Adult Sabbath School Blog

SUNDAY

December 28

In the Beginning

In the Garden of Eden God spoke with Adam and Eve face to face. “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Gen. 3:8). However, after that fateful day, when they blatantly disobeyed their Lord, they no longer were allowed to enjoy His presence (Gen. 3:23, 24), and their face-to-face communion with Him ended.

What do the following texts tell us about face-to-face encounters with God? Gen. 18:1–15; 32:30; Exod. 33:11; Judg. 6:22; Judg. 13:2, 3.

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Frequently the Old Testament identifies the Angel of God or the Angel of the Lord with God Himself. Jacob refers to God and the Angel in the same way (Gen. 48:15, 16); the Angel of the Lord appears to Moses in the burning bush, yet, it is God who speaks to him (Exod. 3:2–6); the Angel who appeared to Gideon is identified with God (Judg. 6:11–14); and the same is true of the Angel of the Lord who appeared to Manoah and his wife (Judg. 13:11-22). Whenever God manifested Himself to human beings in a bodily form, it was always in a humanlike manifestation.

In John 1:18 John says, “No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” The Divine being, therefore, Who appeared to the people in the Old Testament must have been Jesus, not the Father. Ellen G. White tells us that “after the transgression of Adam, the Lord spoke no longer directly with man; the human race was given into the hands of Christ, and all communication came through Him to the world. It was Christ who spoke the law on Mount Sinai.”—Fundamentals of Christian Education, pp. 237, 238.

What has been your own experience regarding what sin and rebellion does between you and God? That is, when you do something that you know is wrong, that you know is sinful, how does that impact your relationship with God? In what ways do you feel a separation from Him? How does guilt drive you away from Him, away from the desire to pray and commune with the Lord? How does this experience help you better understand what happened in Eden?

MONDAY

December 29

In Nature

What can nature reveal about God? Ps. 19:1–6, 33:6–9, Rom. 1:19–23.

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The Bible tells us that the world that God created was perfect in every way (Gen. 1:31). But Scripture also reveals that sin has altered the natural world (Gen. 3:17, 18). Prior to the Fall, only beautiful or useful plants were found upon the earth. God “never made a thorn, a thistle, or a tare. These are Satan’s work, the result of degeneration.” —Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 186. Nevertheless, there is still great beauty in the changing of the leaves in autumn, in a vivid sunset, and in the opening of a rosebud on a sunny morning.

Bible writers often refer to the phenomena of nature as a revelation of God’s majesty and greatness (Psalm 8 and 104). Consider the universe! On a clear night one can see with the naked eye thousands of stars. However, our Milky Way galaxy has about two hundred billion stars–and that’s only one galaxy among several hundred billion galaxies that we now can see. Who knows how many more are beyond our telescopes!

Distances in the universe boggle the mind: Apart from the sun, the nearest star to our earth, Alpha Centauri, is 4.28 light-years away (one light year is the distance light travels in one year—5.9 trillion miles). A spaceship traveling 100,000 miles per hour would require about 29,000 years to get there. In contrast, our Milky Way has a diameter of 100,000 light-years! The largest galaxy known thus far is Markarian, with a diameter of 1.3 million light-years.

Similar awe-inspiring facts would come to light if we used an electron microscope to study the tens of thousands of genes each individual possesses. Our finite minds are simply unable to comprehend all the wonders of the created world.

Yet, nature alone isn’t enough to reveal the fullness of God’s character (Rom. 1:25). Many of the fundamental questions about God cannot be answered through a study of nature. We will find it hard to see God’s love reflected in how cats and killer whales play with their prey before killing them. And while we can see God’s power and majesty in creation, nature does not tell us always that God is “merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” (Exod. 34:6, NKJV).

What aspects of nature truly talk to you about the love and power of God? At the same time, what things do you find disturbing, and why? What do your answers tell you about how limited nature is in revealing the fullness of God’s love and character?

TUESDAY

December 30

Through Prophets

After the Fall, when God no longer spoke to humanity directly, He communicated with them through men and women whom the Bible calls seers or prophets (1 Sam. 9:9). What do the following texts tells us about these prophets? 2 Sam. 23:2; Jer. 1:5; Hos. 4:1; Amos 7:14, 15; Jonah 1:1–3.

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The word prophet (in Hebrew nabi’) means “one called (by God)” or “one who has a vocation (from God).” The prophet is a person who proclaims Divine messages. These may relate to the past, the present, or the future, and may consist of exhortation, instruction, consolation, or prediction.

The English word prophet comes from the Greek prophetes, a combination of the preposition pro, “for,” or “on behalf of,” with the verb phemi, “to speak.” Thus the idea being “to speak for.”

Read Exodus 4:10–17. How does this help us better understand the role of a prophet?

Here Moses objects to God’s call for him to go to Egypt and confront Pharaoh, claiming that he is “slow of speech and of a slow tongue.” (vs. 10). Even after God reminded Moses that He had made man’s mouth and would enable him to speak before Pharaoh, Moses still objected. Then God told Moses that He would send Aaron to go with him. “He shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God” (vs. 16, NKJV). As Moses was to be the spokesperson for God, so Aaron would be the spokesperson for Moses. Thus, a prophet speaks for someone. The prophet may speak to humankind on behalf of God, or vice versa. The primary task of a biblical prophet was not to predict the future but to declare the Divine will. Throughout the history of Israel, the prophets’ main task was to guide God’s people. Particularly during the time of the monarchy, when the kings often “did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 13:2), the prophetic institution was the guardian of the theocracy. The prophets upheld the law of God and taught it to the people.

Notice the humility of Moses and the sense of his own weakness. Why is that a good attitude for anyone, not just a prophet, to have? What dangers do we face if we get a sense of our own self-sufficiency?

WEDNESDAY

December 31

Through the Word

Basic to the claims of Christianity is that it is a revealed religion, the record of which we find in Scripture. During the first few millennia of humankind’s existence, God revealed Himself to individuals through dreams, visions, or epiphanies (appearances). From the time of Moses (fifteenth century B.C.) and onward, many of these revelations were written down. As a result, we have today 66 books in the Bible, containing all the knowledge necessary for salvation.

What do the following texts tell us about the Bible itself?

Matt. 1:22; 2:15, 17; 4:14

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John 20:30, 31

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2 Tim. 3:16

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There are a number of important characteristics of the Bible that should hold our attention. 1) Its unity: The Bible at first sight appears to be merely a collection of ancient literature. However, considering that it was written by approximately 40 authors over a period of nearly 1,600 years, its unity is amazing. The plan of salvation is revealed progressively from Genesis to Revelation. There is unity in its theme: The Messiah is promised throughout the Old Testament, and declared in every New Testament book to have come in the person of Jesus Christ. And there is complete harmony of teaching: The doctrines of the Old and New Testament are the same. 2) The history it portrays: The Old Testament embodies the oldest history of any people in the world. William F. Albright, the greatest archaeologist of the twentieth century, wrote, “Hebrew national tradition excels all other in its clear picture of tribal and family origins. In Egypt and Babylonia, in Assyria and Phoenicia, in Greece and Rome, we look in vain for anything comparable. There is nothing like it in the tradition of the Germanic peoples. Neither India nor China can produce anything similar.”—The Biblical Period From Abraham to Ezra, p. 27. 3) Its survival: The Bible, compared with other ancient writings, has more manuscript evidence than any other piece of classical literature–in spite of early attempts by Roman emperors to destroy it. For example, there are more than 5,000 known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament in existence. Homer’s Iliad is second with only 643 manuscripts that have survived.

The reason for this phenomenon is the Holy Spirit, the real author of God’s Word, Who inspired all the human authors. He ensured that the biblical historians presented an accurate picture, and He watched over the history and preservation of the Bible.

THURSDAY

January 1

Through Christ

The center and substance of God’s revelation is the person of Christ, God in human flesh. When in God’s plan the time was right, Jesus was “born of a woman, born under the law” (Gal. 4:4, NKJV). He lived for about thirty-three years in Palestine, died on the cross, rose from the tomb, and ascended to His Father.

What do the following texts tell us about how God’s revelation through Christ differed from the other revelations discussed this week? John 1:14; 3:16; 14:8, 9; Col. 2:9; Heb. 1:1, 2.

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The Bible far surpasses the revelation of God in nature, yet, no written record can equal the personal presence of the Son of God. The Bible is God’s tool to accomplish His purpose in our lives. However, it has no lasting value if we regard it only as an interesting history book. Unless it leads us to the One it reveals, our study of the Bible will be of little benefit. The Bible was written, above all, to give to us the revelation of God presented to the world through the life and death of His Son, Jesus.

“That was the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world” (John 1:9, NKJV ). What contribution does this text make to our understanding of the revelation of God in Christ?

