Christian Churches of God

 

 

No. CB5_2

 

 

Lesson:

In the Beginning

 

(Edition 1.0 20100301-20100301)

 

In this lesson we will review concepts covered in the paper CB5 which spans the time from God alone existing, creation of spiritual beings, creation of the earth, the great rebellion, refashioning of the earth and the creation of Adam and Eve.

 

 

Christian Churches of God

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Lesson:

In the Beginning



Goal: 

To review the basic concepts related to the One True God, Eloah, and His spiritual and physical creation.

 

1.     Children will be able to understand the meaning of who the One True God is.

2.     Children will understand the sequence of the creation of the spiritual and physical creation.

3.     Children will understand all spiritual beings were created perfect yet could rebel.

4.     Children will understand how the earth was created perfect and made waste and void due to the rebellion.

5.     Children will be able to list the week of creation and the activities that took place each day.

 

Resources:

Who is God? (No. CB1)

What is the Holy Spirit? (No. CB3)

Who is Jesus? (No. CB2)

The Creation of the Family of God (No. CB4)

 

Memory Verses :

Gen 1:1-2 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. (RSV)

 

John 1:3 all things were made through him, and without him was not anything that was made. (RSV)

 

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. (RSV)

 

Jeremiah 10:12-13 It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. 13 When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightnings for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses. (RSV)

 

Format:

Open with prayer

Lesson

Activity associated with the lesson

Close with prayer



Lesson:

1.     Read through the paper unless it is read as a sermonette with the children present.

2.     Children’s questions are in bold.  This is a general review of the material covered in the paper In the Beginning (No. CB5).

 

Q1.      In the beginning was there anything in existence in the universe?

A.        In the beginning only God, Eloah, existed.  He was the only God before time, alone

            having no beginning and having no end.  He is beyond the physical and can

            never die.  (1Tim. 6:16) Even Christ owes his existence to God the Father. 

            (Co1:15; Rev. 3:14: Mat.3:17; Jn1:18; 1Jn4:9)

Q2.      Is God a person?

A.        God is not a person.   He is a spirit being who has always existed.  He is all-powerful

and all-knowing (1John 3:20) and He is love (1John 4:8)

 

Q3.      God has a wonderful power and it is by this power that the universe was created

            and by it every physical force and celestial body is controlled.  What do we call

            this power of God that He will send to the elect?

A.        It is called the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the power of God that Christ promised to send to the elect (Jn. 16:7).

 

Q4.      Who were the first beings that God created?

A.        The spiritual creation (angels) were the first part of God’s plan and He became Father

            through creating these spiritual sons and being the Father of spirits (Heb. 12:9).

 

Q5.      Did the sons of God (angels) have the Holy Spirit? 

A.        Yes.  It is through the Holy Spirit that they were united with God.  The Holy Spirit

           is the substance that ties the entire creation together with God the Father.

 

Q6.      God anointed two of His sons as Covering Cherubs of the Council of the Elohim.

            They are also known as Morning Stars; can you name the two sons?

A.           One of the sons was Lucifer  (Isa. 14:12), who we now know as Satan. (Ezek. 28:14-16). The second son was the one who later became Jesus the Christ. (Col. 1:15, Rev. 22:16)

 

Q7.      What does the name Lucifer mean?

 A.       Lucifer means Light Bringer, or Shining Star of the Dawn.

 

Q8.      Which one of the sons did God make ruler over the newly created Earth?

A.        God made Lucifer ruler over the earth, where millions of angels were sent to dwell.

            Lucifer was to govern the angels of the earth by carrying out all of God’s orders and

            laws.

 

Q9.      Where is God’s throne? 

A.        We know that God’s throne is on the sides of the north (Isa. 14:13) and 2 Corinthians 12:2 tells us it is in the third heaven.  We also know that the third heaven is invisible

            to the human eye.

 

Q10.    While Lucifer and the angels obeyed God’s rules and instructions there was

            happiness and contentment among the angels. (Ezek. 28:13-15)  Why did Lucifer

            rebel against God? 

