CL3- Keys to Suffering, Death & Dying to Life Eternal
Jesus Christ, came to earth to die in our place. He resurrected in power because He lived a life without sin, three days later. Only through Jesus can our sins be forgiven and we can come to God (Acts 4:12). Jesus Christ is the Savior of everyone in the world (John 3:16). Eternal destiny of each person is decided in this life; and cannot be reversed in the afterlife when the wicked will be resurrected a millennium later for the execution of judgment ( Luk 16:25,26) on Satan and all the wicked. We look forward to a sure promise of an eternal life in transformed heavenly body, and an end of sin and death, {See par 3.3.3 Forward Review)
Contents:
3.0 Invitation; 3.01The Quest in Claiming Life
Section One
3.1 Christ in the Crucible; 3.1.1The Divinity of Jesus; 3.1.1.1Jesus Total Human Nature; 3.1.1.1.1 Christ Humanity Perfected in Suffering; 3.1.1.1.2 Satan Vanquished at the Cross; 3.1.1.1.2.1 God Reached Humanity Through Humanity; 3.1.1.1.2.1.1 Christ by the Eye of Faith; 3.1.1.1.2.1.1.1 Full Obedience Possible Through Christ;3.1.2The Early Days of Jesus’ Ministry; 3.1.3 Jesus in Gethsemane; 3.1.3.1 The Crucified God; 3.1.3.2 The Suffering God;
Section Two
3.2 Mysterious Origin of Sin, Suffering and Death; 3.2.1 Rebellion in a Perfect World; 3.2.1.1 Creation, an Expression of Love; 3.2.1.1.1 Free Will, the Basis for Love; 3.2.1.2 Mysterious Ingratitude; 3.2.1.2.1 The Price of Pride; 3.2.1.2.2 The Spread of Unbelief;
3.2.2 Death in a Sinful World; 3.2.2.1 Satan-Author of Destruction & Death; .2.2.1.1 Deceived by the Serpent (Gen 3:1–7); 3.2.2.1.2 “You Will Not Die” (Genesis 3:4); 3.2.2.1.2.1 The Immortality of Soul: Near Death Experiences (NDE’s); 3.2.2.1.3 Consequences of Sin (Gen 3:7–19; Rom 5:12); 3.2.2.2 God’s Solution : The First Gospel Message ( Gen 3:15,21);
3.2.3 Understanding the Fallen Nature of Man; 3.2.3.01 Enmity Battle Lines: Prologue; 3.2.3.01.1 Decision to Create Earth and Human Beings; 3.2.3.01.2 Satan and Sin Cast Out to Earth; 3.2.3.01.3 The Simple Test of Love; 3.2.3.01.4 Satan’s Strategy: Destroy the Image of God; 3.2.3.01.5 Deception in Eden; 3.2.3.01.5.2 God’s Remedy to Restore Humanity; 3.2.3.01.5.3 The Enmity Gift;
3.2.3.1 Understanding Fallen Human Nature (SS L3); 3.2.3.1.1 God is Love; 3.2.3.1.2 Two Major Misconceptions; 3.2.3.2 A Living Soul (Being) (Gen 2:7); 3.2.3.3 The Soul Who Sins Shall Die (Gen 2:16-17); 3.2.3.4 The Spirit Returns to God; 3.2.3.5 The Dead Know Nothing; 3.2.3.5.1 Death, Burial & The Dead in Christ; 3.2.3.5.2 Death—Reversal of Life; 3.2.3.6 Immortality of the Soul of Pagan Origin; 3.2.3.7 Gift of Everlasting Life;
Section Three
3.3 Old Testament Hope & Key New Testament: Evidences; 3 3.1 Old Testament Hope; 3.3.1.1 Seeing God in his flesh after death; 3 3.1.2 No Abandonment to Sheol (Psalm 16:9, 10); 3.3.1.3 From the Power of the Grave (Psalm 49:9–15); 3.3.1.4 “From the Depths of the Earth” (Psalm 71); 3.3.1.5 “Your Dead Shall Live” (Isaiah 26:19); 3.3.1.6 Those Who Sleep in the Dust (Daniel 12:2, 12); 3.3.1.7 Jonah’s Three Days in Big Fish (Jonah 2:2); 3.3.1.8 Raised from Death to a New Life (Hosea 6:2);
3.3.2 Resurrection before the Cross; 3.3.2.1The Resurrection of Moses( Deut 34:5-7; Ju 9; Luk 9:28-36); 3.3.2.1.1 Magnanimity of the Heart of God; 3.3.2.1.2 Evidence of Moses Immortality; 3.3.2.1.3 Elijah’s Translation; 3.3.2.1.4 Mount of Transfiguration; 3.3.2.1.5 Misconceptions of Bible Truth on Resurrection; 3.3.2.2 Lazarus Resurrected after Four Days;
3.3.3 Forward Review; 3.3.3.1 The Infinite Love of Christ; 3.3.3.1.1 Meaning of the Cross (1 Cor 1;18-24); 3.3.3.1.2 “ ‘It Is Finished!’ ”; 3.3.3.2 Christ’s Victory Over Death (SS L7)- Resurrection of Jesus; 3.3.3.2.1 Sealed Tomb as Prevention of Resurrection; 3.3.3.2.1.1 “ ‘He Is Risen!’ ”; 3.3.3.2.1.1.2 Christ Is Alive; 3.3.3.2.1.1.2.1The Lord’s Supper & Baptism Observance; 3.3.3.2.1.2 Many Arose With Him; 3.3.3.2.1.3 Witnesses of the Risen Christ; 3.3.3.2.2 Hope Proclaimed; 3.3.3.2.2.1 Conclusive Evidence on Resurrection of Christ; 3.3.3.2.2.2 The Christian Hope in Christ; 3.3.3.2.2.2.1 New Testament hope*; 3.3.3.2.2.2.1.1 Secret Rapture* Deception; 3.3.3.2.2.2.2 Deceptions of Satan; 3.3.3.2.2.2.2.1 “Immortality of the Soul”; 3.3.3.2.2.2.2.2 Modern Spiritualism; 3.3.3.2.2.2.2.3 Certainty of Satan’s Defeat / Assurance of Resurrection; 3.3.3.3 Christ Glorifies God; 3.3.3.3.1 Speculations on Human Nature ( 4Th Qtr SS L12); 3.3.3.3.1.1 The Body is God’s Temple (1 Cor3:16, 17; 6:19, 20; 10:31); 3.3.3.3.1.2 God’s Plan of Salvation ( 4Th Qtr SS L13); 3.3.3.3.1.3 Dualism in Globalization- Final Events; 3.3.3.3.1.4 The Cross of Christ (4Th Qtr SS L14);
CL3- Keys to Suffering, Death & Dying to Life Eternal
3.0 Invitation
The key to knowing the truth that this world is filled with suffering that end in death is available to everyone who desires to know why he/she is what he/she is presently. We, individually must do a reality check in order to be true to others but at the least to oneself. One must ask and come to want to know why we are given life in the first place. None of us want to be born, in particular the malnourished child in Africa that will die after undergoing suffering and leaving behind the anguish and guilt of the mother in similar state.
Who wants to be born? Who can decide on their parents? Who decide on the time and place of our birth?
Undeniably, we must accept this absolute truth that the human being is given life unasked. Humanity is the sum-total of every human being given life that was unasked together the free will to accept life that need not end in death. This is the law of love exuding from the giver of life, an invisible power governing the law of the cycle of life.
To be alive unasked is the privilege and blessing to embrace life in gratitude to the invisible power who gave that life unasked. We are also given the free choice to reject this undeniable truth and prefer death to terminate this gift of life. There is a probationary time period (the individual life span) in the assigned journey on Earth to discover and experience life in arriving at the final decision we must make..
3.01 The Quest in Claiming Life
CL3 is the third in a continuing series that has no end until we meet Christ face to face at His soon coming. Yet, it can stand singly to any new reader. The CL- series is spawn by D35 in discovering Hope in end-Time destruction of the world. (Posted July 15, 22). We discovered the truth that “The human race has a future and a hope. In fact, we have a destiny with eternity. This present life is only temporary, a stopover. But how many of us are aware and know of this vital truth? (The sharing of this truth, the purpose of this article D35, dispels the need to be anxious about Covid-19; Ukraine war, global economic meltdown which has been addressed in earlier articles.),”
The activation of claiming life (CL1) follows after this stupendous discovery of eternal life revealed in the word of God. CL1 “From Discovery to Claiming Life: Choose Life (Deut 30:19, 20)” – (posted Aug 31, 22). “The realization of the indescribable privilege of the gift of life in discovery D 35 of the assurance of everlasting life free of sin and suffering in the blessed hope in Christ is the demanding need of the knowledge in claiming life, the basis of CL1,”
Amazingly, CL2 “Endorsed Providential Guidance /Urgent Action Response/Plea “(posted Sept 25. 22) is God’s deliberate message to His remnant children for the current time. The world is in a real mess. People are struggling, people are wondering what to hang onto in these times. Signs of the times are telling the discerning that “The time is at hand “ (Rev 1:3) “The Roadmap to the hidden treasure is again providentially provided as the current Third Quarter SDA Bible Study (a repeat of 2007) to the church and its members worldwide who may not be aware of the purpose it is to serve at this time of preparation for the Second Coming “ Dying to self by entering into the crucible of consecration is the main theme..
CL3- “Keys to Suffering, Death & Dying to Life Eternal”, is the sum of most of the topics covered in the 4th qtr SS bible study. It is the perfect extension in accounting the origin of sin, the cause of suffering in this world leading to death. The dying (in CL2) points to the remedy to death by Christ, God clothed in human body, and resurrected to life and returned to heaven where He is Redeemer and crowned King on his second coming.
It will begin by highlighting “Christ in the Crucible” (L13 of 3rd Qtr BS) the central theme of the bible, as the only remedy to the death, the ultimate penalty being the second death. CL3 is grounded on the reality of the Crucifixion of Christ on Friday, Passover, and His resurrection on Sunday.
The adult Bible study guide for next quarter, Life Everlasting: On Death, Dying, and the Future Hope, by Alberto Timm, deals with the subject of the great controversy between good and evil from two perspectives. One is the origin and ongoing existence of sin and death. The other is God’s enduring work to solve these problems and bring the world back to its original perfect condition. Special emphasis is given also to the mortal nature of human beings and how the resurrection is the condition for immortality. In reality, we should not fear death because Christ died for us and overcame the power of death. Actually, we are assured that He holds “‘the keys to death and to the place of the dead’ ” (Rev. 1:18, NCV).
With the fall of Adam and Eve, death engulfed not only the human race but all life as well. Expressions of death can be seen all around us. Our world is full of suffering and tears. We need assurance in the present and hope for the future. Next quarter, we will explore the painful subject of death, but through the lens of the hope offered us through Jesus.
Genesis 3 tells us that the fall of Adam and Eve brought sin, evil, and death to our world. But even before the Fall, evil already existed, manifested by the “serpent,” which deceived Eve (Gen. 3:1–5). So, we need to go back before the Fall to find the source and origins of the evil that so dominates our world.
Section One
3.1 Christ in the Crucible
With thefall of Adam and Eve, sin and death took over our world, but God planted a seed of hope for humanity even back in Eden (Rom 5:12)
Whenever we look at the issue of suffering, the question comes: How did sin and suffering first arise? Through divine revelation we have good answers: they arose because free beings abused the freedom God had given them. The freedom of all His intelligent creatures was so sacred that, rather than deny us freedom, God chose to bear in Himself the brunt of the suffering caused by our abuse of that freedom. And we see this suffering in the life and death of Jesus, who, through suffering in our flesh, has created bonds between heaven and earth that will last throughout eternity.
(Jesus Christ’s suffering does not represent merely the suffering of another being. Rather, His suffering is the essence of God’s love and salvation for us. Jesus Christ suffered for us and in our place to rescue us from the power of sin, suffering, and death forever.)
With the exceptions of Adam and Eve before the Fall, Jesus was the only sinless Person who ever lived on the earth. In His purity, in His sinlessness, He was immersed in a world of sin. What torture it must have been, even as a child, for His pure soul constantly to be in contact with sin. Even in our hardness because of sin, we ourselves often shrink away from exposure to sins and evil that we find repulsive. Imagine what it must have been like for Christ, whose soul was pure, who wasn’t the least bit tainted by sin. Think of the sharp contrast between Himself and others around Him in that regard. It must have been exceedingly painful for Him.
Jesus was divine, the Creator of heaven and earth, and that He came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (Matt. 12:22–24; Luke 4:21–30; John 8:58, 59) Whether by leaders, or even by the common people, Jesus’ life, acts, and teaching were constantly misunderstood, leading to rejection and hatred from people He came to save.
The science of archaeology provides historical evidence that the biblical account of Jesus' life and death is true. Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSuqtnmc63Q ( 28:30) It Is Written - Beneath the Sands: The Historical Jesus Oct 7, 2022 It Is Written. John Bradshaw interviews Dr. Michael Hasel, Archaeologist, in mysteries of the past to strengthen your faith in God’s Word.
The greatest point of biblical religion is that sin and suffering were generated by us but were borne by our God. There is no other divinity in the religions of the world who would condescend to make such a sacrifice. That is why biblical Christianity is called the religion of love and grace, from Creation to salvation. God created us by grace (and without our contribution) because He loved us, and God saves us by grace (without our contribution, as well) because He loved us.
In both cases (Creation and Salvation), however, we have a choice to accept or reject His action of grace. After being created by grace, Adam and Eve made the decision to reject God’s act of creation and chose the path of rebellion that leads to annihilation or death. After being saved by grace through Christ’s death on the cross, each one of us has a choice to accept God’s sacrifice in our place and return to His kingdom of light, grace, and love, or to reject His great salvation and disappear into eternal nonexistence. Choose today. But choose love, choose grace, choose life. Choose God’s love, God’s grace, and God’s life. This will make you happy, this will make your loved ones happy, and this will make God happy.
3.1.1The Divinity of Jesus
Christ was the express image of His Father's person; and He came to our world to restore in man God's moral image, in order that man, although fallen, might through obedience to God's commandments become enstamped with the divine image and character--adorned with the beauty of divine loveliness (MS 24, 1891). {7BC 921.9}
Jesus is introduced to the Bible student as the Creator of the world, and was its rightful Ruler. [Hebrews 1:13, 14 quoted.] {7BC 921.10} The first chapter of Hebrews contrasts the position of the angels and the position of Christ. God has spoken words concerning Christ that are not to be applied to the angels. They are "sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation," but Christ, as Mediator, is the great Minister in the work of redemption. The Holy Spirit is His representative in our world, to execute the divine purpose of bringing to fallen man power from above, that he may be an overcomer. All who enter into a covenant with Jesus Christ become by adoption the children of God. They are cleansed by the regenerating power of the Word, and angels are commissioned to minister unto them (MS 57, 1907). {7BC 922.1}
3.1.1.1Jesus Total Human Nature
Jesus became human through the virgin birth in order to bear all our confessed sins. This was prophesied by Isaiah in 750 B.C. along with over 300 others that were fulfilled in His birth, life ministry, death and resurrection.. The eternal Son of God already existed in heaven (John 17:5). Through the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20), He was born as a human being, who was then named Jesus (Matthew 1:25). To demonstrate that Jesus was not a mere man (Colossians 2:9), God chose a virgin to give birth to Him (Luke 1:34-35).He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary for nine months to be born in the manger in Bethlehem.
Anytime we disobey God is called sin.The penalty for sin is death, but God in his love wants us to live. Therefore, He sent the promised Messiah (also called Christ) to save the world (John 1:41). The Son of God, Jesus Christ, came to earth to die in our place. Because He lived a life without sin, only He was qualified to pay for our sins by His death on a cross. He then demonstrated His power over death when He rose from the grave three days later. Only through Jesus can our sins can be forgiven and we can come to God (Acts 4:12). Jesus Christ is the Savior of everyone in the world(John 3:16).
3.1.1.1.1 Christ Humanity Perfected in Suffering
Tacitus, Roman Senator, in Annals.115AD provided this historic evidence- Tacitus, from whom the name had its origin: Sufficient the death penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate.”
The Captain of our salvation was perfected through suffering. His soul was made an offering for sin. It was necessary for the awful darkness to gather about His soul because of the withdrawal of the Father's love and favor; for He was standing in the sinner's place, and this darkness every sinner must experience. The righteous One must suffer the condemnation and wrath of God, not in vindictiveness; for the heart of God yearned with greatest sorrow when His Son, the guiltless, was suffering the penalty of sin. This sundering of the divine powers will never again occur throughout the eternal ages (MS 93, 1899). {7BC 924.2}
3.1.1.1.2Satan Vanquished at the Cross
Christ vanquished Satanin the same nature over which in Eden Satan obtained the victory. The enemy was overcome by Christ in His human nature. The power of the Saviour's Godhead was hidden. He overcame in human nature, relying upon God for power (YI April 25, 1901). {7BC 924.3}
Christ was nailed to the cross, but He gained the victory. The whole force of evil gathered itself together in an effort to destroy Him who was the Light of the world, the Truth that makes men wise unto salvation. But no advantage was gained by this confederacy. With every advance move, Satan was bringing nearer his eternal ruin. Christ was indeed enduring the contradiction of sinners against Himself. But every pang of suffering that He bore helped tear away the foundation of the enemy's kingdom. Satan bruised Christ's heel, but Christ bruised Satan's head. Through death the Saviour destroyed him that had the power of death. In the very act of grasping his prey, death was vanquished; for by dying, Christ brought to light life and immortality through the gospel. (Jn 12:24) {7BC 924.4}
Never was the Son of God more beloved by His Father, by the heavenly family, and by the inhabitants of the unfallen worlds, than when He humbled Himself to bear disgrace, humiliation, shame, and abuse. By becoming the sin bearer, He lifted from the human race the curse of sin. In His own body He paid the penalty of that on which the power of Satan over humanity is founded--sin (YI June 28, 1900). {7BC 924.5} (See par 3.1.3.2 The Suffering God.)
