Studies in Daniel: Daniel relates the details of Nebuchadnezzar's dream (continued)

 Continued: Daniel relates the details of the king’s dream (2:31-35).

b. The substance of the dream (vv. 32-34)...

o   The Stone crushes the ENTIRE image (vv. 34-35; 44-45).

 

o   What our Lord’s Second Coming epitomizes: a fresh start—a clean slate!

 

o   In contrast to the four human kingdoms—which absorbed elements of the preceding kingdoms—the Divine Kingdom will involve no more adaptions or re-modifications. We will see the complete & total destruction of the sinful institutions of this world.

 

o   Note the Psalmists description of coming reign of Messiah (Ps. 2:7-9):

 

"I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'"

 

o   The scope of the vison (vv. 28-29): “the latter days,” “the future.”

 

o   Not simply the times of final consummation, but everything leading up to it. Much of the vision is already fulfilled; some awaits the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

 

o   The vision depicts the course and final end of Gentile World Power, depicted as a single entity that functions under the inspiration and direction of the “the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4)”

“The Conquerors” by Pierre Fritel (1898)

Bulletin Insert: "God is Great... God is Good" (8/30/2020)

 

“GOD IS GREAT… GOD IS GOOD.”

Pastor Terry Reese, Valley GBC, 8/30/2020

 

Classifying the Attributes of God can be arbitrary—but nonetheless, helpful—in seeking to understand His defining characteristics. The classification system followed here: God is both Great and Good.

 

I. God is GREAT.

In referring to God’s attributes of Greatness, we speak of those qualities which are incommunicable (i.e., they cannot be shared with any creature) and unique unto God.

 

Also, the Attributes associated with Divine Greatness deal with the concept of Being (as opposed to morals & ethics).

 

In His Greatness, God is:

1. Self-Existent          6. Omnipotent

2. Eternal                   7. Perfect

3. Unchangeable       8. Infinite

4. Omnipresent         9. Incomprehensible

5. Omniscient

 

II. God is GOOD.

Here, our concern is with the moral & ethical aspects of the Divine nature.

 

In referring to God’s attributes of Goodness, we also speak of those qualities which are Communicable (i.e., they can be imparted unto us).They can be communicated through creatures, who can reflect something of the character & nature of God (e.g., God loves—and so can we; 1 John 4:7-11).

 

In terms of His Goodness, God is…

A. …in Himself, without reference to His relationship unto

others (i.e., Absolute, or Immanent attributes)...

1. Holy     2. True    3. Love

 

B. …in relation to other beings (i.e., Relative). These

attributes involve the outward expression of His character (or Absolute Attributes)…

4. Righteous    5. Faithful    6. Merciful

C. The relationship between God’s Absolute & Relative Attributes.

God’s Relative attributes involve the application of His Immanent, or Absolute characteristics. Thus, because God is intrinsically Holy, He is therefore Righteous in dealing with His creatures. Thus, the following comparison may be made:

     i. In Himself, God is HOLY, and thus imparts RIGHTEOUSNESS in relation to others.

 ii. In Himself, God is TRUE, and thus imparts FAITHFULNESS in relation to others.

 iii. In Himself, God is LOVE, and thus imparts MERCY in relation to others.

 

Conclusion.

We all have our crises where we question whether or not God’s plan for us is in accordance with wisdom, justice, or mercy. As believers we don’t curse or repudiate God—but often we DO question and object.

• Job wrestled with God and lodged his complaint, speaking of God as an adversary and demanding his day in court with Him (Job. 31)…
•  Elijah resigned and asked God to kill him (I Kings 19)…
•  Jeremiah complained of his predicament in obeying God and speaking the Word that he must speak because God has overpowered him—yet suffering abuse and seeming failure (Jer. 20:7-9)…

All of us need this reminder: God is infinitely great, and infinitely good, and thus, so must His plan be—and we, like Job, are ultimately left with nothing to say.

 Job 40:4-5: "Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more."

 We can speak in this wise, however: we can seek God in repentance, acknowledging His rightness in all things by virtue His goodness & greatness, and ask Him to give us acceptance of His ways.

Church History: The Apostolic Age (Sunday School)

 

I. The Apostolic Church

(AD 30 - c. AD 100)

 

WHEN:

 This is the Church of the Apostles, dated from the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2; AD 30) and extending unto the death of the Apostle John (probably during the early part of the reign of the Roman Emperor Trajan (circa AD 100).

WHAT (Major events, themes, and characteristics):

      1.    The foundation of the Christian Church laid (Eph. 2:19-22)

2.    The inclusion of the Gentiles along with the Jews into one spiritual body, the Church (Eph. 2:11-18, 3:6; Gal. 3:28, Col. 3:11, 15).

3.    The progressive unfolding of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20, Acts 1:8), via Apostolic outreach unto Judea, Samaria, and the Gentile World.

4.    The Heresy of the Judaizers (the occasion of Paul’s Epistle unto the Galatians; cf. Acts 15:1, 5).

5.    The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15).

6.    The writing and completion of the New Testament (Rev. 22:18-19).

7.     An era of signs, wonders, and miracles (Acts 2:43, 5:12, 6:8, 14:3, 15:12; 1 Cor. 12: 9-10; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:3-4).

8.    The era closes with the cessation of the sensational charismata (1 Cor. 13:8; signs and wonders absent from the Johannine Epistles).

9.    The ultimate division between Christianity and Judaism; Christianity progressively becomes more Gentile in its coloration (Rom. 9-11).

10. The destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans (Mark 13:1-2).

11. Persecution of the early church by the Jews, progressively intensifying unto the catastrophe of the Great Revolt (AD 70) amongst the Jews.

