Want to learn more about Preparation for the End Times? Use these Bible Studies for personal devotion, group Bible studies, or teaching a church class. Below are links to the lessons in this 13-part series.
While driving on the freeway this weekend, I took into
account what a driver was doing two lanes away. His actions created a
chain of events that ended up affecting me. I mentioned to my wife
that I try to keep track of all of the cars around me. She responded
that when our daughter first started driving, she barely kept track
of where she was driving. How about you? When you are driving, do you
want to know what is going on around you? What about life? Would you
like to know the “big picture” of what is going on around you in the
world and the universe? That is the purpose of our new series of
studies. How did we get to where we are? What cosmic events are
shaping our future? Where are we in history? Let’s plunge into our
study of the Bible and learn more!
Do you tend to focus on the little things of
life? Do these “little things” cause you to modify your view
of God? If your country were invaded and defeated, if you were
taken as a slave by the invaders, would you call those “little
things?” Probably not! In our study today we learn that God
has His hand on the course of our life, and the course of
human history! Let’s plunge into our study of the Bible and
learn more!
Last week we studied how God gave Daniel the meaning of
a vision that predicted the future, right up to the end of the world!
The book of Revelation, among other things, also tells us about the
end of the world. When we think about Revelation, we may visualize
all kinds of “monsters.” This week we consider Revelation in a more
favorable light. We focus on Jesus in Revelation. Let’s dive into our
study of the Bible and learn more!
What separates true Christianity from every other
religious belief system in the world? It is that Christians
understand that they are saved by faith alone, and not by their
works. Other religious systems involve some sort of work to “purify”
your life or please the god that you serve. True Christianity is
especially hard for those who live in a culture that believes hard
work will be rewarded with success. How can you have a philosophy of
work that is so opposed to your theology? It is difficult. That is
why so many Christians are unwittingly serving Satan when they write
articles suggesting that Christians who do not meet their rigorous
religious standards are lost. Let’s dive into our study of the Bible
and learn the difference between salvation and the Christian walk
towards holiness!
In my youth I was taught the entire Bible, not just the
New Testament. The Old Testament was about keeping the law, the New
Testament was about Jesus. My impression was that the two testaments
were much different. The Old emphasized salvation by works and the
New emphasized salvation through Jesus. It was only later in life
that I started seriously considering the Old Testament method for
eliminating sin. It was not a series of works. You did not need to
suffer in some way to make up for (atone for) your sins. Rather, an
animal was killed to take away your sins. The Old Testament, like the
New, taught the forgiveness of sins by a substitute death. This week
our study is about what Jesus, following the Old Testament symbolism,
is presently doing on our behalf to remove our sins. Let’s plunge
into our study of the Bible!
What is the goal of the Christian life? Isn’t it to
bring glory to God? How do we bring glory to God in the midst of the
controversy raging between good and evil? We learned two weeks ago
that part of the end time message is that Babylon is fallen.
Revelation 14:8. It is defeated, but not dead. That means we need to
be alert to the issues in the controversy and do what we can to
promote God and His kingdom. Let’s dive into our study this week to
find out more about a central issue in the push to bring glory to
God!
Would you like to know when Jesus will come again?
Jesus’ disciples wanted to know! Their problem was that they were not
skilled lawyers who could construct a clear question about the end of
time. Jesus, no doubt, understood their confusion about His Second
Coming. But, for some reason He allowed their confusion remain.
Another problem for the disciples was preconceived ideas. This week
we study Jesus’ comments about end times to see what we can
understand. We will see if we can put our preconceived ideas aside.
Let’s dive into our study!
An important part of the end time gospel message is
that God is our Creator. Is this something that we have to take on
faith? Is it a message that is contrary to science? Let’s dive into
the Bible and see what it declares about God in His role as our
Creator!
Do you sometimes have a difficult time measuring
danger? When the Internet first began, I made sure that all sorts of
contact information for me was available because I thought the
Internet was the future of information sharing. Now, I realize that I
should be careful about having too much information on the Internet
because criminals can use it against me. Think about Facebook. It is
a tremendous tool to increase intimacy with your friends from the
past. They can “join” your life even if they are thousands of miles
away. Facebook does not give us this great gift for free. Instead,
it sells information about us to people who are not our friends. Have
you seen this before? Something that seems so friendly and benign has
an ulterior motive? Our lesson is about that this week. Let’s plunge
in to our study of the Bible and learn more!
How good are you at putting together a jigsaw puzzle?
You might begin by trying to match the color and pattern, then you
make sure the shape is right. Getting the right piece is not always
easy. Our lesson this week reminds me of a jigsaw puzzle. We are
going to compare certain historic “pieces” and see which seems to fit
the best. Let’s plunge into our study of the Bible to see what we can
learn!
Do you like signs or symbols showing that you belong to
a certain group? I used to have a sticker on my car window for
Andrews University, the school three generations of my family
attended. I have Corvette hats, a shirt and a jacket. Of course, I
have clothing with Regent University’s logo, because it is the school where I
teach. What about you, do you have symbols, signs or marks showing
that you have an affinity to some group, product, or school? The
Bible demands some signs and warns against others. Some of the signs
seem to be relevant for a limited time and group. Let’s plunge into
our study of the Bible and see what we can learn!
Two of the best known names in Revelation are “Babylon
the Great” and “Armageddon.” Is Babylon the Great a power, a place,
a state of mind, or what? What is so great about it? If Armageddon is
a final battle, where does it take place? Who are the combatants? Who
wins? Let’s dive into our study of the Bible and see what we can
learn!
Do you recall being pulled over by the police because
you were violating the traffic laws? How did you feel? A car followed
me very closely while I was driving to church, even though I was
traveling the speed limit. We were going through a residential area
and the road was hilly and wide. As I crested a hill, I saw the top
of a police car up ahead. Without reducing my speed, I pulled over
to the right just enough so that the car behind me could pass, even
though passing was illegal. It zoomed around me, crested the hill,
and then saw the police car which promptly pulled it over for
speeding. How would you feel if you were me? These are the two faces
of judgment. We don’t want to be judged, but we want law breakers,
especially those who are troubling us, to face judgment. Jesus’
Second Coming is a time of mixed feelings. Let’s explore what the
Bible has to say about it!
