Adventures in the Bible & Beyond
A Kids' Bible Curriculum Looking at Biblical History, The Biblical Present, the Biblical Future, and How We Fit in it All!
Introduction
Hey Kids! Welcome to the club! "Adventures in the Bible & Beyond"! Here you will learn about how EVERYTHING started, at least as early as the creation of the world, and you'll see how God established beauty and order in the creation of all things, and how He's a just and merciful God, having beauty and order in His commandments as well - instructing us in the RIGHT way to walk and live and treat Him and others! Sounds like fun, huh? You as a kid are just starting your journey in this life, and I hope to set you on the best path you could ever be on in your life - a path walking towards the ALL-POWERFUL ALL-BEAUTIFUL ALL-GLORIOUS ALL-MERCIFUL KING JESUS (Yeshua) and God the Father, and their Kingdom, which will come to earth and last forever! Don't you want to be part of the kingdom? Good, that's what I thought! Now let's get started in journeying through the Bible and how it applies to our lives today!
Lesson 1: Beauty & Order Established
In the beginning, before there was land or oceans or fish or animals or anything, God was there. Maybe He already had created a beautiful heaven where He chose to dwell. But what's most important is that God is the source of all existence - even His personal name, sometimes pronounced Yahweh, comes from the verb "to be"! And another title for Him in the bible is I AM. HE IS, and without Him, we have nothing. He gives life to all, and like a phone plugged in the wall, we live because He gives us life. And so, "in the beginning" - the first phrase of the whole Bible, God decided to create the place where we would eventually dwell - the earth and the sky!
He started on the first day by JUST creating LIGHT! And notice, this was before there was sun or moon or stars! So perhaps this was a more spiritual light, or its source was just not from something physical like the sun. Indeed, at the end of the bible, we see that when everything is made perfect again in the New Heavens and the New Earth, when the New Jerusalem comes down to be on earth (the special city made by God), we won't need the sun or moon - because God will illuminate everything. He will be our light! So again, He is the source of everything, and the light comes from Him. That was the first day. And there was also the first evening. And it says the evening came FIRST! That's why we celebrate Shabbat (sabbath) starting with the evening before the 7th day - friday night!
The next day is kind of interesting. Apparently everything, or almost everything was all WATER. So in this day, God SEPARATED the water to make a big expanse in the middle - the sky! That was the second day. But, there was still no land yet! So on the third day, God made the water that was BELOW the sky to come into one place, and he made dry land appear - just by speaking it into existence! He also declared and made all the trees and grass and bushes appear! Even fruit trees!
On the fourth day, God made some pretty things - like icing on a cake - he made the SUN and MOON and STARS! The sun was to give light during the day, the moon during the night, and also the stars at night of course - like sparkling jewels decorating the dark night sky! These lights God said would be to track days and years and seasons, as well as for SIGNS! AMAZING! If you know how to read the sky, you wouldn't have to just depend on your smartphone. Wise people have studied the stars and knew how to interpret them - like the wise men that traveled from afar, following a star to see the newborn King of Kings Jesus! How amazing are the mysteries hidden in the stars that God has placed there for us to discover.
On the fifth day things started getting even more interesting. There was sky and water, (and land), but no animals living there yet! So on the fifth day, God created all the animals that live in the water - the fish, the whales, the dolphins, the crabs! He also made all the BIRDS that fly in the sky! How beautiful that must have been, to see all the creatively sculpted, colorful creatures come to life and start to fly around the sky and swim in the water!
And then the sixth day. The water and the sky had animals, but what about the land? God made all the land animals on the fifth day! The LIONS, ELEPHANTS, Tigers, horses, wolves, rabbits, squirrels! How amazing and creative God is! And lastly, He made another kind of creature to dwell on the land. Well also in the water if they so choose. A very special creature... Who do you think it was? Yes, it was US!! HUMANS! And what's special about humans? It's that we are made in the same image as God HIMSELF! So what is the image of God? Well, there is a special verse that tells us WHO is the image of God! It's found in a letter of the Bible called Colossians - a letter that the apostle Paul (someone who goes out and spreads the message of God and Jesus) wrote to the believers who lived in Colossai. And towards the beginning of this letter, Paul is explaining who JESUS is. And Paul says, with God's guidance, that JESUS is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation Colossians 1:15
That's from the book of Colossians, chapter 1, verse 15. In the bible, we also see how this is true, because Jesus Himself said that whoever has seen Him has seen the Father (Father God)!! That's from the book of John, chapter 14, verse 9 (John 14:9). God is spirit (invisible), but Jesus is the physical expression of God! So we are kind of like Jesus because we are made in His image - but we are not totally like Jesus because He is perfect and He is ONE with God, and He was in the beginning, creating everything WITH God. But we have the same sort of nature - with a mind to think, emotions to feel, and creativity to create things ourselves!
