¹After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, ²for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants." ³And again they shouted: Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever." ⁴The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:  "Amen, Hallelujah!" ⁵Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!" Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. ⁷Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. ⁸Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) ⁹Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God." ¹⁰At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

¹⁷And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, ¹⁸so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great."

¹⁹Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. ²⁰But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. ²¹The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

Revelation 19 The Return of Christ                                                                           

Before starting Bible study, have someone read Acts 1:1-11

Vs. 1-10 The Wedding Supper of the Lamb

·         1: “Hallelujah” is a Hebrew phrase that means “praise God.”  Hallelu = praise; Jah (short for Jehovah or, more accurately pronounced, Yahweh) = God   

·         1-8: What can you learn about God from the praises in these verses?   

·         2-3: Notice that God is praised because of His righteous judgments.  If these had never happened, if no one had ever sinned against God and been judged, what would we not know about God?  

·         7-9: Who is the Lamb?  [Christ]  Who is the Bride of Christ?  [The Church]   

·         7-9: Another passage that deals with the Church as the Bride of Christ is Ephesians 5:22-33.  (Read it.)  How does the relationship between a husband and a wife show what the relationship between Christ and the Church is like?  (How does the relationship between Christ and the Church help you understand what the relationship between a husband and wife is supposed to be like?) 

·         Some have suggested that God created human marriage chiefly to illustrate what the relationship between Christ and the Church is like! 

·         If the Church is the Bride of Christ, how do you think Christ feels when someone trash talks her?  (The married sponsors all know that our spouses aren’t perfect, but we better not hear you trash talking them!)   

·         10: Why do you think John almost worshipped the angel?  What does verse 10 tell us about worshipping anybody or anything other than God Himself?   

Vs. 11-21 The Return of Christ

·         11-21: In Revelation 16:16 the armies of the world gathered at Armageddon “for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.”  Now, we see the outcome of this battle as Jesus Christ finally returns to the earth, descending on a white warhorse leading the armies of Heaven.   

·         11-21: Try to imagine and describe what it will be like to experience Christ’s returning.  What will it look like?  What will it feel like?  If you’ve seen the second Lord of the Rings movie, The Two Towers, you might remember the climactic part at the end when Suraman’s evil armies are fighting against the forces at Helm’s Deep and suddenly Galdalf and his army come charging over the mountain with Gandalf shining and riding a white horse as he leads the army.  If you thought that was impressive, it isn’t even a glimpse of how amazing and jaw-dropping the Return of Christ will be.  The Return of Christ is the decisive climactic moment of all history.  Nothing will compare with it.  After it, nothing will ever be the same. 

·         Here are some other passages that also talk about the return of Christ.  Have people read them:

o        2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

o        Isaiah 63:1-6

o        Jude 1:14-15

o        Matthew 24:27-31

o        Zechariah 14:1-5 

·         11: Why is Christ called “Faithful” and “True”?

·         12: The word here for “crown” is “diadem.”  A diadem is a ruler’s crown, a king’s crown (rather than a stephanos, which is a victor’s crown.)  Why is this significant?  (Compare the kind of crown that Christ wore at His first coming (thorns) with the crown He wears at his second coming.)  At Christ’s first coming, He came as a servant, as a lamb, to die to save sinners.  At His second coming, He will come as a King, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah!  (The prophecy about the Lion of Judah is in Genesis 49:8-11.)  

·         12: What do you think the name “that no one knows” is?  [Trick question: if no one can know, there’s no point guessing!  (Duh!)  However, it’s good to remember that we don’t know everything there is to know about God yet!  (Although we can trust everything He has revealed about Himself.)]

·         14: What do you think it would be like to be a part of Christ’s army, following Him?  (You probably will be!  Remember Rev. 17:14.  It says that, “with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers”!)

·         16: What does it mean that Christ is “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”?  Try to describe the full meaning of this.

·         15-21: When Christ returns, He will lead His army to fight against the forces of the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon.  Remember, in Rev. 16:12-16 frog-like demons lead the kings of the earth to bring their armies to Armageddon “for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.”  This will be a war that will be won in one battle.  Christ will absolutely annihilate the armies of the world with the sword that comes out of His mouth (whatever exactly that is.)  None shall escape.

·         20-21: The Beast (the Antichrist) and the False Prophet (the Beast’s right hand man and promoter) will be captured and thrown alive into the “fiery lake of burning sulfur.”  This “Lake of Fire” is what we often call hell.  I believe that right now no one is in this specific “hell” yet.  Dead unbelievers currently are in “Hades.”  The Beast and the False Prophet will be the first beings to be thrown in the Lake of Fire.  (Until “next week” at least!)

·         How does what we read today affect how you should think, act, and worship?  (Either read Colossians 3:1-17 if you have time, or assign it as “application homework.”)

·         When we think of Jesus, we need to remember how He is pictured in Revelation 19.  He is not the gentle mild-mannered Galilean peasant that is the mental image of many people.  We need to build our mental image of Jesus from both the Gospels that record His life before the cross, and the book of Revelation which shows us a picture of Jesus who is the King of Kings who will return in triumph, strength, and victory.   

·         As Mark Driscoll has said, “This is a God I cannot beat up and who I can sing songs to without feeling moderately gay.”

¹And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. ²He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. ³He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

⁴I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. ⁵(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. ⁶Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

⁷When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. ⁹They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Revelation 20:1-10 After Christ Returns                                                                           

Vs. 1-6 The Thousand Years

·         There are three basic interpretations of the millennium (thousand years):

o        Premillennialism takes the millennium as a literal thousand years that Christ will physically reign on earth.

o        Amillennialism sees the millennium as symbolic.  It is not a literal thousand years and represents the entire time between Christ’s ascension and His return to earth.

o        Postmillennialism believes that a thousand-year “golden period” on earth will be ushered in by the work of the church.  It may or may not be a literal thousand years.  Christ will not return until after the millennium.

