Keys to the Kingdom

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. " (Revelation 3:20-21)

In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we study two verses you’ve probably heard many times ... but may have some misunderstandings about what they mean.

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

Like God, we are a trinity of mind (soul), body and spirit. In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we share the scriptures that support this truth.

“If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.

If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell." (Matthew 18:8-9)

In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we take on this confusing and often controversial passage from the gospel of Matthew.

"So also it is written, 'The first man, Adam, became a living soul.' The last Adam became a life-giving spirit." (1 Corinthians 15:45)

The Bible makes a clear connection between Adam and Jesus that reveals a deep truth about the Trinity. In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we explore this connection.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

The rest Jesus offered in Matthew 11 is one of three key "rests" that appear in the New Testament, each one representing a different, critical aspect of salvation. In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we explore each one.

"When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, 'I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.' And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, 'Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.' And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'" (Luke 22:14-19)

When you take communion, do you ever think about the kind of bread the church has chosen? Some use regular bread, but did you know Matzah is the proper choice? That’s because using regular bread ruins a biblical type. In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we make the case using the Word of God.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him." (Romans 5:8-9)

The wrath of God is a tough topic. Focusing on it risks turning people off and taking the focus away from God’s love and the many positive attributes of the faith. And yet, it is a biblical truth. In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we take up the challenge.

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, 'Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, 'Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. '" (Matthew 18:1-4)

Who will be the greatest in the Millennial Kingdom? In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we look at how Jesus answered that question when it arose among His disciples.

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’" (Matthew 20:1-7)

Parables contain the highest level of Christian knowledge, and we can access it if we behave as true disciples. In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we examine the Parable of the Laborers in order to perceive what it has to teach us.

"...He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1: 4-6)

The Old Testament and the New Testament agree: God has planned everything in advance – and that means He also has a timing for a person’s salvation that is predetermined. For evidence of this, check out this 20-Minute Bible Study.