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The NIV English translation catches the idea best: “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” This does not mean that every person receives this light, only that if a person is illuminated at all, it must be from Jesus (Acts 4:12). The true light shines on all humankind in the same sense that Jesus died for everyone, but not everyone will be saved. As John goes on to say, many will not accept this light (John 1:10–12).

How well do you know Jesus yourself? If someone were to say to you, “Tell me about Jesus, what He is like and what He can do for me,” what would you say, and why? Be prepared to share your answer in class on Sabbath.

FRIDAY

January 2

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, “A True Knowledge of God,” pp. 409-426 in The Ministry of Healing; “God in Nature,” pp. 99-101 in Education.“Christ came to teach human beings what God desires them to know. In the heavens above, in the earth, in the broad waters of the ocean, we see the handiwork of God. All created things testify to His power, His wisdom, His love. But not from the stars or the ocean or the cataract can we learn of the personality of God as it is revealed in Christ. God saw that a clearer revelation than nature was needed to portray both His personality and His character. He sent His Son into the world to reveal, so far as could be endured by human sight, the nature and the attributes of the invisible God.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 265. “Christ revealed all of God that sinful human beings could bear without being destroyed. He is the divine Teacher, the Enlightener. Had God thought us in need of revelations other than those made through Christ and in His written word, He would have given them.”—Page 266. “The Bible is a wonderful book. It is a history that opens up to us the past centuries. Without the Bible we should have been left to conjectures and fables in regard to the occurrences of past ages. It is a prophecy that unvails the future. It is the Word of God, unfolding to us the plan of salvation, pointing out the way by which we may escape eternal death and gain eternal life.”—Ellen G. White, in Bible Echo, October 1, 1892, par. 5.

Discussion Questions:

In class, compare your answers to Thursday’s final question. What can you learn from each other?   If God does reveal Himself to us through nature, at least partially, what does this tell us about our need to protect the environment? What are some other ways God communicates with us? How can we be sure it really is God talking to us? What safeguards are there to protect us from deceptions?   As a class, plan an outing in nature in which you can look at the revelation of God found there. What things clearly testify to His creative power and love? What things leave large questions still unanswered? Why is nature, however beautiful, still not sufficient to tell us all that we need to know?

LESSON 13

*December 20 - 26

Atonement and Universal Harmony

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Dan. 8:13, 14; 1 Cor. 4:5; 15:51–54; Heb. 9:23; Rev. 20:1–4, 11–15; 22:3–6.

Memory Text:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ ” (Revelation 21:3, 4, NIV).

Key Thought:

To look at how God will consummate our salvation in Christ and restore harmony to the universe. Christ’s work of salvation in our behalf will reach its ultimate goal when the earth will be fully reintegrated into the loving harmony and safety of the universal kingdom of God. The Lord is, even now, transforming sinners into saints who will one day populate this kingdom. His redemptive plan includes the transformation of society and nature through an act of re-creation that will also bring the cosmic conflict to an end. The Lord alone will establish that ideal society, one ruled by the love and justice of a God who sent His Son to die for sinful creatures, and He did it all in order to make it possible for these sinful creatures to be part of His universal and eternal kingdom one day. This process, before being fulfilled, will include the ultimate eradication of all evil.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 27.

SUNDAY

December 21

Universal Cleansing

The restoration of God’s creation to its original condition, one free from sin and uncleanliness, was represented in the Day of Atonement ritual. On that day the high priest came closer to the presence of God than on any other day of the year. The daily cleansing of the people that day reached its consummation and therefore pointed to the time when the whole universe will be free from sin.

How does Daniel describe the final triumph of God over the forces of evil? Dan. 8:13, 14.

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Daniel uses Day of Atonement symbolism to describe the consummation of God’s redemptive work in Christ. The heavenly temple is where God has been—through the mediation of Christ—dealing with the sin problem. This work of mediation will come to an end through the final cosmic cleansing from sin and rebellious sinners—a process that began at the end of the 2,300 “days.” This cleansing is associated with God’s end-time judgment. In Daniel 7 this work of judgment takes place before His angelic host (Dan. 7:9, 10, 22) in the context of a court of law, showing that their final destruction has a legal foundation.

How does the high-priestly work of mediation and judgment in the Old Testament find its fulfillment in Christ’s mediation? Heb. 9:23.