·         1-3: Describe what is happening in these verses?  [God sends an angel to bind Satan and throw him in the Abyss.  The Abyss is a “prison” from demons.  When Christ was on earth, He would often cast demons out of people and send them to the Abyss.  The Abyss is probably an actual “place” but in the sense that heaven and the lake of fire are a place.  It is probably in another dimension, and not something we could travel to.  Satan was the most powerful of the angels before he fell, so God give special powers to the angel that binds Satan.  Obviously the chain that the angel uses to bind Satan isn’t like any chain we could buy at Lowes.  Still, it is something that is capable of binding a powerful spirit being like Satan.]

·         1-3: After Christ returns and binds Satan (and presumably his demons) in the Abyss, He will rule on earth for 1,000 years.  What do you think this will be like?  What do you think life would be like without Satan’s forces in the world tempting us?  What are ways in which Satan “deceives the nations?”

·         1-3: What do you think it would be like to actually go to Jerusalem and physically see Christ?  What do you think life would be like with everything under Christ’s authority?  (Hey, you how when you pray the Lord’s prayer you pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Well, now that prayer will be fully answered!)

·         1-3: Do you think there will be any sin at all then?  [Unfortunately Yes.  Remember, temptation comes from three sources: Satan, the world, and the flesh.  Satan will be gone, and the world will be cleaned up, but people will still have a sin nature.]  However, because Christ will be reigning on the earth, no outward rebellion will be allowed.  Christ will “rule with an iron scepter” (Rev. 19:15).  If Christ is actually ruling on earth, no one will be allowed to go around saying, “I don’t believe in Jesus.  I want to worship someone else.  I want to do my own thing.”

·         4: The Christians who died during the Tribulation return to life at this point and receive their resurrection bodies.  (People who were raptured, and dead Christians receive their resurrection bodies the instant they are raptured.)  The Christians with resurrection bodies will help Christ reign on earth.  (This probably includes us.)  The few Christians who lived to the end of the Tribulation will enter the Kingdom in their mortal bodies and be able to have normal mortal children.  (There are no non-Christians that will be left alive after the Tribulation.) 

·         4: This verse also mentions thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority from God to judge.  These seem to be resurrected believers, although it doesn’t say how many thrones there are.  This isn’t the only passage that speaks of believers being given delegated authority to judge.  In 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 Paul wrote, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?  And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?  Do you not know that we will judge angels?  How much more the things of this life!”

·         5: The rest of the dead, unbelievers, don’t come back to life until after the 1,000 years. 

·         5-6: The “first resurrection” is the resurrections of all the believers.  (Although if premillennialism is true, then the first “batch” of the first resurrection happens at the rapture, and the last batch happens after the tribulation.  Some believe that only believers from the time of Pentecost on will be resurrected at the Rapture because only they are officially “the Church” or “in Christ.”  Therefore, the Old Testament believers don’t get resurrected until the time that the tribulation believers do.  In any event, all believers are resurrected in the “first resurrection.”)

·         The second death is eternal death, eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire (see verse 14.)  Unless we are raptured, we will all face “the first death,” physical death.  However, believers, those who have experienced the “second birth” will not face the “second death!”  The first death is separation from your body; the second death is separation from God.  As it has been said, “Born once, die twice.  Born twice, die once.”

Vs. 7-10 The Final Battle

·         7-8: After 1,000 years of living in Christ’s ideal Kingdom, many of the mortal people will choose to side with Satan and rebel against God.  Why do you think God would release Satan and allow this?  Is there something that He is trying to get across?   [Think about it: We often blame our sin on our environment.  But these people will have lived in a perfect environment for hundreds of years.  But as soon as they get the chance to rise up and rebel against God, a huge number of them will choose to do that.  This shows that even with the perfect environment, world, and knowledge of God, humans are still rebels and God-haters by nature.]

·         9: Notice: Rebellion against God doesn’t work out too well.

·         10: Now finally Satan is thrown into the Lake of Fire where the Antichrist and the False Prophet have been for the past 1,000 years.  (The Abyss and the Lake of Fire are not the same place.)  There is a common misconception that Satan is the ruler of hell.  This isn’t true.  The Lake of Fire is a place of prison and torment for Satan.

·         10: Notice that they are tormented day and night forever and ever.  Some people teach that people will suffer in hell for a little while and then be annihilated.  The Bible does not teach this. 

·         10: Think about this… Is it right for God to send people to hell forever?  Well, first of all, even the smallest sin is against an infinitely holy God and is therefore worthy of infinite punishment.  But also think about this… Do you think that if these people were released from hell after a thousand, or even a million years, they would have learned their lesson?  Would they come out repenting and loving God?  No!  Just like the people rebelled after the millennium, if people in hell were released they would turn on God again the instant they had the chance because they are still God-haters by nature.

¹¹Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. ¹²And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. ¹³The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. ¹⁴Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:11-15 Part One: The Great White Throne Judgment           

Although we are only covering 5 verses this week, I realized while writing the notes that I had prepared enough for two weeks worth of material (especially with all of the cross references.)  So, we will read Rev. 20:11-15 studying the theme of God’s judgment.  Next week, we will read the same passage and study the theme of hell and eternal punishment. 

