?What if avoiding Revelation is keeping seven blessings from your family? Today we're talking about why the book of Revelation doesn't have to be cute fusing or scary, and how you can read Revelation with your middle schooler without feeling overwhelmed. To help us today, I have Shama stock who has worn many hats including. Homeschool mom, nutritionist, nonprofit administrator and writer. She is a cyber missionary and the founder of Revelation for Kids, a web-based platform where she shares insights from Bible prophecy in a simplified way, studying and applying what she learned in the book of Revelation, continues to change her life in unexpected ways. She's the author of the picture book. A, B, C, and Adventure through Revelation and a series of Bible study workbooks called Lessons from the Book of Revelation for Kids. You can find her blog and bible study materials for kids and [email protected], and she and her husband have two sons and live in Indiana some of the time. Welcome Shama. We are so glad you're here on the Faith Mom Mentor. Thank you so much for having me, and I'm glad to be here. Yeah. Well, the first question I have is how did you get interested in studying the book of Revelation? That's a great question. , Because I did not intend to start writing about Revelation, but I was attending a bible study fellowship when my first son was young, and I just noticed how many different ideas there were about the end times, about prophecy, and also kind of a reluctance 'cause I asked. Are we gonna have a year of study on Revelation? And they said, no, it's too controversial. You know, there's too many ideas and everyone's got different thoughts about it. So we kind of stay away from that and. Well now they Bible study fellowship does do, , a session on Revelation, but at that time they didn't. And I thought, you know, God is not a God of confusion. And so we really need to not just listen to what everyone's saying about it, but we really need to get into the word and, , ask for insight and start studying it ourselves. So that was kind of the very first, , thing. I offered to have a revelation study at my home and several women said, yeah, we wanna, we wanna do that with you. But that was also, , my first test of faith because I thought I am not equipped to lead a Bible study on Revelation. Uh, I had some familiarity with it, but I did not feel prepared at all, , to really lead a Bible study. And so I was looking for study guides and I was looking for materials, and I couldn't find something that really went verse by verse. And so. Through a series of, I believe providential encounters where God provided me with just the materials that I needed. , A great commentary that, , really taught me how to study the Bible and. Really use the Bible to interpret the Bible. Yes. So that next year I just was always one week ahead of the other ladies and I was writing out the study questions and it was super intense, but it was a real blessing. Yes. That sounds fantastic. It sounds like you took the challenge and you're like, I don't see this anywhere, so I'm going, it is needed and I'm gonna fill that need. Absolutely wonderful for you to do that now. , So you did it for, initially for Women, for Adults, but your ministry now is Revelation for kids. So tell me how the children came involved. How was your focus upon children? What age groups does it cater for? Or cater to. Yeah. So I thought that that's all I would do and I would just have this Bible study that women could do or you know, or in a small group. But then I ran into a lot of resistance of people saying, oh, I don't wanna study the end times. Or, oh, revelation gives me nightmares. , I remember specifically a pastor's wife. I was like, Hey, you should do this Bible study. And she was like, oh no, I don't do end times like it freaks me out. And I was like, wait a minute. Like how come like Grown supposed to be mature? Christian women are not wanting to read the last book of the Bible. And so I think just through. Prayer and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. God was saying we need to introduce kids to Bible prophecy in a way that's more kid friendly, that's more, uh, have graphics that are age appropriate in simplified language. That's not a. The first thing they hear is not like the apocalypse and we're all gonna die, or we all have to run to the hills, or whatever it is, or whatever scary movie they might've seen. , Let's introduce it from the beginning, which it starts with. There's a blessing for those that read the words of this prophecy and take it to heart. Yes. And so you talk about those, , blessings that if people fail to read, then they miss the blessing. And I want you to share those blessings with us. But I also am wondering, you were talking about the things that are scary that keep people from reading the book of Revelation. What was something that was scary for you initially, but you've come to understand so that it's not scary now? One of the sections that I think is pretty scary or can be is the Seven Trumpets sometimes called the Seven Trumpet Plagues. And you know, as I was reading other commentaries about it, you know, they joke that you just ask. Seven different people and you know, theologians and they'll tell you seven different things. , You know, it's full of imagery and symbolisms with like the abyss opening up and all these like, very strange creatures coming up out of the smoke, you know, with scorpion tails