NEST Animated Stories From the New Testament (affiliate link)

The NEST Animated Stories from the New Testament helps educators and students develop a deeper understanding of Christianity. Joins hundreds of thousands of families and churches that love the NEST Complete Learning System collections for their portrayal of beloved Animated Bible Stories on interactive DVDs. 

The relationship between Jewish Messianic prophecies and the foundation of Christianity is presented through the life, miracles and parable teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. 

Core Christian beliefs such as salvation, prayer, Jesus' crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and ultimate return are also brought to life in these compelling animated stories. 

Finally, the spread of Christian beliefs beyond Judea through the life of Saul of Tarsus, his conversion to Christianity and, as the Apostle Paul, his subsequent missionary journeys through Asia Minor and Europe.

You also receive a free instant download activity book for each video in the Animated Stories from the New Testament Collection. These instant downloads free with your purchase, are full of Bible study resources including games, puzzles, coloring pages, and other activities. And the 3-level interactive Bible quiz included with each DVD will make learning enjoyable for the entire family!

Twelve Men Go Into Canaan

"It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways." Psalm 95:10

After the commandments were given to the Israelites they continued on their journey. The ark where the commandments were kept was carried with them and God traveled with them. He made a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night so they could see him. 

When they came near to the land called Canaan Moses sent twelve men to see the land. They came back, carrying a large bunch of grapes between two of them on a pole. They said the land was full of strong cities and strong men. Some of the men said that they wouldn't be able to win the land and they would all be killed. Only two men, Joshua and Caleb, said they shouldn't fear because God had promised to save them and give them the land. The other people didn't listen and they cried out that they should have stayed in Egypt. They threw stones at Moses and Aaron when they tried to quiet them. 

God showed them His glory and would have abandoned them in that moment if Moses hadn't quickly prayed for them. Instead of abandoning them, God said no one who had said they would fail would enter into the land. They had to stay in the wilderness until all of the adult men, except Joshua and Caleb, had died and their children were grown. Then their children, who had learned to trust God and do as he said, would be the ones to live in the promised land.

QUESTIONS

1. How did the Israelites know which way to go in the wilderness ?

2. What was the ark ?

3. What was in it ?

4. How did God show them His Presence?

5. Whom did Moses send to look at the land ?

6. What did these men bring back?

7. But what did they say of the country?

8. Who were afraid ?

9. Why was it wrong to be afraid ?

10. Who only were not afraid ?

11. What were the people ready to do?

12. How were they punished ?

13. How long were they to stay in the wilderness ?

14. Who would die?

15. Who would grow up to go in?

16. Who were the two good brave men?

17. What was promised to Joshua and Caleb?

You Shalt Have No Other gods Before Me

"Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear Him." Deut. 13:4

When the Israelites reached the land where God had led them, they were careful to not worship idols. Idols weren't gods at all - only wood and stone. They can't hear when you pray or give you what you want. The Israelites learned that the people in the land had frightening ways of trying to please their false gods.

They had one god called Moloch. His idol was made of brass and the people would sacrifice their children to him, all the while making noise with drums and trumpets so no one could hear the children crying.

Another god was called Baal. The people would set up images of Baal and hold a great feast. Another goddess they called Ashtoreth, or queen of heaven. Women would bake cakes in honor of her and dance for her. They believed she sent the moon to shine on them at night. 

The Israelites knew they weren't to worship any false gods. They were to remember how the One True God spoke to them out of a cloud and told them, "I am the Lord thy God - you shall have no other gods but me." God told them that if they worshiped him and served him, all would be well and they would be happy and blessed. But if they turned away and served these false idols, there would only be sorrow and misery.

QUESTIONS

1. Say the First Commandment.

2. Say the Second.

3. What three idols did the people of the country worship ?

4. What did they do in honour of Moloch ?

5. What did they do in honour of Baal ?

6. What did they call Ashtoreth ?

7. What did they think she sent them ?

8. Who made the moon ?

9. What would happen if the children of Israel worshipped God ?

10. What would happen if they worshipped idols ?

"I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, destroy not Thy people and Thine inheritance." Deut. 9:26

After Moses destroyed the golden calf, he went back to Mount Sinai to the cloud again to pray to God. He prayed all night that God would forgive the people and not abandon them because of what they'd done. He prayed that God would once more give him the Commandments on the tablets again. God agreed and gave him the commandments again.

