Revelation Reminiscence (chs. 1-12)

<h2>Remember your church</h2> <p>Read your church's letter together to remember what Jesus said to your church.</p> <ol> <li>Ephesus (Rev 2:1-7)</li> <li>Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11)</li> <li>Pergamum (Rev 2:12-17)</li> <li>Thyatira (Rev 2:18-29)</li> <li>Philadelphia (Rev 3:7-13)</li> <li>Sardis (Rev 2:1-6)</li> <li>Laodicea (Rev 3:14-21)</li> </ol> <h2>Our Big Questions</h2> <h3>Who is Jesus?</h3> <p>Think about your Revelation church: What does Jesus say about himself to your church?</p> <p>Things Jesus says about himself</p> <ul> <li>1:7, the same Jesus who was crucified</li> <li>1:8, Alpha/Omega</li> <li>1:13-16, scary, divine appearance</li> <li>1:17-18, First/Last, Living One, holds the keys of death and Hades</li> <li>2:18, eyes like blazing fire, feet like burnished bronze</li> <li>2:19, knows your deeds (cf. 3:1, 8), love, faith, service, perseverance</li> <li>3:7, ultimate authority! Shuts/opens</li> <li>3:11, coming soon</li> <li>3:14, the “Amen”, faithful and true witness</li> </ul> <p>Ways John sees Jesus in his visions</p> <ul> <li>5:5, Lion of Judah, Root of David</li> <li>5:6, Lamb looking as if it had been slain (with 7 horns and 7 eyes)</li> </ul> <h3>What does following Jesus look like in Revelation?</h3> <p>Think about your Revelation church: Does Jesus say anything about belonging to him, following him, being faithful to him in your letter?</p> <p>Things Jesus said about those who follow him to the end (overcome):</p> <ul> <li>2:27, receive authority over the nations (same authority Jesus has - “iron scepter”; cf. Rev 12:5)</li> <li>3:5, dressed in white (sign of faithfulness)</li> <li>3:9, vindication over enemies</li> <li>3:10, kept from the hour of trial</li> <li>3:12, made eternal ‘pillar' in God's temple; receive Jesus' new name</li> <li>3:14-16, 20-23, don't do as the Romans do (they stand firm against their surrounding culture)</li> <li>3:21, sit with Jesus on his throne</li> </ul> <p>Things Revelation's “story” tells us about following Jesus</p> <ul> <li>7:13-14, the great multitude of martyrs (overcomers) are those who “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”</li> <li>12:1-6, 13-17, God's people must resist Satan, even if it results in death</li> </ul> <h2>Things we've encountered in Revelation so far</h2> <h3>Prayer, Judgment, and Suffering</h3> <ul> <li>Souls under the altar pray for vindication (6:9-11)</li> <li>Sixth Seal - earth is shattered, and everyone from slaves to kings are shaken with fear (6:12-17)</li> <li>The Trumpets - destruction throughout the earth (8:7-9:21)</li> <li>God acts on the martyrs' prayers and brings judgment (10:6; ch. 11)</li> </ul> <h3>Weird Characters</h3> <ul> <li>Living Creatures with eyes all over (4:6-11)</li> <li>24 Elders (4:4-5)</li> <li>Four Horsemen (6:1-8)</li> <li>Souls under the altar (6:9-11)</li> <li>Hot Legs the Angel (10:1-6)</li> <li>The Two Witnesses (ch. 11)</li> <li>The Dragon (ch. 12)</li> </ul> <h3>Numbers, Numbers, and More Numbers!</h3> <ul> <li>4 - living creatures, horsemen, winds of the earth</li> <li>7 - lampstands, stars, churches, spirits of God, horns and eyes on the Lamb, thunders, trumpets, seals</li> <li>10 - days Satan will persecute the Smyrnaeans</li> <li>12 - 24 Elders (12x2), 144,000 (12x12x1000), stars around the woman's head in ch. 12</li> <li>1,260 - days of judgment, “a time, times, and half a time”, 3.5 years, 42 months</li> </ul> <h3>Songs</h3> <ul> <li>5:9-10, Living Creatures and the Elders in response to the Lamb's worthiness</li> <li>5:12, All the angels with the Creatures and Elders</li> <li>5:13, All creation with the angels, Creatures, and Elders (everything that exists!)</li> <li>7:10, martyrs sing praise as they face death</li> <li>7:12, angels, Creatures, and Elders in response to the martyrs' song</li> <li>11:15, the 7th angel's announcement of Jesus' supremacy</li> <li>11:17-18, the 24 Elders respond to the 7th angel</li> <li>12:10-12, voice from heaven declares Jesus' victory and the dragon's defeat</li> </ul> <h2>Revelation Reminiscence</h2> <p>Some ideas you might do as a group to remember Revelation together:</p> <ul> <li>Look through Revelation's songs and create one of your own that pieces together all the things Revelation ‘sings' about.</li> <li>Draw an epically apocalyptic mural of the “story” of Revelation or of your favourite parts.</li> <li>Turn one of Revelation's stories into a children's bedtime story for your 4-year-old cousin.</li> <li>While stroking your chin like a wiseman, give your best answers to our Big Questions:</li> <li>According to Revelation, 1) Who is Jesus? 2) What does it take to follow him?</li> </ul>