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Exodus 4:13-16
Exodus 8:1-4
Exodus 9:13
Exodus 11:10
Exodus 12:1-14
Numbers 9:1-5
Matthew 26:2
Mark 14:1
Luke 22:7
John 13:1-5
ISRAELITES - children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. of Jacob’s sons
PLAGUE - many bad things that happened, including diseases that killed many people
FIRSTBORN - the first child born
SIGN - something that stands for some- thing else
Many schools have a mascot, like a lion or bear. Almost all schools have school colors. School colors are a sign. They tell you something. You know who goes to your school just by the colors students wear to a ball game.
God uses signs too. One of the most serious signs in the whole Bible has to do with a feast we call the Passover.
A long time ago, God’s people, the Israelites, lived in Egypt. The Israelites were Pharaoh’s slaves. Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, was very mean to God’s people. He beat them and worked them very hard. God didn’t like this. He wanted Pharaoh to put a stop this. And He was ready to put an end to Israel’s slavery.
Even though Moses was an Israelite, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him. So Moses was raised in the royal palace in Egypt. God spoke to Moses. He wanted Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to “Let my people go.” Moses didn’t want to go rescue the Israelites from Pharaoh. He told God that he was not a good speaker. But God told Moses to “Go anyway and do as I tell you. Your brother, Aaron, can speak to Pharaoh for you. I want him to tell Pharaoh to let my people go to the desert and worship me. I will be with you and tell you what to say.”
Moses went to Pharaoh and told him to “let my people go.” Pharaoh didn’t like this, and he made the Israelites work even harder. So God sent one plague after another. But Pharaoh kept saying “no” to Moses. Then God turned the water in the river into blood and all the fish died. Pharaoh still said “no” to Moses.
Seven days passed and God sent frogs. Frogs were all over the place. They were in people’s bedrooms, and even in their beds. Frogs jumped out of the ovens and their bread pans. Yuck! Every place they looked they saw frogs.
All of these frogs didn’t change Pharaoh’s mind. He wasn’t going to let God’s people go. So God sent plagues of gnats, flies, hail and locusts. Can you imagine having so many gnats and flies around your face that you can’t breathe without getting them in your nose?
Pharaoh still wouldn’t change his mind and let the Israelites go worship God. So God plagued their animals. The people had painful boils on their skin. Ouch! Pharaoh was so stubborn that he still said “no” to Moses. So God really got tough with Pharaoh.
God told the Israelites to kill a lamb. He said they were to put the blood of the lamb they killed on the sides of their doorway and above the door. He would send a death angel to see if they had done this. If the Israelites or the Egyptians didn’t obey God and do this, their firstborn child would die. Even their first born animals would die. If they obeyed God and put the blood on the doorway and above the door, the death angel would pass over their house and no one would die. This was very, very serious!
Once a year we celebrate this night. It is called the Passover, because the death angel passed over the houses of those who obeyed God.
Just as school colors or a mascot is a sign to tell you where someone goes to school, the blood of the lamb on the door of their houses was a sign to the death angel. This sign told the death angel that the people in that house obeyed God and these people’s lives would be saved. The lamb they killed was also a sign. It was a sign that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. The lamb’s blood was a sign of Jesus’ blood that was shed for our sins. The night the death angel passed over the children of Israel, a lamb had to be killed. On the night of the first Passover, the blood of the lamb saved everyone who obeyed God. Many years later Jesus was killed on the Passover. His blood was shed to save us from our sins. If we obey Jesus Christ and do what He says, His blood can save us too.
The Passover was very important to the Israelites because Pharaoh let them go. They were no longer slaves. The Israelites were free! We celebrate the Passover today because it is very important to us too. Jesus Christ can make us free from our sins.
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for caring so much about your people that you saved them from Pharaoh. Thank you for giving us your Son, Jesus, to save us. Help us to always be willing to follow you. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Sunday - Exodus 12:1-10
Monday - Exodus 12:11-14
Tuesday - Numbers 9:1-5
Wednesday - Matthew 26:2
Thursday - Mark 14:1
Friday - Luke 22:7
Saturday - John 13:1-5
Exodus 12:14-20
Exodus 12:20
Exodus 13:6-10
Leviticus 23:4-8
Numbers 28:17-25
John 6:35
John 6:48-51
1 Corinthians 5:7, 8
YEAST - a leavening product used in baking bread; it puffs up
UNLEAVENED - without leavening; not puffed up
LEAVENING - something added to bread or pastries to cause it to rise
SPORES - yeast in the air which will cause bread to rise
Have you and your family ever moved from one house to another? When a family moves to another house there is a lot of work to do. What if your Mom told you to move every- thing in your room, everything in your closet, all of the dishes in the kitchen, right now! Wouldn’t everything be a mess? You would be so busy that you wouldn’t have time to make bread or bake cookies.