Then Moses asked, "I pray, show me your glory." 

God said, "You can't see my face, because no one can see me and live." He told Moses to come back the next day with two blocks of stone and Moses could see as much of God's glory as he could show.

The next day Moses returned to the mountain and brought the two blocks with him. God came down in the cloud and told Moses to hide in a small cleft in the rock. Moses was able to see a small part of God's glory. He heard God proclaim, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth."

Moses bowed his head and worshipped God. No one was as close to God as Moses because God spoke to him face to face, like someone speaks with a friend.

Moses stayed 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai. God wrote the commandments again on the two stone tablets and forgave the Israelites for what they'd done. 

When Moses came back from the mountain after being in conversation from God and the glory was still on his face. He shone like the sun and it was so bright that the people couldn't look at him. Moses had to put a veil over his face because no one could look at him. Moses was favored of God and brought into his glory.

QUESTIONS

1. What wicked thing had the Israelites done ?

2. Who prayed for their forgiveness ?

3. Where did Moses go to pray for their forgiveness ?

4. Who forgave them ?

5. What did Moses ask God to show him?

6. What did God say?

7. Where did Moses hide?

8. What passed by?

9. What voice did he hear?

10. How was Moses honored ?

11. How long did he stay on the mountain?

12. What did God give him again ?

13. How did his face look when he came down?

14. What did he do to hide his face?

15. Why was his face so glorious ?

Moses Destroys the Golden Calf

"Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God." Deut. 7:9

Moses stayed on Mount Sinai for 40 days. The Israelites didn't know what happened to him. They thought he'd died because he'd been gone for so long. Even though they'd heard God's voice speaking to them, they grew impatient and didn't want to wait. So they said they wanted something to worship since Moses was gone. They took their gold earrings and melted them down and made a golden calf. Then they began to worship this idol, and they sang, danced and had a feast. 

Moses came down off of Mount Sinai with the tablets God had written. He heard shouting and singing, then saw people dancing around the golden calf. He grew angry at them and threw the two tablets down on the ground. They broke into pieces. He punished the Israelites for disobeying and he broke the calf to pieces and ground it up.

Then he prayed to God to forgive them. God did, and Moses received two new tablets of stone with the commandments written on them.

QUESTIONS

1. Where did Moses go?

2. What was God going to give him ?

3. Who were left below ?

4. What did the Israelites want?

5. What did they make of their earrings ?

6. What is the Second Commandment ?

7. How did they break the Second Commandment ?

8. What did Moses do with the tablets?

11. Why did he throw them down?

12. What did he do with the golden calf?

13. What did he do then?

14. What did God do?

God Writes the Ten Commandments

"The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire." Deuteronomy 5:4

When God spoke the Ten Commandments, he called Moses to speak with Him in the cloud. Moses was the only man that spoke to God this way. 

God gave him two blocks of stone where He'd written the Ten Commandments with His own finger. Then God told them to make a chest - an ark - to keep the commandments in. He told Moses to make it from wood, cover it with gold, and have two cherubims - angels - on each side. This chest was called the Ark of the Covenant. 

God told Moses to put the Ark inside of a room in a tent. He told him how to make the room, how to make the curtains for the tent and everything they would need to carry it with them. This was called the Tabernacle and it was a holy place. The Israelites could pray in front of the Tabernacle but they couldn't go inside because it was going to be God's holy place. The room where the Ark was kept was called the Holy of Holies. Only the priest God chose could enter that room.

The first High Priest God chose was Moses' brother, Aaron. God gave Moses instructions on how to make Aaron's clothing. He had a beautiful tunic to wear and a cap with a "Holiness to the Lord" etched on it. Aaron was also made an embroidered robe, decorated with bells and pomegranates and a blue scarf over his chest. He was to wear a breast plate and on it would be twelve precious stones, each carved with the name of a tribe of Israel. Then Aaron would always have them nearby, on his heart and his mind, when he prayed to God. 

