Epistles And Revelation Final

Front 1

Christ emptied himself . . . even unto death on a cross

Back 1

Philippians 2

Front 2

pray & be content in all circumstances

Back 2

phil 4

Front 3

on women teaching in the church

Back 3

1 tim 2

Front 4

criteria for overseers and deacons

Back 4

1 tim 3

Front 5

Paul to Timothy—keep passing on the faith

Back 5

2 Tim 4

Front 6

faith without works is dead

Back 6

James 2

Front 7

severe warnings against apostasy’s irreversibility

Back 7

Heb. 6

Front 8

Jesus as priest after the order of Melchizedek

Back 8

Heb 7

Front 9

the obsolescence of the old covenant vs. the new

Back 9

Heb 8

Front 10

roll call of the heroes of the faith in OT times

Back 10

Heb 11-12

Front 11

Christ’s “descent into hell”

Back 11

1 Pet 3

Front 12

instructions for pastors/shepherds

Back 12

1 Tim 3

Front 13

why the Lord’s return is delayed

Back 13

2 Pet 3

Front 14

they went out from us because they were not of us

Back 14

1 John 2

Front 15

love and the elect lady

Back 15

2 John 1

Front 16

to Gaius on church divisions

Back 16

3 John 1

Front 17

a one-chapter epistle against heresy

Back 17

Jude

Front 18

letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor

Back 18

Rev 2-3

Front 19

John’s vision of heavenly worship

Back 19

Rev 4-5

Front 20

144,000 & the numberless multitude

Back 20

Rev 7

Front 21

the Satanic trinity

Back 21

Rev 13

Front 22

return of Christ & marriage feast of Lamb

Back 22

rev 19

Front 23

millennium

Back 23

rev 20

Front 24

new heavens & new earth

Back 24

rev 21

Front 25

What were the 4 main aspects of the Colossian heresy?

Back 25

1. Christ not fully God
2. Christ not fully human
3. Various rituals for spiritual maturity
4. Inner spirituality divorced from outward actions

Front 26

Similarities and differences of the domestic code (Haustafel) in the epistles....? Research this....

Back 26

....? Research this....

Front 27

differences in emphases of Gospel of John and I John

Back 27

Gospel of John: deity of Christ, Empowering believers
To keep commands, Realized eschatology, Guidance of Holy Spirit

I John: Humanity of Christ, Reminder against claims of sinlessness, Future eschatology, Test the spirits

Front 28

What are the 3 tests of life in I John?

Back 28

Keeping God’s Commandments
- 1:5-2:6, 2:28-3:10, 5:16-21
Loving One Another
- 2:7-17, 3:11-24, 4:7-21
Believing in Jesusas the God-man
- 2:18-27, 4:1-6, 5:1-15

*Each test entails the other two (3:23-24)

Front 29

Gnostic Doctrines vs. John’s Tests of Life (3 points for each)

Back 29

- perfectionism vs keep the commandments
- antinomianism (def?) vs keep the commandments and love
- docetism (def?) vs belief in Christ’sfull humanity

Front 30

what are the 5 main catchwords in james? + references

Back 30

1. Trials/Testing
(vv. 2, 3)
2. Perseverance
(vv. 3, 4)
3. Not Lacking/
Lacking
(vv. 4, 5)
4. Ask
(vv. 5, 6)
5. Doubt
(vv. 6, 7)

Front 31

Compare James and Paul on faith and works (2:14-26)

Back 31

James on faith- Jewish
James on works- Christian
Paul on faith- Christian
Paul on works- Jewish

Front 32

Discuss James' view on prayer

Back 32

Front 33

In Hebrews, what 5 things is Jesus superior to (+ refs and implications)

Back 33

Superior to Angels (1:5-2:18)
- In Sovereignty (1:5-14)
--So follow Him closely (2:1-4)
-In Suffering (2:5-13)
--So we are free from sin (2:14-18)

Superior to Moses (3:1-4:13)
-So don’t rebel, but enter God’s rest

Superior to the Priesthood (4:14-7:28)
- So accept God’s grace (4:14-16)

