BIG IDEA: God judges sin.
This free Bible lesson, God Judges Humanity: The Flood, will teach preschool and elementary students about the Truths found in Genesis 6-9 about God’s judgment through the worldwide flood and Noah’s Ark, and about the coming worldwide judgment of fire to the ungodly. People who have chosen to accept and follow Jesus are not judged (John 3:17-18).
FOCUS BIBLE PASSAGE: Genesis 6-9
All of the printable activities and digital slides needed for the lesson, as well as a full printable lesson plan for both elementary and preschool are available.
Below is the outline of the free elementary Bible lesson.
PREP & SUPPLIES
- printed and trimmed “Promise Puzzles”
- plastic bags or envelopes
- construction paper
- glue
LESSON HOOK ACTIVITY
(SLIDE) Raise your hand if you have ever been in a court room.
What happens in a court room? (allow responses)
In a court room, people who have been accused of (blamed for) breaking the law come before a judge and a jury to tell their side of the story of what happened. Then the judge and jury make a decision about whether the person is guilty or not guilty of the crime.
“Guilty” means that the person did whatever they have been accused of.
“Not guilty” means the person did not do whatever they have been accused of.
Today, before we get to our Bible story we are going to read some witness statements of a court trial and decide if we think each person is guilty or not guilty of the crime they are on trial for.
(SLIDE) CASE #1 Defendant: Adam
Accused of: Eating the forbidden fruit
[The woman saw that the tree’s fruit was good to eat and pleasing to look at. She also saw that it would make a person wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. And he ate it. (Genesis 3:6)]
This witness statement came straight from the Bible, so what do we know about it? (allow responses)
Everything that we read in the Bible is true, so we know that this verse in Genesis 3:6 about Adam eating the forbidden fruit is true. So is Adam guilty or not guilty? (guilty)
(SLIDE) CASE #2 Defendant: Cain
Accused of: Killing his brother, Abel
[Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” So they went out. There Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. (Genesis 4:8)]
Raise your hand if you have learned about the story of Cain and Abel. (You may choose to allow a student to summarize the story. Be sure that you also read the summary below so that students know the basic true story of the murder of Abel.)
Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. In Genesis Chapter 4 we can read about this event that happened between them:
Abel was a shepherd and Cain was a farmer. One day, they both brought an offering to God. God was pleased with Abel’s offering, but He was not pleased with Cain’s offering. The Bible doesn’t fully tell us the reason that God did not accept Cain’s offering but we can study and have a good idea that Abel’s offering of an animal was what God commanded instead of Cain’s offering of crops from the ground. This made Cain angry. Cain’s anger drove him to kill his brother Abel.
Since we can read about Cain’s killing of his brother Abel in the Bible, what do we know about it? (it is true because everything in the Bible is true)
So, is Cain guilty or not guilty? (guilty)
(SLIDE) CASE #3 Defendant: Humanity
Accused of: Sin and evil
[The LORD saw how bad the sins of everyone on earth had become. They only thought about evil things. (Genesis 6:5)]
This is the last “case” we are going to look at before our lesson. What do you notice about the “witness statement”? (it comes directly from the Bible)
Since it comes directly from the Bible we know that we can trust that it is Truth. This verse in Genesis 6:5 tells us that all of the people on the earth had become horribly sinful and only thought about evil things. We know that all humans are born sinners, so is humanity guilty or not guilty? (guilty)
Humanity is guilty of sin. In today’s true story from the Bible we are going to learn about how God judged humanity already in the past, and how He will judge humanity again in the future.
BIBLE LESSON
(SLIDE) Our story begins with a man named Noah.
We can read about Noah in The Old Testament Book of Genesis starting in chapter 6. His story continues all the way through Genesis chapter 9.
(SLIDE) Genesis 6:5-6 NIrV
[The LORD saw how bad the sins of everyone on earth had become. They only thought about evil things. The LORD was very sad that he had made human beings on the earth. His heart was filled with pain.]
The sins of the people on the earth made God sad. He was sad about what the people had done to themselves. He knew He didn’t make a mistake in creating humans, because God doesn’t make mistakes. Instead, the sins of the people just made God sad like a parent is sad when their child is not acting right.
(SLIDE) Genesis 6:9-10 NIrV
[Noah was a godly man. He was without blame among the people of his time. He walked faithfully with God. Noah had three sons. Their names were Shem, Ham and Japheth.]
(SLIDE) Genesis 6:11-12 NIrV
[The earth was very sinful in God’s eyes. It was full of people who did mean and harmful things. God saw how sinful the earth had become. All its people were living very sinful lives.]
(SLIDE) Genesis 6:13 NIrV
[So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to everyone. They have filled the earth with their harmful acts. I am certainly going to destroy them and the earth.”]
After this, God told Noah what to do. Does anyone know what God told Noah? (allow responses)
God told Noah to build an ark, a big boat. God told Noah EXACTLY how to build the ark recorded in Genesis 6:14-16, including what type of wood to use, how long, how wide, and how high to build it, how to make the roof and where the door should go.
God told Noah that he should take his wife, his sons and his sons’ wives and a male and female of every living thing into the ark with him to keep them alive during the flood of the entire earth. Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
Does anyone know how many days and nights the flood waters came upon the entire earth? (allow responses)
(SLIDE) Genesis 7:17-18 NIrV
[For 40 days the flood kept coming on the earth. As the waters rose higher, they lifted the ark high above the earth. The waters rose higher and higher on the earth. And the ark floated on the water.]
The water came upon the earth for 40 days and 40 nights! The water came as rain, but it also came from within the earth (Genesis 7:11). The Bible tells us that the waters continued to rise until all of the high mountains on earth were covered with water by more than 20 ft.
Every living thing on land died, including every human being. But Noah and his family were safe inside of the ark. Why did God allow Noah and his family to be saved from the flood? (allow responses)
Noah was righteous. He was right with God. He was godly and walked with God and obeyed God’s commands.
Because there was so much water on the earth, the water flooded the earth for 150 days (Genesis 7:24).
(SLIDE) The Bible tells us in Genesis 8:4:
[On the 17th day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.]
There is something truly amazing about this Truth from the Bible.
The people who were full of sin had been wiped away. Noah was a human, which means he was a sinner. But God chose to save Noah and his family because Noah walked faithfully with God.
The day the ark came to rest signaled a “new beginning” because Noah and his family would be able to start fresh and repopulate the earth.
According to the Jewish calendar, the 17th day of the seventh month was also the day that Jesus rose from the dead many years after Noah’s time.
So, God’s “new beginning” on Planet Earth was the anniversary in advance (before) of the “new beginning” that Jesus offers to us because of His death and resurrection (raising back to life)!
What is the “new beginning” that Jesus offers us? (allow responses)
Jesus came to earth to live a sinless life. He died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins, and He rose back to life so that He could offer us “new life”. When we accept His free gift of salvation, we are “born again” and can have a “new beginning”.
Our bodies will still die, but the “new life” that Jesus gives us is spiritual. After our bodies die on this earth, we can live with Jesus forever on the new earth. Does anyone have any questions about this? (allow questions and discussion)
How did God “judge” the sins of the people in Noah’s time? (allow responses)
God sent a flood to cover the entire earth, which wiped away every living thing on land, including human beings. But He saved Noah and his family by instructing Noah to build an ark for them to live in while the floodwaters covered the earth.
Do you think God will ever judge the earth again by sending a flood? (allow responses)
After the flood, God made a covenant. What is a covenant? (allow responses)
A covenant is a promise.
God promised never to destroy the earth by flood again.
(SLIDE) Genesis 9:11 NIrV
God spoke to Noah and said:
[“Here is my covenant I am making with you. The waters of a flood will never again destroy all life. A flood will never again destroy the earth.”]
(SLIDE) Genesis 9:12-15 NIrV
[“…Here is the sign of the covenant I am making. I have put my rainbow in the clouds. It will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth….The waters will never again become a flood to destroy all life.”]
God promised never to destroy the earth by water again. Do you think God will ever judge the earth again in any way? (allow responses)
The Apostle Peter writes in the Book of 2 Peter about the time of the flood. He says:
(SLIDE) 2 Peter 3:5-6 (paraphrased) NIrV
[“Long ago, God’s word brought the heavens into being. His word separated the earth from the waters. And the waters surrounded it…The waters also flooded the world of that time. And so they destroyed the world.”]
Peter is writing about how God spoke the world into existence (God’s word brought…) at the time of Creation, and He spoke the flood into existence to destroy the earth at the time of Noah.
Peter goes on in this passage about the judgment that is coming on the earth in the future. He says:
(SLIDE) 2 Peter 3:7 NIrV
[“By God’s word the heavens and earth of today are being reserved for fire. They are being kept for the day when God will judge. Then ungodly people will be destroyed.”]
Just like how God spoke the world into existence at the time of Creation, and just like God spoke the flood into existence at the time of Noah, The Bible tells us that God will also speak a judgment of fire into existence sometime in the future, at the end of the age and the world as we know it.
But who does Peter tell us will be judged and destroyed? (allow responses)
He says that “ungodly people” will be destroyed. What does that mean? (allow responses)
Ungodly people are people who have not chosen to accept Jesus as their Savior. Ungodly people live for themselves and for the world.
If you have chosen to accept Jesus as your Savior then you have nothing to worry about because Jesus covers your sin and takes it away!
(SLIDE) John 3:16 NIrV
[God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.]
You may recognize John 3:16, but what about the 2 verses that follow John 3:16? They say:
(SLIDE) John 3:17-18 NIrV
[God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world. He sent his Son to save the world through him. Anyone who believes in him is not judged. But anyone who does not believe is judged already. They have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.]