God gave Moses all of these instructions while on the mountain, and Moses went back to the people to tell them what to do.

QUESTIONS

1. What was given to Moses on Mount Sinai?

2. Who spoke the Commandments ?

3. To whom did God give them ?

4. What were they written on ?

5. Who wrote them ?

6. Where were they to be kept ?

7. What was the chest like ?

8. What was the chest called ?

9. Where was Moses to put the chest ?

10. What was the room called ?

11. Who could go near the Holy of Holies?

12. Who was the first High Priest?

13. Who was Aaron?

14. What was Aaron supposed to wear?

15. Why couldn't the people come inside ?

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The Ten Commandments

"Thou heardest His words out of the midst of the fire." Deut. 4:36

When the Israelites had left Egypt, God told Moses to lead them to Mount Sinai. This was a high, rocky mountain in the wilderness. God told Moses to put a boundary - like a fence - around the mountain so that no one could touch it. It was a holy place. The people were to pray around it and wait. God covered the mountain with a dark cloud and smoke. The ground shook and they heard thunder and saw lightning from the sky. Then they heard God's voice speaking to them adn they were afraid. 

God spoke out of that cloud to Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments and the rest of the laws the people needed to obey. God wrote the commandments himself on two tablets of stone. 

God wants us to obey the commandments just like the Israelites needed to obey them. They are His words and should be kept. When we pray, we can ask for strength and help to obey them.

 QUESTIONS

1. Where had the children of Israel come from ?

2. Who was leading them ?

3. Where did God tell Moses to take them ?

4. What wonderful sight did they see on Mount Sinai ?

5. What did they hear ?

6. Who spoke out of the cloud?

7. What did God speak ?

8. How many Commandments?

9. Do you know the first commandment?

10. On what did God write them?

11. To whom did He give them?

12. Did you promise to keep them?

13. How can you be helped to do as they tell you?

14. How do you ask for God's help ?

The Israelites Choose to Turn Away

"The people did eat, and bowed down to their gods."

Numbers 25:2

Balaam went to Balak and God made him bless the children of Israel when he wanted to curse them. But this didn't make Balaam good. He wanted the promised reward from Balak. So he told Balak that if he could make the people of Israel do something wicked and turn away from God, then God would punish them. 

So the two men sent women to the Israelites to invite them to a feast. The feast was to honor their idol Baal Peor. Many were foolish and accepted the invitation to the feast. They had made the choice to sin by going to the feast. God sent an illness and in one day 24,000 people died. 

But Phinehas, Aaron's grandson, did as Moses had commanded him. He first killed the wickedest of the people who had feasted and joined with Baal Peor. Then he prayed and cried over what had happened. The people prayed and cried too. God forgave them and stopped the illness.

Afterwards Phinehas led the Israelite men to punish Balak and his people. Balaam was killed during the fighting. All the wicked women who had tempted the Israelites were also killed. This ended Balaam's evil counsel. 

It's sad to think of Balaam, because he knew what was good and right to do but he chose to do the wrong thing. Remember that no one could hurt God's people until they chose to do wrong. Then God punished them. 

But today, because Jesus has come, God sees Jesus and how he died for our sins. He sees us through Jesus and gives us mercy and grace when we do the wrong things. 

QUESTIONS

1. What did Balak want to do?

2. How had Balak tried to hurt the children of Israel?

3. Why couldn't Balaam curse them ?

4. What did Balaam think would be the way to hurt them ?

5. Whom did he send to them ?

6. Whom did the women persuade them to worship ?

7. What did God send to punish them ?

8. How was the plague stopped ?

9. How was Balaam punished?

10. Why was Balaam to be blamed ?

11. When could not Balaam hurt the Israelites?

12. When could he hurt them?

13. For who took care of them when they were good ?

14. Who has saved us and offers us grace?

"There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel." Numbers 24:17

The Israelites wanted to pass through King Balak's land. They promised they would stay on the road and wouldn't leave it, but he was afraid of them. He'd heard the stories of the battles they'd fought with other kings. So Balak wanted to have the Israelites cursed. He wanted to bring God's anger on them. 

