青少年教程 (启示录不是什么*第2课) | 它不是为了让你困惑
- 羊之门-编译组
- Aug 4
- 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
帮助学生理清启示录的结构
借着启示录的中心主题-耶稣，激励学生
主题
鬼魔、鼓励、忍耐、永生、耶稣、保护、复活、撒但、受苦、试探
背诵经文
启示录 12:11
开始祷告(5-10分钟)
团队建立(10分钟)
给每个人几张纸和一支笔或铅笔。
告诉大家，小组要玩一个“图画传话”游戏。这个游戏结合了两个经典游戏：你画我猜和传话游戏。开始时，选一位学生写下第一个句子。
可以使用下面这些示例，也可以让学生自己想一句：
狗对着篱笆旁边的陌生人大叫。
女孩因为没有冰淇淋而感到失望。
墙上有五个钟，地板上还有一个。
第一个人写好短语或句子后，把纸传给下一位学生。其他人都不能知道纸上写了什么。
给第二位学生一至两分钟，让他按照第一位学生写的内容画一幅图。画好以后，再把图传给下一位学生。
第三位学生要根据这幅图写一句话，描述自己认为图中表达的内容。然后把这句话传给下一位学生，由他根据句子再画一幅图。
每个人只能看前一个人直接传给自己的那张纸，任何时候都不能查看更早的纸张。
经过几个人之后，最初的句子通常会发生很大的变化。最后，请最后一位学生展示自己的图画或句子，再请第一位学生读出原来的句子。
开始(5分钟)
一般讨论:
• 这个游戏容易还是困难？（让学生讨论。）
• 什么使这个游戏变得困难？（图画看不懂、不知道怎样准确表达、自己不擅长画画等。）
• 到了游戏结束时，我们与最初的句子相差多远？（可能已经相差很远。）
• 什么可能使游戏容易一些？（如果大家更会画画，或者能够看到其他人的句子和图画等。）
有时，启示录看起来很像我们刚才所玩的游戏，的确会令人困惑。我们可能不明白其中一些描述或象征，也可能不知道某些事情是在什么时候发生，或将要在什么时候发生。
事实上，启示录中始终会有一些奥秘，但它也许比你想象的更容易理解。启示录确实围绕着一个明确的中心主题写成。今天，我们要尝试了解启示录的整体结构，好让我们在继续学习时，始终把这卷书的重点放在心中。
现在就开始吧！
深入学习(30分钟)
在整体了解启示录的主题时，我们要更深入地来看两件事。
首先，我们要谈启示录的结构，也就是看看这卷书是怎样安排的，好帮助我们正确理解它。我要大家在脑海中记住两个形状：一条直线和一个箭头。
（为了帮助学生理解，可以在讲解不同部分时，让学生按照所说的形状站立或坐下。直线能说明，如果按照线性顺序阅读，我们可能怎样误解启示录；箭头形状则说明一种更准确的理解方式。）
直线
请学生尽量站成或坐成一条直线。带领者也站在线中，虽然这样讲课会有些不方便。
启示录不应该以线性的方式来阅读。它不是一条从开头一直延伸到结尾的时间线。
读 启示录 6:12-14、8:12和16:8
讨论问题:
在启示录第6章中，太阳发生了什么？（变黑了。）
在启示录第6章中，众星发生了什么？（像无花果从树上被大风摇落一样，从天上坠落到地上。）
在启示录第6章中，天发生了什么？（像书卷被卷起来一样挪移。）
在启示录 8:12中，众星发生了什么？（三分之一受到击打。）
在启示录 8:12中，太阳发生了什么？（三分之一受到击打。）
在启示录 16:8中，太阳发生了什么？（一位天使把碗倒在太阳上，太阳便用火烤人。）
如果众星在第6章已经从天上坠落、不复存在，那么第8章中它们怎么还能受到击打？（不可能。）
如果太阳在第6章已经变黑，那么在第8章中它怎么还能受到击打，在第16章中又怎么能灼伤人？（不可能。）
这向我们显明启示录的两个重要特点。第一，启示录大量使用象征，我们会在后面的课程中学习这一点。第二，启示录不应该被当作一条时间线来阅读。这些事件并不是严格按照顺序发生。约翰在整卷启示录中会重新回到某些事件，重复叙述，并进一步展开已经谈过的内容。
既然启示录不应当按照一条直线来阅读，那么应当怎样阅读呢？
箭头
现在，请学生组成一个箭头的形状，也就是两条直线在一点相交，看起来像一个大于号（>）。所有人面向同一个方向，也就是箭头的尖端。带领者站在尖端，面向学生。
启示录更应该像一个箭头那样来阅读。这种文学结构称为交错结构。
什么是交错结构？其实很简单：
交错结构是一种写作方式，借着特别的重复次序，使内容更加清楚，或突出某个重点。
读 马可福音 2:27
这节经文前后两部分，按照相反的顺序重复了“安息日”和“人”这两个词。这就是一个交错结构。
（约书亚记 1:5-9中有一个更复杂的交错结构。如果时间允许，可以读这段经文，看看其中某些词组和主题怎样彼此重复。）
如果仍然不清楚，可以想象一块奥利奥饼干。两边是酥脆的巧克力饼干，中间夹着美味的奶油。不过，交错结构通常比这个比喻更复杂。也可以想象一个巨无霸汉堡：中间有一层面包，两边各有一块肉，肉的外面又各有一层面包。