Vs. 11-15 The Great White Throne Judgment

11: In Revelation 21:1, John describes a new heaven and a new earth “for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away”.  The passing away of the current heaven and earth is probably what is being described here.  

·         11: Since the current world—at least as it is—will be passing away, what applications are there for this?  What was an application from 2 Peter 3:10-12?  [2 Peter calls is to living a holy life because of this.  In addition, it means that there is no true permanence in the things of this present world.  If God basically wipes the chalkboard clean, don’t spend all your energy living for things that will not last.  People will last, but the things of this world will not.  Now, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t care at all about the environment.  We should, since God called us to have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28) and for all we know it might be a very long time before Christ returns.  Still, the things of this world are passing away, but there are other things that last forever.]  

·         12: All of the unsaved dead are raised and given immortal bodies.  Jesus also taught this in John 5:28-29, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”  (Note: This passage is not teaching salvation by works.  Four verses before this Jesus said what the “good” is that leads to being saved.  He said in verse 24, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”) 

·         12:  In John 5:22 Jesus says, “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son”.  The person on the throne is Christ Himself as sovereign judge. 

·         In 2 Corinthians 5:10, Paul writes, “for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done in the body, whether good or bad [or “worthless”].”  The Judgment Seat (“Bema” in Greek) was the seat where the judges in ancient Olympic and Isthmus games would sit and give out the crown wreaths of victory to the winning athletes.  Some suggest (correctly I think) that the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne judgment are two separate judgments.  The Judgment seat of Christ is for believers and has to do with determining their level of rewards (see 1 Cor. 3:10-15), while the Great White Throne judgment in Rev. 21 is for unbelievers, determining their level of punishment.   

 ·         12-15: Several books were opened, one being the Lamb’s Book of Life.  The Lamb’s book of life is the record of all the saved.  It is also mentioned in Luke 10:18-20, Phil. 4:3, Rev. 3:5, Rev. 13:8, Rev. 17:8, and Rev. 21:27.  Rev. 3:5 says that God will never blot out the names of those who are in the Lambs Book of Life.  Rev. 17:8 (and possibly Rev. 13:8) teaches that the names have been written in the Book of Life “from the creation of the world.”   

·         12-15: While the Lamb’s Book of Life contained the record of the saved—to confirm to the unsaved that they were not in it—the other books contained the record of their deeds.  The dead were judged by these books and punished accordingly.  I believe that there are different levels of punishment in hell.  God will give to each person exactly according to what justice demands.  Now, this does not mean that eternity will be “okay” for anyone, but it does mean that some people will have it worse than others.  For example, those that rejected God against greater light will be punished more severely than those who rejected God will less knowledge.  As Jesus Himself taught in Matthew 11:20-24, it will be more bearable for the sinful city of Sodom on the Day of Judgment than the respectable city of Capernaum, since the people in Capernaum saw Jesus and His miracles and still didn’t believe.  (Jesus also taught that some sins are greater than others.  See John 19:11.  In one sense all sins are infinitely bad because all sins are against an infinitely holy God, but in another sense, some are more serious than others.)   

·         And remember, Romans 1:18-20 teaches that everyone has some knowledge of God that they reject and suppress.  This makes everyone accountable to God. 

·         Read and discuss this quote from Erwin Lutzer (One Minute After You Die, p. 106-107.) 

“Whatever degree of punishment, it will fit the offense exactly, for God is meticulously just.  Those who believe in Christ experience mercy; those who do not (either because they have never heard of Him or because they reject what they know of Him) will receive justice.  Either way, God is glorified.

Think of how accurately God will judge every unbeliever!  Every day of every life will be analyzed in minute detail.  The hidden thoughts and motives of each hour will be replayed, along with all the actions and attitudes.  The words spoken in secret will be made public, the intentions of the heart displayed for all to see.  They will have no attorney to whom they may appeal, no loopholes by which they can escape.  Nothing but bare indisputable facts.

I believe the balance of justice will be so accurate that the pornographer will wish he had never published such material, the thief will wish he had earned an honest living, and the adulterer will regret that he lived an immoral life.  Faithfulness to his marriage vow would not have earned him a place in heaven, to be sure, but it would have made his existence in hell slightly more bearable.

Before God, no motives will be misinterpreted, no extenuating circumstances thrown out of court.  The woman who seduced the man will receive her fair share of punishment, and the man who allowed himself to be seduced will receive his.  The parents who abused their child who turned to drugs to escape from the pain of rejection- all blame will be accurately proportioned.

We all agree that heaven is a comforting doctrine.  What is often overlooked is that hell is comforting too.  Our newspapers are filled with stories of rape, child abuse, and a myriad of injustices.  Every court case ever tried on earth will be reopened; every action and motive will be meticulously inspected and just retribution meted out.  In the presence of an all-knowing God there will be no unsolved murders, no unknown child abductor, and no hidden bribe.”

·         For a good book about rewards and final judgments, read Your Eternal Reward by Erwin Lutzer.  (It’s in the youth library and the church library.) 

·         14-15: We will go into detail studying hell and the Lake of Fire next week.

·         Do you ever think about the fact that even as a believer you will one day be called into account for your life?  How does this make you feel?  Why?

·         As believers, our sins have been dealt with, but we will still be judged for the sake of reward or the loss of some rewards.  Think about all the things in life that seem like such a big deal to you now.  Will they seem like that then?  (What will?)  The reason we have for sin, or compromise today seem important… What will they seem like on judgment day? 

·         As a group, brainstorm a list of things that are important to most people now.  Then brainstorm things that will be important to believers and to God on judgment day.  (How should this affect the way you live now?)