A long time ago God told the children of Israel to move – right now! As a matter of fact, they had to do it that very night. They couldn’t even wait until morning!
God chose Moses and Aaron to get the Israelites out of Egypt. Remember, they didn’t have cars, trucks or a moving van to carry their things. All of their clothes, food, and dishes had to be carried in their arms or put on a cart or wagon. The wagon was pulled by hand or by an animal.
They didn’t have yeast to put in their bread like we do. They had to put their bread outside for several days if it was to be light and fluffy. If they didn’t, it was flat and heavy when it was baked. The Israelites had to move in a hurry. They didn’t have time to let their bread set and become leavened. So they baked their bread before it became leavened.
God tells us that this is why we must eat unleavened bread for seven days. It is so that we will remember that He brought the Israelites out of Egypt in a hurry.
God looked down from heaven and watched the Israelites leave Egypt that night. There was a big round moon in the sky as they left with all of their things. He said that we must celebrate that night every year. It’s a very special night! God wants us to remember how He saved His people from Pharaoh. Do you remember your lesson “Let My People Go?” Pharaoh beat the Israelites and worked them very hard. The Days of Unleavened Bread help us to re- member that today God can save us from evil. The Night to be Much Ob- served is a time for great celebration.
If the sky is clear on the Night to be Much Observed, go outside and look up at the big full moon. It will be the same beautiful moon that lit up the sky many, many years ago when Israel left Egypt. The Israelites, with all of their children, were like a big army marching out of Egypt.
At sunset on the same evening every year, God say we are to have all of the leavening out of our houses. He also says to stop working until sunset the next evening. There’s something that God wants us to learn from eating unleavened bread for seven days. Unleavened bread reminds us that we want to follow God’s way. It helps us to remember that Jesus is our Friend. When Jesus is our friend, we must not think of ourselves as being better than others.
It’s not enough to just not eat bread that is leavened. We must eat some unleavened bread for seven days. This is to remind us that God the Father and Jesus Christ are really wonderful. During the Days of Unleavened Bread, we should try to spend a lot of time with them in prayer and Bible reading. This will help us to learn how to be like a sunbeam of light from God to other people.
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you so much for giving us the Days of Unleavened Bread. Teach us how you want us to act. Help us to be a sunbeam for you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Sunday - Exodus 13:6-10
Monday - Leviticus 23:4-8
Tuesday - Numbers 28:17, 18, 25
Wednesday - 1 Corinthians 5:7, 8
Thursday - Exodus 12:15-20
Friday - John 6:35
Saturday - John 6:48-51
Leviticus 23:15-17
Leviticus 23:21-22
Numbers 28:26
Deuteronomy 16:9
Acts 2
Acts 2:1
1 Corinthians 6:8
BAPTIZED - an outward act or sign that shows you are willing to serve God
PENTECOST - fifty
FIRSTFRUITS - the first of the harvested grain
Do you remember our last Holy Day? We talked about the Days of Unleavened Bread. We ate unleavened bread for seven days because God told us to. And we did it because it teaches us that Christ is the Bread of Life and He lives in us.
The Bible tells us to count 50 days from the Days of Unleavened Bread. Then it says we should celebrate another Holy Day. Seven full weeks have passed since the Days of Unleavened Bread. That means we get to celebrate another Holy Day. This Holy Day has several names. We can call it Pentecost. Pentecost means 50. Or we can call it the Feast of First Fruits. Sometimes, the Bible calls it the Feast of Weeks.
Before Jesus went up to heaven in a cloud, He taught His disciples many things. He told them to wait in Jerusalem until the day of Pentecost. He said that He would be going to heaven and after He left this earth, He would send His Spirit. His Spirit would give them power to tell others the good news about Him.
The disciples did what Jesus told them to do. They waited in Jerusalem. While they waited, they prayed. This prayer meeting went on for several days.
