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Sunday: The Very First Commandment

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Daily Lesson for Sunday 27th of April 2025

The Garden of Eden was a classroom for God’s first people, a place where their interaction with the creation would endlessly teach them and their offspring more about the Creator. “The holy pair were not only children under the fatherly care of God,” Ellen G. White pointed out, “but students receiving instruction from the all-wise Creator. . . . The mysteries of the visible universe—‘the wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge’ (Job 37:16)—afforded them an exhaustless source of instruction and delight.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, Pages 50, 51.

Read Genesis 2:9-17. What was the first command, a prohibition, that God gave to humanity, and why was it so important?
Eve and Adam in Eden

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

The first use of the root verb tswh, “to command,” that God gave to humans was in Genesis 2:16-17, the command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. How can some knowledge be forbidden? Isn’t it always useful to experience and to know more?

Not according to Scripture: God was intent on educating His people thoroughly while sparing them from the long-term suffering that some knowledge would cause, such as what would later happen when people chose to rule themselves rather than to be ruled by the Lord Himself.

Millennia later, when Israel asked for a king, the Lord laid out the consequences (as we discovered last week), and He informed His people that the decision to step away from His direct rule would last until the end of time.

As the kings of Israel became progressively more wicked, God’s cove­nant people became so worldly and so removed from their purpose that He gave them even more of what they wanted: human government.

Approaching the book of Daniel with this background in mind can be enlightening. Not only is the march of empires depicted in the book’s visions an indictment of “the nations”—the Gentiles—it is also an indictment of Israel’s failures, their refusal to follow His _mitswot _(commandments). Centuries of subjection, instead of the freedom first given in Eden, would become a new classroom in which willing hearts could witness the striking contrast between the kingdoms of this world and God’s kingdom.

Think about the kinds of knowledge, even now, that many of us would be better off not knowing. How does this help us understand what was forbidden in Eden?

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25b-05-the-very-first-commandment/

God First: Your Daily Prayer Meeting #985

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"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:22, NIV). 
Tag someone in need of prayer, and kindly share your prayer requests here:
https://wkf.ms/3DBuapQ 🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4769477732859904 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9lhRiUZdGU

Y con Francisco, muere otra vez la Ley Dominical

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Se fue el papa jesuita, de los grandes titulares como “el papa del fin del mundo”, de los muchos planes de reforma para su iglesia; quien llegó al poder en medio de los escándalos de abuso sexual de sacerdotes católicos, que hicieron renunciar a Benedicto XVI. Y que, sin lugar a dudas, el pontificado del […] Source: https://atoday.org/y-con-francisco-muere-otra-vez-la-ley-dominical/

SdS – Allusioni, immagini e simboli nelle profezie bibliche – Lezione 5

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LE NAZIONI – II PARTE.
Approfondimento della quarta lezione del 2° trimestre 2025 a cura di Mariarosa Cavalieri, Gabriele Ciantia e Giorgio Iacono. 📩 Materiale utile qui:
🔗 https://uicca.org/2-trimestre-2025-lezione-5
🔗 https://uicca.org/nocciolo-2-trimestre-2025
🔗 https://uicca.org/edizioni-adv-2-trimestre-2025 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exvs8e7gj-w

Editorial: The Truth About Our Church’s Troubles—& How to Fight Back

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Adventism is unraveling, and it stings. A bloated church structure lets a few strongmen smother debate, block women’s ordination, and cram our dear church into a suffocating, General Conference-approved box. Honest dialogue? Routinely crushed. Conspiracy theories, anti-intellectualism, and contempt for “outsiders” fester in the pews. Evangelists wield fear and guilt to corral the flock. Meanwhile, […] Source: https://atoday.org/editorial-the-truth-about-our-churchs-troubles-how-to-fight-back/

Giovanni 12:46 – Apri la porta del tuo cuore

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“Io sono venuto come luce nel mondo, affinché chiunque crede in me non rimanga nelle tenebre”. 📖 Giovanni 12:46
—
💌 Apri la porta del tuo cuore
🗣 Speaker: Gioia Comia Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21DFddOBQmc

