Lesson 17

One Life: Live with a MissionDoctrinal Truth: Theology Future

Students will be in awe of Christ as they learn that He is coming back in His glory to execute judgment on an unbelieving world.

All will be in awe.

Revelation 1:7

Reverence: to adore, to be in awe of, to respect

Fear: a feeling of anxiety or anguish

1. A PowerPoint is available for this lesson.2. Print the following scriptures for students to read during the lesson: Acts

1:11; Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:44; Revelation 19:11; Revelation 19:12; Revelation 19:13; Revelation 19:14; Revelation 19:15; Luke 2:10-14.

3. Get as many hats as you can come up with, at least 15-20 for the “How Many Hats” illustration.

4. Optional: a copy of the book The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, by Dr. Seuss.

5. A stack of 3x5 cards.

1. A Escape the Coming Night by David Jeremiah, pp 223-2272. Escape the Coming Night by David Jeremiah Study Guide, Volume 4,

Lesson 373. Revelation Unveiled by Tim LaHaye, chapter 314. The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook by John F. Walvoord, pp 619-622

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Scope and Sequence

Checklist

Lesson Objective

Key Verse

Definitions

StickyStatement

Resources

Lesson Overview

Awe means “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.”

Reverence means “to adore, to be in awe of, to respect.”

Fear means “to feel both anxiety and anguish.”

Wonder means “to feel a sense of admiration for something or someone that is impossible to put into words.”

All will be in awe.

Truths you’ve got to know

I. You’ve got to know that He is coming.

II. You’ve got to know how He is coming.

A. His appearance.

1. He is riding on a white horse.

2. He has eyes like a flame of fire.

3. He has many crowns on His head.

4. He is wearing a robe dipped in blood.

5. A sharp sword is coming out of His mouth.

B. His armies.

III. You’ve got to know why He is coming.

A. His wrath.

1. He comes to strike the nations.

2. He will slay the sinners.

B. His reign

All will be in awe.

Hook

“Aah” or Awe?

Is everyone feeling good? We are going to begin with an activity. You are going to see some pictures on the screen and I want you to respond to each one, but you can’t use any words. You can only make one sound, and that sound is “aah.” We will make the sound together as a group. Any questions? Okay, here we go…

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Teacher’s Note: Show the images included with the lesson PowerPoint. Feel free to add your own pictures to the PowerPoint if desired. They are designed to touch, inspire and even scare the students. Have the students respond to each image as a group, allowing them to only respond with an “aah” sound. The purpose of the exercise is to bring in the idea of being in awe of something, especially the completed work of Jesus Christ.

Image 1: PuppyImage 2: Great white sharkImage 3: Picture from the mountains of Colorado

That was super cool! You were only allowed to say “aah” as a response to each picture, but you somehow made it work for each one. Why was that? It fit each picture, didn’t it? That is the beauty of the sound, it fits when we are touched, scared or inspired, the only thing that changes is our inflection.

What picture did you find scary? Which one did you find touching? Which one did you find inspiring? Were there any pictures that made you feel both scared and inspired? Or inspired and touched? How about scared and touched?

Did you know that there is a word that refers to something that makes you feel all of these at the same time? Do you want to know what that word is? [Allow the students to respond.] The word is “AWE.” No, not “aah” like you have been saying, but awe, A-W-E. Here is the definition of the word awe. Awe means “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.” When we break down the definition we can come up with this:

1. Notice the definition uses the term “reverential.” Reverence means “to adore, to be in awe of, to respect.” It is basically realizing that you are in the presence of someone or something much bigger and more important than yourself. It is something that makes you feel small.

Teacher’s Note: Put the image of the puppy back on the screen.

You probably reacted to this picture because you think the puppy is adorable, and it really is cute! In reality, you are reacting to the very mystery of life, the very miracle of conception. You take a moment to reverence life, which is bigger and more complicated than we could imagine. That is the reverence part.

Teacher’s Note: Put the image of the great white shark back on the screen.

2. The definition also used the word, “fear.” Fear means “to feel both anxiety and anguish.” This picture of a great white shark should make us feel fear. If it doesn’t, just imagine you looking at this bad boy from the middle of the ocean! This kind of fear is a hopeless feeling of dread, knowing that there is nothing we could do to protect ourselves from this kind of raw power.

3. The last word in our definition was, “wonder.” It doesn’t mean “wonder” and in, “I wonder what happened.” The word wonder means “to feel a sense of admiration for something or someone that is impossible to put into words.” These are the types of things that bring us inspiration.

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Teacher’s Note: Put the mountaintop image back on the screen.

How do you describe a scene such as this? It’s hard to find the words, right? I know, you describe it by saying “aaah.”

