How to Help Yourself Learn the Bible:
How To Begin

Start Slowly

Some time ago I took up jogging. It was not the first time, but this time I succeeded. Why?  For one thing, I started slowly. In fact, I was in such poor shape I could scarcely jog at all but had to walk most of the time. The first day I walked about half a mile and was tired and somewhat dizzy at the end. But the next day I ran one of the six laps that made up my half-mile stint. Pretty soon I was slowly running that half mile. Some days I would not even go that far, and some days just a little farther. I did just enough to feel good results, but not so much that I did not want to continue.

People who need to start studying the Bible fall into two groups: those who are bursting with enthusiasm and can hardly wait to begin, and those who can hardly make themselves get going. My advice to both groups: Start slowly. Restrain your enthusiasm, or overcome your lethargy, but do not bite off too much at the beginning. Read enough to do you some good, but not so much that it becomes a chore.

Choose Freely

"What book of the Bible shall I read first?" people often ask. Whatever you would like to read, is my answer. [Start with the Gospel of John is my answer. Sumner]. Each of us has our own likes and dislikes, so choose freely. If you do not know much about the Bible, you probably will want to read in the New Testament first. By no means should you feel that you must start with Genesis, or even Matthew, and read consecutively. Try reading a short book in the New Testament first, say, Ephesians or James or I John. If you like action, try the book of Acts. If you want to read about the life of Christ, read anyone of the four gospels, perhaps Mark first, because it is fast moving. I would only suggest that after you pick a book you stick with it, so that you are not just reading a chapter here and a chapter there without any continuity.

Read Regularly

You cannot jog successfully every other month. You cannot learn the Bible by reading it intermittently. You will have to schedule time to read so you will do it regularly. It does not have to be the same time each day. There is no special merit in reading in the morning rather than the afternoon or evening. You could even skip a day of personal reading, for instance on Sunday, when you will open the Bible in church. Regularity, not rigidity is the key.

Enjoy Variety

Some days you may want to read rapidly; other times slowly. No rule exists that says you must read a chapter a day. Some year you may want to try to read the Bible completely through. But at the beginning it is probably better to read more slowly. Indeed, some find it helpful to take a short book and read it, say, a dozen times before going on to another book. But if you get bored with that much rereading, by all means start another book right away. If you are tired some day and do not think you can concentrate, read a psalm or some of the proverbs. Variety, not formula, is the key.

Charles C. Ryrie
Concise Guide to the Bible
Page 54-55

How to Help Yourself Learn the Bible

To understand the Bible constitutes one of the highest goals you can have in this life, for to know the Bible is to know the living and true God. Although God has revealed Himself in various ways (for example, in the world around us), there is no more detailed revelation of Him than what is in the Bible.

The epitome of biblical revelation is Jesus Christ. We really do not know anything certain about Him except what the Bible tells us. So if you want to become better acquainted with the Lord, you must become more knowledgeable about the Bible.

Some say that to emphasize the Bible so much is to set it up as a paper idol in place of the living person of Jesus Christ. You are worshiping, they charge, a book rather than a Person. And, they add, an encounter with a thing (the Bible) can never be as meaningful as an encounter with a person (Christ). Not so. If I were to hand you a personal check for, say, a thousand dollars, you would have a very exciting encounter with a piece of paper. You would look at it carefully, scrutinizing every detail--the amount (Are there really three zeros there?), the date (Can I cash it today?), the spelling of your name, and so forth. Then, assuming we were strangers to each other, you would doubtless begin to ask yourself who I am. Am I able to write such a check? You might even inquire around to see if anyone you know knows me. If you learned that I lived in the same town as you, then you would surely try to contact me as soon as possible to thank me and get better acquainted.

You see, the check would lead you to me and you would learn a great deal about me from it. Yet without me, unless I am alive, the check would be no good. If when you tried to telephone me to thank me you discovered I had died, your check would be worthless.

At the risk of rehearsing the obvious, may I underscore the points I have tried to illustrate? The Bible, God's check to us, can provide us with an exciting encounter. Indeed, the more we study it, the more we value it. Yet it is not an end in itself. It leads us to the Person who wrote it. And that Person, because He is alive, makes the check good.

Charles C. Ryrie, Ryrie's Concise Guide to the Bible, pp. 53-54.
 

