Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Hello, everyone! Today, we’re going to watch the Superbook story, “Revelation.” This story shows us when Jesus left Earth after His resurrection. It also will reveal some things about the last days on Earth before Jesus returns. That is what the name of the book Revelation means—to reveal. God revealed to the Apostle John things not previously seen or known, for him to write in the book of Revelation in the Bible. Let’s watch the first part of the video and talk about it afterward.

Play Video 2A: Chris and Joy’s Dilemma* (4 minutes)

*Note: Video 2A: Chris and Joy's Dilemma is meant to accompany Video 3: Bible Story and Resolution in this lesson. Please preview Video 3. Should you feel that some scenes are too intense for young children, please play  Video 2B: Chris and Joy's Dilemma Alternate instead of Video 2A. Also see note under Video 3.

Chris and Joy's Dilemma

When Chris accidentally burns down his house, he thinks he cannot be forgiven.

Video 2B: Chris and Joy's Dilemma Alternate (3 minutes)

Chris and Joy's Dilemma - Alternate

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

Did Chris believe that his parents could forgive him? No.

Do you think Chris’ choice to disobey represents how we are to live our lives? No.

What would have been the better choice for Chris to do in obedience to his parents?

Today’s SuperTruth says, “I will live my life knowing that Jesus will come again.”

Jesus promised to come back again, and we can count on it! We must live our lives in obedience to His word so we can represent Christ to others.

Let’s watch the rest of today’s Superbook video.

Play Video 3: Bible Story and Resolution* (18 minutes)

*Note: Video 3 is meant to accompany Video 2A in this lesson. If you opted to play Video 2B, please play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story, and Video 8: Chris and Joy’s Resolution together instead of Video 3.

Bible Story and Resolution

Superbook takes Joy and Gizmo to meet the Apostle John in heaven, while Chris encounters Satan in the desert just before the Lord vanquishes His enemies in a final battle. The children learn that all who ask God’s forgiveness in Jesus’ name are granted eternal life with Him. Returning home, Chris is forgiven by his parents.

Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (11 minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Video 8: Chris and Joy's Resolution (2 minutes)

Chris and Joy’s Resolution

Play Video 10A: SuperVerse Graphic 1

Graphic loops 2.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat verse.

SuperVerse Graphic 1

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

Let’s say our SuperVerse, Acts 1:11, together.

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday He will return from heaven in the same way you saw Him go!”

How many of you think you would have stood there staring like the disciples did?

Yes, their leader and friend, whom they had followed every day for 3 years, left them suddenly in a very spectacular way! Yet the promise to them and to us is that Jesus will come again!

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group.

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for giving us a promise that You will come again. Help us to live our lives in anticipation of Your return! In Your name we pray, Amen.

Today in Small Group, we will play a game with tennis balls called, “Come Again.” Are you ready to have some fun?

OK, enjoy yourselves!

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Game

In our story today, what did you think when Jesus appeared in the clouds with His army of angels?

Things looked dark for awhile before Christ appeared, but Satan was no match for God’s strength and might. How did Chris find the strength to recognize and reject Satan’s lies, and instead, have wisdom to believe the truth of God’s Word? The power of the Spirit of God in him.

We will all face trials and temptations in this world before Jesus comes again. But, we must always remember that God is greater, and His Spirit lives inside of us to help us overcome all that we face!

Divide the class into two equal teams. If teams are uneven, one player can play twice. Have both teams form a line behind the mark or taped line.

Do you remember when Jesus left Earth while His disciples stared into the clouds trying to still see Him?

The angels assured the disciples that Jesus would come back to Earth again! We are going to play a game about something that comes back again, hold the ball up, a ball! This is a game of speed to see which team can quickly have each player roll and catch the ball two times before the other team does.

Give a ball to the first player of each team. The players will roll the ball hard enough so that it hits the wall and “comes back again” behind the line to the next player on their team. That player catches the ball and immediately rolls it to the wall for the next player to catch. Continue in this fashion until each player on a team has done this twice. After a player rolls the ball he/she must move out of the way and go to the back of the line. The last player of each team on the second round will catch his/her own roll to end the game.

Did the ball ever not come back?

You expected it would and watched for it to come back, right?

