January 21, 2018
Rev el at ion & Day of t heLor d
make- up l esson
CONFIRMAND NAME ______________________ Return completed worksheet to Catherine Curtis or the file in class
Would you rather... ?Would you rather experience the creation of a world or the end of a world?? Share with each other which you would choose and why.
Conf irmand ___________________________________________________ Sponsor _____________________________________________________
Focus Script ures
Focus Script ure II
Read silently through the scripture the first time then one person read aloud as the other circles words or phrases that impact them. Then switch.
Read silently through the scripture the first time then one person read aloud as the other circles words or phrases that impact them. Then switch.
Daniel 5:24-28 Daniel answered the king: ?That?s why this hand was sent from God and why this message was written down. This is what was written down: mene, mene, tekel, and parsin. ?This is the meaning of the word ?mene?: God has numbered the days of your rule. It?s over! ?tekel? means that you?ve been weighed on the scales, and you don?t measure up. ?peres? means your kingship is divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.?
Revel at ion 13:1-4 ?and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. Each of its horns was decorated with a royal crown, and on its heads were blasphemous names. The beast I saw was like a leopard. Its feet were like a bear?s, and its mouth was like a lion?s mouth. The dragon gave it his power, throne, and great authority. One of its heads appeared to have been slain and killed, but its deadly wound was healed. So the whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon because it had given the beast its authority. They worshiped the beast and said, ?Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it??
Apocaly pse "Revel at ion? and ?apocal ypse? are synonyms meaning an ?unveil ing? or a ?discl osure? or a ?revel at ion.? Apocal ypt ic writ ings f l ourished in Judaism f rom about 200 BCE t o 100 CE. In t he Hebrew Bibl e, t he second hal f of t he book of Daniel , writ t en around 165 BCE, is t he most sust ained exampl e. Writ ing an apocal ypt ic was writ ing in a genre--l ike how we writ e romances, science f ict ion, young adul t novel s t oday. This wasn?t t he onl y apocal ypt ic writ ing read by earl y Christ ians; t here are over a dozen ot her apocal ypt ic writ ings f rom Christ ian aut hors f or which we have f ragment s. Though Revel at ion is an apocal ypse, it is al so a l et t er addressed t o seven Christ ian communit ies in seven cit ies in Asia Minor. Revel at ion woul d have been read al oud t o it s recipient s at a communit y gat hering, most l ikel y in t he cont ext of worship. It was t hus heard by it s original audience (not read sil ent l y by individual s), and t he l ist eners woul d have heard it al l at once at a singl e sit t ing. Count how many chapt ers t here are in t he book of Revel at ion. If you knew your l et t er was going t o be read out l oud t o a gat hering of peopl e, how woul d it be dif f erent f rom a l et t er you woul d writ e t o a singl e person who woul d read it al one? Remember, in t he UCC t radit ion, we do not al ways read t he Bibl e l it eral l y. The great 20t h-cent ury t heol ogian, Karl Bart h, f amousl y af f irmed, ?I take the Bible too seriously to take it literally.? Taking t he Bibl e seriousl y means receiving it as being inspired by God and as cont aining God?s word t o t he communit y of f ait h. But t aking t he Bibl e seriousl y al so means t aking int o account t he human inf l uences it ref l ect s. The Bibl e was not dict at ed by God. Nevert hel ess, God?s Spirit was at work in t he ways in which t he narrat ive t ook shape. At every point , however, God?s Spirit worked t hrough f l awed, l imit ed human beings, so in cert ain respect s t he bibl ical account s are al so f l awed and l imit ed. There are hist orical records in t he Bibl e, and some of t hem may be accurat e, but ot hers may be l ess accurat e. There are et ernal t rut hs in t he Bibl e and al so t ime-bound percept ions t hat ref l ect t he l imit s of t he age in which t hey were writ t en. Remember t his as we st udy t he Book of Revel at ion.
Rev el at ion Imager y Scav enger Hunt This l esson wil l expl ore t he book of Revel at ion: when was it writ t en, why was it writ t en, how it was meant t o be read compared t o how we read it t oday, as wel l as t he f ascinat ion wit h apocal ypt ic scenarios t hrough t he ages. Let 's become f amil iar wit h some of t he imagery of The Book of Revel at ion f or oursel ves rat her t han rel ying on pop cul t ure and media. Get out a Bibl e or go t o an on-l ine Bibl e websit e or app such as www.bibl egat eway.org and f ind t he images bel ow t oget her.
Revel at ion 1
Revel at ion 5
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Who is the Alpha & Omega?
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How many seals sealed the scroll?
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What is represented by the seven lamp-stands?
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What does the lamb look like?
Revel at ion 8 & 9 -
What is represented by the seven stars?
Revel at ion 4
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What happened when each of the angels blew their trumpet?
Revel at ion 13 & 18
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Who is sitting on the 24 thrones?
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What did the second beast look like?
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Describe the four living creatures.
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What happens to Babylon?
Revel at ion 21 -
What is the New Earth like?
Discussion -
How does John?s use of symbolism affect your understanding of Revelation?
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What seems to be happening in this book of the Bible?
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Why is the message that God prevails an important one?
John?s message in Revel at ion is t hat God and God?s peopl e wil l ul t imat el y prevail against t he f orces of darkness. God wil l wipe away al l t ears and wil l respond t o t hose who cal l . The creat ion of God?s kingdom is about t he reign of God?s st eadf ast l ove and f ait hf ul ness. This has consist ent l y wit nessed t hroughout t he Bibl e. This book of t he bibl e is l ess about t he end and more about God?s sust aining promises and God?s grace t hat covers us each day. -
Can you think of any movies or stories that have a similar theme in them?
Read Scr ipt ur e John's visions reveal t hat Jesus has overcome evil by his deat h and resurrect ion, and wil l ret urn one day as t he t rue king of t he worl d. Bel ow is f rom www.t hebibl eproject .com: Watch the "Read Scripture" videos below on the book of Revelation, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. They aim to help you see its unique contribution to the story of Jesus, but also how it works within the Bible?s overall framework.
Symbol s of a New Creat ion At this moment, the earth is cut off from the full life of heaven. I don?t think we have to look too far before we can confirm this by mere observation. Crime, inequality, rampant greed, and selfishness? to use a biblical metaphor, creation groans like a woman in childbirth. But the new creation is here, taking form even when we can?t see it. We do sense hints of it now and then, though, just like we might make out an elbow or foot poking from within a pregnant woman?s belly. One day it will be pushed forth into life, like a new baby emerging from the womb. So, let?s talk a little more about this rebirth because it's where this whole story is going! We have to remember that we can easily get lost in some of the details here. John is using apocalyptic symbols and metaphors to describe this event, just like the Old Testament prophets used poetry. He wasn?t transcribing a video-perfect version of what was to come. Instead, he was attempting to express an unexplainable conviction that sometimes only metaphors and symbols will suffice. This then begs the question, what symbols is he using to convey this future hope?
TheDay of t heLor d This port ion of t he act ivit y is f rom t he onl ine resources www.t hebibl eproject .com as wel l . What is t he day of t he Lord? When most rel igious peopl e use t he phrase "t he day of t he Lord," t hey use it t o ref er t o t he end of t imes, when Jesus ret urns at Armageddon t o bring just ice t o t he worl d and def eat evil once and f or al l . A l ot of t hese images come f rom t he very end of t he Bibl e in Revel at ion, but t o real l y underst and t hem, we have t o go back t o t he beginning of t he Bibl e in Genesis. Watch the video below at www.thebibleproject.com under the "Themes."
Discussion Quest ions 1. What might the phrase Day of the Lord mean to an average person walking down the street? 2. Discuss the relationship between the Day of the Lord and Babylon as it unfolds from Genesis to Revelation. What strikes you the most? 3. Focus on Solomon?s kingdom in 1 Kings. What are the key attributes defining Israel?s transformation into an ?Israel-become-Babylon?? 4. Where might you find these attributes at work in our contemporary world? Furthermore, is an allegiance to Babylon stark or subtle? 5. When the Day was announced by Amos as being directed against Israel, what exactly was being rescued and liberated there? 6. Compare and contrast Jesus?Day of the Lord victory depicted in the Gospels with that of the book of Revelation. 7. Does reading scripture about the future Day of the Lord force one to make choices between Jesus?upside-down kingdom and Babylon? If so, how? 8. What does your own participation in Jesus?new creation/ new Jerusalem/ reigning kingdom look like in terms of your present identity and your belief about the future?
En d you r t im e t oget h er by sh ar in g " Joys" an d " Con cer n s" w it h each ot h er an d sayin g t h e Lor d's Pr ayer . Go in Peace.
