Lesson 9:

A new future

INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS

Everyone is fascinated by thoughts of the future and this includes children. And boys and girls will
be really interested to know that the Bible speaks about the future. It does not tell us everything but it
tells us what we need to know, and we should share these facts with the children.
The Bible teaches us a number of important truths about the future:
The Bible teaches us about death.
Most children come into personal contact with death at some time. They also see it portrayed
graphically on the television screen and in the cinema. As a result they have questions about
death which need to be answered, and they may have fears about death which need to be allayed.
Therefore we should from time to time teach children about death, as the Bible lessons allow us
to do so:
We should explain what death is. It is the ending of life as far as the body is concerned and it
happens to everyone sooner or later (Hebrews 9 v27).
We should explain what happens:
- the body dies.
- the soul and spirit go to be for ever with Jesus Christ in Heaven (if the child is saved)
or is separated forever from Jesus Christ (if the child is not saved).
We should emphasize that the believing child has nothing to fear from death.
We should warn unsaved children of the consequences if they die without Jesus Christ but
we should do so in a loving way, and not use the subject of death to put pressure upon the
children to trust Christ.
The Bible teaches us about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ
While some Christians may not agree on every detail concerning what will happen, we can all be
absolutely sure of the following facts:
Jesus Christ is coming back again (John 14 v3; Acts 1 v11). 1n 1 Corinthians 16 v22 the word
Maranatha was an expression of eagerness for the Lords return.
He will come in power and glory (Matthew 26 v64).
It could happen at any time (Matthew 24 v36; Acts 1 v7).
The Bible teaches us about the resurrection of the body
When Jesus Christ comes back again the greatest miracle the world has ever seen will occur. All
bodies will be raised from the dead:
First of all, believers will receive a resurrected body which is imperishable, spiritual, glorious
and without sin (1 Corinthians 15 v43,44;49). It will be the old body which is raised again but
it will be changed and glorified.
The souls and spirits of believers which have been in Heaven - with Jesus Christ since their
bodies died will come with Jesus Christ at that time (1 Thessalonians 4 v14), and be reunited with
their risen glorified bodies.
We will live eternally in these new bodies in a new Heaven and a new earth
(2 Peter 3 v13).
The bodies of unbelievers will also be raised from the dead afterwards and will be reunited
with their lost souls. They will then be finally judged and separated from God and Heaven
forever.
The Bible teaches us about the judgement.
There are several biblical truths about Gods future judgement which we, ourselves, need to
understand and, as opportunity allows us, share with our children:
Jesus Christ will be the Judge (2 Timothy 4 v1; Acts 10 v42).
Believers will be judged (Romans 14 v10, 12; 1 Corinthians 3 v8-15; 2 Corinthians 5 v10):
 - This judgement is not to decide if we are saved or not saved. That decision was made
when we trusted Christ.
- This judgement is not to reveal and condemn all the sins we have committed since we
trusted Christ. These sins were all forgiven (and never to be remembered again) when we
trusted Christ. There is no condemnation for believers (Romans 8 v1). We are fully and
eternally justified.
- This judgement is to judge our service for Jesus Christ (not our lives), and to determine
the degrees of rewards or crowns for that service (1 Corinthians 3 v12-15; 2 Corinthians
5 v9, 10; Luke 19 v17-19).
Unbelievers will be judged (Romans 2 v5-9; Revelation 20 v12).
- This judgement will not be to decide if they can enter Heaven or not, or if they will be
condemned or not. They, themselves, have already made their decision not to trust Christ
and they will be condemned on that basis.
- The purpose of this judgment will be to demonstrate that they deserve condemnation
(Romans 2 v5-9; Luke 12 v2, 3) and to determine their degree of punishment (Revelation
20 v12, 13).
The Bible teaches us about our final and eternal destiny with Jesus Christ in Heaven:
We will have our glorified bodies (2 Corinthians 5 v1).
We will see Jesus Christ, fellowship with Him (John 14 v3)and be like Him (1 John 3 v2).
We will receive our rewards for faithful service (Matthew 5 v12).
We will experience perfect joy (Revelation 21 v4), complete rest (Revelation 14 v13) and
unhindered service (Revelation 22 v3).
All the puzzles of this human life will be resolved (1 Corinthians 13 v12).
We will live there forever (John 3 v16).

MEMORY VERSE for the children to learn:

And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I
am there you may be also. (John 14 v3).