A.        In Isa. 14:12-14  we see it was pride, lust and greed that caused Lucifer’s wisdom to become perverted.  He believed that he could actually replace God the Father and when he rebelled he took one third of the Host with him.  (Rev. 12:4)

 

Q11.    After Lucifer rebelled against the rule of God, things were forever different. 

            What happened to Lucifer and the angels that rebelled? 

A.        There is no human being or spirit being strong enough to dethrone God.  In 2 Pet. 2:4

and in Jude 6  we see the power of God was unleashed with such a force that the             attackers were blasted out of heaven and back down to Earth. Lucifer was confined to Earth as its ruler.

 

Q12.    Lucifer’s name was changed.  What is his new name and what does it mean?

A.        His name was changed to Satan, which means enemy or adversary in Hebrew (Rev. 12:9)  because  he is an enemy of the people of God.

 

Q13.    Did God give Lucifer and the other spiritual Sons of God the freedom of choice?

A.        All the Sons of God were created with the capacity to know good and evil and

            could choose to obey God’s laws or rebel.  Mankind was given this freedom of choice as well.

 

Q14.    What happens when we disobey God’s laws?

A.        In Deut. 28:15-27 we see the  penalties for breaking God’s laws, such as suffering, trouble and destruction.  We must always remember to please God in every decision we make and if we sin, repent and ask for God’s forgiveness.

 

Q15.    What happened to the Earth after the war with Lucifer? 

Gen 1:2.  The Earth was without form and void (or tohu and bohu). 

 

Q16.   How many days did it take God assisted by the elohim, or family of gods, to finish His recreation of the earth for mankind before He rested?

A.             The recreation (work) took God and His loyal sons six days and then He rested on the

seventh day with the loyal elohim as we learn in Gen. 2:1).

 

Q17.    God used a certain angel or messenger to create and form everything of this

            age.  Who is this angel or messenger?  (Jn. 1:3)

A.        The spirit being that became the Great Angel of the Old Testament and eventually became the man, Jesus Christ. This being was also known as “The Word” and has preexistence as we learn from Jn 1:3; he spoke as the Father commanded him.  John 1:3 tells us that “all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made”.  This scripture is referring to all things of this age.

 

Q18.    We now know that it took God and his family six days to finish His creation.  What exactly did God create on each of the six days?

A.     

1st day…God said “Let there be light” and He separated the light from the darkness

and called the light “day” and the darkness “night”.  (Gen. 1:2-5)

2nd day..God created the firmament which was called heaven. This word is also                       translated as air. (Gen. 1:8)

3rd day…God gathered the waters together unto one place and let the dry land appear.

God called the dry land earth and the gathering together of the waters He called seas.  And the earth brought forth grass, trees, flowers and bushes to grow out of the ground.  (Gen. 1:9-13)

4th day…God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.  This is talking about the sun and the moon.  Then He made the stars.  (Gen. 1:14-18)

5th day…God made all kinds of water creatures in the sea and different types of birds to fly through the air.  (Gen. 1:20-23)

6th day…God made land animals and Adam.  (Gen. 1:26-28)

7th day…God rested from His six days of labour.  (Gen 2:2-3)

 

Q19.    On the second day when God created the heavens, how many heavens did

            He create and where are they?                   

A. There are three heavens.  The first heaven is where the clouds are and where the birds  fly.  (Gen. 1:8)  The second heaven is the space beyond our atmosphere. (Gen. 1:14).

            And the third heaven is where God’s Throne is located.  (Acts 7:49; 2Cor. 12:2)

 

Q20.    How do the sun and moon which were created on the 4th day help us to calculate the timing of God’s holy days?

A.        In Gen. 1:14-19 and Psa. 104:19  we  see God’s calendar being instituted right from the beginning with the sun and moon as time keepers. The new moon is the beginning of each new month and the sun controls our seasons.

 

Q21.    What did God use to form the first man? 

A.        God formed the first man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils

            the breath of life and the man became a living being as Gen.2:7 tells us.

 

Q22.    What was the name of the first human being?  (1Cor. 15:45)

A.        God named him Adam in Gen.2:19, 20.  He was the first living mortal man on this planet and 1 Cor. 15:45 also reinforces this point.

