a Study of Revelation DISCUSSION GUIDE | Week 4—July 7/8, 2012 (Jason Strand)
INTRODUCTION
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Revelation 12 opens with John looking on as a woman in labor is rescued from the large red dragon ready to devour her baby. The laboring woman represents the nation of Israel—the faithful waiting for the Messiah. The baby symbolizes Jesus the Messiah, and the red dragon is Satan standing by to kill the world’s Savior. Mother and child were rescued and the spiritual war ensued. The war was won when Jesus was resurrected from the dead; the outcome for Christians was secured by the sacrifice of the Lamb. We’re now living in the time between the end of the war and Satan’s surrender to Jesus. Satan and his companions will franticly use this time to wreak havoc.
1. Talk about a time you were deceived by a scam or a raw deal. How did you become aware of the deception? What was the cost to you? How can you avoid being fooled again? 2. Read 2 Corinthians 4:4. Discuss ways Satan blinds the mind of unbelievers. 3. Look at Revelation 12:12. What are the two emotions Satan might be feeling? Name two ways Christians should respond to Satan’s disposition. (Think about your spiritual growth and response to others.) 4. Don’t fall for the deception. The red dragon and his two beastly companions form an unholy trinity that seeks to deceive the world. They do this by enticing us with the desires of our heart while burying the consequences of our actions. Consider the times when you excuse your actions by telling yourself, “Everybody does it” or “I’m not hurting anyone”. In what areas of your life are you falling to Satan’s deception? 5. Jason defined a spirit of worldliness as living life for what we see with our eyes, and missing the spiritual world raging all around us. How does the war in heaven affect our lives? 6. Discuss how you begin your day (morning news, Facebook, music). How might people living in the war torn countries of Afghanistan and Iraq start their day? Now, read Ephesians 6:10-18 and discuss how Christians, living in the midst of the spiritual war, arm themselves.
THINK ABOUT IT In Revelation 1, Jesus said God “blesses all who listen to (the prophecy) and obey what it says, for the time is near.” We know believers overcome Satan’s accusations “with the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.” Is there living proof that you’re a follower of Christ, or are there changes you need to make? Knowing the time is near and the outcome for Christians has been secured, what changes will you make?
COMMIT TO MEMORY “They overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.” Revelation 12:11
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