As we have seen in Revelation 14:7-8, God calls all people to worship the Creator. This is the first angel’s message. In , God warns people about “Babylon,” a false religious system with roots back to ancient Babylon. This is the second angel’s message.

In Revelation 14:9-10, the third angel warns against worshiping the beast. The angel declares in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God“ (NKJV).

Read Revelation 14:12. What two characteristics do we discover in this passage about God’s last-day people? Why are both important?

Image © Steven Creitz Goodsalt.com

The Greek word for “patience” is hupomone, which is better translated “steadfast endurance.” God will have an end-time people who are loyal to Him in the face of opposition and fierce persecution. Through His grace, they stand with steadfast endurance, living God-centered, grace-filled, obedient lives.

Worshiping the Creator (Revelation 14:7) stands in direct opposition to worshiping the beast (Revelation 14:9) and finds its expression in a people who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12). This final conflict over allegiance to Christ or allegiance to the beast power revolves around worship, and at the heart of this great controversy between good and evil is going to be the Sabbath.

Read Romans 8:1-4, Ephesians 2:8-10, and Colossians 1:29. What do these passages teach us about the result of living by faith?

Living by faith, we receive His grace, and our lives are changed. The committed followers of the Savior will not only have faith “in” Jesus, they will have the faith “of” Jesus. Jesus’ quality of end-time faith will be theirs, and they will remain faithful, even unto death, as Jesus did.

How faithful are you in the little things? What might that tell you about how you will be when the real trial comes? (See Luke 16:10.)

<–Sabbath Monday–>

Amen!(0)

The post Sunday: Steadfast Endurance appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/sunday-steadfast-endurance/

Image © Pacific Press

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Revelation 14:12, Ephesians 2:8-10, Matthew 27:45-50, Revelation 13:15-17, Revelation 14:4, Luke 5:18-26.

Memory Text: “Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ’Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads’”(Revelation 7:2-3, NKJV).

As we study end-time events in regard to the mark of the beast, one crucial point that comes through is the difference between how God operates and how the enemy of souls does.

As we have been studying, the central issues in the great controversy between Christ and Satan focus on loyalty, authority, and worship. The prophecies describing the beast power in Revelation 13:1-18, the little horn in Daniel 7:1-28, and the “son of perdition” in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 all speak of a power that usurps God’s authority, commands loyalty, and introduces a counterfeit system of worship. And they do so through the use of force, coercion, and at times bribes and rewards — all in order to compel worship.

In contrast, love is the great motivating force of the kingdom of God. Rather than worshiping the beast, God’s people find their greatest joy and highest delight in worshiping Him. They are committed to Him because they know how committed He is to them. There is only one thing that will keep any of us from receiving the mark of the beast in the end time &mdash a love for Jesus so deep that nothing can break our hold upon Him.

In this lesson, we will explore these themes further.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 10.

Sunday–>

Amen!(0)

The post Sabbath: The Seal of God and Mark of the Beast – Part 1 appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/sabbath-the-seal-of-god-and-mark-of-the-beast-part-1/

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:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cf-V0Z8N4U&w=560&h=315]

Amen!(1)

The post Mission Spotlight for June 3 appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-june-3/

Join the Hit the Mark Panel as they discuss Lesson 10, Satan’s Final Deceptions.

Amen!(0)

The post Satan’s Final Deceptions – Hit the Mark Sabbath School appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/satans-final-deceptions-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school/

Bike and Bible, Part 2

By M.B., as told to Kathie Lichtenwalter

My wife and I had saved money for many, many months to buy a bicycle for Hussein, the security guard for the building where we live as missionaries in the Middle East. God answered our prayers and helped us to buy a bicycle. As we inspected the answer to our prayers, we wondered out loud to each other, “What if we give Hussein a Bible with the bicycle?”

Image © Pacific Press

We wrote a card and wrapped a Bible that we had bought many months earlier. We prayed for the best moment to present him with the gifts. I carefully planned what to say. I knew that the bicycle would be meaningful. I hoped that the Bible would be a sensitive step toward sharing truth.

Hussein was overwhelmed with emotion when we arrived at his door with the bicycle. The bicycle looked impressive! But I never expected the expression on his face as he gently held the Bible and carefully turned its pages. He was in awe. He was delighted. But I don’t know who was happier – him or me. After two years of friendship, I was finally giving my friend and brother a Bible, the gift I had prayed about the most! My joy was indescribable.

A few days later, Hussein invited me to his home for tea. When I arrived, I found him reading Genesis. His eyes sparkled. He explained that he had never read the Creation story before. I knew we had much to talk about, and I prayed for the Holy Spirit to give me the right words. That evening, we spoke of heaven and death. I showed Hussein some beautiful verses in his new Bible. As we spoke, Hussein kept quietly leafing through the pages of the Bible. He seemed so engrossed with the Bible that I sensed God urging me to offer to study the Bible with him. I heard myself giving that wonderful invitation, “Would you like to study the Bible together?” To my astonishment, he accepted – and with great eagerness. That week, we began our Bible studies. That week, God continued His amazing work, and He is still working. Hussein and I are both growing closer to God and to each other.

My heart is filled with thanksgiving to God. I am filled with awe by the privilege of sharing God with Hussein. I am thankful to my wife for her kind and faith-filled support. I am thankful to relatives in my homeland who have prayed with us for Hussein. I am thankful for believing friends who have prayed for us during this experience. I thank God for sending us the money to buy the bicycle and for giving us the courage to share His Word with someone who is thrilled to learn about God from a new perspective.

Thank you for your mission offerings that help spread the gospel in the Middle East and around the world.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

Amen!(0)

The post Inside Story: Bike and Bible – Part 2 appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/inside-story-bike-and-bible-part-2/