Christians came from many places to celebrate this very special Feast in Jerusalem. Seven weeks had past since Jesus’ resurrection. The Day of Pentecost had come. Peter preached a sermon to the people who were there. Suddenly they heard a loud roaring noise. It was like a mighty windstorm in the skies. It filled the house where they were meeting. Then something that looked like flames of fire appeared on their heads. This is something we’ve never seen before. Neither had they. It was the Holy Spirit that did this. The Holy Spirit gave them power they had never had before. It made them able to speak in other languages. This was a miracle!
Would you like to be able to speak Spanish, French or German without having to go to school and learn it? On the Day of Pentecost the people could suddenly speak different language they never knew before.
What if you had a new boy come to your school and he couldn’t speak English – only Spanish? You couldn’t understand him and he couldn’t understand you. Then God did a miracle and you could now speak Spanish to the new boy. The new boy could understand every word you said. Wouldn’t that be wonderful! That’s what happened on this special Pentecost. There were people from many different nations there. They didn’t all speak the same language. Many couldn’t understand what another person said. After God did this miracle, everyone could understand other people. The Holy Spirit gave them this power.
The Bible says the Holy Spirit is like oil. Oil can be put in a lamp and if you strike a match to it, it will burn brightly. We need to pray that God will give us oil in our lamp so it will shine brightly. It’s not always easy to act like God wants us to do. So God gives us the Holy Spirit when we are baptized. His Spirit is a gift that helps us learn more about God. It helps us to act the way He wants us to. The Holy Spirit may not help you to suddenly speak Spanish to a boy in your class. But God’s Spirit can help us do many good things. It helps us to be kind. It helps us to obey our parents. It helps us to love God and other people. His Spirit will help us to be like our Friend Jesus. These are good fruits Jesus wants to see in our lives. Do you remember, one of the names for this day is the Feast of first Fruits. The Holy Spirit can give you fruits in your life. Some of the fruits it will give you are love, joy, patience, and kindness. Aren’t these fruits we want to have in our lives? There are so many good things to celebrate. Pentecost is a great feast to celebrate!
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that we get to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. Thank you for giving us the gift of your Holy Spirit. Help me to grow and produce good fruit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Sunday - Leviticus 23:15-17
Monday - Leviticus 23:21, 22
Tuesday - Numbers 28:26
Wednesday - Deuteronomy 16:9
Thursday - Acts 2:1-4
Friday - Acts 2:38
Saturday - 1 Corinthians 16:8
Leviticus 23:23-25
Leviticus 23:24
Numbers 29:1
Joshua 6:5, 20
1 Corinthians 15:50-52
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Revelation 8:6
Revelation 11:15
RESURRECTION - when dead people wake up and come out of their graves
DEATH - a very deep sleep
CHRISTIAN - a person who has accepted Jesus as their Savior and lives according to His teachings
Every school has fire drills. Teachers want to be sure that when you hear the alarm, you know what to do to be safe. So teachers and students practice. When the alarm sounds, you line up quickly and walk quietly outside to a safe place. Then you wait for your teacher to tell you what to do next.
The Feast of Trumpets is kind of like that for Christians. The Israelites knew to listen closely to the trumpet blast. They could tell by the sound of the trumpet what they should do. On the Feast of Trumpets, God said they must blow the trumpet. This trumpet blast told them that this was the first Feast they would celebrate in the fall. Everyone is to celebrate it.
There is another time when a trumpet will be blown. It is when Jesus will return to this earth. Just like the fire drill, we need to practice so we will be ready when Jesus returns. Oh, we don’t practice what we’re going to do when Jesus returns. We don’t know exactly what we will do. What we do need to practice is being the kinds of boys or girls that Jesus is looking for when He comes back to this earth.
Did you know that the best thing that can ever happen is for Jesus Christ to come back to this earth? A lot of people will still be living when He returns. Christians who have already died will be brought back to life when Christ returns. Death is like a very deep sleep. Many Christians have been in a very deep sleep for a long time. When the trumpet sounds they will wake up. Do you know a Christian who has died? Has your grandmother or grandfather or maybe a neighbor died? It will be such a wonderful time to see them again when Christ returns. This is called the first resurrection.
