Introduce It!

Bible or children’s Bible
Costumes for scientists (teachers)
Mounting putty or tape (for hanging posters)
Invention Collage poster (Teacher Resource Kit)
Pre-Prep
Prepare your costumes. Dr. Slimestein may want to have slime for a prop (see craft guide for recipe) and Professor Timely may want to wear an armful of watches.

Be familiar with the lesson, but don’t memorize it. Place it on a clipboard to use as a reference. You can decorate the back of your clipboard (the side the kids see) with science and/or clock stickers.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Although the gospel is presented in detail during Day 3, each lesson provides opportunities to share the gospel. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as to which of these opportunities to use. 
Also, this lesson is particularly packed as we set the stage for the week, so you'll need to keep it moving!
Inventions to Mention (3-5 minutes)
As the travelers come in and get settled, say something like the following:
Teacher One: Welcome, time travelers! Are you ready to blast off on a super fun time here in the Simulation Station at the Time Lab? I’m Dr. _____ and this is my assistant, _____. You may want to make up fun names like Dr. Slimestein and Professor Timely. 
Teacher Two or Teaching Assistant: Hey! We like inventions here. They're fascinating! Show Invention Collage poster. Some inventions have changed the world, like the printing press, computers, and smart phones. Some will just make you smile. For instance, someone invented this anti-theft lunch bag so nobody would steal their lunch. Or how about a knitted beard hat? Or a dogbrella? Or a baby shower cap? Or LED slippers? 
Teacher One: If you could invent something, what would you like to invent? Take answers. 
Teacher Two: Do you think it could ever be possible to invent a time machine that would allow people to travel through time? Take answers. Well, here at the Time Lab, we ask ourselves a lot of questions about time machines and time. Let’s see if you can help us with these questions!
Teach It!

From Resource DVD-ROM:
Big Questions sheets
How Many Days Old sheets
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the Big Questions sheets and How Many Days Old sheets. 

 Part 1: Time Tracker Stop 1—The Beginning  (20–25 minutes)
This section is divided into four big questions, with Teacher One doing #1 and #3, and Teacher Two doing #2 and #4. This helps to divide the responsibilities; however, feel free with this, and any day’s teaching, to change who is doing what. Each question should average about five minutes. 
Big Question 1—Do you know the year you were born? (Teacher One)
Take a few responses. Briefly share something that was happening at the time of your birth—a new invention that just came on the scene, an historical event, somebody famous who was born that year, a new food, etc.
I was alive when that was happening, but you weren’t because you haven’t always been around, right? But you did begin at some point—as a baby in your mom’s tummy! Let’s see if we can figure out approximately how many days you’ve been alive since your birth.
Poll the class and have them raise their hands if they are 6, 7, 8, or 9 (or whatever ages you have). Use the How Many Days Old sheets from the Resource DVD-ROM and tell them that according to your calculations, that means they’ve been alive _____ days since their birth. Hold up the correct number(s). 
You may need to skip the How Many Days Old activity if you need more time. Some kids may not know the year they were born, so don't have everyone share.
So, we agree that we all started at some point. Now, let’s move on to the next question. 

Optional: flashlight (for daily time simulation) 
From Teacher Resource Kit:
Time Tracker poster
Day 1 Sim Station posters (and cover)
From Resource DVD-ROM:
Sim Station sound effect (and player)
Genesis 1 sheet
Creation cue cards
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the Genesis 1 sheet, and Creation cue cards. 
Prepare the Time Tracker poster (see Decorating Decisions), then point the arrow to 4000 BC. 
Mount and cover the Sim Station posters.
Cue the Sim Station sound effect.

 Big Question 2— When did time begin? (Teacher Two)
Take a few responses, then remind them that every good scientist always begins his work with the Bible because it’s the only perfect and completely trustworthy book. Then say:
Let’s travel on our simulator and check out what the Bible says! Everybody ready? Let’s strap on our seat belts, put on our goggles, and take off! 

The Bible and mounting putty or tape are usually listed just once in each day’s lesson, but plan to use them throughout.
One test church teacher came out from behind the time machine each day as if she had just arrived from that time period. ("I was stuck in time!")

There are a couple of ways to do your “time travel” effect each day. A simple way is to flick the lights (or turn off the lights and use a flashlight that you shine around) while you tell the kids to stomp their feet and make time machine noises. 
A more involved way is to turn off the lights, play the Sim Station sound effect provided, and turn on the rope lighting or Christmas lights that are around your screen. (See Decorating Decisions for specifics.) Now have them close their eyes and pretend to be heading back in time. 
Remove the black cover to reveal the Sim Station scene on the simulator screen. Have them open their eyes. Ask what year they are in (check the Time Tracker—4000 BC) and where they think that would be (the Garden of Eden). 
Hold up the Genesis 1 sheet and have someone (or everyone) read it.
In the beginning . . . a beginning suggests time, so the Bible shows us when time began. It may surprise you that the beginning was not millions of years ago, as you may have heard, but only thousands. By carefully studying the various dates given in the Bible, which is supported by scientific evidence, we see our timeline begins about 6,000 years ago (4000 BC). At that point, nothing had yet been created, but let’s see what happened in the first six days of creation.

If short on time, speed up the activity about what was made on each day of creation.

Go through the six days of creation. Divide into six groups and give each group a cue card that tells what God made on that day of creation. When you say the day, that group will shout in unison what God made that day. For example, when you say, “Day 1!” the Day 1 group jumps up and shouts out together what’s on their card. After going through the six days once or twice you may want to switch the cue cards and try it again. After a few tries, tell them you’re going to take away the cue cards one group at a time. Take away the Day 1 cue card and see if the whole class together can now say what was made on all six days as you say each day’s number. Try again, this time taking away the Day 2 cue card so they have to remember Days 1 and 2 without cue cards, but will still have Days 3–6 cue cards as helps. Continue until all cue cards have been taken away and the class can remember together what was made on each day.  
Okay, so we see there were lots of things created (invented!). Now, let’s move on to the next big question.

Day 1 Timeline posters (Teacher Resource Kit), cut apart

 Big Question 3— Who was doing the creating? (Teacher One)
Take answers, then read Genesis 1:1–2 and Genesis 1:26–27 and have them raise their hands any time they hear you say “us” or “our.”
“Us” and “our” mean more than one, so to whom does “us” and “our” refer? Take answers and show them the Day 1 Trinity Timeline poster. Yes, God is three persons in one God—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It’s not three gods but one God in three persons. These three persons, called the Trinity, were all involved in creation.
Optional: you may want to sing “The Trinity” together at this point to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?” 
Have everyone stand. As they sing each line, they should go to three different spots in the room to make a triangle—all move to spot one, then to spot two, then to spot three. On the fourth line, go the middle of the room. Or assign a fourth of the kids to each spot and have them sing their line at the right time. Sing a couple times through to get the idea.
God the Father, God the Father 
(Go to triangle spot one.)
God the Son, God the Son 
(Go to triangle spot two.)
God the Holy Spirit, God the Holy Spirit
(Go to triangle spot three.)
Three in one, three in one
(Go to the middle of the room.)
Sit back down.
In the beginning, God the Son, whom we usually refer to as Jesus, was not actually called "Jesus" yet. We’ll learn when he’s given the name “Jesus” later! But just to make it a little easier, we’ll refer to him as Jesus all week. 
Show the Day 1 Timeline poster—the leaf. Explain that each day, we’ll have a new C word to help us remember something about Jesus. Today’s C word is creation. There’s a leaf pictured to remember Jesus was there at creation, creating. Have them make a jumbo C in the air with their finger and say creation.
Okay, so we know God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were all there at creation. Now, let’s move on to the last big question.

Light-colored rope, string, yarn, or cord, 2 very long pieces per rotation, plus 1 marker
Day 1 Memory Verse poster (Teacher Resource Kit)
Pre-Prep
Cut the rope into long pieces.

Big Question 4— When did the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) begin? (Teacher Two)
Take answers, then use the Memory Verse poster as a reference and read today’s verse (Colossians 1:16–17) together to highlight that Jesus was before all things and is eternal. He didn’t begin at Christmas! Then say:

Another way to do this is to use a strip of paper with a line marked horizontally across it instead of a rope or string. Use a marker of a different color to mark the indicated spots.

 The Trinity has been around forever! They never had a beginning, which means they’re eternal, or everlasting. What’s super cool is that they live outside of time! As far back as you can think, they were there. And farther back than that, they were there! And farther back than that, they were there! Doesn’t that blow your mind? Let’s try this little demo to try to picture it. 
First, I need three volunteers. Choose and have them come up. Two of you please hold an end of this rope. Do so. Now, let’s pretend this rope is your life. Volunteer 3, put a teeny, tiny dot at the end here to represent the day you began. Do so, starting just a little way from where the volunteer is holding it. Now, let’s color it in about this much (about a fourth of an inch) to represent all the years you’ve lived so far. Do so. Next, let’s color it in some more to represent all the years of your life until you’re old. How far do you think you should go? Let them try it and then discuss, or first discuss and then have them color it. Discuss that if a fourth of an inch equals 6–9 years, 2 or 3 inches equals their whole life.
This colored-in area represents you and your life. But notice how the rope goes on and on in one direction. Imagine that it never ends. That represents eternity. We talked about how every person has a beginning (where you put your dot), but did you know, we don’t have an end? Sure, we have an end on earth when we die. But then we go on living forever, either with God in heaven, which is filled with all of God’s goodness, or in a terrible place called hell, separated from God’s goodness. 
Now, I need three more volunteers. Have those three sit down and have three new ones come up. Let’s get out another rope. Do so. This one’s going to represent God. Where do you think we should put God’s beginning? Take responses, and let the volunteer with the marker try to figure out where to put the mark, which will be nowhere. God’s rope is different than our rope. It goes on and on in both directions. There is no beginning, so you can just throw your marker away. Have the volunteer gently toss it (safely away from people) off to the corner. Of course, there’s no way to go to the hardware store and buy a rope that never ends, but let’s imagine that it never, ever, ever, ever ends either way. It just keeps going and going and going and going and going. As we said before, pretty mind-blowing, huh?

Day 1 Animal Pal poster (Teacher Resource Kit)

 Wrap up (Teacher One)
So as we travel through time this week, we’re going to focus on Jesus, who is God’s Son and God himself. He made time, he lives outside of time, but he came into time at one point. Jesus is the most unique, fascinating, wonderful person who ever has or ever will live on earth. I’m so excited to share more about him with you this week! He created everything, including all the big stuff like the stars and the planets. He also created all the small things, like Flutter the Sparrow. Show the Day 1 Animal Pal poster. The Bible tells us he knows about everything and cares about everything, even the smallest sparrow. Read Matthew 10:29–31. Yet, Jesus cares most of all about people! Jesus created you and loves you and cares very much about you! How does it make you feel knowing the Creator of the universe cares about you? Take responses. 
Let’s talk about him more with our puppet pal.
Part 2: Puppet Pal—Always and Forever (5 minutes)

Boy or girl puppet (in costume) and puppet stage
Clipboard
2 copies of today’s puppet script (Resource DVD-ROM)
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the script. Tape one inside the puppet stage and place the other one on the clipboard.
Dress the puppet in a mini VBS t-shirt and/or lab coat with science/time symbols. You may want to have mini goggles and a little watch as well.
One teacher should be in front of the puppet stage with the clipboard and one should be behind it, ready to work the puppet.

 Each day, the puppet pal will be used to teach or reinforce the lesson. If you don’t have a teaching assistant or co-teacher, enlist someone (a team leader or other volunteer) ahead of time to work the puppet each day. Give them a copy of the script to become familiar with. If you’re alone, the puppet can come up from behind a suitcase with the lid flipped up. (See Decorating Decisions for more info about the puppet stage.)
You can use either a boy or a girl puppet. Use a consistent voice for the puppet all week. Speak clearly and exaggerate words and expressions. For instance, draw out certain words for emphasis, or make an exaggerated action for things like groaning, turning its head, or sneezing. Use your free hand to do things with the puppet’s hands or arms. For example, if the puppet is “thinking,” put the puppet’s hand on its chin. When the puppet is talking, make sure the mouth is open. (This is the opposite of what people often do!) In other words, the mouth should be open on most syllables. You don’t have to open very wide, which will help you move the mouth faster and more naturally. 
When the puppet is entering, hold your arm back and down and have the puppet take three steps forward, getting higher each time, until the puppet is out and visible. When exiting, turn the puppet toward you and take three steps down until out of sight.

The kids will love the daily puppet show, so try to fit it in each day even if you have to shorten it a little.

