The Book of Revelation — 12:7-17

This morning our family finished a two-morning study of Revelation 12:7-17 in our study of the book of Revelation using Douglas Connelly’s The Book of Revelation Made Clear and The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups. Part of a long interlude in the Tribulation, it describes wars in heaven and on earth involving the great red dragon (Satan) introduced in Revelation 12:1-6. The passage and any other Biblical quotations given below are from the ESV.

War in Heaven (Revelation 12:7-12)

7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

The war in heaven is between Michael and his angels on one side and Satan and his angels on the other side. Michael is pictured in the Bible as the protector of Israel. There are different views on when this war took or will take place: at the time of Satan’s initial act of rebellion against God, when Jesus died on the cross, or in the future. Connelly thinks that it occurs in the middle of the Tribulation, with Satan and his angels being denied further access to heaven. Of the other scholars whose commentaries on the book of Revelation I’ve been consulting in our family study of the book, Robert H. Mounce, John F. Walvoord, and Warren W. Wiersbe also think that it will occur shortly before the consummation but don’t specify exactly when; Craig S. Keener thinks that it occurred at the cross. When Satan is expelled from heaven, it will rejoice but there will be distress on earth as Satan takes out his anger on God’s people.

War on Earth (Revelation 12:13-17)

13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. 16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

Satan turns his attention to the woman, whom Connelly identifies as the people of Israel. God will enable her to take refuge in the wilderness, where He will provide for her for three and one-half years (the second half of the Tribulation). Satan will send a flood after her but the earth will swallow it up. Then Satan will make war on the “rest of her offspring.” After noting that several ideas have been proposed about the identity of the offspring, Connelly says that the one most consistent with his interpretation of Revelation is that the offspring are the 144,000 Jews who were sealed in chapter 7. Of the other scholars whose commentaries on the book of Revelation I’ve been consulting in our family study of the book, Walvoord and Wiersbe have similar views to Connelly’s, Walvoord’s thinking that the offspring are Jewish believers in Jesus including the 144,000 and Wiersbe’s thinking that they are the Jews who were not given refuge in the wilderness; Keener and Mounce think that the offspring are all believers in Jesus.

Questions from The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

These questions are the questions asked about Revelation 12:7-17 in The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Zondervan Publishing House, 1988). They are contained in the Serendipity Bible questions on Revelation 11:19 – 12:17. The answers are what I remember of how our family answered it. I haven’t given our answers to REFLECT, 2 and 3 because they were personal.

DIG, 3. Where does the next conflict occur? Who are the protagonists? What is the outcome of this conflict? What is the significance of this outcome for the earth? For Christians? What Old Testament and New Testament events are parallel to this passage?
The next conflict took place in heaven and was between Michael and his angels and the dragon (Satan) and his angels. Michael and his angels defeated the dragon and his angels and cast them out of heaven. Full of anger the dragon turned on the people of earth. We gave as Biblical parallels Satan’s being defeated in his initial rebellion and in his attacks on Jesus.
DIG, 4. When do you see this heavenly battle occurring: (a) At some particular time and place in history? (b) Pre-history? © Post-history? (d) At any time and any place in the ongoing heavenly battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan (that is, in the spiritual realm that is behind all of this world’s history)? Why do you think so?
We saw this heavenly battle occurring in post-history, the passage’s referring to Satan’s knowing that his time was short and to his making war on the woman’s offspring, whom we thought were Christians.
REFLECT, 1. What do you learn here about the conflict between the Christian church and demonic evil?
We learned that the conflict between the Christian church and demonic evil is an ongoing one.
REFLECT, 2. When has Satan seemed very real to you? Why? How do you overcome Satan (see v.11)? How could you apply these tactics in your own life? What do you need to do to become stronger for spiritual battle?
REFLECT, 3. How can your Christian friends pray for you in the battles you are facing? Likewise, how cab you pray for them? Do this in your group.

The Book of Revelation — 12:1-6

Last Thursday morning our family considered Revelation 12:1-6 in our study of the book of Revelation using Douglas Connelly’s The Book of Revelation Made Clear and The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups. Part of a long interlude in the Tribulation, it begins an account of conflicts involving a great dragon. The passage and any other Biblical quotations given below are from the ESV.

1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down la third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

In Revelation 12-13 John introduces seven figures who are important at this point in the Tribulation. He is not concerned about the passage of time in these chapters but is showing us what is going on behind the scenes. What we learn will influence how we interpret the rest of the book of Revelation. The figures are: a woman, a red dragon, the woman’s male child, the archangel Michael, the rest of the offspring of the woman, a beast from the sea, and a beast from the earth. (adapted from Douglas Connelly, The Book of Revelation Made Clear, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007, page 177)

The first figure introduced is a woman clothed with the sun and with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She is pregnant with a child who is clearly Jesus. Because the woman is Jesus’ mother, Roman Catholics take her to be Mary. However the dragon’s pursuing her as she flees into the wilderness and his making war against the rest of her offspring later in the chapter present problems in identifying her with Mary. Thus many evangelical scholars, including Connelly and the other scholars whose commentaries on the book of Revelation I’ve been consulting regularly in our family study of it, think that the woman represents the people of Israel, out of whom Jesus emerges. The association of the sun, the moon, and twelve stars with her supports this identification, Joseph’s telling his family in Genesis 37:9, “Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

The second figure introduced is a great red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns. Revelation 12:9 identifies the dragon as “that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.” Its tail sweeps seven stars down to earth. Bible scholar have different views on what the stars represent—meteors, martyred believers, or angels. Connelly thinks that they are stars and discusses when their falling occurs. Connelly thinks that it is an ongoing thing rather than just being part of Satan’s original rebellion against God.

