STUDY GUIDE

Part I: Face in the Dirt

1 Altar
Why are you drawn to Christ on the cross?

2 Hotline
When do you need help from God?
How can you get help from God?

3 Control
Where is the control center of the universe?
What kind of place is it?

4 Presence
How has God let you know that He is with you?
How did the physical structure of the ancient Israelite sanctuary reflect its function as God's earthly palace?
What aspects of the Israelite sanctuary indicated that God is not just like a human king?

Part II: The Model and the Messiah

5 Prototype
In what kinds of ways does God reveal His plan of salvation in the Bible?
Why do you want to know more about God and His plan of salvation?

6 Priorities
Since the New Testament reveals Christ, the reality to which the animal sacrifices pointed, why should you use precious time to learn about the Old Testament sacrifices?

7 Connections
In what kinds of ways did the Israelite sanctuary and its services correspond to God's sanctuary in heaven and to Christ's work for human beings?
In what ways did the Israelite sanctuary represent aspects or roles of Christ?

8 Limitations
What differences are there between the Israelite rituals and God's salvation operation, due to the fact that the rituals belonged to an earthly system carried out by human beings?

9 Deciphering
How can you best learn about the sanctuary services from the book of Leviticus?
Does each detail of the sanctuary structure have a spiritual meaning?

10 Access
What is a ritual?
How can a person interact with God through a ritual?

Part III: The Rich Splendor of Christ's Sacrifice

11 Glory
If all of the ancient animal sacrifices pointed forward to Christ, why were there different kinds of animal sacrifices?
How did the unique aspects of the animal sacrifices point to aspects of Christ's sacrifice?

12 Burnt
What change in the relationship between God and the offerer of a burnt offering did this sacrifice express?
What is "atonement"?

13 Consumed
In what ways did a burnt offering point forward to Christ and His love?

14 Grain
How can you present your body to God "as a living sacrifice" (Rom 12:1)?
How can Christ be your "bread of life" (Jn 6:48)?

15 Well-being
When an offerer ate part of his own sacrifice, what did this represent?
Why is it important for God to transform us into harmony with His character of love?
Could a sacrifice be associated with joy?

16 Sin
Why was blood emphasized in a sin offering?
Did a sin offering automatically provide atonement?
If a ritual is only symbolic, why is it important?

17 Guilt
Why was a guilt offering required in addition to literal payment?
What principles revealed by guilt offerings can you apply in your life?

Part IV: Divine Obsession

18 Forgiveness
Why can't God simply forgive, without a sacrifice?
Is it difficult for you to forgive? Is it difficult for God to forgive?
What is the significance of God's willingness to reveal Himself to human beings?

19 Life
Did Christ die only to forgive acts of sin?
What was the purpose of laws in the Bible that regulated physical ritual impurity?
How did ancient Israelite purification rituals point to life through Christ and His sacrifice?

20 Stages
In what sense was Christ's atonement for us completed at the cross?
In what sense does Christ's atonement continue?

21 Holiness
What is the connection between growth in holiness (="sanctification") and growth in love?
How does the Israelite sanctuary teach that there are degrees of holiness in relation to God? How does this principle work in your life?
How does keeping Sabbath celebrate love?
How can you get true love when you don't have it?
Is obedience to God something that you do on your own after God gives you the gift of forgiveness/justification?

22 Assurance
Can you have assurance that you are saved through Jesus Christ?
When you have sinned, do you have assurance of salvation before you ask God for forgiveness?
What stands between you and eternal death?
How does Christ's approach to our free choice differ from that of sin and Satan?
Can you be too bad for God to save?

23 Prayer
Do you still need the mediation of an earthly priest?
How can your prayers be as real to you as sacrifices were to the ancient Israelites?
Could your prayers be effective without Christ's sacrifice?

24 Communion
Why did Jesus institute the ritual of Communion (="the Lord's supper")?
How can learning about the Old Testament background of the Communion service help you to experience the service in a deeper way?

Part V: Jesus Isn't Finished With Me Yet

25 Mediation
What did Christ do when He ascended to heaven?
Was Christ's entrance into the heavenly sanctuary at His Ascension equivalent to the Israelite high priest entering the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary on the Day of Atonement?
Why do we need Christ to be our Advocate before His Father?

26 Completion
How were the Israelite people cleansed on the Day of Atonement?
What were the major stages of atonement in the Israelite ritual system?
How was the Day of Atonement a day of judgment?

