John R. Pearson

Parallels

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During a recent prayer meeting, a member of our church spoke of having shared the different periods of present truth with someone. That brought to mind the parallels between the three periods of present truth and the three angels’ messages.

We all know the first angel’s message, which warns that judgment has begun.

“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come … .” Revelation 14:7

Let’s compare the first stage of present truth—Noah’s message of the destruction of the Earth by the Flood—with the first angel’s message. God had judged the state of mankind and found it wicked, evil, and worthy of destruction.

Noah’s Message of Destruction and the First Angel’s Message

“Then the Lord saw [discerned or perceived] that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ ” Genesis 6:5–7

Noah’s message to the world, the present truth for his day, was “If you truly fear God and worship Him as the Creator, you will get on this ark.”

Though there may have been a difference between the words of Noah’s message and the first angel’s message, the concept is the same. Judgment had been made and God will cleanse the Earth of sin.

“… ‘take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.’ Our danger is presented before us by Christ Himself.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 309. Christ’s words should sink into the hearts of all who believe present truth.

The judgment of the world in Noah’s day was announced by Noah under the divine direction of Christ. Present truth—the judgment of the world today—was announced by John the Revelator, also under the divine direction of Christ.

“So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.’ ” Genesis 6:12, 13

“ ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’ ” Revelation 14:7

“He [Christ] knew the perils we should meet in these last days, and would have us prepare for them. ‘As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.’ They were eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying and giving in marriage, and knew not until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the Flood came and swept them all away. The day of God will find men absorbed in like manner in the business and pleasures of the world, in feasting and gluttony, and in indulging perverted appetite in the defiling use of liquor and the narcotic tobacco. This is already the condition of our world, and these indulgences are found even among God’s professed people, some of whom are following the customs and partaking of the sins of the world. Lawyers, mechanics, farmers, traders, and even ministers from the pulpit are crying, ‘Peace and safety,’ when destruction is fast coming upon them.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 309

Did destruction come fast upon the antediluvians? Noah preached for 120 years, but when the execution of judgment came, it came swiftly. The first angel’s message has gone forth since 1843, well over 120 years. God in His mercy has extended man’s probation, but He won’t wait forever. It is indeed time to “fear God and give glory to Him.”

Present Truth in Christ’s Day

As Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, she “said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’ ” John 4:25, 26

“The Messiah has come, and I am He.” Was He accepted by the church of His day? No, in fact, if you believed in Him, you were forced to leave the church if you were brave enough to publicly admit it.

John 9 tells the story of the man born blind. On the Sabbath day, Jesus restored restored this man’s sight. When he returned to the synagogue, he was questioned by the church authorities. “How were your eyes opened?” Verse 10

The man answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.” Verse 11

The Pharisees concluded that because Jesus healed on the Sabbath, He was a sinner and could not be from God, and therefore, could not be the Messiah.

The formerly blind man said, “Whether He is a sinner or not, I do not know, but I do know that I was blind and now I see.” Verse 25

When questioned a second time about how his vision was restored, the man answered, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” Verse 27

You can imagine how that was received by the jealous and self-righteous Pharisees. Even though it might have been involuntary, the result was that the man was disfellowshiped, and he came out of Babylon.

Babylon and the Second Angel’s Message

This story reveals clearly that, during Jesus’ day, if you believed Him to be the Messiah, you had to leave the church. Whether you left voluntarily or were involuntarily expelled by church authority, you came out of Babylon. The mainstream church, which at one time stood for the truth, had fallen by forcing its members to drink of the wine of her error and disbelief.

And thus, we see a parallel to the second angel’s message: “… ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’ ” Revelation 14:8

Present Truth Today and the Third Angel’s Message

Present truth warns us against accepting the mark of the beast by worshiping the beast and its image. The image is the false sacredness of Sunday. When the law of the land requires the observance of Sunday as the only legal day of worship, those who concur, whether they agree by consent or by action, will have accepted the mark. Here we see the exact and unquestioned alignment between present truth for today and the message itself.

“Fearful is the issue to which the world is to be brought. The powers of earth, uniting to war against the commandments of God, will decree that ‘all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond’ (Revelation 13:16), shall conform to the customs of the church by the observance of the false sabbath. All who refuse compliance will be visited with civil penalties, and it will finally be declared that they are deserving of death. On the other hand, the law of God enjoining the Creator’s rest day demands obedience and threatens wrath against all who transgress its precepts.” The Great Controversy, 604

“Then a third angel followed them, saying with 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, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:9–11

Soul-Saving Message

Notice that there is a two-stage execution of the judgment. First, they will receive the wrath of God—the seven last plagues. Then they are tormented with fire and brimstone. These are totally and completely avoidable, simply by loving and willing obedience to the law of God.

There is no question that the present truth message was the soul-saving message for its time.

The eight who got on the ark were saved.

Eleven men and a few women in Jesus’ day believed that He was the Son of God and the long-awaited Messiah and were saved.

In both cases, the number who believed as a percentage of the total world population was insignificant. Will it be the same during this period of present truth?

There is an aspect of this last soul-saving message of present truth that does not get the emphasis that it should. It is addressed in this passage.

“The soul-saving message, the third angel’s message, is the message to be given to the world. [It is present truth for our day.] The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus are both important, immensely important, and must be given with equal force and power. The first part of the message has been dwelt upon mostly, the last part casually. The faith of Jesus is not comprehended. We must talk it, we must live it, we must pray it, and educate the people to bring this part of the message into their home life.”  Reflecting Christ, 82

Keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus is the ark of safety for our day, but the ticket for boarding that ark is the righteousness of Christ. And the only way to obtain that righteousness is by exercising the same faith that Christ manifested; the faith that led Him to the cross.

“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12

“We believe without a doubt that Christ is soon coming. This is not a fable to us; it is a reality. We have no doubt, neither have we had a doubt for years, that the doctrines we hold today are present truth, and that we are nearing the judgment. We are preparing to meet Him who, escorted by a retinue of holy angels, is to appear in the clouds of heaven to give the faithful and the just the finishing touch of immortality. When He comes He is not to cleanse us of our sins, to remove from us the defects in our character, or to cure us of the infirmities of our tempers and dispositions. If wrought for us at all, this work will all be accomplished before that time. When the Lord comes, those who are holy will be holy still. Those who have preserved their bodies and spirits in holiness, in sanctification and honor, will then receive the finishing touch of immortality. But those who are unjust, unsanctified, and filthy, will remain so forever. No work will then be done for them to remove their defects, and give them holy characters. The Refiner does not then sit to pursue His refining process and remove their sins and their corruption. This is all to be done in these hours of probation. It is now that this work is to be accomplished for us. …

“We are now in God’s workshop. Many of us are rough stones from the quarry. But as we lay hold upon the truth of God, its influence affects us. It elevates us and removes from us every imperfection and sin, of whatever nature. Thus, we are prepared to see the King in His beauty and finally to unite with the pure and heavenly angels in the kingdom of glory. It is here that this work is to be accomplished for us, here that our bodies and spirits are to be fitted for immortality.” Counsels on Health, 43, 44

That can only be achieved by accepting the third angel’s message and acting accordingly. May it be so with all of us!

“Let nothing lessen the force of the truth for this time. The present truth is to be our burden. The third angel’s message must do its work of separating from the churches a people who will take their stand on the platform of eternal truth.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6, 61

John R. Pearson is the office manager and Steps to Life board member. He can be reached by email at johnpearson@stepstolife.org or by phone at 316-788-5559.

The Secret of a Happy Home

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We are living in a time when there is a greater fracture in the family than probably any time in Earth’s history. The consequences affect the family, the church, society in general, even the entire nation. In fact, it seems almost universal.

“And when he [Barnabas] had found him [Saul], he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” Acts 11:26. These were disciples of Jesus. The name was given to these individuals by others who observed their lives and saw how like Christ they were. We also find it referred to later in the New Testament.

“Do they [the rich] not blaspheme that noble [royal] name by which you are called?” James 2:7. Christian is that royal name.

“Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.” 1 Peter 4:16

Why were they called Christians?

The people in Antioch talked about Christ and His life on Earth. They loved to recount His teachings and also how He lived by example. They shared the closing scenes of His life, and, with quivering lip, would tell what He suffered in Gethsemane. They told of that horrible night before the crucifixion—His multiple trials, the scourging, the spitting, the shame. They explained why Christ had to be crucified—the atonement sacrifice needed to be made for all in order that they might receive forgiveness. As the people of Athens heard what they said, saw how they lived their lives, they could see that their character was just like the One they spoke about and sought to emulate. They were just like Christ and they were given the name Christian.

What does it mean to be a Christian?

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:1, 2

This divine promise is one of the most wonderful in all the Bible. If I am a child of God, then I will look up and see Jesus coming, realizing that He has made me like Him.

If that is my hope, what am I to do?

“Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” Verse 3

“He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk as He walked.” 1 John 2:6

The secret to having a happy home is when every member of the family desires to be like Jesus.

We are all different, possessing different temperaments and characteristics. But whatever these may be, we can be sanctified and can reflect the character of Christ. So, what happens in the home if every member has the character of Christ?

How to have a happy home. The principle of order.