 Teacher: Boys and girls, let’s see if we can get our Puppet Pal, Skye, to come out. On the count of 3, let’s all call to him (her). Ready? 1, 2, 3—Skye!
Puppet: Don’t come out yet, but just call out. Just a sec! I’m packing for my trip.
Teacher: Ask the kids: Where do you think he’s going? Take responses. 
Puppet: Come out somewhat out of breath and rushed but full of excitement and energy. Hey, everybody! I’m all packed for my trip. 
Teacher: Where are you going?
Puppet: Well, I want to go on an adventure back in time to when Jesus, the Son of God, began. 
Teacher: Ummm . . . there’s a little problem with what you just said.
Puppet: What?
Teacher: Boys and girls, Skye said he wants to go back in time to when the Son of God (Jesus) started. Does the Son of God have a beginning? Take responses. The Son of God never started. He’s always been.
Puppet: But wait! You’re saying the Son of God didn’t begin? That’s impossible! We all have a beginning. 
Teacher: It’s true that people have beginnings. But God didn’t begin. He always has been and always will be. When you don’t have a beginning or an ending, it’s called being eternal. 
Puppet: Eternal. So because he doesn’t begin or end, God is eternal? 
Teacher: Yep! And the Bible says he will never leave you. If you hide under your bed, in your closet, or in the basement, he will not leave you. If you travel to the highest heights, go to the deepest depths, or travel to the farthest corner of the universe, God is still with you. Anywhere you go, Jesus is with you. He always is!
Puppet: Look all around, up and down, etc. But I don’t see him here. Where is he? Jesus! Jesus!
Teacher: We can’t see him, but he’s here. It’s kind of like air. Take a deep breath, everyone. Do so. 
Puppet: Act like you’re holding it for a really long time, then squeak out: Can I let it out yet?
Teacher: Okay, let it out.
Puppet: Dramatically let it out and gasp for breath. Whew!
Teacher: Just like we know the air is there even though we can’t see it, we can’t see God. But we know he’s there! We can’t see Jesus standing here as a person right now, but he’s still here—he’s just invisible. But this week, we’ll be traveling to time periods when people actually did see Jesus as a man! And we’ll talk about how someday, we’ll get to actually see Jesus, too! Won’t that be incredible?!
Puppet: It sure will! I can’t wait to hear more as we travel through time this week!
Teacher: It’s gonna be fun! But just remember, Jesus always has been and always will be. He’s never going away. 
Puppet: That makes me feel good. When I feel lonely or sad or in trouble, I’ll remember to talk to Jesus in prayer.
Teacher: Yep! He’s with you, he hears you, and he cares about you.
Puppet: Well, I can’t travel back in time to when the Son of God started since he never started but always has been, so I’m gonna think about where I want to go instead! Arrivederci!
Teacher: Wow! He just said goodbye in Italian! Arrivederci to you too, Skye!

Bible or Bibles
Day 1 discussion sheet, 1 per small group leader (Resource DVD-ROM)
PRE-PREP 
Photocopy the discussion sheets.

 Part 3: Small Group Time (5–10 minutes)
If small groups aren’t feasible in your setting, incorporate some or all of these questions into large group time or print off the discussion sheets and give them to the team leaders who can lead a discussion during snack time or whenever each day. There's a good possibility there will be days you won't have time for this during lesson time, so having team leaders cover it later is a good option.
Divide into small groups of 4–6, with a time keeper (team leader) in each group. (Adjust depending on how many leaders and kids you have.) Discuss some or all of the following questions from the discussion sheet. Help them look up the Bible passage and read it together. Or, have it bookmarked and read it to them.
What’s something you learned today about the Son of God?
The Bible is divided into two parts called the Old Testament and the New Testament. Show them. A lot of people think the Son of God began when he came to earth as a baby, which we celebrate at Christmas. This is talked about in the New Testament. Point to it. But we saw today that he really never started and was there right at the beginning of the events recorded in the Old Testament. Let’s look up Genesis 1:1–2 to remind ourselves of that! Explain how you look up the book, then the chapter, then the verse. Either do together with one Bible or pass out Bibles and have them find and read Genesis 1:1–2 with partners.

Gospel Presentation

 The Son of God has always been and always will be. He’s never going away. The Bible tells us he will never, ever, ever leave his children. How does that make you feel? Take answers. Explain that they can become a child of God when they turn from their sins (tell God they are sorry for disobeying his commands) and believe that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, paid the penalty for their sins, and came back to life. Jesus did all this because he cares so much for them and wants them to be his forever children.
Jesus is amazing! Let’s praise him together! What do you think is awesome about Jesus? It can be something he made, like “I think it’s cool he thought up zebras,” or it can be something about him, like “He’s kind."

Memory Verse music CD and player
Student guides and supplies for Part 1 and Part 2
Time Traveler Guides, 1 per child
Stamp for Time Traveler Guides
Flutter bookmarks, 1 per child
From Teacher Resource Kit:
Day 1 Memory Verse poster
Theme Verse poster

Apply It!
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class. Supplies for this section are not included in the supply list on the back cover since they will vary depending on the activities you choose, so decide what you will do and add them to your supply list accordingly. 
Pass out the Flutter bookmarks, one per child, or have time keepers do so at the end of the day. Put a stamp in the Time Traveler Guides (or do so at snack time) and/or review the student guides. 
Remember: Part 1 and Part 2 that follow are also on the student guides, so if you're short on time, it's great to send these guides home and encourage the kids to work on them to earn contest points.
Part 1: High Voltage Verses
Today’s Verse: “All things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:16–17
Explain the following words:. 
Through him and for him—“him” refers to Jesus, the Son of God.
And he is before all things—The Son of God existed before anything was created. He has always been here. He is eternal, which means he has no start and no end.
Now practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the Memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the challenge.
Challenge: Find something that is a circle shape, like a hula hoop, a pool ring, or a jewelry ring. Circles have no beginning and no ending, like the Son of God. As you say today’s verse, toss your circle up and try to catch it. Do this over and over and see how many times you can toss it without dropping it. Don’t forget to say your verse as you toss your circle!
Tomorrow’s Verse: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 
Try the challenge again, this time saying tomorrow's verse. You may also want to practice the week's theme verse, using the Theme Verse poster as a reference.
Part 2: Go and Do
Find the New Testament. Look up Colossians 1:16 and read it to someone. Now go on a treasure hunt outside and see how many plants and animals you can find that the Son of God created!
Talk to God (that’s prayer!) and thank him for his Son, Jesus, and for the Bible that teaches us about Jesus. Talk to God about how it makes you feel knowing the Son of God has always been here and will never leave you. Thank Jesus for caring for you.
Ask your parent or guardian about when she was born. Marvel at the fact that the Son of God never had a starting point, but has always been!
Ask an adult who follows Jesus to tell you something he remembers learning about Jesus.
Check answersvbs.com/tlkids for more fun information!
Ask yourself this question: Do I know someone who needs to hear about this wonderful, caring, Creator Jesus?
Part 3: Creation Crunch Review Game

Hand sanitizer 
Small baggies with 11 fish-shaped crackers in each, 1 baggie per child
Pre-Prep
Make up the baggies of crackers.

If you don't want to count out 11 crackers, don’t have winners to the game. In that case, use a 1/8 measuring cup and dump the crackers into baggies.

Each day, a review game idea is given at the end of the lesson. They will all be a hit and are a great way to cement the lesson into the kids' minds. Try to end with a quick round, or use first thing the next day as a quick review. 
You can mix and match these ideas and use them any day, adjusting the questions to fit the day. You can also use this in place of small group time if preferred.
Today, give each child a baggie of crackers (make sure there are no allergies) and have them use hand sanitizer. Ask a review question about this lesson, and have each child turn to his neighbor and tell him what he thinks the answer is. (Everyone answers the question at the same time—no teams.) You then share the answer, and everyone who answers correctly may eat one of his crackers. This is based on the honor system, since you will not know exactly what each child said to his neighbor. Those with the fewest crackers at the end of playing time win.
Sample Questions
When did time begin?
Answer: On the first day of creation, when God started to create everything. In Genesis 1:1, we read, “In the beginning . . . ,” so the beginning of time was at creation.
Who are the three persons of the Trinity? 
Answer: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They are three persons but only one God. It is a mystery we can never fully understand!
Which one is also known as the second person of the Trinity?
Answer: God the Son, also known as Jesus.
Did Jesus go by the name “Jesus” during creation and during Old Testament times?
Answer: No, he wasn’t called “Jesus” until he was born, but he's been the same all along. Even though his name changed, he has always been perfect, loving, kind, faithful, and all things good. His character never changes.
When did Father God, the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit begin?
Answer: They never began. They have always been, and they always will be. They are eternal.
“All things were created through him and for him.” Who is the “him” in this verse?
Answer: The Son of God. 

End each day’s Lesson Time with prayer!

 We’ve got fish crackers to eat. Which day did he create fish?
Answer: Day 5.
What day did he create people?
Answer: Day 6.
Because Jesus always is, he will never leave you or forsake you. How does that make you feel?
Answers will vary. Anything works for eating a cracker!
What's today's C word?
Answer: Creation.
Who is today's Animal Pal?
Answer: Flutter the Sparrow. 
Have them count their crackers now and see who has the fewest to determine the winner. Then let them eat the leftover crackers.
Introduce It!

Bible or children’s Bible
Costumes for scientists (teachers)
Mounting putty or tape
Sim Station sound effect (Resource DVD-ROM) and player
From Teacher Resource Kit: 
Time Tracker poster 
Day 2 Sim Station posters (and cover) 
Pre-Prep
Prepare the Time Tracker poster with the arrow pointing to 1900 BC.
Mount and cover the Sim Station posters on the set.
Cue the sound effect.

 Time Tracker Stop 2: Old Testament Times (5 minutes)
Teacher One: Welcome back, time travelers! Are you ready to take off on another exciting adventure through time? Remember that yesterday the time simulator took us back to about 6,000 years ago (4000 BC). Do you remember where we landed? Take answers. Do you remember who was there at the beginning of time? 
Take answers, and ask them to share what they remember learning about the Son of God yesterday. Possible answers can include that he is eternal and never “started,” he was there at creation and was actively creating, he is a member of the Trinity, he wasn’t called "Jesus" yet at that time. Remind them of Flutter and how Jesus cares about even the smallest birds, and he loves and cares for them more than they can ever know. 
Teacher Two: Let’s start from then and move forward a bit in time. Adam and Eve, the first two people, had children and those children had children, and so on. We're going to find out about some of those great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren of Adam and Eve! We’ll set our coordinates and the Time Tracker to take us 2,100 years after Adam and Eve lived. Everybody ready to go? Take responses. Okay, let’s do this!
Again, do your "time travel" effects as you did yesterday with either them stomping their feet and making noises, or you turning on the lighting around the screen and playing the Sim Station sound effect.
Have them close their eyes as you remove the cover so the next Sim Station scene is showing. Have them open their eyes, and ask what time period it is (check the Time Tracker—1900 BC) and what environment it looks like we’re in (the desert wilderness).
Teach It!

Hebrew headdresses (see craft guide)
Optional: Bible-time costumes
Christophany sheet (Resource DVD-ROM) 
Play dough, 1 small piece per child
Day 2 Timeline posters (Teacher Resource Kit), cut apart
Pre-Prep
Make or gather the Hebrew headdresses (and Bible-time costumes if doing that).
Photocopy one copy of the Christophany sheet.
Make or buy the play dough.

 Part 1: Son of God Sightings (10 minutes)
Sighting 1: Abraham
Teacher One: So here we are in the desert wilderness around 1900 BC. This is when certain events recorded in the Old Testament happened. Do you remember where the Old Testament is located in the Bible? Take responses and show. The Old Testament tells of many accounts between God and his people, the Hebrews (also known as the Israelites or the Jewish people). Hey, _____ (name of other teacher), let’s put on some Hebrew headgear to get into the look of this time period. 
A scarf can work for a simple head covering, or both teachers can put on Hebrew headdresses. You may also want two extras for the boy and girl who play Abraham and Sarah. See the craft guide for a how-to example. If you want, you can also add a Bible-time costume as well. 
If you want to get really into it, have all the kids put on headdresses. Check with your craft leaders to see if they plan to have the kids make this quick craft today and if you can have them in time for class. 
Open your Bible to Genesis 18 and proceed to share the account about what happened to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre. It can go something like the following.

You can also have a guest speaker come in and share this account, dressed in a Bible-time costume and acting as if he were an eyewitness.

