shall study the work of the judgment as carried on in the heavenly sanctuary.

1. What court summons do we all have pending? 2 Cor. 5:10 [The Further-study verse is Rom. 14:10.]

2. There are three parts to a court case: (1) Investigation, (2) Sentencing, and (3) Execution of the sentence. When will the investigative part of the judgment be done–before or after Jesus comes? Rev. 22:12 [Ans: Jesus comes WITH the rewards to pronounce sentence, therefore the investigative part of the judgment must already have been done. Matt. 16:27]

3. Must we appear in person, or is there a record of our lives that will be reviewed? Rev. 20:12 [Mal. 3:16]

4. With whom does this investigation of people’s LIFE-RECORD begin? 1 Peter 4:17 [Ans: With the professed followers of God. Daniel 7:22 states: “The Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High” (NKJV). The Beast had judged against the saints, but God judges for them. Actually, the words “in favor” are italicized in the NKJV, meaning they were supplied by the translators. The passage literally reads, “A judgment was made of the saints.” Dan. 7:21, 22; Matt. 22:11-14]

5. Though no longer permitted in the sanctuary courtroom, who is the prosecuting attorney who accuses God’s people? Rev. 12:9, 10 [Job 1:8-11]

6. Who is the defense attorney who serves as our advocate? 1 John 2:1 [Rom. 8:33, 34]

7. What will happen to the record of the sins of God’s people who were converted and who repented of their sins? Acts 3:19 [1 John 1:9]

8. There are various books of record in heaven. What is the name of the register that records the names of those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Advocate? Rev. 21:27 [Phil. 4:3; Rev. 13:8; 20:12; 22:19]

9. What will happen to those who were once “saved” and registered in this book of life, but who continue to cherish sin? Ex.32:31-33 [Rev. 3:5; Eze. 18:21-24; 33:11-16]

10. Will all who profess that Jesus is their Savior, and who claim to be saved, ultimately be saved? Matt. 7:21-23 [2 Thess. 2:9-12]

11. Will we be judged by our religious profession or by some other means? Eccl. 12:13, 14 [James 2:12]

12. Although we are saved by grace through faith alone and not by works, for it is by faith that our sins are forgiven and our lives are changed, by what will we be judged? Matt. 16:27 [Rev. 22:12]

13. How do our works reveal our faith? Matt. 7:16-20 [James 2:17]

14. When God showed Daniel the future of the earth (Lesson 7), He depicted the rise of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome by four symbolic beasts; and then He used ten horns to depict the splintering of the Roman Empire into European fragments. What did Daniel see happening in the heavenly sanctuary, where God’s throne is, sometime after the division of Rome into the European nations? Dan. 7:9, 10 [Rev. 14:6, 7]

15. Jesus offers to be our advocate in this court of justice, but He does not plead everyone’s case. Jesus said He had never “known” (never represented or been the advocate of) those who called Him “Lord” in Matthew 7:21-23. How can we make sure that He will be our advocate and thus win our case, in the judgment? 1 John 2:1-6 [John 15:10; Prov. 28:9]

Commitment: The judgment in the heavenly sanctuary has eternal consequences for every one of us. Do you desire to have Jesus as your advocate in this judgment? Will you continue to learn from Him and to walk in the light that He is revealing to you so that you may have the assurance of eternal life in Him?

STEP 2 (Lessons 11-20): Accepting Christ’s Final Message

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Lesson 11 – The New Covenant Ministry of Jesus

May 27, 2024June 1, 2017 by Jana Wagner

Introduction: “Covenant” means promise or agreement. God’s covenant is His promise and plan to save us. It is His “plan of salvation.” The Bible speaks of two covenants-the old one, made at Sinai, and the new one, established at the cross. Let us compare the two.

1. From where does Jesus carry on His new-covenant ministry for us? Heb. 8:1, 2 [Ans. At the right hand of God in the heavenly sanctuary. The Further-study verses are Rev. 1:13; 4:5; 8:3, 4; 11:19.]