But something else will happen when Christ returns. There are so many bad things in our world. So many people are sick and poor. Some children’s dads don’t live with them any more. Bad people steal and kill. This can make us really sad and afraid. When Jesus returns to earth, He will stop all of these bad things from happening. Children will not be afraid to go outside, even at night. When Jesus returns to earth, He will make the world a safe and happy place. Do you want to see Jesus real soon?
There are certain things you do when you have a fire drill at school. You must quietly leave the school. There are certain things we must do to be ready for Jesus to come back. Jesus is looking for boys and girls who will follow His way. Do you want to be in the group of people who belong to Jesus? If you do, you need to practice now and follow what He says to do in the Bible. God, the Father, gave us the Feast of Trumpets to remind us that we need to be ready! When Jesus returns you will hear a loud shout and the trumpet will sound.
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us the Feast of Trumpets. We need to be reminded to get ready to see Jesus when He returns to this earth. Help me each day to do what you want me to do. I want to be ready when Jesus comes. In His name we pray. Amen
Sunday - Leviticus 23:23-25
Monday - Joshua 6:5, 20
Tuesday - Numbers 29:1
Wednesday - 1 Corinthians 15:50-52
Thursday - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
Friday - Revelation 8:6
Saturday - Revelation 11:15
Leviticus 16:1-4
Leviticus 16:15-18
Leviticus 23:26-32
Leviticus 23:27
Romans 5:6-11
Hebrews 9:11-12
Hebrews 10:1-6
1 John 2:2
ATONEMENT - the covering of sins
FAST - to go without eating food. Health and age should be considered
PUNISHMENT - consequence for doing something wrong
SCAPEGOAT - A goat on whose head the High Priest put the sins of all the people. Then it was sent into the wilderness
Can you remember the last time you did something you shouldn’t have done? Were you punished for it? If your par-ents didn’t know about it, then you probably weren’t punished. You may clearly remember the last time you were punished for doing wrong. Why do your parents punish you when you do the wrong things? They want you to be safe and happy. They want you to grow up to be a good person. Your Mom and Dad want you to know right from wrong. They don’t punish you because they hate you. They love you and want the very best for you. That’s why they pull you on their lap and tell you that they love you after they punish you.
If you don’t have an older brother, imagine that you do. Wouldn’t you love your brother a lot? Now think about something you did that you should not have done. Mom and Dad know about it. And you know you will be punished. What if your older brother knows that you are very sorry that you did this bad thing. What if your older brother tells your parents that he will take the punishment for you? That would never happen would it?
Yes, it could and it did. Jesus is our Older Brother. This is the reason Jesus was born as a baby and lived on this earth. He came to give His life for all the bad things you have done. When we do something we shouldn’t, Jesus is there to take our punishment for us. But He will only take your punishment if you are truly sorry. We can’t just be sorry that we got caught. We have to be so sorry that we’ll never do it again. When we are that sorry, God gives us a way out of the punishment. God, our Heavenly Father, loves us so much that He gave all of us His Son, Jesus.
This is what the Day of Atonement is all about. Do you remember that during Passover we talked about the lamb that stands for Jesus Christ? On the Day of Atonement there is a goat that stands for Jesus as well.
A special service was done by the High Priest in the Temple on the Day of Atonement. It was like a play on a stage. This play told the story of how bad sin is and how Jesus forgives all of us. Everything in this play had to be done exactly as God said. The priest had to wear special clothes. Two goats played a part in this play. One stood for Jesus and the other was a scapegoat.
The Holy of Holies was a room in the Temple. The Ark of the Covenant was in this room. It was beautifully covered in pure gold. The Ten Commandments were in it. No one could ever go in that room except the High Priest. If they did, they would die. This was the only day in the year that the High Priest could go into the Holy of Holies. He went there so his sins and the sins of all of Israel would be forgiven.
God wants us to remember every year how bad our sins are. We don’t eat food or drink anything that day. That’s very hard for some people to do. But we do it because we love God and we want to do what He says. We know that we have done a lot of wrong things during the year. On the Day of Atonement, we need to pray and tell God how sorry we are for our sins. God is ready to forgive us, and we can be very thankful for that. The Day of Atonement is a very important day to each child of God.