3.1.1.1.2.1 God Reached Humanity through Humanity.
Christ alone was able to represent the Deity. He who had been in the presence of the Father from the beginning, He who was the express image of the invisible God, was alone sufficient to accomplish this work. No verbal description could reveal God to the world. Through a life of purity, a life of perfect trust and submission to the will of God, a life of humiliation such as even the highest seraph in heaven would have shrunk from, God Himself must be revealed to humanity. In order to do this, our Saviour clothed His divinity with humanity. He employed the human faculties, for only by adopting these could He be comprehended by humanity. Only humanity could reach humanity. He lived out the character of God through the human body which God had prepared for Him. He blessed the world by living out in human flesh the life of God, thus showing that He had the power to unite humanity to divinity (RH June 25, 1895). {7BC 924.6}
Christ Took Our Place in the Universe.--Under the mighty impulse of His love; He took our place in the universe, and invited the Ruler of all things to treat Him as a representative of the human family. He identified Himself with our interests, bared His breast for the stroke of death, took man's guilt and its penalty, and offered in man's behalf a complete sacrifice to God. By virtue of this atonement, He has power to offer to man perfect righteousness and full salvation. Whosoever shall believe on Him as a personal Saviour shall not perish, but have everlasting life (RH April 18, 1893). {7BC 924.7}
Leaving the royal courts of heaven Christ came to our world to represent the character of His Father, and thus help humanity to return to their loyalty… The image of Satan was upon men, and Christ came that He might bring to them moral power and efficiency. He came as a helpless babe, bearing the humanity we bear. "As the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same." He could not come in the form of an angel; for unless He met man as man, and testified by His connection with God that divine power was not given to Him in a different way to what it will be given to us, He could not be a perfect example for us. He came in humility, in order that the humblest being upon the face of the earth could have no excuse because of his poverty, or ignorance, and say, Because of these things, I cannot obey the law of Jehovah. Christ clothed His divinity with humanity, that humanity might touch humanity; that He might live with humanity and bear all the trials and afflictions of man. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. In His humanity He understood all the temptations that will come to man (MS 21, 1895). {7BC 925.1}
3.1.1.1.2.1.1 Christ by the Eye of Faith
As we view Christ by the eye of faith, we see the necessity of becoming pure in thought and holy in character. Christ invites us to draw near to Him, and promises that He will draw nigh to us. Looking upon Him, we behold the invisible God, who clothed His divinity with humanity in order that through humanity He might shed forth a subdued and softened glory, so that our eyes might be enabled to rest upon Him, and our souls not be extinguished by His undimmed splendor. We behold God through Christ, our Creator and Redeemer. It is our privilege to contemplate Jesus by faith, and see Him standing between humanity and the eternal throne. He is our Advocate, presenting our prayers and offerings as spiritual sacrifices to God. Jesus is the great sinless propitiation, and through His merit, God and man may hold converse together. {7BC 925.2}
Christ has carried His humanity into eternity. He stands before God as the representative of our race. When we are clothed with the wedding garment of His righteousness, we become one with Him, and He says of us, "They shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy." His saints will behold Him in His glory, with no dimming veil between (YI Oct. 28, 1897). {7BC 925.3}
Christ lived and died as a man, that He might be God both of the living and of the dead. It was to make it impossible for men to lose eternal life if they believe on Him. The life of men and women is precious in the sight of God; for Christ has purchased that life by being executed in their stead. Thus He made it possible for us to attain to immortality (Letter 97, 1898). {7BC 926.2}
Jesus became a man that He might mediate between man and God. He clothed His divinity with humanity, He associated with the human race, that with His long human arm He might encircle humanity, and with His divine arm grasp the throne of Divinity. And this that He might restore to man the original mind which he lost in Eden through Satan's alluring temptation; that man might realize that it is for his present and eternal good to obey the requirements of God. Disobedience is not in accordance with the nature which God gave to man in Eden (Letter 121, 1897). {7BC 926.4}
If in connection with God the work is carried forward, the human agent, through Christ, will day by day gain victory and honor in the battle. Through the grace given he will overcome, and will be placed on vantage ground. In his relation to Christ he will be bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh, one with Christ in a peculiar relationship, because Christ took the humanity of man. He became subject to temptation, endangering as it were, His divine attributes. Satan sought, by the constant and curious devices of his cunning, to make Christ yield to temptation. Man must pass over the ground over which Christ has passed. As Christ overcame every temptation which Satan brought against Him, so man is to overcome. And those who strive earnestly to overcome are brought into an oneness with Christ that the angels in heaven can never know. {7BC 926.5}
The divine culture of men and women will be carried forward to completion only as they are partakers of the divine nature. Thus they may overcome as Christ overcame in their behalf. Through the grace given, fallen man may be placed on vantage ground. Through toil, through patient trust and faith in Jesus Christ, through faithful continuance in well-doing, he may rise to spiritual victory (Letter 5, 1900). {7BC 926.6}
3.1.1.1.2.1.1.1 Full Obedience Possible Through Christ
Christ came to the earth, taking humanity and standing as man's representative, to show in the controversy with Satan that man, as God created him, connected with the Father and the Son, could obey every divine requirement (ST June 9, 1898). {7BC 926.7}
Christ in the weakness of humanitywas to meet the temptations of one possessing the powers of the higher nature that God had bestowed on the angelic family. But Christ's humanity was united with divinity, and in this strength He would bear all the temptations that Satan could bring against Him, and yet keep His soul untainted by sin. And this power to overcome He would give to every son and daughter of Adam who would accept by faith the righteous attributes of His character (RH Jan. 28, 1909). {7BC 927.7}
After Jesus rose from the dead, He ascended to heaven to the place where he was before becoming human. From there He is able to hear our prayers (Romans 8:34) and intercede for us. Jesus will return to judge all humanity.
While he was still on this earth, Jesus said, Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man [a title Jesus used for Himself], and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30 ESV). When Jesus returns, He will separate those who will live with Him forever in heaven from those who will be punished (Matthew 25:31-33).
We who are alive when we experience time of trouble and when there seems to be no way of escape from the clutches of Satan, that we must remember the promise of Jesus Christ
Jesus said, Whoever comes to me I will never cast out (John 6:37 ESV). This was why He came to earth—to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10 ESV). It does not matter what you have done, Jesus still wants you to come to Him. He said, I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32 ESV).
3.1.2 The Early Days of Jesus’ Ministry
From the first hours of His life, Jesus experienced, and was surrounded by, human tragedy and suffering: denial, rejection, poverty, and humility (born in a manger), physical suffering (circumcision), massacre, persecution, and flight. Throughout His childhood, Jesus continued to experience human suffering. However, Jesus’ baptism at the beginning of His ministry pointed to His entrance into the crucible bearing all our suffering caused by our sins. He had come for, to the type of ministry He had come to offer. Why was He baptized if He did not have any sin?
He was baptized to set us an example. Ellen G. White notices that “Jesus did not receive baptism as a confession of guilt on His own account. He identified Himself with sinners, taking the steps that we are to take, and doing the work that we must do. His life of suffering and patient endurance after His baptism was also an example to us.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 111. But there is more to Christ’s baptism than it being an example.
The apostle Paul explains the meaning of baptism in terms of death and resurrection: “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3, 4, NKJV). Elsewhere, Paul explains that God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21, NKJV). Jesus came into the world to take our sins upon Himself and to die in our place, so that we, instead, could take upon us His righteousness. Ellen G. White writes: “Upon coming up out of the water, Jesus bowed in prayer on the river bank. A new and important era was opening before Him. He was now, upon a wider stage, entering on the conflict of His life. Though He was the Prince of Peace, His coming must be as the unsheathing of a sword. . . . No one upon earth had understood Him, and during His ministry He must still walk alone. . . . As one with us, He must bear the burden of our guilt and woe. The Sinless One must feel the shame of sin. . . . Alone He must tread the path; alone He must bear the burden. Upon Him who had lain off His glory and accepted the weakness of humanity the redemption of the world must rest.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 111.
This exchange could be figuratively seen in baptism. When Jesus was baptized, He was not baptized for His own salvation: instead, He announced that He came to take our sins upon Himself and die in our place. When we are baptized, we die, together with Jesus, to our own sins, receive His righteousness, and then rise from the baptismal waters in the newness of life!
3.1.3 Jesus in Gethsemane
The ultimate example of supernatural suffering was Gethsemane and Calvary (Mk. 14:34; Matt.27:45-52). This is the review of the ultimate suffering Jesus endured and the comfort and hope it provided. We must know the nature of Christ’s own suffering and how it impacts our life. Jesus suffered like we do, but He also suffered unlike we do (in areas where we can’t imagine) Christ suffered as He did in Gethsemane which we will not have to go through in the second death, the eternal separation from God.
Christ was now standing in a different attitude from that in which He had ever stood before. His suffering can best be described in the words of the prophet, “Awake, O sword, against My shepherd, and against the man that is My fellow, saith the Lord of hosts.”Zech. 13:7. As the substitute and surety for sinful man, Christ was suffering under divine justice. He saw what justice meant. Hitherto He had been as an intercessor for others; now He longed to have an intercessor for Himself.{DA 686}
Scripture is clear that for the Christian, suffering is inevitable (Acts. 14:22; Phil. 1:29; 2 Tim. 3:12).
“We tried to call up our greatest trials, but they looked so small compared with the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory that surrounded us that we could not speak them out, and we all cried out, “Alleluia, heaven is cheap enough!” and we touched our glorious harps and made heaven's arches ring.”EW 17
Whatever Jesus suffered throughout His 33 years here on earth, nothing compared to what He began to face in the last hours before the Cross. From the eternal ages (Eph. 1:1–4; 2 Tim. 1:8, 9; Titus 1:1, 2), the sacrifice of Jesus as the offering for the world’s sin was planned, and now it was all coming to pass.
“Three times has He uttered that prayer. Three times has humanity shrunk from the last, crowning sacrifice. But now the history of the human race comes up before the world’s Redeemer. He sees that the transgressors of the law, if left to themselves, must perish. He sees the helplessness of man. He sees the power of sin. The woes and lamentations of a doomed world rise before Him. He beholds its impending fate, and His decision is made. He will save man at any cost to Himself. He accepts His baptism of blood, that through Him perishing millions may gain everlasting life. He has left the courts of heaven, where all is purity, happiness, and glory, to save the one lost sheep, the one world that has fallen by transgression. And He will not turn from His mission. He will become the propitiation of a race that has willed to sin. His prayer now breathes only submission: ‘If this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.’ ”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 690, 693.
3.1.3.1 The Crucified God
Death by crucifixion was one of the harshest punishments the Romans meted out to anyone. It was considered the worst way to die. Thus, how horrific for anyone to be killed that way, in particular the Son of God! Jesus, we must always remember, came in human flesh like ours. Between the beatings, the scourgings, the nails hammered into His hands and feet, and the harrowing weight of His own body tearing at the wounds, the physical pain must have been unbearable. This was harsh, even for the worst of criminals; how unfair, then, that Jesus, innocent of everything, should face such a fate.
According to Scripture, God’s wrath against sin, our sin, was poured out upon Jesus. Jesus on the cross suffered a righteous God’s righteous indignation against sin, the sins of the whole world. As such, Jesus suffered something deeper, darker, and more painful than any human being could ever know or experience.
As you go through whatever struggles you are facing, what hope and comfort can you draw from the reality of Christ suffering for you on the cross?
3.1.3.2 The Suffering God
We might as well get used to it: as long as we are here, in this world, we are going to suffer. As fallen creatures, it is our fate. Nothing in the Bible promises us anything different. On the contrary:
Yet, in the midst of our suffering, we should keep two things in mind. First, Christ, our Lord, has suffered more than any of us ever could. At the cross, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isa. 53:4, NKJV); what we know only as individuals, He suffered for us all corporately. He who was sinless became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21), suffering in a way that we, as sinful creatures, couldn’t begin to imagine. But second, as we suffer, we should remember the results of Christ’s suffering; that is, what we have been promised through what Christ has done for us” (Qtly, Thu, pars. 2, 3).
Whatever our sufferings here, thanks to Jesus, thanks to His bearing in Himself the punishment of our sin, thanks to the great provision of the gospel—that through faith we can stand perfect in Jesus right now—we have the promise of eternal life. We have the promise that because of what Christ has done, because of the fullness and completeness of His perfect life and perfect sacrifice, our existence here, full of pain, disappointment, and loss, is no more than an instant, a flash, here and gone, in contrast to the eternity that awaits us, an eternity in a new heaven and a new earth, one without sin, suffering, and death. And all this is promised to us and made certain for us only because of Christ and the crucible He went into so that one day, coming soon, He will see “the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied” (Isa. 53:11).( see John 10:28, Romans 6:23, Titus 1:2, and 1 John 2:25.)
This knowledge that God Himself, in the person of Christ, suffered more than any of us ever could in our own sufferings. What should the sufferings of Christ in our behalf mean to us? What comfort can we draw from this amazing truth? (More details will be discussed in future articles on the meaning of the Cross and that He died for us to live)
Section Two
3.2 Mysterious Origin of Sin, Suffering and Death
(Section Two covers the SS 4th Qtr Bible Study* in L1-Rebellion in a Perfect Universe, L2- Death in a Sinful World, and L3- Understand Human Nature.)
God created human beings (in giving life unasked to human) to enjoy eternity in a loving relationship with Him and His creation. But this relationship was distorted by the mysterious appearance of sin within the heavenly courts (Isa. 14:12–15, Ezek. 28:12– 19, Rev. 12:7–12) and the subsequent fall of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:1–19, Rom. 5:12). Tragically, death engulfed not only the human race but also all life, as well. Expressions of death can be seen today in the leaves that fall from the trees, the flowers that fade in our vases, our innocent pets that die in agony, and our beloved ones who are taken from us so brutally. Our world is full of suffering and unwiped tears. Longing for a better world, people have painted for themselves many “paradises” (like the fictional Shangri-La of the Lost Horizon) the devises of the worldly wise who did not know God, the Creator of Life.
God, in giving human beings life is founded on our hope of eternal life, not cunningly devised fables” (2 Pet. 1:16, NKJV). It is based on God’s trustworthy promise of a perfect world with no more tears, pain, or death (Rev. 21:1–5). This precious promise inspired the apostolic church and was held, and cherished, by many Christians throughout the centuries. Without ever losing its power, this same promise gives meaning and purpose to our present lives. It allows us to look with confidence into the future. It assures us that all our beloved ones who died in Christ will finally be raised from the dead to inherit eternal life. This is one of the main pillars of the SDA church that will be shared concerning the mortality of human life. There is no biblical teaching in the lie that on death, we either go straight to heaven to be with Jesus or thrown into hell to suffer hell’s fire.
There are two main themes in the reality of the Sinful and Suffering world because of of the great controversy between good and evil. The first is the origin and ongoing existence of sin and death. The other very vital theme is God’s enduring work to solve these problems and bring the world back to its original perfect condition. Special emphasis also is given to the mortal nature of human beings and how the resurrection is what leads to immortality. (To be covered in Section Three on SS L4) In reality, we should not fear death because Christ died for us and overcame the power of death. Actually, we are assured that He holds “‘the keys to death and to the place of the dead’ ” (Rev. 1:18, NCV).
(Notes* The author of SS 4th Qtr Bible Study* is Alberto R. Timm, PhD (Andrews University), an associate director of the Ellen G. White Estate, Inc., and a member of the Biblical Research Institute Committee (BRICOM) and the Geoscience Research Institute Committee (GRICOM). Previously he served as president of the multicampus Latin-American Adventist Theological Seminary. He was asked to write about the great misconception of the immortality of the human soul about four years ago (2018).
Many churches have doubts on death because of the lies of Satan about the soul cannot die. This truth on death and the cessation of life may be clarified for many Christian faiths where large numbers are not sure of how to appropriate for pandemic grief over unexpected death and lost faith expecting healing prayer time to address this topic. The world itself is overtaken by spiritualist, reincarnation ideologies. Mystical works are best sellers Harry Potter series which has great following. We need to share the truth based on the revealed word of God)( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfmgasApVZQ Alberto R. Timm on the 4th Quarter 2022 Sabbath School lesson - On Death, Dying, and the Future Hope Sep 27, 2022)
3.2.1 Rebellion in a Perfect World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAvTUhNfhkk&t=8s Sabbath School - 2022 Q4 Lesson 1: Rebellion in a Perfect Universe Sep 25, 2022 It Is Written
(Watch Sabbath School host Eric Flickinger and this quarter's author, Dr. Alberto Timm, as they provide additional insights into this week's Sabbath School lesson, "Rebellion in a Perfect Universe."(28:30)
God, the giver of life and the Creator of the Universe, is a God of Love. Human beings, are the prime exhibits of creation, an expression of love. We must need to study the Bible in order to understand about our own human nature, the genuine miracle. Amazingly, it is the most gifted created angel in Lucifer created perfect—which included his ability to choose freely. However, abusing that perfection by the misuse of his free will, he became corrupted by considering himself more important than he actually was. He is the rebel in the perfect universe and counterfeited God’s love beginning in the Garden of Eden with the many fictitious belief system that the human soul can never die.
The Bible teaches that our loving God is all-powerful (1 Chron. 29:10, 11) and perfect (Matt. 5:48). All that He does must likewise be perfect (Deut. 32:4), which includes how He created our world. How, then, could evil and sin appear in a perfect world? According to Genesis 3, the fall of Adam and Eve brought sin, evil, and death here. But that answer raises another issue. Even before the Fall, evil already had existed, manifested by the “serpent,” who deceived Eve (Gen. 3:1–5). Therefore, the origin of sin goes back, even before the Fall.
“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.
3.2.1.1 Creation, an Expression of Love
Nature in its present condition carries an ambiguous message that mingles both good and evil. Rosebushes can produce lovely and fragrant roses but also harmful and painful thorns. A toucan can impress us with its beauty and then dismay us by assaulting the nests of other birds and eating their frail chicks. Even human beings, who are capable of kindness one moment, can be vicious, hateful, and even violent in the next. No wonder that in the parable of the wheat and the tares, the servants asked the field owner, “ ‘ “Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?” ’ ” (Matt. 13:27, NKJV). And the owner replied, “ ‘ “An enemy has done this” ’ ” (Matt. 13:28, NKJV). Likewise, God created the universe perfect, but an enemy defiled it with the mysterious seeds of sin
The fact that “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16, NKJV) conveys at least three basic implications. First, love by its very nature cannot exist closed in itself but must be expressed. (What kind of love is not expressed?) God’s love is shared internally among the Three Persons of the Godhead, and externally in His relationship with all His creatures. Second, all that God does is an expression of His unconditional and unchangeable love. This includes His creative works, His redemptive actions, and even the manifestations of His punitive judgments. Actually, “God’s love has been expressed in His justice no less than in His mercy. Justice is the foundation of His throne, and the fruit of His love.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 762. And third, since God is love and all that He does expresses His love, He cannot be the originator of sin, which is in direct opposition to His own character
But did God really need to create the universe? From the perspective of His sovereignty, one could say “No,” because it was a decision of His free will. But from the perspective of His loving nature, He wanted a universe as a means of expressing His love. And how amazing that He created some forms of life, such as humans, not only to be capable of responding to His love but also of sharing and expressing love, not just to Him but to others, as well. (See also Mark 12:30, 31.)
3.2.1.1.1 Free Will, the Basis for Love
Artificial flowers can be gorgeous, but they do not grow and bloom as do real ones. Robots are preprogrammed to talk and to perform many tasks, but they have neither life nor emotions. In reality, life and free will are indispensable conditions for someone to receive, cultivate, and share love. So, our loving God created angels (including Lucifer) and human beings with freedom to make their own choices, including the possibility of following a wrong path. In other words, God created the whole universe as a perfect and harmonious environment for His creatures to grow in love and in wisdom.
