Teacher s Guide The Book of Revelation and the History of the Christian Church

Transcription

1 Teacher s Guide The Book of Revelation and the History of the Christian Church Lesson 1: The Message of Revelation This set contains... Student Lesson Copy Masters Teacher s Guide CD with Student Lesson Copy Masters and Teacher s Guide in PDF and RTF files Lesson 2: Personal Letters to the Church Lesson 3: Who s in Control? Lesson 4: The Eternal Testimony Lesson 5: Satan s Continuing War Lesson 6: Satan s Attacks on the Church from A.D Lesson 7: Jesus Is in Control Lesson 8: Satan s Deceptions Revealed Lesson 9: Satan Attacks; God Restores and Preserves Lesson 10: New Methods, Same Enemy Lesson 11: Today s Attacks Lesson 12: Jesus Assurance of Victory ISBN Suggested for Grade 12 74N9031

2 Curriculum Developer: Prof. David Kuske Project Director: Gerald Kastens Writing/Editing Team: Owen Dorn, Donald Helwig, Rev. John Miller, Rev. Paul T. Prange, Rev. Earle Treptow Design Team: NPH Design Services Authorized by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. We extend our thanks to the many employees of Northwestern Publishing House and WELS Parish Services who have contributed to this project. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society. All hymns, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal. Copyright 1993 by Northwestern Publishing House. Northwestern Publishing House 1250 N. 113th St., Milwaukee, WI by Northwestern Publishing House Published 2004 Printed in the United States of America ISBN All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of Northwestern Publishing House. Printed with soy inks on recycled paper.

3 Introductory Pages COURSE FORMAT This course contains 12 lessons. You may spend as many days as you wish on each lesson. LESSON FORMAT Each lesson contains three to five copy masters for use with the students. These student copy masters may be reproduced. The teacher s guide contains copy master text, answers, and other instructions. Each student should have a three-ring binder to store and organize all the student lesson pages. Overview This page contains the information the teacher needs to understand the lesson. Lesson title Bible references Spiritual goals: We pray that the Holy Spirit would help our students learn these spiritual truths and adopt these spiritual attitudes and habits. Suggested memory treasures: Assign these as you see fit. Be sure to discuss their relationship to the truths in the lesson. The students will have learned almost all the suggested memory treasures in their Christ-Light lessons at Lutheran elementary school or Sunday school. One asterisk designates those memory treasures that are part of the Sunday school core. Two asterisks designate what is additional core for Lutheran elementary schools. Suggested commentary readings: Read these to review Scripture or to add depth to your instruction. Introduction ideas: Use these to interest the students and to help them see their need for what they will learn in the lesson. Copy Masters The Bible lesson guides the students in their study of specific portions of the Bible. It begins with an Aim question and ends with atruth that answers that question. Key Points are emphasized along the way. You may hand out the Bible lesson copy master and have the students fill it in as you teach the lesson, or you may have the students work in small groups to complete a portion of it before you discuss it. Please note that the student pages will lose their effectiveness if assigned as homework before class. Each Ponder the Point page contains questions related to the Bible lesson directly preceding it. Each option is designated to the specific Key Point to which it is most closely connected. The discussion options require a variety of learning skills, such as analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and application. At least some of these questions should always be used because they help the students apply the lesson to their lives. Plan in advance which questions you will use and where the questions fit best. Then vary your use of these questions: ~ Discuss some questions as a class. ~ Have students write answers first before discussing the questions as a class. ~ Have students discuss the questions in pairs or small groups before discussing them as a class. ~ Assign some questions as homework. The remaining pages contain activities to help the students learn the Bible lessons and apply them. The pages include additional Bible studies of many kinds, real-life situations, skits and roleplays, simple doctrinal studies, hymn and memory treasure studies, illustrations, writing activities, simple art activities, and so on. They may be done in class or outside of class, independently or in small groups. Select those activities best suited to your class, and limit the number of activities to fit the time allotted. Plan in advance at what point in the lesson you can most appropriately and effectively use the selected activities. iii

