Jan 25th Bible study recap

Thanks everyone who attended and if you missed the first one don't worry were' about to catch you up below. By the way we moved the tables and chairs around after study to accommodate more people and also so you don't have to turn your neck quite as hard to see the screen. 

The printout we shared is HERE and we are printing out some more copies since we ran out.
The website with clips we watched is HERE

Some notes from tonight:

Jesus revealed to John (the Beloved disciple) His revelation for not only the seven churches in the book but for all who will listen and learn from it. Jesus promised His disciples while on earth that He would undergo persecution and they would too. John was poisoned but this was not sucessful in killing him, most other disciples were killed. He was exiled to the island of Patmos with other prisoners where he could still send mail.

How do you get out a Christian letter to people who would monitor the prison mail for that sort of thing? Use Christian imagery and symbolism. There are symbolic things, literal things, and often those are the same thing. A Christian might understand this book, a non-believing Roman guard probably wouldn't. 

John wrote to pastors of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 what Jesus told him to and John wrote to the persecuted as one persecuted himself. 

The rapture is the time where Jesus will return to take believers to be with Him. First the dead in Christ will rise then those who are alive during that time will meet them and Jesus in the air. Some people don't believe in a rapture though it is clear in Scripture. Some believe it comes at the end or mid point of the seven year "Great Tribulation." Scripturally we take a pre-tribulation view that Christians, though they may go through "tribulations" or "trials" during this life will be spared the GREAT tribulation.

We asked the question, if you were raptured and your loved ones searched your phone, computer, and belongings for signs of what happened will your physical and digital trail lead them to or away from Christ? How about the life you lived and what you spoke about?

After the "literal" seven years of Tribulation, we will return with Christ to reign with Him. We certainly are not deserving of this but it is based on JESUS'S righteousness not our own. We don't know what we will be doing for Jesus when He brings us back to Earth for 1,000 years but the idea of no pain or suffering in our bodies and serving Jesus sure sounds good!

After the millenial reign will be the Great White Throne Judgement. This does not occur in heaven but a separate place. There are no tears in heaven but I believe we will weap tears for those condemned to hell that we either couldn't reach or didn't try. This judgement is for nonbelievers, we are secured by the blood of Christ. Again...HIS righteousness not our own.

Many plagues during the Tribulation mirror the time of Exodus
There will be new believers made during the Tribulation, and it will be harder to be a Christian during that time of awful persecution. God will use believers during that time but it will not be easy. 

God will remake heaven and earth. As He created materials and then created the world, (he made the ingredients before He made the cake,) there is some speculation that He will reduce it all back to "the ingredients" and make everything as it should be without the influence of sin. 

Jesus told us in the Olivet Discourse that we will hear of wars and rumors of wars but not to be afraid these things (and others) must take place and then the end will come.

Last night, a group moved the "Doomsday Clock" 90 seconds to midnight due to the war in Ukraine and global warming. They believe we are inching closer to nuclear annihilation but have not laid out any metrics for what events determine where we are on that clock. We needn't be afraid, we know what the end will look like from God's Word. Even if nuclear war occurs and missles land on us, that is not the end of time. Maybe the end for us specifically but even then if we are in Christ we know where we are going. What matters is when the roll is called up yonder we are there and we try to bring as many people along with us as we can by telling them about Jesus.