Revelation teaches us to view suffering through a heavenly lens. It tells us to identify with our Savior through trials and hardships (Rev. 2:10; Phil. 3:10). Four truths that sprouted from my Bible study buoyed my confidence that God’s light would overcome the darkness.
And as I studied, I was stirred with a desire to disciple my children so they have confidence when they face hardship. Here are four age-appropriate truths from Revelation that will help your kids withstand this world’s darkness.
1. We persevere by fixing our eyes on Jesus.
When we talk with kids about the Scriptures, we must highlight all aspects of Jesus’s character. We can show younger children Christ’s control over sickness, death, nature, and evil spirits in the Gospels or by using an oral Bible storying method. With older kids, we can walk through John’s vision of Jesus in Revelation 1. It’s there that John lets the church behold a vision of Jesus in all his glory (vv. 12–20). The same Jesus who deeply loves us (v. 5) is also the One who strikes John with holy reverence and fear (v. 17).
In the seven letters to the churches (Rev. 2–3), Jesus offers a reward for endurance. If believers fix their eyes on Christ, they’ll receive this promised reward. Here John shows us that understanding Jesus’s full character helps us to persevere. And staying focused on Jesus isn’t just for struggling parents. Our kids need to learn this too. They need to see that our faithful Christ will walk with them through every season—well beyond their years at home.
2. Suffering is normal.
Revelation was written to suffering churches. Believers at the time John penned the book faced false teaching (2:2, 14), and were banished from society (1:9), jailed (2:10), persecuted by the government for refusing to worship the emperor (13:15), and even killed (2:13) for their faith. Christians who remained faithful to Jesus suffered the consequences socially, economically, and physically.
Even today, persecution is par for the course for Christians, though what we experience in America doesn’t reflect what’s transpiring across the globe. The more we share stories with our kids of faithful Christians suffering, the more its normalcy will permeate their worldview (and ours). One way to instill this reality in our children is to read through the letters to the churches in Revelation 2–3. You can also subscribe to newsletters from closed-country missionaries and discuss real-life stories of believers who are faithfully following Christ despite difficulties. Talk about when persecution happens, why, and how God uses it.
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