Date for casting ballots changed to a Saturday, which could prevent Adventists from voting in Manipur. Church leaders calling on political authorities to change the date, or revert back to its original date, which was not on a Saturday. Politically, Christians favor the opposing Indian National Congress over the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party led by […] Source: https://atoday.org/sit-in-protest-staged-at-adventist-church-in-india-over-rescheduled-voting-date/
Science vs. the Interpretation of Scripture
by Russ Spangler | 22 February 2022 | His name was Galileo Galilei. He was an astronomer, mathematician, and physicist from Pisa, Italy. He has been called the father of observational astronomy and even the father of the scientific method and modern science. In the year 1609 he made some improvements to an invention that […] Source: https://atoday.org/76717-2/
Wednesday: The Cross and the Cost of Forgiveness
Read Hebrews 9:22-28. What does this passage say about the work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary?
The idea that the heavenly sanctuary needs cleansing makes sense in the context of the Old Testament sanctuary. The sanctuary is a symbol of God’s government (1 Samuel 4:4, 2 Samuel 6:2), and the way God deals with the sin of His people affects the public perception of the righteousness of His government (Psalm 97:2). As ruler, God is the Judge of His people, and He is expected to be fair, vindicating the innocent and condemning the guilty.
Image © Krieg Barrie at Goodsalt.com
Thus, when God forgives the sinner, He carries judicial responsibility. The sanctuary, which represents God’s character and administration, is contaminated. This explains why God bears our sins when He forgives (Exodus 34:7, Numbers 14:17-19, the original Hebrew for “forgiving” [nose?] in these verses means “carrying, bearing”).
The system of sacrifices in the Israelite sanctuary illustrated this point. When a person sought forgiveness, he brought an animal as a sacrifice in his behalf, confessed his sins over it, and slaughtered it. The blood of the animal was daubed upon the horns of the altar or sprinkled before the veil in the temple in the first apartment. Thus, the sin was symbolically transferred into the sanctuary. God took the sins of the people and bore them Himself.
In the Israelite system, cleansing from or atonement for sins occurred in two phases. During the year, repentant sinners brought sacrifices to the sanctuary, which cleansed them from their sin but transferred the sin to the sanctuary, to God Himself. At the end of the year, on the Day of Atonement, which was the day of judgment, God would cleanse the sanctuary, clearing His judicial responsibility by transferring the sins from the sanctuary to the scapegoat, Azazel, who represented Satan (Leviticus 16:15-22).
This two-phase system, represented by the two apartments in the earthly sanctuary, which were a pattern of the heavenly sanctuary (Exodus 25:9, Hebrews 8:5), permitted God to show mercy and justice at the same time. Those who confessed their sins during the year showed loyalty to God by observing a solemn rest and afflicting themselves on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-31). Those who did not show loyalty would be “cut off” (Leviticus 23:27-32).
| Think what you would face if you had to face the just punishment for your sins. How should that truth help you understand what Christ has done for you? |
Amen!
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Kindness Matters: 11-Year-Old Adventist Named TIME Magazine’s ‘Kid of the Year’ for His Service Projects
11-year-old started Race to Kindness initiative after winning a speech contest when he was 9. Orion Jean has completed toy, food, and book drives for hundreds of thousands of people. Jean is a member of the Dallas City Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church in Texas, U.S. 22 February 2022 | “Kindness is a virtue we can […] Source: https://atoday.org/kindness-matters-11-year-old-adventist-named-time-magazines-kid-of-the-year/
More Than a Game: Oakwood Adventist Academy Basketball Team Forfeits Chance at Finals to Keep Sabbath
School had never made it this far in postseason play before, was their first chance at a regional final. State Athletic Association refused to swap their game time with another semifinal match scheduled after sundown. Oakwood still went to semifinal tournament to cheer other teams on. 22 February 2022 | The Mustangs, the basketball team […] Source: https://atoday.org/more-than-a-game-oakwood-adventist-academy-basketball-team-forfeits-chance-at-finals-to-keep-sabbath/