The people who have believed in and accepted Jesus as their Savior (true Christians) will NOT be judged in the coming fire judgment on the earth.
The Book of Revelation, the last Book of The Bible, was written by the Apostle John. Jesus gave John a vision of future events and told him to write down what he saw. John wrote in Revelation 21:
(SLIDE) Revelation 21:1-4 (paraphrased) NIrV
[I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth were completely gone…God now makes his home with the people. He will live with them. They will be his people. And God himself will be with them…He will wipe away every tear…There will be no more death…no more sadness…no more crying or pain. Things are no longer the way they used to be.]
God is patient and He wants His people to repent and turn from sin and follow Jesus.
(SLIDE) Big Idea: But God judges sin.
He judged sin in the past with a flood, and He has promised that He will send a judgment of fire on the earth to destroy all of the wickedness and evil to prepare for the new heavens and new earth that He also promised. People who believe in Jesus will live with Him forever on the new earth!
Dear God,
Thank You for Your Word, the Bible and for all of the Truths that we can learn about from reading It. Please help us to get our hearts ready for Your coming judgment of evil on the earth and if there is anyone who still needs to accept You as their Savior, please guide them to do so.
We love you and we pray all of these things in Jesus’ sweet name, Amen.
LARGE GROUP ACTIVITY
Due to the length of today’s Bible lesson, the large group activity consists of a set of review questions to play a quick game of “Fact or Fiction”.
Instruct students to give a thumbs up for “Fact” and a thumbs down for “Fiction”. You may need to review with students:
Fact = true
Fiction = false
Fact or Fiction Statements:
- Noah was judged in the flood. (fiction – Noah and his family were kept safe)
- The story of the worldwide flood can be found in the Book of Genesis. (fact)
- God judged the earth with a flood because of the evil and wickedness that was present at the time. (fact)
- The flood waters came on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. (fact)
- The waters stayed on the earth for 40 days. (fiction – 150 days)
- The ark came to rest on Mount Rushmore. (fiction – Mountains of Ararat)
- The day that the ark came to rest was the anniversary in advance of Jesus’s resurrection (raising back to life). (fact)
- Noah made a covenant with God that the rainbow means that there will be no more floods that destroy the earth. (fiction – God made the covenant with Noah)
- God promised never to destroy the earth with water again. (fact)
- God promised never to destroy the earth ever again. (fiction – see next statement)
- God will judge and destroy the earth someday in the future with fire. (fact)
- Everyone on earth will suffer from the fire judgment. (fiction – see next statement)
- People who believe in and accept Jesus will not be judged. (fact)
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
Today, you will be building a puzzle to help you remember God’s promise to you.
You will each get a bag (or envelope) of puzzle pieces, and a piece of construction paper. Your task is to put the pieces of the puzzle together to reveal the promise that God gives to those who believe in Jesus. Then you will glue the pieces onto your construction paper.
BREAK INTO SMALL GROUPS TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY.
Discussion Prompts for Leaders:
- Why did God send the flood? (to judge the evil and wickedness on the earth at that time)
- Why were Noah and his family saved from the judgment of the flood? (because Noah was righteous and faithfully walked with God)
- How were Noah and his family saved from the judgment of the flood? (God told Noah to build an ark)
- How many days and nights did the waters come upon the earth? (40)
- How many days did the waters stay and flood the earth? (150)
- Where did the ark come to rest? (on the mountains of Ararat)
- What is special about the day that the ark came to rest? (the 17th day of the 7th month – marked “new beginning” of planet Earth; the anniversary in advance of Jesus’s resurrection and “new beginning” for believers)
- What is a covenant? (a promise)
- What covenant did God make with Noah and the earth? (that He will never destroy the earth with water again)
- What was the sign of God’s covenant to never destroy the earth with water? (a rainbow)
- How will God judge evil in the future? (by fire)
- How can we make sure that we are safe from God’s judgment? (choose to accept Jesus as our Savior and follow Him)
- What does the passage on your puzzle mean (John 3:17-18)? (people who have believed in and accepted Jesus as their Savior will not be judged in the coming fire judgment on the earth)
- Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?
- Use any extra time to discuss the lesson and/or the memory verse.
CLOSING REFLECTION
We learned that God judged the evil and sin on the earth with a worldwide flood in the time of Noah. Noah and his family were kept safe from the judgment because Noah was faithful to God. God promised never to destroy the earth with water again, but He will destroy the earth with fire in the future to judge evil and wickedness, and to prepare for the coming new heavens and new earth. People who have put their trust in Jesus as their Savior will not be judged, but will spend eternity with Jesus living on the new earth.
Reflection Questions:
- Why did God send the flood? (to judge the evil and wickedness on the earth at that time)
- How will God judge evil in the future? (by fire)
- How can we make sure that we are safe from God’s judgment? (choose to accept Jesus as our Savior and follow Him)
- Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?
Find other free Bible lessons for kids:
