SDA Sabbath School Lesson 8--2nd Quarter 2023--The Sabbath and the End

[Wally]

 Lesson 8 May 13-19

The Sabbath and the End

Commentary in Navy                  Inspiration in Maroon

Sabbath Afternoon


Read for This Week’s Study: James 2:8-13; Deut. 5:12-15; Ps. 33:6, 9; Revelation 14; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1.

Memory Text: “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 3:9

And why would we want to see?  Will you worship God who you do not know? It is rather amazing to see so many worshiping idols that do not talk or move. But, true worship involves more than wanting something from a god you do not know. It is given to us to know God, the Creator God who "created all things." And, to not only know Him, but to love Him with all we have and all we are because He first loved us! Worshiping God is dependent upon us knowing Him intimately. Thus, we will be transformed into His image and be made fit for heaven wherein is no sin.

The essence of humanity’s dignity is a common creation. The fact that we are uniquely created by God places value on every human being. The unborn in the mother’s womb, the quadriplegic teenager, the Down syndrome young adult, and the Alzheimer-afflicted grandmother all have immense value to God. God is their Father. They are His sons and daughters. “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. … And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:24-26, NKJV).

Ours is a shared heritage. We belong to the same family. We are brothers and sisters fashioned, shaped, and molded by the same God. Creation provides a true sense of self-worth. When the genes and chromosomes came together to form the unique biological structure of your personality, God threw away the pattern. There is no one else like you in all the universe. You are unique, a one-of-a-kind creation, a being of such immense value that the God who created the cosmos took upon Himself our fleshly bodies and offered Himself as a sacrifice for you and your sins!

The Bible says He took on the likeness of sinful flesh. There is a difference. He set an example for us to follow who live in sinful flesh. It is not an excuse for sin. We can overcome in sinful flesh. It is the power of God's grace that transforms  sinners into saints, if we will learn of Him who gave all that we might live.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 20.

[Richard Myers]

Sunday      May 14
The Judgment, Creation, and Accountability

If we are merely a collection of randomly formed cells, simply the product of chance and an advanced African ape, nothing more, then life has little meaning. If we are merely one of the estimated eight billion people clawing at one another for living space on a planet called earth, life loses its purpose, other than mere survival. In contrast, the biblical Creation provides a reason to live and a moral imperative for living. We have been created by God and are accountable to Him for our actions. The One who made us holds us responsible. He has established absolutes, even in a world of “moral relativism.”

Read Revelation 14:7, Romans 14:10, and James 2:8-13.

 14:7   Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 
 14:10   But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 
 2:8   If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 
 2:9   But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 
 2:10   For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all. 
 2:11   For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 
 2:12   So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 
 2:13   For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. 

What does judgment imply about issues such as accountability and responsibility? How are the judgment, the commandments of God, and worship linked?

The message of the three angels flying in midair in Revelation 14 announces that “the hour of His judgment has come” (Rev. 14:7, NKJV). Since we were created by God with the capacity to make moral choices, we are responsible for the decisions we make. If we were merely a random collection of cells, products of our heredity and environment only, our actions would largely be determined by forces over which we had no control.

But judgment implies moral responsibility. In this crisis hour of earth’s history, the judgment hour, God calls us to make decisions in the light of eternity. The first angel’s earnest appeal to “worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of waters” (Rev. 14:7, NKJV) acknowledges that the basis of all worship is the fact that we were created by God.

Meanwhile, our adherence to the seventh-day Sabbath demonstrates our belief that Jesus is worthy to be worshiped as our Creator. It reveals our acceptance of His Ten Commandment law as divinely inspired principles for living life to the fullest. Because the law is the foundation of God’s government and a revelation of His character, it becomes the standard of judgment. Our faithfulness to the Sabbath commandment is acknowledgment of our commitment to live obedient lives.

How does our understanding of Creation influence our behavior? What relationship does heredity and environment have to the choices we make daily? How can we, by God’s grace, overcome character defects that we didn’t choose to have in the first place?

