QUARTERLY AIM: Serving Jesus in the last days.

October September

YOUNG ADULT

Sunday School Fall Quarter, 2021 September, October, November

PERILOUS TIMES

QUARTERLY AIM: Serving Jesus in the last days.

5 The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 Timothy 3:1; Luke 12:13-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 10:8-13 12 Perilous Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2 Timothy 3:1-8 19 No Time To Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 24:14; Acts 2:15-21 26 A Perplexing and Distressing World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Daniel 7:1-7; Matthew 24:4-8; Luke 21:25-28

3 The Falling Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 2 Thessalonians 2:1-9 10 Now You Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 John 16:33; 2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 John 2:18; 4:1-3; Revelation 12:1-5 17 The Wrath of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Habakkuk 2:1, 2; Matthew 24:38, 39; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 6:12-17; 11:15-19 24 The Tribulation Period--Israel's Object Lesson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Matthew 24:9-28; Revelation 6:1-11 31 The Rapture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Matthew 24:36-44; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

7 The Antichrist and the Abomination of Desolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Daniel 7:7, 8; 8:23-25; 9:26, 27; 11:36-38; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4 14 The Antichrist System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Revelation 13:1-18 21 Jesus--Lamb, Lion and King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Revelation 5:1-4 28 What If You Wait Too Long? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Revelation 1:4-8

Vol. 8, No. 3 Fall Quarter, 2021 Writer: Robbie Horne

Editor in Chief: Kyle W. Elkins, kyle.elkins@ Business Manager: Dean Grigsby, dean.grigsby@ ? 2021, Bogard Press, 4605 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana, TX 75503-2928

; 1-800-264-2482

November

Lesson 1

September 5, 2021

The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make

Lesson Text: 1 Timothy 3:1; Luke 12:13-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 10:8-13.

Principle: The most important decision a person makes is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

There is something going on today. I cannot describe it, but as the 1970s gospel songwriter Gordon Jensen wrote, "There is a brand new feeling in the air."1 Could it be that Jesus is returning soon and, as Gordon Jensen wrote, our "redemption draweth nigh"?1ibid I am not, never have been, never will be, a date-setter--only the Father in Heaven knows when Jesus will return (Matthew 24:36)--but I have to admit there is a new feeling in the air.

I don't have to remind you that 2020 was an unusually devastating year. As I write this quarterly, a global pandemic (COVID-19) has ravaged the world. A second outbreak is underway, social distancing and wearing masks are required and our leaders don't know when the pandemic will end. Some models have even postulated a doomsday scenario for the citizens of planet earth.

I don't know what we will face before Jesus returns. I do know that the apostle Paul warned Christians of every generation "that in the last days perilous times shall come" (2 Timothy 3:1). Perilous times are dangerous,

3

wild, difficult and hard to bear, especially for Christians. News outlets and social media prove daily that Paul's description of the "last days" is spot on (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

The good news is, regardless of what we face, God stands with us because we are His children. To prove this point, in AD 64, the writer of the book of Hebrews told persecuted Christians that God would never leave them or forsake them (Hebrews 13:5). The Hebrew writer went on to say, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (verse 6). These are encouraging words, because they promise, regardless of what we face in the last days, God stands with us and works for our good (Romans 8:26-28).

The most important decision you will ever make is whether you accept and receive the salvation God has provided for you (Hebrews 9:27). From the fall of Adam to the present, salvation is, and always has been, the number one issue for humankind. Assurance of salvation is especially important for people living in perilous times.

EXPLORING THE PRINCIPLE

THINK ABOUT IT!

From the Renaissance to the present, secular profound influence on society.

Secular humanism deplores "efforts to denigrate human intelligence, to seek to explain the world in supernatural terms, and to look outside nature for salvation."2

Since secular humanism has been promoted by academia, the effects have influenced public schools.

No wonder sin and salvation are misunderstood concepts today.

What Does It Mean To Be Saved? Salvation is a misunderstood word today.

Since we are living in the last days, and since Jesus may return soon, it is important for us to get salvation right. Therefore, I am going to be very blunt and straightforward. This is necessary because our politically correct society glorifies the goodness and the dignity of man and believes anything that belittles man is taboo. So, let me break the first rule of political correctness: Man lacks dignity and he isn't good; he is totally depraved, and he needs to be saved.

