Sabbath: The Ultimate Rest
Image © Pacific Press
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Revelation 1:9-19; Matthew 24:4-8, Matthew 24:23-31; Revelation 14:6-12; Hebrews 11:13-16; Philippians 4:4-6.
Memory Text: “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him’” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Have you ever felt that you were in the midst of a great battle, a kind of struggle between good and evil? Many, even secular people, have sensed this reality. And we feel that way because, well, it’s true. We are in a great battle between good and evil, between Christ (the good) and Satan (the bad).
Life, then, is really being played out on two levels. The great controversy between Christ and Satan is taking place on a global scale — in fact, even a cosmic level, for in heaven is where it first began (Revelation 12:7). Yet, in the confusion of events, we can easily lose the big picture of God’s escape plan for this world. Wars, political unrest, and natural disasters can hold us in helpless terror. But God’s prophetic guidance can help us keep in mind the big picture of where we are going and how we will get there.
The great controversy also is being played out on a much more personal level. All of us individually face faith challenges in our everyday life, and if we should not live to the second coming of Jesus, we will face death, too. This week, we look at how we can rest in Jesus in the face of global unrest and our own personal unknown future, at least in the short term. In the long term, things look very promising, indeed!
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 25.
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Although this lesson was prepared somewhere between 3 and 5 years ago, it is 'interesting' how relevant it is to events going on right now that would not have been anticipated 3-5 years ago. If someone had described to me early even late 2019 the mandated and enforced changes that would take place in society during 2020 and 2021, I would have thought them to be a 'conspiracy theorist'.
What do you see as the most core issue in the Great Controversy that is being played out at a global level now?
What direct and practical implications does that have for you on a daily level right now?
I could just give you my opinion on these questions, but I'd rather hear your views and perspectives...
I was thinking the exact same thing as I read this lesson.
Phil, I see the most core issue right now as who has control of our hearts. The herd mentality being pushed on us is very likely a precursor to persecution of those who don't go along with the herd. We can already see it to some extent against those who don't wear a mask or who don't get vaccinated. (Important note: I do not intend to start a controversy on masks or vaccination, or to state my opinion on either. Just stating what news and social media, and even common people, are saying.) I believe things will only get worse as we rapidly approach the last days.
Application: We must be constantly seeking God's will and actively living in the Holy Spirit's guidance. Otherwise we may unknowingly become ensnared by Satan's trickery. Satan's attacks are subtle and can go unnoticed if we are not constantly aware. God's remnant people are never intended to become part of the herd, but to stand out and stand up for God and for what is right.
The only core issue I understand is whether or not I will "follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth"(Rev 14:4). So this means I must surrender my will to the will of God as revealed in His word and demonstrated by the life and teachings of Jesus, which includes Calvary.
This current state of affairs we were warned about through prophecy, though not in exact detail. Yet, I always believed that we could recognize it when it arrived.
On a daily level, I must resist the devil and draw near to God(daily prayer/study and exercise of faith), who promises to draw near to me(Jas 4:7-10).
Just like in the introduction dear brother, this battle have started long long way before and long long time ago. And we see it being unfolded on a more global scale now.
Yet, the good news is, studying the Word of God will reveal to us Who became victorious and always be victorious.
We should always sing "Jesus is my Captain! I shall not be moved!"
Most of us know Wayne Hooper's hymn "We have this Hope" written as the the theme song for the 1962 General Conference Session in 1962.
Like a lot of hymns we know the first verse pretty well but it is worth taking the time to look at the second verse too because it adds perspective to the first.
The ultimate rest offered by the idea of the second coming is firmly connected to the idea of unity in Christ described in this last verse. I like to think that we will carry that perspective into our study this week.
WOW!!! There is a second verse ??!! I do not see it in the official edition of the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal (word edition) (#214) that I have. I guess it was accidentally left out.
As you said, the 2nd verse gives meaning to the first. Indeed, it is in the unity of the body of Christ that we are able to be victorious and attain that perfect, ultimate rest when He returns.
God bless.
Georgia.
The second stanza is there in the current hymnal.
"Love for the waiting people of the world,
People who need our Savior’s love."
Hallelujah, loving it!
Have a blessed week everyone!
The title of this week's lesson, "The Ultimate Rest," implies that our rest here is only temporary. We rest in Christ today, but our rest is always in the context of a world of suffering, sorrow, and sickness.
There is a day coming when we will enter eternal rest. All the heartaches of life will be over. Disease, disaster, and death will be gone forever.
As the battle between good and evil rages on a global scale, Christ invites us to "watch" and "be ready" for His soon return and to be ready to enter His eternal rest.
Let us cling to Jesus Christ, no matter what in our lives.
I definitely agree with you, on all you have said. And I try very hard to remember the following verse that Paul told to the Phillippian Christians when they were facing personal and church anxieties.
