End Times Bible Study
This comprehensive study series tackles major eschatologies and does a deep dive into the book of Revelation, exploring various symbols and patterns found there and throughout the Bible. This is an advanced study. We recommend a strong foundation into core Christian theology and a basic understanding of various Bible stories.
There are a total of 52 lessons. Each lesson has a Learner's Guide, which is left blank for people to fill out, and a Facilitator's Guide, which includes some answers to assist in your own facilitation.
If you'd like to download the entire study to facilitate your own small group, you can access the Google Drive link or you can download a .zip folder of Word Doc files to access locally on your computer. For best sharing experience, we recommend the Google Doc option, as the links are ready for immediate sharing.
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Download FilesSyllabus
This is a 52-lesson study. If you spend one week per lesson, this would take a full year to complete. Some lessons are longer than others.
Section 1: Examine Our Assumptions
The study begins with a section dedicated to examining popular eschatological beliefs that we often hear in our churches or from leaders in ministry. However, it's critical that we act as Good Bereans and always study for ourselves what is taught to us. Our teacher should be the Holy Spirit, not man. And if the teachings of man cannot stand up under scrutiny and against the teachings from the Holy Spirit through the Word, then we need to throw out those old teachings and replace them with the truth.
LESSON 0
What do we think we know?
Before diving in, spend time by yourself or with your group mapping out your current understanding of the end times. Be as specific as possible. It's okay if you don't know a lot!
LESSON 1
Daniel’s 70th Week and “The Tribulation”
The foundation of the "7-Year Tribulation" is the 70-Week Prophecy from Daniel 9. This study will do a deep-dive into that prophecy to determine if that theological interpretation stands up under scrutiny.
LESSON 2
The Wrath of God and The Day of the Lord
Oftentimes, people preach that the "7-Year Tribulation" is seven years of God's wrath on earth. Is that true? Let's take a moment to correct and standardize our terminology as led by scriptures.
LESSON 3
The Rapture, Our Glorification, The Gathering, and the Coming of the Lord
What is the "Rapture"? Is it biblical? Is there only one? Is it the mystery Paul speaks of? What does it have to do with our resurrection bodies? This study will do a deep dive on all those topics.
LESSON 4
The Blessed Hope
Many will use “The Blessed Hope” as a term referring to a rapture, specifically a pre-tribulation rapture. Where in the Bible does it talk about “The Blessed Hope,” and what exactly is it?
LESSON 5
The Bride and the Wedding Supper of the Lamb
Have you ever heard that Jesus will rapture His Bride before the tribulation, and there will be a 7-year wedding feast in Heaven? Is that actually true? Let's explore who the Bride is and when she comes into play in this end times story.
LESSON 6
Gog and Magog
Are you confused about the God and Magog war? Is there one or two? Is it Russia or other countries? Let's put aside all the theories on this and see what the Bible has to say about it.
Section 2: The Revelation Framework
Revelation is a difficult book to understand, and people tend to approach it chapter-by-chapter. However, we need to use proper exegesis when approaching a book of the Bible. Who wrote it? How do they think? How is their writing structured? What biblical symbols and patterns are they using? What other verses are they referencing? Revelation is a culmination of the entirety of God's Word, and this section will give you the foundation you need to begin your journey in unlocking the true meaning of its words.
LESSON 1
Greek versus Hebraic writing styles
Modern education systems are formulated from the ancient Geek philsophical structures. This means we approach everything from that Greek mindset. However, is that the correct way of approaching the book of Revelation?
LESSON 2
Is Revelation Chronological?
Many will approach Revelation from a Greek mindset, which means they will approach it with the following structure: an introduction, a middle body section, and a conclusion with a call to action. However, that assumes the book is in chronological order. Is it?
LESSON 3
Reorganize Revelation into Visions
Chapters and verse numbers were added after books of the Bible were written to make it easier for us to study and reference. However, those numbers and breaks can be distracting and cause us to cognitively separate things that need to be together. To prevent ourselves from doing this, we want to look at Revelation as it was received and written down by John, without verses, chapters, and subtitles.