What would have happened if you weren’t watching? You would have missed the ball.

Yes, Jesus is coming back to Earth again, and we can count on it! We need to be prepared and awaiting His return. We must be obedient to His Word and be doing the work He has given us to do! Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “I will live my life knowing that Jesus will come again.”

Teaching

Have the children sit at tables for this lesson so they can do the craft. If there are children with special needs, have older children sit nearby to help them.

Has a teacher ever stepped out of the room for a few moments and trusted your class to obey the rules while he or she was gone?

Maybe you were told to work on an assignment or read a book. Maybe, for some of you older ones, your parents left you alone in the house while they ran an errand. Perhaps they trusted you to watch a younger brother or sister while they were away. Did you believe they were coming back again?

Why would you respect their rules while they are gone? To show that you can handle the responsibility; you didn’t want to disappoint them.

Our SuperTruth says: “I will live my life knowing that Jesus will come again.”

Jesus left Earth, but He is coming back again. We can anticipate that day with excitement, but what should we be doing until He comes back?

Read Ephesians 5:15-17:

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

God calls us to obey His commandments and live our lives for Him. Do you remember in the video when Satan lied to Chris? Satan wants to scare us, lie to us, and tempt us to disobey God. Yet we should not be afraid. God’s power is greater than any other power, and when we ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, He lives in us and gives us His power! 

Read 1 John 4:4b:

The Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

Here is what Jesus told His disciples before He went to heaven.

Read John 14:27–28a:

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again.”

Jesus left the disciples with His gift of peace that the world can’t give us—and can’t take away! Yes, Satan is no match for God’s Spirit living inside us! Jesus is coming back again; and until He does, God has equipped us with everything we need!

Read 2 Timothy 1:7:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

God has given us everything we need to live a victorious and obedient life until Jesus returns! 

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

It’s time for our Discipleship Challenge. For these three lessons, we will learn some scriptures about God’s plan of salvation, then share His plan with others. 

Do not show the craft you made ahead of time so children will be surprised how it turns out. Distribute the craft patterns and scissors to the children, then give these instructions:

1.  Place the pattern on the table with the words “The Problem” facing you. Let’s read aloud the scripture underneath. Read Romans 3:23:

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

What is the problem? We have all sinned.

Wow; that's a huge problem, isn’t it! How can we get rid of the terrible problem of our sin? 

2.  Fold on the dotted line, putting the circle on the star. What do you see? The Plan.

Read Romans 6:23:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

When we sin, what do we earn? Death.

Yet what does God give us? The free gift of eternal life.

Read John 3:16:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Who paid the price for our sins? Jesus died on the cross.

What happens when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior? We have eternal life.

3.  Fold on the dotted line, putting the circle on the star. What do you see now? Our Part.

Which way is the triangle pointing? Downward, toward me.

Salvation is a gift from God, but we need to receive it. Let’s read the scripture aloud to find out how.

Read Ephesian 2:8:

God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

So, what is our part? To believe in Him.

Can we earn salvation by doing good things? No, it is a free gift from God.

The next verse, Ephesians 2:9, tells us:

Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

4.  Fold the triangle up, along the top edge. What do you see? The Promise.

Which way is the triangle pointing now? Up.

Yes, the promise is pointing up to God. Let’s read God’s promise to us. Read Romans 10:13:

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Is this promise just for some people? No, everyone!

5.  Fold on the dotted line, putting the circle on the star. Uh-oh! What showed up? The Past.

Do you ever feel guilty about things you’ve done in the past? 1 John 1:9 says:

But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Read Psalm 103:12:

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

What does God do with our sins? He removes them completely.

Let’s take our scissors and cut along the line through all layers of our craft. We want to cut off the past completely! Wait until everyone has finished cutting.

6.  Now open just one fold; what do we get? The Power.

Let’s read the verse to learn about God’s power! Read Romans 1:16:

I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

Does God offer His wonderful gift of salvation to just a few people? No, to all the world.

Yet how can people believe in Jesus if they never hear about Him? This is why it’s so important for us to share the Gospel with others. 

7.  Carefully unfold your craft, and you will see God’s Plan of Salvation revealed. What is it? A cross.

Were you surprised?

