God's wonderful creative acts were shown briefly in an overview. Time limitations prevented us from showing the days of creation in more detail.

Before Adam and Eve sinned, the Garden of Eden was an unspoiled paradise. God had given Adam and Eve dominion over the earth, and animals did not attack people. Many Bible scholars believe that before Adam and Eve sinned, all animals were vegetarians.

We used creative license to show Michael with a flaming sword that is reminiscent of the flaming sword that kept Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. The Bible records, After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24 NLT).

Many Bible scholars believe that Satan used to be a mighty angel called Lucifer. But when He rebelled against God, he became corrupted and evil. The Bible tells us, How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! (Isaiah 14:12 NKJV).

The evil angels were the ones that Satan convinced to join his rebellion and be part of his demonic army. This is symbolically referred to in the book of Revelation, with Satan referred to as a dragon and the angels referred to as stars of heaven: And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth (Revelation 12:3-4 NKJV).

We used creative liberty to depict the battle between good angels and fallen angels. When an angel is struck down, it can no longer fight in the battle.

Lucifer's change in appearance was an outward reflection of how he had corrupted himself and become evil. On the other hand, he can try to deceive people by disguising himself as a good angel. The Bible tell us about Satan's deception when it says, But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14 NLT).

Jesus was the one walking majestically through the garden. We depicted Him as radiant and divine, and we showed Him exercising miraculous power. The Bible reveals that the Creator really did walk in the midst of His creation: And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden (Genesis 3:8 NKJV).

God Himself instituted the practice of animal sacrifice for the sins of people. After Adam and Eve sinned, God made clothing for them from animal skins. Much later, when God gave the Old Covenant Law to the people of Israel, He gave instructions for the sacrifice of certain animals as offerings for sin. The Bible tells us, In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22 NLT). The animal that was sacrificed had to be without any defect. This points to the sinlessness of Jesus Christ who died for the sins of mankind. The innocence of the lamb sacrificed by Abraham foreshadows the innocence of Jesus. Now that Jesus has died for the sins of the world, animal sacrifices are no longer needed.

They were highlights of Abraham's future, including joyful moments with his wife Sara and his son Isaac, as well as a very troubling time when God would tell Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.

It was an abacus–a device for performing mathematical calculations by sliding balls or beads along rods or in grooves.

The account of this extraordinary visit clearly reveals that the Lord was visiting Abraham. The Bible explicitly says that the Lord visited and spoke to Abraham. The Hebrew word translated as "Lord" is "Yahweh," God's holy name. Theologians believe that when God appeared in bodily form in Old Testament times that it was an appearance of Jesus.

God was foretelling the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ. In the human sense, Jesus would be a descendant of Abraham and Isaac. Through Jesus, people around the world can experience God's wonderful blessings of love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

The birthright was a common practice in which the eldest son would receive a double share of the inheritance from his father. The oldest son also became the priest of the family, and he inherited the judicial authority of his father. In the Law given by God to the nation of Israel, the birthright of an oldest son is protected so that a father could not give it to a younger, but favored, son.

While the two sons were still in the womb, God knew the characteristics of each of them as well as that of the nations that would come from them. [Recall that God told the prophet Jeremiah, I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5 NLT)]. Although both Jacob and Esau had character flaws, Esau seemed to have little regard for spiritual matters and foolishly sold his priceless birthright for a mere bowl of stew. His birthright would have secured for him the promises God had given to Abraham. But the Bible tells us that Esau showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn (Genesis 25:34 NLT). God's divine favor did not rest on Esau, but on Jacob.

He wore it as camouflage for hunting. It was common practice in that part of the world at that time.

Esau lacked self-discipline and foresight in this regard. Although he claimed to be dying of starvation, he was surely exaggerating. He focused on his immediate need and did not consider the long-term consequences of giving up his birthright. Perhaps he thought that the birthright was not so important because he was favored by his father.

All we know is that it was a lentil stew. The Bible tells us, Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn (Genesis 25:34 NLT).

A blessing is a pronouncement of good over someone. In this case, it is the declaration of a father of the good that will come upon a son. Since the father is the priest of the family, his spoken blessing carried special weight and had real effects on the future wellbeing of the recipient.

After they finished wrestling and the "man" left, Jacob named that place Peniel (which means "face of God"), and he said, I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared (Genesis 32:30 NLT). So we know that Jacob was actually wrestling with God. Whenever God manifests Himself, it is called a theophany. And whenever God appeared on earth in the form of a man, theologians believe it was an appearance of Jesus.

The ground where Moses stood became holy because of God's revealed presence. In eastern countries, it is customary to take off shoes and sandals when entering someplace special like a home. On a deeper level, Moses' sandals were dirty, and taking them off was an acknowledgement by Moses that he was sinful and was in the presence of the holy God.

Pharaoh's magicians used the powers of Satan to copy the miracle that occurred with Moses' staff. Moses did not have miraculous power; it was God who changed Moses' staff into a serpent and back into a staff.

There were boulders in his way and his army was rushing past him, so he was blocked from going further.

The Bible does not specifically say that Pharaoh died, so we do not know with certainty that he did drown. On the other hand, all of Pharaoh's army that chased the Israelites into the sea perished. The Bible records, Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers–the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived (Exodus 14:28 NLT).

Moses does not use the term "rules." It is mostly the children who use the word "rules," which is a term they relate to better than "commandments." Moses referred to the Ten Commandments as commandments, and he referred to other parts of the Law as statutes and judgments. Moses only used the word "rules" in regard to the command for the people to not approach the mountain.

God commanded this to teach the people to trust in His daily provision. They could rest in the knowledge that God was watching over them every day and would provide what was needed for each day.

We know that God has manifested Himself to people in various ways. He spoke to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:2) and a cloud (Exodus 34:5), the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus as a dove (John 1:32), and on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came with the sound of a rushing wind and tongues of fire (Acts 2:1-4).

It was the Lord coming down in the form of a cloud. The Bible tells us, Then the LORD came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh (Exodus 34:5 NLT).

The power of God came on David and gave him the courage and strength to kill a lion. Another time, David killed a bear (1 Samuel 17:34-37).

God looked at David's heart and saw that he had a desire to obey and please Him (1 Samuel 13:14; 16:7).

The pouring of oil on David's head by the prophet Samuel showed that God had set him apart for special service. In other words, God had selected him as the future king of Israel. In addition, the oil symbolized the Holy Spirit. The Bible records that when Samuel poured the oil on David's head that the Holy Spirit came powerfully on David from that day on (1 Samuel 16:13).

David played a small harp or lyre.

In order to avoid the possibility of scaring some children with Goliath's prolonged and menacing presence, we created a Philistine man named Phicol to provide comic relief.

The Bible records that Goliath was over nine feet tall (1 Samuel 17:4).

Goliath's spear had a thick and heavy wooden shaft, and the metal head of the spear weighed 15 pounds (1 Samuel 17:7).

While the Bible does record that David picked up five stones, we focused on the central point of the story in that, through faith in God and with God's power, David defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone. Due to time limitations, we are not always able to show all of the details of a biblical story.

All of the Superbook episodes are limited to about 28 minutes in length so they can be broadcast in 30-minute time slots. (This will enable us to take Superbook to many more children in the United States and around the world.) When you take into account the opening and closing songs as well as the end credits, we only have about 22 minutes to tell the whole story. Part of that time is allotted to Chris and Joy in their modern-day setting so kids can learn an important and relevant life lesson. As you can see, we simply do not have enough time to cover every aspect of the biblical stories. It is our hope and desire that the adventures of Chris and Joy will inspire children to find out more about the stories. One of the goals of the Superbook series is to get children excited about reading the Bible.

The glow shows the Spirit of the Lord that came on David to enable him to defeat Goliath (1 Samuel 16:13 NLT).

The Bible records that David defeated Goliath with a stone and a sling. After Goliath fell to the ground, David took Goliath's sword and killed him (1 Samuel 17:49-51).

The city of Babylon was in the area that is now called the nation of Iraq. In the Old Testament, "Babylon" refers to both the city of Babylon and the region of Babylonia.

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego were all taken as captives to Babylon when King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem. Because of his great God-given wisdom, Daniel served in important governmental positions under a series of kings: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius.

To keep people from attempting to move the stone to rescue Daniel, some clay was pressed against the stone and the covering of the lions' den. The king then pressed image on his ring against the clay to leave an impression in it. This was the royal seal of the king and meant that no one was to tamper with it.

Daniel did not know their names when they first entered his home, but moments later he heard Chris say Joy's name.

As soon as King Darius told Daniel's accusers that they would discover exactly how mighty the lion's roar can be, Superbook took Chris, Joy and Gizmo back home. Superbook took them back because they had learned the lesson of doing the right thing even when it is not easy.

Bible scholars are not in agreement as to the exact time when the star appeared and when the magi arrived. Some believe that the star appeared when Jesus was born, the magi then saw the star, began their journey, and arrived months or years later. Another view is that the star appeared before the birth of Christ, so the magi began their journey sooner and arrived when Jesus was born. "The First Christmas" shows the latter understanding of the events. This also allows children who have seen traditional nativity scenes to be able to relate well to the nativity scene in "The First Christmas."

The Bible tells us that Jesus was placed in a manger, which is a feeding trough for animals. The Gospel of Luke records, She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them (Luke 2:7 NLT). On the other hand, the Bible does not tell us if the manger was in a stable or cave. "The First Christmas" follows the traditional view of Jesus being born in a wooden stable. This allows for children who have seen traditional nativity scenes to be able to relate well to the nativity scene in "The First Christmas."

If you look closely, you will see a multitude of angels singing in the clouds.

We know that angels appeared to the shepherds who were nearby. Although the Bible does not say that angels were there with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, certainly God would have sent angels there to guard the newborn baby, even if they were not visible to the people there. A psalm speaks of God's angelic protection: If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone (Psalm 91:9-12 NLT). In addition, we exercised creative liberty to produce a majestic visualization of the spiritual realm when the Savior was born.