Superior to the Old Covenant (8:1-10:39)
- So perseverance is crucial

Superior to O.T. Heroes of the Faith (11:1-12:29)
- So focus on Jesus

Front 34

5 Stages of Sabbath Rest in Heb 4:1-11

Back 34

1. Creation
2. Sabbath
3. Canaan
4. David’s day
5. In Christ,
now and in
life to come

Front 35

different views of Hebrews 6:4-8 (on losing salvation)

Back 35

1. Calvinist:
- Preconversion Jew View - Those yet to make a serious commitment
- Phenomenological Unbeliever View
In community of believers, but lacks genuine faith
----------
Covenant Community View: Rejection of Israel as a people; has little to do with individual salvation

----------
2. Arminian
- True Believer Under Judgment- Will face discipline, but not lose salvation.
- Phenomenological True Believer- Apostasy can cause fallen Christians to lose salvation

Front 36

Compare the levitical priesthood to Jesus' priesthood according to Hebrews

Back 36

Front 37

What/where are the 3 confessions of Jesus by Peter?

Back 37

1. First Christological Confession (1 Peter 1:18-21)
2. Second Christological Confession (2:21-25)
3. Third Christological Confession (3:18-22)
- Christ announcing victory over demonic realm during ascension?
- creating significant purification for us now (4:1) and full salvation after death (4:6)

Front 38

What/where are James' Responses to Persecution and Injustice

Back 38

James 5:7-11
Prayer
Trust in God’s eschatological vengeance
Denunciatory, prophetic rhetoric
No actual justification for violence by church

Front 39

What/where are Peters' Responses to Persecution and Injustice

Back 39

1 Peter 2:11-4:19
Do good to those mistreating you (2:11-17, 3:8-16)
Bear unjust suffering as Christ did (2:18-25, 3:17-4:11)
Do not submit to authorities’ anti-Christian mandates (3:1-7)
Trust in God’s eschatological vengeance (4:1-19)
No actual justification for violence by church

Front 40

What is the Three-fold genre of Revelation?

Back 40

Apocalyptic
Prophetic
Epistolary

Front 41

Discuss the past, present, and future elements of revelation

Back 41

Front 42

explain the tribulation of rev

Back 42

Front 43

explain premilennialism

Back 43

Front 44

explain Amillennialism

Back 44

Front 45

explain postmillenialism

Back 45

Front 46

Titus date?

Back 46

63-67

Front 47

Titus theme

Back 47

A manual on church order

Front 48

Titus circumstances

Back 48

i. Paul freed from prison
ii. Paul writes to Titus whom he appointed to pastor church on Crete
iii. Dealing with heresy- Judaizing and Gnostic-like features

Front 49

Titus' Place in God’s narrative

Back 49

i. Stand fast and pass on the gospel despite attacks on the truth as we await Christ’s coming

Front 50

1 Tim date

Back 50

i. 63-67

Front 51

1 Tim theme

Back 51

i. How to pastor a church and turn it away from heresy

Front 52

1 Tim circumstances

Back 52

i. Paul freed from prison
ii. To Timothy (pastor)
iii. Dealing with heresy- Judaizing and Gnosticism

Front 53

1 Tim Place in God's narrative

Back 53

i. Stand fast and pass on the gospel despite attacks on the truth as we await Christ’s coming

Front 54

2 Tim date

Back 54

i. 63-67

Front 55

2 Tim theme

Back 55

i. Pass it on

Front 56

2 Tim circumstances

Back 56

i. Paul imprisoned in Rome again
ii. Passing the torch of ministry to Timothy

Front 57

2 Tim. Place in God's narr.

Back 57

i. Stand fast and pass on the gospel despite attacks on the truth as we await Christ’s coming

Front 58

James date

Back 58

i. 44-49

Front 59

James Theme

Back 59

i. Faith without works is dead

Front 60

James circumstances

Back 60

i. Written by James – half bro of Jesus
ii. Addressed to largely poor, Jewish-Christian congregations in Syria or Palestine, ironically discriminating in favor of the rich
iii. Oppressed by rich absentee landlords, causing internal squabbling

Front 61

James place in God's narr.

Back 61

i. True, saving faith that will fit us for eternity necessarily produces transformed lives already in between Christ’s first and second comings

Front 62

Hebrews date

Back 62

i. Pre 70- early-to-mid 60s

Front 63

Hebrews theme

Back 63

i. The superiority of Christ

Front 64

hebrews circumstances

Back 64

i. Unknown author, not Paul
ii. Probably written to a Jewish Christian audience
iii. From Rome

Front 65

Hebrews Place in God’s narrative

Back 65

i. Recognize Christ as supreme over every religion and worldview so that you are not tempted to “deconvert.” In other words, choose heaven rather than hell!

