14 - Dreadful Days

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Dreadful DaysLesson Objective

The students will learn about the major events that occur during the Tribulation and

the power and deceptiveness of the enemy, Satan.

Matthew 24:21

How is the Tribulation described?

Imagine looking at a bright red apple. It looks delicious, and you cant wait to sink

your teeth into it and enjoy its juicy goodness. But when you pick it up and bite into

it, you quickly realize its rotten all the way through. You thought it was going to bedelicious, but it turned out to be mealy, brown, and sickening. Many things in this

world are not how they appear.

In the Tribulation, the Antichrist will seem to bring of long-awaited peace to the

world. He will sign a treaty with the nation Israel to guarantee its safety. People will

believe the Antichrist is the answer to their prayers. But then he will break the treaty,

demand worship, and start to control everything. Just as you found out the apple that

looked perfect was rotten, the events of the Tribulation are going to show that the

Antichrist is not what he appeared to be.

Tribulation: A time of affliction and distress, especially the seven-year period of

Gods judgment of the earth before the second coming of Christ.

Checklist

1. Two chairs for the Readers Theater.

2. Copies of the script of the Readers Theater.

3. Pick a person to portray Ben at least two weeks before the lesson.

4. A PowerPoint presentation for this module is available for purchase on the Word

of Life Online Store.

General Lesson Format

Introduction

Discussion

Teachers Note: Ask the students the following questions about time travel. Move

quickly through the questions without waiting for a lot of comments. The purpose is

to get them thinking about it.

Time Travel!

What do you think about time travel?

Is time travel possible?

Will time travel ever be possible?

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If you could travel in time, where would you like to go? To the past? To the

future? Where?

Lecture

For many years, fiction authors have written about time travel. Some went to the past

like Hank in Mark TwainsA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court. Others

went to the future, like the Traveler in H. G. Wells The Time Machine. TheBack to

the Future movies looked at time travel too. The possibility of time travel isfascinating.

In our study of Future Events, wouldnt it be great if we could travel in time to

experience the future firsthand? Normally the answer would be yes, but not if we

have to experience the events of the Tribulation! Last week we looked atpeople of

the Tribulation; this week we are going to look at some of the events that will happen.

We definitely dont want to experience this, so, to help us learn about the future,

were going to interview Ben, a man who has traveled back in time to us from the lastday of the Tribulation.

ContentReaders Theater

Teachers Note: Teach this lesson in the Readers Theater format as an interview

between the teacher and Ben. In a Readers Theater, it is not necessary to memorize

the text, but you want them to be familiar with the dialogue and to get into the

character.

The Scene for the Readers Theater

An interview between the teacher and Ben, a person who has lived through almost

all of the Tribulation.

The Cast for the Readers TheaterBen One of your leaders (or another adult) dressed like a fugitive on the run

during the Tribulation.

Teacher The teacher of the class, who interviews Ben.

The Script for the Readers Theater

Teacher:

We are waiting for the arrival ofhere he comes now. Ben, welcome to our

meeting.

Ben enters as the teacher speaks.

Ben:

Thank you. It is an honor to be here. But I cant stay long.

Teacher:

Ben, have a seat, and lets start off with you telling us a little bit about yourself.

The teacher and Ben each sit down in chairs.

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Ben:

I am Jewish, 29 years old, lived in Jerusalem for most of my life, and I was

married to a great wife.

Teacher:

Was marriedwhat happened to your wife?

Ben:She was killed in the Tribulation.

Teacher:

I am so sorry. I cant imagine what you are going through.

Ben:

Its been really hard the last three years without her, but were going to be

together soon in the Millennium.

Teacher:

Well, tell us about some of the things youve seen or experienced during the

Tribulation.

Ben:

To begin with, millions of people disappeared. I learned later that those people

were Christians. They went into the air and met Christ in what is called the

Rapture. After that, there wasnt any believers left on earth.

Then a guy came into power. He has a lot of names for himself, but I call him

what the Bible doesthe Antichrist. Revelation 13 calls him the first beast, which

I think is a perfect name for him: beast.

At first, we all thought he was awesome. He seemed to be fixing everything, and

it was so nice to have someone in charge after all those people disappeared andeverything was blowing up and being destroyed. He was bringing everyone

together, and we were all getting alongI mean, the Antichrist even signed a

peace treaty defending Israel! No ones ever done that before! But of course, nowI know the Tribulation began with the signing of that treaty, like Daniel 9:27 says.

Teacher:

How do you know about Daniel 9:27 and all those other things from the Bible?

Ben:

After I trusted the Messiah as my Savior, I spent a lot of time reading and

studying Gods Word, both the Old and New Testaments, for these last six years.

In 2 Timothy 2:15, we are instructed to study Gods Word so we can understand

what God is doing and know Him better. Even as a Jew living in Jerusalem, I had

never opened a Bible, but now Im seeing how it all fits together.

Teacher:

If you never read the Bible, how did you come to trust Jesus Christ as your

Savior?

Ben:

As I said, I lived in Jerusalem. About the same time the Antichrist signed thetreaty with Israel, two men who claimed to be from God began to preach. The



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Bible calls these men the two witnesses (Revelation 11:3). After several months

of hearing their message, my wife and I realized that Jesus Christ was the

Messiah. We knew that no one can get to God the Father unless they go through

Jesus, like John 14:6 says, and we trusted Him as our Savior.

