青少年教程 (启示录不是什么*第1课) | 它不是为了吓唬你
- 羊之门-编译组
- Aug 3
- 15 min read
编者按
这是一套在美国很受欢迎的教材，按年龄共分三部分：0-6岁学龄前儿童教程，6-12岁学龄儿童教程，和12岁以上青少年教程。我们将陆续翻译成中文，分享给大家。
这套教材里的每一篇，无论是教程还是各种活动，都独立成篇，没有先后顺序，大家可以按需要和负担选择使用。
*更多内容：thedoorofsheep.com/青少年 课程目的
帮助学生对启示录有整体的认识
向学生介绍写下启示录的人，使徒约翰
消除学生学习启示录时的畏惧感
主题
鼓励、惧怕、逼迫、预言
背诵经文
启示录 1:5-6
开始祷告(5-10分钟)
团队建立(10分钟)
准备一个杯子，里面放入与参加人数相同数量的吸管。用记号笔在三分之一至一半的吸管末端作上标记，具体数量由你决定。另外，事先准备一份破冰问题的清单，下面提供了一些例子。每提出一个问题，抽到有标记吸管的人就需要回答。
游戏说明:
提出问题。
把杯子依次传给每个人，每人抽出一根吸管。
抽到有标记吸管的人回答问题。没有抽到的人则继续把杯子往下传，但无论是否有标记，都要暂时保留自己的吸管。
一轮结束后，再把杯子传一遍，让所有人放回吸管，为下一个问题作准备。
示例问题:
• 你最喜欢用吸管喝什么饮料？
• 世界上你最喜欢的地方是哪里？
• 假如你的生命是一种音乐风格，它会是哪一种？为什么？
• 你梦想中的工作是什么？
• 启示录中最令你困惑的部分是什么？
开始(5分钟)
我不知道你们对启示录有多少了解，但在开始学习时，我想先进行一个小测验。（可以准备一袋糖果，每答对一题就奖励一颗，最后把剩下的糖果送给答对最多问题的人。）
关于启示录的十个问题:
谁写了启示录？（使徒约翰。）
他写作时在哪个岛上？（拔摩岛。）
耶稣第一次显现时，右手拿着什么？口中出来的是什么？（右手拿着七星，口中出来一把两刃的利剑。）
在约翰的异象中，宝座周围有四个活物。它们分别像什么？（狮子、牛犊、人和飞鹰。）
神手中那卷等候展开的“书卷”上有几个印？（七个印。）
有多少人受印，成为神的仆人？（十四万四千人。）
约翰怎样处理天使交给他的那小书卷？（他把它吃了。）
名字没有记在“生命册”上的人被扔到哪里？（火湖。）
哪一座城像预备好等候丈夫的新妇一样降下来？（新耶路撒冷。）
新城的城门是用什么制成的？（每一扇门都是一颗大珍珠。）
我们大多数人对启示录了解得并不多。我们以为自己知道的一些内容其实并不正确，因为那些观念并没有圣经根据，而是来自流行文化对末世的想象。开始学习这卷书时，我们必须谦卑地来到经文面前，明白我们所知道的，或者自以为知道的，可能并不准确。
今天，我们要从启示录最开始的地方学起。
深入学习(30分钟)
读 启示录 1:1-20
启示录第1章还没有读完，已经有许多内容值得我们仔细思考。明白这卷书怎样开始，对于理解其余部分至关重要。启示录不是一道用来难倒人的智力谜题，更不是为了吓得你不敢学习它。
今天的课程将为整个系列奠定基础。我们也会进一步认识写下启示录的人，以及他为什么写这卷书。
认识启示录
再次 读启示录 1:1-3
讨论问题:
这启示是从谁而来的？（耶稣基督。）
根据第2节，为什么要传达这启示？（因为有些事必要快快成就。）
这启示怎样传给我们？（耶稣借着天使晓谕约翰，约翰再把它写下来。）
对那些诵读、聆听并遵守书中所记内容的人，有什么应许？（他们是有福的。）
再次 读启示录 1:4-8
讨论问题:
这封信最初是写给谁的？（亚细亚省的七个教会。）
这段开头赋予耶稣许多称号和特质，其中包括哪些？（昔在、今在、以后永在的神；诚实作见证的；从死里首先复活的；世上君王的元首；祂爱我们，用自己的血使我们脱离罪恶，又使我们成为国民，作祂父神的祭司。）
这些称号和特质怎样帮助最初的读者和我们，以相信这些话是可靠的？（耶稣有权柄和资格传达这些话，祂也是信实的等等。）
从刚才所读的经文中，我们可以知道三件事：
这些话直接来自主。
这些话是特别写给亚细亚，也就是今天土耳其一带的一组教会。几周后我们会进一步认识这些教会。
这封信所描述的，是“必要快快成就”的事。
现在，我们已经了解这封信的一些基本资料。接下来，让我们进一步认识写下这些话的人。
认识约翰
再次 读启示录 1:9-10
讨论问题：
约翰怎样表明自己与读者之间的关系？（他称自己为“你们的弟兄，和你们在患难中一同有分的”。）
他在哪里？（拔摩岛。）
他为什么在那里？（“为神的道，并为给耶稣作的见证”。）