This was very mean of King Balak, but he didn't know God wouldn't let harm come upon his people. Balak tried to have the prophet Balaam curse the Israelites, but when Balaam spoke, he could only speak blessings over the people. He could only say that God was taking care of them and would be their king. He promised that a Star would come from the tribe of Jacob and a Sceptre would rise to be king. 

This meant that our Savior would come from the Israelites. This was Jesus. He was called a Star because He came to give us light. A bright star also marked the place where He was born. A sceptre is something a king carries in his hand. When Jesus is called the Sceptre it means that He will be king. 

Balak was very angry when Balaam didn't curse the Israelites but only blessed them. It wasn't God's will for him to hurt the Israelites. Balak went on with his wicked life and God continued to take care of his people. 

Remember that bad words and bad wishes do harm to the person who speaks them, not those they are meant for. If someone bullies you, know that God will take care of you just as he took care of the Israelites. Tell your parents or a pastor about the problem, and pray for the bully, because God loves him too. 

QUESTIONS

1. What did Balak want?

2. Why did he want the Israelites to be cursed?

3. Whom did he set to curse the Israelites?

4. But what did Balaam do instead?

5. Why could he not curse them ?

6. Who would not let him curse them ?

7. Who was to be born among them ?

8. What did Balaam call our Saviour?

9. Why was He like a star?

10. Why was He like a sceptre?

11. Could Balak hurt the Israelites?

12. Why not?

13. Whom do bad words hurt ?

14. Why do we need to watch what we say ?

15. What should you do if someone bullies you?

"Thou shalt not curse the people : for they are blessed."

Numbers 22:12

A prophet - a man God speaks to and makes his will known - was named Balaam. One day some rich men came to his house with a message. They said that King Balak wanted him and would offer him a great reward if he came. Balaam said he needed a night to pray and discover God's will. God told him not to go because Balak wanted him to curse the children of Israel. The Israelites were traveling close to Balak's land and he'd heard stories about them. He was afraid of them. God told Balaam that the Israelites were blessed and he shouldn't curse them. So Balaam told the messengers to leave and they left. 

Balak sent more princes with even greater payments and asked Balaam to come see him. He told the messengers, "If Balak would give me his full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the Lord my God, to do less or more." But he told the messengers to stay and he would speak to God again to determine his will. 

This time God told him to go, but not to say anything about the Israelites except what God led him to say. Balaam knew God wasn't happy with him, but Balaam wanted the payment from Balak. So he left the next morning on his donkey.

The donkey became scared of something and left the road. It turned into a field, going the wrong way. Balaam grew angry and hit the donkey. But again the donkey turned away from the road. Balaam hit the donkey again and it fell down, still afraid. Then God worked a miracle and made the donkey speak. She asked Balaam why he was hitting her and why he was so mean to her. Balaam said he wished he had a sword so he could kill her.

"Have I ever acted like this before?" The donkey said. 

"No," Balaam said. 

Then he saw God's angel standing in front of him, a sword in his hand. Balaam fell on his face. The donkey had seen the angel and that's why she'd turned off the road. Balaam couldn't see him until God opened his eyes. Now he was afraid and wanted to return home, but the angel told him to move forward, but he would only be able to speak the words God allowed him to speak. 

Sometimes, if you've been told not to do something, do you think about it and still desire to do it, like Balaam? Maybe you keep asking to do it until you're given permission to do it or you do it anyway. Then you get excited and eager but become unkind to anything that hinders you. Have you then found that nothing good comes from getting your own way?

QUESTIONS

1. What is a prophet?

2. Who sent for Balaam?

3. What did God tell Balaam ?

4. But what did Balaam wish ?

5. How did he get leave to go at last?

6. But who stood in his way ?

7. Who saw the angel at first ?

8. What did Balaam do to the donkey?

9. What miracle did God work?

10. What did the donkey say?

11. Whom did Balaam see?

12. What did the angel tell him?

13. What had he been allowed to have?

14. Does good come of having our own way?

God Gave the Israelites Manna From Heaven

"He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not." Deut. 8:3

God gave the Israelites water to drink, but he also gave them food to eat.

