For the second part of this study you will need a small pad of paper and pen, and some drawing pins or large headed nails.
You will also you will need a flat piece of wood, approximately 10mm thick, 25mm wide and 1 metre long, marked as explained below.
(Divide it in half, then half again, then again, then again – 16 sections – (This is a timeline for the Earth. Each section represents about 500 years).
For this study we’re starting in the last chapter – 1 Corinthians 16:1-24. I realise this is out of order, but it’s really too short to leave it to a study of its own.
Remember that the Church in Jerusalem was struggling. They had suffered intense persecution and it was probably difficult for a Christian to find employment. Paul himself had once been eager to imprison any he found
Read Acts 8:1-3
1 On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
So other churches sent money to help them. The Church in Corinth wanted to give too and had obviously asked Paul how best to do it. In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians 9:10 he says ‘Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so’.
Now read 1 Corinthians 16:1-24.
1 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
We have to remember that these were fledgling churches with no traditional form of service; ‘Taking a collection’ was not part of their thinking. Also as there was no banking system it was sensible for each individual to put money aside rather than someone to be responsible for it all. Then it would be a simple matter to collect it and take it safely to Jerusalem. That was a concern too – the cash had to be physically transported.
3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.
There was still a great deal of suspicion surrounding the Jerusalem church and even though they were bringing gifts, the foreigners from Corinth would need letters of introduction from Paul before they could be accepted. It may even mean that Paul would have to go with them.
(Paul was to write extensively to the Corinthians about giving in his next letter – chapters 8 and 9.)
5 After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you – for I will be going through Macedonia. 6 Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.
Why is there always opposition when the Gospel is preached effectively?
Satan usually prefers the subtle approach, but when a Christian is working effectively for the Lord, he will attack quite openly!
10 When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. 11 No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.
Why might Timothy be treated with contempt?
Timothy was a young man and there was a danger that as he didn’t have the status of Paul, Peter, or Apollos, the people in the church at Corinth might look down on him.
12 Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.
‘Now about . . . .’ It seems that the Corinthians had asked Paul when Apollos could visit them again, but Apollos was very reluctant.
Why do you think that was?
Possibly he was aware that he was partly to blame for the factions within the church and he didn’t want to be the cause of any further trouble.
13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.
Mentioning Apollos reminded Paul of the purpose of writing this letter, so he gives a very brief précis!
15 You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, 16 to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labours at it. 17 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. 18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.
I thought I could get away with saying that Paul now rounds off his letter by recognising some for personal mention, and giving a general benediction – BUT! What do we understand by verse 17 ‘they have supplied what was lacking from you’?
It might be that these three had been able to tell Paul something that the Corinthians couldn’t put in writing. Or
- It might be practical things that he had needed but the Corinthians hadn’t been able to send. Or
- Simply that he missed the fellowship that the Corinthians would have shared with Paul had they been there in person.
But no-one knows!
19 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 20 All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.
Paul wasn’t very good at writing, (See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! (Galatians 6:11) but it was recognisable, and a guarantee that the letter was authentic.
22 If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!
Verse 22 seems harsh, but Paul was concerned that everyone faced up to the truth. Paul was an evangelist, and was only too aware that those who don’t know and love the Lord Jesus face a lost eternity.
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Now we can return to chapter 15
Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-53
50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
Whether you believe in creation or evolution, you probably agree that there was a time when the universe did not exist. Also, from Isaiah 34:4 (and Revelation 6:14) we are told that a time will come in the future when All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll.
And Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.
In our last study we looked at how things are made out of atoms, and the atoms can be split into smaller particles, and those particles are simply made of energy.
The bible calls that power. Do you believe in an all-powerful God? A God so powerful he could make an atom, or even the whole of creation, simply using some of his power?
How long would that take him?
In Matthew 12:13 Jesus had met a man with a shrivelled hand,
Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.
how long did it take him to create all the constituent parts to completely restore it?
We also had a discussion about the possibility of the new heaven and earth not being made of atoms but simply made of something else that we can’t even imagine!
We also touched on our resurrection bodies, stating that we will all be changed.
Look at 1 Corinthians 15:50-52 again
50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
The new earth must be quite different because it will have to last for the whole of eternity without running out of anything. We also will live forever!
But what do you make of Paul’s statement in verse 51 that we don’t enter a sleep state when we die? Well I have an idea that I’ll try to explain. (Sorry for those who have seen this before)
My wife used to keep a diary – nothing fancy, just a day-by-day record of what we did.
In the bedroom I’ve got a draw full going back many years. I can go back and re-live events from the past
Now you have to imagine that you are God.
You can think of this measuring stick as effectively God’s diary of the whole world – from beginning to end.