In 1 John 4:7–16, the apostle John underscores that “God is love,” and that He manifested His love to us by sending His own Son to die for our sins. As a result, we should express our gratitude for His infinite love by loving one another. Such love, divinely originated, would be the most convincing evidence that God abides in us and that we abide in Him. This appeal to reflect God’s love to one another makes sense only if addressed to creatures who can choose to cultivate and express that love or, in contrast, to live a self-centered life. However, freedom of choice can easily be misused, a sad fact demonstrated in the tragic rebellion of Lucifer in heaven.
Even recognizing the importance of free will, some people still wonder, If God knew that Lucifer would rebel, why did God create him? Does the creation of Lucifer not make God ultimately responsible for the origin of sin?
That can be a very difficult question to speculate about, because it depends upon many factors, including what exactly is meant by the word “responsible.” The origin and nature of sin are mysteries that no one can fully explain.
Even so, God did not ordain sin to exist; He only allowed its existence, and then, at the cross, He took upon Himself the ultimate punishment for that sin, thus enabling Him, ultimately, to eradicate it. In all our painful musings about evil, we must never forget that God Himself paid the highest price for the existence of sin and of evil (see Matt. 5:43–48 and Rom. 5:6–11), and that He has suffered from them more than any of us ever will.
Free will, a gift from God, is sacred, but comes heavy laden with powerful consequences, not only for yourself but also for others.
3.2.1.2 Mysterious Ingratitude
Much of the book of Ezekiel was written in end-time, symbolic language. In many instances, specific entities (such as persons, animals, and objects) and local events are used to represent and describe broader cosmic and/or historical realities. In Ezekiel 28:1–10, the Lord spoke of the king of Tyre (Tyre itself was a prosperous ancient Phoenician port city) as a rich and proud ruler who was only a “man” but who claimed to be a god and who even sat (he claimed) in the throne of the gods.
Then, in Ezekiel 28:12–19, this historical reality becomes an analogy to describe the original fall of Lucifer in the heavenly courts. So, the king of Tyre, who was a human being living “ ‘ “in the midst of the seas” ’ ” (Ezek. 28:2, 8, NKJV), now represents “ ‘ “the anointed cherub who covers,” ’ ” (Ezek. 28:14, NKJV) living “ ‘ “in Eden, the garden of God,” ’ ” (Ezek. 28:13, NKJV) and “ ‘ “upon the holy mountain of God” ’ ” (Ezek. 28:14).
A crucial statement in the whole account is found in Ezekiel 28:15, which say, “‘“You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you” ’ ” (NKJV). Hence, Lucifer’s perfection included the potential for evil, the potential to do wrong, and that was because, as a moral being, Lucifer possessed free will, part of what it means to be a perfect being.
In reality, Lucifer was created perfect—which included his ability to choose freely. However, abusing that perfection by the misuse of his free will, he became corrupted by considering himself more important than he actually was.
No longer satisfied with how God had created and honored him, Lucifer lost his thankfulness to God and wished to receive more recognition than he actually deserved. How this could happen with a perfect angelic being living in a perfect universe is, as already mentioned, a mystery.
“Sin is a mysterious, unexplainable thing. There was no reason for its existence; to seek to explain it is to seek to give a reason for it, and that would be to justify it. Sin appeared in a perfect universe, a thing that was shown to be inexcusable.”—Ellen G. White, The Truth about Angels, p. 30.
3.2.1.2.1 The Price of Pride
Within Scripture, one can see two predominant themes or motifs that are competing with each other. One is the theme of Salem, Mount Zion, Jerusalem, and the New Jerusalem, which represents God’s kingdom. The other is the theme of Babel and Babylon, which stands for Satan’s counterfeit domain. Several times God called His people out of pagan Babylon to serve Him in the Promised Land.
For example, Abram (later Abraham) was asked to move from Ur of the Chaldees to the land of Canaan (Gen. 11:31–12:9). At the end of their long exile, the Jews left Babylon and returned to Jerusalem (Ezra 2). And in the book of Revelation, God’s people are called out of end-time Babylon (Rev. 18:4) to abide with Him eventually on Mount Zion and the New Jerusalem (Rev. 14:1; Rev. 21:1–3, 10).
In the Bible, the city of Babylon stands for a power in direct opposition to God and His kingdom; and the king of Babylon (with special allusion to Nebuchadnezzar) becomes a symbol of pride and arrogance. God had revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar that Babylon was only the gold head of the great image of successive empires (Dan. 2:37, 38). Challenging God’s revelation, the king made an image entirely of gold—a symbol that his kingdom would last forever—and even required everyone to worship it (Daniel 3). As in the case of the king of Tyre (Ezek. 28:12–19), the king of Babylon also became a symbol of Lucifer.
Isaiah 14:3–11 describes the fall of the haughty and oppressive king of Babylon. Then, Isaiah 14:12–15 moves from the historical realm to the heavenly courts and highlights that a similar proud and arrogant spirit generated the original fall of Lucifer. The text explains that Lucifer planned to exalt his throne above all heavenly hosts and make himself “‘“like the Most High” ’ ” (Isa. 14:14). This was the beginning of a new and hostile situation in which God’s altruistic love and cooperation would be challenged by Lucifer’s selfishness and competition. The enemy was not afraid of accusing God of what he himself was and of spreading his lies to other angels. Here are the mysterious origins of evil in the universe.
3.2.1.2.2 The Spread of Unbelief
The fall of Lucifer was not a simple clash of conflicting ideas. Revelation 12 tells us that a major war broke out in heaven between Lucifer and his angels on one side and Christ and His angels on the other. In this passage, Lucifer is called “the great dragon,” the “serpent of old,” “the Devil and Satan,” and “the accuser of our brethren” (Rev. 12:9, 10, NKJV). Christ is referred to as “Michael” (Rev. 12:7), which means “who is like God.”
Based on the allusion to “Michael the archangel” (Jude 9), some interpreters believe that He is only an angelic being. But in the book of Daniel, each major vision culminates with Christ and His everlasting kingdom—as the stone cut out without hands (Dan. 2:34, 45), as the Son of man (Dan. 7:13), as the Prince of the host and the Prince of princes (Dan. 8:11, 25), and as Michael the great prince (Dan. 12:1). So, as the Angel of the Lord is the Lord Himself (Exod. 3:1–6, Acts 7:30–33, etc.), Michael must be the same Divine Person (i.e., Christ Himself).
Revelation 12 provided a general overview of this ongoing controversy, which (1) began in heaven with the rebellion of Lucifer and one-third of the heavenly angels, (2) still continues against God’s end-time remnant people; and (3) Satan and the angels with the unfallen world knew of Christ’s decisive victory at the cross. But humanity did not get the meaning of “It is Finished “ and still have to learn the hard way and suffer the consequences of sin on this earth until they repent and return to God . Satan knew Christ defeated him at the cross and he has but a short time left before His destruction together with the sinful world. The death sentence passed on Adam and Eve is now placed on Jesus so that we can be redeemed
Reflecting on the beginning of this controversy, Ellen G. White explains that “God in His great mercy bore long with Lucifer. He was not immediately degraded from his exalted station when he first indulged the spirit of discontent, nor even when he began to present his false claims before the loyal angels. Long was he retained in heaven. Again and again he was offered pardon on condition of repentance and submission.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 495, 496.
We do not know how long that war lasted in the heavenly realms. Regardless of its intensity and time span, the most important aspect of the whole struggle was that Satan and his angels “were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven” (Rev. 12:8, NRSV; see also Luke 10:18). The problem, of course, was that they came here, to the earth.
3.2.2 Death in a Sinful World
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn0UVoNiIxM Oct 8, 2022)
Sabbath School - On Death, Dying, and the Future Hope: Lesson 2 - Death in a Sinful World
The introduction of evil and sin into God’s perfect creation and corrupted it bringing about death in a sinful world. Now that we who have been given life have been infected with sin and the wages of sin is death. By the law of God all human beings must die, and the idea of death is antithetical to life and to a perfect creation. The topic in SS L2 is Death in a sinful world; the world we are living in. will discuss how God deals with or reconciles the idea of love and death.
It was mankind’s fault in disbelieving God’s word concerning the dependence on the connection with God in order to have the breath of life. Adam and Eve, the perfect couple decided that the talking serpent knowledge surpasses God’s law. It was out of the infinite love of God that He planted a seed of hope in the creation of the human order. This is where we must study the Bible in order to understand about the human nature after the Fall to enable to overcome the deception of Satan’s lie that the living soul can never die. (Note, the essenceof )
Christ was the Divine Agent through whom God brought the universe and the world into existence (John 1:1–3, 10; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2). But when God the Father conferred special honor on Christ and announced that They together would create this world, “Lucifer was envious and jealous of Jesus Christ” (Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption, p. 14) and plotted against Him.
Having been cast out of heaven, Satan decided “to destroy the happiness of Adam and Eve” on earth and thereby “cause grief in heaven.” He imagined that “if he could in any way beguile them [Adam and Eve] to disobedience, God would make some provision whereby they might be pardoned, and then himself and all the fallen angels would be in a fair way to share with them of God’s mercy.”—The Story of Redemption, p. 27. Fully aware of Satan’s strategy, God warned Adam and Eve not to expose themselves to temptation (Gen. 2:16, 17). This means that even when the world was still perfect and blameless, there were already clear restrictions for human beings to follow.
3.2.2.1 Satan-Author of Destruction & Death
It was not God but the serpent who introduced mistrust of God into human hearts and made death a part of our destiny. Through Adam’s disobedience, “death spread to all” (Rom. 5:12, NKJV). Thus, death is an integral component of our existence in this sinful world. Solomon says, “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing” (Eccles. 9,5 ESV). Death is an intruder and our enemy (1 Cor. 15:26)
3.2.2.1.01 Death Trap in Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil
The world, as it came from the Lord, was perfect (Gen. 1:31). Death was an unknown experience for Adam and Eve. In that context, God came to the Garden of Eden and warned: “ ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die’ ” (Gen. 2:16, 17, NRSV)
This is the simple test of obedience to God’s word to demonstrate to the universe of Adam and Eve response to God’s love. God has placed in His word no command which men may obey or disobey at will and not suffer the consequences. If men choose any other path than that of strict obedience, they will find that "the end thereof are the ways of death." Proverbs 14:12. {PP 360.2}
Satan was confined to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God in His infinite wisdom was trying to keep Adam and Eve from being exposed to Satan’s temptation. If they are tempted by eating the only forbidden fruit the consequence is death.
Sometime after this warning from God, Satan assumed the form of a serpent and entered Eden. Eve beheld the serpent joyfully eating the forbidden fruit without dying. “He himself had eaten of the forbidden fruit” (Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 54), and nothing had happened to him
From the perspective of human logic, the argument of the serpent sounded much more convincing than did the word of God. First of all, there was no evidence in the natural world, so far, of the existence of sin and death. Second, the serpent was actually eating the forbidden fruit and enjoying it very much. So why should Eve restrain herself from doing the same? God’s command seemed to be too restrictive and senseless.
Unfortunately, in deciding between the two conflicting statements, Eve ignored three basic principles: (1) human reason is not always the safest way to evaluate spiritual matters; (2) the Word of God can appear to be illogical and senseless to us, but it is always right and trustworthy; and (3) there are things that are not evil or wrong in themselves, but God has chosen them as tests of obedience.
We should realize that the experience of Eve in the Garden of Eden is not a single case in time. Every day and every moment we need to decide between the Word of God (which for many can be unpopular) and the seductive appeals of our surrounding culture. Our choice will have eternal consequences.
3.2.2.1.1 Deceived by the Serpent (Gen 3:1–7)
Genesis 3 is one of the clearest examples of the psychology of temptation. God had warned Adam and Eve that if they ate the forbidden fruit, they would certainly die (Gen. 2:16, 17). Assuming the form of a serpent, Satan used several rhetorical strategies to mislead Eve into sin.
First, he generalized God’s specific prohibition. He asked her, “ ‘Has God really said, “You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?” ’ ” (Gen. 3:1, NASB). Eve counter argued that the prohibition was in regard only to that specific tree, for if they were ever to eat from it or touch it, they would die.
Then, Satan contradicted God’s statement. He asserted categorically, “ ‘You certainly will not die!’ ” (Gen. 3:4, NASB).
And finally, Satan accused God of deliberately suppressing essential knowledge from her and her husband. The deceiver argued, “ ‘For God knows that on the day you eat from it [the forbidden fruit] your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil’ ” (Gen. 3:5, NASB).
Eve’s curiosity led her onto the enchanted ground of Satan. There she was forced to decide either to remain faithful to God’s restraining command or to embrace Satan’s seductive allurements. Doubting God’s word, she used her own senses—the empirical method, that of personal observation—to decide between the two conflicting statements.
First, she saw that from a dietary perspective, “the tree was good for food.” Second, from an aesthetic viewpoint, she saw that “it was a delight to the eyes.” Third, from a logical analysis, “the tree was desirable to make one wise.” Hence, in her own mind, she certainly had good reasons to heed the words of the serpent and to eat from the forbidden tree. Unfortunately, this is what she did.
Some people argue that all forms of knowledge are valid, as long as we retain “that which is good” (1 Thess. 5:21, NASB). But the tragic experiences of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden demonstrate that knowledge, in and of itself, can be very detrimental. There are some things that, indeed, we are better off not knowing.
3.2.2.1.2 “You Will Not Die” (Genesis 3:4):
One powerful manifestation of this lie is seen in the common belief in the immortality of the soul. This notion was the basis of many ancient religions and philosophies. In ancient Egypt, it motivated the mummification practices and the funerary architecture, such as that seen in the pyramids.
This theory also became one of the main pillars of Greek philosophy. For example, in The Republic of Plato, Socrates asks Glaucon: “Are you not aware that our soul is immortal and never perishes?” In Plato’s Phaedo, Socrates argued in a similar tone, saying that the “soul is immortal and imperishable, and our souls really will exist in Hades.” These philosophical concepts would shape much of the Western culture and even post-Apostolic Christianity. But they originated much earlier, in the Garden of Eden, with Satan himself.
At the core of the Edenic temptation, Satan assured Eve, “ ‘You certainly will not die!’ ” (Gen. 3:4, NASB). With this emphatic assertion, Satan put his own word above the word of God.
The satanic theory of the natural immortality of the soul has persisted, even in our modern world. Books, movies, and TV programs have all continued to promote the idea that when we die, we simply pass into another conscious state. How unfortunate it is that this error is proclaimed in many Christian pulpits, as well. Even science has gotten involved. There is a foundation in the United States trying to create technology that, it claims, will enable us to contact the dead, whom they believe are still alive but exist as PMPs, “postmaterial persons.” With this error so prevalent, it’s no surprise that this deception will play a crucial role in the final events of human history.
3.2.2.1.2.1 The Immortality of Soul: Near Death Experiences (NDE’s)
In recent years, studies have been done on what are called near-death experiences (NDEs). What happens is that people “die,” in that their hearts stop beating, and they stop breathing. However, they then come back to life—but with fantastic stories of floating into another realm of existence and meeting a being of light. Some even talk about meeting long-dead relatives.
Many people, even Christians who don’t understand the truth about death, believe that these stories are more proof of the immortality of the soul. However (and this should be the clearest warning that something is amiss), most who have these experiences claim that the spiritual beings whom they had met during the NDEs gave them comforting words, nice statements about love, peace, and goodness. But they hear nothing about salvation in Christ, nothing about sin, and nothing about judgment. While getting a taste of the Christian afterlife, shouldn’t they have gotten at least a smidgen of the most basic Christian teachings along with it? Yet, what they’re taught sounds mostly like New Age dogma, which could explain why, in many cases, they come away less inclined toward Christianity than they were before having “died.” Also, why did none of the Christians, convinced that their NDEs were a preview of the Christian heaven, ever get any Christian theology while there, as opposed to a big dose of New Age sentimentalism? The answer is that they were being deceived by the same person who deceived Eve in Eden, and with the same lie too. (See lesson 11.)
The occult is everywhere, perhaps even in places that might surprise you. Join John Bradshaw for "Dancing With the Devil" where you'll learn how you can safeguard yourself against Satan's deceptions and meet a young woman who spent years immersed in the occult. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IZW6xeNnvs (27:47) It Is Written - Dancing With the Devil It Is Written Oct 21, 2022)
3.2.2.1.3 Consequences of Sin (Gen 3:7–19; Rom 5:12)
Captivated by the persuasive speech of the serpent, Eve did not anticipate the far-reaching consequences of the road that she was following. In itself, the act of eating from the forbidden fruit was not as significant as what it actually represented. By such an act of disobedience, Eve broke her loyalty to God and assumed a new allegiance to Satan.
Genesis 3 describes the fall of Adam and Eve and some of its most tragic consequences. From a theological perspective, both were overtaken by theophobia (being afraid of God) and hid themselves from Him (Gen. 3:8). From a psychosocial assessment, they were ashamed of themselves and began to accuse each other (Gen. 3:7, 9–13). From a physical standpoint, they would sweat, feel pain, and eventually die (Gen. 3:16–19). And from an ecological perspective, the natural world had degenerated (Gen. 3:17, 18).
The Garden of Eden was no longer the beautiful and pleasant place it used to be. “As they witnessed in drooping flower and falling leaf the first signs of decay, Adam and his companion mourned more deeply than men now mourn over their dead. The death of the frail, delicate flowers was indeed a cause of sorrow; but when the goodly trees cast off their leaves, the scene brought vividly to mind the stern fact that death is the portion of every living thing.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 62.
Adam and Eve did not die immediately, in the sense of ceasing to live, but on that very same day they received their death sentence. The Lord told Adam, “ ‘In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return’ ” (Gen. 3:19, NKJV). The Fall brought tragic consequences indeed to all humanity. The apostle Paul explains that “just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, . . . so death spread to all because all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12, NRSV).
The sad and painful fact is that just as humanity has experienced through all ages, we today suffer the consequences of what happened in Eden. How thankful we can be, though, that because of Jesus and the Cross we have the hope of eternal life in a world where sin will never rise again.
Sin is a curse that brings terrible consequences. It is like an avalanche. Seemingly starting as nothingness, it then breaks and tears down everything that is beautiful, valuable, and meaningful, and destroys life completely. It is only a matter of time before this destroying force becomes plainly visible. Where there is wrong thinking, it automatically follows that there also will be evil behavior. Sin breaks down all kinds of meaningful relationships; it brings only misery, suffering, separation, and complications. Breaking our relationship with God (the vertical dimension of our existence) brings multiple horizontal breaks. Saying no to God is the cause of many sinful consequences:
1. The break in our relationship with God leads to a broken relationship with “self.” Thus, Adam and Eve’s nature was corrupted as a consequence of sin. They lived with a consciousness of guilt and shame and with feelings of degradation and defeat.
2. Sin/disobedience made Adam and Eve afraid of God instead of permitting them to enjoy His company (Gen. 3:10).
3. Sin/disobedience led Adam and Eve to blame others for their failure. Thus, they experienced a broken relationship with each other (Gen. 3:12, Gen. 4:5–8). Sin alienated them from one another.
4. Sin/disobedience brought death to the human family because Adam and Eve’s relationship with their Life-Giver was broken (Gen. 3:19).
5. Sin/disobedience would make giving birth and raising children a painful experience (Gen. 3:16).
6. Sin/disobedience would make marriage a place of fighting for dominance and supremacy instead of a loving, caring, emotional, and intimate relationship between equal heterosexual partners (Gen. 3:16).
7. Sin/disobedience would make work a painful experience; sweat and weariness from laboring to earn a living would become part of life (Gen. 3:18).
8. The sin/disobedience of Adam and Eve resulted in harming their sense of good and in the loss of their ability to discern between good and evil (Gen. 3:5, 22).
9. Sin/disobedience broke Adam and Eve’s relationship to nature. As a result, the ground would produce thorns and thistles (Gen. 3:18, Gen. 6:11)
10. Sin/disobedience brought violence, pain, hatred, polygamy, et cetera (see Genesis 4–19). For more details on this topic of the nature of sin, its consequences, and God’s redemptive plan, see Jiří Moskala, “Origin of Sin and Salvation According to Genesis 3: A Theology of Sin,” in Salvation: Contours of Adventist Soteriology, edited by Martin F. Hanna, Darius W. Jankiewicz, and John W. Reeve (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2018), pp. 119–143. Genesis 3 is a model for understanding the nature of sin and salvation. In this one chapter, the whole gospel already is present, as seen in the undeserved grace already streaming from Calvary to Adam and Eve (Rev. 13:8)
3.2.2.2 God’s Solution: The First Gospel Message (Gen 3:15,21)
Hope appears against all hopelessness. Within the midst of darkness, despair, and condemnation, God secures humanity’s future, even though Adam and Eve do not deserve to live. Satan will not have complete dominance in this world, but will be ultimately condemned to everlasting death.
First, God searches for Adam and Eve: “ ‘Where are you?’ ” (Gen. 3:9, NKJV). This question has multiple purposes. It serves (1) as an invitation to dialogue; (2) as an offer of grace (God cries for His lost and missing children in order to provide a very costly solution to their situation); (3) to help them to realize and understand their attitude toward God following their sin (that is, instead of enjoying His presence, they hide from Him); and (4) as a trial/investigative judgment, which is held because they are accountable for their past actions toward God as their Creator and Judge.
Second, God provides a real garment (Gen. 3:21). As the nakedness of the first couple was more than a physical phenomenon, so it follows analogically that God’s garment represents more than physical dress. God gives them a garment of skin of His own making, and thus He covers sinners with the robe of His righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30, 2 Cor. 5:21). The solution for the sin problem is the Messiah (Eph. 1:4, 1 Pet. 1:20). Forgiveness and redemption are to be secured through God’s gracious sacrifice, represented by the death of the animal whose skin Adam and Eve wore.
(An animal sacrifice is used to illustrate this Messianic promise (Gen. 3:21). “When Adam, according to God’s special directions, made an offering for sin, it was to him a most painful ceremony. His hand must be raised to take life, which God alone could give, and make an offering for sin. It was the first time he had witnessed death. As he looked upon the bleeding victim, writhing in the agonies of death, he was to look forward by faith to the Son of God, whom the victim prefigured, who was to die man’s sacrifice.”—Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption, p. 50)
Third, God creates enmity between the powers of good and evil so that we can hate evil (Gen. 3:15).
Fourth, God promises to send the Seed (Gen. 3:15) to defeat our enemy, Satan. God’s statement to the serpent lies at the center of this chapter. The Messiah will become humanity’s Redeemer and Savior, and His victorious, deliberate death will ultimately destroy Satan and consequently everyone and everything associated with him. The Messiah is the Victor and gives victory to all who connect with Him (Rom. 8:1–4). The final victory is assured by Him (Rev. 12:7–12; Rev. 19:6, 7, 15–21; Jude 24, 25).
Knowing that they would eventually die (Gen. 3:19, 22–24), Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden. But they did not leave naked or with their own fig-leaf coverings (Gen. 3:7). God Himself “made tunics of skin” for them, and He even clothed them (Gen. 3:21, NKJV), a symbol of His covering righteousness (see Zech. 3:1–5, Luke 15:22). Hence, even back then, right from the start, in Eden, the gospel had been revealed to humanity
3.2.3 Understanding the Fallen Nature of Man
It is very essential to review the prologue that brought about the fallen nature of man which was shared in the first two subsections. This is provided in a presentation from www.amazingdiscovery.com that connected the dots on the Bible truth concerning the state of the fallen nature of man based on the wrong choice made by Adam and Eve. We are to watch this before SS L3 “Understanding Human Nature”
3.2.3.01 Enmity Battle Lines: Prologue
((65) Enmity - Battle Lines Walter Veith Amazing Discoveries - YouTube Enmity - Battle Lines Walter Veith Amazing Discoveries The Everlasting Gospel Mar 25, 2018)
Out of recorded human history (3400 years), there were peace only for 268 years (8 5%) Wars between ideologies, religions, government and countries have been fought by men who believed their cause is worth dying for. But strife is not limited to the battle field and appears in the smaller scale in our everyday life (clashes with family, neighbors or even strangers).
Is human being predisposed to war and conflict that no one can contemplate the clashes so great, so diabolical its intensities? What is at the root in Enmity?
Many fail to realize there is a battle in this world between Good and Evil. It actually began in heaven. (Rev 12:7-8) between Lucifer, the most gifted of all the created angels (Ezek 28:14) and Michael, the chief of all the angelic host. Lucifer has the most exposure to God’s glory and insight into God’s love, His will and perfection. Lucifer was perfect until iniquity was found in him (Ezek 28:15; Isa 14:13-14) He had the capacity to choose and he exercised that choice to rebel and be ’god himself’. He sets out to try to get the other angels in his charge to disobey God. He brought controversy into God’s government, authority and law (that guarantee peace and happiness by this law of love to God and to obey Him with all your hearts and all your souls and minds. This principle will then flow through His created being. Satan called it restrictive. His lies and accusation about God is sin, the act of breaking God’s law. He focused in obscuring the character of God. Sin creates misery and blames the misery on God. God did not destroy Satan immediately but allowed sin to develop to the point that every being in the entire universe could make an informed decision as to the consequences of rebellion. Satan inferred that God is a dictator whose law is impossible to follow. And only for God’s benefit at the expense of greater freedom if under his rule.
3.2.3.01.1 Decision to Create Earth and Human Beings
The Council of God was held before war broke out in heaven and Satan felt slighted because he was not in that Council. It was decided that man be created in the image of God (Gen 1:26, 27) .and have dominion over the other creatures. God had a purpose with the creation of man and earth everything was perfect and there was no trace of decay. In nature there is plenty of evidence that some supernatural powerful being had been involved in the creation of this world. It was created so that we could be happy. Adam and Eve was in control of this perfect earth in the beginning (Gen 1:28). They were given the capacity to bring forth life. . ( Ps8:6-8 ) God was to create an order of being that they should understand the mind of God as a Creator and a caretaker. Creating means taking responsibilities-. bringing forth children, watch-care, hedging in, nuturing, protecting. Man was created with the capacity of choice,, the capacity to fall just as Lucifer fell. This was to eventually prove that God was all wise in His creation.
God wants us to demonstrate to the universe that His whole purpose of saving the human race and protecting the unfallen world from making the same mistakes. .
3.2.3.01.2 Satan and Sin Cast Out to Earth
War broke out in heaven and the devil and his evil angels were cast out into the earth (Rev 12:7-8) Lucifer became known as Satan, the one who opposes. He then carried out the war game against God’s government wherever he could (i.e. the Great Controversy between Good and Evil.
In the Garden Satan was not permitted to roam freely and was confined to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Choice is the absolute foundation for relationship. Without the capacity to choose love cannot exist. So God inputted the freedom of choice and was prepared for the consequences of that choice. God wants us to love and trust Him reflected in every decision however small contribute to our moral development or in our character formation. Our characters determine the fabric of our societies. The only way for injustice and cruelty to be eradicated is for society to be made up of people with upright characters. Giving us to love and trust is the opportunity to develop character. A growth in morality is a growth in love and trust. Without choice love and trust cannot grow and have long term peace and happiness
3.2.3.01.3 The Simple Test of Love
God had commanded them not to eat from the one single tree. (Gen 2:16-17) in order not to die. The tree was symbolic as character is a product of choosing. By obediently not eating Adam and Eve will be more like God. more capable of love and full of trust in God’s word. God never intended anyone to understand evil, nor the tears of pain as the consequence of sin. (As tears of pain from a mother crying at the grave of her child,)
This test was easy but underlain with complexities because Satan has intention to deceive them. To develop love and trust (i.e. if they would love and trust Him) they would not be vulnerable to that tree. (Gen 3:1-4) Satan lied that the fruit will make their eyes opened and they will be like God knowing good and evil. They turned that easy test into a difficult test. (We never learn because we don’t keep the word of God in our heart to guard the avenues to our soul from the guiles of Satan)
3.2.3.01.4 Satan’s Strategy: Destroy the Image of God
The image of God was in line with the principle of God’s character and law. in that God is personified as God is Love, But Satan wanted to destroy the image of God in us. By attacking the law of God Satan destroys the most accurate instrument for man to know who God is and what He stands for. In turn we resign from who we really are like. Satan then planted the idea that without the law gives us the freedom which is what we selfishly want. People think they are constrained, confined by the Law of God. The law was made to control us. Satan wants to bring in the idea that God wants to restrict us rather than as a hedge to protect us from calamity.T
Therefore, by default, the secular world who do not know God is opting for a freedom, the ability to choose what I want filled with misery, suffering and pain forever rather than that offered by God of freedom filled with live and hope, health, longevity and happiness. The law gives us insight into what really does cause harm. One person’s free to do what he wants can end up causing pain and suffering to others. Killing, adultery, theft are all clear examples. Adam ane Eve choice to eat have cause death, pain and suffering came to all of us in this world. (the crux in the world of suffering and death) The thing we choose to do without union with God are really a bondage to us.
3.2.3.01.5 Deception in Eden
Satan wants us to believe that God is a tyrant. The devil is trying to deceive us about the character of God. Satan used the snake as the first transcendental medium to instill a question in the mind of Eve. He first question God’s word and then question God’s authority, and then starts to demonstrate that what God has said is not really true. Satan misrepresents God as withholding good or benefits. Satan placed suspicion in the mind of the woman about the righteous character of God. Eve believes and runs to Adam to present the same lie. Eve was used to turn God’s subject against Him; downplaying God’s word Lucifer use the same propaganda he had used in heaven to turn God’s subject against Him. Doubting God goodness, downplaying the need of the law and vilifying God’s character. Eve entertained the false ideas of the serpent and placed herself under Satan’s banner. Immediately, she was his agent in deceiving her husband Adam. Adam knew that Eve had been deceived and his lack of faith in the power of God that he decided to follow Eve rather than to seek God for help to redeem Eve. In choosing to do that they broke their allegiance to God.
Humanity fell in this one instance not because of a fruit but because of a choice, a decision that forever change the course of history and of humanity itself. One of the first effects of sin is that it placed a separation between Eve and her Creator. (Gen 3:9-10) Adam and Eve (A&E) hid themselves to escape judgment to evade responsibility for their actions. When they fell they handed their dominion to Satan.who became known as the prince of this world.and reign as the cruelest despot
3.2.3.01.5.1 The Dark World of Suffering under Satan’s Reign
As descendants of A&E we now live under the government of Satan. Our earth was taken over by a foreign ruler.and we have been assimilated into his administration. It is the only system we have ever known and for this reason many people don’t realize that in a hostile takeover situation, ruled by a sadistic ruler at war with God himself. Satan has used every means possible , disorder and plight Working in the shadows , angels that fell with him and any human agents that in their choice to be with him . He has thrown this once beautiful into anarchy, rebellion and havoc.(Gen 6:5) Just as Ssatan changed , mankind has also changed and the image of God in man was marred. Mans nature went from being sinless to sinful. And man turn against each other and even against their Maker. Violence, brutality and immorality spread all over the earth. Saan rejoice as the world grow more and more wicked. And the offspring were infected with sin and now had a natural inclination to evil..
3.2.3.01.5.2 God’s Remedy to Restore Humanity
After A&E fell God could not allow them to eat of the tree of life. It would have perpetuated sin forever and Satan government would have been established forever as well. Evil would have been immortalized and suffering pain and war continue unabated.
So God expelled them from the Garden that the experiment of sin would not go on forever. The separation is a symbol of spiritual death . Satan had offered a high existence and a better life with more knowledge. But they actually lost everything they already had and that sin only cause misery here on earth. If they have sin and immortality at the same time that would have been a miserable eternity no one would want
Humanity in its state would only be self seeking, indulging in lustful desires and pride. Their desire for holiness and rightful relationship with God would soon be extinct. Love self, sin and nothing else. Left to themselves they would be utter slaves to Lucifer with Nno power to resist him.
God could have simply wiped them away. But God wanted a better solution to eradicate sin and Satan from the universe. And to save us at the same time. God could not change His law in order to save humanity. Since God did not desire that any should die because of sin, He cursed the serpent prophesying of his demise and He gave mankind a gift. (Gen 3:15) This enmity given in the Garden would permit man power to resist the devil and give sufficient freedom to choose between the government of God or the government of Satan.
3.2.3.01.5.3 The Enmity Gift
The enmity gift would restore the image of God.in mankind and take away their natural inclination for evil. There in the garden A&E were given hope. This was the gospel of Christ that was preached to A&E. at the lowest time in their life. The plan that they have been given for longetivity and health in a plan to restore them to God’s divine nature. They heard that in the Garden and was given a second chance.
This plan had been the discussion in the plan of God before this world was even made. God and Michael made a plan to counter Lucifer power and also vindicate God’s character. He would save humanity at any cost and yet remain the benevolent God He had always been. He would put an end to this war once and for all. But the cost would be in the supreme sacrifice of the Son of God (Jn 3:16).
With this comprehensive history of the origin of Sin, it should be a great aid in understanding of our fallen nature. Without a Saviour, it would be impossible to have the hope of eternal life.
3.2.3.1 Understanding Fallen Human Nature (SS L3)
This lesson is based on what the Old Testament defines human nature and the conditions of human beings at death. The main issue is over the contradiction between God’s word, “‘You shall die’ ” (Gen. 2:16, 17, NRSV) and Satan’s counterfeit promise, “‘You certainly will not die!’ ” (Gen. 3:4, NASB) This contention between Truth and counterfeit was not restricted to the Garden of Eden. It has echoed throughout history. Many people try to harmonize the words of Satan with the words of God. For them, the warning, “ ‘You shall die,’ ” refers only to the perishable physical body, while the counterfeit promise, “ ‘You certainly will not die!’ ” is an allusion to an immortal soul or spirit. But this approach doesn’t work. For example, can contradictory words of God and of Satan be harmonized? Is there an immaterial soul or spirit that consciously survives physical death? There are many philosophical and even scientific attempts to answer these questions. But, as Bible-based Christians, we must recognize that only the Almighty God, the One who created us, knows us perfectly (see Psalm 139). Thus, only in His Word to us, the Scriptures, can we find answers to these crucial questions.
It is in Eve being mesmerized by Satan into believing the lie that you certainly will not die (Gen 3:4) rather than the plain clear word of God that warned Adam and Eve not to eat the forbidden fruit that they shall die .It was Adam and Eve breaking the law of God that constitutes sin, that originated from Lucifer, the covering Cherub who became Satan, the arch enemy of Christ..
3.2.3.1.1 God is Love
God is love, and the essence of love is freedom (there is no love without freedom). God created humans in His image which means that humans were created perfect, good, loving and free. Free will implies the need for judgment because there always will be those who choose the wrong side. Radical commitments are vital considerations for a growing Christian character (Ecc 11:9) Radically committed to God is to His call to follow Christ, to His kingdom, and to His mission in the great conflict between God and Satan, good and evil. With the increasing persecution of contemporary Christians in various parts of the world, numerous Christians feel the need for a better—indeed, radical—preparedness to go through crucibles.
Evil originated in Adam’s free will to sin . The Bible is clear that sin is not a simple past act of Adam and Eve. Rather, the Genesis account of the Fall describes immediate and profound changes appearing in their nature, relationships, environment, lifestyle, and descendants (Gen. 3:7–24, Gen. 4:1–16). The apostle Paul stipulates that with Adam sin and death “entered” (invaded) and pervaded the world in space and time (Rom. 5:12–14, NKJV). Sin brought upon humanity suffering, death, and condemnation for all men (Rom. 5:16–18). Because of the transgression of Adam, all people “were made sinners” (Rom. 5:19, NKJV). For this reason, all humans are born in sin, and none is born righteous (Rom. 3:9–18, 23; Ps. 14:1–3; Ps. 51:5).
If we are willing to place our faith and trust in God and His word we will realize the promise given to Adam and Eve who were given a second chance in correcting their free choice to love God , the life giver. God’s love is attached to the freedom of choice that is subjected to the risk of rebellion and still offers the provision of redemption to those who will choose to return. Satan will not have complete dominion over humanity. He knew Christ defeated him at the cross and he has but a short time left before His destruction together with the sinful world. The death sentence passed on Adam and Eve is now placed on Jesus so that we can be redeemed.
3.2.3.1.2 Two Major Misconceptions
Thus, the Bible rejects Plagiarism (- man must personally exonerate himself by his own good works which is impossible without Chris) and presents sin as more than an individual human act. Rather, sin is described as both an external and internal force that enslaves and destroys all humanity in all its aspects. Facing this grim outlook, by itself, humanity cannot solve the problem of sin and evil. The only hope for sinful humanity is in the sacrificial and transformative ministry of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24, 25; Rom. 5:6–19; Rom. 7:25) and in the regenerative and mediating ministry of the Holy Spirit, who gives us a new heart (Ezek. 36:26, 27; John 3:5–8; Rom. 8:3–6, 9–17)
Furthermore, the Bible does not teach the Augustinian concept of predestination and sacramentalism. Historically, most Christians rejected Pelagius and embraced Augustine’s understanding that all humans are born with a sinful nature and that sin is an invincible force for humans. Roman Catholics integrated into their theology Augustine’s idea that all humans inherit Adam’s guilt and the need for sacraments but rejected his views on predestination.
In contradistinction, Protestantism rightly rejected Augustine’s idea that we inherit Adam’s guilt and that God’s grace comes through the sacraments, but large parts of Protestantism erroneously accepted his concept of predestination. In the wake of the Enlightenment, modern and postmodern societies tend to reject the Augustinian ideas and think more in line with Pelagius.
