1 Peter 4:1-11

Yesterday evening the Life group which meets in my wife’s and my home continued our study of the life and writings of the apostle Peter by studying 1 Peter 4:1-11. Our study of it consisted of our reading 1 Peter 4:1-11 and discussing the questions asked about it in Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Serendipity House, 1988). Although I quote from the ESV throughout the article, we used the NIV in our study and the Executable Outlines questions given below are based on the KJV. Serendipity House gave me permission to reproduce material from Serendipity Bible for Study Groups for small group use, and Mark Copeland gives permission to users of the Executable Outlines website (http://executableoutlines.com/) to use material from it freely.

1 Peter 4:1-11

1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.
7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

We were originally scheduled to discuss Review Questions 2-9 on 1 Peter 4 in Executable Outlines and DIG question 1 and REFLECT question 2 on 1 Peter 4:1-11 in Serendipity Bible for Study Groups. However I let the group know ahead of time that instead we would discuss all of the Serendipity Bible questions on 1 Peter 4:1-11. Below are all the questions that we were scheduled to discuss and that we actually discussed and what I can remember of what we said in discussing the Serendipity Bible DIG questions.

Executable Outlines Review Questions

2) What two reasons are given for us to have the “mind of Christ” regarding suffering? (1)
3) How should one live in whatever time they have left in the flesh? (2)
4) What sins are mentioned as being “the will of the Gentiles”? (3)
5) How do people in the world react when you no longer do such things? (4)
6) To whom shall they have to answer? (5)
7) Why was the gospel preached to those who are dead? (6)
8) In view of the end of all things being at hand, how should we live? (7-10)
9) How should one speak? How should one serve? Why? (11)

The Serendipity Bible for Study Groups Questions

OPEN. Are you more of a doer, thinker, lover, pray-er, or sleeper?
DIG, 1. Imagine a specific compromising situation that Peter’s readers (and you) may be encountering: What accusations are being made? What should be the focus of the readers’ attention, instead?
Peter’s readers may have been accused of not being sociable or of various crimes (such as cannibalism) because they no longer participated in the activities listed in verse 3. Peter H. Davids says that the last activity listed, lawless idolatry, gives not just another activity but also the context in which the others took place. “Family religious celebrations, guild feasts…, and civic festal days might all include such things’ taking place in the temples of the various divinities.… The Jews had long noted and detested this connection of vice with idolatry…, but it was not an issue with them since they were considered a colony of a foreign nation within the Greek cities and so were permitted to follow their own customs and laws. These Christians, on the other hand, had been part of the culture, so their nonparticipation was a change in behavior and thus quite noticeable” (First Epistle of Peter, Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1990, page 151). They should focus their attention on doing God’s will instead.
DIG, 2. How are the realities of judgment (vv.5-7) and Christ’s glory (v.11) to influence our daily behavior?
Because the final judgment is imminent we should be “self-controlled and sober-minded” so that we will be effective in prayer.
DIG, 3. What does this redemptive love look like in action (vv. 8-11)? How would this benefit suffering people?
Redemptive love involves loving one another, being hospitable (providing board and lodging to travelling Christians), and using their gifts (including preaching/teaching and serving) to minister to others.
REFLECT, 1. What thinking hinders your prayer life? Conversely, what helps?
REFLECT, 2. Which commands in vv. 7-11 do you need to pay special attention to this week?
REFLECT, 3. What is one gift that you think each group member has? How could that gift be used to show love?

1 Peter 3:8-22

Yesterday evening the Life group which meets in my wife’s and my home continued our study of the life and writings of the apostle Peter by studying 1 Peter 3:8-22 guided by Peter Chapter Three Review Questions 9-23 in Mark Copeland’s Executable Outlines (http://executableoutlines.com/).

1 Peter 3:8-22

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For

“Whoever desires to love life
and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit;
11 let him turn away from evil and do good;
let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

I indented verses 10-12 to show that they are a quotation, of Psalm 34:12-16. Although as usual I quoted from the ESV throughout the article, the questions are based on the KJV and we used the NIV in our study.

Executable Outlines Review Questions

Mark Copeland gives permission to users of Executable Outlines to use the material in it freely.