So on the sixth day, God finished His creation with His crowning jewel - humankind - man and woman. The first man was named Adam (aDAM in Hebrew, the language of the first part of the bible), and the first woman named Chavah in Hebrew - or Eve in English. Magnificently created in God's image. Now man and woman had a beautiful home to live in and enjoy and explore. And they could take care of the animals, and have children of their own to raise up and love in the beautiful world that God (Elohim in Hebrew) had created!
Now it was time for a special pause - to stop and reflect on everything that had happened. To relax, to not have to do regular work. Like a celebration. This was the seventh day, later named "Shabbat" in the bible. That's where the word Sabbath comes from. And Shabbat comes from the verb Shavat, which means to "cease" or "stop" - exactly what we do on the seventh day each week! Imagine what that first seventh day was like - Adam and Eve had JUST been created, and now God was done working, and as a Father, could spend intimate time with His offspring, His children, Adam and Eve, in the new paradise that He had so beautifully made for them to dwell in.
Hallelu-Yah! Praise the Lord! God created everything in 6 days - established beauty and order - and on the 7th day, rested with His special creation.
Lesson 2: The Cost of Freedom
Now that man and woman had been established in their paradise to enjoy and care for God's creation, they could have children as well and thus develop the earth with more image-bearers (humans) who could care for the earth as well and enjoy a relationship with the Creator as well! God's command was to be fruitful and multiply and rule over the earth - cultivate it and care for it and raise up children to do this as well. We ourselves are "Adam" - "earth" - made of the earth but mixed with the Eternal spirit of God - so we care for the "earth" but as we have God in us, we also have a yearning to connect with the Divine as well, and not just be "earth" - "Adam".
We were made to behold the Eternal One's glory and enjoy Him forever, ever beholding more of His character and love for us, and allowing Him to live through us and accomplish His will - which is also righteous and pure and holy and loving and just.
But an enemy had access to Adam and Eve too. An enemy that had tried to be God himself - exalt Himself above God and do his own will - thus questioning the authority and goodness of the Eternal Holy Creator.
And thus HaSatan - the Adversary in Hebrew, also known as Satan or the Devil, somehow came in the form of a snake, or spiritually entered a snake to use to tempt Eve first, and then she would tempt Adam.
The Creator was so gracious that He gave men and women the OPTION to go their own way and try to be their own god, living independently of Him. Nevertheless he warned them, if you do that, you will die - you will cut yourself off from the true source of life in trying to be your own god and you will die.
The Devil appealed to this sense of freedom and independence they could have by eating the fruit of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil - mind you, I believe everything was more spiritual in those days - so I don't think it was a simple fruit - but something that changed you from the inside out. And so Eve was attracted to the fruit and liked what it offered, being deceived to partake of it, which she sadly did. And Adam, for whatever reason, went along with her and sinned as well.
I have long wondered why getting the knowledge of good and evil would be bad, though. Isn't that what God wants us to know - right from wrong, so we can do right? I have come to the conclusion that the name of the tree refers more to us independently trying to know what's right and wrong ourselves - US wanting to have the knowledge and even defining our own right and wrong, instead of simply listening to our Father and doing what He says.
It is very interesting, after they eat of the fruit, even GOD admits
Behold the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:22
!!! So the devil WAS telling a half truth when he told Adam and Eve that they would be like god if they ate the fruit. This is just further evidence that God actually gave the option for man's mind to be changed and be "like Him, knowing good and evil." I believe God wanted to test them - to see if they loved Him and understood Him to be the great Father of all, and thus would submit to Him, or if they would rebel and choose to be their own god and live off of their own knowledge of what they think is good and evil instead of living in obedience to what the Creator says.
In this light, it was not that the actual fruit was tempting because of its taste or look or texture - it was the temptation of being able to live for self in independence and selfishness instead of having to submit to the Creator.
I don't know about you, but I still FEEL this pull of the fall - the desire to just please myself and do what I want, instead of submit to the Father in love. It is a battle inside - good versus evil. That is why the apostle Paul says we must "die daily" to self - and follow the Master's command to take up our cross daily and follow Him. This is the true way of love - self-sacrificing love instead of seeking to please self.
So in that day, humanity and the world fell into a broken state, cut off from the life and fellowship and love of the Father Creator, now destined to die instead of live forever…
But. The Bible also says God knows the end of things - the future - what will happen. So this great tragedy did not surprise Him. In fact, the great great great love of God knew what it would cost to redeem man and get him connected again to God's eternal life – and HE WAS WILLING to pay this torturous price to take care of man's sin and provide a way for man to be perfected and pure again.
This cost would involve God Himself absorbing, taking our sin somehow, and taking the punishment for it as well - the death and separation from God, so that He could give us back life, our sins having been covered. This great exchange was made possible on the Great Cross of calvary where God sent Himself inside a physical human body to offer His perfect righteousness to us, and somehow absorb all the sin of the world and its punishment into Himself! All things are possible with Him! Somehow He was able to do that! And then raise His son Jesus again to inherit His rightful place as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, only submitting to God the Father above Him! Hallelu-Yah - which means PRAISE YAH - God's short name!!!
So. The cost of allowing man to have freedom and ultimately fall into sin and death was the cost of God's own life. If it was me, I would not have even given man an option to sin so I would not HAVE to come down and suffer and die myself!! But our God's love is unfathomable. He did not want robots - He wanted us to CHOOSE Him. And when we didn't, He was WILLING to come down and suffer and die to give us another chance to be with Him forever and enjoy eternal life with Him!!! Praise Him!!!!
Do you believe these things? If you need more understanding or confirmation from God, just pray to Him. Ask Him to show you that He is real and the Bible is true, and I believe He will.
'Til next time, Have a great day kids!
Lesson 3: Sin Runs Rampant
Well, after man and woman were expulsed from the garden of Eden, they did have children, and those children had more children, et cetera. But, as mankind was now in a fallen state of sin – righteousness was not too common to come by. On the contrary - it seems the selfish urges of lust and hatred and violence ran rampant, and humanity as a whole fell to a very low state in this time of history, given over to their sin.
Somehow, God preserved one man - Noah (along with his family) – who still walked with God in righteousness during this time of history.
But regarding the rest of humanity - at this time, Holy God judged the situation to be unfixable, other than by a mass cleansing and restart. I was pondering this - I believe if there was a way to get humanity back on the right path without a flood, God would've done it. But it appears humanity was too far gone. God was sad – there was so much evil and bad things happening in the world. He was moved to start over with His man, Noah.
So the cleansing waters began to come - yes, the waters of judgment for the wicked - they perished and the world was able to start anew with Noah and his family, as they had been preserved in the ark that floated on the water.
But. God had mercy as well with these people who lost their physical lives. We see later in 1 Peter 3:18-20 that when Jesus died, he actually went to where these souls were in darkness to proclaim to them the gospel and offer them a chance to have eternal life.
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. 1 Peter 3:18-20
Notice also, when the ark was being constructed it says that God was patiently waiting. Waiting for what? Perhaps that others would believe in the coming judgment and want to take refuge themselves as well in the ark that Noah was building!
So God is like a mighty Lion, seated on his throne. Have you ever seen a lion at a zoo? Their faces actually look very peaceful and calm - this represents God's patience He has, even when sinners do things that would probably irritate us a lot and make us mad! But He waits, and waits for people to repent.
Yet at some point, He does bring His fair punishment - justice, upon sinners. This is what happened in the flood. It's called justice, because "just" means something that's right. It is right for God to remove sin and punish those who sin - this is just, fair, right.
But again, He does have A LOT of mercy and patience as well!
That's all for now, kids. Have a great day.
More content coming soon – to cover all major events of the Bible, past, present, and to come!
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