An important question. It is the all important question to be answered. "How can we keep the law of God which includes overcoming our character defects?" Not only does this question need to be asked and answered, it also is most important to tie together God's mercy with His judgment. We ought not just present one. It is Satan's work to separate the two. Our part in our salvation is immeasurably small, God's part is immeasurably large. What is our part? We must love God supremely, then all else will fall into place. Then the question to be answered is how can I love God with my whole heart? This is not a hard question to answer, but few seem to get it, and if they do understand, why is it that they do not do what needs to be done that they may have power to obey God?

When you come up with what we must do in order to fall in love with God with all of the heart, then share with your class the answer after giving them an opportunity to answer the most important question ever asked. Remember that the answer will empower those who follow the answer will then be able to overcome their defects of character by God's grace.

[Richard Myers]

Monday        May 15
The Sabbath and Creation

It is because our world so desperately needs the reassuring message of Creation that God gave us the Sabbath. In the mid-1800s when the evolutionary hypothesis was taking the intellectual world by storm, God sent a message of incredible hope. We have been studying this message, found in Revelation 14:6, 7.

Satan has made every attempt to distort the idea of Creation because he hates Jesus and does not want Him to receive the worship due Him as our Creator and Redeemer. The Sabbath is at the center of the great controversy over Christ’s worthiness to receive worship as our Creator. God’s last-day message is one that calls all humanity back to worshiping Christ as the Creator of heaven and earth. The basis of all worship is the fact that He created us.

Read Genesis 2:1-3, Exodus 20:8-11, and Deuteronomy 5:12-15 in the context of Revelation 14:6, 7.


 2:1   Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 
 2:2   And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 
 2:3   And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. 
 20:8   Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 
 20:9   Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 
 20:10   But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: 
 20:11   For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 
 5:12   Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. 
 5:13   Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: 
 5:14   But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. 
 5:15   And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and [that] the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. 
 14:6   And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 
 14:7   Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.


How do we see in the Sabbath commandment the link between Creation and Redemption, as well?

Why did God give us a day off every week? Why are we encouraged to go into what God created on the Sabbath? What is it that causes us to love the Lord our God with all of the heart? The Bible tells us that we love Him because He first loved us even when we were yet sinners. How do we know how much He loves us? Look at what He created for us. Now look at the work of man in the cities. Which is more beautiful? Which smells best? Which one do you choose to live in? Look at the beauty of the flowers, the clouds, the sky, the mountains, the valleys, the tall trees that whisper in the wind. Look at the animals. How does the work of man compare to the wonders of God's creation. Then consider how many days it took God to speak these things into  existence. Do you question His love or power? Can we not see that God wants us to remember both His love and His power, and that the Sabbath was made for man to remember both His great love for us and His creative power? it was important for Adam and Eve to not forget this, but how much more important for those who are at enmity with God because they do not know Him and for us who love Him to stop and remember His love and power that we continue to keep our eyes on the things we cannot see which are eternal.

Sabbath is an eternal symbol of our rest in Him. It is a special sign of loyalty to the Creator (Ezek. 20:12, 20). Rather than an arbitrary legalistic requirement, it reveals that true rest from righteousness by works is found in Him. The Sabbath speaks of a God who has achieved for us what we could never do for ourselves.

Scripture calls us to rest in His love and care each Sabbath. Sabbath is a symbol of rest, not works; of grace, not legalism; of assurance, not condemnation; of depending upon Him, not upon ourselves. Each Sabbath we rejoice in His goodness, and praise Him for the salvation that can be found only in Christ.

The Sabbath is also the eternal link between the perfection of Eden in the past and the glory of the new heavens and the new earth in the future (Isa. 65:17, Rev. 21:1).

The Sabbath calls us back to our roots. It’s a link to our family of origin. The Sabbath has been observed continuously since time began. It is an unbroken connection back through time to our creation. It keeps us focused on the glorious truth that we are children of God. It calls us to an intimate, close relationship with Him.

How is the Sabbath commandment hinted at in Revelation 14:6, 7, and why is it important to our end-time message? (See Exod. 20:8-11.)

 14:6   And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 
 14:7   Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 

14:6 tells us how much God loves us in that He suffered for every sin ever done on this wicked spot in the universe. He suffered and died for you and me while we were yet sinners. 14:7 tells us how powerful He is in that He is the Creator of "heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
The end time message begins with this truth that God loves us and wants us to be forgiven and transformed through His grace (power). Creation testifies to both His love and creative power. The end time message entrusted to us begins with love and mercy and ends with the justice of God as a warning of what is coming when mercy is at its end.

[Richard Myers]

Tuesday       May 16
A Not-So-Subtle Deception

In an attempt to destroy the uniqueness of our creation, the devil has introduced a not-so-subtle counterfeit. The counterfeit, accepted by even some among us, goes like this. God is the prime cause of creation, but He took long ages to bring life into existence. Evolution was the process He used. This approach attempts to harmonize “scientific data” with the Genesis account. It asserts that the days of creation are long, indefinite periods of time and that life on earth is billions of years old.

Read Psalm 33:6, 9 and Hebrews 11:3. What do these clear Bible passages tell us about how God created the world?

The biblical account is clear. God “spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Ps. 33:9, NKJV). “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God” (Heb. 11:3, NKJV). The first chapter of Genesis affirms that God created the world in six literal days of 24 hours and rested on the seventh. The linguistic structure of Genesis 1 and 2 does not permit anything else. Even scholars who don’t believe in the literal six-day Creation acknowledge that the author’s intent was to teach the six-day Creation.

The Hebrew word for “day” in Genesis 1 is “yom.” Throughout the Bible, every time a number modifies the word “yom” as an adjective (third day, first day, whatever), it limits the time period to 24 hours. Without exception, it is always a 24-hour period.

Also, and to the immediate point, if God did not create the world in six literal days, what significance does the seventh-day Sabbath have? Why would God command it? It would make absolutely no sense at all to leave the Sabbath as an eternal legacy of a six-day Creation week if a six-day Creation week never existed to begin with. To accept long ages of creation is to challenge the very need for the seventh-day Sabbath. It also raises serious questions regarding the integrity of Scripture.

By attacking the Sabbath, Satan is challenging the very heart of God’s authority, and what could be more effective in destroying the memorial of the six-day Creation than by denying the reality of the six-day Creation? No wonder so many people, including Christians, ignore the seventh-day Sabbath. What a setup for the final deception.

Those who do not love the Lord our God do not have spiritual discernment. When one gives the whole heart to God, then they will understand we do not come from monkeys. And, if they will study the Bible, they will understand that the ten commandments are still binding, including the fourth commandment. The rejection of the commandments is due to a lack of knowledge of our God, or a rejection of Him after learning of Him.

[Richard Myers]

Wednesday      May 17
Creation, the Sabbath, and the End Time

The great controversy, which began in heaven millennia ago, was over the question of God’s authority. The challenge remains the same today, as well.

Read Revelation 14:7, 9, and 12. Summarize these verses by completing the sentences on the lines below.

Revelation 14:7 is a call to _________________

Revelation 14:9 is a solemn appeal not to _________________

Revelation 14:12 describes a people who _________________

These passages make it clear that the central issue in the conflict in the last days between good and evil, Christ and Satan, is worship. Do we worship the Creator or the beast? And because Creation forms the ground of all our beliefs (after all, what do we believe that makes any sense apart from God as our Creator?), the seventh-day Sabbath — embedded in the Genesis Creation account itself (Gen. 2:1-3) — stands as the eternal and immutable sign of that Creation. It’s the most basic symbol of the most basic teaching. The only thing more fundamental to it is God Himself.

Hence, to usurp the seventh-day Sabbath is to usurp the Lord’s authority at the most prime level possible, that of Him as Creator. It’s to get behind everything and uproot it at the core. It is, indeed, to seek to take the place of God Himself (2 Thess. 2:4).

Of course, the real issue in the last days is our love and loyalty to Jesus. But according to the Bible, this love is expressed in obedience to the commandments (1 John 5:3, Rev. 14:12) — and the Sabbath alone among the commandments gets behind everything because it alone points to God as Creator (Exod. 20:8-11). No wonder it will be the outward symbol of the final divide between those who worship the Lord and those who worship the beast (Rev. 14:11, 12). Considering how basic and fundamental the Sabbath is to everything else, it’s hard to see how the final issue of worshiping the Creator could be about anything else.

