Tje End of God's Mission

Lesson 13

The End of God’s Mission

(Revelation 1, 14 & 21)

Copr. 2023, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: Are you glad to come to the end of a task? My students feel joy when final exams are over. They feel joy when they finish law school and obtain their law degree. Even small tasks provide a feeling of accomplishment when they are done. Imagine being done with sin, sadness, and the struggles we face on earth. Even if your life seems good, it does not compare to eternal life in the earth made new. Let’s turn again to our Bibles and explore the end of our mission here on earth!

1. Time to Get Serious
   
   1. Read Revelation 1:1-2. Who is the source behind the book of Revelation? (God gave it to Jesus who gave it to an angel who gave it to John who gave it to us!)
      1. Why tell us that? (We have this message from the ultimate source of truth.)
   2. Read Revelation 1:3. What is the result of paying attention to this book? (Blessings.)
      1. Is there any urgency in becoming acquainted with the book of Revelation? (“The time is near.”)
         
         1. Does that cause you to wonder about the accuracy of Revelation? It was written around two thousand years ago, how that can be “near?” (In fact, Revelation starts revealing the future starting with the time of John.)
   3. Read Revelation 1:4-5. Are the elements of the gospel in these two verses? (Yes.)
   4. Read Revelation 1:6 and 1 Peter 2:9. What is our role in this kingdom? (We are God’s priests in His Kingdom. Peter calls us “royal” priests.)
      1. If God calls you a royal priest of His kingdom, what does that suggest about your daily work? (The priests represented God. They did God’s work. They communicated God’s will to the people.)
      2. What important fact does our role as priests add to our understanding of righteousness by faith alone? (Many people think that righteousness by faith means that their actions do not matter. If you are God’s representative, then your actions matter a great deal! It is an honor to represent God. We need to prize our role.)
   5. Read Revelation 1:7. What is the end goal of our priestly work representing the Kingdom of God? (The formal end of sin and the second arrival of Jesus, this time as our King and Redeemer.)
      1. What is troubling about the reaction of humans? (They “wail” because of Jesus’ return. The word wail means “to beat and cut” according to Barnes Commentary. This is extreme sorrow. Intense regret.)
      2. Let’s explore this. What does this say about your mission work? (It means many will reject it.)
      3. This wailing reaction seems odd in some ways. Some people are hostile to the gospel. Is this the reaction to being defeated?
         
         1. Or does this reaction seem more appropriate to those who intended to turn to Jesus but never got around to it?
         2. How about those who are not hostile, but are also not convinced of the gospel? (Among those I know best, disbelief is the dominant reaction. They generally know about Jesus and being born again. It is just not for them. They feel they are “good people,” they identify as Christians, and that is enough in their view.)
2. Three Angels
   
   1. Read Revelation 14:6-7. What is the motivational point of the message of the first angel? (Judgment is coming.)
      1. We just discussed the problem of those who never become serious about salvation. Is the first angel’s message our message? Have we made a mistake by stressing the love of God and downplaying judgment?
         
         1. Is avoiding judgment an important part of the love message?
      2. How do we prove God has the authority to judge? (He is our Creator God. His act of creation shows love. His sacrifice to save us from judgment shows love.)
   2. Read Romans 1:20-22. How important is belief in God as our Creator? (Without that belief human thinking is impaired. This is a central problem that we face in sharing the gospel.)
   3. Let’s skip down to the message of the third angel. Read Revelation 14:9-10. Is this a message of judgment?
      1. One of the logically strongest arguments against preaching judgment is that God wants us to come to Him through love, not fear. Can you think of a way to argue love in a judgment message? (Sin cannot survive. Sin destroys. Judgment is inevitable. Jesus gave Himself up to allow us to avoid judgment.)
      2. Think of the story of Noah (Genesis 6-9). Is that a story of love or judgment?
         
         1. Put yourself in Noah’s place. How would you talk about the ark that you were building?
3. Welcome Home!
   
   1. Read Revelation 21:1. What are we told about the new earth? (“The sea was no more.”)
      1. There is a negative inference here. What is inferred based on a lack of comment? (We are told that the sea will not be here, but that suggests that the land might exist in the general form it is now, just larger to account for the lack of a sea.)
   2. Read 2 Peter 3:10-12. What does thus tell us about the earth? (It seems to say that the atmosphere (and the stars?) will burn and be dissolved. As to the earth, it says it is “exposed.” I’m not sure what this means, but it might be consistent with us recognizing the contours of our present land masses.)
      1. Why are we even discussing this? (Randy Alcorn wrote “Heaven” and it suggests this idea - an idea that I would like to be true.)
   3. Read Revelation 21:2-3. Forget the contours of the earth, what is the great news about the earth made new? (God will live with us! The new earth will be the capitol of the universe. We will live in the capitol city!)
   4. Read Revelation 21:4. What will be your mental state in the earth made new? (Joy! No death, no tears, no pain - they are all gone!)
   5. Read Revelation 21:15-16. Does this look like the artist conceptions of the New Jerusalem? (This tells us that the New Jerusalem is a cube! It looks like a giant condominium! Its “length and width and height are equal.”)
   6. Read Revelation 21:22-25. What is the light source for the New Jerusalem and the earth made new? (God’s glory gives it light. Jesus is its lamp. As a result, there is no longer any night.)
      1. Think about that a minute. Will you miss night? Will you miss rest and sleep? (What this means is that we will not need rest. We will not get tired. We will always have energy.)
   7. Read Revelation 22:1-2. How do you think this will work? We are told that the New Jerusalem is a cube. How can the river of the water of life flow through it from God’s throne? How can it have a main street? How can the tree of life grow on both sides of the river of life? (The way I conceive this is that God’s throne is at the top of the condominium, which is consistent with Him being the light source. The New Jerusalem is an “open atrium” condominium, with the river of life flowing down from floor to floor, and the main street of the city following that pattern. This means that each floor of the condo has a main street and the river. The tree of life extends on both sides up through the middle of the condo in the open atrium.)
   8. Read Revelation 22:6-7. Is this God’s guarantee that He is coming to save us and live with us forever?
   1. Friend, Jesus is coming! We need to tell the world about our Creator God. We need to warn the world about the coming destruction. We need to give the good news God that loves humans and has provided a way out of destruction and into a glorious eternal life! Will you share this great, good news?

4. Next week: We begin a study of the book of Psalms.