12. Persecution of the early church by the Roman Emperors Nero (c. AD 64-68; cf. John 21:18-19) and Domitian (ruled AD 81-96; cf. Rev. 1:9).

WHERE (the center of activity):

         Largely the Mediterranean regions of the Greco-Roman world and Judea.

 

WHO (Major Personalities):

 The Twelve (especially Peter, James and John, the sons of Zebedee), as well as James the Lord’s brother, Paul, Stephen, Philip the Evangelist, Barnabas.

 Prominent opponents: The High Priests Annas, Caiaphas, and Ananias; the Roman Emperors Nero and Domitian.

Church History Series (Sunday School); Introductory Lesson

An Introduction to Church History

 

I. The Presumption of the Principle of Dispensationalism.

 

The Church Age is one of the seven Dispensations (or eras of stewardship) in God’s dealings with the human race. In each era, there are different “house rules,” but one way of salvation—by grace, through faith!

 In each dispensation, man is placed within a particular condition and has certain expectations, responsibilities, and requirements. Below is a popular scheme of the various dispensations (there is variation amongst authorities):

 

1.    The Dispensation of Innocence (Genesis 1:28-3:6). The period before the Fall.

2.    The Dispensation of Conscience, from the Fall until the Flood (Gen. 4:1–8:14).

3.    The Dispensation of Human Government (Genesis 8:15-11:9).

4.    The Dispensation of Promise (Gen. 11:10–Ex. 18:27). The Patriarchal Period.

5.    The Dispensation of Law (Ex. 19:1-Acts 1:26). From the giving of the Law to the Atonement of Christ.

6.    The Dispensation of Grace. The “Church Age;” from the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) until the Rapture of the church (1 Thess. 4).

7.    The Millennial Kingdom of Christ (Rev. 20:4-6).

  

Chart: where we’ve been, and where we’re headed...

 

II. The Importance of Church History—our Family History!

We agree with Dr. Henry Halley that Church History constitutes a continuation of the study of Biblical History, and is a sadly neglected area. Church History provides valuable insights into the development of Christian Doctrine, and contains many valuable object lessons as a record of success and failure, triumph and tragedy.

 

III. The Basic Divisions in this Course.

We are studying Church History in seven basic units, which we feel seem to represent natural divisions in the subject matter. It is interesting to note that many interpret the Letters to the Seven Churches of Rev. 2:1-3:22 as prefiguring seven epochs of future Church History.

Studies in Daniel: Daniel relates the details of Nebuchadnezzar's dream

 

3. Daniel relates the details of the king’s dream (2:31-35).

 

a. Preliminary observations:

v. 31: "You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome.”

 

o   A spectacular and unforgettable image of “extraordinary splendor;” “awesome” (NKJV, NASB); “terrible” (KJV), or “frightening” (ESV). Later this vision served apparently as the model and inspiration for the golden colossus of 3:1.

 

o   Contrast the impressive nature of this image (reflecting the undeniable outward grandeur of human civilization) with the ugly monsters of ch. 7, representing the same four kingdoms (as seen, perhaps, from a more spiritual perspective).

 

b. The substance of the dream (vv. 32-34).

³²"The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, ³³its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. ³⁴"You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them.

 

o   The colossus, representing Gentile world power (vv. 37-43), is a single but composite image; the various elements of the preceding empires are adopted and absorbed by the subsequent ones—representing a cultural continuity; the sinful age of human government (Luke 21:24; “The Times of the Gentiles”).

 

o   The metals are of decreasing value and preciousness—but generally of increasing strength; indicative of decreased political sovereignty combined with an increase in military power.

The Great Colossus representing the Times of the Gentiles (605 BC-???)

Bulletin Insert: God is a PERSONAL God (8/16/2020)

 

God is a Personal Being

What Constitutes “Personality?”

(Pastor Terry Reese, Valley GBC of Armagh)

 

Unlike the impersonal Force of pantheistic religions (e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism), the God of the Bible is a Personal Being who can genuinely say “I AM” (Ex. 3:14)—and we can know Him (John 17:3)!

 

What are the attributes of what we call Personality—those characteristics shared by God, Angels, Men—as opposed to other life-forms, such as plants & animals? While plants and animals may possess some of these various characteristics, they do not possess all of them, joined in a common center:

 

1. Life: Possessed also by Plants and Animals.                       

2. Intelligence: Animals possess, in a certain sense & degree.

3. Purpose: Exclusive to persons: “Why am I here?” Man reacts

to planned, self-purposed future goals, as though the goals were a present reality. Brute animals only react to present stimulus.

4. Activity: Present with animals, and to some extent, with plants.

5. Freedom: Exclusively personal; volunteerism. Animals cannot

rise above programmed instinct and their material environment.

6. Self-Consciousness: Fundamental & exclusive to Personality;

involves self-introspection; e.g., “I am a Man.”

7. Emotion: in the human sense, as opposed to the animal sense.

8. Spirituality: Exclusively Personal! Persons have a spirit (an

intangible, non-corporeal aspect) and are spiritual beings.

 

GOD is…

1. Living (1Tim. 4:10: “we have fixed our hope on the living God”),

2. Intelligent (Rom. 11:33: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the

wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”),

3. Purposive (Eph. 3:11: “the eternal purpose which He carried

out in Christ Jesus our Lord”),

4. Active (John 5:17: "My Father is working until now, and I Myself

am working."), 

5. Free (Job 23:13: “And what His soul desires, that He does.”),

6. Self-Conscious (Ex. 3:14: “I AM”),

7. Emotional (Ps. 5:5: “The boastful shall not stand before Your

eyes; You hate all who do iniquity.”),

8. Spirit (John 4:24: “God is spirit, and those who worship Him

must worship in spirit and truth.”).