Closer To Heaven
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26 December 2022 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, I was married to an Adventist for 25 years total mismatch—emotionally unavailable. Then I dated non-Adventists, and met my current husband of 4 years, a Jewish man. This marriage? Sexual betrayal. Pornography addiction. Narcissistic emotional abuse. I’ve spent over $30,000 in therapy to work on myself. Now I’m […] Source: https://atoday.org/85699-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=85699-2
The Bible says that God “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16, NRSV), and that “no one has ever seen God” (John 1:18, 1 John 4:12, NRSV). Does it mean that the saints in heaven will never see God the Father? Not at all. It is quite evident that not seeing God refers to the human beings after the Fall, because there are several indications in Scripture that the saints will actually see Him in heaven.
Image © Lars Justinen at Goodsalt.com
The same apostle John who stated that “no one has ever seen God” (John 1:18, 1 John 4:12, NRSV) also declares that “we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2-3, , NKJV) and “see His face” (Revelation 22:3-4, , NKJV). It can be debatable whether these passages refer to God the Father or to Christ. But all doubts are gone in light of Christ’s own statement, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8, NKJV). What a privilege it will be for the redeemed to worship God in His temple! But the supreme privilege of all will be to see His face.
“The people of God are privileged to hold open communion with the Father and the Son. ‘Now we see through a glass, darkly.’ 1 Corinthians 13:12. We behold the image of God reflected, as in a mirror, in the works of nature and in His dealings with men; but then we shall see Him face to face, without a dimming veil between. We shall stand in His presence and behold the glory of His countenance.” — Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, Pages 676, 677.
Notice in some of the verses for today the link between purity and seeing God. The “pure in heart” will see God; he who will see God “purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3, NKJV). What these verses reveal is that God must do a work in us now to help prepare us for heaven.
Though, in the end, our title to heaven has been made certain through the death of Jesus, we will go through a purifying process here and now that will help prepare us for our eternal home. And central to the purification process is obedience to His Word.
| Read 1 Peter 1:22. How does this text reveal to us the link between obedience and purification? What is it about obedience that purifies us? How, specifically, does Peter say our obedience will be made manifest? |
(2)The post Tuesday: In the Presence of God appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
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✅ 1 Prophecy Fulfilled: Cami Unlocks Bible Prophecies in 2020 – https://youtu.be/7uwHK2amFCk Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt6l6a4AXoA
Some people speak of heaven itself as being God’s sanctuary. But the book of Revelation refers to a specific sanctuary/temple within the New Jerusalem, where God’s throne and the sea of glass are located (Revelation 4:2-6, Revelation 7:9-15, Revelation 15:5-8). There the great multitude of saints from all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues will worship God forever (Revelation 7:9-17).
Image © Steve Creitz at Goodsalt.com
The heavenly sanctuary/temple has always been the place where the heavenly hosts worship God. But with the appearance of sin, that sanctuary became also the place from where salvation is offered to humanity. “When the sin problem is over, the heavenly sanctuary will once again revert to its original function. In Revelation 21:22, John the revelator reports that he no longer saw a temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. But does that mean there is no longer a house of the Lord where His creatures can come and have special fellowship with Him? By no means!” — Richard M. Davidson, “The Sanctuary: ‘To Behold the Beauty of the Lord,’” in Artur Stele, ed., The Word: Searching, Living, Teaching, vol. 1 (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 2015), p. 31.
The book of Revelation gives special attention to the One who is being worshiped and to those who are worshiping Him. This heavenly worship is centered on God and the Lamb (Revelation 5:13, Revelation 7:10). As always, and as it should be, Christ is the focus of the worship.
The worshipers are those “who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14, NIV). They are living witnesses of God’s redeeming and transforming power. They sing praises to God for who He is and for what He did for them.
| Revelation 21:3 reads: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God” (NKJV). These verses reflect numerous other passages (Jeremiah 32:38, Ezekiel 37:27, Zechariah 8:8, Hebrews 8:10). What does it mean for us now, still here on earth, that God will be our God, and we will be His people? How do we live out this amazing truth now? |
(0)The post Monday: In the Temple of God appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
25 December 2022 | Satan is hardly mentioned in the Old Testament—just three times—and is present almost everywhere in the New Testament. Where does that emphasis on Satan come from? The Old Testament is silent about an afterlife: the dead know nothing, feel nothing, experience nothing. The New Testament shows a different picture. There is […] Source: https://atoday.org/two-new-atss-presents-programs-now-on-youtube/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=two-new-atss-presents-programs-now-on-youtube
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