Chronology
Family/ lineage
Prophecies Concerning
Accounts
Illustrations
Illustrations Explained
100
Who does the angel Gabriel appear to FIRST to foretell the birth of John the baptist & Jesus, Zechariah or Mary?
First to Zechariah 3BCE
Second to Mary 2BCE
100
Matthew's account of Jesus lineage begins with _?_.
Luke's account is more detailed and begins with _?_.
In the first chapter of Matthew we find the genealogy of Jesus running from Abraham forward. At Luke chapter 3 is a genealogy back to “Adam, son of God.”
100
There were many prophecies concerning the Messiah, cite a verse containing one.
See Scriptures
100
When Jesus was left behind at the temple as a 12 yr old and found after 3 days, Jesus replied: “Why did you have to go looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in the house of my Father?”
What did the following verse say about Mary & Joseph?
Luke 2:50 However, they did not understand what he was saying to them.
Son(s) of God Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2
Jesus recognized his sonship in relation to God, at the age of 12 years saying to his earthly parents, “Did you not know that I must be in the house of my Father?” They did not grasp the sense of this, perhaps thinking that by “Father” he was referring to God only in the sense that the term was used by Israelites in general, as considered earlier.—Lu 2:48-50.
100
Jesus used 4 illustrations about seeds. Name them!
a sower who is sowing seed. Matthew 13:8.
when a man sows seeds. (Mark 4:27)
The Wheat & the Weeds. Matthew 13:24-30.
The Mustard Grain. (Matthew 13:31)
100
Read about the sower who sleeps.
So he went on to say: “In this way the Kingdom of God is just as when a man casts seeds on the ground. 27 He sleeps at night and rises up by day, and the seeds sprout and grow tall—just how, he does not know. 28 On its own the ground bears fruit gradually, first the stalk, then the head, finally the full grain in the head. 29 But as soon as the crop permits it, he thrusts in the sickle, because the harvesttime has come.” Mark 4:26-29
What is the meaning of Jesus’ illustration about the sower who sleeps?
What can we learn from this illustration?
The man in the illustration represents individual Kingdom proclaimers. The seed is the Kingdom message that is preached to honesthearted ones. As in a normal routine of life, the sower “sleeps at night and rises up by day.” The growing process takes place over a period of time, from the initial planting to the final harvesting. During that period “the seeds sprout and grow tall.” This growth takes place “on its own,” gradually and in stages. In a similar way, spiritual growth occurs gradually and in stages. When an individual progresses to the point that he is motivated to serve God, he bears fruit in the sense that he dedicates his life to Jehovah and gets baptized.
First of all, we have to admit that we have no control over the spiritual growth of a Bible student. Modesty on our part will help us to avoid the temptation to pressure or force a student to get baptized. We do all we can to assist and support the person, but we humbly admit that ultimately the decision to make a dedication belongs to that person. Dedication is something that must spring from a willing heart motivated by love for God. Anything less would not be acceptable to Jehovah.
200
Matthew does not say ‘Joseph became father to Jesus’ but that he was....
“the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born.”
(Mt 1:16)
200
How does Psalms foretell Jesus use of illustrations?
34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds by illustrations. Indeed, without an illustration he would not speak to them, 35 in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet who said: “I will open my mouth with illustrations; I will proclaim things hidden since the founding.” -Matt 13:34,35
I will open my mouth in a proverb. I will propound riddles of long ago. -Psalms 78:2
200
There were many bible characters who pictured or foreshadowed Jesus. Name 5 of them.