·         The great statesman Daniel Webster, one of the founding fathers of our country, was once asked what the greatest thought that had even passed through his head.  Webster responded, “The greatest thought that has ever occupied my mind is that of my individual accountability to God.”

·         For reference, here are some other passages that talk about the end of the world and judgment.  Some are references to the rewarding of believers, such as 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.  In some of these passages it describes God using our deeds or works as part of the judgment.  Sometimes this is for reward, but other times God will use our works as “proof” or “evidence” that we have been saved.  All who are genuinely saved have something they can show for it as the effect of their new life in Christ.  Still, it is important to remember that no one is ever saved because of his or her own works. (Eph. 2:8-10)

o        Daniel 7:9-14

o        1 Corinthians 3:10-15

o        1 Corinthians 9:24-27

o        Matthew 25:31-46

o        Romans 2:1-16

o        Romans 14:9-13

o        Luke 12:2-3

o        Hebrews 9:27

o        1 John 4:17-18

·         If time: Give everyone in the group a piece of paper.  Ask them to imagine themselves before God on their judgment day.  Imagine what you think might happen… what God will say… what God will ask… how you will feel… what you would say?  Now, keep imagining that you are on judgment day and that God tells you that He will let you write a letter to yourself in the past.  God tells you to write this letter to yourself and He will send the letter back in time to today in 2009.  What would you write?  What would you want to tell yourself?  Use the rest of the time to write yourselves these letters.

¹¹Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. ¹²And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. ¹³The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. ¹⁴Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:11-15 Part Two: The Lake of Fire                                  

Vs. 11-15 The Lake of Fire

·         12-15: Several books were opened, one being the Lamb’s Book of Life.  The Lamb’s book of life is the record of all the saved.  It is also mentioned in Luke 10:18-20, Phil. 4:3, Rev. 3:5, Rev. 13:8, Rev. 17:8, and Rev. 21:27.  Rev. 3:5 says that God will never blot out the names of those who are in the Lambs Book of Life.  Rev. 17:8 (and possibly Rev. 13:8) teaches that the names have been written in the Book of Life “from the creation of the world.”   

·         12-15: Who is thrown into the Lake of Fire?  [Anyone whose name was not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life was thrown into the Lake of Fire.  The Lamb’s Book of Life is the record of all those who, by this time, have put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.  They are the elect.  Those whose names are in the Lamb’s Book of Life have accepted God’s offer for Jesus to be judged for their sins in place of them.  Those who have not trusted Christ as their substitute do not have their name in the book.  This means that they will stand in judgment for their own sin, resulting in their just condemnation.]    

·         If people don’t get thrown into the Lake of Fire until the end, where are all those now who die without Jesus as their Savior?  [The answer is found in Luke 16:19-31 in which Jesus tells the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus.  Before Jesus rose from the dead, both the saved and unsaved went to a realm called Hades in Greek, or Sheol in Hebrews.  Hades had two sections, one of comfort and one of suffering.  I believe that Jesus emptied the “good” section of Hades after He died on the cross.  Now, the saved to directly to Heaven when they die.  Now, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).  Our term “hell” is a generic term that somewhat of a “catch-all” for the various bad places that people go when they die.  At the present time, those who die without Christ go to Hades, but the final destination of those who account for their own sin is the Lake of Fire.] 

·         Look at these other passages that talk about hell.  (What can you learn about hell from these passages?)

• Matthew 13:37-43: ³⁷He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ³⁹and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. ⁴⁰"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴²They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
• Mark 9:42-47: ⁴²"And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. ⁴³If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. ⁴⁵And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell

·         14-15: Will this be literal fire?  Well, it probably won’t be the “exact” same kind of fire that is on earth, but we have no reason to believe that it won’t be some sort of fire.  Some people want to make hell seem less harsh by saying that the fire is only a metaphor.  But even if it is a metaphor, it stands for something that is just as bad!  There is no way that a “lake of fire” can be a symbol for something lovely. 

·         14-15: What do you think the worst thing about hell would be?  [In reality, the worst thing about hell will be the absence of God.]

·         Do you think hell is fair?  Why or why not? 

·         Some people say that they don’t believe a good God could exist who would send people to hell.  Do you agree or disagree?  Why?  What would you tell someone who didn’t think a good God could send people to hell?

·         12-15: Do you think there will be degrees of punishment in hell?  I think there probably will be.  I think that’s part of what this judgment is about, to show the unbelievers that their names are not in the Book of Life, and to distribute justice to them.  Passages that indicate this include John 19:11, Luke 12:47-48, Matthew 11:20-24 and Mark 12:38-40 (NASB = “greater condemnation”).  These are passages that I think show that all sins are not really equal and that some people will receive greater punishment than others.  (Although it’s going to be bad for everyone.)  Remember, God is the perfectly fair judge.  He will take everything into account…motives, influences, etc.  We need to leave this judging up to God… only He knows enough to do it accurately, and only He really has the right values.   People who knew more than others will be judged more severely.  The more prideful, rebellious, and “high handed” each sin is, the worse it is also. Yes, all sin is equal in the sense that all sin is against an infinitely holy God, but in a sense, an infinitely tall stack of quarters is more than an infinitely tall stack of pennies. 

·         Some people believe in annihilationism.  This is the believe that the unsaved do not spend eternity in hell.  Instead, they are annihilated and completely cease to exist.  Some believe that they are annihilated immediately, and other believe that people will serve some time in hell but are then annihilated once they have satisfied the debt of justice.  What do you think?  Is annihilation biblical?  Does it make sense?

