The Kingdom of God, Student Workbook, SW02

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T H E K I N G D O M O F G O D

Much Ado about Nothing

In discussing the latest series of sermons that their pastor had been giving on the topic of the end times, one couple debated whether or not such preaching was really helpful for the church, and the growth of the Christians in it. It appeared as if the pastor was concentrating on a lot of the details of the prophetic word, and many of the those in the audience were getting lost with the various theories he was covering about the rapture, the great tribulation, the lake of fire, and other subjects, all of which seemed far away from their struggles as teachers at the local high school. After much conversation, they agreed that such subjects, while good for the seminarian or church leader, are not of much importance for the living of the Christian life for “ordinary Christians.” Do you agree with their analysis? Why or why not?

A Good God Wouldn’t Demand It

What do you think of the idea that has become popular about God’s final judgment on sin, especially among cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, which say that a good and loving God could not possibly demand eternal punishment for those who transgressed his law? Does it seem reasonable or unreasonable to you to expect that God would require eternal retribution from those who fail to repent and believe in Jesus Christ? Doesn’t this appear extreme - is there anyone on earth who has actually been bad enough to merit eternal punishment from God? How would you begin to resolve these questions, if confronted with them?

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Get to the Important Stuff First

In discussing the next batch of lessons they would be teaching their teens in their discipleship class, two urban youth workers disagreed over the need to instruct their students on the “last things.” Since in the five years they have led the teens they had not said one word about these things, one of the leaders thought that they should. This leader believed it was critical for Christians to understand these things, for they represent the most important things in the Christian life. His teaching partner disagreed, saying that while the biblical teaching on the last things has a place, it is more important to speak about love and faith, the really important stuff first, before any of this talk of prophecy and stuff occurred. What do you think of their views, and how would you resolve their discussion, retaining a right emphasis on both the Bible’s teaching of the last things, and the practical outworking of God’s reign for them today?