2. Where were the old-covenant services performed? Heb. 9:1-5 [Ans: In the earthly sanctuary. See figure on back. Ex. 25-27; 16:33, 34; Num. 17:10; Ex. 25:8, 9, 40]

3. What did Paul call the old-covenant sanctuary, with its earthly services? Heb. 9:24 [Ans: “Copies” of the true. Note: The old covenant is a picture of the new covenant. It is the plan of salvation illustrated. In some respects it is like a picture of a man’s wife. The man may show it to you and say, “This is my wife.” But is it really? No, it is only a picture! He may treasure the picture, but it cannot replace his wife. The Jewish nation hung on to the old-covenant “picture” but rejected the One to whom it pointed forward-Jesus and His ministry. We could also illustrate it with a blueprint of a house which is made before the house is built. Heb. 8:3-5]

4. When God illustrated His plan of salvation at Sinai, what covenant did the people make with Him? Ex. 19:8 [Note: When God gave the old covenant at Sinai, the people promised to keep it, and they intended to, but they could not do so in their own strength (Rom. 8:3). They should have asked God for help; then the Savior, to whom the old covenant pointed forward, would have come into their hearts and delivered them from the power of sin. Matt. 1:21; John 8:34-36; Ex. 25:8]

5. What was the purpose of the laws of the earthly sanctuary? Gal. 3:24 [John 5:46, 47; Heb. 10:1]

6 . Everything in the old covenant-its people, its law, its sanctuary and services, its capital city, etc.-represented (or pictured) something in the new covenant established at the cross. Who did the HIGH PRIEST represent? Heb. 4:14-16 [1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 2:17; 3:1]

7. Who did the PEOPLE of the old covenant, the literal children of Abraham, represent? Gal. 3:9, 29 [Rom. 2:28, 29; Gen. 17: 1-7; Eze. 34:30; Matt. 3:9; John 8:37-44]

8. What new-covenant capital city corresponds to the old-covenant CAPITAL? Gal. 4:24-26 [Note: Some people still look to old-covenant Jerusalem for the fulfillment of God’s promises. Like the Pharisees, they are clinging to the old-covenant “picture”; but that covenant was nailed to the cross. The old covenant was like Hagar. Hagar was intended to be the midwife to deliver the child of promise, but she was never intended to be the mother of that child. Thus the old covenant was perfect for leading God’s people to Christ and to the New Jerusalem, but it was never intended to take its place. John 8:34-36; Heb. 10:4; 11:8-10]

9. How did the old covenant SACRIFICES take away sins? Heb. 10:4, 5 [Ans: They didn’t. Those who trusted in these sacrifices alone, were lost. The sacrificial system was designed to develop and show one’s faith in the coming Messiah. Acts 4:12]

10. Who did the LAMB represent? John 1:29 [1 Cor. 5:7]

11. In the old covenant, what was one purpose of the ten-commandment LAW written on stone? Rom. 7:7-10 [James 1:23, 24; 2:10-12; Ex. 24:12; Deut. 4:13]

12. Besides providing forgiveness for breaking God’s law, why else did Jesus come to earth? Rom. 8:3, 4 [Ans: To give us power to keep God’s law. 1 John 3:4-6]

13. God’s law was written on STONE in the old-covenant “picture.” Where is it written in the new covenant? Heb. 10:16 [Eze. 11:19, 20; 2 Cor. 3:7-10, 18; 1 John 2:3-5]

Commitment: Some have wondered why, when the Ten Commandments were included in the old covenant, the New Testament says, “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may . . . enter . . . the [New Jerusalem] city” (Rev. 22:14, NKJV). But the old covenant merely foreshadowed the new. In the new covenant the commandments are to be written on our hearts. Do you want Jesus to perform this new-covenant ministry in your life?

STEP 2 (Lessons 11-20): Accepting Christ’s Final Message

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