Bible Studies

By 1945 knowledge was doubling every 25 years. And by 1982, it was doubling every 12-13 months. In retrospect, this may sound a little quaint since experts estimated that by 2020, human knowledge would double every 12 hours. By 2021 it is doubling much faster. But the real question is, “How is it making us smarter?”

The “Knowledge Half-Life” concept was introduced 50 years ago by the former president of the International Economic Association, Fritz Machlup. In short, Knowledge Half-Life is the amount of time it takes before half the knowledge or facts in a particular area is made obsolete or superseded by new facts.”[1]

Knowledge is always changing - But Wisdom never changes, 2Ti 3:7  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. knowledge of the truth is Spiritual understanding

 Pro_15:33  The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.

Proverbs 16:1-9 )  V 1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. Preparation of the heart”= "To man [pertain] the plans of his heart, but from Jehovah [comes] the final decree. V9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. We may plan our way but it is the LORD who directs our path

Wisdom comes from the LORD, Job_38:36  Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart? Psa_51:6  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. It is the inside of you that must be cleansed and only the LORD can do that.

Daniel 12:4, But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. So when we look at this verse it is not in the negative as much of teaching and preaching says so.  He is not talking about the advancement of scientific knowledge but rather spiritual knowledge. There has always been travel just different today.

That Old song says, “The wagon tracks are gone from around the Church” but the Cars are there, and Motorcycles, buses, and so forth.  It was nice to get on a plane and fly to Colorado recently to see my new great-granddaughter.  The advancement of knowledge is not sinful.  It is allowing such to become your idol,  that is dumb and against God. The wagon tracks may be gone but the track of technology is all around. We all came with our cell phones did we not? All of our skills and abilities are gifts of God and it is a wise person that knows and gives glory to the LORD for His gifts.  But in Daniel, the LORD is talking about spiritual knowledge.

 Parallel verse,  Rev 22:10  And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. 

Over 2500 years have passed since the Lord commanded Daniel to seal the book.  Then at “the end” the seal would be loosened, right?  About 500 years passed from the time Daniel was told to seal the book until John wrote the book of Revelation.  This is what the Lord told John to do: Rev. 22:10. Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. 

What is Spiritual knowledge?  It is the wisdom given by the Holy Spirit to understand the things of God.  

 Peter was aware of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the grace of God thru the Spirit of Christ.  These Old Testament prophets enquired and searched diligently, but they did not understand how God would accomplish His plan. This “knowledge” of the Gospel of grace was a mystery to them. 1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into

 But to those in the first century ( John and to us, the church age), the mystery was revealed. 

 Paul said, (1 Cor. 2:5-11 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 1Co 2:6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: 1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 1Co 2:8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. ).

2 Corinthians 4:3-  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2Co 4:5  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 2Co 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us

It is the preaching of the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation,  1 Cor. 1:18. 8 For the word of the cross is foolishness_I to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God_I. Perishing because of their unbelief and will continue to perish without believing the Gospel of Christ. For us who are being saved, there is deliverance from eternal condemnation John 3:18,   He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.   And then multiple salvations for the believer. Being saved in every way possible = You have a Saviour, Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. You have the unsearchable riches of Christ to discover

“[2]them that are perishing,” namely, by preferring human “wisdom of words” to the doctrine of the “cross of Christ.” It is not the final state that is referred to; but, “them that are in the way of perishing 

Even the Gentiles would be partakers of God’s promises “in Christ” (Eph. 3:3-10 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Eph 3:4  Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Eph 3:5  Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; Eph 3:6  That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Eph 3:7  Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Eph 3:8  Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; ).

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

Here is an article written by Bob Wilkens. “When I was on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ, I sometimes used a question that violated what Zane Hodges was talking about. I’d ask, “If you were to die tonight, and God asked you, ‘Why should I let you into My heaven,’ what would you say?” I meant well. But I was not focused enough with my question.

What I should have asked was this, “If you were to die forty years from now, at a time when you were an unrepentant alcoholic and had not been to church in over a decade, what would you say if God asked, ‘Why should I let you into My heaven?’”

Let me give you a real-life example. The mother of GES Board member, Bernie Hunsucker, June Blackwell (now with the Lord), told me when she was eighty about a nurse she witnessed too. She told the nurse about Jesus’ death and resurrection and the promise of everlasting life if she simply believed in Him for it. June then asked, “Do you believe that?” The nurse smiled and said that she did. But June was not done. She then asked, “So what if you committed murder forty years from now and died before you could repent? Where would you go?” The nurse said, “I’d go to hell.” June’s response was priceless: “Let’s go over it again. You still don’t understand that the everlasting life Jesus promises the person who believes in Him lasts forever.”

Zane is right. Hundreds of millions of people on earth today are convinced that they are saved for now. They believe that if they died tonight, while they were doing well in their works, then they’d make it to heaven. But they do not believe the promise of John 3:16 that the believer will never perish but has everlasting life. They believe they may perish and that any salvation they have is revocable.”

Now I want to use an illustration using the question, “Why should I let you into heaven”.  And I want to use this illustration in two ways. First, let us say you came forward wanting to be saved.  You were told about Jesus, His death and resurrection for you and His promise of everlasting life,  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.  and you believed in Him for His promise.  And before you could do anything you dropped dead.  And then at heaven’s gates, you were asked why should I let you enter, what would you say? You could not say, I have been baptized!  You could not say it is all the things I have done!  All you could say is Jesus promised me everlasting life and I believed Him..

Second, The same thing happened but you did not drop dead but lived for many years and then you committed some awful sin and died as a drug addict or whatever without an opportunity to repent or confess your sins.  And you stood at heaven’s gates and were asked. Why should I let you enter, what would you say?  It is the same answer.  It is the only answer that gets you into heaven, “Jesus promised me everlasting life and I believed Him ”.  Jesus is the only One who can guarantee you everlasting life. He is the One who took your sin in His own body and paid your sin debt.  Please read the following verses carefully and prayerfully.

What is the Gospel message? It is you are saved eternally!  The believer is saved, secure, safe forever. The Lord Jesus said the believer is eternally secure., John 3:15-16 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  I like to use V15  and 16 together because they show eternal life and everlasting life are like terms, in V15 but have eternal life – in v 16 but have everlasting life, Jesus gives both = They are synonymous terms.

Upon believing  Jesus for His promise of Life, you are united with Christ, Eph_5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For you to lose, by any means, the life He gives you means His life would have to be terminated for you to lose your eternal life.  Eternal life and Everlasting life both mean forever.

Joh 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.  Joh 6:47  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. Joh 6:48  I am that bread of life. Joh 6:49  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. Joh 6:50  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 

The  apostles  said the same,  Eph 2:8-9; Jas 1:18;  

And again the offer is made again in a concluding invitation given by the LORD, Rev 22:16-17  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. Rev 22:17  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. 

The word “take” is 2983 lambánō (from the primitive root, lab-, meaning to lay hold by taking initiative to (actively) accept what is available (offered). Means to take what is offered.  Jesus took away the sin barrier between us a God. And Jesus is who is offered, 1Jn 5:10  He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

A person is not saved by believing that Jesus gives him a chance to make it to heaven if he perseveres in faith and good works. A person is saved by believing that Jesus guarantees him everlasting life that can never be lost simply based on his present faith in Christ. No strings attached.