The Bible begins where we would expect it to: with the beginning of all of creation. But the beginning that Genesis 1:1 speaks of is not the beginning of everything. It was not the beginning of God. God is eternal—He has no beginning and no end. He has always existed. So the beginning in this session’s Bible story is...

The final judgment described in Revelation 19 demonstrates the holy love of God. Many today resist the idea of God as judge, but when they do so, they are left with a one-dimensional God—a sappy, sanitized deity whom they can easily manage. He nods and winks at our behavior, much like a kind elderly man who is not seriously...

This may be the shortest post I will share with you, but I believe its brevity in no way compromises its power and helpfulness. As we wrap up our journey through the story of the Bible this time around, this is the big idea we want our kids to latch onto: Jesus has won. Not Jesus will win. He...

John wept at the thought of no one being able to open the scroll “or even to look in it” (Rev. 5:3). Imagine what must have gone through his mind in that moment. No one will be able to bring about the happy ending to this war-torn world of suffering. No one will be able to conquer evil and...

Revelation 4–5 is full of perplexing imagery, as is much of the rest of the book. One seated on a throne with the appearance of jasper and carnelian stone. Do I even know what jasper and carnelian stones are? A rainbow with the appearance of an emerald. Green, right? Twenty-four elders. Who are they? Thunder, lightning, and torches. OK,...

The letters to the seven churches are filled with insight into what constitutes a faithful Christian congregation. In the first four, we see several important emphases. In the letter to Ephesus, we’re reminded of the need for a passionate, right relationship with God from which good works flow (and without which good works are dead). The letter to Smyrna...