I'd like to invite you on an 8-week JesusWalk to study the Book of Revelation with me.
An Explanation
But before you sign up, let's clarify a few things.
Our goal is to learn the powerful message
of the Book to Christians today, and learn what its message was to churches at the end of the First Century.
Revelation cannot be taken literally
. It is symbolic, not literal teaching. This doesn't
mean it isn't true, only that it must be understood differently than the narrative of the Gospels and Acts, or the letters of Paul and other Apostles. It is full of symbols and thus can only be understood if the meaning of the symbols is probed and understood.
The timing of the Tribulation and Rapture is only a minor theme
. If these
areas are your main interests, please don't enroll for this study. (Incidentally, I am pre-millennial, mid-trib, though I see a good case for amillennialism. I think that the "secret rapture" taught in the Left Behind series rests on a pretty
shaky interpretation of scripture.) We'll explore the various views, but frankly, they aren't very central to understanding Revelation. We will not be debating different views of the rapture.
All lessons now compiled as
a 113-page book -- e-book ($7.95), printed book ($10.50).
My interest is to help serious disciples understand and heed the message of Revelation, not to tickle your intellectual curiosity. I want you to come away a changed person -- sobered some, since Revelation is a pretty sober Book -- but more than that, filled with a zeal to be a faithful witness to Christ in your generation.
Having said that, I hope you will put away your preconceived doctrines, open your mind, and plumb with me the depths of Revelation. I don't understand everything in this Book -- no one really does. But I'll help you understand its basic message and pray that you will be gripped by it -- now and for the rest of your life.
How the Study Will Work
Here's how the study will work:
Study Notes
. I'll supply study notes rather than a full exposition of each section. You'll find places to take notes, look up scriptures and record your answers, though these you won't be posting on the Forum for others to read. These are meant to be printed out and written on. For your convenience we have included "Printer-friendly versions" that will help you get the most on a page.
8 free color charts that help you study Revelation and take notes on
what you find.
Bible Study Forum
. Each lesson will contain about five questions designed to help you grapple with the meaning and application of the section you're studying. I ask you to formulate an answer and then post it to the Joyful Heart Bible Study Forum. You can read others' answers, too, and learn from them. The process of formulating your own answer, however, is central to your learning and internalizing the principles of this Book.
Occasional experimental live presentation of a weekly lesson using Voice over
Internet (VoIP) that avoids any long-distance charges. (More on this later.)
This is an international study. As of September 13, 2003, 2150 people from 85 countries
had registered. Countries include:
United Arab Emirates, Armenia, Netherlands Antilles, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegowina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Congo, Switzerland, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Egypt, Eritrea, Spain, Ethiopia, Fiji, Micronesia, France, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, HongKong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, India, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Mali, Mongolia, Macau, Mauritania, Montserrat, Malta, Mauritius, Malawi, Mexico, Malaysia, Namibia, Nigeria, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, Suriname, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan, Tanzania, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Bible Study Forum Guidelines
I've been hesitant to teach on Revelation, since some people get so adamant and dogmatic about their views that they forget love and grace when talking to those who don't agree with them. However, I am willing to trust you to observe these
Bible Study Forum Guidelines
Outline of Lessons
If you don't already have Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader, you can download a FREE copy here. You'll find you'll use it a lot.
If you need to open the Zipped version, you'll need to install a program like WinZip. Unfortunately I can't answer questions about these tools. I just don't have the staff.
You can download all of the charts at one
time if you like (0.8 MB zipped, PDF format). (If you need a free Acrobat
Reader to open the PDF format charts, get
it here.). Please also open and print out the Introduction.
The lessons will be e-mailed to those who register week by week over the course
of eight weeks.
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