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In the Belly of a Whale? Yea Right sure....... Skeptics say that no whale could swallow a man in the first place, and, even if he did, the man would certainly never survive three days and three nights in his belly, as the Bible claims.
Materials Recommended: During this story time if someone in the church has a small bowl to set up with a fish swimming in it. Or a larger Aquarium thats great. You also will need some fish crackers have someone in the church donate them. The children can eat them during the story. You can also use the coloring page Jonah to have the children color as a craft. This is also a good time to teach the children what the "FISH" symbol is. Fishers of men, Christ used Fish to feed the 5 thousand plus, The disciples were fishermen, God used a fish....Jonah was in a (Fish). The fish symbol is the sign of a REAL Hero.
When the Romans tried to wipe out the Christian religion during the first 300 years after Jesus died, Christians developed signs to identify themselves to one another in order to avoid persecution. The earliest symbol was a fish. When Romans saw a fish painted on a doorway or etched into the stone wall of a tomb, they may have though it was to identify someone as a fisherman. Actually, it identified the people and Christians. Believers chose this symbol for many reasons, including the Gospel accounts of Jesus calling his disciples. According to Matthew, Jesus told his Apostles, most of whom were fishermen, that he would make them "fish for people" (Mt 4:19). It is important to express to the children that even though we as humans disobey God he always loves us and uses these times to make us a better HERO for His service. "Christian liberals" have attempted to avoid this problem by saying that the story of Jonah was only an allegory and was never meant to be understood as actual history. Just like the Good Samaritian, or Noah, how about Gideon going against 135,000 soldiers with only 300 men? However, whenever the Bible writers used allegories, stories or parables as Jesus used or other symbolic stories, they always either said so or else made it evident in the context. The book of Jonah is certainly written as though it were actual history. Jonah was a real prophet who is mentioned also in II Kings 14:25. None of the ancient Jews or early Christians ever doubted the authenticity and historicity of the book of Jonah and its story. JESUS CHRIST Most importantly, the Lord Jesus Christ accepted the account as true. He said that the people of Nineveh repented of their sins as a consequence of his preaching (Matthew 12:41). He even said: "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so........ A MIRACLE There is little question that the event was a miracle, but this fact certainly does no Later it says: Whole animals as large or larger than a man have been found in the stomachs of the sperm whale, the whale shark and the white shark.
The "great fish" which the Bible speaks ....................For complete lesson plans, materials please register for the program. |
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