Closer To Heaven
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En los últimos años, los adventistas hemos empezado a darnos cuenta de lo centralizada y autoritaria que es nuestra Iglesia. Los altos cargos de la Iglesia parecen querer controlar todos los aspectos de la vida eclesiástica, en todas las partes del mundo, hasta el funcionamiento cotidiano de las congregaciones locales. El reciente alboroto en la […] Source: https://atoday.org/editorial-por-que-nuestra-denominacion-es-tan-autoritaria/
May 8, 2025
DAILY BIBLE READING
Genesis 22 – The Sacrifice of Isaac══════════════════════════════════════════════
Bible Text – Genesis 22 (KJV)1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
15 And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;
21 Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,
22 And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.
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IntroductionGenesis 22 relates one of the most dramatic and theologically profound passages in Scripture. God tests Abraham’s faith by commanding him to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. This narrative reveals deep truths about obedience, faith, and God’s provision.
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CommentarySection 1: God’s Test (vv. 1–2)
God places Abraham in the ultimate trial of faith, calling obedience above emotion or human understanding.
Section 2: Abraham’s Obedience (vv. 3–8)
Without hesitation, Abraham prepares for the journey. The poignant dialogue between Isaac and his father highlights mutual trust and submission.
Section 3: The Sacrifice (vv. 9–10)
Abraham binds Isaac and raises the knife—his absolute trust in God’s command is on full display.
Section 4: Divine Intervention (vv. 11–13)
At the pivotal moment, God intervenes. Isaac is spared, and a ram provided serves as the burnt offering instead.
Section 5: Covenant Renewal (vv. 15–18)
For Abraham’s obedience, God reaffirms and expands His promise: descendants as numerous as stars and universal blessing through his line.
Section 6: Return and Genealogy (vv. 19–24)
Abraham reunites with his servants at Beersheba, and the chapter closes with a genealogy introducing Rebekah, Isaac’s future wife.
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SummaryGenesis 22 showcases Abraham’s unwavering obedience and God’s faithfulness under trial. The near-sacrifice of Isaac foreshadows the ultimate provision of Christ. Abraham emerges as the exemplar of faith that endures even the greatest test.
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Message for TodayTesting Refines Faith: God’s trials are meant to strengthen, not destroy, our trust in Him.
Obedience Over Understanding: True faith obeys even when God’s purposes transcend our comprehension.
God Provides: Like the ram in the thicket (v. 13), He supplies what we need at the critical moment.
“The Lord Will Provide” (v. 8): In our times of greatest sacrifice, remember God’s provision and faithfulness.
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May 4–10, 2025 WEEKLY SPIRIT OF PROPHECY READING Ellen G. White │ Patriarchs and Prophets – Chapter 3 “The Temptation and the Fall” Read online here
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IntroductionFollowing the perfect account of Creation in Chapter 2, Chapter 3 recounts the most tragic turning point in human history: the Fall. Amidst perfection, peace, and communion with God, the first human pair chooses disobedience. This single act unleashes a cascade of consequences—guilt, separation from God, suffering, and death. Yet even here, God’s mercy shines through: He does not abandon humanity but promises redemption.
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Commentary══════════════════════════════════════════════
SummaryThe Fall marks the beginning of all human suffering but also the moment when God’s mercy appears. Adam and Eve’s decision to transgress God’s command was no minor slip—it was a fundamental breach of trust and obedience. Yet God speaks not only judgment but also grace, promising a Savior.
