The loft july 26,2014

July 26.2014: Lesson 2

Natural Laws

TheLoft: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”…Hebrews 12:2

Review: Last Study“a high price for faith”

• Matthew 24:‘when will these things take place? End of age. Persecution.

Signs of the end?Don’t let anyone deceive you

Many will come in my name….hear of wars & rumors of wars…famine, earthquakes… beginningPersecution… Parable of the Fig Tree – so that you know its near…

He who endures to the end shall be saved.

This week

Aside - -> CONTEXT• con·text ˈkänˌtekst/noun: context; the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.

scripture story

Daniel 7:25, Thessalonians 2:3-7, Revelation 12:6

Author: Daniel means “God is my judge” Daniel & 3 friends – Judean families taken captiveWhen Nebuchanezzar subdued Jerusalem.

Prophetic book: Daniel 11 contains over one hundred specific prophecies of historical events that literally came true.

Daniel 7http://www.openbible.info/geo/

scripture story

Daniel 7:25, Thessalonians 2:3-7, Revelation 12:6

Commentary: The Great Controversy

• Chapter 3 Spiritual Darkness in the early church– Evolution of the church, Rome, Pope supreme

authority, building of churches shrines & relics, Hell & Purgatory, Indulgences, Bible interpretation by “church” only, Reformation – Martin Luther & others (Protestants), Sabbath change.

• Chapter 4 The Waldenses Defend the Faith

http://timeline.biblehistory.com/home

What do you think?OUT OF THE STORY

1. How do these passages describe the Dark Ages of European history?2. When a religious organization sets itself up as having the same power as

God Himself, what would that do to the people who were governed by it?3. Why do you think God told us ahead of time that these things would

happen?4. What do you think is the “secret power of lawlessness”?5. What are the “set times and laws” that this power would try to change?6. Is it possible to have an organization that started out with pure intentions, became corrupt with power, but still has good, God-fearing people within it? Explain.7. Who or what does the woman represent? How did God take care of her? How will He take care of us?

Did you know?Before the invention of the printing press, it took a skilled writer about 10 months to produce a copy of the Bible. Anyone who wanted a Bible must wait almost a year to receive their purchase. In today’s standards, the writer would be paid atthe rate of any other skilled laborer, possibly $15-$20 per hour. If that laborer worked five days a week, eight hours a day, that would make your Bible cost $24,000!

But wait . . . we aren’t considering the cost of keeping a business open. A business never charges you only the fee to pay the basic salary of the employee who is working on your Bible. The fee is much higher to compensate for electricity, taxes, office space, etc. When you get your car fixed, you don’t pay the $20/hr for the mechanic; you pay$50-$75/hr to cover all of the other costs as well. If we apply that to your Bible, it could cost as much as $96,000!(http://cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/