DAD, I DON’T UNDERSTAND.
YOU BRING US TO THE MIDDLE EAST THIS SUMMER TO HELP WITH YOUR ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIGS, BUT WE CAN’T COME ON THE FIRST ONE?
I TOLD YOU, TYLER. YOU TOO, CARTER. WHEN WE GET TO ISRAEL, YOU’LL ALL NEED TIME TO UNPACK AND GET SETTLED. AND MY FIRST ASSIGNMENT IS KIND OF SECRET.I CAN’T BRING YOU ALONG, AND I CAN’T EVEN TALK ABOUT IT.
YEAH, DAD. WE WANNA GO WITH YOU!
WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO, HANNAH? ASK THE PILOT TO MAKE A U-TURN?
DON’T WORRY, YOU’LL BE DIGGING SOON.
HEY, DAD, IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN TURN AROUND AND GO BACK? I LEFT MY VIDEO GAME AT HOME!
I KNOW, HANNAH. WHY DON’T YOU GRAB A PARACHUTE, JUMP OUT, GET YOUR STUFF, AND THEN TAKE A TAXICAB TO THE HOLY LAND. WE’LL MEET YOU THERE!
NO, REALLY,
OVER THE OCEAN? YEAH, RIGHT, EMILY. LIKE THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN!
ZONDERKIDZ Adventure Bible Handbook Copyright © 2013 by Robin Schmitt and David Frees Illustrations © 2014 by Craig Philips
This title is also available as a Zondervan ebook. Visit www.zondervan.com/ebooks. Requests for information should be addressed to: Zonderkidz, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 ISBN 978-0-310-72575-6 Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Rea der’s Version® , NIrV® . Copyright© 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book . All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Zonderkidz is a trademark of Zondervan. Editor: Kim Childress Art direction and design: Mike Harrigan, Harrigan , MotionDrone
WHERE TO FIND THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
Luke, 132-173
Moses, 36
John, 132-173
The Plagues, 38
Acts, 172-193
The Exodus, 40
Genesis,14-35
Romans, 190-193
At Sinai, 42
Exodus, 36-47
1 Corinthians, 158, 188-189
The Ten Commandments, 43
Leviticus, 48
2 Corinthians, 188-189
The Golden Calf, 44
Numbers, 49-51
Galatians, 180
The Tabernacle, 46
Deuteronomy, 52-53
Ephesians, 186, 194
The Law, Numbers, 48
Joshua, 54-55
Philippians, 195
The Twelve Tribes, 49
Judges, 56-61
Colossians, 195
The Twelve Spies
Ruth, 62-63
1 Thessalonians, 184
1 Samuel, 64-73
2 Thessalonians, 184
2 Samuel, 76-79
1 Timothy, 195
1 Kings, 82-95
2 Timothy, 195
2 Kings, 96-111
Titus, 195
1 Chronicles, 103
Philemon, 195
The Promised Land, 53
2 Chronicles, 103
Hebrews, 196
Joshua Captures Jericho, 54
Ezra, 119
James, 196
The Canaanites, 55
Nehemiah, 120
1 Peter, 197
The Judges, 56
Esther, 118
2 Peter, 197
Ehud, 57
Job, 74-75
1 John, 198
Deborah, 58
Psalms, 80-81
2 John, 198
Gideon, 59
Proverbs, 83
3 John, 198
Samson, 61
Ecclesiastes, 86-87
Jude, 196
Ruth and Boaz, 62
Song of Songs, 88-89
Revelation, 199
Samuel, 65
of Canaan, 50 Forty Years in the Wilderness, 51 Getting Ready to Conquer Canaan, 52
God Shows his power
Isaiah, 104-105
to the Philistines, 66
Jeremiah, 106-107 Lamentations, 109
THE ADVENTURE GUIDE
Saul, The First King, 68
Ezekiel, 116-117
The Beginning, 6
David is Chosen, 70
Daniel, 112-115
The Garden of Eden, 14
David and Goliath, 72
Hosea, 121
Sin and its Effects on
The Life of Job, 74
Joel, 121
Creation, 16
David as King, 76
Amos, 121
The Problem & Solution, 19
Jerusalem and David, 77
Obadiah, 121
The Flood, , 20
David and Bathsheba, 78
Jonah, 100-101
The Tower of Babel, 22
David and Absalom, 79
Micah, 121
Languages of the Bible, 23
