of the SPIRIT WORLD The Bible on the end times and all that weird stuff
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Written by Leanne Hill
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The Bible and the end times There are some teachings in the Bible that are often considered to be difficult, ‘out there’ and controversial. The end times and other ‘weird stuff’ certainly fulfil all three descriptions. You may find this stuff freaky, fascinating, frightening or just downright weird. Or perhaps you’ve never even heard of the ‘end times’. If you haven’t, ‘the end of the world as we know it’ might seem a bit more familiar. In War of the Spirit World, we’re going to engage with the end times, and things like angels, demons, witches—things which some might think are a bit obscure. And the Bible isn’t the only place you’ll come across this stuff. Vampires, angels, and the supernatural in general are on our TV and movie screens all the time. But how does God see these things? How close is God’s view on these things to what we see in movies and read in books? In short, just what is God’s perspective on where this world is heading, and on things like the occult, angels and demons? We’re going to look at answering these questions in War of the Spirit World.
The uncertain and the certain How do you feel knowing that the world might end one day? Does it make you feel uncertain about your life, or even the meaning of it all? The Bible contains answers to the questions we have about certainty in this world, and they’re not just freaky or fascinating—they’re grounded in sure promises which Jesus made when he came to earth. He assured us that he will be with us ‘even to the end of the age’. There have been many prophets and groups who have tried to predict when the world would end—to date, none of them have been right! God tells us in the Bible that he alone knows when the end of the world will happen, and while this might leave us with some level of uncertainty, God is sovereign and in control of all things. Romans 8:22 tells us that the world is groaning to be free from suffering and decay. The promise that this will one day happen gives us hope. You’ll learn more about this in Lesson 1, which examines these ‘end of the world’ predictions, and in Lesson 3, which explores the return of Jesus, the King.
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Weird numbers What is all the hype about 666? Perhaps you have never even heard of this ‘weird’ number reference. There has been debate over the meaning of the number 666 ever since it was written thousands of years ago in the book of Revelation. If you flick through this last book of the Bible, you’ll come across bizarre imagery, particularly of a beast with ten horns and seven heads. Over time, many people have tried to decipher the number 666 and have wondered about the meaning of these dazzling and mindboggling images. We’ll have a look at these in Lesson 2.
Satan and the supernatural Have you ever been tempted to dabble in the occult? Ever been interested in using a ouija board? Aren’t these things just harmless fun?
There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fa ll ab out the devils. One is to disbel ieve in their exis tence. The othe is to believe, an r d to feel an exce ssive and unheal interest in them thy . They themselv es are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician w ith the same de light. CS LEWIS 1
In his book The Screwtape Letters1, CS Lewis (of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe fame) warns us that things like Satan, the occult, séances and the like are dangerous, but we shouldn’t get so freaked out by them that we give them more importance than they deserve. Lessons 4 and 7 will look at the perspective we should have on Satan and the supernatural: the perspective the Bible offers us.
Heaven and angels How do you feel about having your own personal angel to watch over you, looking out for you and keeping you away from danger? Sounds OK doesn’t it, and in our Western world, we’re used to being told we’re important, even enough to have our own personal angel who’s on our side, working for us. It might be a nice idea but is this really what angels do? In Lesson 5, we’ll look at what the Bible has to say about angels, and we’ll be better able to work out which of these ideas is biblically true, and which have been created by the world around us. And while we’re on the subject of angels, we’ll take a look at heaven as well. Is it a cool place where the sun will always shine, where everyone good will go for a neverending party? If so, what is hell, and what do these things mean for us? In Lesson 6, we’ll explore the Bible’s take on these two extraordinary places and how we should think about them.
Where to from here? Some of these topics may seem ‘way out’ and just too weird for anyone to understand. But we’ll see as we look at the Bible that, while there is plenty of mystery, we can have a good, solid, true and helpful perspective on these things when we see them the way God does. Our last lesson will ask the question ‘Where to from here?’ What do we do with our lives on this earth in light of what we’ve just learned about the realms beyond?
Introduction | 3
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Does the Bible teach that the world will come to an end? Let’s investigate how God has worked and is working in history.
kingdom as a place, God making things right, God telling us who Jesus is and what’s going to happen, God’s plans for his people.
Bible probe
4. Matthew 12:15–21; Luke 4:16–21:
In your group, read these three passages together and list what you can find about what God has done or will do. 5. Matthew 24:21–31: 1. Genesis 2:4–9:
6. Revelation 21:1–8; 22:1–6: 2. Genesis 3:17–24:
3. Genesis 6:6–22:
Now read the following passages together and list what you can find about the following concepts: God’s deserved judgement, God’s permanent restoration of our bodies, God’s new
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History is in fact God’s story of how he has worked in the world. How would you tell a friend about one of the amazing things you have learned that God has done or will do?
Mankind and the earth are cursed The Garden of Eden is created
God saves Noah and his family
Get the picture of God’s big plan Get creative and illustrate the missing pictures in God’s big plan. Use your Bible or passage handout to help.
Jesus comes to preach the good news The holy city comes down from heaven False prophets will preach before Jesus returns
6789:';<=:>'%8?@A6789:'=?@?B?8'%8?@ When Jesus returns, God will restore the earth to be what he originally intended in the Garden of Eden. It will be perfect and will be a place where humanity lives in perfect relationship with God through Jesus. Let’s make the comparison. From the PowerPoint, list the similarities between the First Eden and the Renewed Eden.
First Eden
Renewed Eden
The end of the world? | 5
!7'<:'>C?=?'D@'?@8'7;'D@E>C<@F5 Jesus did speak about the end of something and it’s to do with a big promise. Check out the mega message from Jesus in Matthew 28:20. Wow! That is some promise.
I am with y to the very ou always, end of the age. JESU S, MATTHE
Jesus will be with us until he returns at the end of this age, the age of ‘grace’ in which people are given time to turn to him.
But what did Jesus mean by ‘age’?
We can look forward to the world being made perfect: the way it was meant to be!
An ‘age’ is a period of time and usually includes a change of action or thought. The Macquarie Dictionary defines it as: ‘a particular period of history, as distinguished from others’1.
It has been said that we are living in an age of ‘grace’, that is, God is giving us time to come to him. When Jesus comes as King, this age will end. Until then, we have this amazing promise that Jesus is with us!
God keeps his people: past, present and future
Who should have been fearful of God and why?
People have long predicted that the world would end and have gone about proclaiming it in very unusual ways! God protected his people in the past when he came in judgement. Read about the following events from the Old Testament: Genesis 7–8 (Noah) and Exodus 11–12 (Moses). How did God protect his people?
Jesus is with God’s people in the future We have previously read Jesus’ promise from Matthew 28:20. Because Jesus promises to be with his followers until the end of the age, he can give them this confidence. The Apostle Paul encourages Timothy with these words:
For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 TIMOTHY 1:7
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W 28:20
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Bethany Hamilton’s story Halloween 2003. I was 13 years old and I was surfing with my best friend. It was a picture perfect morning. It was beautiful out and the water was crystal clear blue. We were just surfing, waiting for waves, and I was sitting out further than everyone else, and within a split second the shark came and took my arm. I didn’t really have time to think much. Right away I knew I had to get to the beach just to survive this. Immediately my friends came and helped me. I just laid there and prayed the whole way in, asking God for help. I had lost about 60% of my blood and as I was getting into the ambulance there was a local paramedic and he whispered in my ear and said, ‘God will never leave you nor forsake you’. I gave my heart to Jesus when I was about five years old and being able to turn to Jesus during this crazy moment in my life gave me a sense of peace and calmness and I think that’s one thing that kept me alive.
I was 13, I had dreams and goals and I was doing really well with surfing. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to surf again or not. Surfing— there is just something really special about it. The feelings you get when you’re on a good wave. Your adrenaline is pumping and the blood is just flowing through your whole body. Every wave is different; it’s not like every wave is the same. Being out there in the ocean in God’s creation is a gift he has given us to enjoy. I knew I wanted to continue surfing. It was more waiting for the doctor’s orders to allow me to get in the water. But I got out there and it was a pretty amazing experience learning how to surf with one arm. I knew how to surf, but it was just figuring out how to do it with one arm. I ended up getting up on my third wave and riding it all the way in! Right then I knew I would be surfing for a long time. From what seems like such a horrible thing, God has brought glory to himself through me. I’ve been able to be a good light to people and share his love. I wake up every day and honour God in everything that I do. I may fall short sometimes, but all I want to do is love him.2 How was Jesus there for Bethany?
The end of the world? | 7