Bible studies on : the book of Revelation

1 Bible studies on :the book of RevelationPhilippe MayhewIllustrations : Anne-Claude BoutinCEF European Centre Kilchzimmer 4438 2010, 2017 Child Evangelism of France. All rights reserved. Layout : Brent HautleTranslation from French : Heather Taylor, Lizanne McKeeBible quotations taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights be reproduced for personal, nonprofit and non-commercial uses only. Visit for full details of PrefaceMany young Christians are fascinated by the book of Revelation . They would like to be able to explore this book, but very few teachers are prepared to go on that adventure with them.

2 Revelation 1:3 describes as blessed he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. Revelation should therefore be a source of blessing and encouragement for studiesThis manual contains ten Bible studies on ten key passages from Revelation . They will give the teens a first glimpse of the message addressed to them. The studies are sufficiently detailed to be divided into two parts. A half-way marker appears in the text so that you will know where to split the teens or young peopleThe teaching is aimed first and foremost to young Christians aged at least 13-14 years old, and encourages them to persevere in their walk with the Lord.

3 Each study pursues a three-fold objective targeting knowledge, emotions and actions. Some studies also provide the opportunity to specifically address the of interpretationThe interpretation of Revelation has provoked numerous debates. This manual endeavours to take the diversity of viewpoints into consideration. It often suggests several interpretations and avoids the most controversial subjects. Several commentaries were consulted, in particular a remarkable study by Beale : The Book of Revelation (The New International Greek Testament Commentary), Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999.

4 Teaching toolsIndex Introduction : the contract ..3 The vision of the glorified Christ Revelation 1:9-11 ..5 Revelation 1:12-20 ..7 The letters to the seven churches Revelation 2:8-11 ..13 Revelation 3:14-22 ..15 The throne, the scroll and the Lamb Revelation 4:2-8 ..21 Revelation 5:1-8 ..23 The seven seals Revelation 6:1-8 ..29 Revelation 7:1-4 ..31 The seven trumpets Revelation 8:6-12 ..37 Revelation 11:15-19 ..39 The woman, the Child and the dragon Revelation 12:1-6 ..45 Revelation 12:7-17 ..47 The two beasts Revelation 13:1-10 ..53 Revelation 13:11-18 ..55 The fall of Babylon Revelation 18:1-8.

5 61 Revelation 18:9-24 ..63 The final victory Revelation 19:11-16 ..69 Revelation 19:19-21 ; 20:7-15 ..71 The heavenly city Revelation 21:9-27 ..77 Revelation 22:1-5 ..80 The studies are ready to use. However, preparation in prayer and careful examination of the Bible passages are necessary. The manual proposes three types of questions to lead the teens in the study: text observation, comprehension and application questions. These will prompt them to examine what the passage says , to think about what it means and to prepare themselves to put it into practice. Icons in the margin point to other tools: introductions, conclusions and various methods to make the study King James versionIt is difficult to study Revelation with teens if they have several Bible translations.

6 This manual contains handouts with Bible passages in the New King James version. If you prefer to use a different version, you will need to adapt the questions and worksheets available in Adobe Acrobat PDFIn this manual you will find attractive worksheets for the teens to fill in during the study. 3 Bible studies on the book of RevelationIntroduction : The contractBefore exploring the book of Revelation we need to enter into a contract! We won t be able to interpret this book correctly or discover its message unless we follow some basic principles. Here are the clauses of the contract:Put aside our preconceived ideas!

7 When we hear a lot about a film we go to the cinema with a certain amount of advance knowledge: The spectacular decor is the result of special effects , The hero isn t the one you think , The film ends tragically , etc. All these ideas inevitably inf luence our interpretation of the s be careful not to do the same thing when we study Revelation . Various ideas are circulating, some of them unreliable, about this book and the subjects it tackles (the battle of Armageddon, the 144,000, etc). Some of the ideas are completely erroneous and can cloud our interpretation considerably. We risk projecting these ideas onto the Bible text.

8 So it is better to try to put them aside in order to take a fresh look at this book and to be ready to listen to what the Lord wants to tell yourself to enter unknown territory!In studying Revelation , we are going to enter a strange world full of angels, trumpets, dragons, etc. This book is very different to the ones we are used to. (Perhaps we could compare it to the fantasy literature or films appreciated by certain teens.)The first readers of Revelation , who lived at the end of the first century, were not as disoriented as we are. At that time there was an apocalyptic literary genre. Dozens of religious writings of this type have been discovered.

9 They were written between 200 and 100 , in a literary style very close to that of Revelation . We will need to familiarise ourselves with this genre and take its special features into consideration. Don t take everything literally!Sometimes we resort to picture language in order to express ourselves: Don t get on your high horse , He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth , It was raining cats and dogs , etc. We do this because the picture speaks more loudly than abstract words. It transmits an emotion. Those listening to us know that they don t need to interpret these expressions often uses picture language, thereby giving weight and emotion to its message.

10 Sometimes it will be difficult to decide between a literal or a figurative interpretation. As we study the text we will try to pinpoint the symbols (for example, the sword coming out of the mouth of the Son of Man) and then to translate them (the sword represents the Word of Christ by which He judges). We will need to be careful, however, not to lose ourselves in the details for the pictures in Revelation also need to be appreciated as a whole in order to understand their the other books of the Bible !If we had the time to compare the text of Revelation to books like Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah or Zechariah, we would be struck by seeing all that they have in common.