Dear Father, Thank you for the Day of Atonement. Help me to remember what you have done for me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Sunday - Leviticus 16:1-4
Monday - Leviticus 16:15-18
Tuesday - Leviticus 23:27-32
Wednesday - Romans 5:6-11
Thursday - Hebrews 9:11-12
Friday - Hebrews 10:1-6
Saturday - 1 John 2:2
Leviticus 23:33-44
Leviticus 23:42
Numbers 29:12
Deuteronomy 14:22-27
Deuteronomy 16:13-16
Zechariah 14:16
John 1:14
Hebrews 11:8-16
TABERNACLE - dwelling place; tent; booth; temporary dwelling.
PROMISED LAND - the land that God gave to the Israelites
BOOTH - tent; hut; tabernacle
Pack your clothes and get ready. We’re going to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles!” Mom says. Hurray! Aren’t those words the best you hear every year? Maybe your family goes to the beach to celebrate the Feast. Or maybe you go with your family to the mountains. You’ll get to see a lot of friends. Some of these will be old friends. And others will be people you have not seen before.
Maybe you get some very special gifts at the Feast. You and your family get to eat out at McDonald’s or the Pizza Hut. You can go to the most fun Sabbath Schools classes of the year. And maybe you can go to a picnic where a clown will make animals out of balloons. He may give one to you. The Feast is such a special time.
But it only lasts for eight days and then you have to go back home to school. Did you know that nothing in this life last forever. God wants us to think about that while we are at the Feast of Tabernacles.
A long, long time ago, the children of Israel left Egypt. They had been slaves. The Egyptians made the Israelites work very hard. They were mean to them. God didn’t like it and He brought them out of Egypt. God wanted the Israelites to have a better life. But the Israelites didn’t obey God.
Because they didn’t obey God, they had to wander around in the desert for forty long years. They never had a house to live in like you do. They lived in tents. The Israelites were kind of like the turtle. The turtle carries its house with him wherever he goes. So did the Israelites. One night they camped out in one place and put up their tents. The next night they were somewhere else. They moved around all the time and took their tents with them.
God didn’t want them to forget the lessons they learned from wandering in the desert. And He wants us to remember those lessons too. So He gave us the Feast of Tabernacles to help us remember them.
The Israelites moved around a lot. They lived in tents while they made their way to the Promised Land. God says we must not live in our nice homes during the Feast. We must live somewhere else. Why do you think He said that? Because we must learn that nothing on this earth lasts forever. Tents wear out and don’t last forever. Everything wears out. Even our bodies. They get old and wear out too.
But Jesus said that He was going away to make a place for us. He said that the home He is making for us will last forever. If we believe in Him and do what He says, then He will come back for us. We will live with Jesus in His Kingdom. All Christians will also live with Him. Then we will be a part of God’s very family. Jesus will be King. We will be a part of His Kingdom and live in it with Him forever. This will be a time that is even more fun than the Feast of Tabernacles. We should pray that Jesus will hurry up and bring His Kingdom to this earth. We should not waste our time. We must always do what Jesus wants us to do. He wants us to not work on the Sabbath. He wants us to always obey our Mom and Dad. He wants us to always be honest. He wants us to read our Sabbath School lesson each week and pray every day. He wants us to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and have fun! And that’s not hard! The Feast of Tabernacles is a joyful Feast!
It’s the best time of the year.
Thank you Father for giving us the Feast of Tabernacles. Thank you that Jesus is making a place for me that will last forever. I want to be with you. Hurry up and bring your Kingdom to this earth. Help me everyday to do everything that you tell me to do in the Bible. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Sunday - Leviticus 23:34-36
Monday - Deuteronomy 14:22-27
Tuesday - Deuteronomy 16:13-16
Wednesday - Numbers 29:12
Thursday - Zechariah 14:16
Friday - John 1:14
Saturday - Hebrews 11:8-16
Leviticus 23:36
Numbers 29:35
Nehemiah 8:18
Ezekiel 37:1-11
John 7:37-39
Revelation 20:11-15
Revelation 21:1-6
Revelation 21:5
JERUSALEM - the name of a city; the name of the city of God.
THRONE - a chair or seat that a king sits in
Do you remember that the Israelites carried their homes with them like the turtle? They camped out every night in a tent. Do you remember why God made the Israelites live in tents for forty long years? This was because they didn’t believe God and they didn’t obey Him. We leave our homes and come to the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days so that we will remember this. But why are we here for eight days?
