KING of GLORY Illustrated Study Guide

Another WHY question some ask is: Why is the movie so long? Here are two answers: 1. Considering that the Bible takes about 70 hours to read aloud and that KING of GLORY sums up its story and message in 3 hours and 42 minutes, the movie is quite short! And remember, it is divided into 15 episodes. 2. It takes time to tell God’s story and message. While many people know bits and pieces of Scripture, most remain confused because they have never seen how the many parts of God’s complex story fit together. Now think about this: If you read a storybook to a child, where do you begin? In the middle? Near the end? No, you start at the beginning. Only then will the child understand the story. Likewise, to understand the Holy Scriptures, we must start at the beginning and follow the story to its logical and satisfying conclusion. To illustrate the importance of this, imagine that I want to make God’s story and message known to a group of people who don’t know it. What if I were to tell them a later part of the story such as when the prophet John pointed to the Messiah and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Would they understand the meaning of the prophet’s announcement? Probably not! Why? Because I did not start at the beginning of God’s book, which tells how the first man rebelled against his Maker, bringing upon humanity the law of sin and death, and how God in His justice and mercy revealed the law of the sacrifice, providing a temporary way for people’s sin and shame to be covered until “the Lamb of God” came to earth with God’s permanent solution for the problem of sin. True, I just explained the backstory to John’s Lamb-of-God announcement. But do you think people who know little or nothing about the Bible will understand such a brief, complex explanation? Probably not! They need to be told the story from the beginning. That is what the KING of GLORY movie and picture book do. 4. WHERE ? In what settings are the KING of GLORY chronological gospel-tools being used around the world? In homes, after-school programs, small group studies, Sunday school classes of all ages, kids clubs, youth camps, retirement centers, orphanages, refugee camps, immigrant support teams, waiting rooms, reading programs, ESL classes, social media, open air film showings, theaters, radio, and television broadcasts, websites, personal study… Left: Girl at youth camp in Ecuador Right: Boy at home in Kyrgyzstan 5. WHO? Who are the KING of GLORY movie and picture book for? Here is what my daughter Corrie, the mother of two of my six grandchildren, has to say: The teaching method in KING of GLORY shows the big picture of the Bible in a way kids can really grasp. For adults , it provides a framework for the entire Bible, so that when you read the Scriptures you understand how each part fits into the whole. I love the mystery element that makes you wonder how it will all pull together. I also like how it takes you into heaven at the end. You see that Jesus’ victory was not only a big deal on earth, but also in heaven. Although some scenes are intense, because the movie is not fully animated, it’s appropriate for younger kids . They may get scared at some points, but it’s a good kind of scared. The style of the artwork enhances the storytelling method. The way it avoids showing the faces of Jesus and the prophets and incorporates darker skin tones makes it applicable to any culture . It’s realistic, but artificial enough to keep you aware that it is an artist’s rendition. It leaves room for the imagination. It is respectful to the Word of God, not cartoony. It has an artwork style that will age well. — interview with corrie mutilva , 2016 Watching KING of GLORY in the Zarma language of Niger, West Africa. 8 9