 Teacher Two: Welcome, time travelers! I’m excited to share about an event that happened at the oaks of Mamre. It’s written down and perfectly recorded right here in the Bible in Genesis 18. Point to Genesis 18. This is about a famous guy named Abraham. About 3,900 years ago, Abraham was sitting by some oak trees. 
As he sat there, guess what happened? Take responses. The Lord himself appeared to him! Whoa! Let that sink in. Isn’t that amazing?! The Bible says: Read Genesis 18:1.
Teacher One: Many Old Testament accounts such as this one show us that people during those times had some meetings with him. There’s a really cool word we use to describe when the Son of God, also known as Christ, appeared to people in the Old Testament. The word is Christophany. Show the Christophany sheet. Let's be detectives and see if we can find a smaller word hiding within that bigger word. Take responses. Yes, the word Christ is in there. Let’s make a jumbo C in the air with our finger and say Christophany together. Do so, and explain that Christophany is today's C word. When Christ appeared to people in the Old Testament, that was a Christophany. This was before he was born as a baby and grew up as a human. Before his birth, he sometimes appeared to people. Crazy amazing, huh? Now you can tell everyone that cool word and let them know Jesus is in the whole Bible, even the Old Testament! In fact, the whole Bible is about Jesus! 
Teacher Two: So going back to the account we were talking about, Christ appeared to Abraham, along with two other men (who were actually angels in the form of men). This was a Christophany. What do you think Abraham did when he saw them? 
Take responses. Ask them how they think they would respond if the Lord appeared to them! 
Ask for two volunteers—a boy to play Abraham and a girl to play Sarah. Pass out a small piece of play dough to everyone else. Have them put it on the ground and not touch it until they hear you say, "Knead it!" in verse 6.
Read or paraphrase Genesis 18:4–8, having the boy and girl act out what it says Abraham and Sarah were doing and reminding them that one of those men was the Lord—the Lord in human form. When you come to verse 6 about kneading bread, have everyone pick up their play dough and "knead" it to make "bread." Sarah will collect it.
Teacher One: After Abraham took care of the men, the Lord spoke directly to Abraham and said this: Read Genesis 18:10. 
The account goes on to tell how Abraham’s wife laughed at this idea because she was an old woman, but it did indeed happen, just as the Lord said. This isn't surprising because everything God says is going to happen does happens. Every promise God makes, he keeps. This is the first Son of God sighting we’re talking about! Let's put up the oak tree Timeline poster to remember it. Do so.

Fake jewels or crown
Shepherd's staff or play lamb
Burning bush supplies (paper towel tubes, tissue paper "flames," and a flashlight)
From Teacher Resource Kit: 
Day 2 Animal Pal poster
Day 2 Timeline poster—burning bush
Pre-Prep
Make your burning bush by taping paper towel tubes together to look like sticks. Add red, orange, and yellow tissue paper to the top of the bundle to look like flames. Put a flashlight underneath it and turn it on at the appropriate time.
Place the props in the right corners of the room.

 Sighting 2: Burning Bush
Teacher Two: Now let’s fast forward in time a little more to our next Son of God sighting. Do the simulation station effects again and move the arrow to 1490 BC. We’re now at around the year 1490 BC. Let’s check out another real event that happened!
Note: Take turns telling the account as you have the kids move to the four corners of the room, or to four spots that work for your situation. Teacher Two should go to the first corner as Teacher One begins.
Teacher One: Shalom! That means "peace" in Hebrew, one of the languages of Old Testament times. Let's discover something amazing that happened back then. It took place in a hot desert wilderness with a famous man named Moses. Let's walk over to this corner to hear more. Have everyone walk to Corner 1 where Teacher Two is and sit down.
Teacher Two: Moses was born to a poor Hebrew woman, but when his life was in danger, God wonderfully protected him. Hold up fake jewels or a play crown. Moses went from being poor to living in rich King Pharaoh's palace. Moses was raised by Pharaoh's daughter as a prince of Egypt. Say, "Whoa, Mo!" Do so.

Check the "2018 Time Lab Decorations" playlist at YouTube.com/AnswersVBS for a more sensational burning bush prop. It really kept the kids' attention! 

 Eventually, Moses ran away from the palace. Let's say, "Go, Mo!" and pretend we're running away from the palace as we go to the next corner. Move to Corner 2 and sit down. 
Teacher One: Moses found himself in a desert wilderness, working as a shepherd. Hold up a shepherd's staff or a play lamb. A shepherd looks after sheep and young sheep (lambs), like our little animal pal here, Lottie the Lamb. Show Day 2 Animal Pal poster. Let's pretend we're sheep! Do so, then sit back down. After many years of being a shepherd, a day came when Moses had a one-of-a-kind experience. Let's go to our next spot and see what happened. Move to Corner 3 and sit down. 
Teacher Two: Hold your Bible open to Exodus 3 and say: The Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of a bush. The bush was burning, but it wasn't burning up! Let's turn on our bush. Turn off the lights and turn on the burning bush prop as you show the Day 2 Timeline poster—the burning bush.
Did you notice it said the bush was on fire but wasn't burning? That's a miracle! And did you notice the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses? Who is the Angel of the Lord? He is the Son of God, Jesus! There are times in the Old Testament when we hear of the Angel of the Lord. The Angel of the Lord isn't a normal angel. He is God—the Son of God—showing up before he was actually born as baby Jesus. In other words, a Christophany! Remember, we said the Son of God has lived forever, and here he is in the Old Testament appearing to Moses. Let's move to our next spot to hear more! Move to Corner 4 and sit down. Teacher Two should get behind the puppet stage as the kids move to the last corner.
Teacher One: God told Moses to go back to Egypt where he used to live, go to Pharaoh, and tell him to let the Hebrew people go. You see, Pharaoh was treating the Hebrew people very, very badly and was making them work as slaves. So God promised Moses he would be with Moses, and Pharaoh would let the people go. Moses did just what God asked, and God kept his promise. Pharaoh did let the people go. Isn't that cool? Say, "God is a promise keeper!" Do so. Let's check out some other promises God made about Jesus in the Old Testament. Move back to in front of the simulator and sit down. 
Part 2: Promises Made, Promises Kept (10–15 minutes)

Optional: clipboards, 1 per group
Timer (stopwatch or phone)
From Resource DVD-ROM: 
Promises Made, Promises Kept sheets (plus markers), 1 per group
Promises Made, Promises Kept pictures
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the Promises Made, Promises Kept sheets and pictures. 
Put the Promises Made, Promises Kept sheets on clipboards or a firm surface of some kind.

 There are six promises that follow. You may want to choose just two or three. They can be done in any order.
Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a Promises Made, Promises Kept sheet. Explain that you will be reading pairs of Bible promises, which are called prophecies. The first statement in each pair is a promise or prophecy God made in the Old Testament that is about Jesus coming to earth. The second statement in each pair is a promise kept by God, found in the New Testament, which took place hundreds of years later. After each example, each group circles the key words on their sheets, then immediately stands up. They are racing the clock. They’ll have 15 seconds after you finish reading the two verses to come up with their answer and stand up. For example, you will read Micah 5:2 (Promise Made) and Matthew 2:1 (Promise Kept), then start the timer for 15 seconds. The kids need to circle “Bethlehem” and stand up within that time. Confirm the correct answer and share the comments with the picture.

Slightly emphasize the key words when you read the Scripture to give them a clue.

 1. Bethlehem (Don’t say these titles, or you’ll give it away! These are the answers the kids should come up with.)
Promise Made: But you, O Bethlehem, . . . from you shall come forth . . . one who is to be ruler in Israel. Micah 5:2 
Promise Kept: Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem . . . wise men from the east came . . . . Matthew 2:1
Picture 1: It was predicted that the Messiah (Jesus) would come from Bethlehem, which is exactly what happened approximately 700 years later when Jesus was born. The Old Testament always points to Jesus!
2. Star
Promise Made: A star shall come out of Jacob. Numbers 24:17 
Promise Kept: Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. Matthew 2:2 
Picture 2: The special star is a symbol that refers to the Messiah (Jesus). This prophecy is also believed to have convinced the wise men to watch for a special star in the sky, which they did. This was a supernatural star, not one that was normally there. God used this special star to lead the wise men right to the spot where Jesus was. This prophecy was given over 1,400 years before Jesus was born. Again, it shows the Old Testament points us to Jesus! 
3. King
Promise Made: . . . the days are coming . . . when I will raise up . . . a king. Jeremiah 23:5 
Promise Kept: Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? Matthew 2:2
Picture 3: Jeremiah predicted the Messiah (Jesus) would be a king, and he was! Jeremiah made this promise about 600 years before Jesus was born—another Son of God sighting in the Old Testament!
4. Gifts
Promise Made: . . . may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! Psalm 72:10 
Promise Kept: And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11
Picture 4: It was predicted kings from distant lands would bring gifts, which they did. How would anyone know 1,100 years ahead of time that kings would come to see Jesus and give him gifts?
5. Son
Promise Made: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. Isaiah 9:6 
Promise Kept: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son . . . . John 3:16
Picture 5: Isaiah predicted that God would send his Son as a baby, which is exactly what happened approximately 700 years after Isaiah gave this prophecy.
6. Virgin Birth/Immanuel
All or any part of the whole sentence from Isaiah could be considered correct on this one since it is repeated in the New Testament from the Old Testament. 
Teacher Two should get behind the puppet stage while the students are doing this last one.
Promise Made: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 
Promise Kept: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). Matthew 1:22–23
Picture 6: Isaiah predicted during Old Testament times that the Messiah (Jesus) would be born of a virgin, which happened about 700 years later through Mary. Jesus was not created by a human father and mother, like every other person who has ever been born, including Buddha and Muhammad, two founders of other religions. Only Jesus was conceived in a special, unique way. The amazing thing about it is he already existed before he was born! That can blow your mind! He existed forever, before the earth was even formed. He even created his mother, Mary. Wow! 
See how many they got right.
Final Point: These are only a few of the Old Testament prophecies (promises) God made about Jesus. There are over 50 specific promises in the Old Testament pointing to Jesus and his birth, life, death, and resurrection, and every single one has happened just as promised! No one can predict something will happen and have it happen completely as predicted every single time except for Jesus. He’s a promise keeper!
Part 3: Puppet Pal—Promise Keeper (5 minutes)

Boy­ or girl puppet (in costume)
Small angel statue or picture
Clipboard
2 copies of today’s puppet script (Resource DVD-ROM)
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the scripts and angel picture (if using a picture). Tape one script inside the puppet stage and place the other on the clipboard.
One teacher should be positioned in front of the puppet stage and one behind it with the puppet.

 Teacher: Well, let's see if Skye is thinking about where he wants to travel to next. Hey, Skye!
Puppet: Come up dragging a little angel statue or a picture of an angel with you. Hey!
Teacher: Why do you have that angel statue (picture) with you?
Puppet: Well, I'm trying to decide where to travel, so I got out my angel and prayed to her to see if she would show me where to go.
Teacher: Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Boys and girls, did you hear Skye say he prayed to that angel statue? Does anybody know what's wrong with that? Take responses. Right! We aren't supposed to pray to angels!
Puppet: Why not?
Teacher: Well, angels were created, just like everything else God created. They are interesting to read about in the Bible, but they're not equal to God, and they're not eternal, so they're not to be worshipped or prayed to. That honor belongs only to God!
Puppet: But I thought I heard you saying that the Son of God was sometimes called the Angel of the Lord in the Bible.
Teacher: That's true, he was. But maybe the boys and girls can help us out and tell us what the difference is between the Angel of the Lord and an angel of the Lord. Take answers and comment based on what they say. See if they can remember our C word for today—Christophany. Then continue.
Puppet: Oh, I get it. Angels are cool and powerful and all that, but they're made by God to do his work. They aren't in control like God is.
Teacher: Right! The Angel of the Lord is Jesus himself before he came to earth as a baby. He came and promised people that various things would come to pass in the future.
Puppet: And did they?
Teacher: Yep! Everything happened just as he said it would because God always, always, always keeps his promises!
Puppet: That comforts me to know I can count on God and his Word. When the Bible says it, that settles it. It will happen just as promised! 
Teacher: It sure will! In fact, long before Jesus was born as a baby, the Bible promised he would come. Of course, Jesus came just as promised.
Puppet: Jesus is a promise keeper!
Teacher: He sure is! You can bank your whole life on every word of the Bible and what Jesus promises! Isn't that a huge deal? 
Puppet: I'll say it is! Well, I better put this angel away and pray to Jesus for wisdom to know where to travel to next!
Teacher: Sounds like a good idea, Skye. You do that, and we'll see you tomorrow. Bye for now!
Part 4: Small Group Time (5–10 minutes)

Bible or Bibles
Balloons, 2 per group (make sure nobody has a latex allergy)
Day 2 Animal Pal poster (Teacher Resource Kit)
Day 2 discussion sheets, 1 per small group leader (Resource DVD-ROM)
PRE-PREP 
Photocopy the discussion sheets.
Blow up the balloons.