To reach people in these societies, we not only need to emphasize the biblical teachings on the free will and our profound responsibility for our individual and communal history but also share the biblical teaching about the seriousness of the power of sin and our only hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. This illustration helps us understand that knowing the truth is essential for our understanding of suffering and trials in our lives. But it also helps us understand our own nature and the power of free will. Such understanding helps us always seek and accept God’s help, guidance, and power to overcome our crucibles.
3.2.3.2 A Living Soul (Being) (Gen 2:7)
We have been given life that we did not asked for. In ignorance we are unable to marvel about the miracle of the life received through God’s decision. If we get to believe the word of God, He also provide not just life but of eternal life. We are given the privilege on deciding whether to accept this gift or to reject it and then die in the second death forever. John testifies that In the cross of Calvary, “God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” 1Jn 5:11, God “
The Genesis account declares that on the sixth day of Creation week the Lord God brought to life land animals and the first human beings, a couple (Gen. 1:24–27). We are told that He “formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky” (Gen. 2:19, NIV). He also “formed a man from the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7, NIV).
Although both animals and man alike were made from “the ground,” the formation of the man was distinct from that of animals in two main ways. First, God shaped the man physically, and then “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7, NIV). He was a physical entity before he became a living one. Second, God created humanity as both male and female in the very image and likeness of the Godhead (Gen. 1:26, 27).
Genesis 2:7 explains that the infusion of the “breath of life” into the physical body of Adam transformed him into “a living being” (Heb. Nephesh chayyah) or literally “a living soul.” It means that each of us does not have a soul that can exist apart from the body. Rather, each one of us is a living being or a living soul. The claim that this “soul” is a conscious entity that can exist separate from the human body is a pagan, not a biblical, idea. Understanding the true nature of humanity prevents us from accepting the popular notion of an immaterial soul and all the dangerous errors built upon that belief.
There is no conscious existence of any isolated part of the human being separated from the person as a whole. God created us in a fearful and wonderful way, and we should not speculate beyond what the Scriptures actually say about this specific matter. In fact, not only is the very nature of life a mystery (scientists still can’t agree on exactly what it means for something to be alive), but even more mysterious is the nature of consciousness. How do the few pounds of material tissue (cells and chemicals) in our heads, the brain, hold and create immaterial things, such as thoughts and emotions? Those who study this idea admit that we really don’t know.
3.2.3.3 The Soul Who Sins Shall Die (Gen 2:16-17)
Human life in this sinful world is fragile and transitory (Isa. 40:1–8). Nothing infected by sin can be eternal by nature. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12, NKJV). Death is the natural consequence of sin, which affects all life here.
On this matter, there are two important biblical concepts. One is that human beings and animals both die. As stated by King Solomon, “ ‘Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. . . . All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return’ ” (Ecc 3:19, 20, NIV).
The second concept is that the physical death of a person implies the cessation of his or her existence as a living soul (Hebrew nephesh). In Genesis 2:16, 17, God had warned Adam and Eve that if they should ever sin, by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would die.
Echoing this warning, the Lord reinforced the point in Ezekiel 18:4, 20: “‘The soul who sins shall die’ ” (NKJV). This statement has two main implications. One is that since all human beings are sinners, all of us are under the unavoidable process of aging and dying (Rom. 3:9–18, 23). Another implication is that this biblical concept makes void the popular notion of a supposed natural immortality of the soul. If the soul is immortal and exists alive in another realm after death, then we don’t really die after all, which I not true.
In contrast, the biblical solution for the dilemma of death is not a bodiless soul migrating either into Paradise or into purgatory, or even into hell. The solution is indeed the final resurrection of those who died in Christ. As Jesus stated in His sermon on the Bread of Life, “ ‘Everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day’ ” (John 6:40, NKJV)
In Christ’s first coming, Christ gave us His promise that He will return to take us to His Father’s mansion where He will be after His resurrection from dying on the cross. Christ resurrection is the first fruit of resurrection. We will learn about the highlight in the third section about the resurrection of Moses which is taught in L5 Resurrection before the Cross.
3.2.3.4 The Spirit Returns to God
The Bible teaches that the human being is a soul (Gen. 2:7), and the soul ceases to exist when the body dies(Ezek. 18:4, 20).
But what about the “spirit”? Does it not remain conscious even after the death of the body? Many Christians believe so, and they even try to justify their view by quoting Ecclesiastes 12:7, which says, “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it” (NKJV). But this statement does not suggest that the spirit of the dead remains conscious in God’s presence.
Ecclesiastes 12:1–7 in quite dramatic terms describes the aging process, culminating with death. Verse 7 refers to death as the reversal of the creation process mentioned in Genesis 2:7. As already stated, on the sixth day of the Creation week “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7, NKJV). But now, Ecclesiastes 12:7 tells us that “the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it” (NKJV). So, the breath of life that God breathed into the nostrils of Adam, and that He also has provided to all other human beings, returns to God, or, in other words, simply stops flowing into and through them.
We should keep in mind that Ecclesiastes 12:7 describes the dying process of all human beings and does so without distinguishing between the righteous and the wicked. (The righteous awaits in a long sleep on death to be resurrected at the second coming. Whereas the wicked sleeps on a thousand years later and at the third coming to be resurrected and sentenced to the second death.} As stated by the psalmist, “You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust” (Ps. 104:29, NKJV). (See par 3.2.3.5 The Dead Know Nothing)
3.2.3.5 The Dead Know Nothing
Some Bible commentators argue that these passages (Job 3:11–13; Ps. 115:17; Ps. 146:4; Eccles. 9:5, 10), written in poetic language, cannot be used to define the condition of human beings at death. It is true that sometimes poetry can be ambiguous and easily misunderstood, but this is not the case with these verses. Their language is clear, and their concepts are in full harmony with the overall Old Testament teachings on the subject.
First, in Job 3, the patriarch deplores his own birth because of all the suffering. (In our more dire moments, who hasn’t wished that he or she had never been born?) He recognizes that if he had died at his birth, he would have remained asleep and at rest (Job 3:11, 13).
Psalm 115 defines the location where the dead are kept as a place of silence, because “the dead do not praise the Lord” (Ps. 115:17, NKJV). This hardly sounds as if the dead, the faithful (and thankful) dead, are in heaven worshiping God.
According to Psalm 146, the mental activities of the individual cease with death: “His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish” (Ps. 146:4, NASB). This is a perfect biblical depiction of what happens at death.
Ecclesiastes 9 adds that “the dead know nothing” and in the grave “there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom” (Eccles. 9:5, 10, NKJV). These statements confirm the biblical teaching that the dead are unconscious.
The biblical teaching of unconsciousness in death should not generate any panic in Christians. First of all, there is no everlasting burning hell or temporary purgatory waiting for those who die unsaved. Second, there is an amazing reward waiting for those who die in Christ. No wonder that “to the believer, death is but a small matter. . . . To the Christian, death is but a sleep, a moment of silence and darkness. The life is hid with Christ in God, and ‘when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.’ John 8:51, 52; Col. 3:4.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 787.
3.2.3.5.1 Death, Burial & The Dead in Christ
The Old Testament expresses in different ways the ideas of death and burial. One way is the notion of being gathered to one’s own people. For example, about Abraham, we are told that he “breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people” (Gen. 25:8, NKJV). Aaron and Moses also were gathered to their respective people (Deut. 32:50)
Another way of describing death is by stating that someone rested with the forebearers. About King David’s death, the Bible says that he “rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David” (1 Kings 2:10, NKJV). The same expression also is used in reference to several other Hebrew kings, both faithful kings and unfaithful kings.
We can identify at least three meaningful aspects of resting with the forebearers. One is the idea that sooner or later the time will come when we need to rest from our own tiring labors and sufferings. Another idea is that we are not the first and only ones to follow that undesirable trail, because our forebearers already have gone ahead of us. A third idea is that, by being buried close to them, we are not alone but remain together even during the unconsciousness of death. This might not make much sense to some modern individualist cultures, but it was very meaningful in ancient times.
Those who die in Christ can be buried close to their loved ones, but even so there is no communication between them. They will remain unconscious until that glorious day when they will be awakened from their deep sleep to rejoin their loved ones who died in Christ
“If it were true that the souls of all men passed directly to heaven at the hour of dissolution, then we might well covet death rather than life. Many have been led by this belief to put an end to their existence. When overwhelmed with trouble, perplexity, and disappointment, it seems an easy thing to break the brittle thread of life and soar away into the bliss of the eternal world.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 539. “Nowhere in the Sacred Scriptures is found the statement that the righteous go to their reward or the wicked to their punishment at death. The patriarchs and prophets have left no such assurance. Christ and His apostles have given no hint of it. The Bible clearly teaches that the dead do not go immediately to heaven. They are represented as sleeping until the resurrection.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 549, 550.
The biblical Creation story is unambiguous in its teaching that both man and woman were made in God’s image. They were made equal with different biological functions, as well as created in total dependence on God. Though not immortal, for only God is immortal (1 Tim. 6:16), they nevertheless could live eternally if they stayed in a trusting and loving relationship with their Creator.
The expression immortal soul and the teaching that humans are born immortal, or with immortal souls or spirits, is not found in the Bible. Humans or souls are not inherently immortal. Humans have no conscious existence apart from the body. After he or she dies, the consciousness ceases to operate. Human immortality is always, and only, derived from God.
3.2.3.5.2 Death—Reversal of Life
Death causes a reversal of God’s creative activity, of our existence as living beings. The most important thing to know is that our identity is in God’s hands. Ecclesiastes frames this thought in poetic language: “Remember him [the Creator] before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Eccles. 12:6, 7, NIV). “Spirit” here means “character” (Ps. 32:2), our identity. We are not forgotten by God, for our names are in the book of life (Phil. 4:3, Rev. 3:5, Rev. 13:8, Rev. 20:15, Rev. 21:27).
Contrary to the common understanding of immortality, the human spirit does not survive death and does not continue in endless conscious existence. The soul as a human being is mortal. The prophet Ezekiel makes it plain that “soul” is mortal when he states: “The one [Hebrew, nephesh, i.e., human person] who sins is the one who will die” (Ezek. 18:4, NIV). A soul (i.e., person) who does not live according to the will of God will perish. It means that a soul (human being) can sin and die. Jesus confirms it: “‘Be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell’ ” (Matt. 10:28, NIV). Note that Jesus speaks about the whole person (“soul and body,” internal and external dimensions of our existence) being destroyed in hell (Gehenna), in the lake of fire.
The soul does not exist without the body and does not survive the death of the body. Only God is able to kill the soul, which means the soul is not immortal. Soul here means the life of a person, one’s total existence and destiny (it does not refer to an immortal soul or spirit); meanwhile, body represents only a temporary physical existence.
Death is sleep or rest, and to die is to be gathered to God’s people (i.e., put into the grave together with them [Gen. 25:8, 2 Sam. 7:12, 1 Kings 2:10, 1 Kings 22:40, Ps. 13:3, John 11:11–15, Acts 13:36, Rev. 14:13]). The dead know nothing, do not praise the Lord, do not work or plan, or do any other activities in the grave (Job 3:11–13; Ps. 115:17; Ps. 146:4; Eccles. 9:5, 10). (See later in par 3.3.1)
3.2.3.6 Immortality of the Soul of Pagan Origin
Belief in the immortality of the soul is taken from Greek philosophy. Pythagoras (a younger contemporary of Daniel) based his religious teachings on the tenet of metempsychosis. Metempsychosis posits that the soul never dies but, rather, is destined to a cycle of rebirths until able to free itself from this cycle through the purity of its life. Pythagoras believed in transmigration, or the reincarnation of the soul again and again into the bodies of humans, animals, or vegetables until it became immortal. Pythagoras’s ideas of reincarnation were influenced by ancient Greek religion.
Plato (roughly speaking, a contemporary of Malachi, the last Old Testament prophet) enhanced this Hellenistic teaching, making the belief of the immortal human soul so prevalent that it became a popular view. During the intertestamental period, the teaching of eternal torture (Jth. 16:17) and the practice of praying for the dead (2 Macc. 12:39–45) began to penetrate Judaism (for exceptions to these trends, however, see also Tob. 14:6–8; Sir. 7:17; Sir. 19:2, 3; Sir. 21:9; Sir. 36:7–10; Bar. 4:32–35; 1 Macc. 2:62–64; 2 Macc. 7:9, 14). Flavius Josephus mentions that the Pharisees believed in the immortality of the soul (see Flavius Josephus, The Jewish War 2.8.14; Antiquities 18.1.2, 3).
Tertullian (c. 155–220), a Christian apologist, was one of the first among Christians who claimed that humans have an immortal soul: “I may use, therefore, the opinion of a Plato, when he declares, ‘Every soul is immortal.’ ”— Tertullian, “On the Resurrection of the Flesh,” Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers Inc., 2004), p. 547
Some scholars try to defend life after death by simply appealing to common sense because there is no biblical statement regarding it. For example, Stewart Goetz states: “Scripture as a whole does not teach that the soul exists. Scripture simply presupposes the existence of the soul because its existence is affirmed by the common sense of ordinary people.”—Stewart Goetz, “A Substance Dualist Response,” in In Search of the Soul: Perspectives on the Mind-Body Problem—Four Views of the Mind-Body Problem, ed. by Joel B. Green, 2nd ed. (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2010), p. 139. “Common sense” can, however, be very misleading
3.2.3.7 Gift of Everlasting Life
Eternal life is God’s gift to those who believe in Christ Jesus as their personal Savior (John 3:16; John 5:24, 25; John 10:27, 28; John 17:3; Rom. 2:7; Rom. 6:22, 23; Gal. 6:8). Immortality is conditional and depends on our positive response to God’s goodness and on our acceptance of the gospel. This immortality is given to believers at the second coming of Christ (1 Cor. 15:51–55, 1 Thess. 4:13–18).
Section Three
3.3 Old Testament Hope & Key New Testament: Evidences
This final section attempts to shares the SS 4th Qtr Bible Study* starting with L4 “The Old Testament Hope” & L5 “Resurrection before the Cross.” It highlights two important truths. Firstly, the resurrection of Moses as the type of resurrection of those who are resting in the grace. The other is the Raising of Lazarus as proof of the divinity of Christ.
The final review packs many real key evidences concerning Christ’s resurrection from His death on the cross for the faith of His followers. Satan’s agencies took all the precautions and measures to try to make sure it would never happen.
3 3.1 Old Testament Hope
The Old Testament hope is grounded, not on Greek ideas about the natural immortality of the soul (the lie sown by Satan to Eve) but on the biblical teaching of the final resurrection of the dead.
But how could a no-longer-existent human body, cremated into ashes or destroyed by other means, be brought to life again? How can someone who has been deceased, perhaps for centuries or even millennia, recover again his or her identity?
These questions lead us to reflect on the mystery of life. We are alive and enjoy the life that God graciously grants us every day. Even without beginning to understand the supernatural origin of life, we know that in the beginning God brought life into existence from nonlife through the power of His word (Genesis 1; Ps. 33:6, 9). So, if God was able to create life on earth the first time from nothing (Latin ex nihilo), it would be in His capacity to re-create human life and to restore its original identity.
This is a brief review of the hope of the resurrection in the Old Testament ..
3.3.1.1 Seeing God in his flesh after death (Job 19:25–27)
It can be argued that there is no more powerful and more outstanding text on the personal certainty of resurrection than that of the patriarch Job. This book is a stunning and an eloquently expressed confession of faith. The verses within contain one of the most beautiful expressions of hope in a bodily resurrection.
Here we find a declaration that one can find engraved on many Christian tombs: Job’s powerful statement that he will see God in his flesh after death is the oldest in the Bible and sets the tone for this incredible hope of what God will do at the end of earth’s history. Job states: “ ‘I know that my Redeemer lives’ ” (Job 19:25, NKJV). Job knows his God, who is alive, and he calls Him the “Redeemer” (or goel in Hebrew, meaning kinsman redeemer, defender, vindicator, protector), as Boaz was for Ruth (Ruth 4:14). Job continues with assurance that his Redeemer “lives, and that at the end of time he will stand over the dust” (Job 19:25, EHV) to resurrect him to new life.
Unfortunately, people know and quote usually only verse 25, but what continues is equally crucial: “ ‘And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes— I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!’ ” (Job 19:26, 27, NIV). Notice the personal tone of Job’s solemn declaration: my, I, myself, my own. He firmly believes in his heart that in his flesh with his own eyes he will see God even though he will die, and his flesh will be destroyed. This personal assurance of a future resurrection day cannot be expressed in a better and more emphatic way
3 3.1.2 No Abandonment to Sheol (Psalm 16:9, 10)
“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead [sheol, grave, death], nor will you let your faithful one see decay” (Psalm 16:9, 10, NIV). Here the Hebrew term sheol should be translated as “grave,” as it is in many other passages. This term is found 66 times in the Hebrew Bible and, in the majority of cases, its meaning is synonymous with the grave. Both the wicked and the righteous descend to sheol (Gen. 37:35; Gen. 42:38; Gen. 44:29, 31; Num. 16:30, 33; 1 Kings 2:6, 9; Job 21:13; Ps. 49:17; Ps. 89:48; Eccles. 9:10; Isa. 14:9, 11, 15; Isa. 38:10; Ezek. 31:15–17). In addition, the Lord redeems the faithful from sheol (Hos. 13:14); no one can hide from God in sheol (Ps. 139:8, Amos 9:2), and there is no work or other activity in sheol (Eccles. 9:10).
Nowhere in the Bible is sheol described as the shadowy underworld where the dead live or where human souls or spirits continue their existence. The word sheol is a designation for the grave, the place of the dead (see, for example, the consistency of the NIV translation, where, in the majority of cases, the word sheol is translated as grave [57 times], but also as death [five times], realm of death [once], deepest depths [once], gates of death [once], and depth [once]). David rejoices that after death he will rest in peace and will be not forgotten by the Lord but will be resurrected to a new life and will not experience lasting destruction (shakhat means destruction, corruption, decay, pit).
This text transcends the experience of David and has a deeper Messianic meaning. The Faithful (Hebrew khasid, Devoted, the faithful One, the Holy One, i.e., the Messiah Jesus Christ) will not rot in His tomb, His body will not decay, because He will be resurrected after resting three days (counted inclusively) in the grave (sheol). The New Testament quotes this text as a prophetic announcement of Christ’s resurrection (Acts 2:25–28, Acts 13:35)
3.3.1.3 From the Power of the Grave (Psalm 49:9–15)
The psalmist presents a contrast between the general fate of people and the reward of the righteous. On the one hand, people will die and go to their graves (sheol) because they will not “live on forever and not see decay [shakhat]” (Ps. 49:9, NIV; compare with Ps. 16:10, Ps. 17:15). On the other hand, those who love and obey the Lord will have a different destiny. The poet declares: “God will redeem [padah, ransom, redeem] me from the realm of the dead [sheol, grave]; he will surely take me to himself [laqakh, receive, take up]” (Ps. 49:15, NIV). The NLT translators interpret the Hebrew text in a powerful way: “He [God] will snatch me from the power of the grave.”
