Week 15 - Jesus will return!

Set-Up: The kids are put on two teams, with each on either side of a tug-of-war rope. Two cones mark the “out of bounds” area, where the teams must keep the middle of the rope in order to stay in the game. A bucket filled with balls is in the center, and another bucket is by each end of the rope.

Goal: The teams must get as many balls from the center bucket into the back buckets without letting go of the rope or letting the center of the rope move outside the cones

• Anyone who lets go of the rope with both hands is disqualified

• Kids may roll the balls to the back of the line, pass the balls back, or try to toss it into their bucket, but they may not let go of the rope

• Teams must be as equal in strength as possible

Winning: The team wins that has the most balls in their bucket by the time that the center of the rope moves outside the cones.

Visual 1 A picture of funny-looking glasses (or perhaps bring in a real pair of funny-looking glasses)

How many of you wish that you could see the future? What if I told you I had “Futurevision Glasses” that would let you see what’s going to happen tomorrow? Display glasses prominently. If there’s time, have a volunteer come up and try them on.

For Christians, the future is really important. A lot of people don’t like Christians that talk about Jesus and say that sin is bad and try to tell people to do the right things. Sometimes, it seems like it’s not worth it to be a Christian because you might not have as many friends or because you have to do the right thing. But God wants all Christians to know that it’s worth it to be a Christian because of the future. So Jesus told His disciples some really important things just before He died and rose again.

Visual 2 Show picture of Jesus with His disciples

Jesus spent His very last meal with His twelve disciples. He had some important things to tell them. He told them that He would die. He told them that He would bleed and His body would be cut open. He told them that what He was doing was so that everyone could be saved from their sin. But then He also said, “Don’t be worried. Just like you believe what God says in the Bible, believe what I’m about to tell you. I’m going to leave you to go to heaven and prepare you a place!”

Visual 3 John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

Why was Jesus telling them that they didn’t have to worry? Because He was coming back to get them!

Visual 4 I’m not concerned—Jesus will return!

Well, Jesus did go back to heaven. You learned about what happened last week—He died on the cross, rose again, and then forty days later He flew up to heaven. His disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and preached about how everyone needed to believe on Jesus to be saved. And they were waiting for Jesus to come back. Then, Jesus appeared to one of His disciples named John. John was pretty old, and Jesus wanted John to write down what God’s plan for the future was so all the Christians would know it. Jesus showed John what was going to happen, and John wrote it down in the last book of the Bible: Revelation.

Visual 5 Show picture of Jesus the King

John saw Jesus do lots of things in heaven and on earth. Lots of terrible things were going to happen on earth, because God was going to punish the people in the world and Satan for all their sin. But the Christians were safe with God in heaven. Then, after seven years of the bad punishment, John saw something incredible. King Jesus was sitting on a big white horse, and all the Christians and angels were part of Jesus’ army also sitting on white horses, and they were all coming back to earth to defeat Satan and his team.

Visual 6 Revelation 19:13-14 “ . . .His name is called the Word of God, and the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”

John watched as Jesus defeated Satan with a big sword. Everyone who was not saved was on Satan's team, and they all were punished, and Jesus became King over the whole world! And all the Christians got to help Jesus rule in His Kingdom. At the end of the book of Revelation, John wrote that everyone should be very excited for Jesus to come back! Instead of being worried about bad things happening or being sinful, we should be ready for Jesus!

Visual 7 Revelation 22:17 “Let him that hearth say, ‘Come.’”

There are some of you that might not be excited that Jesus is coming back. Maybe you aren't saved, so you're not on Jesus' team. Jesus wants you to be saved today! Maybe you know that you've done sinful things that you haven't asked God to forgive you for. Ask God to forgive you today, and ask a teacher to help you make a plan so you don't do it again. Maybe you know that someone you love isn't saved, and you haven't told them about Jesus. Make a plan to tell them how Jesus died for them and if they believe on Him they can be saved!

Visual 8 I’m not concerned, Jesus will return!

Group Activity - Telestrations: I will have little booklets of paper for your table. Tell your kids to write one word on the front of the booklet that has to do with Jesus returning. Tell them they have to write different words from each other (it could be a word like Jesus, clouds, Christians, heaven, horse, King, angel, etc.) and they have to keep them secret from everyone else. Then tell them to pass their booklet to the person on the left (clockwise). They must take their new booklet and look at the word and then draw a picture of the word on the next page. Then have them pass the booklets again, and the next person may only look at the drawing and must write one word to describe it. Continue to pass the drawings until the booklets are full. Then have fun and let the the kids see how their drawings changed as they were passed along.

Group Discussion: Ask the kids the following questions about Jesus' coming back.

• How many times is Jesus going to return? Two times

• Who is Jesus going to get the first time He comes back? All the Christians

• Where will Jesus take the Christians at first? To heaven

• Will Jesus come back with anyone when He returns the second time? Yes, the Christians and the angels in His army

• Who will Jesus fight against when He returns? Satan and everyone on Satan's team (people who are not saved)

• What will Jesus do after He defeats Satan? He will become King of the whole world!

• What will Christians do when Jesus becomes King? They will help Him rule.

Prayer: Write a list of things coming up on the calendar for which you can pray. Tell the children that Jesus’ coming should always be on the list. Pray that you will live today ready for His coming!