One of the seven tools essential to the study of Bible prophecy is mentioned in the book of Revelation : this tool is «the faith of Jesus» . Now, the Epistle to the Hebrews gives us a definition of faith: «Faith is the of things hoped for, the of things not seen.» Faith is therefore an absolute trust which enables us to have a living communion with God.
We need «the faith of Jesus» , that is, the faith Jesus demonstrated during His ministry here on earth. To explain the main part of this faith, the Gospel according to John reports these words from Jesus, «I came down from heaven, not to do My own , but the of Him that sent Me.» The faith of Jesus enabled Him to trust His Father entirely and to obey Him in all things. This is the faith we need.
During our lesson, we explored a crucial subject: the plan of salvation God has set up for each one of us. To save us, God needs our collaboration, and this is why He asks us to:
perform good works.
consent to make painful sacrifices.
withdraw from society.
have faith in Him.
In the Gospel according to Luke , the apostles asked Jesus, « our faith.» To answer this request, the Epistle of Paul to the Romans tells us what to do: «So then faith comes by , and hearing by the of God.»
Many times in his epistles, the apostle Paul explains the precise role of good works in the life of the believer. What is that role?
Good works demonstrate the good health of our faith.
Good works help us to earn our salvation.
Good works make us appear righteous before God.
Good works erase our sins and purify us.
To understand Bible prophecy, we need an element which, according to the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians , can be obtained only through faith: «(...) that we might receive the promise of the through faith.» Faith thus gives us access to this being whom we absolutely need to understand Bible prophecy, for Jesus says, in the Gospel according to John , that He is the One who «will [us] things to come».
Faith also allows us to take seriously God’s warnings, and therefore to make the necessary decisions without delay. The Epistle to the Hebrews gives us an example of this: «By faith Noah, being of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the of his house.» The example of Noah is indeed very useful, because Jesus tells us in the Gospel according to Luke , «As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also in the days of the Son of man.»
The First Epistle of Paul to Timothy deals with the subject of genuine faith. According to this epistle, what will people do in the last days?
They will nourish each day their faith in God.
They will carefully watch over the purity of their faith.
They will share their faith in God with others.
They will depart from the faith to follow doctrines of demons.
In the face of Satan’s numerous attacks which will increase in the last days, the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians gives us this precious piece of advice: «Above all, take the of faith, with which you shall be able to all the fiery darts of the .»
Finally, the Second Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians encourages us with these words, as very difficult times appear on the horizon: «We ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your and in all your persecutions and tribulations that you .»