 Divide into small groups of 4–6, with a leader in each group. Adjust depending on how many leaders and kids you have. Have inflated balloons ready for question 2, two per group. Discuss some or all of the following questions.
Remember: Give the discussion sheets to the leaders to do later if you don't have time in class.
What's something cool you learned today about Jesus? 
Have the group get in a circle and see if they can keep the balloons up without letting them drop. Try for one minute and see how long they can do so. Put the balloons away. Ask the following questions and take responses. Was it hard to keep the balloons up? Did they sometimes fall down? Do people ever let you down? Have you ever broken a promise you made to someone? Have you ever experienced a broken promise? Does God ever break a promise? Isn’t it comforting to know we can always count on God and his Word?
Let’s look up Hebrews 13:8 and share what it means. (Hint: Even though Jesus may take on different forms, such as the Angel of the Lord, a baby in a manger, and a person with a resurrected body, he is still the same Jesus. His nature and attributes never change. He is still loving, compassionate, good, kind, perfect, etc.)

Gospel Presentation

 Our animal pal today is Lottie the Lamb. Show the Day 2 Animal Pal poster. In the beginning, God created a good world. He gave Adam a command to follow, but Adam disobeyed that command. God said the punishment for disobeying (sin) is death. God killed at least one animal to provide coverings (clothes) for Adam and Eve after they disobeyed. After that time, people killed animals to show they knew something needed to die for their sins in their place. In later Old Testament times, God required his people, the Hebrews, to sacrifice lambs to remind them of how sinful they were. But when the Son of God came to earth as a person (which we'll talk about tomorrow), he was called the Lamb of God. Can you think why that may be? Take responses. The blood of lambs could never take away the sin of the people. We needed someone who was human, like we are, but perfect, to sacrifice himself on our behalf. We needed someone to die in our place. When Jesus came, he sacrificed his life for our sins. He was perfect, never disobeying God, but he died on the cross and rose from the dead, paying the penalty for sin on our behalf. Now God doesn't require us to sacrifice lambs anymore because Jesus paid that price once and for all. Lottie the Lamb can remind us of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Memory Verse music CD and player
Student guides and supplies for Part 1 and Part 2
Time Traveler Guides, 1 per child
Stamp for Time Traveler Guides
Lottie bookmarks, 1 per child
Day 2 Memory Verse poster (Teacher Resource Kit)

 Apply It!
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class. Supplies for this section are not included in the supply list on the back cover since they will vary depending on the activities you choose, so decide what you will do and add them to your supply list accordingly. 
Pass out the Lottie bookmarks, one per child, or have time keepers do so at the end of the day. Put a stamp in the Time Traveler Guides (or do so at snack time) and/or review the student guides.
Part 1: High Voltage Verses
Today’s Verse: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the Memory Verse poster as a reference, then try the following challenge.
Challenge: Put down a really long line on the floor using masking tape, rope, string, or yarn. Walk along the line as you say your verse. Think about Jesus being around forever and never changing.
Tomorrow’s Verse: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Try the challenge again, this time using tomorrow’s verse. 
Part 2: Go and Do
Look up Exodus 3 and read the rest of the Burning Bush account. What do you find interesting about the Son of God here?
Talk to God and ask him to help you be a person who keeps your promises. If you say you will do something, you should do it!
Decide on someone you can send a card to or visit. Tell them you are going to do it. Then keep your promise and do so!
Ask an adult who follows Jesus to share a favorite Bible account about the Son of God. Why does he like that one?
Check answersvbs.com/tlkids for more fun information!
Ask yourself this question: With God’s help, do I try to keep my promises?
Part 3: Beat the Clock Review Game

Beat the Clock cards (Resource DVD-ROM), 1 set per team
Timers, 1 per team (phones can work)
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the Beat the Clock cards and cut apart, making one set per team.

 This game is like the popular Heads Up!® game. Divide into teams of 4–6 players. Each team gets into a circle, with one set of Beat the Clock cards and a timer. Players have five minutes to see how many cards they can guess correctly. 
To play, the first person in the circle takes the top card from the stack and places it on his or her forehead without looking at what it says. The words should be showing so the rest of the team can see what it says. The teammates try to describe the word(s) on the card without saying the word(s). When the player guesses correctly, he passes the stack of cards to the next player, who does the same thing. If he’s stuck and can’t figure it out, he can pass. That card will not count as correct. 
Continue around the circle in like manner until time is up. Try to beat the clock by getting all of them correct before the five minutes is up. The team with the most correct answers in the five-minute time period wins. Or do two shorter rounds with 7 or 8 cards per round and allot only two minutes per round. If short on time, just play one shorter round.
Beat the Clock cards
Burning Bush
The Angel of the Lord
Old Testament
Abraham
Special Star
Bethlehem
King
Gifts
Shalom
Prophecy
Moses
Christophany
Lamb of God
Immanuel
Promise Keeper

Introduce It!

Bible or children’s Bible
Costumes for scientists (teachers)
Mounting putty or tape
Scratch art timelines and craft sticks OR paper timelines and markers, 1 of each per child (see Pre-Prep below), plus extra craft sticks
A, B, C, D sheets (Resource DVD-ROM)
Pre-Prep
Check YouTube.com/AnswersVBS for a video demo of how to make the timelines. Cut a piece of scratch art paper or copy paper into four vertical strips. Tape two together to form a long strip. Tape the other two together. You now have two timelines. To finish them, accordion-fold each one into 10 spots.
Photocopy the A, B, C, D sheets.

 BC/AD (5 minutes)
Pass out the scratch art timelines and craft sticks OR paper timelines and markers as they enter the room. Make a game out of them not touching them for the next couple minutes until you give the word.
Teacher One: Hi again, time travelers! It’s been exciting to discover that Jesus (the Son of God) has been around forever. He existed from eternity past, he was there at creation, and he was there during Old Testament times. Now we’re going to hear about a really key time, and it has to do with some letters. I need four volunteers to help me. Choose four people and give each a letter. Have them hold up the A, B, C, and D in order. 
Does anybody have a guess what these letters have to do with Jesus? Take responses. If they don’t get it right, say:
Teacher Two: Maybe we need to shuffle them to give you a clue. How about this? Shuffle the kids so the letters now say BC and AD. Take guesses again. Yes, we've been talking about the time before Jesus was born and came to earth as a man. That period of time has been known as BC or “before Christ.” After Jesus was born, it was no longer “before Christ,” so time was counted as AD or anno Domini, which means “in the year of the Lord.” Isn’t it amazing that people have divided time itself into two sections and both parts have to do with Jesus? It seems fitting, since Jesus is the Creator of time!
Thank you, helpers. You can sit down. Now let's review for a minute as we start our timelines, then we'll travel into the AD time period with our time simulator to see what’s going on. 
Teach It!

Sim Station sound effect (Resource DVD-ROM), and player
Optional: paper to cover the Timeline posters
Dry erase board or chalkboard for up front
From Teacher Resource Kit:
Time Tracker poster
Day 3 Sim Station posters (and cover)
Day 3 Timeline posters, cut apart 
Pre-Prep
Prepare the Time Tracker poster with the arrow pointing to the end of BC. 
Mount and cover the Sim Station posters.
Cue the sound effect.
For the Timeline posters, either hold them up at the appropriate time or hang them ahead of time in a line and cover each one, taking the cover off at the appropriate time.

 Part 1: Time Tracker Stop 3—Beginning of New Testament Times (Gospel Presentation) (20 minutes) 
Have them get out the timelines and put their names on the backs of them. Explain that they will draw the appropriate symbols at the appropriate times as you share the information. One teacher shares the information as the other shows the timeline picture and draws a sample of it. If you have older Primaries, you can give them the choice of whether they want to write the corresponding C word with each picture as well. You'll need to keep this section moving! 
If you are short on time, you may want to briefly mention the first and second C (Creation and Christophany) and move on to the time simulation and 3. If you aren't having them draw 1 and 2, they can write names of Jesus on the last two sections of the timelines (sections 9 and 10) when they get home.
1. Jesus as Creator—Creation 
We said the Son of God existed before time began and was creating during Creation Week. 
Hold up the leaf Timeline poster. Let’s scratch a leaf and say the first C word, creation, to remind us that he is the Creator. 
Scratch Art: Leaf 
We talked about how he made everything in six days. But we didn’t talk about what happened after those six days. God is good, and the world he created was very good. He gave the first man, Adam, a command to obey and said that the punishment for disobedience would be death. Instead of obeying God, Adam and Eve disobeyed and ate fruit from the tree they weren't supposed to eat from. When we disobey God, that's sin. Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and when they did, God sent them away from the Garden of Eden and placed a curse on his creation. It was no longer a "very good" place. But God didn't leave Adam and Eve without hope. He promised to one day send someone who would save them (Genesis 3:15). This was the first recorded promise that 
Scratch art paper can be found online or at teacher supply stores. 81/2 x 12-inch sheets work best, but adjust the directions based on what size sheets you have. These scratch art timelines are a hit!

Jesus would come to earth someday! And there was another hint about Jesus at that time, too. God killed at least one animal to provide clothes for Adam and Eve as a way to cover their sin.
2. Jesus at the Burning Bush—Christophany 
On to our next picture! Remember that after creation, the Son of God showed himself in Christophanies during Old Testament times, like at the burning bush. Who remembers what a Christophany is? Take responses. He also predicted, or promised, he would come to earth. 

Provide extra craft sticks in case some get residue on them.

 Hold up the burning bush Timeline poster. Let’s scratch a burning bush and say our next C word, Christophany, to remind us that the Old Testament points us to Jesus over and over again.
Scratch Art: Burning Bush
Now take a break for a minute from the timelines and do the time simulator effects. Ask what time period it is now (check the Time Tracker—end of BC) and where it appears to be (Ancient Roman times at the period when Jesus came to earth as a man). Continue with the birth of Jesus. 
3. Jesus is Born—Cradle 
About 4,000 years after Jesus created everything, at the end of the time we call BC, the most amazing thing happened! God sent his Son, Jesus, to the earth as a baby, just as he had promised. Think about that—the Creator of the universe became a human! 
Hold up the cradle Timeline poster. Let’s scratch a cradle and say the next C word, cradle, to remind us of Jesus’ birth. 
Scratch Art: Cradle
Wow! He was still fully God when he came, but he now was also fully man. When he was born, he wasn't just part God and part man. He was still 100% God and also 100% man at the same time. It’s really a super cool mystery we can never completely understand! 
Many other amazing things happened when Jesus came to earth as a baby. For instance, angels announced his birth. Later, a special, supernatural star appeared, and wise men followed the star and brought expensive gifts to Jesus.
It was at his birth that he was given the name “Jesus” as it tells us in Matthew 1:21. Read Matthew 1:21. 
4. Jesus Grows Up—Carpenter 
Time went on and Jesus grew up. Not a lot is written about his growing-up years, but we do know he was the son of a carpenter (Joseph), so he would have learned carpentry. Do you know what a carpenter does? Take responses.
Hold up the hammer Timeline poster. Let’s scratch a hammer and say the word carpenter to remind us that he grew up around carpentry. 
Scratch Art: Hammer
We also know he went to the synagogue regularly, which is kind of like us going to church, and he grew greatly in wisdom and knowledge. Also, he had brothers and sisters. Four brothers are specifically mentioned in Mark 6:3: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. His quiet, growing-up years lasted until he was about 30. 
5. Jesus Heals Many—Cure 
Around the age of 30, Jesus was baptized and began his public ministry. Jesus showed that he was God by doing many miracles. Miracles are things no person can do—only God. Jesus healed many people, enabling blind people to see, disabled people to walk, sick people to get well, and even dead people to come back to life! It was an amazing time like no other. 
Hold up the happy face Timeline poster. Let’s scratch a face with the eyes wide open and say the next C word, cure, to remind us Jesus miraculously cured (healed) people. 
Scratch Art: Happy Face with Eyes Open 
6. Jesus Teaches—Counsel 
During this time, Jesus also taught amazing things. Nobody had ever heard anything like what he said. The Bible says in Mark 1:22: Read verse.
What Jesus said amazed them! For instance, people said to hate your enemies, but did Jesus say to hate your enemies? Take responses. Ask what they think Jesus said instead. He said to love your enemies (Matthew 5:43–44). 
And people said that children were a bother. Did Jesus think kids were a bother? Take responses. Ask what they think Jesus said instead. Jesus said children are precious (Mark 10:13–16). 
Hold up the scroll Timeline poster. Let’s sketch a scroll and say our next C word, counsel, to remind us of Jesus’ totally new counsel (teaching). 
Scratch Art: Scroll
7. Jesus Dies—Crucified 
For three years, Jesus healed and taught and cared for people. It was an amazing time. And what’s even more amazing is that he lived a completely perfect life. Is anyone out there perfect? I know I'm not! But Jesus is! He always obeyed God. He never sinned even once. He never once thought a mean thought, had a temper tantrum, disobeyed his parents, called his brother a name, yelled at someone, was unkind or selfish, or even thought something bad. Wow! Nobody ever has or ever will live a perfect life. Only Jesus. 
However, even though he was perfect, some bad men didn’t like Jesus, so they decided to put him to death. They hung him on a cross and left him to die a horribly painful death.
Hold up the cross Timeline poster. Let’s scratch a cross and say our next C word, cross, to remind us of Jesus’ death on a cross. This is our big C word of the day, because Jesus' death of the cross was a key point in all of history. 
Scratch Art: Cross 
This didn't happen because these men were more powerful than Jesus. Jesus could have called 10,000 angels to come and take him off that cross. He could have taken himself off if he wanted. 
But this happened because God had a plan to come and rescue us. He promised from the very beginning that he would send a Savior, and he did—Jesus! So Jesus stayed on that terrible cross and took all our sin upon himself because he loves us. Can you imagine someone loving you that much? 
After he died, they took him off the cross and put him in a tomb. They rolled an extremely heavy, huge stone over the front of the tomb and sealed it, leaving his body there for what they thought would be forever. 
8. Jesus Comes Back to Life—Comeback 
I’m so excited to tell you what happened next because just like Jesus’ birth and life weren’t ordinary, neither was his death. In fact, Jesus didn’t stay dead! He didn’t stay in that tomb! He came back to life! (See Mark 16.) Nothing’s impossible for Jesus, because remember, he's fully man and he's also fully God! 
Hold up the stone Timeline poster. Jesus is alive! Tomorrow we’ll talk more about where Jesus is now, but first, let’s scratch a stone and say our next C word, comeback, to remind us that Jesus isn’t in the tomb anymore—he came back to life! 
Scratch Art: Stone 
Part 2: Gospel Presentation Continued (5 minutes)
There are two options to choose from for Part 2.