·         The reason we find the idea of hell so offensive is because of our insensitivity to sin.  We don’t think that sin is all that big of a deal.  We don’t realize the sinfulness of sin.  We don’t realize even the “smallest” sin is infinitely great because it is against an infinitely holy, great, and perfect God.  (Illustration: To punch your friend is bad, but to punch your principle is more serious.  Trying to punch the President of the United States will send you to jail for a long long time.  Sinning against GOD is infinitely more serious.)  Therefore, in this sense, even a “small” sin is infinite.  In addition, we don’t realize how much we sin… in word, and deed and thought and motive.  There are sins of commission because of things we do, and there are sins of omission when we don’t do what we should (James 4:17, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”)  Also remember, 1 Cor. 10:31 tells us to do everything for the glory of God.  This is basically the same as the first commandment.  Every moment that we break this is sin.  So, each of us has an infinite sin debt.  This means that we need an infinitely worthy Savior to take this sin debt.  Or, if someone chooses to stand before God on their own, it will mean that it would take an infinite amount of time to account for…which is why hell is eternal.  (Also, those in hell never receive a new heart to replace their sinful heart, so they keep wracking up more sin debt for all eternity.)

·         The Bible’s teaching on the eternity of those who die without the benefit of salvation is conscious eternal torment.  Each of those three words are denied or questioned by people today, but that is what the Bible teaches. 

·         Deep down, do you really think God would be fair to send you to hell?  If you don’t really think that without the cross of Jesus you deserve hell, it is likely that you have never truly accepted Christ as your Savior.  Too many people ask Christ into their life as an aid to happiness, but not really as their Savior from the hell they deserve. 

·         If you really come to grips with how much you deserve to go to hell, it will completely change how you look at life!  You will finally see how great God is in His grace!  It will also keep you from complaining as much… as I have said before, “Any day I’m not in hell is a good day!” 

·         Read the passage from Edwards’, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”  Edwards’ main point to the unsaved is that they could die at any moment.  God, by His sheer grace, is giving them this last small time to be saved, although none of know how long we have.

  "There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God… There is no want [lack] in God’s power to cast wicked men into hell at any moment… They deserve to be cast into hell, so divine justice never stands in the way… They are now the objects of that very same anger and wrath that is expressed in the torments of hell… yes, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on the earth, yea doubtless with some who reread this book, who it may be are at ease, than He is with many of those who are now in the flames of hell. 

Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and those places are not seen…. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell’s wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor anything to take hold of, there is nothing between you and hell but air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up… His wrath burns against you like fire; He looks upon you as worthy of nothing else than to be thrown into the fire… you hang by the slender thread, with flames of divine wrath flashing about it and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder."

·         What should be our reaction to the Bible’s teaching on hell?  How should we apply this? How should this affect us?

• [We should praise God for His attributes of holiness and justice. 
• We should be even more thankful for His grace to us, remembering that the lake of fire is what we deserve.  It is what we would have without the cross. 
• We should also be glad to know that no evil will go unpunished.  No rapist, murderer, child molester will ever “get away with it.” 
• It also frees us up to love our enemies on this earth knowing that we are not the ones who need to settle the score.  As Romans 12:19-20 says, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.  On the contrary, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink…”  We do not have to take personal vengeance. 
• Finally, the doctrine of hell should cause us to be all the more zealous to bring people to Jesus as their only hope.  Our Christian life will be different if we live it smelling the smoke of hell.]

·         Jude 1:22-23, “Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others, show mercy, mixed with fear, hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”

⁵He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

⁶He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. ⁸But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

⁹One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." ¹⁰And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. ¹²It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. ¹³There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. ¹⁴The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

¹⁵The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. ¹⁶The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. ¹⁷He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using. ¹⁸The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. ¹⁹The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ²⁰the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. ²¹The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

 ²²I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. ²⁵On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. ²⁶The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. ²⁷Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Revelation 21 The New Heaven and Earth                       

  Vs. 1-4 The New Heaven and Earth

·         1: These are the verses that we read previously about the old heaven and earth passing away: Isaiah 51:6, Matthew 24:35, 2 Peter 3:10-12.  

• Matthew 24:35: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
• Isaiah 51:6: “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.”
• 2 Peter 3:10-12:  “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.  Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.” 

Concerning 2 Peter 3:10-12:  The King James Version reads that “the earth and all of its works will be burned up.”  That translation was based on the best Greek manuscripts that they had at the time, but now we know that this verse should read that the earth will be “exposed” or “laid bare.”  Therefore it isn’t necessarily the case that the old earth will be completely annihilated and then rebuild from scratch.  Rather this verse describes the cleansing and transformation of the old earth.  The old heaven and earth—as they were—will pass away, but the new heaven and earth will come.  It is similar to the way that a person becomes a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) when they are saved, yet there is still some continuity with who they were before; they are not completely rebuilt from scratch. 

·         2-3: What are some of the differences between the way that people typically imagine eternity and what the Bible actually teaches?  [Believers will spend eternity on the New Earth with living quarters in the New Jerusalem.  Most people assume we will spend eternity in Heaven, but that’s actually not what the Bible teaches.  The redeemed spend eternity on the New Earth.  This will probably be much closer to life on this earth than you might have imagined.  Also, remember that we will have real bodies again.  (1 Cor. 15)  They will be better ones, immortal and without sin, but we will not be intangible spirits floating around forever.] 

·         In his book Heaven, Randy Alcorn suggests that we should think of Heaven as wherever God is.  In that sense, the New Earth becomes Heaven.  In any event, Heaven comes down and meets with the New Earth.  There will not be the separation there is now. 

·         Read John 14:1-4.  How does that passage relate to what we’re reading in Revelation?

