Supernatural RSM Series – Part 9
Refton Student Ministry Series:
Supernatural Part 9: Final Destination
This has quite possibly been the longest journey for a student ministry lesson series I have ever undertaken. I also believe it has been the most important lesson series I’ve ever taught. We talked about questions that we might have never asked ourselves. Questions like, “Do other gods exist? If they do, does that make much difference in how we understand the Bible? What does it mean for our faith if we presume the unseen world described in the Bible is actually real – not just the familiar and accepted parts, but the unusual and often-ignored parts” (Supernatural, 163). I agree with Dr. Heiser in that the topics we’ve been discussing over the past 11 weeks can be summed up in two words: Identity and Purpose.
Identity – Who are you?
What makes you, YOU? Your spouse or significant other? Your job? Your status in society? Maybe that you’re a parent? But do these things define you? For that matter, does your sexuality define you? How about your passions, hobbies, or the things that fill your free time? According to the Bible, none of that is your identity. None of that defines you. According to the Bible, you are a child of God and through a believing loyalty in Jesus you’ve been adopted into God’s family. Your identity is either found in Yahweh God, or in the world. This gives you purpose.
Purpose – Why do I exist?
Ultimately you were created in His image. This means that you are Yahweh God’s representatives here on earth. If you are a follower of Jesus, you exist to fulfill the mission that Jesus started, which is to take back the nations by spreading the message of Jesus to those who have not heard about Him. Simply put, your purpose is to be “God’s agents in restoring His good rule on earth and expanding the membership of His family” (Supernatural, 166).
The End of a Journey that’s just Beginning
We’ve traced the story of the Bible throughout these past 11 weeks while simultaneously stopping to note the supernatural elements along the way. We’ve learned that these supernatural elements are crucial to gaining a proper understanding of what Scripture is actually saying – that is, the meaning that the biblical author originally intended to convey.
When it comes to our final destination, the Biblical authors have quite a bit to say. Let’s not confuse this with what Bible scholars call the “intermediate state” – that’s the state of existence after death, but before what I’m calling the final destination. A great resource for this is the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn. He covers common questions that range from what happens to us after we die, to what happens to our pets. I actually had that question from one of our students last November!
To conclude this lesson series, I’m taking our students through the last pages of the Bible. I encourage you to read each passage and then think about the questions that I’m asking our students…
Revelation 20:7-15
The book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John (he also wrote The Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John). John was no stranger to Old Testament imagery. It’s all over Revelation! In fact, the book of Revelation has by far the most Old Testament quotations and allusions than any other New Testament book. So, it shouldn’t surprise us if we run across a passage that sounds a lot like an Old Testament passage that you know.
Revelation 20:7-10 reminds me of the time of Abraham. Remember when he was promised by Yahweh God to have descendants as numerous as the stars (compare with 20:8b)? Then there’s the obvious imagery of cities being destroyed by fire coming down from heaven (20:9b) – that should remind us of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. But John doesn’t just allude to the Old Testament. He also has the book of 1 Enoch in mind (remember the lesson on The Watchers?). There’s no mention of a lake of fire in the Old Testament. Bible scholars have observed that the “lake of fire” comes from 1 Enoch. Is Hell a literal lake of fire? Well, that’s up for interpretation (of which The LS Collective Podcast will be covering this summer, 2019). But at the end of the day, it doesn’t sound too pleasant.
Revelation 20:11-15 has a description of Yahweh’s throne room. It’s a smaller description since we already have a very detailed one in Revelation 4 and 5. The interesting thing is these descriptions of Yahweh’s throne room line up with all of the Old Testament imagery (see Daniel 7, Isaiah 6, etc). There are a few things to note here:
Yahweh was seated and everyone else was standing. Being seated in the presence of those standing in ancient cultures signified that the one seated was the one in charge. It’s kind of the opposite in our modern culture. But the point here is that clearly Yahweh God is in charge of every person. He is the Almighty One!
John tells us that all the things we’ve ever done have been recorded in these heavenly books. He doesn’t tell us whether or not these were good or bad things, but we can assume that both are written down.
John is not saying that our works save us. He is emphasizing the fact that if your name was written in the book of life, you were allowed to remain with God. If not, then you experience the second death (the lake of fire). If you’re thinking of the old “Heaven’s Gates Hell’s Flames” videos and plays, please don’t. That’s yet another example of pop-culture-bad-theology that eventually led people to disbelief in God (obviously not all people, but many).
John then goes on to mainly focus on the final destination of believers in Jesus
Below are the Small Group questions that the students will be talking about:
Revelation 21:1-8 Questions
This passage is filled with hope and profound truths about our final destination.
1. What are some of those profound truths and/or those things that give you hope?
2. What strikes you about the fact that Yahweh God will come down to live with us rather than us going up to Him for eternity?
Revelation 21:9-27 Question
This section on the new city of Jerusalem is very detailed – Why? Because John was writing down everything he saw.
1. Remember how the Old Testament writers used stars to describe Yahweh’s divine council? Well, then why would it matter to John that “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it”?
Revelation 22:1-5 Questions
These five verses are packed with awesomeness!
1. What part of the story of the Bible does this passage sound like?
2. What are some similarities and differences between this passage and the one it sounds like?
3. Is there anything about these 5 verses that strikes you as awesome? Is there anything in here that makes you uneasy or sparks questions in your mind?
4. The HCSB Bible uses the word “slave.” Flip to page 1405 to find out what this term means. [This means one who is soley committed to another – believers are owned by Jesus Christ and live to serve Him]
Revelation 22:6-21 Questions
1. How would you describe John’s overall tone in his writing? (How does he sound?)
2. Why is it significant that John was told not to worship the angel? [see “Side Note” at the end of lesson 3.5]
3. Verses 12 – 16 contain the words of Jesus. He says that He will “give to each person according to what they have done.” Jesus is not saying that the things you do can save you from Hell. So, what could He be talking about?
Concluding Thoughts
This series is one that has changed the way I read the Bible… and that’s a good thing! When we allow ourselves to just let the Bible be what it is, we can then begin to better understand the author’s meaning throughout their ancient texts. It’s as I’ve said to the students – If we can believe in an unseen God, who is somehow 3 Persons yet 1 Being, who sent His Son to live the perfect sinless life, then died and resurrected three days later … if we can believe in angels and miracles, cosmic creation events and prophecies of the future … if we can believe all of that, then why do we have a hard time believing the other supernatural parts of the Bible? It’s because of the culture in which we grew up. Others in nations that are more open to the supernatural have no problem with Watchers, demons, and the supernatural worldview that the biblical authors had. And it’s exactly this supernatural worldview that helps us answer the toughest questions that Christians and non-Christians have been asking for centuries.
Thank you for coming along with me on this journey. While this part may have concluded, our journey is just beginning; and in the grand scheme of eternity, our journey is always just beginning 🙂
RSM Supernatural – Biblical Narrative Chart: