YEA Lesson Library
Your Dream World
About This Lesson
This lesson summaries the holy days and teaches that the Eighth Day is a separate holy day which pictures the coming of the New Jerusalem and a perfect world.
Scriptures
Leviticus 23:36
Isaiah 51:15-16
Isaiah 65:17-18
Isaiah 66:22-23
John 7:37-39
I Corinthians 2:9
2 Peter 3:13-14
Revelation 21:1-4
Words to Know
SYMBOLIZING - something that stands for or represents something else
The Lesson
If you could create your perfect world to live in, what would it be like? If you like music, would it have singing trees? Would you be able to step on a rock and get instant music? Maybe your world would have Dalmatian dogs that could play guitars and Springer Spaniels that could play different kinds of drums. What kind of people would you put in your world? Where there are people, there is a need for laws to govern them. What would those laws be?
If you are a sci-fi freak, your imagination may be running wild with how you would construct your world. You might have transportation that could get you there before you ever started. Maybe you would have the ability to create other worlds and populate them. You might have the power to heal the sick and raise the dead. It’s fun to think about these things, isn’t it?
Many of the things we’ve just thought about will be in tomorrow’s world. Oh, there may not be Dalmatians playing guitars or Springer Spaniels playing drums. But the world God has planned for us will make science fiction look downright puny. “That is what is meant by the Scriptures which say that no mere man has ever seen, heard or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord” (I Corinthians 2:9 TLB).
The lessons in this Festival Supplement have tracked man’s history for several thousand years. We’ve learned how the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and God rescued them. When they left Egypt they had to eat flat bread. In their travels to the Promised Land, they came to Mount Sinai, the place where God gave a law that was so righteous, so good for them that it made Moses’ face shine.
Several months later, He gave the Israelites, along with the other people who came out of Egypt with them, the Feast of Trumpets. This Feast day shows that when the seventh trumpet sounds, Christ will return to this earth and raise those who have died in Christ. God had the High Priest act out a play in the Temple on the Day of Atonement. This play showed how our national sins are forgiven. It pictured the sins of the world being put on the head of a scapegoat. That goat was sent out into the wilderness symbolizing God removing sin from the earth forever.
Then God told Israel to make booths out of the limbs of trees and to live in the booths for seven days. This was to remind them that they lived in temporary dwellings for 40 years while going to the Promised Land. He wanted Israel to also learn that we look for a permanent home with Christ in His Kingdom. His Kingdom will be on this earth for one thousand years – a millennium! We keep this Feast for seven days. But wait a minute.
Why are we there for eight days?
Because there is something even better yet to come. There is a festival on the eighth day after the Feast of Tabernacles is over. That is the next festival God gave Israel. We call it the Last Great Day.
When we read the Old Testament, there is very little said about the Last Great Day. As a matter of fact, those words are not even used together in the Old Testament. We have to go to the New Testament to find them. What we do find in the Old Testament is the commandment to keep this day. “For seven days present offerings made to the LORD by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work” (Leviticus 23:36).
“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified” (John 7:37-39 NIV).
Did you notice that this is the “greatest day of the Feast”? What makes it so great? It’s because of what God will do when this day is fulfilled. That dream world we talked about in the beginning of this lesson will now come to reality. “THEN I SAW a new earth (with no oceans!) And a new sky, for the present earth and sky had disappeared. And I, John, saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. It was a glorious sight, beautiful as a bride at her wedding. I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, ‘Look, the home of God is now among men, and he will live with them and they will be his people; yes, God himself will be among them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever’” (Revelation 21:1-4 TLB). That’s awesome! What a dream world! What a celebration this day should be! You must believe in God and obey Him if you want to be in this dream world.
Student Prayer
Awesome God,
What you have planned for me blows my mind. It’s absolutely awesome! To think of a dream world where I can live with you is more wonderful than I can imagine. In addition to being with you, this world won’t have any pain, sorrow or death. Help me to believe you and obey you. I want to be in that dream world.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Leviticus 23:36
Monday - John 7:37-39
Tuesday - Revelation 21:1-4
Wednesday - Isaiah 51:15-16
Thursday - 2 Peter 3:13-14
Friday - Isaiah 65:17-18
Saturday - Isaiah 66:22-23
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Describe what they would put in their dream world if they could create it.
2. State that this is the “greatest day of the Feast” and why.
3. Explain that the Last Great Day pictures a time after the millennium when eternity starts. It is a time yet to come when the Holy City will come down from heaven and there will be peace, happiness, and joy beyond our comprehension.
Topics & Themes
Belief/Believe
Eighth Day
Holy Days
Holy Days, Eighth Day
Holy Spirit
Millennium
New Heavens, New Earth
Obedience
Water, Living
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA Students’ and Teacher’s books, attendance and memory verse charts, songbook, newsprint pad, marker pen, paper, timer
How to Teach This Lesson
Before class, list the following things on a piece of paper: people, laws – physical and spiritual, energy, communication system, illnesses and cures, days to celebrate. Make enough copies for the number of groups you will have in your class after you divide the total number of students by three.
Begin the lesson with prayer. Have the students count off “one-two-three” to divide the class into groups of threes. Have all of the ones go into one group, the twos in another, and the threes in the last group. Give each group a copy of the list and let them go to different parts of the room. If a group is short a team member, join that group.