The Psalms, 80
Nahum, 121
Abraham, 24
Solomon, 82
Habakkuk, 121
Travel, 25
Proverbs, 83
Zephaniah, 121
Abrahams’s Family, 26
Solomon’s Riches, 84
Haggai, 119, 121
Jacob’s name change, 27
How Rich was Solomon, 85
Kings of Israel and Judah, 91
Mary, 133
Jesus Before Herod, 164-165
Israel: The Northern
Joseph, 133
Choice of the People, 164
Herod Hears of
The Crucixion, 166-167
Kingdom, 92 Names for Israel, 93
the New King, 136
The Burial, 168-169
The Prophet Elijah, 94
Jesus age 12, 137
The Resurrection, 170-171
What is a prophet?, pr ophet?, 95
John the Baptist, 138
Jesus Appears, 171
Who is Baal?, 95
Jesus’s Baptism, 139
The Ascension, 172-173
The Prophet Elisha, 96
Jesus’ss Ministry Begins, 140 Jesus’
Pentecost-The Church
Naaman, 98
Who were the Disciples?, 141
Begins, 174-175
Assyrians, 99
The Parables
Jonah, 100 Judah: The Southern Kingdom, 102 The Books of Kings and Chronicles, 103 Hezekiah, 104
of Jesus, 142-145
The Church, 175 Stephen, 176
The Prodigal Son, 143
Peter and Cornelius, 177
The Parable of the Sower, 144
Saul’s Conversion, 178
The Good Samaritan, 145
Paul’s Letters, 179
The Miracles
Paul’ss First Missionary Paul’
of Jesus, 146-151
Trip, 180-181
Isaiah, 105
Jesus the Messiah, 146
Galatians, 180
Jeremiah, 106
Jesus Turns
Paul’ss Second Missionary Paul’
Jerusalem is Destroyed, 108
Water to Wine, 147
Trip, 182-185
Lamentations, 109
Jesus Calms the Storm, 148
1 and 2 Thessalonians, 184
In Babylon, 110
Jesus Heals a Blind Man, 149
Paul’s Third Missionary Trip,
Daniel, 112
Jesus Casts Out Demons, 149
Daniel in the Lions’ Den, 114
Jesus Feeds Five
Ezekiel, 116
Thousand, 149
186-187 Ephesians, 186 1 and 2 Corinthians, 188-189
Esther, 118
Jesus Heals a Lame Man, 150
Romans, 190-191
Back in Jerusalem, 119
Jesus Heals a Man’ Man’ss Hand, 151
Paul’s Arrest, 191
Nehemiah, 120
Ten Lepers Healed, 151
Paul’s Trip to Rome, 192-193
Let’s Live It;
Jesus Heals Two Men
Paul’s Letters, 194-195
Other Prophets, 121
Possessed by Evil Spirits, 151
More Books of the Bible,
Between the Old and New
What Jesus Taught, 152-153
196-199
The Sermon on the Mount, 153
James and Jude, 196
The Old Testament, 123
The Lord’s Prayer, 153
Hebrews, 196
Synagogues, 124
Jesus and the Pharisees,
1 and 2 Peter, 197
Testaments, 122-131
Pharisees and
154-157
1, 2, and 3 John, 198
Pharisee Factoids, 155
Revelation, 199
Samaritans, 125
Jesus and the Money
Reading Guide to the Bible,
Sanhedrin, 125
Changers, 156
Sadducees, 124
King Herod the Great, 126 What Does Gospel Mean?, 128 Why are there
The Pharisees Try To Trick
205-217 The Apostle’s Creed, 218-219
Jesus, 157 The Last Supper, 158-159
SCRIPTURE INDEX, 220-223 INDEX, 220-223
KIDS, THIS IS MY ASSISTANT, CORNELIUS. HE’LL HELP GET OUR LUGGAGE AND GET YOU SETTLED IN. I’LL SEE YOU TONIGHT WHEN I GET BACK.
HELLO, EVERYONE. NICE TO MEET YOU.
HI CORNELIUS.
NICE TO MEET YOU TOO!
YOU HAVE A WEIRD NAME.
OKAY, I NEED TO GO OR I’LL BE LATE. YOU KIDS BE GOOD.
CAN WE CALL YOU CORNY?
UH, I PREFER CORY...
DAD, CAN WE GO ON THIS TOUR TOMORROW? IT’S REALLY COOL!
SON, THIS TOUR ISN’T WORTH GOING ON. IT’S FOR TOURISTS, NOT SERIOUS SCHOLARS LIKE US. WE DON’T WANT TO SEE A BUNCH OF SIDESHOW NONSENSE.
WE’RE HERE ON A SCIENTIFIC MISSION—TO FIND EVIDENCE ABOUT THE PAST AND DISCOVER THE TRUTH.
DON’T WORRY, LITTLE BRO. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE ALL KINDS OF ADVENTURES.
