Prophecy: Principles & Purpose“Current Events in the

Light of Bible Prophecy”

168th Semi-Annual FRATERNAL GATHERING of the Ontario Christadelphian Ecclesias

May 3-5, 2013

When you hear “Prophecy”, what do you think about?

Moses at the Red Sea

Elijah calling for God’s Answer

Nostradamus

Recent “Failed prophecy”

Atomic Bomb

Left Behind Series

“End of The World” Prophecies

Matt 42:36-39 (ESV)

36 But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Quote:

"Most men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and continue as if nothing happened."

- Winston Churchill

What is Prophecy?

There are at least 2 distinct ways in which a speaker for God (prophet) would function.1. As a “Future-Teller” (foreteller – to tell before hand)2. As a “Truth-Teller” (forth teller – to tell the truth

required)

Only God has this Power

Isa 46:9-109 remember the former things of old; for I am God,

and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me,

10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,

How God speaks:

• God speaks to a prophet through angels, visions, etc. and then the prophet speaks to the people.

• There is obligation on the people to test the prophet and what he says.

What is a prophet?

In most basic terms, it is a speaker for God.

10Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

James 5:10

Purpose of Prophecy (minimally):

1. Warn the Wayward2. Encourage the faithful3. Vindicate God4. Vindicate His messenger 5. Vindicate His message

Purpose of Prophecy

The purpose of future telling was not to simply future-tell;rather it was to be an engine for faith. Once the event was past and fulfilled as predicted, you could have confidence in the rest of the prophet’s message. The hearer could change their ways and heed the message with its moral imperatives, which always agreed with other utterances of God.

4 Characteristics that set biblical prophecy apart

1. “Thus says the Lord” – absolute divine authority• Perfect track record

2. Moral imperatives – behavior must change, you can not ignore the creator

3. Sensible reason given for the prophecy – it is not simply gazing into the future• God will cause it to happen• God can change what could happen

4. Specific details are given – people, places and events.• It can be proven true or false.

Duet 13:1-4

1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

It is widely believed that the last pope of the Catholic Church will succeed Pope Benedict XVI. Many people believe that we are in "the end times." That the signs are all around us. St. Malachy, (d. 1148) Irish Bishop and Seer, produced an accurate list of future popes which began with Pope Celestine II in the year 1143. His list consists of a single line which gives a clue to the characteristics of each pope. From this list of 112 popes there is to be just one more after Pope Benedict XVI. His predictions regarding the popes have been for the most part pretty accurate regarding the identifying characteristics that each line reveals. St. Malachy doesn't give any predictions or information about what happens after the last pope. However, according to other seers, we will have arrived at the end times.

http://j.l.navarro.tripod.com/jlnavarro/id18.html

Current Events Relating

to this “Key” of Prophecy

Current Events Relating to this “Key” of Prophecy

The Last Pope: Examining Nostradamus and MalachyNostradamus has made some startling prophecies that have come true.(Their opinion) He has also made some that have been misunderstood and dismissed incorrectly. The purpose here is to examine and perhaps explain two prophecies he made which have a religious significance and one of which has come true and one of which is due to come into play in the near future. Malachy was a Catholic Archbishop of the twelfth century who wrote an uncanny list of every pope until the end. We will examine them both here. According to Malachy there is only one pope left to go.

http://www.ccg.org/english/s/p288.html

Malachy and the list of the Popes

“Malachy’s names of the popes were seen as being very accurate and Connor in his work comments on this aspect. Connor dismisses the prophecies of Nostradamus in that if five changed and the seventeen years were up, then the age was drawing to its conclusion and the popes were on a very short and impossible list indeed. More importantly, it would indicate that a major catastrophe might be likely for such change in that short space of time. In all, Connor and the Catholic scholars failed in their entirety to deal correctly with the texts of Scripture, and their own and other prophecy in this regard.”

http://www.ccg.org/english/s/p288.html

4 Characteristics that set biblical prophecy apart

1. “Thus says the Lord” – absolute divine authority• Perfect track record

2. Moral imperatives – behavior must change, you can not ignore the creator

3. Sensible reason given for the prophecy – it is not simply gazing into the future• God will cause it to happen• God can change what could happen

4. Specific details are given – people, places and events.• It can be proven true or false.

Duet 18:18-22

18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. 20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. 21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him

How do you know a prophecy is fulfilled?

When it comes to pass!

It is only after a prophecy is fulfilled that it can be tested.

