Lesson 153 - Elementary

Memory Verse

"Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven"    (Luke 10:20).

Notes

Heaven

We all know that Heaven is up beyond the blue sky, and that it is very beautiful. There is a great throne in Heaven where the Lord sits as King, and there is a rainbow around the throne. It is something like the rainbows we all have seen in the sky when the sun comes out on a rainy day. Before the throne of God there is a sea of glass as clear as crystal.

Some heavenly beings keep close to the throne night and day, praising God, saying "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” There are others clothed with pure white garments, who have golden crowns upon their heads. They have harps, and golden vials or bottles, filled with sweet perfume. Do you know what this sweet perfume is? It is the prayers of the children of God. Whenever we pray to Jesus with all our heart, God keeps those prayers in golden bottles in Heaven.

There is a Temple in Heaven, something like the golden Temple which King Solomon built, only much more beautiful. Jesus is the High Priest in this Temple in Heaven, and there He prays for us.

But best of all, our loving heavenly Father and our Saviour Jesus live in Heaven. All the people up there are good and kind. They love one another. God wants all the people of the earth to live with Him, but they quarrel and fight and want to have their own way; and most of those who do behave fairly well have sin and wrong feelings in their heart. God cannot live with those who quarrel and are selfish. So Jesus came to earth many years ago and died for us, and anyone who wants to be saved may be made good and holy. Then they can live in Heaven forever and forever.

We shall always be happy in Heaven. No one will ever cry. No one will be sick or crippled or blind; and no one, not even our grandmothers and grandfathers, will ever die.

Heaven's Books

There are books in Heaven, too. One of them is like our Bible. God has the Bible in Heaven, and we have copies of the Bible here on earth. The Bible is like a schoolbook -– it tells us what to do.

Another book in Heaven is called the Book of life and the name of every one of us who is saved is written in that Book. We do not have a copy of the Book of Life, but we know when our name is written there. When a child prays and asks Jesus to forgive him for every wrong thing he ever did -– every time he was disobedient or naughty -– and asks Jesus to come into his heart, then Jesus does forgive him. His heart is washed white in Jesus' Blood and his name is written in the Book of Life.

His Name in God's Book

One evening a Christian mother slipped away to Heaven to be with God in His beautiful home. She had prayed for her children and told them about Jesus, but her younger boy was not saved. He was a good boy, but he hadn't made up his mind to pray and give his heart to Jesus. One Sunday night a few days after his mother had gone, this boy prayed and asked Jesus to forgive him. He wanted to be sure he could make his home in Heaven, too. Jesus saved him and wrote his name in the Book of life. The minister's wife told him that now his mother could go to the Book of Life in Heaven, and see his name written there.

The Books Are Opened

One of these days, all of us, every little boy and girl, and man and woman, are going to stand before God, and the Books will be opened -– the Bible the Book of Life, and the Book where all the good and bad things people have done are written down.

Can we imagine the multitudes of people –- thousands and thousands – standing before the Lord as He sits in glory and majesty upon His great throne? Oh! here is a little boy standing before God now. His name is not written in the Book of Life. Yes, he knew Jesus died that he might be saved. He had a Bible at home, and he even went to Sunday School, but he didn't pay much attention to what the teacher said, and he wasn't careful to listen when he heard the Bible read. This boy was ashamed to stand before God. How he wished he could hide! He could have prayed and listened to the Bible, and Jesus would have saved him, but now it was too late. He could not live with God in His beautiful Home.

Now a little girl stands before God. She had prayed one day on earth and Jesus had forgiven her and written her name in the Book of Life. Jesus had erased from the record book all the naughty things this little girl had ever done. She was happy and lived a sweet Christian life for a while, but later on she did not take time to pray and talk with Jesus every day. Sometimes she prayed, but sometimes she thought she was too tired, or she would rather play. Then she became careless about listening to the Bible. Pretty soon she was doing things she knew God did not want her to do, and of course these things were written down in the record book. Her name was blotted out, or erased from the Book of Life. Now she felt very sad that she could not live with God.

Happy

Another little boy comes before the Lord. He is smiling, and the Lord looks at him so pleased! One day he prayed and Jesus saved him and wrote his name in the Book of Life, and he lived for Jesus every day. Sometimes it was hard to get up in the morning when Mother first called, but he did get up because he wanted to have time to talk with Jesus at the very beginning of the day. Sometimes he was very tired, but he always listened to the Bible and prayed before he went to bed. He did his best to do what the Bible said he should do, and he asked Jesus to help him to be kind and obedient.

Perhaps one of the angels went with him down the streets of Heaven to show him the mansion that Jesus had made ready just for this little boy. He could make his home here forever and forever -– in the beautiful city of God where it never gets dark. No one is sick and no one ever gets old and dies. How happy this little boy is that he was careful to listen to the Bible and do what Jesus wanted him to do.

Questions

1. On what will the Lord be sitting when the people are gathered before Him? [REV:20:11].

2. What books will be opened on the Judgment Day? [REV:20:12].

3. What will happen to those whose names are not written in the Book of Life? [REV:20:15].

4. On what side will Jesus set the sheep, or the Christian people of the earth? [MAT:25:33].

5. Who will shine like the stars forever and ever? [DAN:12:3].