The Purpose of the Incarnation

Why did God send His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh? The Scriptures give several answers to that question.

A. To Reveal God to us

Though God reveals Himself in various ways including the magnificence of nature around us, only the Incarnation revealed the essence of God, though veiled (John 1:18; 14:7-11). The only way man can see the Father is to know about the Son, and the only way we can do that today is through studying the record of His life in the Scriptures. Because He became a man, the revelation of God was personalized; because He is God, that revelation is completely truthful.

B. To Provide an Example for our Lives

The earthly life of our Lord is held up to us as a pattern for our living today (1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6). Without the Incarnation we would not have that example. As man He experienced the vicissitudes of life and furnishes for us an experienced example; as God He offers us the power to follow His example.

C. To Provide an Effective Sacrifice for Sin

Without the Incarnation we would have no Savior. Sin requires death for its payment. God does not die. So the Savior must be human in order to be able to die. But the death of an ordinary man would not pay for sin eternally, so the Savior must also be God. We must have a God-Man Savior and we do in our Lord (Heb. 10:1-10).

D. To Be Able to Fulfill the Davidic Covenant

Gabriel announced to Mary that her Son would be given the throne of David (Luke 1:31-33). This is not fulfilled by the invisible God reigning over the affairs of men (which He does to be sure). To have an occupant of David's throne requires a human being. Therefore, Messiah had to be a human being. But to occupy that throne forever requires that the occupant never die. And only God qualifies. So the One who ultimately fulfills the Davidic promise has to be a God-Man.

E. To Destroy the Works of the Devil (1 John 3:8)

Notice that this was done by Christ's appearing. The focus is on His coming, not on His resurrection as might be expected. Why was the Incarnation necessary to defeat Satan? Because Satan must be defeated in the arena he dominates, this world. So Christ was sent into this world to destroy Satan's works.

F. To Be able to Be a Sympathetic High Priest (Heb. 4:14-16).

Our High Priest can feel our weaknesses because He was tested as we are. But God is never tested, so it was necessary for God to become man to be able to be tested in order to be a sympathetic Priest.

G. To Be Able to Be a Qualified Judge

Though most people think of God as the Judge before whom all will appear, the truth is that Jesus will be that Judge (John 5:22, 27). All judgment will be executed by our Lord "because He is the Son of man." This is the title that links Him to the earth and to His earthly mission. Why is it necessary for the Judge to be human and to have lived on earth? So that He may put down o\all excuses people might try to make. Why must the Judge also be God? So that His judgment will be true and just.

Thus the Incarnation has ramifications in relation to our knowledge of God, to our salvation, to our daily living, to our pressing needs, and to the future. It truly is the central fact of history.

Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology, pp 244-245
 

Understanding the Bible

A proper understanding the Bible depends on two things: (1) the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit, and (2) the interpreting work of the reader.

Illumination

Although the word illumination has been applied to several aspects of doctrine (like the general enlightenment that the coming of Christ brought to all men, John 1:9, and the illumination theory of inspiration), it is generally thought of in connection with the ministry of the Holy Spirit, which makes clear the truth of the written revelation in the Bible. In reference to the Bible, revelation relates to its content or material, inspiration to the method of recording that material, and illumination to the meaning of the record. The unsaved man cannot experience the illuminating ministry of the Spirit since he is blinded to the truth of God (1 Cor. 2:14). This does not mean he cannot learn anything of the facts of the Bible, but he considers what he knows as foolishness.

On the other hand, the Christian has been promised the illumination of the text (John 16:12-15; 1 Cor. 2:9-3:2). Taking these two passages together, several facts emerge:

(1) The most obvious is that the Spirit Himself is the Teacher, and His presence in the life of the believer is the guarantee of the effectiveness of this ministry.

(2) The content of His teaching encompasses "all the truth" (the definite article is present in John 16:13). It specifically includes an understanding of prophecy ("things to come").

(3) The purpose of the Spirit's illumination is to glorify Christ, not Himself.

(4). Carnality in the believer can hinder and even nullify this ministry of the Spirit (1 Cor. 3:1-12).

Interpretation

Illumination, though assured, does not always guarantee automatic understanding. As indicated above the believer must be in fellowship with the Lord in order to experience this ministry. But also he must study, using the teachers God has given to the church (Rom. 12:7) and the abilities and means at his own disposal.