Order means having a place and time for things. God teaches this in the ten commandments, specifically in the fourth commandment. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” When the Sabbath starts, we don’t want to be doing our traveling, or making a quick run to the grocery store for a couple of forgotten, last-minute items, or ironing a dress or shirt. We want all that done during the week or on Friday, preparation day. When you try to do too much work, the result is that you stay up late. This results in sleeping in the next morning. Consider this, if you try to do too much on Friday, you will likely be late for Sabbath. And should this become a continuous pattern, you will develop the habit of always being late to church.

Our bodies have internal clocks called circadian rhythms. For instance, if I am accustomed to eating at 7am, a habit I have cultivated day after day, the circadian rhythms instruct my body to begin to secrete digestive juices into my stomach right around 7am.

If I habitually go to bed at 9pm, but one night go to bed at 7pm, I am likely to lay awake for two hours. Then around 9pm, my circadian alarm instructs my body to secrete melatonin and before long, I will drift off to sleep.

For our bodies to be healthy and work efficiently, we need regularity, and the Bible teaches us this using the Sabbath. Most of the time, God leaves it to us to decide when we eat, work, play, or sleep, but not the Sabbath. As a God of order, He set the specific times, sundown on the sixth day through sundown on the seventh day, for Sabbath to begin and end. Time setting came into existence by watching the heavenly bodies. God allows individual churches to establish the time to start Sabbath School and worship service. Do you think that God will have a set time for Sabbath services to begin when we are in heaven? To be sure you are on time for church service in heaven, it would be a good idea to get in the habit of being on time to church here. The Christian religion involves some logistical planning.

It is a good practice to make rules that will bring order into your life and home; rules that are in harmony with divine principles. As far as time is concerned, we have three options: early, on time, or late. Unless we develop the habit of being a few minutes early or at least on time, it will be too easy to be late. This affects every facet of our lives. If I am habitually late to church, then I will be habitually late to work and other commitments.

There must be order in the home. Irregularity does not promote happiness in a family. So, remember this principle, the more order you have in your home, the happier your family will be.

Am I like Jesus?

Has every member of the family made the decision to be like Jesus? If so, that family, by the grace of God, will grow in happiness.

Speech.

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” Proverbs 16:32

“Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:9

Am I in control of my speech or do I lose my temper? If I cannot control my temper and what I say, I am a fool.

“The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.” Isaiah 50:4

There are people all around us, including in our own family, who are weary. Encouragement, tenderness, kindness, the words Jesus spoke, will help relieve the weariness they feel and help lighten the load they carry, the trials they must face.

Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

Families who live by those three principles, will have decided to do right because it is right. They will be humble, forgiving, compassionate, caring. If every family member walks humbly with God, the entire family will be transformed.

Gentleness, meekness, and kindness.

“ ‘Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle [meek, humble] and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’ ” Matthew 11:28–30

The family is where we should be the most gentle with each other. There will be no harsh speaking or rough acting.

“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.” Romans 12:10

We live in a world desperate for a little kindness. Some receive very little at home, work, even church. Imagine what a home would be like if everyone in the family practiced kindness toward each other.

“I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Verse 3

Consider others as better than yourself. Be humble.

In 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, verses 4–7 outline the characteristics that if brought into the life and family will transform most homes.

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up [not arrogant]; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked [irritated], thinks no evil [does not dwell on evil]; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Where there is trouble in the family, it is almost certain that one or more of these characteristics aren’t being followed. Many people quote this chapter, but truly do not understand what the words mean. These verses are worth some serious study if you want to have a happy home.

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:29–32

“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. …

“For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. …

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” Ephesians 5:2, 5, 8

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’ And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:1–4

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing [enduring] with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1–3

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” James 3:13–18

If we would read and study these verses, our homes would become a little heaven on Earth.

The Spirit of Prophecy tells us how to have a happy home.

The Spirit of Prophecy contains a wealth of knowledge regarding how to solve domestic difficulties. The chapter “The Builders of the Home” in The Ministry of Healing can turn things around in homes where conflict and unhappiness have reigned. But understand, transforming a family in turmoil and crisis does not happen overnight.

“Love cannot long exist without expression. Let not the heart of one connected with you starve for the want of kindness and sympathy.

“Though difficulties, perplexities, and discouragements may arise, let neither husband nor wife harbor the thought that their union is a mistake or a disappointment. Determine to be all that it is possible to be to each other. Continue the early attentions. In every way encourage each other in fighting the battles of life. Study to advance the happiness of each other. Let there be mutual love, mutual forbearance. Then marriage, instead of being the end of love, will be as it were the very beginning of love. The warmth of true friendship, the love that binds heart to heart, is a foretaste of the joys of heaven.

“Around every family there is a sacred circle that should be kept unbroken. Within this circle no other person has a right to come. Let not the husband or the wife permit another to share the confidences that belong solely to themselves.

“Let each give love rather than exact it. Cultivate that which is noblest in yourselves, and be quick to recognize the good qualities in each other. The consciousness of being appreciated is a wonderful stimulus and satisfaction. Sympathy and respect encourage the striving after excellence, and love itself increases as it stimulates to nobler aims.” The Ministry of Healing, 360, 361

Satan’s suggestions.

“How many there are who reveal selfishness and unkindness in their dealings with one another. How many professing Christians seem never to be satisfied unless they are engaged in strife. How many home circles are broken because the members receive and act upon Satan’s suggestions.” The Upward Look, 163

Satan has had access to the descendants of Adam and Eve for 6,000 years. He injects his suggestions into our minds, and we must exert the greatest amount of human effort to resist them—quote scripture, pray, sing a hymn. We must rely on the Lord to provide the power He has promised to accomplish what is beyond our feeble human strength and will to do. Only in this way can the devil’s voice be expelled from our minds.

Words and thoughts.

“No unpleasant words are spoken in heaven.” Ibid.

If I am preparing to go to heaven, but have a habit of speaking unpleasant words, what must I do? A radical change must occur in my heart (Matthew 12:24) if I want to talk as Jesus talked. When Jesus came to this world as a man, Inspiration tells us that it was heaven to be in His presence. When He spoke, people were blessed. So, if I want to be in heaven, I must first learn to speak without speaking unpleasant things.

“There [in heaven] no unkind thoughts are cherished.” Ibid.

Do you have unkind thoughts about somebody in your family because of something they have said or done that’s wrong?

“There envy, evil surmising, hatred, and strife find no place.” Ibid.

Envy, evil surmising, hatred, and strife have no place in heaven. If I harbor ill feelings toward someone in my family, if I am willing to carry tales about a sister or brother, or if I feel hatred that breeds strife in the family, am I ready for heaven? If I want to be in perfect harmony with heaven, then I must surrender my will and allow the Holy Spirit to effect a transformation that will result in harmony rather than strife in my home.

“Perfect harmony pervades the heavenly courts.” Ibid.

Families all around the world are suffering and many are on the verge of collapse. If they would read and follow the counsel and guidance provided in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, tremendous changes would be seen in each family member and the home.

What is needed?

In order to spend eternity in heaven, our hearts must first be in harmony with the atmosphere of heaven while we are still living here, only then can we be physically taken to heaven.

“Well does Satan know what heaven is … . His work is to bring into every family the cruel elements of self-will, harshness, selfishness. Thus, he seeks to destroy the happiness of the family. He knows that the spirit governing in the home will be brought into the church.” Ibid.

The devil knows what heaven is like so he endeavors to bring into every family every cruel element imaginable. One of the biggest reasons there is so much trouble in the churches of God’s people, is because the spirit governing in the home will be brought into the church. We have strife in the families, which then brings strife into the church, too.

“When tempted to murmur, censure, and indulge in fretfulness, wounding those around you, and in so doing wounding your own soul, oh! let the deep, earnest, anxious inquiry come from your soul, Shall I stand without fault before the throne of God? Only the faultless will be there. None will be translated to heaven while their hearts are filled with the rubbish of earth. Every defect in the moral character must first be remedied, every stain removed by the cleansing blood of Christ, and all the unlovely, unlovable traits of character overcome.

“How long a time are you designing to take to prepare to be introduced into the society of heavenly angels in glory? In the state which you and your family are in at present, all heaven would be marred should you be introduced therein. The work for you must be done here. This earth is the fitting-up place. You have not one moment to lose. All is harmony, peace, and love in heaven. No discord, no strife, no censuring, no unloving words, no clouded brows, no jars there; and no one will be introduced there who possesses any of these elements so destructive to peace and happiness. Study to be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up for yourselves a good foundation against the time to come, that you may lay hold on everlasting life.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, 705, 706

“Let the father and mother always be guarded in their words and actions. The husband is to treat his wife, the mother of his children, with due respect, and the wife is to love and reverence her husband. How can she do this if he treats her like a servant, to be dictated to, ordered about, scolded, found fault with before the children? He is forcing her to dislike him and even to hate him. …

“Fathers and mothers, bring sweetness and brightness and hopefulness into the lives of your children. Kindness and love will work wonders. Never punish a child in anger.” The Upward Look, 163

Death to self.

What shall we do to be saved? What conduct will show that we are acceptable to God?

“You must experience a death to self, and must live unto God. ‘If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.’ Self is not to be consulted. Pride, self-love, selfishness, avarice, covetousness, love of the world, hatred, suspicion, jealousy, evil surmisings, must all be subdued and sacrificed forever. When Christ shall appear, it will not be to correct these evils and then give a moral fitness for His coming. This preparation must all be made before He comes. …

“Forever cease your murmurings … let your soul’s burden be, how to secure the better life than this, a title to the mansions prepared for those who are true and faithful to the end. If you make a mistake here, everything is lost. …

“[The] trials of life are God’s workmen to remove the impurities, infirmities, and roughness from our characters, and fit us for the society of pure, heavenly angels in glory. But as we pass through these trials, as the fires of affliction kindle upon us, we must not keep the eye on the fire which is seen, but let the eye of faith fasten upon the things unseen, the eternal inheritance, the immortal life, the eternal weight of glory; and while we do this the fire will not consume us, but only remove the dross, and we shall come forth seven times purified, bearing the impress of the Divine.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, 705–707

I must ask myself, am I ready for heaven or not? Do I speak and act as one who is heaven bound? Friend, our first day in heaven will be the same as our last day on earth. We are pilgrims and strangers passing through this world. It is here that we prepare to leave this world behind and arrive finally in a better country. But first, we must learn to speak, think, and act as the angels who currently live in heaven do. If I myself learn to be Christlike in my home, then my home will be a little heaven on Earth.

Pastor John J. Grosboll is the Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be reached by email at historic@stepstolife.org or by telephone at 316-788-5559.

The Central Theme of the Gospel

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The cross of Calvary challenges, and will finally vanquish every earthly and hellish power. In the cross, all influence centers, and from it all influence goes forth. It is the great center of attraction; for on it Christ gave up His life for the human race. This sacrifice was offered for the purpose of restoring man to his original perfection. Yea, more, it was offered to give him an entire transformation of character, making him more than a conqueror.

“Those who in the strength of Christ overcome the great enemy of God and man, will occupy a position in the heavenly courts above angels who have never fallen.

“Christ declares, ‘I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.’ If the cross does not find an influence in its favor, it creates an influence. Through generation succeeding generation, the truth for this time is revealed as present truth. Christ on the cross was the medium whereby mercy and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissed each other. This is the means that is to move the world.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 6, 1113

What is the cross suppose to accomplish in our lives?

To restore me to the original perfection of Eden.

To effect an entire transformation of my character.

To make me more than a conqueror.

To attract me to Jesus Christ.

I no longer live for myself but for Him who died for me. 2 Corinthians 5:15

To deliver me from my love of this world. Galatians 6:14

The means by which my sins are forgiven. Ephesians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 15:3

As Jesus was crucified for me, my sinful nature is to be crucified for Him. Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20; 5:24

To reconcile all mankind first to God and then to one another bringing peace and unity to all who accept it. Colossians 1:20

To bring redemption to all who will receive it. 1 Peter 1:17–21

To cleanse us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

To reveal Jesus as the One who in a supreme sense loves us. Revelation 1:5; 1 John 3:16

If we want to be saved at last, the story of the cross as recorded in each of the four gospels needs to be a special study in our daily life.

“If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross.” The Desire of Ages, 83

Babel and Babel Builders

by

April 19 – 25, 2026

Key Text

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.” Romans 1:28

Study Help: The Story of Redemption, 72–74; Patriarchs and Prophets, 117–124

Introduction

“As men turned away from God, the divine attributes—justice, purity, and love—were supplanted by oppression, violence, and brutality.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 123

Sunday

1 APOSTASY AFTER THE FLOOD

1.a. How was history repeated in the attitude taken by the descendants of Noah toward God and the truth? Romans 1:28

 

Note: “Noah, the faithful preacher of righteousness, lived for three hundred and fifty years after the Flood, Shem for five hundred years, and thus their descendants had an opportunity to become acquainted with the requirements of God and the history of His dealings with their fathers. But they were unwilling to listen to these unpalatable truths; they had no desire to retain God in their knowledge.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 120

“No sooner was the earth repeopled than men resumed their hostility to God and heaven. They transmitted their enmity to their posterity, as though the art and device of misleading men, and causing them to continue the unnatural warfare, was a sacred legacy.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, 1091

1.b.      What occurred among the descendants of Noah and why? Genesis 11:1–4

 

Note: “For a time the descendants of Noah continued to dwell among the mountains where the ark had rested. As their numbers increased, apostasy soon led to division. Those who desired to forget their Creator and to cast off the restraint of His law felt a constant annoyance from the teaching and example of their God-fearing associates, and after a time they decided to separate from the worshipers of God. Accordingly, they journeyed to the plain of Shinar, on the banks of the river Euphrates.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 118

Monday

2 A CONFEDERACY OF REBELLION

2 a Instead of being thankful to God, what attitudes did the apostatized majority take? Romans 1:21, 22

 

Note: “The Babel builders had indulged the spirit of murmuring against God. Instead of gratefully remembering His mercy to Adam and His gracious covenant with Noah, they had complained of His severity in expelling the first pair from Eden and destroying the world by a flood. But while they murmured against God as arbitrary and severe, they were accepting the rule of the cruelest of tyrants. Satan was seeking to bring contempt upon the sacrificial offerings that prefigured the death of Christ; and as the minds of the people were darkened by idolatry, he led them to counterfeit these offerings and sacrifice their own children upon the altars of their gods. As men turned away from God, the divine attributes—justice, purity, and love—were supplanted by oppression, violence, and brutality.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 120–123

2.b.      How and why did God intervene to stop the confederacy? Genesis 11:6, 7

 

Note: “This confederacy was born of rebellion against God. The dwellers on the plain of Shinar established their kingdom for self-exaltation, not for the glory of God. Had they succeeded, a mighty power would have borne sway, banishing righteousness, and inaugurating a new religion. The world would have been demoralized. The mixture of religious ideas with erroneous theories would have resulted in closing the door to peace, happiness, and security. These suppositions, erroneous theories, carried out and perfected, would have directed minds from allegiance to the divine statutes, and the law of Jehovah would have been ignored and forgotten. Determined men, inspired and urged on by the first great rebel, would have resisted any interference with their plans or their evil course. In the place of the divine precepts they would have substituted laws framed in accordance with the desires of their selfish hearts, in order that they might carry out their purposes.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, 1092

Tuesday

3 ANCIENT AND MODERN BABEL

3.a. What name was given to the place of the tower, and why? Genesis 11:8, 9

 

Note: “The schemes of the Babel builders ended in shame and defeat. The monument to their pride became the memorial of their folly. Yet men are continually pursuing the same course—depending upon self, and rejecting God’s law. It is the principle that Satan tried to carry out in heaven; the same that governed Cain in presenting his offering.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 123

“The term ‘Babylon’ is derived from ‘Babel,’ and signifies confusion.” The Great Controversy, 381

3.b.      Name some of the various ways in which people today are following the example of the Babel builders? Titus 1:16

 

Note: “There are tower builders in our time. Infidels construct their theories from the supposed deductions of science, and reject the revealed word of God. They presume to pass sentence upon God’s moral government; they despise His law and boast of the sufficiency of human reason. …

“In the professedly Christian world many turn away from the plain teachings of the Bible and build up a creed from human speculations and pleasing fables, and they point to their tower as a way to climb up to heaven. Men hang with admiration upon the lips of eloquence while it teaches that the transgressor shall not die, that salvation may be secured without obedience to the law of God. If the professed followers of Christ would accept God’s standard, it would bring them into unity; but so long as human wisdom is exalted above His holy word, there will be divisions and dissension.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 123, 124

Wednesday

4 APOSTASY TODAY

4.a. How does Satan use doctrinal confusion to bring confederacies among professed believers today? Acts 20:29, 30; 2 Timothy 3:13

 

Note: “Through apostasy, fallen men and fallen angels are in the same confederacy, leagued to work against good. They are united in a desperate companionship. Through his evil angels, Satan contrives to form an alliance with professedly pious men, and thus he leavens the church of God. He knows that if he can induce men, as he induced the angels, to join in rebellion, under the guise of servants of God, he will have in them his most successful allies in his enterprise against heaven.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 1142

4.b.      What similar danger can exist even where doctrines are pure? 1 Corinthians 10:10–12

 

Note: “I beseech all who engage in the work of murmuring and complaining because something has been said or done that does not suit them, and that does not, as they think, give them due consideration, to remember that they are carrying on the very work begun in heaven by Satan. They are following in his track, sowing unbelief, discord, and disloyalty; for no one can entertain feelings of disaffection, and keep them to himself. He must tell others that he is not treated as he should be. Thus they are led to murmur and complain. This is the root of bitterness springing up, whereby many are defiled.

“Thus Satan works today through his evil angels. He confederates with men who claim to be in the faith; and those who are trying to carry forward the work of God with fidelity, having no man’s person in admiration, working without hypocrisy and partiality, will have just as severe trials brought against them as Satan can bring through those who claim to love God. Proportionate to the light and knowledge these opposers have is Satan’s success.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 1142

Thursday

5 THE COUNTERFEIT AND THE GENUINE

5.a. What facts are modern Babel builders apparently overlooking? Psalm 33:13, 14. How does the Spirit of Prophecy define confederacies in our day?