All around the land were hard stones. There was some grass for the animals to eat, and a few trees, but they didn't have any fruit on them and there wasn't any corn to make bread. The people grew hungry and they started to complain. "What will happen to us?" They cried.

But God didn't forget them. When they woke up the next morning they found small, white discs on the ground. They tasted like wafers made with honey. 

This was called manna, and God had sent it to them to eat. It was there every morning except on the Sabbath. They had to wake up early to gather it, because it would melt in the sun. They had just enough for what they needed for the day. It would spoil if it was saved for the next day. The only day they could gather and save more was Friday, the day before their Sabbath day. This was because God had told them not to work on Saturday, the Sabbath day, and gathering the manna was considered work. Today, most people in the protestant church takes Sunday as a Sabbath day. 

The fourth commandment tells us to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. All the time the Israelites were in the wilderness, the manna came to them each morning so they could have food. 

QUESTIONS

1. Where were the Israelites ?

2. What did they drink in the wilderness?

3. What else did they want?

4. Why could they not get bread ?

5. What did God give them instead ?

6. What was the manna like ?

7. Where did it lie?

8. When was the manna on the grass?

9. Who was to eat it?

10. Who sent it?

11. What became of it in hot sunshine?

12. Would it stay fresh?

13. What was the only day when it could be saved?

14. How much came down the day before the Sabbath?

15. What could not be done on the Sabbath?

16. What is the Fourth Commandment?

17. So why did they get twice as much manna the day before ?

18. When did no manna come?

19. What day do we take as our Sabbath?

The Brass Serpent Cures the Israelites

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up." John 3:14

The Israelites weren't very patient. Anytime they had a problem, they began to complain and worry. They didn't remember that God was taking care of them and He does what is best for us. 

There was part of the journey that covered a lot of steep, stony ground. It was very hot and uncomfortable. When the Israelites saw the path ahead they started to complain and spoke out against God and Moses.

So again God punished them. He made little snakes that live in the desert come out of their hiding places. The snakes bit the complainers and they died. The others then said they were sorry and to please make the snakes stop. 

God told Moses what to do. Moses had to melt some brass and made the form of a serpent, one that looked like the little snakes that had bitten them, and put it on a pole. If anyone who had been bitten would come and look at the brass serpent his bite would get well and he wouldn't die.

This was a miracle God provided to teach the Israelites to trust in him. And we remember the brass serpent even today. If you look at the mark of a doctor today, the mark is a serpent on a pole. This image still stands for healing today.

QUESTIONS

1. What sort of place did the Israelites have to travel over?

2. How did they like it ?

3. What did they do?

4. Why shouldn't they have complained?

5. Who had been taking care of them?

6. How did God punish them?

7. What happened when the serpents bit them ?

8. What were they sorry for ?

9. What did Moses have to make?

10. Where did he put the brazen serpent?

11. What were they to do if they were bit?

12. What cured them?

God Provides Water from a Rock

"Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God." Deut. 6:16

A desert is full of rocks and sand, prickly plants and no water. Do you remember the story of Ishmael and how thirsty he was in the desert? God heard him crying for water and sent an angel to lead his mother to a well.

When the Israelites left Egypt, they were traveling through this wilderness. Mount Sinai stood up in the midst and all around them were rocks of red and black marble, all dry and parched under the hot sun. The Israelites were hot and thirsty, but they didn't pray as Ishmael had. Instead, they grew angry and said, "Is God with us or not?"

They tempted God by complaining. God could have punished them for complaining, but God showed mercy to them and pitied them. He told Moses to take his staff and go to a nearby rock. When Moses struck the rock God made a spring of water flow from it. All the people and their animals had enough to drink. 

God performed this great wonder and was very kind to provide for them, even though they were complaining. God was close to them and was with them all the time. They could have prayed instead of complaining. 

Don't be like the Israelites. When something hard happens, don't complain about it, but pray and God will help you. Either the problem will go away or you will better be able to handle it.