It is because God wants us to enjoy one more Holy Day. God has something He wants us to learn from this day too. This is a very special Feast. We call it the Last Great Day. God commands us to have another special worship service on this day. He wants us to sing songs to praise Him and to listen to a sermon. We’re not to do our regular work on this day. This day is holy!
Someday God’s Kingdom will be on this earth for one thousand years. Then God has something so wonder- ful left for His people. We learned that nothing on this earth will last forever. Now the time has come for God to send down a new heaven and a new earth that will last forever.
A new city of Jerusalem, as pretty as a beautiful bride all dress for her wedding will come down. God is making it just for us.
At that time a loud voice will be heard from God’s throne. That voice will say God is coming to live with us. He’ll be there to wipe every tear from our eyes. Who can promise you that you will have no more tears? Only God can. That means there will be no more death or crying or pain. You won’t skin your knee or break your arm any more. You won’t get sick. You won’t even get a cold. We won’t need hospitals or doctors. No one will hurt or be sad anymore. God will fix everything that is broken. Doesn’t that make you very happy?
God said, “I am making everything new!” Can you imagine everything being brand new?
A new city will come down out of heaven from God. It will be the Holy City, the new Jerusalem. The old city of Jerusalem has cracked streets and broken down walls. People do a lot of fighting and killing in the old city. But the new Jerusalem that will come down out of heaven won’t be like the old city. It will be filled with the glory of God. It will glow like a precious gem, crystal clear like Jasper. At this time there will be no need for a Temple in the city. God will sit on a beautiful throne. At this time God and Jesus Christ will be worshiped by everyone. No evil will be done. There won’t be any stealing, lying or Sabbath breaking done in this beautiful city.
Can you image how beautiful this city will be? Can you imagine how happy everyone will be? You can trust what God says. God is the beginning of all things and the end of all things. He is God! Everyone can learn His ways and follow Him. We will have eternal life! That means we will live forever with God. We’ll never die or get old.
We can get to know God even better and learn more and more about His wonderful ways. This will be like drinking fresh spring water – the water of life. And it won’t cost anything. It will be free, and it will be plentiful. Do you want to be in that beautiful city and live forever? Then you must believe God and obey Him. Doesn’t the Last Great Day show us a wonderful time to come? Isn’t it a great day to celebrate?
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us the Last Great Day. It helps me to remember what wonderful things you have for me. Help me to always believe you and obey you so I can be in that city where there will be no more tears or hurting. I love you and I want to live with you forever. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Sunday - Leviticus 23:36
Monday - Numbers 29:35
Tuesday - Nehemiah 8:18
Wednesday - Revelation 20:11-15
Thursday - Revelation 21:1-6
Friday - John 7:37-39
Saturday - Ezekiel 37:1-11
Exodus 20:3
Exodus 23:13
Numbers 33:52
Deuteronomy 4:2
Deuteronomy 12:29-32
Deuteronomy 12:32
1 Kings 11:1-11
Jeremiah 7:18-23
Ezekiel 8:13-18
Revelation 17:1-2
Revelation 22:18
WORSHIP - to show honor and re- spect in a sacred way
CELEBRATE - to commemorate a day with ceremony and festivities
CONFUSE - to be unclear or fail to distinguish between
PLAGUES - a widespread disease where a lot of people die
A long, long time ago there was a goddess named Easter. In the spring of the year, about the time of the Passover, a feast was celebrated to this goddess. It was a joyous day of celebrations and games. Before the sun came up on Sunday morning, the people would meet outside and face the rising sun to praise Easter, their goddess. The celebration included finding colored eggs which were hidden in the grass, around trees and in other hiding places. The children especially enjoyed this game. This happened many years before Jesus was ever born. Then rabbits were added to this celebration.
Some years Easter and the Passover season were at the same time. A lot of people thought it was fun to celebrate Easter with colored eggs and bunny rabbits. People became confused and did the wrong thing.
We shouldn’t say bad things about people because they celebrate Easter. Some people celebrate Easter because they think Jesus was raised from the dead on that day. Do you remember what day Jesus was raised from the dead? The Bible tells us that Jesus was raised from the dead “Late on the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week” (Matthew 28:1 NASB). Did you notice that Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead on Easter Sunday morning?
God has told us how to worship Him. He has given us Holy Days to celebrate, but Easter is not one of them. It is not a day that God commands us to remember or keep. It is a day celebrated to a goddess named Easter. Do you remember what the first commandment says? It says, “Do not put any god in place of me” (Exodus 20:3 NIrV Kid’s Devotional Bible). God says we should not bow down to another god or worship it. Easter is another god or goddess that God says we are not to worship.
God tells us to Celebrate the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. We do not please God if we add to or take away from what He has said, “Don’t add to what I’m commanding you. Don’t subtract from it either. Instead, obey the commands of the LORD your God that I’m giving you (Deuteronomy 4:2 NIrV Kid’s Devotional Bible). God was very serious about this. He tells us in Revelation 22:18, “I am warning everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If you add anything to them, God will add to you the plagues told about in this book. If you take any words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from you your share in the tree of life. He will also take away your place in the Holy City. This book tells about these things” (NIrV Kid’s Devotional Bible).
In the spring of every year we remember the Passover and we Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We eat unleavened bread for seven days because God says we should. He does not want us to con- fuse these celebrations with Easter, colored eggs and bunny rabbits. God wants us to worship Him the way that He tells us to. God says, “Do not follow the practices of other nations” (Jeremiah 10:2). “Don’t ask questions about their gods. Don’t say, ‘How do these nations serve their gods? We’ll do it in the same way.’ You must not worship the LORD your God the way they worship their gods” (Deuteronomy 12:30 NIrV Kid’s Devotional Bible).
The Passover is a night for which we can be very thankful. God gave the Israelites their freedom on that night. Jesus Christ gave us forgiveness for our sins on the Passover. We can rejoice in the Days of Unleavened Bread because Jesus loves us so much. He wants to give us what is best for us. He wants to live His life in us. God’s feast days are great! Let’s not be confused.
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for showing us how to worship you. Thank you for creating everything so it makes sense. Help me to always worship you in the right way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Sunday - 1 Kings 11:1-11
Monday - Ezekiel 8:13-18
Tuesday - Jeremiah 7:18-20
Wednesday - Exodus 23:13
Thursday - Numbers 33:52
Friday - Revelation 17:1-2
Saturday - Jeremiah 7:21-23
Leviticus 18:3-5
Deuteronomy 12:29-32
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
2 Kings 17:15
Matthew 22:31-32
Acts 20:35
Romans 13:12
Romans 13:12-14
2 Corinthians 4:4
Philippians 4:8-9
1 John 3:4
EVIL - something bad or wicked that God does not like
CRUEL - mean, hurting other people
IMPURE - unclean, dirty on the inside
A very long time ago, Halloween started as a celebration of very bad things. It celebrated cold, darkness, and death. We don’t like to be cold and we don’t like to think about darkness and death.
People thought the spirits of dead people returned to their homes on this evening. They made huge bonfires. They burned animals, crops, and sometimes even people. The people wore costumes that were made of animal skins and heads. Does that make you think of what people do on Halloween?
Today, people still dress up for Halloween. Some people dress up as something evil. They may dress like Dracula, a ghost, a witch or a horrible monster. Then they go door to door saying, “Trick or treat.” That means, “If you don’t give me something good, I’m going to do something mean to you.” Some people don’t even bother to ask. They just do mean, cruel things anyway.
Halloween is a day when people think they can be as bad as they want to be. They think evil things are fun and no one will say anything to them. But God sees what they are doing!
In the Bible God tells us what He thinks. God is very angry at people who are doing evil things. Dressing up as something evil and doing bad things makes God angry. He is very angry with people who have killed their own children during these celebrations. God remembers what people have done on Halloween. And He does not want us to have anything to do with such an evil day.
Halloween is not a day to celebrate for people who love God. We all want to be in God’s Kingdom. He tells us that no impure or evil thing will come into His kingdom. We must ask God to help us live as we should and not make plans to enjoy evil.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says “Here are things you must not do. Don’t sacrifice your children in the fire to other gods. Don’t practice any kind of evil magic at all. Don’t use magic to try to explain the meaning of warnings in the sky or of any other signs. Don’t take part in worshiping evil powers. Don’t put a spell on anyone. Don’t get messages from those who have died. Don’t talk to the spirit of the dead. Don’t get advice from the dead. The Lord your God hates it when anyone does those things.” Do you want God to hate what you do?