Front 66

1 Peter date

Back 66

i. Early-to-mid 60s

Front 67

1 Peter theme

Back 67

i. Perseverance despite persecution

Front 68

1 Peter Circumstances

Back 68

i. Peter writing from Rome
ii. Beginning of Nero’s persecution
iii. Written to a primarily Gentile-Christian audience in (modern day) Turkey

Front 69

1 peter Place in God’s narrative

Back 69

i. Between the cross and the crown, especially in hard times, love each other in the church and offer a winsome witness to the world.

Front 70

Jude date

Back 70

i. 60s

Front 71

Jude Theme

Back 71

i. Contend for the faith

Front 72

Jude circumstances

Back 72

i. Written by Jude (Jesus’ other ½ bro)
ii. To Alexandria
iii. From Palestine
iv. Addressing Gentile-influenced heresy, Gnostics, false teachers (charismatic- claimed to bee uniquely empowered by HS and therefore able to do whatever they want)

Front 73

Jude Place in God’s narrative

Back 73

i. Unfortunately, at times, a priority of God’s people in the interim between the ages has to be correcting and even opposing gross immorality and/or serious heresy within the church.

Front 74

2 Peter date

Back 74

i. Before 68

Front 75

2 Peter theme

Back 75

i. Where is the promise of His coming?

Front 76

2 pet. circumstances

Back 76

i. Peter from Rome to recipients in western and central Turkey
ii. Counteracting false teachers with libertine lifestyles
iii. Denial of parousia and of final judgment

Front 77

2 Peter Place in God’s narrative

Back 77

i. Unfortunately, at times, a priority of God’s people in the interim between the ages has to be correcting and even opposing gross immorality and/or serious heresy within the church.

Front 78

1, 2, 3 john date

Back 78

i. 90s

Front 79

1 jn theme

Back 79

i. Countering the secessionists

Front 80

1 jn. circumstances

Back 80

i. John to Christian congregations around Ephesus
ii. False teaching that denies the full humanity of Christ, claims sinless perfectionism, yet promotes certain lifestyles that transgress the law
iii. Incipient Gnosticism, Docetism, and cerinthianism

Front 81

1 jn. Place in God’s narrative

Back 81

i. Unfortunately, at times, a priority of God’s people in the interim between the ages has to be correcting and even opposing gross immorality and/or serious heresy within the church.

Front 82

2 jn. theme

Back 82

i. The secessionists attack from outside

Front 83

2 jn Circumstances

Back 83

i. From John to house church in Ephesus
ii. False teachers attaching from outside the church, trying to come back and do further damage to it

Front 84

2 jn. Place in God’s narrative

Back 84

Unfortunately, at times, a priority of God’s people in the interim between the ages has to be correcting and even opposing gross immorality and/or serious heresy within the church.

Front 85

3 jn theme

Back 85

i. The secessionists take over inside?

Front 86

3 jn. Circumstances

Back 86

i. From John in Ephesus to Gaius (poss only to Gaius)
ii. Stage of deteriorating relations in which some of the schismatics had returned to at least one house church and now gained the upper hand

Front 87

3 jn. Place in God’s narrative

Back 87

i. Unfortunately, at times, a priority of God’s people in the interim between the ages has to be correcting and even opposing gross immorality and/or serious heresy within the church.

Front 88

rev. date

Back 88

i. 94-96

Front 89

rev theme

Back 89

i. God’s plans for cosmic history

Front 90

rev. Circumstances

Back 90

i. During Domitianic persecution
ii. John on Patmos
iii. Writing to encourage persecuted churches in Asia minor to “overcome”

Front 91

rev Place in God’s narrative

Back 91

i. Jesus wins, judges his enemies, vindicates his people and ushers in the incomprehensibly magnificent eternal state!

