Lesson 7 May 10-16

Foundations for Prophecy

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Isa. 6:6-8; Gen. 3:21-24; Ezek. 1:4-14; Rev. 4:1-11; Num. 2:3-25; Isa. 14:12-14

Memory Text: “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me’ ” (Isaiah 6:8, NKJV).

God’s right to rule the universe is founded upon His position as the Creator of all things (Rev. 4:11) and also upon His character. It is in discovering God’s righteous character that we begin to understand how and why sinful human beings fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).

This week, we move further into the vision of the throne room and consider how the human race relates to a holy God and how the sacrifice of Christ restores us and brings us close to the throne. God plans to restore us, not just as individuals but also as a race, so that we once again reveal His glory to the rest of Creation. By searching through the rest of the Bible, we can find important clues that help us understand and begin to appreciate the high calling that God has extended to us, a race of forgiven and redeemed sinners.

Human rebellion, ultimately and forever, will be ended. And, more than that, God’s loving character, His self-denying and self-sacrificing character, will shine even brighter than it did in His original design for humanity. Though God never intended for humanity to fall, through the cross, God’s loving character has been put on display in a remarkable way.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 17.

Sunday ↥        May 11

Here I Am, Send Me

Years ago, a church decided to renovate an outdated basement in order to create a new fellowship hall. One of the first things they did was to install new lights, believing that they would make the space seem more beautiful. Once they were installed, however, the space looked even worse, because bright lights have a way of revealing flaws.

Isaiah’s stunning vision of God’s throne left him painfully aware of his shortcomings. “ ‘Woe is me,’ ” he lamented, “ ‘for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts’ ” (Isa. 6:5, NKJV). We would feel the same if we were suddenly escorted into the presence of the Lord. The light is bright enough to remove all of our excuses. In God’s presence, we sense that we are lost. Isaiah was in for the surprise of a lifetime.

Read Isaiah 6:6-8. Isaiah knew that sin means that we are “undone.” The wages of sin is death. But instead of leaving us to the consequences of sin, a God of love pulls us closer. What was the outcome of this meeting, and why is it important?

Isaiah was purged of his sin when a seraph took a coal from the altar and touched his mouth with it. This was likely the altar of incense, where intercession was made by and for God’s people (see Rev. 8:3-4). His sins were forgiven, and he was now considered fit to stand in God’s presence but more than that, he was also commissioned to represent God to the world.

Interesting enough, the word “seraph” means “the burning one.” Notice Jesus’ description of John the Baptist’s ministry in John 5:35—“ ‘He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light’ ” (NKJV). Though, of course, John himself was a sinner in need of grace and salvation, his ministry pointed to the only One who could bring grace and salvation.

Jesus came as the perfect representation of the Father’s glory—and God sent a prophet, a sinner, who performed a similar task as one of heaven’s seraphim.

Only after Isaiah knew that his sin was purged, did he say, Here I am, send me. How can each one of us, our sins purged by the blood of Jesus, respond as Isaiah did here?

Monday ↥        May 12

The Two Cherubim

As soon as our first parents were expelled from the Garden, God offered the hope of Messiah (Gen. 3:15). Then He established a powerful symbol at the gates of Eden: two cherubim with a brilliant flashing light between them. It should not be lost on us that this scene so closely resembles the ark of the covenant, a symbol of God’s throne (Exod. 25:18).

Read Genesis 3:21-24. What job were the cherubim tasked with—and why?

While the cherubim were certainly given the responsibility to keep sinners from accessing the tree of life (Gen. 3:22), they also were a symbol of hope, of promise, that one day humans would be restored to paradise. “The Garden of Eden remained upon the earth long after man had become an outcast from its pleasant paths. The fallen race was long permitted to gaze upon the home of innocence, their entrance barred only by the watching angels. At the cherubim-guarded gate of Paradise the divine glory was revealed. Hither came Adam and his sons to worship God. Here they renewed their vows of obedience to that law the transgression of which had banished them from Eden. . . . But in the final restitution, when there shall be ‘a new heaven and a new earth’ (Revelation 21:1), it is to be restored more gloriously adorned than at the beginning.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 62.

The wording in Genesis 3:24 is also interesting: the Bible indicates that God “placed” the cherubim to the east of Eden, and the original Hebrew word used is shakan, the root word for the sacred “tabernacle” (see Exod. 25:9, Num. 3:26), where the presence of God dwelt among His people. Though the common term Shekinah, for the presence of God, does not appear in the Bible, it, too, is based on this word often translated “tabernacle.” A literal translation of shakan could read, “God tabernacled cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden.”