Vespers Apr 25, 2025 | When You Are Trapped In Uncertainty

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When You Are Trapped In Uncertainty — Jeffrey Paul THANK YOU for your continued financial support of our Media Ministries. Please donate by visiting "https://adventistgiving.org/#/org/ANB4RC/envelope/start" and select “Media Ministries”. Connect With Us
X: RemnantSDA
Facebook: RemnantSDAchurch.org
Instagram: RemnantSDAchurch Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHCKXqsc-BQ

Lesson 4.The Nations: Part 1 | 4.7 Questions | ALLUSIONS, IMAGES, SYMBOLS | LIVING FAITH

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📘 Lesson 4 – The Nations, Part 1

4.7 – Questions

God’s Ways with the Nations

🟦 Introduction

Israel’s history is marked by highs and lows, obedience and rebellion. When God’s people were led into Babylonian captivity, His plan seemed to falter. Yet even in that dark hour, God showed that His work was not confined to Israel alone. He used pagan kings like Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus to accomplish His will and guide His people. These events challenge us to examine our own relationship with God—and to see how much “Babylon” may still dwell within us.

📖 Bible Study

🔹 Nebuchadnezzar’s Humbling and Recognition (Daniel 4)
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon experienced a profound transformation. After dreaming of a great tree cut down, Daniel warned him of God’s judgment. In pride he ignored the warning, lost his sanity, and lived like an animal for seven years. At the end, he acknowledged God’s sovereignty and praised “the Most High.” This shows that God can humble the proudest hearts to draw them to Himself.

🔹 Cyrus’ Decree and Israel’s Return (Ezra 1)
King Cyrus of Persia—a non-Israelite—was called by God to free Israel from captivity. He issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Scripture even calls Cyrus God’s “anointed,” a title usually reserved for Israelite kings. This underscores that God can use people outside Israel to fulfill His purposes.

❓ Reflection Questions & Answers

  1. What does it teach us about how God sees humanity that He employed people outside Israel—like Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus—to achieve His goals?
    God does not view humanity through national or ethnic lenses. He is sovereign and can use anyone—regardless of background or faith—to accomplish His purposes. The stories of Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus demonstrate that God’s grace and calling are universal. He seeks hearts willing to do His will and can enlist the most unlikely instruments in His plan.

  2. We may not live in Babylon, but how much of Babylon might dwell within us? How do we recognize this, and how can we change?
    “Babylon” in Scripture symbolizes pride, idolatry, and rebellion against God. Though we aren’t physically in Babylon, these attitudes can reside in our hearts. When we rely more on material security, power, or human wisdom than on God, we reflect Babylon’s values. To recognize this, we must regularly examine our hearts by God’s Word, repent of our ways, and deliberately choose to follow God’s paths.

✨ Spiritual Principles

  • God’s Sovereignty: He rules over all nations and can use anyone for His purposes.

  • Humility Before God: Pride separates us from Him; humility draws us near.

  • Universal Calling: God’s invitation to repentance and service is open to all, regardless of origin.

🧭 Practical Application

  • Self-Examination: Regularly ask whether you’ve adopted values or behaviors God disapproves.

  • Openness: Be ready to see God at work in unexpected people and situations.

  • Humility: Acknowledge your need for God’s guidance and submit to His leading.

✅ Conclusion

God’s ways are higher than ours. He can humble the mightiest rulers and call the most unlikely people to fulfill His will. Our task is to remain humble, to examine our hearts, and to be willing to be used by God wherever He leads.

💬 Thought of the Day

“God does not look at outward status but at the heart. He can use anyone who is willing to heed His call.”

✍ Illustration – “Light Over Babylon”

Baghdad, Iraq – Spring 2025

The sun set over the dusty rooftops of the Old City. In a small internet café near a bustling market sat 29-year-old Zaid, brow furrowed before a battered computer. The generator hummed. Outside, the muezzin’s call to prayer echoed—but Zaid remained seated, stirred by another summons in his heart.