The third figure introduced is a child who is going to rule all nations with a rod of iron. The dragon stands before the woman intending to devour the child when he is born. However he is caught up to God and his throne. Noting that John moves directly from Jesus’ birth to his ascension, Mounce observes, “The significant point is that the evil plans of Satan were foiled by the successful completion of Christ’s messianic ministry, which culminated in his ascension and exaltation (cf. Phil 2:5-11)” (Robert H. Mounce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1977, page 239).

With Jesus out of his reach, the dragon apparently turns on the woman, who flees into the wilderness, where she is looked after by God for three and one-half years. Connelly understands this to be that last three and one-half years of the great Tribulation.

Questions from The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

This question is the only question asked about Revelation 12:1-6 in The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Zondervan Publishing House, 1988). It is contained in the Serendipity Bible questions on Revelation 11:19 – 12:17. The answer is what I remember of how our family answered it.

DIG, 2. Describe the woman, the dragon, and the child. Who does the woman represent? The dragon? The child?
We agreed with Connelly that the woman was Israel, the dragon was Satan, and the child was Jesus.Christ.

Please excuse my late posting of this article. I was absorbed with my wife’s leaving for surgery after our reading (she returned home yesterday) and one of our two dog’s being in his last days (he died yesterday).

The Book of Revelation — 11:15-19

This morning our family considered Revelation 11:15-19 in our study of the book of Revelation using Douglas Connelly’s The Book of Revelation Made Clear and The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups. Part of a long interlude in the Tribulation, it describes what happened when the seventh angel sounded his trumpet. The passage and any other Biblical quotations given below are from the ESV.

15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. 18 The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”
19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

The seventh trumpet opens the way for the seven bowl judgments that take place at the end of the Tribulation. However the angels bearing the seven bowls won’t appear until chapter 15. Thus this passage continues the interlude that began in chapter 10.

The seventh seal was followed by silence (Revelation 8:1). In contrast the seventh trumpet is followed by loud voices saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” The twenty-four elders (in our view the church or all of God’s people; see https://opentheism.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/the-book-of-revelation-41-6a/) sitting on thrones around the throne of God fall on their faces and worship Him. They thank Him that the time has come for judging the wicked and rewarding the righteous. The elders referring to both God’s judging the wicked and rewarding the righteous doesn’t mean that those two events will occur at the same time, Revelation 20’s indicating that the righteous will be raptured and rewarded before the Millenium and the wicked will be resurrected and judged after the Millenium.

Then the heavenly temple opens (according to Hebrews 8:5 the tabernacle built by Moses was a copy of it) and John sees within it the ark of the covenant. There are flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm. According to Revelation 4:5, the flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder came from the throne.

Questions from The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

These questions are the questions asked about Revelation 11:15-19 in The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Zondervan Publishing House, 1988). The answers given for the DIG questions are what I remember of how our family answered them. Our answers to the REFLECT questions were personal and so I won’t share them here.

DIG, 1. What does this trumpet herald? How is the Second Coming a “good news/bad news” event?
The seventh trumpet heralds the time for the final judgment. It is a “good news/bad news” event because it brings rewards to those who fear God and punishment for those who don’t.
DIG, 2. For what is God worshiped? What does this tell you about God’s power?
God is worshipped for His power. This tells us that He is omnipotent.
REFLECT, 1. How do you react to God’s power over unbelieving people: to hurt them (trumpet 5 or 1st woe), to kill them (trumpet 6 or 2nd woe), or to damn them (trumpet 7 or 3rd woe)? Why?
REFLECT, 2. As God displays this power in response to prayers (8:4), how do you respond to what he has called you to do? What will you pray? Why?

The Book of Revelation — 11:1-14

Today our family finished considering Revelation 11:1-14 in our study of the book of Revelation using Douglas Connelly’s The Book of Revelation Made Clear and The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups. Part of a long interlude in the Tribulation, it focuses on the ministry, death, and resurrection of two witnesses. Yesterday morning we read what Connelly said about the passage and this morning we discussed the Serendipity Bible questions about it. The passage and any other Biblical quotations given below are from the ESV.

1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

After eating the small scroll given to him by the mighty angel in chapter 10, John was given a measuring rod and told to measure the temple of God and the altar and the worshippers. Connelly explains that measuring is done as a sign of ownership and in preparation for judgment and says that he thinks that it is done for the latter reason here. Connelly also presents three views of what temple John is told to measure—Herod’s temple, the church, and a future temple in Israel—and argues that it is a future temple in Israel. Two of the four other commentaries that I consulted (Craig S. Keener’s The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000) and Robert H. Mounce’s The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1977) view the temple as the church, and the other two (John F. Walvoord’s The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1966) and Warren W. Wiersbe’s The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books, 1989) view it as a future temple in Israel.

