Revelation 2 Lesson

Today’s lesson will be divided into three sections:

1. The fundamentals of the book of Revelation,
2. Adversity. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?
3. Perseverance. Why it is important to God that we continue to walk in the faith when things get the hardest.

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION

Many of us have a hard time understanding Revelation.

It can be difficult to know when John’s writings are meant to be taken literally, when they are symbolic, and when they are prophetic.

To properly understand the Book Of Revelation, it is important to remember these three fundamentals of the book:

1. Jesus had a revelation (Revelation 1:1). According to google.com, a revelation is, “A surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way.” What Jesus revealed was new information, and it certainly was made known in a dramatic way.
2. Jesus communicated this new information through John by way of an angel.
3. The Book of Revelation is a prophecy, meaning it reveals something about the future. The messages in the Book of Revelation come straight from Jesus. They were delivered by one of His angels to John for him to communicate, but the source of these messages is Jesus, Himself. In this prophecy, Jesus tells us that those who read, hear, and heed the words the Book of Revelation will be blessed (Revelation 1:3).

ADVERSITY. WHY DOES GOD ALLOW BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?

To understand why God allows suffering, we must first understand and accept the following four truths:

1. God loves us,
2. Satan is the ruler of the Earth (1 John 5:19, 2 Corinthians 4:4, John 12:31, John 14:30,
3. God allows  us to suffer for our own spiritual well-being,
4. There is no pain or suffering in Heaven.

God’s love is stronger than anything we have experienced or can imagine. He loved us when we were trapped in sin, and that is why He sent His Son. 

As you read the following verses, think about how much God the Father loves you:

1. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” - John 3:16,
2. “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed in the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” -1 John 4:15-16,
3. “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:38-39.

Satan is the ruler of the Earth. That is what the Bible teaches, and because he is, we know that there will be suffering and even tragedies on Earth.

Satan is a formidable adversary that is constantly prowling the Earth seeking somebody to destroy (1 Peter 5:8). God allows suffering  for three reasons:

1. To teach us,
2. To disciplineus,
3. To shape us (into the people that He created us to be).

When we are suffering on Earth, we need to remember that our suffering is temporary and that Heaven is forever.

PERSEVERANCE

Jesus provides the perfect example of how to persevere through great suffering.

Time after time, when adversity struck, Jesus rose to the occasion. And when He did, He inspired others to follow Him and to glorify God.

Jesus said:

• “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” – Mathew 5:14-16.

Jesus also said:

• “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” – John 1:5.

No matter how difficult the situation we find ourselves in, God will see us through it, if we put our trust in Him, and have the courage to follow His plan, even when it gets hard.  Especially when it gets hard.   

As we overcome adversity in our lives, we can bring glory to God by continuing to put Him first and by serving others.  It is one thing to see somebody with a strong faith serving God. It is quite another to see somebody going through the most difficult time in their lives and not wavering on their faith. That is a much stronger testimony to the power of God and the love of Jesus.

The greater the adversity that we face, the greater the opportunity we have to glorify God by persevering with a Godly attitude.

CONCLUSION

The Book of Revelation is a complex book. To make it easier to understand, we need to remember the following three fundamentals of Revelation:

1. Jesus had a revelation (Revelation 1:1). According to google.com, a revelation is, “A surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way.” What Jesus revealed was new information, and it certainly was made known in a dramatic way.
2. Jesus communicated this new information through John by way of an angel.
3. The Book of Revelation is a prophecy, meaning it reveals something about the future. The messages in the Book of Revelation come straight from Jesus. They were delivered by one of His angels to John for him to communicate, but the source of these messages is Jesus, Himself. In this prophecy, Jesus tells us that those who read, hear and heed the words of the Book of Revelation will be blessed (Revelation 1:3).

God does not shield His children from suffering or adversity. We do not have to look any further than the lives of Jesus or the Apostles to realize that.

Suffering is important for the development of a Christian. God allows it for three reasons:

1. To teach us,
2. To disciplineus,
3. To shape us (into the people that He created us to be).

How we persevere during times of adversity says a lot about our faith and our priorities. If we are living for our own selfish desires, we may complain about suffering and wonder “why me?”

But if we are living to glorify God and serve others, we will understand that suffering is part of God’s plan and necessary for our spiritual development.

We will end today’s lesson with the following scripture. It provides a peak into the glory that awaits those who remain faithful until the end, and persevere during times of adversity:

• “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” -Revelation 2:7.