Why is man depraved? The answer: there is a God, man is accountable to Him and when the first man disobeyed Him, he corrupted himself and passed his acquired sin nature on to his offspring (Genesis 2:16, 17; 3:6, 7; Romans 5:12). This means every child born since Adam is born a sinner, corrupt and depraved (Romans 3:23).

4

You may be thinking, "This isn't fair. I didn't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good evil." It doesn't matter if you think it is fair or not. It happened; Adam sinned, and he passed his sin on to you and me. Consequently, "There is none righteous, no, not one:...there is none that seeketh after God....there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Romans 3:10-12). You shouldn't overlook the fact that Jesus told a wealthy young man in Judea, "There is none good but one, that is, God" (Matthew 19:17).

What does all this mean? It means, because we are sinners, we are lost, and because we are lost, we need to be saved. Being lost means we have not repented of our sins and believed that Jesus is the Son of God. Being saved means we have repented of our sins believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Romans 10:8-13). Saved people go to Heaven. Lost people go to hell. This is the difference between lost and saved.

How Are We Saved? Adam, the first man, passed his acquired

sin nature to his children. Because of this mistake (sin), every child born after Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden is a sinner. Scholars call this total hereditary depravity. Adam's sin nature instantly separated him--all men and women--from God (Isaiah 59:1, 2; Romans 5:12). This condition of separation is called death.

We look at death in light of the human life span, but God looks at death as a separation from Him. Before we are saved, we are "dead in trespasses and sins." After we are saved, God quickens us (makes us alive), raises us from the dead, and we become alive to Him (Ephesians 2:1-5). Obviously, God doesn't look at death the same way we do.

After Adam sinned, God promised the human race a Savior who would crush the serpent's head and die as a sacrifice for sin (Genesis 3:15). From that point on, to be saved all a person had to do was believe in the coming Savior. This is called faith. The Hebrew writer wrote, "These [Old Testament saints] all died in faith," meaning they believed--had

THINK ABOUT IT!

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, why didn't God condemn them and start again?

The answer: God loved Adam and Eve and thought it was better for them to believe in a coming Savior and live than to die in their sins.

The apostle Paul wrote that God is rich in mercy and that He loves mankind so much that He provided salvation for them through His Son (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4-10).

Although an inherited sin nature, at first glance, seems unfair to some people, God, because of His great love, provided a way for the human race to overcome their sins.

5

faith in--the coming Savior (Hebrews 11:13). Because of their faith, God saved them, not because of the sacrifices they made or that they were good people. God saved them because they believed in a Redeemer, a Savior, One who would pay the ransom price for their sins and free them from the law of sin and death (Matthew 20:28; Romans 8:1, 2; 1 Timothy 2:5, 6).

Adam lived six thousand years ago, but God hasn't changed His plan for redeeming the human race. Old Testament saints were saved because they believed in a coming Savior, and people today are saved because they believe in a Savior who came, died and rose again. Jesus, God's Promised Seed, died on a cross, finished the work God sent Him to do (John 19:30), bruised Satan's head, and redeemed the human race from sin. Now anyone can be saved when he repents of his sins and believes Jesus is the Son of God (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8, 9).

THINK ABOUT IT!

W. C. Fields (1880-1946) was a familiar and famous face among entertainers. Not as famous were his thoughts about God. As an illness began to overtake him in his final days, Fields opened a Bible. A friend was surprised by the sight and asked the dying actor what he was doing. Fields replied in his characteristic style, "Looking for loopholes, my man, looking for loopholes."4

From the fall of Adam to the present, sin has always been the issue between God and man.

There are no loopholes because we are all sinners (Romans 5:12), we sin every day (Ecclesiastes 7:20), and God holds us accountable for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Since there are no loopholes, reconciliation--salvation by

What Does Salvation Do? God created man in His image and likeness

(Genesis 1:26, 27). In fact, God intended for man to be His blood-flowing likeness and His shadow-casting image on earth. This means the human race has the responsibility of accurately representing God on earth. Sadly, when sin entered the picture, it became impossible for man, because of his acquired sin nature, to be a walking, talking representative of God. Humans had become a race of sinners, and, of course, God cannot overlook sin (Habakkuk 1:13). Something had to be done. The human race, condemned by sin, couldn't represent a holy, righteous and pure God. So, what did God do? He sent His Son to die for our sins and He "reconciled us [the human race] to himself by Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:18).

According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament, being reconciled is "the divine work of redemption denoting that act of redemption insofar as God Himself is concerned by taking upon Himself our sin and becoming an atonement. Thus a relationship of peace with mankind is established which was hitherto prevented by the

6

demands of His justice."3 Think about what this

means! When Jesus died for sin, He balanced the scales between man and God. Now, when a person believes that Jesus is the Son of God, God sees the blood of Jesus, not the sins of the

grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8, 9)--is the only way mankind can overcome the curse of sin.

person who believed (Romans 5:10, 11).

We are reconciled to God when we are saved. Although we still have

a sin nature, we can--by faith (Galatians 3:11)--represent God on earth

and be the persons God intends for us to be. Why? Because we become

new creations when we are saved (2 Corinthians 5:17), and, like the apostle

Paul, we become "ambassadors for Christ" (verse 20). An ambassador, of

course, is a legal representative. Our faith in Jesus, therefore, settles the

sin issue and enables us to be the blood-flowing likeness and the shad-

ow-casting image of God on earth.

This doesn't mean that we are perfect, or that we live above sin. Until

Jesus returns and we receive our glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51-54; 1

John 3:2), like the apostle Paul, we will have to deal with sin and the conse-

quences of sin every day (Romans 7:15-25). The good news is, because

of the reconciling blood of Christ (Romans 5:10, 11), our sins have been

forgiven, and we have gained--by faith--God's favor.

Salvation--being reconciled to God--is the greatest thing that can

happen to us. We don't have to fear being tormented in hell, because

salvation provides us with a home in Heaven (John 14:1, 2). We don't

have to fear death, because salvation is eternal and Jesus "abolished

death" (2 Timothy 1:10) We don't have to fear the present, because God

never leaves or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5, 6). And we don't have to fear

the future because God has promised us a new Heaven and a new earth

(Revelation 21:1-4). Salvation, obviously, isn't an unimportant and trite,

little word.

GRASPING THE PRINCIPLE

You may be thinking, "What does this lesson have to do with living in the last days, the perilous times leading up to the return of Jesus?" This lesson has everything do with the last days, because if you haven't been saved, you are gambling with your life and your future.

No one knows when Jesus will return. It could be today, tomorrow or years from now. There is, however, a day and time when the Father in Heaven will give the command and Jesus will return (Matthew 24:36). In

7

fact, Jesus said that we should watch and be ready for His return (Matthew 24:42-44).

The lessons in this quarterly describe the direction the world is headed now and in the future. Some of the lessons may be frightening or depressing. I don't want to frighten or depress you. All I want to do is inform you about the last days so that you will be prepared when Jesus returns.

This, I believe, is my duty. The apostle Paul told the Ephesian elders, "For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). Paul held back nothing. He correctly believed that it was his duty to share everything he knew about the will or intentions of God. This, of course, included writing about the last days (2 Timothy 3:1). If you are not saved, you are not prepared for the coming of Jesus. The most important decision you will ever make in life is to believe with all your heart that Jesus is the Son of God (Romans 10:8-13).

DISCUSSING THE PRINCIPLE

1. What are "perilous times"? (2 Timothy 3:1). 2. Is there good news for Christians as they face perilous times? Explain. 3. Why is it important to get salvation right? (John 14:6). 4. Adam passed sin onto his children and us (Romans 5:12). Is this fair? 5. What does being a sinner mean? (Romans 3:10-12). 6. Man is separated from God because of sin (Isaiah 59:1, 2). What is

this separation called? (Ephesians 2:1-5). 7. How did God save Old Testament saints? (Hebrews 11:13). 8. How does God save New Testament saints? (Ephesians 2:8-10). 9. What responsibility does the human race have? (Genesis 1:26, 27). 10. What does the word "reconciled" mean? (2 Corinthians 5:18). 11. What are "ambassadors for Christ"? (2 Corinthians 5:20). 12. Does being reconciled to God mean that we live above sin? (Romans

7:15-25). 13. Why is salvation the greatest thing that can happen to a person?

(John 14:1, 2; 2 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 13:5, 6; Revelation 21:1-4).

8

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download