BUT IT LOOKS FUN...
THAT’S RIGHT. AND EDUCATIONAL.
ARCHAEOLOGY IS REALLY INTERESTING.
THAT’S WHY YOUR MOM AND I AGREED YOU SHOULD TRAVEL WITH ME THIS SUMMER. YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME!
LATER THAT DAY... HI TOBY. THESE ARE RICHARD’S KIDS. I’M HELPING THEM MOVE IN FOR THE SUMMER. EVERYBODY, THIS IS TOBY—HE LIVES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
HEY, CORY. WHAT’S GOING ON?
HEY, TOBY. SO, HAVE YOU LIVED HERE IN ISRAEL YOUR WHOLE LIFE?
YES, I’M AN ISRAELI CITIZEN.
ACTUALLY, I’M A
I DIDN’T KNOW JEWISH PEOPLE COULD DO THAT.
ARE YOU JEWISH?
SURE, THEY CAN. ANYBODY CAN BECOME A CHRISTIAN.
THE NEXT MORNING ...
ANY PIZZA LEFT?
I LOVE PIZZA FOR BREAKFAST!
CORY? WHAT’S GOING ON? YOU LOOK TERRIBLE.
SOMETHING’S WRONG. YOUR FATHER NEVER CAME HOME LAST NIGHT. I’VE BEEN UP ALL NIGHT TRYING TO CONTACT HIM BUT NO ANSWER. I FINALLY HAD TO CALL THE POLICE AND REPORT HIM AS MISSING.
I’M SORRY, KIDS. I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON, AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO.
BUT THE AUTHORITIES ARE ON THE CASE. I GUESS ALL WE CAN DO NOW IS WAIT.
MAYBE HE GOT KIDNAPPED BY ALIENS!
FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME, CARTER, DAD’S JUST AN ORDINARY ARCHAEOLOGIST. HE’S NOT INDIANA JONES!
WHAT? DAD’S MISSING? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
WAIT, I KNOW WHAT TO DO! THIS SAYS THEY’LL TAKE US EVERYWHERE IN THE HOLY LAND. I’LL BET THEY CAN HELP US FIND DAD! I DON’T KNOW, CARTER...
LET’S DO IT!
ACTUALLY, THAT’S A GREAT IDEA. TOBY TOLD ME YESTERDAY THAT HE KNOWS THOSE GUYS. HE HELPS THEM OUT SOMETIMES ON THEIR TOURS.
YEAH! WE CAN’T JUST SIT AROUND HERE. IF DAD TRIES TO CALL US, HE CAN ALWAYS REACH US ON CORY’S CELL PHONE.
HERE WE ARE. TOLD YOU IT WASN’T FAR. DOESN’T LOOK LIKE MUCH.
THIS IS INSANE. I CAN’T BELIEVE I LET YOU TALK ME INTO THIS.
ARE YOU KIDDING? IT’S AWESOME!
DAD’S MISSING. WE’VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING!
THIS PLACE IS COOL!
ACTUALLY, WE WERE HOPING YOU COULD HELP US FIND OUR FATHER. HE’S AN ARCHAEOLOGIST. HE WENT TO VISIT A SECRET LOCATION, AND NOW HE’S MISSING!
OH, WOW. SORRY TO HEAR THAT.
HELLO THERE. WELCOME TO FAST LANE TOURS!
GOOD TO SEE YOU, TOBY. ARE YOUR FRIENDS INTERESTED IN TAKING OUR MAJESTICAL MYSTERY TOUR?
MAYBE IF WE TOOK YOU ON OUR TOUR, THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE WE COULD RUN INTO YOUR DAD. WE COVER THE ENTIRE HOLY LAND.
HEY!
WHAT IS THAT?
LOOK OUT!
THAT’S JUMPIN’ JACK, OUR PET JERBOA. I FOUND HIM IN THE DESERT ON ONE OF OUR TRIPS. HE’S SORT OF OUR MASCOT.
COME HERE, JJ. WE HAVE TO GET READY IF WE ARE GOING. HE’S SO CUTE!
DON’T LET HIS CUTENESS FOOL YOU. HE’S QUITE A RASCAL.
HERE, HELP ME TAKE THESE OUT TO THE BUS AND PASS THEM OUT. EVERYONE ON THE TOUR NEEDS TO CARRY ONE OF THESE AT ALL TIMES.
WHAT ARE THEY?
THIS IS OUR SECRET TO GOING ANYWHERE WE WANT!
IT’S A DEVICE I INVENTED BY BOOSTING THE WEB-BROWSING, GPS, AND TIME-KEEPING FUNCTIONS OF THE MOST ADVANCED SMART PHONES AVAILABLE TODAY.
