Lesson 2 (Apr 4-10), The Origin and Nature

The Divine Revelation of the Bible

1. Why did God wait so long (till Moses) to give humans the Bible?
2. Apart from what the Bible says, how can we know that the Bible is from God?
3. What do we mean by men being "moved by the Holy Spirit?"

The Process of Inspiration

1. Is the Bible inspired or were the writers inspired? What difference does it make?
2. Why do we claim to believe in "thought" inspiration? How is it superior to "verbal" inspiration?
3. Was inspiration necessary even for Bible history, poetry, etc, or only for prophecy?
4. Has science made any part of the Bible unreliable?

The Written Word of God

1. What is the advantage of the written word over the spoken word?
2. What are the advantages of an alphabetic script over picture writing for communicating spiritual matters? What is picture writing best suited for?
3. What would be God's criteria in selecting persons to write the Bible?

The Parallel Between Christ and the Bible

1. Did Jesus have to take human nature as during his lifetime or the nature of unfallen Adam?
2. Why didn't God give us the Bible written with his own writing as in the Ten Commandments?
3. Is the physical Bible to be revered? What about e-Bibles?
4. How much of a disadvantage is it to read a translation?

Understanding the Bible in Faith

1. Is it necessary to pray before reading the Bible?
2. Is it possible to understand the Bible without the presence of the Holy Spirit?
3. Is there any difference in how a musician is inspired and a Bible writer is?
4. Does a sceptic have a disadvantage or advantage in approaching the Bible?

Lesson 1 (Mar 28-Apr 3), The Uniqueness of the Bible

The Living Word of God

1. On what basis can it be claimed that the words of Moses is the same as the Word of God? What is Moses referring to by "this law?" 
2. What aspects of "this law" did the Israelites fail to observe?
3. To what extent are followers of Jesus today faithful to "this law?"

Who Wrote the Bible, and Where?

1. Why did God select such a variety of people to write the Bible?
2. How can we argue for the harmony of scripture when all that was out of harmony was discarded?
3. Were all Bible writers "eye witnesses?" Did they need to be?

The Bible as Prophecy

1. What was the task of a Biblical prophet?
2. How much did the Bible prophets understand of the Messiah to come?
3. How much did they need to understand of what they were uttering?

The Bible as History

1. How does the Bible as history compare with scriptures of other religions?
2. What is the evidence that the New Testament writers' record of the life and death of Jesus is authentic?
3. What did Paul mean by the statement that if Christ be not raised then our faith is in vain? How sure are we of the resurrection of Jesus?

The Transforming Power of the Word

1. What gives the Bible such power to change lives? What is the connection of the Bible to the power?
2. How is it that lives of people were changed who were not in Jerusalem to hear the reading of the scroll?
3. Do scriptures of other religions have power to change lives? 

Lesson 13 (Mar 21-27), From Dust to Stars

Michael Our Prince

1. Why is Michael called a prince?
2. When is the beginning of the End of Time?
3. What is meant by Jesus' "standing?" Is this a literal action or figurative?

Written in the Book

1. What does it mean to have one's name written in a book?
2. How can one know if a current calamity is one of the seven last plagues?
3. Against who or what are angels holding back the winds of strife?

The Resurrection

1. Why did Daniel use the term "sleep in the dust," to describe the dead instead of plainly stating "the dead."
2. What was Michael doing before He stood up?
3. What, if any, connection is there to Job's redeemer who also stood up?

The Sealed Book

1. How could the book of Daniel be understood at the time of the end and not before that? What changed?
2. In what different ways might we understand "people running to and fro,"and "knowledge shall increase?"
3. Is interest in the books of Daniel and Revelation increasing or decreasing in our church compared to the last century?

The Waiting Time

1. Are the time prophecies of Daniel according to what will be, or is the future fitted into nice numbers such as 70, 3 1/2 years (half of 7), etc?
2. How can we know when a time prophecy is to begin or end in fulfilment?
3. What assurance can we derive from the book of Daniel for the remnant?

Lesson 12 (Mar 14-20), From North and South to the

Prophecies About Persia and Greece

1. What could be God's purpose in giving such detailed prophecies about kings of one part of the world? What does it matter to us what those kings did?
2. How do these prophecies relate to the freedom of choice of these kings?
3. What evidence is there that God is in control of the affairs of the earth these days?

Prophecies of Syria and Egypt

1. Are the King of the North and King of the South literal kings or symbolic?
2. How successful are marriages for political benefit?
3. What would we lose if Dan 11 were not in the Bible?

