A. The wrath of God and the wrath of the Beast

B. Wrath/judgment in the Old Testament

• The books of Moses and the prophets

C. Wrath/judgment in the New Testament

• The writings of Paul and John D. God’s face…in the face of wrath

A. Announcing judgment | Rev. 14‐15

• We all want justice!

B. Bowls of wrath? | Rev. 16

• The escalating encroachment of evil

• Judgments ‐ Who judges? ‐ What is judged? ‐ Who is judged?

C. What is the deal with Armageddon? | Rev. 16:13‐16

• What kind of feeling is evoked in you when discussing the judgment of God? Why do you think you experience those kinds of feelings?

• In what ways did the precursor on judgment help you in your understanding of God’s wrath/judgment?

• While it is true that we all long for justice, why do we seem to reach for vengeance?

• Describe/discuss the difference between retributive justice and restorative justice. Which one fits with the image of God we see in Christ?

• What did you think of the Armageddon segment? Were you surprised?

by Eugene H. Peterson

edited Tim Grimsrud & Michael Hardin

by Sigve K. Tonstad

A. The cosmic conflict began in heaven before embroiling the earth.

B. The characters

1. The woman (v. 1-2)

2. The dragon (v. 3-4)

3. The child (v. 5-6)

C. The plot

1. War in heaven (Revelation 12:7-9; Genesis 3; Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28)

2. War with the Christ (Revelation 12:1-6, 10-12)

3. War on the earth (Revelation 12:13-17)

A. The dragon requires assistance.

B. The characters

1. The beast from the sea (v. 1-10)

2. The beast from the earth (v. 11-18)

3. The relation of the dragon to the two beasts

• Which parts of this discussion, if any, create a sense of fear or dread in you? Why is that?

• In what ways has it helped you to see the first century context before trying to discern what this means in our context?

• How does the satan make war with the rest of the woman’s offspring in Chapter 13?

• How would you describe the antichrist in the light of our texts? What do you feel about a personified antichrist?

• What are your thoughts regarding the statement, “The biggest obstacle to living a martyr’s life/death in our generation is compromising with a consumerist culture”?

• Reversed Thunder

by Eugene H. Peterson

• Compassionate Eschatology

edited Tim Grimsrud & Michael Hardin

• Saving God’s Reputation

by Sigve K. Tonstad

A. A message from the Creator

1. The messenger is not a Hallmark, rosy‐cheeked cherub but an apocalyptic angel!

2. The significance of the angel image…

B. Back to the scroll

1. Sweet in the mouth but bitter in the stomach?

A. Measuring the temple

1. What is this symbolic of?

B. One Temple with two courts…

1. The place of worship is protected

2. The place of witness is vulnerable

C. Two witnesses

1. Who are they and what do they represent?

D. Faithful witness is the task of the church.

1. Where is it conducted?

2. How long does it last?

• 1260 days, 3 ½ years, 42 months…

3. How is it done?

• Resisting the empire through martyrdom but not violence

A. Effective…the “is to come” becomes reality (Revelation 11:17)

• What was the point of John’s eating the scroll?

• Why was it both sweet in the mouth but bitter in the stomach? Why does that matter?

• How does John fuel the imagination of his readers to engage them in the work of witness?

• Why do you think he fuels the imagination rather than just giving them their job description?

by Eugene H. Peterson

edited Tim Grimsrud & Michael Hardin

by Sigve K. Tonstad

A. What does all this destruction mean?

B. How can God sanction this destruction and death?

1. Determining the source of the destruction

2. The Abyss, not the movie but the black hole of the human heart

C. What is God to do with human depravity and the world systems that dominate, oppress, and degrade people? D. Don’t wait until you see the locusts!

A. Back to the scroll…

1. Sweet in the mouth but bitter in the stomach?

B. One Temple with two courts…

1. The place of worship

2. The place of witness

C. Faithful witness is the task of the church.

1. Where is it conducted?

2. How long does it last?

• 1260 days, 3 ½ years, 42 months…

3. How is it done?

• Resisting the empire through martyrdom but not violence

D. What kind of campaign is that?

1. Effective…the “is to come” becomes reality (Revelation 11:17)

• How do you reconcile God’s nature with the divine judgments described in the trumpet sequence?

• What did you think about Phil’s thoughts on the Abyss being the black hole of human hearts?

• What was the point of John’s eating the scroll? Why was it both sweet and bitter? Why does that matter?

• How does John fuel the imagination of his readers to engage in the work of witness?

by Eugene H. Peterson

edited Tim Grimsrud & Michael Hardin

by Sigve K. Tonstad

• Proverbs 17:3 (NLT)

• James 1:12 (NLT)

• Psalm 77 (NLT) ‐ A personal account of faith that grows

A. The process starts with some form of self‐pity.

A. And it progresses to a place of distorted truth and faulty conclusions.

A. Faith shifts our focus from our problem to God’s greatness.

A. Faith recalibrates our expectations from “God protecting us from hardship” to “God protecting us in hardship.”

• Isaiah 43:1‐3 (NLT)

A. Suffering is God’s way of eliminating the weaknesses and strengthening our faith.

• Isaiah 48:10 (NLT)

• How do you normally respond when you face trouble or hardship?