pictured by—
Aaron: it-1 136-137; w14 11/15 9; w90 10/15 12; si 29
Abel’s sacrifice: it-2 525
angel ascending from the sunrising (Re 7:2): re 115
angel having great authority (Re 18:1, 2): re 259-260
angel of abyss (Re 9:11): it-1 12, 126; it-2 149; re 143, 148
angel who binds dragon (Re 20:1-3): re 287-288
angel with rainbow on head (Re 10:1): re 155-156
atonement sacrifices: it-1 212, 214
bridegroom met by ten virgins: w15 3/15 13; jy 261; ws 39-40
copper serpent: it-1 505, 830; jy 44; my 41; gt 17; si 35
Cyrus the Great: it-1 569; ip-2 18-20; w87 9/1 27
David: it-1 591, 836; w09 4/15 29-30; si 58
“daystar” (2Pe 1:19): it-2 1033; w08 11/15 22; w05 1/15 16; w00 4/1 14-15, 17;w97 9/1 12; w91 2/1 29
“door of the sheep” (Joh 10:7, 9): it-1 645-646
firstfruits of barley harvest: it-1 828, 837; it-2 528; w07 1/1 21; w07 7/15 26
goat for Azazel: it-1 226; w09 8/15 6-7
“happy” one who destroys Babylon (Ps 137:8, 9): ws 148-149
high priest: it-1 9, 214, 539, 1113, 1117; it-2 699; w00 1/15 15-16; w90 10/15 12-13; si 29-30
Isaac: it-1 1218; ip-2 219; w89 7/1 22-23
Isaiah: re 282; ip-1 98-100; w87 10/15 18
Jehu: w98 1/1 13; w97 9/15 19
Job: w86 3/1 16
Jonah: it-2 693, 941; jd 11
Joseph (son of Jacob): it-2 111; w99 1/1 30-31; w87 5/1 11-20
Joshua (high priest): w17.10 29; w89 6/15 31
Joshua (Moses’ successor): w86 12/15 12-13
“majestic cedar” (Eze 17:22-24): rr 86-87; w88 9/15 17-18
man who entrusted talents to slaves (Mt 25): w15 3/15 20; ws 60-61, 65-66
Melchizedek: it-1 136, 1113; it-2 366-367; w93 11/15 31; w90 7/1 20-21; si 245,247; w89 2/1 16-17
“morning star” (Re 2:28; 22:16): it-2 799; re 53, 318; w00 4/1 14
Moses: it-1 136; it-2 440-441; w09 4/15 24-28; g04 4/8 12-13; w91 9/15 21;w91 11/15 28-31; w90 7/15 16-17
Noah: w86 1/1 14-15
Passover lamb: it-1 353; it-2 583; mwb18.04 2; w07 1/1 20-21; w90 2/15 12
rock-mass giving water: si 35
sacrifices under Law: it-1 539; it-2 525; lv 76; w12 1/15 17; w07 4/1 19; w04 6/15 16-18; si 29
“seal ring” (Hag 2:23): w97 1/1 22
slave extending invitation to grand evening meal (Lu 14): gt 83; w88 12/15 8-9
Solomon: it-1 748; it-2 593, 693, 992-993; w10 8/15 28-29; w09 4/15 30-32;w96 11/1 5-6; w90 6/15 5-6; si 69, 114
son of vineyard owner (Mt 21; Mr 12; Lu 20): jy 246-247; gt 106; w90 1/1 8-9
star fallen from heaven (Re 9:1): re 143; w89 4/1 17
‘star out of Jacob’ (Nu 24:17): it-2 206, 799; re 53
“sun of righteousness” (Mal 4:2): w95 4/15 22-23
vine (Joh 15): jy 276; w09 5/1 15; w06 6/15 18-19; w02 2/1 17-18; gt 116; w90 8/15 8
Zechariah: w07 12/1 10
200
What bible book(s) contain the illustration of the Prodigal Son?
Only Luke.
200
Read Matthew 13:47-50.
47 “Again the Kingdom of the heavens is like a dragnet let down into the sea and gathering fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, they hauled it up onto the beach, and sitting down, they collected the fine ones+ into containers, but the unsuitable+ they threw away. 49 That is how it will be in the conclusion of the system of things.+ The angels will go out and separate the wicked from among the righteous 50 and will cast them into the fiery furnace. There is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be.
What is the meaning of Jesus’ illustration about the dragnet?
Jesus likened the preaching of the Kingdom message to all mankind to the lowering of a large dragnet into the sea. Just as such a net indiscriminately catches large numbers of “fish of every kind,” our preaching work attracts millions of people of all kinds. (Isa. 60:5) The large number of individuals who attend our conventions and the Memorial each year is evidence of this fact. Some of these symbolic fish are “fine” and are gathered into the Christian congregation. Others, though, are found to be “unsuitable”; not all those gathered prove to be acceptable to Jehovah.
300
Bible writers _?_ & _?_ were Jesus first cousins.
