Know: Consider the reality and the turning point of the second coming of Jesus.
Feel: Anticipate and rejoice in the prospect of meeting the Lord face-to-face.
Do: Live with hope in spite of the prospect of death and the present reality of hopelessness.
Learning Outline:
Know: The End Is the Beginning.
Why does the heavenly kingdom imply the destruction of the earthly kingdoms?
Why is the Second Coming real and not just a spiritual parable?
Why does the Second Coming make sense?
Feel: Longing to See Him
What feelings do you have when you think of the Second Coming?
How does the hope of the Second Coming affect your outlook?
Why is the Second Coming the only real solution to our suffering?
Do: Hope Against Hope
How does the hope of the Second Coming help you in the experience of injustice?
How does hope in the Second Coming help you to deal with the idea of death?
How does the hope of the Second Coming help you to make the right decisions in your daily life?
Summary: The second coming of Christ is the fundamental belief that gives all the Christian religion its meaning. It is the event that ultimately fulfills all the dreams and hopes of humankind.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:7, 8
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: A belief in the second coming of Jesus comprises more than a dogmatic truth to be repeated in our confession of faith. It is the cornerstone of our spiritual life. Jesus’ request “ ‘your kingdom come’ ” (Matt. 6:10, NKJV) is the pinnacle of His model prayer. The ancient Israelites prayed toward Jerusalem (Dan. 6:10), because prayer was the expression of their hope.
Just for Teachers: The belief of the second coming of Christ contains all other tenets of faith. Analyze with your students the meaning of the name “Seventh-day Adventist.” Ask them to meditate on the meaning of each component of the name and on the significance of the tension between them. Then share the following quote: “Our name is made of two opposite entities. . . . While the phrase ‘seventh day’ connects us with earthly existence and human history the word ‘Adventist’ takes us to the future of history, what comes after human history and belongs to the prophetic domain, pointing to the heavenly order. While the phrase ‘seventh day’ confronts us with the present reality of the earthly city and makes us breathe with the rhythm of time ‘under heaven’ (Eccl. 3:1), the word ‘Adventist’ takes us away from here and makes us dream and pray and hope for the coming of the kingdom of heaven, and strengthens in our heart the sense of ‘eternity’ (Eccl. 3:11).”—Excerpted from Jacques Doukhan, “The Tension of Seventh-day Adventist Identity: An Existential & Eschatological Perspective,” Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, Jan. 26, 2015, pp. 29, 30.
Opening Discussion: Examine the connection between the truth of the Second Coming and other Seventh-day Adventist truths. If you did not have this hope, how would the other beliefs stand? What is the connection between the hope in the Second Coming and the Sabbath commandment?
Questions for Discussion:
Why does the Bible begin with Creation and end with the kingdom of God? What other examples do you find in the Bible that attest to that same connection?
Why would it not be possible to be a good Adventist without the Sabbath? Conversely, why is it not possible to be a good Seventh-day Adventist without the hope of the Second Coming?
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: One Christian lecturer mocked those naïve Christians who believed in the second coming of Jesus from heaven: “Do you think that Jesus will come in a parachute?” People laughed, and the lecturer made his point. During the past century, many Christian theologians have emphasized the importance of having an existential encounter with Jesus Christ. What is important, they argue, is our personal relationship with Him, our ethical life, and our faith in His love for us in our present life. This lesson will address this pernicious thinking. Biblical hope is not about this life but concerns a radically new world, which will be initiated by the real historical interruption of God, who will break through our history and bring a new life that has nothing to do with our present mortal condition.
Bible Commentary
I. The Kingdom of the Future (Review Daniel 2:34, 35 with your class.)
The prophecies of Daniel make it very clear. The heavenly kingdom of God will be different from all other earthly kingdoms. The prophetic history of the kingdoms of the earth is described as a continuous succession of kingdoms, which disappear one after the other, while still retaining something from the previous kingdoms.