3.3.1.4 “From the Depths of the Earth” (Psalm 71)
In Psalm 49 we found a touching expression of hope in the resurrection, in contrast to the false assurance of the fool who trusted in his wealth. In Psalm 71, David seeks security and hope from God, while surrounded by enemies and false accusers who say that God has forsaken him (Ps. 71:10, 11).
Amid his trials, David finds comfort and assurance in recalling how God had cared for him in the past. First, he realizes that God had upheld him from birth and even had taken him out of his mother’s womb (Ps. 71:6). Then, he acknowledges that God had taught him from his youth (Ps. 71:17).
With the certainty that God was his rock and his fortress, David pleads with Him, “Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually” (Ps. 71:3, NKJV). “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails” (Ps. 71:9, NKJV). “O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!” (Ps. 71:12, NKJV). And then David adds, “You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth” (Ps. 71:20, NKJV).
The expression “from the depths of the earth” could be understood literally as an allusion to the future physical resurrection of the psalmist. But the context seems to favor a metaphorical description of David’s condition of deep depression, as if the earth were swallowing him (compare with Ps. 88:6 and Ps. 130:1). So, we could say that “it is primarily figurative speech, but also hints at a physical resurrection.”—Andrews Study Bible, p. 726, note on Psalm 71:20.
In the end, what’s important to grasp is that, whatever our situation, God is there, He cares, and ultimately, our hope isn’t found in this life but in the life to come—the eternal life we have in Jesus after our resurrection at His return.
3.3.1.5 “Your Dead Shall Live” (Isaiah 26:19)
The prophet Isaiah, in the so-called “Little Apocalypse,” presents the hope of resurrection and announces it boldly: “Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead” (Isa. 26:19, ESV). A glorious hope and bright future is thus pictured for those who stay with the Lord. This is a very explicit verse about physical resurrection from death. The prophet Daniel, as we shall see next, roots his statement regarding the resurrection in Isaiah’s proclamation.
3.3.1.6 Those Who Sleep in the Dust (Daniel 12:2, 12)
Daniel points to a day of resurrection: “ ‘Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt’ ” (Dan. 12:2, NIV). God’s Old Testament revelation culminates with this declaration. Death is compared to sleep, and those who are dead will be resurrected: those who served the Lord will receive eternal life, but the wicked will be condemned to eternal death (the second death.)
God also assures Daniel that he will be resurrected to new life at the very end: “ ‘As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance’ ” (Dan. 12:13, NIV). Death is similar to a rest from faithful labor. But afterward will come the sweet inheritance: eternal life with the Lord.
3.3.1.7 Jonah’s Three Days in Big Fish (Jonah 2:2
The allusion to the resurrection in the story of Jonah is related to his stay for three days in the belly of a big fish. Jonah defin3.3.1.7 Jonah’s Three Days in Big Fish (Jonah 2:2)es this experience as being in sheol, meaning in a grave (Jon. 2:2). After three days and three nights, he was brought to a new life when he was vomited out of this sheol. In his prayer he states: “ ‘I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God’ ” (Jon. 2:6, ESV). Jesus compared His stay in the grave and resurrection to Jonah’s experience (Matt. 12:40).
3.3.1.8 Raised from Death to a New Life (Hosea 6:2)
The prophet Hosea speaks about Israel’s spiritual revival and return to the Lord in terms of being raised from death to new life. The imagery of resurrection is used to explain this new life of God’s people.
3.3.2 Resurrection before the Cross
The Old Testament references to the dead bodies resurrection to eternal life that we have looked at so far were largely based on personal expectations (Job 19:25–27, Heb. 11:17–19, Ps. 49:15, Ps. 71:20) and on future promises (Dan. 12:1, 2, 13). However, we also have the inspired records of cases in which people actually were raised from the dead. There were examples given in the Old Testament and reiterated in amplication in the New Testament as certainty in the final hope of the dead resting in the graves being resurrectied to immotal life at the second coming of Christ.
3.3.2.1The Resurrection of Moses( Deut 34:5-7; Ju 9; Luk 9:28-36)
The first resurrection was of Moses (Jude 9, Luke 9:28–36). During Israel’s monarchy, the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8–24) and the Shunammite’s son (2 Kings 4:18–37) also were resurrected. Christ, when here in the flesh, resurrected the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11–17), Jairus’s daughter (Luke 8:40–56), and then Lazarus (John 11). Except for Moses, all these people were raised as mortals who eventually would die again. (After they were raised, they were still subject to death). But those who came forth from the grave at Christ’s resurrection were raised to everlasting life )These cases also confirm the biblical teaching of the unconsciousness of the dead (Job 3:11–13; Ps. 115:17; Ps. 146:4; Eccles. 9:5, 10). In none of these accounts, nor in any other biblical resurrection narratives, is there any mention of a supposed afterlife experience.
Of all thesedead individuals who were raised before Christ, only Moses went straight to heaven. All the rest were brought back to life here on earth. (They were still mortal and experience death again.) Each account demonstrates even further that there is no life (“soul”) or existence after death. Interestingly, none of the resurrected people mentioned an afterlife experience. Wouldn’t such an experience be memorable enough to document or at least mention? Each of the children should have said, “Wow, Mom, you won’t believe what I saw!” and the news of their experience in heaven would have spread far and wide on earth. Moreover, as some have questioned, why would anyone want to come back to the earth after having been in heaven already?
Moses, who was taken to heaven, was not a “spirit” or a disembodied “soul” because he was resurrected in the body, as signified by the nature of the dispute between Christ and Satan, which was “about the body of Moses” (Jude 9). No living soul is ever mentioned by Satan or Jesus in the dispute. Why would a body be needed if a soul existed? The body wasn’t needed in order to house a soul because the body was Moses. Later on, Moses appears to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, along with Elijah (Luke 9), who was taken to heaven and never died. These accounts once again demonstrate that the best explanation for death is sleep and not a bodiless existence.
A clear evidence of Moses’ resurrection is found at the Transfiguration. There Moses appeared with the prophet Elijah, who had been translated without seeing death (2 Kings 2:1–11)
3.3.2.1.1 Magnanimity of the Heart of God
Had not the life of Moses been marred with that one sin, in failing to give God the glory of bringing water from the rock at Kadesh, he would have entered the Promised Land, and would have been translated to heaven without seeing death. But he was not long to remain in the tomb. Christ Himself, with the angels who had buried Moses, came down from heaven to call forth the sleeping saint. Satan had exulted at his success in causing Moses to sin against God, and thus come under the dominion of death. The great adversary declared that the divine sentence--"Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Genesis 3:19)--gave him possession of the dead. The power of the grave had never been broken, and all who were in the tomb he claimed as his captives, never to be released from his dark prison house. {PP 478.2}
For the first time Christ was about to give life to the dead. As the Prince of life and the shining ones approached the grave, Satan was alarmed for his presumed supremacy. With his evil angels he stood to dispute an invasion of the territory that he claimed as his own. He boasted that the servant of God had become his prisoner. He declared that even Moses was not able to keep the law of God; that he had taken to himself the glory due to Jehovah--the very sin which had caused Satan's banishment from heaven--and by transgression had come under the dominion of Satan. The arch-traitor reiterated the original charges that he had made against the divine government, and repeated his complaints of God's injustice toward him. {PP 478.3}
Christ did not stoop to enter into controversy with Satan. He might have brought against him the cruel work which his deceptions had wrought in heaven, causing the ruin of a vast number of its inhabitants. He might have pointed to the falsehoods told in Eden that had led to Adam's sin and brought death upon the human race. He might have reminded Satan that it was his own work in tempting Israel to murmuring and rebellion, which had wearied the long-suffering patience of their leader, and in an unguarded moment, had surprised him into the sin for which he had fallen under the power of death. But Christ referred all to His Father, saying, "The Lord rebuke thee." Jude 9. The Saviour entered into no dispute with His adversary, but He then and there began His work of breaking the power of the fallen foe, and bringing the dead to life. Here was evidence that Satan could not controvert, of the supremacy of the Son of God. The resurrection was forever made certain. Satan was despoiled of his prey; the righteous dead would live again. {PP 478.4}
In consequence of sin Moses had come under the power of Satan. In his own merits he was deaths lawful captive; but he was raised to immortal life, holding his title in the name of the Redeemer. Moses came forth from the tomb glorified, and ascended with his Deliverer to the City of God. {PP 479.1}
Never, till exemplified in the sacrifice of Christ, were the justice and the love of God more strikingly displayed than in His dealings with Moses. God shut Moses out of Canaan, to teach a lesson which should never be forgotten--that He requires exact obedience, and that men are to beware of taking to themselves the glory which is due to their Maker. He could not grant the prayer of Moses that he might share the inheritance of Israel, but He did not forget or forsake His servant. The God of heaven understood the suffering that Moses had endured; He had noted every act of faithful service through those long years of conflict and trial. On the top of Pisgah, God called Moses to an inheritance infinitely more glorious than the earthly Canaan. {PP 479.2} (We sometimes have to suffer the consequences of our sins But God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think according to the power that works in us” (Eph 3:20) All we need to do is to die to self daily and trust Him “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Pup 2:13.
3.3.2.1.2 Evidence of Moses Immortality
Upon the mount of transfiguration Moses was present with Elijah, who had been translated. They were sent as bearers of light and glory from the Father to His Son. And thus the prayer of Moses, uttered so many centuries before, was at last fulfilled. He stood upon the "goodly mountain," within the heritage of his people, bearing witness to Him in whom all the promises to Israel centered. Such is the last scene revealed to mortal vision in the history of that man so highly honored of Heaven. {PP 479.3}
Moses was a type of Christ. He himself had declared to Israel, "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him ye shall hearken." Deuteronomy 18:15. God saw fit to discipline Moses in the school of affliction and poverty before he could be prepared to lead the hosts of Israel to the earthly Canaan. The Israel of God, journeying to the heavenly Canaan, have a Captain who needed no human teaching to prepare Him for His mission as a divine leader; yet He was made perfect through sufferings; and "in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted." Hebrews 2:10, 18. Our Redeemer manifested no human weakness or imperfection; yet He died to obtain for us an entrance into the Promised Land. {PP 480.1}
"And Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; but Christ as a son over His own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." Hebrews 3:5, 6. {PP 480.2} (The righteous by faith in Christ is known as servant of righteous, not slave of righteousness which is the lie of Satan. Moses who is now in heaven is God’s assurance to us as representative for all servants of righteousness awaiting for the second coming to be transformed into immortality like Moses as example)
3.3.2.1.3 Elijah’s Translation
Elijah was a type of the saints who will be living on the earth at the time of the second advent of Christ and who will be "changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump," without tasting of death. 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52. It was as a representative of those who shall be thus translated that Elijah, near the close of Christ's earthly ministry, was permitted to stand with Moses by the side of the Saviour on the mount of transfiguration. n these glorified ones, the disciples saw in miniature a representation of the kingdom of the redeemed. They beheld Jesus clothed with the light of heaven; they heard the "voice out of the cloud" (Luke 9:35), acknowledging Him as the Son of God; they saw Moses, representing those who will be raised from the dead at the time of the second advent; and there also stood Elijah, representing those who at the close of earth's history will be changed from mortal to immortal and be translated to heaven without seeing death. {PK 227.2} (Elijah is the representative of the 144,000 ( Rev 14:1-5) , symbolizing the last generation of God’s faithful people who will be translated to heaven.)
In the desert, in loneliness and discouragement, Elijah had said that he had had enough of life and had prayed that he might die. But the Lord in His mercy had not taken him at his word. There was yet a great work for Elijah to do; and when his work was done, he was not to perish in discouragement and solitude. Not for him the descent into the tomb, but the ascent with God's angels to the presence of His glory. {PK 228.1}
3.3.2.1.4 Mount of Transfiguration
Jesus was clothed with the light of heaven, as He will appear when He shall come "the second time without sin unto salvation." For He will come "in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Hebrews 9:28; Mark 8:38. The Saviour's promise to the disciples was now fulfilled. Upon the mount the future kingdom of glory was represented in miniature,--Christ the King, Moses a representative of the risen saints, and Elijah of the translated ones. {DA 421.4}
Moses and Elijah dialogued with Jesus (see Luke 9:28–36). “And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30, 31, NKJV). Moses’ appearance, proof of Christ’s coming victory over sin and death, is depicted here in unmistakable terms. It was Moses and Elijah, not their “spirits” (after all, Elijah hadn’t died), who had appeared to Jesus there. Moses was not allowed to enter the earthly Canaan (Deut. 34:1–4) but was taken into the heavenly Canaan.
3.3.2.1.5 Misconceptions of Bible Truth on Resurrection
The concept of the resurrection is a very significant and powerful one. But why is it that people have a hard time accepting this truth of the Bible?
Basically, it is the matter of presuppositions. In the way a person reads the Bible. If I bring into the Bible my own presuppositions -from philosophy or some other kind of cultural element or even tradition- I will have difficulties in understanding . In other words, I read the Bible through my own glasses of presuppositions. Some of these are as follows:
For a skeptical mind that does not accept a supernatural element of Scripture, there is no way to accept the truth of resurrection of the righteous dead
For those who believe in the immortality of the soul, they never bring their mind to question why should the soul that is already in heaven at death, rejoicing with the angels and God to opt to be reincarnated in earth to be raised from the grave, if they are already in paradise.
The matter of Near-Death Experiences (NDE’s) where they testify that they have gone to a higher level, higher stage of life, then the resurrection of coming back to this world and be raised again doesn’t make any sense.
Furthermore, take the case of Jesus as His crucifixion drew nearer telling repeatedly His disciples about His forthcoming death. But they seemed unable and unwilling to accept the reality of His statements. Filled with the presuppositions - false notions about the role of the Messiah, the last thing that they had expected was for Him, Jesus, especially as the Messiah, to die. In short, their false theology led them into needless pain and suffering.
Already to Nicodemus, Jesus had declared, “ ‘And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life’ ” (John 3:14, 15, NKJV). While in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus told His disciples that He had to “ ‘go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day’ ” (Matt. 16:21, NKJV). Passing privately through Galilee (Mark 9:30–32) and during His final journey to Jerusalem (Luke 18:31–34), Jesus spoke again to His disciples about His death and resurrection. Because it was not what they wanted to hear, they didn’t listen. How easy it is for us to do the same.(L6-APreface to the Cross)
These are the few examples of presuppositions without allowing the Bible to speak for itself. This same approach can cause us problems in all other subjects the Bible covers. We can then critically end up going in the wrong direction. We must seek the truth with an open and contrite heart asking for the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us into al the Christ has taught us.
3.3.2.2 Lazarus Resurrected after Four Days
Here, too, Jesus uses the metaphor for sleep in talking about death. “ ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up’ ” (John 11:11, NIV). When some thought He was talking about literal sleep (John 11:11–13), Jesus clearly stated what He meant: “ ‘Lazarus is dead’ ” (John 11:12–14, NIV). Actually, when Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead four days; his corpse already was rotting (John 11:17, 39). By the time a body starts decomposing badly enough to smell, there’s no question: the person is dead.
Jesus has a conversation with Martha first after He arrives in Bethany. When He tells her, “ ‘Your brother will rise again’ ” (John 11:23, NKJV), she responds with “ ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day’ ” (John 11:24, NKJV). She had an understanding of life after death, but her statement also makes it clear that she knew that Lazarus would not rise until “the last day.”
Martha would have heard about the resurrections of the widow’s son as well as Jairus’s daughter, but perhaps didn’t think that this miracle would ever be something Jesus could or would do for her. We can all sometimes get skeptical about the possibilities of God’s miracles happening in our own lives and think that miracles are only for others.
But Jesus had a plan to demonstrate to all that life comes through Him because He is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Jesus adds, “ ‘Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die’ ” (John 11:26, ESV). He emphasizes that ultimately, those who believe in Him will not experience the second death. Jesus can resurrect those whom He chooses now, and again in the future, “at the last day.”
The Bible says that by God’s word life was created (Gen, 1:20–30, Ps. 33:6), and by His word life can be re-created, as in the case of Lazarus. After a short prayer, Jesus ordered, “ ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ ” (John 11:43, NKJV). Right then and there these people saw the life-giving power of God, the same power that spoke our world into existence, and the same power that at the end of the age will call the dead back to life in the resurrection.
When told that Lazarus was sick, Jesus told the disciples, “ ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it’ ” (John 11:4, ESV). Although Lazarus did die, it was a temporary death (at least at that moment). Jesus was glorified through Lazarus’s death because everyone witnessed the power of Jesus to give life. Jesus defeated death on the cross. Consequently, He could resurrect others, even before His own sacrifice, because of the Cross. The Bible applies the sacrifice of the “Lamb” to the very beginning of life, as it proclaims the Lamb “slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). The blood of the Lamb made the resurrections possible.
By raising Lazarus, Jesus proved that He had the power to defeat death, which, for beings like us, who inevitably die—what greater manifestation of God’s glory could there be?
3.3.2.2.1 Death and Resurrection
Death is called sleep in both the Old and New Testaments (Dan. 12:2; Acts 7:60; 1 Thess. 4:13, 14). Daniel 12:2 states: “ ‘Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt’ ” (NIV).
This verse speaks about the two resurrections and a special resurrection: the first one before the millennium, when all those who have given their lives to Jesus will be resurrected and taken to heaven; and the second one, after the millennium, of those who rejected Jesus as their Savior (Rev. 20:4–6). There is also (Seventh-day Adventists see a special resurrection here: “A special resurrection precedes Christ’s second advent. ‘All who have died in the faith of the third angel’s message’ will arise at that time. In addition, those who beheld with mockery Christ’s crucifixion, and those who have most violently opposed the people of God, will be brought forth from their graves to see the fulfillment of the divine promise and the triumph of truth [see GC 637; Rev. 1:7].”—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 878.) Moreover, Stephen, who is stoned in the book of Acts, is described as falling asleep (Acts 7:60). It is great comfort to know that when we die, it’s as if we are sleeping because there will be an awakening.
In the presence of God there is no death. Death didn’t come from God. It came on the scene with sin and evil when Satan decided to rebel against the loving and beautiful government of God, and unfortunately humans followed suit. Sin destroys and brings death. “Just as through one man [Adam] sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12, NKJV). (After the fall, mankind uses the free will to choose sin always.)
When Jesus calls Lazarus to come forth, Lazarus walks out of the grave. Amazingly, all Jesus has to do is speak. Once again, just as in the Creation story, Jesus simply speaks, and life results. Just as Jesus created the sun and the moon, animals and humans, so here Jesus creates life again. Jesus resurrects and, therefore, re-creates. Sin and evil, in contrast, destroy—the opposite of creation. They destroy the beautiful and the good of God’s creation.
Yet, the gospel is the great news that Jesus died for us on the cross so that we may have eternal life. He was “raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20, NIV). It is because of His resurrection that all the rest—the resurrection of the righteous to eternal life—is possible.
