The problem of evil is a conundrum that has engaged minds since the beginning of humanity. And the lessons on “Rebellion and Redemption” have caused Seventh-day Adventists around the world to wrestle with the problem. Many of us like to know why things happen. So we would like to know why evil happened. But to give a reason for … Continue reading –>
[Thought questions for Heaven on Earth October 9, 2013] Prayer, like incense, ascending to God 1. Corporate prayer. Offering incense may have been a once-in -a-lifetime experience for Zechariah. He would spend a week ministering in the temple. It was in the temple that he would burn incense. The smoke would go upward as a … Continue reading –>
If you were a high school student in the United States any time in the last 100 years, you were probably assigned the reading of a sermon preached in 1741 by Jonathan Edwards, called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” It’s not a warm and fuzzy, feel-good sermon. Edwards describes God as angry … Continue reading –>
In Numbers 21:1-9 God has Moses set a brass serpent on a pole so that if anybody was bitten by a serpent, they could look at this serpent on a pole and be healed. Now as real and literal as this serpent was it was only symbolic. There was no magic in the brass or … Continue reading –>
Further Study: “Paul had a view of heaven, and in discoursing on the glories there, the very best thing he could do was to not try to describe them. He tells us that eye had not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared … Continue reading –>
[Thought questions for The Heavenly Sanctuary October 2, 2013] Part I Portrait of Love. Two German brothers in the 15th century planned to rise above the poverty that threatened to destroy their dream. With 18 children, parental help was highly unlikely. The plan sent Albert to work in the mines to support Albrecht, who would … Continue reading –>
Where is the most holy place? Is it a building on earth or in heaven? Or is it somewhere else? While I was a child living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a tornado hit the surrounding area where I lived. Among the destruction was a Methodist church. That night on the news, I remember the Methodist pastor, … Continue reading –>
Read Psalm 11:4–7 and Habakkuk 2:20. What else does God do in His heavenly temple, and why is this important for us to know? Many Psalms reveal that the Lord is not indifferent to the needs of the righteous or to the injustices that they often face. He will react to the issues that cry out for redress, … Continue reading –>
Key Thought : The Bible repeatedly affirms the reality of a heavenly sanctuary. It reveals a loving God who had developed from the beginning of Creation a plan to save mankind.. [Teaching plan for The Heavenly Sanctuary October 1, 2013] 1. Have a volunteer read I Kings 8:49. a. Ask class members to share a … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 4 and 5. What do these two chapters teach us about the heavenly dwelling place of God? In what way is the plan of salvation revealed in these texts, as well? The vision of the heavenly throne room is a vision of the heavenly sanctuary. This is made evident from the language referring to … Continue reading –>
