A Curriculum for the School of Evangelism

Vol. 1

Dr. Sydney Gibbons

• Publisher: Spirit Reign Communications
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9780947480981
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religious Education

The Great Commission of Jesus is to "make disciples of all the nations" (Matt.28: 19 -- NKJV, NASB, and ASV). Jesus instructed His disciples to teach people then to baptize them. He also instructed them to continue to teach the baptized disciples -- "teaching them to observe all [obey everything -- NIV]... I... commanded you" (Matt.28: 20 -- KJV, NKJV, NASB and ASV). A disciple of Christ follows Him in baptism but matures in discipleship after baptism. A mature Christian dispels darkness in the world by shining the light of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus told His disciples,

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matt 5: 14-16, NIV

But how does a person become a Christian? And how can Christians become like Christ? Lites Ministry, a Curriculum for the School of Evangelism, was designed to help Christians become mature disciples. Mature Christians grow the church in baptisms and the quality of life of believers. Lites embraces a global vision that promotes extensive, continuous, sustainable church growth. Its mission is to make Christian masses lites.

Courses in the three-volumes curriculum provide answers to the above-raised questions and more. These volumes provide a philosophy and curriculum for the Lites School of Evangelism and introduce its twelve foundational courses, progressively, over its twelve chapters.

L.I.T.E.S. is also an acronym that tells what the school does.

L.I.T.E.S.:

• Leads to conversion

• Inspires to witness

• Trains to disciple

Evangelizes to grow, and

Serves to love.

Unit 2: Church Evangelism

Chapter 8: The End and the Beginning

Overview

The end of time is the beginning of eternity. But how and when will time end? More importantly, how will you spend eternity? The Bible book of Daniel is a book of end-time prophecy. When discussed through the unfolding of the Book of Revelation, its once locked meaning becomes open to how this world will end, and to how people can secure life in a new world beyond the end of time. Let’s discover the good news and the bad news about the end of the world and the future of life for the human family. Journey with Jesus as He reveals Himself as the only hope for humanity in the Book of Revelation. His story is the story of our redemption, the story of the end of sin and the beginning of life without sin.

A consistent theme of multiple world-views is a search for meaning in life. How did life begin on earth? Why do we exist? If God is love, why does He permit evil to plague our world? Is there life after death? Will there be universal peace and harmony? If yes, how and when will this happen? What is the truth about good and evil? Who is Jesus Christ, and where does He fit in the context of the human experience? If there is a devil, where did he come from? Where does he live? What is his fate? What can humans know about beings from other worlds? And, how can humans receive help from God and divine agents to overcome human challenges that demand supernatural power? If living forever in peace is an attainable goal, what is the best strategy to achieve it?

Humans are actors in the drama of life. We did not ask to be born, but we are born as actors without the option to refuse to participate on the stage of life. The drama of the ages is the search for meaning in existence, in light of the presence of good and evil, and life and death. The Bible describes the drama as a perfect creation that was corrupted by evil, and that will be restored to its original state of perfection. While humans are part of the cast by birth, each one is created with the freedom to choose the part he or she plays, for good or evil. The choice we make determines our destiny.

Another analogy, to depict the human reality, is warfare. Humans are engaged in the war of the ages. God created perfect beings, some of which rebelled against Him, in Heaven, and later, on earth. Those who rebelled were evicted from Heaven and were permitted to live on earth. They later corrupted the perfect pair of humans, which God created. The rebellion in Heaven launched celestial warfare. The fall of humans launched human warfare. The rebellion introduced evil to a universe that had only good. The consequences of good and evil have unfolded over the centuries. War has created global disproportionate allocations of wealth and access to opportunities in life. War has created suffering, poverty, crime, sickness and death. War has left humans without a home and without a hope. War has offset the equilibrium in the eco-systems and has adversely affected all forms of life on earth. Local and global warfare are among many examples of the war of the ages that began in Heaven and continue on earth. War rages from within humans to warfare among groups and nations.

The Bible identifies two primary antagonists and two primary groups at war. Jesus Christ and His followers and the Devil and his followers. Paul describes the universal conflict between good and evil in language of warfare, and he declares what followers of Jesus must do in battle.

¹² For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. ¹⁵ As shoes for your feet, put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph. 6:12-17, NRSV

John the Revelator records the effects and initial outcome of the war of the ages in Heaven. He identifies Jesus as “Michael” (see Jude 1:9 and 1 Thes. 4:16.) and His contender, as “the Devil and Satan.”