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Application for TodaySource: https://fulfilleddesire.net/8-05-2025-genesis-chapter-22-believe-his-prophets/
When faith intervenes, even the smallest gestures can make the biggest impact. A stranger on a plane handed Bill Hay $100, feeling led by God to give. This gift was given to a refugee family who had lost everything and had been living in a church for 18 months. Discover how this act of generosity brought hope and healing to a family in need. Like, comment and subscribe for more stories of faith in action. #FaithInAction #HopeForRefugees #KindnessMatters Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb_3OFJoqZ4
Q: What can you do when prayer life is a burden? A: Look at Jesus' prayer life. Find this full sermon here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDvQKxrRyV0 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxzEFIgh1g4
7 May 2025 | The following is a Press Release from Southern Adventist University. Marinela Cruz, junior math and chemistry double major at Southern Adventist University, presented her research titled “Cycles in Grid Graphs and Toroidal Variants” at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, the largest mathematics conference in the world, earlier this semester. “I wanted to do […] Source: https://atoday.org/southern-student-presents-research-at-global-mathematics-conference/
by Jim Burklo | 7 May 2025 | Years ago, I hosted an event at the University of Southern California with Paul Woodruff, a philosopher at the University of Texas, who wrote a book that had a profound influence on me: Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue. He said that reverence doesn’t belong to any particular […] Source: https://atoday.org/reverent-otherdoxy/
7 May 2025 | In 1919 at a Bible Conference in Washington DC a candid discussion took place that raised questions about the prophetic gift of Ellen White—notably the knowledge of many of her contemporaries that she borrowed from other sources. The notes from that conference were typed up and tucked away, not to be […] Source: https://atoday.org/atss-donald-mcadams-a-review-of-the-ellen-white-revisionist-history-since-1970/
Join the Hit the Mark panel as they discuss Sabbath School Lesson 6 – Understanding Sacrifice. It’s the fastest hour of the week!
Register and info for HTM Spiritual Summit IV here: Hit the Mark Spiritual Summit IV
(0)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/understanding-sacrifice-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school/
Daily Lesson for Thursday 8th of May 2025
On a handful of occasions, prophets have been brought close enough to God in vision that they were permitted to see God’s throne. Ezekiel saw it above the firmament (Ezekiel 1:26); Isaiah visited the temple in heaven to see it (Isaiah 6:1); and in one of the most explicit descriptions provided to us, John was escorted there in vision in Revelation 4:1-11 and 5. The Old Testament types in the sanctuary service indicated that there was only one path by which humanity could enter God’s presence: the blood of Christ. (See Leviticus 16:2,14, for example.)
Image © Bible Adventure Collection at Goodsalt.com
In each of these throne room visions, the first thing that happens is that heavenly beings underscore the holiness of God. In Isaiah’s vision, the scene is impressive: the temple is filled with smoke, and the “posts of the door” were shaken as seraphim proclaim the holiness of God. In John’s vision, cherubim make the same announcement, “Holy, holy, holy.” (See Ezekiel 10:14-15 to find the living creatures described as cherubim.) Each prophet was shown a dazzling scene of God’s glory.
Then we are shown the prophet’s reaction to the scene. Isaiah cries out that he is a man of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5), and John weeps because he is faced with the tragic truth that no one worthy can be found (Revelation 5:4). When we are directly presented with the worthiness of God, we then finally begin to comprehend the human situation: we are utterly unworthy, and we need Christ as our Redeemer.
Satan has hurled many accusations against God, arguing that He is arbitrary, selfish, and severe, but even a brief moment in God’s throne room exposes Satan’s lies. It is in seeing Christ for who He truly is, “ ‘the Lamb who was slain’ ” (Revelation 5:12, NKJV), that enables us to see the Father as He truly is. How comforting to know that by seeing Jesus, we see what the Father is like (John 14:9). And the greatest revelation of what the Father is like is seen in Jesus dying on the cross for us.
The cross, then, should show us two things: first, just how much God loves us that He would sacrifice Himself for us; second, it should show us just how sinful and fallen we are that only through the cross could we be saved.
(0)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25b-06-for-you-created-all-things/
LOMA LINDA, California – Excitement swept through the Loma Linda Adventist community yesterday as word spread of a mysterious “cloud the size of a man’s hand” rising in the east. Local residents grabbed their binoculars, dusted off their hymnals, and texted their small groups: “It’s happening!” However, the anticipation fizzled out faster than a New […] Source: https://atoday.org/satire-loma-linda-adventists-greatly-disappointed-cloud-the-size-of-a-hand-just-la-smog/
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