A historian and seeker, Zaid had grown up among ruins and pondered why Babylon—center of so many stories—reappeared as a spiritual symbol in Scripture. One name gripped him: Daniel—a man in Babylon who was not of Babylon, a captive who influenced kings, a foreigner serving a God beyond golden idols. He’d secretly read Daniel’s book in Arabic, then in English, and found himself bewildered. Why did God speak in dreams? Why did He use pagan rulers?

Clicking through to an Adventist website in Jordan, Zaid read of Abraham’s calling—also from Mesopotamia—and how God had later used King Cyrus to free His people. It struck him: if God could call Abraham from Ur and enlist Cyrus, might He include Zaid too?

He began to pray, softly, in his heart: “If You are the same God who spoke through Daniel, show me the way.”

He joined an underground group studying Revelation in Baghdad, learning of the call to “come out of Babylon” —not geographically but spiritually. He realized: though he’d never lived in ancient Babylon, its spirit lay in his pride, self-justification, and doubt.

A year later, Zaid stood in the baptismal pool of a hidden house church, tears streaming as the pastor declared, “You are a child of Abraham—not by blood, but by faith.”

He now knew his story did not end with Nimrod, Nebuchadnezzar, or the Babylonian exile—but continued with Cyrus, Daniel, Jesus—and now with him.

That evening, in his room, Zaid opened his new Bible and read aloud in Arabic:

“Then I heard another voice from heaven say: ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins…’” (Revelation 18:4)

A call from Babylon—and a light over Babylon. That was his calling.

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/lesson-4-the-nations-part-1-4-7-questions-allusions-images-symbols-living-faith/

26.04.2025 – Genesis Chapter 10 | BELIEVE HIS PROPHETS

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📅 April 26, 2025

📖 DAILY BIBLE READING

✨ Genesis 10 – The Table of Nations: Noah’s Descendants and the Spread of the Peoples

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📜 Bible Text – Genesis 10 (King James Version)

1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.

7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.

8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.

10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

13 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

15 And Canaan begat Sidon his first born, and Heth,

16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,

17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.

19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.

20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.

21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.

22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.

23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.

24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.

25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.

26 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,

27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,

28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,

29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.

30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.

31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.

32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

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📚 Explanation & Context

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🟦 Introduction

Genesis 10 is often called “The Table of Nations.” It serves as a unique historical record of how humanity spread across the earth after the Flood. This chapter shows how the nations of the world developed from Noah’s three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—not merely as a list of names, but as part of God’s plan for reordering the post-Flood world.

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🟨 Commentary:

  1. Japheth (vv. 2–5)

    • His descendants settle primarily in the northern and western regions (Europe and parts of Asia).

    • The mention of languages and islands points to ethnic and geographic diversity.

  2. Ham (vv. 6–20)

    • His line includes African and Canaanite tribes.

    • Nimrod stands out: a powerful leader who founded the first kingdoms (including Babel).

    • Key centers: Shinar (Babylon) and Asshur (Assyria).

  3. Shem (vv. 21–31)

    • Father of the Semitic peoples, especially the line of Eber from which Abraham comes.

    • The name Peleg (“Division”) hints at a major event—likely the Tower of Babel.

  4. Conclusion (v. 32)

    • Emphasizes that this genealogy covers all the known nations of that era, organized by language, land, and family.

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🟩 Summary:

Genesis 10 is a genealogical map of post-Flood humanity. It shows how God imposed order on the new world. The story begins with God’s blessing on Noah’s family, features Nimrod as a symbol of worldly power, and points ahead in Shem’s line to Israel and the Messiah.

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🟥 Message for Us Today

📌 Every person is part of a grand story that begins with Noah.

🔍 God sees not only the individual but also nations, languages, and cultures—and He blesses diversity.

🕊 Despite scattering and differences, God’s plan endures: humanity is to multiply, live in justice, and give glory to God.