Then two witnesses appear. Connelly comments, “This is a difficult section of Revelation to fit into the puzzle [of God’s plan for the future]. What these witnesses do and what happens to them are very clear; who they are and when they preach are issues that no one has fully unraveled” (Douglas Connelly, The Book of Revelation Made Clear, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007, page 162). The passage tells us that the two witnesses are given authority by God to prophesy for 1260 days (about three years) and that they have miraculous powers that enable them to protect themselves from their enemies but that when the time of their witnessing is over God allows them to be killed by a beast that rises from the Abyss. Miraculously three and a half days later, they are revived and taken up to heaven in the sight of their enemies and at the same time a great earthquake shakes the city destroying a tenth of it, killing seven thousand people, and terrifying the rest of the people.

Connelly discusses at length who the two witnesses are, when they prophesy, and where the events occur, concluding that the two witnesses are two prophets yet to come, that they prophesy in the first half of the seven-year Tribulation, and that the city where the events occur is Jerusalem (Connelly, pages 162-69). All four of the other commentaries that I consulted agree that the city is Jerusalem although Keener says that it also stands for the world system, but they differ on the other identifications. Keener identifies the two witnesses as the prophetic witness of the church and says that the 1260 days tells us that the era of the church is characterized by great suffering as in Daniel’s tribulation rather than telling us the length of the church’s witness (Keener, pages 289-93). Mounce identifies the two witnesses as a symbol of the witnessing church in the end-times and says that the 1260 days is a symbol for a limited period of time during which evil is allowed free rein (Mounce, pages 221-23). Walvoord identifies the two witnesses as two prophets who will be raised up from among those who turn to Christ in the time after the rapture and says that the 1260 days are the second half of the Tribulation (Walvoord pages 178-79). Wiersbe relates the ministry of the two witnesses to that of Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest (Zechariah 4) and says that the 1260 days are the first half of the Tribulation (Wiersbe, pages 598-99).

In verse 14 John reminds us that the second woe (the sixth trumpet and its resulting events) is over and that the final woe is about to come.

Questions from The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

These questions are the questions asked about Revelation 11:1-14 in The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Zondervan Publishing House, 1988). The answers given for the DIG questions are what I remember of how our family answered them. Our answers to the REFLECT questions were personal and so I won’t share them here.

DIG, 1. What is John commanded to do? Why? Who will be “measured” (or protected), and why? With the church and the world set in contrast, what do the two indestructible witnesses represent? And their enemies?
John is commanded to measure the temple, the altar, and those who worship there. We thought that it will be to protect them during the Tribulation. We said that the two indestructible witnesses represent the church and their enemies represent the world. We also shared who the two witnesses are, our answers being Elijah and Moses, Enoch and Elijah, and two prophets whom God will raise up in the future.
DIG, 2. What happens to these two witnesses? Why? What results from their death and resurrection?
The two witnesses are killed by a beast from the Abyss, are left unburied for people to view, are revived by God in three and one-half days, and are taken up to heaven. Their resurrection and an earthquake that accompanies it terrify the people and they give glory to God.
DIG, 3. If God’s witness is faithfully maintained for “1260 days” to offset the “42 months” (which are the times of the Gentiles), then what do the “3 and ½ days” mean?
We didn’t know what the 3 and ½ days mean.
REFLECT, 1. What do you learn in this passage about what it means to be a witness?
REFLECT, 2. What has been toughest about living out your faith at work? At school? At home? Why is there such difficulty?
REFLECT, 3. How have you felt especially empowered by God in the last six months?

The Book of Revelation — 10:1-11

Yesterday our family finished considering Revelation 10 in our study of the book of Revelation using Douglas Connelly’s The Book of Revelation Made Clear and The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups. The beginning of a long interlude in the Tribulation, it records God’s recommissioning of John to write the book of Revelation. In the last two mornings we read what Connelly said about the chapter and discussed the Serendipity Bible questions about it. The passage and any other Biblical quotations given below are from the ESV.

1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, 3 and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” 5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, 7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11 And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

A mighty angel comes down from heaven. Clothed in a cloud and crowned with a rainbow, his face glows like the sun and his legs are like pillars of fire. He is holding a little open scroll. Standing with one foot on the sea and the other foot on the land, he shouts out. When he does so John hears seven thunders and is about to write down the message contained by them, but a voice from heaven (that of God or Christ) tells him not to. Although some commentators think that the mighty angel was Jesus, John just calls him an angel and that’s likely all that he was. There are different views as to the contents of the little scroll, a popular one being that it contains the message of the book of Revelation. Similarly there are different views on the content of the seven thunders, but “it seems…likely that [it] will be revealed only at the time of the end, when God’s ‘mystery’ [see the next paragraph] is finished (10:7)” (Craig S. Keener, The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000, page 281).