Explain to the students that they will be given a few minutes to brainstorm and decide what kind of planet they would create if they had the power to do it. Things to include in the creation are: what kind of people would be there; what laws they would have, both physical and spiritual; how it would be lit, heated, and cooled; what kind of communication systems would it have; what kinds of illnesses people on your planet would have and how they would be cured; and what kind of days they would celebrate, etc.
Set your timer. When it rings, have the students come back and sit in a semicircle. Allow each group to tell about the world they would create. Now debrief by asking the following questions:
What was it like to create your own world?
As you worked your way through creating your planet, what were the biggest problems you faced?
Why did you create your planet the way you did?
How would you compare your planet with the way God created the universe?
What kind of days did you give the people on your planet to celebrate? How do they compare with the Holy Days God has given us to celebrate?
How does your planet compare with the Holy City that will come down out of heaven? Ask one of the students to read Revelation 21:1-4 aloud. Did the planet you created have any sorrow? Did it have death? Did it have any tears or crying? Was there any pain in the world you created? Man has shown that he is incapable of solving those problems. Who alone is capable of preventing your planet from having those things?
Do you think the planet you tried to create is just a dream world? Why or why not? Will you ever have the opportunity to create your own planet? Why or why not? Do you think God is satisfied with only populating planet Earth? Why or why not? Ask one of the students to read Isaiah 51:16 aloud. Ask: When God plants the heavens, do you want Him to give you your own planet? Would you design it like the planet you “created” at the beginning of this lesson? How would the things you have learned about the Last Great Day make a difference in the way you design your planet?
Why do you think the Last Great Day is the greatest day of the Feast?
Do you want to be in the Holy City when it comes down out of heaven? What must you do to be in it?
Now go over the activity in the Students’ book. Write their answers on the newsprint pad.
Summarize: The Last Great Day is the seventh Holy Day. After Christ sets up His Kingdom on this earth with a 1000 year reign, the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven. At this time all bad things such as tears, crying, sorrow, sickness, death, wars, and evil will have come to an end. Satan will have been bound and God Himself will dwell with man. Truly this is the greatest day of all to celebrate!
REACH Activity
Memory Verse Spotlight
Look up the word “love” in 1 Corinthians 2:9. Write down the Greek word and its meaning. What kind of love is this? How does it act? Then find three other Scriptures where this word is used. How does knowing this definition of love change your idea of how high the bar is set for those who wish to live in God’s kingdom forever? Write about it in your Bible notebook.
Where in the World?
Revelation 21 talks about a new Jerusalem. What do you know about Jerusalem today? Do you know its elevation above sea level? Do you know its current population? Do you know where the Temple Mount is? Where is Hezekiah’s Tunnel? What was that used for? Find the answers to these questions and three more fun facts. Compile them to create a travel brochure. You may wish to use Zechariah 14:16 as part of the cover design. Share your project with your family.
They Did What Back Then?
Leviticus 23 contains only one verse about the eighth day - verse 36. It isn’t even given a name. It’s only referred to as the Eighth Day. But it was a holy day and a sabbath. They were not allowed to work on this day. That means all of the people who came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles did not leave to go home on the Eighth Day. It was a Sabbath! However, the people did not live in their temporary dwelling. That commandment was a seven-day commandment (Leviticus 23:41). The Eighth Day was a completely separate Holy Day although it was attached to the Feast of Tabernacles by its name, “The Eighth Day.”
Write about this distinction in your Bible notebook. Then think of a possible reason why God would set it up this way. Discuss your ideas with your family.
Making It Mine
As a kid growing up in the churches of God, I always hated when people left the Feast early. I knew that sometimes life happens and people have to go home, but there is always such a void when people you love leave the Feast early. I have had to leave the Feast early some years - like when I was in college - and I didn’t like that either. On a couple of occasions, we’ve received news while at the Feast that someone back home has died. That’s rough too.
The Eighth Day is almost like a commencement ceremony - stepping from this world and everything we’ve known into a new world where there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more death. Family members and friends who are now dead will be resurrected. I know there are more than a few that I miss a whole lot and are eager to see again. On that Eighth Day, we will step into eternity.
Think about this for a few minutes. Then in your Bible notebook, write about God’s kingdom and what you are most looking forward to. Say a prayer of thanksgiving to God for His plan and His love for you. We are so blessed.
Worldview Collisions
Some secular worldviews say that this life is all there is, so do what you want to do now; don’t worry about the afterlife because there isn’t one. A Biblical worldview says that this life is the training ground for the rest of eternity. God is preparing a place for us and is preparing us for a specific place in His plan. This Biblical worldview gives hope because we know our future is in God’s hands. In contrast, those secular worldviews contain no hope. They promote the idea that when you die, you turn back into dust and are forgotten.
How does having a Biblical worldview about eternity affect your attitude towards this life and the things that happen in it? Write about this in your Bible notebook.
Questions
As you’re working through the YEA lesson, Daily Devotionals, doing the activity, or reading the Bible, be sure to write down any questions you have. That way you’ll remember to ask someone. Also remember to share the really interesting things you’re learning with family and friends.
Song
“We Will Glorify” is on page I of The Group Songbook.
Closing Prayer
Have the students join hands and ask for a volunteer to lead in thanking God for such an awesome plan that is pictured in the Last Great Day. Ask that all of the students will please God and be in God’s dream world.
Printable Pages