“Not One Stone Left Upon Another”

Mark 13:1-21 And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! 2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

General Context

“The Romans, though it was a terrible struggle to collect the timber, raised their platforms in twenty-one days, having as described before stripped the whole area in a circle round the town to a distance of ten miles. The countryside like the City was a pitiful sight; for where once there had been a lovely vista of woods and parks there was nothing but desert and stumps of trees. No one - not even a foreigner - who had seen the Old Judea and the glorious suburbs of the City, and now set eyes on her present desolation, could have helped sighing and groaning at so terrible a change; for every trace of beauty had been blotted out by war, and nobody who had known it in the past and came upon it suddenly would have recognized the place: when he was already there he would still have been looking for the City”. (Flavius Josephus, The Jewish War, p. 303)

Specific Fulfillment

“When at last the walls were breached Titus tried to preserve the Temple by giving orders to his soldiers not to destroy or burn it. But the anger of the soldiers against the Jews was so intense that, maddened by the resistance they encountered, they disobeyed the order of their general and set fire to the Temple. There were great quantities of gold and silver there which had been placed in the Temple for safekeeping. This melted and ran down between the rocks and into the cracks of the stones. When the soldiers captured the Temple area, in their greed to obtain this gold and silver they took long bars and pried apart the massive stones. Thus, quite literally, not one stone was left standing upon another. The Temple itself was totally destroyed, though the wall supporting the area upon which the Temple was built was left partially intact and a portion of it remains to this day, called the Western Wall”.

Ray C. Stedman, What's This World Coming To? (An expository study of Matthew 24-26, the Olivet Discourse). Discovery Publications, 3505 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94306. 1970

2 Vital Principles

From Duet 13 and 18 we learn 2 vital keys concerning prophecy.

For a Prophecy to be considered from God:1. The prophecy must come true to be even

considered from God.2. The message of the prophet must agree with

the rest of God’s Truth and revelation to man

Prophets are called in the scripture:

1. Men of God –

6And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can show us our way that we should go. 1 Samuel 9:6

2. Prophets of God –

2Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.Ezra 5:2

Prophets are called in the scripture:3. Holy Prophets –

70As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: Luke 1:70

4. Holy Men of God –

21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

2 Peter 1:21

5. Seers –

9(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) 1 Samuel 9:9

Israel concerning the prophets:

1. Were required to hear and believe –

20And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

2 Chronicles 20:20

Israel concerning the prophets:

2. Often tried to make them speak smooth things 10Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

Isaiah 30:10

13And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.

1 Kings 22:13

12But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.

Amos 2:12

Israel concerning the prophets:

3. They persecuted them –

16But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

2 Chronicles 36:16

12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Matthew 5:12

Israel concerning the prophets:

4. Often imprisoned them –27And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.

1 Kings 22:27

2For then the king of Babylon’s army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah’s house.

Jeremiah 32:2

Israel concerning the prophets:

5. Often put them to death –

13Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD’S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

1 Kings 18:13

10And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

1 Kings 19:10

Israel concerning the prophets:34Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Matthew 23:34-37

The prophets were mighty in faith32And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Hebrews 11:32-40

God avenges the injury done unto the prophets

50That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

Luke 11:50

False Prophets

Pretended to be sent by God –

17They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. 18For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?

Jeremiah 23:17-18

31Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.

Jeremiah 23:31

False ProphetsThese are not sent or commissioned by God –

14Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

Jeremiah 14:14

21I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

Jeremiah 23:21

31Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:

Jeremiah 29:31

False ProphetsFalse prophets speak peace when there is no peace –

14They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

Jeremiah 6:14

17They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

Jeremiah 23:17

10Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar:

Ezekiel 13:10

False ProphetsThese false prophets involved the people to their own ruin –

15The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. 16For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

Isaiah 9:15-16

6And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies.

Jeremiah 20:6

10And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;

Ezekiel 14:10

“The Death of a Country”

“As Syria disintegrates, it threatens the entire Middle East. The outside world needs to act before it is too late”

1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. 2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. 3 The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the Lord of hosts.

ISAIAH 17:1-3

“The Death of a Country”

COMBO - This combination of two citizen journalist images provided by Aleppo Media Center AMC which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows at left: the damaged famed 12th century Umayyad mosque without the minaret, background right corner, which was destroyed by the shelling, in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday April 24, 2013; and at right, an undated view of the mosque with is minaret still intact. The minaret of a famed 12th century Sunni mosque in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo was destroyed Wednesday, April; 24, 2013, leaving the once-soaring stone tower a pile of rubble and twisted metal scattered in the tiled courtyard. President Bashar Assad's regime and anti-government activists traded blame for the attack against the Umayyad mosque, which occurred in the heart Aleppo's walled Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was the second time in just over a week that a historic Sunni mosque in Syria has been seriously damaged. (AP Photo/Aleppo Media Center, AMC)

Isa 7:8 (ESV)For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty- five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. 9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.

