bsf answers – The Notes are Good

26.5 Revelation – Completely Saved without Separation

I loved the question in our study today of the three completions of God. We have the completion of creation in Genesis. We have the completion of the payment of redemption by Jesus on the cross and we have the completion of the death of the old creation and the origin of the new creation, the new heaven and the new earth.

Everything from the first creation is dead and gone, passed away. The entire earth and all physical things, the spiritual world, even death and Hades have been cast into the lake of fire, something that was part of the first creation.

But God makes a new heaven, a new earth and a new holy city. The only thing, other than God Himself, that comes into the new creation are the saved, those whom Jesus bought out of the old world and its death and gave a home in the new creation. If not for the completion of the payment of redemption on the cross, we, too would be part of what passed away.

I also love the things that John emphasizes in Revelation and the things he just says in passing. Time and again he discusses facts around Satan’s demise and Jesus’ victory. For weeks of our study we often had questions that sounded very similar to the questions from the previous week or a couple of weeks ago, because he loops back into the story, telling things in more depth or from a different angle or perspective.

But, then, in passing, in a single sentence, he just happens to mention that the new earth won’t have a sea.

No sea? The sea is a real thing, we can see it, feel it, touch it, taste it smell it, etc. But it is also a metaphor, a symbol, a stand-in for the message of separation from God. The lands are separated by the sea, not the other way around. The sea is unforgiving, it rages, it produces storms and waves, it swallows lives. All water ultimately flows to the sea and the sea is filled with death. The waters of the sea are inhospitable. More men have walked on the moon than have been to the bottom of the sea. The beast rises out of the sea. While evolutionists want to claim the sea as the origin of life, we know there is one greater than the sea, who is the true author of creation.

Jesus walked on the water of the sea. Jesus spoke a word and the sea was calmed. The sea obeys God. God commanded the sea to rise up in the flood of Noah. God prevented Jonah’s death in the sea and delivered him to dry land. Jesus called many of his apostles out of jobs of making a living from being in the sea to being alive in Him. One of the first things He did with his apostles after his resurrection was to prepare a meal for them on the shores of the sea and called them out of it to fellowship with Him. In Daniel and Revelation we read of the angel of God who stands over both land and sea.

While there won’t be a physical sea in the new creation, there also will not be a symbolic sea either. There will be no more separation from God. The water we drink will all be of the spirit and our thirst will be quenched.

My Answers:

10.
No sea, no tears, no death, no mourning , no crying, no pain, no sin – everything is being made new – comforted and encouraged because of my confidence that I and my loved ones will be present there.

11.
Gen: completed work of creation – a day of rest as a model for His creation and as a sign of completeness
John: Jesus’ death on the cross, it is finished, the payment for sin (a perfect life sacrificed) was done
Rev: A/Z Beginning and End, to the thirsty I give spring of water of life – The completeness of judgement and the time for the new creation, replacing the other corrupted by sin, with eternal life for all believers without cost.
John 7:37-38

12.
a.
He grants people their desire – they desire to be eternally separated from Him and all that He gives and stands for

b.
the decision is one of eternal consequence

23.4 Revelation – Rejoice or Lament?

We see a stark contrast in the attitudes of men in this section of Revelation 18. The kings, the merchants and the providers of transportation of goods mourn and lament the fall of Babylon. They received their riches from the wickedness and excesses of this city and people. They placed their futures, their lives and their riches in relationships with this wicked place. When it falls, they feel loss. They feel loss and shock, that something they were so thoroughly invested in could fall completely in one hour.

Invested is the key word. For believers with investments in the kingdom of Heaven, of eternity with the Lord, the actions of Babylon have been that of terrorist. The throw stones to break windows, they harass and threaten, kidnap and even kill. Even though Babylon is powerless in contrast to the might of the Kingdom of God, they stand in ugly opposition to what is good and right and pure and sacred. Those with investments in the Kingdom, rejoice when this is put to an end. They rejoice the wickedness is stopped and God’s Kingdom will cover the earth. It is something we have prayed for since little children: Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

The dawn of the answer to the fulfillment of that prayer is a time for rejoicing by God’s people. Do not lament. Do not fear. Do not carry guilt for your actions and connections with the Babylons of the Earth. Instead, repent (forgive us our sins), and Rejoice. For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, Forever.

