February 26, 2023 – John’s Writings – Fire and Light

Fire and Light

Daniel 3:19-28 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual ²⁰ and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. ²¹ So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. ²² The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, ²³ and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

²⁵ He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

²⁶ Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, ²⁷ and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

²⁸ Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

Why did Nebuchadnezzar order “the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual” (verse 19)?

Who did Nebuchadnezzar order to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and then “throw them into the blazing furnace” (verse 20)?

What were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego wearing when they were tied up and thrown into the furnace (verse 21)?

What happened to the soldiers who threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the furnace (verse 22)?

Where did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego end up (verse 23)?

Who ask “weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire” (verse 24)?

What did the fourth man who was “walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed” look like (verse 25)?

In your opinion, why did King Nebuchadnezzar call Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego “servants of the Most High God” when he called for them to come out (verse 26)?

What did the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers see when they crowded around Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (verse 27)?

Who did King Nebuchadnezzar give praise to (verse 28)?

What choice had Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego made (verse 28)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how we can be successful when the world is against us?

John 8:48-59 - New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁸ The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”

⁴⁹ “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹ Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

⁵² At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

⁵⁴ Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. ⁵⁵ Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷ “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

⁵⁸ “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” ⁵⁹ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

What did the Jews say about Jesus (verse 48)?

Who did Jesus say he honored (verse 49)?

Who did Jesus say the Jews dishonored (verse 49)?

In your opinion, who is the one who seeks glory for Jesus (verse 50)?

Who will “never see death” (verse 51)?

Why were the Jews convinced that Jesus was demon-possessed (verse 52)?

In your opinion, why would the question “who do you think you are” at this time be awkward for Jesus to answer (verse 53)?

How did Jesus answer the question (verse 54)?

Who did Jesus say that He knew and obeyed (verse 55)?

What had Abraham “rejoiced at the thought of” (verse 56)?

In your opinion, why did the Jews doubt that Jesus had seen Abraham (verse 57)?

When was Jesus (verse 58)?

What did the Jews do (verse 59)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how we can be successful when the world is against us?

In your opinion, how are the roots of the conflict between Nebuchadnezzar and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:19-28 and the roots of the conflict between the Jews and Jesus in John 8:48-59 similar? 

In your opinion, how is the promise of Jesus that whoever obeys His word will never see death even more impressive than the salvation of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace?

1 John 1:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our joy complete.

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

What does John “proclaim concerning the Word of life” (verse 1)?

Who did the life appear to (verse 2)?

Why does John proclaim “what we have seen and heard” (verse 3)?

What does John write (verse 4)?

What is the “message we have heard from him and declare to you” (verse 5)?

When do “we lie and do not live out the truth” (verse 6)?

What happens “if we walk in the light” (verse 7)?

When do “we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (verse 8)?

What happens when “we confess our sins” (verse 9)?

When is His word “not in us” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how we can be successful when the world is against us?

In your opinion, how is the message of John about Jesus in 1 John 1:1-10 even more powerful than the amazing witness of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:19-28?

In your opinion, how does John’s statement that “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth” in 1 John 1:1-10 help us understand the Jews in John 8:48-59?  How does John continue in 1 John to show how the Jews, and anyone today, can escape from that lie?

Revelation 14:1-5 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. ² And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. ³ And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. ⁵ No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

How does John see Jesus as He stands on Mount Zion (verse 1)?

What did the 144,000 with Jesus have on their foreheads (verse 1)?

Where did the sound “like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder” come from (verse 2)?

Even though the sound was loud, what did it sound like (verse 2)?

Who did they sing the new song to (verse 3)?

Who could learn the new song (verse 3)?

What is distinctive about the 144,000 (verse 4)?

Who do they follow (verse 4)?

Who were they purchased “from among” (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why are they “blameless” (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how we can be successful when the world is against us?

In your opinion, how are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:19-28 like the 144,000 in Revelation 14:1-5?  How is the purchase of the 144,000 even more amazing than the salvation of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?

In your opinion, how does John seeing the 144,000 standing with Jesus on Mount Zion in Revelation 14:1-5 validate Jesus’s promise in John 8:48-59 that “whoever obeys my word will never see death”?

In your opinion, how does John’s statement in 1 John 1:1-10 that “⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” apply to the 144,000 of Revelation 14:1-5? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Daniel, John, 1 John and Revelation teach us about how we move from the darkness and fire of the world into salvation?