3.3.3 Forward Review
This forward review is the radical approach in C3 roundup. It is highlighting key passages of God’s word to strengthen our faith at Christ’s resurrection and all the convincing evidence He gave us to believe in the crucial event of His resurrection from death on the cross. (SS L6 –L8).This is In view of the world in crisis that began with the C-19 pandemic that may snowball to be the prophesied impending time of trouble as the worst that ever was. In discerning the signs of the time, the hour of the end is at hand. It will concludes with the assurance of the fulfillment of the Bible truth to Jn 3:16* with the New Testament hope in the end –time resurrection of the righteous dead and the translation of the righteous living at the Second Coming.
(Note: Jn 3:16*- All the world should actually perish and blotted out of existence. But Christ redeemed the whole world so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For Adam and Evethe tree was a test of loyalty. However it is also a door where God says I am giving you all of this and but I am not going to force you to serve me. It is the God of love saying you are going to die if you stay in your sins but I am giving up a door The door has been opened and the light shining through the door (1 Jn 1:7) and you got to walk in in the light and the blood of Jesus cleanses you from all unrighteousness in faith in Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of your sins.)
The central theme of the cross is Jesus died for us and not just to impact your lives now but also to give us the promise of eternal life. Furthermore the resurrection of Jesus is central to the Christian faith. Paul made this point very powerfully when he wrote: “For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (1 Cor. 15:16–18, NKJV)
By the word of God, Jesus is God just as God our Father. He was in the beginning with God and He was God. Jesus also knows all things He sees. He is the future. Jesus knew since all eternity that one day He would become a man and he would die for our sins. This plan of redemption and of salvation towards humanity was not an after-thought formulated after the fall of Adam. It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God’s throne. That plan is an unfolding of who God is.He will die for His creatures that were rejecting Him, putting a crown of thorns upon his head, whipping Him and spitting upon His face He bears all these suffering and dying for a rebellious planet that for the most part did not respect the sacrifice that was being made. This substitutionary death in dying in the place of sinners to give us life. His death is central to the Plan of Salvation.
Starting with Adam and Eve their life was extended when they ate that forbidden fruit because there was the death of a lamb pointing to the Son of God. So the death of Christ was in types and figures already present from the foundation of the world. When that sin took place in the story of humanity the death of Jesus was virtually present. That is why Adam and Eve were given a time period of grace from dying that day and they lived past 900 years. It was time bought by the blood of Jesus.
The idea of coming to the knowledge of the cross was initially a struggle even for His disciples which is also the case that some of us have today. Perhaps it is a struggle with the ideas of the cross being crucial in the need for a substitude for a future life.It is because we think of the good thing in life here and now and the future can’t be better..Thus the meaning of the cross being crucial in the need for a substitude for a future life is strange and inappropriate. This is the main object of Satan in defeating Jesus. “Materialism”is the reality of the secular world today, and the “wisdom of the world,” is there is no God or supernatural realm of existence
The idea that Jesus was born for the purpose of dying as a sacrifice was completely opposite to the mindset of the discipleswho expected him to overthrow the Romans and take over the reign. They did not understand and they were afraid to ask and were exceedingly sorrowful. Their visions of reality was just averse to His death and they were not interested to know about it as it would not happen. This is a lesson fot the SDA church to reflect whether our vision of what is coming is really rooted in scripture or are we having our own ideas and making it a bit more colourful. We need to know what following Jesus means.that the greatest honour in this life is to suffer for God. Many Israelites gave up their belief when they heard of the sacrifice before the glory and never return. (Jn 14-16 ) For the unbelievers, they need to ask what is it thatwe don’t want to hear today that prevented us from accepting what Christ did for us.
3.3.3.1 The Infinite Love of Christ
The Cross of Christ is the very center of salvation history. “Eternity can never fathom the depth of love revealed in the cross of Calvary. It was there that the infinite love of Christ and the unbounded selfishness of Satan stood face to face.”—Stephen N. Haskell, The Cross and Its Shadow (South Lancaster, MA: Bible Training School, 1914), p. v.
While Christ was humbly offering Himself as a ransom for the human race, Satan was selfishly engulfing Him in suffering and agony. Christ did not die just the natural death that every human being has to face. He died the second death, (eternal death) so that all those who accept Him will never have to experience it for themselves.
3.3.3.1.1 Meaning of the Cross (1 Cor 1;18-24)
There are several important aspects that we should remember.1. The Cross is the supreme revelation of God’s justiceagainst sin (Rom. 3:21–26). 2. The Cross is the supreme revelation of God’s love for sinners(Rom. 5:8). 3. The Cross is the great source of power to break the chains of sin (Rom. 6:22, 23; 1 Cor. 1:17–24). 4., The Cross is our only hope of eternal life (Phil. 3:9–11; John 3:14–16; 1 John 5:11, 12). And 5. Tthe Cross is the only antidote against a future rebellion in the universe (Rev. 7:13–17, Rev. 22:3).
None of these crucial truths about the Cross can be discovered by the “wisdom of the world.” On the contrary, then, as now, the preaching of the Cross is “foolishness” to worldly wisdom, which often doesn’t even acknowledge the most obvious truth there could be: that a Creator exists (see Rom. 1:18–20)
Jesus warned His disciple. you will be betrayed by parents and friends. Even the elect would be deceived. Thus Jesus has warned us as His followers that we will be hated by all people. Most of us don’t like to be hated by all people but loved by all people. These warnings are there but sometimes we just pretend they are not.
What we do notdiscern at the cross was that Satan and all his demonic angels were pressing upon Christ and gatherings about Him such that Jesus could not see for the first time in His life as a human being and for the first time in eternity as God the Son not seeing the Father’s loving face towards Him. He had to feel the wrath of God against sin. Jesus carried the guilt of every sinner and that was the plan when He said “it is finished “
3.3.3.1.2 “‘It Is Finished!’”
While Jesus was hanging on the cross, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders mocked Him, saying “ ‘He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him’ ” (Matt. 27:42, NKJV).
Christ was able but not willing to do so. His unconditional love for all humanity, including those mockers, did not allow Him to give up. Actually, “the mockers were among those whom He was dying to save; and He could not come down from the cross and save Himself, because He was held, not by the nails, but by His will to save them.”—Alfred Plummer, An Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to S. Matthew (London: Elliot Stock, 1910), p. 397.
In the suffering of Christ, Jesus was defeating the kingdom of Satan, even though it was Satan who had instigated the events that led to the cross, including Judas’s betrayal (John 6:70; John 13:2, 27). “Somehow, in a way the Evangelist does not try to describe, the death of Jesus is both an act of Satan and an act in which Jesus wins the victory over Satan.”—George E. Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, rev. ed. (Cambridge, UK: Lutterworth Press, 1994), p. 192.
Crying from the cross, “ ‘It is finished’ ” (John 19:30), Christ implied not only that His agony had come to an end, but also especially that He had won the great cosmic-historic controversy against Satan and his evil forces. “All heaven triumphed in the Saviour’s victory. Satan was defeated, and knew that his kingdom was lost.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 758.
It’s hard to grasp the amazing contrast here: in the utter humiliation of the Son of God He had won, for us and for the universe, the greatest and most glorious victory.
His dying was the crushing of the head of Satan. Satan’s tail is still moving and drawing a lot of people still. But the truth is his destruction is sure, soon he will stop moving.
The angels in heaven and all the unfallen beings in the universe when they see the extension of the love of Christ and the malignity of the character of Satan they would have no more doubt and the character of God is beyond reproach forever.
3.3.3.2 Christ’s Victory Over Death (SS L7)- Resurrection of Jesus
Central to the Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus. Paul made this point very powerfully when he wrote: “For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (1 Cor15:16–18, NKJV). The resurrection of Jesus is crucial to the entire Christian faith and the plan of salvation. Some of the Irrefutable evidences of His resurrection He gave us to believe in it are shared for the unbelievers to be convicted and have the assurance of the hope by faith in Jesus Christ as our Creator and Saviour.
The Cross is Christ’s victory over sin, death, and the devil; and His resurrection is the culminating triumphal event.Death could not retain Jesus, for He never committedsin and was sinless in all His actions. Jesus’ death is the central point of His accomplishments; however, the Cross without the resurrection would become only a beautiful philosophy of unselfish service and have no salvific significance. Furthermore, the Cross without the resurrection would be a demonstration of sacrificial love but have no power to transform lives and bring a decisive solution to the problem of sin and death. It would be incapable of providing eternal life for believers (Rom.3:21–26).
Christ’s resurrection is crucial. Because of His resurrection, the righteous can be resurrected too. He has, and is, the key to unlocking all the other tombs! The apostle Paul clarifies this truth about Jesus: “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent” (Col. 1:18, ESV). Christ holds a unique and irreplaceable position and authority because He is the Creator. He experienced resurrection from the dead as a result of the cooperation of God, the Father, and also the Holy Spirit,, the third divinity of the Godhead . John 10:17, 18; Acts 2:24; Rom. 8:11; Gal. 1:1). He has the divinity of the Godhead to raise people from the dead (John 11:25) because He defeated death. Even though some were resurrected before Him, such as Moses and Lazarus, they were resurrected only in anticipation of Christ’s victorious death(Eph. 1:4, 1 Pet. 1:20, Rev. 13:8). Christ’s perfect life, death, and resurrection are the cause of new life for all who believe in Him. Without His death, there is no eternal life. As through Adam came death, so through Jesus Christ “came also the resurrection of the dead” and in Him “shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:21, 22). Christ is “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor.15:20).
3.3.3.2.1 Sealed Tomb as Prevention of Resurrection
Christ’s mission seemed to have ended (and even failed) with His death on the cross. Satan succeeded in instigating Judas to betray the Savior (Luke 22:3, 4; John 13:26, 27) and the chief priests and elders to demand His death (Matt. 26:59, Matt. 27:20). After Jesus was arrested, “all the disciples forsook Him and fled” (Matt. 26:56, NKJV), and Peter denied Him three times (Matt. 26:69–75). Now Jesus was lying in a tomb hewed out of a rock, closed with a large and sealed stone, protected by Roman guards (Matt. 27:57–66), and watched by invisible demonic powers. “If he could, he [Satan] would have held Christ locked in the tomb.”—Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, p. 412.
During His earthly ministry, Christ had foretold not only His death on the cross but also His resurrection. Using the Eastern inclusive language—in which a fraction of a day stands for a whole day—Jesus mentioned that “ ‘as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth’ ” (Matt. 12:39, 40, NKJV). On other occasions Jesus underscored that He would be killed but on the third day He would rise again (Matt. 16:21; Matt. 17:22, 23; Matt. 20:17–19). The chief priests and the Pharisees were aware of those statements and took measures that they hoped would prevent His resurrection.
All security measures taken to keep Jesus locked in the tombonly made His victory over death and the hosts of evil even more noticeable because of all the precautions and measures that His enemies took to try to make sure His resurrectiion would never happen.
Also, these men surely had heard of the miracles of Jesus; they had seen some of them, too. And yet, they thought that a guard over the tomb could stop Him, the one who was able to do so many miracles, from being resurrected?
Also, they put a guard around the tomb in case of—what? That the disciples might steal the body and then claim that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead? When the people would ask, “Where is the risen Jesus?” They could say: “Just take our word for it.”
If nothing else, their actions revealed just how afraid the chief priests were of Jesus, even after He died. Perhaps, deep down, they did fear that He just might be resurrected after all.
3.3.3.2.1.1 “‘He Is Risen!’”
The victory of Christ over Satanand his evil powers was secured on the cross and confirmed by the empty tomb. “When Jesus was laid in the grave, Satan triumphed. He dared to hope that the Saviour would not take up His life again. He claimed the Lord’s body, and set his guard about the tomb, seeking to hold Christ a prisoner. He was bitterly angry when his angels fled at the approach of the heavenly messenger. When he saw Christ come forth in triumph, he knew that his kingdom would have an end, and that he must finally die.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 782. And though Christ’s humanity died, His divinity did not die. In His divinity, Christ possessed the power to break the bonds of death.
Meanwhile, Matthew 28:11–15 reveals the futile and foolish efforts of the leaders to continue fighting against Jesus. The Roman guard told the leaders “all the things that had happened” (Matt. 28:11, NKJV). Implicit in this account is the idea that the guards saw the Resurrection. If not, what would their words mean?
An angel came down from heaven, moved the stone, sat on it, and the guards fainted? The next thing that they knew the tomb was empty? Maybe, while the Romans were unconscious, the angel took away the body of Jesus? Maybe the disciples did? Or someone else stole it? Whatever happened, the body of Jesus was, obviously, gone. An angel from heaven coming down, the men fainting from fear, and the tomb being empty would have been disconcerting enough to the religious leaders. But that they “gave a large sum of money to the soldiers” (Matt. 28:12, NKJV) to keep these men quiet implied that whatever the soldiers told them disturbed them deeply. And what they told of, of course, was the resurrection of Jesus.
3.3.3.2.1.1.2 Christ Is Alive
The most astonishing and exciting news proclaimed on resurrection day (Sunday) “Jesus Christ has risen! He is alive!” (Mark 16:6, Luke 24:34). Today it is still the most outstanding news of the gospel. Jesus is no longer in the tomb; He was resurrected. Death could not retain Jesus because He was righteous and had never sinned (John 14:30, 2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15). Christ predicted His death and resurrection several times to His disciples, but they did not understand, for His message made no sense to them at the time (Matt. 16:21; Mark 8:31, 32; Luke 18:31–34). During the Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus announced that He would live again, even though He would be betrayed and die: “ ‘I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom’ ” (Matt. 26:29, ESV; compare with Mark 14:25).
3.3.3.2.1.1.2.1The Lord’s Supper & Baptism Observance
When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we also signify by our participation that we believe in Christ’s resurrection. As Paul states: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor. 11:26, ESV). When people are baptized, they also confirm their belief in Christ’s resurrection and their desire to live a new life of faith: “All of us . . . have been baptized into Christ. . . . We were buried . . . in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead . . . we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3, 4, ESV). Thus, Christian baptism is practiced as the remembrance of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
After more than 60 years, John the apostle met the glorified Jesus. Jesus appeared to John and said: “ ‘I died, and behold I am alive forevermore’ ” (Rev. 1:18, ESV). Christianity is about the life we receive from Jesus because He died for us. He can give this life to us because He was resurrected. Because He lives, He can apply to us everything that He accomplished on the cross through His intercessory ministry in our behalf.
3.3.3.2.1.2 Many Arose With Him
An earthquake marked the death of Jesus (Matt. 27:50, 51), and another one marked His resurrection (Matt. 28:2). At the moment Jesus died, “the earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people” (Matt. 27:51–53, NIV). These saints were raised glorified as witnesses of Christ’s own resurrection and as prototypes of those who will be raised at the final resurrection. Thus, right after the resurrection of Jesus, many of the Jewish people were given powerful evidence to believe in His resurrection and thus to accept Him as their Savior, which many did, including many priests (see Acts 6:7).
“During His ministry, Jesus had raised the dead to life. He had raised the son of the widow of Nain, and the ruler’s daughter and Lazarus. But these were not clothed with immortality. After they were raised, they were still subject to death. But those who came forth from the grave at Christ’s resurrection were raised to everlasting life. They ascended with Him as trophies of His victory over death and the grave. . . . These went into the city, and appeared unto many, declaring, Christ has risen from the dead, and we be risen with Him. Thus was immortalized the sacred truth of the resurrection.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 786.
Humanly speaking, the chief priests and elders had great advantages. They held the religious power of the nation and were even able to convince the Roman authorities and the crowds to help them with their schemes. But they forgot that “ ‘ “the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes” ’ ” (Dan. 4:32, NASB). Their lies were contradicted and invalidated by the existence of those resurrected saints
3.3.3.2.1.3 Witnesses of the Risen Christ
The two angels at the empty tomb told Mary Magdalene and some other women that Jesus had risen (Matt. 28:1, 5–7; Mark 16:1–7; Luke 24:1–11). But soon Jesus Himself appeared to them, and they worshiped Him (Matt. 28:1, 9, 10; John 20:14–18). He appeared also to Peter (Luke 24:34, 1 Cor. 15:5) and to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, whose hearts were burning while He was speaking to them (Mark 16:12, Luke 24:13–35). When Jesus came into the Upper Room, the disciples were initially terrified and frightened, but then they were filled with joy and marveled at what had happened (Luke 24:33–49, John 20:19–23). A week later, Jesus came again into the same room without opening the doors, and then even Thomas believed in His resurrection (John 20:24–29).
During the 40 days between His resurrection and His ascension, Jesus “was seen by over five hundred brethren at once” (1 Cor. 15:6, NKJV) and by James (1 Cor. 15:7). Jesus joined some disciples at the shore of the Sea of Galilee and had breakfast with them, followed by a talk with Peter (John 21:1–23). There might have been other appearances of Jesus (Acts 1:3) before the final one at His ascension (Luke 24:50–53, Acts 1:1–11). Paul also considered himself an eyewitness to the risen Christ, who appeared to him on the road to Damascus (1 Cor. 15:8; compare with Acts 9:1–9).
When the other disciples first told the absent Thomas they had seen the risen Lord, he reacted by saying, “ ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe’ ” (John 20:25, NKJV). A week later, Jesus reappeared to the disciples, now with Thomas present, Jesus said to him, “ ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing’ ” (John 20:27, NKJV).
Then Thomas confessed, “ ‘My Lord and my God!’ ” And Jesus added, “ ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’ ” (John 20:29, NKJV). (This is referring to our faith in Christ by the study of His word and surrendering our self fully into His hands.)
3.3.3.2.2 Hope Proclaimed
The apostle Paul powerfully reminds the first Christians about those who passed away in faith, hoping in the appearing of Christ at the Second Coming. He assures those weak in faith that because Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. The dead in Christ will rise first. Then those who are alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:13–18, ESV).
John also proclaims: “ ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’ ” (Rev. 14:13, ESV).
3.3.3.2.2.1 Conclusive Evidence on Resurrection of Christ
Modern sentiment doesn’t allow for something like the resurrection of Jesus. However, the historical evidence is so strong that even those who can’t accept the reality of the Resurrection are forced to admit that many people believed that they had seen the resurrected Jesus. Thus, much of anti-resurrection apologetics is the attempt to explain what could have caused all these different people to believe that they had seen the risen Christ.
The historical evidence is so strong for Christ’s resurrection that these are the kinds of arguments people concoct in order to try to dismiss it.
Some have argued that all the disciples hallucinated the resurrected Jesus; others that Jesus hadn’t really died but only had swooned and then come back to life after He had been brought down from the cross, and when He had reappeared, His followers thought that He had been raised from the dead. And (believe it or not) some have argued that Jesus had a twin brother whom the disciples mistook for the risen Christ.
With the Resurrection itself so important, we should not be surprised by all the good reasons we have been given to believe it.