LESSON 4
The Characters in Revelation
In this session, we want to look at each vision and list out all the characters in those visions. We need to understand what and who each of these visions are describing if we want to be able to layer these visions over each other and determine the timing of events.
LESSON 5
Revelation 12 and the Timeline
When God showed us the Revelation 12 sign in 2017, that was an indicator to us to start reading in chapter 12. But why? This chapter actually gives us the entire end times timeline from a 30,000ft view. All other visions will be able to fit somewhere on the timeline of events from this chapter.
LESSON 6
First Borns (Male Child) and Inheritance
Revelation 12 gave us some major patterns and symbols to look into. The first one is about a "male child" who will rule with a "rod of iron". This is a story about a firstborn male who inherits. What is the Biblical pattern for that?
LESSON 7
7 Days with an 8th Day
After investigating first born males, we stumble onto another pattern: 7 days with an 8th day. This pattern appears many times throughout the Bible, and its symbolic implications for the end times story are huge.
LESSON 8
Rapture Patterns
We see a rapture in Revelation 12 ("caught up"). Is there a pattern associated with raptures in the Bible? Of course there is! Understanding how God has used raptures in the past will tell us what we may expect to see in raptures of the future.
LESSON 9
God’s Feast Days
Did you know that God has important Feast Days (holidays) that should be celebrated every year? Did you know that He often has prophecies fulfilled on His holy days? Let's explore the seven Feast Days and the cyclical past and future stories He is telling us through these patterns.
LESSON 10
Harvest Imagery
Ancient Israel was an agricultural nation. The feast days were all about harvests and their calendar followed the harvest seasons. Harvest imagery is used often in the Old and New Testament. So, what is the significance of this harvest imagery, and what does it teach us about the end times?
LESSON 11
Understanding Temple Imagery - Mosaic Temple
If you're like most modern-day Christians, you probably haven't learned a whole lot about ancient Jewish temples. But Revelation is slathered in temple imagery. Without understanding the past, we won't understand the future. This study will focus on the Tabernacle of Moses.
LESSON 12
Understanding Temple Imagery - Davidic Temple
This study will continue the exploration of temple imagery with the Taberncale of David and its past, present, and future prophetic implications.
LESSON 13
Understanding Temple Imagery - Solomonic Temple
This study will conclude the temple analysis with Solomon's Temple. By the end the temple series, you should have a clearer understanding of what the "tribulation temple" will look like, and whether or not we need to be following the news on things like the Temple Institute, red heifers, the Dome of the Rock, or sacrifices.
LESSON 14
Tracking the Time
Wth a stronger foundation under our belt, it's time to jump back into the book of Revelation and look at all the verses and visions that have a time period attached to it. This will help us to connect events.
Section 3: The Heavenly Judgments
People tend to focus heavily on the Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls of Revelation. Honestly, they do sound frightening. And to imagine that being spread out over years is devastating. However, what if they're not one after the other? What if each is just a list and the events overlap each other? This section will do a deep dive on the events listed in those visions.
LESSON 1
The Seals
Revelation describes the events associated with the opening of each seal once Christ breaks it. Because each seal is numbered (1-7), the sequence of events can be known, but not necessarily the timing of the events associated with each seal. The location of a seal event on a timeline must be ascertained by comparing scripture with scripture.
LESSON 2
The Trumpets
Unlike popular teaching, the 7th Seal does not start the Trumpet judgments. The Trumpet vision is just another sequence of events, and we need to go to and fro in Revelation to line up those events to the timeline.
LESSON 3
The Bowls
Just as in the other studies, we are given a sequence of events, and the timing of these Bowls can only be determined by comparing scriptures. The Bowls are the wrath of God, and that sets them apart from the Seals and the Trumpets.