Superbook episodes are generally produced for children from 5 to 12 years of age. However, because children differ in their spiritual development, sensitivity to dramatic depictions, and the type of programming they are accustomed to viewing, we suggest that parents consider which episodes are appropriate for each of their children. For some episodes, we advise parents to preview the episode before showing it to their children.

The Bible doesn't specifically describe Satan, who is also called Lucifer or the devil; so we used creative license to show what he may look like. In the episode "In the Beginning," when Lucifer is first shown as an angel in heaven, he is depicted as an impressive angel with long blond hair. When he rebels against God, he is transformed into an evil creature, and his flowing hair becomes horns. Also, his body becomes reptile-like in appearance, assuming the look of the serpent in the Garden of Eden. (See Genesis 3:1.) We did not want to make Satan look like a character that could be misconstrued as a cool villain. We want children to understand that there is a real enemy and that he is evil.

In the script for this episode, the man is called "The Naysayer." He represents doubt, mockery, and lies. John 8:44 tells us that the devil is "the father of lies." Since the beginning, Satan has been an expert at deception and confusion. As an example, he transformed himself into a serpent in the Garden of Eden.

Satan did not cause the storm, and his remarks reveal that he did not. In the episode we purposely had the storm begin to develop before Satan appeared. Also, the Bible does not say that Satan caused the storm. However, Matthew 8:26 tells us that Jesus "rebuked" the wind and the waves, and they became still. In other places in the Gospel, the word "rebuke" is used when Jesus takes authority over demonic power. (See Matthew 17:18, Mark 9:25, and Luke 9:42.) We used creative license to illustrate how the disciples did not display faith in God as they reacted to the chaos of the storm and their fear of drowning.

His voice sounds as if many people are speaking because he had so many evil spirits. Luke 8:31-32 refers to "the demons" (plural) speaking to Jesus. The Bible describes the demon-possessed man very graphically in both Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39.

In order to accomplish an illusion like this, Street magicians often use accomplices to secretly rig unsuspecting bystanders.

He was speaking to a large crowd of people, and being on higher ground allowed his voice to be heard better.

The word "Messiah" is often translated simply as "Anointed One." Jesus certainly was anointed by God, for He said, The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD's favor has come (Luke 4:18-19 NLT). But Jesus' title as "Messiah" has a deeper and fuller meaning. He was anointed as prophet, priest, and king! Still, He did not come as the kind of king the people expected, for He said to Pilate, "My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36 NLT). Jesus is King of the kingdom of God!

It is a Hebrew word that means, "Save us, we implore you!" It was an exclamation of praise by the people when Jesus entered Jerusalem. It reflects the words of Psalm 118:25, "Please, LORD, please save us. Please, LORD, please give us success" (NLT).

It is Hebrew, and it means, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." This shout of the people hailed Jesus as the promised Messiah, and reflects Psalm 118:26, "Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD" (NLT).

Jesus was fulfilling one of the prophecies about the Messiah. This prophecy said, Tell the people of Jerusalem, 'Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey's colt' (Matthew 21:5 NLT).

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people waved palm branches to hail Him as the Messiah. The palm branches were waved as symbols of victory. In the ancient world, palm branches were used to welcome a king or victorious generals.

Nahshon was a character we created as a Pharisee. He represents the malevolent attitude and intentions of many of the religious leaders. For instance, the Bible records that the religious leaders planned to kill Jesus: It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him (Mark 14:1 NLT).

The outer courts of the Temple were supposed to be a holy place of prayer for people of all nations, but Jesus saw that some people had turned it into a place of dishonest business.

It was traditional for Psalm 118 to be sung during the Passover meal. One line from the psalm says, "This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24 NLT). The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus and His disciples sang a hymn at the end of the meal, "Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives" (Matthew 26:30 NLT).

He was speaking to a large crowd of people, and being on higher ground allowed his voice to be heard better.

It is northwest of Jerusalem and located on the Judean coast along the Mediterranean Sea.

In ancient times, many cities had walls to protect their citizens from invading armies or dangerous criminals and animals. For instance, when Moses sent twelve men to spy out the Promised Land, he instructed them in Numbers 13:19 (nlt), "See what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad? Do their towns have walls, or are they unprotected like open camps?" Forty years later, when the Israelites obeyed God's instruction to capture the city of Jericho, God miraculously caused the city walls to collapse: When the people heard the sound of the rams' horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it (Joshua 6:20 nlt). The events surrounding this great victory are depicted in the Superbook episode "Rahab and the Walls of Jericho."

Jesus is our divine Lord and the Son of God. On the other hand, the word "lord" could mean different things back then. At times, "lord" could simply be a title of respect. So it may be that Cornelius was addressing the angel as "sir."

The Bible doesn't tell us the name of the angel (Acts 10: 1-8) so we did not give him a name.

Joppa was on the Mediterranean coast, east of Jerusalem and south of Caesarea. It was the major seaport of Judea. Today, its name is Jaffa, and it comprises the southern part of Tel Aviv in Israel.

Centuries before the time of Peter and Cornelius, the prophet Jonah fled to the port of Joppa. The Bible tells us, But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish (Jonah 1:3 nlt).

We used creative license to make the vision visible to both Peter and Chris.

The main reason for dividing animals into "clean" and "unclean" categories may have been to teach Israel to be holy, that is, different from other nations through its devotion and obedience to the one true God. Another reason may have been to support hygiene and health.

His name is Jia Wei and he is Chinese.

We used creative license to visibly depict the Holy Spirit descending on the Gentiles when they believed in Jesus. The Bible recounts that when Peter told the Gentiles about Jesus, the Holy Spirit fell on them: Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message (Acts 10:44 nlt).

The episode simply follows the biblical account and is not making a doctrinal statement. Acts 10:46-48 says: Then Peter asked, "Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?" So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (NLT).

hey were surprised because Chris's mother, Phoebe Quantum, had gone on a previous Superbook adventure but did not remember it afterward. This is shown in the episode "He Is Risen!"

He had been lame since he was born. The book of Acts says, Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o'clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple (Acts 3:1-2 NLT).

Peter explained that it was by the man believing in the name of Jesus that he was healed. He said, Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus' name has healed him before your very eyes (Acts 3:16 NLT).

It might be that Herod saw the growing Christian community as both a religious and political threat. In addition, Herod was known for seeking the favor of the Jewish leaders and the Jewish community (which was mostly non-Christian.) The Bible records what happened: About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. He had the apostle James (John's brother) killed with a sword. When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter (Acts 12:1-3 NLT).

It was figs.

The Bible records that the angel told Peter to get dressed, so he must have been sleeping without his outer clothing on. The book of Acts tells us, Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, "Quick! Get up!" And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, "Get dressed and put on your sandals." And he did. "Now put on your coat and follow me," the angel ordered (Acts 12:7-8 NLT).

"Gird yourself" means to get dressed.

They weren't expecting God to answer their prayer by having Peter escape from prison. This shows that God can answer our prayers in ways that we do not expect. The Apostle Paul wrote the following, Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think (Ephesians 3:20 NLT).

Joy said that it was because of all of the bad things she saw happening around the world—people living in abject poverty, cruelty and sickness. Joy was filled with compassion for people who were suffering around the world, and she was reminded of a portion of the Lord's Prayer: May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10 NLT). Since Jesus taught us to pray for God's will to be done on earth, that means that it is not always being done on earth.

Praying is truly something powerful that we can do since with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). Still, there are times when we can make a practical difference in the lives of suffering people. For instance, John the Baptist told a crowd of people, If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry (Luke 3:11 NLT). In addition, the Apostle Paul wrote, Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith (Galatians 6:10 NLT).

We used creative license to visually depict people's prayers ascending to heaven. The book of Revelation pictures the prayers of believers rising to God: The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God's holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out (Revelation 8:4 NLT).

It may seem strange to us for Jesus to spit on his eyes, but that is what the heavenly Father led Him to do. Jesus explained this when He said, I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does (John 5:19 NLT). As you know, the result was that the man's eyes were healed.

Some miracles occur in an instant while others occur as a process over time. It was an amazing miracle that the blind man could see anything at all after Jesus first laid hands on him. When Jesus touched his eyes again, the power of God kept working in the man to complete the healing.

If the man had gone into the village, word about the miracle would have quickly spread. Jesus often performed amazing miracles, and if news spread about it, large crowds would surround Him so that He couldn't publicly enter a town. As a result, He had to stay in secluded places (Mark 1:41-45). On the other hand, by telling the man not to go into the village, He could enter the village without large crowds being there.

It may also be that if a large number of people realized that He was the Messiah, then they would also realize that He was the successor to the throne of King David, and they could try to make Him the new king of Israel. But Jesus did not come to take political power but to save us by living a sinless life and paying the penalty for our sins.

Again, the people would likely try to make Him king of Israel, but His mission was more spiritual and not political. He came to become our Savior by dying for our sins.

In the original Greek language of the New Testament, the word satan can mean "adversary." So Jesus was saying that Peter was opposing His divine purposes and mission. You can see this in what Jesus said to Peter: Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's (Matthew 16:23 NLT).

The beggar called Jesus the "son of David." He shouted, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! (Mark 10:47 NLT). David was the king of Israel, so the beggar knew that Jesus was in the royal family line of King David and had great respect for Him. It could be that the beggar's cloak was old and worn, and he felt that it would not be proper to go before Jesus while wearing it.

He was following the guidance of the heavenly Father who showed Him what to do.

It was a day of rest devoted to the Lord. The Bible tells us, You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work (Exodus 20:9-10 NLT).

The biblical events of "He Is Risen!" are taken from the Gospel of John. While the first three Gospels record that more than one woman went to the tomb, the Gospel of John only mentions Mary Magdalene going to the tomb. It says, Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance (John 20:1 NLT). The Superbook writers and producers decided to follow the emphasis of the Gospel of John on Mary Magdalene.