I LIKE TO CALL THEM REALLY SMART PHONES—RSPS FOR SHORT. WAIT ‘TILL YOU SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO!
WOW! HOW CAN YOU AFFORD ALL THIS EQUIPMENT? JOSH WASN’T ALWAYS A TOUR GUIDE. HE MADE A FORTUNE IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPING REGULAR SMART PHONES AND OTHER THINGS.
NOW HE’S PUTTING ALL HIS MONEY TO GOOD USE, DOING WHAT HE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO. AND THAT’S SHOWING KIDS LIKE YOU ALL THE AWESOME THINGS IN THE HOLY LAND!
STOP THAT, JJ. IT TICKLES!
LISTEN UP, EVERYONE! I’VE PROGRAMMED TODAY’S DATE AND TIME, OUR STARTING LOCATION, AND OUR FIRST DESTINATION INTO YOUR RSPS.
REMEMBER, KEEP YOUR RSP WITH YOU ALWAYS. DO NOT LOSE IT. ON OUR LAST TOUR, THREE KIDS LOST THEIRS, AND WE HAVEN’T SEEN THEM SINCE!
DO YOU THINK THAT’S TRUE?
NAH, THEY’RE JUST SAYING THAT TO SCARE US.
WE’RE STILL LOOKING FOR THEM.
AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T LET ANYONE WHO ISN’T ON THE TOUR TOUCH YOUR RSP!
OKAY, IT’S TIME TO NAVIGATE TO THE FIRST STOP ON OUR MAJESTICAL MYSTERY TOUR.
I’VE SYNCED ALL OUR RSPS TOGETHER SO THAT WHEN I ACTIVATE MINE, WE’LL ALL TRAVEL TO THE SAME PLACE AND TIME.
THERE ARE SOME NOT-SO-NICE TOUR GUIDES OUT THERE WHO WOULD DO ANYTHING TO GET THEIR HANDS ON ONE OF THESE THINGS.
READY? BRACE YOURSELVES FOR A FUN—BUT SLIGHTLY BUMPY—LITTLE RIDE. HERE WE GO!
The Garden Garde n of Eden In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). 1:1). The earth was formless, and God decided to create a paradise in this place. He created night and day, land, water, plants, and animals. Next he created mankind. The rst people were Adam and Eve. God gave Adam and Eve a beautiful garden to live in—Eden. Eden had food, water, shelter, and everything Adam and Eve needed. God asked Adam and Eve to take care of the garden, and God visited and walked through the garden with them.
I DON’T BELIEVE IT! WE’RE IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN. AND LOOK! THERE’S ADAM AND EVE! WOW, IT’S NICE AROUND HERE. THEY’VE REALLY GOT IT MADE.
DIDN’T I TELL YOU THESE TOUR GUIDES WERE INCREDIBLE?
WON’T WE MESS UP THE SPACE/TIME CONTINUUM? THE WHOLE FABRIC OF THE UNIVERSE COULD UNRAVEL!
NO, NO. THAT’S JUST A BUNCH OF SCI-FI MUMBO JUMBO. IN REAL LIFE, WHEN YOU TRAVEL THROUGH TIME AND SPACE, YOU’RE IN A KIND OF TIME-WARP BUBBLE
NOBODY CAN SEE YOU, YOU, AND YOU CAN’T AFFECT ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS. OR HAPPENED. OR WILL HAPPEN.
ANYWAY, JUST REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR RSP WITH YOU. IF YOU LOSE IT, YOU COULD BE STUCK HERE FOREVER.
WHAT ARE THOSE TWO EATING? OH... IT’S THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT!
ISN’T THAT FORBIDDEN?
WHAT DOES “FORBIDDEN” MEAN?
IT MEANS THAT’S A HUGE NO-NO. AND
Effects of Sin on Creation Cre ation Taking a bite of the fruit forbidden, which Adam and Eve were told not to eat, doesn’t seem like a very big deal – but it was. The result of doing what God had told them not to do was a broken relationship between all people and the creator of the world. We read in Genesis 2, 2, the rst book of the Bible, that God told Adam and Eve that they could eat from any tree in the Garden of Eden except for one tree, on which grew a unique type of fruit. Have you ever done something that you knew was wrong but did it anyway?
I MEAN ALL THEIR CHILDREN ... AND GRANDCHILDREN ... AND GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN. ALL THEIR DESCENDANTS.
WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED?
SIN IN THE WORLD, THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED. AND IT AFFECTED EVERYBODY.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN, EVERYBODY? THERE ARE ONLY TWO PEOPLE ON EARTH. NOT COUNTING US.