In your opinion, how is the challenge we face within ourselves to depend on God for our salvation similar to the struggle we face within ourselves to daily depend on God for success in our daily walk in the world?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

February 19, 2023 – John’s Writings – The Worship Challenge

The Worship Challenge

Daniel 3:8-18 - New International Version (NIV)

⁸ At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. ⁹ They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! ¹⁰ Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, ¹¹ and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. ¹² But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”

¹³ Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, ¹⁴ and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? ¹⁵ Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

What did the astrologers do (verse 8)?

What did they tell King Nebuchadnezzar (verse 9)?

Who was supposed to “fall down and worship the image of gold” when they heard the “sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music” (verse 10)?

What is to happen to those who don’t “fall down and worship the image of gold” (verse 11)?

Who paid no attention to the king or served his gods or worshipped the image (verse 12)?

How did the king feel when he found out there were people who paid no attention to him (verse 13)?

What choice was given to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (verse 15)?

In your opinion, how would King Nebuchadnezzar have answered this question “then what god will be able to rescue you” (verse 15)?

What did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego not need to do (verse 16)?

What did they think would happen if they were thrown into the furnace (verse 17)?

What did they want King Nebuchadnezzar to know (verse 18)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the battle of the world against God shown in this passage?

John 8:39-47 - New International Version (NIV)

³⁹ “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. ⁴⁰ As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. ⁴¹ You are doing the works of your own father.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. ⁴³ Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. ⁴⁴ You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! ⁴⁶ Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? ⁴⁷ Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Who did the Jews opposing Jesus say their father was (verse 39)?

In your opinion, what did Jesus mean when He replied “If you were Abraham’s children then you would do what Abraham did” (verse 39)?

What had Jesus told them (verse 40)?

Whose works did Jesus say they were doing (verse 41)?

Where did Jesus come from (verse 42)?

Why is Jesus’s language not clear to them (verse 43)?

What was the devil from the beginning (verse 44)?

What is the devil’s native language (verse 44)?

Why don’t they believe Jesus (verse 45)?

In your opinion, why don’t the listeners believe Jesus (verse 46)?

Who hears what God says (verse 47)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the battle of the world against God shown in this passage?

In your opinion, how do the passages, from Daniel 3:8-18 and John 8:39-47, demonstrate that our actions are products of our beliefs?

3 John 5-12 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵ Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. ⁶ They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. ⁷ It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. ⁸ We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

⁹ I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. ¹⁰ So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

¹¹ Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. ¹² Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

Why does John commend Gaius, who 3 John is written to (verse 5)?

How is Gaius supposed to send the “brothers and sisters” on their way (verse 6)?

Why had the “brothers and sisters” gone out (verse 7)?

Why should we “show hospitality to such people” (verse 8)?

What did Diotrephes love (verse 9)?

What are the things that Diotrephes did (verse 10)?

What is John’s friend, Gaius, to imitate (verse 11)?

Who if from God (verse 11)?

How is Demetrius spoken of (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the battle of the world against God shown in this passage?

In your opinion, who in 3 John 5-12 reacts to the people of God in a manner similar to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 5:8-18?  Why would someone associating with Christians respond to them in that way?

In your opinion, how does what is loved influence actions in John 8:39-47 and in 3 John 5-12?

Revelation 13:11-18 – New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. ¹² It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. ¹³ And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. ¹⁴ Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. ¹⁵ The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. ¹⁶ It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

¹⁸ This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.

Where did the second beast come from (verse 11)?

In your opinion, why did it have “horns like a lamb” but speak “like a dragon” (verse 11)?

Whose authority did it exercise (verse 12)?

What did it make “the earth and its inhabitants” do (verse 12)?

What did the second beast perform (verse 13)?

Who was deceived (verse 14)?

What would happen to all who refused to worship the image of the first beast (verse 15)?

Who was forced to receive a mark on “their right hands or on their foreheads” (verse 16)?

What did they need the mark to do (verse 17)?

What is “the number of the beast” the number of (verse 18)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the battle of the world against God shown in this passage?

In your opinion, how is the golden image of Daniel 5:8-18 similar to the image in Revelation 13:11-18?  How is the result of not worshipping similar?  How might the words of, and the outcome for, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego encourage believers facing the Revelation challenge?

In your opinion, how can Jesus’s statement that “whoever belongs to God hears what God says” in John 8:39-47 comfort us as we are concerned about our ability to discern the truth if we find ourselves in a Revelation 13:11-18 situation?  Do you think we can find ourselves in this situation today (even if it is not the end of time)?