 

Note: “The time of God’s investigation is at hand. The Most High will come down to see that which the children of men have builded. His sovereign power will be revealed; the works of human pride will be laid low.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 124

“The question has been asked, What do you mean by a confederacy? Who have formed confederacies? You know what a confederacy is—a union of men in a work that does not bear the stamp of pure, straightforward, unswerving integrity.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 1142

5.b.      In contrast to Satan’s confederacy, what is God’s prescription for unity among the faithful believers? John 17:17–21; 1 John 1:7

 

Note: “We are to unify, but not on a platform of error.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 15, 259

“Our only hope of reaching heaven is to be one with Christ, and then, in and through Christ, we shall be one with one another.” The Upward Look, 141

“We are now in a time when we are to stand steadfast for the truth. We are to cherish love for souls, but never, never are we to surrender the least vital point of truth, for it is by maintaining truth, pure, unadulterated truth, that we can at this time bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ our Prince.” Sons and Daughters of God, 196

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. How is the Babel builders’ initial separation a warning to us?
  2. What motivated the building of the tower, and why did God stop it?
  3. Name some ways in which Babel tower-building is repeated today.
  4. How can this syndrome creep even into faithful churches?
  5. What distinguishes a false confederacy from true unity?

Copyright 1997, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Apostasy Reaches a Climax

by

April 12 – 18, 2026

Key Text

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 90–104; Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 361–368

Introduction

“Fifteen centuries after the sentence pronounced upon Cain, the Universe witnessed the fruition of his influence and example, in the crime and pollution that flooded the earth.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 78

Sunday

1 WICKEDNESS AMONG THE ANTEDILUVIANS

1.a. How did God and the inhabitants of other worlds view the situation existing on earth shortly before the flood? Genesis 6:5

 

Note: “The holy inhabitants of other worlds were watching with the deepest interest the events taking place on the earth. In the condition of the world that existed before the Flood they saw illustrated the results of the administration which Lucifer had endeavored to establish in heaven, in rejecting the authority of Christ and casting aside the law of God. In those highhanded sinners of the antediluvian world they saw the subjects over whom Satan held sway. The thoughts of men’s hearts were only evil continually. Genesis 6:5. Every emotion, every impulse and imagination, was at war with the divine principles of purity and peace and love. It was an example of the awful depravity resulting from Satan’s policy to remove from God’s creatures the restraint of His holy law.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 78, 79

1.b. How long did God mercifully strive with the antediluvians before sending the threatened destruction? Genesis 6:3. What should we learn from the way the majority responded to Noah’s appeals?

 

Note: “Noah preached to the people of his time that God would give them one hundred and twenty years in which to repent of their sins and find refuge in the ark, but they refused the gracious invitation. Abundant time was given them to turn from their sins, overcome their bad habits, and develop righteous characters. But inclination to sin, though weak at first with many, strengthened through repeated indulgence and hurried them on to irretrievable ruin. The merciful warning of God was rejected with sneers, with mockery and derision; and they were left in darkness to follow the course that their sinful hearts had chosen. But their unbelief did not hinder the predicted event. It came, and great was the wrath of God which was seen in the general ruin.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 308

“ ‘As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man’ (Luke 17:26). Men will reject the solemn message of warning in our day, as they did in Noah’s time. They will refer to those false teachers who have predicted the event and set the definite time, and will say that they have no more faith in our warning than in theirs. This is the attitude of the world today. Unbelief is widespread, and the preaching of Christ’s coming is mocked at and derided. This makes it all the more essential that those who believe present truth should show their faith by their works.” Ibid.

Monday

2 “MARRYING AND GIVING IN MARRIAGE”

2.a. What restriction regarding the marriage institution did the sons of God disobey? Genesis 6:1, 2; 2 Corinthians 6:14–17

 

Note: “The race of Cain, spreading from the place of their first settlement, dispersed over the plains and valleys where the children of Seth had dwelt; and the latter, in order to escape from their contaminating influence, withdrew to the mountains, and there made their home. So long as this separation continued, they maintained the worship of God in its purity. But in the lapse of time they ventured, little by little, to mingle with the inhabitants of the valleys. This association was productive of the worst results. ‘The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair.’ The children of Seth, attracted by the beauty of the daughters of Cain’s descendants, displeased the Lord by intermarrying with them. Many of the worshipers of God were beguiled into sin by the allurements that were now constantly before them, and they lost their peculiar, holy character. Mingling with the depraved, they became like them in spirit and in deeds; the restrictions of the seventh commandment were disregarded, ‘and they took them wives of all which they chose’ (Genesis 6:2). The children of Seth went ‘in the way of Cain’ (Jude 11); they fixed their minds upon worldly prosperity and enjoyment and neglected the commandments of the Lord.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 81, 82

2.b. What perverted practice was introduced before the Flood? Give an example. Genesis 4:19

 

Note: “Polygamy was practiced at an early date. It was one of the sins that brought the wrath of God upon the antediluvian world.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 338

Tuesday

3 EVIL UPON EVIL

3.a. As a result of rejecting God’s law, what additional abominations filled the earth? Genesis 6:11, 12

 

Note: “Polygamy had been early introduced, contrary to the divine arrangement at the beginning. The Lord gave to Adam one wife, showing His order in that respect. But after the Fall, men chose to follow their own sinful desires; and as the result, crime and wretchedness rapidly increased. Neither the marriage relation nor the rights of property were respected. Whoever coveted the wives or the possessions of his neighbor, took them by force, and men exulted in their deeds of violence. They delighted in destroying the life of animals; and the use of flesh for food rendered them still more cruel and bloodthirsty, until they came to regard human life with astonishing indifference.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 91, 92

3.b. Give an example of how men boasted of their spirit of violence. Genesis 4:23, 24. What will be the result of the defiant depravity present in our day? Isaiah 28:21

 

Note: “At this time, when great light is shining forth from the word of God, making dark mysteries plain as day, is the day of mercy, of hope, of joy and assurance to all who will be benefited thereby, to all who will open their minds and hearts to the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. But there is an opposite class to this—those who will not come to the light, who despise the truth because it exposes error, and transgression, and sin; and as a result, depravity and boldness in transgression are becoming all-pervading.” The Review and Herald, June 15, 1897

“The forbearance that God has exercised toward the wicked has emboldened men in transgression; but their punishment will be none the less certain and terrible for being long delayed. ‘The Lord shall rise up as in Mount Perazim, He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act. To our merciful God the act of punishment is a strange act. Yet He will ‘by no means clear the guilty.’ By terrible things in righteousness He will vindicate the authority of His downtrodden law. The very fact of His reluctance to execute justice, testifies to the enormity of the sins that call forth His judgments, and to the severity of the retribution awaiting the transgressor.” The Signs of the Times, January 25, 1910

Wednesday

4 IDOLATRY AND ANARCHY

4.a. What kinds of worship did man introduce, and what are the results, even now? Psalm 115:4–8; Romans 1:22–25

Note: “They [the antediluvians] put God out of their knowledge and worshiped the creatures of their own imagination; and as the result, they became more and more debased. The psalmist describes the effect produced upon the worshiper by the adoration of idols. He says, ‘They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them’ (Psalm 115:8). It is a law of the human mind that by beholding we become changed. Man will rise no higher than his conceptions of truth, purity, and holiness. If the mind is never exalted above the level of humanity, if it is not uplifted by faith to contemplate infinite wisdom and love, the man will be constantly sinking lower and lower.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 91

4.b. What similarities can be observed between our day and Noah’s? Matthew 24:37; 2 Peter 3:3, 4

Note: “The picture which Inspiration has given of the antediluvian world represents too truly the condition to which modern society is fast hastening. Even now, in the present century, and in professedly Christian lands, there are crimes daily perpetrated as black and terrible as those for which the old-world sinners were destroyed.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 102

Thursday

5 AS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH

5.a. What should we learn from the defiant attitude of the antediluvians? 2 Peter 3:6, 7, 11, 12; Malachi 4:1

 

Note: “Water will never destroy the earth again, but the weapons of God are concealed in the bowels of the earth which He will draw forth to unite with the fire from heaven to accomplish His purpose in the destruction of all those who would not receive the message of warning and purify their souls in obeying the truth and being obedient to the laws of God.” The Signs of the Times, January 3, 1878

5.b. As the rainbow was a token of God’s covenant with Noah, what covenant does the Lord make with His faithful few in the last days? Genesis 9:12–15; Psalm 27:5

 

Note: “We may rejoice in hope, for the bow of God’s covenant is over us. He never will forget the children of His care. How difficult for the mind of finite man to take in the peculiar love and tenderness of God, and His matchless condescension when He said, ‘I will look upon the bow in the cloud, and remember thee.’ ” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, 1091

“There will be mighty earthquakes and great destruction of human life. But as in the days of the great Deluge Noah was preserved in the ark that God had prepared for him, so in these days of destruction and calamity, God will be the refuge of His believing ones.” Ibid., Vol. 7, 946

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. Describe life before the Flood, and the steps God took in mercy.
  2. How is the apostasy of the children of Seth a warning to us?
  3. Why is depravity increasing today, and what will be the result?
  4. What are the causes and results of idolatry?
  5. How does God offer hope even when apostasy reaches a climax?

