The Christian Message

  Leaving the Scroll Unsealed | (Revelation 22:10–15) Many refuse to join the Fellowship of the Lamb. They make their own bed and now must lie in it. The angel instructs John not to seal the scroll. Let its contents lie open for inspection and reflection. This stands in contrast to the book of Daniel (and standard apocalyptic literature), where Daniel is told several times to “seal up” his visions in a scroll because they refer “to many days from now” (Daniel 8:26; see also Daniel 12:4, 9). In the case of John’s message, the time is short and the churches need to hear the message now. In antiquity, scrolls were sealed and often stored in jars for safekeeping (see Chapter 8 for more on scrolls and seals). In Revelation, there’s no need to reseal the scroll because the churches have immediate need of its message. In this section, we observe how John begins to draw out the practical implications of what he has seen in his visions. He spells out what is going to happen on the day of re...

Put on the New Man The Admonition (Eph. 4:17–19) There are some negatives in the Christian life, and here is one of them: “Walk not as other Gentiles walk.” The Christian is not to imitate the life of the unsaved people around him. They are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1), while he has been raised from the dead and been given eternal life in Christ. Paul explains the differences between the saved and the unsaved. To begin with, Christians think differently from unsaved people. Note the emphasis here on thinking: mind (Eph. 4:17, 23), understanding (Eph. 4:18), ignorance (Eph. 4:18), “learned Christ” (Eph. 4:20). Salvation begins with repentance, which is a change of mind. The whole outlook of a person changes when he trusts Christ, including his values, goals, and interpretation of life. What is wrong with the mind of the unsaved person? For one thing, his thinking is “vain” (futile). It leads to no substantial purpose. Since he does not know God, he cannot truly understand t...

Jesus in Revelation January 28, 2021 -Adapted from Dr. J. Vernon McGee's study of  Revelation We met Jesus in the Gospel narratives first as a baby. That’s how He entered the world the first time. He was meek and lowly. He rode into Jerusalem on a little donkey, which spoke of peace, not war. He was the Savior who died for sinners. Now in Revelation, Jesus Christ enters in great glory.  In Revelation 19, the gates of heaven open and Jesus Christ the Lord exits, seated high on a white horse of warfare. Behind Him follow the armies of heaven, all on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen. Jesus’ eyes are a blaze of fire and out of His mouth comes a sharp sword to conquer the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron.  He is now the judge of a sinful world, and on His head is the crown of the sole ruler of earth. On His robe, dipped in blood, and on His thigh is written, “King of kings and Lord of lords,” and no one alive doesn’t tremble at the sight of Him. If to...

  Who was King Jeroboam in the Bible? Question: "Who was King Jeroboam in the Bible?" Answer:  Jeroboam was from the  tribe of Ephraim , a servant of  King Solomon’s , and the son of a widow. He later became the first king of the divided northern kingdom of Israel. He is first mentioned in  1 Kings 11:26 : “Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king.” Jeroboam was a skilled worker, and, “when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work,” he placed Jeroboam over the labor force of the tribes of Joseph ( 1 Kings 11:28 ). One day, the prophet  Ahijah  approached Jeroboam with a prophecy. The prophet tore a new cloak into 12 pieces and said, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes’” ( 1 Kings 11:31 ). The idol worshi...

  Assurance of Victory over Death Lesson Text: John 11:17-32 introduction noted last week that Mary and Martha had so much confidence in Jesus (who He was and what He could do) that they did not make any specific request of Him when they sent word that Lazarus was sick. In fact, they did not even name him, saying only that “he whom thou lovest is sick” (John 11:3). They did not even say it was their brother who was sick because they knew Jesus would know and understand what was happening. They made no suggestion whatsoever about what He should do.  The sisters showed great faith in Jesus by simply leaving the entire situation up to Him. All they did was give Him the facts without asking for anything. Their attitudes and actions concerning what they were facing are an example of the way to handle the difficult things we ourselves face.  LESSON OUTLINE  A PURPOSEFUL DEATH—John 11:17-22  A RESURRECTION PROMISED—John 11:23-27  A RESURRECTION ASSURED—John 11:28...