我们可以合理推断，这卷书所提到的作者约翰，虽然他没有明说，就是福音书中提到的西庇太的儿子约翰。他曾与耶稣同行，在十字架旁陪伴耶稣的母亲；他也因传道在使徒行传中遭受逼迫，并且写了约翰福音、约翰一书、约翰二书和约翰三书。
第二世纪初期的殉道者游斯丁也宣称，是同一位约翰写了启示录。许多人认为，他所处的年代距离启示录写成还不到一代人的时间。
约翰是谁？他为什么在拔摩岛？
讨论问题（续）
关于约翰，你知道哪些真实的事情？（他是使徒；曾与耶稣同行；写了一卷福音书和另外三封书信；不知疲倦地传道。）
约翰说，自己是因神的道而在岛上。这是什么意思？（大多数学者认为，他因为传讲耶稣而被放逐到岛上。）
约翰因传讲基督和祂的国，公开挑战罗马帝国而被放逐到拔摩岛。拔摩岛是一个采矿岛，而宣扬基督的国在当时是违法的。明白这个背景之后，让我们再次阅读他从主领受的第一个启示。
再次读启示录 1:10-20
讨论问题：
第10节中，约翰听见的声音像什么？（像吹号的声音。）
那声音吩咐他做什么？（把所看见的写下来，寄给七个教会。）
七个教会分别位于哪里？（以弗所、士每拿、别迦摩、推雅推喇、撒狄、非拉铁非和老底嘉。）
这里再次出现七个教会，它们就是这封信最初的读者。不过，约翰不是把这封信写七遍，每个教会寄一份；他也不是发出一封邮件，同时抄送给另外六个教会。他只写下一份，然后让它在各地传阅。很方便的是，他按照这些城市在一条主要商路上的地理顺序列出了它们。（你可以在网上查看启示录七教会的地图，进一步了解这一点。）
讨论问题（续）
从第12节开始出现象征性的画面。约翰看见了什么？（七个金灯台，以及“一位好像人子”的，祂有发光的形象、带着权柄的衣着等。这一位就是耶稣。）
约翰有什么反应？（他俯伏在耶稣脚前。）
这位显现者怎样回应？（“我是首先的，我是末后的，又是那存活的。”）
耶稣吩咐约翰做什么？（把他所看见的写下来。）
耶稣怎样解释七星和七个金灯台？（七星是七个教会的使者，七个灯台就是七个教会。）
约翰是启示录的作者。他直接从耶稣领受这些话。这些话最初是写给前面所提到的七个教会。虽然约翰遭受逼迫，人们却无法使他沉默；这卷书后面的内容，将进一步展开耶稣赐给他的启示。
联系实际（15分钟）
要明白启示录，我们必须知道应当怎样阅读它。下次我们会进一步谈到这卷书的结构，因为约翰有意采用了一种写作方式，突出某个重要事件。不过，在开始时，有几件事需要记住。
1. 从最初读者的处境来阅读
虽然这封信对今天的我们有许多教导和激励，但它最初是写给第一世纪的读者。请根据你对圣经的认识，尝试回答以下问题。
一般讨论：
• 第一世纪罗马帝国中的初期教会正在面对什么？（他们遭受严重的逼迫。）
• 有多少门徒因为传道而被杀？（根据教会历史所能知道的，除了约翰以外，其他人都因信基督而被杀。）
• 你认为这样一群遭受逼迫的人需要怎样的一封信？（一封带来鼓励的信。）
我们很容易把启示录当作专门为今天的我们而写。虽然它的确适用于我们，但我们不是最初的读者。我们不能把它原有的目的夺过来，使它只符合我们认为自己需要听见的内容。
在当时的世界里，若不敬拜皇帝和其他数百位神明，就会被视为无神论者。基督徒不断面临被监禁、酷刑和死亡的威胁。他们需要一封鼓励他们的信，而启示录正是这样的信。
2. 阅读时要明白，这些事必要快快成就
这一点很难理解，因为我们大多数人认为，启示录所记载的真理会在将来某个时候发生，有些人甚至认为是在非常遥远的未来。然而，启示录并不全是在谈末世，至少不是只按照我们通常理解末世的方式来谈。
启示录 1:1和1:3都提到这些事必要快快成就。启示录中的一些事件，可能回顾已经发生的事；另一些会在不久后发生；还有一些可能在更遥远的将来发生。然而，整卷书都是为了借着那些必要快快成就的事，鼓励最初的读者。我们只能推测，这包括他们将继续遭受罗马人的逼迫。
一般讨论：
• 如果“快快成就”适用于启示录中的所有内容，那么启示录能否只是一卷关于世界末日的书？（不能。）
• 你认为人们为什么觉得启示录只是在谈末世？（因为他们没有研究整卷书。）
• 当时文化中所发生的事，与我们今天所经历的有哪些相似之处？（让学生讨论。）
• 我们的社会有哪些相似之处？（让学生谈谈，在今天这个时代作基督徒有哪些困难。）
3. 不要害怕
最后，当我们开始学习启示录时，我希望你们可以勇敢地阅读。不要害怕。这卷书不是为了吓唬你，而是为了鼓励你！这并不意味着其中每一件事都会完全清楚，也不意味着这卷书中没有令人恐惧的内容。但我们需要记得，是谁把这些话赐给我们。
再次 读启示录 1:6
