Winter 2017 ~ Religious Instruction Lesson #11 Learning Objectives The Book of Revelation Revelation 1:, :16, and Revelation 21 1. The children will explore how the book of Revelation came about with John. 2. The children will recognize that the central message of the Book of Revelation is the announcement of Christ s return. Memory Verse: "Look! I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of the prophecy in this book." -- Revelation 22:7 (NIRV) Getting Started Choose One Activity The End Discussion Discussion Questions: 1. What is your favorite movie ending? What movie? What did you like about it? 2. What was the favorite ending in an athletic event? Was it dramatic? Suspenseful? Why did you like that one? We are a people who are crazy about the end. Some people love the end so much; they skip to the back of a novel and read the end first! We wait for the end, wonder about the end, and sometimes wish for the end. Today we re going to study about the Book of Revelation and a little bit about what it tells us regarding the end time and Christ s return. End Times Quiz - True or False See: www.teensundayschool.com lessons The end times Start with the following discussion questions: - What do you think will happen at the end of the world? - What do you think of the book of Revelation? - What is confusing to you about the end times? Then have the children take the End Times Quiz. They will answer nine true or false questions about the end times. Let them make a guess, and then look up the answer (see the Bible references) as needed. Please see the above website for the questions. Bible Lesson Message: Live today like the end is near. Revelation 1: Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy. Blessed are those who hear it and think everything it says is important. The time when these things will come true is near. Revelation :16 16 But you are lukewarm. You aren't hot or cold. So I am going to spit you out of my mouth. 1
Bible Lesson - Continued Revelation 21 ~ The New Jerusalem 1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth were completely gone. There was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem. It was coming down out of heaven from God. It was prepared like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne. It said, "Now God makes his home with people. He will live with them. They will be his people. And God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or sadness. There will be no more crying or pain. Things are no longer the way they used to be." 5 He who was sitting on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down. You can trust these words. They are true." 6 He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. I am the Beginning and the End. Anyone who is thirsty may drink from the spring of the water of life. It doesn't cost anything! 7 Anyone who overcomes will receive all this from me. I will be his God, and he will be my child. 8 "But others will have their place in the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. Those who are afraid and those who do not believe will be there. Murderers and those who pollute themselves will join them. Those who commit sins and those who practice witchcraft will go there. Those who worship statues of gods and all who tell lies will be there too. It is the second death." 9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me. The bowls were filled with the seven last plagues. The angel said, "Come. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 Then he carried me away in a vision. The Spirit took me to a huge, high mountain. He showed me Jerusalem, the Holy City. It was coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God. It gleamed like a very valuable jewel. It was like a jasper, as clear as crystal. 12 The city had a huge, high wall with 12 gates. Twelve angels were at the gates, one at each of them. On the gates were written the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. 1 There were three gates on the east and three on the north. There were three gates on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had 12 foundations. Written on them were the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb. 15 The angel who talked with me had a gold measuring rod. He used it to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square. It was as long as it was wide. The angel measured the city with the rod. It was 1,400 miles long. It was as wide and high as it was long. 17 He measured the wall of the city. It was 200 feet thick. The angel did the measuring as a man would. 18 The wall was made out of jasper. The city was made out of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of jewel. The first foundation was made out of jasper. The second was made out of sapphire. The third was made out of chalcedony. The fourth was made out of emerald. 20 The fifth was made out of sardonyx. The sixth was made out of carnelian. The seventh was made out of chrysolite. The eighth was made out of beryl. The ninth was made out of topaz. The tenth was made out of chrysoprase. The eleventh was made out of jacinth. The twelfth was made out of amethyst. 21 The 12 gates were made from 12 pearls. Each gate was made out of a single pearl. The main street of the city was made out of pure gold, as clear as glass. 22 I didn't see a temple in the city. This was because the Lamb and the Lord God who rules over all are its temple. 2 The city does not need the sun or moon to shine on it. God's glory is its light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 2