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." 

·         3: “The dwelling of God will be with men.”  In every other religion (and false forms of Christianity) man is always trying to climb his way up to God.  True Christianity is the exact opposite of all man-made religion.  God comes down to us.  Christ came down and lived among us when He was on earth 2,000 years ago.  And now, God will come down and dwell with mankind on earth forever.  This is the best thing about   Jesus didn’t die on the cross just to get you to Heaven, but to get you to Him.  1 Peter 3:18a says, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”   

·         Jonathan Edwards has said, “God is the highest good… the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied.  To go to heaven fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here.  Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows.  But the enjoyment of God is the substance.  These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun.  These are but streams, but God is the fountain.  These are but drops, but God is the ocean.”  

·         Would you be happy in Heaven or the New Earth if God wasn’t there?  [If you can imagine yourself being happy somewhere for eternity without God, you are an idolater.]  John Piper has a whole book devoted to this though, God is the Gospel.  In it he writes these strong words:

“Would you be happy in Heaven if God were not there?  My point in this book is that all the saving events and all the saving blessings of the gospel are means of getting obstacles out of the way so that we might know and enjoy God most fully.  Propitiation, redemption, forgiveness, imputation, sanctification, liberation, healing, heaven—none of these is good news except for one reason: they bring us to God for our everlasting enjoyment of Him.  If we believe all these things have happened to us, but do not embrace them for the sake of getting God, they have not happened to us.  Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on treasuring anything above seeing and savoring God.  And people who would be happy in heaven if God were not there, will not be there.  The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God.  It’s a way of overcoming every obstacle to everlasting joy in God.  If we don’t want God above all things, we have not been converted by the gospel.”  (p. 47) 

·         4: Think of all the things that will be different once we are in heaven.  What things will be gone?  [Pain, sickness, death…]  Imagine what this will be like and why it will be such a big deal.  The more you have experienced these things in your life, or in the lives of people you love, the more this will be a big deal to you.  God will fix that which sin has made defective. 

·         4: In Your Eternal Reward Erwin Lutzer suggests that there might be crying in heaven.  He suggests that when we stand before God and realize all the ways that we have sinned against Him and all the ways we could have lived for Him more, we will be in tears.  However, Jesus will wipe those tears away and comfort us.  There might be emotional pain for a while, but only for a short while.  In any event, any sadness will be replaced by joy.

·         4: Do you think we will remember things that happened on earth, or do you think God will shield us from many of those things because the memories would be too painful?  [I do not think that God will shield us from things that have happened on earth.  Just the opposite, I believe that all of human history has been for the purpose of displaying the glory of God.  God let history happen for a reason, and now we will finally be in a position to start to understand it and glorify God because of it.  Yes, there are things in life that are out of God’s moral will, and there are many things that are wrong and painful.  However, when our sin is removed and we are glorified, we will be able to start to see things from God’s perspective, and we will start to look at things in a whole new way.  We will see how things fit together for the ultimate good in the glory of God.]

Vs. 5-8 Words that are Trustworthy and True

·         5: The first words that John hears from God in the New Earth are: “I am making everything new!”  Why these words?  What is God proclaiming?  What is it so important?  [God is undoing the fall.  He is putting everything back to the way it is supposed to be!]

·         6: Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last letter.  God is saying that He is the A to Z.  He is the beginning to the end.  He is the ultimate.  He is uncontainable.  He is the big deal.  He is the whole story.  He is what it’s all about.  (But He is not saying that everything is God.)

·         6: What does it mean to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life?  [Jesus is the water that truly satisfies.  (John 4:10.)  He gives us the gift of Himself, ultimate satisfaction in God, given to us freely by grace, without cost to us.]

·         7: Adoption by God is a major theme in the New Testament.  (Ephesians 1:5, Rm. 8:14-17, etc.)  What are some of the mind-blowing implications of the fact that believers have been adopted by God?

·         8: What things are listed in verse 8 as sinful and evil?  What is the consequence that is deserved because of them?  (C.f. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.)  How does God feel about lying?

Vs. 9-27 The Temple and the Light

·         9: The Church (Christians) are the Bride of Christ.  We will be Christ’s “beloved” for all eternity.

·         10-27: Describe everything you can learn about the New Jerusalem from these verses.

·         16: The city is as high as it is wide and long.  It seems to be a giant cube (or possibly a pyramid.)  12,000 stadia is about 1,400 miles.  That’s further than here to Gulf Shores.  That is about the distance from Grand Rapids to Regina, Saskatchewan.  That’s huge!  And it’s square, so the square mileage is 1,400 x 1,400 = 1,960,000 square miles.  That is over half the square mileage of the United States, including Alaska!  (The land area of the US is 3,536,278 sq. miles.  That is one big city!  But remember, it’s also as high as it is wide and long.  This means that it is 1,400 miles high.  Think of an apartment building with 1,400 floors, each floor having a mile of headroom!  The cubic space would be 2,744 million cubic miles.  This would mean that even if there were 20 billion people in heaven (which is more than all the people who have ever lived up until now) there would be still be an area 1 mile square (640 acres) and 700 feet high for each person.  (That would be quite an apartment!)

 
I'm not saying that the New Jerusalem will be in America.  This is for size comparison.

·         21: Yes, the Bible actually does say that the streets of New Jerusalem will be paved with gold.  Remember that when you are tempted to give your life for money… even if you could take it with you, it’s only pavement!

