Revelation: Blessed?
We are headed for an apocalypse. Science and religion both agree. So in the midst of what seems to be cursed, and all the voices claiming to have the answers, how do we find and know what is really BLESSED? God has John write the book of Revelation to answer the question of “BLESSED?” #revelation #2022
STARTER
- The greek word for blessed means happy. God tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:16). This week, did you experience any blessing or happiness that was like a TRUMPET announcement? Did you experience any blessing or happiness in the midst of difficulty that was an opportunity for you to choose to have faith in a future TRUMPET moment?
PRAY
Father, we bow before You to ask You to help us have an eternal perspective on blessings and embrace the blessed life You laid out in Matthew 5:1-17. As we go through the book of Revelation, help us to understand that we will not know the times or seasons You have set by Your own authority, but we are commanded to be Your witnesses declaring like TRUMPETS your promises as you were the faithful witness (Acts 1:8, Revelation 1:5). Help us to see Your TRUMPET announcements all around us and trust in Your promised TRUMPET announcements through faith. Amen.
STUDY QUESTIONS
"Trumpets”
As you read through Revelation, remember that John has been serving God faithfully for decades in the midst of persecution, death, and blessing as others make decisions about Jesus. He has watched faithful people, including his fellow apostles, be killed for claiming and proclaiming Jesus. John has been exiled to an island (Patmos) full of criminals and sick people because of his faithfulness to be a witness. In Revelation, John is writing down what he is seeing and trying to use his limited vocabulary to describe things no earthly language can fully describe. Revelation is meant to be a blessing of both literal and symbolic meaning. It is meant to call us to the blessing of surrender to a God of pure love, justice, and sovereignty.
This book is written to declare like a TRUMPET announcement the reality of our King and His kingdom to us and the world.
Acts 1:6-8 are Jesus’ last words to His followers before He left the earth. How does this passage remind us of our mission and purpose to be God’s priests blowing TRUMPETS to announce to others about Him?
- We see a waiting in chapters 7 between the 6th and 7th seal being opened and the 7 TRUMPETS given. God is choosing to reveal things to the churches who are enduring persecution and suffering. Throughout Revelation there is a straight-forward acknowledgement that the church of Jesus will have to endure. As people who worship Jesus (who lived a sacrificial life and endured the cross), we need to be reminded this is true.
- Why, then, do we so often receive hardship and the need to endure in our lives as an anomaly causing us to question God?
- Who are the 144,000 and what do they remind us of God and His covenant-keeping?
- People throughout history have made a big deal out of the 144,000. How might verse 9 specifically and the following verses help us to see the bigger picture of what is going on here?
- How can the picture and words of worship in 7:10-17 help us in our practice of announcing to God and others in our worship?
- TRUMPETS were God’s idea for announcement and are common in Scripture (Numbers 10:10, Joshua 6:13-20, 2 Chronicles 5:11-14, 29:25-28, Ezekiel 33:1-9, Joel 2:1-16, Amos 3:6-8, Matthew 24:29-31; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). What different purposes do the TRUMPETS serve in these verses? Which of these seem to be relevant to Revelation 8?
- How are the 7 TRUMPETS very common to life and yet unique to announce the final 2nd coming?
- The account of the plagues on Egypt (Exodus 7:14-11:8) were a type of attention getting announcement. What is the purpose of those plagues and all the plagues and hardships of life? Why must God use these and other judgements?