The angel makes an oath in God’s name that there will be no more delay—the seventh angel will soon blow his trumpet and the mystery of God will be accomplished. In the Bible “mystery” doesn’t mean something mysterious but rather something previously secret but now revealed, in this case “the purpose of God as revealed in the consummation of history” (Robert H. Mounce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1977, page 212; his discussion of the phrase extends over most of pages 212-13). Connelly observes that we are still living in a time of delay but that somewhere in heaven an angel is ready to blow the seventh trumpet, and he says that just as this knowledge encouraged John and the early Christians, it should encourage us.

Next the voice from heaven tells John to go and take the scroll from the hand of the angel. John goes to the angel and asks for the scroll. The angel tells him, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” John takes the scroll and eats it. As the angel had said it would, it tastes as sweet as honey in his mouth but makes his stomach bitter. Connelly comments, “That seems to be the character of the book of Revelation. At first, the words of judgment and God’s triumph sound sweet. But then, as we think about what God’s wrath will produce and as we realize that people we know and love could face that wrath, we get a knot in our stomach.” (Douglas Connelly, The Book of Revelation Made Clear, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007, page 156) John is then told, probably by the voice from heaven, that he must prophesy again.

Questions from The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

These questions are the questions asked about Revelation 10:1-11 in The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Zondervan Publishing House, 1988). The answers given for the DIG questions are what I remember of how our family answered them. Our answers to the REFLECT questions were personal and so I won’t share them here.

DIG, 1. Describe the angel who announces the coming of the seventh trumpet. In what ways does this picture contrast with the traditional view of angels? Why would John be forbidden to record the words of the seven thunders (see 2Co 12:4)?
The angel was mighty and “wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.” He was glorious and impressive compared to the traditional view of angels as looking like white-robed people with wings. John may have been forbidden to record the words of the seven thunders because they told of things people weren’t meant to know.
DIG, 2. What purposes have the disasters of the first six trumpets served? What do you anticipate the seventh trumpet will bring forth? What is the “mystery of God” (v.7; see Ro 11:25-36; 16:25-27; Eph 1:9-14)?
The disasters of the first six trumpets were intended to make people repent and turn to God for mercy. “In the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled” suggests that the seventh trumpet would brung firth the end, but “I was told, ‘You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings’” suggests that more disasters would follow. The “mystery of God” seems Gentiles and Jews would be united in belief in and obedience to God.
DIG, 3. What happens to the small scroll? How can a revelation from God be both sweet and bitter?
John ate the small scroll. A revelation of God can sound sweet when we first hear it but be bitter to us when we think of the harmful effects that it could have people whom we know.
REFLECT, 1. When has God led you into a project that you wouldn’t have selected for yourself? What happened?
REFLECT, 2. What is an experience you once savored for a moment but that later turned sour? How has God’s Word been both sweet and sour to you?

Key Events in the Life of Peter — Confronted by Paul and Appeared in Conference

Yesterday evening the Life group which meets in my wife’s and my home studied Paul’s account in Galatians 2:11-14 of his confrontation with Peter in Antioch over eating with Gentile Christians and Luke’s account in Acts 15:1-29 of the council held in Jerusalem about the need for Gentile Christians to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses.

In the previous meeting I’d asked the group to read Galatians 2:11-14 and Acts 15:1-29; suggested that they look at Mark Copeland’s summary of, outline of, and review questions on the passages at http://executableoutlines.com/ga/ga_02.htm and http://executableoutlines.com/acts/acts_15.htm; and provided them with the questions asked about the passages in Serendipity Bible for Groups (Serendipity House, 1988), my having permission from Serendipity House to reproduce material from it for small group use. In yesterday evening’s meeting we read Galatians 2:11-14 and Acts 15:1-29 and discussed the Serendipity Bible for Groups questions on the passages.

The Bible text given below is from the ESV. The questions given below are from Serendipity Bible for Groups (see above). The answers given below to the questions are what I can remember from our discussion.

Peter Confronted by Paul (Galatians 2:11-14)

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.1 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

DIG, 1. Read Acts 11:1-18. In light of this experience, how do you account for Peter’s actions here when he comes to Antioch?
We thought that after representatives of the Jerusalem church came to Antioch Peter felt peer pressure, being intimidated by members of the circumcision party (those who thought that Gentile converts needed to become circumcised and obey the law of Moses) among them and in the church at Antioch.