and locusts and just lion's teeth and like all this like nightmare kind of imagery. And so that was one of the parts where. Uh, I, I, I actually, my last workbook that I wrote was on the Seven Trumpets, and so I really dug into that and I was really surprised at what I found out in other parts of the Bible that help explain some of that. , Not that scary things aren't gonna happen in our lives, or not that bad things don't happen to good people or any of that, but. It really became very practical and , I just, I was blown away every time the Lord revealed something and it was like, oh, okay. That makes a lot of sense. Yeah, absolutely. And it's his revelation, and if we understand that he is in charge, sometimes we think of scary things as being out of control things, but these things that are scary, that are revealed in the book of Revelation are all under. God's control. And so they are not out of control. And that's why we don't have to be scared. When we trust in God, when we follow him, we are on his winning side, and as the book ends, we will win. In the end, he will win. And so the Book of Revelation is just a, a, a picture of. All the scary things that happen that God's in control of that will result in his winning. And so, so tell me, what is one main thing that keeps people from reading the Book of Revelation? Because they don't understand it. Why does the one, what is one main misunderstanding from the book of Revelation that you have uncovered? I think, uh, one of them is that, , sometimes they just hear revelation or the apocalypse and it comes to mind like books they've read or movies they've seen, and it's just like, oh, it's all about this. Chaos at the end of the world. But what Revelation is really about is really about revealing who Jesus is. And yes, he does reveal in there the deceptions of the enemy, which are often a lot more so. Subtle than we realize. Like it's not just gonna be like some big cata, you know, big, huge war or something. Like some of these deceptions are very subtle and I was thinking about, you know, some of these scary things that maybe aren't so scary. But the irony is that the devil makes. Things that should be scary seem not so scary. So one of the things I say is, , beware of friendly dragons, because there's a lot of stuff out. In front of our kids about friendly dragons and how to be friends with your dragon and how the dragons misunderstood and he's not really as bad as you think he is. Well, you read Revelation and you realize what the dragon is really like, and he's not friendly and he, you don't wanna be his friend because he's very deceitful and he lies, and we just wanna stay far away from him. Oh, that is so, so good. I love how you put that because Satan is the master deceiver. He is the father of deception, and so he's got that down and you are so right. We often, it's like the frog in the pot. You know, if you put a frog in a pot of water and then turn the burner on, the frog is not gonna know that they are in. A death pot. But if you boil the water and then throw the frog in, the frog realizes it. And so, yes, Satan wants us to be the frog in the pot and then turn the water. They heat up and we just absolutely not even realize. And he starts with our kids very, very young with the messages they get in songs, in movies, , in Disney, like all kinds of places. He's putting these messages into their heads that are not biblical. Yeah. Does, do you, , in your study of the book of Revelation, do you point some of those things out in your studies specifically? Like, this is in a song and, and you need to be careful or, or be careful with your kids in this area. What, what sort of, , advice or, or recommendations do you have for moms in that area? Yeah. In the Bible study workbooks, we do some general principles. So, , we talk about like how the revelation talks about the stars falling from heaven and how stars are angels, and they can be God's angels, holy angels, or they can be fallen angels, which are also called demons. And we talk about how Lucifer was a star that fell from heaven, and then, , not, not. In the Bible study workbooks, I really try and keep with, uh, studying the Bible with the Bible and just laying down the principles. But then, like on our YouTube channel and in other things, we have songs and stuff about like, don't Wish on a Falling Star, he does not care who you are. Oh, yeah. You know, because there's all these, . Especially in music, like I'm sure you could think of a lot of songs about wishing on a star and putting a star, you know, catch a falling star and put it in your pocket. And I don't think these are accidents. I think they are just the devil twisting things a little bit so that, , we won't think, you know, he wants us not to think, he just wants us to go down the easy path. Yes, you're right. The, even the word amusement when we think about these amusement parks that is no thinking zones. And when you really think about it, if you get on a roller coaster, that's not much thought behind that of all that could happen, you know? But we, we try to put that to the side. But tell me what age group that you initially did your book of. Your studies on Revelation, I know it was the adults, but what age group are your, are most of your videos and, and lesson books and picture books for. So the main target age is really, , middle schoolers, like eight to 12 year olds or early teens. , Some of the videos can be started with younger kids