#427GoldenBells

People who met Jesus

ThievesTwo

Hell

Begin life in this world

DIE

1 2 3 4 5

22 21 20 19 18

23 24 25 26 27

44 43 42 41 40

45 46 47 48 49

66 65 64 63 62

Start School

(roll again)

Get Married

(celebrate by rolling again)

Grandma dies in hospital. For

the first time you think about eter-nity. You prepare

to meet God.

One of your 40th birthday presents

is a Bible. You read it and

discover the truth.

A work friend talks to you about God. You realise you have sinned against Him. Re-pent & believe.

Celebrate Christ-mas. Realise for

the first time that the Baby in the manger was the

Son of God.

Promoted to Manager at work

(roll again)

Get Divorced(miss 2

turns!!!)

You have high blood pressure and diabetes.

Take some pills.

(miss a turn)

Friend asks you to church. You reject the Gospel. Your hardened heart

takes you further away from God.

You wish you could get rich quick. Jump forward 20

years.

In r

eal l

ife, p

eopl

e ar

e bo

rn, t

hey

live,

the

y di

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hel

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ess

they

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e w

ay. T

hat

is w

hat

this

ga

me

is a

bout

. Eac

h pl

ayer

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coun

ters

(“pe

ople

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im is

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ake

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the

y al

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n. W

ith e

ach

role

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the

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e, y

ou c

an c

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e w

hich

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to m

ove

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may

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he b

oard

at

once

!) Th

e nu

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pres

ent

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s of

life

. Blu

e sq

uare

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ou to

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ven.

Red

squ

ares

take

you

to h

ell.

All

you

need

to b

egin

is a

dic

e an

d 3

coun

ters

for

each

pla

yer.

If y

ou d

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t ha

ve a

dic

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ut n

umbe

rs in

a h

at a

nd d

raw

the

m o

ut fo

r ea

ch t

urn.

6 7 8 9 10 11

17 16 15 14 13 12

28 29 30 31 32 33

39 38 37 36 35 34

50 51 52 53 54 55

61 60 59 58 57 56

Mum reads you the story of the

thief on the cross. You ask the Lord Jesus to take you

to heaven too.

Attend the school easter play. You hear that Christ

died for your sins. You bow and thank Him.

Realise you can’t go to heav-en because you keep breaking

the 10 command-ments. Ask God for forgiveness.

FinishSchool

(roll again)

Buy your dream home

(roll again)

You are killed in a tragic car ac-

cident. You have lived without God. You die

without Him too.

Drop dead from a heart attack.

You have lived 50 years and never

had your sins sorted out.

Retire from work.

Life slows down.

(Go back 3)

You have lived 57yrs without God, but He is

merciful. Go back to 21 for a second

chance.

Become a parent. Sud-denly mature very quickly.

(Go Forward)

Make bad friends at

school. Being naughty.

(Miss a turn)

This one only happens in

board games, not real life!

Heaven

This is the story of 2 boys who were born on the same day in the same hospital in the same city. They lived in the same street and al-ways played the same games. The 2 little boys started school on the

same day. They were in the same class and even had the same teacher.

But the 2 little boys turned into 2 naughty boys...They kicked and punched and hurt their brothers and sisters.

They stole money from their mother’s bag to buy lollies.

They cheated at school and told lies when they were found out.

They disobeyed their parents and swore at their teacher.

The 2 bad teenagers grew up to become 2 bad menThey robbed banks and bashed policemen.

They collected guns and knives and killed people they did not like.

They stole jewels, diamonds, silver and gold.

The 2 naughty boys soon became 2 bad teenagers...

They skipped school and finally got expelled.

They smoked cigarettes and drank beer.

They vandalized shops and did graffiti. They made friends with some very bad people who were professional robbers.

For the short story, keep readingFor the long version, turn to page 5

The 2 bad men ended up 2 bad criminalsThey slept all day and carried out their terrible crimes at nightNight after night... week in week out... month by month... until...

The 2 bad criminals were caught!

The 2 bad criminals were crucified...

When they were dying on their crosses, the 2 evil criminals met the Lord Jesus Christ. He was crucified right beside them. Actually in between the two of them.

The 2 bad criminals had always been just the same. The same when they were babies, the same when they were boys, the same when they were teenagers, the same when they were men. But now when they met Jesus they were DIFFERENT!

Criminal 2 believed that Jesus was Saviour and Lord. Criminal 1 did not. Criminal 2 asked the Lord Jesus to take him to heaven. Criminal 1 did not.

The 2 bad criminals had been together in their games, together at school, together in their crimes, together in jail, together when they died… but now they were SEPARATED! Criminal 2 died and went to heaven. Criminal 1 died and went to hell.

The 2 bad criminals were separated forever!

What Next?

about us

Find t

he two keys without a matching pair, then f nd the key that f ts the l

ock on

the colouring page.

For Criminal 1’s story, turn to page 10 For Criminal 2’s story, turn to page 11

What Next?

criminals were caught and

locked up in a dirty cell smelling of mould and crawling with rats. They were fed

only stale bread and cloudy water which tasted foul! Two months passed before it was time for them to be

bought before a Judge. The Judge frowned at the men and began reading through page after page of their evil crimes.

When he had finished, he just said one word, “GUILTY!”

The two criminals wondered what their punishment would be. Would they be shot or hung? Perhaps spend years in that dirty, smelly cell? But the punishment the Judge decided on was worse than all they had wondered…. “DEATH BY CRUCIFIXION!”

Soldiers came and whipped the two wicked criminals until their backs were bleeding. They marched them along a windy dirt road and up a steep hill to a place called Calvary. The soldiers nailed large iron spikes through the criminals’ hands and feet onto two heavy, wooden crosses. All the crimes they had ever committed were written on big metal signs and hung above their heads for everyone to see. The two evil criminals were then lifted high on the wooden crosses and left to die.

Looking down the two criminals could see a large crowd of people coming up the hill to where they were. This crowd seemed to be following a Man who was bruised, bleeding and wearing a crown of thorns on His head. When the crowd reached Calvary, the soldiers took this Man and nailed Him to another wooden cross. The Man was silent. They hung a big metal sign above His head. There were no crimes written on it. It just read “Jesus, King of the Jews”. As the man was lifted high on His cross between the two evil criminals, they heard him praying, “Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing”.

The crowd cheered and mocked the Man. They called out, “If you really are a King, come on down from that cross and we will believe you”. Laughing to each other they said, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself! He said He was the Son of God, let us see if God will save Him now…”

The two

Activities

mail@goldenbellsmag.com.au

about us #427

Find t

he two keys without a matching pair, then f nd the key that f ts the l

ock on

the colouring page.

Find “the big lesson from #427” somewhere in the

magazine and write it here.

Hint: Look fo

r this icon

2

2

goldenbellsmag.com.au is a free, online kids Bible teaching magazine and a resources website for religious education teachers.

If you would like to order printed copies of this magazine, please contact us (minimum quantities apply). We also welcome your ongoing feedback.

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paradiseActivities

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f murderBalloon PopPop the balloons by drawing an ‘X’ through them if they are carrying a word that: - Is a book of the Bible - Is a crime or - Rhymes with ‘thief’. Then unscramble the remaining words to reveal the verse [Use Bible Bits verse 43 to help you]

Answer:3

3

titus

acts

Activities CalvaryFill in the bubbles...

(a) What the crowd said to Jesus(b) What criminal 1 said to Jesus(c) What criminal 2 said TO JESUS(d) What Jesus said to criminal 2(e) What was written on the sign above Jesus’ head.*Find answers in the story & Bible Bits*

(a)

(B)

(C)

(D)(e)

Crim1 Crim2

3

Colouringwith Curly

13

Criminal 1Evil Criminal 1 was angry, bitter and twisted. He

knew he was dying.

He had never cared about God or anyone else in his life before. He spat and cursed and then he joined the crowds as they made fun of the man being crucified beside him. He screamed out:

‘If you are the Christ then save yourself and us too!’

As Criminal 1 hung upon his cross swearing and blaspheming, he got weaker and weaker and

finally died.

Then Criminal 1 went straight to hell. That was over 2000 years ago and Criminal 1 is

still in hell today!

Fearful Facts Fascinating FactsAbout Hell About Heaven

People will never do or think anything wrong.

There is no crying

It is never night time

There is no sun because God is light

People will see Jesus there

Other name = the lake of fire

God is gone

There is pain and hurting

Nobody can leave

People will see Satan there

It is a real place

Criminal 2As Criminal 2 listened to the crowd and watched the man being crucified beside him. Something

happened and he was totally changed.

He knew that this Man was truly the King, the Christ and the Son of God.

When he heard Criminal 1 joining in with the crowd to make fun of the Man, he called out:

‘STOP. Don’t you fear God? We deserve to die for our crimes but this Man has done nothing wrong!’

Then criminal 2 turned and spoke to Jesus:

‘Lord remember me when you come in your Kingdom’.

Straight away Jesus answered and said:

‘Today you will be with me in heaven’

As Criminal 2 hung on his cross, he got weaker and weaker. Finally he died peacefully with the promise of the Lord Jesus ringing in His ears.

Criminal 2 went straight to heaven.That was over 2000 years ago and Criminal 2 is

still with the Lord Jesus today!

Broken

Horrible

savedby grace!

Guilty

Wicked

Broken

assault

Criminal record

SinnerCondemned

Horrible

This man is in heaven with Jesus!

The big lesson of

#427:

Jesus came for sinnersJesus died for sinnersJesus saves sinners

“When we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for

a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Read Romans 5:6-11

stealingmurderlyingcheating

YCP

Y o u n gChristiansP a g e

This is the story of two men meeting Jesus. For one it is the story of a tragedy. For the other it is the story of a miracle. The incredible thing is that, for the most of the

story, they are identical, but at the end it all changes. The end for one is terrible. For the other it is wonderful.

Both men had very similar lives. Born in the same village, they went to the same school. Growing up, they took to a life of crime together. They were rebels and thieves with no thought for God or regard for right and wrong in any form. Finally the authorities caught up with them and they were arrested and imprisoned. Tried, they were both found guilty and sentenced to death. The law was very harsh in those days and their death was to be by crucifixion. This means that they would be nailed to a wooden cross, then hung up until they died. On the day of their death, they were crucified on either side of the Lord Jesus. It was here in the final hours of their life that they met Him for the first time.

All around them, everyone was jeering, mocking, laughing and insulting the Lord Jesus. They laughed at His claim to be King and mocked Him when He said He was God. They jeered when He said that in three days He would rise again. They all did it - the scribes, the chief priests, the Pharisees, the soldiers and even the people passing by. They all rejected Him and the two thieves both joined in.

They were both dying, and right next to them was One who could forgive them their life of sin. One who could deliver them from God’s judgment. One Who had power over death. One who could take them to Heaven. Yet, in their unbelief, they were blind to it. One of them died that way – in unbelief. Unrepentant, unforgiven, he died the death of the wicked. He died without God, without hope, without a Saviour. The other thief was different. He began the same way, then he changed. He realized that this man Jesus who was being crucified next

to Him was not like other men. He had done no wrong, no crime. He was dying without one word of complaint or desire for revenge. He was actually praying, asking for forgiveness for His tormentors. He was allowing this to happen. The thief realized Jesus was not just a man. He turned to stop his friend saying, “Don’t you fear God?” This man between them was worthy of all reverence and respect. This Man was God.

Repentance

What did he say?

This man’s faith is rewarded. He was saved from Hell and judgment. The Lord remembered one who said, “Lord, remember me”. This thief died the death of the righteous. What a miracle. The other died the death of the wicked. What a tragedy.

“Do you not even fear God seeing you are under the same condemnation?”

He had never in his life feared God before. Now suddenly he has a total change of heart and mind.

“and we indeed justly for we receive the due reward for our deeds”He sees the truth about Himself. He is a guilty sinner. He is condemned and deserves to die.

Confession“But this man has done

nothing wrong”He realizes the truth about Jesus. He is not dying for His crimes. He is perfect. He really is Christ the Son of God.

“Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom”

FaithHelpless and hopeless, he believes in the future and simply aks for mercy, even though he is about to die.

32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. 33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they cruci-fied Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”And they divided His garments and cast lots. 35 And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved oth-ers; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”38 And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Bible BitsLuke 23:32-43 [NKJV]

mail@goldenbellsmag.com.au

goldenbellsmag.com.au is a free, online kids Bible teaching magazine and a resources website for religious education teachers.

If you would like to order printed copies of this magazine, please contact us (minimum quantities apply). We also welcome your ongoing feedback.

goldenbellsmag.com.au