The Council at Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-21)

1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.1 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of sthe gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
16 “ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles lwho are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’ [from Amos 9:11-12]
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, tfor he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

DIG, 1. What other things would these teachers say are necessary for Gentiles to do (vv 1,5; see Mk 2:16,18,24; 7:1-5)?
According to vv. 1 and 5 Gentiles must be circumcised and obey the law of Moses. The passages in Mark indicate that they shouldn’t eat with sinners and tax collectors, that they should practice fasting, that they shouldn’t work on the Sabbath, and that they should give their hands a ceremonial washing before eating.
DIG, 2. If you were a Gentile hearing that these regulations were required, how would you feel about your faith? As a strict Jew, why would these things be important to you?
If I were a Gentile hearing that these regulations were required, I would feel that faith in Jesus wasn’t sufficient for salvation. As a strict Jew, these were important to me because they were prescribed in the Scriptures.
DIG, 4. [How would you describe Peter’s struggle with the issue (vv 7-11; see 10:28; 3:5; 3:11-13)?] How does Paul’s teaching in Galatians 2:15-16 show its influence on Peter here?
WE discussed Peter’s vacillation with regard to the issue. In Galatians 2:15-16 Paul said that we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of the law, and Peter says the same thing in Acts 15:11.
DIG, 6. What is James’ position in the matter (vv. 13-21)…?
James agrees with Peter and says that no regulations should be put on Gentile believers except for abstaining from a few things that were particularly offensive to Jews.
DIG, 7. What is the significance of the council’s decision in light of 1:8? Why were the conditions of verse 20 added (see 1Cor 8, where Paul dealt with a similar controversy)?
In Acts 1:8 Jesus told the apostles that they were to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth as well as to Jerusalem and the area around it. The council’s decision would make it clear that those witnessed to were being asked to put their faith in Jesus rather than to become Jews. The conditions of verse 20 were added to avoid unduly offending the Jews or, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians, tempting Jewish Christians to do things that they thought were sinful.
REFLECT, 2. Is there some area of your faith where you feel like Peter—going back and forth because you are not sure what is right? How could verse 11 relate to this concern?
REFLECT, 3. What “add-ons” to the gospel might a new believer sense in your church? What should you do about that?

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers (Acts 15:22-29)

22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and hto us ito lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

DIG, 3. ….How would things be different if those in 15:5 had won out?
We said that Christianity would either have become just a sect of the Jews that believed that Jesus was the Messiah or that it would have died out.

The Book of Revelation — 9:1-21

Today our family finished considering Revelation 9 in our study of the book of Revelation using Douglas Connelly’s The Book of Revelation Made Clear and The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups. It describes what happens when the angels blow the fifth and sixth of the seven trumpets. The previous two mornings we read what Connelly said about the chapter and this morning we discussed the Serendipity Bible questions about it. The passages and any other Biblical quotations given below are from the ESV.

Fifth Trumpet (Revelation 9:1-12)

1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 2 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
7 In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.
12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

When the fifth angel blows his trumpet, John sees “a star” fall from heaven to the earth. “He” is given a key to the “bottomless pit.” or (in some versions) “Abyss.” Because the star is given a key and is referred to as “he,” he is surely an angelic being rather than a literal star. Some scholars think that he is Satan and that God allows him to release some demons from the Abyss, a prison for evil angels. Other scholars think that he is a powerful good angel whom God sends to release the demons to inflict judgment on the earth. Connelly favours the latter view because Revelation 20:1 refers to an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss. Our family agreed with Connelly.

The appearance of the locusts reminded me of the locusts referred to in Joel 1:4 and 2:25. Connelly presents several reasons why they are more than just insects and, because they come from the Abyss, suggests that they are demons. They are told to torture, but not kill, people for five months except for those with the seal of God on their foreheads. People will be in so much pain that they will want to die but won’t be able to. Connelly suggests that the limitation of five months” serves the same function as “a third” in the first four trumpets, to give people a chance to repent and turn to God for mercy. The demons are led by an angel named “Destroyer” (“Abaddon” in the Hebrew and “Apollyon” in the Greek). Although some scholars think that he is Satan himself, Connelly notes that he is just called an “angel” and suggests that he is just the highest-ranking demon confined in the Abyss.

Sixth Trumpet (Revelation 9:13-19)

13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

When the sixth angel blows his trumpet, John sees four angels released from where they were bound at the Euphrates River to unleash an army of two hundred million horses and riders that kills one-third of the world’s people. Connelly discusses whether the army consists of soldiers or spirits in a full page break-out section. The other commentaries which I’ve been consulting make these identifications: Craig S. Keener’s The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000) — “a demonic army portrayed with the features of Parthians, or Parthians portrayed as a hideous symbolic army” (page 272; the Parthians were an Iranian people who competed with the Romans for dominance in the Orient in New Testament times); Robert H. Mounce’s The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1977) — “a demonic army from beyond the Euphrates” (page 203); John F. Walvoord’s The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1966) — “army [of men] from the East”; and Warren W. Wiersbe’s The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books, 1989) — “another demonic army, headed by four fallen angels” (page 595).

The World’s Lack of Repentance (Revelation 9:20-21)

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Notice the aspects of evil which John points out as marking the Tribulation period: the worship of demons and idolatry, murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft. Connelly notes that the Greek word for “sorceries” is pharmakon, from which are word “pharmacy” comes, and suggests that the use of narcotic drugs will be rampant in the Tribulation. He also observes that sexual immorality includes homosexual sin and pornography.

Questions from The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

These questions are the questions asked about Revelation 9:1-21 in The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Zondervan Publishing House, 1988). (Note that the Serendipity Bible groups together its questions on Revelation 8:6-9:21 but that I reported on our discussion of its questions on 8:7-13 in my last article here.) The answers given for the DIG questions are what I remember of how our family answered them. Our answers to the REFLECT question were personal and so I won’t share them here.