Slide 1 Title slide

Lesson

Slide 2
Would you like to look into the future and know what is going to happen? I am sure you would. Many
people would! Some people say that they know what is going to happen to other people in the future.
Slide 3
In some of our newspapers there is a little section which tells people that if they are born in a certain
month or under certain stars they will receive a letter during the following week, or meet someone nice, or
get a new job! But these are not true. These are only guesses concerning the future. No one can work out
for themselves or for anyone else what is going to happen in the future
The only One Who knows the future is God. He knows everything.
Slide 4
But it is wonderful to know that God has written down in His Word, the Bible, a number of things
which are going to take place in the future. Therefore it is possible for us to know the future or at least
some parts of the future; but to do so we have to read and study what God has said in His book, the Bible.
Here is an envelope (Show one). Inside that envelope I have written something. The only person who
knows what I have written is myself, because I wrote it. But you could also find out what I have written.
How? By opening the envelope and reading what is there. If you dont do that you will never know.
(Open the envelope and read what is written).
 So if you open your Bible and read it carefully you will see what God has planned for the future. And
we know that what He has planned and what He has said WILL HAPPEN. How do we know that?
Because many of the things which He said would happen have already happened, many years after they
were written down in His Word and they happened exactly at the time He said. (Teacher, give
examples if you wish).

Slide 5
The first thing God tells us about the future is that we are all going to die. The Bible makes this very
clear. It says, And as it is appointed for men to die once (Hebrews 9 v27). This is a divine appointment.
Let me explain. Your mum makes an appointment for you to go to the doctor. When the time comes you
are feeling better and so your mum cancels the appointment. But no one can cancel the appointment with
death because God has decided we all have to meet death one day. No one can escape it. No one wants to
die; and people try to live longer and longer by looking after themselves and being careful so that they
might live a few more years but there is no way that anyone can avoid Gods appointment. Everyone
will die one day except those who are alive when Jesus Christ comes back again.
However the Bible does not tell us when we will die. Some people die young and some live to old age.
The Bible does not tell us how we will die. Some may have a car accident; some may die from a heart
attack or some illness; some may just wear out in old age.
But everyone will die! The Bible makes that clear.
The Bible also explains what will happen when we die.
You and I consist of two main parts. There is the outside part which people can see and with which we
walk, talk and eat. It is called our body. That is the part which dies.
But then there is the inside part the part which no one can see, the part with which we think, feel, and
worship. It really consists of two parts the soul (which thinks and feels) and the spirit (the part which
worships God); but we will call this inside part the real you and the Bible teaches us that the real you
does not die.
So when we die a separation takes place. The body dies and is buried in a grave like the one in our
picture, but it is only a shell or a house in which the real you has lived since you were born. At death
the real you leaves the house in which it has lived and goes somewhere else to live.
Where? Well that depends!

Slide 6
When the real you leaves the body at death there are two possibilities; there are two destinations;
there are two places it can go to:
One possibility is that the real you goes immediately to Heaven to be with Jesus Christ as you
can see in the left hand part of our picture. This real you will have no body because it has left its
body, its old home. But it will be perfect and without sin and will be in perfect happiness and joy for
ever in its eternal home in Heaven.
The other possibility is that the real you goes immediately to a place of unhappiness and
separation from God, and from all that is good, happy and joyful for ever as you can see in the
right hand part of our picture.

But what, and who, makes the decision as to which possibility happens when you and I die?. Some
people have strange ideas which are completely wrong. Some think that there is someone at the gates of
heaven like St. Peter and he decides Yes, you come in. No, you cant come in. This of course is not
true. Others think there is some kind of scales or balances in Heaven, and God weighs the good deeds a
person has done against the bad deeds; and whichever weighs the most decides as to whether that person
enters Heaven or not. This is also not true.
There is a simple answer and the Bible tells us what it is.
Slide 7
You yourself make the decision. I make the decision. No one else will do it for us. Have you made
your decision? That is why these two question marks are in our picture.
Slide 8
The boys and girls who trust Jesus Christ to forgive their sins and change them will, when they die, go
immediately to Heaven to be with Jesus Christ. Our Bible verse tells us that He is preparing a place for all
those who are Christians and that where He is you will also be. So if you have trusted Jesus Christ you do
not need to be afraid to die. Even though your body will die, the real you will live on for ever in
Heaven, your future home, where it will be better and happier than it is now. You can say like one of the
writers in the Bible, Death where is your sting? I am not afraid of you. (1 Corinthians 15 v55).
Slide 9
But if you have decided not to trust Jesus Christ and remember it is your own personal decision
then when you die you will be separated from God forever. The decision is yours alone. And after you die
there will be no second chance.
Why not ask Jesus Christ today to save you? The Bible says, Whoever calls on the name of the LORD
shall be saved (Romans 10 v13) saved for ever, with Jesus Christ for ever, in Heaven for ever.

