Parent Pages Week 31
Timeless Truth: Jesus wins the ultimate victory; he’s coming soon.
Get the Point:
Preschool: Jesus is coming again. I can live in his kingdom forever.
Elementary: Jesus is coming again. I can live in his kingdom forever.
Middle/High School: Jesus is coming to establish his kingdom. Everyone creature on earth will praise him.
Table Talk
Preschool/Elementary
• John says the time that all these things will happen “is near,” but that was around 2,000 years
ago. Why hasn’t Jesus returned yet?
• It helps to understand that God isn’t bound by time. He’s infinite. Second Peter 3:8 explains it
this way: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years. And a thousand years are like a day.”
What would it be like if time didn’t matter?
• Have you ever wanted to go back in time? If you could visit any point in time, where would
you go?
• John describes Jesus in a funny way—wool hair, blazing eyes, metal feet, voice like a river and
a sword for a tongue. In your own words, describe Jesus. Why do you think John used these
words to describe the Savior?
• Take turns as a family describing each other as John might describe you.
• How does it feel to get to the end of The Story and know that God wins?
Note: Young readers will enjoy “A Dream of Heaven” in the Jesus Storybook Bible on page 342.
Middle/High School
• What do you think Jesus means when he tells John, “I hold the keys of death and Hades”?
How has Jesus demonstrated that?
• Jesus warns the churches about their behavior. Look at several of them. Do churches battle
these same problems today?
- Church in Ephesus—forgotten first love
- Church in Sardis—live according to what you know about God - Church in Laodicea—lukewarm; need to live on fire
• Which of the above problems do you deal with the most?
• Now that you’ve completed The Story and know more about God, do you think it’s going to
be easier or harder to live for him? Why?
• Are you ready, because Jesus says he’s “coming soon”?
Living Faith
Some scary things happen in this chapter of The Story. Battles are fought. Strange looking creatures appear. God judges everybody and separates those who know him and people who never followed him. The Bible says, “Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will enter the city.” When you pray to accept Jesus into your heart, God’s Lamb writes your name in his book. God knows everybody’s heart, so he can easily separate out his followers.
Do a fun experiment that allows you to separate salt from pepper. You’ll need a paper towel, salt, pepper and a balloon. (If you don’t have a balloon, a comb can work, too.) First, create a small pile of salt and pepper. Make sure they’re well mixed together. Second, blow up the balloon and rub it quickly back and forth against your hair. Rubbing it against a wool sweater works, too. Once you’ve created enough static electricity, move the balloon slowly toward the pile. The pepper should “jump” up and stick to the balloon, while the salt will be left behind. Try the same experiment using a comb. Create your pile and salt and pepper, then comb your hair. Put the comb about an inch from the pile and separate out the pepper.
• Is the pepper better than the salt and that’s why it jumps to the comb? (No, the pepper is lighter and more easily attracted.)
• As Christians are we better than people who don’t believe in Jesus? (No, we just followed the Holy Spirit’s prompting and made the decision to follow Jesus.)
• Because God’s judgment day is going to happen, don’t you think it’s super important to share God’s love with everybody?
Extra Mile
Jesus is coming again. It’s a fact! Only those who believe in him will receive eternal life. Those who reject Jesus will suffer forever. The consequences are huge. This video from illusionist Penn Jillette shows the impact that living a real life for Jesus can have on an atheist. It may not be appropriate for every family, but it has a powerful message. Search YouTube for “Penn Jillette gets a Bible” (3:42). Discuss what Jillette says.
• What were some of the things the man did that made Jillette receptive to his gift of a Bible?
• What do you think of Jillette’s question, “How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize [try to convince others about your beliefs]?” Does that change the way you feel
about sharing your faith with your friends?
As we conclude, look back with your kids at The Story. What is something they learned during this time that changed their life? What was their favorite part of The Story?
Get the Point:
Preschool: Jesus is coming again. I can live in his kingdom forever.
Elementary: Jesus is coming again. I can live in his kingdom forever.
Middle/High School: Jesus is coming to establish his kingdom. Everyone creature on earth will praise him.
Table Talk
Preschool/Elementary
• John says the time that all these things will happen “is near,” but that was around 2,000 years
ago. Why hasn’t Jesus returned yet?
• It helps to understand that God isn’t bound by time. He’s infinite. Second Peter 3:8 explains it
this way: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years. And a thousand years are like a day.”
What would it be like if time didn’t matter?
• Have you ever wanted to go back in time? If you could visit any point in time, where would
you go?
• John describes Jesus in a funny way—wool hair, blazing eyes, metal feet, voice like a river and
a sword for a tongue. In your own words, describe Jesus. Why do you think John used these
words to describe the Savior?
• Take turns as a family describing each other as John might describe you.
• How does it feel to get to the end of The Story and know that God wins?
Note: Young readers will enjoy “A Dream of Heaven” in the Jesus Storybook Bible on page 342.
Middle/High School
• What do you think Jesus means when he tells John, “I hold the keys of death and Hades”?
How has Jesus demonstrated that?
• Jesus warns the churches about their behavior. Look at several of them. Do churches battle
these same problems today?
- Church in Ephesus—forgotten first love
- Church in Sardis—live according to what you know about God - Church in Laodicea—lukewarm; need to live on fire
• Which of the above problems do you deal with the most?
• Now that you’ve completed The Story and know more about God, do you think it’s going to
be easier or harder to live for him? Why?
• Are you ready, because Jesus says he’s “coming soon”?
Living Faith
Some scary things happen in this chapter of The Story. Battles are fought. Strange looking creatures appear. God judges everybody and separates those who know him and people who never followed him. The Bible says, “Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will enter the city.” When you pray to accept Jesus into your heart, God’s Lamb writes your name in his book. God knows everybody’s heart, so he can easily separate out his followers.
Do a fun experiment that allows you to separate salt from pepper. You’ll need a paper towel, salt, pepper and a balloon. (If you don’t have a balloon, a comb can work, too.) First, create a small pile of salt and pepper. Make sure they’re well mixed together. Second, blow up the balloon and rub it quickly back and forth against your hair. Rubbing it against a wool sweater works, too. Once you’ve created enough static electricity, move the balloon slowly toward the pile. The pepper should “jump” up and stick to the balloon, while the salt will be left behind. Try the same experiment using a comb. Create your pile and salt and pepper, then comb your hair. Put the comb about an inch from the pile and separate out the pepper.
• Is the pepper better than the salt and that’s why it jumps to the comb? (No, the pepper is lighter and more easily attracted.)
• As Christians are we better than people who don’t believe in Jesus? (No, we just followed the Holy Spirit’s prompting and made the decision to follow Jesus.)
• Because God’s judgment day is going to happen, don’t you think it’s super important to share God’s love with everybody?
Extra Mile
Jesus is coming again. It’s a fact! Only those who believe in him will receive eternal life. Those who reject Jesus will suffer forever. The consequences are huge. This video from illusionist Penn Jillette shows the impact that living a real life for Jesus can have on an atheist. It may not be appropriate for every family, but it has a powerful message. Search YouTube for “Penn Jillette gets a Bible” (3:42). Discuss what Jillette says.
• What were some of the things the man did that made Jillette receptive to his gift of a Bible?
• What do you think of Jillette’s question, “How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize [try to convince others about your beliefs]?” Does that change the way you feel
about sharing your faith with your friends?
As we conclude, look back with your kids at The Story. What is something they learned during this time that changed their life? What was their favorite part of The Story?