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Worship III, Day 14 Made New: Digging Deeper

June 14, 2018 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Made New!

The Questions

1) What scene is being described in this passage and who is the speaker?

2) Are there two judgements described? What is the difference?

3) What is meant by the “second death”?

Revelation 20:11-15

Then I saw a great white throne and one seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. 12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. 13 Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.15 And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Original Intent

1) What scene is being described in this passage and who is the speaker?
John, one of Jesus’ disciples while He was on earth, is having a vision while on the island of Patmos, where he was exiled for refusing to renounce Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:9) John writes down the vision the Lord God gives to Him for the purpose of encouraging the Body of Christ, the Church. When reading Revelation, despite the things that might confuse us, it’s important to remember that the purpose is encouragement for believers! (Revelation 1:3) In chapter 20, John is seeing a vision of the Final Judgement. The earth, and all of its elements, have burned away (verse 11, 2 Peter 3:10) and Time as we know it, has ended. All people, Christians and non-believers, dead and still living, are called before the throne of the Almighty Holy God of the Universe to give an account of their lives and receive their just wages for how they have lived. (Matthew 12:35-36)

2) Are there two judgements described? What is the difference? 
This scene in John’s vision is not describing two separate judgements, but rather two parts of the same judgement. All people, across all time, have been summoned by the Author of Life, the Righteous Judge, and the time for Eternal Justice has come. First, “books are opened” and then “another book was opened” (verse 12). Following verse 12 we get a fuller description of the people and an ever-increasing sense of awe for the Lord God who holds final authority.  In both verse 12 and verse 13, we see that the books are providing evidence of “works” that were done while on earth, while souls were dwelling in bodies. Humanity is judged individually based on what each person did with all the opportunities they had on earth. Works done through the power of the Holy Spirit that led to life, are righteous. Works done in human power are counted as evil. As Isaiah 64:6 reminds, “All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” The “second book,” or the “Book of Life”, holds the record for everyone who has trusted in Christ and His righteousness to cleanse them from sin. The books that record the works, are the evidence of a life that has been surrendered to Christ because Christ’s righteousness will overflow into the actions, thoughts, words, and deeds of a person who has given their whole life to Jesus.

3)
What is meant by the “second death”?
It’s helpful when thinking about this phrasing, to remember that our “beings” are made up of two parts: soul and body. The body is a “tent” where our soul (that which makes us “us” and encompasses our reason, emotion, abilities, etc) dwells. By definition, if there is a “second” death, there must be a “first” death, which is the separation of the body from the soul. The body dies, and the soul moves on to its destination either to Heaven or Hell. But at the Final Judgement, where all souls have been forever judged and the day of “second chances” is over, Death itself will Die for eternity. Those who have lived their lives for themselves, relying on themselves for salvation and on their own ways, will experience the “second death”, receiving eternal and irreversible separation from God in Hell, where only God’s wrath will forever be poured out on them. For those who chose Christ’s salvation while on earth, they will be welcomed into an eternity with the Savior, where the fullness of life will never again be diminished because Death and Sin have been sentenced to Death!

Everyday Application

1) What scene is being described in this passage and who is the speaker?
John, a central disciple of Jesus’ ministry, had been captured and exiled for holding fast to Christ, yet he was still using his time to encourage the Church. John would die in exile, but as long as he was alive, he would still surrender to being used by Christ for His radiant Bride. John’s example should challenge us to our core. With all the resources available to us, our time, our talents, and our financial treasure, we should be among the foremost as we too, like John, are called to encourage the Church as a whole, regardless of our circumstances. We have been made new as believers to do good works which God has planned for us to do long before we were even born! (Ephesians 2:10) Spend some time right now considering what circumstances you are allowing to prevent you from encouraging the Church? What are some practical ways you can serve those around you? How can you encourage your local church? Consider doing something this week to specifically build up and encourage your church this week!

2) Are there two judgements described? What is the difference?
While the Book of Life holds the names of all believers who genuinely have surrendered their lives to Christ for safekeeping for all eternity, the other “books” are the proof of righteous living. Our attempt at good deeds on earth is utterly meaningless when it comes to the Final Judgement unless our name is also found written in the Book of Life. It is only Christ who can bring about truly good works in our lives, not us. If we haven’t fully given Him our hearts, then we remain damned by our own attempt to be “good enough” by doing “good things”. There is no balance and scale option when it comes to the Final Judgement, only 1 thing matters for eternity, whether or not your name is found among all of those who have also given their everything to Jesus Christ as their Lord.

3) What is meant by the “second death”?
No one likes to think about Judgement Day and the End of the World. Neither are the topics of death and dying popular ones, but remember that the purpose of John’s vision and the book of Revelation is to encourage the Church. These few verses are overflowing with Solid Hope for the believer! Christ is coming, He is Just, and the life He offers us will never be threatened again! We were created to live a full, abundant life that would never end nor would it be stained by brokenness, pain, and hurt that comes from sin and its consequences. We will finally be free to live the life we were created for!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Made New!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Worship III Week Three!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Posted in: Believe, church, Digging Deeper, Dwell, Faith, Freedom, Fullness, Future, God, Heaven, Hope, Inheritance, Jesus, Life, Power, Safe, Scripture, Sin, Trust, Truth Tagged: Christ, end times, eternity, future, grace, Heaven, hope, judge, Safe, safety, sealed

Inheritance Day 12
The Trap of Complacency: Digging Deeper

May 2, 2017 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!

We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s
Journey Study?
Check out The Trap of Complacency!