Many years ago there was a king who wanted to know what his people really thought about him. So he
disguised himself and went throughout his kingdom visiting his subjects secretly, and talking to them
about himself. It was interesting to listen to what they said. Some of them said how much they loved and
appreciated their king; others said they hated him. They didnt know they were really speaking to their
king.
And then months later the king paid a second visit to all of these people. But this time he came as king
in all his splendour and pageantry and he thanked the people who had spoken so kindly about him and
they were pleased. And he told the people who had criticized him how sorry he was for what they had
said.
That is just a story.
But the Bible tells us two things about Jesus Christ, the son of God:
Slide 10 will automatically build a picture to include the manger, cross and tomb
Firstly He came as a baby to this earth two thousand years ago and He lived as a boy and as a
man for thirty-three years. Most people did not recognize Him and did not know He was the Son of God.
Many criticized Him, hurt Him and eventually killed Him. But three days later He rose from the dead.
When He was here on this earth there were some who were kind to Him, and a number who came
to love Him and follow Him. This is still true today. Some people love Him and follow Him. Others
ignore Him and turn their backs on Him.
Slide 11
But the Bible tells us, secondly, that Jesus Christ will return and that He will come back again to
this earth. He will come back again the second time in His Glory as King of Kings. Everyone will see
Him, and will bow their knees to Him whether they like it or not.
How do we know He will come back again?
Because He promised He would. He told His disciples on several occasions that He would come back.
Slide 12
(If you are able to edit PowerPoint you may want to change the Bible version used for this verse)
As our Bible verse for today tells us, And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14 v3). After His death He rose
again and took His disciples up onto the top of a mountain, and before their very eyes He went right up
into heaven. Then two angels appeared and spoke to the disciples and said, This same Jesus, who was
taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven (Acts 1 v11).
The Bible teaches this truth over and over again. Jesus Christ will come back again!
Slide 13 text adds automatically
It will be the greatest day the world has ever seen or known when Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
returns to this earth as King of Kings in all His glory. He will keep His promise and He will come back
again.
When will it happen? What will happen? We dont know when He will come back. But the Bible
makes several truths very clear about that great day.
The main truth is that it could happen at any time! The Bible teaches this over and over again. It could
be today; it could be tomorrow; it could be next week or next year. No one knows when it will happen.
(Matthew 24 v36; Acts 1 v7). That is why you and I always need to be ready. Every morning we should
say, Perhaps You will come today, Lord Jesus. Help me to live in a way which pleases You.
The Lord Jesus told us a story to show how important it is to be ready (Matthew 25 v1-13).
Slide 14
There were ten young girls who were invited to a wedding, and all ten went with their lamps in their
hands to meet the bridegroom. But the bridegroom didnt come just then and while the ten girls were
waiting for him they all fell asleep. Suddenly there was a shout, The bridegroom is coming. Go out to
meet him.
The girls all woke up and lit their lamps. But only five of them had oil in their lamps. The other five
had no oil.
Slide 14a the five lamps will slowly fade out
The Lord Jesus called the first five girls wise, because they were ready for the coming of the
bridegroom. But He called the other five girls foolish because they were not ready. As a result only the
five wise girls went to the marriage. The door was shut and the other five were left out.
The Lord Jesus could come back at any time. So He said at the end of that story Watch, be alert;
because you dont know when I will come back. Be like the five wise girls be ready.
And the way to be ready is, first of all, to trust the Lord Jesus as your Saviour and then having done so,
make it your goal to live for Him and please Him in all you do.