The kingdom of God, on the other hand, appears abruptly from heaven and has no connection whatsoever with the previous earthly kingdoms. In fact, the establishment of the kingdom of God implies the total and radical destruction of all the other kingdoms: “ ‘No trace of them was found’ ” (Dan. 2:35, NKJV). Note that this operation is not the result of human wars or even of an ecological disaster. Just as the Creation of the world was God’s unique operation, the destruction of the world will happen “ ‘by no human hand’ ” (Dan. 2:45, ESV). On the other hand, “ ‘the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed’ ” (Dan. 2:44, NKJV). While the earthly kingdoms do not last and have no future, the kingdom of God is the only one that reveals the future.
This future perspective of the kingdom of God contains the secret of biblical wisdom. While the wisdom of the world is present-oriented, the wisdom of the kingdom of God is future-oriented. All we do should be tested by this question. As Ellen G. White advises: “No scheme of business or plan of life can be sound or complete that embraces only the brief years of this present life and makes no provision for the unending future. Let the youth be taught to take eternity into their reckoning.”—Education, p. 145.
Consider This: What are the differences between the earthly kingdoms (represented by the metals) and the heavenly kingdom (represented by the stone) in the vision of Daniel 2? Why is the second coming of Jesus irreconcilable with the idea of evolution?
II. Like a Thief (Review 1 Thessalonians 5:4, Revelation 3:3, 16:15 with your class.)
The biblical view of hope is radically different from human theories of hope. While all human philosophies of hope expect the solution to human miseries to come from this world and from human effort, the Bible promises the solution to our problem comes from God in heaven. For this reason, the Messiah our Savior is pictured as someone coming “with the clouds of heaven” (Dan. 7:13, Matt. 24:30, Rev. 14:14). We cannot save ourselves, just as we cannot create ourselves.
Nor can we predict the moment of His coming. According to the Bible, the “end” is not a gradual process, the result of a progressive maturation. The Hebrew word qets, for “end,” is derived from the Hebrew verb qatsats, which means “cut off ” (Deut. 25:12, NKJV) and implies an abrupt event, which has no link with preceding events. Therefore, the coming of Jesus will surprise and will strike like a violent and unexpected blow.
The Bible compares the coming of Christ to the coming of a thief. This comparison suggests that the world that He will take is presently not in His hands; it is in the hand of an enemy (Matt. 13:28; compare with Job 1:11, 12). To save us, God is obliged to break through and steal, just as He did when He stole Israel from Pharaoh or when He stole the demon-possessed from the devil (Matt. 12:28, 29).
Discussion Questions
Why can humans not save themselves?
What human philosophies of hope are you acquainted with? How, and why did they, or will they, fail? ¯ Why will God’s people, as will everyone, be surprised by the second coming of Christ? ° Why does God’s salvation of the world imply violence? ± What lesson does the comparison to a thief imply for us in our waiting for His coming? (Read Matt. 24:44.)
III. New Heavens and a New Earth (Review Isaiah 65:17–25 with your class.)
God will not just “steal.” He will give new things. The kingdom of Babylon is destroyed, and, instead, the New Jerusalem is created. Death is replaced by eternal life. The resurrection of the dead will be the first manifestation of the Second Coming. Daniel is the book of the Old Testament that resonates the most with that hope (Dan. 12:2, 3, 13). Eternal life will be lived fully in our newly made bodies.
God’s kingdom will be a place that our imagination cannot conceive (1 Cor. 2:7–9).
The fact that God’s kingdom is beyond the capacity of our imagination does not mean that this new order escapes our understanding. Rather, it means that God’s promise is real even if we cannot imagine it, for the “Thief ”did not come from our mind or our dreams. Heaven is a real place that the “Thief ” has prepared for us (John 14:2). The life in this kingdom will be a real life, just as it has never been in our earthly life, because, for the first time after the Garden of Eden, it will be a life without the shadow of death.
Consider This: Why is it not possible for us to conceive of the kingdom of God? Why does the resurrection of the dead exclude the idea of the immortality of the soul?
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: The author of this quarter’s Teachers Edition was once interviewed on French public radio. During the program, he spoke about his hope in God’s kingdom in heaven. In contrast to his comments about hope in the God of heaven, the music technician, an atheist, broadcast a popular song that featured a bird flying in the skies to suggest that the author’s faith was not about real things. For the technician, heaven meant only birds and literal sky. Contrary to what this song was intended to suggest, why is a hope in the Second Coming about real things, unseen though they are?
Application Questions:
Why is it not possible to witness about the heavenly kingdom of God when we are not living as citizens of it here and now?
What are the things in our lives today that distract us from the heavenly kingdom of God?
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: Discuss with the class the challenges we face in sharing the truth of the Second Coming with those who do not believe.
Activities:
Ask the members of your class to share with others in the coming week about their hope in the Second Coming and report on peoples’ responses next week.
Encourage your students to self-reflect: What will they do differently in their lives, from here on out, after having studied this lesson?
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The Lesson in Brief
Key Text: Daniel 7:13
The Student Will:
Learning Outline:
Know: The End Is the Beginning.
Feel: Longing to See Him
Do: Hope Against Hope
Summary: The second coming of Christ is the fundamental belief that gives all the Christian religion its meaning. It is the event that ultimately fulfills all the dreams and hopes of humankind.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:7, 8
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: A belief in the second coming of Jesus comprises more than a dogmatic truth to be repeated in our confession of faith. It is the cornerstone of our spiritual life. Jesus’ request “ ‘your kingdom come’ ” (Matt. 6:10, NKJV) is the pinnacle of His model prayer. The ancient Israelites prayed toward Jerusalem (Dan. 6:10), because prayer was the expression of their hope.
Just for Teachers: The belief of the second coming of Christ contains all other tenets of faith. Analyze with your students the meaning of the name “Seventh-day Adventist.” Ask them to meditate on the meaning of each component of the name and on the significance of the tension between them. Then share the following quote: “Our name is made of two opposite entities. . . . While the phrase ‘seventh day’ connects us with earthly existence and human history the word ‘Adventist’ takes us to the future of history, what comes after human history and belongs to the prophetic domain, pointing to the heavenly order. While the phrase ‘seventh day’ confronts us with the present reality of the earthly city and makes us breathe with the rhythm of time ‘under heaven’ (Eccl. 3:1), the word ‘Adventist’ takes us away from here and makes us dream and pray and hope for the coming of the kingdom of heaven, and strengthens in our heart the sense of ‘eternity’ (Eccl. 3:11).”—Excerpted from Jacques Doukhan, “The Tension of Seventh-day Adventist Identity: An Existential & Eschatological Perspective,” Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, Jan. 26, 2015, pp. 29, 30.
Opening Discussion: Examine the connection between the truth of the Second Coming and other Seventh-day Adventist truths. If you did not have this hope, how would the other beliefs stand? What is the connection between the hope in the Second Coming and the Sabbath commandment?
Questions for Discussion:
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: One Christian lecturer mocked those naïve Christians who believed in the second coming of Jesus from heaven: “Do you think that Jesus will come in a parachute?” People laughed, and the lecturer made his point. During the past century, many Christian theologians have emphasized the importance of having an existential encounter with Jesus Christ. What is important, they argue, is our personal relationship with Him, our ethical life, and our faith in His love for us in our present life. This lesson will address this pernicious thinking. Biblical hope is not about this life but concerns a radically new world, which will be initiated by the real historical interruption of God, who will break through our history and bring a new life that has nothing to do with our present mortal condition.
Bible Commentary
I. The Kingdom of the Future (Review Daniel 2:34, 35 with your class.)
The prophecies of Daniel make it very clear. The heavenly kingdom of God will be different from all other earthly kingdoms. The prophetic history of the kingdoms of the earth is described as a continuous succession of kingdoms, which disappear one after the other, while still retaining something from the previous kingdoms.
The kingdom of God, on the other hand, appears abruptly from heaven and has no connection whatsoever with the previous earthly kingdoms. In fact, the establishment of the kingdom of God implies the total and radical destruction of all the other kingdoms: “ ‘No trace of them was found’ ” (Dan. 2:35, NKJV). Note that this operation is not the result of human wars or even of an ecological disaster. Just as the Creation of the world was God’s unique operation, the destruction of the world will happen “ ‘by no human hand’ ” (Dan. 2:45, ESV). On the other hand, “ ‘the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed’ ” (Dan. 2:44, NKJV). While the earthly kingdoms do not last and have no future, the kingdom of God is the only one that reveals the future.
This future perspective of the kingdom of God contains the secret of biblical wisdom. While the wisdom of the world is present-oriented, the wisdom of the kingdom of God is future-oriented. All we do should be tested by this question. As Ellen G. White advises: “No scheme of business or plan of life can be sound or complete that embraces only the brief years of this present life and makes no provision for the unending future. Let the youth be taught to take eternity into their reckoning.”—Education, p. 145.
Consider This: What are the differences between the earthly kingdoms (represented by the metals) and the heavenly kingdom (represented by the stone) in the vision of Daniel 2? Why is the second coming of Jesus irreconcilable with the idea of evolution?
II. Like a Thief (Review 1 Thessalonians 5:4, Revelation 3:3, 16:15 with your class.)
The biblical view of hope is radically different from human theories of hope. While all human philosophies of hope expect the solution to human miseries to come from this world and from human effort, the Bible promises the solution to our problem comes from God in heaven. For this reason, the Messiah our Savior is pictured as someone coming “with the clouds of heaven” (Dan. 7:13, Matt. 24:30, Rev. 14:14). We cannot save ourselves, just as we cannot create ourselves.
Nor can we predict the moment of His coming. According to the Bible, the “end” is not a gradual process, the result of a progressive maturation. The Hebrew word qets, for “end,” is derived from the Hebrew verb qatsats, which means “cut off ” (Deut. 25:12, NKJV) and implies an abrupt event, which has no link with preceding events. Therefore, the coming of Jesus will surprise and will strike like a violent and unexpected blow.
The Bible compares the coming of Christ to the coming of a thief. This comparison suggests that the world that He will take is presently not in His hands; it is in the hand of an enemy (Matt. 13:28; compare with Job 1:11, 12). To save us, God is obliged to break through and steal, just as He did when He stole Israel from Pharaoh or when He stole the demon-possessed from the devil (Matt. 12:28, 29).
Discussion Questions
III. New Heavens and a New Earth (Review Isaiah 65:17–25 with your class.)
God will not just “steal.” He will give new things. The kingdom of Babylon is destroyed, and, instead, the New Jerusalem is created. Death is replaced by eternal life. The resurrection of the dead will be the first manifestation of the Second Coming. Daniel is the book of the Old Testament that resonates the most with that hope (Dan. 12:2, 3, 13). Eternal life will be lived fully in our newly made bodies.
God’s kingdom will be a place that our imagination cannot conceive (1 Cor. 2:7–9).
The fact that God’s kingdom is beyond the capacity of our imagination does not mean that this new order escapes our understanding. Rather, it means that God’s promise is real even if we cannot imagine it, for the “Thief ”did not come from our mind or our dreams. Heaven is a real place that the “Thief ” has prepared for us (John 14:2). The life in this kingdom will be a real life, just as it has never been in our earthly life, because, for the first time after the Garden of Eden, it will be a life without the shadow of death.
Consider This: Why is it not possible for us to conceive of the kingdom of God? Why does the resurrection of the dead exclude the idea of the immortality of the soul?
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: The author of this quarter’s Teachers Edition was once interviewed on French public radio. During the program, he spoke about his hope in God’s kingdom in heaven. In contrast to his comments about hope in the God of heaven, the music technician, an atheist, broadcast a popular song that featured a bird flying in the skies to suggest that the author’s faith was not about real things. For the technician, heaven meant only birds and literal sky. Contrary to what this song was intended to suggest, why is a hope in the Second Coming about real things, unseen though they are?
Application Questions:
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: Discuss with the class the challenges we face in sharing the truth of the Second Coming with those who do not believe.
Activities: