Rooting Path · New Testament Survey · Lesson 7: Revelation: A Book of Hope
This lesson in one sentence: Revelation was written to suffering churches: the Lamb reigns on the throne, and the new heaven and new earth are coming. The whole Bible ends in a prayer: come, Lord Jesus.
Timing (about 60 minutes)
- Opening5 min
- Read Together10 min
- Practice Together15 min
- Discussion20 min
- This Week5 min
- Pray for One Another5 min
Opening
What is the one thing you long for most?
Read Together
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am the first and the last, 18and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
Rev 1:17–18 · WEB
3I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people; and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more. The first things have passed away.”
Rev 21:3–4 · WEB
20He who testifies these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus!
Rev 22:20 · WEB
Yes, I am coming soon. Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus!
Rev 22:20 · WEB
Practice Together
Ask seven members each to read one letter (if the group is small, two each): Ephesus (Rev 2:1–7), Smyrna (2:8–11), Pergamum (2:12–17), Thyatira (2:18–29), Sardis (3:1–6), Philadelphia (3:7–13), Laodicea (3:14–22). After each letter, the group says two things: what does the Lord say he knows about this church? What does he promise to the one who overcomes?
Discussion
- The elder said, “Don’t weep. Behold, the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome” (Rev 5:5); John looked, and what he saw was a Lamb that had been slain. How is God’s victory different from the victory we imagine?
- “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev 21:4)—which part of your life right now does this promise speak to most?
- We have finished the seven meetings. Which one would you most like to read again? Is there a verse in the New Testament you would like to write on your own Rule of Life card?
This Week
This week, read Revelation 21–22, and then go back and read Genesis 1–2. Afterward write one sentence: what appears again at the beginning and end of the Bible? What is no longer there?
Each person says when they read Revelation 21–22 and then went back to read Genesis 1–2 this week.
Closing
Read Rev 22:20–21 together; the leader closes in prayer.
Tips for the leader
- The millennium, the rapture, the great tribulation, the beast and its number, the timetable of the end: use the lesson’s standard wording, and don’t interpret any of them in the group. If someone asks, encourage them to ask their own church.
- Don’t match the visions of Revelation against news and current events.
- This is the last meeting. You can leave a few minutes for members to share what they have gained over the seven meetings, and then decide together what to read next: other courses on the Rooting Path, or the Sending Path.
General principles for leaders
- The leader is not a teacher but someone who walks alongside everyone.
- Give everyone a chance to speak; with someone who talks a lot, you can gently say, ‘Let’s also hear from friends who haven’t spoken yet.’
- Don’t rush to give answers. If someone is silent, wait a few more seconds.
- For a question you can’t answer, you can say, ‘I don’t know either; let’s look it up together,’ and note it down for next time.
- What is said in the group stays in the group.
- At the opening, the leader can give their own answer first, showing that it can be simple and honest.