Zebedee married Salome of the house of David, the natural sister of Mary the mother of Jesus.*
They had two sons, James, who generally is mentioned first because he possibly was the older, and John.
These two brothers were thus of Davidic descent like Jesus. This relationship made Zebedee and Salome Jesus’ uncle and aunt respectively and their sons James and John the first cousins of Jesus.
300
Why did Jesus cry out "‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ which means, when translated: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Mark 15:34)?
The Messiah would seem forsaken by God. (Read Psalm 22:1.) In accord with prophecy, “at the ninth hour [about three o’clock in the afternoon] Jesus called out with a loud voice: ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ which means, when translated: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Mark 15:34) Jesus had not lost faith in his heavenly Father. God abandoned Jesus to his enemies by taking away His protection so that Christ’s integrity might be fully tested. And by crying out as he did, Jesus fulfilled Psalm 22:1.
- They Found the Messiah!
- w11 8/15 p. 15-16
300
Why was Mary not entrusted to Jesus brothers at his death?
It is not stated that any of them were present. Furthermore, they were not yet believers, and Jesus considered the spiritual relationship more important than the fleshly.—Joh 7:5; Mt 12:46-50.
300
In the illustration of the Prodigal son, what does these things represent?
1 ".... traveled to a distant country and there squandered his property ..."
2 “When he came to his senses"
1.The son who asks for his inheritance and then squanders it represents those who have strayed from the congregation. By leaving, it is as if they travel to “a distant country,” Satan’s world, which is alienated from Jehovah
2 some later come to their senses, however, and make the challenging journey back to Jehovah’s organization. These humble, repentant ones are eagerly welcomed back by our forgiving Father.
- w14 12/15 pp. 11-15
- Do You “Grasp the Meaning”?
w14 12/15 p. 14-15
400
Name Jesus 4 half brothers (born from Mary & Joseph).
The Bible gives the names of Jesus’ brothers as James, Joseph, Simon and Judas.—Matt. 13:55.
400
Explain the 70 weeks prophecy concerning the Messiah.
You should know and understand that from the issuing of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem+ until Mes·siʹah*+ the Leader,+ there will be 7 weeks, also 62 weeks.+ She will be restored and rebuilt, with a public square and moat, but in times of distress.
26 “And after the 62 weeks, Mes·siʹah will be cut off,*+ with nothing for himself.+
“And the people of a leader who is coming will destroy the city and the holy place.+ And its end will be by the flood. And until the end there will be war; what is decided upon is desolations.+
27 “And he will keep the covenant in force for the many for one week; and at the half of the week, he will cause sacrifice and gift offering to cease.+
Daniel 9:25-27
According to the Bible writer Nehemiah, the word to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem was issued “in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes.” (Nehemiah 2:1, 5-8) Historians confirm that the year 474 B.C.E. was Artaxerxes’ first full year as ruler. Therefore, the 20th year of his rule was 455 B.C.E. Now we have the starting point for Daniel’s Messianic prophecy, that is, 455 B.C.E.
Daniel indicates how long the time period leading to the arrival of “Messiah the Leader” would last. The prophecy mentions “7 weeks, also 62 weeks”—a total of 69 weeks. How long is this period of time? Several Bible translations note that these are, not weeks of seven days, but weeks of years. That is, each week represents seven years. This concept of weeks of years, or seven-year units, was familiar to Jews of ancient times. For instance, they observed a Sabbath year every seventh year. (Exodus 23:10, 11) Therefore, the prophetic 69 weeks amount to 69 units of 7 years each, or a total of 483 years.
Now all we must do is count. If we count from 455 B.C.E., a period of 483 years takes us to the year 29 C.E. That was exactly the year when Jesus was baptized and became the Messiah!* (Luke 3:1, 2, 21, 22) Is that not a remarkable fulfillment of Bible prophecy?
400
The faithful and discreet slave has taught us that there is a "Composite sign" of "Jesus Presence" aka sign of the conclusion of this system of things. Most of this "composite sign" was taught by Jesus. There are 8 features that Jesus taught, name all 8!
The fulfillment of this composite sign given by Jesus, plus some additional conditions given by three of the apostles, began in a remarkable way from 1914 onward. A digest of these various features along with their fulfillments follows.