Many people argue that it makes no difference what day one keeps as the Sabbath, as long as we keep one. How do we answer that argument with the Bible

Why would God throw away the fourth commandment? There is nothing that says we can worship on another day. God has kept this truth from many professing Christians as the last test for humanity because it is easy to understand for those who want to follow the truth no matter where it goes..

[Richard Myers]

Thursday    May 18
The Sabbath and Eternal Rest

The Sabbath is a place of refuge in a weary world. Each week we leave the cares of this world and enter God’s retreat center — the Sabbath. The famed Jewish author, Abraham Heschel, calls the Sabbath “a palace in time.” — The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man (New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2005), p. 12. Each seventh day, God’s heavenly palace descends from heaven to earth, and the Lord invites us into the glory of His presence for this 24-hour period to spend a time of intimate fellowship with Him.

Amen. God rested on the Sabbath and so may we.

In the beginning the Father and the Son had rested upon the Sabbath after Their work of creation. When “the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them” ( Genesis 2:1), the Creator and all heavenly beings rejoiced in contemplation of the glorious scene. “The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7.... When there shall be a “restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” ( Acts 3:21), the creation Sabbath, the day on which Jesus lay at rest in Joseph’s tomb, will still be a day of rest and rejoicing. Heaven and earth will unite in praise, as “from one sabbath to another” ( Isaiah 66:23) the nations of the saved shall bow in joyful worship to God and the Lamb.
The nations of the saved will know no other law than the law of heaven. All will be a happy, united family, clothed with the garments of praise and thanksgiving. Over the scene the morning stars will sing together, and the sons of God will shout for joy....
“And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.” The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” “The Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.” “In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people.”
So long as the heavens and the earth endure, the Sabbath will continue as a sign of the Creator’s power. And when Eden shall bloom on earth again, God’s holy rest day will be honored by all beneath the sun. “From one sabbath to another” the inhabitants of the glorified new earth shall go up “to worship before me, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 66:23.  Maranatha, pg 371.


In the introduction to Heschel’s book on the beauty and solemnity of the Sabbath, Susannah Heschel, his daughter, writes of the significance of the Sabbath in these words: “The Sabbath is a metaphor for paradise and a testimony to God’s presence; in our prayers, we anticipate a messianic era that will be a Sabbath, and each Shabbat prepares us for that experience: Unless one learns how to relish the taste of Sabbath … one will be unable to enjoy the taste of eternity in the world to come.” — Page XV.

At Creation, Jesus built a special dwelling for us. We can find refuge there. We can be safe there. His work is complete. It is finished. When we rest on the Sabbath, we are resting in His loving care. We are resting in anticipation of our eternal rest in the new heavens and the new earth that is soon to come.

Read Isaiah 65:17, Isaiah 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13, and Revelation 21:1. How does keeping the Sabbath point us forward to eternity?

The same God who created the earth the first time will create it again, and the Sabbath remains an eternal symbol of Him as the Creator (see Isa. 66:23). In fact, the Jews had seen the Sabbath as a symbol, a foretaste of what was called in Hebrew the olam haba, the world to come.

The message of three angels flying through the heavens appealing for us to worship the Creator is heaven’s answer to the hopeless despair of many in the twenty-first century. It points us to our Creator, the one who first made all things, and to our Redeemer, the one who will, after the judgment, after sin is eradicated, make all things new. “Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful’” (Rev. 21:5, NKJV).

How can you personally make the Sabbath a foretaste of heaven in your own life and your family?

If we will spend a thoughtful hour a day contemplating the life of Christ, we will receive a blessing come the Sabbath. Why? Because unlike so many who keep the Sabbath when in fact they are in a Laodicean condition, a lost condition, and do so for the wrong reason, we who love the Lord our God with the whole heart are reminded again that our God is a God of infinite love and great power. The Sabbath reminds us of His creative power and that He created this Earth for our joy. If we do not spend time with God daily what does that say about our desire to be with Him? Then why take time on the Sabbath to be with Him? Playing church will not bring love, joy, and peace in this world and it will not bring us to an eternal life in heaven.