🛋 Let this remind you: even if you’re “just” a name on a list, you’re woven into God’s plan. He knows your place in His story.

📐 “These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.” (Genesis 10:32)

🌿 God brings order out of chaos. Let Him draw the lines in your life, too.

~~~~~ 📚 ~~~~~

📆 April 20-26, 2025

📆 WEEKLY SPIRIT OF PROPHECY READING

Ellen White | Patriarchs and Prophets – Chapter 1

✨ Why was Sin Permitted?

📖 Read online here

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🟦 Introduction

The question, “Why was Sin Permitted?” touches the core of the Great Controversy between good and evil. In chapter 1 of Patriarchs and Prophets, Ellen White explores the origins of this cosmic conflict.

She shows that the origin of sin is not found in God, but in the misuse of free will by a created being – Lucifer, once the highest of angels. Though creation was perfect, God granted every being freedom of choice, for true love cannot be forced.

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🟨 Commentary

🔹 1. God’s Nature: Love as the Foundation of the Universe

  • “God is love” (1 John 4:16) – the core of His law and government.

  • His rule is based on freedom, justice, and grace.

  • All intelligent beings were joyful in obedience as long as love reigned.

🔹 2. Lucifer’s Fall: Abuse of Freedom

  • Lucifer, the “Morning Star,” was full of glory and wisdom.

  • Pride and self-exaltation led to rebellion.

  • He desired equality with Christ and sought worship due only to God.

🔹 3. The Beginning of Rebellion

  • Lucifer disguised his intentions and sowed seeds of doubt.

  • He questioned God’s law and authority under the guise of “freedom.”

  • Many angels were confused; some deceived, others remained loyal.

🔹 4. God’s Patience and Warning

  • God offered Lucifer mercy and a way back.

  • But Lucifer refused to confess his wrong and grew hardened.

  • He even claimed it was too late for forgiveness – another lie.

🔹 5. God’s Wisdom in Allowing Sin

  • God did not destroy Satan instantly.

  • He allowed sin to develop, so all beings could see its consequences.

  • Only then could God’s law be fully justified and rebellion prevented forever.

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🟩 Summary

This chapter teaches:

  • God created perfect beings with free will.

  • Sin began with Lucifer, who exalted himself.

  • God’s law is an expression of His love – not arbitrary.

  • Sin was permitted to reveal its true nature.

  • The Great Controversy affects all creation – not just humanity.

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🟥 Message for Us Today

📌 Today we are also caught in the midst of the Great Controversy.
Pride, rebellion, and self-justification are still Satan’s tools.

👉 What does this mean for you?

🔍 Trust God’s character, even when you don’t understand everything.
❤ Choose obedience from love, not compulsion.
✨ God’s patience with Lucifer shows His mercy to you, too.
🛡 Be watchful – Satan still uses half-truths and pride to deceive.
🙏 Turn to God while the door of grace is still open.

📜 “Justice and judgment are the foundation of His throne; mercy and truth go before His face.” (Psalm 89:14)

🌿 The origin of sin doesn’t show God’s weakness – it reveals His infinite wisdom, patience, and love.
That same love calls you today – to be part of His Kingdom, freely and fully.

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/26-04-2025-genesis-chapter-10-believe-his-prophets/

April 25, 2025: ADRA Responds to Asia Disasters & More Global News.

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On this episode of ANN: From ADRA’s rapid response to record wildfires in South Korea and a deadly earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand, to Russians and Ukrainians worshiping side by side in Ohio,
and churches around the world stepping up efforts to protect children—discover how Adventists are turning compassion into action. Stay tuned as ANN brings you everything you need to know about what is happening in the church worldwide. For a deeper dive into these headlines, visit https://www.adventist.news ANN is the official news channel of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Subscribe to ANN HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@AdventistNewsNetwork Like ANN on Facebook HERE: https://www.facebook.com/AdventistNews/ Follow ANN on X HERE: https://twitter.com/adventistnews Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMIkvxv6z-U

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