Front 92

pray & be content in all circumstances

Back 92

Phil. 4

Front 93

on women teaching in the church

Back 93

1 Tim 2

Front 94

reasons for unanswered prayer

Back 94

James 4

Front 95

severe warnings against apostasy’s irreversibility

Back 95

Heb 6

Front 96

assurance of eternal life for believers in Jesus

Back 96

1 John 5

Front 97

1. What are three major problems the Pastoral Epistles have in common with regard to historical setting? What are the major responses to these difficulties, and which one of these responses proves most convincing and why?

Back 97

a. The linguistic and literary style is not only relatively homogeneous among these three letters; it also differs markedly from the styles of all the other Pauline epistles
i. 175 words appear here that are used nowhere else in the NT and another 130that are never found elsewhere in Paul
ii. The “trustworthy sayings” are found nowhere else in Paul’s writing
iii. Certain phrases are used here that are found nowhere else in Paul’s writing
b. The doctrinal focus of these epistles seems different from the undisputed writings of Paul
i. High Christology – Colossians and Ephesians
ii. Includes ecclesiology far more than other letters
iii. Doesn’t include centrality of the cross, conflict between flesh and spirit, Holy Spirit filling believers, union with Christ, etc.
iv. The theological emphases of different letters doesn’t have to be the same throughout. Paul had different purposes for each of his letters
v. There is overlap between what Paul addresses in the Pastorals and what he address

Front 98

2. What specific circumstances help explain the differences in theology between the undisputed letters of Paul and the Pastoral Epistles? What appears to be the best setting and date for the Pastoral Epistles?

Back 98

a. Parallels do exist regarding some doctrinal issues, but not all
i. High Christology is missing from Pastorals
ii. Ecclesiology does show up, though, in Philippians
iii. Combination of Judaizing and Hellenizing that is in Pastorals is also found in 1 Corinthians and Colossians
iv. Balanced eschatology in Pastorals can also be found
b. Best setting is after release from house arrest in Rome in AD 62.

Front 99

8. Name the principles that emerge with regard to women in leadership positions in the church in 1 Timothy 2:8-15. What specific features (words, grammar, syntax) in the text helps a reader arrive at these conclusions? How is verse 15 best interpreted and applied?

Back 99

a. Men and women should play their appropriate roles in church worship and leadership
b. The authoritative teaching role that Paul prohibits women from taking would thus be the office of the overseer or elder
c. Infinitive + oude + infinitive is used elsewhere to pair two positive or two negative things. If one is seen as positive then the other must as well. The teaching he is talking about is not false teaching so the authority verb should not be seen as negative
d. The application today should be that no one today should teach heresy, regardless of gender
e. The shift in the number of feminine pronouns in verse 15 suggest that the female gender as a whole is in view. Saved has the sense of preserved or restored

Front 100

9. What are the criteria for church leadership for both overseers and deacons? How is the “husband of one wife” in 3:2 best understood in this context? What commands does Paul issue to those different groups in the church that hold no distinct leadership position?

Back 100

a. Above reproach, good family management, husband of one wife (one woman sort of man),
b. One woman sort of man – the issue is faithfulness to one’s wife
c. Respect for those older, instructions for widows, support for elders, slaves respect their masters

Front 101

10. What does Paul say about money in 1 Timothy 6? In light of this, how should both Timothy and the congregation handle their money?

Back 101

a. The love of money can be a root of all kinds of evil (it is not an evil in and of itself)
b. The people should not trust in their riches because our true reward is laid up in heaven

Front 102

11. What is the purpose and genre of 2 Timothy?

Back 102

a. Paul is passing the torch of his ministry to Timothy at the end of his life
b. Personal paraenetic letter – it exhorts someone to pursue one course of action and abstain from another

Front 103

14. In view of 2 Timothy, what should be a leader’s primary tasks? What is at stake if the instruction is not heeded?

Back 103

a. A pastor needs to raise up a following generation of leadership which will continue to do likewise if the church is to continue. If this doesn’t happen, compromise and complacency will cause individual churches to go under.

Front 104

15. What specific theological doctrines are addressed by key verses in 2 Timothy? What are those verses, and what do they contribute to the New Testament understanding of those doctrines?

Back 104

a. Enduring hardship – Jesus was rewarded for His suffering and so shall we
b. Working hard to be approved by God – God knows those who do His will
c. Depravity in the last days – sin corrupts people
d. The antidote for depravity – spiritual maturity

Front 105

19. What is James’ point about the relationship between faith and works in 2:14-26? How can his teaching be harmonized with Paul’s teachings on the relationship between the two?