and even the a, b, C book, I know, 'cause it says ABCs. It's not really like a learn to read book. It's more like. Bringing out concepts and introducing someone to some of these things in Revelation, like D is for Dragon, or B is for Babylon. And then we have scripture that goes with it in a short little description. And even I've had adults that like the A, b, C book kind of as a coffee table book or just something that sparks their interest like, oh, I didn't know that was in Revelation. Maybe I should read more about that. Yeah. How do you, how would you want families to use your resources? Is this something that's just for the. Mom to put in front of the child and the child to do on their own? Or is it something that the mom and , child, , could do together? What are, what is your expectation for families and hope family will utilize with these resources you put together? That's a great question. And coming from, uh, the mind of a homeschooler, because I've homeschooled probably, I don't know, a cumulative, like 11, 12 years. So I'm always looking for opportunities to educate my kids in different ways. So that's what I'm trying to. Provide a little bit on our site. Revelation for kids.com. So one of the ways you could start introducing Revelation to your kids is through the Read Revelation challenge. So you can sign up for a Read Revelation challenge. You'll get an email every day with a Bible reading from Revelation. You'll get three thought questions, and then there's some links to other blog posts if you wanna go deep. But it's a great way to just read through Revelation in one month. That's the challenge, is to read through it in one month. So I've had people do that with family worship where they'll just read through it, the daily readings, and then they'll have the three thought questions. And it's really to get like an overview and not to get stuck in the middle. Let's get through the whole thing. There's a beautiful ending, so let's get through to the ending, even if you don't understand all the details along the way. And then there's the Bible study workbooks, which are really meant for kids to be able to work on independently as long as they can read and write and look up texts in the Bible. They have crossword puzzles, word searches, you know, fill in the blanks, matching, all that kind of stuff. And the goal of those Bible study workbooks is really to, first of all, let's let kids know what the Bible says. Let's let them read it for themselves and really put it in their mind what it actually says, not what someone says about it. And so, , also then it's. Starts teaching them how to study the Bible. How do we interpret these symbols? How do we use the rest of the Bible to reference, you know, to help us unpack some of the symbolism. And of course, a lot of the principles come out then, and we also insert like the fruits of the spirit or, , the armor of God. It's. Where it comes into play. So, uh, the Bible studies are great for independent study or you can also do them with a group. , And then the YouTube channel is just kind of for extra, you know, for fun. So, , some songs, some videos for the younger kids, and then some Bible study videos. That sounds fantastic. I love how you want to get the kids involved in studying the Bible for themselves because you are right when you, when you get them studying for themselves, it becomes their knowledge not what somebody has. Told them. And then when it becomes their knowledge, it's not a question in the future if somebody questions it because they knew the path that they learned that knowledge from. Not that they just heard it from their mom or dad or grandmother or relative or teacher of some kind. So that I, I love how that, how you have incorporated that, that is very beneficial. So. I am ready to hear these seven blessings. Can you tell us the seven blessings that a family will receive from reading the book of Revelation? Yeah, that's one of the things I learned in studying is there's seven blessings in Revelation, and the first one is right in chapter one at the very beginning. Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep the things that are written in it for the time is at hand. So that's the first blessing is just if you read it and take it to heart and then, . The next blessing is, and, and I put these in the workbooks, so they look up the blessings and they fill in the blanks for what they are. So blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. And that might seem strange, like how is it a blessing to die? But if you die in the Lord, you have a wonderful, uh, future to look forward to. And then, and we have this fear of death in our society and it's just like, oh, I'll do anything to avoid death. Well, there's some things that are worse than death actually. Yes, yes. And that is not being saved. That is right. That is right. And we don't realize that I have, after you share these seven plus, I have a question for you. , And then blessed is he that watches and keeps his garments. So, uh, we always wanna be watching and that includes, you know, praying and studying the Bible. Blessed are they, which are invited to the supper of the lamb, or which are called to the supper of the lamb. And then blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection. And because, uh, there's two resurrections, which is interesting. So the first resurrection is that resurrection to life. To eternal life. And then blessed are they that do