Friday: Further Thought ~ Rebellion in a Perfect Universe
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Why Was Sin Permitted?” Pages 33-43, in Patriarchs and Prophets; “The Origin of Evil,” Pages 492-504, in The Great Controversy.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“There was no possible hope for the redemption of those [Satan and his angels] who had witnessed and enjoyed the inexpressible glory of heaven, and had seen the terrible majesty of God, and, in presence of all this glory, had rebelled against Him. There were no new and wonderful exhibitions of God’s exalted power that could impress them so deeply as those they had already experienced. If they could rebel in the very presence of glory inexpressible, they could not be placed in a more favorable condition to be proved. There was no reserve force of power, nor were there any greater heights and depths of infinite glory to overpower their jealous doubts and rebellious murmuring. Their guilt and their punishment must be in proportion to their exalted privileges in the heavenly courts.” — Ellen G. White, Confrontation, p. 21.
“From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency. So great was His love for the world, that He covenanted to give His only-begotten Son, ’that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16.” — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 22.
Discussion Questions:
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The "armor of God" is the love of God! How do I get this love to grow? How do I get to admire more someone for whom I feel something special? The answer is very very simple, by spending time with this person, by living the daily the experience of a routine, getting acquainted, by sharing one of the most precious gifts that we have, A PRESENT time! God is longing to spend time with me and you, He is always expecting us, and because He is God He is able to personalize His care for each one of us! Amen for His love, Who loved us first!
Happy Sabbath mates!
Happy Sabbath Maurice! May God bless you for cleaning up the house, so you can fill it up with new stuff, and come back overflowing with even more blessings!
I am sitting here is Queensland at the end of a busy week, relaxing as the setting sun ushers in a much-needed day of rest. Today we scattered my father-in-law's ashes in Eudlo Creek, a place where he loved to visit. There were only a few of us there and we talked about death, dying, hope and eternity. When you are 97 years old you have outlived most of your friends and family. ... and all that is left is about a kilo of ash.
It is against this background that I thought about this week's lesson. Sometimes it is easy to slip into the philosophical/theological mode and talk about sin and death in abstract terms. But, we must not forget that sin is not just a theory. The theory must have practical application. The ripple of rebellion that started in the mind of Lucifer is often reflected in our own minds. We too have free choice and we too can choose to rebel against God. We cannot use the Eve excuse that the serpent was the one to blame, or worse, the Adam excuse, that the woman that you (God) gave me, made me do it. We still have free choice and we can exercise that choice. That is the practical application of the "sin theory".
Joshua says it so well:
Joshua was well aware of where the rubber hits the road.
Thank you for sharing, Maurice! Welcome back! My husband and I always look forward to your comments. We have prayed for you and your family as your morn the loss of your father in law! God bless you folks!
Thank you Renita.
Great comment Sir. I'm so sorry for your loss.
Thank you Kenneth.
To conclude this week’s lesson, I thought it helpful to quote the Scripture which, in my opinion, expresses best what our Maker advises man to do in order that he may stand firm in the Father and His Son’s faith and not fall prey to the whiles of God’s adversary:
Eph.6:10-18:
v.10 -”Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
v.11 - Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
v.12 – For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
v.13 – Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
v.14 – Stand firm then, with the belt of Truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
v.15 – and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
v.16 – In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
v. 17 – Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
v.18 – And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
What a powerful lesson. Thanks for powerful summary.
Even though we see the results of sin and have some understanding of the origin of sin. If we chose we can see the love of God shinning through. What we need to do about guarding and hanging onto this love is very good in Epheasians 6.
In Jude 20-25.
We are given the good response, or choice if you prefer, to recognizing and putting into practice God's love.
"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Saviour, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen."
The loyal angels witnessed to the angels who were going along with Lucifers cunning lies about God the Father and God the Son. They told them, "that Christ was the Son of God, existing with Him before the angels were created; and that He had ever stood at the right hand of God, and His mild, loving authority had not heretofore been questioned; and that He had given no commands but what it was joy for the heavenly host to execute." Story of Redemption 15.2
Prayer, the communication avenue with God, brings us power to avoid envy, jealousy, and ingraditude, which garners hate, redicule, pride, and ultimately rebellion. Christ is our Saviour, however prayer and meditation on Him and His charactor, keeps us from stumbling and gives us the joy and peace that there is no substitute for.