• Can you think of a time where your faith shifted your focus from your problem to God’s greatness? What did that do for you? • What is the difference between God protecting us from hardship and God protecting us in hardship?

• What are your thoughts/feelings about the statement, “Suffering is God’s way of eliminating the weaknesses and strengthening our faith”?

A. The four horsemen (Seals #1 – 4)

• The symbols and their meaning

A. The Martyrs (Seal #5)

• How long will this continue?

B. The Terror (Seal #6)

• The wrath of the Lamb (v.17)

C. An excursus on the wrath of the Lamb

A. Only 144,000?

• The symbol and its meaning

B. Tribulation and the redeemed

• So, we thought we were skipping that part…

• Is it possible or helpful even, to locate the symbols of the seals in the events of history past or present? Why or why not?

• How might a first century listener have interpreted the first six seals? What are your thoughts on these things after today’s talk?

• What do you make of the heavenly response to the martyr’s question, “How long…”? Why does this answer make sense to the first century Christian?

• How do we reconcile wrath with Lamb? What do you think about the wrath of God as discussed in the talk?

• What were your thoughts on the tribulation prior to today’s talk? Has your thinking changed in any way since the talk?

by Eugene H. Peterson

edited Tim Grimsrud & Michael Hardin

by Sigve K. Tonstad

II. A backstage pass… | Revelation 4:1‐11

A. An invitation for the seven churches to see behind the curtain

B. “…what must take place after these things.”

1. Events that would engulf their world and cause the suffering/persecution they were warned of in chapters 2‐3

A. The profound problems within creation means that the Creator must act decisively to put things right.

1. Not because creation is bad and he is angry but because creation is good and he is angry with the forces determined to destroy it

B. The sealed scroll (God’s plan to overthrow those forces of evil) must be opened but there is no one found “worthy” to open it.

1. The question of God’s character means the throne is contested!

A. The obvious reference to Jesus as Messiah (Rev. 5:5; Isa. 11:1‐10; Gen. 49)

B. What John hears is the announcement of the Lion but what he sees is the Lamb!

C. The Lion has already triumphed over evil through his actions of the self‐sacrificial Lamb at the cross/resurrection

1. This is how God overcomes evil and this is a reminder to the churches to follow his lead

• For you personally, what was the main takeaway from the talk today?

• What was the “crisis” in heaven? What were your first thoughts/impressions upon hearing that the throne in heaven was contested? What are your thoughts now?

• How does John reconcile the images of both Lion and Lamb?

• What does it mean that the Lion has already overcome the forces of evil? What are the implications of this for the remainder of Revelation?

by Eugene H. Peterson

 edited Tim Grimsrud & Michael Hardin

by Sigve K. Tonstad

II. John | Revelation 1:1-11

A. A frame of reference for interpreting Revelation

B. Things are not as they seem…

1. Revelation 1:4‐6 ‐ already!

2. Revelation 1:7 ‐ not yet!

A. “…one like a son of man…” (verse 13)

1. see also Daniel 7:13 B. His location, His look, and His LIFE

A. The letter to seven churches

B. The pattern of the letter to each church

C. The content of the letter to each church

1. Spiritual direction

2. Training

D. Lampstands…not the light

• Why is there so much emphasis on “hearing” the word of God and not just reading it?

• What kind of response would John’s audience had given to the content of verses 4-6?

• How do you think they were to interpret this announcement of Christ’s present rule?

• What were the implications of verse 6 for them?

• What do you make of the phrase, “the comingness of God”? How does that line up with the Second Coming of Christ?

• How are we to relate to the messages to the seven churches?

by Eugene H. Peterson

edited Tim Grimsrud & Michael Hardin

by Sigve K. Tonstad

A. “There is nothing new to say but there is a new way to say it.”

B. The purpose of the book is primarily about life in the present, not the future!

C. In context, it must mean something to the original recipients of the letter.

D. The three most common methods of interpretation:

1. Preterist

2. Idealist

3. Futurist

E. The book is intended to be experienced not dissected or decoded.

F. Patiently listen, give grace, and keep an open mind.

A. What kind of book is this?

B. What is revealed?

1. Jesus is both the revealer and that which is being revealed.

C. Chapter One

1. The Commission | Revelation 1:1-3

2. The Greeting | Revelation 1:4-8

3. John and the Revealer | Revelation 1:9-20

What are your thoughts and concerns going into this study of Revelation?

How have you previously approached/interpreted this book?

Considering what was spoken today, why do you think studying this book is relevant today?

What was your main take-away from today’s talk?

 

by Eugene H. Peterson

edited Tim Grimsrud & Michael Hardin

by Sigve K. Tonstad

II. The ragged edge of reality | 2 Chronicles 20

A. When reality strikes…

1. Fear, dread, and a lack of power

2. “…nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

B. The Ragged Edge Band

1. A song for the ages…

2. Psalm 46:1‐11

• “Be still, cease striving…”

• “…and know that I am God!”

A. Life is short…don’t waste it!

B. Love is everything!

C. No one is perfect; however, Christ followers must mature!

D. Live the future the best you can right now!