Section 4: Watch the Harlot
In Revelation, we are introduced to a character known as “Mystery Babylon”. There’s a lot of speculation about this entity. When listening to mainstream teachers and theologians, they might postulate that Mystery Babylon is the United States due to its massive, worldwide economic presence. Others will say it’s the Vatican because it sits on seven hills and adorns itself with gold. Most theories suggest that Mystery Babylon is a city or a single place, like a country or specific location. What we’re going to do in this study is examine truly what Mystery Babylon is by understanding the Biblical history associated with that character, and tackle some of the more difficult questions people have regarding it.
LESSON 1
Babylon and Mystery Babylon
This study will dive deeper into the symbols behind "Babylon" to understand why this entity carries the name of that city.
LESSON 2
The Harlot, Jezebel, and the daughters
Why is this entity given the name of a city but also called a harlot? What is the important spiritual significance behind harlotry in the Bible and how does that play into the end times?
LESSON 3
Her relationship with the Beast
People tend to conflate the Harlot system with the Beast Kingdom. Are they the same thing? What is the relationship between the two and how might this play out on the world stage?
LESSON 4
Her Crimes, Judgment, and Destruction
God has a cup of wrath filling for Mystery Babylon, and her destruction is assured. What exactly is she being punished for and what does her punishment look like?
Section 5: Watch the Beast
The Beast, or more commonly known as the Antichrist, is a figure shrouded in mystery and speculation. There are many people online claiming to have decoded the Bible to discover who this individual is or was, and others yet claiming to be him. This section will do a deep dive on the Beast and all the information we have about him from the Bible. It might not be what you're expecting!
LESSON 1
The Abomination of Desolation
The Abomination of Desolation is shrouded in a lot of mystery and debate. There are many schools of thought about this event. Some believe it already happened, some believe it still is to come. This study will do a deep dive into this topic and see how it relates to our timeline.
LESSON 2
The Dragon, The Beast, and the False Prophet (The Fake Trinity)
Based on our Revelation timeline, we know that the reign of the Beast begins at the abomination of desolation. But, what do we know about that character—the Beast? And what about his partners—the False Prophet and the Dragon? Who are they? What do they do? What is their relationship with one another?
LESSON 3
Out of the Sea
By this point in time, you should have a good handle on how Revelation uses words and symbols to tell a deep and layered story. One of the symbols that is often used in Revelation is “the sea”. There are different schools of thought of what the “sea” stands for, so let’s explore this deeper to ensure we have a proper handle on it, how it’s used throughout the bible, and how it’s used in Revelation.
LESSON 4
The Mark of the Beast
The Mark of the Beast: tattoos, ID cards, barcodes, microchips, brain implants, vaccines... You've heard it all, I'm sure. This study will explore what the Bible says and perhaps give you some peace and assurance that it's not floating around right now.
LESSON 5
The Image of the Beast
Is the Image of the Beast a statue? A 24/7 TV broadcast? A robot? AI? The speculation on this topic is just as fantastical as the mark of the beast. But what does the Bible have to say about it?
LESSON 6
Armageddon
The best way to conclude this section on the Beast is to examine what his demise will be. Let’s paint a deeper picture on the final moments of his time on earth, and then also explore what potential ‘counterfeiting’ Satan may try to use with these events.
Section 6: The 144,000
The 144,000 are a group mentioned briefly in Revelation, and have caused many to debate who they are and what their purpose is during the end times story. Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, believe this is a literal number of faithful Christians destined for heaven, while some Christians think this number is a symbolic representation of the totality of God’s faithful people. Others believe they are a specific remnant of Jewish males who become believers during the tribulation. But, as with our other studies, we're going to let the Bible speak for itself.
LESSON 1
Who are the 144,000?
This guide will examine the symbols and patterns given to us around the 144,000 character in Revelation, and that will allow us to build a more well-rounded image of who they are and what they are doing during their time here.
