“December 11–17. Revelation 6–14: ‘They Overcame … by the Blood of the Lamb,’” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 (2021)
“December 11–17. Revelation 6–14,” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: 2023
Composite art by Eric Johnsen: The Grand Council, by Robert T. Barrett; star cluster courtesy of European Space Agency
December 11–17
Revelation 6–14
“They Overcame … by the Blood of the Lamb”
As you read Revelation 6–14, think about the children you teach. The Holy Ghost can help you identify truths that will be relevant to them.
Invite Sharing
Show some pictures that will help the children remember things they have learned recently at home or in Primary. Invite the children to share what they know about the pictures.
Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
Jesus Christ helps me become clean.
John saw many people dressed in robes “made … white in the blood of the Lamb” (verse 14). Consider how this vision could help the children understand the importance of being made clean through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Possible Activities
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Show the children some white clothes (or a picture of some) and a picture of Jesus. Read Revelation 7:9, 13–14 to the children, and ask them to point to the picture and clothes every time they hear the word white. Explain that white clothes represent cleanliness and remind us that Jesus Christ can make us clean from our mistakes.
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Show the children a piece of white cloth or piece of paper, and let them get it dirty by marking it with a pen or putting dirt on it. Explain that when we disobey the commandments, it can feel like having dirt on our clothes. Show a picture of Jesus in Gethsemane (such as Gospel Art Book, no. 56), put the dirty cloth or paper away, and show them a clean one. Testify that Jesus Christ can help us become clean.
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Sing a song about baptism, such as “When I Am Baptized” (Children’s Songbook, 103), and testify that Jesus helps us become clean when we are baptized.
I showed faith in Jesus Christ in the premortal life.
In the War in Heaven, God’s faithful children overcame Satan by “the word of their testimony” and by showing faith in Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:11). They continue to do so today.
Possible Activities
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To help the children understand what it means to follow someone’s example, choose one child to be a “leader,” and ask the others to follow him or her by doing whatever he or she does. Then let other children be the leader. Read Revelation 12:7–11 to the children and explain that before we were born, we chose to follow Jesus and not Satan.
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Sing together a song about the premortal life, such as “I Lived in Heaven” or “I Will Follow God’s Plan” (Children’s Songbook, 4, 164–65). Ask questions like, “What happened in heaven before we were born?” and “What did we choose to do?” (See also “Introduction: Our Heavenly Father’s Plan” in New Testament Stories, 1–5, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.)
The gospel was restored in our day.
John wrote about an angel who would bring “the everlasting gospel” (Revelation 14:6). Discussing Revelation 14:6–7 provides an opportunity for you to testify of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our day.
Possible Activities
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Show the children a picture of Moroni talking to Joseph Smith as you read Revelation 14:6 (see Gospel Art Book, no. 91). Invite the children to point to the angel in the picture. Share with them the account of Moroni’s visit (see “Chapter 3: The Angel Moroni and the Gold Plates,” in Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 13–17, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
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Invite the children to act out the story of Moroni visiting Joseph Smith (see Joseph Smith—History 1:29–35). Help them name some of the blessings that we enjoy because the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored. Share your testimony of the Restoration.
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
The gospel can help me overcome temptation.
The smoke that darkened the air in Revelation 9:2 could be likened to temptations (see 1 Nephi 12:17).
Possible Activities
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Draw pictures of a sun and a dark cloud, and cut them out. Invite the children to read Revelation 9:2 and 1 Nephi 12:17 and write on the dark cloud what the smoke or mists in these verses represent. Place the dark cloud on the board, and invite the children to make a list of temptations children their age face. Then place the sun on the board and ask them to make a list of tools Heavenly Father has given us to overcome the darkness in the world.
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How can we help others who are in the dark spiritually? To help the children think about this question, show part of the video “Choose the Light” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org), especially the last half of the video. How can we be like the person who helped the biker in the tunnel?
I showed faith in Jesus Christ in the premortal life.
The children you teach are on earth because they had faith in Jesus Christ in the premortal life and chose to follow Him.
Possible Activities
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Read together Revelation 12:7–11, and write on the board the words dragon, War in Heaven, cast out, testimony, and Lamb. Ask the children to summarize these verses using the words on the board. What do we learn about Jesus Christ (the Lamb) from these verses? What do we learn about the choices we made in the premortal life?
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On the board, create three columns and label them Before this life, During this life, and Both. Prepare strips of paper that state truths about the premortal life and about mortal life, such as We have bodies, We don’t have bodies, We live in God’s presence, We are at war with Satan, We exercise faith in Jesus Christ, and We follow God’s plan. Let the children take turns picking a paper strip and deciding which column it belongs in. Share your confidence that the children can continue to show faith in Christ.
As part of the Restoration, the gospel will be preached to all the world.
The children you teach can help preach the gospel “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6).
Possible Activities
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Ask the children to read Revelation 14:6–7 and to write on the board words or phrases from these verses that are meaningful to them. Ask them to share why they chose those words or phrases. Explain that these verses describe the Restoration of the gospel in our day. Ask them how they can take part in the work of preaching the gospel to the world.
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Invite the children to read Revelation 14:7 and to rephrase in their own words the message the angel had for the world. Or invite them to draw a picture representing the angel’s message. What can we share with others about the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Encourage Learning at Home
Help the children write down a word or phrase that will help them remember something they learned in class today. Invite them to show what they wrote to someone at home and share what they learned.
Improving Our Teaching
Teach doctrine through music. Singing songs with the children can reinforce the doctrine you are teaching from the scriptures. For ideas, see “Using Music to Teach Doctrine” in the section titled “Instructions for Singing Time and the Children’s Sacrament Meeting Presentation” at the end of this manual.