The basic principle of interpretation is to interpret plainly. The word literal is avoided here because it creates connotations that have to be corrected. Plain straight-forward interpretation includes at least the following concepts:

1. To interpret plainly one must first of all understand what each word means in its normal grammatical-historical sense.

2. Plain interpretation does not exclude the use of figures of speech. Indeed, a figure of speech may communicate more clearly, but what it communicates is plain. In other words, behind every figure of speech is a plain meaning, and that is what the interpreter seeks.

3. Always read with understanding the context in which a verse or passage appears, for this will throw light on its meaning. Beware, for instance, of the speaker who says, "Now you don't need to turn to this verse." He may be taking it out of its context and giving it another meaning. It is not only always safe but prudent to read what precedes and what follows.

4. Recognize the progress of revelation. Remember that the Bible was not handed down all at once as a complete book but that it came from God through many different writer over a period of about 1600 years. This meant that in the progress of revealing His message to man, God may add or even change in one era what He had given in another. The New Testament adds much that was not revealed in the Old. Furthermore, what God revealed as binding in one period may be rescinded in another (as the prohibition of eating pork, once binding on God's people, has been lifted today, 1 Tim.4:3). This is most important; otherwise, the Bible would contain apparently unresolvable contradictions (as Matt. 10:5-7 compared with 28:18-20).

5. Expect the Bible to use what is technically called phenomenal language. This simple means that it often describes things as they appear to be rather than in precise scientific terms. Speaking of the sun rising or setting (neither of which it does) is an example of this (Matt.5:45; Mark 1:32), but this is a plain and normal way to communicate.

6. Recognize the important divisions of the Bible when interpreting it. The most basic is the difference between the Old and New Testaments. But there are also different kinds of writings--historical, poetic, prophetic--that must be recognized as different if they are to be interpreted correctly. Other landmarks in the Bible that affect proper interpretation are things like the great covenant made with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) and the one with David (2 Sam. 7), the mystery of the church, as the Body of Christ (Eph. 3:6), and the difference between law and grace (John 1:17; Rom. 6:14).

These suggestions are simply facets of the basic concept of plain interpretation. And that is the way God intended His inspired Bible to be interpreted.

Ryrie Study Bible, pp1988-1989
 

The Seven Bowls

Mass Malignancy (Bowl No. 1 : Revelation 16:2)

Antichrist will not be able to help his followers now. God will not be able to help his followers now. God will send painful sores on all those who follow Antichrist and he will be powerless to cure them. Possibly the phrase used to describe these sores means malignant, indicating some sort of cancer. During World War II, survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki developed disfiguring sores because of their exposure to the radiation. Perhaps the same will be true here.

Bloody Seas (Bowl No. 2 : Revelation 16:3)

Seventy-two percent of the surface of the earth is covered by oceans. As a result of the second-bowl judgment, all that water will turn to blood, killing every creature in the seas. The stench and disease brought about by such a calamity will be indescribable.

Bloody Rivers and Lakes (Bowl No. 3 : Revelation 16:4-7)

The supplies of fresh water will also be turned to blood and there is a reason. Because men will kill God's followers during this time, they will be forced to drink blood in grim retribution.

A Heat Wave (Bowl No. 4 : Revelation 16:8, 9)

The strength of the sun will be heightened so that it will scorch men with intense heat. And nothing but bloody water to drink!

Darkness (Bowl No. 5 : Revelation 16:10, 11)

While mot of the world is sweltering in blistering heat and brilliant sunlight, just the opposite will be true in Antichrist's capital. There will be pitch darkness. Activity will grind to a halt, perhaps preparing the way for the armies of the East to sneak across the Euphrates River.

No Pontoon Bridges Needed (Bowl No. 6 : Revelation 16:12)

As Antichrist prepares to capture the world, a great army from the East marches to stop him (more of this in chapter 7). The great Euphrates River marks a natural boundary and must be crossed. There is no way around. Imagine being an engineer in the front lines of that army, preparing to build a pontoon bridge, when suddenly the river dries up right before your eyes. You radio your commander at the rear of the column to tell him that the river has just disappeared. No need for pontoon bridges now! No need for delay in marching right into Palestine. Shouts of praise ascend to heathen gods. March on, you armies of the East. God has dried up the Euphrates, not your puny gods. March on, for you have an appointment with Him, to fight with Him face to face at Armageddon.