耶稣拥有荣耀、能力和权柄，却仍差遣我们肩负使命，为祂而活。祂已经用自己的血拯救了我们（第5节）。我们不需要害怕，因为耶稣帮助我们。最终，没有任何逼迫能够拦阻我们；只要我们忠于耶稣，也不必惧怕任何审判。祂是赐下这些话的主，也是在历世历代鼓励无数信徒的那一位。
启示录是一卷为所有愿意阅读它的人带来鼓励的书。
结束祷告(2分钟)
在开始这个启示录系列时，为小组祷告，求神使他们因这好消息而得着鼓励：耶稣已经拯救了他们，也赐给他们能力，使他们能为祂坚定站立并且得胜。
****** 英文版 *******
Revelation: What Revelation Is Not
Lesson 1: It Is Not Meant to Scare You
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Goals
1. To inform students of the overview of the book of Revelation
2. To introduce students to the man who penned the book—John the Apostle
3. To remove the intimidation factor from studying the book of Revelation
Topics
Encouragement, Fear, Persecution, Prophecy
Scripture Memorization
Revelation 1:5-6
OPENING PRAYER (5 to 10 minutes)
GROUP BUILDING (10 minutes)
Prepare a cup full of straws with the same amount of straws as there are people. Mark the end of one-third to one-half of the straws (you decide) with a sharpie. Have a prepared list of icebreaker questions (ideas below). For each question, those who draw a straw that is marked have to answer the question.
Directions:
1. Ask the question.
2. Pass around the cup. Each person will draw a straw.
3. Those who draw a marked straw answer the question. If they do not, they pass the cup on, keeping their straw either way.
4. At the end of round, have them pass the cup again to return the straws in preparation for the next question.
Sample Questions:
• What is you favorite drink to sip out of a straw?
• What is your favorite place on earth?
• If your life were a style of music, what style of music would it be and why?
• What is your dream job?
• What is the most confusing part of the book of Revelation?
GETTING STARTED (5 minutes)
I don’t know how much you know about Revelation, but as we start this study, I thought we’d start with a little quiz. (Maybe have a bag of candy, awarding a piece for every correct answer, and the rest of the bag to whomever answers the most questions correctly.)