QUESTIONS

1. Where had the Israelites come from?

2. Who was leading them ?

3. What kind of place did they get into ?

4. What is a desert like ?

5. What was the mountain in the middle of the desert ?

6. What can't be found in the desert ?

7. Who was the boy that was thirsty there before ?

8. What did Ishmael do when he was thirsty ?

9. But what did the Israelites do ?

10. What did they say ?

11. What should they have done instead?

12. Did God punish them?

14. What did Moses strike?

15. What came out of the rock?

16. Who made the water come out of the rock ?

17. Wasn't it good of God to give them water?

19. What should you do when a thing is hard ?

Aaron Chosen as the High Priest

"The rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds." Numbers 17:8

God chose the high priest and his job was to offer sacrifices. The priest had to kill a lamb, goat or a bull by the altar and give it to God. This was before Jesus came. Jesus was the Son of God, and he died on the cross to take away our sin. Now that He has come and died, we don't sacrifice animals to God anymore. We remember Jesus' sacrifice when we take communion at church. 

The high priest had a beautiful tunic to wear. He wore a mitre on his head with a gold plate on it, and the words "Holiness unto the Lord". He wore a blue, red and white robe embroidered with gold and bells and pomegranates around the hem. He wore a scarf called an ephod and a breastplate made of twelve precious stones, each engraved with a name of a tribe of Israel. 

God said He would choose the high priest, so He told Moses to tell the chief man of each tribe to bring him a dry rod or staff and put them in the Holy Place of the tabernacle they built. The one whose rod would grow again, just as if it were still on a tree, would be the high priest. When the men returned the next morning, one of the rods had budded with green leaves and white flowers while the other eleven were still dry branches. It was Aaron's rod. This was God's way of letting the Israelites know that Aaron and his sons and grandsons after him were always to be priests. 

QUESTIONS

1. What was a priest?

2. What was his job?

3. What was a sacrifice?

4. How was it offered?

5. What creatures were killed ?

6. Where were they put ?

7. What was this to make the children of Israel think of?

8. Why don't we kill animals now?

9. Who has been sacrificed?

10. What did the high-priest wear on his head ?

11. What color was his dress?

12. How was it decorated?

13. What was on his chest?

14. What did God say He would show them?

15. What were the twelve men told to bring ?

16. Where were the rods put ?

17. What was to show who should be priest?

18. What were the eleven rods like in the morning?

19. But how did one look?

20. Whose was it?

21. What was Aaron chosen to be?

Only The Priests Could Offer Incense

"And seek ye the priesthood also." Numbers 16:10

God chose Aaron and his sons to be priests. A priest had a special job. He had to offer the sacrifices to God and burn incense to Him. Incense is made of dried plants and has a sweet smell when it's burnt. The priests had bronze urns with holes at the top and they carried the urns with a chain attached to it. The smoke of the incense would rise up to God as a reminder of our prayers rising to God. 

God also said that part of the Israelites, a family called the Levites (because they were descendants of Levi) should take care of the holy things used in God's service, but only the priests could offer sacrifices and incense.

One of the Levites was named Korah. He wanted to do more. He was angry because Aaron was over the priesthood. He forgot that God had set Aaron as a priest. But Korah persuaded two hundred and fifty men to come and get the urns used to burn incense and burn incense to God, just as if they were priests. Because they did it in pride and self-will, God was angry with them. The fire burst out of the urns and burned the men, and they died.

Their wives and children lived and promised to follow God. They would sing God's praises in the Psalms. But the people always remembered after this that only a priest could offer a sacrifice or burn incense before God.

QUESTIONS

1. What did a priest do?

2. What was a sacrifice?

3. What was incense ?

4. What was it burnt in ?

5. Who was the only people allowed to offer sacrifice and incense ?

6. Who was the right priest?

7. How did Aaron become a priest?

8. Who wanted to offer incense?

9. What did Korah say?

10. How many came with him?

11. What did they try to do?

12. What happened to the two hundred and fifty?

13. Why were they punished ?

14. What became of Korah's children ?