A topic I’ve always wanted to write to my sponsored teens about is the book of Revelation and the end times. I’ve put this off for literally years, because it’s a topic that can sound scary to a young person if the “hope in Christ” part isn’t shared clearly. In recent years, the topic of the end times has also unfortunately become known as something conspiracy theorists talk about. I desperately wanted a way to go back to the biblical truths on the subject and teach it to my older sponsored children. With the state of the world right now, I think it’s important for them to be emotionally and spiritually prepared to know why these things happen.
When I visited Honduras this past December and visited the Love Lempira partner churches, my 13-year-old sponsored child was learning from the book of Revelation in her Sunday school class! To me, this testifies to the excellent curriculum provided by the Love Lempira program and their mission to provide life application skills along with each lesson. When writing letters after our visit, I decided to mention the lesson we’d talked about at church that day and use it to share my own notes about Revelation with her. If this seems to go well, I will share with my other teens in the near future. For a Spanish copy of these notes to send to your sponsored teens, click here.
In her main letter about our visit, I included this paragraph:
When I visited you at church, you told me you were learning about the book of Revelation in the bible. This is a very important book, as it tells us what the world will be like when Jesus returns. It gives us hope because we know that no matter how difficult things get, in the end God and his children win and have the victory! On the following page, I send you the notes and summary I wrote when I read the book of Revelation. I hope these notes and ideas help you as you continue to learn!
On the next page, I included this summary:
My summary notes on the book of Revelation.
1- The end of times: We are living the end of times. This does not necessarily mean that the end is tomorrow or even in our lifetimes, although it could be. It simply means that we are closer to the end than the beginning. In these times, things like wars, diseases, natural disasters, political unrest, and crimes will become more frequent as the Earth experiences the natural effects of sin. The Bible describes these things as birth pains: they become more frequent and more intense as the time of Jesus' return approaches.
2- The rapture: The rapture is when Christians who have received Jesus as their Savior are all taken to Heaven at the same time, before God's judgment is poured out on Earth. Christians are no better or more deserving on their own than anyone else. ALL humans have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But Christians have been saved from our judgment by trusting that Jesus as our Savior will pay that penalty for us. Most people believe that our bodies will be taken to heaven too, not just our spirits.
3- The tribulation: 7 years of tribulation then begin. It is when judgment is poured out upon the Earth through more intense wars, diseases, natural disasters, and more. People can convert to Christianity during this time, but they will likely be persecuted by the government and other people. A leader who will claim to want peace will start a world order and lead all countries. This is actually the antichrist. He builds a temple and eventually claims to be God. He requires people to get a mark (possibly a microchip, tattoo or barcode) to buy and sell. This means they belong to him. It must be avoided. This probably begins after the rapture when we are already in Heaven; but to be sure, many people believe that if a world leader makes us take a mark at any time, we shouldn't do it. Finally, the enemy dies and is spiritually imprisoned.
4- The Return of Jesus: After the tribulation, Jesus returns with those who were with Him in Heaven. He remains here for 1,000 years, living among unbelievers and guiding many of them to Himself. After the 1,000 years, Satan is briefly released one last time before he and his followers face their final and permanent judgment. The old Heaven and Earth then disappear. A new Heaven and Earth will come, where we can live together with God and each other forever, just as originally intended before sin entered the world. The Scriptures suggest that we will be able to live in physical and spiritual reality, moving freely between the new Heaven and Earth.