3.3.3.2.2.2 The Christian Hope in Christ
For Christ and the apostles, the Christian hope was not a new hope but, rather, the unfolding of the “ancient hope*) already nurtured by the patriarchs and prophets. For example, Christ mentioned that Abraham foresaw and rejoiced to see His day (John 8:56). Jude stated that Enoch prophesied about the Second Coming (Jude 14, 15). And the book of Hebrews speaks of the heroes of faith as having expected a heavenly reward that they would not receive until we receive ours (Heb. 11:39, 40). This statement would be meaningless if their souls were already with the Lord in heaven.
By stressing that only those who are in Christ have eternal life (1 John 5:11, 12), John disproves the theory of the natural immortality of the soul. Truly, there is no eternal life apart from a saving relationship with Christ. The New Testament hope*, then, is a Christ-centered hope, and the only hope that this mortal existence will one day become an immortal one. Paul is explicit that our resurrection is inseparably tied to Christ’s resurrection. Our resurrection and together with the translated living receive immortality at the Second Coming. This is biblical promise of eternal life in Jesus. And that is the key: we have this hope in Jesus and what His death and resurrection offer us. Otherwise, we die without any hope of transformation to eternal life in Jesus.
Life can be hard enough even if we believe in God and in the hope of eternity. But by contrast, hard it is for those who have no hope of anything beyond the short and often troubled existence here. More than one secular writer has commented on the meaninglessness of human existence, since we all not only die, but we all also live with the realization that we are going to die. And this realization is what makes the whole project of human life, which is often hard and sorrowful in and of itself, seemingly null and void. One thinker referred to humans as nothing but “hunks of spoiling flesh on disintegrating bones.” Rather macabre, but, again, it’s hard to argue with the logic
: 3.3.3.2.2.2.1 New Testament Hope*
The New Testament passages about the resurrection from the dead, whether from Paul and the other apostles or from Jesus Himself, once again do not say anything about immortal souls or spirits already being in heaven. The New Testament hope is found in the resurrection and the Second Coming.
The passages mentioned in this lesson in conjunction with the state of the dead are as follows:
Hebrews 11:39, 40: Heroes of faith do not receive their heavenly reward until we receive ours. (see Rev 6: 6-9)
1 John 5:11, 12: This text teaches that only those who are in Christ have eternal life. Therefore, the implications are clear: we are not endowed with immortal “souls,” because only those who choose Christ will receive eternal life.
1 Corinthians 15:12–19: Our hope of eternal life and resurrection comes from the resurrection of Jesus. If we don’t rise at that time, it means that Christ did not rise. If that is true, then we all die and stay dead forever.
John 14:1–3: Jesus promised to prepare a place for us and come back to get us. This promise would be unnecessary if we already were in heaven.
John 6:35–54: Jesus says four times that He will raise him (humans) up in the last day. If humans will be raised up, then they need to come back to life after death, which precludes living somewhere else as souls/ spirits.
Thessalonians 4:13–18: God will resurrect the deceased believers, and they will be met by those who are alive at that time. The final resurrection wouldn’t matter if souls already were in heaven.
1 Corinthians 15:51–55: The “mystery*” is the transformation of the righteous living at the Second Coming. The resurrection of the dead and transformation of the living righteous happen at the same time.
3.3.3.2.2.2.1.1 Secret Rapture* Deception
This “mystery*” (1 Cor. 15:51 is interpreted by some popular preachers as the “secret rapture” of the church, which is to occur seven years prior to Christ’s glorious second coming. In this “secret rapture” faithful Christians are suddenly, quietly, and secretly whisked off to heaven while everyone else remains here wondering what happened to them. People might suddenly find themselves in a driverless car, because the driver was raptured to heaven and all that “remains are their clothes.” The 16-volume best-selling Left Behind series, turned into four movies, promoted this false teaching, exposing millions to it.
No biblical passage endorses such an artificial distinction between the rapture and the Second Coming. The “mystery” Paul is referring to is simply the transformation of the living righteous to join the resurrected righteous at Christ’s second coming. This is the “rapture.” There is no “secret rapture” because the Second Coming will be visible to all living human beings (Rev. 1:7), and both the resurrection of the dead and the transformation of the living ones will occur at the sound of the trumpet at Christ’s return (1 Cor. 15:51, 52).
From two passages of the inspired writings of Ellen White on the Second Coming:
“Christ’s second coming will bring about the most amazing encounter ever. The living righteous are changed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52). At the voice of God, they are glorified; now they are made immortal and with the risen saints are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. Angels “‘gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other’ ” (Matt. 24:31, NKJV).
“Little children are borne by holy angels to their mothers’ arms. Friends long separated by death are united, nevermore to part, and with songs of gladness ascend together to the City of God.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 645.
3.3.3.2.2.2.2 Deceptions of Satan
The “secret rapture” is one among other deceptions of Satan on the state of the dead.. A very broad outline is discussed touching on some of them based mainly on the writings of Ellen White’
Satan’s Warfare with Christ is founded onlies.He fabricated counterfeits some of God’s truth.. Most of the things he spread are mixed with a little truth so that many are deceived. starting with ‘Ye shall not surely die” (Gen3:4). This is in contradiction to God’s word, “‘You shall die’ ” (Gen. 2:16, 17, NRSV) which was not restricted to the Garden of Eden. It has echoed throughout history. Many people try to harmonize the words of Satan with the words of God. For them, the warning, “‘You shall die,’ ” refers only to the perishable physical body, while the promise, “ ‘You certainly will not die!’ ” is an allusion to an immortal soul or spirit.
3.3.3.2.2.2.2.1 “Immortality of the Soul”(See par 3.2.2.1.2)
The “immortality of the soul” is the most prominent false doctrine. Already, consider how widespread the “secret rapture” belief is obscuring the truth about the true mystery in the resurrection of the dead and transformation of the living righteous happening at the same time.
Passages from “The Great Controversy” by Ellen G. White is the best way to have a quick gist on the terror and deadly power of Satan in deceiving ignorant peopleinto the bondage of sin that only end in eternal death, the cessation of the life God has given to us in His love. ( Read full text : GC –EGW in Ch 33 –The First Great Deception - https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/132.2404#2404 & Ch 34 –Can Our dead Speak to Us? - https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/132.2495#2495 ) .
“It is an undeniable fact that the hope of immortal blessedness at death has led to a widespread neglect of the Bible doctrine of the resurrection…
The theory of the immortality of the soul was one of those false doctrines that Rome, borrowing from paganism, incorporated into the religion of Christendom.. {GC 549.2}
Nowhere in the Sacred Scriptures is found the statement that the righteous go to their reward or the wicked to their punishment at death. The patriarchs and prophets have left no such assurance. Christ and His apostles have given no hint of it. The Bible clearly teaches that the dead do not go immediately to heaven. They are represented as sleeping until the resurrection. 1 Thessalonians 4:14; Job 14:10-12. …In the very day..They that go down to the grave are in silence. They know no more of anything that is done under the sun. Job 14:21. Blessed rest for the weary righteous! Time, be it long or short, is but a moment to them. They sleep; they are awakened by the trump of God to a glorious immortality- 1 Corinthians 15:52-54. As they are called forth from their deep slumber they begin to think just where they ceased. The last sensation was the pang of death; the last thought, that they were falling beneath the power of the grave. When they arise from the tomb, their first glad thought will be echoed in the triumphal shout: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" Verse 55. {GC 549.3}
3.3.3.2.2.2.2.2 Modern Spiritualism
The doctrine of man's consciousness in death, especially the belief that spirits of the dead return to minister to the living, has prepared the way for modern spiritualism. If the dead are admitted to the presence of God and holy angels, and privileged with knowledge far exceeding what they before possessed, why should they not return to the earth to enlighten and instruct the living? ..why should they not be permitted to communicate with them, to warn them against evil, or to comfort When they have been led to believe that the dead actually return to communicate with them, Satan causes those .. pretended visitants from the world of spirits sometimes utter cautions and warnings which prove to be correct. Then, as confidence is gained, they present doctrines that directly undermine faith in the Scriptures. With an appearance of deep interest in the well-being of their friends on earth, they insinuate the most dangerous errors. The fact that they state some truths, and are able at times to foretell future events, gives to their statements an appearance of reliability; and their false teachings are accepted by the multitudes as readily, and believed as implicitly, as if they were the most sacred truths of the Bible. The law of God is set aside, the Spirit of grace despised, the blood of the covenant counted an unholy thing. The spirits deny the deity of Christ and place even the Creator on a level with themselves. Thus under a new disguise the great rebel still carries on his warfare against God, begun in heaven and for nearly six thousand years continued upon the earth. {GC 552.2}
Satan beguiles men now as he beguiled Eve in Edenby flattery, by kindling a desire to obtain forbidden knowledge, by exciting ambition for self-exaltation. It was cherishing these evils that caused his fall, and through them he aims to compass the ruin of men.
He has power* to bring before men the appearance of their departed friends. The counterfeit is perfect; the familiar look, the words, the tone, are reproduced with marvelous distinctness. Many are comforted with the assurance that their loved ones are enjoying the bliss of heaven, and without suspicion of danger, they give ear "to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." {GC 552.1} (
(Note*: in the same manner, as his crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. .. Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. (Revelation 1:13-15). The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air: "Christ has come! Christ has come!" {LDE 163.2}
The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed His disciples when He was upon the earth;.. he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed.--GC 624 (1911). {LDE 163.3)})
Spiritualism teaches "that man is the creature of progression; that it is his destiny from his birth to progress, even to eternity, toward the Godhead." And again: "Each mind will judge itself and not another." "The judgment will be right, because it is the judgment of self. . . . The throne is within you." Said a spiritualistic teacher, as the "spiritual consciousness" awoke within him: "My fellow men, all were unfallen demigods." And another declares: "Any just and perfect being is Christ." {GC 554.1}
Thus, in place of the righteousness and perfection of the infinite God, the true object of adoration; in place of the perfect righteousness of His law, the true standard of human attainment, Satan has substituted the sinful, erring nature of man himself as the only object of adoration, the only rule of judgment, or standard of character. This is progress, not upward, but downward. {GC 554.2}
3.3.3.2.2.2.2.3 Certainty of Satan’s Defeat / Assurance of Resurrection
But none need be deceived by the lying claims of spiritualism. God has given the world sufficient light to enable them to discover the snare. As already shown, the theory which forms the very foundation of spiritualism is at war with the plainest statements of Scripture. The Bible declares that the dead know not anything that their thoughts have perished; they have no part in anything that is done under the sun; they know nothing of the joys or sorrows of those who were dearest to them on earth. {GC 556.1}
Crying from the cross, “ ‘It is finished’ ” (John 19:30), Christ implied not only that His agony had come to an end, but also especially that He had won the great cosmic-historic controversy against Satan and his evil forces. “All heaven triumphed in the Saviour’s victory. Satan was defeated, and knew that his kingdom was lost.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 758.
“The voice that cried from the cross, ‘It is finished,’ was heard among the dead. It pierced the walls of sepulchers, and summoned the sleepers to arise. Thus will it be when the voice of Christ shall be heard from heaven. That voice will penetrate the graves and unbar the tombs, and the dead in Christ shall arise. At the Saviour’s resurrection a few graves were opened, but at His second coming all the precious dead shall hear His voice, and shall come forth to glorious, immortal life. The same power that raised Christ from the dead will raise His church, and glorify it with Him, above all principalities, above all powers, above every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in the world to come.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 787
3.3.3.3 Christ Glorifies God
The spirit of forward looking yearns for revelation that is ahead of the remaining six bible lessons in the 4th qtr. As the whole quarter’s bible study is already prepared we are able to highlight some of the forthcoming gems in our weekly Bible Study lessons to strengthen our faith in the hope in Christ by the righteousness of Jesus, the Son of man.
3.3.3.3.1 Speculations on Human Nature (4Th Qtr SS L12)
We resume from the deception of Satan that incorporates dualism in contradiction of God’s word with his lie of an immortal soul which has generated various theories about the human body. For example, for ancient Greek philosophers, the human body was the prison of the soul, which was liberated by death. In an echo of this pagan concept, many Christians today believe that the body is the temporal housing of the immortal soul, which will be reintegrated with the body at the resurrection. By contrast, pantheists make the human body divine; they believe that God and the universe are one and the same. For them, all things are God and the human body is part of the one single, integrated, and universal divine substance. Surrounded by conflicting theories on the subject, we must stand firm on what the Bible teaches regarding the nature of humanity
3.3.3.3.1.1 The Body is God’sTemple (1 Cor3:16, 17; 6:19, 20; 10:31)
Both Adam and Eve were created in God’s own image and likeness (Gen. 1:26, 27), which was reflected not only in their character but also in their physical aspect. Because that image was marred and even hidden by the presence of sin, the work of redemption is to restore human beings, including their physical health, to their original condition, to the degree possible for beings unable to partake of the tree of life.
This restoration is a lifetime process that will be completed only at Christ’s second coming, when the corruptible puts on incorruption and the mortal becomes immortal (1 Cor. 15:53, 54).
The apostle John wrote to his friend Gaius, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul” (3 John 1:2, NRSV).
If we recognize that a human being is an indivisible entity, and that religion embraces all aspects of human life, then we should consider the protection of our physical health also to be a religious duty. We should be guided by the inspired principle “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31, NKJV). But remember that we still live in a world where good people can do their best and yet suffer the consequences of a sinful human nature and a sinful environment. So, we should trust in God and do our best, and we leave the results with God.
3.3.3.3.1.2 God’s Plan of Salvation (4Th Qtr SS L14)
After the rebellion of Lucifer and the fall of Adam and Eve, God could have destroyed the two sinners. Yet, as an expression of unconditional love for His creatures, God established a merciful plan to save all those who accept what He offers. This is what is known as the “plan of salvation,” which, though existing even before the Creation of the earth (Eph. 1:3, 4; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2; Rev. 13:8), was first presented to humanity in Eden, right after the Fall. It was then further revealed in the types and shadows of the Hebrew sanctuary service (Exodus 25). And then it was given its fullest expression in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (see Romans 5).
At the center of the plan of salvation is the promise of eternal life, based on the merits of Jesus, to all who accept, by faith, the great provision supplied at the cross. Before the cross, after the cross—salvation has always been by faith and never by works, however much works are an expression of our salvation.
Abraham, who existed long before the coming of Christ, is an example of salvation by faith: “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness’ ” (Rom. 4:2, 3, NKJV).
Thus, we can have the assurance of salvation if we have accepted Jesus, have surrendered to Him, and have claimed His promises, including those of a new life now in Him, and if we lean totally on His merits and nothing else. Abraham believed, and it was accounted to him as righteousness; it works the same with us.
This, then, is what it means to have His name written on our foreheads ( Rev 22:3-5). If we have it written there now and don’t turn away from Him, then it will be written there in the new heavens and the new earth, as well.
3.3.3.3.1.3 Dualism in Globalization- Final Events
The book of Revelation speaks of two major “globalizations” prior to the second coming of Christ. Revelation 13 describes the globalization of error, when “all the world” will marvel and follow the beast from the sea (Rev. 13:3, 7, 8, 12, 16, NKJV). Revelation 14 highlights the globalization of truth, when the “everlasting gospel” will be preached “to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people” (Rev. 14:6, 7, NKJV). During those “distressing times” (2 Tim. 3:1, NRSV), “every wind of doctrine” will be blowing (Eph. 4:14, NKJV), and people will “turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths” (2 Tim. 4:4, NRSV). “Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 588.
Until these final events unfold, we must remain firm in our belief in all the truth that we have, which includes the nature of humanity and of death, as we seek to be guided by the Holy Spirit with the purpose of being ready for Christ’s glorious appearing.
“The great controversy is nearing its end. Every report of calamity by sea or land is a testimony to the fact that the end of all things is at hand. Wars and rumors of wars declare it. Is there a Christian whose pulse does not beat with quickened action as he anticipates the great events opening before us? The Lord is coming. We hear the footsteps of an approaching God.”—Ellen G. White, Maranatha, p. 220.
“Live the life of faith day by day. Do not become anxious and distressed about the time of trouble, and thus have a time of trouble beforehand. Do not keep thinking, ‘I am afraid I shall not stand in the great testing day.’ You are to live for the present, for this day only. Tomorrow is not yours. Today you are to maintain the victory over self. Today you are to live a life of prayer. Today you are to fight the good fight of faith. Today you are to believe that God blesses you. And as you gain the victory over darkness and unbelief, you will meet the requirements of the Master, and will become a blessing to those around you.”—Ellen G. White, “The Light of the World,” Signs of the Times, October 20, 1887.
“The Lord is soon to come, and we must be prepared to meet Him in peace. Let us be determined to do all in our power to impart light to those around us. We are not to be sad, but cheerful, and we are to keep the Lord Jesus ever before us. . . . We must be ready and waiting for His appearing. Oh, how glorious it will be to see Him, and be welcomed as His redeemed ones! Long have we waited, but our faith is not to become weak. If we can but see the King in His beauty, we shall be forever and forever blessed. I feel as if I must cry aloud, ‘Homeward bound.’ We are nearing the time when Christ will come with power and great glory, to take His ransomed ones to their eternal home.”—Ellen G. White, Heaven, pp. 165, 166.
3.3.3.3.1.4 The Cross of Christ (4Th Qtr SS L14)
Through the cross we learn that our heavenly Father loves us with an infinite and everlasting love, and draws us to Him with more than a mother's yearning sympathy for a wayward child. Can we wonder that Paul exclaimed, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ"? It is our privilege also to glory in the cross of Calvary, our privilege to give ourselves wholly to Him who gave Himself for us. Then with the light of love that shines from His face on ours, we shall go forth to reflect it to those in darkness (RH April 29, 1902). {5BC 1133.2}
Jesus placed the cross in line with the light coming from heaven, for it is there that it shall catch the eye of man. The cross is in direct line with the shining of the divine countenances, so that by beholding the cross men may see and know God and Jesus Christ, whom He hath sent. In beholding God we behold the One who poured out His soul unto death. In beholding the cross the view is extended to God, and His hatred of sin is discerned. But while we behold in the cross God's hatred of sin, we also behold His love for sinners, which is stronger than death. To the world the cross is the incontrovertible argument that God is truth and light and love (ST March 7, 1895). {5BC 1133.3}
“The cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the redeemed through all eternity. In Christ glorified they will behold Christ crucified. Never will it be forgotten that He whose power created and upheld the unnumbered worlds through the vast realms of space, the Beloved of God, the Majesty of heaven, He whom cherub and shining seraph delighted to adore—humbled Himself to uplift fallen man; that He bore the guilt and shame of sin, and the hiding of His Father’s face, till the woes of a lost world broke His heart and crushed out His life on Calvary’s cross. That the Maker of all worlds, the Arbiter of all destinies, should lay aside His glory and humiliate Himself from love to man will ever excite the wonder and adoration of the universe.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 651.
“The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 678.
End of CL3 –71 pages.
Posted on November 20, 2022 by Tsc at singtsc@yahoo.com ( apolology for the delay which is caused by my staying in hospital on Oct 4-5 and Nov 8-12 for treatment of my prostate disease.)
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