The End of the World (Bowl No. 7 : Revelation 16:17-21)

If you were to plan a movie of the end of the world, the script would sound something like this: "There came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth...The cities of the nations collapsed...Huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible" (Rev. 1618-21). That is exactly how John describes it. Only this isn't the end of the world, just the end of what used to be the world. The seventh bowl marks the end of the period of great distress just before Jesus Christ returns to bring in a new world. Think of it. All the great cities of the world leveled. Tokyo, Mexico City, London, Rome, your hometown. Every man-made monument reduced to rubble before human eyes. Think of it. An earthquake of a magnitude unique in all the world's history. Hailstones weighing a hundred pounds each. Think of it. Men hurling blasphemies at the true God, while serving dumb idols of wood and stone and metal. Think of it.

Unbelievable? Perhaps. But inevitable nonetheless. Jesus sketched the broad outline of these seven terrible years for His disciples that quiet evening. John filled in the frightening details.

Why will God allow these awful things to happen to men? Rebellion must be punished. The devil's kingdom must be crushed. Jesus and His followers must exercise their prerogative of dominion over the earth. For thousands of year God has tried in vain to persuade men to follow Him. In the face of continuing rebellion, God has no alternative but judgment. And yet, even in judgment, God is restrained and gracious. At first, only one-fourth of the population is judged, but men do not repent. Then a third is burned or polluted, but men do not repent. Finally the judgment is universal, but--incredibly--men still do not repent. Even in judgment, God is always there patiently waiting, waiting, hoping that men will turn again to Him.
 

The Seven Trumpets

Vegetation Destroyed (Trumpet No. 1 : Revelation 8:7)
When the seventh seal is broken, seven more judgments will occur, announced to John by the blowing of seven trumpets. The
first will destroy one-third of the trees, grass, and grain-producing vegetation. Without plant life the topsoil will
quickly erode away, resulting in floods and climactic disruptions. One catastrophe will snowball into another.

Oceans Bloodied (Trumpet No. 2 : Revelation 8:8,9)

Something will fall into the oceans of the world: perhaps an H-bomb, perhaps something that hasn't yet been invented.
Whatever the cause, the results are clear. One-third of the sea will turn to blood and one-third of all sea life will be
killed. One-third of all the ships will be destroyed.

In an instant, all the great naval powers of the world will have their flotillas cut by one-third. All fleets of merchant
ships will be depleted by one-third. The number of oil tankers will suddenly be reduced by one-third. Food supplies will
fluctuate wildly as one-third of all fish are instantly killed, and the rest are polluted. Movement of supplies will grind
nearly to a halt because of the scarcity of ships. Havoc will come to industrialized nations, for neither raw materials nor
finished products will be able to move freely in and out of the countries of the world. Once again, the snowballing effects
will be more severe than the judgment itself.

Water Pollution (Trumpet No. 3 : Revelation 8:10,11)

Fresh water will become a thing of the past. Forced to drink water that is bitter to the taste and polluting to the system,
many people will die from the contamination. Pollution will exist on a scale the world has never known.

Recycling the Cycle (Trumpet No. 4 : Revelation 8:12,13)

A recent ad in the newspaper pictured a bright sun rising on the horizon, with the caption: "Just as you can count on the sun
rising tomorrow morning, you can count on your money being safe in our back." But one day the twenty-four-hour cycle of day
and night will be recycled. The sun, moon, and stars will be darkened, changing the normal cycle by one-third. No one is
quite ure whether this means we will have sixteen-hour days or twice as much darkness as in a normal twenty-four-hour cycle.
In either case, the productivity of the earth's crops will be sharply curtailed.

Woe to the World

The worst is still yet to come! The remaining three trumpets are so much worse than what has preceded them, that they are called "woes." It is not difficult to understand why.

