Grade 5 - Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States
Grade 5 - Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States
Grade 5 - Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States
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Sunday School Curriculum <strong>Grade</strong> 5<br />
Objective:<br />
Week before Fast: Life after death - Heaven<br />
To learn about <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> living in heaven<br />
Memory Verse:<br />
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into <strong>the</strong> heart <strong>of</strong> man <strong>the</strong> things which<br />
God has prepared for those who love Him” (Mat<strong>the</strong>w 2:9 from Isaiah 64:4)<br />
References:<br />
―Heaven‖ by <strong>the</strong> late Bishop Youannis<br />
Introduction:<br />
Review <strong>the</strong> previous lesson and verse.<br />
Let‘s say our parents were notified that <strong>the</strong>y would have to move with <strong>the</strong>ir job to a different<br />
city or state or even <strong>the</strong>y decided to move to ano<strong>the</strong>r country. Now <strong>the</strong> parents at that point<br />
would make an effort to learn more about that new place <strong>the</strong>y‘re moving to. They probably<br />
check on <strong>the</strong> schools in that area, on <strong>the</strong> crime rate in <strong>the</strong> neighborhood, and o<strong>the</strong>r concerns <strong>the</strong>y<br />
might have about that new place. It was probably a good idea for <strong>the</strong>m to do such research, and<br />
so let‘s stop and think for a minute. That‘s very similar to our situation here on earth. We know<br />
at some point we‘ll have to depart and move to a different place, and for <strong>the</strong> believers that would<br />
be heaven. Well, <strong>the</strong> moral <strong>of</strong> this story is that we need to also get ourselves familiar with that<br />
wonderful place, and most importantly we need to prepare ourselves to fit in <strong>the</strong> environment <strong>of</strong><br />
such a place. So in this lesson, let us introduce through <strong>the</strong> Holy Bible <strong>the</strong> very little that was<br />
said about our life in <strong>the</strong> heavens after <strong>the</strong> physical death.<br />
Lesson Outlines:<br />
First it is very important for us to note that no matter how much we describe heaven, we will<br />
never be able to totally comprehend what it is really like living in heaven. Even when St. Paul<br />
was taken to heaven, he said, ―How he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible<br />
words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter‖ (2 Corinthians 12:4). Here St. Paul tells us that<br />
he couldn‘t express what he saw, and <strong>the</strong> second part <strong>of</strong> that statement means that he couldn‘t<br />
dare to even try to express what he saw! Having this point in mind, we could still attempt to<br />
describe some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> few values <strong>of</strong> living in heaven:<br />
A. No hunger, no thirst, no hot or cold in heaven<br />
While Christ blesses those who ―hunger and thirst for righteousness‘ sake‖ here on earth, St.<br />
John <strong>the</strong> beloved tells us in Revelation 7:16 that in heaven ―<strong>the</strong>y shall nei<strong>the</strong>r hunger anymore<br />
nor thirst anymore; <strong>the</strong> sun shall not strike <strong>the</strong>m, nor any heat.‖<br />
JONAH’S FAST 75