[Richard Myers]

Friday         May 19

Further Thought: “The reason provided … to worship God is that He is the Creator. In the heavenly liturgy, celestial beings expressed the idea in a very succinct way: ‘For You created all things’ ([Rev.] 4:11, [NKJV]). On earth, God’s creatorship needs to be emphasized as much as possible, so the angel says, ‘Worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters’ ([Rev.] 14:7). It has been correctly indicated that the angel is using the language of the fourth commandment to justify the call to worship God (Exod. 20:11). …

Within the Decalogue the Sabbath commandment stands as its seal in that it identifies who God is — the Creator; confirms the territory over which He rules — everything He created; and reveals His right to rule — for He created everything. In order for the dragon to succeed, he had somehow to set aside this memorial.” — Ángel Manuel Rodríguez, “The Closing of the Cosmic Conflict: Role of the Three Angels’ Messages,” unpublished manuscript, pp. 40, 41.

Here's a quote that helps us to understand the Sabbath in the last days.


The iniquity and spiritual darkness that prevailed under the supremacy of Rome were the inevitable result of her suppression of the Scriptures; but where is to be found the cause of the widespread infidelity, the rejection of the law of God, and the consequent corruption, under the full blaze of gospel light in an age of religious freedom? Now that Satan can no longer keep the world under his control by withholding the Scriptures, he resorts to other means to accomplish the same object. To destroy faith in the Bible serves his purpose as well as to destroy the Bible itself. By introducing the belief that God’s law is not binding, he as effectually leads men to transgress as if they were wholly ignorant of its precepts. And now, as in former ages, he has worked through the church to further his designs. The religious organizations of the day have refused to listen to unpopular truths plainly brought to view in the Scriptures, and in combating them they have adopted interpretations and taken positions which have sown broadcast the seeds of skepticism. Clinging to the papal error of natural immortality and man’s consciousness in death, they have rejected the only defense against the delusions of spiritualism. The doctrine of eternal torment has led many to disbelieve the Bible. And as the claims of the fourth commandment are urged upon the people, it is found that the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath is enjoined; and as the only way to free themselves from a duty which they are unwilling to perform, many popular teachers declare that the law of God is no longer binding. Thus they cast away the law and the Sabbath together. As the work of Sabbath reform extends, this rejection of the divine law to avoid the claims of the fourth commandment will become well-nigh universal. The teachings of religious leaders have opened the door to infidelity, to spiritualism, and to contempt for God’s holy law; and upon these leaders rests a fearful responsibility for the iniquity that exists in the Christian world.  Great Controversy, pg 586.

Studying for ourselves to know God and His truth will protect us from the "wisdom" of man."

Discussion Questions:

    How does the message of the Sabbath answer the great questions of life, such as where did I come from, why am I here, and what is my eternal destiny?

The Sabbath Day reminds us of God's love and His creative power. Rightly understanding His character draws us to Him and reconciles us to Him which then gives us spiritual disernment to find answers to these questions in Scripture.

    Dwell on the marvel of Creation. Dwell on the miracle of our own existence in this vast universe. What should the fact that the prime memorial of this creation, the Sabbath, comes to us (as opposed to us going to it) every week without exception, teach us about how important the doctrine of Creation is?

God knows how forgetful we are, thus He gives us a Sabbath reminder of His great love and power.
 
  In Daniel 3 and Daniel 6, how do you see the issue of worship being played out in these inspired accounts? What are found in these accounts that can help us prepare and anticipate what challenge God’s faithful people will face during the crisis around “the mark of the beast”?

It is possible to win the battle between good and evil in our personal lives if we will love the Lord our God with all of the heart. Whether we live or die matters not, it is our faithfulness to God that matters. God is in absolute control and nothing happens to us that God does not allow. It is possible to be transformed from sinner to saint, we see that with not only some young Jews, but with ever a wealthy king.

    How do we show someone who believes in the millions, even billions, of years of evolution as the means of creation, the irrationality of keeping the seventh-day Sabbath as a memorial to that creation?

Arguing with someone such as that would not prove to be effective in most cases. Either we believe the Bible or we do not. Like the Pharisees who were whited sepulchers kept the Sabbath outwardly but put to death their Messiah. All who will not love the Lord our God will not keep the Sabbath in the right manner and will not change their minds about what they believe happened 15 billions years ago.Such silliness!