启示录中的交错结构可能相当复杂。课程练习册中附有启示录的结构，可以帮助我们更好地理解：
启示录的交错结构
启示录 1:1-3:22（耶稣与祂的教会-第一部分）
启示录 4:1-8:1（审判-第一部分）
启示录 8:2-11:19（与错误的争战-第一部分）
启示录 12:1-12:17（妇人与龙）
启示录 13:1-16:21（与错误的争战-第二部分）
启示录 17:1-19:8（审判-第二部分）
启示录 19:9-22:21（耶稣与祂的教会-第二部分）
启示录在文学结构上是一个交错结构。中心两边的所有内容都指向中间，而中间部分正是最需要强调的重点。
这把我们带到第二件需要明白的事。如果启示录的结构不是一条直线，而是一个箭头，那么我们必须问：“这个箭头指向什么？”
请翻到启示录第12章。这一章就是箭头的尖端，其余内容不是向前指向这里，就是从这里向后展开。因此，我们应当特别留意这一章！
读 启示录 12:1-6
讨论问题:
这段经文中的三个主要角色是谁？（一个妇人、一个孩子和一条龙。）
龙想对孩子做什么？（吞吃他。）
这个孩子有什么特别之处？（他将用铁杖辖管万国。）
这个孩子是谁？（耶稣。）
耶稣后来怎样了？（祂被提到天上。）
耶稣的一生和事工，也就是基督的降生、生活、死亡和复活，只在一节经文中被概括，接着祂似乎已经在天上。约翰这样写，是要指出，当时实际发生的事远比人眼所能看见的更多。耶稣的降生、生活、死亡和复活，都是极其重大的事件。
读 启示录 12:7-12
讨论问题:
根据第7节，天上发生了什么？（米迦勒和他的使者与龙和龙的使者展开了一场大战。）
根据第9节，龙是谁？（“古蛇，名叫魔鬼，又叫撒但。”）
撒但后来怎样了？（被摔到地上，失去了他在天上的位置。）
这一切是因着什么而发生？（基督的事件，也就是祂的降生、生活、死亡和复活。）
根据第11节，撒但是怎样被击败的？（羔羊的血胜过了撒但。）
撒但现在在哪里？（在地上。）
根据第12节，撒但的命运怎样？（“他知道自己的时候不多了。”）
神借着基督的受苦得胜。撒但之所以被击败，是因为神来到地上，住在我们中间，并为我们而死。之后，祂借着复活胜过撒但、罪和死亡。这一切付上了祂流血的代价。
现在撒但在地上，轮到我们经历苦难。
读 启示录 12:13-17
讨论问题:
龙试图吞吃谁？（那个孩子。）
他成功了吗？（没有。）
根据第17节，龙正在与谁争战？（那些守神诫命、为耶稣作见证的人。）
这些人是谁？（基督徒。）
第12章不是在讲尚未发生的事情。很明显，这些“异象”所指的是已经发生的事。撒但试图吞吃耶稣，却因基督的能力而失败。如今，撒但转而攻击我们。
联系实际（15分钟）
如果启示录第12章是整卷书的中心，那么第11节就是这一章的关键。
读 启示录 12:11
讨论问题:
启示录最初的读者是谁？（第一世纪的基督徒。）
他们面对怎样的敌对？（极其严重的逼迫。）
他们是否因爱惜自己的性命而退缩，甚至不愿面对死亡？（没有，他们仍然持守自己的见证。）
他们的鼓励从哪里而来？（他们借着羔羊的血胜过了撒但。）
今天撒但是否仍然与教会争战？（是。）
我们的鼓励从哪里而来？（我们也能像第一世纪的基督徒一样，借着羔羊的血得胜。）
撒但已经失败。他的结局已经确定。他不可能得胜。
一般讨论:
• 你是否能明白，为什么这里是交错结构的中心，也就是基督的事件成为整卷书其余内容所指向的重点？（能，因为这是整卷书最重要的部分。）
• 如果按照时间顺序阅读启示录，把这一章放在中间是否合理？（不合理。）
• 你怎样看这个指向耶稣的箭头？这告诉你，启示录的目的是什么？（这卷书不只谈世界的终局，也谈我们现在所处的时代。）
• 今天所学的一切怎样坚固你与基督同行？（基督徒不是只在等候将来的盼望；因为耶稣已经成就了一切，我们的盼望已经确定。）
• 虽然撒但有许多机会试探我们，但他是否拥有真正的能力和权柄？（只要我们降服于基督，就没有。）
• 这是否意味着我们可以免受一切苦难？（不是。初期教会经历了许多苦难，我们也不能例外。）
受苦是基督徒生命的一部分，但受苦并不意味着失败。它只是意味着，我们要坚持到底，直到我们的得胜在永恒中完全显明。基督已经确保了我们的将来，因此我们今天就有盼望。
结束祷告(2分钟)
祷告求神帮助学生逐渐明白，启示录不是为了使人困惑。求神使他们因耶稣已经胜过撒但、罪和死亡而得着极大的盼望。也求神使他们能够像第一世纪的信徒一样，在艰难中忍耐到底。
****** 英文版 *******
Revelation: What Revelation Is Not
Lesson 2: It Is Not Meant to Confuse You
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Goals
1. To inform students of the overview of the book of Revelation
2. To help clarify the structure of Revelation
3. To inspire students with the main theme of Revelation—Jesus
Topics
Demons, Encouragement, Endurance, Eternal Life, Jesus, Protection, Resurrection, Satan, Suffering, Temptation
Scripture Memorization
Revelation 12:11
OPENING PRAYER (5 to 10 minutes)
GROUP BUILDING (10 minutes)
Give everyone a few sheets of paper and a pen or pencil.
Announce that the group will play a game of Picture Telephone, a game that combines two classic games: Pictionary and Telephone. To start, select one person in your group to write the first sentence.
Here are some sentence examples you can use or the student can come up with his or her own:
The dog barked at the strange man near the fence.
The girl was disappointed there was no ice cream.
There were five clocks on the wall and one on the floor.
After the first person has written the phrase or sentence he or she will then pass it on to the next player. No other players should know what it says.
Give the next player a minute or two to attempt to draw whatever the first player wrote. Once the second player has completed the drawing, he or she will pass it to the next person.
The third player will interpret the drawing by writing a sentence describing it. He or she will then pass this sentence on to the next player who tries to draw a picture based on the sentence.
Players are only allowed to see the paper passed to them from the player immediately before them. At no time should any of the players look at any of the older papers.
Over a few people’s turns, the original sentence will typically become distorted. Have the last person reveal his or her drawing or sentence, and then have the first person reveal his or her original sentence.
GETTING STARTED (5 minutes)
General Discussion:
• Was the game easy or difficult? (Allow for discussion.)
• What made the game difficult? (The drawings didn’t make sense, I didn’t know how to communicate well, I’m not a good drawer, etc.)