Boy or girl puppet (in costume)
Clipboard
From Resource DVD-ROM:
Admit, Believe, Forever Receive sheets
2 copies of today’s puppet script
From Teacher Resource Kit:
Day 3 Animal Pal poster
Day 3 Memory Verse poster
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the scripts and the Admit, Believe, Forever Receive sheets. Tape one script inside the puppet stage and place the other on the clipboard.
One teacher should be positioned in front of the puppet stage and one behind it with the puppet.

 Option 1—Puppet Pal
Teacher: We’ve been talking about Jesus’ amazing life on earth. Let’s see if Skye knows much about this.
Puppet: Come up. Hey there! You know, I would love to travel back in time to see Jesus as a baby, a child, and a man! 
Teacher: Wouldn’t that be something? His birth, life, death, and resurrection sure were one-of-a-kind experiences.
Puppet: That’s because Jesus is God! 
Teacher: You’re right! He’s completely God, and he’s also completely man. He was a perfect man, never sinning or doing anything wrong.
Puppet: Wow, I wish I could stop sinning!
Teacher: Well, Jesus came because he knew you'd have a problem with sinning! Sin started way back in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. And sin continues with every person since! The Bible says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The punishment for our sin is death and forever being separated from God's goodness. That’s why it’s such good news that he came! If he hadn’t, we’d end up spending forever in a bad, bad place. We wouldn’t have any hope of eternal life in heaven with Jesus.
Puppet: That makes me thankful Jesus came!
Teacher: I know! It’s kind of like what Sergeant the St. Bernard does. Show the Day 3 Animal Pal poster. Sergeant goes out on rescue missions to seek out and save the lives of those who are lost in the wilderness. Well, Jesus came to seek us out and save our lives because even though we may not realize it, we’re all born spiritually lost and are not on our way to heaven someday. Jesus came, lived, died, and came back to life because he loves you. That reminds me of our memory verse. Let’s say it together. Recite John 3:16 together using the Memory Verse poster.
Puppet: It says that whoever believes in him will have eternal (forever) life.
Teacher: Show the Admit sheet. That’s right. To become a child of God and receive the gift of eternal life, you first have to admit you’re a sinner. 
Puppet: What’s that mean?
Teacher: It means you tell God you realize you have disobeyed him or sinned, like saying unkind words, hitting someone, or not doing what you’re told to do.
Puppet: I think we’ve all done all those things.
Teacher: That’s right! All those things and more are sins. When you admit to God that you’ve sinned and you want to turn from those sins, that’s called repenting. Now, that doesn’t mean you stop sinning. That’s impossible. But it means you want to please God and obey him and not keep sinning. 
Puppet: Then what do you do after you admit you’re a sinner?
Teacher: Show the Believe sheet. You must believe and trust that Jesus came to earth as the God-Man who lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and came back to life to take the punishment for your sins.
Puppet: And after that?
Teacher: Show the Forever Receive sheet. You ask God if you can be his child and be part of his forever family. So you admit, then believe, then forever receive him. In fact, if any boys and girls are interested in learning more about this, make sure you talk to your parents, leaders, or me today. We’d love to tell you more about it. 
Puppet: It sure is a good thing Jesus came to rescue us!
Teacher: It sure is! We need it! 
Puppet: Well, I need to get going, but I’ll plan to see you tomorrow.
Teacher: Okay, Skye, we’ll look forward to seeing you later. Let’s say goodbye to Skye, everyone. 
Option 2—Admit, Believe, Forever Receive

Day 3 Animal Pal poster (Teacher Resource Kit)
Admit, Believe, Forever Receive sheets (Resource DVD-ROM)
Optional: gospel bookmarks, 1 per child
Supplies from Part 1
Days 4-5 Timeline posters (Teacher Resource Kit), cut apart
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the Admit, Believe, Forever Receive sheets.

 Teacher One: So you may be thinking, why should this matter to me? The answer is—it changes everything! Jesus coming, living, dying, and coming back to life is the most important thing to ever happen. You know why? Because you’re born a sinner. And because of that, you won't be able to live in heaven someday unless someone comes to rescue you. Remember, God is holy and can't allow sin in his presence. 
Teacher Two: It’s like this. Pretend you’ve been out hiking in the snowy mountains and you get lost beyond all hope. What if nobody comes to rescue you? Show the Day 3 Animal Pal poster and introduce them to Sergeant the St. Bernard. St. Bernards helped to save many lives. In fact, they were used on many rescue missions in the snowy mountains of Europe because God had given them an amazing sense of direction and the ability to withstand great cold. This made them ideal for helping to find people lost in snowstorms. But what if there weren’t any Sergeant dogs to seek and save you? What would happen? Take responses. 
Teacher One: You’d be separated from your friends and family and you would die, wouldn't you? In a similar way, you were born spiritually separated from God and will remain that way forever unless you come to realize this truth. Just like Sergeant seeks and saves those who are lost, Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost—spiritually lost from him. He wants you to be his child. Because of your sin, you aren’t his child automatically. He wants you to have fellowship with him now and to live with him forever someday. But for you to be able to do that, you need to Admit, Believe, and Forever Receive. 
Show the Admit sheet.
ADMIT—The Bible calls us to repent from our sins. This means we're sorry for and want to turn from our sin. God is truth and wants us to always tell the truth. Have you ever told a lie? God is kind and wants us to be kind. Have you ever been unkind to someone? Those are sins. They separate us from God. You need to pray to God to admit you have sinned.
Show the Believe sheet.
Teacher Two: BELIEVE—Do you believe Jesus really is the Son of God, fully man and fully God, and that he came, lived, died, and came back to life to take the punishment for your sin? If so, you need to tell God you believe in Jesus and trust him to give you eternal life.
Show the Forever Receive sheet.
Teacher One: FOREVER RECEIVE—Do you want to become a child of God? It’s not always easy being a child of God. Sometimes we can experience hard times following Jesus, but it is so, so worth it.
Teacher Two: If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a child of God, let’s have you go with ___ to talk more about it. While you’re doing that, the rest of us will play Two Trues and One False. 
After any children leave for salvation counseling (which should be in a visible, safe place—not a room with just one adult with the children), say to the remaining children:
If anyone is interested in talking to someone more about this but didn’t go just now, make sure you tell your parent, leader, or me today. If passing out the gospel bookmarks, say: You’ll be receiving a gospel bookmark when you leave today that is a reminder of this. Right now, let’s draw our last two images. Then we'll play Two Trues and One False.
Show the last two Timeline posters (clouds and crown) and have them draw the clouds and the crown on the remaining two sections of their timelines. Explain that those are a preview of coming attractions! When finished, have leaders collect the timelines. They will send them home at the end of VBS today. Move on to the game below.
Part 3: Two Trues and One False Review Game and Salvation Counseling (5 minutes)

Two Trues and One False game cards (Resource DVD-ROM)
Pre-Prep
Photocopy one set of the game cards.

 Divide the class into teams of about four. Share the three choices in each round, holding up the game cards at the appropriate times. Two are true, and one is false. The teams need to choose the false one by moving to either spot one (right-hand side of room), spot two (middle of room), or spot three (left-hand side of room). As you say each one, put it up with mounting putty or tape. Play as many rounds as you have time for, or make up even more if you want to keep going. 
Round 1 
The Son of God is eternal.
The Son of God was born in the Garden of Eden.
The Son of God will always be. 
Answer: The second one is false.
Round 2
When Jesus was born, he became part man and part God. 
Angels announced Jesus' birth.
A special star appeared in the sky to guide the wise men to Jesus. 
Answer: The first one is false. Jesus was still completely God but also completely man.
Round 3
Jesus was the son of a carpenter.
Jesus had siblings.
Jesus lived in Persia as an adult. 
Answer: The third one is false.
Round 4
Based on the Bible, headlines that we might have seen from Jesus' day could have been:
Jesus has trouble healing the deaf man!
Jesus heals a blind man!
Jesus brings a dead girl back to life!
Answer: The first one is false. Nothing is impossible for Jesus. 
Round 5
When Jesus died, there was an earthquake. 
When Jesus died, there was a bright light.
When Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 
Answer: The second one is false. It was actually dark, not light.
Round 6
After Jesus died, he was taken to a tomb by women and buried there.
A heavy stone was rolled over the tomb.
The tomb was sealed and a Roman guard was placed to guard the tomb.
Answer: The first one is false. It was not the women who took Jesus but a wealthy man named Joseph of Arimathea.
Round 7
Jesus stayed in the tomb forever.
Jesus rose from the tomb.
Angels appeared at the tomb after Jesus had risen.
Answer: The first one is false.
Round 8
The three main C words from our first three days are: Creation, Christophany, Cross.
Some of the C words we heard today are: Calling, Computer, and Cradle.
Some of the C words we heard today are: Cradle, Carpenter, Crucified, and Comeback.
Answer: The second one is false. 

Memory Verse music CD and player
Student guides and supplies for Part 1 and Part 2
Time Traveler Guides, 1 per child
Stamp for Time Traveler Guides
Sergeant bookmarks, 1 per child
Day 3 Memory Verse poster (Teacher Resource Kit)

 Apply It!
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class. Supplies for this section are not included in the supply list on the back cover since they will vary depending on the activities you choose, so decide what you will do and add them to your supply list accordingly. 
Pass out the Sergeant bookmarks, one per child, or have the time keepers do so at the end of the day. Put a stamp in the Time Traveler Guides (or do so at snack time) and/or review the student guides.
Part 1: High Voltage Verses
Today’s Verse: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the Memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the challenge.
Challenge: Make a poster with a picture of either Jesus' birth, death, or resurrection. Write today's verse on the poster.
Tomorrow’s Verse: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” John 14:2
Try the challenge again, this time saying tomorrow’s verse. 
Part 2: Go and Do
Read all or part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). Marvel at Jesus’ revolutionary teachings. Make a newspaper front page with headlines announcing some of them, such as Love Your Enemies! Share your newspaper headlines with at least one other person.
While he was on earth, Jesus loved and cared for people, showing kindness. To whom can you show kindness today? Think of someone and something kind you can do. Then do it!
Talk to God and ask him to help you love Jesus and his Word more and more with each passing day. Try to read God's Word every day or have someone read it to you.
Talk to an adult about how he came to follow Jesus.
Check answersvbs.com/tlkids for more fun information!
Ask yourself this question: Am I part of God’s family?
Introduce It!

Bible or children’s Bible
Costumes for scientists (teachers)
Mounting putty or tape
Sim Station sound effect (Resource DVD-ROM) and player
10 or more items that fit on a tray, plus a dishtowel (see Pre-Prep)
From Teacher Resource Kit:
Day 3 Animal Pal poster
Time Tracker poster 
Day 4 Sim Station posters (and cover)
Pre-Prep
Prepare the tray with the items. These can be random items from around the house, science items, or even 10 Timeline posters.
Prepare the Time Tracker poster with the arrow pointing to 2000 AD. 
Mount and cover the Sim Station posters.
Cue the sound effect.