Locusts from the Pit (Trumpet No. 5 and Woe No. 1 : Revelation 9:1-12

This judgment comes right out of hell. Literally. Up to this point men will battle over men, and the destructive forces of nature will be unleashed; but now hell gets into the act. The abyss is unlocked, smoke billows forth, and out of the smoke come locusts. But this is no ordinary brand of locust. John found himself groping for words as he attempted to describe them. They are like horses, and they sound like a thundering army. They will sting people like scorpions for a period of five months, yet their sting will not be fatal. People will be tormented to the point of crying out for death, but death will not come J. A. Seisi has described their agony this way: "The pain from the sting of a scorpion, though not generally fatal, is perhaps the interests that any animal can inflict upon the human body. The insect itself is the most irascible and malignant that lives, and its poison is like itself" (The Apocalypse, II, 83). But remember that these "locusts" are from hell. They will be demons that take grotesque shapes and torment men with their sting. They will be organized and under the command of a very powerful demon who is appropriately named the Destroyer. They will be "locusts" gone wild.

If demons seem out of place in our twentieth century society, don't be fooled. Jesus battled demons. The apostle Paul faced their attacks. Today's generation is much more "with it" than previous generations when it comes to recognizing the power of Satan. And someday the whole world will be exposed to this horde of demon-locusts.

John's description sounds very much like some kind of war machine or UFO. Demons have the ability to take different shapes, so it is quite possible that John is picturing a coming invasion of warlike UFOs. Until someone comes up with a satisfactory answer to the UFO question, this possibility should not be ruled out.

Manipulated Media

How will the news media explain these colossal headlines of a future day? Undoubtedly, reasonable attempts will be made to explain the famines and diseases. But how will world leaders explain away the changes in climate and the day-night cycle? What will they do with the locust-demons? Manipulated news and censored reports will help, but when people can look out their windows and see for themselves, the commentators will be hard pressed for answers. Huge amounts of money will probably pour into disaster areas. There will be speeches and crash programs in the United Nations. But these will serve only as salve to deceive the world's leaders into thinking they are still masters of their own fate.

Overpopulation Solved (Trumpet No 6 and Woe No. 2 : Rev. 9:13-21)

Woe to the world, for another army is about to be loosed. It will number 200 million (Rev. 9:16), will flow from the east, and will kill one-third of those still living on the earth. When the fourth seal was opened, one-fourth of the population was destroyed. Now a third of the remaining ones will be killed. In these two catastrophes alone, the world population will be cut in half. In fact, because of disease, famine, war, martyrdom, there will be fewer than 50 percent of the world's inhabitants left to experience the remaining judgments.

Imagine the long obituary columns in the papers, the constant stream of funeral processions, and the pallor of death that will hang over the world like smog. Surely the people will return to God now! But no, instead of worshiping God they will worship "demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood" (Rev. 9:20 NIV). Why? Because idols that cannot see or hear or talk cannot make demands upon men. Men can control an idol; it cannot control them. And so men will live as they please and worship dead inanimate idols, even in the face of terrifying destruction all around them.

Seven More to Come (Trumpet No. 7 and Woe No. 3 : Rev. 11:15-19)

When the seventh trumpet blows the end will be in sight, but not before seven final judgments fall. These are described in Rev. 16 as judgments poured out of bowls.

The Seven Seals

Seven years will seem like an eternity when the punishments and judgments begin to fall. The seals on the scroll will be broken open. Every time one is opened, a terrible catastrophe will occur. But when the seventh seal is broken, instead of the end of judgment there will be a crescendo as seven trumpets suddenly appear.

Let's sketch what will happen in each of these judgments, and show why men will need Blue Cross (though Blue Cross will probably go bankrupt long before the end).

Cold War (Seal No. 1: Revelation 6:1, 2)

Cold war is a term invented after the end of "hot" World War II, to fit the postwar period of tension--but the Bible described it nineteen hundred years ago. John predicted the arrival of a leader who will conquer without breaking the peace, and that's a perfect description of cold war. Who will this conqueror be? We have already met him in Jesus' farewell message to His disciples. He is Antichrist, the abomination that causes desolation. When that unique seven-year period begins, Antichrist will begin to enlarge his territory by cold war tactics. Many will consider him a savior, in reality he will be the devil's greatest ploy.

The apostle Paul predicted that at the beginning of this final act of human history, the world will be saying, "Peace...safety" (1 Thess. 5:3). Judging from the signs of the times and the seeming nearness of the end, there may never be a World War III. We may experience relative peace with only small fires to put out here and there in the world, but no worldwide conflagration. Or it is equally possible that a world war could break out, in which case a time of peace will follow before Antichrist begins to implement his final takeover. In either case the peace will be an uneasy one. The masses will eagerly believe Antichrist when he promises to bring about a just and lasting peace. But that hope will quickly be shattered.