While the first batch of DVDs of "He is Risen!" depicted the two angels in the tomb as not being dressed in white, we have adjusted this aspect of the scene so subsequent batches of the DVD do show the angels wearing white (John 20:11-12). These changes have also been made for all domestic and international television broadcasts as well as for the upcoming curriculums called Superbook: Church Edition and Superbook: Family Edition.

In "He Is Risen!" the account of Jesus' resurrection follows what is recorded in the Gospel of John. That Gospel does not say that the angels told Mary to give a message to the disciples. Instead, the Gospel states that Jesus commissioned Mary to take the good news to the disciples. This is what the Gospel of John records: "Don't cling to me," Jesus said, "for I haven't yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'" (John 20:17 NLT).

When the New Testament talks about Jesus being nailed in His "hands," it uses a Greek word that has a broader meaning than the English word "hands." The Greek word includes the hand, wrist, and forearm. Additionally, historians have discovered that when Roman soldiers crucified people, they drove the nails through the palms, wrists, or forearms. (If Jesus was nailed through His palms, then the soldiers would have also tied His arms to the cross with ropes.) So it is possible that Jesus was nailed through either His palms or wrists. Whichever way it happened, when can thank our Savior for dying for our sins.

We would love to be able to include more about the resurrection of Jesus in "He Is Risen!" However, all of the Superbook episodes are limited to about 28 minutes in length so they can be broadcast in 30-minute time slots. (This will enable us to take Superbook to many more children around the world.) Part of each episode has Chris and Joy in their modern-day setting so kids can learn an important and relevant life lesson. We also have to fit in the opening song, closing song, and end credits, so we simply do not have enough time to cover every aspect of the biblical stories. It is our hope and desire that the adventures of Chris and Joy will inspire children to find out more about the stories. One of the goals of the Superbook series is to get children excited about reading the Bible.

Ananias said that the people with him should go to his home in Damascus, so he was only visiting the believers in Jerusalem. The Bible tells us, Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias (Acts 9:10 NLT). On the other hand, due to the intense persecution of Christians in Jerusalem, most of the believers who lived there fled the city.

We showed part of the stoning so we could be as historically accurate as possible about Saul's previous actions and the persecution that occurred. However, we only showed the stoning as a black and white memory in order to diminish the scene's intensity and make it more suitable for children.

We used creative license to emphasize the fact that the men with Saul were so amazed or fearful that they did not say anything. The Bible records how much they were struck by the events, The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone's voice but saw no one! (Acts 9:7 NLT).

When Jesus was still on earth, He taught that whatever is done to someone who believes in Him is also done to Him. In one of Jesus' parables, the King says, I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me! (Matthew 25:40 NLT). When Saul was persecuting Christians, it was as if He was doing it to Jesus because the Lord lives in their hearts and they are so precious to Him.

The Bible tells us that the men with Saul heard the sound of someone's voice (Acts 9:7 NLT). It might have been similar to when Jesus was on the cross and the Father spoke from heaven, I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again (John 12:28 NLT). The crowd heard the voice, but some confused it with thunder or the voice of an angel. The Bible tells us, When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him (John 12:29 NLT).

In Israel, it was traditional for Jewish men to put a prayer shawl (tallit) on their heads when they said their morning prayers.

It was the first part of a traditional Jewish opening prayer. It means, "Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the universe…"

When referring to the creature that swallowed Jonah, the original Hebrew language in Jonah 1:17 and the Greek language in Matthew 12:40 means "a great fish." So these verses do not necessarily refer to a whale. In addition, we reviewed a number of English Bible versions, and they all used terms like "a great fish" or "a huge fish" in Jonah 1:17 instead of "a whale." In Matthew 12:40, in which Jesus talked about Jonah, modern Bible versions do not refer to a whale, but to a great fish or sea monster.

The great fish could have been an enormous fish that is now extinct. The design of the great fish in Jonah is based on the appearance of the coelacanth.

God could have performed miracles to keep them supplied with oxygen and to keep them from being digested.

In the time of Jonah, it was common for people in Israel and nearby countries to cast lots to determine a decision. In this case, the sailors cast lots to see who was the guilty person who brought God's judgment on them through the storm. The Bible records, Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit (Jonah 1:7 NLT).

Yes. The Bible records that Jonah prayed to God from the belly of the great fish. You can read the whole prayer in Jonah 2:2-9.

God wanted to give the people time to repent and change their ways so destruction would not fall on them. This shows God's unconditional love and mercy. Jonah prayed to God and spoke about the Lord's strong desire to not have to judge them. Jonah said, I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people (Jonah 4:2 NLT). In addition, a period of 40 days is associated in the Bible with the humbling of oneself. Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days, and Moses fasted on Mt. Sinai for 40 days (Matt. 4:2; Ex. 34:28).

These things were a way of humbling themselves before God to show that they were truly sorry for their sins. In the episode, one of the residents of Nineveh told Jonah that the people had put on their "garments of mourning." The book of Jonah tells us that the people of Nineveh, including the king, fasted and put on sackcloth (burlap) to show sorrow for their sins:

The people of Nineveh believed God's message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow. When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes. Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city: 'No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us' (Jonah 3:5-9 NLT).

The Bible says that that God sent a worm to attack the plant (Jonah 4:7). When the bush fell over in the episode, it revealed worm holes and tracks that had weakened its stem so that it fell over.

In the time of Jacob, there was a species of black sheep that was indigenous to the area he lived in. In addition, Jacob had made an arrangement with Laban to be paid with sheep that were speckled, spotted, or dark colored. According to the New Living Translation, some of the sheep he negotiated for were black. Jacob said to Laban, Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as my wages (Genesis 30:32 NLT).

The colorful coat set Joseph apart as Jacob's favored son, and it might have indicated that Jacob was planning on giving him a larger portion of the inheritance. If Joseph's brothers thought that he was going to receive a portion of their inheritance, it could have been part of the reason why they sold him to traders.

The gold light was the Holy Spirit who enabled Joseph to interpret the dream God had given Pharaoh.

Superbook always returns Chris, Joy, and Gizmo to the same time that they left from, no matter how much time they spent on their Superbook adventure.

It was a statue of Nebuchadnezzar.

We know from the book of Daniel that the statue was 90 feet tall! The Bible says, King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon (Daniel 3:1 NLT).

The crowd at the ceremony was so huge that the king did not see their refusal to bow. Some people approached the king later to accuse them. The Bible tells us, But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews (Daniel 3:8 NLT).

The original Aramaic of Daniel 3:25 records that King Nebuchadnezzar said the fourth figure looked like "a son of the gods." Nebuchadnezzar believed that there were many gods, so for him to refer to the fourth figure in the fire as "like a son of the gods," it was the same as calling him a god or divine being. In "The Fiery Furnace," the statement by Nebuchadnezzar was taken from the New Living Translation, which reads, 'Look!' Nebuchadnezzar shouted. 'I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!' (Daniel 3:25 NLT). A number of modern Bible versions have similar translations of this verse (NET, NRSV, GNB).

The person who told Joshua how to defeat Jericho stated that He is the commander of the Lord's army. As the commander of God's host of angels, He certainly was not a mere human. Neither was He only an angel like Michael the archangel, for He said that Joshua was standing on holy ground. This is the same declaration that God had made to Moses out of the burning bush. An angel does not make ground holy–only the presence of God can do that. So this was an appearance of Jesus.

It is reminiscent of the blood that was applied to the lintels of the Israelite's homes in Egypt to protect them from the final plague on Egypt. As the blood protected the Israelites from the plague, the cord protected Rahab and her family from harm. In addition, the crimson cord can be seen as prophetically looking forward to the promised Messiah. The cord was crimson or scarlet in color, like the color of blood, and Jesus shed His blood on the cross for our sins. What's more, as the cord was the sign that saved the lives of Rahab and her family, Jesus has saved us and given us new life by shedding His blood on the cross.

Seven is the biblical number of perfection or completion. The Israelites' faith in God and obedience to Him were perfected by following all of His instructions for conquering the city. God's battle plan did not employ human implements of war such as ladders to scale the walls or a battering ram to break open the gate. The Israelites had to trust in God's instructions even if they did not make sense to them. For the first six days, there were no visible results of their obedience to God. Finally, on the seventh day, when they had followed all of God's instructions, He gave them a supernatural victory.

The trumpets, called shofars, heralded God's special presence, for the priests blowing the trumpets walked in front of the Ark of the Covenant.

It was the Ark of the Covenant, which symbolized God's glory and special presence with His people. It was a rectangular wooden box with a representation of two angels resting on its lid. The entire ark (box, lid, and angels) were overlaid with gold. Inside the ark were the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 25:16), a golden urn of the heavenly-supplied manna from the time the Israelites were in the wilderness (Heb. 9:4), and Aaron's staff that had miraculously produced blossoms and ripe almonds (Num. 17:8). These three items testified to God's goodness toward Israel through divine revelation, provision, and guidance.

The walls did not fall due to the natural effects of any human actions such as marching, blowing trumpets, or shouting. The walls were very thick and strong, and it was a supernatural act of God that knocked them down. It is possible that this was accomplished by the angelic warriors referred to by the commander of the Lord's army.

God only had to knock down enough of the walls for Joshua's army to enter the city. In addition, if the walls had fallen down all the way around the city, it may have endangered Rahab and her family whose house was on the outer wall.

Historians believe that King Ahasuerus is the same person as King Xerxes I.

Haman was very prideful in his position as the prime minister for King Xerxes. The king had commanded that lower ranking officials bow down and pay special respect to Haman, but Mordecai refused to do so. Mordecai must have felt that it was wrong to bow down as if to worship a man. Haman became extremely angry at Mordecai, and assumed that Jewish people were lawbreakers and not loyal to the king.

The overseer of the slaves thought that Chris, Joy, and Gizmo were part of a group that had just been brought in as slaves to King Xerxes.

Esther said that it was the clothing of one who grieves. Mordecai had learned of the decree that all of the Jews in the kingdom of Xerxes were to be killed.

