Closer To Heaven
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17 August 2026 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, A Christian friend of another denomination insists that when Revelation 1:10 references “the Lord’s Day,” John was talking about Sunday. He says that shows that by the time Revelation was written everyone was already worshipping on Sunday. What do you think, Aunty? Gentle Reader: Your friend’s certainty might […] Source: https://atoday.org/is-the-lords-day-in-revelation-110-really-sunday/
SOLOMON ISLANDS – Chinese-language evangelistic programs produced during Solomon Islands for Christ are opening new opportunities to reach Chinese communities in the Pacific, with Adventist leaders now considering longer-term ministry among Chinese residents in Solomon Islands and beyond. According to Jesse Herford of Adventist Record, Daniel Jiao, president of the Chinese Union Mission, traveled from […] Source: https://atoday.org/chinese-language-ministry-opens-new-mission-opportunities-across-the-pacific/
Oh, the beauty of studying this quarter’s lessons. We will learn so much of the Love of God (and our Saviour, Jesus) which stands out in so many pages of this quarter. Trying to choose just one hymn for the Theme Hymn was almost impossible, but these ones stood out all through the lesson pamphlet from which you may choose:
Hymn 79 – O Love Of God, Hymn 349 – God Is Love and then in seeing God’s amazing love we can
Hymn 600 – Hold Fast and
Hymn 602 – O Brother, Be Faithful.
To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/
Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org/
2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Spiritualism is gaining momentum. Even in Adventist circles, I have seen Adventists on Facebook wishing their dead loved ones a “happy heavenly birthday.” This concerns me, as we know spiritualism will be one of the great deceptions in the last days. The Bible still remains plain about the state of the dead and the resurrection of the dead. First Corinthians 15, which we are studying in this week’s Sabbath School lesson, makes it very clear that without the resurrection there is no eternal life. A few years ago, while serving as a Bible Worker, I put together a video for Resurrection Weekend that focused on First Corinthians 15, the importance of the resurrection, and how this truth keeps us from being deceived by spiritualism. As we are studying this theme again this week, I would like to share that video here. I pray that it will be a blessing to you and also help you share this vital truth with others.
Daily Lesson for Monday 17th of August 2026
In 1 Corinthians 15:9-19, Paul explains how severe and dreadful the consequences of denying the Resurrection are. Without the Resurrection, believers have no hope in the present, much less in the future.
By and large, ancient pagans did not believe in resurrection, especially in the Greek world, with its belief in body-soul dualism (at death the soul soars off to wherever the souls of the dead supposedly go). Paul begins the paragraph in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 with a rhetorical question that shows his deep bewilderment: “What? How can some of you say that there is no such thing as the resurrection of the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:12, author’s translation). For Paul, disbelieving in the Resurrection is inconceivable, especially because there were so many eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:5-8). But even worse, without the Resurrection, their hope is built on a lie, and they are still in their sins.
Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com
He says, in fact, that if there is no resurrection of the dead, then (1) Christ has not been raised (1 Corinthians 15:13,16); (2) our preaching is empty (1 Corinthians 15:14); (3) our faith is also empty (1 Corinthians 15:14); (4) we are false witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:15); (5) our faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15:17); (6) we are still in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17); and, obviously, (7) those who have died are no more (1 Corinthians 15:18).
Without the Resurrection, both preaching and faith are empty (1 Corinthians 15:14). The Greek term rendering the word “empty” is kenos. This is a good translation, but it is too broad. Interpreters debate whether kenos means “empty” in the sense of lacking truth (so, “untrue”) or lacking results (so, “without result or effect”) or lacking purpose (so, “without purpose,” “in vain”).
Whatever the specific meaning, in a scenario in which resurrection does not exist, faith is portrayed as futile, from the Greek mataios (1 Corinthians 15:17). Although mataios is not much different from kenos, the idea is that if Jesus is not alive, faith is fruitless, a delusion, because our sins have not been forgiven (1 Corinthians 15:17). We would be false witnesses, deceiving and being deceived (1 Corinthians 15:15).
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How does one make sense of 1 Corinthians 15:1-58 if the dead soar off to heaven (or to hell) immediately? Why, then, is understanding that the dead sleep such an important teaching? |
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