Teaching Daniel 7

3-5s

Theme: God is in charge over everything

Aim: That they trust God when they're scared

Intro:

Who's in charge - colouring / painting pictures of teachers, policemen, parents, kings

            Talk about how you know they're in charge

Teaching:

Recap - pictures of the first 6 chapters and ask simple questions

Today Daniel has a dream. And its a really scary dream. Have you ever had a scary dream? [share some scary dreams and how they felt]

Well Daniel dreams of 4 kings. But they don't look like kings in his dream. They look like scary animals!

Do you remember King Nebuchadnezzar from our stories? Well Daniel dreamt of King Neb, but instead of looking like King Neb, he looked like a lion with wings [have a picture with a crown on one side and a lion with wings on the other].

Then he dreams of another king, except this king looked like a bear chewing on some ribs! [have a crown with '2' and a bear on the reverse].

Then there was a third king, except this king looked like a leopard with 4 heads and wings! [have a crown with '3' and the picture on the reverse].

Then the 4th king we're told was just like a beast [have same picture idea]. And that King was the most scary. Daniel was told that this king would be really horrible to God's people.

Now Daniel was really scared! Wouldn't you be. Not only were these Kings scary in his dream, but also the last one would do horrible things to God's people. Daniel 'went white with fear' (v28).

BUT - I haven't told you all of Daniel's dream yet. Because if that was all he dreamt then it would be very scary. But Daniel saw more than that.

Daniel also sees something very wonderful in his dream. He sees God, and this is what he says, (read v9-10). Wow! That's someone who is very, very strong! No matter how strong these kings seemed, God was stronger. No matter how big these kings seemed, God is bigger. No matter how important these kings were, God was in control!

Here is what Daniel sees (read v26-27). God is in total charge of all the kings, no matter how powerful they seem. God is in charge of all these people we coloured in earlier (hold up pictures). God is in charge of mummies and daddies. God is in charge of teachers and of policemen, too.

[if possible do this next bit]

And God has sent an even more wonderful King, who is more powerful than all these other kings, but He is very good. And God the Father gives Him a kingdom that will last forever. Read v13-14. Who do you think this King is, from Daniel's dream?

Pray

Craft:

• Scary animal masks - could then use for a game
• Decorate memory verse (Daniel 6:26)

Songs:

• My God is so Big
• Our God is a great Big God
• Jesus is the mighty, mighty, King

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5-11s

Theme: God has control over all rulers, even bad ones, and gives a forever Kingdom to His Son

Aim: Trust, even when you are afraid

Intro:

Share dreams - what's the weirdest, scariest dream you've had?

Teaching:

Recap - use pictures to show structure of Daniel - dream; rescue; judgement; judgement; rescue; dream. Like a mountain. [particularly recap Dan 2]

Daniel has a dream, this time much scarier than King Neb's. He dreamed of 4 animals, which were really kings. [have one older child reading; give others paper, they need to guess what each animal is]

1. Read v4 and have one child in a lion mask. How might this be like King Neb?

2. Read v5 and have one child in a bear mask. We don't know who this was, maybe Darius.

3. Read v6 and have a child in a leopard mask. Again, not sure, maybe Greece, Alexander the Great.

4. Read v7-8 and have a child in a 'beast' mask. Not sure who this is again. Maybe the Roman kings.

[or could keep the suspense as the chapter does, question the children as to what the animals are, then read v15-17]

It doesn't matter too much who they are. But they are scary. Read v19-22. What are they going to do? Even scarier, read v23-25.

Game - run away from the 4 animals/kings (essentially tig/tag)

So, is that all Daniel learns; there are scary kings? No, of course not.

Daniel sees something else in his dream. Read v9-12. What does Daniel see? How is that helpful to know?

God is far more powerful than any of these scary kings, in fact He has these kings under His control! He decides how long they're on the throne for and when their time is up. God is in control of all history and everything in the world. Read v26.

And Daniel sees a better King, read v13-14. Who is this King? What will his Kingdom be like?

When Jesus rose again and ascended to be with His Father in heaven, God gave Him the kingdom; and one day Jesus will return and defeat all these bad kings once and for all. Read v27. We will rule with Jesus forever.

Table time:

Knowledge

• What four animals did Daniel see and what were they?

• What else did Daniel see in his dream?

Understanding

• Why do you think God showed Daniel these things?

• How did God reassure and encourage Daniel?

• When will/do we see Jesus' forever kingdom?

Application

• What can you remember when you are afraid?

• What can you remember when people laugh at you for being a Christian?

Pray - altogether pray in detail for some of the places in the world where they have rulers who attack Christians

Memory verse - Daniel 6:26

Spares:

• Weird animal masks
• Draw their own animal