In the Bible, cherubim are associated with the presence of God (see 1 Chron. 13:6, Ps. 80:1, and Isa. 37:16), in particular with His throne, which is the place where His name is proclaimed. We should not fail to notice that the 24 elders who attend God’s throne in Revelation 4 and Revelation 5 sing His praises and declare His right to rule as the One who created all things (Rev. 4:11). This can help us understand the throne room scene and our role as forgiven sinners in relationship to our Maker.

Tuesday ↥        May 13

Like Burning Coals of Fire

Cherubim, either as living beings (Ezek. 10:8) or the gold symbols of them (Exod. 25:18), appear all through the Old Testament. They are often depicted as standing immediately next to God’s throne, radiating His glory to the universe. Cherubim are also embroidered into the curtain before the Holy of Holies (Exod. 26:1). In the book of Psalms, God’s supreme power over creation is poetically pictured as God being borne through the air by cherubim (Ps. 18:10). God commanded that the ark of the covenant be topped by two solid gold cherubim with their wings extended toward one another (Exod. 25:18-20).

Read Ezekiel 1:4-14. What similarities do you see between this passage and the scenes depicted in Isaiah 6:1-6 and Revelation 4:1-11?

Ezekiel is presented with an impressive display of God’s power. It is a confusing scene to begin with, matching the predicament that God’s people found themselves living with at the moment: the chosen people not in the land of promise but in Babylonian captivity. As Ezekiel studies the scene placed before him, he looks up and sees God’s throne above it all.

Notice the important similarities with other “throne” visions. The living creatures that Ezekiel witnesses have the same faces as the living creatures in John’s vision: a lion, an eagle, an ox, and a man.

The mysterious creatures with four faces are not specifically named in Ezekiel’s initial description; but later, in another throne room scene (see Ezek. 10:1-21), they are called “cherubim,” and we also find the burning coals from Isaiah’s vision of the seraphs. They share the faces of the living creatures mentioned in John’s vision.

Whenever we see God’s throne whether in the typical ark of the covenant, which served as God’s meeting place with Moses (Exod. 25:22), or the breathtaking visions of the prophets the cherubim are always there. They are intimately tied to the throne of God. All of God’s creatures were designed to reflect His glory whether we are talking about the human race made in His image or the angelic beings who are posted immediately next to His glorious throne. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. How do you measure up in contrast to the holiness that Ezekiel witnesses here? What does your answer tell you about your need of the gospel?

Wednesday ↥        May 14

God Among His People

Following the leading of God’s presence in the cloud, the Israelites would stop in their journey to the Promised Land, set up the tabernacle, and then the tribes would pitch their camps around it three tribes on each side. The Presence of God would descend into the Most Holy Place and take up residence in the midst of His people.

There was one dominant tribe on each of the four sides of the tabernacle. According to Numbers 2, who were these four dominant tribes?

Num. 2:3 (East):

Num. 2:10 (South):

Num. 2:18 (West):

Num. 2:25 (North):

Notice that each dominant tribe flew its own “standard,” or special flag, to designate who they were. While the Scriptures are not explicit in describing what was on each flag, there is an interesting tradition—loosely based on the tribal characteristics described in Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 33—that assigns one of the four faces to each of the four compass points. “According to rabbinical tradition, the standard of Judah bore the figure of a lion, that of Reuben the likeness of a man or of a man’s head, that of Ephraim the figure of an ox, and that of Dan the figure of an eagle; so that the four living creatures united in the cherubic forms described by Ezekiel were represented upon these four standards.”—Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. 1 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2011), p. 660.

It is possible to read too much into tradition, of course, but it is still interesting to compare this ancient tradition with the Bible’s description of the New Jerusalem. An interesting pattern emerges: there are gates representing three tribes on all four sides of the city (Rev. 21:12-13).

The descriptions of both the camp of Israel and the New Jerusalem underscore one crucial fact: God intends to pull humanity close to His throne. The book of Revelation teaches us that “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Rev. 21:22, NKJV).

Of course, we don’t live in the camp of Israel. But what are ways we can, in our own lives now, draw close to the presence of God?

Thursday ↥        May 15

The Fall of Lucifer

It seems incomprehensible that Lucifer once held the position of covering cherub, occupying an exalted position next to the throne of God. Surely his existence would have helped reveal the glory of God to the universe. Instead, he began to consider his own glory, not the glory of his Creator; or, to be more precise, he started to imagine that he was not being given the deference due to him.

Read Ezekiel 28:11-17 and Isaiah 14:12-14. What led to Lucifer’s downfall? Compare these passages with Revelation 14:1-12. How does the contrast between Lucifer’s fall and humanity’s high position in Christ inform your understanding of what takes place in Revelation 14?

Notice how Lucifer was removed from the holy mountain, while the redeemed stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb of God. Lucifer is said to have been in Eden; the human race was also once there, but in contrast to Satan’s fate, humanity is being restored to paradise through Christ. (See Rev. 22:1-3.)