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The cleansing power of the sacrifice of Christ has also a future expression, represented in the cleansing ritual performed by the Levitical high priest during the Day of Atonement in the earthly sanctuary. In fact, Christ’s work of mediation reaches its climax in the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, which is His work of judgment. By referring to the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, Hebrews points back to the cleansing effectiveness of the sacrifice of Christ while pointing forward to its ultimate completion in the experience of His faithful people at the Second Coming (Heb. 9:28). This cleansing also looks forward to the establishment of the kingdom of God (Heb. 12:28), when all the enemies of Christ, who have already been defeated (Heb. 2:14), will “be made his footstool” (Heb. 10:13, NIV). This cleansing will result in an executive judgment “that will consume the enemies of God” (vs. 27, NIV), an act that will be the final cleansing of the universe from the presence of sin and evil.

MONDAY

December 22

Vindication of God’s People

Read Hebrews 9:27, 28 and 1 Corinthians 15:51–54. What is being described here, and what hope does it offer us?

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The realization of our ultimate hope in Christ consists, first, in the radical transformation of human nature (1 Cor. 15:53), when we go from our corrupted and disfigured self to our true self, one no longer distorted and perverted by sin. We will be rid, too, of our wretched mortality.

Second, the realization of our hope at the Second Coming will consist in our being removed from the presence of evil in all its forms. This will lead to a new mode of existence, one permanently detached from the sphere of sin. Removed from the sinful social conditions that predominate all societies and cultures, we will be restored to the conditions originally created by God for the human race.

Third, the realization of the Christian hope at the return of Christ will consist of a permanent, unhindered, and visible access to our Savior. Believers look forward to a time when they will exist in the immediate presence of the Savior, never to be separated again (1 Thess. 4:17). This permanent union with our Lord and Redeemer will enrich the quality of human life in dimensions that we cannot even begin to anticipate now.

Finally, the consummation of the Adventist hope at the Second Coming will also consist of a harmonious social interaction. That will be a moment of reunion, a reencounter. The separation from loved ones occasioned by the power of death comes to an end through the re-creative power of the Savior (1 Cor. 15:54–57). The individual hope merges here with the collective hope of those who, throughout the ages, died in Christ while embracing the promises of God. This is the consummation of our reconciliation and will not be threatened by the presence of sin.

Why are all these promises shown above so important to us? What would our faith be without them? Why must our hope be “other-worldly;” that is, beyond anything that this present world offers, no matter how much good we seek to do here and now?

TUESDAY

December 23

Judging the Evil Powers and the Wicked

When and how will God deal with the phenomenon of sin in His rebellious creatures? 1 Cor. 4:5, 6:3, Rev. 20:1–4.

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The resolution of the sin problem takes place in stages because of the complexity of the problem of sin and God’s interest in revealing to the universe His justice. First of all, in the Bible the millennium is an indispensable event that will lead to a cosmic revelation of God’s justice, and it will result in the full reconciliation of all the things on earth and in heaven (Col. 1:20).

The millennium indicates that at the Second Coming the cosmos is not yet ready for the annihilation of unrepentant sinners, of Satan, and of his fallen angels. The extinction of a fragment of God’s intelligent creation must take place at the appropriate moment, when it will result in the healing of the universe and the restoration of perfect harmony. Otherwise the result could be a fragmentation deeper than the one that Satan first caused. The millennium provides the needed time to create universal support for God’s solution to the great controversy.

Second, the millennium is a time of cosmic reflection and analysis. Time will be spent, both by the redeemed and Satan, reviewing the results of the great controversy. Satan and his angels, imprisoned on a desolated planet, will have plenty of time to think about what they have done. Together Satan and his angels will reflect on the results of their rebellion against the loving government of God. This introspection will contribute to the reconciliation of the universe.

Third, the reflection in heaven takes place in the setting of the judgment of the wicked (1 Cor. 6:2, 3; Rev. 20:4). The redeemed ones will join the heavenly court and will participate in the examination of the lives of those who persisted in their rebellion against God. They will reign with Christ for 1,000 years, in the sense that they will participate with Him in His judicial capacity. They can witness in the throne room of the universe the fact that God did all He could do to save repentant sinners and that the lost should now assume responsibility for their decisions. In short, we will all be convinced of the rightness of God’s final actions toward the lost.

What does it tell us about the character of God that He will have this whole process unfold before the final destruction of the lost? How can you take this knowledge of God’s character and apply it to your life today, in that you can learn to trust Him in all things, no matter how bad they are now?