Friday: Further Thought – The Triumph of God’s Love
Daily Lesson for Friday 28th of June 2024
“There the wide-spreading plains swell into hills of beauty, and the mountains of God rear their lofty summits. On those peaceful plains, beside those living streams, God’s people, so long pilgrims and wanderers, shall find a home. . . .
“There, immortal minds will contemplate with never-failing delight the wonders of creative power, the mysteries of redeeming love. There will be no cruel, deceiving foe to tempt to forgetfulness of God. Every faculty will be developed, and every capacity will be increased.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
The acquirement of knowledge will not weary the mind or exhaust the energies. There the grandest enterprises may be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations reached, the highest ambitions realized; and still there will arise new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of mind and soul and body.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 675, 677.
“With unutterable delight the children of earth enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. They share the treasures of knowledge and understanding gained through ages upon ages in contemplation of God’s handiwork. With undimmed vision they gaze upon the glory of creation—suns and stars and systems, all in their appointed order circling the throne of Deity. Upon all things, from the least to the greatest, the Creator’s name is written, and in all are the riches of His power displayed.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 677, 678.
“The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.”—The Great Controversy, p. 678.
Discussion Questions
- Why do you think God has allowed sin to go on for so long? At the same time, no human being suffers in this world longer than their own existence here. That is, no one suffers more than his or her own lifetime. How short is a human lifetime compared to the thousands of years of sin? How might this perspective help us deal with the difficult question of evil?
- How does the thousand-year period known as the millennium fit into the plan of salvation? Think about what it says about the character of God that—not until all of the redeemed will have had a chance to see the justice and fairness and love of God—will final judgment be brought upon the lost.
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My final comment for the quarter is this quote from the final chorus of Handel's Messiah.
Are we in that Choir? It is a song for now sung by living the Gospel.
Worthy is the Lamb
My brother I agree with you we will sing the song of Moses and the lamb and what a glorious day that will be when sin will be no more when we will live with our Jesus for eternity let us continue to live out Jesus in our lives everyday
There's a song the youth used to sing:
"Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return
And come with singing unto Zion
And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.
They shall obtain
Gladness and joy
And sorrow
And mourning
Shall flee away!
Therefore the redeemed of the world shall return
And come with singing unto Zion
And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads!"
"How does the thousand-year period known as the millennium fit into the plan of salvation? Think about what it says about the character of God that—not until all of the redeemed will have had a chance to see the justice and fairness and love of God—will final judgment be brought upon the lost."
The thousand years of review of God's justice will be utilized through out eternity. Not only will we see justice, of which we need, but the whole universe will see His justice. Not only will we be ambassadors to other world's, because we have experienced salvation, we also will be shining light's of God's justice.
It is interesting to read Ellen G. White’s quote: “Every faculty will be developed, and every capacity will be increased.” This is the first time I read man’s ‘evolution’ being addressed using a spiritual reference. It brings to mind visions and goals which fallen humanity strives to develop in man. Comparing the two, one can easily see that the adversary of God is trying to imitate what God has in store for those who choose Him to be their God; but satan can only enhance the body. Our Creator God enhances all of man, including the spirit.
Man’s capacity to extend or enhance life remains earth-bound. He uses technology to bribe mankind into thinking that this earthly body and mind can be made to function on a higher level for its own good. But our God wants man, whom He formed in His Own Image, to know that he is designd for and capable of that ‘every faculty can be developed and every capacity increased’ by Him.
This is what our God’s love will bring about for His children. The living soul was created to become part of the heavenly ‘flow of life and light, enjoying great harmony and gladness.’ We love and worship a perfect God in Whom is no shadow of turning – James 1:17-25; v.18 ”He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of first-fruit of His Creation."
In this dark valley of shortened life spans, pain, fading youth, unfulfilled aspirations, comes a gleam of hope that we are not comfortless, but encouraged with the promise that there is a place for us, a home and a university. Let's resolve that no one steal our crowns.(Revelation 3:11)
Why do you think God has allowed sin to go on for so long?
Answer: I simply do not know and would not even hazard a guess!
How short is a human lifetime compared to the thousands of years of sin? Answer: Like a drop in a bucket:extremely short.
How might this perspective help us deal with the difficult question of evil? Answer: Dealing with the question of evil is not a difficult when one realizes that after Man disobeyed God's simple command, God simply said, "Man, your will be done!" And so evil is all Man's doing and will! And God's will since the creation of Man has been for Man to have the total freedom to choose!
How does the thousand-year period known as the millennium fit into the plan of salvation? Answer: The millennium in Rev. 20 is Not literal; rather, it is a spiritual, figurative concept!
All that the Apostle John "saw" in Revelation [except for parts of chapter 1 and all of chapters 2-3] was in his mind's eye: I came to be in spirit (another way of saying: "I am in a spiritual trance, ready to receive spiritual visions and information."
I respectfully disagree, Rachel. I believe that there is a 1000 year period where we will be in heaven and this earth will be desolate except for the Devil and his angels.
God reveals literal things to his prophets, too, and maybe even in Revelation. I will have to take my earlier statement back, "I don't know literal from symbolic."
I apologize. Yes it came to me. John 14:3. I believe Christ assended into heaven not into a cloud. And when He comes back He will descend from Heaven not our heavens and come in a cloud of Angels as He was whisked away in a cloud of Angels. Acts 1:11.