When all three of these feelings are rolled up into one, we experience what it means to be in “awe” of something.

In this lesson, we are going to see a time in the future when everyone on this earth will be in absolute awe of Jesus. Everyone, lost and saved, will see Him and immediately experience a sense of absolute reverence, dreadful fear, and wonder. For you right here, you shouldn’t have to wait to be in awe of Him. Knowing who He is, what He has done, and what He will do is enough to put us in a constant state of awe.

During this module we have seen that we can trust God with the future because of His perfect track record of making promises. Last week, we looked at one of God’s promises for the future, the Rapture, when Jesus calls His Church out of the earth before Tribulation begins.

Before we get into our topic for tonight, does anyone want to share how the decision to change your background or profile picture helped you make a wise decision as a result of remembering that the Rapture could happen at any moment?

Teacher’s Note: Allow for at least one student to share. It would be wise to approach students prior to beginning the lesson so they can be prepared to share at this time.

Thank you for sharing. It is encouraging to see direct application of what is being taught. Tonight, we want to learn a little about the Second Coming of Christ. This is different from the Rapture that we discussed last week. The Second Coming will take place at the end of the great Tribulation on the earth. This is the time when Jesus will come from heaven and establish His kingdom on earth for 1,000 years. We are going to examine what the Bible says about this promised future event and discover why all will be in awe of Jesus.

Lesson Content

Truths you’ve got to know

I. You’ve got to know that He is coming.

Do you believe that Jesus is coming again? Do you believe that He is coming soon? Did you know that His second coming is one of the most talked about events in all of the Bible? Let’s take a look at the promise of His coming.

Let’s read a few verses from the Bible that deal with Jesus’ return to this earth:

Teacher’s Note: Have students quickly read the following verses: Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:44.

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These are just a few of the verses from the Bible that talk about the return of Christ. Actually, there are 1,845 references to the Second Coming of Christ in the Old Testament and 318 in the New Testament. Yes, someone actually counted them! As far as the Bible is concerned, it is an indisputable fact: Jesus will return to this earth!

If you trust the Bible, then you know that Jesus is coming again. But that is not all you need to know….

II. You’ve got to know how He is coming.

This is important because of the differences in His first coming (or first advent) and second coming. Just to make sure you are not confused, when did Jesus come to earth the first time? [Allow the students to answer.] That is right, at His birth. That is what we celebrate at Christmas. Jesus’ first coming is the nativity story. Who can tell me something about the Nativity story? [Allow the students to describe the nativity.]

Teacher’s Note: Lead students in a quick discussion about the nativity story, how Jesus was born in a barn and laid a manger and attended by shepherds (Luke 2:1-20).

Nothing scary about a little baby, right? Well, we need to know how He is returning because it is radically different than the first time. Let’s go ahead and open our Bibles to Revelation chapter 19 and see what the Bible says about His second coming. We are going to break this down so we can get a good understanding of what His second coming will be like. Let’s consider…

A. His appearance.

Everything about the description of Jesus demands attention because He will be unlike anything we have ever seen. The Apostle John being in absolute awe of Jesus, couldn’t come up with the words to describe how Jesus looked, so he did his best to use images that would relate to Jesus’ character. Let’s take a close look at Revelation 19. First of all…

Teacher’s Note: Have a student read Revelation 19:11.

1. He is riding on a white horse (v. 11). Talk about a dramatic entrance! Heaven splits open and the whole world sees Jesus coming on a white horse. Quite a bit different than quietly entering the world through birth at Bethlehem. The white horse is symbolic of power. Conquerors rode on white horses. From the moment people see Him, they will know that He is coming to rule and to reign as Lord of lords (v. 16).

Teacher’s Note: Have a student read Revelation 19:12.

2. He has eyes like a flame of fire (v. 12). Have you ever lied to your parents or your teacher and you could tell by the look in their eyes that they knew you were lying? It makes you feel pretty uncomfortable.

Jesus is said to have eyes “like a flame of fire.” This means that the best liars in all the world will not be able to pull anything over on Jesus. He knows everything and

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sees everything and nothing gets past Him. There is nothing that will be hidden from Him.

3. He has many crowns on His head (v. 12). So, how many crowns do you think you could balance on your head? [Allow the students to answer.] I don’t have any crowns, but I have brought a few hats. Why don’t we give it a try? Who would like to volunteer for the “many hats” contest? We are going to see how many hats you can balance on your head.

Teacher’s Note: Pick a volunteer student, bring them in front of the group and begin placing hats on their heads. Tell them to be as still as possible, as you and the group count the number of hats placed before they fall off. When they fall, thank the volunteer and send them back to their seat. Optional visual: If you don’t have enough hats, bring a copy of Dr. Seuss’ book, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, and describe the humor of the book. This book can most likely be borrowed from your local public library.