DIG, 6. What happens when the fifth trumpet sounds? Who can the fallen star be (see Lk 10:18; Isa 14:12)? What power do the locusts have? Describe them.
When the fifth trumpet sounds, locusts are released from the Abyss to torture people not having the seal of God on their foreheads. The Bible verses referred to in the question suggest that the fallen star could be Satan, but our family agreed with Connelly that it was an angel sent by God. The locusts have the power of scorpions and can torture but not kill people who don’t have the seal of God on their foreheads. They have something like crowns of gold on their heads, their faces resemble human faces, their hair is like women’s hair, their teeth are like lions’ teeth, they have breastplates like breastplates of iron, they have wings which make a loud noise when they are flying, and they have tails with stingers like scorpions.
DIG, 7. What events are inaugurated by the sixth trumpet? What response would this woe elicit from the unbelieving world? Why? Why do you suppose this woe failed to bring the majority to repentance, as intended?
When the sixth trumpet sounds, four angels who are bound at the Euphrates river are released and they unleash an army of two hundred million that kills one-third of the world’s people. We thought that the unbelieving world doesn’t repent because it wasn’t God’s will that they repent and because the Holy Spirit didn’t enable them to repent.
REFLECT, 4. What do you have in common with the people mentioned in 9:20-21? What will you do about this today?

The Book of Revelation — 8:7-13

Today our family finished considering Revelation 8:7-13 in our study of the book of Revelation using Douglas Connelly’s The Book of Revelation Made Clear and The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups. It describes what happens when the angels blow the first four of the seven trumpets. Yesterday morning we read what Connelly said about the passage and this morning we discussed the Serendipity Bible questions about it.

7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.
12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.
13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”
(Revelation 8:7-13, ESV; all Biblical quotations are from the ESV.)

First Trumpet (8:7)

On the blowing of the first trumpet, hail and fire mixed with blood are hurled to the earth. Hail mixed with other things was viewed as a warning of judgment or judgment itself in the ancient Mediterranean world (Craig S. Keener, The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000, page 256). The fire would be lightening. “Mixed with blood” may refer to the awesome colour of the storm. The destruction of one-third of the trees would mean shortage of fruit, and the destruction of all the grass would mean no food for farm animals. Yet “a third” indicates that the devastation is not complete, giving people a chance to repent and turn to God for mercy.

Second Trumpet (8:8-9)

On the blowing of the second trumpet, something like a huge burning mountain was thrown into the sea, perhaps the Mediterranean Sea which surrounded John’s prison island or one of the world’s oceans. The burning mountain could be a meteor or comet which collides with the earth or a volcano which falls into the sea. One-third of the water becomes contaminated causing one-third of marine life to die, and the tidal waves created by the mountain’s falling into the sea destroys one-third of the ships. Yet as with the first trumpet, “a third” indicates that the devastation is not complete, still giving people a chance to repent and turn to God for mercy.

Third Trumpet (8:10-11)

On the blowing of the third trumpet, a blazing star (a meteor or a comet) falls to earth, apparently breaking apart so that pieces of it land in fresh water rivers and fountains. The star is called “Wormwood” because of its causing the water to have a strong bitter taste like the plant of that name. Thus it has an opposite effect on the water it falls into as the log cast into the waters of Marah had (Exodus 15:23-25). One-third of the water is made unfit to drink and many people die either because of the water shortage or because of the water’s turning poisonous. However as with the first two trumpets, “a third” indicates that the devastation is not complete, still giving people a chance to repent and turn to God for mercy.

Fourth Trumpet (8:12)

On the blowing of the fourth trumpet, God strikes the sun, the moon, and the visible stars so that their light is reduced by one-third. “A third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened” suggests that their light will be reduced by one-third, but “a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night” suggests that the hours in which the earth receives light from them will be reduced by one-third. Pagans revered the sun and moon, and God’s reducing their light shows His superiority over them. The reduced heat and light will have devastating results on the earth. However as with the first three trumpets, “a third” indicates that the devastation is not complete, still giving people a chance to repent and turn to God for mercy.

Note that three of the first four trumpets resulted in plagues resembling plagues that God brought on Egypt in the time of Moses:
● first trumpet — seventh plague of hail (and thunder and lightning)
● second trumpet — first plague of water’s turning to blood
● third trumpet — ninth plague of darkness
As well the fifth trumpet resembles the eighth plague of locusts.

Woe! Woe! Woe! (8:13)

As John watches what happens on earth when the first four trumpets are blown, he sees an eagle flying across the sky above him and hears it call out, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!” Tripling “Wow” indicates that the worst of God’s judgment lies ahead.

Questions from The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups
These questions are the questions asked about Revelation 8:7-13 in The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Zondervan Publishing House, 1988). (Note that the Serendipity Bible questions are on Revelation 8:6-9:21 but that so far we’ve just discussed them with respect to Revelation 8:7-13.) The answers given for the DIG questions are what I remember of how our family answered them. Our answers to the REFLECT questions were personal and so I won’t share them here.