EVERYONE WILL SUFFER BECAUSE OF WHAT THE FIRST TWO PEOPLE DID, BECAUSE NOW ADAM AND EVE HAVE BEEN CHANGED.
WOW!
The Garden Garde n of Eden What is Sin? Sin is either doing what God has told us not to do, or not doing what he has told us to do. An example is if you were told to not throw a ball in the house. Since you know the rule, it is your choice whether you follow the rule or choose to throw the ball. Even if nobody sees, and you throw the ball, you have still broken the house rule. This applies to God’s laws, or rules. He has given us a set of rules to live our lives by, and when we break them, we sin. THINGS HAVE GOTTEN GLOOMY AROUND HERE. WHAT SAY WE NAVIGATE TO THE SECOND STOP ON OUR TOUR AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? YEAH, I DON’T THINK WE’LL FIND DAD HERE.
OKAY, TIME TO CALL IN THE CHOPPER!
The Problem & the Solution God told Adam and Eve that the punishment for eating the fruit from the one tree in the middle of the garden would cause them to die. Before this time nothing in the world had died. But once they had eaten the forbidden fruit, not only did they die spiritually, they began to die physically. The spiritual death was a separation between God and mankind. The bite that Adam and Eve took from the forbidden fruit has continued to affect every person who is born. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and brought sin into the world. But because God still loved Adam and Eve, as well as all other people who would be born after them, he had to have a sacrice to x the problem.
BEFORE WE MOVE ON, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS MAP. NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE WHERE THE GARDEN OF EDEN WAS, BUT WE DO KNOW IT WAS NEAR THE TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES RIVERS. SO IT COULD HAVE BEEN SOMEWHERE NEAR THESE MARKED AREAS ON THE MAP.
WOW, HOLOGRAPHIC PROJECTIONS! I DIDN’T KNOW RSPS COULD DO THAT.
YOU CAN PLAY REALLY COOL VIDEO GAMES ON THEM TOO.
The Garden Garde n of Eden
Genesis 3:24 “After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a aming sword ashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”
the flood Many years after Adam and Eve’s disobedience, people continued to misbehave. Adam and Even had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain didn’t like Abel (which isn’t unusual for brothers to ght), so he killed him (which is overdoing it!). That was the rst murder. The world kept getting worse. People forgot God and treated each other so poorly that God decided to start over. He decided to destroy the world and all people with a ood. Everybody, that is, except Noah and his family—and the animals God sent to Noah. Noah had remained faithful and true to God, so God sent instructions on building the great ark.
HOW DID YOU CALL IN A CHOPPER? THEY HAVEN’T BEEN INVENTED YET! HEY, CAN JOSH REALLY FLY THIS THING?
THINGS STILL LOOK AWFULLY GLOOMY. THIS STORM SEEMS BAD ENOUGH TO SINK THAT CRUISE SHIP DOWN THERE.
MAYBE IT’S AN EXOTIC CRUISE.
NO BIG DEAL. JOSH HAS FIGURED OUT HOW TO LINK RSPS TO ANY FORM OF TRANSPORT. IF IT EXISTS IN OUR TIME, WE CAN USE IT.
I DON’T THINK THAT’S A CRUISE SHIP, SIS. THERE ARE GIRAFFES STICKING OUT OF THE ROOF!
The ark LENGTH: 450 FEET
WIDTH: 75 WIDTH: 75 FEET
HEIGHT: 45 HEIGHT: 45 FEET
Noah’ss ark was twice as long as a Boeing 747. Noah’
DON’T WORRY, KIDS. THIS RAIN WON’T LAST FOREVER. PRETTY SOON THERE’LL BE BLUE SKIES AND A RAINBOW.
Noah obeyed God and started building the ark, even though his friends and others in his community laughed at him. When the ark was nished, God’s word became true, and the ood came. God sent huge amounts of water that covered the earth. The rain GOD IS RESCUING SOME GOOD PEOPLE AND A LOT OF ANIMALS. HE’S GIVING THE WORLD A SECOND CHANCE.