My Answers:

8.
a.
Kings, Merchants, sea captains – each benefited directly from her sinful ways. They were parties to the excesses. Merchants had grown accustomed to her markets. Transporters had carried (at a profit) her excesses to her.

b.
True treasure is found in heaven, not on earth. We are only temporary renters here. Why spend our time, energy, resources on temporary housing when we can send it ahead to our eternal home. The things of this earth – all things of this earth – are temporary and subject to loss and destruction.

9.
God has judged her and the judgment she imposed on you. It is a leveling of the scales of justice – God setting things right. It also means an end to the continued wickedness of Babylon poured out on all who follow God

10.
Crimes against children of all forms and in all places. Abuse, neglect, malnutrition, barriers to education, false-teachers and ungodly educators. All evil and injustice is bad, but those committed against children are blatant acts against God because they are aimed at the innocent, those with no ability to protect themselves or respond.

15.4 Revelation – Tribe, Language, People, Nation

Tribe, Language, People, Nation

Revelation 5:9 – And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation

Revelation 7:9 – After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

Revelation 11:9 – For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.

I found it interesting how thoroughly God has stirred the pot of humanity. Today when we think about people from a certain part of the world or who speak a certain language, we make assumptions about their religion. But by the end times, none of this will make a difference. Jesus, the Lamb of God, has paid the price of sin for all mankind, regardless of race, language, nationality, or family and tribe.

However, as amazing as that is, it is even more troubling that there will be people from every tribe, language, people and nation who not only reject Jesus, but do so to the degree that they dance in the streets and exchange gifts celebrating the death of God’s own witnesses. How sad that no group, however big or small, is “all in”. Every group has members who will be part of these who reject the Lord.

The challenge in this is to think about the prejudices we hold. Are we more or less likely to witness to one tribe or nationality than another? Do we make an assumption that we should or should not make talk about Jesus to someone who speaks a certain language?

We will truly all be brothers and sisters in unity with our Lord.

My Answers

9.
a.
attack, overpower and kill them. God preserved them in death for 3 1/2 days and then brought them back to life and raised them up, in the body, to heaven in a cloud

b.
Earthquake and 1/10th of the city collapsed. 7000 people killed in the earthquake

10.
a.
John 11: Jesus is the resurrection. Whoever believes will live even though they die and then never die
John 14: Jesus has prepared a place for His believers in God’s house, He will come back to take us there
1 Cor: Christ is the first fruits over death, it will be destroyed as all else is under Jesus
Phil: We are citizens of heaven, waiting to be transformed into His glorious body
1 Thes: dead raised first, after those still alive will be caught up with them in the clouds
1 John: We don’t know our transformed bodies yet but will when we see Jesus again, like Him

b.
Kids

13.2 Revelation – Stopping the Wind

Stopping the Wind

Who can stop the wind?

Wind is an unseen but very real force. It is constantly moving with both benefits and harm. It helps cleanse the earth, move and dissipate smoke and polution. It drives the rain clouds. It also produces tornadoes, hurricanes, down-gusts and micro-bursts.

Whether you see the stopping of the wind as a form of wrath in itself (by removing the beneficial properties of the wind) or a delay of wrath (by holding back the destructive power), either way, the power and ability to perform such a task in outside of our comprehension.

We can deflect the wind. We can make shelters from the wind. But we can’t hold it back.

But God can. And Revelation 7 says that He will for His purpose. He will send angels to hold back the wind and then another angel to seal 144,000.

Righteous harm will befall the earth. It is inevitable and part of God’s plan of purification for the stain of sin on creation. But God is in control even of the inevitable. He can hold back even the wind for His purposes. We see it in the end times and we see it in our daily lives. All sin is against God and all of us sin. We pile up debts of sin with no way to repay even the smallest. God is not unjust. He does not leave sin unpunished or unreconciled, but He holds back His right or setting the accounts right, so that the ones He love can be drafted to His service.

My Answers:

3.
standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds

4.
a.
destruction, invasion, wrath, power, anger

b.
Patience – protection of the earth, land, sea, trees and people to be sealed

c.
every day I sin and deserve the wrath of God. All sin is against God.

06 Moses 6, Day 4

The Biggest Gun

There is a famous scene of the Cairo Swordsman in the first Indiana Jones movie. After a chase scene in a crowded market, Dr. Jones is faced with a trained assassin, a skilled swordsman prepared to meet this outsider. In the scene, Indiana Jones watches the moves of the assassin for a few seconds then takes out his gun and shoots him.

The Israelite people left Egypt fully armed for battle (13:18) or at least battle as they knew it from their time in Egypt. But God had something bigger and more powerful than they could even imagine, if they would put their trust in Him.

