STUDY GUIDE 4 NEW TESTAMENT

What is the Harrowing of Hell (Harrowing of Hades)?

Christ went into hell to preach to the righteous who had died before His resurrection, freeing them from the Angel of Death before rising and ascending into heaven.

What does "to harrow" mean?

To pillage or plunder.

What is the occasion for the letter of Jude?

Jude addresses false teachers, refuting their immoral actions rather than their teachings (Jude 1:3–4).

What does canon mean?

Literally "measuring stick"; for most Christians, a collection of authoritative books.

What did "canon" mean before the 4th century according to Irenaeus?

The truths someone accepts, not the books someone accepts.

What did "canon" mean before the 4th century according to 1 Clement?

Temple.

What was true for early Christians regarding the Biblical canon?

They lived in a world without a Biblical canon.

According to 2 Peter 1:16–19, what event “more fully confirms” the message of prophetic scripture?

The Mount of Transfiguration.

What does 2 Peter 2 do with the content of Jude?

Repurposes Jude to combat false teachers.

Who likely wrote 1–3 John?

The same author, with 1 John being anonymous and 2 & 3 John attributed to "The Elder."

What is the relationship between 1–3 John and the Gospel of John?

They share similar language and style.

What are the two solutions to identifying false teachings in the Johannine Epistles?

(1) Tradition—calling readers back to what they have heard “from the beginning” (1 John 1:1; 2:7, 14; 3:11; 2 John 5–6). (2) The Holy Ghost (1 John 2:20–27).

How does Roger Scruton define tradition?

Answers discovered to enduring questions, tacit and shared, embodied in social practices and expectations; adopted without always being able to explain or justify them.

According to 1 John 2:20, what do believers have from the Holy One?

An anointing, meaning the Holy Ghost.

In the early Church, what ordinance was associated with receiving the Holy Ghost?

Anointing with oil.

What does "chrism" mean and what is it related to?

Greek word for “anointing,” related to "Christ," meaning "anointed one."

According to 1 John 4:6, what two types of spirits exist?

The Spirit of truth and the Spirit of error.

What is the Johannine Comma?

Added words in 1 John 5:7–8, first cited in the 4th century by the Latin homily Liber Apologeticus, likely added to combat Arianism.

What is Docetism?

The heretical belief that Christ only seemed to have a body of flesh.

What is Arianism?

The heretical belief that Christ is a created being and not divine.

What is the Greek word for "Revelation"?

Apocalypse.

What is an apocalypse in Jewish literature?

A type of Jewish literature that reveals a heavenly perspective on history in light of its final outcome.

What are examples of apocalypses?

Ezekiel, Daniel, 4 Ezra, 1 Enoch.

In Ezekiel 1, why is the word “like” (Hebrew: ke) used 18 times?

Words don’t fully capture what he’s seeing.

In Hebrew numerology, what does the number 4 represent?

The four corners of the world.

In Ezekiel 1, why is it important that God rides in a chariot?

It shows He is mobile.

In Revelation 1, how is Christ portrayed?

Dressed like a priest, tending the Menorah of the temple.

What is the roadmap of Revelation according to Revelation 1:19?

Write (1) what you have seen, (2) what is, and (3) what is to take place after this.

In the roadmap of Revelation, what does chapter 1 cover?

"What you have seen."

In the roadmap of Revelation, what do chapters 2–3 cover?

"What is."

In the roadmap of Revelation, what do chapters 4–22 cover?

"What is to take place after this."

Right before John is shown “what is to take place” (Revelation 4), what does he see?

The heavens open.

What is the point of John seeing the heavens open in Revelation 4?

To show that God is in charge of what is about to happen and His hand is guiding history.

What does John hear about and see in Revelation 5?

John hears about a Lion king but sees a bloody lamb.

How are numbers in Revelation meant to be understood?

As symbolic descriptions, not quantitative sums.

How does Revelation depict angels?

As workers in the “heavenly temple.”

What are some references to the Heavenly Temple in Revelation?

Altar, censer, trumpets, bowls, etc.

What is the relationship between the 7 Seals, 7 Trumpets, and 7 Bowls in Revelation?

They are all the same.

What does John do with the scroll in Revelation 10–11?

He eats the scroll and reveals its content in two symbolic visions.

What happens in Revelation 11:1–2?

John is given a measuring rod to measure the temple of God and the altar, but not the outer court, which is given over to the nations for 42 months.

What occurs in Revelation 11:4–13?

Two witnesses are killed and resurrected, leading many to glorify the God of heaven.

What is the structure of the Book of Revelation?

A series of images, not a sequential story.

What does 666 symbolize in Revelation?

The sum of the letters in the name Caesar Nero.

What is the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)?

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

How were the Israelites commanded to remember the words of the Shema (Deut. 6:6-9)?

They were to keep them on their heart, teach them to their children, talk about them throughout daily life, bind them as a sign on their hand and forehead, and write them on doorposts and gates.

What does the Beast in Revelation 13:16-18 do related to the Shema?

Enforces an anti-Shema by placing the number 666 on the hand and forehead.

What do the forehead and hand symbolize in relation to the Shema?

Forehead symbolizes thought, and hand symbolizes action.

What is the contrast between the Shema and Anti-Shema in Revelation?

Shema (14:1, 7:2-3) vs. Anti-Shema (13:18).

What is the contrast between the Slain Lamb and the Wounded Beast in Revelation?

Slain Lamb (5:6) vs. Wounded Beast (13:3).

What is the contrast between God’s animals and Satan’s beasts in Revelation?

God’s animals (4:6) vs. Satan’s beasts (13).

What is the contrast between the Bride in white and the Prostitute in Purple in Revelation?

Bride in white (19:7-8) vs. Prostitute in Purple (17:1-6).

What is the contrast between Father, Son (Lamb), Spirit and the Dragon and two beasts in Revelation?

Father, Son (Lamb), Spirit (1:4-5) vs. Dragon, 2 beasts (12-13, 16:13, 20:10).

What does God reverse in the new heaven and new earth according to Revelation 21:4?

Death, mourning, and pain—the curse that entered the world through sin.

What is the shape of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:15–17, and what does it symbolize?

It is shaped like a cube, similar to the Most Holy Place in the Old Testament sanctuary.

What does Revelation 21:22 say about the temple in the New Jerusalem?

There is no temple because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.