In your opinion, how does Diotrephes, in attempting to control what Christians around him did in 3 John 5-12, model the behavior of the second beast in Revelation 13:11-18?  How can Demetrius be our model for today’s challenges? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Daniel, John, 3 John and Revelation show us the difference between worshipping self or world instead of worshipping God?

In your opinion, how do these four very different passages help us determine our actions today “for the sake of the Name”?

 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

February 12, 2023 – John’s Writings – The Son’s Victorious Kingdom

 The Son’s Victorious Kingdom

Daniel 2:36-45 - New International Version (NIV)

³⁶ “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. ³⁷ Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; ³⁸ in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.

³⁹ “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. ⁴⁰ Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. ⁴¹ Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. ⁴² As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. ⁴³ And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

⁴⁴ “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. ⁴⁵ This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

What was Daniel going to do with the dream (verse 36)?

Who has given the king “dominion and power and might and glory” (verse 37)?

What is the king (verse 38)?

How will the next kingdom compare to the current kingdom (verse 39)?

What will the fourth kingdom do (verse 40)?

How do we know that the fourth kingdom will “be a divided kingdom” (verse 41)?

Why will the people of the fourth kingdom not remain united (verse 43)?

When will the God of heaven “set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed” (verse 44)?

What will this kingdom do to “all those kingdoms” (verse 44)?

How long will this kingdom “endure” (verse 44)?

What did not cut the rock that is the kingdom that will never be destroyed out of the mountain (verse 45)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about our part in God’s victorious and eternal kingdom?

John 8:30-38 - New International Version (NIV)

³⁰ Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵ Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. ³⁸ I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”

What happened while Jesus spoke (verse 30)?

Who did Jesus tell “if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples” (verse 31)?

What else will happen if the hold to Jesus teaching (verse 32)?

In your opinion, why would the Jews say “we are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone” (verse 33)?

How did Jesus respond to them (verse 34)?

Where does the son belong forever (verse 35)?

What happens when the Son sets you free (verse 36)?

Why were the Jews looking to kill Jesus (verse 37)?

What are the Jews doing (verse 38)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about our part in God’s victorious and eternal kingdom?

In your opinion, what do the words of Jesus in John 8:30-38 help us understand about the kingdom that Daniel 2:36-45 says God will set up?

2 John 4-11 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. ⁵ And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. ⁶ And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

⁷ I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. ⁸ Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. ⁹ Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. ¹¹ Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.

What has given John “great joy” (verse 4)?

What is the command “we have had from the beginning” (verse 5)?

What is love (verse 6)?

Who does “not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh” (verse 7)?

Who is the antichrist (verse 7)?

What are the readers to “watch out” for (verse 8)?

Who “does not have God” (verse 9)?

Who has “both the Father and the Son” (verse 9)?

How should we respond to someone who “does not bring this teaching” (verse 10)?

Who “shares in their wicked work” (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about our part in God’s victorious and eternal kingdom?

In your opinion, what does 2 John 4-11 help us understand about how the kingdom that God is setting up in Daniel 2:36-45 is different from the worldly kingdoms that will be crushed?

In your opinion, what differences do John 8:30-38 and 2 John 4-11 show us between the kingdom of God and worldly kingdoms?

Revelation 13:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. ² The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. ³ One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. ⁴ People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

⁵ The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. ⁶ It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. ⁷ It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. ⁸ All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.

¹⁰ “If anyone is to go into captivity,
    into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
    with the sword they will be killed.”

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

Where did the dragon stand (verse 1)?

Where did the beast come from (verse 1)?

What did the dragon give the beast (verse 2)?

How did the “whole world” respond to the beast (verse 3)?

Who did people worship (verse 4)?

Why was the beast given a mouth (verse 5)?

Who did the beast slander (verse 6)?

What was the beast given the power to do (verse 7)?

Who will worship the beast (verse 8)?

What are people with ears to do (verse 9)?

What is called for “on the part of God’s people” verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about our part in God’s victorious and eternal kingdom?

In your opinion, what does Daniel 2:36-45 help us understand about the seeming dominance of the beast in Revelation 13:1-10?

In your opinion, how does the conflict between Jesus doing what He saw in His Father’s presence and the Jews doing what they heard from their father in John 8:30-38 help us better understand the conflict between those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life and those whose names are not in Revelation 13:1-10?

In your opinion, why is 2 John 4-11’s command to “love one another” important in relationship to the worldwide worship of the dragon and the beast revealed by Revelation 13:1-10? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Daniel, John, 1 John and Revelation teach us about how we are freed from the seemingly overwhelmingly powerful world kingdom?

In your opinion, what part do we have in the conflict between the world and Jesus?

 

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)