Rome and the Prince of the Covenant

1. Why is it so difficult to understand Dan 11? Why does no angel appear to help interpret this prophecy?
2. Can there be more than one fulfilment of these prophecies?
3. What are the clues that connect this prophecy with the Roman empire and what takes us beyond that?

The Next Power

1. What are clues connect the next power with religion which is absent from the prophecy thus far?
2.  Can the Pope sue the Adventist church for defamation of character?
3. Can there be more than one antichrist?

Final Events

1. When does/did the time of the end begin?
2. What does "north" and "south" stand for in the Bible and how might that be significant here?
3. What assurance do we have that God and His people will be victorious at the end?

Lesson 11 (Mar 7-13), From Battle to Victory

Fasting and Prayer, Once Again

1. Why didn't Daniel return to Jerusalem with the others at the end of the 70 years?
2. Why was Daniel mourning after the others returned to Jerusalem?
3. Since it is mentioned that Daniel during his mourning avoided pleasant bread, wine, and flesh does it mean that he normally consumed those things? How does this compare with the Daniel of the first chapter?

A Vision of the Prince

1. Why does God give visions during the day instead of during the night when it is more convenient?
2. Why do prophets who describe God and heaven use words "like" and "as" so many times? Are prophets shown real things or just pictures in their mind?
3. What could have frightened Daniel's companions?

 Touched by an Angel

1. Under what circumstances will God control a human being like a robot?
2. Does God hear ALL prayers personally, or do angels assist in hearing and answering prayers?
3. Who was with Daniel? Why is he described as "one like the sons of men?"

A Great Conflict

1. Are all humans--rulers and commoners on one side or the other in the great controversy, or are some neutral?
2. Why would Satan attempt to block the return of the Jews to Jerusalem since they were the ones who would crucify Jesus?
3. Who is Michael? Why is he described as "One of the princes?" Who are the others?

A Victorious Prince

1. Is Satan stronger than Gabriel?
2. How do angels fight, physically or verbally?
3. How does Satan fight with humans? What do we need to fear when we deal with evil ones, and what do we not need to fear?

Lesson 10 (Feb 29-Mar 6), From Confession to Consolation

The Centrality of God's Word

1. Was Daniel presumptuous in assuming that the fall of Babylon meant freedom for his people or did the prophecy say that?
2. Is there anything significant about the number 70? Could God have ended the captivity earlier?
3. Can prophecies be understood and interpreted only by another prophet?

An Appeal to Grace

1. Was Daniel's confession a condition for the captivity to end?
2. How effective is a leader's confession on behalf of the people?
3. Does God do things so that His name will be honoured?

The Value of Intercession

1. Was Daniel right or wrong to include himself in the sins/guilt of his people?
2. What is the value of intercessory prayer? Could Moses save his people by giving up his right to life?
3. What is the value of parents praying for an unbelieving child?
4. What is the value of prayer before an exam, or before setting out on a trip?

The Work of the Messiah

1. How does forgiveness make an "end to sin?"
2. Why can remission be accomplished only by the shedding of blood?
3. What does it mean to "seal up a vision?"

The Prophetic Calendar

1. How do we know that the year-day principle has to be applied to the 2300 day prophecy?
2. How do we know that the 2300 day prophecy has the same starting date as the 70 week prophecy?
3. Does probation close for the Jews at the end of the 70 week prophecy?

Lesson 9 (Feb 22-28), From Contamination to . . .

The Ram and the Goat

1. What are the differences between a ram and a goat? What are the similarities? 
2. What could be the reason the two of them being mentioned together are restricted to the Day of Atonement setting?
3. Why is the ram pushing in all directions except east?
4. Why does the angel specify which are the empires and kingdoms in this vision and not in Dan 2?

The Rise of the Little Horn

1. Why is it important to understand the directions in which the Little Horn is moving?
2. How do we know the Little Horn of this chapter is the same as the Little Horn in Dan 7?
3. What is this "pleasant" or "glorious" land? Why is the direction not a point on the compass?

The Attack on the Sanctuary

1. How do we know what "hosts" or "stars" represent?
2. Why do we say that "Michael" is Jesus?
3. What all went on everyday in the earthly Sanctuary and what could that represent in the ministry of the heavenly?

The Cleansing of the Sanctuary

1. How do we know that the cleansing has to take place in heaven? Why didn't William Miller realise that?
2. Why should the heavenly sanctuary need cleansing?
3. Why does some blood pollute and some cleanse?

The Prophetic Timetable

1. How do we know that the 2300 days is symbolic and not literal?
2. On what basis do we use the time scale one day is equal to one year and not another such as one day is equal to one week or month?
3. Is the vision of the 2300 days positive or negative?