The children's Bible

The Children's Bible

The kingdom of heaven is for children

Mt 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The Bible was written about the kingdom of heaven for children. He speaks to children in childish riddles.

1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish (1) things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

(1) Gk: moros, from which we get 'moron'. It is probably from the base of musterion which is where we get 'mystery'. God has chosen the foolish, childish mysteries (riddles) to confound the wise.

1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

The kingdom of heaven is 'teaching'

Mt 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

We are often mistakenly told that leaven represents sin in the Bible. Any child can see from the verse above that this cannot be, since the kingdom of heaven cannot be like sin. Jesus clearly used leaven to represent 'teaching' as shown in the verse below:

Mt 16:12 Then understood they how that he bade [them] not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine (teaching) of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

The days of unleavened bread In preparation for the passover, the Israelites cleaned their homes of all leaven. It was like a spring cleaning where all the nooks and crannies were swept out so that there was no leaven in the house for Passover. Since the passover represents the cross where Jesus died for our sins so that God would passover us as he destroys the world, it doesn't make sense that we would have to rid ourselves of sin before then. If we were capable of ridding ourselves of sin, the cross would not be necessary for our salvation.

What then do we rid ourselves of? Of old 'teaching'. Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven was 'at hand' as he taught on the mountian. He said “You have heard...but I say”. As the time of his death approached where he would be slain as the Lamb of God for the sins of the world, he helped Israel rid itself of the old teaching, in preparation for the new teaching.

The new Jerusalem The new Jerusalem is a symbol of the kingdom of heaven. Jerusalem means 'teaching of peace'. The new Jerusalem is the 'new teaching of peace'.

Revelation from the Father

Mt 16.16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Peter didn't have a burning bush, a talking donkey, or any other special manifestation tell him that Jesus was the Son of God. He knew the scriptures and had been looking for the Messiah. He saw who Jesus was and what he was doing, and the Holy Spirit helped him correlate what he already knew. This was declared to be a revelation from the Father. The Father taught him. (The kingdom of heaven is like teaching.)

The keys to the kingdom

Mt 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Jesus would give Peter the keys to 'the kingdom of heaven' which is the new Jerusalem or the keys to the new teaching of peace.

The pictures of the cross are the keys

Mt 16:21 ¶ From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

The pictures of the cross were hidden (locked)

Ro 16:25 ¶ Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, 1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 1Co 4:1 ¶ Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Eph 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Eph 3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Eph 3:9 And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 1Ti 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

Fisherman to head Apostle

Mt 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Ex 17:6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

The first picture of the cross that Jesus gave to Peter as a key to the new teaching of peace was that of the rock. The rock is a picture of Christ being smitten and producing living water. Children know it is God from this and other scriptures:

Isa 44:8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared [it]? ye [are] even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, [there is] no Rock; I know not [any].

Peter, the simple fisherman, became the pre-eminent apostle because he could see the hidden pictures of the cross in the scriptures. The more educated apostles deferred to Peter because he had the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

Pictures of the cross