⁷ And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, ⁸ but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Rev 12:7-9, NRSV

John also tells the story of human redemption through Jesus Christ. Revelation is about Jesus (Rev 1:1). Five great truths of the book¹ provide the context for humans to choose their leader and engage in battle as victors in Christ. The alternate course of action is to choose the Devil as their master and share his end in defeat. The five great truths are expressed below.

1.The Second Coming of Christ: Jesus is coming back to earth to take the saved to heaven.

2.The Sovereignty of God: God is in control of earth and its life forms and its future.

3.The Saved: Only the righteous will live and be with God in the new earth.

4.The Savior: The blood of Jesus saves the redeemed.

5.Hope for Humanity: Despite uncertainty, adversity and persecution in this world, humans and our children can face the future with confidence, and enjoy a sin-free eternity!

Permit me to introduce a study of Revelation through twenty-four seminars on how time will end and how eternity will begin. The title of the series is “War of the Ages Seminars.” The titles of each seminar are chosen to capture the imagery of warfare. The purpose of the seminars is to help seekers of truth understand and practice the teachings of Jesus, found in Revelation, in preparation for His second coming to earth. They will identify battle scenes (seminars 1-10), accentuate defeat and victory (seminars 11-16), and discover war strategies of the opponents (seminars 17-24). Why not position yourself for victory and for an eternal future with Jesus as you identify the players and the issues of life in the war of the ages?

1. Secret Codes (Seminar 1)

Daniel was a closed book until the time of the end (Dan. 12:4). Revelation, meaning disclosure, unlocks its prophecies and those of Daniel (Rev. 1:1; 22:6). There are at least three schools of interpretation of apocalyptic prophecy (Daniel and Revelation). 1) Preterism, believing that these prophecies were fulfilled by the end of the first century. 2) Futurism, believing that the prophecies in more than eighteen of the twenty-two chapters of Revelation will be fulfilled a few years before the second coming of Christ, and 3) Historicism, believing that the prophecies of Revelation have continued to be fulfilled throughout the centuries of Christianity, and will continue to be fulfilled until Jesus returns to earth for a second and a third time. The historicist interpretation is substantiated by internal biblical evidence and is confirmed by facts of history. Historicism was the popular protestant method of interpretation in the 16^th century. It is the approach used for the “War of The Ages Seminars.”

Keys to unlock prophecy are found in the Bible. To the unbeliever, they are unknown codes. To the believer, they are secret codes that lead to correct interpretation of prophecy. The chiastic structure of Revelation presents its key to help interpret the book. “A chiasm … is a literary device in which a sequence of ideas is presented and then repeated in reverse order. The result is a “mirror” effect as the ideas are “reflected” back in a passage. Each idea is connected to its “reflection” by a repeated word, often in a related form” (https://www.gotquestions.org/chiasm-chiastic.html). “Often, a chiasm includes another idea in the middle of the repetition: ABXBA. In this structure, the two ideas (A and B) are repeated in reverse order, but a third idea is inserted before the repetition (X). By virtue of its position, the insertion is emphasized” (https://www.gotquestions.org/chiasm-chiastic.html).

Revelation’s vision 1 (A. chapters 1-3), the church on earth, corresponds with vision 8 (A. chapters 21-22), the church in Heaven. Vision 2 (B. chapters 4-8:1), the message of salvation carried throughout the earth, corresponds with vision 7 (B. chapters 19-20), the reception of the saved by Jesus Christ at His second coming, and the destruction of those who reject salvation at His third coming to earth. Vision 3 (C. chapter 8:2-11:19), messages of warning and the execution of judgments, corresponds with vision 6 (C. chapters 17-18), the beast that will be judged and destroyed with all who follow it. Vision 4 (X. chapters 12-14), the dragon’s trinitarian force (dragon, beast and false prophet), attacks the Disciples of Jesus who proclaim the three-fold message of Revelation 14:6-12. This vision corresponds with Vision 5 (X. chapters 15-16), the seven last plagues that fall on the wicked, those who attack the Disciples of Jesus. Visions 4 and 5 fall in the middle of the chiastic structure (position X, explained in the paragraph above) in its position of emphasis. The struggle between the dragon, beast and false prophet, against God’s end-time people who proclaim the three angels’ message of Revelation 14, is Revelation’s message of emphasis. The outpouring of the seven last plagues in chapters 15 and 16 follows this struggle. This indicates that the doors of mercy are no longer open. Judgments begin to fall on the unrighteous, and this brings attention and significance to the message of Revelation 14:6-12. All who reject this message receive the plagues, God’s wrath without mercy.

Here are seven other keys that help decode Revelation and open its doors of understanding by end-time Christians. 1) Jesus, the only hope of human salvation (Acts 4:12), is the Lamb (Rev. 13:8; Jn. 1:29) who offers an “eternal gospel” to people from every nation and people group on earth (Rev 14:6). 2) Jesus defeats and destroys the Devil, also called Satan and the Dragon (Rev. 12:7,9; 20:10). 3) Jesus is coming back to earth to deliver His children from the presence of sin (Jn. 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; Rev. 1:7; 22:10, 20). 4) One day in prophecy is one literal year (Ezek. 4:6; Daniel 7:25; 8:14; Rev 12:6, 14; 13: 5). 5) Jesus will overthrow beasts, which are secular and spiritual powers on earth (Dan. 7: 1-25; Rev. 13: 1-10; 11-18; 14:11; 15:2; 16:2; 17:3, 7-17; 19:17-20). 6) Waters in prophecy are people who populate the earth (Rev. 7:15).

7) Old Testament imagery appears in Revelation as analogies to teach Christians how to live for Jesus in the end-time. Some examples follow. The twelve Tribes of Israel are Christians. The Sanctuary reveals divine activity in Heaven concerning the plan of redemption. Jezebel and Balaam depict spiritual apostasy in Christianity. Babylon identifies those who remain in spiritual darkness. Jerusalem presents spiritual and literal hope for the saved. Plagues are God’s judgments on the wicked. The seal of God and the mark of the beast, determined by human choice and action, separate all humans into two groups – those who follow Jesus and those who follow the Devil. False prophets are Christian leaders who teach erroneous doctrines. A pure woman symbolizes true worship; a prostitute symbolizes false worship. Armageddon portrays final scenes in the war of the ages between good and evil – Jesus will rule the nations as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Lamps/candles are the light of truth from the Word of God that lives in Christians. Angels are sometimes literal; however, the three angels in Rev. 14:6-12 are symbolic of end-time Christians who carry the end-time message of Jesus to the world. The war of the ages engages two groups in the final end-time conflict: those who embrace the three-fold message of Rev. 14:6-12, and those who reject it.

Revelation invites every person who lives during the time of the end to answer one twofold question. How and with whom will I spend eternity? The eight major visions of the book (See Frank Holbrook, editor, Symposium on Revelation – Book I) reveal five major truths that demand human choice of allegiance. The eight visions are divided in two parts. The focus of Part I, chapters 1-14, is choosing destiny, before the door of opportunity closes. The focus of Part II, chapters 15-22, is experiencing destiny, based on ones unchangeable choice of allegiance. The major truths of Revelation provide the context for humans to choose their destiny before the second coming of Christ, and before He says, “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done” (Rev 22:12, NIV). Make your choice for eternity as meaning unfolds from Revelation, using Revelation’s secret codes to interpret its prophecies, through our introduction of the remaining 23 seminars, under three headings: 1) Battle Scenes, 2) Defeat and Victory 3) War Strategies.

2. Battle Scenes (Seminars 2-10)

The Big Picture of Warfare and Five Truths

Jesus is “The Commanding Officer” of Revelation (Seminar 2). He commands God’s army of angels who defeated and expelled the Devil and his angels from Heaven. He commands demons, angels who fell from Heaven with the Devil, and they obey Him. “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name” (Lk 10:17, NIV). He commands Christians who obey Him as Lord, and excludes from His kingdom, those who claim His name but refuse to obey His commands. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt 7:21, NIV). And, when Jesus returns to receive the saved at His second coming, He returns in command of Heaven’s army, riding a white horse of victory, to defeat the Devil and his followers, again (Rev 19 and 20). Even the wicked will declare Jesus worthy to be in command. “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10,11, NIV). Jesus executed the plan to save humanity in His sinless life, atoning death and redeeming resurrection. He is the Lamb of God who saves the world (Rev 5).

Lucifer, a perfect angel of leading presence in Heaven (Isa 14:12; Ezek 28:13-15), became the Devil (Rev 12:9) and “The General” of Revelation (Seminar 3) who commands all those who rebel against God and His teachings, whether created angels or created humans. Jesus identified rebellious Jews with their father, the Devil (John 8:44). The real issue in the war of the ages is choice of allegiance. Will Jesus be accepted as Savior and Lord, or will the Devil be obeyed as master, deceiver? The Bible is the blueprint of life for the Christian. Disobedience to the Bible, the Word of God, is acceptance of the Devil as master, by default. Earth ...