Truth Hunters VBS
Have you ever tried counting all of the books in a library? Did you know that the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., which is the largest public library in the United States, holds more than 39 million books?1 If you counted for 16 hours a day, it would take you about 3,471 days to count all of those books! That’s more than nine years!2
And that is only one library. You may not realize that, as of 2023, some have estimated that there are roughly 158,464,880 unique (different) books in the world (with 2.2 million more books being published every year).3 Some of these books have sold only a few hundred copies, and others have sold hundreds of millions of copies. Some are found in large libraries, and some go straight to your digital device.
So, it would be an understatement to say that there are a lot of books in the world!
What makes the Bible any different from all of the hundreds of millions of other books, and why does it matter?
First of all, when we read the Bible, we can’t help but notice that it makes a powerful claim that only a handful of other books have ever made: it claims to be the inspired Word of God (2 Samuel 23:2; Acts 1:16; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). In fact, the Bible makes this claim thousands of times.
You might be interested to learn that only seven documents exist in the whole world that seriously claim to be divinely inspired.4 Does this mean that there are seven documents in the world that are actually inspired by God? No, it doesn’t; because making a claim doesn’t necessarily mean that your claim is true; there must be extraordinary evidence to support an extraordinary claim like this.
Does this extraordinary evidence exist when it comes to the Bible?
This is the question that the “Truth Hunters” Vacation Bible School will help to answer, along with several other important questions, such as:
- What qualities will a young person need to have in order to learn and defend the truth that the Bible is God’s Word?
- What kind of evidence can we expect to find along this journey, and how will we know it when we see it?
- What kind of opposition and obstacles will young people face as they set out on this crucial quest?
- How can a younger generation be equipped to not only believe that the Bible is inspired by God, but to be able to defend that belief?
In order to help young people answer these important questions, we are asking you to join a long line of people who have come before you and become… “Truth Hunters!”
Follow Annika, Chase, Val, and Ginny as they work together to “sharpen their swords” and complete their quest to find five “Forerunners.” These Forerunners each represent a category of extraordinary evidence that supports the Bible’s claims to be inspired by God. Here is a preview of who you will meet along the way, and what you will learn from them:
DUGOUT:
Representing the ARCHAEOLOGICAL ACCURACY OF THE BIBLE – The Bible mentions thousands of people, places, and things, but do we have any physical evidence that any of these people, places, and things actually existed? As we dig into this category of evidence, we will find that there is a huge amount of evidence from the world of archaeology that supports the inspiration of the Bible. So, get ready to pick up your shovel and start digging!
DOCTOR AUGUR:
Representing the PREDICTIVE PROPHECY OF THE BIBLE – The ability to accurately and consistently predict the future is not humanly possible; it is, in fact, evidence of the supernatural. Does the Bible ever make any predictions about the future? If so, did those predictions come true? Is there any evidence to support this? As we explore this thrilling category of evidence together, we will see that the Bible contains hundreds of examples of predictive prophecy that confirm its supernatural origin. We just need to make the connections!
PSY-LAW:
Representing the SCIENTIFIC FOREKNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE – If the Bible is inspired by God, we would expect it to be accurate in every way, which would include the field of science. The Bible is not a science book, but if and when the Bible deals with things of a scientific nature, we would expect it to be accurate…every single time. Is this the case with the Bible? You’ll be amazed as we explore not only the scientific accuracy of the Bible, but also the fact that it knew things of a scientific nature that no one could have known unless God had revealed it to them! It’s time to open up your eyes!
THE CRIMSON CORD:
Representing the UNITY OF THE BIBLE – As we explore the remarkable unity of the Bible, we will see that it is something that mere humans simply could not have produced on their own. Prepare to be fascinated as we study the supernatural unity of Scripture and see the enormous amount of evidence in this category that supports God’s Word. We only need to follow the thread….
CODA:
Representing the LEGACY OF THE BIBLE – Of the hundreds of millions of books in the world, the Bible is truly unique. One of the most interesting aspects of the Bible is its legacy and the impact it has had in the world. As we study the legacy of the Bible, it will be further evidence that it is a book that could only have come from God! In this lesson, we will observe the impact of the Bible!
Speaking of books, we have one we think you might enjoy. In preparation for the “Truth Hunters” Vacation Bible School, you can order and read the “Truth Hunters” book. This illustrated book is an exciting adventure that introduces readers to all of the concepts that will be explored in the “Truth Hunters” Vacation Bible School. It is a modern-day parable that will capture their interest, engage their imagination, and prepare the way for more learning. Read it together at home, as a family, and you’ll be ready for an exciting Vacation Bible School!
And, after Vacation Bible School, take home “Truth Hunters: The Board Game” to play with your family and friends. It is a great way to review what you have learned, and to make sure that you and your family are all prepared to defend the truth of God’s Word!
Truth Hunters Vacation Bible School (along with Truth Hunters: the Board Game) will be available to order in February of 2025.
The Truth Hunters book can be ordered for churches, families, and individuals now!
Endnotes
1 Wikipedia. “List of Largest Libraries in the United States.”
2 Mashupmath.com, “How Long Does it Take to Count to a Million?”
3 Isbndb.com, “How Many Books Are in the World?”
4 Kenny, Barfield (1997), Why the Bible is Number 1, p. 186.
We would like to introduce our new Associate Editor of Discoverymagazine, Jeremy Pate. Jeremy has worked with AP for six years as our Youth Publications Coordinator. He is a very talented artist, author, speaker, and teacher. He designs, illustrates, and writes AP materials and projects such as VBS. His skills make him the perfect fit to contribute to Discovery magazine.
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