Philippians 4:11
"Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:"(New King James version)
There is a song written by;
Septimus Winner (1868). If you can take a look at the lyrics there is a strong message in it, showing "rest at last".
The following is the song;
Titled: Whispering Hope
Soft as the voice of an angel,
Breathing a lesson unheard,
Hope with a gentle persuation,
Whispers his comforting word
Wait till the darkness is over,
Wait till the tempest is done,
Hope for the sunshine tomorrow,
After the showers is gone
Refrain:
Whispering hope, oh, how welcome thy voice,
Making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.
If, in the dust of the twilight,
dim be the region afar,
will not the deepening darkness,
brighten the glimmering star?
Then when the night upon us,
why should the heart sink away?
When the dark midnight is over,
watch for the breaking of day.
This song brings to my memory another song, that will help us remember to seek Rest in Christ, "Whisper a Prayer":
"Whisper a prayer in the morning
whisper a prayer at noon
whisper a prayer in the evening,
to keep your heart in tune.
God answers prayer in the morning
God answers prayer at noon
God answers prayer in the evening
so keep your heart in tune."
There's a lot of songs added to the discussion for this week; I think we all are in need of Rest in Christ. Thank you all for the encouragement; it is truly a blessing to me today.
Blessings to all!
Eph.4:12-13 - ".. to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ."
Could one say - 'our love of the Father and true obedience to His Son leads us to become like the one we are obedient to' ?
Is this full measure - 'the stature of Christ' - the Ultimate Rest?
Can we obtain the Ultimate Rest during our lifetime, or is it only fully available after our resurrection?
I do not have a quarterly and did not read Maurice's comment until I wrote mine. It appears that Wayne Hooper and both of us have the same perspective regarding the Ultimate Rest - unity in Christ; how else can all be one unless there exists one 'Ultimate Rest'.
Following a parable about a persistent widow who kept asking an unjust judge for justice, Jesus asked “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”(Luke 18:8). The apostle Paul in one of his letters to a young minister, encouraged him to “fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life...”(1 Tim 6:12).
In this life we may often be distracted by the the daily events taking place all the time, and may forget the “good fight of faith” which must take place without ceasing. We are never safe to remove the armor of God, or to rest from this fight. This fight is ultimately between our will and the "good, acceptable, and perfect will of God"(Rom 12:2). Only "him that overcomes" will find that final and Ultimate Rest.
Satan is indeed tricky and subtle. The herd is not the issue in my opinion. It’s the one controlling the herd. And the herd mainly exists on both sides of the aisle. Mask wearing is just another “confusing event” that can cause us to lose the big picture of God’s escape plan.
Ephesians 6:12 “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.”
Preach it, Brother David!
The memory text, (1 Cor.2:9) is very popular verse referring to the place that God is preparing for the redeemed, but this verse was not intended for or cannot be applied for heaven itself. It was taken out of context disregarding the actual meaning or purported view of the writer. ... "eye has not seen or ear heard"... does not reflect the new earth which is but paradise restored.
Our first parents have seen and lived there and heard the voice of God. The next verse and the rest of the chapter was revealed to the apostles the mystery of how God devised a way of saving man from sin through His son Jesus Christ which was never known or entered into the heart of man before that.
Hi, Alvin. You make an interesting observation. I might submit that the experience of life is far more than just our physical surroundings. It consists largely in the value of our relationships. My understanding is that the redemption of fallen man will bring us into a closer relationship with Christ than if we had never sinned -- closer than even the unfallen angels can know.
I agree that no heart had conceived of the plan of redemption. I also believe that our experience in the new earth will be better and greater than anyone has ever previously known or imagined. However, the Spirit gives us a glimpse. We can enter into much of it now, if we are willing.
Thank you for your kind and very appropriate response. I totally agree of what your personal expectations of a closer and better relationship after the deliverance from sin but for me I noted that the same place of paradise guaranteed and promised to the thief on the cross is no better than God has previously created for Adam and Eve. God has given the garden of Eden as a blue print for Adam to multiply if he did not sin, so my personal view is that the whole earth would have been fully covered with beautiful gardens which will materialize again after sin is eradicated.
In the vision of John of a golden city bejeweled by all sorts of precious stones coming down from heaven, to me is symbolic of how beautiful a place to be subjective of what one consider beauty. In literature, a poet has expressed ... "the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome"; and John was influenced by a beautiful city such as Rome while on that desolate and lonely island of exile. In the beginning, God did not intend that man shall live within the confines of four walls but after sin man struggle to protect themselves from external dangers of beasts, evil men and wrath of nature. Cain after he murdered Abel started to build a city and the race is on and did not end at the Empire State either. So expecting a city to dwell in the new earth, are we not too materialistic?