• By the end of the game, how far had we gotten from the original sentence? (Probably pretty far.)
• What may have made it easier? (If we were good drawers, if we could’ve seen the other sentences/drawings, etc.)
Sometimes the book of Revelation may seem to be a lot like the game we just played. It can get confusing! We may not understand some of the descriptions or certain symbols, and we may not know when certain things happened or will happen.
The truth is there will always be mysteries in the book of Revelation, but it can be easier to understand than you may think. Revelation was definitely written with a central theme in mind. Today, we are going to take a stab at understanding the outline of Revelation so our study can move forward with the main point of the book in mind. Let’s get started.
DIGGING IN (30 minutes)
As we cover our thematic overview of Revelation, we want to dig a little deeper into two things.
First, I want to talk about the structure of Revelation. That is, we want to look at how the book is laid out so we can make sure we understand it. I want everyone to get two shapes in their minds: A line and an arrowhead.
(To help students better understand this concept, have students stand or sit in the shape that you’re talking about as you go through that section. The line demonstrates how we can misinterpret Revelation if we read it in a linear fashion. The arrowhead formation demonstrates a more accurate understanding of Revelation.)
Line
Have students sit or stand in a line, making it as straight of a line as possible. You will be in the line, even though it will be awkward to teach this way.
Revelation should not be read in a linear manner. It is not meant to be a timeline read from beginning to end.
Read Revelation 6:12-14, 8:12, and 16:8
Discussion Questions:
1. What happens to the sun in Revelation 6? (It turns black.)
2. What happens to the stars in Revelation 6? (They are shaken from the sky like figs from a tree and fall to the earth.)
3. What happens to the heavens in Revelation 6? (It recedes like a scroll.)
4. In Revelation 8:12, what happens to the stars? (A third of the stars are struck.)
5. In Revelation 8:12, what happens to the sun? (A third of it is struck.)
6. In Revelation 16:8 what happens to the sun? (An angel “pours out his bowl” on it and the sun scorches people.)
7. How can the stars be struck in chapter 8 if they fell from the sky into nonexistence in chapter 6? (They can’t.)
8. How can the sun scorch people in chapter 16, or be struck in chapter 8, if it is turned to black in chapter 6? (It can’t.)
This reveals two things about Revelation that are important. One is the heavy use of symbols, which we’ll study in a future lesson. The second is that Revelation should not be read as a timeline. These events do not happen right in order. John revisits events, repeats himself, and embellishes upon things he’s already talked about throughout the book of Revelation.
Okay, if Revelation should not be read in a straight line, how should we read it?
Arrow Head
Now have students form an arrowhead—two straight lines that meet at a point. It should look like a “greater than” sign (>). As you do this, have everyone face the same direction, toward the point. As the instructor, you should form the point, and face towards your students.
Revelation should be read more like an arrowhead. The literary term for this is chiasm (pronounced kahy-az-muh). What’s a chiasm? It’s pretty simple:
A chiasm is a writing style that uses a unique repetition pattern for clarification or emphasis.
Read Mark 2:27
The words “Sabbath” and “man” are repeated, in reverse order, in the two halves of the verse. This is a chiasm.
(A more complex chiasm is found in Joshua 1:5-9. If time permits read this passage and see that certain phrases and themes repeat themselves.)
If that’s still not clear, think of an Oreo cookie. There’s a crispy chocolate wafer on either side of some delicious cream. However, chiasms are often more complicated than this analogy. Think of a Big Mac. There’s a bun in the middle, meat on either side, and another bun on either side of that meat.
The chiasms in Revelation can be complex. The layout of Revelation, which is included in your workbooks, can help us better understand all of this:
The Chiasms in Revelation Revelation 1:1-3:22 (Jesus & His Church-Part 1) Revelation 4:1-8:1 (The Judgment-Part 1) Revelation 8:2-11:19 (The War Against Error-Part 1) Revelation 12:1-12:17 (The Woman & The Dragon) Revelation 13:1-16:21 (The War Against Error - Part 2) Revelation 17:1-19:8 (The Judgment-Part 2) Revelation 19:9-22:21 (Jesus & His Church-Part 2) |
Revelation is a literary chiasm. Everything on either side of the middle points to the middle, which is emphasized as the most important part.
