2012
(The first three questions may determine the age as well as the degree to which your group follows these kind of issues in the news. You can easily find other examples on the internet by simply searching “end of the world predictions”)
1. Who remembers the book titled “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988”? Do you recall how people reacted to it?
Just to give you an idea… REASON #39 “There was a prophecy conference held in Tampa, Florida in early 1988.Dr. Ron Wyatt, one of the speakers ,stated on his tape of this presentation that he found the Ark of the Covenant 60 feet below Golgotha, directly below where Jesus was crucified. Dr. Ron Wyatt stated that the earthquake that split Golgotha when Jesus was crucified allowed Jesus' undiluted blood to fall 60 feet below the cross, through the crack made by the earthquake, and to spill Jesus' blood on the Mercy Seat. This was the last blood sacrifice to this day to26 be sprinkled on the Mercy Seat. Dr. Wyatt stated that he actually saw the Ark of the Covenant, and he too believes the ashes of the red heifer are there also, however he did not see the ashes of the red heifer.”
2. More recently, Harold Camping predicted that the world was coming to an end on October 21, 2011. Anyone run into people who were bothered by that date?
3. What kind of conversations have you heard regarding Dec 21, 2012, which is supposedly the end of the Mayan calendar? Do you think the hype will increase as we get closer to that date?
4. Why do you think we have such tendencies to set dates for the return of Jesus/end of the world?
5.What should Jesus’ statement in Mark 13:32 do to this tendency of setting dates?
6. Mark 13:33-37 repeats the word “alert” three times. Matthew 25:13 (end of the parable of the ten virgins) tells us to be on the alert.
What does being alert look like in your life as you follow Jesus?
