Esther* slipped across the North Korean border into China. But she still wasn’t free. She knew that if she was caught, she would be sent back to North Korea and imprisoned or even killed. While in China, she met an Adventist woman who befriended her. The woman offered Esther a place to stay and introduced … Continue reading –>
I have had a rough couple of months when it comes to driving – I’ve gotten three tickets! One was because I didn’t “stop” when I was turning right on a red light, and the other two were for speeding. All three were my fault. I couldn’t say the red light camera didn’t actually have … Continue reading –>
[Thought questions for Last Things: Jesus and the Saved December 19, 2012] 1. Pivot point: The cross. How were people saved before the cross? Or were they? Is the cross symbolic? If so, what does it symbolize? What does it mean? What is the reality behind the symbol? When in human history did God begin … Continue reading –>
In the New Testament, one of the events connected with the second coming of Christ is the resurrection of those who died believing in Him. In fact, as far as most believers are concerned, that is the most important part of the Second Coming, because most of Christ’s followers will be dead when He returns. … Continue reading –>
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. What is the message here, and why is it so relevant to us today, living when we do? How can we take these words and apply them in the practical moments of day-to-day living? So much exists in those verses, but one point should stand out so clearly, and that is the … Continue reading –>
Key Thought : Christ’s ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, the second coming, and the resurrection stand together as a message of hope for those who trust in Him. [Teaching plan for Last Things: Jesus and the Saved December 17, 2012] 1. Have a volunteer read Hebrews 8:1-5. A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what … Continue reading –>
Study Acts 3:19-21. How does the blotting out of sins that is mentioned here relate to the cleansing of the sanctuary that we studied yesterday? While Peter may not have known the “times or seasons” (Acts 1:7), his reference to Joel’s prophecy in Acts 2:14-21 points to his appreciation of the fulfillment of prophecy in his time. In his … Continue reading –>
There is a song I remember singing a hundred years ago, when I was a teenager. It went something like this, “I owed a debt I could not pay. He paid a debt He did not owe.” Beautiful song, but not exactly theologically correct if you want to get technical. And no, I do not … Continue reading –>
The earthly sanctuary service revealed three phases of salvation: substitutionary sacrifice, priestly mediation, and judgment. The Bible teaches that all three phases of salvation are embodied in the ministry of Christ on behalf of sinners. Read Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:24-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21. How does Christ’s death on the cross satisfy the substitutionary aspect of salvation? What do these … Continue reading –>
Fundamental Belief No. 24 opens with the following words: “There is a sanctuary in heaven – the true tabernacle which the Lord set up and not man” (see Heb. 8:2). One of the matter-of-fact assumptions of the Bible is the existence of a heavenly sanctuary (Ps. 11:4). Read Hebrews 8:1-5. What is the main point taught in these verses? … Continue reading –>
“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-10, NIV The problem of how the church should relate to … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Heb. 8:1-5; Isa. 53:6; Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 9:23; Acts 3:19-21. Memory Text: “ ‘Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must … Continue reading –>