4 Sample Lesson Plan The following lesson plan is for Lesson 1: The Message of Revelation 1. Introduce the first lesson with the first Introduction option (Discuss some of the ways people think the world...). 2. Hand out Copy Master 1 (The Message of Revelation). Read and discuss the first section, concluding with Key Point To apply this Key Point, hand out Copy Master 2 (The Message of Revelation), the Ponder the Point page, and discuss applications 2 and Return to the lesson on Copy Master 1. Put the students into small groups to read and discuss the second section, concluding with Key Point 2. Then discuss the section together as a class. 5. To apply Key Point 2, use applications 5 and 6 on Copy Master Return to the lesson on Copy Master 1. Read and discuss the third section, concluding with Key Point 3. Then answer the Aim question with the Truth of the lesson. 7. To apply Key Point 3, use applications 7 and 8 on Copy Master To further apply the lesson, use Copy Master 3 (Numbing Numbers). Suggestion: The class could be divided into several groups and each group assigned several of the numbered items. Then discuss as a class the findings that each group discovered. 9. To further apply the lesson, use Copy Master 4 (Likeness of the Lord). Do this as a class activity. 10. Assign Copy Master 5 (What s Wrong with This Picture?) as homework. Use the students individual findings in discussion prior to Lesson 2. Characteristics of Twelfth-Grade Students Spiritual Development They think more deeply about spiritual truths they have already learned. They can understand the interrelatedness of Bible events. They want to know how to apply spiritual truths to their lives. They may need additional guidance if they do not come from homes that model Christian living. Emotional and Volitional Development They are quite independent in their attitudes and habits. They are still greatly influenced by the actions and opinions of their peers. They are often governed by role models they have consciously or unconsciously chosen to follow. They are greatly influenced by television, movies, music, and magazines. Sexual Development Their sexuality is an important aspect of their lives. Relationships with Parents They are in the process of leaving their parents in order to develop independent lives. They share fewer of their experiences with their parents. They are still influenced by their parents, especially if their parents respect their growing independence. Learning Style They can study one topic in depth over anumber of class periods. They still enjoy a variety of learning experiences: ~ working independently and in peer groups ~ learning by listening and by doing ~ learning by reading and by writing ~ learning by answering questions and by asking questions ~analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, and creating They question things they have previously accepted without question. iv

5 Some Teaching Strategies Meet the students where they are and then stretch them: Recognize that your students have different levels of Bible knowledge and spiritual development, even when they might have received similar spiritual training in elementary school and the early high school years. Do not make assumptions about their previous learning. Start with the simple. Review the basics. Then move on to more complex concepts, deeper understandings, and applications of Bible truths relevant to their teenage years. Create an open, responsive environment: Recognize that as your students develop independent thinking skills, they may question things they previously accepted without question. Maintain a classroom in which it s good to ask questions, even spiritual questions. You are a spiritual leader. If they have questions, you want to give them truthful and appropriate answers. Encourage them to search the Scriptures, not look to worldly experts for answers. Allow them to work together on some exercises: Occasional cooperative-learning activities yield many positive results. Your students may enjoy their work more when they do it with their peers. They may become accustomed to discussing spiritual issues with their peers a skill we hope they take with them outside the classroom. And when they have already tried out their ideas on a small group of their peers, they may feel more confident discussing an issue in front of the whole class. To keep chatty students focused on the task at hand, give the students definite and fairly short time limits. v

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7 The Message of Revelation Revelation 1:1-3,9,12-18; 6:17; 11:18; 14:14-16; 16:17,20; 19:17,18; 20:12 Goals We pray that the student knows this spiritual truth: Jesus will help his church endure many hardships until his glorious return on judgment day. develops these spiritual attitudes and habits: I am confident that Jesus gives me the key to understanding Revelation through his Word. I see in Revelation a broad outline for the history of the Christian church. To Memorize Revelation 1:1-3 Revelation 1:7,8 Hymn 29 Suggested Commentary Readings Pages 1-42 in Becker, Revelation: The Distant Triumph Song Pages 1-14,17-24,82,83, , , , , in Mueller, Revelation, The People s Bible series Introduction Ideas Discuss some of the ways people think the world will come to an end. Where do people get their ideas regarding the end of the world? Answers may include science fiction books and movies, vivid imagination, and informed speculation. Some claim to get them at least partially from the Bible, especially from the book of Revelation. Let s see what Revelation has to say. Certain pictures of Jesus may stand out in your minds. Perhaps the artist has portrayed one or more characteristics of Jesus that are especially appealing to you. If you had the ability and creativity to design a picture of Jesus that would leave a lasting impression, how would you do it? What features would you emphasize? The first chapter of Revelation paints a very memorable picture of Jesus. What s the best way to figure out how to play a new video game? Do you make mistakes when you re starting out? Does it help if you ve played a similar game? When you approach a new book of the Bible, especially a difficult one like Revelation, you may make mistakes in interpretation at first. But if you use what you ve learned from other books of the Bible and let the Bible interpret itself, you ll be able to understand the book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation and the History of the Christian Church Lesson 1 1