When God created Adam and Eve, He put them into a beautiful garden. They were surrounded by beautiful plants, trees, and animals. God told them that they should not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God didn’t want them to do bad things or even know about bad things.
God doesn’t want us to think about evil or bad things either. He wants us to always think about things that are true, right and pure. It’s much more fun to think about good and beautiful things. When we celebrate, we should celebrate with joy like we do at the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus is our example.
We should be like Him in our action and thought. Jesus always did good things. Instead of going trick or treating, why not find something good we can do for someone who is hurting or is in need. This would please Jesus very much.
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for teaching us to stay away from evil things. We know these things can hurt us. Thank you for giving us Jesus to be our friend and example. Help us to always act like Him. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Sunday - Deuteronomy 12:29-32
Monday - Leviticus 18:3-5
Tuesday - 2 Kings 17:15
Wednesday - Acts 20:35
Thursday - 1 John 3:4
Friday - Matthew 22:31-32
Saturday - 2 Corinthians 4:4
Isaiah 40:18-21
Jeremiah 10:1-6
Matthew 2:1-11
Mark 7:7
Luke 2:1-11
John 1:1-14
1 Timothy 1:6
2 Timothy 4:4
James 1:16-17
SHEPHERD - a person who takes care of sheep
VAIN - useless; nothing comes out of the action
Winter is here and everyone is getting ready for Christmas. Houses are decorated with lots of colored lights. People are busy shopping for Christmas presents. Your school class has probably drawn names. Your teacher may put up a Christmas tree and your classmates may help her decorate it. Everyone will put their present under the tree. Your friends will tell you they are celebrating the birth of Christ on December 25th. Then should you do these things with your friends? If not, why shouldn’t you?
A long, long time ago, people went out into the forest and cut down a tree and decorated it. This was many hundreds of years before Jesus was ever born. The Bible says, “People cut a tree out of the forest. A skilled worker shapes the wood with a sharp tool. Others decorate it with silver and gold. They use a hammer to nail it to the floor. They want to keep it from falling down” (Jeremiah 10:3-4 NIrV Kids Devotional Bible). Does this sound like what your teacher and classmates did?
Before Jesus was ever born, the sun god had a festival on December 25th. People thought it was his birthday. Then after Jesus was born, people became confused. They thought that the sun god feast was a lot of fun. They saw all of the bright lights and thought they were pretty. So they decided to celebrate the birth of Christ on that day.
God didn’t want them to do this. Why do you think God didn’t want them to do this? It is because God is the only true and living God. The sun god was named Sol Invictus. He couldn’t do what God can do. God has all power. He can do anything. He wants us to worship Him and no one else.
God wants us to worship Him the way that He tells us to. God says, “Do not follow the practices of other nations” (Jeremiah 10:2). “Don’t ask questions about their gods. Don’t say, ‘How do these nations serve their gods? We’ll do it in the same way.’ You must not worship the LORD your God the way they worship their gods. Be sure you do everything I’m commanding you to do. Don’t add anything to my commands. And don’t take anything away from them” (Deuteronomy 12:30-32 NIrV Kid’s Devotional Bible).
We should not say bad things about people who keep Christmas. They believe they are doing the right thing.
God knows that people need to celebrate and have fun. He gave us the Feast of Tabernacles to celebrate. It’s much better than Christmas. We have lots of fun for seven days, not just one day. We can go to the beach or to the mountains. We can eat pizza and go to McDonald’s. We get to eat a lot of very special meals and do fun things. Our parents may give us a special gift every day of the Feast. We have lots and lots of friends to play with. We have great Sabbath Schools at the Feast. God said we should celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. And there is nothing wrong with this Feast. It’s what God wants us to do. We please Him when we celebrate this Feast. It is a wonderful time with God and His people!
We show God that we love Him by doing what He says. We don’t want to worship Him in a way that displeases Him. When we worship God in the way He said to, He will bless us and we will be happy. We will be the apple of His eye.
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the many gifts that you give us. We know that you love us. We know that you have many things yet to give us. Help us to love you and follow you. Help us not to worship you in vain, but always do what you say. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Sunday - Jeremiah 10:1-6
Monday - Isaiah 40:18-21
Tuesday - John 1:1-14
Wednesday - 1 Timothy 1:6
Thursday - 2 Timothy 4:4
Friday - Luke 2:9-11
Saturday - Matthew 2:1-11