Introduce the next bit slowly!
I’ve divided it into 500 year sections. (Indicate leftmost end) Here is creation. (We really don’t know when that was. Now point to the fourth line, then fifth, sixth etc). Let’s assume here is Noah and the flood, then Abraham, here are the Israelites, leaving Egypt. Here is David, at about 1000bc. Here is the Exile. Next is Jesus. (Now skip 3 lines) And this is us at 2000ad. (Now point to the far right hand end) And somewhere up here is the end of time. Now what I want to do is show where this timeline fits in Eternity
The flat end at the beginning represents the days of creation. Those who prefer the universe to be 4.54 billion years will need a longer stick. How much longer?
Actually on this scale it would have to be longer by about 286 miles. Now, if we were God, would we consider that to really be necessary?
Let’s leave dates for the moment – at least we have proof that the earth was created sometime!
Put the stick on the table so you can walk round it.
This is effectively the complete record of the whole world, from creation to the end. As God you can actually get up and walk around, you are free to travel to and fro in eternity. Look out of the window. Go outside if you like and look up. Eternity goes on for ever, and you are unrestricted (Encourage people to actually get up and walk around – then sit down again).
As you are God, I’d like to ask you some questions.
In God’s eyes, has the world begun yet?
If yes, has it finished yet?
Where in eternity does God call ‘now’?
It’s hard to talk about time in eternity because time doesn’t exist, and God is free to move about in eternity.
So he can be in a place where the world has not yet come into being.
Or he can be in a place where the end of the World is long past.
Or he can be spending an eternity considering the potential consequences of granting a prayer from our next prayer meeting. But of course he already knows that prayer before it is spoken.
Some more questions without answers:
Hand the pen and pad of paper to someone.
(Name) . . . . . is writing the names of those who are saved, in the Lamb’s book of life.
When exactly is our name written in The Lamb’s Book of Life?
Is it compiled as the Earth progresses to its end?
Or is it left to the last day?
Or was it written before the World started?
As there is no time in eternity how could anyone say?
Let me try to make this more manageable.
Now pick up the stick.
As God you can spend as long as you like looking at any time in history and you know the end from the beginning. (Point to specific points on the rod) Here is an opening flower bud. (Now indicate points on opposite sides) Here is a major natural disaster. Here is a young girl going to bed and praying to you.
How much time can you spend looking at the flower bud as it opens?
God is eternal. He has unlimited time.
(Don’t rush through these questions)
How much time can you spend listening to the child as she prays?
When the child has gone to sleep do you move on to something else or can you afford the time to linger?
Have you the time to stay close by her all the years of her life?
Look at another spot on the rod.
And all this while are you concerned about the floods in India?
Now back to the 5th mark.
And the possible repercussions on world history of the Exodus?
(Place the timeline flat on the table in the centre of the room)
Now I want to add people. I can’t add everyone so these are just representatives, sometimes single people, sometimes many thousands. But each of the people (pins) I put on the rod are people when they are reaching the end of their lives.
(Stand a pin on the wood at the beginning, then slide it towards the second mark)
Here is creation, and here is Adam.
He lived for 930 years and he is now at the end of his life.
At about 2500bc is Noah and the flood – many people are about to die here. (add a few pins)
Here is Abraham (Add a nail and slide it towards the 5th mark) now about to die (2000bc). Here are the Israelites who have wandered in the desert, but they will all die before entering the promised land. (1500bc). (From here on, add nails as appropriate)
Here is the imminent death of Saul and the start of David’s reign (1000bc). Here are many about to die in exile (500bc).
Here is Christ on the cross, and next to him is the thief. (0 bc/ad)
Here around 2000ad is the period of world wars, Tsunamis, Earthquakes. Let’s add a representative sample.
And here is the very end of time with people still alive but they too are shortly to die.
Whatever your views on the End Times, and the last thousand years, there will still come a time when we reach the end.
Do you agree that as Almighty Eternal God you can have a view of the world like this? That you can be next to each of these individuals just as they reach the end of their lives?
Remember this is a time line and now it represents that point in time for every single individual when they are about to die. From Adam to the last person to walk on this Earth.
When I said about to die, we are now seeing each individual just three seconds from death.
Three, two, one . . . tip the wood so the nails fall off, and take it away.
The world is no more but the people remain. And from an eternal perspective, there is no time. No time from Adam to the end of the World.
What next? Where are they now?
They have all entered eternity: ‘changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye’ (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) And have been transformed into their new, imperishable bodies. For those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, their hope is now certainty.
Remember Jesus said 'No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man (John 3:13) and to the thief on the cross – 'Today you will be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43).
Now we can read 1 Corinthians 15:54-58
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory.
55 Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.