1 “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:7) World War I began in 1914 with 28 nations involved, 14 million people killed. World War II followed with 59 nations involved, 50 million people killed.
2 “In one place after another pestilences.” (Luke 21:11) As World War I ended, some 21 million people were felled by the Spanish flu. Since then, heart disease, cancer, AIDS, and other pestilences have killed hundreds of millions.
3 “There will be food shortages.” (Matthew 24:7) The greatest famine in all history struck after World War I. Another terrible one followed World War II, and now malnutrition affects one fifth of the world’s population. Annually, some 14 million children die from malnutrition.
4 “There will be great earthquakes.” (Luke 21:11) Earthquakes after 1914—consider a few major ones. In 1915, in Italy, 32,610 lives lost; 1920, China, 200,000 killed; 1923, Japan, 143,000 killed; 1939, Turkey, 32,700 killed; 1970, Peru, 66,800 killed; 1976, China, 240,000 (some say 800,000) killed; 1988, Armenia, 25,000 killed.
5 “Increasing of lawlessness.” (Matthew 24:12) Lawlessness has run wild since 1914; today it is exploding. Murders, rapes, robberies, gang wars—they dominate the headlines and fill the newscasts. Politicians rip off the public, teenagers carry guns and kill, schoolchildren prey on one another. In many areas it is not safe to walk the streets even in daytime.
6 “Anguish of nations, not knowing the way out . . . Men become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.” (Luke 21:25, 26) Crime, violence, drug addiction, family breakups, economic instability, unemployment—the list is long and growing. One prominent scientist wrote: “We will eat fear, sleep fear, live in fear and die in fear.”
“In the last days critical times hard to deal with.” (2 Timothy 3:1) The apostle Paul spoke of people “having come to be past all moral sense.” (Ephesians 4:19) He elaborated, however, on the moral breakdown he foretold for “the last days.” It sounds like today’s newscasts: “Know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.”—2 Timothy 3:1-5.
“In the last days there will come ridiculers.” (2 Peter 3:3) Newspapers, newscasts, magazines, books, and movies scornfully dismiss the Bible and replace it with their own freethinking propaganda, saying, as Peter foretold: “Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep in death, all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning.”—2 Peter 3:4.
7 “People will lay their hands upon you and persecute you.” (Luke 21:12) Starting in 1914 and through the years, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been cruelly arrested, falsely convicted, mobbed, and thrown into Hitler’s concentration camps by the thousands, where they were tortured, many killed, some brutally by beheading. In other lands, both in dictatorships and in democracies, their work of witnessing to Jehovah and his Kingdom has been banned and the Witnesses thrown in jail. All of this in fulfillment of Jesus’ words for the last days.—Matthew 5:11, 12; 24:9; Luke 21:12; 1 Peter 4:12, 13.
8 “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth.” (Matthew 24:14) What good news? The good news of Christ’s Kingdom ruling from heaven, for that was the question put to Jesus that produced his prophecy of the composite sign of that event. It has been preached by Jehovah’s Witnesses since 1914. Four thousand were doing it in 1919, over four million by 1990, and in 1992 in one month 4,472,787. Bible literature was distributed in some 200 languages in 229 lands. Never before has this feature of the composite sign been fulfilled.
“Bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” (Revelation 11:18) Greedy men have always been willing to ruin the earth for selfish gain, but never before this generation have they had the power to do so. Now, since 1914, modern technology has put that power into their hands, and they are misusing it. They are ruining the earth.
- g93 3/22 pp. 5-8
- A Composite Sign of Many Parts
g93 3/22 p. 7-8
500
Luke evidently follows the ancestry of _?_, thus showing Jesus’ natural descent from _?_, while
Matthew shows Jesus’ legal right to the throne of David by descent from _?_ through _?_, who was legally Jesus’ father.
The difference in nearly all the names in Luke’s genealogy of Jesus as compared with Matthew’s is quickly resolved in the fact that Luke traced the line through David’s son Nathan, instead of Solomon as did Matthew. (Lu 3:31; Mt 1:6, 7)
Luke evidently follows the ancestry of Mary, thus showing Jesus’ natural descent from David, while
Matthew shows Jesus’ legal right to the throne of David by descent from Solomon through Joseph, who was legally Jesus’ father.