Copyright 1997, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Error Rapidly Gains Ground

by

April 5 – 11, 2026

Key Text

“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” Ephesians 5:6

Study Help: Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 11–18; Christ’s Object Lessons, 152–163

Introduction

“Those who are swept off their feet by the waves of temptation, imagine, as did Eve, that they are becoming wonderfully wise, outgrowing their ignorance and narrow conscientiousness; but, like her, they will find themselves sadly deceived.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 584

Sunday

1 “LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU”

1.a. How may we be in danger of repeating the mistake of Eve? 1 Timothy 2:14; 2 Corinthians 11:3

 

Note: “He [Satan] is constantly seeking to excite a spirit of irreverent curiosity, a restless, inquisitive desire to penetrate the secrets of divine wisdom and power. In their efforts to search out what God has been pleased to withhold, multitudes overlook the truths which He has revealed, and which are essential to salvation. Satan tempts men to disobedience by leading them to believe they are entering a wonderful field of knowledge. But this is all a deception. Elated with their ideas of progression, they are, by trampling on God’s requirements, setting their feet in the path that leads to degradation and death.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 54, 55

1.b.      Name some ways in which we may be tempted to eat of the forbidden fruit. Colossians 2:4. What warnings should be taken to heart by every God-fearing family? Ephesians 5:6

 

Note: “Human ambition seeks for knowledge that will bring to them glory, and self-exaltation, and supremacy. Thus, Adam and Eve were influenced by Satan until God’s restraint was snapped asunder, and their education under the teacher of lies began. They gained the knowledge which God had refused them—to know the consequences of transgression.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 12

“If you see that students are in danger of becoming engrossed in their studies to such an extent as to neglect the study of that Book which gives them information as to how to secure the future welfare of their souls, then do not present the temptation of going deeper, of protracting the time for educational discipline. In this way all that will make the student’s education of value to the world will be sunk out of sight.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 357

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This is heart education, and is of more importance than the education gained merely from books. It is well and essential to obtain a knowledge of the world in which we live, but if we leave eternity out of our reckoning, we shall make a failure from which we can never recover. It will be as the knowledge gained by eating of the fruit of the forbidden tree.” In Heavenly Places, 137

Monday

2 SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

2.a. How may we be trying to cover our “nakedness” with “fig leaves” or “filthy rags”? Isaiah 64:6; Revelation 3:17

 

Note: “Naked and ashamed, they [our first parents] tried to supply the place of the heavenly garments by sewing together fig leaves for a covering.

“This is what the transgressors of God’s law have done ever since the day of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. They have sewed together fig leaves to cover the nakedness caused by transgression. They have worn the garments of their own devising, by works of their own they have tried to cover their sins, and make themselves acceptable with God.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 311

2.b.      Even after we have accepted Christ, how does He warn us against the peril of self-righteousness? Matthew 12:43–45

 

Note: “The garnished house represents the self-righteous soul. Satan is driven out by Christ. But he returned, in the hope of finding entrance. He finds the house empty, swept, and garnished. Only self-righteousness is abiding there. ‘Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.’

“Self-righteousness is a curse, a human embellishment, which Satan uses for his glory. Those who garnish the soul with self-praise and flattery prepare the way for the seven other spirits more wicked than the first. In their very reception of the truth these souls deceive themselves. They are building upon a foundation of self-righteousness.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, 1093

Tuesday

3 SELF-JUSTIFICATION

3.a. After their disobedience, how did Adam and Eve try to justify themselves? Genesis 3:12, 13

 

Note: “Adam could neither deny nor excuse his sin; but instead of manifesting penitence, he endeavored to cast the blame upon his wife, and thus upon God Himself: ‘The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.’ He who, from love to Eve, had deliberately chosen to forfeit the approval of God, his home in Paradise, and an eternal life of joy, could now, after his fall, endeavor to make his companion, and even the Creator Himself, responsible for the transgression. So terrible is the power of sin.

“When the woman was asked, ‘What is this that thou hast done?’ she answered, ‘The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.’ ‘Why didst Thou create the serpent? Why didst Thou suffer him to enter Eden?’—these were the questions implied in her excuse for her sin. Thus, like Adam, she charged God with the responsibility of their fall.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 57, 58 [Author’s italics.]

3.b.      How are we in danger of following the example of Adam and Eve in self-justification? Proverbs 12:15; Luke 16:15

 

Note: “The spirit of self-justification originated in the father of lies; it was indulged by our first parents as soon as they yielded to the influence of Satan, and has been exhibited by all the sons and daughters of Adam. Instead of humbly confessing their sins, they try to shield themselves by casting the blame upon others, upon circumstances, or upon God—making even His blessings an occasion of murmuring against Him.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 58

Wednesday

4 SELF-SUFFICIENCY

4.a. How did Cain choose a course of self-sufficiency in his worship? Genesis 4:3

 

Note: “Cain came before God with murmuring and infidelity in his heart in regard to the promised sacrifice and the necessity of the sacrificial offerings. His gift expressed no penitence for sin. He felt, as many now feel, that it would be an acknowledgment of weakness to follow the exact plan marked out by God, of trusting his salvation wholly to the atonement of the promised Saviour. He chose the course of self-dependence. He would come in his own merits. He would not bring the lamb, and mingle its blood with his offering, but would present his fruits, the products of his labor. He presented his offering as a favor done to God, through which he expected to secure the divine approval. Cain obeyed in building an altar, obeyed in bringing a sacrifice; but he rendered only a partial obedience. The essential part, the recognition of the need of a Redeemer, was left out.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 72 [Author’s italics.]

4.b.      Discuss ways in which we may be in danger of following the example of Cain. Matthew 15:9; Jude 10, 11

 

Note: “The class of worshipers who follow the example of Cain includes by far the greater portion of the world; for nearly every false religion has been based on the same principle—that man can depend upon his own efforts for salvation. It is claimed by some that the human race is in need, not of redemption, but of development—that it can refine, elevate, and regenerate itself. As Cain thought to secure the divine favor by an offering that lacked the blood of a sacrifice, so do these expect to exalt humanity to the divine standard, independent of the atonement. The history of Cain shows what must be the result. It shows what man will become apart from Christ. Humanity has no power to regenerate itself. It does not tend upward, toward the divine, but downward, toward the satanic.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 73

Thursday

5 PERSECUTION

5.a. How did Cain develop a spirit of domination, intolerance, and hatred toward his brother? Genesis 4:4–8; 1 John 3:12

 

Note: “Reason and conscience told him [Cain] that Abel was in the right; but he was enraged that one who had been wont to heed his counsel should now presume to disagree with him, and that he could gain no sympathy in his rebellion.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 74

“When Cain, moved by the spirit of the wicked one, saw that he could not control Abel, he was so enraged that he destroyed his life.” Ibid., 77

5.b.  In what manner has the spirit of Cain been rekindled against God’s faithful throughout the ages? 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 John 3:13. Why should this sad fact still bring us hope today? Matthew 5:10–12

 

Note: “Any man, be he minister or layman, who seeks to compel or control the reason of any other man, becomes an agent of Satan, to do his work, and in the sight of the heavenly universe he bears the mark of Cain.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, 1087

“Wherever there are any who will stand in vindication of the righteousness of the law of God, the same spirit will be manifested against them. It is the spirit that through all the ages has set up the stake and kindled the burning pile for the disciples of Christ. But the cruelties heaped upon the follower of Jesus are instigated by Satan and his hosts because they cannot force him to submit to their control. It is the rage of a vanquished foe.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 77

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. What are some common deceptions to which we could fall prey?
  2. How is Matthew 12:43–45 a serious warning to each of us?
  3. Into what specific evil did Adam and Eve plunge after their fall?
  4. How may we be in danger of cultivating the spirit of Cain?
  5. What is the most common cause of persecution against true Christians?

Copyright 1997, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

In the Garden of Eden

by

The Second Angel’s Message

March 29 – April 4, 2026

Key Text

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Romans 5:12

Study Help: Education, 20–27; The Great Controversy, 531–550

Introduction

“In consequence of Adam’s sin, death passed upon the whole human race. All alike go down into the grave.” The Great Controversy, 544

Sunday

1 THE CREATION OF MAN

1.a. Why was man created? Isaiah 43:7. What place of honor was assigned to man when he came forth from the hands of his Creator? Psalms 100:3; 8:4–6

 

Note: “God created man for His own glory, that after test and trial the human family might become one with the heavenly family.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, 1082

“Adam was crowned king in Eden. To him was given dominion over every living thing that God had created. The Lord blessed Adam and Eve with intelligence such as He had not given to any other creature. He made Adam the rightful sovereign over all the works of His hands.” Ibid.