Hot War (Seal No. 2: Revelation 6:3,4)

Peace will vanish like an early morning dew under the midday sun, and open war will burst upon the world. Perhaps at this time, the Russian bear will arise to pounce upon Palestine (as described in ch. 5). War will capture the headlines, and will continue unabated until Christ returns. No peace is possible without the Prince of Peace.

Famine (Seal No. 3: Revelation 6:5.6)

Suddenly John saw a black horse and a rider with a pair of scales in his hand, carefully rationing the basic foods needed for human survival. Jesus predicted famine. John described the severity of it. "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius..." A denarius was the average day's wage for a rural worker in Bible days. Today, John's statement would sound something like this "$30 or $40 for a quart of wheat." If you think supermarket prices are astronomical today, imagine paying $40 for a five-pound bag of flour! With that little bit of flour you must feed your entire family, and there is no assurance when you will be able to buy more, even if you have the money.

Looking at it another way, normally a denarius paid for eight quarts of wheat or twenty-four quarts of barley. Thus, the basic food supply will be slashed to one-eighth of normal. There can be only one result: worldwide famine of unprecedented magnitude.

Death (Seal No. 4 : Revelation 6:7,8)

Only one of the famous Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is named, and he is Death. Death claims the body, for only the body dies. The soul of every man exists eternally. That is why Death is accompanied by Hades, for Hades claims the souls of those who reject the true Savior. Death and Hades are the Grim Reapers and John sees them reaping a bountiful harvest. One-fourth of the entire population of the earth will b e destroyed at this time, killed by a combination of war, famine, plagues, and disease. The plagues may be the natural consequences of war and famine, caused by man's inability to dispose of the ever increasing number of decaying bodies. Or perhaps the plagues raise the awful specter of bacteriological warfare. Almost overnight man's dreams of peace, plenty, and longevity will vanish.

Murders (Seal No. 5 : Revelation 6:9-11)

Jesus warned of martyrdom; John filled in the details. To follow Christ will mean constant surveillance by Antichrist and, for many, death at the hands of his agents. But for these martyrs, as for all follower of Christ, "to die is gain," for they will spend eternity with Him in heaven. What a stark contrast! To follow Christ will mean physical death, but eternal life. To follow Antichrist will mean physical life, but eternal death.

Terror (Seal No. 6 : Revelation 6:12-17)

Six catastrophic event ill strike terror in the hearts of men. A great earthquake will jar some part of the world, perhaps caused by a nuclear explosion, perhaps decimating populated areas and killing millions. The sun will be blackened and cease giving its light. The moon will turn blood red. The earth will be pummeled by a meteorite shower of unequaled magnitude.

To date, the largest meteorite ever to strike the earth weighed 132,000 pounds. One meteor slammed into Arizona leaving a hole 4,150 feet wide and 570 feet deep. In 1908 the famous Tunguska meteorite crashed to earth in Siberia. People hundreds of miles away saw it in full daylight, and the resulting blast was felt fifty miles away. By comparison, this future meteorite shower will be like standing under a tree of overripe figs, and having all the fruit fall at once. Only these will not be figs, but meteorites weighing tons apiece.

Perhaps the greatest terror of this judgment will occur when people look for a safe place to hide, and find none. Every mountain and island will be jarred from its present position. People will seek to hide in caves and among the rocks of the mountains In utter desperation they will even pray to the rocks to fall on them and kill them, but death will elude them. People will realize that these catastrophes are from God, that it is He who is pouring out wrath and judgment upon the earth. Yet they will not turn to Him in repentance and faith. Instead they will seek to hide from His presence in much the same way that Adam and Eve avoided a confrontation with God long ago in the Garden of Eden.

This is only the beginning. The worse is yet to come.

Used by permission from Dr. Charles C Ryrie, The Living End, pp.40-42.
 

Unroll the Scroll
Dr. Charles C. Ryrie

There were no paperback books in ancient times. Books were made in the form of scrolls. Pieces of leather or papyrus about ten inches wide were pasted together to form a continuous roll. After a scribe had finished writing a section of the scroll he would stop, roll up the scroll to that point and seal it. Then he would begin again, stop, roll up the scroll and affix another seal. In this way he prevented any unauthorized person from tampering with or divulging the contents of the scroll. Only a duly authorized person could break those seals.

