The Triumph of God's Love

Lesson 13

The Triumph of God’s Love

(Daniel 12, Matthew 24, Revelation 20)

Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: Do you remember tough times in the past? I’ve had some really challenging times. My job is a series of fights. No one is getting shot, but courtroom battles are the modern alternative to trial by combat. Every time I walk into a courtroom I pray that God will help me to be excellent, or at least keep me from being embarrassed. The two requests are obviously different. I’m aiming for excellence. My confidence in God’s blessings is based on what He has done for me in the past. He has helped me many times to be excellent, and I do not recall ever being embarrassed. We face a difficult time on earth. A time that makes my little challenges seem laughable. What God has done for you in the past should give you confidence in His love through tough times. Let’s dive into our study of the Bible to learn more.

1. Time of Trouble
   
   1. Read Daniel 12:1-2. How bad is the coming trouble? (It has never been this bad!)
      1. The text says that the righteous will be delivered, but does it say when? (The time of rescue seems to be at the Second Coming. But that makes it seem that the righteous are in the middle of the trouble.)
   2. Read Matthew 24:21. Isn’t Jesus paraphrasing Daniel 12:1? If so, this has to be the same event. Do you agree?
   3. Read Matthew 24:22-23. For whose sake is this time of trouble shortened? (The righteous.)
      1. Are the righteous in the middle of the trouble? (This strongly suggests the answer is, “yes.” The time of trouble is shortened by the Second Coming to benefit the righteous. If they were not in the trouble it would not help them to shorten the time.)
      2. Some argue that this will be like the plagues of Egypt. Did the plagues hit only the Egyptians? (Read Exodus 9:4, Exodus 9:26, Exodus 10:23, and Exodus 12:12-13. These texts explicitly tell us that some of the plagues, including the most terrible last plague, did not harm God’s people. This precedent creates a reasonable argument for some level of protection for God’s people in the final plagues.)
   4. Read Matthew 28:19-20. Will God be with us up until the very end? (Yes. We are never left to stand alone against Satan. Who could do that?)
   5. Read John 14:16. Will the Holy Spirit ever leave us? (No.)
2. The Rescue
   
   1. Read Revelation 19:11-13. Who is this warrior on the white horse? (Verse 13 tells us He is called “the Word of God.”)
      1. Read John 1:1-3 and John 1:14. Who is this Word? (It is Jesus. Jesus is the warrior.)
   2. Read Revelation 19:14-16 and Revelation 19:19-21. Who wins this final battle? (Jesus and the army of heaven.)
3. The Millennium
   
   1. We just read Revelation 19:20 which tells us that the Beast and the False Prophet have been tossed into the lake of fire. This leaves standing the main leader of the rebellion. What happens to him? Read Revelation 20:1-3. (Satan, the leader of the opposition, is bound for a thousand years.)
      1. Is that the end of Satan? (No. Verse three tells us that he will be released “for a little while.”)
   2. Read Revelation 20:4. What is going on while Satan is bound for one thousand years? (A judgment is taking place.)
   3. Read Revelation 20:5-6. How do you understand the first and second resurrections? (The first resurrection is of the righteous. This is linked to the Second Coming of Jesus in Revelation 19. The saved are in heaven engaged in some sort of judgment while Satan is bound on earth and the wicked are dead. The wicked are raised to life after the thousand years. This is the second resurrection.)
      1. Since the fate of all have been determined, what, logically, would the righteous be judging during this one thousand years? (They will have friends, family, and loved ones who are lost. Logically, this gives them plenty of time to determine that God has been just in His judgment of the lost.)
      2. A former client just sent me material intended to convince me that the lost burn in hell forever. Without examining the apparently conflicting texts on an eternally burning hell, when parents review the record of their lost children and agree heaven would not be the right place for them, do you think they would also agree that they should be tortured forever?
   4. Read Revelation 20:7-8. Now we understand about the release of Satan and the second resurrection. Who are they battling? (Jesus and the saints.)
   5. Read Revelation 20:9. How does this attack figure into the judgment of the righteous? (If they had any doubt about God’s judgment, this confirms that the continuing existence of the lost is incompatible with God’s kingdom.)
   6. Read Revelation 20:10. What is the final judgment on Satan? (He is tossed into the lake of fire.)
4. The Subject of the Judgment
   
   1. Read Revelation 20:11-13. Who are these dead people? (This is a reference to the lost. The dead have just been resurrected in the second resurrection.)
      1. On what basis are they judged? (Their works as recorded in the books.)
   2. Re-read Revelation 20:12 and read Revelation 20:15. What other single book is part of the judgment? (The book of life.)
      1. What is recorded in the book of life? (Names, not deeds.)
      2. What is the result of having your name written in the book of life? (You are not destroyed. You are saved!)
      3. What does that tell us about the standard for the judgment? (The saved are not subject to a judgment based on their deeds. The wicked are judged by their deeds.
   3. Read Revelation 3:5 and Romans 10:9-11. What is the standard for judgment for the righteous? (Not their deeds, but rather their confession of Jesus as their Savior. They wear the white robes of Jesus’ righteousness.)
      1. We have been discussing in recent weeks the issue of worship. What is the position on worship for those whose names are written in the book of life? (Read Revelation 13:6-8. If your name is written in the book of life, you worship the true God only.)
5. Joy!
   
   1. Read Revelation 7:9-10. How many have their names written in the book of life? (A “great multitude that no one could number.”)
      1. What are they wearing? (“White robes.”)
      2. Who do they thank for their salvation? (God and the Lamb.)
   2. Read Revelation 7:11-12. What is the attitude around God’s throne? (Praise! Joy! Gratitude!)
   3. Friend, do you want to be there in heaven praising God? Do you want your name in the book of life? Do you want to experience the triumph of God’s love? Accept Him now. Worship Him only!
6. Next week: We begin studying the Gospel of Mark.