1.b.      What reveals that man is mortal, having no innate immortality? Genesis 2:17, last part; Job 4:17

 

Note: “The warning given to our first parents—‘In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die’ (Genesis 2:17)—did not imply that they were to die on the very day when they partook of the forbidden fruit. But on that day the irrevocable sentence would be pronounced. Immortality was promised them on condition of obedience; by transgression they would forfeit eternal life. That very day they would be doomed to death.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 60

Monday

2 “IN HIS OWN IMAGE”

2.a. What do we understand by the declaration that “God created man in His own image” (Genesis 1:27)? Ecclesiastes 7:29

 

Note: “Man was to bear God’s image, both in outward resemblance and in character. Christ alone is ‘the express image’ (Hebrews 1:3) of the Father; but man was formed in the likeness of God. His nature was in harmony with the will of God. His mind was capable of comprehending divine things. His affections were pure; his appetites and passions were under the control of reason. He was holy and happy in bearing the image of God and in perfect obedience to His will.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 45

2.b. On what condition only could our first parents have remained in Paradise forever? 1 John 2:17, last part

 

Note: “God placed man under law, as an indispensable condition of his very existence. He was a subject of the divine government, and there can be no government without law. God might have created man without the power to transgress His law; He might have withheld the hand of Adam from touching the forbidden fruit; but in that case man would have been, not a free moral agent, but a mere automaton. Without freedom of choice, his obedience would not have been voluntary, but forced. There could have been no development of character. Such a course would have been contrary to God’s plan in dealing with the inhabitants of other worlds. It would have been unworthy of man as an intelligent being, and would have sustained Satan’s charge of God’s arbitrary rule.

“God made man upright; He gave him noble traits of character, with no bias toward evil. He endowed him with high intellectual powers, and presented before him the strongest possible inducements to be true to his allegiance. Obedience, perfect and perpetual, was the condition of eternal happiness. On this condition he was to have access to the tree of life.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 49

Tuesday

3 TEMPTATION AND FALL

3.a. After having revealed His will to Adam and Eve, what simple means did God choose to test their obedience? Genesis 2:16, 17

 

Note: “The tree of knowledge had been made a test of their obedience and their love to God. The Lord had seen fit to lay upon them but one prohibition as to the use of all that was in the garden; but if they should disregard His will in this particular, they would incur the guilt of transgression. Satan was not to follow them with continual temptations; he could have access to them only at the forbidden tree. Should they attempt to investigate its nature, they would be exposed to his wiles. They were admonished to give careful heed to the warning which God had sent them and to be content with the instruction which He had seen fit to impart.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 53

3.b.      What warnings should we heed from the way Satan was able to entice our first parents into sin? Genesis 3:1–6

 

Note: “Eve really believed the words of Satan, but her belief did not save her from the penalty of sin. She disbelieved the words of God, and this was what led to her fall. In the judgment men will not be condemned because they conscientiously believed a lie, but because they did not believe the truth, because they neglected the opportunity of learning what is truth. Notwithstanding the sophistry of Satan to the contrary, it is always disastrous to disobey God. We must set our hearts to know what is truth. All the lessons which God has caused to be placed on record in His word are for our warning and instruction. They are given to save us from deception. Their neglect will result in ruin to ourselves. Whatever contradicts God’s word, we may be sure proceeds from Satan.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 55

Wednesday

4 BARRED FROM THE TREE OF LIFE

4.a. What was special about the tree of life, and why was it made inaccessible to man after the Fall? Genesis 2:9; 3:22–24

 

Note: “In order to possess an endless existence, man must continue to partake of the tree of life. Deprived of this, his vitality would gradually diminish until life should become extinct. It was Satan’s plan that Adam and Eve should by disobedience incur God’s displeasure; and then, if they failed to obtain forgiveness, he hoped that they would eat of the tree of life, and thus perpetuate an existence of sin and misery.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 60

“Had man after his fall been allowed free access to the tree of life, he would have lived forever, and thus sin would have been immortalized. But cherubim and a flaming sword kept ‘the way of the tree of life’ (Genesis 3:24), and not one of the family of Adam has been permitted to pass that barrier and partake of the life-giving fruit. Therefore, there is not an immortal sinner.” The Great Controversy, 533, 534

4.b.      Who only has immortality, and why is this important for us to always bear in mind? 1 Timothy 6:14–16; Genesis 3:4

 

Note: “Had Adam remained obedient to God, he would have continued to enjoy free access to this tree and would have lived forever. But when he sinned he was cut off from partaking of the tree of life, and he became subject to death. …

“The only one who promised Adam life in disobedience was the great deceiver. And the declaration of the serpent to Eve in Eden—‘Ye shall not surely die’—was the first sermon ever preached upon the immortality of the soul. Yet this declaration, resting solely upon the authority of Satan, is echoed from the pulpits of Christendom and is received by the majority of mankind as readily as it was received by our first parents. The divine sentence, ‘The soul that sinneth, it shall die’ (Ezekiel 18:20), is made to mean: The soul that sinneth, it shall not die, but live eternally. We cannot but wonder at the strange infatuation which renders men so credulous concerning the words of Satan and so unbelieving in regard to the words of God.” The Great Controversy, 532, 533

Thursday

5 SUBJECT TO GOD’S WILL

5.a. What must we do to be recognized as members of the family of heaven? John 15:14

 

Note: “ ‘Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you’ (John 15:14). This is the condition imposed; this is the test that proves men’s characters. Feelings are often deceiving, emotions are no sure safeguard; for they are variable and subject to external circumstances. Many are deluded by relying on sensational impressions. The test is: What are you doing for Christ? What sacrifices are you making? What victories are you gaining? A selfish spirit overcome, a temptation to neglect duty resisted, passion subdued, and willing, cheerful obedience rendered to the will of Christ are far greater evidences that you are a child of God than spasmodic piety and emotional religion.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 188 [Author’s italics.]

 5.b.      How only can peace and harmony exist in our hearts, in society, and in the whole universe? Isaiah 48:18; 32:17

 

Note: “The harmony of creation depends upon the perfect conformity of all beings, of everything, animate and inanimate, to the law of the Creator. God has ordained laws for the government, not only of living beings, but of all the operations of nature. Everything is under fixed laws, which cannot be disregarded. But while everything in nature is governed by natural laws, man alone, of all that inhabits the earth, is amenable to moral law. To man, the crowning work of creation, God has given power to understand His requirements, to comprehend the justice and beneficence of His law, and its sacred claims upon him; and of man unswerving obedience is required.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 52

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. Why has God given us life?
  2. Why are we permitted to be exposed to temptation?
  3. What caused Eve to fall prey to the tempter?
  4. What must we understand about the question of immortality?
  5. What gives evidence that one has become a child of God?

Copyright 1997, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Recipe – Lasagna Soup

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Onions

Onions are part of the Allium family, a group of spicy, sharp root vegetables that includes garlic, leeks, and chives. They’re especially high in organosulfur compounds. These chemicals give onions their strong odor and taste.

There are many onion varieties including white, yellow, and red onions, shallots and scallions, pearl onions, Spanish onions, Vidalia onions, and others.

Onions have many health benefits. People have used onions for medicinal purposes for centuries. Studies suggest that onion health benefits, such as enhanced immunity and cancer protection, are due to its many antioxidants. These include flavonoids like quercetin and anthocyanins, the same type of protective compounds founds in berries, cherries, and eggplant, plus organosulfides and nutrients like vitamin C.

Many people enjoy sweet onion varieties best, like Vidalia onions and shallots, because they tend to have a milder taste and can even be eaten raw, but compared to white and red onions, these usually have a lower percentage of beneficial compounds.

Sweeter onions are left in the soil longer before being harvested so more of their carbohydrates have a chance to turn to sugars, hence their sweeter taste.

In general, the longer onions are left in the ground, the sweeter they taste but the lower phytonutrient count they have. Usually, the more potent the smell and taste of an onion, the more nutrients are present, and therefore is more likely to make you tear.

With hundreds of varieties, it’s easy to add onions to your meals.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/are-onions-good-for-you; https://draxe.com/nutrition/onions-nutrition/

Recipe – Lasagna Soup

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. onion granules

½ tsp. paprika

1 tsp. salt, or to taste

2 Tbs. tomato paste, or more to taste

5 cups vegetable broth

1 cup marinara or any tomato-based sauce

½ cup red lentils

6 whole grain lasagna noodles, or more, broken into pieces

¼ cup nutritional yeast

½ cup canned coconut milk, shaken well

1 Tbs. lemon juice

handful of shredded spinach or kale

Process

Sauté onion and garlic in a splash of water or broth until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning, onion granules, paprika, salt, and tomato paste. Stir and sauté for 1 minute more. Pour in the broth, marinara sauce, red lentils, and broken noodles. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 15-18 minutes, or until lentils and noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in nutritional yeast and coconut milk. Cook for another 2-3 minutes to heat through. Turn off the heat. Stir in lemon juice and shredded greens allowing greens to wilt before serving.

God’s Church Must Be Holy

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Do you know who you are? Do you know why you are who you are?

If you don’t know who you are, then no one else will know who you are. So, let’s answer a couple of questions that will position us to be able to see what kind of Adventist we are.

Am I an Adventist?

An Adventist believes that Jesus Christ is coming again very soon. The time is coming very quickly when almost the entire world will be Adventist.

Am I a Seventh-day Adventist?

A Seventh-day Adventist believes that the seventh day of the week, Saturday, is the Sabbath, sanctified and made holy by God at the close of Creation. A Seventh-day Adventist also believes that the second coming of Christ is very near.

Am I a Free Seventh-day Adventist? And if so, why?

There are many Christians in the world who believe Christ is coming soon, but they are not Seventh-day Adventists nor are they Free Seventh-day Adventists. And we should note specifically that simply being an Adventist doesn’t guarantee salvation. So, how can I know what type of Adventist I am?

Let’s recap:

A Free Seventh-day Adventist:

  • Believes that the second coming of Christ is imminent.
  • Keeps the seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment, just as God wrote it, and is, therefore, a Sabbath-keeping Adventist.
  • Is not a member of a conference church, but is a member of a Free Seventh-day Adventist church.
  • Believes in, and will soon be called upon to preach, without notes, about the Investigative Judgment in the courts, halls of government, before kings and magistrates all around the world.

What does the Investigative Judgment involve?

The Investigative Judgment is a prominent subject throughout the whole of Scripture. Research of the many different religions of the world will show that even non-Christians such as the Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists, believe in a judgment. Adventists believe something more about the Judgment. The Judgment has its foundation in the ten commandments.

“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:10–12

Today, there are many Christians, including Adventists, who have lost their first love and do not realize that the second coming of Christ is just on the horizon. The prophets and the apostles warned us that the day of Christ’s return will come upon us like a big surprise (Luke 13, 17, 21, and Matthew 24). They remind us that we must get ready. Jesus Himself said, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour as you do not expect.” Matthew 24:44. So many believe they are ready for Jesus to come because they are tired of living in this world; but being tired and being holy and in harmony with the law of God is not the same thing.

There are few doctrines embraced by the Seventh-day Adventist church that are more hated than the the Investigative Judgment and the sanctuary. Yet these doctrines are the very foundation of the Advent faith. It is impossible to state why a person is an Adventist, much less a Free Seventh-day Adventist, without explaining these positions.

Adventists believe that the investigative phase of God’s judgment will take place before the second coming of Christ, and that it is, in fact, in process right now. Our understanding of this subject was the result of studying the wilderness sanctuary and later the temple of God in Jerusalem. The sanctuary or temple of God is also a prominent subject in the Bible; it is amazing so many Christians know so little about it. Leviticus, Hebrews, and a large part of Revelation teach this subject.

We cannot make a serious investigation of the subject of the Investigative Judgment without realizing that God requires His children to be holy. The commandments are holy and just and good (Romans 7:12). A person is holy when his or her life is in harmony with the ten commandments. Conversely, an unholy or wicked person is breaking the ten commandments.

The sentence (the wages) for breaking God’s law, is death (Romans 6:23). Adventists teach that the sentencing phase of the judgment will take place during the millennium and that we will judge the devil’s angels (1 Corinthians 6). The sentencing phase determines the amount of punishment a person will receive. Every sinner will die, forever and completely (Malachi 4:1), but the severity and length of each sinner’s punishment will vary. And who decides their sentence? Revelation 20 tells us very clearly that the sentence of each sinner will be determined and administered by God’s saints during the Millennium.

To be God’s child, I must be holy

“For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” Leviticus 11:44, 45

Most people believe that Leviticus 11 is about clean and unclean foods. God spends an entire chapter giving instruction on what foods the Jews could eat and what foods they were not to eat. Why? Because God didn’t want them to defile themselves (or us) by eating foods that are unwholesome for the human body. God wants His children to be holy. Defiling our bodies with unclean foods is just one of the many ways Satan uses to prevent us from being made holy.

Some theologians believe the entire book of Leviticus is about holiness. I would agree.

“ ‘You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people.

“ ‘Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the Lord your God.’ ” Leviticus 18:26–30

The wickedness found in Leviticus 18 permeates the world today. We must seek to recognize our true condition, and come before God with genuine repentance, surrendering our lives to the transformation without which not one of us will be in the kingdom of heaven. If I want to be one of God’s children, then I must refrain from all the things that will defile me.

Most people read about being made holy in the Bible. They realize just how defiled and unholy they truly are, and then, they stop reading. They say, “If I don’t know about it, then I’m not responsible for it.”

“All of us, as beings blessed of God with reasoning powers, with intellect and judgment, should acknowledge our accountability to God. The life He has given us is a sacred responsibility, and no moment of it is to be trifled with, for we shall have to meet it again in the record of the judgment. In the books of heaven, our lives are as accurately traced as in the picture on the plate of the photographer. Not only are we held accountable for what we have done, but for what we have left undone. We are held to account for our undeveloped characters, our unimproved opportunities.” That I May Know Him, 93

Only God

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified [made holy], but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9–11

It is imperative that we seek out what defiles us and take it to Jesus so that His blood can cleanse and deliver us from every defilement. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7. Once cleansed from every defilement and faithfully following the law of God, only then, are we ready to be made holy.

Only God can take a person, wicked and defiled, wash him, change him, and make him holy. This has been God’s purpose in the world since Eve took the bite out of the fruit. But though He forgives, cleanses, and makes holy, we cannot for one moment believe that He will take anyone to heaven who chooses to remain defiled and unholy.

The book of Hebrews takes up the subject of holiness. Paul writes, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14. Only holy people will be taken into the kingdom of heaven. But here is the best news of all, it doesn’t matter how wicked I have been, what I have said or done or thought, by His mercy and power and my faith in Jesus Christ, God can make me a holy person. As terrible as I am, God can change me.

The sanctuary

If you have never studied the sanctuary, you will be unable to understand the book of Revelation. The largest part of the book of Revelation is about the sanctuary, and understanding it lays the contextual foundation for the study of the sanctuary and how it relates to the Investigative Judgment.

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.” John writes in Revelation 1:10. The Lord’s Day is the seventh-day Sabbath. Sunday was never called the Lord’s Day until hundreds of years after the Christian church was formed. In the time of the apostles, everyone understood that the Lord’s Day was the Sabbath because Jesus said, the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27, 28) and My holy day (Isaiah 58).

John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day and this is what he saw.

“I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.” Verses 12, 13

Then John sees Jesus in the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, walking among the seven golden lampstands, and He says to John, “ ‘I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.’ ” Verse 18

Both the Old and New Testaments make it clear, it is in God’s throne that we find the heavenly sanctuary, and that there is an investigation taking place there. It is here that John tells us that he saw Jesus walking about in the holy place as Minister of the true sanctuary, the temple in heaven made by God and not man (Hebrews 8:1, 2). Jesus holds the “keys of Hades and of death” because He died on the cross and rose from the grave; He holds the victory and power over eternal death. This completed His work as mankind’s Saviour. Then when He returned to heaven, He began His work as our Mediator, until 1844 when He moved from the holy to the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary to begin the work of judgment.

Seven, 144,000, 1,000, and billions

Revelation tells us about seven seals (6), the little book and seven thunders (10), seven trumpets and two witnesses (11), the woman, the child, and the dragon (12), the 144,000 and two harvests (14), seven plagues (15), seven bowls (16), the fall of Babylon (18), and the Lamb’s marriage (19), Satan’s binding, the millennium, and final judgment (20), the New Jerusalem (21), and Jesus’ second coming (22).

“After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands.” Revelation 15:5, 6

We find that the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven last plagues, all come from the throne room of God, the sanctuary in heaven. God is declaring judgment and punishment upon the world and its inhabitants, those who have chosen Satan as their leader.

“Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.” Revelation 11:19. This occurs at the time of the seventh trumpet.

“God gave you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the ten commandments.” Deuteronomy 4:13

The ark of the covenant holds the two tables of stone on which God wrote the ten commandments with His own finger. Many people do not like the doctrine of the sanctuary, and here is why. Just like people are judged today according to the laws implemented by the government in accordance with The Constitution of the United States, as well as state constitutions, God’s standard of justice is His law. Every man, woman, and child will be judged according to the two tables of stone residing in the ark of the covenant (James 2).

“I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:9, 10

His kingdom

God’s court is now in session. The books are opened and each life is scrutinized. Angels travel between earth and heaven carrying millions of instructions, protecting, guiding every day. As a result of this judgment, the name of every person from the beginning of Earth’s history to the close of probation, all those who chose to honor and serve God, will have their names written in the book of life. It is these alone who will become citizens of Jesus’ kingdom.

Jesus told His disciples that He would be going away, and while He was gone He would receive His kingdom and then He would return and the number of people in His kingdom would be established.

“ ‘I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.’ ” Verses 13, 14

“ ‘Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’ ” Verse 27. Jesus will give His kingdom to His children. Wicked men will not own this earth; the entire world was deeded to Abraham and his children. Abraham knew that he was to be the heir of the whole world.

“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29

Who is judged?

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 5:10, first part. The judgment found in Daniel 7 speaks of Christ’s followers. They will receive His kingdom. It’s not a judgment concerning infidels, atheists, or unbelievers; these are already lost and have no need for a judgment. During the millennium, they will be found guilty and their punishment decided.

Daniel 8 focuses on the exact time and place when the judgment takes place (see also Leviticus and Revelation). All judgment takes place in the sanctuary. This is true in the Old Testament, although judgment issued from the earthly sanctuary was a type of the heavenly sanctuary; while in the New Testament, judgment issues from the heavenly sanctuary.