9) What duties do we as brethren have to one another? (8)
Brethern are to be like-minded, to be sympathetic, to love one another, and to be tenderhearted and humble.
10) How are we to respond when mistreated by brethren? Why? (9)
When mistreated by brethern, we are to respond with blessing so that we may inherit a blessing. This echoes what Jesus said in Luke 6:27-28, ““But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”
11) What proscription is offered for those who would love life and see good days? (10-11)
Those who would love life and see good days should keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech and should turn from evil and do good.
12) What is said of the righteous? Of those who do evil? (12)
Of the righteous it is said that the eyes of the Lord are on them and His ears are attentive to their prayers, and of those who do evil it is said that the face of the Lord is against them.
13) What is the general principle regarding persecution? (13)
If you do good, you will not be harmed. We recognized that although this is a general rule, Christians are sometimes persecuted despite their doing good.
14) What is said of those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake? (14)
Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake are said to be blessed. [This echoes what Jesus said in Matthew 5:10, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Peter could be referring to a blessing now or in the end time.]
15) How should one prepare themselves for possible persecution? (15-16)
We should prepare ourselves for possible persecution by honouring Christ as Lord in our hearts, by being ready to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give a reason for our hope, and by having a good conscience.
16) If we maintain good conduct, what will happen to those who defame and revile us? (16)
If we maintain good conduct, those who defame and revile us will be ashamed both because our good conduct shows that their accusations are groundless and in the coming judgment.
17) If we suffer according to God’s will, what is better? (17)
If it is God’s will, it is better for us to suffer for doing good than to suffer for doing evil.
18) Who also suffered for righteousness’ sake? For what reason? (18)
Christ suffered for our sins that he might bring us to God.
19) Though put to death in the flesh, what was He able to do by the Spirit? (18-19)
Though Christ was put to death in the flesh, he was able by the Spirit to preach to “the spirits in prison.”
20) When were such “spirits” disobedient? (20)
These “spirits” were disobedient in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. We considered different interpretations of what incident verses 19-20 refer to: Christ’s preaching through Noah to the wicked people of his time; Christ’s preaching between his death and resurrection in the place where fallen angels are imprisoned to the angels who married human women in Noah’s time (Genesis 6:2; 2 Peter 2:4); and Christ’s preaching between his death and resurrection in the place where unbelievers are imprisoned giving them a second chance for salvation.
21) Of what is the salvation of eight souls through water a “type”? (21)
The salvation of Noah and his family through water is a type of baptism.
22) How does baptism not save us? How does it save us? (21)
Baptism doesn’t save us by the washing of dirt from the body. It saves us as the appeal of a good conscience to God through the resurrection of Jesus. We considered whether baptism is necessary for salvation and its importance if it isn’t necessary.
3) What was the final outcome of Jesus who suffered for righteousness’ sake? (22)
The final outcome for Jesus is that he has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand and that angels, authorities, and powers have been made subject to him.

Revelation 22:6-21

This morning my family finished considering Revelation 22:6-21 in our study of the book of Revelation using Douglas Connelly’s The Book of Revelation Made Clear (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007) and Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Littleton, Colorado: Serendipity House, 1988). The passage contains statements/actions by the angel who has guided John in the book of Revelation, by John himself, and by Jesus . My comments on it are based primarily on Connelly’s exposition of it. The answers to the Serendipity Bible for Study Groups questions are based on what I can remember of our family discussion of them.

The Angel and John

6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

The angel who has been guiding John reassures John that what he has shown and told John is trustworthy because it came from God. As he had done in Revelation 19:10, John falls down at the feet of the angel to worship him. Again the angel tells not to do so because he is just a fellow servant of God and only God should be worshipped. Then he warns John not to seal up what he has written because “the time is near.” However that was almost two thousand years ago, and so how could the angel say that the time was near? Connelly answers, “I think that the angel’s statement (like Jesus’ statement later in the chapter that he is coming soon) points out the fact that the wrap-up if history could begin at any moment” (Connelly, page 367).

Jesus

12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Jesus gives his final message to the world in verses in verses 12-16 (the NIV includes verses 14-15 in what he says). He emphasizes who he is and that he is coming soon. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, the root and descendant of David, and the bright morning star. When he comes, those who have accepted his salvation will be able to enter the city and eat of the tree of life but those who haven’t accepted it will remain outside forever.

The book of Revelation opened with the promise on those who read it, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” It closes with a warning to those who add or take away from it, “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

Following the warning, Jesus exclaims again, “I am coming soon,” and John responds, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” May that be our prayer too.

Questions from Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

These questions are the ones which our family discussed of the questions on Revelation 22:6-21 in Serendipity Bible for Study Groups.