LESSON 2
The Two Witnesses
If you’ve ever heard people preaching about the Two Witnesses before, you’ve probably heard all sorts of strange ideas about who they are and what they’re doing. Their placement on the end times timeline is also strange because we are given a day count for them, and so people try to match that day count to other day counts that sound the same. The idea of what they are doing is also a bit Hollywood-esque. We’re given this image of two scraggly old men in dirty sackcloth, standing on the streets of Jerusalem screaming, “The end is nigh!” with fire coming out of their mouths. Who are they, really?
LESSON 3
The Letters to the 7 Churches, Part 1
Typical interpretations of Revelation place the Letters to the Seven Churches as historical letters written to those specific seven churches in Asia Minor in the first century. Does that interpreation hold up under scrutiny?
LESSON 4
The Letters to the 7 Churches, Part 2
Each letter has a critical warning to its recipients, but it also has references to other events mentioned in the Bible. We want to understand what those warnings are, how they relate to the recipients in the time period it’s meant for, and how these fit into the greater story of Revelation.
Section 7: The Day of the Lord
In the next few studies, we’re going to spend our time focusing on what happens after all this tribulation from the Harlot and the Beast. This time period is known as the “Day of the Lord,” and it’s mentioned many times in both the Old and New Testament in the Bible. We did spend some time in earlier studies quickly reading about the Day of the Lord, but these lessons will do a deeper dive into the specifics.
LESSON 1
What is the Day of the Lord and when does it start?
This guide will review the basics of the Day of the Lord and how and when it begins.
LESSON 2
The First Fruits of the Grape Harvest
This lesson focuses a bit more on the first fruits of the grape harvest; or, the fate of God’s enemies that occurs when Jesus returns.
LESSON 3
The “First” Resurrection
What sets this resurrection apart from others? Why is this one so different? This lesson will explore why resurrections are happening in the first place, and who qualifies to be part of this first one.
LESSON 4
Understanding Sheol, Abraham’s Bosom, and the Fate of our Souls
Typically, churches teach a very simplified idea of what happens to people’s souls when they die. It may vary depending on your specific denomination, but it generally goes like this: Christians will go to Heaven and non-believers will go to Hell. The Catholic beliefs may even include Purgatory for believers who did not do enough good works to get into Heaven. However, this oversimplification may be causing confusion for the end times story. This guide will dive deeper into the different locations where souls may reside.
LESSON 5
The Millennial Reign
Oftentimes, the Millennial Reign is not a topic for discussion. Churches either talk about the Tribulation, or they talk about Eternity. Because of this, there is a lot of confusion surrounding those 1000 years in between the two. What is it for? Who is it for? What’s it going to be like? Sometimes, people might think that the Day of the Lord and the Day of God are the same thing. That once Jesus returns, we immediately start Eternity. This lesson will explore this topic.
LESSON 6
The “Second” Resurrection and the Great White Throne Judgment
Do all unbelievers automatically go to the Lake of Fire at the Great White Throne Judgment? This study will explore what salvation really means and who is able to obtain it. It might differ from what we were taught in Sunday School.
LESSON 7
The New Heavens and the New Earth
The Earth and the Heavens will be burned up and destroyed completely by fire. After the Great White Throne Judgment, God creates a New Heaven and a New Earth, free from sin and the effects of death. This will begin what we know as the “Day of God”. The Day of God is the final destination; it’s the time we long for, a time of righteousness, and time of perfect communion with God. What can we expect?
LESSON 8
The “Outside” of the New Jerusalem
The New Testament uses no less than six different terms that describe negative and/or neutral places in the afterlife which people can experience. These six terms often are mistakenly conflated and lumped together as "hell." We looked at these words in previous studies and have determined that during the Day of God, there are two "hell" locations: The Lake of Fire and The Outer Darkness. This study will explore the Outer Darkness and what it takes for someone to be sent there.
Section 8: Other Items
Coming soon...
LESSON 5
Daniel’s vision of the beasts and human history
Coming soon...