Nature in its present condition carries an ambiguous message that mingles both good and evil. Rosebushes can produce lovely and fragrant roses but also harmful and painful thorns. A toucan can impress us with its beauty and then dismay us by assaulting the nests of other birds and eating their frail chicks. Even human beings, … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: 1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:16; 1 John 4:7-16; Ezekiel 28:12-19; Isaiah 14:12-15; Revelation 12:1-17. Memory Text: “How you have fallen from heaven, you star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who defeated the nations!” (Isaiah 14:12, NASB). Many thinkers have tried to explain the … Continue reading –>
On Death and Dying: Our Future Hope God created human beings to enjoy eternity in a loving relationship with Him and His creation. But this relationship was distorted by the mysterious appearance of sin within the heavenly courts (Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:12-19, Revelation 12:7-12) and the subsequent fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-19, Romans 5:12). Tragically, death engulfed not only … Continue reading –>
Part 13: Preparing to See Jesus By Andrew McChesney The evil spirits have fallen silent. Father believes Christ won a victory over Satan with the baptism, and that is why the devil tried so hard to prevent it. Peace has filled the family home. Mother is a church deaconess, and she still sings in the … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Gethsemane,” Pages 685-697, and “Calvary,” Pages 741-757, in The Desire of Ages. “Three times has He uttered that prayer. Three times has humanity shrunk from the last, crowning sacrifice. But now the history of the human race comes up before the world’s Redeemer. He sees that the transgressors of the law, … Continue reading –>
We might as well get used to it: as long as we are here, in this world, we are going to suffer. As fallen creatures, it is our fate. Nothing in the Bible promises us anything different. On the contrary … What do the following verses have to tell us about the topic at hand? Acts 14:22, Philippians … Continue reading –>
Death by crucifixion was one of the harshest punishments the Romans meted out to anyone. It was considered the worst way to die. Thus, how horrific for anyone to be killed that way, in particular the Son of God! Jesus, we must always remember, came in human flesh like ours. Between the beatings, the scourgings, … Continue reading –>
“And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch” (Mark 14:34). Whatever Jesus suffered throughout His 33 years here on earth, nothing compared to what He started to face in the last hours before the cross. From the eternal ages (Ephesians 1:1-4; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; Titus 1:1-2) the sacrifice of Jesus as the … Continue reading –>
Read the following verses, all the while keeping in mind the fact that Jesus was divine, the Creator of heaven and earth, and that He came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (Matthew 12:22-24; Luke 4:21-30; John 8:58-59). How do these verses help us understand the sufferings that Jesus faced here on … Continue reading –>
Scripture gives us little information about the early years of Jesus. A few verses, however, tell us something about those conditions and the kind of world the Savior entered. Read Luke 2:7, Luke 2:22-24 (see also Leviticus 12:6-8) and Matthew 2:1-18. What do we see in these verses that gives us an indication of the kind of life Jesus faced from … Continue reading –>