his commandments. And we talk about how god's people are defined by those who have faith in Jesus and do his commandments. And then the last blessing is in the last chapter. Behold I come quickly. Blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book. I love all those. So tell me, behold I come quickly. Is that Jesus coming again? Yes, he's coming again. So what do you, what did you uncover about that? Yeah, that's a question that everyone's been asked for centuries, right? Because he said he was coming quickly and they're like, ah, it's been, you know, a long time. Like, what does that mean? Well, you know, the Bible says that for God, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. So if you think that. Jesus, you know, died 2000 years ago almost. For him, that's like two days, you know? So for him to say that he's coming quickly, he did actually mean what he says and what I've, what I studied, , you know, Peter talks about this, that, . Do not be surprised that one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day and that God is waiting, not because he's slow, but that he doesn't want anyone to perish. Yeah. Like he really, really wants everyone to be saved. , But then the Bible also says that. It's in Isaiah, Isaiah 46, , verse 10. He says, he declares the end from the beginning and from ancient times. Things not yet done. So from ancient times, from the beginning, God declares what's gonna happen. And you know, I don't know if we have time to go into it, but in my workbook I talk about the creation week and how it is reflected in the years of our Earth history. And so each thousand years really is a foretold in the creation week. . So just like on day one, he divided the light from the darkness. And in that first period of time is where man sinned. And you know, light and darkness was really made more clear to everybody. Yes. And just like in day two, he divided the waters. In the next thousand years we have the flood coming and , anyways, there's some very interesting. , Comparisons and if, you know, there's other people that have studied this, sometimes it's called the Cosmic Week or uh, some other names, that they believe that there's gonna be 6,000 years of this world's history, and then the seventh thousandth year will be the millennium. Well, if that's true, , and I'm not saying like definitively it is, but there's a lot of other Bible scholars that have looked at this, , over the centuries and believe this. Then we are very, very close to the end of the 6,000 years and close to the beginning of the seventh thousandth year, which could mean that Jesus is coming very, very soon. You know, very possibly in our lifetime. Yes, that that is true. That is true. No ma'am knows the day or the hour, but it said we all must be ready. It was the, , foolish virgins that were not ready. They had not prepared. And , so we need to be wise. We need to be wise and be prepared, right? So this book of Revelation, you have, , piqued my interest even more in this, , in this book, in the blessing, in the knowing that it, it seemed like those blessings that you went over earlier were just a great, if you know the truth, the truth will set you free from all error. And this book of Revelation has. A complete package of truth in it for how to get saved and how to be ready. So that is fantastic. Where can people find your books, your studies? Where would be the best place for people to go to find your information, the things that you have researched and are have put out for people? The best place is our website, revelation for kids.com. And I would say that you can find everything from there. You know, you can have links to the YouTube channel and to our shop page, to the read Revelation challenge. It's all on revelation for kids.com, and it's spelled out FOR. Okay, great. We will definitely link that for our, for the Faith Mom community and Faith mom community. I would just encourage you to go to that resource, get that challenge, that read revelation challenge, and do it day by day, reading it with your kids. Let your kids read the passages that are assigned for each particular day. Get those three. Questions, , to get an overview every day for the book of Revelation because you will not be disappointed and these blessings will be for you and your family. And so Shama, it has been a joy and a delight to have you on the Faith Mom mentor, and so we're so thankful for your work. Thank you for listening to the Lord. Thank you for acknowledging what he would have you do, and thank you for the hours and hours of study and research that you have done to understand this and to put it in written form so it will bless and encourage so many families all throughout the whole world. So we, we greatly appreciate your time and your effort, not just to be here today, but for what you've done in these resources. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having me. And I just wanna share that that blessing, that blessing really means a deep inner joy that no one can take away from you, no matter what the situation around you. So I know moms that are like in the struggle right now, and this blessing is for them, a deep inner joy that nobody can take away. That is so, so good. Thank you. Thank you for pointing that out. We sometimes forget that. , But God has that for us. So we thank you and thank you Shama and, and thank you faith mom, community. And be sure to stay with us for the next time that we're together.
