Daily Lesson for Thursday 15th of May 2025

It seems incomprehensible that Lucifer once held the position of covering cherub, occupying an exalted position next to the throne of God. Surely his existence would have helped reveal the glory of God to the universe. Instead, he began to consider his own glory, not the glory of his Creator; or, to be more precise, he started to imagine that he was not being given the deference due to him.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing from GoodSalt.com

Notice how Lucifer was removed from the holy mountain, while the redeemed stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb of God. Lucifer is said to have been in Eden; the human race was also once there, but in contrast to Satan’s fate, humanity is being restored to Paradise through Christ. (See Revelation 22:1-3.)

In this context, the following quote from Ellen G. White is very instructive: “Heaven will triumph, for the vacancies made in heaven by the fall of Satan and his angels will be filled by the redeemed of the Lord.”—Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, May 29, 1900.

And they are there, in heaven, only because of the gospel. In fact, the theme of the gospel, of redemption, is found in a graphic manner in the throne room in Revelation 4:1-11 and 5. For instance, the angels cry out: “ ‘ “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God, persons from every tribe and language and people and nation” ’ ” (Revelation 5:9, NIV). What a picture of the gospel: the death of Jesus for the redemption of humanity!

Notice, too, how the language reflects the first angel’s message, in which we are called to preach “the everlasting gospel . . . to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6, NKJV). What a powerful representation of the fullness of what Christ has done for the world. There is not a human being in all earth’s history for whom Christ has not died. Each person just needs to learn about it and choose to accept it.

<–Wednesday Friday–>

(0)

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25b-07-the-fall-of-lucifer/

Join the Hit the Mark panel as they discuss Sabbath School Lesson 7 – Foundations for Prophecy. It’s the fastest hour of the week!

Sign up for our weekly keyword handouts Here.

(0)

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/foundations-for-prophecy-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school/

This quarter we are studying how biblical allusions, among other things, help us interpret prophecy. The last book of the Bible truly becomes a revelation of Christ for those who are grounded in biblical teachings. One of these teachings is about what happens when a person dies, and another is about who the angels are.

One of the saddest things I have ever had to do was go to a funeral for a little girl who was hit and killed by a car. At the funeral, the minister talked about how much fun Jesus and the little girl were having in heaven right now. I thought, how cruel the minister was to make Jesus look as though he deprived the poor mother of her daughter so He could play with her!

Jesus does not break our hearts and tear our world apart so He can have fun with our loved ones while we suffer. Jesus will be reunited with the little girl at the same time the mother is –  at the Second Coming. This is why it is so important to study the topic of death in the light of the cross,  the light of God’s love. 

Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com

The minister even referred to King David as going straight to heaven to be with his son who had died. After the service, I wanted to mention to the minister what Peter said in Acts 2 while sharing the prophecies about Jesus in Scripture. 

“For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” Acts 2:34-35 NKJV

Peter clarifies that David’s prophecy was about Jesus and not himself, as David has not gone to heaven yet, but remains in his grave, awaiting the resurrection. 

The minister then talked about how the little girl who died is now an angel watching over us. Many believe that angels are our dead loved ones. They find comfort in the false idea that our dead loved ones are watching over us, but this lie not only leads to spiritualism, but it also leads to idolatry. It puts dead loved ones in the place of God. I find it comforting to know that God is watching over me. Why would I think my dead loved ones watching over me would be more comforting than God watching over me, when my soul hungers and thirsts for God’s love more than my family’s love? 

Nowhere does the Bible teach that our dead loved ones are angels. As a matter of fact, in Genesis we read:

So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24 NKJV

We know cherubim are angels. Genesis 3:24 refers to cherubim before anyone has died. Therefore, angels are clearly not our dead loved ones. God Himself and the angels of heaven are watching over us now and directing the mission of saving the people of this world, while our dead ones are resting from their labors. I find that way more thrilling and amazing than the lie that my dead loved ones are watching over me. The Bible teaches me that our dead loved ones are taking a deserved rest. 

Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” Revelation 14:13 NKJV

The word angels means “messengers,” and the Bible refers to two heavenly messengers by name. One is  “Gabriel” in Daniel 8:15,16; Daniel 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26. Daniel and Revelation also refer to “Michael,” who is identified as the archangel/chief angel (Jude 1:19) and leader of the angels who fought against “the dragon” in heaven and cast him out (Rev. 12:7). Daniel tells of Michael personally intervening in the affairs of this earth (Daniel 10:13,21 and Daniel 12:1).  Knowing this helps us interpret Revelation correctly.

While looking at Genesis and Revelation, let’s look at another passage that the lie of spiritualism has skewed. 