DIG, 1: What words of Christ are repeated three times in this closing (vv.7, 12, 20)? How do these words sum up the theme of Revelation?
“I am coming soon” is repeated three times. It’s sums up the theme of Jesus’ soon return.
DIG, 2: What significance do you attribute to Jesus’ claims and names in verses 12-17? Regarding these claims, how is the final state of humanity determined: By some arbitrary reward system, fixed from eternity? By what we have done in this present life? Or by our response to his universal (“whoever thirsts”) and undeserved (“free gift”) invitation to simply “come”?
The names are the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, the root and the descendant of David, and the bright morning star., They point to his eternity and his being the Messiah or Christ. The final state of humanity is determined by our response to his universal (“whoever thirsts”) and undeserved (“free gift”) invitation to simply “come.”
DIG, 3: What then do you make of God’s summary of human destiny? Is it ever too late for people to change their ways and come to Christ? Why or why not?
God’s saying “Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy” points to the shortness of time before Jesus will return. However it is never too late for people to change their ways and come to Jesus because the invitation will remain open until the final judgment.
DIG, 4: In the contrast between those “inside” the city and those “outside” (vv. 14-15), what is implied about the basis for our salvation and judgment? What does it mean to “wash” one’s “robe”?
The contrast between those “inside” and those “outside” the city implies that the basis for salvation is having our robes washed in the blood or accepting Jesus’ sacrifice of himself for us.
DIG, 5: What is the meaning of God’s final curse in verses 18-19? Knowing what you now do about the seven plagues, the tree of life, and the Holy City, how seriously do you take this warning?
God’s curse in verses 18-19 means that we are not to add to or take away from what is said in the book of Revelation and that doing so will mean not receiving salvation.
REFLECT, 1: How have you prepared yourself for Christ’s second coming? Do you feel more (or less) ready for it after reading the Book of Revelation than you did beforehand?
REFLECT, 2: How have your perceptions of Jesus, Satan, heaven, and hell changed? Why?
REFLECT, 3: How will these new perceptions affect your worship? Your lifestyle?
REFLECT, 4: How would you sum up the central truth of this book?
The central truth of the book of Revelation is that Jesus is returning soon and thus we should be ready for his return.
I haven’t given our answers to the other three REFLECT questions because they were personal.
XX

Revelation 21:1-22:5

Yesterday morning my family finished considering Revelation 21:1-22:5 in our study of the book of Revelation using Douglas Connelly’s The Book of Revelation Made Clear (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007) and Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Littleton, Colorado: Serendipity House, 1988). The passage describes the new heaven and the new earth. It and any other Biblical quotations given below are from the ESV. My comments on it are based primarily on Connelly’s exposition of it. The answers to the Serendipity Bible for Study Groups questions are based on what I can remember of our family discussion of them.

The New Heaven and the New Earth

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and she will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

In Revelation 20 John saw Earth’s history come to an end with a millennium of peace and abundance followed by a final rebellion by Satan and the final judgment. In Revelation 21 and 22 he sees God destroy the earth and the universe it is part of and make a new creation, an earth with no separating seas and oceans. John also sees a beautiful city descend to the earth, “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Then John hears a voice (God’s or an angel’s) from heaven’s throne announce that God will now dwell with His people. Connelly understands this to mean that “God will dwell with human beings in bodily form as Jesus, but his glory and majesty as God will be visible” (Connelly, page 349). God’s presence will ensure that death, sorrow, and pain will be no more.
In verses 5-8 God confirms what John has seen and recorded. He assures John that He started, guides, and will end human history. He promises an eternal life with Him to all who believe in Jesus and remain faithful to Him and threatens hell for all who reject Jesus and do evil.

The New Jerusalem

9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. 18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Connelly expresses the wish that John could have taken some pictures of the new Jerusalem to add to what he writes, concluding, “[John] does his best to use present-world language to describe next-world sights, but we can only begin to imagine the splendor and beauty of the great city where we will spend eternity” (Connelly, page 355).
Besides describing the new Jerusalem, John notes some things that it won’t have: a temple, darkness, and impurity. God will be its temple, and His glory will light it. Connelly infers from the absence of sin, sickness, and death in the new Jerusalem that there won’t be any things that cater to or deal with them, such as adult theatres, hospitals, and cemeteries. He also observes that the pursuit of material wealth will be a things of the past too and thus that there won’t be any need for institutions concerned with that pursuit, such as banks. He concludes, “A lot of things we accept as commonplace in this world will be missing in the next world—and we won’t miss any of them” (Connelly, page 357).