This leads us to the second part of what we need to understand. If the structure of Revelation is not a line but an arrow, then we have to ask: “To what does the arrow point?”
Turn to Revelation 12. This chapter is the point of the arrow, what everything else points forward to or backward from. We would do well to pay attention to it!
Read Revelation 12:1-6
Discussion Questions:
1. Who are the three main characters of this passage? (A woman, a baby, and a dragon.)
2. What does the dragon want to do with the baby? (Devour it.)
3. What is significant about the baby? (It will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.)
4. Who is the baby? (Jesus.)
5. What happens to Jesus? (He is snatched up into Heaven.)
Jesus’ life and ministry, or the Christ event, is covered in a verse and then He is apparently in Heaven. What John is doing is pointing to the fact that much more was going on than met the eye. Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection are hugely significant events.
Read Revelation 12:7-12
Discussion Questions:
1. What happens in Heaven according to verse 7? (A great war breaks out in Heaven between Michael, the dragon, and their angels.)
2. Who is the dragon according to verse 9? (The “ancient serpent, the devil, Satan.”)
3. What happens to Satan? (He is hurled down to earth, losing his place in Heaven.)
4. All this happens in response to what? (The Christ event—His birth, life, death, and resurrection.)
5. How is Satan defeated according to verse 11? (The Blood of the Lamb triumphs over Satan.)
6. Where is Satan now? (On earth.)
7. According to verse 12, what is the fate of Satan? (“He knows his time is short.”)
God’s victory comes through Christ's suffering. Satan is defeated because God came to earth, lived among us, and died for us. He then triumphed over Satan, sin, and death through His resurrection. It took His blood.
Now that Satan is on earth, it is our turn to suffer.
Read Revelation 12:13-17
Discussion Questions:
1. Who does the dragon try to devour? (The baby.)
2. Does he succeed? (No.)
3. Who is the dragon waging war against according to verse 17? (Those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.)
4. Who are these people? (Christians.)
Chapter 12 does not tell about things that have yet to happen. Clearly, these “signs” are of things that have already occurred. Satan tried to devour Jesus but failed because of Christ’s power. Now, Satan comes after us.
MAKING IT REAL (15 minutes)
If Revelation chapter 12 is the point of the book, then verse 11 is the key to that chapter.
Read Revelation 12:11
Discussion Questions:
1. Who was the initial audience of the book of Revelation? (First-century Christians were the original audience.)
2. What kind of opposition did the original audience face? (Extreme persecution.)
3. Did they love their lives so much as to shrink from death? (No, their testimonies remained strong.)
4. From where did their encouragement come? (They triumphed over Satan by the blood of the Lamb.)
5. Is Satan still waging war against the Church today? (Yes.)
6. From where does our encouragement come? (We can overcome by the blood of the Lamb in the same way the first-century Christians did.)
Satan has already lost. His fate is sealed. He is not going to win.
General Discussion:
• Does it make sense to you that this would be the point of the chiasm—that the Christ event is what everything else points to? (Yes, it’s the single most important part of the book.)
• If you tried to read the book of Revelation in chronological order, would it make sense for this chapter to be in the middle? (No.)
• How do you feel about the arrow pointing to Jesus? What does this tell you about the purpose of Revelation? (This book is just not about the end of time, it’s also about the present time.)
• How does everything we covered today strengthen your walk with Christ? (We aren’t waiting for a hope in the future, as Christians our hope is certain because of what Jesus has already done.)
• Though Satan has ample opportunities to tempt us, does he have any real power or authority? (No, not if we live surrendered to Christ.)
• Does this mean we will avoid all suffering? (No, the early Church suffered a lot, and we are not exempt.)
Suffering is part of the Christian life, but suffering does not mean losing. It just means enduring until our victory is sealed eternally. Christ has ensured our future and that gives us hope for the present.
CLOSING PRAYER (2 minutes)
Pray that your students begin to understand that Revelation is not meant to be confusing. Pray that your students will find great hope in the victory that Jesus secured over Satan, sin, and death. Pray also that they will be able to endure hardship like their first-century predecessors.
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