People covered with Israeli national flags walk onto Rabin square to take part in the celebrations for Israel's Independence Day at its 65th anniversary of the creation of the state in Tel Aviv April 15, 2013. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: ANNIVERSARY SOCIETY)

Israel Celebrates 65 years!2013-04-16: JERUSALEM — Israel is celebrating 65 years of independence with barbeques, air force flyovers, and an international bible quiz. Top Israeli leaders began Tuesday’s festivities by singing peppy standards in a televised event recognizing Israeli soldiers.

Isa 10 (ESV)1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; 2 To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless! 3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? 4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. 6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. 8 For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings? 9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus? 10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; 11 Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? 12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. 13 For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people,and have robbed their treasures,and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man:

Purpose of Prophecy

"The prophet was to encourage Israel in respect to the future. This assurance of the future, of the ultimate triumph of the true faith, was well calculated to encourage the sincere believers within Israel to keep faith with God and keep on trusting Him in the face of all contrary appearances and hostile circumstances“

(Archer).

Take Home Message

1. God is faithful and all-knowing. Just as He has fulfilled prophecy (future-telling) in the past and is doing so now, we can be confident that He will continue to do so in the future.

2. The record of accurate and pertinent prophecy demonstrates that God is in control (sovereign).

3. God is calling us to live with an eternal perspective – according to His truth-telling Word. Let us focus on what has been fulfilled, in confidence, on the message he has for us live by now.

Rev 19:9-10 (ESV)

9 And the angel said to me, Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true words of God. 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Messiah is Coming!

Rev 22:6-86 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.

Messiah is Coming!Rev 22:16-21

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.

End Class One

Prophecy: Propelling Practice“Current Events in the

Light of Bible Prophecy”

168th Semi-Annual FRATERNAL GATHERING of the Ontario Christadelphian Ecclesias

May 3-5, 2013

Questions to Consider this Morning:

• What is the most basic and primary prophecy in all of the scriptures?

• Why does John only make reference to “Anti-Christ(s)” in his epistles (that term is not in the gospel of John)?

• How do these questions relate current events?• How do these questions relate to us?

Quick Review from Friday:

Prophecy must have these two components:1. As a “Future-Teller” (foreteller – to tell before hand)2. As a “Truth-Teller” (forth teller – to tell the truth

required)

Only God has this ability (Isa 46:9-10)

Purpose of Prophecy (minimally):

1. Warn the Wayward2. Encourage the faithful3. Vindicate God4. Vindicate His messenger 5. Vindicate His message

Purpose of Prophecy

The purpose of future telling was not to simply future-tell;rather it was to be an engine for faith. Once the event was past and fulfilled as predicted, you could have confidence in the rest of the prophet’s message. The hearer could change their ways and heed the message with its moral imperatives, which always agreed with other utterances of God.

What is the most basic and primary prophecy in all of the scriptures?

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Conflict of the Seeds throughout time

From this point forward we have the great controversy of the scriptures. It is the conflict of:

1. “The seed of the serpent” 2. “The seed of the woman”

2 Seeds

Isa 1:44 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger,they are gone away backward.

Isa 41:8-98 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. 9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant;I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

“The Children of Promise” (seed)

“…For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”

Romans 9:6-8

Consistent Theme Continues:

1 John 3:9-10Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Rev 12:17And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

“Seed” of the Lord in the final promise

22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. 24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.

Gen 3:15 demonstrates both elements of Prophecy

1. Future Telling – The fact that a promised seed would come and take away the curse (consequence) of the serpent’s lie and their disobedience. They failed to trust and believe in what God had said from the beginning.

2. Truth Telling – The promise of deliverance from death eternally. The power of the serpent would be destroyed. The serpents words could only bring death - not life.

Understanding John’s Gospel

Purpose verse:John 20:31

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Focused Purpose for his writings:John 21:25

And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

Framing Johns Gospel

• Who better to right this account?

• The Gospel of John was written to for the world at large (so anyone could read and make up their mind) vs the epistle of John was written to those who already had the faith of messiah.

• What is the focused parallel?

Gen. 3 is the context of John’s entire Gospel

We see the “anti-christ(s)” consistently through this book.Sought to kill Jesus is referenced more than 30 times!! One

example:John 8:40-44

But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

• By my count there are more than 80 references to the dependence and superiority of God. Exactly what you would expect with a son depending on a father!

• Rather than proving that Christ is God, John goes out of his way to stress the dependence on God.

Gen. 3 is the context of John’s entire Gospel

Beginning of the High-Priestly Prayer

John 17:1-51 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

The end of the High-Priestly Prayer

John 17:24-2624 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

An Interesting Detail

11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

True Worshippers - John 4:23

Ex 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Psa 85:10Mercy and truth are met together;righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Followed by a Call to Repentance:

Christ goes out and seeks on his disciples, Peter, who has just denied his Master.

He restores him and calls him to fulfill his purpose of an apostle.

In Closing

1 Cor 13