 Time Tracker Stop 4: Now (5 minutes)
Teacher One: Hi again, travelers! Here we are on our fourth day at Time Lab. It’s been a great journey so far, hasn’t it? Remember how yesterday we talked about Jesus coming to earth, living, dying, and coming back to life? Show Day 3 Animal Pal poster. Sergeant with his cross was on a rescue mission to seek and save the lost. 
Teacher Two: Did you ever wonder what happened to Jesus after he rose from the dead or where he is now? Let’s play a little game, then we’ll talk more about it. 
Play the “What’s Missing?” game starting with ten or more items on a tray. Give the kids 20 seconds to stare at the tray. Then have them put down their heads and close their eyes while you remove one item and put it somewhere else in the room. Then they open their eyes and try to figure out what’s missing and guess where it now is. 
In case anyone is peeking, you may want to stand in front of the tray or have Teacher Two hold up a towel in front of it as you take the item off the tray. 
Teacher One: Just like you were looking at something and then it was gone and located somewhere else, Jesus was on earth after his resurrection, and then he was gone and busy somewhere else. Let’s check out the simulation station to find out more!
Do the time simulator effects. Ask what time period it is now (check the Time Tracker—nowadays) and where it appears to be (in the clouds—heaven). 
Teach It!

Mystery bag (opaque) with the following: play fish, 2 play men, nail, cotton ball, picture of amazing houses, and picture of praying hands (from Resource DVD-ROM)
From Teacher Resource Kit:
Day 4 Timeline poster
Day 4 Animal Pal poster

 Part 1: Acts 1:1–11 with Mystery Bag (10 minutes)
Teacher Two: I have my mystery bag here, and it has some things in it that have to do with Jesus after he came back to life. After he rose from the dead, the Bible tells us of many times he was seen by people. Read Acts 1:3. Let's pull out some things from the mystery bag that have to do with these appearances.
Pull the items out or call on volunteers to pull the items out. You will need to feel or look in the bag and get the right item ready for them to pull out each time. Or have separate numbered bags with one item in each. 
First, pull out the play fish. Let them touch it, if time.
Do any of you like to eat fish? One time after Jesus came back to life, some of his friends were fishing, and he came and ate fish with them! Read John 21:9–14.
Pull out the 2 play men. Let them touch them, if time.
Do you like to take walks? One day after Jesus had died and come back to life, two men were walking along a road called the Emmaus Road. Guess who appeared to them? Right! Jesus! They walked and talked together for a long time, and Jesus explained many things to them. 
Pull out a nail. Let them carefully touch it, if time.
Did you know when they decided to put Jesus on the cross to kill him, they put nails through his hands to attach him to the cross? This was an absolutely terrible, painful thing to do! It hurt Jesus horribly. After Jesus came back to life, he showed up one day to a friend named Thomas. He showed Thomas the holes in his hands where the nails had been. Thomas even touched the holes. Read John 21:24–28.
Pull out the cotton ball or fleece cloud. Let them touch it, if time.
Jesus showed himself to people many times after he died and came back to life. Then, something completely amazing happened! A few weeks after he had come back to life, it was time for him to leave the earth and go to heaven. And guess how he went to heaven? Jesus was standing on earth, and while his friends were watching, he lifted off the earth and a cloud took him out of sight! Show the Day 4 Timeline poster and read Acts 1:9–11. 
Cloud is today's C word! Let's make a jumbo C in the air with our finger and say cloud. Do so. Jesus went to heaven in a cloud, and that's where he is now, busy doing things for us. Let's check out two things he's doing in heaven nowadays.
First, Jesus is preparing a place for all his children to live in someday. Show the Day 4 Animal Pal poster. Our animal pal, Bucky the Beaver, is preparing a place for himself to live. And the Bible tells us Jesus is in heaven getting a place ready for all those who are part of his family. 
What is your place like that you live in nowadays? How many of you live in an apartment? Take a show of hands for this and the next questions. A condo? A house? How many of you share a room? Have your own room? 
Pull the picture of houses with amazing things out of the mystery bag.
Can you imagine if you had a house with a swimming pool or a bowling alley or your very own playground? Wouldn't that be amazing? We don't know exactly what our future place is going to look like, but we know it's going to be the most amazing, beautiful, fun, and wonderful place ever! So, one thing Jesus is doing now in heaven is preparing a place for his children! 
Guess what else he's doing in heaven.
Pull the picture of praying hands out of the mystery bag.
Jesus is praying for us, too! Did you know that? When you pray to Jesus, he shares your prayer with God the Father. He cares so, so much about you! He cares about every little thing. You can always talk to Jesus through prayer! Let's talk some more about this as we do some stations.
Part 2: Stations (15–20 minutes) 

A quicker option is to choose just two of the three stations, with a quick mention of the third one.

 Quickly divide into three groups and place one group at each station. Post a teacher, teen helper, or leader at each station to oversee each group, with the information that goes with each. Groups spend about 5 minutes per station, then rotate to the next one. 
If stations aren't possible in your situation, set them up as whole class demonstrations. It adds interest to put the supplies for each demo in different parts of the room and have the kids rotate their bodies or move to see.
Station 1—Jesus is Preparing a Place for All Believers

Half a stack or more of Jenga® blocks (or other blocks)
Timer 
Station 1 poster (Teacher Resource Kit)
Station 1 info card (Resource DVD-ROM)
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the Station 1 info card.
Gather the above supplies and place them at the station.

Have everyone take a few blocks. This will vary depending on how many people are in the group. For a minute or two, have them take turns trying to build the Jenga® tower without it falling down. 
If you are doing this as a demo, have three kids come up to race to build their towers. Put one minute on the clock and see who gets theirs the tallest in one minute. Then say:

Alert time keepers (team leaders) ahead of time if you need someone to run a station. Let them know what they will be doing.

 When Jesus was on earth, the area that he lived in was ruled by a group of people called the Romans. The ancient Romans were builders—master builders. Show Station 1 poster. They were famous for their building, and some of the things they built a long, long time ago are still at least partially standing, like this building called the Colosseum.
They also built fancy villas, which were homes for the rich people. If you were building a fancy dream home, I wonder what it would look like. Of course, nothing we have ever made or ever will make compares with what Jesus is preparing. Read John 14:2–3.
Jesus is currently in heaven preparing a place for all believers. It’s an actual place—not just a bunch of clouds to be floating around on as is often pictured in cartoons. We’ll learn more about it tomorrow, but it’s really exciting to think about! The place Jesus is preparing will be a zillion times better than any dream home we’d ever imagine or see on HGTV! 
And as a side note, isn’t it cool to think that while Jesus lived on earth, he was the son of a carpenter? (Mark 6:3.) Carpenters build things!

The stopwatch on a smartphone works for a timer.

 Station 2—Jesus is Interceding for All Believers

Bridge-testing materials (plastic cups or wooden blocks, card stock strips, florist gems—provide plenty of supplies)
Card stock cross (see Pre-Prep)
Station 2 poster (Teacher Resource Kit)
Station 2 info card (Resource DVD-ROM)
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the Station 2 info card.
Check YouTube.com/AnswersVBS for a video demonstration of the bridges.
Cut a cross so it will fit on the poster picture and go from one bank to the other, bridging the gap.
Gather the above supplies and place them at the station.

 Show Station 2 poster. The Romans were masters at building bridges that were strong and sturdy. Some are still standing all these years later! Let’s try a couple experiments to see which bridge structure is the strongest. Do so. First, make a bridge with only two blocks or cups, placing the card stock strip on top. Put the florist gems on top of that to see how well it holds up. Take off the gems and add a few more blocks to the base of the bridge. Try the gems again. Take them off and add a card stock arch under the bridge. Try putting the gems on this one and determine which is the strongest. 
Bridges serve as go-betweens. By crossing a bridge, you can go back and forth between one side and another. Well, Jesus is currently in heaven acting as our go-between, or intercessor. An intercessor is someone who “bridges the gap,” or goes between two people. It’s kind of like you’re standing on one side of a great river, and God is on the other side, with a big gap in between. Without Jesus, that big gap would remain. But Jesus bridges the gap for all who believe in him. Place the card stock cross over the bridge so it touches both sides. If you're a Christian, instead of God looking at you and seeing sin, he looks at Jesus, who took the punishment for your sin, and all is well. And when you pray to God, your request goes to Jesus, who brings the request to God the Father. 
Station 3—Jesus is Protecting/Building/Caring for the Church

Bags of florist gems can be found at dollar stores or craft stores.

Plastic tablecloth
Volcano supplies (pan or dish with sides, bottle, baking soda, vinegar, red food coloring—optional)
Station 3 poster (Teacher Resource Kit)
Station 3 info card (Resource DVD-ROM)
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the Station 3 info card.
Make the volcano. Check YouTube.com/AnswersVBS for a video of instructions.
Gather the above supplies and place them at the station.

Put down the plastic tablecloth. Show the volcano and pour in the vinegar and baking soda (and red food coloring if using it) as you watch it explode. Show the Station 3 poster and say: 
In Ancient Italy, which is where the Romans ruled from, there was a town named Pompeii. Pompeii was close by a big volcano called Mt. Vesuvius. One day, out of the blue, Mt. Vesuvius blew its top, killing everything around it. You can visit the area today and see things that got “frozen” in time, in a sense, from the volcanic ash. That eruption destroyed the town and the people. 
There’s a lot of destruction on our broken earth. One thing that will never be destroyed is the church because Jesus is in heaven protecting and caring for it. Read Matthew 16:18. When I say “the church” that doesn’t mean this church building. The church means all the people all over the world throughout all time who have turned from their sins and believed in Jesus. Together, we make up his church. Jesus is always protecting and caring for his church. The church (God’s people) may go through hard times because we’re living in a cursed, sinful world now and bad things sometimes happen. But the church will never be destroyed, no matter what people try to do to it, because Jesus is protecting and caring for it. Jesus is always looking out for every one of his children. Are you a child of God? If so, you can be comforted to know he is caring for you and his church.

Gospel Presentation

 You may want to review the gospel here. Each one of us has sinned before God. We have disobeyed his commands. And even one sin is enough to separate us from God. The punishment for sin is death. We need to repent of our sins and believe that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, and paid the penalty for sin on our behalf by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. When we do that, we can become a child of God and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us love and obey him.
At the end of stations, have everyone sit down facing the puppet stage. Call for Skye and begin.
Part 3: Puppet Pal—Love and Care (5–15 minutes)

Boy or girl puppet (in costume)
Clipboard
2 copies of today’s puppet script (Resource DVD-ROM)
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the scripts and tape one script inside the puppet stage and place the other on the clipboard.
One teacher should be in front of the puppet stage with the clipboard and one should be behind it, ready to work the puppet.

 Puppet: Hey!
Teacher: Hi, Skye! Have you thought any more about your next travel destination?
Puppet: Well, I was thinking about . . . (let out a big sneeze) . . . aaahhh! aaahhh! choo!
Teacher: God bless you! Are you getting sick?
Puppet: I don’t think so. I was just planning my trip and then . . . (let out another big sneeze) . . . aaahhh! aaahhh! choo!
Teacher: I think you are getting sick. Let me check your forehead. Do so. You’re warm all right. You have a fever.
Puppet: But what about my trip?
Teacher: You’re not going anywhere!
Puppet: I do feel pretty lousy.
Teacher: I’ll tell you what. How does some chicken noodle soup sound?
Puppet: Good.
Teacher: And your nice comfy bed?
Puppet: Really good.
Teacher: Okay, you head home and hop in bed. I’ll be over soon with some soup and I’ll be praying for you to feel better. 
Puppet: Thank you. Hey, that’s like what you were talking about a minute ago.
Teacher: What’s that?
Puppet: While you’re caring for me, Jesus is always caring for me, too!
Teacher: That’s right! Jesus is always caring for his children and praying for them, too! And he’s even preparing the best place ever to live someday! 
Puppet: Cool!
Teacher: And you know what’s the best thing?
Puppet: What?
Teacher: When we get to the new heaven and new earth someday, Jesus will always be there, and there won’t be any more sickness! In fact, there won’t be anything bad or sad at all—only good things!
Puppet: That will be amazing! 
Teacher: It will! But until then, let’s get you feeling better.
Puppet: Okay! Thanks for caring for me, just like Jesus does. See you soon!
Part 4: Small Group Time (5–10 minutes)

Bible or Bibles
Day 4 discussion sheets, 1 per small group leader (Resource DVD-ROM)
PRE-PREP 
Photocopy the discussion sheets.

