Closer To Heaven
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19 February 2025 | The Adventist Development and Relief Agency—ADRA— was mentioned in a syndicated piece from the Washington Examiner, entitled, “First-class flights, seven-figure salaries: How NGO bosses are living good on the taxpayer dime.” Author Robert Schmad writes, A constellation of nonprofit organizations collectively receiving billions of dollars from government agencies such as U.S. […] Source: https://atoday.org/adra-criticized-for-payment-of-executives/
What would you do if God called you to preach? William Miller, a humble farmer, didn’t feel ready to share the message, but he made a covenant with God: if someone called him to preach, he would go. The answer to his plea came faster than he expected. Watch this inspiring story of faith and providence, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more content like this! #FaithAndProvidence #ChristianInspiration #WilliamMiller #awr #adventistworldradio #short Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R84xTz_tZ-s
by Jack Hoehn | 19 February 2025 | The book of 1st Esdras tried to be in the Bible (it’s in the Apocrypha by an “Ezra” that sits between the Old Testament and New Testament in some Bibles). It claims that the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its temple happened because three of Persian Emperor Darius’s […] Source: https://atoday.org/ages-of-desire-the-body-temple-18/
19 February 2025 | The investigative judgment idea, that Jesus began a new phase of activity in heaven in 1844, has been Adventism’s most contested and troublesome doctrine. We know that a group of Millerites waited for Jesus to return on October 22, 1844. But what happened afterwards, when their expectations failed, has taken on […] Source: https://atoday.org/atss-warren-trenchard-the-investigative-judgment-adventist-asset-or-liability/
Daily Lesson for Thursday 20th of February 2025
If everything occurred according to God’s ideal will, there would never have been evil but only the perfect bliss of love and harmony. Eventually, the universe will be restored to this perfect, ideal will of God. In the meantime, God is working out His will in a way that takes into account the free decisions of His creatures.
Imagine a baking competition in which all participants are required to use some particular set of ingredients, but they can add any other ingredients they want in order to bake any kind of cake they want, as well. In the end, whatever cake a baker ends up making will be determined, at least partially, by some ingredients that the baker did not choose.
Image © Phil McKay Goodsalt.com
Similarly (in this limited respect), because God has committed Himself to respecting creaturely freedom of the kind necessary for love, many of the “ingredients” that make up world history are not chosen by God but are actually the opposite of what God desires.
In this view, divine providence is not simply one-dimensional, as if God unilaterally controls everything that happens. Rather, this requires (at least) a two-dimensional view of God’s providence. Some things in this world are caused by God, but other occurrences are the result of the free decisions of creatures (as are all evils). Many things happen that God does not want to happen.
Particularly in times of suffering or trial, people’s faith may waver because they hold the mistaken belief that God will or should spare them from suffering and trials in this life. But Jesus tells us a very different story, warning His followers they will experience trials and tribulations in this world, but there is hope, for Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33).
The fact that we encounter suffering and trials does not mean that this is what God ideally wants for us. We must always keep in mind the big picture: the great controversy. However, we can be confident that, while evil itself is not necessary for good, God can bring good even out of evil events. And, if we trust God, God can use even our sufferings to draw us closer to Him and to motivate us to be compassionate and to care for others.
(0)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-08-christ-has-overcome-the-world/
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