LESSON NINE - THE END TIMES
Lesson Goal: Our goal in this lesson is to better understand
what Scripture has to say about the end times and those signs that will
signal its coming.
1. Read Hebrews 7:23-25--23 Now there have been many of those
priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but
because Isa lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he
is able to save completely those who come to Allah through him, because he
always lives to intercede for them.
NOTE: According to the Law of found in the , one of the important duties of a priest was to intercede before
Allah on behalf of the people.
a. Why were those who were priests before Isa prevented from
continuing in their priestly ministry indefinitely?
b. How long will Isa's priestly role continue?
c. What is Isa able to do for those who seek to come to Allah through
him?
d. What is Isa presently doing on behalf of each one of his true
followers?
2. Read Matthew chapter 24-- 1 Isa left the temple and was walking
away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its
buildings. 2 "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I
tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one
will be thrown down."
3 As Isa was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him
privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen,
and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
4 Isa answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many
will come in my name, claiming, `I am al-Masih, ' and will deceive many. 6
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not
alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation
will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be
famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning
of birth pains.
9 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death,
and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many
will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and
many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the
increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who
stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this Injil of the kingdom
will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and
then the end will come.
15 "So when you see standing in the holy place `the abomination
that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the
reader understand-- 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything
out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19
How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing
mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the
Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the
beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again. 22 If
those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake
of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says
to you, `Look, here is al-Masih!' or, `There he is!' do not believe it. 24
For false Masihs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs
and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. 25 See, I
have told you ahead of time.
26 "So if anyone tells you, `There he is, out in the desert,' do
not go out; or, `Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27
For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so
will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass,
there the vultures will gather.
29 "Immediately after the distress of those days " `the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'
30 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the
sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of
Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he
will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his
elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
32 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs
get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even
so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the
door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass
away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass
away, but my words will never pass away.
36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Nuh, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days
before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, up to the day Nuh entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing
about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That
is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in
the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be
grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your
Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had
known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch
and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be
ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect
him.
45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has
put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at
the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds
him doing so when he returns. 47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in
charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and
says to himself, `My master is staying away a long time,' 49 and he then
begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50
The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him
and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign
him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth.
a. What time period is Isa describing in this chapter (See vs.3)?
b. A number of the signs that will signal the end of the age are given
in verses 4 to 14. Write any four of those signs in the blanks below.
1)
2)
3)
4)
c. Eight statements are given below. Place a "checkmark" in front of
those statements that are signs of the end times.
1) There will be earthquakes in many places.
2) Rumors of war will be rampant.
3) Satan will come to the city of Jerusalem.
4) False prophets will lead many astray.
5) All people will become disciples of Isa.
6) The message of the Kingdom of Allah will be preached everywhere.
7) All people will love the followers of Isa.
8) All people will hate the followers of Isa.
d. According to verses 30 and 31, when Isa returns to earth on the
clouds, what will be coming with him?
What will they be
responsible for doing?
3. Read John 14:1-4-- 1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in Allah; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms;
if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a
place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back
and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the
way to the place where I am going."
a. What is meant here by the term "father's house"?
1) Isa's home in Nazareth.
2) Heaven.
3) The village home of
Yusuf, Isa's foster father.
b. What will Isa do for his disciples on going to his father's house?
c. A few days after speaking these words, where did Isa depart to? (See
Acts 1:9-11--:9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very
eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently
up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white
stood beside them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do
you stand here looking into the sky? This same Isa, who has been taken
from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go
into heaven.")
4. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18-- 13 Brothers, we do not want you to
be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of
men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Isa died and rose again and so
we believe that Allah will bring with Isa those who have fallen asleep in
him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are
still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not
precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come
down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and
with the trumpet call of Allah, and the dead in al-Masih will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we
will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with
these words.
a. When someone dear to them dies, what happens to those who are
without hope?
b. At the return of Isa who will be the first to rise?
c. Following their ascension into the air, who will be next to ascend
to meet Isa in the air?
d. What are we able to do for one another because we have this hope?
5. Read Acts 10:39-4 -- "We are witnesses of everything he did
in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging
him on a tree, 40 but Allah raised him from the dead on the third day and
caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by
witnesses whom Allah had already chosen--by us who ate and drank with him
after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people
and to testify that he is the one whom Allah appointed as judge of the
living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone
who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
At the judgment on the last day when all men shall be judged, who will
Allah appoint to do the judging?
6. Read Revelation 21:1-4-- 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no
longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from Allah, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her
husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the
dwelling of Allah is with men, and he will live with them. They will be
his people, and Allah himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He
will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or
mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed
away."
NOTE: Chapters 19 and 20 of Revelation describe many incidents
that will occur in the end times. First, Isa will return. Satan and his
forces are finally and totally conquered. Then the final judgment of
mankind is described. Finally, in chapters 21 and 22, we find a
description of what will happen after the last days and the judgment when
Allah creates a new heaven and a new earth where he will dwell together
with his people forever.
a. What is seen in verse one?
b. Those people taken into heaven will spend all eternity in whose
presence?
c. What things will be absent from heaven?
7. Seven incidents of the last days are given below. Arrange them
chronologically. In other words, place a '1' in front of the first
incident that will occur, a '2' before the second, and so on down to
number seven. The NOTE in question '6' above should be of some help to
you.
a) Isa's judging of mankind.
b) Creation of a new heaven and a new earth.
c) The return of Isa from heaven.
d) End-time signs such as earthquakes, wars, etc.
e) The dead in rising to meet him in the air.
f) Believers living eternally with Allah.
g) The final defeat and punishment of Satan.
8. How does the Quran and the Hadith describe the end times? Describe
below what you know of that description.
9. Read 2 Peter 3:11--Since everything will be destroyed in this
way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly
lives.
Reflect on the fact that Allah knows and controls the future.
He will one day totally defeat Satan and all evil and set up his own
righteous kingdom. And into that kingdom he will bring all those who love
and follow him. If that is true - and Scripture says it is - how should it
affect your thinking and actions right now?
TO MEMORIZE - HEBREWS 7:25
25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to Allah through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
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