 Divide into small groups of 4–6, with a leader in each group. Adjust as necessary depending on how many leaders and kids you have. Discuss some or all of the following questions.
Remember: Give the discussion sheets to the leaders to do later if you don't have time in class.
Let's try to imagine ourselves back in time as followers of Jesus, traveling around with him. After you've spent years with him, try to imagine standing and watching him die on the cross. What thoughts and emotions might you have?
Now try to imagine seeing Jesus days later walking along the road, in the upper room, or by the shore. What thoughts and emotions might you have?
The disciples were never the same after seeing Jesus risen from the dead. How should his resurrection make a difference to us? Discuss how the facts of Jesus' resurrection show us that we must accept what else he taught about eternal life and how we are to live. What did Jesus teach that we need to obey? For those who are his children, we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us read and study his Word and obey it.
What's something cool you learned that Jesus is currently doing?

Memory Verse music CD and player
Student guides and supplies for Part 1 and Part 2
Time Traveler Guides, 1 per child
Stamp for Time Traveler Guides
Bucky bookmarks, 1 per child
Day 4 Memory Verse poster (Teacher Resource Kit)

 Apply It!
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class. Supplies for this section are not included in the supply list on the back cover since they will vary depending on the activities you choose, so decide what you will do and add them to your supply list accordingly. 
Pass out the Bucky bookmarks, one per child, or have time keepers do so at the end of the day. Put a stamp in the Time Traveler Guides (or do so at snack time) and/or review the student guides.
Part 1: High Voltage Verses
Today’s Verse: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” John 14:2 
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the Memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the challenge.
Challenge: Pretend to build a "mansion" as you say it.
Tomorrow’s Verse: “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10–11
Try the challenge again, this time using tomorrow’s verse and acting it out with motions that fit the words. 
Part 2: Go and Do
Make a special place for yourself, such as a "fort" made with a sheet over a table. Gather paper and markers or crayons. Go into your special place and draw what you imagine the place looks like that Jesus is preparing for his children. Show it to someone and tell him about it.

The books Heaven or Heaven for Kids by Randy Alcorn are great for finding out more about what we can look forward to in heaven. We'll talk more about this tomorrow!

Talk to God about anyone you know who may not know about Jesus and the wonderful place he is preparing for his children.
Jesus is always caring for his church. Is there a follower of Jesus (part of his church) to whom you can show care in a practical way today? Brainstorm possible things you can do, such as sending a card, making cookies, or cleaning.
Ask an adult if he ever thinks about heaven. What does he think it will be like? Read Revelation 21 together, a preview of coming attractions! 
Check answersvbs.com/tlkids for more fun information!
Ask yourself this question: Could I explain to someone how to receive the gift of eternal life?
Part 3: Sand Timer Speed Round

Sand timer
Pre-Prep
Try your sand timer ahead of time to see how many seconds it goes. 90 seconds to 2 minutes works. If it's a one-minute timer, flip it over when it runs out of sand and let it run another minute.

 See if you can get through these 11 questions in a 90-second–2-minute speed round. 
When you are ready to start, flip over the sand timer. Read the question and have everyone shout out what they think the answer is. Continue, trying to get through all 11 questions and answers. If you want to play another round, use questions from prior days.  You can also do this with an electronic timer if need be, but it’s fun to do it with a timer from ancient times—thus, the sand timer. You can let them know that a sand timer (also known as an hourglass, sand watch, or sand clock) has been around since ancient times and has been used to measure the passing time.
Sample Questions
"In my Father's house are _____."
Answer: Many rooms.
How many times did Jesus appear to people after he rose from the dead? 5, 10, or 20?
Answer: At least ten.
Yes or No: Did the disciples eventually recognize Jesus after he rose from the dead?
Answer: Yes. In some cases, it took a little while for them to realize it was Jesus, but eventually, they recognized him. He may have looked a bit different in some ways, but he still looked like Jesus.
How did Jesus go to heaven 40 days after his resurrection?
Answer: He was lifted up and a cloud took him out of sight.
Why did some Christians start worshipping God together on Sundays after Jesus rose from the dead?
Answer: To remind them of his resurrection when he rose "on the first day of the week."
Yes or No: Jesus is currently caring for and praying for us from heaven.
Answer: Yes.
Ancient Romans were master builders. What's one thing Jesus is doing in heaven now?
Answer: The Bible says he is preparing a place for his children in heaven.
Ancient Romans also built bridges. Explain how Jesus acts like a go-between to "bridge the gap" between his children and God.
Answer: He is our intercessor. It's like we are on one side and God is on the other. When God looks at Jesus, he sees Jesus' perfection rather than our sins. Jesus also takes our prayers to God.
In ancient Italy, a volcano destroyed a whole town. Yes or No: Will the church ever be destroyed?
Answer: No. Jesus is watching over his church.
What does it mean when we say Jesus is watching over "the church"? We're not talking about the building here. What's "the church"?
Answer: The church isn't a building, but all the people who are followers of Jesus throughout all time.
Can you name the 4 main C words in order?
Answer: Creation, Christophany, Cross, Clouds
Introduce It!

Bible or children’s Bible
Costumes for scientists (teachers)
Mounting putty or tape
Sim Station sound effect (Resource DVD-ROM) and player
From Teacher Resource Kit:
Time Tracker poster
Day 5 Sim Station posters (and cover) 
Pre-Prep
Prepare the Time Tracker poster with arrow pointing to Eternity Future. 
Mount and cover the Sim Station posters.
Cue the sound effect.

 Time Tracker Stop 5: The Future (5–10 minutes)
Teacher One: Here we are on our last day already, time travelers! Time sure does fly when you’re having fun! And speaking of fun, it's our last day to time travel, so how about if we go to the most fun and exciting time ever? Before we do, though, I’m curious to know what you think the most fun, beautiful, or interesting place on earth is. An amusement park? The beach? Another state or country? What? Take responses. Well, we’re about to head to a time and place that blows away by far even the most fun, interesting, beautiful places on earth. It’s a place Jesus has been preparing. Listen to what 1 Corinthians 2:9 says about it. Read the verse. 
Teacher Two: It says we can’t even imagine how great a place Jesus is preparing. Heaven will be a perfect, fun, beautiful place. It won’t be like our broken world. 
What do you think heaven will be like? Have you ever thought about it? Take responses. 
A lot of people have wrong ideas about heaven because they aren’t basing their ideas on the Bible. They've heard things, seen movies, or read books about heaven, but those ideas may or may not be true. The only source that is completely trustworthy about heaven is the Bible! It has a lot to say about heaven. For starters, the current heaven is a real place. When we die, our souls go there immediately if we're children of God. 
Teacher One: But what’s extra cool is that at some point in the future, the Bible says God promises there will be a new heaven and new earth where believers will live forever with Jesus. See 2 Peter 3:13. It's not going to be a broken earth but a new and perfect earth! But before that time, Jesus will return to this earth, coming back just like he left—in the clouds. After that, there will be a resurrection of all people who have died, and everybody who is a child of God will go to live together on the new earth, which is the forever heaven. 
Teacher Two: Sound awesome? Well, let’s head out on our last time simulation to find out lots more about the future new heaven and new earth!
Do the time simulator effects. Ask what time period it is now (check the Time Tracker—Eternity Future—we don't know when it will be) and where it appears to be (the new heaven and new earth). 
Teach It!

Writing utensils, 1 per child
Firm surface to put under Bingo boards, 1 per child
From Teacher Resource DVD-ROM:
Bingo boards, a different one for each child
Bingo cue cards
New Heaven, New Earth title strips
From Teacher Resource Kit:
Day 5 Timeline poster, cut apart
Day 2 and Day 5 Animal Pal posters
Day 5 Memory Verse poster
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the Bingo boards. Find or make something firm to put under each board.
Photocopy onto card stock and cut apart the Bingo cue cards, 1 of each. 
Photocopy and cut apart the New Heaven, New Earth title strips and hang up.

 Part 1: Heavenly Bingo (20 minutes)
Teacher One: Here we are in the future. Let’s check out what the Bible does say and doesn’t say about the new heaven and new earth. As mentioned, many people have wrong ideas about heaven based on TV shows, books, cartoons, and things that are inaccurate. Just because somebody writes about heaven or draws pictures of it doesn't mean that's what the Bible says it will be like. 
We’re going to play Heavenly Bingo to find out the truth about heaven as recorded in the Bible. Let’s pass out the supplies and then we’ll start. 
Give each person a different Bingo board and a writing utensil. Everyone should put an X on the free space to start. 
Explain that first, they will hear of nine things that will not be in the new heaven and new earth. They should put an X over those. Then they will hear of 15 things that will be in the new heaven and new earth. They should put a circle around those. The first to get the whole outside perimeter covered, making a block O, wins. It doesn't matter if the squares have Xs or Os on them. One teacher can pull the cue card and read the information that goes with that card. The other teacher can read the Scripture references. The cue cards can be hung under the correct New Heaven, New Earth title strips.
Phase 1—What the New Heaven and New Earth Will Not Be
Read these one at a time and share the comments, reminding them that these first nine are things that will not be in the new heaven and new earth.
Sin—There won’t be any sin in the new heaven and new earth!! Yay! It will be a perfect place and nothing bad will ever, ever be in it! Read Revelation 21:27a.
People sitting on clouds—Have you ever seen a picture of heaven with people sitting around on clouds playing harps? The Bible doesn't describe heaven that way. That actually sounds kind of dull just doing the same thing forever. Instead it’s going to be a place filled with fun and amazing adventures and enjoying God forever! It's going to be a million times better than Christmas, the best birthday party, the best trip ever, or any other great thing.
People turning into angels with halos—The Bible is clear that when you die, you don’t turn into an angel. You’ll still be a person, just with a new and improved body. New you. Pretty cool, huh? Read 1 Corinthians 15:51–52.
Sun for light—The Bible says the sun won’t be needed for light in the new city on the new earth. The light will come from the Lord himself! Read Revelation 21:22 and 22:5. 
Scary face emoji—I don’t know about you, but scary stuff isn’t fun. But in the new heaven and new earth, there won’t be anything scary or upsetting ever again! No robbers, no war, no tornadoes or storms or anything scary. Won’t that be great?!
Crying emoji—There won’t be anything that would cause us to cry or be sad, either. That means there won’t be any bullies, fighting, divorce, or anything else sad. Read Revelation 7:17.
Adhesive bandage—Ever been hurt, sick, or had to go to the hospital? Well, there won’t be any need for hospitals, medicine, adhesive bandages, wheelchairs, or anything like that. Our new bodies will always be in perfect shape. We won't even get pricked by thorns or thistles!
Tombstone (death)—Funerals sure aren’t fun, are they? One of the best things about heaven is there won’t be any death! Here’s one of the most thrilling verses ever that talks about this. It's one of my favorite promises in all of the Bible! Read Revelation 21:4. 
Boring—It may seem like it would get boring living forever, but it won’t be boring for one second. Think of your favorite things to do. What are they? Take responses. Well, there will be nonstop interesting things to do. Think of people you love who are Christians, like maybe friends and relatives. You'll never need to say goodbye to them! They’ll be there to hang out with forever! Think of famous people in the Bible, like Moses, Joseph, Esther, and Mary. You’ll get to meet them! How exciting will that be? Of course, the best thing by far will be getting to be with Jesus and worshipping him because he'll be there! Read Psalm 16:11. 
Phase 2—What the New Heaven and New Earth Will Be
Now let’s go through what the Bible tells us the new heaven and new earth will be. It’s not just a place that doesn’t have bad stuff. It’s a place that does have super exciting stuff—number one being Jesus! 
Now remember, after Jesus comes and establishes the new heaven and new earth, we’ll live on the new earth. That means our future heaven is really going to be the new earth. Let’s find out more as we play. 
Don’t forget to circle each square as it is called and to say, “Bingo!” when you have a block O around the perimeter of your board.
Read these one at a time and share the comments. If someone gets a bingo before you are done, play another round, trying to make an X, a T, or an L this time.
City called the New Jerusalem—Cities can be cool, but they’re nothing compared to this amazing city on the new earth called the New Jerusalem. Read Revelation 21:1–2. It will be huge and so beautiful you can’t even imagine it!
Happy face emoji—Anybody who is God's child will be doing the happy dance on the new earth because it will be a joy-filled, happy place with Jesus there. Read Revelation 21:3 and Revelation 22:4. We’ll actually get to see him and be with him forever, which will make us so happy. Sometimes people think that God couldn’t be fun, but he’s the one that invented joy, laughter, and fun, after all, so it’s going to be awesome!

The following ideas are used as literal descriptions from Scripture and may be understood as ideal conditions (e.g., the city may not be a cube but the cube represents an ideal condition). You may wish to present the following points from your church's particular viewpoint on end times.