Good job! Let’s give a hand! How many hats were they able to wear? How many crowns do you think Jesus will be wearing? Do you suppose there could be some deeper meaning to this?

Have you ever heard the saying, “that person wears a lot of hats”? It doesn’t literally mean that they wear many hats. It means that the person carries out a lot of different responsibilities. Remember, Jesus isn’t described wearing many hats, but wearing many CROWNS. Who wears crowns? [Allow the students to answer.] That is right, kings and queens; people of authority. Jesus is wearing many crowns because He has a lot of authority. He is coming as King of kings (v. 16).

Teacher’s Note: Have a student read Revelation 19:13.

4. He is wearing a robe dipped in blood (v. 13). You might have read this statement and thought “gross”! Remember this, Jesus shed His blood on the cross so that God could offer forgiveness and salvation to every single person on the earth. Wearing His blood on His robe is a reminder to the unsaved of what they willingly rejected.

Teacher’s Note: Have a student read Revelation 19:15.

5. A sharp sword is coming out of His mouth (v. 15). What comes out of our mouths? Words. One of the most powerful things in all the universe is the Word of God. The words from God’s mouth have formed the galaxies, raised and destroyed kingdoms, and sustained all life on this planet. At His return, the word of Christ will be the only weapon He will need to conquer and take control of the earth. He is even called the Word of God (v. 13)!

Because of His appearance, all will be in awe. Next, let’s look at…

B. His armies.

Teacher’s Note: Have a student read Revelation 19:14.

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We find out in verse 14 that Jesus will not be coming alone. The armies of heaven, riding white horses and wearing white robes will be following Him. We often think of God’s army as being the angels of heaven, but this army is not the angels. Based on the white robes, we can identify them as the saved that have already been raptured – the Church (Revelation 19:8).

This means that if you are raptured then you will be part of His army. You will wear a white robe and you will ride a white horse. You won’t have any weapons, but that’s ok because you won’t need them. Jesus is going to fight this battle on His own (Revelation 19:21).

Actually, we probably won’t even be noticed. Have you ever heard the expression “in somebody’s shadow”? It refers to being with someone that gets all of the attention. Here on earth that can be hard to handle, but when we are with Jesus, it will be welcomed and expected. Compared to the glory of Jesus, no one on earth will even see us. His second coming is all about Him and we will gladly be in His shadow. At the Second Coming of Jesus, the entire world will see His glory, and all will be in awe.

So, you’ve got to know that He is coming. You’ve got to know how He is coming, finally,

III. You’ve got to know why He is coming.

We need to understand the purpose of His second coming because it is so radically different from the purpose of His first coming. What was His purpose of the first advent?

Teacher’s Note: Have a student read Luke 2:10-14.

Jesus’ first coming was “good tidings of great joy…” because a Savior was born. Jesus came to save us from our sins. That was His mission. He was born. He lived. He died. He rose from the dead. Everything He did was mission accomplished.

His second coming is different. His appearance is different and His purpose is different. He accomplished everything God wanted Him to the first time He came, and His second coming will be no different – He will accomplish the will of His Father.There are two main purposes that we will look at that are associated with His second coming. The first one is…

A. His wrath (v. 15). Notice…

1. He comes to strike the nations.

Notice that He comes to strike. Not to heal or save. The nations of the world will gather together to make war against Him (Revelation 19:19). This is the Battle of Armageddon. He will come to a world that has rejected His authority.

The world we live in today is already making war against Him. Every day it becomes clearer that Jesus is not welcome here. He is not welcome in our schools and not welcome in our government. He is not welcome in a world that has replaced Him with the worship of selfishness, perversion and lust. It seems that He is no longer welcome in this world. When He comes, He will strike the nations, and…

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2. He will slay the sinners.

For the entire scope of human history, God has exercised His loving patience with humanity, giving all ample time to repent of their sins and accept His gift of a Savior, Jesus Christ. At the Second Coming of Christ, the time for men to repent is over as God’s full wrath against sin is poured out by His Son.

This means that the following questions will finally be answered once and for all: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” “Why does God allow evil and suffering?” “Why doesn’t God protect the innocent?” The answers to these questions will be on full display as Jesus “treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (v. 15).” What an scene of awe!

A winepress is a tool used to make wine. Grapes are placed in a big bucket and pressed until they are crushed. As the grapes are crushed, the juice from the grapes is collected into containers. You can’t make wine without crushing the grapes. When He returns, Jesus is going to crush sin, and it won’t be pretty. One reason for the second coming is to pour our His wrath on sin. The other is to usher in His reign.

