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Bible Studies

Beginning the Journey (for new Christians).
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1, 2, and 3 John
1
& 2 Thessalonians
1 & 2 Timothy
1 Peter
2 Peter, Jude
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
7 Last Words of Christ
Abraham
Acts 1-12:
The Early Church
Apostle Paul
Christmas Incarnation
Church
Christ Powered Life (Rom 5-8)
Colossians
Conquering Lamb of Revelation
Daniel
David, Life of
Galatians
Gideon
Grace
Great Prayers
Glorious Kingdom, The
Early Church: Acts1-12
Elijah
Ephesians
Hebrews
Holy Spirit, Disciple's Guide
Isaiah
James
Jacob
Jesus and the Kingdom
John's Gospel
John's Letters
Joshua
Lamb of God
Listening for God's Voice
Lord's Supper
Luke
Mark
Moses
Names of God
Names of Jesus
Philippians
Psalms
Rebuild & Renew: Post-Exilic Books
Resurrection
Revelation
Sermon on the Mount
Songs of Ascent
(Ps 120-135)
Christian Art
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Book of Revelation: Discipleship Lessons
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
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.
- 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.
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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.
- 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.
You can sign up for this study at any time and it will begin the following
Friday. When it first began on September 13, 2003, 2150 people from 85 countries
had registered for the first lesson. Since then, thousands have taken the course. 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
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- Introduction
Art Depicting the Book of Revelation
Songs and Hymns from the Book of Revelation
Handouts for Class or Group Participants
- Christ in the Midst of the Lampstands (Rev. 1)
- Letters to the Seven Churches (Rev. 2-3)
7 Churches Comparison chart (PDF, print out) - The Lion That Is the Lamb (Rev 4-5)
- The 144,000 (Rev. 6-10)
7 Seals chart (PDF, print out)
7 Trumpets chart (PDF, print out)
Parallelism chart (PDF, print out) - By the Blood of the Lamb (Rev. 11-13)
7 Mystic Figures chart (PDF, print out) - Alas, Babylon!(Rev. 14-18)
Visions of Final Judgment chart (PDF, print out)
7 Bowls chart (PDF, print out) - The Millennium (Rev. 19-20)
Chronologies of the Millennium and Christ's Return chart (PDF, print out) - We Shall See His Face (Rev. 21-22)
Sign up now!To sign up, start by clicking on your e-mail frequency preference:
You'll receive your first lesson the Friday after you sign up. There is no cost to participate in the study, though donations are encouraged so we can create more studies and reach more people. We respect your privacy and never sell, rent, or loan our lists. Please don't subscribe your friends; let them decide for themselves. Please don't sign up for more than one of my Bible studies at one time. There's no penalty, but each of them is pretty intensive. If you try to do too many studies at the same time without adequate reflection, you'll miss out on God speaking to you. |
Copyright © 2023, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastorjoyfulheart.com> All rights reserved. A single copy of this article is free. Do not put this on a website. See legal, copyright, and reprint information.
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In-depth Bible study books
You can purchase one of Dr. Wilson's complete Bible studies in PDF, Kindle, or paperback format.
- 28 Advent Scriptures
- 1, 2, and 3 John
- 1 Peter
- 2 Peter & Jude
- 1 & 2 Thessalonians
- 1 & 2 Timothy
- 1 Corinthians
- 2 Corinthians
- Abraham, Faith of
- Apostle Paul
- Christ Powered Life (Romans 5-8)
- Christmas Incarnation
- Colossians and Philemon
- Conquering Lamb of Revelation
- Daniel
- David, Life of
- Early Church: Acts 1-12
- Elijah
- Ephesians
- Galatians
- Gideon
- Glorious Kingdom, The
- Grace: Favor for the Undeserving
- Great Prayers of the Bible
- Hebrews
- Holy Spirit, Disciple's Guide
- Isaiah
- Jacob, Life of
- James
- Jesus and the Kingdom of God
- JesusWalk: Beginning the Journey
- John's Gospel
- Joshua
- Lamb of God
- Listening for God's Voice
- Lord's Supper
- Luke's Gospel
- Moses the Reluctant Leader
- Names and Titles of God
- Names and Titles of Jesus
- Philippians
- Rebuild & Renew: Post-Exilic Books
- Resurrection and Easter Faith
- Sermon on the Mount
- Psalms
- Seven Last Words of Christ
- Songs of Ascent (Ps 120-134)
- Revelation
My books are available in paperback and Kindle from Amazon.
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