Arizona republican., 1916-12-01
International Sunday School Lesson for
 December 3
JESUS CHRIST THE FIRST AND
 THE LAST

THE LAST
 Golden Text.-"Fear not. am the first and the last and the Living one and i Was dead and behold, l am alive for evermore." Rev 1. l.. Ih
 Lesson Text.-Rev ]. Commit va. 4-G
 OD The Revelation of Jesus Christ. which God gave unto him. to slew unto his servants things which most shortly come to pass, and he sent and slgn.iied IL by his angel unto his servant John: @ Who baro record C. tho word of God. and or his testi- mony of Jesus Christ, and Of all thlnCS that he saw (3) Blessed IS he that readeth. and they u at hear the words Of this prophecy. and keep those things which are written there in. for the time Is at hand. (G John To the seven churches wEi-h are in Asia: Grace be unto you and peace. from him which k, and which was. and which k to come. and from the seven Spirits which are before
 throne. C5J And rom Jesus Christ. wlo Is rhe faithful witness. and the first begotten Of the dead and the prince of the kings Of the earth. Unto him that loved us. and washed us from our sins in his own blood tGJ ] unto God and his Father. t0 him glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen. tD Behold. he cometh with clouds, and every eye snail see him. md they also which pierced him. and III kindreds of the earth shall wall because Of him. Even so. Amen tsl l am Alpha and Omego. the beginning and the ending. saith tte Lord which Is, and which was. and which is tu come. the Almighty. G71 And when 1 [ saw him I fell at his feet as dead And he laid his right hand upon m- | saying unto me, Fear not. | am the ! first and tie last. GS) l am he tha; 1 liveth and was dcad: and behold am alive for evermore. Amen. and ! have the ke,s of hell ani of death l fla) Write the things which thou hasi seen. end the things which are. and the things which shall be nerclf CT ] fsol The mystery of the seven star. which thou sawest in my right hand md the seven golden candlesticks The seven stars are the angels of the seven cnurehes. and the seven candle sticks which thou sawest. are the seven churches.
 Time-Between es and % A D ! Plsce.-Patmos.
 Espotition-I. Introduction to .th, Revelation of Jesus Christ" Ia. Tn, hook from which our lesson is taker Is :iot as m Is incorrectly called in oul ! X. V. The Revelation of St. John tn, | Divine" IL is The Revelation o Jesus Christ" l. e. it Is revelation which God gave to him. and whicl ] He gives to us by the pen of Johr and of which Jesus Christ k Himself the central theme John the believe, fiscipie who wrote the gospel ant cpistles was the one who was giveI to see the visions here recorded and (, write fhem down. Many of the thing. prophe:icallv set forth in the bool have not yet historically occurred. bu on Gods scale of time they wer, shortly" to come to pass (cf Pet 2 sD John tells only what Cot said C'the Word ot God"l and wha "he saw" Many think that the hool 1 is so naId to understand that we bet ter leave if alone and study the book that gre plainer: but God thinks diff fercntly and pronounces an espo"l1 blessing upon the one who 'ren deth and they that hear and keep in things tha: are written herein"
 IT. "Pehold He Cometh." 4-S. I'm seven churches mentioned are seve' churches that actually existed. bu they are more than that. they repre- sent seven types or DeiieNeTs, lhtr' Is also good reason to think that the' renresent seven successive eDochs O church history. If SO no age is ex clusively eff it Is predominart'y
 Ephesian or Philadelphian or lao
 dicean. Some of each kind of ba lievers and churches can be found i' every age. He which is and whicl
 was. and which Is to come" d. C., tn
 Eternal l AMI is Jehovah-that i what tho Hebrew word rendered "Je
 hovah" signifies (cf. Ex. 5: 14) Tn
 Holy Spirit is spoken of az "th
 Seven Spirits" because seven is tn
 perfect number and l. sets forth th
 manifold perfection and manifesto
 lions cf the one Holy Spirit Note th
 three titles and offices of Iesn