Our Discipleship Challenge for the next two lessons is to study these verses so we understand what they mean, and also to share these verses with someone else. I will give each of you an extra craft to take home and do with a friend or a relative, telling them about God’s Plan of Salvation. Next time, I’ll ask you what happened when you did!  

SuperVerse

Our SuperVerse today is Acts 1:11:

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday He will return from heaven in the same way you saw Him go!”

Have the class say the SuperVerse together.

Try to imagine what that would be like. You are standing with Jesus and then He ascends into the clouds as you stand there! What would you think or feel?

They must have been staring in disbelief for quite some time, for the angels to ask why they were standing and staring! Do you think the disciples felt hopeless or even scared that Jesus was leaving them alone?

Do you think the disciples thought Jesus would come back during their lifetime?

It’s exciting to know that Jesus will come back to Earth again, and we will see Him face to face! Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “I will live my life knowing that Jesus will come again.”

Have children line up side by side, facing the board with the SuperVerse written on it. Group the boys together at one end of the line and the girls at the other end. The boys and girls will alternate shouting out the different lines of the verse and then everyone will shout aloud the scripture reference. Start by assigning the girls lines one and three and the boys lines two and four. If time permits, have the boys and girls trade lines and repeat the activity.

Note: If younger children are not able to memorize the entire SuperVerse, simply have them repeat it several times and be sure they understand its meaning.

Prayer

Do you remember how Chris felt after his house burned to the ground?

What did he tell Joy that his parents would never be able to do? Forgive him.

The truth is that no matter what we have done or will do, Jesus is waiting to forgive us! Yes, that’s right! The devil lied to Chris and told him that God could never forgive him. Maybe you have felt like you have done something so bad that you could not be forgiven.

But let me ask you this. Can anything that you have done wrong be greater or more important than the death of God’s only Son on the cross? No! God sent His beloved Son, Jesus, to take the full punishment for every single one of our sins. We have all sinned and need God’s forgiveness—and He will give it to any of us if we ask! Read 1 John 1:8–9:

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Our SuperTruth says: “I will live my life knowing that Jesus will come again.” Sometimes we can get caught up in the things of this world and forget that this world is temporary and will not last. What is most important is to live a life for Jesus, knowing He will return. We all have an opportunity to confess our sins and allow Jesus to cleanse us today. We can receive a fresh start today to live a life that is obedient to God’s Word and His will for our lives!

Ask the children to find a place alone in the room. Tell the children to pray silently and to confess any sins to Jesus so they may be forgiven. After the children have prayed a short time, lead them in a closing prayer reminding them that Jesus is always there to forgive them, no matter how big the sin seems.

Balloon Game

Let’s all say the SuperTruth together: “I will live my life knowing that Jesus will come again.” Jesus left His disciples and ascended into the clouds right before their eyes! What did the angels tell the disciples that Jesus would do? Come back again just like He had left them.

Divide the children into pairs. Give each pair a balloon. Each pair faces each other several feet apart. Set the timer for one minute and start the game. The first player for each pair shouts the first word of the SuperTruth, then volleys the balloon to his or her partner. The teammate then says the next word of the SuperTruth and volleys the balloon back. All pairs continue in this fashion until the SuperTruth is completed without the balloons hitting the floor. The pairs then immediately start over at the beginning of the SuperTruth. The object is to complete the SuperTruth as many times as possible in one minute. Only count the number of times the SuperTruth was completed; not partial times. Players cannot catch or trap the balloon against their bodies. They may hit them with their hands, arms, heads, legs, or feet. If a balloon hits the ground, the pair must restart the SuperTruth at the beginning. You may also have them play the game while reciting the SuperVerse.

What always happened after the balloon went up in the air? It came back down again.

Yes, Jesus went to heaven, but He promised to come back again. We must live our lives knowing that His promise will surely be fulfilled!

Bible Study

Have children look up and read each passage, then lead a discussion using the questions below.

1. Isaiah 14:12-16: 

¹²“How you are fallen from heaven,
O shining star, son of the morning!
You have been thrown down to the earth,
you who destroyed the nations of the world.
¹³For you said to yourself,
‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars.
I will preside on the mountain of the gods
far away in the north.
¹⁴I will climb to the highest heavens
and be like the Most High.’
¹⁵Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead,
down to its lowest depths.
¹⁶Everyone there will stare at you and ask,
‘Can this be the one who shook the earth
and made the kingdoms of the world tremble?

The Prophet Isaiah told about what was to come at the end of the world. He prophesied Satan’s crushing defeat at the hand of God!

• Verse 12 is talking about Satan. From this description, would you say he was always a dark and evil appearing creature?
• In verse 13, what do you think Satan was full of that caused him to come against God? Pride, rebellion.
• What did Satan want to do or be? Rule and be equal with God.
• What was the outcome of his rebellion? He was brought down and thrown out of heaven.
• What does verse 15 tell you about Satan; how does this compare to how people see him now?
• How could this help us to trust God and overcome any fear of Satan?

2. Romans 8:38–39: 

³⁸And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.³⁹No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul was talking from experience in his letter to other believers in Rome. He had been imprisoned and suffered much persecution as he lived his life following God’s will. Paul knew first hand that nothing was greater or more powerful than God’s love—it could not be stopped!

• In verse 38, was Paul unsure of God’s love in trials? No, he was convinced.
• Why is it so important to live our lives being convinced about—and not doubting—God’s love for us, especially during trials and temptation?
• What does verse 38 tell us about God’s love versus Satan’s tricks, lies, schemes, and power?
• In verse 39, why is it important for us to know that God is the Creator of all things in heaven and Earth as compared to anything in creation? The Creator is more powerful and is always greater than the creation. Satan is a created being—he is not equal with God, he is subject to and below God.
• Verse 38 reminds us of what Chris was going through when he felt separated from God because of what he had done. Satan lied to him about God not being able to help him and forgive him. Do you have fears and worries that you struggle with and that cause you to doubt God’s ability and love—maybe even His existence?
• How can this verse strengthen and comfort you in times like that?

Pray: Thank You, God, that Your love is more powerful than anything or anyone! There is no power that exists that can separate us from Your love! Even our biggest fear or our worries for what is to come cannot remove us from Your presence—not even death! Thank You for the love that is revealed through Your precious Son, Jesus Christ! In His name, Amen.

Ball Game

Divide the class into two equal teams. If teams are uneven, one player can play twice. Have both teams form a line behind the mark or taped line, with one team behind each towel.

The first time Jesus came into the world, He came as a little baby. When He returns, He will come as the King of kings and Lord of lords! As believers, we joyfully look forward to that day! 

Let’s play another game with the balls returning to us, but this time it will be a little different. Both teams will play at the same time. You will each get two tries to roll the ball so it hits the wall and then “comes back again” to rest on your team’s towel, which represents the Earth’s surface. Your team receives one point for each ball that comes back to rest on your towel. The team with the most points wins. After you roll the ball twice, go to the back of the line.

Start the game and keep track of each team’s score. Play additional rounds as time allows.

How does it make you feel inside to know that Jesus is coming back again?

No matter what happens on Earth, God’s Word never changes. Here is a promise God made through the Prophet Isaiah. Read Isaiah 46:11:

“I have said what I would do, and I will do it.” 

We can rest securely on the fact that every promise in the Bible will be fulfilled before the end of time. Nothing can stop Jesus from coming again!

Object Lesson

Hold up and demonstrate the items:

• Yo-yo—demonstrate a few times how it always returns to your hand, or allow a child to demonstrate.
• Tape measure—pull tape out a short length and let it go so it returns a few times.
• Foam boomerang—before class, practice throwing it so it returns to you; then show the children.
• Paddle ball—demonstrate how you strike the ball and it returns to the paddle.

What do you think these items all have in common?

Yes, when they are pulled out, thrown, or hit, they always come back again to where they began. Jesus was with God from the beginning, and He willingly came to Earth the first time to die for our sins—taking the punishment for every one of them!

Read John 13:3:

Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God.

Jesus had to return to God so the Holy Spirit could come to Earth, live inside us, and help us live in obedience to God’s Word until Jesus comes again. Jesus also made this wonderful promise. 

Read John 14:3:

“When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am.”

We are God’s creation, His children, and we will return with Jesus to heaven to live with God forever!