The River of Life

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

This passage points out three specific blessings of the new earth: the river of the water of life, the tree of life, and the absence of sin’s curse. It also refers to two activities of believers in the new earth: serving and worshipping God (verse 3) and reigning with God (verse 5).
Over whom will we reign? In a break-out section on Revelation 21:24 Connelly suggests that church-age believers will reign over Old Testament believers and millennial-age believers either as kings over nations throughout the earth or as dwellers in the new Jerusalem over the occupants of the rest of the earth (Connelly, page 352). However he admits that this is just speculation.

Questions from Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

These questions are the ones which our family discussed of the questions on Revelation 21:1-22:5 in Serendipity Bible for Study Groups.

DIG, 1: Where will the new age be lived out—on earth or in heaven? Why do you think so?
The new age will be lived out on earth because John sees the new Jerusalem descend from heaven to earth.
DIG, 2: Who will be the “residents” of the New Jerusalem and the “wife” of the Lamb? Whose presence is the vision caught up with? What’s missing from this picture? Why?
The residents of the New Jerusalem and the wife of the Lamb will be the church-age believers. Evil is missing from the picture because the tempter, Satan, will be in the Abyss.
DIG, 5: What is it about the city that John and his readers are meant to notice in particular? Why? What impresses you most about the city and its central figures? Why?
We didn’t know what John and his readers were to notice in particular about the city. We were especially impressed by the splendour of the city, by our being able to see God face to face, and by His being the city’s source of light.
DIG, 7: What features will be found in the New Jerusalem (22:1-6)? Where else do we see the same features (see Ge 1-3; Eze 47:1-2; Joel 3:18; Zec 14:8)?
The river of the water of life will flow through the New Jerusalem, and the tree(s) of life will be on either side of the river. The passages for which references are given also refer to the tree of life (Genesis) or to water flowing from the temple (Ezekiel) or the house of the Lord (Joel) or Jerusalem (Zechariah).
REFLECT, 4: How must the early Christians have greeted this vision of what was in sore for them? How do you respond to this same hope?
We thought that the early Christians must have greeted this vision of what was in store for them with anticipation and that we should respond with the same feeling.
REFLECT, 6: What difficulties of comprehension does this eternal city, the river of life, and the immediacy of these events pose for you? What bearing, if any, do these realities have on your present life? Why?
I haven’t shared our answers to these questions because they were personal.

1 Peter 3:1-7

Yesterday evening the Life group which meets in my wife’s and my home continued our study of the life and writings of the apostle Peter by studying 1 Peter 3:1-7. Our study of it consisted of my commenting on the status of wives among Jews and among Gentiles in Peter’s day, our reading 1 Peter 2:13-3:7, our discussing 1 Peter Chapter Three Review Questions 2-8 in Executable Outlines (http://executableoutlines.com/), and our reading Ephesians 5:21-33 and comparing Paul’s advice to husbands and wives with Peter’s advice to them.

Status of Wives in Peter’s Day

I read and commented on the introduction to 1 Peter 3:1-7 in the LifeChange study guide to 1 Peter (Colorado Springs, CO: NacPress, 1986, pages 73-74). According to it women were under their husbands’ authority in both Jewish and Roman law but even more so under the latter, Jewish law letting wives own property and setting limits on divorce, physical abuse, and adultery by husbands bur Roman law not doing so. It also notes that wives usually followed the religion of their husbands but that, in contrast to the practice among Jews, a pagan husband often allowed his wife to practice her own religion as well.

1 Peter 3:1-7 (ESV)

1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Executable Outlines Review Questions

Mark Copeland gives permission to users of Executable Outlines to use the material in it freely.