And so we know that Jesus Christ is coming back again. He has promised to do so as our Bible verse
says: And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I
am there you may be also (John 14 v3) and in many other verses. And He always keeps His promises.
What will happen when Jesus Christ comes back again?
The Bible tells us that He, Himself, is coming back again to this earth for the second time and that we
will see Him. The first time He came as a baby to the manger in Bethlehem. But this time He will come in
glory and everyone will see Him in that glory and every knee will bow before Him.
And then two very special and exciting things will happen:
First of all something very wonderful will happen to those believers who have died. Do you
remember what I said would happen when you and I die? The real you does not die. It goes to
Heaven to be with Jesus Christ if you are a believer; and if you are not a believer the real you will
not go to Heaven, but will be separated from God for ever.
Your body is the house in which the real you now lives; and when you die it is the body which
dies and is buried.
Slide 15 the text will slowly fade in as you speak
But when Jesus Christ comes back again He is going to raise up all our bodies from the dead. The
Bible says that the dead in Christ shall rise first. There are bodies which have been dead for thousands of
years. Some bodies have been blown up. Many have died through sickness. Some have been drowned in
the sea. But all these bodies will be raised up again and their graves will be empty. The bodies of
believers will be changed so that they will be like the Lord Jesus. These bodies will be without sin and
will never die again.
Then the real you will come back and live again in this new body forever. Each of us will be a
new perfect real you, living in a new perfect body!
Slide 16
And then something wonderful will happen to those believers who are still alive when Jesus
Christ comes back again. All those men, women, boys and girls who have trusted Jesus Christ as their
Saviour, and are still alive when He returns, will rise and meet Him in the air, as you can see in our
picture on the right. They are the only people who will never die. They will be changed. Their old
sinful nature will be taken away and their bodies will be changed into new sinless bodies. We dont
understand how this will happen but we know it will happen because God says so in the Bible.

Afterwards Jesus Christ will also raise the bodies of those who have not trusted the Lord Jesus, and the
real you of those who are not saved will also be joined again with their bodies. But they will still be
completely sinful.
Slide 17
The Bible tells us that there will then be a great white throne set up on which the Lord Jesus will sit
and all who never trusted Him as their Saviour will stand before Him and on that day He will be their
Judge.
There will be only one question to be answered:
Did you trust the Lord Jesus when you were alive; or did you not?
If they did not trust Him they will be separated from God forever in a place of unhappiness and
punishment.
As we have already said, some people think that God will have a big pair of scales and He will put our
good deeds on one side and our bad deeds on the other. Then if the good deeds are heavier we will enter
Heaven and if the bad deeds are heavier we will be shut out. But that is not how God will judge.
The decision is not made by the Lord Jesus at this great white throne. The decision is made by you and
me when we are alive. If you trust the Lord Jesus as your Saviour your name is written in the Lambs
book of life and when He sits on the throne as the Judge He will simply look in the book to see if your
name is there or not. If your name is not there you will be separated from God for ever and ever.
It is therefore very important for you to ask the Lord Jesus to be your Saviour now today when you
have the opportunity to do so. Dont put it off. Dont wait until it is too late. The Bible says, Whoever
calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10 v13).
If you really want to be saved but you are still not sure how to do so, I would be glad to speak with
you and help you. Just remain seated after the meeting is over, and if I see you sitting there I will come
and sit beside you and show you how to call on the name of the Lord Jesus.
If you have asked the Lord Jesus to be your Saviour you do not need to be afraid of the future or of
Gods judgement. You have made your decision; you have put your trust in Jesus Christ and you can be
sure of Heaven for ever and ever.
However, the Lord Jesus will judge or examine the work you have done for Him, and He will give
special rewards to those who have done a good work for Him.

Slide 18
Then, after the judgment, God will make a new Heaven and a new earth. This earth in which we now live
is spoiled and damaged by sin. Even the skies above us have been tainted by sin. So God will change and
purify all of these and make them all new. Then we who have trusted the Lord Jesus will live in this new
Heaven and new earth for ever and ever.
There is much about all of this which we dont understand. How will God make a new heaven and
earth? What exactly will this Heaven and earth be like? What will we do there? There are many questions
we find difficult to answer.
But there is one thing you can understand for sure, and one question you can answer for sure.
Question: Will I live for ever in this beautiful Heaven and earth?
Answer: Definitely yes if you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour. You will have a place
which He has prepared for you, as our Bible verse tells us (Repeat it). He will be the King of the whole
universe, and if you have trusted Him you are and will always be the CHILD OF A KING.
Slide 19
A Roman emperor was returning to Rome after a successful campaign. The crowds in Rome welcomed
him. A little girl, wild with joy, dashed towards his chariot. The soldiers stopped her, saying, That is the
chariot of the emperor. You must not attempt to reach him, or touch him.
But the little girl replied, He may be your emperor, but he is my father; and in a moment she was in
the chariot and in her fathers arms.
The Lord Jesus is already the great King and Emperor of this earth; and when He comes back He will
be seen as such. Can you rush into His arms and say, He is my King; He is my Saviour?
If you have never done so before you can ask Jesus Christ to be your Saviour today. Call to Him. Ask
Him to save you; ask Him to be your Saviour and Lord. If you do, you will be saved because the Bible
says, Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10 v13). And then you can look
forward to the future. You will be sure to live for ever in joy and happiness and you will not be afraid of
death or of judgment.