11: The Bible And Prophecy – Teaching Plan
Key Thought: Bible prophecy provides an internal and external mechanism to confirm the accuracy of God’s Word. To interpret prophecy, the reformers used the historical method.
June 13, 2020
1. Have a volunteer read Daniel 2:38-40.
- Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
- What in this dream shows a continuous, uninterrupted succession of powers in history?
- Personal Application: What advantages do we have over those living in Daniel’s time in understanding prophecy? Share your thoughts.
- Case Study: One of your relatives states: “You can interpret the Bible one way, another interprets it another way. How does anyone know which interpretation is correct?” How would you respond to your relative?
2. Have a volunteer read Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6.
- Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
- How does God spell out the year-day principle in these verses?
- Personal Application: How does the 70 week prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 help us understand this year-day principle? Share your thoughts.
- Case Study: One of your friends states, “The Bible also says a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day. So why can’t we say that a day is a thousand years in prophecy, or that Creation took six thousand years?” How would you respond to your friend?
3. Have a volunteer read Daniel 7:23-25.
- Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
- What characteristics of the little horn are here that help us identify who he is?
(Note: He came up in Rome, the fourth kingdom. He comes up after Rome had been divided into ten kingdoms. It is different than the other kingdoms. He subdues three kings. He persecutes the saints. He speaks great words – blasphemy by claiming to be God and claiming to forgive sins. He thinks to change times and laws.) - Personal Application: Why is the teaching of the Papacy being the Antichrist such a crucial component of present truth found in the three angel’s messages? Share your thoughts.
- Case Study: One of your neighbors states, “I heard that someone said that Antichrist would rule for three and a half years. Is that what the times, time, and half a time refers to?” How would you respond to your neighbor using the year day principle.?
(Note – a time = 1 year – 360 days. Times – two years – 720 days. ½ time – half a year = 180 days. 360+720+180 = 1,260 days or years. From 538AD (Justinian”s Code and defeat of the Ostrogoths) to 1798AD (Berthier marched into Rome and took the Pope captive) is exactly 1,260 years.)
4. Have a volunteer read I Corinthians 10:11-13.
- Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
- Why does Paul warn us in comparison to the Hebrews in the Exodus?
- Personal Application: When we are tempted, or tested, or tried: does God give us an escape? Do we always take it, or do we fail the temptation? Share your thoughts.
- Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.
(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).
Prophecy is revealed in events, chronology and time.The Bible as the word of God exposes this through the prophets. It is advantageous to be called Seventh Day Adventist because we have this revealed.