2) What are wives told to be in regards to their husbands? Why? (1)
Wives are told to be submissive to their husbands so that if their husbands aren’t Christians the wives’ behaviour might win them to Christ.
3) What does Peter hope the unbelieving husbands will observe in their wives? (2)
Peter hoped that the unbelieving husbands would observe reverence toward God and purity in their wives.
4) What should not be the focus of their adornment? (3)
The focus of their adornment should not be external: arranging the hair, wearing gold jewelry, and wearing fine clothes. We agreed that Peter didn’t forbid these but just discouraged their becoming the focus of the wives’ adornment.
5) What should be the focus of their adornment (4)
The focus of their adornment should be their inner self, “the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.”
6) What other women so adorned themselves and were submissive to their husbands? (5-6)
Holy women of God in the past who trusted in God, specifically Sarah, adorned themselves by submitting to their husbands. We agreed that Sarah’s referring to Abraham as her lord or master in Genesis 18:12 doesn’t mean that women have to address their husbands as lord or master.
7) How are husbands to treat their wives? (7)
Husbands are to treat their wives with understanding and to show respect to them because of their being physically weaker and being fellow-Christians.
8) Why should husbands treat their wives so kindly? (7)
Husbands should treat their wives so kindly so that their prayers not be hindered. We understood their prayers to be hindered to refer both to their attitude when praying and to God’s attitude toward their prayers.

The Serendipity Bible for Study Groups Questions

We were scheduled to discuss the following questions on 1 Peter 3:1-7 from Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Serendipity House, 1988) except for DIG, 2, my having permission from Serendipity House to reproduce material from it for small group use. but didn’t. However I’m including them here for your consideration. Feel free to share your answers to the questions here.

DIG, 1: How is submission here similar in purpose to that in 2:13-15? What qualities are singled out? What does Sarah’s example add?
DIG, 2: In what way are husbands to treat their wives?
REFLECT, 1: Married or not, what qualities here would you like to build into your friendships with the opposite sex?
REFLECT, 2: What would a marriage built on mutual submission actually look like?
REFLECT, 3: Is Peter advocating that spouses stay in cruel situations? Why or why not?

Peter and Paul on Wives and Husbands

We compared what Peter told wives and husbands here to what Paul said to them in Ephesians 5:22-33. We noted that Peter spoke mainly to wives but Paul spoke mainly to husbands and that Peter’s emphasis was practical but Paul’s emphasis was theological. We speculated on why the difference, attributing them to background and marital status, Peter’s having been a working man (a fisherman) and married but Paul’s having been a rabbi and unmarried. I’d appreciate your sharing here your thoughts on why the difference.

Revelation 20:1-15

This morning my family finished considering Revelation 20:1-15 in our study of the book of Revelation using Douglas Connelly’s The Book of Revelation Made Clear (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007) and Serendipity Bible for Study Groups (Littleton, Colorado: Serendipity House, 1988). The chapter describes the millennium, Satan’s activities during and after it, and the final judgment. The passage and any other Biblical quotations given below are from the ESV. My comments on the passage are based primarily on Connelly’s exposition of it. The answers to the Serendipity Bible for Study Groups questions are based on what I can remember of our family discussion of them.

Before commenting on the passage, Connelly identifies and summarizes the arguments for the three main views about the millennium or “thousand years” of Revelation 20:1-6. Premillennialism holds that Jesus returns to earth before the millennium and reigns on earth during it. Postmillennialism holds that Jesus reigns through the church during the millennium and returns to earth after it. Amillennialism holds that the kingdom age is the present age, Jesus reigning in the church and in our hearts right now. The Internet contains many articles and charts comparing the main millennial views. Most of them distinguish between historic premillennialism and dispensational premillennialism. The latter views Israel and the church as two distinct peoples of God, but the former views the church as the fulfilment of Israel. Also the latter believes that the church will be raptured before the tribulation, but the former believes that the church will go through the tribulation and be raptured after it.