Teacher:

Are those guys still preaching?

Ben:

They preached for 3 years. Then everything went out of control at the 3-year

markright in the middle of the Tribulation. The Antichrist started breaking his

promises. He went back on the treaty that he signed with Israel like Daniel 9:27

also says.. Then he put an image in our temple, defiling our holy place and telling

us to worship it. Anyone, particularly the Israelites, who didnt worship the

Antichrist and his image were hunted down and killed.

Teacher:That sounds horrible. What were you feeling at that time? Did you think God

abandoned you?

Ben:

For a while it seemed like that way. Remember the two witnesses I told you

about? The Antichrist killed those guys. We were really upset, mourning their

death, but most people were celebrating. They even let the witnesses bodies

laying on the street to rot. Then the most amazing thing happened. After 3 days,

the two witnesses came back to life. They were alive again and were taken up to

Heaven (Revelation 11:9-12). After people saw these two dead men get up and go

to Heaven, they were terrified. We, on the other hand, were happy when we saw

God working, but we were also scared, because we knew from our reading of the

Bible that the Antichrist was going to be worse than ever.

Teacher:Whys that?

Ben:Revelation 12:7-9 says there was a war in Heaven, and Satan lost his access to

God. You know how Satan went and confronted God when he wanted to hurt Job?

Well, Satan and God finally had it outhad a big warand Satan was thrown

out of heaven along with his angels, the demons. Satan then took complete control

of the Antichrist.

Teacher:

So Satan is controlling the Antichrist? The Antichrist is the guy we have to watch

out for?

Ben:

Yes, but hes not the only one doing stuff. Revelation 13 says theres a second

beast, or a false prophet. This guy can do miracles and call down fire from the

sky. Hes the one who ordered that the image be made. Hes the one whos having

people killedeven right now, where Ive come fromif people dont worship

the image of the Antichrist (Revelation 13:14-15)

Teacher:So, hes like the Antichrists sidekick.



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Ben:

Yeah, and he has tons of power. Hes the one whos controlling the world

economy. He makes everyone have a markon either their hand or forehead to

show they are a follower of the Antichrist. If anyone doesnt have this mark, they

cant buy or sell anything (Revelation 13:16-17). It is impossible to function in

society without this mark.

Teacher:If you dont have the mark, how are you surviving?

Ben:

When the Antichrist broke the treaty, he came against everyone in Israel and tried

to kill us. Tons of us ran to the wilderness areas far away from Jerusalem.

Unfortunately my wife didnt get away. Our Messiah, Jesus Christ, predicted our

need to flee in Matthew 24:16-20. Weve been hiding for almost 3 years.

Ben stands and heads for the door.

Teacher:

Do you have to go?

Ben:

Yes, I must. Many armies are gathering in Israel, and the second coming of Jesus

Christ could happen any second now.

Ben turns to the students.

You dont want to experience the Tribulation, guys. Its a horrible, horrible time.

Remember what the Bible saysJesus Christ is the only way out!

Ben exits.

Teacher: (yells after Ben)

Ben, thank you for coming!

Lecture

Have you ever been lied to by someone you trust? How did you feel? Thats what is

going to happen in the Tribulation. Many people will follow the Antichrist, believing

he is the answer to their prayers. But then hell turn on them and force them to do

things his way or die. The only way to escape the horror of the Tribulation is to trust

Christ as your Savior.

As we heard from our friend Ben, Satan is the power behind the Antichrist. But he

isnt waiting for the Tribulation to cause problemsthe Bible says Satan wants to

devour Christians today (1 Peter 5:8). Satan will make sin look better than it is. He

never tells the whole truth. He tempts people to cheat, thinking that it will be okay

just that one time. But James 4:7 says that we have power to resist sin and can say

no to Satan if we know Christ.



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Conclusion

All the things that Ben told us about are real, and they will happen in the Tribulation.

They will happen to those who rejected Christ when they had the chance to accept

Him. If you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, you can settle that today;

tomorrow may be too late.

Do you have friends who are unsaved? You have a responsibility to let others know

about what Christ has done for them. Make certain they understand the consequencesif they refuse to accept Him.



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In 2 Timothy 2:15, we are instructed to study Gods Word so we can understand

what God is doing and know Him better.

No one can get to God the Father unless they go through Jesus (John 14:6).

The Bible says Satan wants to devour Christians today (1 Peter 5:8).

James 4:7 says that we have power to resist sin and can say no to Satan if we

know Christ.

Satan wants to trick people into believing lies. One of his lies is that sin is better than

pleasing God. Many people in the Tribulation will believe this lie and deny God.

What Satan doesnt tell you is that the pleasures of sin only last for a short time; then

destruction and heartache come. Are there times when you think sin is better than

pleasing God? Choose one area of your life God wants you to change and ask for

help.

Reference Materials

Charles C. Ryrie,Basic Theology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 540-542, 547-550.

Charles C. Ryrie, The Tribulation in The Countdown to Armageddon, Charles

Ryrie, consulting editor; Joe Jordan and Tom Davis, general editors (Eugene, OR:

Harvest House, 1999), 178.

Discipleship Groups

Discussion Starters

1. What part of the Tribulation scares you the most, and why?

2. What do you think it is going to be like living in that time?

3. What area of your life do you struggle with the most in being deceived by Satan?

Try This Week

Personal Testimony: Share your testimony with one person this week.


Documents

14 - Dreadful Days