He couldn’t just tell them about it. It was a power they would not have been able to fathom and believe. Let’s face it, thousands of years later many still have a hard time understanding and believing it. No, the only way was to show them – and what better way to demonstrate it than against the most powerful army of the most powerful nation they could imagine: Egypt.

He placed them into a position that was contrary to any military logic. He had them wander about to feign a message to the Egyptian army that they lacked direction and leadership and a mission. Then he positions them in an indefensible camp with their backs to an impassible body of water. At which point He demonstrates that not only is His power greater than all the gods of Egypt, but it is even more powerful than something the Egyptians put even more trust into than their 8700 gods. God is more powerful than the entire Egyptian army, chariots and all.

He parts the water and the Israelite people cross over walking on dry land with walls of water on each side of them. When they have all safely passed, he allows the Egyptians to pursue, but then confuses them so they run in circles and get stuck and break down in the midst of the parted sea, then He simply closes the sea around them, destroying and defeating everything about the army.

Now, that is a bigger gun!

My Answers:

8.
a.
God recognized the weakness of their faith and did not lead them through Philistine country. They went up out of Egypt ready for battle. He led them by day and night and was teaching them to trust fully in Him.

b.
He put them into a position, by wandering around and then camping with no avenue of retreat, that their own power and strength was futile, but through His mighty hand He provided a safe passage and defeat of their enemies.

c.
Pharaoh and all his army and all the Egyptians know that “I am the LORD.” when he freed the Israelites and destroyed the entire army

d.
I am totally unequipped to minister to those in foreign lands, I am not equipped, I do not speak any other languages, I do not know the culture – I am a man with faltering lips in this area. But less than a week ago, with 3 days notice, God placed the main leaders of the house church movement in a closed communist nation in my house along with 40 people from that country who are here on student and work visas and God allowed me to be a small part of demonstrating His compassion and hospitality so that He could do His work through the connections of these people. Buses were showing up full of noted Christian authors, pastors and house church leaders along with non-believers and seekers. If this occurred in their home country they would have been persecuted and imprisoned for even being in the same room. Many of the leaders in our home had spent years in prison and suffered brutality and torture in the name of Jesus. But on this day, dozens of people were on their knees being prayed over in their native tongue and hearing the word of God spoken. The hardest thing I had to do was the dishes!

9.
a.
the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant

b.
He is truly mighty and wonderful. He does not need me, but has allowed me to have a part and to see how He is moving in the lives of others, especially the children.

04.2 Moses 4, Day 2

Reasonable Request Reflects Reality

One of our questions today asked if the request of Pharaoh made by Moses and Aaron was reasonable? That is a very interesting question on a lot of levels. If the goal was to free the Israelite people from bondage, is it deception to ask for a 3-day pass?

But I believe, like everything else in the bible, this is here for a purpose. Let’s look deeper.

1. There was no law against worship. Egypt didn’t have a state religion, in fact the Egyptians worshiped many different gods and had feasts and feast days for many of them. Everything from the sun god to the god of the Nile, the frog god and the god of flies. They lacked not for gods and temples to worship them. So it was not unprecedented for people to worship.

2. Pharaoh had the authority to grant the request. As is evident later in Exodus 5, the slave drivers took their orders from Pharaoh. He gave the quotas and provided the raw materials for their work. He was the one in charge and the only one in Egypt with authority to grant this request.

3. It was not an ongoing or outlandish request. They were not asking for a stop to labor or a 50% reduction in work. They weren’t asking to go to work for Egypt’s competitors. They weren’t asking for major, ongoing concessions, just a respite for worship.

I think this is here so we can truly see Pharaoh’s heart and his view of the Israelite workers. If this request and response weren’t here, then we wouldn’t know. We may have thought that, while slavery is never good, but maybe things weren’t so bad. Maybe if they had just worked with Pharaoh he would have been supportive. Maybe if presented with the option, Pharaoh would have chosen God.

But, here we see the truth. Pharaoh didn’t know the Lord nor did he want to. Pharaoh did not care about the Hebrews. To Pharaoh, they were a resource. They were machines in the production or buildings. They were slaves. They weren’t people.

But to God, they were people. They would be His people and He would be their God.

My Answers:

3.
a.
The sacrifices they would offer to the Lord would be detestable to the Egyptians and they would stone the Israelites

b.
Yes, they did not ask for Pharaoh to free the Egyptians, just to give them the opportunity to worship God by holding a festival in the wilderness a 3 day journey

c.
I do not know the Lord – why are you taking them from their labor, get back to work, they are numerous (i.e., it would be a major impact to productivity to shut down for 3 days)

4.
a.
Slave drivers were Egyptians, Forement (overseers) were Hebrews

b.
They were taking the brunt of the punishment and blame, they were being beaten, they were in a position of authority and honor (better to be foreman than making the bricks). They are “part of management”

03.4 Moses 3, Day 4

Insecurity, Inadequacy and Fear

Insecurity, Inadequacy and Fear are three of the top 10 barriers that those of us called to serve the Lord allow to stand in the way of serving Him fully and whole heartedly. Some will read the verses in our study today and see an impertinent or obstinate Moses. But I think this is far deeper and more meaningful.

When we stand in the presence of God we will speak the truth. Scripture tells us that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

I think what we see is Moses revealing his heart and soul layer by layer in the presence of a loving and patient God. Yesterday we discussed the first 2 barriers. I don’t know who I am and I don’t know who you are, God. God addressed those. Now we move deeper past the surface.

1. I am insecure. What if they don’t believe me? What if I lay myself out in front of them and they reject me? God answers this by making Moses more secure and teaching him about God’s plan. God shows him how to perform miraculous signs. He doesn’t just tell him these signs, He allows Moses to practice the signs and to experience there impact first hand. He teaches Moses what he is to do and enlightens him that they may not believe the first sign or the second sign and they may not listen to Moses, but they will believe the third.

2. I am inadequate. I am not eloquent. I am slow of speech. What if I don’t have the words to convince them? What if I don’t know what to say or how to say it? God patiently reminds him not of Moses power but of Gods. Who made it so men can speak? This is not a barrier, because it is not a barrier to God. God tells him again, “now, go” and reminds him that God will not only help him speak but actually teach him the very words to say.

3. I am afraid. No one likes to admit we are afraid, but we all experience fear and it can paralyze us. I believe Moses’ final request, that God send someone else, is an expression of his fear. And how does God address this? In two ways. First, if you are going to have fear in your life, let it be a reasonable fear of the Lord. God’s anger burned against Moses. The shift from petty fears to righteous fear that Moses must have experienced at that moment must have been palpable. But God did not use fear to be the motivation for Moses to obey. This is very important. God revealed Moses’ fear for what it was in comparison to the fear of God, but He didn’t leave Moses with something to move away from, He gave Moses something to look forward to. The conversation between God and Moses reveals that Moses and Aaron knew each other as brothers. Moses knew that Aaron could speak well. Moses had been away for 40 years, away from home and family, and God overcomes his fear with a promise of hope and love and reuniting. He tells Moses that Aaron is already on his way to meet him. (Don’t miss that. God didn’t yield to Moses’ fear, he had sent Aaron on his way before this conversation happened.)

God helps and is patient of us in exactly the same way. He overcomes our feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. He overcomes our fear with hope and love and reuniting. He has given us the promise of a promised land that makes the land of Canaan look like a wasteland. He has given us a promise of his presence that makes the pillar of fire look like a flashlight with weak batteries.

Like Moses, He has given us a sign and a promise: when our mission here on earth is done we shall return to a holy place to worship Him.

My Answers:

7.
a.
1. What if they don’t believe me or listen to me?
2. Pardon, I have never been eloquent… I am slow of speech and tongue.
3. Pardon, Please send someone else

b.
v2-9 foresight into miraculous signs
v11-12. who gave human beings their mouths?… Now, go; I will help you speak and teach you what to say
14-17. The Lord’s anger burned against Moses – gave him helper, Aaron

c.
I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to offend. I’m not the right person. I’m too sinful to be believed. I’m not holy enough. God has been patient with me, taught me, and has taken up residence in my heart.

25 BSF Matthew Week 25, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

My Daily Journal:

A call to action. It is used in advertising and sales. It is used in motivation and investing. It is a big part of being a responsible, successful result. If you want something, if you believe something, then take action – do something. An idea is nothing. An idea put into action can change the world.

Faith is no different. If your faith is alive it is on fire in you. It cannot be contained or constrained. It is producing heat and steam and it needs to vent out in service to others and praise to God. But these works are not done as a tally or score. They don’t earn points. They aren’t done out of guilt or obligation. Truly glorious, honorable works are done out of love for God.

And Christ’s expectation of us is so reasonable. Note what he says of the goats. They did NONE of these things. It isn’t a list of all the things they needed to do. They did nothing. They sought only themselves. They knew of the gift of Jesus, laying down His life, but couldn’t be bothered to offer a drink to someone they considered below themselves.

Might they have fed and given drinks to others? It is possible, but for what purpose? Was it to win favor with a higher up, a potential client? Was it to be seen as a “good person”? Did they need the tax deduction? Then they had already received their reward. But the acts done for the love of Christ, those are the acts of one who follows the lamb.

My Answers:

10.
a.
On His glorious throne above all nations

b.
All nations, all people of all time – everyone

11.
a.
gave food when hungry, drink when thirsty, invited in stranger, clothed, cared for when sick, visited in prison

b.
Did no do any of these things

12.
a.
When did we see you…?

b.
Romans: seek glory, honor and immortality (seek God) and will have eternal life – do good
James: faith by itself, not accompanied by action, is dead – don’t earn salvation but true faith demands actions
1John: Jesus laid down life for us, we ought to lay down our lives for others – not love with words but with action

22 BSF Matthew Week 22, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

My Daily Journal:

People often misunderstand the term “Fear of God.” I don’t think this means a fear of punishment, viewing God as someone to cower from or to avoid so as not to anger him. Instead, I think it means fear of disappointing.

I grew up in my father’s home town. When I went someone, anywhere, the odds were very high that someone there knew my dad and knew I was his son. My actions, and my mis-deeds, reflected not only on me but on him. I did not fear so much his anger or punishment, but that I would dishonor or disappoint him by my callous behavior.

I think having that same type of fear of God is important and that it reflect love and honor and respect for our Heavenly Father. But that is not whom the spiritual leaders in the temple feared. When Jesus challenged them about John the Baptist, there was nothing in their thought process about God or truth. It was all about fear of men.

Whom you fear reflects whom you honor and respect.

My Answers:

5.
a.
show us your qualifications, license, certification, authority – Union card, who died and made you the messiah?

b.
Every day Jesus taught in the temple – teachers of the law and the leaders were trying to kill him

6.
a.
They decided to not believe John the Baptist, the prophets, the prophecies of scriptures

b.
seeing don’t see, hearing don’t hear, hear don’t understand, see, not perceive, calloused heart, blind

7.
a.
Gentiles, tax collectors, prostitutes – others that were considered blatant sinners

b.
The jews, particularly the teachers of the law and pharisees

8.
a.
Said no, but did: Same, drugs, prostitution, open sin. Said yes, but no: Church going hypocrites

b.
I was the later, but now am the says yes and does

21 BSF Matthew Week 21, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

My Daily Journal:

It is often helpful to put ourselves into the biblical story. By immersing ourselves into character, we not only get a deeper sense of the message but we are better able to see how we should apply the truth and change our daily walk.

In the story of the land owner and workers found in Matthew 20, our first inclination is to put ourselves in the position of the worker and Jesus as the land owner.

But, let’s take a different view point. What if you take on the character of the landowner. This isn’t a stretch. Romans 8 says we are heirs with Christ. Jesus himself refers to his followers as stewards. What if we are the stewards of this land? What is the message to us?

I see several:

1. Be relentless in calling others into the harvest. Jesus said the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. How much of that is because we aren’t repeatedly showing up to find people waiting to be called?

2. Give each worker a full measure of God’s word and grace. Some of the workers were doing a lot of different things with their life before they were convicted to show up at the street corner. How often do we tend to hold that against them? The landowner gave the first workers a full measure. He did not give the later workers any less.

3. Don’t negotiate. The bible says what the bible says. How often are we tempted to water it down to fit the views and opinions of others. We fall into a trap of the world’s view of “fair”. God is just and He doesn’t hold back His grace.

4. Expect persecution but watch for the joy. What did the landowner hear about when he passed out the wages? Did he hear the joy of those called late in the day? Maybe a little, but it was mostly drowned out by the grumbles of those called early. It is easy to focus on the grumbling, the persecutions in life, so much so that we sometimes miss the joy.

My Answers:

7.
a.
Eternal life is the denarius – but it isn’t earned nor is more earned by longer work or greater deeds

b.
He calls the workers. He has the work and the pay. He provides grace and love and complete reward

c.
They have an entitlement attitude. They judge themselves based on other men (not a sign of humility) and find themselves more deserving then are upset at rewards given to those who have worked less

d.
At any point I am called to work it is a blessing – Thankful for the reward I am given, not jealous or self-righteous, but be humble

e.
That He would work so hard to call us to work – He doesn’t need us, we need Him, but He pursues us over and over again.