DIG, 1. What events follow the sounding of each of the first four trumpets? What do the trumpets signify: Triumph or doom? Life or death? Or what?
The sounding of the first four trumpets was followed, respectively, by hail mixed with fire and blood being thrown onto the earth, something like a great burning mountain being thrown into the sea, a blazing star (a meteor or a comet) falling into the fresh water rivers and fountains, and the light of the sun, moon, and stars being reduced. We said that the trumpets brought doom and death and signified a warning of further judgment.
DIG, 2. How do these trumpeted events compare with the events inaugurated by the first six seals?
We said that the trumpeted events brought devastation as had the events inaugurated by the first six seals. We also said that whereas the opening of the first four seals had brought devastation caused by human actions the blowing of the first four trumpets brought natural disasters caused by God as had the opening of the sixth seal.
DIG, 3. Likewise, how do these events compare with the plagues in Exodus 7-10 and Joel 2:1-11?
We noted this comparison of these events with the plagues in Exodus 7-10: first trumpet — seventh plague of hail (and thunder and lightning); second trumpet — first plague of water’s turning to blood; and third trumpet — ninth plague of darkness. We thought that Joel 2:1-11 referred to a human invading army like that inaugurated by the opening of the first seal but realized that it could refer to an invasion of locusts as in Joel 1:4, which would be a natural disaster caused by God as were the trumpet events.
DIG, 4. What parallels or repeated patterns do you see between the opening of the seals and sounding of the trumpets, which suggest that these two scenes are in reality two sides of the same coin? (Note how the trumpets focus on what will happen to the unbelieving world, whereas the seals focus on what will happen to the church.)
The only pattern that we saw between the opening of the seals and sounding of the trumpets was that each opening or sounding resulted in devastation on mankind.
DIG, 5. Do you think these seals and trumpets refer to datable, sequential events or to aspects of the world condition which may be true at any point in history? Why?
We thought that the seals and trumpets referred to aspects of the world condition which may be true at any time in history.
REFLECT, 1. What do you think of Christians who pray for trouble to strike the unbelieving world? And what do you think of God’s answer to such prayers? What modern-day realities does the imagery of these plagues bring to mind for you? How might they have applied equally well in John’s day?
REFLECT, 2. How do you feel when you read this account of stranger-than-fiction events? What is the “who” and “why” behind all these events?
REFLECT, 3. How has the star named “Wormwood” or “Bitterness” affected your life? How has your bitterness affected others? What have you discovered as an antidote to bitterness?

Key Events in the Life of Peter — Escaped from Prison Miraculously

Yesterday evening the Life group which meets in my wife’s and my home studied the following account of Peter’s miraculous escape from prison.

1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, ain her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.
18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.
(Acts 12:1-19, ESV; all Biblical quotations are from the ESV)

The previous meeting I’d asked the group to read Acts 12:1-19; suggested that they look at Mark Copeland’s summary of, outline of, and review questions on the passage at http://executableoutlines.com/acts/acts_12.htm; and provided them with the questions asked about the passage in The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Zondervan Publishing House, 1988), my having permission from Serendipity House to reproduce material from it for small group use.

In yesterday evening’s meeting we read Acts 12:1-19 and discussed the Serendipity Bible questions on the passage. The answers given to the questions below are what I can remember from our discussion. I haven’t shared our answers to the personal REFLECT questions.

DIG Questions from Serendipity Bible for Groups (Serendipity House, 1988; used with permission of Serendipity House):
1. This Herod is the nephew of the Herod who ruled in Jesus’ day. What do you learn about his character in verses 1-3? Why would this action please the Jewish leaders? Why do you think Herod, as a Roman official, would now join in the Jewish opposition to the church?
In verses 1-3 we learn that Herod arrested some Christians, had James (an apostle and the brother of the apostle John) put to death, and arrested Peter. This would please the Jews because they were opposed to the Jesus movement. We thought that Herod joined in the Jewish opposition to the church because he wanted to please the Jews, verse 3’s saying that he arrested Peter because he saw that his previous actions met with their approval.
2. When Rhoda announced who was at the door, what would you have said if you had been there?
Our answers varied from “I would have told her to let him in” to “I would have said that she was imagining things.”
3. How do you feel about the fact that God saved Peter but not James? In light of John 21:18-19, how might Peter respond to this question?
Our answers varied on the first question. We thought that in light of John 21:18-19 Peter might have responded that God had something else in mind for him, crucifixion when he was old.
4. Who is John Mark in verses 12, 25 (see 15:37-39; 2Ti 4:11; and the gospel bearing his name?
John Mark is a young man who accompanied Saul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey but turned back during it and who accompanied Barnabas on a later missionary journey. Later he became associated with Peter and Paul and wrote the gospel of Mark. I mentioned that some think that he was the young man who fled naked when Jesus was arrested.
5. Who is the James of verse 17 (see Gal 1:18-19)? Why do you think he is mentioned? What does this tell you about his importance in the Jerusalem church?
The James of verse 17 is the brother of Jesus. I suggested that he may have been mentioned so that we would know that he as well as the twelve were told about Peter’s escape from prison. This tells us that he was a leader in the Jerusalem church.
6. Putting yourself in the place of the soldiers (v.18), what would you say to each other in the morning?
We thought that they would express fear because they could be put to death for letting a prisoner escape.
7. In verses 20-22, what contrasts do you see between Herod’s power and God’s?
Herod was powerful among people, but God was all-powerful.
8. What do you make of Herod’s death (vv.21-23)?
Herod’s death indicates that it is dangerous not to recognize God as above us.
9. In this “Judea and Samaria” phase (ch.8-12) of God’s plan (1:8), how has the church fared? What opposition has it faced so far? How far has it expanded?
The church encountered persecution in Jerusalem and scattered throughout Judea and Samaria and outside them at least as far as Antioh in Syria.