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

An angel comes down from heaven, seizes Satan, binds him with a great chain, throws him into the Abyss (a bottomless pit which served as a place of confinement for disobedient spirits awaiting judgment), and seals the Abyss for a thousand years so that Satan is unable to deceive the nations. In verse 2 all four titles by which Satan is referred to Revelation are brought together. “He is the dragon defeated in heavenly combat by Michael (12:7-8), the serpent who tried to sweep away the Messianic community with a flood (12:15), and the devil who knows that his time is short” (12:12)” (Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1977, page 352) besides being Satan.
Connelly identifies five groups which will inhabit the earth during Christ’s reign: Gentile believers who survive the Tribulation, Jewish believers who survive the Tribulation, glorified church-age believers (they were taken to heaven in the rapture and will accompany Jesus when he returns in glory), resurrected Old Testament believers (they will be raptured when Jesus returns in glory), and resurrected Tribulation martyrs (they will be raptured when Jesus returns in glory). The first two groups will have normal bodies and the other three will have glorified bodies. Connelly claims that unbelieving survivors of the Tribulation will be judged and die in the transition after Jesus returns, citing Daniel 12:1-2 and Matthew 13:41-43, 49-50.
Next John sees thrones occupied by “were those to whom the authority to judge was committed.” Connelly thinks that these are resurrected church-age believers who returned with Jesus. However “others hold the occupants of the thrones to include apostles [Mt. 19:28], saints [1 Cor. 6:2-3], and all who remain faithful in the final trial (Rev 3:21)” (Mounce, page 355).
John refers to the resurrection of Tribulation martyrs as “the first resurrection,” which Connelly defines as the first kind of resurrection, a resurrection to life. He says that the second kind of resurrection will be what unbelievers experience at the end of the millennium, a resurrection to condemnation and eternal separation to God. However, other scholars distinguish between the two resurrections differently.
The thousand years will be marked by peace and blessing. “Sin’s curse will be lifted, and mankind will enjoy an age of opportunity and goodness the likes of which no one has known since the garden of Eden” (Connelly, page 337). However children born during it will be born with an inner inclination to sin, just like children born today, and when Satan is released at the end of the thousand years multitudes will follow him. He will organize an army which will march against the camp of God’s people (likely Jerusalem). Fire will fall from heaven and devour them. Satan will be thrown into hell, where the Antichrist and the false prophet already are.
Next John sees a great white throne and someone (God) seated on it. Unbelievers will be raised from the dead and be judged at the throne by “books” and “the book of life.” If their names aren’t in the book of life, they will be judged by the record of their deeds on earth contained in the books and cast into hell. Connelly claims that their deeds will determine the degree of their punishment in eternity.
Connelly concludes his exposition of Revelation 20 thus: “No Christian thinks about hell with joy. It’s a hard truth to accept, but we are convinced by the overwhelming testimony of Scripture that those who reject Christ are separated from the conscious presence of God forever.” (Connelly, page 342)

Questions from Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

These questions are the ones on Revelation 20:1-15 in Serendipity Bible for Study Groups.

DIG, 1. Why is Satan bound? By whom? How?
Satan is bound so that he can’t deceive the nations. He is bound with a chain by an angel and cast into the bottomless pit, which the angel then shuts and locks.
DIG, 2. Where and when will this 1000-year reign begin: On earth or in heaven? Beginning when Christ first came? Or when he comes again? Why?
This 1000-year reign will begin on earth when Christ comes again. Its purpose is to let people see what it is like to be ruled over by Christ and God’s people before making a final choice between God and Satan.
DIG, 3. What will life be like without Satan deceiving the nations, but with the church reigning instead? In what sense is that already true? And not yet true?
Without Satan deceiving the nations, there will be peace on earth. Evidence that it is already true in part is the good work done in society by Christians, but the evil in the world shows that is not yet fully true.
DIG, 4. What is the first resurrection? The second death (see also 20:11-15)? What do these mean to Christians? To the rest of the dead?
The first resurrection is the resurrection of the Tribulation martyrs. The second death is being cast into hell. Christians will share in reigning with Jesus in the millennium, which follows the first resurrection. The unsaved dead will be cast into hell.
DIG, 5. Why do you think Satan will again try to deceive the nations? Why do you suppose God released him and let him out of the Abyss?
Satan will again try to deceive the nations in the hope of being victorious over God. God released him and let him out of the Abyss to give the nations another chance to choose Him over Satan.
DIG, 6. Describe this version of the last battle, comparing it to the other versions in Revelation and to Ezekiel 38-39. What is the final fate of the beast and the false prophet?
In all versions of the last battle, God and His people are victorious over the nations. This version is different than the other versions because Satan takes part in it and those defeated end up in hell.
DIG, 7. Who is exempted and who is exhumed at the great white throne judgment? On what basis?
Those whose names were in the book of life were exempted from the great white throne judgment. The other dead were exhumed and judged.
REFLECT, 1. What do you find comforting in this chapter? What disturbs you? Why?
REFLECT, 2. What is your biggest spiritual battle today? What is the outcome so far? What is the hope in this passage for you?
REFLECT, 3. Imagine a book made of your life, with every thought and deed recorded, the read by all? How would you feel? If Christ edited that book by substituting his works for yours? If Christ edited that books by substituting his works for yours, how would you feel then? How would you then live today?
Our answers to these questions were personal and so I won’t share them here.