HANG ON, EVERYBODY. WE’RE HEADING FOR OUR NEXT STOP!
lasted forty days and forty nights, but the water lasted 371 days. Noah spent one year and seventeen days in the ark with his family and the animals! (Can you imagine the smell?) Finally the water receded, and the ark landed on Mount Ararat. God made a promise to Noah that He would never destroy the world again by a ood. The symbol of this promise is a rainbow that can still be seen in the clouds today. (Genesis chapters 7-9)
Stories of the ood are found in the
The tower of babel Many years after the ood, a group of people in a place called Shinar decided to build a tower that would reach to the heavens. The tower was called Babel. Up until this time all the people of the earth spoke the same language. The people wanted to reach heaven so they could be like God. God didn’t like this plan, so God caused the people to begin speaking in different languages. God caused confusion, and no one understood “pass me that peg and pulley.” Building came to a halt. (Genesis 11:1-9)
WE’VE BROUGHT YOU BACK TO THE PRESENT, SO WE CAN SHOW YOU THAT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT EXISTED IN BIBLE TIMES ARE STILL AROUND TODAY.
HERE’S A ZIGGURAT, WHICH IS LIKE THE TOWER OF BABEL MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE. IT’S BEEN REBUILT, SO PEOPLE CAN SEE WHAT IT USED TO LOOK LIKE. IT’S HUGE!
CAN WE CLIMB IT?
GO AHEAD. DON’T FALL OFF!
Languages of the Bible The words of the Bible were originally written in two languages. The Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew. To us, Hebrew looks very strange. It’s written backwards, from right to left. The New Testament was written mostly in Greek. Greek was the language almost everybody used in the time of Jesus, and it looks much more like English. Some of the stories of the Bible were written on tablets of clay, or dried animal skins, because paper had not been invented yet. Because of the work of translators, the Bible has been translated into many different languages. Today, Today, people from every part of the world can read the stories of the Bible in their own language. One of those languages is English, which you are reading now.
HE’S NOT HERE ANYMORE. THERE’S NO ONE HERE BUT US. WHAT DID YOU FIND, JJ? LET ME SEE THAT...
IT’S DAD’S WATCH! HE MUST HAVE BEEN HERE!
abraham Abraham, or Abram, as he was once called, was told by God to leave the area where he had grown up and move to a new land called Canaan. This took a lot of faith and obedience on Abraham’s part because he was leaving behind everything he knew. Abraham and his wife, Sarah, moved to Canaan as God had instructed. This move would take Abraham almost six hundred miles away from his family into an unfamiliar land. Abraham’s journey to Canaan was part of God’s plan for reconciling himself with mankind. (Genesis 12:1-20)
ANOTHER REASON WHY WE BROUGHT YOU HERE IS BECAUSE THIS ZIGGURAT IS LOCATED IN UR, THE HOMETOWN OF ABRAHAM.
HE WAS AN IMPORTANT PERSON IN GOD’S STORY. DURING THE NEXT PART OF OUR TOUR, WE’RE GOING TO TRAVEL FROM UR TO CANAAN, JUST LIKE ABRAHAM DID.
AT LEAST WE HAVE THE CHOPPER, SO WE WON’T HAVE TO RIDE CAMELS OR SOMETHING.
WHAT? OH NO. NO WAY. I DON’T DO CAMELS!
ACTUALLY,
Travel Travel during the time of the Old Testament was not easy. There were no roads or cars. People either walked or rode an animal such as a donkey or camel. To make matters worse, most towns were days apart. Travel during this time was long, difcult, and dangerous. There were wild animals like lions and bears. There were bandits ready to attack and no police for protection. People traveled mainly at night to avoid robbers and because it was cooler. And the going was sloooow! Most travelers could only go about nine or ten miles a day. (That’s like ve minutes in a car.) And when people went on a trip, they had to bring enough food and water to make it to their next destination. If Abraham Haran
and his family could have gone straight,
Nineveh
they would have only had to go about
Asshur
600 miles. But they had to travel along the river because they needed water,
Damascus
so they went about 1,100 miles from Ur
Ramoth Gilead
to Schechem. Today we could y that
Succoth
amount in a few hours or drive it in a couple days. It took Abraham about four months!
Shechem
Babylon
Ur
possible routes of abraHAm’s journey
abraham’s family Abraham grew up in a place called Ur of the Chaldeans. When he was older, his family moved to the land of Canaan. However, when they got to a town called Harran, Abraham’s father (Terah) decided to stay. When Abraham grew up, he married Sarah. One day God came to Abraham and told him to leave Harran and go to the land of Canaan, which God promised to give him and his descendants. (Genesis 12:1-4) There was only one problem with God’s promise. Abraham and Sarah never had children. As they grew older Abraham and Sarah always followed God’s commands. Because of their faithfulness, God made them another promise. God said he would give Abraham and Sarah a child (Genesis 15), 15), and just as God had promised, Abraham and Sarah had a son. They called him Isaac. When Isaac was born, Abraham was one hundred years old, and Sarah was ninety! It was through Isaac that God promised to bless all the nations. Isaac had two children, Esau and Jacob. Esau and Jacob were twins, but Esau was born rst. In Old Testament times, the oldest son inherited everything, so Esau would inherit his father’s possessions and receive a special blessing. Jacob was jealous. One day Esau came home very hungry, and Jacob traded Esau’s birthright for a bowl of beans! In spite of the sneaky way Jacob got his father’s blessing, God also blessed Jacob, and in a dream, God promised that Jacob would become a large nation and a blessing to the whole world. Jacob had twelve children. Jacob’s twelve sons would later become the nation of Israel. As we read in the New Testament, we learn that it was through the line of Judah, one of Jacob’s twelve sons, that King David and Jesus were born. Jesus was the ultimate fulllment of God’s promise to Abraham—that he would have many descendants and all nations would be blessed through him.
