INTRODUCTION The Rest of the
Story
The heavens
declare the glory of God"
(Ps.
19:1). And they do, at least to a point. What Christian hasn't looked
up into the sky on a night in which the stars shimmered in a panoply of
outrageous incandescence and not come away awed by the power and the greatness
of God?
The heavens do have a story to tell. Or, perhaps, more precisely, they reveal
that a story has already been told. By looking at the heavens, we can catch
parts of the plot but not the whole narrative itself. No matter how far our
telescopes peer into the cosmos, they can reveal only so much, because only
so much is revealed there. The rest of the story, the story of the Incarnation,
the story of Redemption, the story of Jesus and the eternal life He
offers—these are not found in the heavens, no matter how much of God's
glory is, otherwise, declared there.
Yet, what the heavens do not tell us, the Holy Scriptures do. The details
not written in the stars are written, instead, in God's Word. Scripture takes
us places where rocket ships and telescopes can never go. The Bible reveals
things that Hubble, no matter how focused and finely tuned its lenses, will
never detect.
For instance, the book of Hebrews, the topic of this quarter's lesson, gives
us a window into the universe, a view of the heavens that would otherwise
remain hidden, despite the efforts of the world's greatest astrophysicists
and astronomers.
"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God
by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them"
(Heb.
7:25).
"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an
high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in
the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which
the Lord pitched, and not man"
(Heb.
8:1, 2).
"But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater
and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of
this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood
he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us"
(Heb.
9:11, 12).
These are truths about the heavens that the heavens themselves—no matter
how deeply and intently we peer into them—could never reveal.
Though shrouded in some mysteries itself (Who wrote it? When was it written?
To whom was it addressed? What specific problems was it confronting?), the
book of Hebrews radiates with light, truth, and details regarding salvation
history, regarding what Jesus has done for us, what He is doing for us now,
and what He will do for us throughout eternity. It reveals not only what
Christ accomplished by His life and death
(Heb.
1:3; 2:9; 7:27; 9:12, 28) but it presents the most explicit explanation
of Christ as our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary
(Heb.
2:17, 18;
4:15,
16;
7:25;
9:24)
found anywhere else in Scripture.
Though the Scriptures do give us scattered glimpses into heaven, no other
book takes us so deeply, and intimately, into heavenly places while
simultaneously giving us such a clear explanation of what we see when we're
there.
Before starting this quarter's lesson, read through the entire book of Hebrews.
Tremble at its fierce warnings against apostasy and backsliding, heed its
emotional exhortations to faithfulness and obedience, but, most of
all—rejoice in the hope, in the promises, in the assurance that exudes
from every page of this faith-affirming book, which boldly declares to us
that "Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are
the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence
of God for us"
(Heb.
9:24). And if Christ is now standing in the presence of God "for
us"—what have we to fear?
As you read, notice two outstanding and undeniable truths within these sacred
pages: the reality of Christ's ministry in the heavenly sanctuary and the
importance of that ministry to His people on earth, truths that we as Adventists
have been unabashedly proclaiming to the world. In Hebrews, we find key elements
of our sanctuary message, and that message is nothing if not the Cross revealed
in the only context that can fully reveal it: that of the heavenly sanctuary,
where Christ now ministers His blood in our behalf, "having obtained eternal
redemption for us"
(Heb.
9:12) through His life and death here on the earth.
Hebrews is all about Jesus, a fuller and clear revelation of Jesus. That
is the direction this study takes: We will focus on Jesus as He appears in
Hebrews. "Jesus, Our King"; "Jesus, Our High Priest"; "Jesus, Our Assurance";
"Jesus, Our Sacrifice and Salvation"—these are some of the weekly topics
we will study in the powerful exhortation to faithfulness and obedience that
is at the heart of Hebrews.
This quarter's author is Dr. Ekkehardt Mueller, a native of Germany and now
an associate director of the Biblical Research Institute at the General
Conference, in Silver Spring, Maryland. A New Testament scholar, Dr. Mueller
takes us on an incredible voyage into the heavens themselves, where Jesus,
our High Priest, "ever liveth to make intercession" for us, a truth about
the heavens that the heavens themselves can never reveal.
That is why it has to be told to us, which is exactly what Hebrews does.
This quarter, let's listen carefully to what it says.
Contents:
(all lessons may not be posted)
Giardina Sabbath School
Study Helps
Jerry Giardina of Pecos, Texas, assisted by his wife, Cheryl, prepares a
series of helps to accompany the Sabbath School lesson. He includes all related
scripture and most EGW quotations. Jerry has chosen the "New King James Version"
of the scriptures this quarter. It is used with permission. The study
helps are provided in three wordprocessing versions
Wordperfect; Microsoft
Word; RTF for our MAC friends; and
HTML (Web Pages).
Last updated on June 16, 2003
Editorial Office: 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904.
Principal Contributors: Ekkehardt Mueller
Editor: Clifford Goldstein
(goldsteinc@gc.adventist.org)
Associate Editor: Lyndelle Brower Chiomenti.
Editorial Production Manager: Soraya Homayouni Parish.
Art and Design: Lars Justinen.
Pacific Press Coordinator: Paul A. Hey.
Copyright © 2003 Office of the Adult Bible Study Guide,
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist. All Rights Reserved.
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