Overall Question: How certain is Christ's Return?
Memory Text: Revelation 22:12 New King James Version “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
Sunday – The Beginning and the End
2 Peter 3:1-10 New Century Version 1 My friends, this is the second letter I have written you to help your honest minds remember. 2 I want you to think about the words the holy prophets spoke in the past, and remember the command our Lord and Savior gave us through your apostles. 3 It is most important for you to understand what will happen in the last days. People will laugh at you. They will live doing the evil things they want to do. 4 They will say, "Jesus promised to come again. Where is he? Our fathers have died, but the world continues the way it has been since it was made." 5 But they do not want to remember what happened long ago. By the word of God heaven was made, and the earth was made from water and with water. 6 Then the world was flooded and destroyed with water. 7 And that same word of God is keeping heaven and earth that we now have in order to be destroyed by fire. They are being kept for the Judgment Day and the destruction of all who are against God. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: To the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow in doing what he promised -- the way some people understand slowness. But God is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The skies will disappear with a loud noise. Everything in them will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up.
2 Peter 3:9 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES Every sinner should consider the fact that he is not cut down in his sins, not as a proof that God will not punish the wicked, but as a demonstration that he is now forbearing, and is willing that he should have an ample opportunity to obtain eternal life.
Monday – Promise and Expectation
2 Peter 3:13 New Revised Standard But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.
John 14:2-3 King James Version 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am , there ye may be also.
Daniel 2:44 New International Reader's Version "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom. It will never be destroyed. And no other nation will ever take it over. It will crush all of those other kingdoms. It will bring them to an end. But it will last forever.
Daniel 2:44 COMMENTARY FAMILY BIBLE NOTES All the empires which human hands have established shall be destroyed; but the kingdom which God has established "without hands" shall increase continually, till the earth is filled with its glory and blessedness.
Acts 3:20-21 New Century Version 20 And he will send Jesus, the One he chose to be the Christ. 21 But Jesus must stay in heaven until the time comes when all things will be made right again. God told about this time long ago when he spoke through his holy prophets.
Tuesday – Our Great Assurance
Hebrews 9:28 New Century Version so Christ was offered as a sacrifice one time to take away the sins of many people. And he will come a second time, not to offer himself for sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him
1 Corinthians 15:12-27 New International Reader's Version 12 We have preached that Christ has been raised from the dead. So how can some of you say that no one rises from the dead? 13 If no one rises from the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, what we preach doesn't mean anything. Your faith doesn't mean anything either. 15 More than that, we would be lying about God. We have given witness that God raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if the dead are not raised. 16 If the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith doesn't mean anything. Your sins have not been forgiven. 18 Those who have died believing in Christ are also lost. 19 Do we have hope in Christ only for this life? Then people should pity us more than anyone else. 20 But Christ really has been raised from the dead. He is the first of all those who will rise. 21 Death came because of what a man did. Rising from the dead also comes because of what a man did. 22 Because of Adam, all people die. So because of Christ, all will be made alive. 23 But here is the order of events. Christ is the first of those who rise from the dead. When he comes back, those who belong to him will be raised. 24 Then the end will come. Christ will destroy all rule, authority and power. He will hand over the kingdom to God the Father. 25 Christ must rule until he has put all his enemies under his control. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 Scripture says that God "has put everything under his control." (Psalm 8:6) It says that "everything" has been put under him. But it is clear that this does not include God himself, who puts everything under Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:16 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY Satan tries to undermine faith in the resurrection in order to make it easier for men to accept the first great lie, with which he denied God’s sentence of death for disobedience. If man does not really die when this earthly life comes to an end, then there is no need for a resurrection. If, on the other hand, death is a cessation of existence, then further life would be dependent upon the resurrection.
Wednesday – Where Is the Promise of His Coming?
Hebrews 11:13 Good News Translation It was in faith that all these persons died. They did not receive the things God had promised, but from a long way off they saw them and welcomed them, and admitted openly that they were foreigners and refugees on earth.
Hebrews 11:39-40 New Revised Standard Version 39 Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.
Hebrews 11:40 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY God foresaw the end from the beginning. He knew that in future ages there would be other multitudes of faithful men, women, youth, and children. In His infinite wisdom He ordained that the faithful of all ages should enter upon the eternal inheritance together. As to the great gift of eternal life, none would have advantage, or priority, over another.
Thursday – Behold, I Come Quickly
2 Thessalonians 2 Revised Standard Version 1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you this? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, 12 so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY the apostle recognizes that the danger of deception is real and grave. The anticipated methods of deceit are many, and Paul does not attempt to limit them to the three mentioned in 2 Thess. 2:2, but allows for “any means.” The enemy of the church will use signs and apparent miracles to lead the unwary into accepting the great delusion, or lie (vs. 9–11). Hence, God’s people should beware of being led astray. Their faith must stand upon the plain statements of God’s Word.
2 Thessalonians 2:4 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY To informed students of the Bible, the marks of identity enumerated in vs. 3, 4 are already familiar, since they are found elsewhere in the Inspired Word. A comparison with Daniel’s prophecy of the blasphemous power that succeeds that of pagan Rome (see on Dan. 7:8, 19–26), and with John’s word picture of the leopard like beast (see on Rev. 13:1–18), reveals many similarities between the three descriptions. This leads to the conclusion that Daniel, Paul, and John are speaking of the same power, namely, the papacy (GC 49–54, 356).
Revelation 6:9-11 English Standard Version 9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
Luke 12:42-48 Holman Christian Standard Bible 42 The Lord said: "Who then is the faithful and sensible manager his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food at the proper time? 43 That slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded. 44 I tell you the truth: he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and starts to beat the male and female slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 that slave's master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47 And that slave who knew his master's will and didn't prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten. 48 But the one who did not know and did things deserving of blows will be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more.
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James Brenneman
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