Many have trouble understanding Daniel 8:11, 12 because the original translators did not understand them, so their translation was incorrect. Fifty years ago, I decided that I would translate them myself.

“He [the little horn] magnified himself and exalted the continuance [of the daily], and it cast down the place of His sanctuary and a host [an army] was given against the daily in rebellion, and it cast down the truth to the ground and practiced and prospered.” Verses 11, 12

Evenings and mornings

Daniel sees two holy people speaking. One asks the other how much longer is this rebellion going to continue? It has already gone on for thousands of years. Daniel speaks of two rebellions: the continual rebellion and the desolating rebellion. This desolating rebellion—the abomination of desolation—takes the place of the continual rebellion. For 2300 evenings and mornings, the abomination of desolation will continue and then the sanctuary will be vindicated, cleansed, restored to its rightful state.

Daniel’s vision of the evenings and mornings caused a problem for him. He was concerned because he knew that Jeremiah had said the sanctuary would be made desolate for 70 years and then it would be restored and would continue until the end of time (Daniel 7). But his vision about the 2300 evenings and mornings was the only part of the vision that was not explained and he could not understand how it would happen. Would it be the end of time before the sanctuary is restored?

The anointed Messiah

That is when Daniel began to pray.

We find Daniel’s prayer recorded in chapter 9 and the angel Gabriel was sent in answer.

“Understand the vision: ‘Seventy weeks are cut off on your people.’ ” Daniel 9:23, last part, 24, first part. Seventy weeks equals 490 days. Gabriel adds six more things that will happen during this 70-week period.

“ ‘Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah [Mashiach] the Prince, shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.’ ” verse 25, first part. The word Mashiach (Messiah) means “the person who is anointed.”

Being anointed is a very important Biblical concept. Gabriel said that from the going forth of the command to rebuild and restore Jerusalem there would be seven weeks and three score and two weeks (483 years) until the Anointed One, Messiah the Prince would come.

Ezra 7, 8, and 9 show exactly when the command went forth, the fall of 457 BC. Add 483 years plus one year because we cross the BC/AD dateline, and we are brought to AD 27.

Dates are found all the way through the Old Testament, but the New Testament gives no dates save one. We have an exact date because God knew that we would be able to know. Is Jesus Christ really the Anointed One and when did He become Messiah, the Anointed One?

“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of the God came to John [the Baptist] the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. …

“When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.’ ” Luke 3:1, 2, 21, 22

“That word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:37, 38

Jesus is the Anointed One because God anointed Him.

When did God the Father anoint Jesus making Him Messiah? At His baptism in the fall of AD 27, at the end of the 69th and beginning of the 70th weeks.

Messiah is cut off

“ ‘After sixty-two weeks Messiah will be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.

“ ‘Then He [the Messiah] shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.’ ” Daniel 9:26, 27

Now we find ourselves in the 70th week, but something interesting happens in the middle of this 70th week [3 ½ years] and this causes the sacrifices and offerings to cease.

Let’s break it down.

  • Luke 3:21, 22 – In the fall of AD 27, Jesus was baptized (anointed).
  • John 2 – AD 28 the first Passover after His anointing.
  • John 5 – AD 29 the second Passover after His anointing.
  • John 6 – AD 30 the third Passover after His anointing (verse 4).
  • John 12 – AD 31 the fourth Passover after His anointing. Halfway through AD 31, Jesus is crucified, causing the sacrifices and offerings to cease.

“ ‘Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the law), then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’ He takes away the first that He may establish the second.” Hebrews 10:8, 9

The many animal sacrifices associated with the sanctuary services, which were but a type of the One sacrifice, could never take away the people’s sins. But this One, after He had offered Himself as the sacrifice for man, brought an end to all animal sacrifices and offerings; all of which were but a foreshadow of Christ’s sacrifice on man’s behalf.

On the day of Pentecost in AD 31, Peter said,

“ ‘Therefore let all the house of Israel [Jews] know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.’

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’ ” Acts 2:36–39

The Holy Spirit was poured out on the Jews at Pentecost, but not the Gentiles. Even after crucifying Christ, God gave the Jews the opportunity to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Many thousands accepted Him, but the majority did not.

“When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him [Stephen] with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, ‘Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’  Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.” Acts 7:54–58, first part

The 70 weeks were finished in AD 34. The Jews stoned Stephen, and probation was closed for them as a nation. Israel had irrevocably broken their covenant with God.

When the King stands up

After His resurrection, Hebrews 10:12 gives us the word picture of Jesus in heaven, sitting at the right hand of God (See also Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3). But Daniel tells us that the time is coming when Jesus will stand up.

“ ‘During that time Michael [Jesus] shall stand up, the great Prince who stands for the children of Thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time Your people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book.’ ” Daniel 12:1

Jesus stands up, assumes His rightful place as King, and begins His eternal reign. The reign of the antichrist is done.

Daniel’s 2300-day prophecy began in 457 BC. The 70 weeks ended in AD 34. The remaining 1810 days added to 34 takes us to 1844. The year 1844 is a very significant Bible date. After the 2300-day prophecy was finished in 1844, we are told that the temple of God would be cleansed and restored, vindicated and justified. The cleansing or purification of God’s temple involved the purification of His church. It was God’s purpose that there would be a perfected people, holy and without blemish, ready for the second coming of Jesus.

Holy and without blemish

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25–27

This is another reason why people hate the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment. They want to be saved in their sins. Jesus wants to save everyone from their sins, but not one single sinner will be saved in their sins.

“ ‘Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.’ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Revelation 19:7, 8. The Bible is plain. Sin must be completely removed from God’s people; only those who have been made holy will be saved. This is what is involved in the restoration and cleansing of the sanctuary, the removal of sin from God’s people.

“Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens [the earthly sanctuary] should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves [the sanctuary in heaven] with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;  not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the most holy place [the earthly sanctuary] every year with blood of another—He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.  And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment [judgment for everybody in this world occurs after they die except for the people who live until Jesus comes], so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Hebrews 9:23–28

Jesus came the first time to bear away our sins. He is coming the second time, friend, to take His holy and unblemished church home. Put your trust in Him, and He will bring you into that condition.

Pastor John J. Grosboll is the Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be reached by email at historic@stepstolife.org or by telephone at 316-788-5559.

Health – Bonding, Intuition, and Resilience

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Many times, I’ve wondered how it was that David could exclaim,

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him? And the son of man that You visit him?” Psalm 8:3, 4

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” Psalm 139:13–17

And later, Solomon wrote,

“A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

Ezekiel also said,

“So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.’ ” ’ ” Ezekiel 37:7–9

In the quest for an elixir of life, we haven’t found any scientific data dating from those ancient times, so how could David, Solomon, or Ezekiel be so humbled by findings we are now just getting to know? I don’t know about scientific data, but I know that my heart is humbled by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s talk for instance about our bodily chemistry.

Bonding

The hormone oxytocin plays an important role in the human body, specifically, in behavior. It is closely related to social connection, feelings of love, reproduction, giving birth, and even postpartum processes.

Recent studies show that looking into a person’s left eye with your right eye produces a bonding connection and trust effect, stimulating affection between two people, like the bonding of a mother with her baby.

These connections have a special effect on the cerebral cortex of the brain where our memories are stored, while our emotions are centered in the limbic system.

Intuition

A connecting brain function between the cerebral cortex and the limbic system is revealed when we talk about intuition.

Intuition itself is the ability to understand things instantly, without the need for deeper thinking and reasoning.

In order to reach this point, we have learned that intuition is the result of learning from life experiences. Everything we experience throughout our lives leaves an effect imprinted on the neurons. We could say that intuition is an acquired quality of neurological wisdom, thanks to neuronal memory.

These amazing qualities exposed in the brain functionality extend through the nervous system to the neurons present in the digestive organs.

The colloquial expression “I know it in my gut” or “I just have a gut feeling” can be an assertion that truly reveals that intuition is stored even in the neurons of the intestines. For example, all of us know that something very hot doesn’t leave a pleasant impression. We probably learned that as children when we wanted to touch a candle flame with our fingers.

Resilience

The word resilience refers to the ability to overcome critical moments and adapt after experiencing an unusual and unexpected situation. It also indicates a return to normalcy.

The term is derived from the Latin verbs resilio and resilire, which mean “to jump back, to rebound.”

It is an aptitude adopted by some individuals who are characterized by their attitude toward overcoming adversity and high stress, in order to envision a better future.

Other words that help define and are often used in place of resilience are strength, invulnerability, or resistance.

Resilience in Psychology

In psychology, resilience is understood as the capacity a person has to cope with their own problems, overcome obstacles, and not succumb to pressure, regardless of the situation.

It is the ability of an individual to overcome periods of emotional pain and trauma. It corresponds, approximately, to the term fortitude.

Just as the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3), we can be sure that even if we have to endure difficult situations in life, we are not left alone, for we can go to Jesus and receive His resilience and power of mind. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

The promise, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” (Philippians 4:13), is an assurance that if we put our trust in Christ and keep the eight laws of health, He will see to it that our brain functions perfectly! Amen for that!

Source: Dr. Tara Swart, neuroscientist, award-winning author, and medical doctor (taraswart.com/podcasts)