Well, its back to my old church from this week and I’m also back to producing the bible study notes for the house groups. We have missed a few chapters over the summer, so we are jumping into Revelation chapter 20:

The final scenes of the vision are about to be revealed – the enemies of God are destroyed and the dead are raised. But what does John’s vision have to say for us today – what is the message that we should hear to prepare us for this coming day?

1. How would you describe this chapter to someone who is not a Christian? What would you tell them if they asked “how you can believe such weird fantasy?” 
2. Honestly, are we afraid to tell people about the second coming in case they ridicule us? What would you say to a fellow Christian who struggled to have the courage to speak up? 
3. Why do you think God paints such powerful images as this in chapter 20 – do you think they are symbolic or literal? Explain your answer. Outline the key events that occur in this chapter, the images that are used to describe them, and the significance of the numbers and symbols. 
4. If you believe the images are symbolic, do you think that makes the reality of the events the images are symbolising any less real? Do we really believe the events described in the chapter will one day happen? If so, what practical impact does this chapter have on your daily life today? How should knowing that the father of evil will be destroyed affect our attitude to sin now? 
5. Why do you think these verses are so divisive to Christians? What are the main things to keep in mind when discussing our different interpretations? How do we ensure that we do not make a particular interpretation more important than our Christian unity? 
6. Read verse 15 again – how does this make you feel for those without Christ? How can we allow the reality of this verse to alter our behaviour and attitudes here and now? What should our response be to the plight of the lost (Romans 9.1-3)? 
7. How does it make you feel to know how the story ends – “Jesus Wins”? How does this help us not to be fearful in front of an unbelieving world (see question 1)? How do bring the message that there is life after death to our secular nation in the light of verses 12-15?

Spend a few moments reading through Matthew 24.36-44 and preparing our own hearts for the final day. Pray also for those who we love that don’t yet know the great rescuer, Jesus.