8 The Message of Revelation Revelation 1:1-3,9,12-18; 6:17; 11:18; 14:14-16; 16:17,20; 19:17,18; 20:12 AIM What kind of message does Jesus give us in the book of Revelation? The writer of Revelation identifies himself as John (1:4). He is the apostle John, the writer of the fourth gospel and the three epistles. Because of his testimony to Jesus and his refusal to participate in emperor worship, he was exiled to the island of Patmos (1:9) in A.D. 95 by the authority of the Roman emperor Domitian. While in exile John received a set of visions from the Lord, who had him write them down in figurative, apocalyptic language for the seven congregations of which he had been the pastor. The visions were gripping and mindboggling but not too bizarre to be understood. Rev 1:12-18 a. Who is being described here? How can you tell? Jesus is being described. The picture is of one who is very powerful a man (someone like a son of man ) possessing characteristics of God. The identification is clearest from verse 18, where the person speaking said that he had died and then risen from the dead to live eternally. (Note: Copy Master 4 expands on each of the descriptive phrases that identify Jesus in these verses.) b. What are the seven stars (verse 16) and the seven lampstands (verse 12)? See verse 20. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. (These angels were messengers, either guardian angels or what we would call the pastors of those churches.) The seven lampstands are the seven churches themselves. c. Why might a person who is being held against his will use a codelike language when writing to people he knows? He might want to send messages to people who know him without having the letter destroyed by the people holding him in custody. d. Why might God give such a vivid vision to a person being held against his will? God might give such a vivid vision to remind that person of how powerful God is even powerful enough to help him in this situation. KEY POINT 1 Why does Jesus use figurative language in the book of Revelation? Jesus used figurative language so that people who understand the rest of the Bible will have a vivid picture of God s power and love in difficult times. Some people, called spiritualists, think that Revelation is just a collection of symbolic language used to depict the constant struggle between good and evil. They would say that no real historical situations are being pictured. Others, called preterists, think that Revelation applied only to the first century when it was written. Still others, called futurists, think that the events in the book have not taken place yet. They argue that we haven t heard a voice from heaven like the sound of rushing waters or seen seven lampstands in the sky. None of these groups are correct. But how does the figurative language of Revelation play out in world history? Rev 1:1-3 a. In Revelation, who is doing the revealing, and what is supposed to be revealed? Through an angel, Jesus is revealing to John for us what must soon take place. Rev 6:17; 11:18; 14:14-16; 16:17,20; 19:17,18; 20:12 b. It is clear that the event described in each of these verses is judgment day. How often is judgment day going to happen? See Acts 1:11. Judgment day will happen only once, when Jesus comes back to earth in the same way the disciples saw him go. c. What must the sections before each of these verses therefore describe? These sections must be describing and outlining in a cyclical way the events that lead up to judgment day. d. Why does God give us many different views of the same time period in world history? Though each of us may have different experiences, God helps all of us to see how our lives are leading up to judgment day and heaven. 2 The Book of Revelation and the History of the Christian Church Lesson 1 Copy Master 1a