REFLECT Questions from Serendipity Bible for Groups (see above):
1. Who truly has power here: Herod or the Lord of the church? What does this tell you about how Christians ought to deal with opposition and persecution? What worldly forces seem all-powerful to you? How does this chapter put them in perspective for you?
The Lord of the church has more power than Herod here. This tells us that we should trust God to deal with things when we are faced with opposition and persecution.
2. How are you like the people in the prayer meeting in this story? What are some of your prayers that would surprise you if God answered them affirmatively?
3. Although Peter was miraculously rescued from prison, he went into hiding to avoid Herod. In leaving Jerusalem, do you think Peter acted: (a) With a lack of faith? (B) With common sense? (C) Within God’s plan? Explain.
We agreed that Peter acted with common sense. One of us also suggested that Peter acted within God’s plan.
4. Likewise, where do you see an overlap between God’s power and human common sense in the ways things work out for your deliverance?

The Book of Revelation — 8:1-6

Today our family considered Revelation 8:1-6 in our study of the book of Revelation using Douglas Connelly’s The Book of Revelation Made Clear and The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups. It sets the stage for the blowing of seven trumpets of judgment.

1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 4 and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
(Revelation 8:1-6, text from ESV and paragraph divisions from NIV)

The Opening of the Seventh Seal (8:1)

The six seals of judgment of chapter 6 and the breather of chapter 7 are followed by a half hour of silence. Why? Robert H. Mounce answers, “The silence is neither a symbol of eternal rest nor a necessary precaution so God can hear the prayers of the suffering saints [both suggestions that have been made]. It is a dramatic pause which makes even more impressive the judgments about to fall upon the earth.” (Robert H. Mounce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1977, page 179)

Preparation for the Blowing of the Seven Trumpets (8:2, 6)

Either during or following the half hour of silence John sees the seven angels who stand before God being given seven trumpets. According to the Jewish book of 1 Enoch the angels’ names are Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Saraquel, Gabriel, and Remiel; only two of them, Michael and Gabriel, are named in the Bible. Then John sees the actions of an eighth angel (8:3-5; see below), after which the angels raise their trumpets to blow them.

The Power of Prayer (8:3-5)

Here is how Connelly describes what John reports seeing while the seven angels prepare to sound their trumpets: “The eighth angel has a censer in his hand—a short shovel or pan filled with red-hot coals. He puts the coals on the golden altar, the altar of incense in the heavenly tabernacle— the same altar under which the souls of those killed in the Tribulation were calling out to God back in chapter 6 (verses 9-11). Then the angel receives incense—wood chips soaked in aromatic oil. When the wood chips are sprinkled over the hot coals on the alter, a cloud of fragrant smoke rises from the altar. That cloud pictures the prayers of believers, which rise up before the Lord.… The angel who offered the incense now takes a shovelful of burning coals from the altar and throws them to the earth—a taste of the judgments about to fall. The silence in heaven is shattered with the sounds of thunder, and the earth shudders in anticipation of the disasters to come.” (Douglas Connelly, The Book of Revelation Made Clear, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007, pages 127-28)

Craig S. Keener comments, “It is as fresh prayers for vindication are added to other prayers (8:3) [the “other prayers” are those of 6:10] that judgment is sent into motion. The sufferings of God’s people invite his intervention, even if his time is not always our time…. What takes place in heaven clearly affects what occurs on earth (8:5), and though we cannot always see the processes, many judgments come in response to human prayers.” (Craig S. Keener, The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000, pages 255-56)

Questions from The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

These questions are the questions asked about Revelation 8:1-5 in The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Zondervan Publishing House, 1988).

DIG, 1. Amid seals and trumpets, why this silence? Why the golden censer?
I shared Mounce’s suggestion that it was a dramatic pause between the seven seals and the seven trumpets. The golden censer enabled the offering of believers’ prayers to God and the delivery of God’s judgment on earth.
DIG, 2. What do altars and incense teach about prayer (vv. 3-5; see 5:8; 6:9-10; 9:13)?
The altars and incense teach that believers’ prayers are heard (and answered) by God.
REFLECT. Does this imagery seem far removed to you? When was the last time you tried silent meditation or cried for justice? What happened?