It was the capital city of King Xerxes' kingdom and the place where the king's palace and throne were.

Abstaining from food and drink was a way of showing humility before God and to seek His divine favor and intervention in a situation. In this case, Esther wanted God to come to their aid and rescue them from Haman's evil plot.

It is a royal staff that is held by a supreme ruler as a symbol of his or her authority.

By preparing a feast for the king, she honored him and would gain even more favor with him. In addition, while he was enjoying the banquet, he would be in a better mood and more likely to grant whatever Esther requested.

It may be that Esther felt that the time was not right during the first banquet to present her petition. In addition, she may have thought that she needed to gain more of the king's favor before accusing Haman, who was the king's highest official.

It was Persian law that any decree by the king that was written and sealed could not be repealed. King Xerxes himself said to Esther and Mordecai, Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews in the king's name, telling them whatever you want, and seal it with the king's signet ring. But remember that whatever has already been written in the king's name and sealed with his signet ring can never be revoked (Esther 8:8 NLT).

The Bible reveals that God may speak to someone through dreams. For example, sometime after Jesus was born, an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream. The Bible records, After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother," the angel said. "Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." (Matthew 2:13 nlt). On the other hand, we do not believe that all dreams contain a message from God. People need to be cautious, pray, and exercise spiritual discernment when it comes to dreams.

When someone offered the first of the best meat to God, it was a way to honor Him by putting Him first in their lives. Animal sacrifices during Old Testament times were prophetic in that they looked forward to Jesus being the sinless and perfect sacrifice for our sins when He died on the cross. After Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for us, there was no longer any need for animal sacrifices.

Eli did tell his sons to stop and warned them that they were sinning against God. When they did not obey him, he apparently did not take strong measures to discipline or restrain them.

We used artistic license to illustrate the glory of God shining down on the Ark.

We used artistic license to show God speaking to Samuel by Jesus appearing in a radiantly glorious and spiritual form.

This was a figure of speech meaning that they would hear stunning news that would continue to astound them even after the initial report. The New Living Translation words it like this: Then the Lord said to Samuel, "I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel" (1 Samuel 3:11 nlt).

We wanted to illustrate physical effects when God's voice thundered from heaven. So we used artistic license to show God speaking with such tremendous power that it created audio shock waves. The Bible tells us, Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them (1 Samuel 7:10 nlt).

John the Baptist told Herod, It is against God's law for you to marry your brother's wife (Mark 6:18 NLT). There were a number of problems with this marriage. To begin with, Herod had first had an improper relationship with Herodias when she was his sister-in-law. Then Herod and Herodias divorced their first spouses so they could marry each other. In addition, marriage to a brother's wife was not permitted in the Old Covenant (Lev. 18:16; 20:21), so the marriage of Herod and Herodias was a violation of one of God's commandments.

Jesus did not need to repent because He had never sinned. When Jesus came to John to be baptized, John objected and said, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? (Matthew 3:14 ESV). But Jesus answered John, Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15 ESV). Jesus was always in a right relationship with the Heavenly Father, but in being baptized, He was identifying with sinners who needed righteousness, that is, sinners who needed to be in a right relationship with God. Jesus would ultimately identify with sinners when He, the one without sin, died for their sins on the cross.

A dove is a symbol of purity and innocence. Jesus once instructed His disciples, Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16 NLT). In addition, the dove was a sign from God to John the Baptist that Jesus was the promised Messiah. John testified, "I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn't know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, 'The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God" (John 1:32-34 NLT).

History records that locusts were eaten by people in the Middle East. The Old Covenant Law allowed the Israelites to eat locusts, for it says, You may, however, eat winged insects that walk along the ground and have jointed legs so they can jump (Leviticus 11:21 NLT). As a food, locusts were an inexpensive source of protein. They could be prepared as food in different ways. One way was to pound them, mix them with flour and water, and bake them into cakes. They could also be boiled, roasted, or stewed in butter.

A cistern is an underground chamber for storing water. Cisterns would collect the natural runoff of rainwater during the rainy season so people would have water stored for the dry season. At times, a cistern was used as a prison cell.

The Amalekites had acted with hostility and cruelty to the Israelites after they asked for permission to pass freely through the land of the Amalekites. Instead of treating the Israelites with hospitality or even decency, the Amalekites attacked them when they were exhausted from their journey, and they killed many of them who were weak and straggling behind (Deuteronomy 25:18).

God chose this time to bring judgment upon the people of Amalek for when they attacked and killed the weakest of the Israelites. The Bible tells us, This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies has declared: I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt (1 Samuel 15:2 nlt). We don't know what other evils the Amalekites may have committed, but God is a righteous judge, and everything He does is holy and right—even if we don't understand it completely.

The Bible reveals that David was a man after God's heart. In other words, David wanted to please God and obey Him. The Bible says, But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do" (Acts 13:22 nlt).

The Bible tells us that an evil spirit tormented Saul, and we want to be historically accurate regarding the Bible story.

We used creative license to show the anointing of the Holy Spirit flowing from the kinnor and driving the evil spirit away.

In their culture, tearing their clothes was a way of showing grief about the death of Saul and many others. The Bible tells us more about what happened: David and his men tore their clothes in sorrow when they heard the news. They mourned and wept and fasted all day for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the Lord's army and the nation of Israel, because they had died by the sword that day (2 Samuel 1:11-12 nlt).

The Biblical events of 1 Kings 17 through 2 Kings 2 show Elijah serving as a prophet of the Lord for several years—but he may have been a prophet much longer. He seems to have been known and respected by different groups of prophets, so that might indicate that, in addition to his great anointing, he was a seasoned prophet. The Bible does not say when Elijah was born or how old he was, so we chose to use creative license to depict him as advanced in years.

Elisha knew that the Lord was going to take Elijah away from him that day, so he was determined to stay with him. It could also be that Elisha was showing unwavering devotion and service to his master.

During the dry season the Jordan River would naturally get smaller, but it may have still been deep, so without a bridge to walk on, even wading across could have been a difficult challenge.

It was a prophetic act that called for a miraculous parting of the waters.

The Bible does not tell us explicitly, but it may have been a test of Elisha's desire and determination.

The chariot and horses were from heaven and were imbued with supernatural power. Since it was a heavenly chariot, we depicted its rider as a mighty angel with wings.

There was nothing magical about the mantle; however, it was symbolic of the power of God that worked through Elijah and Elisha.

They meant that the same power of God that had been with Elijah was now with Elisha to work great miracles.

It was an act of faith by Elisha who believed that God would perform a miracle to allow them to recover the ax head.

Although the original Hebrew text uses God's covenant name, Yahweh, most English translations translate it as "the LORD." This follows the Jewish tradition of not pronouncing God's name so as to avoid possibly using it in vain.

While Chris and Joy are normally not able to take tech devices back in time, it was allowed this time since Joy's cell phone was an important part of the dilemma she faced.

The Superbook producers chose to use artistic license to have Elisha not notice the strange device, just as people accept the presence of Gizmo the robot without asking questions about who or what he is. This enables the storyline to continue to focus on the main plot developments without getting bogged down by minor details.

Some Bible versions use the term "Syrians" while others use "Arameans." The term "Syrians" is appropriate for Elisha's time.

It is a Magnetic Gyro-Capacitor Self-Containing Energy-Stabilizing System, also known as the MagSys. Professor Quantum called it the cornerstone of his life's work. It makes most of his other inventions possible.

We can see in this an example of a powerful principle in the kingdom of God: if you are responsible and use well the understanding and ability God has given you, then He will give you more. Jesus taught, To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away (Matthew 25:29 NLT).

We used creative license to show that the lightning penetrated Gizmo's outer metallic casing and affected his electronics.

The lightning strike had already adversely affected his electronics so he was unaware of what had really happened.

King David was using a metaphor to refer to his impending death. As Christians, we know that life does not end when the body dies, for a person's spirit and soul live on. The Bible tells us, And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him (Hebrews 9:27-28 NLT).

During Jesus' time, oil lamps were commonly used to provide light at nighttime. The lamp usually contained olive oil with a wick sticking out that was lit.

He was in need of repair after being struck by lightning.

Compared to King David who had accumulated so many years of knowledge and experience, Solomon felt that he was very young and inexperienced. In some other Bible translations, Solomon says that he was only a child (NKJV) or like a child (NLT), but we chose to use the Contemporary English Version for this verse: LORD God, I'm your servant, and you've made me king in my father's place. But I'm very young and know so little about being a leader (1 Kings 3:7).

We used creative license to depict the Holy Spirit giving them wisdom.

The Holy Spirit and wisdom are often associated in the Bible. For instance, the book of Acts records, And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. (Acts 6:3 NLT). It also says, None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke (Acts 6:10 NLT). In addition, the Apostle Paul wrote, When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths (1 Corinthians 2:13 NLT).

The verse is Proverbs 16:1 which says, We humans make plans, but the LORD has the final word (CEV).

No. At that time, the Ark only contained the tablets. The Bible tells us, Nothing was in the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Mount Sinai, where the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel when they left the land of Egypt (1 Kings 8:9 NLT). However, there was a time when additional items were in the Ark. The book of Hebrews states that when the Ark was in the Tabernacle, it also contained a gold jar of manna and Aaron's staff. It says, Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron's staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant (Hebrews 9:4 NLT).

He was a prophet of the Lord (1 Kings 1:8). In the episode, when Nathan went to speak to King David, he was introduced as Nathan the prophet.

While a number of translations say that Bathsheba bowed before him, the NASB says, Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself before the king (1 Kings 1:16).

Although Bathsheba was David's wife, she followed the customary rules of proper behavior toward the king. The rules called for someone to bow before him and then wait for him to speak before sharing one's request.

She followed the customary rules of proper behavior toward the king by addressing him according to his royal position.

Mules were ridden by all of the princes, but riding the king's mule without special permission was strictly forbidden. Therefore, when Solomon rode it, it showed that he had King David's favor as the future king.

The glow represented the Holy Spirit descending upon him to empower and enable him to serve as king.

It is a means by which Superbook transports Chris, Joy and Gizmo from one time and place to another but still within the same Superbook adventure.

On the left side, there was a bronze laver (resting on 12 bronze bulls) that held water for ritual washing. On the right side, there was an altar on top of a stone foundation. There were also bronze water carts (see 1 Kings 7:23-39).

The larger room was called "the Holy Place" (1 Kings 8:8). It contained five pairs of golden lampstands, a table for showbread, and a golden incense altar (1 Kings 7:48-49).

The innermost room of the Temple was called "the Most Holy Place" (1 Kings 6:16 NLT). The two large figures depicted cherubim that are thought to be heavenly beings (1 Kings 6:23-28).

The cloud and light were our visual representation of the presence and glory of God that appeared. The Bible tells us, When the priests came out of the Holy Place, a thick cloud filled the Temple of the LORD. The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple of the LORD (1 Kings 8:10-11 NLT).

Because we have a limited amount of time to depict each Bible story, we showed a portion of his prayer of dedication. His complete prayer of dedication is found in 1 Kings 8:23-53.

We would love to be able to include more about the biblical events in our Superbook episodes. However, the story portion of each episode is only 22 minutes long, and the total length of the episodes is limited to about 28 minutes so they can be broadcast in 30-minute time slots. (This will enable us to take Superbook to many more children around the world.) Part of each episode has Chris and Joy in their modern-day setting so kids can learn an important and relevant life lesson. We also have to fit in the opening song, closing song, and end credits, so we simply do not have enough time to cover every aspect of the biblical stories. It is our hope and desire that the adventures of Chris and Joy will inspire children to find out more about the stories. One of the goals of the Superbook series is to get children excited about reading the Bible.

Again, because we have a limited amount of time to depict each Bible story, we showed the highlights of Solomon blessing the congregation of Israel. The complete blessing is found in 1 Kings 8:56-61.

We used the Contemporary English Version.

No. It was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 587 B.C. (See Ezra 5:12.)

An incense offering was the burning of holy incense in the Temple, and was commanded by God. When the incense was poured on the hot coals, it released a sweet aroma that rose up. The incense offering was a symbol of the people's prayers to God. Like the incense rising in the Temple, the Israelite's prayers would rise to the throne of God. A psalm of David associates his prayer with the offering of incense in the Temple: Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering (Psalm 141:2 NLT). The book of Revelation also associates the holy incense with the prayers of God's people: Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God's people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God's holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out (Revelation 8:3-4 NLT).

We used creative license in depicting Gabriel's entrance to make it both dramatic and powerful and to cause Ezekiel to have a sense of wonderment.

In the Superbook series, we have used creative license to depict angels with wings in a manner that is consistent with the iconic image of angels. People around the world have seen pictures of angels with wings. We wanted those people to be able to recognize the angels in Superbook as being like the pictures they have seen before.

There are a number of Bible verses that describe heavenly beings with wings. For example, the book of Revelation talks about the four living beings around the throne of God: In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back (Revelation 4:6 NLT). They were the ones singing Holy, holy, holy... The Bible says about these beings, Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come" (Revelation 4:8 NLT).

In addition, when God gave Moses instructions for the Ark of the Covenant, He said that it should have cherubim with wings on the lid: The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they will protect it (Exodus 25:20 NLT).

The prophet Isaiah wrote: It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew (Isaiah 6:1-2 NLT)

The name John means "God is a gracious giver." This could be a reference to the miraculous work of God in graciously giving Zechariah and Elizabeth a child even though they were very old and Elizabeth was not able to conceive.

Zechariah wanted to know if the prophecy would really happen. His inability to speak for a time proved that God was really at work and that the prophecy would come true.

We used creative license to show the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit flowing from the Temple. The Spirit of God brought the favor and blessings of the Lord to the people. God had commanded that the priests bless the people of Israel with these words: The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace (Numbers 6:22-27 NKJV). This is called the priestly blessing.

The priests were making a hand symbol according to an original Jewish tradition. The hand symbol represented the Hebrew letter Shin, which looks similar to an English W and has a "sh" sound. The hand symbol, then, refers to the Hebrew word Shaddai. El Shaddai is one of the Hebrew names for God, and means "the Almighty." It has been interpreted as "the All-Sufficient," and refers to God's power and ability to bestow blessings upon His people.

In the time period when Zechariah lived, people used both clay and wax tablets. We showed Zechariah using a clay tablet. The flat wooden part of the tablet would have a recessed area filled with clay. The clay could be engraved by a pointed object called a stylus. Writing tablets often had a wooden cover loosely attached to it.

It seems that Zechariah doubted the angel's declaration, which was a message from God. On the other hand, Mary did not doubt the prophecy—she only wondered how it would come to pass.

We used creative license to show Elizabeth being filled with the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us what happened when Mary greeted Elizabeth: At the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41 NLT).

They were using an ancient harvesting tool called a sickle. Jesus once referred to a sickle in one of His parables, And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come (Mark 4:29 NLT).

He was shaking a basketfull of barley and chaff. The barley is heavier than the chaff and would remain in the basket, but the chaff would be carried away by the wind. The first psalm says, They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind (Psalm 1:4 NLT).

They were descendents of Lot, Abraham's nephew.

The uncovering of his feet was a cultural and ceremonial act that Boaz would have been familiar with. When Ruth asked Boaz to spread the corner of his covering over her, she was asking that Boaz provide her with the "covering" or protection of marriage. Through marriage, she would be cared for and provided for. The basis for Ruth's request was a commandment in the Old Testament Law; however, this commandment did not apply directly to Boaz and his relationship with Ruth. Nevertheless, out of kindness and love, Boaz agreed to marry her if he could.

In all of their interactions, Boaz and Ruth showed themselves to be of high morals and good character. The townspeople thought highly of them, as was revealed when Boaz told Ruth, ...everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman (Ruth 3:11 NLT).

Although many Christians are familiar with the terms "kinsman" and "kinsman-redeemer," many children would not understand these terms. When creating Superbook dialogue, we strive to use a Bible translation that is both accurate and easy for children to understand.

They were singing an ancient Hebrew love song called, "Kumi Lach." We are including the Hebrew lyrics immediately below and the English translation further below.

Kumi Lach
Kumi Lach' Raayati,
Kumi Lach' Yafa Sheli,
Ki Hine Stav Avar Ha'Geshem Kvar Chalaf Lo. (x2)

(Chorus)
Ha'nizanim Niru Baarez' Et Zamir Hegia,
Ha'teena Chanta Pagea, Ve Hagfanim Smadar.

(repeat first verse)

Lai lai lai lai lai (x2)

Arise, My Darling
Arise, my darling,
Arise, my beautiful one,
See, the winter is past and the rains are over gone.

(chorus)
Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come,
The fig tree forms its early fruit; and the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.

(repeat verse)

Lai lai lai lai lai (x2)

"Kumi Lach" is based on the following verses from the Song of Solomon: Rise up, my darling! Come away with me, my fair one! Look, the winter is past, and the rains are over and gone. The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come, and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air. The fig trees are forming young fruit, and the fragrant grapevines are blossoming. Rise up, my darling! Come away with me, my fair one! (Song of Solomon 2:10-13 NLT).

There was ongoing resentment between the Jews and Samaritans, and they disliked each others' holy sites. The Jews claimed that the only proper place of worship was Jerusalem, so when Jews traveled through Samaria on their way to worship in Jerusalem, it made the Samaritans angry. The Bible tells us, But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem (Luke 9:53 NLT).

We wanted to be historically accurate in illustrating the parable as it was told by Jesus. He said, A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road (Luke 10:30 NLT). This reveals how desperately the traveler needed help. The bandits had not only taken his money, but also his outer clothing. Without help and proper clothing, he would be exposed to the heat of the sun by day and the cold at night.

The Levite, an assistant in the Jewish Temple, may have thought the traveler was dead, and he wanted to avoid contact with a dead body.

When the Samaritan saw his desperate condition, he felt compassion for him.

The bricks would have been made of clay that had been shaped and then hardened in kilns. The Bible records that the people at Babel said to each other, "Let's make bricks and harden them with fire." (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) (Genesis 11:3 NLT).

Asphalt, otherwise known as bitumen, was a tarlike substance that at times occurred naturally or was produced by heat-refining petroleum or other natural substances.

In addition to the verse above, the Bible also records the Lord saying, "Come, let's go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won't be able to understand each other" (Genesis 11:7 NLT). This implies that God was not alone when He went down to Babel. We used creative license to depict the presence of God in the form of rays of divine light emanating from heaven. In addition, when you consider God's universal presence, He was there the whole time even when He was unseen.

Shinar was an ancient land where the great city of Babylon was located. Shinar lay in a plain that in modern times is part of southern Iraq.

We used creative license to portray how God miraculously confused the language of the people. The Bible records the Lord saying, "Come, let's go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won't be able to understand each other" (Genesis 11:7 NLT). We also employed creative license to illustrate the connection between the events at Babel and hundreds of years later on the day of Pentecost. While different languages caused confusion and scattering at Babel, the Holy Spirit worked through different languages to bring people together and into the kingdom of God on the day of Pentecost.

We showed them speaking Hebrew, Greek, and Farsi in order to represent various ancient languages.

The sleeves of His robe were covering His wrists which are where many Bible scholars believe the nail scars were. When the New Testament talks about Jesus being nailed in His "hands," it uses a Greek word that has a broader meaning than the English word "hands." The Greek word includes the hand, wrist, and forearm. Additionally, historians have discovered that when Roman soldiers crucified people, they drove the nails through the palms, wrists, or forearms. (If Jesus was nailed through His palms, then the soldiers would have also tied His arms to the cross with ropes.) So it is possible that Jesus was nailed through what we would call either His palms or wrists. Whichever way it happened, when can thank our Savior for dying for our sins.

Since the believers had not yet been empowered by the Holy Spirit, they were afraid of unbelievers hearing them and persecuting them.

They were singing Psalm 150:6 in Hebrew: kol hanneshamah tehallel yah halelu-yah. In English, the verse exhorts, Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD (NIV).

We used creative license to depict the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit as the shining white cloud and flames. We made the cloud and flames white to symbolize purity and to emphasize the divine and pure nature of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us, On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability (Acts 2:1-4 NLT).

We used creative license to depict how the Holy Spirit supernaturally enabled the people outside to hear the people praying inside the room even though the windows were shut. In addition, wind is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that when the Holy Spirit came to the place where the believers were praying, Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting (Acts 2:2 NLT).

Sifting was a common practice of farmers in ancient Israel. Sifting separated wheat from useless materials like dirt and rocks. They would sift the wheat by shaking it in a container with something like a screen so that the wheat would fall through and leave the unwanted materials behind. So Jesus was saying that Satan wanted to cause Peter so much trouble that he would be seen as useless or false. But Jesus prayed for Peter to come through the trial and to be a source of strength for other believers: But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers (Luke 22:32 NLT).

Based upon their interpretation of Old Testament prophecy, the Jewish people mistakenly expected the Messiah to defeat the occupying Roman army, restore Israel's sovereignty, and reign as king of Israel. But Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies in a different way—He came as a suffering Servant to die for our sins. One day, He will return as a conquering King to rule over the whole earth.

Peter was not afraid of the servant, but He was afraid of being arrested and possibly executed. After Jesus was arrested, Peter heard one of the Temple guards say about Jesus and his followers, Oh, he will get his due, along with all of his followers. Instead of holding to Jesus' promise of eternal life, Peter thought of saving his earthly life.

When the New Testament talks about Jesus being nailed in His "hands," it uses a Greek word that has a broader meaning than the English word "hands." The Greek word includes the hand, wrist and forearm. Additionally, historians have discovered that when Roman soldiers crucified people, they drove the nails through the palms, wrists or forearms. (If Jesus was nailed through His palms, then the soldiers would have also tied His arms to the cross with ropes.) So it is possible that Jesus was nailed through either His palms or wrists. Whichever way it happened, we can thank our Savior for dying for our sins.

We exercised creative liberty to help children understand that Jesus was in His resurrected body and not the same human body He had before the Resurrection. When Jesus rose from the dead, He still had a physical body, but it was a more glorious body. It could be that His divine nature and glory emanated from Him. This can remind us of when Jesus' appearance changed on the Mount of Transfiguration. The Gospel of Matthew recounts what happened: As the men watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. (Matthew 17:2 NLT). People who have visited heaven have testified of the amazing glory of Jesus! Light and love radiate from Him—for He is the eternal Son of God!

He was bowing down before idols representing the gods of Babylon. He desperately pleaded for their help, but no help came because they are false gods.

The Babylonians had many gods, as many as 13; however, even though the idols were immense and created by skilled artisans, they were still merely lifeless idols. The Apostle Paul explained, "Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God" (1 Corinthians 8:4 nlt).

Cuneiform is a system of writing in which a stylus is used to carve wedge-shaped marks into a baked clay tablet or similar material.

Babylon was the capital city of ancient Babylonia (the kingdom of Babylon). Babylon was located on the Euphrates River in what is now Iraq.

They thought they could discern future events by the appearance of the stars.

The Bible reveals that at first Daniel and his friends were not informed about the king�s summons and demand about his dream. The Bible tells us what happened after the king�s decree: And because of the king�s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends (Daniel 2:13 nlt).

He did it to create a diversion, that is, he wanted Gizmo to distract the guards so he and Joy could warn Daniel and his friends.

It was Daniel�s custom to pray with the windows open toward Jerusalem. The Bible tells us, But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God (Daniel 6:10 nlt).

She was following Daniel�s example of praying by an open window. However, it is not necessary to pray by a window at all. We can pray anywhere and God will hear us. What�s more, we can pray standing, kneeling, sitting, or even lying down. It is the attitude of our hearts that is important to God. God once told the prophet Samuel, Don�t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn�t make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person�s thoughts and intentions (1 Samuel 16:7 nlt).

Even though caring for a flock of sheep was a very important and challenging responsibility, it was not uncommon in ancient times for a boy to be a shepherd. An example of this is David in the Old Testament. He was the youngest of eight brothers, but he was put in charge of caring for their sheep and goats. The Bible tells us that when God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint the future king of Israel, he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" And Jesse replied, "There is still the youngest. But he's out in the fields watching the sheep and goats" (1 Samuel 16:11 NLT ).

Although being a shepherd was a demanding job, it was also a very humble and lonely position. It may be that the older brothers preferred more respected responsibilities.

One of our goals when creating Superbook episodes is to be biblically, historically, and culturally accurate. In the case of "The Prodigal Son," we wanted to realistically illustrate the downward turn of events in the Prodigal Son's life as he followed the sinful ways of the world. We also wanted to show the disastrous consequences of his reckless behavior. On the other hand, we were careful to avoid depicting any indecent activity.

In addition, when Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son, His listeners would have readily understood the implied elements of the story. However, since today's listeners are living in a very different culture and historical period, they might not perceive some of the story's implications. To overcome this difficulty, we provided a visual depiction of the Prodigal Son's wild living in a distant land (Luke 15:13 NLT).

Because children differ in their spiritual development, sensitivity to dramatic depictions, and the type of programming they are accustomed to viewing, we suggest that parents consider which episodes are appropriate for each of their children. For this DVD, we included an important note to parents in red font encouraging them to preview the episode before showing it to their children. The message is printed on the DVD case or cover and in the Family Discussion Guide.

The pods may have been the fruit of carob or locust trees. The pods were often ground up and fed to animals.

The verse is found in Psalm 103:8. It says, The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love (NLT).

Baal was a false god worshipped by the Canaanite people in the time of ancient Israel. As seen in "Elijah and the Prophets of Baal," the people made idols that they would pray to, sacrifice to, and worship.

After Elijah declared that it would stop raining, God withheld rain from the area, and it did not rain for three and a half years! The Bible tells us, Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! (James 5:17 NLT).

Sacrificing animals was part of ancient religions, and even the Law that God gave the nation of Israel included animal sacrifices. The Bible explains, In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22 NLT). It is important to know that the sacrifices called for by the Law of Moses pointed forward to Jesus, because Jesus shed His blood on the cross for our sins. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, so there is no need for sacrifices anymore.

He wanted to make it even harder for a fire to start and to prove beyond any doubt that God had performed a miracle.

We wanted to make it clear that despite the lengthy and impassioned worship by the prophets of Baal, their false god did not answer them.

The main point of the biblical story was that the God of Israel proved He is the only true God, and that people should only worship Him. It was not necessary to show what happened to the prophets of Baal.

Whenever biblical persons in the Superbook episodes say something that is recorded in Scripture, their words are taken directly from the New Living Translation, Contemporary English Version, or New King James Version. These versions of the Bible use the word LORD to refer to the God of Israel, indicating His covenant name, Yahweh. As an example, the New Living Translation says, Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!" (1 Kings 18:21).

The main point of the biblical story was that the God of Israel proved He is the only true God, and that people should only worship Him. It was not necessary to show what happened to the prophets of Baal.

Philippi was a major city of Macedonia which was a Roman province in the north of modern-day Greece.

The members of Lydia's household who had accompanied her to the riverside had also heard the message about Jesus and had the opportunity to believe. In addition, in Roman society, it was expected that the members of a household should follow the religion of the head of the household.

In the baptismal scenes of this episode, we used artistic license to visually depict the Holy Spirit surrounding her.

No, we believe that salvation occurs at the moment of faith in Jesus Christ. Paul and Silas explained that faith in Jesus is the only requirement for salvation when they told the jailer, Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household (Acts 16:31 nlt).

We didn't want to put Joy in the uncomfortable situation of going back to Bible times in her hospital gown, so we used artistic license to let her wear her usual attire.

It is one way that God can supernaturally reveal something important to someone.

We used artistic license to visually depict the demon that enabled the girl to tell fortunes. The original Greek words for "spirit of divination" are "a spirit, a python" or "a spirit of pythoness."

Putting their feet in stocks was an extra means of securing them in prison, and the jailer wanted to ensure that they could not escape. The Bible tells us, The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn't escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks (Acts 16:23-24 nlt).

One time, when Paul was in prison and writing to the believers in Philippi, he explained that he had learned to be content in any situation and that Christ gives him strength for whatever circumstances he is in:

Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength (Philippians 4:11-13 nlt).

Yes, it is. When Paul wrote to the believers in Thessalonica, he told them, Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18 nlt).

They were singing Psalm 113:1-4. Here is the Hebrew transliteration:

Halelu yâh halelu `abhdhêy Adonay halelu 'eth-shêm Adonay. Yehiy shêm Adonay mebhorâkh mê`attâh ve`adh-`olâm. Mimmizrach-shemesh `adh-mebho'o mehullâl shêm Adonay. Râm`al-kâl-goyim Adonay `al hashâmayim kebhodho.

We are including the English version of the song below:

Praise the Lord! Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord now and forever. Everywhere-from east to west-praise the name of the Lord. For the Lord is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens (Psalm 113:1-4 nlt).

We believe that God miraculously caused the earthquake and made the chains fall off the prisoners.

In Roman society, it was expected that the members of a household should follow the religion of the head of the household. However, for each member to be truly saved, he or she would each need to believe in Jesus.

Baal was a false god worshipped by the Canaanite people in the time of ancient Israel. As seen in "Elijah and the Prophets of Baal," the people made idols that they would pray to, sacrifice to, and worship.

We felt that it would help children understand the passing of Sarah and the profound grief of Abraham and Isaac.

It was a way for Abraham to show his love and respect for Sarah until he could purchase land for a tomb.

During Abraham's lifetime, and in tribes of people who kept sheep or herds, it was their custom for a son to marry someone from his own tribe. In addition, Abraham did not want his son to marry a woman who believed in the Canaanite gods, for she might gradually weaken Isaac's devotion to the true God, the one who had spoken to Abraham and promised him descendents as numerous as the stars.

God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham, so Abraham wanted Isaac to stay in the Promised Land.

Chris, Joy, and Gizmo were not accustomed to the intense heat of the desert sun, and the head coverings protected their heads and necks from overheating and sunburn. Some of the men did wear head coverings, but it was optional for them. The women wore head coverings because in that culture they were expected to cover their hair to maintain modesty.

In the Middle East, people normally wore sandals, and their feet would become dusty from walking across the dry and dusty ground. Therefore, it was customary to wash one's feet before sitting for a meal, especially since people did not sit in chairs, but sat on cushions or mats on the floor. In addition, the hosts of the meal were expected to provide the water as a courtesy for their guests.

In that culture, it was customary for a woman to cover her face when around a stranger. Also, since she was to be Isaac's bride, she was showing respect and submission to him.

Ophrah was a city north of Jerusalem. The precise location of Ophrah is not certain, but it was located in the area given to the Israelite tribe of Manasseh.

They were people who roamed about from place to place. They invaded the land of Israel, and would steal their crops and animals. As a result, the Israelites had very little to eat and it was very difficult for them to even survive–they were faced with starvation. So they would try to hide themselves and their harvest in caves and strongholds. The Bible records, The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds (Judges 6:2 NLT).

The Bible says that the angel of the LORD (Judges 6:12) spoke to Gideon, and theologians believe that the term angel of the LORD refers to an Old Testament appearance of Jesus. Additionally, in the account of Gideon, the Bible reveals that the angel of the LORD was the Lord Himself. The Old Testament often uses the terms the angel of the LORD and the LORD interchangeably, showing that they are the same. In other words, the angel of the LORD was the LORD, and we know that the LORD is the covenant name of God. Here is a key verse from the passage: Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!" (Judges 6:14 NLT).

Jesus was speaking to Gideon in terms of his potential when the power of God would work through him. We can see that God would help him, for Jesus declared, "I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man" (Judges 6:16 NLT). God can do great things through each one of us if we have faith and are obedient to Him.

At first, Gideon did not realize that the visitor was the angel of the Lord. In addition, Gideon felt lowly and thought he was an unlikely person to lead a successful army. Gideon said, "But Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!" (Judges 6:15 NLT). Jesus gave him a sign by miraculously burning up the offering of food and then disappearing.

The Bible says that the Lord spoke from heaven: "It is all right," the LORD replied. "Do not be afraid. You will not die" (Judges 6:23 NLT).

Gideon continued to have doubts about God using him, but God was patient with him and fulfilled his request for additional signs.

It is a single sheet of wool that comes from cutting a coat of wool off a sheep.

No, God never instructed us to do something like that. The fleece was Gideon's idea, and God accommodated Gideon's doubts and requests. But if we look to our circumstances for guidance, we can be misled by chance events or the deception of the enemy. Instead of setting fleeces before God, we should look primarily to the Bible. We should also listen to what the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts.

The people of Judah had been very disobedient to the Lord for years by doing things like worshiping idols. They persisted in their disobedience even after God sent prophets to warn them of His coming judgment. This judgment culminated in God sending other nations to conquer Judah and expel the people from the land He had given them. His judgment was meant to cause them to at last turn from their sins so He could bless them once more.

Nehemiah was probably born in Persia while the Jewish people were already in exile, so it would not have been his own memories. Nehemiah may have been seeing a God-given vision, or he may have been imagining what the fall of Jerusalem must have looked like based upon first-person accounts of its capture and destruction.

Yes. The stones of the city wall were much smaller and irregular than the massive Temple stones, but the wall was up to 15 feet thick and had mortar holding the stones together. As a result, it was a strong and effective defensive barrier.

We wanted him to be seen as clearly evil and not to look like a cool villain. His expressions show his anger against God and His people. The "Job" episode clearly shows that God is more powerful than Satan. In addition, the Bible reveals that even a child who believes in Jesus can take authority over Satan when he speaks in Jesus' name and binds a spiritual attack. Children can trust in the power of Jesus' name!

Please keep in mind that the general target age for Superbook episodes is children 5 to 12 years old. However, because children differ in their spiritual development, sensitivity to dramatic depictions, and the type of programming they are accustomed to viewing, we suggest that parents consider which episodes are appropriate for each of their children. For some episodes, we advise parents to preview the episode before showing it to their children.

The Bible reveals in the book of Job that Satan is the "Accuser." In addition, the Bible tells us that the Accuser dared to go before our holy and almighty God: One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the LORD, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them (Job 1:6 NLT). In addition, the book of Revelation calls Satan "the accuser." It says, Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, ‘It has come at last–salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth– the one who accuses them before our God day and night' (Revelation 12:10 NLT).

Another term for Satan is "the devil," which means "accuser" or "slanderer." Jesus taught people about the nature of Satan when He said, He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44 NLT).

Job was not angry at God. He was expressing his intense heartache and sorrow. The Bible tells us, In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God (Job 1:22 NLT).

Job did that as a way of expressing his anguish at learning of the death of his sons and daughters. The Bible tells us, Job stood up and tore his robe in grief (Job 1:20 NLT). In the time and place where Job lived, tearing one's clothes was a way to express grief.

It was a way for Job to show his mourning at the loss of his sons and daughters. It was a common cultural practice in his time for someone to shave his head and beard to mourn the loss of loved ones.

This was apparently a common saying during the time of Job, and it seems that Satan was accusing Job of being willing for others to be killed if only his own life were spared. In other words, Satan alleged that Job was mostly concerned with saving his own "skin."

As a fallen angel, Satan had spiritual power that could be used for good or for evil. When God first created Satan as Lucifer, his powers were to always be used for good. But Satan chose to misuse his abilities by attacking Job. Each one of us has abilities that we should use only for good–to glorify God and to help people.

They had the false belief that if someone suffered it was because he or she had sinned.

Job was suffering from the loss of his children and the extremely painful sores on his body. On top of that, his friends—who should have been a comfort to him—added to his suffering by falsely accusing him.

Bible scholars believe that when the Earth was first created, there was only one great land mass. The Bible tells us the following about the third day of Creation: Then God said, "Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear." And that is what happened. God called the dry ground "land" and the waters "seas." And God saw that it was good (Genesis 1:9-10 NLT). That land mass was later divided into continents by the catastrophic worldwide flood of Noah's day.

People lived much longer during the ages that immediately followed the creation of the world. The Bible records that before the flood of Noah, people lived several hundreds of years. After the flood, people still lived for hundreds of years, but their life spans gradually began to shorten. Nevertheless, the Bible records that Abraham lived 175 years, and Isaac lived 180 years. It may be that Job lived shortly after the flood, so it is not unusual that he lived as long as he did.

One of the reasons why the patriarchs lived longer may be that their DNA had fewer imperfections. When God created Adam and Eve, their DNA would have been perfect, but succeeding generations could have experienced increasing amounts of genetic mutations which could have left them more vulnerable to the aging process and disease. It could also be that after the global flood of Noah's time, there were major changes in the world such as environmental and dietary challenges as well as increasing dangers of sickness and disease.

Although it is not recorded that Jesus said this in Martha's home, it is certainly possible that He did. The Bible records a time that Jesus said, "Anything is possible if a person believes" (Mark 9:23 NLT). It is likely that He taught important spiritual truths like this one more than once since He travelled from town to town and spoke to different people, so He could have shared this teaching also in Martha's home. In addition, this verse fits well with the astounding miracle that occurs later in the episode.

We used artistic license to conclude the scene in a way that flows naturally from what is recorded in Luke 10:38-42. Once Jesus had explained to Martha that listening to His teaching was the best thing to do, it seems likely that His words would touch her heart and she would choose to join the others at the table.

He was using a figure of speech called a euphemism, in which a softer expression is spoken instead of the harder and literal expression of something. In this case, instead of stating bluntly that Lazarus was dead, He called it "sleep."

Here is the Biblical account of Jesus' use of the term "sleep:" Then he said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up." The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!" They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. So he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead" (John 11:11-14 NLT).

Jesus did not say that Lazarus would not die. Instead, specified that Lazarus' final state in the present situation would not be death. He said, "Lazarus's sickness will not end in death" (John 11:4 NLT). In other words, Lazarus would not stay dead. (This does not mean, though, that Lazarus did not die and go to heaven sometime later in his life.)

He had compassion for those who were grieving. Jesus often had compassion on people who were hurting and then did something to miraculously stop their suffering (Matt. 14:14, Luke 7:13-15).

The original Greek words for "Jesus wept" mean that Jesus shed tears quietly or silently. We showed this by having tears well up in his eyes.

Jesus was always led by the Holy Spirit to do God's will (John 5:19). In this case, God's will was not for Jesus to heal Lazarus of a sickness, but to raise him from the dead. That way, the faith of many would greatly increase. Jesus said, "Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I'm glad I wasn't there, for now you will really believe. Come, let's go see him" (John 11:14-15 NLT).

Many Jewish people believed if someone had been dead for three days, then there was absolutely no hope for him to come back to life. Since Lazarus had been dead for four days, the people despaired of him being raised. However, this provided an opportunity for Jesus to perform an even greater miracle!

No, some Jews who did not believe in Jesus falsely accused Paul based on a faulty assumption. They had seen Paul with a Gentile earlier in the day. Then, when they saw Paul in the temple with some men, they assumed that the Gentile was with him. The Bible tells us about their misunderstanding: For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple (Acts 21:29 ESV).

Since they weren't soldiers or sailors, he assumed that they were prisoners.

As a Roman citizen, Paul had the right to stand trial before Caesar. When standing trial before Festus (the Roman procurator of Judea), Paul asserted his right and said, I appeal to Caesar! (Acts 25:11 NLT).

Paul was saying that when he was weak in the natural sense, God would give him supernatural strength to accomplish His will. Since it was God's power and not Paul's human strength, God would get all of the credit and honor for what Paul was able to do. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about his personal weakness and how the Lord had reassured him, "Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT).

Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision—a supernatural revelation from God. The Bible records, That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, "Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well" (Acts 23:11 NLT).

The Bible does not say which angel it was, but we do know that Gabriel delivered messages on two separate occasions in the New Testament. Gabriel appeared to Zechariah (Luke 1:11-21) and Mary (Luke 1:26-38), so it is possible that he also appeared to Paul.

God protected Paul from any harmful effects.

This is an example of God working supernaturally through Paul to perform a miracle of healing. After the man was healed, even more people receiving healing. The Bible tells us, Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed (Acts 28:9 NLT). In this way, many of the islanders were touched by the power and love of God.

Like the other people in the town, he was an evil person who did bad things. It might be that he wanted to capture Chris, Joy, and Gizmo, and sell them as slaves so he could make money.

"Gopher wood" is a term used in some Bible translations, but a number of modern Bible translations use the word "cypress" instead. "Gopher" is simply a way of writing the original Hebrew word in English according to how it sounds in Hebrew, and is called transliteration. But Hebrew scholars do not know which tree "gopher" refers to. It may have been cypress, for cypress wood is very durable, and cypress trees grow in abundance in the region of southwestern and western Asia.

In Noah's time, a cubit was the standard unit for measuring length. It was determined by the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the longest finger. Many years after the time of Noah, the Hebrew people used a standardized cubit that was 17.5 inches (44.45 cm) long.

It is a thick, dark substance that could be brushed on to something to make a covering. Once the tar was dry, it would keep out water.

It was enormous–about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high! It was about one and a half North American football fields long. In terms of meters, it was about 138 meters long, 23 meters wide, and 13.8 meters high. When measured in cubits, it was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.

God could have made them peaceful and non-aggressive during the time that they entered the ark. Once on the ark, they would have been kept in separate compartments.

Yes, He did. After Noah, his family, and the animals entered the ark, it was God Himself who closed the door of the ark. The Bible records, Then the LORD closed the door behind them (Genesis 7:16 NLT).

That was water bursting up from huge underwater aquifers. The water that shot up out of the ground would have fallen back to the earth as a mighty downpour of rain. The Bible tells us that all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky (Genesis 7:11 NLT).

Bible scholars and scientists believe that before the flood, massive amounts of water were stored in the earth's crust. Water from these aquifers would rise up as mist or springs to support and nourish plant life. It is thought that it had probably never rained before the flood, for the Bible says that the LORD God had not yet sent rain to water the earth and that instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land (Genesis 2:5-6 NLT).

God designed the ark to be extremely stable and seaworthy. Modern scientific experiments with scale models of the ark have demonstrated how remarkably steady it would have been in rough seas.

The dove brought back a fresh olive leaf (Genesis 8:11). This was a clear indication that fruit trees were now appearing and that the people and animals could soon leave the ark.

God was grieved by how very evil mankind had become. The Bible records, The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil (Genesis 6:5 NLT). God's holiness and goodness are revealed in that He did not let mankind continue as it was with people hurting and killing each other and doing all kinds of sinful things. On the other hand, God's love and mercy are shown in that He did not destroy all of mankind. He spared Noah and his family because Noah was a good person who tried to please Him. The Bible tells us, "Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God" (Genesis 6:9, NLT).

God said that there would never again be a flood that would kill all living things on the planet. While there have been destructive local and regional floods, there has never been a global flood since then. God promised Noah, Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth (Genesis 9:11, NLT). God is always faithful to keep His promises.

They were fallen angels, otherwise known as demons or evil spirits. We made them darker in appearance than the heavenly angels so it would be easier for children to see the difference.

We did not want Satan to appear as a cool villain, but to be clearly evil. His expressions show his anger against God and His people.

Please keep in mind that the general target age for Superbook episodes is 7 to 12 years old. However, because children differ in their spiritual development, sensitivity to dramatic depictions, and the type of programming they are accustomed to viewing, we suggest that parents consider which episodes are appropriate for each of their children. For some episodes, we advise parents to preview the episode before showing it to their children.

It was a desolate area where Superbook brought Chris to be tested.

Satan can disguise himself to look like a heavenly angel. The Bible tells us, Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14 NLT). Christians need to discern whether supernatural things are truly of God.

He rebelled against God. Satan desired to lift up a throne for himself and be like God. The Bible tells us about Satan's evil plans: For you said to yourself, "I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:13-14 nlt).

They were the scrolls on which John recorded the visions God showed him in heaven. He wrote them down so all mankind could benefit from them. At the beginning of John's visions in heaven, he was instructed, Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea (Revelation 1:11 nlt). The book of Revelation also records, And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!" And then he said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true" (Revelation 21:5 nlt).

It is a transitional visual effect to move from one time period or scene to another.

They were the eleven remaining disciples of Jesus (Acts 1:6-11).

Before Satan rebelled against God, he was a high angel named Lucifer. He might have been an archangel. Although God cast Satan out of heaven, he still has supernatural power. The book of Revelation reveals that Satan and his allies will perform supernatural feats to deceive people. Revelation 16:14 tells us, These evil spirits had the power to work miracles. They went to every king on earth, to bring them together for a war against God All-Powerful. But that will be the day of God's great victory (cev). For more examples, you can read Revelation 13:3 and Revelation 13:13-14.

It was symbolic of the temptation to be like God and for Chris to be free of guilt and shame. It is not the same fruit that was in the Garden of Eden.

It was the Holy Spirit who came to remind Chris of God's promise to always be with him. The Holy Spirit assured Chris that he should not be afraid and that God would deliver him in times of trouble.

We showed Satan transforming into the same snake that was in the episode "In the Beginning," only now it was much larger and a much greater threat. We did not want to show Satan as he is depicted in the book of Revelation because it involves a large amount of symbolism—the meaning of which can be debated.

The book of Revelation pictures Jesus riding on a white horse: Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God (Revelation 19:11-13, nlt). You can read the whole passage in Revelation 19:11-21.

In the Superbook episode "Revelation: The Final Battle!" there were archangels behind Jesus who were also riding on white horses.

The symbolism included in the depiction of Jesus is very detailed and graphic and may have been too intense or confusing for young children.

His gaze was firm and focused on the enemy, Satan and his armies.

They were added to visually depict some of the supernatural powers employed in the battle.

It was a visual representation of Jesus' supernatural and divine power. We wanted children around the world to understand that Jesus was using heavenly power.

Satan's defeat by Jesus represents Satan being thrown into the fiery lake. The Bible says, Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10 nlt).

It was the city of God, the New Jerusalem. The book of Revelation says, And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband (Revelation 21:2 nlt).

Chris saw the vision that John was describing. The Bible tells us about the wonderful things that God will do: He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!" (Revelation 21:4-5 nlt).

We wanted to give it a heavenly appearance like the main street that was clear as glass. The doorway is not same as the city gates which were made of pearls: The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass (Revelation 21:21 nlt).

They were the thrones of the twenty-four elders, as the book of Revelation says, Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads (Revelation 4:4 nlt).

It was the river of life flowing from the throne of God. The Apostle John wrote, Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Revelation 22:1 nlt).

They were the four living beings spoken of in the book of Revelation: In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back (Revelation 4:6 nlt). They were the ones singing "Holy, holy, holy..." The Bible says, Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come" (Revelation 4:8 nlt).

The Bible tells us that there is a glow like that of an emerald around the throne: The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow (Revelation 4:3 nlt).

Jesus is the holy Son of God and is now glorified in heaven. The book of Revelation says, For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him (Revelation 22:3 nlt). The Bible also tells us, Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders (Revelation 5:6 nlt).

"Revelation: The Final Battle!" is a special feature and is not a part of the Superbook DVD Club at this time. DVDs may be ordered individually at CBN.com or by calling 1-800-759-0700.  DVD Club members will receive 1 DVD plus 2 free copies for each $25.00 gift.

As you know, God loves all the people of the world (John 3:16), and Jesus commanded His disciples to take the good news to every distinct people group in the world (Matthew 28:19). What's more, people of every nation, tribe, and language will be in heaven (Revelation 7:9). With these truths in mind, the staff of Superbook is dedicated to including an ethnically diverse group of children in the Superbook episodes. You can see more diversity in a few episodes of Season One, and you will notice much more diversity in the subsequent seasons.

High Definition (HD) provides the best picture and audio experience for the videos. Nevertheless, to provide each of our partners with the best experience possible, the streaming episodes are encoded at a variable bit rate. This means that they automatically detect the speed of your Internet connection and adjust accordingly. If you have a fast Internet connection, the episodes will stream in HD. On the other hand, if your Internet connection is not fast enough for HD, the episode will stream in Standard Definition. If you encounter continued problems with streaming, please contact your Internet provider.

We are pleased to provide Superbook DVD Club members with access to streaming videos for Superbook Season One. Please make sure that you have activated Superbook streaming by going to the website below and following the instructions:

https://www.cbn.com/activate/superbook/default.aspx

You will need your partner number to activate the streaming. It can be found on your Superbook DVD Club receipt. Be sure to make a note of the activation email address and password as they will be needed to log in to Superbook streaming through the Superbook.CBN.com website, Superbook Bible App, and CBN TV Smart TV app.

We appreciate your interest in the Superbook videos; however, we have no plans at this time to release Superbook on Blu-Ray. On the other hand, when you sign up for the Superbook DVD Club, you get access to HD quality streaming!

The Bible doesn't specifically describe Satan, who is also called Lucifer or the devil; so we used creative license to show what he may look like. In the episode “In the Beginning,” when Lucifer is first shown as an angel in heaven, he is depicted as a beautiful creature with long blond hair. When he rebels against God, he is transformed into an evil creature, and his flowing hair becomes horns. Also, his body becomes reptile-like in appearance, assuming the look of the serpent in the Garden of Eden. (See Genesis 3:1.) We did not want to create Satan to look like a character that could be construed as a cool villain. We want children to understand that there is a real enemy, and he is evil.

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