Back 105

a. Falls within the context of the exhortation to rich people
b. Paul speaks of Christian faith (trust in Christ) and Jewish works (obeying the law so as to justify oneself), while here James deals with Jewish faith (pure monotheism) and Christian works (good deeds that flow from salvation)
c. Both authors agree that true commitment to Christ will, of necessity, lead to a transformed lifestyle.

Front 106

20. What actions will characterize a person who has received God’s wisdom? What actions and behaviors will Christian behavior necessarily exclude?

Back 106

a. Purity, Humility/gentleness, right speech
b. Fleshly stuff, violence, covetousness, pride, boatful speech

Front 107

22. How does James answer believers’ frustrations at not getting what has been requested of God? What reasons does James give for unanswered prayers? How do these themes tie in with James’ advice on praying for the sick? What are some key exegetical issues to understand regarding the prayer offered in faith for the sick in James 5?

Back 107

a. They simply may not have asked, they may have asked with wrong motives, and it simply may not be His will
b. He assumes his audience has already read and understands 4:15 that God may simply not do what we want
c. It does not teach that if we have enough faith we will be healed of our sicknesses

Front 108

26. What do the comparisons of Christ to each of the institutions mentioned in Scripture convey about Jesus? To what institutions is Christ compared?

Back 108

a. Angels – Sovereignty
b. Moses – Servant vs. Son – Believers enter into a type of Sabbath rest that is not limited to a particular day or frequency of celebration
c. Other priests – His priesthood is neither temporary nor merely human, so He can offer his followers access to God’s throne room
d. The Old Covenant
e. Previous Heroes of the faith

Front 109

27. How are some of the more difficult uses of Old Testament Scripture in the comparison of Christ to the angels used in Hebrews 1 best understood?

Back 109

a. They should see these passages as pointing to Jesus as the Messiah
b. Angels were not something to take refuge in – Jesus is, though

Front 110

28. What theological issue plagues every warning passage in Hebrews? What are the different camps and their interpretations of this issue? Which warning passages are the most helpful to solving the debate, and why? No matter how one settles the issue, what is the central truth the author wishes to emphasize in the warning passages, especially Hebrews 6:4-12?

Back 110

a. The issue of whether or not someone is able to lose their salvation
b. Calvin and Arminius may have disagreed about what the condition a person was in spiritually prior to turning their back on God, but they both agreed that such a person could not be saved for eternity

Front 111

29. What are the full implications of Christ’s suffering and death according to Hebrews 2? What benefits does humanity gain from his death in both this life and in the life to come?

Back 111

a. He was made perfect through suffering. He was perfect ontologically, but He had yet to experience the fullness of what it meant to be human
b. His victory over death is our assured victory over the domain of the devil and to be free from being held captive by it. He has also made full provision for the forgiveness of sin and also knows intimately what temptation to sin feels like

Front 112

30. How does Jesus’ priesthood differ significantly from the priesthood of merely human priests? With what examples does the author assert the superiority of Jesus to the entire Old Testament priesthood?

Back 112

a. He was from the line of Judah and not Levi. His priesthood is eternal. OT priests could not perfect the people like Jesus could. Jesus provided eternal salvation for his followers, and no earthly priest could offer that. OT priests were sinful. Jesus’ sacrifice was once for all.
b. Melchizedek is who He is compared to. All OT priests are subordinate to Melchizedek because Abraham, their great-grandfather, offered tithes to Melchizedek.

Front 113

31. What specific features of the new covenant under Christ are superior to the old covenant under Moses?

Back 113

a. The Mosaic covenant was limited to earth; the new covenant is established in the heavens. The Mosaic covenant provided a temporary covering for sin; the NC gives complete forgiveness.

Front 114

32. What would be a good clarification to the NIV translation of the definition of faith in Hebrews 11? Which examples of the heroes of the faith received sustained attention, and for what reasons? What was the purpose of “the roll call of faith” for the audience of Hebrews that is often missed by contemporary Christians in comfortable settings? How is this purpose reinforced by the opening verses of Hebrews 12?