Bible Lesson - Continued 24 The nations will walk by the light of the city. The kings of the world will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never be shut, because there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Only what is pure will enter it. No one who fools others or does shameful things will enter it. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will enter the city. What do they need to know? Revelation - Written by Apostle John while in captivity on the Island of Patmos, he recorded the words spoken to him by an angel sent by Jesus. - Book of prophecy that offers us clues to the end of time - Last book in the New Testament The true theme of Revelation is hope for believers. As Christians endured suffering and persecution for their faith, the book of Revelation offers a glimpse at the end result, something anyone who is struggling needs. What was revealed was a glorious hope in Christ, an eternal hope in heaven, and a reason to worship God today. Application to Real Life with Journal Questions Ask the following questions: 1. On a scale from 1-10, how much do you think you anticipate the return of Christ? How often do you think about it? 2. Does the knowledge of the end of the world change the way you live? How so?. How much do you think other people live with the anticipation of Christ s return in their minds? 4. How would a more urgent expectation of the end of time change the way we share the good news with other people? Further discussion: Some people are completely disinterested in the return of Christ and their lives are preoccupied with other things. Other people speculate and talk about the return of Christ, but it doesn t make a difference in the way they live. Both these viewpoints are contrary to what the Scriptures seem to indicate we should do. Over and over again we ve discovered that God wants us to be alert to, prepared for and active until His return. The end will come. It may not happen in our lifetime, but we should be motivated by the fact that it is coming. Jesus will return, and He does expect us to be ready. Other Bible passages to consider: (for optional use as needed) Matthew 24:44 (NIRV) So you also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at an hour when you don't expect him. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NIRV) But we belong to the day. So let us control ourselves. Let us put the armor of faith and love on our chest. Let us put on the hope of salvation like a helmet. 2 Peter :11 (NIRV) So everything will be destroyed. And what kind of people should you be? You should lead holy and Godly lives.
Application to Real Life with Journal Questions - Continued Revelation 22:7 (NIRV) "Look! I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of the prophecy in this book." Journal Question Suggestions: 1. What is one way that you can be more alert concerning the return of Christ and the end of this world? How can you make yourself more aware? 2. What do you think it means to be prepared for Christ s coming? Are you prepared?. Do you ever talk to people about the End Times? Why/why not? Do you think you should? Memory Work Suggestions 5 minutes 1. Recite the memory verse. 2. Practice finding the memory verse and/or Bible text in their Bible!. Play a game to review an article of faith (toss the bean bag/stuffed animal, the person who catches it says the next word try to go faster and faster). 4. Allow a volunteer (child) to lead the class in an opening/closing prayer. Activity Ideas with Discussion Questions If you have a larger class, divide it up and have an individual child (or each small group) read a passage of Scripture which talks about the end of things. After they read the scripture, they need to be able to report back and answer three questions. If you only have one child, then give them one, and you (the teacher) take one verse. Or, get some volunteers that would also be interested in this subject to join you for class and give them an assignment as well. Verses to look up: Matthew 24:6-51 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:11 2 Peter :-14 Revelation 22:7-21 Questions to Answer: 1. When will the end come, according to your passage? 2. What will be the events surrounding the end, according to your passage?. How should this knowledge affect us now, according to your passage? (Give students about 5-10 minutes to really dig into their text. Then have individuals or groups share what they learned. Take your time on this discussion.) Now that we have an idea of what the Bible says about the end, we can begin to discover how it is that is supposed to change our lives. In each of the Scriptures we read, there were implications for the now. That s an important truth to grasp when we talk about theology - it matters to our lives. 4
Homework Ideas - Read at home the lesson titled: Passion Week (Luke 19:29-48; 22-24). - Learn the memory verse: Jesus is not here! He has risen! --Luke 24:6 - Work on memorizing Article of Faith #. - What is the greatest thing anyone has ever done for you? Think about it. Be ready to share in class next week. 5