B. His reign

He comes to strike the nations and rule them with a rod of iron (v. 15). Jesus will establish His kingdom on the earth for 1,000 years, fulfilling the promise of God (Revelation 20:4-5). For a thousand years this world that God created will get the peace that it deserves, a true utopia, where Jesus Christ reigns as judge and king. Where His armies that followed Him will reign with Him (Revelation 20:4). No one will be able to stand against Him. As ruler, He will rule with perfection and judge in complete fairness. For a thousand years and beyond, all will be in awe.

Connection

Do you remember when we looked at the word “awe” earlier? How does that word really apply to seeing Jesus? It is to experience the absolute reverence of being in the presence of perfection. To know the dread and fear that comes from understanding the power and authority of Jesus. To be filled with wonder of who He is, what He has done and what He will do. Sadly, most of the ones on earth at His second coming will have waited too long to accept the gift of life that He offers. Most of these will die, entering into their eternity separated from God. They will die knowing who Jesus is and realizing their rejection of God’s gift of eternal life. They will die, but they will die in awe of Jesus.

Today, no one has to wait to see Him to be in awe of Him. You can know Him now, adore Him now, be in wonder of Him now, love Him now. “For by grace you have been saved through faith…it is the gift of God.” That is what Ephesians 2:8 says. Please choose to accept Christ tonight.

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Teacher’s Note: This topic makes it very clear who Jesus is, you may want to pause right now and invite any unsaved kids to come to Christ. You can lead them with this simple scriptural formula: 1) Know you are a sinner (Romans 3:23) and are separated from God (Romans 6:23). 2) Believe that Jesus is God’s Son, that He lived, died for our sins (Romans 5:8), rose again, and lives forevermore (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). 3) Confess Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart (Romans 10:9).

Do you know what the most wonderful thing is? Once we understand who He is, what He has done for us and what He is going to do, we realize that He wants to partner with us in His mission to save the world. Not because He needs us, but because He wants us. How awesome is that? Understanding this leads us to live in awe of Him every day, as we join Him in a mission and let Him use our lives to touch and inspire others to come to Christ.

Decision

You have one life. The Second Coming of Jesus should encourage you to live with mission. Will you make it your mission to introduce someone to Jesus? Your one life can impact the life of one person this week. Who will that person be?

Last week you were encouraged to change your background on your computer or smart phone to remind you that the Rapture could happen at any moment. This week I would like to challenge you to use the calendar on your smart phone to remind you to pray for a specific person that you could introduce to Jesus. If you have a smart phone, pull it out and open your calendar. If you are willing, create a daily task on your calendar for the next week to pray for a friend who needs to be introduced to Jesus. Be sure to set a reminder so you will be alerted to pray for them each day. If you don’t have a smart phone, we have some cards here for you to write the name of your friend down. Place that card in a prominent place in your room to remind you to pray for that person. You could pray something like this:

Dear God, (name of friend) needs to be introduced to Jesus. Please give me the opportunity and boldness this week to talk to (name of friend) about Jesus. Amen.

Make it your mission this week to pray for that friend every day and to look for the opportunity that God will give you to talk with that friend.

Teacher’s Note: Be prepared to give students 3x5 cards, if needed.

Sticky Statement

All will be in awe

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Small Group Discussion Questions

1. Who can tell me what it means to be “in awe” of something? (The definition in the lesson was, “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.” You want to know that awe is a combination of feelings – wonder, fear, admiration, reverence, respect, any combination of these will have them on the right track. Follow up with the students by asking if they can recount a time when they were in awe of something. What was it? Where were they? Who were they with? How did they respond?)

2. We learned about a time when everyone in the world will be in awe of Jesus. Why will all be in awe? (The goal is find out how much they understood so they can respond properly. Here are a few ideas expressed in the lesson: Because of the way He will look / Because of the things He will do (Revelation 19:11-16). Since this lesson comes on the heels of the lesson on the Rapture, there could be some confusion separating the two. Be prepared to make sure they understand that the Second Coming is not the Rapture. The Rapture comes first (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). It is when Jesus calls the saved on earth to heaven to escape the great Tribulation. The Second Coming comes at the end of great Tribulation.)

3. Who will you be praying for this week? (Be sure to help each student set up the reminder on their calendars to pray for a specific person if they have not already done so. Be sure that you are praying for someone yourself. On your reminder, be sure to add a reminder to pray for each student in your small group who is praying for a friend. Pray for boldness for both yourself and for them. Set a reminder for yourself to ask in the next small group time about an opportunity anyone had to share Christ with a friend.)

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