The book that reveals God

The name of the last book of the Bible, “Revelation,” implies that its purpose is to reveal information important to God’s people.

Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com

Why, then, do people find Revelation such a difficult book to understand?

Let’s relax in the truth that God loves us and shows us His love in every possible way. But before we get too comfortable relaxing, let’s study to find what a love-inspired follower of Jesus will want to know about how the world ends and the new world begins.

[Thought Questions for Revelation, and the God Revealed in it October 10,2012]

1. The heavens declare. Have you ever taken a walk and observed evidence of God’s love in nature? Does a glance at the universe above on a dark winter night give you a feeling of God’s power and love for each of us? Can a “Bible and the Bible only” Christian experience God’s love in nature? Or are the two separate and distinct? Are you grateful for the Bible? Why?

2. Doctrine. Do you believe that every verse of Scripture was inspired by God? Does every verse of Scripture describe God’s love for us? Is a person who reads Ellen White’s writings extensively denying the Bible-only doctrine of our church? Why or why not? What should be the role of spiritual and inspirational reading that we enjoy besides the Bible itself? Have you ever changed your course or made a major decision based on something from the Bible? Share with the class if you can. If not, write it down and keep it for encouragement.

3. Not the words. What is the difference between the words of the Bible being inspired and the people who wrote (or spoke) the words being inspired? Why does it matter? If the people who wrote the Bible were not perfect in every respect, do you think they could have made mistakes? What kind of mistakes? Do we know the exact words or their meaning that the apostles and others used in writing the verses of the Bible? Are you fluent in Old Testament Hebrew? Or the Greek of the New Testament? If not,  how can we be sure exactly what was said? What is God’s role in delivering us His Word?

4. The Trinity. Did you read Tuesday’s lesson about the mystery of the Triune God? Suppose that all you saw was, “And one thing that the Bible explicitly affirms about the Lord is His oneness.” (Tuesday). How does the lesson author explain the trinity in terms of God’s oneness? Have you ever thought before of the Trinity as being the “inner nature” of God? Is that a good explanation as far as you are concerned? Does anyone understand the Trinity perfectly? Why not?

5. Creator God. Do you believe that God created the earth? Have you ever wondered why? Wasn’t He happy in the universe before He launched this planet on its orbit around the sun? What do you do in your own life to develop a sense of the presence of an almighty God? How do you keep the frivolous and sacrilegious references to God that abound in the world from spoiling your walk with Him?

6. What God does. How many verses of Scripture can you find that say, “God loves you?” Instead of words like that, what evidence overflows from Genesis to Revelation about God’s love for us? Have you ever gone through a miracle in which your life, or the life of a loved one, was spared by what was surely an act of God? What is God doing now in terms of solving the great controversy that rages through our earth?

7. Who God Is. Do you know anybody who doesn’t believe that there is an almighty, all-powerful God? Have you ever had any success in carrying on a conversation with such a person about the existence of God? Is science a blessing to you in your walk with God? Or do the proclamations by science disturb or discourage you? What role do you think the study of science will play throughout eternity? What aspects of science do you most want to have Jesus and the angels explain to you? Do you think you’ll be disappointed?

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