THIS WHOLE T-T-TOUR THING
Jacob’s Name Change The name Jacob means “to cheat.” But in a dream, Jacob wrestled with God, and Jacob persevered. God gave Jacob a new name, Israel, which means “Prince of God.” Abraham’s descendants became known as Israelites, and the whole nation was called Israel.
THIS IS IT— CANAAN, THE LAND GOD PROMISED TO ABRAHAM AND HIS DESCENDANTS.
X
Adventure Readings Abraham and Lot: Genesis 13-14
THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT THE PROMISED LAND!
Hagar and Ishmael: Genesis 16 Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: Genesis 18:1-33; 19:1, 12-29 Hagar and Ishmael are sent away: Genesis 21:8-20 21:8-20 God asks Abraham to sacrice Isaac:
THAT TRIP DIDN’T TAKE AS LONG AS I EXPECTED.
Genesis 22:1-19
THANKS TO RSP TECHNOLOGY, WE GOT HERE A LITTLE FASTER THAN ABRAHAM DID. CAN’T WASTE TIME, YOU KNOW.
AND SPEAKING OF TIME, IT’S TIME TO DO A LITTLE TIME-JUMP BACK TO BIBLE TIMES. GET READY, EVERYONE!
CHECK THIS OUT. CAMEL SURFING!
joseph & egypt Of Jacob’s twelve sons, Benjamin and Joseph were his two youngest. Before Benjamin was born, Jacob favored Joseph and gave him special privileges that his older brothers did not have. Because of Jacob’s favoritism toward Joseph, Joseph’s older brothers became resentful and angry with him. Once Joseph was given a coat from his father made from many colorful pieces of fabric. Though it was a wonderful gift, it again showed his brothers that their father liked Joseph best. One night Joseph had a dream that his brothers were bowing down to him. When he told the dream to his brothers, they became very angry and wanted to kill him. A few days later, Joseph was sent by his father to check on his brothers who were out in the eld. When they saw Joseph coming, they decided to throw him into a cistern, a type of well, and sold him to a group of traders who were passing by on their way to Egypt. To explain to their father why Joseph was missing, they poured some blood on his colorful coat and told their father that an animal had attacked and killed Joseph. Jacob was very sad, and Joseph was sold as a slave in Egypt. (Genesis 37:18-36)
HERE WE ARE. A BIG JUMP IN TIME FOR US. ABRAHAM’S GRANDSON, JACOB, NOW HAS A FAMILY OF HIS OWN. A BIG ONE!
AWESOME WIPEOUT, DUDE!
THANKS, DUDE!
AND THE BROTHERS DON’T ALWAYS GET ALONG. YOU’RE ABOUT TO SEE ONE OF HISTORY’S BIGGEST CASES OF SIBLING RIVALRY.
MOM ALWAYS TELLS US TO WORK THINGS OUT.
SOMETHING TELLS ME THESE BROTHERS AREN’T DOING THAT.
Egypt Egypt is a very big country, although most Egyptians live along the Nile River. The river helps people grow food and travel from one city to another without too much work. During the time of the Old Testament, the Nile River would rise each year about twenty-four feet and ood the surrounding lands. At rst you might think this is a bad thing, but the ood water contained needed nutrients that made the soil rich, which provided food for the people of the land. Many of the stories that you read about in Genesis and Exodus take place in this land of Pharaohs, pyramids, and sand. In fact, Egypt contains a lot of sand. Egypt is mostly a desert area, which is why most of the people live near the Nile River.
MORE LIKELY THEY’RE PLANNING TO TAKE HIM OUT.
ARE WE RIDING THESE CAMELS ALL THE WAY TO EGYPT?
pyramids & archaeology The pyramids are large structures that are square at the bottom with a point at the top and were built in Egypt by slaves several thousand years ago—after the time Joseph lived. Many of these slaves were of Joseph’s family and were called the Israelites. There are still some pyramids standing in Egypt today that can be visited—if you’re willing to ride a camel to get to them.
