Jesus Cult Questions
Group 1- Clay/Devin/Leah
Book of Ezekiel
Need to align ourselves with the “One true god”
Attack on jerusalem in 586 BCE, ezekiel was one of the exiles. Warned that the exile was a punishment for the Reasurred by jews, and the temple was rebuilt.
Eze 38:18-19 - God unleashes a big earthquake as a symbol of divine judgement. God ultimately delivers his people regardless of the enemy.
Gog and Magog are probably symbols for larger countries that conquested jerusalem. Marked the end of the babylonian exile abut there was no gog or magog. Offered hope that the jews would restore israel. People use Gog and Magog to represent evil leaders, or dangerous countries. Fun fact, people believe that the war between Gog and Magog is happening right now, and they are living in the ezekiel chapters right now. Kinda crazy
Group 2- Samantha/Charlie/CeCe
Team Daniel. The book of Daniel.
The old testament and the antichrist. Babylonian king nbuchanednezzar is frustrated by his dreams and gets an interpreter to interpret his dreams. Daniel is his interpreter but witholds information because they are profesies, the king had a giant statue made of different materials. Head of gold is wealth/power. Chest of silver is dual kingdom. Thighs of bronze were alex the great. Feet of iron are the future 10 divided kingdoms.
Symbolizes god destroying earthly rule.
dream 2 says that 4 beasts emerge from the sea. Lion w/ eagle wings, lion w three tusks is persians, leopard with wings is greeks, beast w ten horns is the 10 kingdoms. Symbolizes powerful antichrist or blasphemous ruler. Antichrist might be the “little horn”. The fifth beast with establish gods rule over the earth.
Critisize antiochus set out to hellenize the jewish people.
Group 3- Arhaan/Mia
Antichrist in the new testament. The antichirst is the person who would deny the spirit of Jesus. There is also reassurance because as long as you believe in the spirit of jesus you are saved from the antichrist. Test if the spirits belong to god. They would try to test them and evaluate from there who is the antichrist.
Doesnt have physical characteristics. The antichrist is everyone who has been decieved agaisnt the spirit of jesus and much more devilish in the scripture. He will be defeated by gods warrior army.
Will be accepted by the Messiah and the jews in jerusalem. Persecution of believers, wage war against christians. Ultimately during the end, the second coming of christ will defeat the world.
Group 4- Grace/Cam
The Essenes, Qumran, and John the Baptist.
Essenes were a jewish sect that segregated themselves from society. They opposed themselves to the “sons of the darkness” they were prepareing for the final judgement and restoration of israel. The Qumran community and the dead sea scrolls. See themselves as the true remanants of israel. Display themselves as the remanants of israel as it was. Wrote the “Dead sea scrolls” about the sons of light vs the sons of darkness in the endtimes. One of the clearest windows into apocalyptic. Wanted to go out and live in the dead sea. They are the “True Jews”
John the baptist came in the wilderness of judea. “Repent for the king of heaven has come near” johns closes were made of camels hair. and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. A voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the lord, make straight paths for him. John the baptist was an apocaliptic preacher who urged people to repepen tbecause kingdom of god was near. Warned those that did not repent.
Group 5- Aidan/Hugo
Jesus - Apocalyptic Leader?
Jesus seen as a figure of peace, might not be the figure of peace that we may have been lead to believe. Judea under roman rule had taxation, so messianic hopes would overthrow rome, so they had a pretty revolutionary literature like the book of Daniel. The dead sea scrolls etc. Showed a great cosmic battle between good and evil would take place. Jesus would be seen as bringing about the kingdom of god as a whole. Gathered militiristic jews to kill the romas and liberate the jews from the romans.
Why was Jesus crucified? Might have been crucified because his disciples were using swords, which was banned in the city, and especially bad during the passover. Jesus combined spiritual teaching with radical enlightenment. Jesus was foreshadowing that war would only get worse and wanted his disciples to get arrested to spread the word of change.
Borderline a caste system that was part of the greco-roman rule. The concolusion, Jesuses movement contained apocalyptic elements that challenged roman and jewish authorities. Armed disciples suggest that he wasnt just a spiritual leader.
Group 666- Edison/Parsa
The rapture and parousia. The rapture is where believers in christ are brough up to meet god in the eair before end times. Acompanied by a trumpet sound, it will be unexpected. Signs of the parousia, wars, false messiahs, wars, etc. To fulfill gods place of redemption, vindicate the faithful and establish his eternal reign. The jewish apocalyptic traditions. The book of daniel that describe great jewish prevention. Revelations, around 59ce fuels speculation about when and how christ will return. The millenium and the tribulatuon will bring about the end times? in 70ce, the first jewish roman war, jewish rebels revolted against roman rule, titus siezed jerusalem and was deeply significant for jewish followers. The temple was completely destroyed, and was seen as divine judgement of the. The rapture is coming, natural disasters, not all of these have happened. but false idols, etc. Current we have the highest in-war rate, highest natural disaster rate in the last 25 years. 2 trillion dollars in damanges.
Group 7- Roshan/Heidi/Sophie
The Jesus Cult – Analysis Questions
Group 1 – Ezekiel (Jesus Cult pages 11,12) and (Ch. 3 Doomsday pages 62,63)
2 Kings 25:8-12
Ez 38: 2-6, 18-19
Ez 39: 9
Look for: Destruction of the Temple, Gog/Magog
• Synopsis
• Historical Context
Group 2 – Daniel and the Old Testament Antichrist template (Jesus Cult pages 12, 13) and (Ch. 3 Doomsday pages 64-66) and (Daniel 7 Little Horn flyer)
Dan 7: 3-8
Dan 7: 19-21, 24
Dan 11:39
Dan 9:27 (7 day week=7 years)
Look for: Antichrist, 10 kingdoms/lands, and 7 years (3.5 +3.5)
• Synopsis
• Historical Context
Group 3– The Antichrist in the New Testament (The Origins of the Antichrist video) and (5 Things to Know about the Antichrist)
[Are these different from Daniel’s mini-horn?]
1 John 2:18-27
1 John 4:1-6
2 John 7
• How is the Antichrist described in the bible (the verses above)? How is this related to the “signs of the Parousia”?
• How is the Antichrist imagined differently through scripture (OT-NT) and history and from Left Behind’s Nicolai Carpathia?
Group 4 – Essenes, Qumran, John the Baptist (Jesus Cult pages 14, 15, 16) and (additional Essene reading p. 84-85)
Is 40:3
Mt 3:1-12
• How were these groups/individuals “apocalyptic”?
• Historical Context
Group 5 – Jesus was an apocalyptic leader? (Jesus Cult pages 17, 18) and (article: Jesus was Crucified Because Disciples were armed)
Mt 6: 9-13
Mk 13: 3-13
Mt 8: 21-22
• Evidence for the proposition
• Historical Context
Group 6 – Rapture & Signs of the Parousia (Jesus Cult pgs. 19-25)
1Thess 4:16-17 (Rapture)
MT 24:3-13 (Signs)
MT 24: 30-31 (Parousia)
MT 25: 31-32 (Parousia)
• What is the Rapture, the signs of the Parousia, and the Parousia itself?
• Historical Context
Group 7 – Revelations (Jesus Cult pgs. 26-30) and (Ch. 3 Doomsday pgs. 68-70) and (Pagels article on Revelations p. 4-7) and (Link: Satan & 666) and (Apocalypse Animated 1947 country song)
The Book of Revelations
Rev 7:3-4
Rev 20:1-10
Rev 21:1-4
Rev 13:16-18
Look for: 144,000, Millennium & 2nd Battle of Good & Evil, Mark/Number of the Beast
• Synopsis
• Historical Context
• What is the deal with “Satan” & “666”?