Back 114

a. Faith simply means believing God’s promises about the future despite the appearances of the present
b. Creation, Abel, and Enoch are examples we know little about.
c. The next set of examples are more familiar to us
d. All of these individuals lived at a time when they couldn’t see the reality of hope in Christ. We have the privilege of looking back and are a part of the same family of faith
e. The suffering and discouragement of the present situation should not deter one from trusting in God

Front 115

36. How does Peter cast suffering in a positive light in his epistle? What can godly living in the midst of suffering accomplish?

Back 115

a. This world is temporary and fading in comparison with the hope for what is to come. This contrast between the transient and the permanent would undoubtedly have strengthened the beleaguered Christian community facing the seemingly limitless power and glory of Rome. This will aid in the sanctification process and be a witness to those watching

Front 116

37. What rationale does Peter give for living holy lives? How is the community essential for fostering holy living? How does Peter’s emphasis on the priesthood of believers differ from Martin Luther’s Reformation emphasis on the same subject?

Back 116

a. God is holy and Jesus was holy in all that He did.
b. Crave pure spiritual milk and build the spiritual house
c. They must work together to do this as a collective unity
d. Peter is referring to the worldwide body of Christian believers, not Israel of the Jewish people. Luther’s understanding saw it more individualized than Peter did. Peter saw it as all believers together mediating God’s grace to a fallen world.

Front 117

38. For Peter, what is the ultimate purpose and outcome of intentionally fostering a holy community? How do Peter’s household codes fit into this purpose? How can Peter’s illustration from the life of Abraham and Sarah be understood to demonstrate the submission of wives to husbands when that was not how the story functioned in its original context? What is the best interpretation of women as the “weaker partner” in marriage?

Back 117

a. The goal is that some would be won for the sake of the Gospel
b. He addresses those in subordinating positions within the community to not go against their expected responsibilities so as to help win those they are submitting to for the sake of the Gospel. Believers should be concerned about the effect their behavior has in the world
c. He uses Sarah to illustrate her willingness to comply with Abraham’s instructions to pose as his sister despite the trouble it eventually got him into
d. Weaker simply refers to physical stature

Front 118

40. How is the difficult passage in 1 Peter 3:18-19, which affirms the preaching of Christ to the spirits in prison, best interpreted? What can be said of this passage offering a second chance at salvation to those who have previously refused the gospel?

Back 118

a. “through which” vs “through whom” – the former indicates that Jesus actually went physically, the latter indicates that the Holy Spirit went on His behalf
b. Most likely this is an announcement by Christ to the demons of the victory his death has wrought over them
c. It is not an evangelistic message but instead a message of victory

Front 119

41. Concluding his epistle, what attitude does Peter advise when one is faced with suffering or persecution? What is the potential spiritual danger of becoming embittered in the midst of suffering? What are the main principles for coping with suffering that will ultimately allow for purification and holiness of believers?

Back 119

a. Christians can rest content that God will avenge all the evil directed against them and continue to follow both main principles for coping with suffering – loyalty to God and service to others

Front 120

44. What is the nature of the heresy that Jude is refuting? Name a few specific examples of notorious figures from Jewish history Jude uses to denounce the false teachers.

Back 120

a. It is antinomian in nature
b. It likely represents Gentile influences more common in the Jewish diaspora than in Israel, so the audience is likely outside of the holy land
c. The false teachers are promoting a godless, immoral lifestyle, probably appealing to God’s grace that frees them from the law.
d. Israelites destroyed in the wilderness, the angels who fell from heaven, the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah, Cain, Balaam, Korah
e. Each of these stresses God’s judgment against such sinners if they fail to repent and come to faith

Front 121

45. How can the use of Pseudepigrapha in Jude’s letter and cultural influences such as prophets and poets in Pauline letters be justified? What can be said of the inspiration of such documents? How can teachers apply this principle to their own teaching?

Back 121

a. Jewish and Christian preachers, ancient and modern, have often appealed to well-known works of fiction, citing excerpts that illustrate key lessons they want to draw, without explicitly reminding their congregations of what everyone already knows about the literary genre (i.e. using Star Wars illustrations)

Front 122

46. What specific suggestions does Jude give for combating these false teachings? How should Christians encourage one another, and how should they deal with heretics? How does this apply to Christian ministries today when they find their message compromised by those who would teach less than the full truth of the gospel?

Back 122

a. Build each other up in prayer, exhibit love and mercy rather than vindictiveness,
b. “Tolerance has its limits” – wrong theology may damn a person, but it is impossible to prove this in the “public square”

Front 123

49. What three heretical assumptions are battled in the letter body of 2 Peter? What is the logical outcome of each of these denials according to Peter? Which one of these denials most resembles a fundamental tenet of modern atheism?

Back 123

a. The denial of the inspiration of Scripture; the denial of basic Christian morality; and the denial of final judgment
b. It all centered around the false teaching that Christ wasn’t actually going to return

Front 124

51. What are the ethical implications of the truth of the coming Parousia for believers?

Back 124

a. If there is no return of Christ then there is no final judgment. If there is no final judgment then it really doesn’t matter how we live our lives today. We are to live holy, grace-filled lives according to true doctrine
b. We should not try to predict the date of the second coming
c. Christians must guard against those who distort Scriptures

Front 125

52. What is the appropriate response to the problem of evil based on 1 Peter 3:9? How do the denials made by the opponents in 1 Peter reflect some of the same opposition to the gospel we see in people today?

Back 125

a. He desires for as many people to be saved as possible. His patience should be interpreted as compassion and not an inability to eradicated evil from this planet.

Front 126

54. What heresies are affecting the church to which John writes? Whose teachings are propagating the heresies, and what are these heresies’ key features, beliefs, and divergences from genuine Christian belief?

Back 126

a. He is writing to Christians in and around Ephesus in the 90’s
b. False teaching: denying the full humanity of Christ, claims of sinless perfection, promotion of certain lifestyles that transgress the law.
c. Incipient Gnosticism (lawless living was compatible with spiritual maturity), Docetism (Christ only seemed to be human while being fully God), and Cerinthianism (the Spirit descended on Jesus at the baptism and withdrew before his crucifixion because God could not truly suffer and die as a human being.

Front 127

56. In what ways are the purposes of the Johannine epistles different from the purposes of John’s Gospel? How does a discussion of the tense of the Greek verb “believe” in 1 John 5:13-15 affect a person’s understanding of one of these key purposes and how is one’s understanding of the doctrine of “eternal security” affected?

Back 127

a. John’s Gospel
i. Deity of Christ
ii. Empowering believers to keep commands
iii. Realized eschatology
iv. Guidance of Holy Spirit
b. 1 John
i. Humanity of Christ
ii. Reminder against claims of sinlessness
iii. Future eschatology
iv. Test the Spirits
c. Used in the present tense – John is not promising salvation to those who at some point in the remote past have made some superficial profession of faith but have not demonstrated anything of the tests of life – correct Christology, love, or obedience to God’s commands – in the intervening years. To those who are currently believing, however, he promises that God will answer their prayers, of course with the caveat that they are within the Father’s will.

Front 128

57. How does John define “love”? Specifically, how does a Christian effectively love God? How does he or she rightly love others? How do these definitions differ from the way we often use the world “love” in twenty-first-century Western culture?

Back 128

a. Love is being presented as the effect of new birth from God, and the knowledge of God, rather than as their cause.
b. “God is love” is not a reversible statement – all love cannot be divine
c. Love expels the fear of judgment from the believer

Front 129

63. The three series of sevens presented in Revelation have been variously understood. Which of the three options provides the explanation of the events of Revelation?

Back 129

a. Chronological in sequence – the events are described in the order that they will happen
b. Recapitulative – each describes the same period of the great tribulation but from a different perspective
c. Telescopic perspective – the seventh in the first two sequences magnifies what is about to come in the second and third sequences. (best)

Front 130

64. What simple outline of the entire apocalypse does Revelation 1:19 offer? How does such an understanding aid a reader in appropriately interpreting the images and metaphors offered throughout Revelation?

Back 130

a. Write down the things that were, are, and are to come
b. The metaphors are in the future and can’t be understood perfectly because they haven’t happened yet

Front 131

65. Perhaps more so than any other New Testament writing, Revelation demands several interpretive decisions that dictate the understanding of this book as a whole. What are these interpretive issues and what are the major views within each of these issues?

Back 131

a. Millennial grid
i. Premillennialists – see Christ returning before the golden age of human history in Rev. 20:4-15
ii. Postmillennialists – revers that sequence of events
iii. Amillennialists – millennium is spiritual and coincides with the present reign of Christ in believers’ hearts

b. Relationship of the rapture to the tribulation
i. Posttribulational – believers experience tribulation and meet Jesus in the air to escort Him to earth
ii. Pretribulational – believers secretly removed before the tribulation
iii. Midtribulational – believers removed before the really bad stuff

c. Historical perspective
i. Futurism – chapters 6-19 are all in the future from John’s perspective
ii. Preterism – all these events were fulfilled by 70 AD
iii. Historicism – all these events are seen as progressively fulfilled throughout church history
iv. Idealism – taking the events as symbolic of the timeless struggle between good and evil throughout the church age

Front 132

67. How are the metaphors of Christ as both Lion and Lamb to be understood throughout Revelation? How is this figure unique among all the inhabitants of heaven?

Back 132

a. He was a lamb in that He was sacrificed for the sins of mankind. He was a lion in that He is a powerful and mighty King.
b. He is the only one who is to receive glory and honor in Heaven

Front 133

68. What is the intended purpose of the seals in Revelation? What elements in the text itself and from the Old Testament help interpreters arrive at this conclusion? Answer the same questions for the trumpets.

Back 133

a. The seals are the prelude to the Great tribulation
b. The scroll would have contained the judgment itself, but it couldn’t be read until the seals were broken. The New Testament describes things that precede the final judgments to come.

Front 134

69. What three significant themes pervade the interlude of the little scroll in Revelation 10?

Back 134

a. God’s people are exempt from his wrath
b. But they do not necessarily escape human and diabolical persecution
c. Nevertheless, God will ultimately right all the wrongs of this age by bringing eternal life to those who support him and eternal death to those who oppose him

Front 135

70. How does one best respond to the repeated claim that we are most certainly in the final generation because of either the evil in the world or the increased evangelization of previously unreached people groups? What is an exegetically sound principle for determining when the end of days might come? Consider chapter 11 in particular.

Back 135

a. There has always been a large presence of evil in the world. As well, there have always been people who are unreached. Regardless of how evil things get, God is able to reach people

Front 136

71. Compare the Satanic trinity of Revelation 12-14 to the Godhead. In what ways does the Satanic trinity attempt to mimic the holy Trinity? Show how each member of the Satanic trinity parodies one of the members of the holy Trinity. What is the main theme that the vision of the Satanic trinity is communicating to its readers?

Back 136

a. The head of the dragon is Satan – parodies the Father
b. The beast out of the sea which is Anitchrist – parodies Jesus
c. The beast from the land – parodies the Holy Spirit

d. They will look similar to and try to do similar things that THE Trinity is and does, but will never quite measure up

Front 137

72. What is the relationship of the seals and the trumpets to the bowls? What portion of humanity is affected by each of them, and how did the author intend the specific numbers mentioned to be understood? Discuss the interludes and their significance in each of these series of seven judgments.

Back 137

a. Reminds us of the plagues of Moses’ day
b. No limitations to the percentage of earth’s population affected
c. The sixth item differs from the previous five.

Front 138

73. What visions depict the political, religious, and economic dimensions of the great evil empire of the end-times? Into what more prosaic truths do they translate?

Back 138

a. Chapter 17 – the harlot who had fornicated with the kings of the earth
b. Chapter 18 – “Babylon’s” demise – accumulation of vast amounts of wealth is another indication of satanic working…not just outright persecution against believers

Front 139

74. What is John’s description of the final battle at Armaggedon? How does this depiction differ from what is often portrayed in the media or in stories loosely based on Revelation’s events? How are believers prepared and armed for the battle that will finally depose Satan and evil?

Back 139

a. There is no battle in the modern sense with casualties on both sides. The beast and false prophet are captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire. Their followers are thrown in as well and consumed.

Front 140

77. With all of its cryptic language and puzzling imagery, what is the central claim that believers must understand from Revelation concerning the end of human history? How does this differ from the way many people have used Revelation, both in our generation and in previous generations?

Back 140

a. Despite all of the diversity in humanity, there are only two possible destinies for people – one indescribably wonderful and on unimaginably horrible. How one responds to Jesus (the Lamb who is also a Lion) makes all the difference in the universe as to how we experience eternity
b. Many people try to see this as an explanation of what will happen in the end times