I DIDN’T KNOW THE PYRAMIDS WERE AROUND IN BIBLE TIMES.
QUIT BUMPING ME!
SORRY.
SURE THEY WERE. JOSEPH SAW THEM TOO.
YOU COULD SAY HE SAW THE BEST AND WORST OF EGYPT. WAIT ‘TILL YOU HEAR THE REST OF HIS STORY. TALK ABOUT GOING FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP! I’D LIKE TO GO TO THE TOP OF THAT PYRAMID!
Archaeology & Mummies Archaeology is the study of items left behind by a culture to determine how they lived and what they believed. To nd these items, archeologists carefully dig in the ground with hopes of nding pottery, jewelry, or even entire buildings. Through these nds, archaeologists archaeolog ists try to piece together how the people lived and acted. One practice archaeologists have learned about is how Egyptians preserved the bodies of those who died, a traditional ritual called mummication. Mummication is the process of taking the body of someone who has died and wrapping him up in strips of cloth before placing the body in a tomb. One example of a mummy that archaeologists have found is the body of King Ki ng Tut. Tut. King Tut’s Tut’s mummied mum mied body was found in a burial room, or tomb, inside a pyramid. Archaeologists also found valuable items like gold, jewelry,, and jewelry and weapons, weapons, which which the Egyptians believed would protect King Tut after his death.
joseph’s journey in egypt After being sold to Potifer as a slave, Joseph worked hard and eventually became Potifer’s property manager. In his new position, Joseph spent much of his time around the main house, where he met Potifer’s wife. She did not like Joseph because he was an honorable man and would not do anything to hurt Potifer. She told her husband lies about Joseph that caused Joseph to be thrown in prison. (Genesis 39:1-18) While Joseph was in prison, the Pharaoh became angry with two of his ofcials, a baker and a cupbearer, whom he had thrown into prison. One night both of the men had a strange dream. The next morning they discussed their dreams with each other, but they could not gure out what the dreams meant. Joseph, however, was able to interpret the meaning of their dreams and explain what they meant. Unfortunately, the meaning of the baker’s dream was not good news. Joseph said it meant that he was going to die very soon. The cupbearer’s dream was very good news, as Joseph said it meant that he was going to be back at his old job and continue working for Pharaoh. The results came about just as he had predicted. (Genesis 40:1-23)
HERE IS JOSEPH, A SLAVE WHO’S BEEN THROWN INTO PRISON.
THAT’S PRETTY MUCH THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL IN EGYPT. YOU CAN’T GET MUCH LOWER THAN THAT. BUT WAIT ‘TILL YOU SEE WHAT GOD DOES NEXT! OUCH! GET OFF MY ARM, CARTER. YOU’RE CRUSHING IT!
I CAN’T SEE! I CAN’T SEE!
MOVE OVER!
EMILY, CAN YOU, LIKE, GET YOUR HAIR OUT OF MY FACE?
WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO, CUT IT OFF?
joseph in pharaoh’s court Two years later, the Pharaoh had a strange dream about seven fat cows and seven skinny cows. No one in his court could explain these dreams to the Pharaoh. Then the cupbearer remembered his own dream and how Joseph had been able to explain it. Joseph was brought before the Pharaoh. Joseph explained that the cows represented seven years. The seven fat cows were seven good years for growing and harvesting crops and the seven skinny cows were seven bad years of bad crops and famine. The Pharaoh was impressed with Joseph and put him in charge of all the food supplies in Egypt. Joseph not only helped to save Egypt from the years of famine, he also saved his brothers and their families. Like Egypt, Canaan’s citizens, where Joseph’s family still lived, were starving and in need of food. Joseph’s brothers travelled to Egypt to ask for food. At rst the brothers did not recognize Joseph, but later he revealed his true identity and saved his family and many others during the famine. (Genesis 41-43)
AS YOU CAN SEE, GOD HAS RAISED JOSEPH TO A PLACE OF HONOR AND POWER.
HE’S NOW PHARAOH’S RIGHT-HAND MAN. THAT’S PRETTY MUCH THE TOP OF THE HEAP IN EGYPT. YOU CAN’T GET MUCH HIGHER THAN THAT.
NOT UNLESS YOU’RE THE PHARAOH.
THIS IS MUCH BETTER! AT LEAST HERE THERE’S ROOM FOR AN AUDIENCE.
AND POPCORN!
IT WOULD BE NICE IF THEY HAD SOME COMFY SEATS, THOUGH.
HEY, JOSEPH’S IN CHARGE OF ALL THE