 

Q23.    Where did Adam live and work? 

A.        God had prepared a beautiful garden for Adam in Eden (Gen. 2:8).

 

Q23.    How did God create the woman and what was her name?  (Gen. 2:18-22)

A.        God took one of Adam’s ribs, while he was sleeping, and formed a woman.

            Adam named the woman Eve (Gen. 3:20).

 

Q24.    When God rested on the seventh day (Sabbath), He made a law or

            commandment that man should also rest on the Sabbath and worship Him.

            What commandment tells us to keep the Sabbath Day Holy?  (Ex. 20:8-11)

A.       The fourth commandment is explained in Ex. 20:8-11.  The first six days were for man to work and play, but the seventh day of the week God kept for himself.

 

Q25.    God instituted a 7,000-year plan.  For the first 6,000 years, who is ruling mankind?  Who will be ruling mankind for the last 1,000 years?

A.       The first 6,000 years is under the rule of Satan and the demons.  The last 1,000 years is under the rule of Jesus the Christ and his elect as described in Rev.20:4.

 

Activity Options:

 

Creation Book (see below photos as examples):

·       Supplies:  Paper for pages in the book, art supplies for each day (can use stickers, cotton, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, markers, colored pencils, etc; hole punch, string)

·       Activity:  Starting with day 1 have the children depict day/night.  We used a light colored piece of paper and put a dark colored piece of paper over half of it).  Day 2 - color the bottom of the paper like water and the top of the paper like the sky.  Can use cotton balls for the clouds.  Follow on for each day of creation.  For the 7th day have the children draw something that reminds them of the Sabbath, or leave it blank to show that God was resting.  Gather all the days and make a small creation book.

 

·       Flannel or magnetic board: Read through the story of creation and have the items added to the board as you go through the story i.e. sun, moon, flowers, animals etc Children color or cut out various items and place them on the board as you go through the story or before the activity.

 

·       Creation Tic Tac Toe: (See pictures below for examples):  Play tic tac toe with the children asking them questions about the days of creation.  In our cards, since we were working on this lesson during the Passover season, we added a monthly calendar showing the creation week (Day 1 is Sunday and Day 7 is Sabbath) and an additional square showing the First Month of the Biblical year during the year Christ was crucified.  In that year, the first day of the month began on a Thursday because the 14th of the month when Christ was crucified was on a Wednesday.

 

·       3D creation: Various art materials and children put various pieces of creation in the box or (7 boxes) which are lined up next to each other on the various days of creation.  Could be done with salt dough and painted or dyed salt dough before time, use colours of Kool-Aid play dough.

 

Guess What It Is / What Day Is It?

      Supplies: box with opening cut out for the child’s hand. The opening is covered by material or paper streamers. Supplies such as various types of animals, fish, birds, leaf, grass, stick, bowl with small amounts of dirt, another bowl with a small amount of water, doll to represent man; flashlight to represent the sun or the day “let there be light”. A small book might be used to represent a Bible and Sabbath day.

      Object: place all the items in the box and allow the child to just feel the object and guess what it is and then list what day of creation it occurred on. Change the items based on the age of the child. When finding animals, birds or fish one can also discuss if the animal is clean or unclean.

      Movement Option:  have the days of the week numbered one to seven each on its own piece of paper, also have the seven items that were created on each of the days of creation written or drawn (for a younger audience) on seven pieces of paper. Have a set of days of the week and the created items for each team. Divide the children into teams; allow the children to do a relay race to pick up the pieces and then assemble the matching activity and glue their work onto tag board or tape the picture up on the wall in the correct sequence .

 

      Circle Game:   Draw 7 concentric circles on a poster board. On pieces of paper, write the seven days of the week, the seven days of creation, and the seven daily psalms.  Have each child pick a piece of paper and place it inside the correct circle. For instance – the inner circle would contain the words, Sabbath, rest and Psalm 92.  Circle number three would contain Day 3, land and seas, Psalm 82.  Continue until all seven are complete.

 

 

Close with prayer.

 

 

 

Examples of Tic Tac Toe Cards: