Daily Lesson for Monday 17th of June 2024

In the coming crisis over worship, God’s faithful people will not yield to worldly pressures (Revelation 14:12). They will be sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and cannot be moved. In ancient times, seals attested to the authenticity of official documents. They were a distinctive, individualized mark. Since the final conflict centers on worship and God’s authority as revealed in His law, we would expect God’s seal to be embedded in His law (compare Isaiah 8:16).

Image © Steven Creitz Goodsalt.com

Here we have three elements of an authentic seal: (1) the name to whom the seal belongs, “the Lord thy God;” (2) His title, the One who “made”—the Creator; (3) and His territory, “heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is.” A seal is sometimes called a sign in the Bible (Romans 4:11). The two words are interchangeable. As God’s sign or seal in the heart of God’s law, the Sabbath is at the center of the final conflict over worship (Ezekiel 20:12,20; Revelation 12:17).

The seal of God is placed on the forehead. The forehead is a symbol of the mind and represents a conscious decision.

The mark of the beast is received either in the forehead or in the hand indicating that people are convinced intellectually and by their own choice accept Satan’s lies or, alternatively, they conform to false worship to avoid being killed.

The devil hates those who are obedient to God. The great controversy comes to a climax when the dragon (Satan) wages war on the believing remnant, who “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12, NKJV). They are settled in their loyalty to Christ.

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Daily Lesson for Sunday 16th of June 2024

Throughout the ages, the great controversy has been a battle between truth and error.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Jesus is the author of all truth. He declared, “ ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ ” (John 14:6). The truth that sets us free from Satan’s deceptions is found in God’s Word. The Bible unmasks Satan’s strategy and reveals God’s plans. Scripture is a lamp to our feet (Psalms 119:105). The psalmist declares, “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalms 119:130, NKJV). He then adds, “The entirety of Your word is truth” (Psalms 119:160, NKJV).

We have not followed “cunningly devised fables.” The prophecies of God’s Word light up the road ahead. They help us distinguish truth from error. Without the Bible, we would be left to the whims of human opinion and easily be deceived. “The people of God are directed to the Scriptures as their safeguard against the influence of false teachers and the delusive power of spirits of darkness. Satan employs every possible device to prevent men from obtaining a knowledge of the Bible; for its plain utterances reveal his deceptions. . . . The last great delusion is soon to open before us. Antichrist is to perform his marvelous works in our sight. So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures. . . . None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. To every soul will come the searching test: Shall I obey God rather than men? The decisive hour is even now at hand. Are our feet planted on the rock of God’s immutable word? Are we prepared to stand firm in defense of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus?”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 593, 594.

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When we study Daniel and Revelation, we find some important references to the sanctuary or temple of God.  And people are telling me that there is so much they don’t understand or even know  about the sanctuary. Don’t be discouraged. Remember the sanctuary is a model of the plan of salvation, and this is something we will be studying and looking into for all eternity.

 You may study that love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and the breadth, the depth and the height, of the love of God in giving His Son to die for the world. Eternity itself can never fully reveal it. Yet as we study the Bible and meditate upon the life of Christ and the plan of redemption, these great themes will open to our understanding more and more. –Ellen White, The Faith I Live By, Page 43.

I have to admit, I grew up Adventist and never really understood a lot of the themes of the sanctuary or “cleansing of the sanctuary. ” Instead of my teachers teaching it to me, they just told me I knew it. Interesting teaching method there! So, in my early twenties I still had lots of questions but did not dare ask because I was already supposed to know it all. When I realized I was not going to learn any younger, I started asking questions anyway and reading and studying the sanctuary and the plan of redemption. I would like to share some books that have really helped me. Just click on the title  to purchase the book online.

1844 Made Simple

Click on image to buy at Amazon.com

Clifford Goldstein, a converted Jew and current editor of the Adult Bible Study Guide, once came close to leaving the Seventh-day Adventist Church because of the Investigative Judgment teaching. However, he spent the time to study it out for himself. In his book 1844 Made Simple, he does a remarkable job of making the judgement and cleansing of the sanctuary so….well…simple! He also makes it very clear that, although this teaching is unique to  Seventh-day Adventists, it is very biblical. 

The Cross and Its Shadow

In The Cross and Its Shadow, Stephen N. Haskell, an early Seventh-day Adventist pioneer and a contemporary of Ellen White, brings alive all of the imagery of the sanctuary and brings understanding to their applications. His approach is devotional.

He clearly explains the feast days as well. While some wonder why many Seventh-day Adventists do not celebrate the feast days, Elder Haskell helps us see that we are observing the literal feast days. For example, ever since 1844 we have been in the literal day of atonement.

The Sanctuary Service

Click on image to buy book on Amazon.com

In The Sanctuary Service, M.L. Andreasen, who was a young man in Ellen White’s old age, illustrates how the sanctuary service illuminates Christ as our High Priest, Sacrifice and Intercessor. 

This is probably the best source for a detailed summary of all the sanctuary offerings and various services. 

Then Shall the Sanctuary be Cleansed 

When I was in my early 20′s and began studying the sanctuary, Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Cleansed by Donald Short, brought many things to life for me. It also helped me understand the work our High Priest is doing in the sanctuary of my heart. The original version I read is no longer available, but you can now buy an updated version of Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Cleansed. 

Happy studying!

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The Mission program of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is an opportunity for us to understand the needs of others and share in supporting them. Please click on the image below to watch the Mission Spotlight presentation for this week:

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Daily Lesson for Sabbath 15th of June 2024

Image © Pacific Press

Read for This Week’s Study

John 8:32; Ezekiel 20:12,20; Revelation 7:1-2; Revelation 14:1; Joel 2:21-24; Hosea 6:3; James 5:7-8; Revelation 18:1-4.

Memory Text:

“Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23, NKJV).

Suppose you had a daughter driving home from college for summer vacation. As you wait for her to arrive, you anxiously monitor the weather reports. You become worried as the weather rapidly deteriorates. Storm clouds loom on the horizon. Winds blow fiercely. The heavens open and rain pours down. Trees are blown over. Soon the main road home is impassable. Then you hear from one of your neighbors that it is possible to get through on a secondary road. Cars can navigate around some downed tree limbs. Although communication is difficult, you are able to get a text message to your daughter, carefully detailing how she can get home safely.

More than anything else, Jesus wants to take us through the storms of life and get us home. Ellen G. White writes, “A storm is coming, relentless in its fury. Are we prepared to meet it?”— Testimonies for the Church, vol, 8, p. 315. The purpose of Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ministry in heaven’s sanctuary is to ensure that we get home. The prophetic messages of Daniel and Revelation are divine instructions, especially for an end-time people, to help us through life’s storms so that one day we can feel the warm embrace of a loving Savior.

The aim of this week’s lesson is to reveal what the prophetic Word says about the closing events and discover anew Christ’s strength to take us through earth’s final conflict and get us home.

*Study this week’s lesson, based on chapters 37 and 38 of The Great Controversy, to prepare for Sabbath, June 22.

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