In this context, the following quote from Ellen G. White is very instructive: “Heaven will triumph, for the vacancies made in heaven by the fall of Satan and his angels will be filled by the redeemed of the Lord.”— The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, May 29, 1900.

And they are there, in heaven, only because of the gospel. In fact, the theme of the gospel, of redemption, is found in a graphic manner in the throne room in Revelation 4 and Revelation 5. For instance, the angels cry out: “ ‘ “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God, persons from every tribe and language and people and nation” ’ ” (Rev. 5:9, NIV). What a picture of the gospel, the death of Jesus for the redemption of humanity!

Notice, too, how the language reflects the first angel’s message, in which we are called to preach “the everlasting gospel . . . to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people” (Rev. 14:6, NKJV). What a powerful representation of the fullness of what Christ has done for the world. There is not a human being in all earth’s history for whom Christ has not died. They just need to learn about it and choose to accept it.

What role do we have as a church, and as individuals, in letting people know about what Christ has done for them?

Friday ↥        May 16

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Controversy Ended,” pp. 669-671, 676-678, in The Great Controversy.

Satan, once a covering cherub, sought to destroy confidence in God’s throne. God has allowed fallen angels to continue in their rebellion in order to show the universe the depths of wickedness that come from self-exaltation—and while Satan managed to deceive the human race into joining his war against God, Christ utterly defeated him at the cross, securing a place for humanity where fallen angels once stood. Sinners, in Christ, publicly turn against Lucifer’s claims. The final scenario is, in some ways, an even greater revelation of God’s goodness and love than had existed prior to Lucifer’s fall. Though God never ordained that evil should exist, and it’s a tragedy with eternal consequences, when it’s all done the goodness of and love of God will be revealed in ways it otherwise never would have been.

Christ “looks upon the redeemed, renewed in His own image, every heart bearing the perfect impress of the divine, every face reflecting the likeness of their King. He beholds in them the result of the travail of His soul, and He is satisfied. Then, in a voice that reaches the assembled multitudes of the righteous and the wicked, He declares, ‘Behold the purchase of My blood! For these I suffered, for these I died, that they might dwell in My presence throughout eternal ages.’ And the song of praise ascends from the white-robed ones about the throne: ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.’ Revelation 5:12.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 671.

Discussion Questions:

Inside Story~ ↥        

Diana Fish

Diana Fish

Part 3: Attempted Suicide

By Andrew McChesney

   

Diana’s husband grew angry when three women persisted in visiting the house to study their religious books. On their wedding day, he had told Diana, “Don’t ever try to get me to go to church.” Now he opposed the presence of the three women and threw out the books they gave her.

The women invited Diana to their church’s evening meetings. However, Diana worked nights at Pizza Hut to make ends meet. One woman pressured her into getting a day job at a newspaper so she could come to the meetings.

As Diana studied, she learned that the women believed Jesus was a created being and not eternal. Reading their literature, she saw that their Jesus didn’t match the Jesus whom she had learned about in the Bible as a girl.

Then Diana and her husband separated, and she moved with their three sons to Santa Fe, New Mexico. With no child support, friends or family, she worked full time to pay the bills and care for the boys, who were 1, 3, and 5. Falling into an abusive relationship, she started thinking about suicide again. One day, after dropping her sons off at day care and school, she went to a gun shop and bought a gun. She knew how to use it from her Navy days.

Sitting on her couch at home, she loaded the gun’s chamber, pulled back the hammer, and pressed the gun against her chest. An all-too-familiar accusing voice rang in her head. “You’re a terrible person,” it said. “You’re a terrible mother.” Diana firmly gripped the trigger. She felt her heart pounding in her head. Then a calming voice interrupted her. “What about your children?” it said. Before she could respond, the accusing voice countered, “They will be better off without you.”

“They need you,” the calming voice pleaded.

Diana thought about how her death would affect her children. She became enraged. She had come up with a plan to end her pain, but now she couldn’t go through with it. “I can’t do this anymore! It’s too hard!” she cried out.

“You don’t have to,” the calming voice said. “I’ll do it for you.”

With those words, Diana put down the gun, collapsed onto the floor, and cried until she couldn’t cry anymore. Then she called a trusted coworker. Together, they drove into the desert to fire off the gun. Later, when Diana tried to return the gun, the gun-shop owner refused, saying, “It’s been used.”

“But you have to take it back,” Diana insisted, explaining that she had given a bad check. The owner reluctantly took back the gun and didn’t report her to the police. Diana believed that he sensed what had happened.

This mission story offers an inside look at how God miraculously worked in the life of Diana Fish, development director of the U.S.-based Holbrook Seventh-day Adventist Indian School, which received the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering in 2021. Thank you for supporting the spread of the gospel with this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering on June 28. Read more about Diana next week.