9 KEY POINT 2 Why does Jesus use a cyclical outline in the book of Revelation? Jesus uses a cyclical outline so that we can see how all of the events in world history are heading toward judgment day. According to the church historian Eusebius, John was pastor of the churches of Asia Minor to whom Revelation is addressed. After working in those churches for 30 years, he was exiled. One year later he was able to return to Ephesus, the most prominent city in Asia Minor. He is said to be the only one of the original disciples who died a natural death rather than being martyred. Rev 1:9 a. John calls himself a brother and companion. Why can members of the Christian church call one another brothers and companions? We can call one another brothers and companions because we share a common faith in Jesus as our Savior from sin. b. How do John s sufferings compare with ours? John was exiled, separated from the people for whom he was pastor. We can also face difficulties in our lives because we are believers in Jesus. Those difficulties may include being ridiculed and rejected for what we believe. c. How does our membership in Christ s family help us patiently endure problems? It s easier to make it through difficult situations as earthly citizens if we trust that our government has things under control and can help us. As citizens of heaven, we trust that our King, Jesus, has things under control and helps us. KEY POINT 3 What encouraging message does Jesus give the Christian church in the book of Revelation? Since Jesus is our King, we can endure hardship patiently. TRUTH What kind of message does Jesus give us in the book of Revelation? In figurative language he shows us how he helps us endure hardships patiently as all of the events of world history move toward judgment day. The Book of Revelation and the History of the Christian Church Lesson 1 Copy Master 1b 3

10 THE MESSAGE OF REVELATION Ponder the Point 1. KEY POINT 1 : Agree/disagree: Figurative language can obscure a message rather than clarify it. That s true if it s the first time we re seeing a particular message, if we aren t familiar with the writer, or if we have no background in the area. However, rather than obscuring a message, figurative language can also help that message be much more memorable. It s not obscure if we have seen similar things before, if we know what the writer means, or if we can find a clear explanation somewhere else. Figurative language, however, does make the reader s mind work harder. 2. KEY POINT 1 : The book of Revelation is filled with figurative language. What are some other examples from Scripture in which the inspired writer uses picture language to make a point more vivid? Consider wisdom literature such as Song of Songs in which God compares his relationship with his people to that of a groom and his bride. Prophets such as Daniel and Ezekiel used picture language in much the same way as did John in Revelation. Jesus used picture language when he spoke in parables and referred to himself as the Good Shepherd, the gate for the sheep, the vine, and the Light of the world. 3. KEY POINT 1 : In what way do the words of hymn 29 reflect John s words in Revelation 1:7,8 and 12-18? In what way are they different? The Scripture verses and hymn stanzas speak of Jesus returning with the clouds and being seen by everyone who ever lived even those who crucified him. Both refer to Jesus splendor and power as King. The hymn writer speaks of being able to see Jesus scars and mentions the Lord returning to take his people home. The Scripture verses don t mention either of these details. 4. KEY POINT 1 : (Illustration) When Dr. Martin Luther King was under arrest for peacefully protesting unfair treatment of black people in Alabama, he wrote a famous document titled Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Why do you suppose his supporters thought this document was special? He wrote it while suffering for what he believed in, and he showed people strength in the face of danger. How can the same thing be said of the book of Revelation? John was suffering for the faith, and God gave him strength to persevere. How is the book of Revelation even better than Letter from a Birmingham Jail? The book of Revelation is verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit and is written to all believers of all time. 5. KEY POINT 2 : (Illustration) Marcy said, Reading Revelation is like watching sports on television: you can see the contest in instant replay from several different camera angles. How is her observation a good comparison? Revelation is the account of the struggles and final victory of God s people throughout the New Testament age described from different viewpoints. 6. KEY POINT 2 : It is a demonstration of the Lord s grace that he allows us to see historical events from several different viewpoints in Revelation. Explain. The Lord wouldn t have to reveal to us as much as he does. He could tell us to be content with one perspective. Though we don t deserve to know as much as we do, he graciously lets us see it from different perspectives in order to comfort and encourage us in our lives of faith. 7. KEY POINT 3 : What do we expect school administrators to do for us in times of spiritual crisis? We expect school administrators to address the problem and to provide leadership in difficult times. When there is a national crisis, what do you expect national leaders to do? We expect them to set the tone and the direction in response to the crisis. When we have a spiritual crisis, what does Jesus do? He sets the tone and direction, addresses the issue, and provides leadership. He has done this perfectly in the past as he did when he offered his innocent life as a sacrifice for our sins. He will continue to do this for us as individuals and as groups. Revelation is one of Scripture s assurances of this fact. 4 The Book of Revelation and the History of the Christian Church Lesson 1 Copy Master 2a