·         21: Some of this is just guessing, but I think that if the city has gates, it implies that believers are free to come and go from the city.  I think that we will be able to spend time exploring God’s new creation… His new universe.  Also, because angels can fly, and because we will then be higher than angels when we have our resurrection bodies, I will venture to say that there is a good chance that we might be able to fly (!) as we explore the universe.  I can’t say that for sure, but I think that would be really awesome.

·         But even with all gold streets and jeweled walls, the main attraction is going to be God.  Everything else will not even compare.

·         22-23: Why won’t a temple be needed any more?  Why won’t lights be needed any more?

·         24 & 26: Everything will be made to contribute to the glory of God.  Everything will magnify His worth, and this will also increase our joy.

·         25: In the ancient world especially, night was when the bad stuff happened.  The gates needed to be shut for the protection of the citizens.  However, this won’t be a problem anymore.

·         27: Unlike our earth, this one will never be spoiled by the sin and impurity that block our joy of God.

·         As it has well been said, if you die without Christ, this life is the closest thing to heaven you will ever experience.  If you die with Christ, this life is the closest thing to hell you will ever experience.

·         27: Statistically, for every 1 American who thinks he is going to hell, 120 think they are going to Heaven.  People assume this incorrectly and tragically.  Do you know for sure if your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life?  If you are not 100% certain, you should talk to someone and find out!  The Bible says that you can be sure.

·         I would highly suggest that you avoid getting your ideas about heaven from book by people who claim to have near death experiences.  Some of these books have blatant false teachings.  Some books might be written by Christians who mean well, but may or may not be 100% on the level.  Experiences can be wrong, but Scripture cannot.  For further study on what the Bible says about Heaven, I suggest Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven.  There is also the audio of a sermon that Nate did on Heaven in the multimedia section of this website. 

⁷"Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book."

⁸I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. ⁹But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"

¹⁰Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. ¹¹Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy."

¹²"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. ¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

¹⁴"Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. ¹⁵Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

¹⁶"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."

¹⁷The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

¹⁸I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. ¹⁹And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

²⁰He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon."
      Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

²¹The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.

Revelation 22 Jesus is Coming Soon                      

 Vs. 1-6 The River of Life

·         1-2: This is the last chapter of the Bible.  What parallels do you notice from the first chapters of the Bible, Genesis 1-3?    [In Eden, there was the Tree of Life.  When Adam and Eve sinned by eating from the forbidden tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they were banned from the garden so that they could no longer eat from the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:22.)  God also placed a cruse on all of creation.  Now however, the curse is lifted and the Tree of Life is seen once again.] 

·         3: “No longer will there be any curse.”  In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve had sinned, a curse was placed on all creation.  (Read what Romans 8:18-25 has to say about this.)  This curse included death, decay, trouble and suffering.  Finally now, the curse will be lifted and paradise will be restored. 

·         4: We will see His face!  This means more than just that we will simply see what He looks like.  We will finally experience the glory and majesty of God fully.  1 John 3:2-3 says that this will literally be a transforming experience.  “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”  Romans 8:30 refers to this as our “glorification.”  We will have our desire for God fully satisfied and we will be purged of sin and sinful desires.  After this, we will never want to go back to sin!   

·         4: His name will be on our foreheads.  We will find our truest and deepest identity fully in Him.   

·         5: Again, God will be all the light that we need.  (And perhaps our resurrection bodies will "see" by sensing something other than photons.)

·         6: The Bible says that these things will take place soon, but it’s been almost 2,000 years.  Doesn’t that mean that the Bible was wrong?  [When the Bible talks about Jesus coming back soon, it is best to think of it as something that will happen suddenly, and without warning, rather than something that will take place in just a few days or years.  This is what it means when it says that Jesus’ return is “at hand” or that He will come “like a thief in the night.”  There is nothing that has to happen before this all starts, so it can start at any time.  So… people need to get ready now!] 

·         Even thought there is a great amount of detail here, sometimes people wonder why the Bible doesn’t tell us more about what Heaven will be like.  We want more details!  I think that there are two main reasons why it doesn’t.  First, we wouldn’t be able to appreciate it anyway.  Right now, our hearts have the wrong desires.  Just like a little child could never appreciate the… let’s say “blessings of marriage” … we are not yet able to appreciate the great things about Heaven and the New Earth.  Second, God has told us the most important thing!  The best thing, by far, about the Nee Earth and Heaven is that God will be there.  In that sense, the whole Bible is about explaining this!

·         Nate did a sermon on Heaven which can be found on the www.peaceyouthgroup.com website in the multimedia section.  It lists seven myths about Heaven.  (This might be a nice review.)

o        Myth #1: We will spend eternity without bodies.  Truth: God will give us new physical bodies.  (John 21:1-14; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Cor. 15; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; Rev. 20; 2 Cor. 5:1-10)

o        Myth #2: Believers will spend eternity in Heaven.  Truth: Believers will spend eternity on the New Earth.  (Rev. 21-22; 2 Peter 3:13; Isaiah 65:17; 66:22)

o        Myth #3: There will be no work in eternity.  Truth: We will serve God with great joy and fulfillment.  (Rev. 22:3; Luke 19:11-27)

o        Myth #4: We won’t remember our lives on earth.  Truth: We will remember our lives and see them with a new perspective.  (Rev. 6:9-11; 2 Cor. 5:10; Malachi 3:16-18; indirectly Luke 16:19-31; & Christ’s scars, John 20:24-29)

o        Myth #5: We will know everything when we get to Heaven.  Truth: Through eternity we will have ever-increasing knowledge and enjoyment of God.  (Rev. 6:10 shows questions in Heaven; 1 Peter 1:12, angels are not all-knowing.)

o        Myth #6: Heaven is our default destination.  Truth: We are all sinners and the default destination for sinners is… not Heaven but hell.  (Romans 3:10-11; Rm. 3:23; Rm. 6:23; Rm. 5:8; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:1-9)

o        Myth #7: Seeing departed loved ones will be the best thing about Heaven.  Truth: The greatest thing about Heaven will be… GOD!  (Rev. 4-5; 21-22; Jude 24-25; 1 Peter 3:18a)

Vs. 7-17 Jesus is Coming

·         8-9: Again John is overcome and almost starts to worship the angel.  The angel quickly rebukes John and tells him not to do it.  Only God is worthy to be glorified, not angels, and not creation.  How does this apply to our lives?  [If we ever catch ourselves worshiping anything other than God, in any way, we need to stop!]

·         8-9: This is also a powerful argument to use against the Jehovah’s Witnesses.  They don’t believe that Jesus is truly God, and so they refuse to worship Him.  They believe that Jesus is the most powerful created being, and even teach that Jesus and Michael the Archangel are the same person.  So, you could ask a Jehovah’s Witness, “Do you believe Jesus is truly God, in the same way that the Father is God?” and they would say no.  Then ask, “Is it okay to worship anyone other than God?”  They will say no.  Then point out to them that the Bible shows that Jesus IS worshipped (Rev. 5, etc.)  Therefore, even according to their own logic, Jesus is God.

·         10: Daniel was told to seal up the words of His prophecy (Dan. 8:26; 12:9.)  John is told not to seal up the prophecy.  Why?  Because the time is near.  People need to learn the message of Revelation because Jesus could come back at any moment.

·         11: This verse doesn’t mean that we should be apathetic and not repent and change.  (The Bible tells us to repent of sins, etc.)  However, there will suddenly come a time when our choices will become permanent  This will happen for each person either because of death, or because Jesus comes back.  After this, there is not possibility of change.  Therefore the application is this: change your ways now, because you may not have all the time you think you have to change later!

·         12: When things are difficult, remember that Jesus is coming.  He tells us that His reward is with Him.  Any sacrifice or suffering that we have in this life will be worth it when Jesus comes with His reward. 

·         14: How does a person “wash their robes?”

·         15: God loves cats more than gods.  This verse shows that there are no dogs in heaven and that all dogs actually go to hell.  (Okay, I’m just kidding.  “Dogs” here is a derogatory term for sinners.)  Those who have not had their “robes washed” by trusting the blood of Christ for their forgiveness will be kept out (in the Lake of Fire.) 

·         15: What are the sins listed here that we need to keep away from?

·         17: Jesus and the Church invite anyone who is willing to come to Christ for the free gift of eternal life and eternal joy!

Vs. 18-21 Testifying to These Things

·         18-19: Some people think this warning applies to the whole Bible because Revelation was the last book of the Bible that was written.  Other people think it only applies to the Book of Revelation.  Either way, we shouldn’t add or subtract to what God has revealed to us!  What are some ways that people do that?

o         Liberal “scholars” have taken away from God’s Word by saying that God didn’t really inspire the Bible, or that huge portions of the Bible were not really part of the original Bible.  For example, the “Jesus Seminar” claims that the only part of the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus really said was the words “our Father.”  Thomas Jefferson made his own version of the Gospels but cutting and pasting all of the moral teachings of Jesus, but leaving out all the miracles because he didn’t believe in miracles (he was a deist.)  I once noticed that on the web site for the denomination the United Church of Christ, it said that Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was written in 100 AD… about 36 years after Paul died.  There are a lot of “Christians” who take away parts of the Bible that they can’t believe or don’t want to believe.

o        Many people simply ignore parts of the Bible that they don’t like.  Many preachers simply don’t preach parts of the Bible they don’t like, or that they think are too controversial. 

o        Some people add to the Bible by claiming to have messages from God that really aren’t from God.  Sometimes this is intentional, like Joseph Smith writing the Book of Mormon.  Sometimes it is from false teachers who might be deceived by demons.  The official documents of the Roman Catholic church claim that the traditions of the church are on the same level as Scripture. 

o        Often, people read their ideas into the Bible rather than letting the Bible speak for itself.  Sometimes they don’t even realize they are doing it.  Many people twist the Bible to make it say what they want it to say.  (Examples?)

o        Sometimes well-meaning Christians can say things that—if taken seriously—would be close to adding to Scripture.  I think we need to be very careful about claiming that God is telling us something if it isn’t something that He is telling us in the Bible.  If you’ve got a hunch about something, say it’s a hunch.  Don’t say it is “the Word of God.”  Say, “Maybe God is trying to tell me something.”  But don’t put it on the same level as Scripture. 

o        Now, I’m not saying that if you accidentally read something into the Bible that isn’t there that God is going to give you the plagues, or that if a preacher is too wimpy to preach a tough passage that God is going to take away all of his rewards in heaven or boot him out of heaven… but the basic principle applies: Let’s God’s Word be what it is!  Let God say what He wants to say!  Don’t put words into God’s mouth.  And don’t muffle what He has said.  (And yes, many people will be judged severely for disobeying this!)

·         20: Jesus’ last words in the Bible, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

·         20: Our response should be… “Amen, Come, Lord Jesus!”  How often do we pray for Christ’s return?  Why don’t we pray for it more?  I remember that as a teen I didn’t want Christ to come back before I could get married as have sex.  I later realized that this was idolatry… getting married and having sex was more important to me than Jesus.  How about you?  God must be our highest treasure. 

·         21: May God continue to give us His grace that we need every day.

Revelation 1 to 3

Revelation 4-18