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. Revelation 6:9-11 NKJV

Many twist this passage to say that the souls of dead loved ones are literally under the altar in heaven. This makes no sense literally, as we will not be living under an altar in heaven. Plus, if the dead are currently in heaven, why would they be asking for vengeance against those who put them in heaven? Knowing that the dead rest in their graves keeps us from misinterpreting this passage. 

Remember in Genesis 4:10 God tells Cain that Abel’s blood was crying out for vengeance. Abel’s blood was not literally crying out. It was symbolic. The situation was symbolically crying out for justice. Likewise, in Revelation 6:9-11, the situation symbolically cries out for justice, while the dead continue to rest. 

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is clear that God is love. God loves us more than our family loves us, and therefore the truth about God and angels is comforting, knowing God Himself and His angels are watching over us, and not our dead loved ones. God will also not tear a young mother’s world apart so He can have fun with the mother’s child. When a child dies, God will be reunited with the child at the same time the mother is – at the Second Coming. 

The Revelation was never meant to be a “closed” book, difficult to interpret. To all diligent Bible students, the Revelation is truly a revelation of Christ. So, if you want to understand Revelation better, spend more time in really studying the rest of the Bible. Don’t confine your Bible study a weekly Sabbath School lesson, but study the Bible, book by book, remembering that Christ Himself is the ultimate revelation of God. Then you will understand the message God put in each of the 66 books of the Bible, including the Revelation. 

(0)

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/knowing-bible-teachings-helps-us-understand-revelation/

Daily Lesson for Wednesday 14th of May 2025

Following the leading of God’s presence in the cloud, the Israelites would stop in their journey to the Promised Land, set up the tabernacle, and then the tribes would pitch their camps around it—three tribes on each side. The Presence of God would descend into the Most Holy Place and take up residence in the midst of His people.

There was one dominant tribe on each of the four sides of the tabernacle. According to Numbers 2:1-34, who were these four dominant tribes?

Notice that each dominant tribe flew its own “standard,” or special flag, to designate who they were.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

While the Scriptures are not explicit in describing what was on each flag, there is an interesting tradition—loosely based on the tribal characteristics described in Genesis 49:1-33 and Deuteronomy 33:1-29—that assigns one of the four faces to each of the four compass points. “According to rabbinical tradition, the standard of Judah bore the figure of a lion, that of Reuben the likeness of a man or of a man’s head, that of Ephraim the figure of an ox, and that of Dan the figure of an eagle; so that the four living creatures united in the cherubic forms described by Ezekiel were represented upon these four standards.”—Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2011), vol. 1, p. 660.

It is possible to read too much into tradition, of course, but it is still interesting to compare this ancient tradition with the Bible’s description of the New Jerusalem. An interesting pattern emerges: there are gates representing three tribes on all four sides of the city (Revelation 21:12-13).

The descriptions of both the camp of Israel and the New Jerusalem underscore one crucial fact: God intends to pull humanity close to His throne. The book of Revelation teaches us that “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21:22, NKJV).

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

(0)

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25b-07-god-among-his-people/

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 13th of May 2025

Cherubim, either as living beings (Ezekiel 10:8) or the gold symbols of them (Exodus 25:18), appear all through the Old Testament. They are often depicted as standing immediately next to God’s throne, radiating His glory to the universe. Cherubim also are embroidered into the curtain before the Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:1). In the book of Psalms, God’s supreme power over creation is poetically pictured as God being borne through the air by cherubim (Psalms 18:10). God commanded that the ark of the covenant be topped by two solid gold cherubim with their wings extended toward one another (Exodus 25:18-20).

Image © Steve Creitz at Goodsalt.com

Ezekiel is presented with an impressive display of God’s power. It is a confusing scene to begin with, matching the predicament that God’s people found themselves living with at the moment: the chosen people not in the land of promise but in Babylonian captivity. As Ezekiel ­studies the scene placed before him, he looks up and sees God’s throne above it all.

Notice the important similarities with other “throne” visions. The living creatures that Ezekiel witnesses have the same faces as the living creatures in John’s vision: a lion, an eagle, an ox, and a man.

The mysterious creatures with four faces are not specifically named in Ezekiel’s initial description; later, in another throne room scene (see Ezekiel 10:1-21), they are called “cherubim,” and we also find the burning coals from Isaiah’s vision of the seraphs. They share the faces of the living creatures mentioned in John’s vision.

Whenever we see God’s throne—whether in the typical ark of the covenant, which served as God’s meeting place with Moses (Exodus 25:22), or the breathtaking visions of the prophets—the cherubim are always there. They are intimately tied to the throne of God. All of God’s creatures were designed to reflect His glory—whether we are talking about the human race made in His image or the angelic beings who are posted immediately next to His glorious throne.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

(0)

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25b-07-like-burning-coals-of-fire/