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Lesson 21: The Second Coming of Christ
We saw in our last lesson that Jesus is our high priest and He is in the heavenly sanctuary right now performing the work of judgment. In the Old Testament sanctuary system when the high priest finished his work of cleansing the sanctuary, what did he do? That's right, he came out of the sanctuary to the outer court to clean the altar of burnt offering and put the sins upon the head of the azazel goat. In like manner when Jesus finishes the work of judgment in the heavenly sanctuary, He will come to this earth to finish the atonements and place responsibility on Satan's head. When the judgment ends in heaven, Jesus will come to this earth again! Does the Bible give any information about when and how that will take place? It surely does! In this lesson we will look at what Christ's second coming will be like and the signs indicating the approach of that event. We will also examine the necessary preparations that believers must make to be ready for Jesus when He comes.
Q1. What assurance did Jesus give regarding His coming again? Read John 14:1-3; Matthew 26:63, 64; Mark 8:38 and Luke 18:7, 8.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Jesus said that He would come again. He will come to take us to be with Him forever. We will be with Jesus who died to save us! When He comes, He will not come as a weak and helpless baby lying in a manger. He will come with the glory of God and on the clouds of heaven. All the holy angels will be with Him.
Q2. What description did the apostle John give in the book of Revelation about this event? Read Revelation 19:11-21.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Q3. Will Jesus' coming be visible to everyone? Read Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:26, 27 and Acts 1:9-11.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Some people arise from time to time saying that Jesus will come secretly. Do not be deceived on this point. Every living person will see Him.
Q4. Will Christ's coming be audible? Read 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 and Matthew 24:30, 31.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Q5. When Jesus comes what will happen to the believers? Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
When Jesus comes, those who died as believers will be resurrected. Those believers who are alive on the earth will be changed. They will have a body that will not corrupt and grow old. Both groups will rise to meet Jesus in the air. Jesus will not set foot on the earth at that time. He will not get married, He will not live in Jerusalem or any other place according to hearsay and legend. Be careful that you are not deceived on this point. "Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it" (Matthew 24:26).
Q6. What will happen to the wicked when Jesus comes? Read Matthew 24:30 and 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Why do the tribes of the earth mourn? They are not ready! They do not want to see Jesus. Those who have mistreated Jesus' followers and spurned the message of warning are now without a shelter. The sin that they cherished and held onto is a source of suffering in the presence of Jesus. Their imperfection, pride, and unrepenting attitude can not stand to face the perfect holiness of Jesus.
Q7. Does anyone know the exact time of His coming? Read Matthew 24:36-39.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Q8. Can we know when Jesus' coming is near? Read Matthew 24:32, 33.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24:33 that when "you see these things" you will know that His coming is near. What are the signs that Jesus was talking about? In Matthew 24 Jesus discussed with His disciples events that would occur in the future. It will be profitable to review these in order to properly understand the timing of the events.
Q9. What startling prophecy did Jesus make to His disciples regarding the temple? Read Matthew 24:1-3.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
When the disciples heard that the temple would be destroyed, they believed that Christ would at the same time overthrow the hated Romans and set up the everlasting kingdom on earth. These would actually be separate events.
Q10. What signs would accompany the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem? Read Matthew 24:15-20 and Luke 21:20-23.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
The passage in Matthew and Luke are talking about the same event. By comparing the two we can understand them better. The "abomination that makes desolate" spoken of by Daniel the prophet happened when the Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem in 70 AD. The temple precincts were considered to extend beyond the temple walls by some distance. When the Romans came they set up their standards, which they worshiped, in the holy ground. Strangely, the Roman armies retreated for a period. The Christians in the city, understanding Christ's warning, fled and none were killed. The Romans returned however and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. One historian says 600,000 and another says 1.1 million Jews were killed in the siege. As Jesus said, not one stone of the temple was left on top of another.
Q11. What sign would follow the destruction of Jerusalem? Read Matthew 24:21; Mark 13:19 and Luke 21:24.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
The disciples could not have understood how long Jerusalem would be "trampled" during the "time of the Gentiles." We know that the papal persecutions lasted 1260 years from 538 to 1798. This time period is called the "times, time and half a time" in Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 12:14. The time period is also referred to as 42 months in Revelation 13:5 and 1260 days in Revelation 12:6. Remember from our study of prophecy that a day represents a year. See Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6. Therefore, the 1260 days of all these prophecies really represents 1260 years.
Q12. Would the persecution against God's people last the full 1260 years? Read Matthew 24:22.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
In mercy, God allowed the Protestant Reformation to curb the persecuting power of Rome. and thus shorten the 1260 years as Jesus predicted. Different reformers from different countries began to preach the gospel of salvation in Christ in the language of the common people. The influence of the church of Rome was losing its grip on the people and many turned away from it. In addition, when the papacy was about to crush the Reformation by armies and bloodshed, the Turkish armies would appear on the frontier and divert the resources of Rome away from their persecution.
Q13. What remarkable prophecy did Jesus make concerning that time period? Read Matthew 24:29.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Jesus said that when the persecution would cease amazing signs in the heavens would happen. On May 19, 1780 in North America, where these prophecies were being investigated, there was a phenomenon of which there has been given no definite explanation. From 10:00 in the morning until the middle of the next night there was darkness upon the land with varying duration and intensity. In some places candles were lit in the daytime and people could not read a newspaper outside. It was not an eclipse of the sun by the moon. The moon became full the night before and was on the opposite side of the earth. Some think it was darkening from forest fires, others volcanic ash in the atmosphere. Regardless of what caused it, it happened when Jesus said it would happen. Some eyewitnesses said the moon appeared as a copper-red color. Hundreds of years before Christ the prophet Joel wrote, "The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD." Joel 2:31.
On November 13, 1833 perhaps the greatest meteor shower of recorded history took place. From the Northern tip of South America up to Canada, from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to the middle of the Pacific Ocean the event was observed. Estimates are that 60,000 meteors per hour flashed across the sky, with less intensity than lightening, but enough to wake people from their sleep. This meteor shower appeared to the viewer to originate from the constellation Leo and is therefore described as a Leonid meteor shower. In 1866 and 1931 other Leonid showers occurred but with much less intensity than the 1833 event.
Sometimes people ask why the whole world didn't see these signs. Why were they only witnessed by people in North America? Well, the Bible doesn't tell us. In similar fashion, we could ask why the angels who announced Jesus' birth only appeared to a few shepherds. Perhaps the shepherds were ready to receive the message. It is clearly evident from Scripture that many religious and political leaders had already rejected the message of the Messiah's arrival when given by the wise men.
Regardless of the reason, we know that the events were reported in the news and even those who weren't there were able to learn about them. We also know that many people correctly interpreted the events of the sun darkening, the moon appearing red, and the meteor shower as a fulfillment of prophecy. In addition to these signs, there was another famous event that not only attracted world-wide attention, but was seen as fullfillment of prophecy.
Q14. What other sign is given in the Bible that would occur about the same time as the dark day and the stars falling? Read Revelation 6:12-17.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
The great Lisbon earthquake of November 1, 1755 was the largest recorded in history up to that time and certainly the most famous. It was felt from the Azores (930 miles or 1500 kilometers west of Lisbon) to Italy to North Africa. According to conservative estimates, 30,000 of the 230,000 inhabitants were killed. A tidal wave at least 20 feet or 6 meters in height ensued.
Other earthquakes have happened in history that were more devastating. Why would this one be singled out as a fulfillment of prophecy? First, the timing is important. The earthquake happened before the signs in the heaven as the Bible text says. Second, the Lisbon earthquake was more devastating than anything seen up to that time. Third, it was Sunday and many thousands lost their lives as churches collapsed on top of them. Many people saw the event as a sign of the end of the world.
We notice from the passages in both Revelation and Matthew that the next described event is the second coming of Christ.
Q15. What other prophetic time-indicator do we have of the nearness of Christ's second coming? Read Daniel 8:14.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
There were three spring feasts and three fall feasts in the Old Testament sanctuary system. These feasts were models of what Jesus would do for the salvation of the world. The three spring feasts corresponded to events surrounding Jesus' first coming to this earth. Those feasts were: Passover/Unleavenead Bread, the Wave Sheaf Offering and Pentecost. Jesus was crucified on Passover as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. As the Wave-Sheaf Offering was offered on the second day following the Passover, so Jesus rose from the dead on that very day! Then at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers as a sign that Jesus had begun His ministry in the heavenly temple. Everything happened according to the timing of the symbolic prophecy of the Old Testament sanctuary service.
Prior to 1844 there was a movement in many lands proclaiming that an outstanding event would happen around 1844. Most thought it was the second coming of Jesus. It wasn’t. But just like there was a fall festival that announced the coming of the Day of Atonement or Judgment Day, there was an announcement to the world of the great Judgment day in heaven. (We will learn more about that in the next lesson.)
In 1844 Jesus began His judgment work in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. This was in prophetic fulfillment of the 5th of the 6 sanctuary feasts. The high priest came out of the sanctuary to the court on the Day of Atonement or Judgment Day. This corresponds to Jesus returning to this earth. So in the timeline of events shown by the sanctuary feasts, the Judgment Day has begun and the second coming of Christ must be near.
In summary, we learned that Jesus predicted some specific events that would occur before His second coming. He foretold the fall of Jerusalem and the persecution of the Dark Ages. He even said that the time of persecution would be shortened. It is evident from history that the Protestant Reformation in Europe and Turkish invasions of Europe played a major role in curtailing the persecution and thus “shortening” the days as Jesus said. Jesus spoke about the signs in the sun, moon, and stars, all of which we just read about. Jesus could have mentioned different historical events, but He chose these. So they must be important and worthy of our study. Additionally, as the high priest came out of the sanctuary to courtyard on the Day of Atonement in the Old Testament, so too, Jesus will finish the work of judgment in heaven and return to this earth. The Judgment began in 1844. This also points to the nearness of Christ’s second coming.
Q16. What other event would indicate the nearness of Christ's coming? Read Matthew 24:14.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
The Internet has made it possible for the whole world to be warned very quickly. Soon everyone will have had an opportunity to receive or reject the gospel of salvation in Jesus.
Q17. What preparation is necessary for these events? Read Matthew 24:42-51 and 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16)
"Hey Mert, we are going to the bar, are you coming?"
Mert frequently went to the pub with his friends to relax on Friday afternoon after classes. Neither he nor his friends drank sufficiently to get drunk. They just had a beer or two and chatted for awhile. The invitation was nothing new, but the anxiety that Mert felt in his heart this time was new. Why was he so uneasy?
Mert remembered the words of Christ from the Bible study that week at their house. "But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites."
Almost automatically Mert said, "Yeah, I'll come." No sooner had the words left his mouth than he thought to himself, “What am I doing? I don’t really want to go to a bar. I am just going to keep from hurting their feelings.”
At the pub there was the usual talk and laughter and a few beers. Mert saw one man at the bar with his head down looking at his drink. He got up to go to the restroom and staggering he put his hand out onto Mert's shoulder to regain his balance. Mert said to himself, “I am not drunk, but I am drinking with the drunken. What if Jesus were to come right now? What condition would he find me in?”
Mert didn't leave the bar, but his face was serious and his friends noticed it.
"Hey Mert, are you O.K.?"
"Yeah, I am fine," Mert said weakly.
Q18. What do you think Mert should do? Why?
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Call to commitment through prayer.
We saw in our last lesson that Jesus is our high priest and He is in the heavenly sanctuary right now performing the work of judgment. In the Old Testament sanctuary system when the high priest finished his work of cleansing the sanctuary, what did he do? That's right, he came out of the sanctuary to the outer court to clean the altar of burnt offering and put the sins upon the head of the azazel goat. In like manner when Jesus finishes the work of judgment in the heavenly sanctuary, He will come to this earth to finish the atonements and place responsibility on Satan's head. When the judgment ends in heaven, Jesus will come to this earth again! Does the Bible give any information about when and how that will take place? It surely does! In this lesson we will look at what Christ's second coming will be like and the signs indicating the approach of that event. We will also examine the necessary preparations that believers must make to be ready for Jesus when He comes.
Q1. What assurance did Jesus give regarding His coming again? Read John 14:1-3; Matthew 26:63, 64; Mark 8:38 and Luke 18:7, 8.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Jesus said that He would come again. He will come to take us to be with Him forever. We will be with Jesus who died to save us! When He comes, He will not come as a weak and helpless baby lying in a manger. He will come with the glory of God and on the clouds of heaven. All the holy angels will be with Him.
Q2. What description did the apostle John give in the book of Revelation about this event? Read Revelation 19:11-21.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Q3. Will Jesus' coming be visible to everyone? Read Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:26, 27 and Acts 1:9-11.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Some people arise from time to time saying that Jesus will come secretly. Do not be deceived on this point. Every living person will see Him.
Q4. Will Christ's coming be audible? Read 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 and Matthew 24:30, 31.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Q5. When Jesus comes what will happen to the believers? Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
When Jesus comes, those who died as believers will be resurrected. Those believers who are alive on the earth will be changed. They will have a body that will not corrupt and grow old. Both groups will rise to meet Jesus in the air. Jesus will not set foot on the earth at that time. He will not get married, He will not live in Jerusalem or any other place according to hearsay and legend. Be careful that you are not deceived on this point. "Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it" (Matthew 24:26).
Q6. What will happen to the wicked when Jesus comes? Read Matthew 24:30 and 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Why do the tribes of the earth mourn? They are not ready! They do not want to see Jesus. Those who have mistreated Jesus' followers and spurned the message of warning are now without a shelter. The sin that they cherished and held onto is a source of suffering in the presence of Jesus. Their imperfection, pride, and unrepenting attitude can not stand to face the perfect holiness of Jesus.
Q7. Does anyone know the exact time of His coming? Read Matthew 24:36-39.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Q8. Can we know when Jesus' coming is near? Read Matthew 24:32, 33.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24:33 that when "you see these things" you will know that His coming is near. What are the signs that Jesus was talking about? In Matthew 24 Jesus discussed with His disciples events that would occur in the future. It will be profitable to review these in order to properly understand the timing of the events.
Q9. What startling prophecy did Jesus make to His disciples regarding the temple? Read Matthew 24:1-3.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
When the disciples heard that the temple would be destroyed, they believed that Christ would at the same time overthrow the hated Romans and set up the everlasting kingdom on earth. These would actually be separate events.
Q10. What signs would accompany the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem? Read Matthew 24:15-20 and Luke 21:20-23.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
The passage in Matthew and Luke are talking about the same event. By comparing the two we can understand them better. The "abomination that makes desolate" spoken of by Daniel the prophet happened when the Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem in 70 AD. The temple precincts were considered to extend beyond the temple walls by some distance. When the Romans came they set up their standards, which they worshiped, in the holy ground. Strangely, the Roman armies retreated for a period. The Christians in the city, understanding Christ's warning, fled and none were killed. The Romans returned however and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. One historian says 600,000 and another says 1.1 million Jews were killed in the siege. As Jesus said, not one stone of the temple was left on top of another.
Q11. What sign would follow the destruction of Jerusalem? Read Matthew 24:21; Mark 13:19 and Luke 21:24.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
The disciples could not have understood how long Jerusalem would be "trampled" during the "time of the Gentiles." We know that the papal persecutions lasted 1260 years from 538 to 1798. This time period is called the "times, time and half a time" in Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 12:14. The time period is also referred to as 42 months in Revelation 13:5 and 1260 days in Revelation 12:6. Remember from our study of prophecy that a day represents a year. See Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6. Therefore, the 1260 days of all these prophecies really represents 1260 years.
Q12. Would the persecution against God's people last the full 1260 years? Read Matthew 24:22.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
In mercy, God allowed the Protestant Reformation to curb the persecuting power of Rome. and thus shorten the 1260 years as Jesus predicted. Different reformers from different countries began to preach the gospel of salvation in Christ in the language of the common people. The influence of the church of Rome was losing its grip on the people and many turned away from it. In addition, when the papacy was about to crush the Reformation by armies and bloodshed, the Turkish armies would appear on the frontier and divert the resources of Rome away from their persecution.
Q13. What remarkable prophecy did Jesus make concerning that time period? Read Matthew 24:29.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Jesus said that when the persecution would cease amazing signs in the heavens would happen. On May 19, 1780 in North America, where these prophecies were being investigated, there was a phenomenon of which there has been given no definite explanation. From 10:00 in the morning until the middle of the next night there was darkness upon the land with varying duration and intensity. In some places candles were lit in the daytime and people could not read a newspaper outside. It was not an eclipse of the sun by the moon. The moon became full the night before and was on the opposite side of the earth. Some think it was darkening from forest fires, others volcanic ash in the atmosphere. Regardless of what caused it, it happened when Jesus said it would happen. Some eyewitnesses said the moon appeared as a copper-red color. Hundreds of years before Christ the prophet Joel wrote, "The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD." Joel 2:31.
On November 13, 1833 perhaps the greatest meteor shower of recorded history took place. From the Northern tip of South America up to Canada, from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to the middle of the Pacific Ocean the event was observed. Estimates are that 60,000 meteors per hour flashed across the sky, with less intensity than lightening, but enough to wake people from their sleep. This meteor shower appeared to the viewer to originate from the constellation Leo and is therefore described as a Leonid meteor shower. In 1866 and 1931 other Leonid showers occurred but with much less intensity than the 1833 event.
Sometimes people ask why the whole world didn't see these signs. Why were they only witnessed by people in North America? Well, the Bible doesn't tell us. In similar fashion, we could ask why the angels who announced Jesus' birth only appeared to a few shepherds. Perhaps the shepherds were ready to receive the message. It is clearly evident from Scripture that many religious and political leaders had already rejected the message of the Messiah's arrival when given by the wise men.
Regardless of the reason, we know that the events were reported in the news and even those who weren't there were able to learn about them. We also know that many people correctly interpreted the events of the sun darkening, the moon appearing red, and the meteor shower as a fulfillment of prophecy. In addition to these signs, there was another famous event that not only attracted world-wide attention, but was seen as fullfillment of prophecy.
Q14. What other sign is given in the Bible that would occur about the same time as the dark day and the stars falling? Read Revelation 6:12-17.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
The great Lisbon earthquake of November 1, 1755 was the largest recorded in history up to that time and certainly the most famous. It was felt from the Azores (930 miles or 1500 kilometers west of Lisbon) to Italy to North Africa. According to conservative estimates, 30,000 of the 230,000 inhabitants were killed. A tidal wave at least 20 feet or 6 meters in height ensued.
Other earthquakes have happened in history that were more devastating. Why would this one be singled out as a fulfillment of prophecy? First, the timing is important. The earthquake happened before the signs in the heaven as the Bible text says. Second, the Lisbon earthquake was more devastating than anything seen up to that time. Third, it was Sunday and many thousands lost their lives as churches collapsed on top of them. Many people saw the event as a sign of the end of the world.
We notice from the passages in both Revelation and Matthew that the next described event is the second coming of Christ.
Q15. What other prophetic time-indicator do we have of the nearness of Christ's second coming? Read Daniel 8:14.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
There were three spring feasts and three fall feasts in the Old Testament sanctuary system. These feasts were models of what Jesus would do for the salvation of the world. The three spring feasts corresponded to events surrounding Jesus' first coming to this earth. Those feasts were: Passover/Unleavenead Bread, the Wave Sheaf Offering and Pentecost. Jesus was crucified on Passover as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. As the Wave-Sheaf Offering was offered on the second day following the Passover, so Jesus rose from the dead on that very day! Then at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers as a sign that Jesus had begun His ministry in the heavenly temple. Everything happened according to the timing of the symbolic prophecy of the Old Testament sanctuary service.
Prior to 1844 there was a movement in many lands proclaiming that an outstanding event would happen around 1844. Most thought it was the second coming of Jesus. It wasn’t. But just like there was a fall festival that announced the coming of the Day of Atonement or Judgment Day, there was an announcement to the world of the great Judgment day in heaven. (We will learn more about that in the next lesson.)
In 1844 Jesus began His judgment work in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. This was in prophetic fulfillment of the 5th of the 6 sanctuary feasts. The high priest came out of the sanctuary to the court on the Day of Atonement or Judgment Day. This corresponds to Jesus returning to this earth. So in the timeline of events shown by the sanctuary feasts, the Judgment Day has begun and the second coming of Christ must be near.
In summary, we learned that Jesus predicted some specific events that would occur before His second coming. He foretold the fall of Jerusalem and the persecution of the Dark Ages. He even said that the time of persecution would be shortened. It is evident from history that the Protestant Reformation in Europe and Turkish invasions of Europe played a major role in curtailing the persecution and thus “shortening” the days as Jesus said. Jesus spoke about the signs in the sun, moon, and stars, all of which we just read about. Jesus could have mentioned different historical events, but He chose these. So they must be important and worthy of our study. Additionally, as the high priest came out of the sanctuary to courtyard on the Day of Atonement in the Old Testament, so too, Jesus will finish the work of judgment in heaven and return to this earth. The Judgment began in 1844. This also points to the nearness of Christ’s second coming.
Q16. What other event would indicate the nearness of Christ's coming? Read Matthew 24:14.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
The Internet has made it possible for the whole world to be warned very quickly. Soon everyone will have had an opportunity to receive or reject the gospel of salvation in Jesus.
Q17. What preparation is necessary for these events? Read Matthew 24:42-51 and 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16)
"Hey Mert, we are going to the bar, are you coming?"
Mert frequently went to the pub with his friends to relax on Friday afternoon after classes. Neither he nor his friends drank sufficiently to get drunk. They just had a beer or two and chatted for awhile. The invitation was nothing new, but the anxiety that Mert felt in his heart this time was new. Why was he so uneasy?
Mert remembered the words of Christ from the Bible study that week at their house. "But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites."
Almost automatically Mert said, "Yeah, I'll come." No sooner had the words left his mouth than he thought to himself, “What am I doing? I don’t really want to go to a bar. I am just going to keep from hurting their feelings.”
At the pub there was the usual talk and laughter and a few beers. Mert saw one man at the bar with his head down looking at his drink. He got up to go to the restroom and staggering he put his hand out onto Mert's shoulder to regain his balance. Mert said to himself, “I am not drunk, but I am drinking with the drunken. What if Jesus were to come right now? What condition would he find me in?”
Mert didn't leave the bar, but his face was serious and his friends noticed it.
"Hey Mert, are you O.K.?"
"Yeah, I am fine," Mert said weakly.
Q18. What do you think Mert should do? Why?
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Call to commitment through prayer.