Revelation 21:1-7 English Standard Version (ESV)

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, the 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 he will be my son.

The Questions

1) What is significant about “the dwelling place of God”?

2) What is this new heaven and new earth, when is it coming, and who will inherit it?

3) What will it mean to have God dwelling with man?

4) What part of our inheritance as Christians or “conquerors” is most important in this passage?

The Findings for Intention

1) What is significant about “the dwelling place of God”?
The idea of the infinite, all-powerful, perfectly holy and righteous God even considering dwelling with humanity is such a preposterous idea that it was truly inconceivable to people living in biblical times. Deities did not lower themselves to live with humans. But that is exactly what the greatest desire of God’s heart is, to dwell with us. Deeply. Intimately. In perfect unity. This unity is impossible because of our sin, but what is impossible with man, is made possible with God through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, who took the penalty of our sin, making us right with God. Because of Jesus, we can indeed dwell with God, and one glorious day, He will dwell with us and us with Him in physical reality!

2) What is this new heaven and new earth, when is it coming, and who will inherit it?
The new heaven and new earth is the full restoration of all of Creation. A perfect creation as it was in the beginning before sin’s decay. In essence, a flawless new universe for perfected beings with new perfect bodies to live and work and love one another in perfect freedom and harmony because they are in constant relationship with the Almighty God! The new earth will be our new home when our current Earth has been burned up after Jesus returns. This new universe comes after Jesus returns and after the final Judgment has happened. We don’t know when Jesus will come back, but we do know He is coming! Those who will inherit this newness are the Christ-followers!

3) What will it mean to have God dwelling with man?
Today on earth, we enjoy the presence of God in our hearts, but you only have to take one quick glance around to be reminded that life here isn’t perfect. But on that day when God will dwell with us in person and we with Him, every single thing that mars our experience here will be gone forever. Sadness, hurt, loneliness, weariness, heartache, loss, abuse, distrust, misunderstanding, conflict…all…gone….forever! Verse 4 doesn’t have many words, but it’s meaning is far-reaching. God will make *all things* new.

4) What part of our inheritance as Christians or “conquerors” is most important in this passage?
There is much we don’t know about the new life that God has prepared for those who love Him first and most and best, but we know enough to see that the very heartbeat of our new eternity is threaded intimately with a deep relationship with our Savior and our God. God’s heart was broken over our sin, which separated us from Himself, and He’s been pursuing us ever since that brokenness. An eternity where we are united with Him, where our satisfaction is utterly complete, where our joy is forever abundant, where all shadow of death and decay are forever dead is enough glorious knowledge about the new heaven and earth, that all of our other questions pale in importance. The most important thing about eternity is dwelling with the Lord!

The Everyday Application

1) What is significant about “the dwelling place of God”?
To never be alone. To always have confidence. To always be at peace. To never fear. To have direct access to the Almighty God. To dwell with Him. This is a richness beyond description! No feeble, human wordsmith can depict the delight of dwelling with God as He dwells with us! Every need met. Every ache fulfilled. Every sadness banished. Simply to live in perfect unity with our Creator God exactly as we were designed to live. What Bliss! THIS is the glorious inheritance awaiting us in Christ Jesus! But, oh blessedness, that we are able to taste it even now, despite our still-sin-wrecked world, our own human frailty and willingness to sin! Stolen away like intimate kisses are those moments when we delight in the relationship between us and God even now. Scripture reading, prayer time, private worship, corporate worship, these are all designed to whet our appetite for the coming glory!

2) What is this new heaven and new earth, when is it coming, and who will inherit it?
The old will pass away, and God will indeed “make all things new”. This doesn’t mean just our hearts, but every physical aspect as well. New bodies meant to last an eternity, a new universe where all death and decay have been forever banished, and new, full, and complete dimension to the relationship between believers and God will finally come to fruition. Hold tightly to this certain hope of impending reality! Know that your inheritance is a guarantee if your trust is fully in the work of Jesus Christ and not yourself! Be reminded that what you do today in your body, on this earth, with your tongue, your hands, your mind….it all counts for eternity. What investment are you making?

3) What will it mean to have God dwelling with man?
Today as you see tears, when your heart aches, when you feel lonely, when your eyes see injustice, remember that this is not your forever home. Let these things that weigh us down in our everyday, turn our hearts towards eternity, quickening our breath as we consider all that awaits us. Let our secure hope encourage us to stand strong, to hide in the shadow of the Almighty, to dig deeply into His word, and to love others well!

4) What part of our inheritance as Christians or “conquerors” is most important in this passage?
If this life is merely the cover page to a life that will never end and will be incredible beyond description. If today is the precursor to innumerable tomorrows with our Savior. Then wouldn’t we choose to invest what we have today into the safety of eternity? Will we love deeply today? Will we spend time with our Lord today? Will we give generously today? Embracing the fullness of God in our everyday starts today in this moment. What will you do now to make your heart beat faster for Jesus in light of the coming hope and promise of eternity with Him, your soul’s true mate?

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!

I Can Do That!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
3) Write down your questions as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God in your everyday!

The Community!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into
Inheritance Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

The Tools!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

The Why!

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
See all past studies in Inheritance!

Posted in: Adoring, Believe, Clothed, Digging Deeper, Faith, Flawless, Forgiven, Freedom, Generous, God, Grace, Inheritance, Jesus, Legacy, Life, Pain, Peace, Purpose, Relationship, Truth, Worship Tagged: end times, eternity, forever, Heaven, hope, Jesus, worship

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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14