My husband’s career as a football coach has taken us across the country and back. Whether we moved to the desert of southern Utah, or to the bluegrass of Kentucky, I have loved leading Bible study groups wherever God has planted me. I have often repeated this prayer from BSF founder Audrey Wetherell Johnson:
“I love your Word above all things. I would love to spend my life teaching others to find what I have found.”
But when it comes to leading a group through a book like Revelation, I can feel completely ill-equipped. In trying to uncover the mysteries of Revelation, I have explored commentaries, multiple curriculums, and spent time listening to podcasts and sermon series.
In all my searching, I continue to return to my Revelation lessons and notes from BSF’s 2016 study. I could easily share 15 reasons why I have faithfully packed my well-worn Revelation study book through six cross-country moves. But today, I’ll give you three.
1. You won’t get lost in charts and timelines.
Though many of us may be tempted to use Revelation as a tool to predict the future, Scripture is clear that the timing of Christ’s return is a mystery.
Jesus told us, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:36-37, 42).
In BSF’s Revelation: The Hope, the lesson questions and notes approach God’s Word with humility, not assuming a complete understanding of mysterious passages.
In BSF’s Revelation: The Hope, the lesson questions and notes approach God’s Word with humility...
One BSF staff member wrote, “We boldly assert what is unmistakable and graciously discuss what is not as clear. Christians should interpret the Bible according to the literal sense of the author’s intended meaning. We must acknowledge that John may have symbolically described visions too glorious for common language. He also may have offered more exact descriptions to avoid mistaken impressions.”
Through this approach, lesson questions, notes, weekly discussion groups, and lectures serve as a guide through complicated passages.
2. You will find space for honest discussion and differing opinions.
During the 2016 Revelation study, I remember sitting in my discussion group thinking, ‘How is this ever going to work?!” Our group seemed completely divided between two very different viewpoints on a single Revelation passage. In that moment, I was fully expecting the conversation to escalate into an argument. What I witnessed instead was a kind and supportive discussion around a topic that our group found fascinating.
How is this possible? Because BSF approaches Revelation with the viewpoint that “all Scripture is equally true, but not equally clear.” With that humility, BSF carefully presents several prominent perspectives regarding end times theology.
What I witnessed instead was a kind and supportive discussion around a topic that our group found fascinating.
Discussion groups become a place to learn and grow together, instead of a battleground of opposing viewpoints.
There is no expectation of coming to your group with the “right answers,” just a willing heart to seek God through His Word. By approaching every lesson like an adventure, we find new opportunities to learn from one another each week.
3. You will leave each week loving and longing for Jesus.
At the core of BSF’s Revelation study is a singular focus:Jesus. Since this book was primarily written to comfort and encourage suffering believers, each week’s study is packed with reminders of the joy we find in Christ.
Key themes you’ll discover are:
God is in control—He wins!
God rights all wrongs and repairs all brokenness. He sets everything straight.
Revelation is far more about Jesus’s glory than about future events, symbols, or timelines.
Through Revelation’s 22 chapters (404 verses) you’ll find a single unifying concept—hope.
If you struggle to find meaning in this broken world, then Revelation: The Hope is for you. If your friends or family members wonder how God could possibly be at work today, then Revelation: The Hope is for them.
If I learned one thing from BSF’s Revelation study, it was how to place my hope in the One who promised, “Yes, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:20a).
Together, as a BSF community, we will learn to pray: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20b).