Second Death and
Victorious Life
8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These
are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life
again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are
rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but
are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are
about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test
you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the
point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the
churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second
death.”
Where is the
church that John was supposed to write (verse 8)?
Who died and came
to life again (verse 8)?
In your opinion,
why does Jesus say that this church is rich, even though he knows “your afflictions and your poverty”
(verse 9)?
Who are the ones
who are slandering the members of this church (verse 9)?
What is the church
not to be afraid of (verse 10)?
Who will put “some of you in prison to test you” (verse
10)?
In your opinion, what
is the significance of the persecution lasting “for ten days” (verse 10)?
How long were the
church members to “be faithful”
(verse 10)?
What will those
who remain faithful receive “as your
victor’s crown” (verse 10)?
What will “the one who is victorious” not be hurt
by (verse 11)?
In your opinion, what is the basic
message of this passage?
James 1:2-12 - New
International Version (NIV)
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you
face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing
of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish
its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If
any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all
without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when
you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a
wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person
should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a
person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in
their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their
humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For
the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and
its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while
they go about their business.
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because,
having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord
has promised to those who love him.”
What are believes
to consider “pure joy” (verse 2)?
What produces perseverance (verse 3)?
When do believers
become “mature and complete, not lacking
anything” (verse 4)?
Who should we ask
if we lack wisdom (verse 5)?
How does God give (verse
5)?
In your opinion,
what does it mean to “believe and not
doubt” (verse 6)?
Who should not
expect to “receive anything from the
Lord” (verses 6 and 7)?
Who should “take pride in their high position” (verse
9)?
What should the
rich take pride in “since they will pass
away like a wild flower” (verse 10)?
In your opinion, what can we understand
about the rich from the comparison of the wild flower and the rich (verse 11)?
Who is blessed (verse 12)?
What will the one who has “stood the test” receive (verse 12)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message
of this passage?
In your opinion, how does James’
discussion of believers in “humble
circumstances” and the rich taking “pride
in their humiliation” in James 1:2-12 help us to understand how Jesus in
Revelation 2:8-11 indicates that He knows the afflictions and poverty of the church
at Smyrna but says that they are rich?
John 5:24-30 - New
International Version (NIV)
24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes
him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over
from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming
and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those
who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself,
so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And
he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who
are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those
who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is
evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing;
I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please
myself but him who sent me.”
Who
“will not be judged but has crossed over
from death to life” (verse 24)?
When will the dead “hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live” (verse
25)?
What do the Father and the Son have in
themselves (verse 26)?
Who has the “authority to judge” (verse 27)?
In your opinion, when will “all who are in their graves” hear His
voice and come out (verses 28 and 29)?
Who will “rise to live” (verse 29)?
Who will “rise to be condemned” (verse 29)?
Why is Jesus’ judgment just (verse 30)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message
of this passage?
In your opinion, what can we understand
from considering Jesus’ statement that “whoever
hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal live and will not be
judged but has crossed over from death to life” in John 5:24-30 with along
with James’ statement that “Blessed is
the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person
will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” in James 1:2-12?
In your opinion, how does Jesus’ statement
in John 5:24-30 that “whoever
hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be
judged but has crossed over from death to life” help
us to understand about His statement in Revelation 2:8-11 that “the one who is victorious will not
be hurt at all by the second death”?
Revelation 21:1-8 –
New International Version (NIV)
1 “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first
heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I
saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now
among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God
himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe
every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying
or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making
everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are
trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from
the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious
will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But
the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral,
those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be
consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
What did John see (verse 1)?
Where was “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem” coming from (verse 2)?
Who said “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell
with them” (verse 3)?
Why will there be “no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (verse 4)?
Who said “I am making everything new” (verse 5)?
In your opinion, what is “done” (verse 6)?
What will “the thirsty” receive (verse
6)?
Who will inherit (verse 7)?
What is “the second death” (verse 8)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message
of this passage?
In your opinion, what
does Revelation 21:1-8 help to understand about the life that Jesus promises to
all who “hears my word and believes him
who sent me” and also the condemnation of those who have done evil in John
5:24-30?
In your opinion, how is promise of Jesus
in Revelation 21:1-8 when He says “He will wipe
every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying
or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” especially
meaningful to the people that James instructs “consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you
face trials of many kinds” in James 1
2-12?
In your opinion, how
does Revelation 21:1-8 explain how the promise of Jesus in Revelation 2:8-11
that “the one who is victorious will not be
hurt at all by the second death” is fulfilled?
In your opinion, what do these passages,
from Revelation, James and John show us about ourselves today?
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