27 Loyalty
How does your loyalty or disloyalty to God affect your relationship to Him?

28 Coordination
How did the special rituals of the Day of Atonement (Lev 16) function together to cleanse the Israelite sanctuary and camp?
On the Day of Atonement, why did it take longer to get rid of sins than to dispose of physical ritual impurities?

29 Reversal
Comparing Leviticus 4 and 16, what kind of ritual reversal confirms the major stages of atonement?
How did the blood of a sin offering function as a "carrier" agent to transfer sin or ritual impurity?

30 Waste
Could an Israelite who defiled the sanctuary illegitimately receive forgiveness through offering a sacrifice?
How could God forgive King Manasseh?
Did all sins automatically defile the Israelite sanctuary as soon as they were committed?

31 Impact
How could the whole Israelite sanctuary be affected by something that only touched part of it?
Why does one aspect of your relationship with God affect your entire relationship with Him?

Part VI: Relationships at Stake

32 Wedding
How are your words of commitment tested?
Is it fair that you are judged by your works (Eccl 12:13-14) even though you are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9)?

33 Reputation
What is the relationship between God's sanctuary and His character, authority, and reputation?
Why would forgiven sins affect God in His sanctuary so that this effect would need to be removed on the Day of Atonement?

34 Judgment
Is the justifying of God's sanctuary, referred to in Daniel 8:14, an end-time equivalent of the ancient Day of Atonement?
In Daniel 7 and 8, why would God's sanctuary need to be justified through an end-time judgment?
How are transfers of sins into and out of the heavenly sanctuary accomplished?
Why must God's judgment use records of works as evidence for faith?
Is the purpose of the judgment to determine who has sinned or who is forgiven?

35 Enemy
Who/what was represented by the goat for Azazel ("scapegoat") that was sent into the wilderness bearing the sins of the Israelites?
Why should Satan bear blame for human sins and why should he receive punishment that God's people would receive if they were not vindicated in the udgment?

36 Strategy
On what grounds does Satan accuse God's people?
How have God and Satan countered each other since Satan first challenged God's supremacy?
After Christ's death, what is the last argument Satan can use in his attempt to claim people who have been forgiven through faith in Christ?

37 Education
Why didn't God simply destroy Satan long ago?
If up to our day God has not been able to wipe out Satan and sinners in such a way that He gives the universe a clean break from sin, how will He be able to do it in the future?

Part VII: Appointment with God

38 Timing
How has Christ kept His appointments?
What difference does it make whether you know the time of the judgment or not?

39 Date–Part 1
How can we identify the "little horn" of Daniel 8, who causes problems that must be solved by a judgment that begins after "2,300 evenings and mornings" (verse 14)?
Can the "little horn" represent Antiochus IV Epiphanes?
What historical period does the vision of the "2,300 evenings and mornings" cover?

40 Date–Part 2
What is the relationship between the vision in Daniel 8 and the information in Daniel 9:24-27?
When did the "seventy weeks" of Daniel 9 begin?
What is the relationship between the "seventy weeks" of Daniel 9 and the "2,300 evenings and mornings" of Daniel 8?
In what year does/did the end-time judgment begin?

41 Reliability
What evidence do you have that the prophecy of Daniel 8, which tells when the judgment begins, is reliable?

Part VIII: Altar Call

42 Allegiance
Has God's judgment ended?
According to Revelation 13 and 14, what test of loyalty will God's people face?
Why does the third angel of Revelation 14 utter such a terrifying warning?
Does/did Christ stop His ministry as our Advocate at the beginning of the end-time judgment?

43 Participation
How can God's judgment affect your attitudes and the way you live?
What should God's people do during the end-time judgment that corresponds to what the ancient Israelites were to do on the Day of Atonement?
What do you do when someone or Someone is doing something for you that is a matter of life and death?
What is the basis of your "new covenant" heart relationship with God?
What is the path of humility to which Christ calls you?

44 Committed
How can you settle into your decision for God so that you become a righteous person who remains righteous (Rev 22:11)?
How can Christ stop His work of forgiving sins so that He can come to earth to announce and carry out the verdicts of the judgment?
How can you stop sinning?

45 Confidence
What factors make you afraid of God's judgment?
How can you be more realistic about the judgment?
What kinds of confidence can you have during the judgement?

46 Call
Has meeting Christ at the cross changed you forever?
What are you going to do now?