Ten Questions about Revelation:
1. Who wrote Revelation? (The Apostle John.)
2. What island is he on as he writes? (Patmos.)
3. When Jesus first appears, what items are in His right hand and what is coming out of His mouth? (Seven stars in His right hand and a sharp, two-edged sword is coming out of his mouth.)
4. There are four beasts around the throne in John’s vision. What are they like? (The beasts are like a lion, a calf, a man, and a flying eagle.)
5. How many seals were on or across the “book” that God held ready to be opened? (There are seven seals.)
6. How many witnesses were sealed as servants for God? (144,000.)
7. What does John do with the little book that was given to him by the angel? (He eats it.)
8. Where were those whose names were not written in the "Book of Life" cast? (The Lake of Fire.)
9. What is the name of the city that descends as a bride prepared for her husband? (The New Jerusalem.)
10. What were the gates in the new city made from? (Each gate was made from one large pearl.)
Most of us don’t know much about Revelation. Some of what we think we know about the book is incorrect as its not biblically sound, but based rather on pop culture ideas about the End Times. As we start this study, it is important to come to the text with humility, understanding that what we know (or think we know) might not be accurate.
Today, we are going to start at the very beginning of Revelation.
DIGGING IN (30 minutes)
Read Revelation 1:1-20
Before we get through the first chapter of Revelation, there is already plenty to unpack regarding the book of Revelation. Understanding how the book begins is essential to understanding the rest of the book. This is not meant to be a brainteaser, and it is certainly not meant to scare you away from studying the book.
Today's lesson will set the stage for the entire lesson series. We will also discover more about the man who wrote Revelation and the reason he wrote it.
Introducing Revelation
Re-read Revelation 1:1-3
Discussion Questions:
1. From whom is this revelation received? (Jesus Christ.)
2. Why is this revelation proclaimed, according to verse 2? (Because there are things that must soon take place.)
3. How is this revelation shared with us? (Via an angel who reveals it to John, who then writes it down.)
4. What is promised to those who read it, hear it, and take to heart what is written in the book? (A blessing.)
Re-read Revelation 1:4-8
Discussion Questions:
1. Who is the original intended audience of this letter? (“The seven churches of the province of Asia.”)
2. Jesus is attributed with several qualities in this in this introduction. What are some of them? (Him who is, was, and is to come; a Faithful Witness; Firstborn from the dead; Ruler of the kings of the earth; and He loves us, freed us by His blood, and made us to be a kingdom and to serve His God and Father.)
3. What do these attributes tell the original audience (and us) about the trustworthiness of these words? (Jesus has the authority and the right to share them, He is faithful, etc.)
Here are three things we know from the passages we just read:
1. These words are straight from the Lord.
2. They are addressed specifically to a group of churches in Asia (modern day Turkey) that we’ll learn much more about in a couple weeks.
3. The contents of this letter describe events that “must soon take place.”Now that we know some of the basics of this letter, let’s learn more about the man who wrote the words.
Introducing John
Re-read Revelation 1:9-10
Discussion Questions:
1. How does John associate himself with his audience? (“your brother and companion in suffering.”)
2. Where is he located? (The island of Patmos.)
3. Why is he there? (Because "of the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus.")
We can rightly assume that the John listed, as the author of this book (even though he doesn’t say so) is John, the son of Zebedee, mentioned in the Gospels. That’s the same John who travelled with Jesus, stood at the cross with Jesus' mother, was persecuted for preaching in the book of Acts, and was also the author of the Gospels of John, 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John.
Justin Martyr, who wrote in the early second century (what many would say is less than a generation removed from the authorship of Revelation), claimed that this same John wrote the book.
Who was John, and why was he on Patmos?
Discussion Questions (Continued):
4. What do you know to be true about John? (He was an Apostle, he walked with Jesus, he wrote a Gospel, he wrote three other letters, he preached tirelessly.)
5. John says he’s on the island because of the Word of God. What does that mean? (Most scholars believe John is exiled on the island for preaching about Jesus.)
John is banished to Patmos (a mining island) because he spoke up against the Roman Empire by speaking of Christ and His Kingdom, which was against the law. With that backdrop in mind, let’s re-read the first revelation he gets from the Lord.
Re-read Revelation 1:10-20
Discussion Questions:
1. What is the voice like that John hears in verse 10? (It is like a trumpet.)
2. What does the voice command him to do? (Write down what he sees and send it to the seven churches.)
3. Where are the seven churches located? (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.)
There are those seven churches again. They are the original intended audience. However, John isn’t writing this down seven times and sending each church a copy. He is not sending one email with six carbon copies. He wrote it down once, and they will pass it from place to place. Conveniently, he lists the cities in order of their geographical position on a major trade route (You can view a map of the seven churches of Revelation online that demonstrates this).
Discussion Questions (Continued):
4. The symbols begin in verse 12. What does John see? (Seven lamp stands, and “someone like the son of man,” with glowing features, authoritative clothing, etc. It is Jesus.)
5. What is John’s response? (He falls at Jesus' feet.)
6. What is the response from this figure? (“I am the First and the Last, the Living One.”)
7. What does Jesus tell John to do? (Write what he has seen.)
8. How does Jesus explain the seven stars and seven lamp stands? (The stars are the angels/messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands are the seven churches.)
John is the author of Revelation. He receives these words straight from Jesus. These words were originally intended for the seven churches previously discussed. Although John has been persecuted, he cannot be silenced, and the rest of the book is going to unpack the revelation Jesus gave him.
MAKING IT REAL (15 minutes)
For Revelation to make sense, we need to understand how to read it. We’ll talk more about the structure next week—John wrote it in a way to highlight a certain event intentionally—but this week there are a few things to keep in mind as we get started.
1. Read it Through the Lens of the Original Intended AudienceWhile this letter has much information and inspiration for us today, it was written to a first century audience. Based on what you know about the Bible, take a stab at answering these questions:
General Discussion:
• What was the early Church up against in the first century Roman Empire? (They suffered great persecution.)
• How many of the Disciples were killed for preaching? (The best we know from Church history is that all of them but John were murdered for their faith in Christ.)
• What kind of letter do you suppose a persecuted people like this would need? (One of encouragement.)
It is easy to approach Revelation as if it were written just for us. However, even though it applies to us, we were not the original audience. We can’t hijack its purpose to fit what we think we need to hear.
Living in a world where you didn't worship the Emperor and the hundreds of other deities meant you were an atheist, Christians were under constant threat of imprisonment, torture, and death. They needed a letter to encourage them, and that is what they got.
2. Read it Understanding that the Events It Talks About Will Soon Take Place
This is a tough one, because most of us think that Revelation contains truth that will happen sometime in the future—the distant future, some of us believe. However, the book of Revelation is not all about the End Times—at least not in the way we may think of it.
Both Revelation 1:1 and 1:3 discuss the events that will soon take place. Some of these events in Revelation may recount things that have already happened, some things that will happen soon, and some things that will happen in the more distant future. However, all of it is meant to encourage the original audience of things that will soon take place. We can only presume this means continued persecution at the hands of the Romans.
General Discussion:
• If the language about things happening “soon” applies to everything in Revelation, can Revelation solely be a book about the end of time? (No.)
• Why do you think people think that Revelation is just about the End Times? (They don’t study the entire book.)
• How is what was taking place in their culture similar to what we endure in our own? (Allow for discussion.)
• How are our societies similar? (Allow students to speak up about how it’s difficult to be a Christian in this day and age.)
3. Don’t Be Scared
Last of all, as we approach this study of Revelation, I want you to read undaunted. Don’t be scared. This is not meant to scare you; it is meant to encourage you! This doesn’t mean everything will make perfect sense. This doesn’t mean there aren’t some terrifying things in this book. We need to be reminded of who is giving us these words.
Re-read Revelation 1:6
Jesus has glory, power, authority, and yet He sends us on a mission to live for Him. He has saved us (verse 5) by His own blood. We don’t need to fear. Jesus is for us. In the end, there is no persecution that can stop us, nor is there any judgment to fear so long as we are faithful to Jesus—the giver of these words and the encourager of millions throughout the ages.Revelation is a book of encouragement for all who will read it.
CLOSING PRAYER (2 minutes)
Pray for your group as you start this series in Revelation, that they might be encouraged by the Good News that Jesus has saved them and empowers them to stand victorious for Him.
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