Sometimes a man's last will and testament was secured with seven seals. When a Jewish family was forced to sell its property or possessions, the loss was listed on a scroll and sealed seven times. By law, the property could not be taken away from them permanently, so the scroll contained the record of the lost and what would have to be done in order to get the property back. When a qualified person came along to redeem that property, then it was returned to the original owners.

It was just such a scroll, rolled up and sealed, that John saw in his dream (Rev. 5:1.) What did it mean? Apparently it recorded man's right to rule upon earth. When God created Adam he gave him dominion over the earth. (Gen. 1:26.) Then one day a snake appeared, who was the devil, the great usurper, and he too wanted to rule the earth. In order to do that, he had to corrupt man first. You know the story from there.  Adam and Eve were enticed to rebel against God, from whom they had derived their authority to rule. They disobeyed by eating the forbidden fruit, were expelled from the garden, and lost their right to rule the earth.

And who do you suppose took over the reigns of ruler-ship? Satan. For these thousands of years since the fall of man, Satan has been promoting his plan and program upon earth. What is that plan? Though many-faceted, Satan's plan is to separate men from God and to perpetuate the deception that man is the captain of his soul, the master of his own fate, and has no need of a savior other than himself. Now and then the devil permits man to experience some success in controlling his environment or making his life better but in the long run man has consistently come out the loser. His life expectancy has dwindled to barely one-tenth of what early man enjoyed. His environment sickens by the day. Man-made religions fail to meet the need for inner peace and contentment. World peace remains only a glimmering mirage on the distant horizon. Obviously, man has lost his God-given rights. The devil seems to have things well in hand. The scroll is tightly sealed.

Used by permission from Dr. Charles C. Ryrie, The Living End, pp. 38-39.
Superb commentary on Rev 6-18. Explains the Scrolls, Trumpets and Bowls of judgment.

Test of Prophets
Dr. Charles C. Ryrie

False prophets had to be stoned. The Law commanded it. "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God...You shall stone him with stones so that he dies. Deut.
13:5, 10.

Prophecy was a risky business in ancient times. Today it is big business--and not nearly so risky.

Profits for Prophets

Every day millions read their horoscope in the newspaper expecting to discover hat will happen to them that day. Millions of dollars are spent annually on astrology packets, fortune-tellers, and mediums. Lecture tours by self-proclaimed prophets and prophetesses reap huge profits.

You Bet Your Life

But what modern prophet would be willing to stake his life on the truth of his claims? Do you know any? For that matter, do you know any medium, astrologer, prophet, or fortune-teller whose predictions have been correct 100 percent of the time? That's unreasonable, you say. Not at all. That's the norm for a true prophet! Prophets stay in business today only because their followers allow them to function at subnormal standards. If we required 100 percent accuracy, the prophecy boom would utterly collapse.

But there have been prophets who were willing to stake their lives on the truth of their predictions. And they lived long enough ago that we can easily test the accuracy of their predictions.

I am referring to the prophets of the Bible--men like Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Zechariah, Jesus, Paul, and many more. As spokesmen for God they commented on contemporary life from God's viewpoint, and at times they would forecast the future. Since many of their predictions have been fulfilled we can easily test the reliability of their predictions, and we can apply our findings to that portion of their prophetic work which has not yet had time for fulfillment, keeping in mind their unique battling averages in previous situations.

Some Test Cases

Unlike much that passes for prophecy today, Bible prophecies in both the Old and New Testament were delivered not as groping generalizations or mystical musings but as detailed descriptions of the future. Therefore, since many of the prophecies have already come to pass, they can be tested in detail.

The Ultimate Test

Since much of what you will read in this book explains the yet unfulfilled prophecies of the Bible, we ought to demand that the Bible pass a test vouching for the accuracy of its prophecies in the Old Testament already consummated. Numerous prophecies in the Old Testament deal with the coming of Jesus Christ, and these provide an excellent test for the accuracy of Bible prophecies. If these were genuine prophecies (that is, written about events before they happened) and if they were fulfilled with detailed exactness, then we ought to sit up and take notice when the Bible predicts other events for the future.