 New and improved earth—Read Revelation 21:5. The new heaven and new earth are exactly that—new! Way back at the beginning of time, the Garden of Eden was a perfect and beautiful place. But remember, Adam sinned and God placed a curse on his creation, so now we still have some beauty and goodness on earth, but we also have some bad things. The new heaven and new earth will be like a new and improved model of our current earth. It will be perfect and beautiful, like the Garden of Eden, but even better! We will get to explore the earth, maybe by climbing mountains or diving deep into the sea or walking through the woods. But we won’t need to worry about getting hurt!
Jesus is King of kings—Read Revelation 19:16. Jesus always has been and always will be the King of all kings, but during eternity, everyone will finally realize it. He will rule and reign over everyone and everything forever. Show the Day 5 Timeline poster with the crown. Comment that crowns represent kings. Today's C word is crown. Have them make a jumbo C in the air and say the word crown. Even the people who didn’t believe Jesus was the King while they lived on earth will believe Jesus is king during eternity. Recite today’s memory verse together using the Memory Verse poster as a reference—Philippians 2:10–11. Sadly, they won’t get to live on the wonderful new earth because while they were living on earth, they refused to trust and obey Jesus as Lord. So they will be separated from all things good and joyful forever. If only they had believed and trusted Jesus! While we’re still here on earth and have time, it’s important to take Jesus seriously and realize he really is the King of kings and Lord of lords. It's also very important to tell others about him! 
Cube-shaped city—What’s your favorite shape? A circle, rectangle, or cube? Take responses. Well, in the future, it could be a cube! Read Revelation 21:10, 15–17. John, the person who wrote about the new heaven and new earth in the book of Revelation, seems to be describing a new city, called the New Jerusalem, as a city coming down out of heaven in the shape of a cube.
Gates with pearls—Read Revelation 21:12, 21, 25. John also describes it as having entry gates that are beautiful. They’ll never be shut by day and there will be no night.
Gold and jewels—John describes the new city with gold and jewels, or what looked to him like gold and jewels. Read Revelation 21:18–21.
Throne in the center of the city—Have you ever seen a movie with a king sitting on a throne? Well, there will be a throne in the center of the city where God will be, and I’m sure it will be the most dazzling throne you’ve ever seen. Read Revelation 22:1.
Tree of Life—Read Revelation 22:2. Where did we last hear of the Tree of Life? Take answers. Right, in the Garden of Eden. It will be with us again on the new earth. And as a side note, this and other verses (such as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb) imply that there will be food on the new earth. Also see Luke 22:29–30. Yay!
Jesus is your Lord and friend—Think about who your best friend is now. Did you know that if you are a child of God, Jesus will not only be your wonderful Lord forever, but also your very best, best friend forever? You'll love your time with him, being together and worshipping him!
We work and serve—It may not be your idea of fun to work, but in the new heaven and new earth, just as in the very beginning of time in the Garden of Eden, work will be fantastic! You’ll love what you do and how you serve the Lord. Just as Adam and Eve tended the garden in the very beginning and cared for the animals, we will have joy-filled jobs to do. Jesus himself will be serving, too! 
Wolf and the lamb together—Read Isaiah 11:6. From passages such as this, we learn that in the future, animals that would normally hunt each other will get along and be “friends.” They will no longer be predators or prey. In the beginning, God gave all living things plants to eat, so there were no meat-eaters. There will be no meat-eaters on the new earth, either!
Lion and the Lamb—This is different than the wolf and the lamb. Listen. See Revelation 5:5–6. Jesus is called both the Lion and the Lamb. Show the Day 2 and Day 5 Animal Pal posters. He’s called the Lion of Judah because he fulfills a prophecy from Genesis 49:9 saying the Messiah will come from the tribe of Judah. And he's called the Lamb of God because, just as they used to sacrifice lambs in Old Testament times to take the punishment for their sins, Jesus is the perfect Lamb who once and for all took the punishment for our sins. We no longer sacrifice lambs because Jesus is our Lamb of God. So Lottie reminds us of Jesus, the Lamb of God, and King reminds us of Jesus, the Lion of Judah.
Celebration emoji—Do you like parties? Well, the Bible tells us this is going to be the greatest celebration ever. Read Revelation 19:9. 
Lamb’s Book of Life—Read Revelation 21:27. Jesus has a book called the Book of Life. In that book is written the name of every person who will be allowed to live in heaven. Trying to be a “good” person and do good things doesn’t get your name in that book. How can you know that your name is in the Book of Life? Take answers, and depending on how they answer, say something like the following. To have your name in the Book, you must be a child of God. Do you know if you are a child of God? Do you realize you’re a sinner, and do you believe in Jesus—who he is and what he did for you? Have you ever asked him if you can be his child? If you have and you truly meant it, your name is written in the Book of Life! 

Gospel Presentation

 You may want to continue a gospel discussion here and share a bit of your testimony (making it age-appropriate) and how you know your name is in the Book of Life. Ask if anyone has questions about heaven, Jesus, or the Lamb's Book of Life.
Wrap up and move on to the Puppet Pal or other parts of the lesson if time. 
Part 2: Puppet Pal—Perfect Place (5 minutes)

Boy or girl puppet (in costume)
Clipboard
2 copies of today’s script (Resource DVD-ROM)
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the scripts and place in the puppet stage and on the clipboard.
One teacher should be positioned in front of the puppet stage and one behind it with the puppet.

 Puppet: Pop up. Hey, everybody! What’s going on? 
Teacher: Hi, Skye! Are you feeling better?
Puppet: I sure am. Jesus made me better!
Teacher: That’s great!
Puppet: And I decided where to travel.
Teacher: Where?
Puppet: To the best place in all of time—my grandma’s house! 
Teacher: I’m sure your grandma’s house is fun, but I don’t agree it’s the best place ever.
Puppet: Why not? Where could be better than Grandma’s?
Teacher: Well, there’s a better place coming. Think of every fun and wonderful place in the world, every person you love, everything you love to do, and guess what? The place I’m thinking about is still better.
Puppet: Impossible!
Teacher: No, it isn’t.
Puppet: What’s this place called?
Teacher: It’s the new heaven and new earth. It’s where we’ll live someday if we're children of God.
Puppet: What makes it the best place ever?
Teacher: Well, the Bible tells us there will be no more crying, sadness, or bad things there. It’s a beautiful place with all good things.
Puppet: That’s exciting! I’ll never be scared or sad again!
Teacher: Exactly. And do you know the best part?
Puppet: Oohhh! I know! Jesus will be there! He’ll be my Lord and my friend!
Teacher: That’s right! You’ll love hanging out with him and all the other Christians who have ever lived.
Puppet: Will it get boring? I mean, it’s going to last forever.
Teacher: No, we won’t get bored. It will be like all the wonderful things on earth, only better!
Puppet: This is gonna be soooo cool!
Teacher: It really is. I’m really, really, really, really, really, really looking forward to it someday.
Puppet: I think I’m going to go draw a picture of what I imagine the new heaven and new earth to look like. 
Teacher: That sounds fun! Well, I’m glad you stopped by. Let’s say bye to Skye. Do so.
Part 3: Small Group Time (5 minutes)

Bible or Bibles
Day 5 discussion sheets, 1 per small group leader (Resource DVD-ROM)
PRE-PREP 
Photocopy the discussion sheets.

 Divide into small groups of 4–6, with a leader in each group. Adjust as necessary depending on how many leaders and kids you have. Discuss some or all of the following questions.
Remember: Give the discussion sheets to the leaders to do later if you don't have time in class.
What’s something you learned about the new heaven and new earth? If you had to describe heaven in just a word or two, what would you say?
Let’s read 1 Peter 4:7–11 and Psalm 90:12. How should we live during our time on earth?
If you were describing Jesus to someone, what words would you use to describe him?
What is your favorite animal pal and why?
If you had to pick one thing you want to do as a result of what you learned this week, what would it be?

Memory Verse music CD and player
Student guides and supplies for Part 1 and Part 2
Time Traveler Guides, 1 per child
Stamp for Time Traveler Guides
King bookmarks, 1 per child
Exploring God’s Word Bible studies, 1 per child
Day 5 Memory Verse poster (Teacher Resource Kit)

Apply It!
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class. Supplies for this section are not included in the supply list on the back cover since they will vary depending on the activities you choose, so decide what you will do and add them to your supply list accordingly. 
Pass out the King bookmarks, one per child, or have time keepers do so at the end of the day. Put a stamp in the Time Traveler Guides (or do so at snack time) and/or review the student guides. Show or pass out the Exploring God’s Word Bible studies.
Part 1: High Voltage Verses
Today’s Verse: “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10–11
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the Memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the challenge.
Challenge: Get a timer. See how long it takes you to say your verse without making any mistakes. Now try a lightning speed round. What's the absolute fastest you can say it without looking at it and without making a mistake?
Part 2: Go and Do
Tell someone about the new heaven and new earth. What sounds exciting about it? 
Read Hebrews 9:24–28. Someday, you’ll have to explain to God every choice you made, good and bad, while you lived here on earth. How should that affect the choices you make? Be sure to read the Bible every day so you are learning God's ways. 
Talk to God about whether or not you are sure you are his child. If you are, praise him and thank him for the exciting future you have! If you aren’t, talk to him or a trusted Christian about that.
Discuss with a Christian adult what kinds of things you can do that will last for eternity.
Check answersvbs.com/tlkids for more fun information!
Ask yourself this question: What do I want to do as a result of this week? (Ask God, by his grace, to help you!)
Part 3: Frozen in Time Review Game

Frozen in Time clock faces, 1 set per team
Dry erase marker boards and markers OR pieces of paper and writing utensils, 1 of each per team
Pre-Prep
Photocopy the Frozen in Time clock faces and cut apart, 1 set per team.

 Divide into teams of 4–6. Give each team a set of clock faces that should be shuffled and placed face down. Each team also gets a dry erase board and dry erase marker or a piece of paper and a writing utensil. Read the question, then have each team write down the answer. Read the answer, and if they get it right, they choose a clock (face down so they can’t see what they’re getting) and award themselves points based on what time the clock says on its face. If it’s 3 o’clock, for example, the team gets 3 points. If it’s 7 o’clock, they get 7 points. Play as long as desired, then have the teams add up their points. The team with the most points at the end of the time wins.
Sample Questions
“All things were created through him and _____.
Answer: For him. 
Note: Repeat with the other memory verses from the week. Check the course overview found on the inside front cover of the book.
The three persons of the Trinity are _______, _______, and _______.
Answer: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. 
When did God begin?
Answer: Never. He has always been.
What does the word Christophany mean?
Answer: It’s an appearance of the Son of God before he was born and came to earth as a baby.
Who is the Angel of the Lord?
Answer: The Son of God (Jesus) is the Angel of the Lord, which is a Christophany. This is not the same as an angel of the Lord. An angel is a heavenly being created by Jesus.
Yes or No: Has God kept all his promises?
Answer: Yes! He has kept every promise, and he will continue to keep every promise!
When was Jesus given the name “Jesus"?
Answer: At his birth.
Why did Jesus come?
Answer: Because he so loved the world. He was on a rescue mission.

Gospel Presentation

 Note: You may want to share the gospel with your kids briefly. You become a child of God if you repent of your sins (turn from them) and believe in Jesus. Each one of us has sinned before God. We have disobeyed God’s commands, and even one sin is enough to separate us from God. Lying, stealing, being unkind, and disobeying parents are all examples of sin. The punishment for sin is death and eternal separation from God‘s goodness forever. We need to repent of (turn from) our sins and believe that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, and paid the penalty for sin on our behalf by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. When we do that, we can become children of God and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us love him and obey him.
After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to various people, then he went back to heaven in a ______. 
Answer: Cloud. This is called the ascension because he ascended up to heaven.
How will Jesus come back again at some point in the future?
Answer: In the clouds.
What is Jesus currently doing? 
Possible Answers: Interceding for his children, praying for them, preparing a place for them, caring for/protecting his church.
Yes or No: Can the church (made up of all the people who believe in Jesus throughout time) ever be destroyed?
Answer: No.
When is Jesus coming back to earth? 
Answer: Nobody knows. We should live in such a way that we are ready and expecting it.
In the future, Jesus will have a title that is “King of kings and _____ of ______.” 
Answer: Lord of lords.
Eventually, all believers will live on the new earth. What is something that will not be on the new earth? 
Answers will vary.
What is something that will be on the new earth? 
Answers will vary.
What is a name of Jesus you like and why? For example, Immanuel, Son of God, King of kings, Savior, etc. 
Answers will vary.
If you had to describe Jesus in one word, what would it be? 
Answers will vary.
How can you become a child of God? 
Answer: Admit (confess) that you are a sinner, believe and trust that Jesus is who he says he is and did what he says he did, and forever receive him as your Lord and Savior. 
Can you name the five main C words? 
Answer: Creation, Christophany, Cross, Clouds, Crown