Here is a list of some of the prophecies about the coming of Jesus Christ:

1. The prophet Micah predicted Jesus' birthplace 700 years before He was born.  At the time it was a most illogical prediction, for Bethlehem was too small to have a place among the cities of Judah. Yet this insignificant village would be the birthplace of the Messiah.

2. The prophet Malachi, 400 years before Christ, predicted that Messiah would be announced by a "forerunner." John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy (Mal. 3:1; Matt. 3:1-3).

3. Many details of Messiah's ministry were prophesied in the Old Testament, details which were exactly fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth: its location (Isa. 9:1,2 and Matt.4:13-16); its power (Isa. 11:2 and Luke 2:32 and 4:1); its saving character (Isa. 61:1 and Luke 4:16-19); its accompaniment by miracles (Isa. 35:5, 6 and Matt. 11:4,5); its inclusion of Gentiles and not merely Jews (Isa. 42:1,6 and Lk. 2:32); and the ultimate rejection by many (Isa. 53:5 and John 1:11).

4. Heaped on top of these are additional prophecies about the death of Christ. It is one thing to predict the death of a world leader; it is something else to pinpoint with unerring accuracy the many details that the Old Testament relates about the death of Christ: where He would die, how He would die, by whom He would be killed, and the disposition of the body.

From the Rapture to the End of Time

This is Dr. Charles C. Ryrie's excellent summary of the days from the rapture to end of time.  Dr. Ryrie is a dear personal friend and allowed us to use this from his book Come Quickly, Lord Jesus © 1996 by Charles C. Ryrie ThD, PhD.  He is the author of over twenty books and the notes of the famous Ryrie Study Bible, which I use to study and preach from.

It might be wise to view and print out the image for future study and reference.  Click on it to view the larger version.

The rapture is the next event on God's program. It will occur before the Tribulation begins, the actual beginning being signaled by the signing of the pact between Israel and the leader of the revived Roman empire, ruled by the man of sin. This event actually begins the seventieth week of Daniel (9:25-27), the seven-year Tribulation period, during which the church will be absent from the earth in fulfillment of the promise of Revelation 3:10. The Tribulation also begins the Day of the Lord, which totally includes that period and the judgments at the second coming of Christ and the Millennium.

At the beginning of the seven years, 144,000 Jews are sealed, saved, and protected in order to serve God during that time. Also, the worldwide church will gain great political power before being destroyed at the middle of the Tribulation. The seal judgments of Revelation 6 (or at least most of them) will be poured out on the earth as part of the wrath during the first half of the Tribulation.

At the midpoint, the two witnesses of Revelation 11 will be killed and raised. The ecumenical church will be overthrown. Satan will be cast out of heaven to begin even more intense persecution of the Jewish people (Revelation 12:9,13). The man of sin will break his pact with Israel and seek to extend his dominion both politically and religiously. He will demand that the world worship him.

In the latter half of the Tribulation other horrible judgments will fall on the earth (Revelation 8-9; 16). Egypt will fall, the great alliance to the north of Palestine will attack, armies from the East will move into Palestine and the campaign of Armageddon will be ended by the return of Christ.

Then judgments will fall on Jewish people who have survived the Tribulation (Ezekiel 20:33-44) and on Gentile survivors (Matthew 25:31-46). People who are acquitted in those judgments will be those who accepted Christ and they will then enter the millennial kingdom in the unresurrected earthly bodies to become the parents of the millennial population.

Christ will then set up his kingdom and reign on this earth for a thousand years. At the conclusion, Satan will be loosed to lead one final unsuccessful revolution. All unbelievers of all time will be raised to appear at the judgment of the great white throne and then to be cast into the lake of fire forever.

The pre-tribulation view

1. The Rapture occurs before the Tribulation

2. The Church experiences Revelation 3:10 before the Tribulation

3. The Day of the Lord begins at the start of the Tribulation

4. 1 Thessalonians 5:2,3 occurs at the beginning of the Tribulation

5. 144,000 redeemed at start of the Tribulation

6. The rapture and second coming separated by 7 years

7. The living Israelites judged at the second coming

8. The living Gentiles judged as the second coming

9. The Parents of millennial populations come from survivors of the judgments on living Jews and Gentiles

10. The Believers of the church age are judged in heaven between the rapture and the second coming