SDA Sabbath School Lesson 2- 2nd Quarter 2025-The Genesis Foundation

[Richard Myers]

2nd Quarter        Lesson 2                                                                                                                                                                April 5- April 11                                                                                                                                                                   

 
The Genesis Foundation

Commentary in Navy                  Inspiration in Maroon

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Isa. 40:7-8; Gen. 22:1-13; John 3:16; Rev. 5:5-10; 1 Cor. 15:15-19; Rev. 12:1-9

Memory Text: “The next day John seeth Jesus coming toward him, and saith, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world!’ ” John 1:29

One of the key problems with modern interpretations of Bible prophecy, such as in Revelation, is that they fail to recognize the ancient roots of Revelation. The author assumes a knowledge of the Old Testament and uses concepts that would have been well-known to his audience. While searching the entire Bible for passages that resemble the text you are studying in Revelation is useful, there are also core texts that set the stage for understanding the book better than do other texts. This is particularly true of Genesis, which lays out the path by which our world descended into sinful chaos. Nearly every key concept mentioned in Revelation appears—in some form—in the opening chapters of the Bible.

Amen!  It is impossible to understand Revelation without understanding the Hebrew Sanctuary and its services. The prophecies in Daniel are necessary to understand so very much in the New Testament, especially the Book of Revelation.

This week, we are going to study a handful of big concepts at the core of Revelation. There are many, and so we will choose a few to illustrate the all-important point that understanding the ancient foundations behind Revelation enables the student to see countless nuances in the text, each of which can yield important lessons about the nature of humanity, of God, and of the conflict being waged in our universe and, thus, in our lives, as well.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, April 12.

[Richard Myers]

Sunday         April 6
The Principle of “First Mention”

Most academic programs begin with a general survey course (often given the number “101”), a course that covers broad and basic principles that will form the basis for further study as you dig deeper into the subject. Likewise, when you read through the entire Bible, you quickly discover that God also has a general survey course in the book of Genesis, where He introduces ideas that will be examined in more detail throughout the rest of the Bible.

Generally speaking, the first time a concept or symbol is mentioned in the Bible—particularly if in the opening chapters of Genesis—you will discover that it establishes a general understanding of that concept, which will help you understand how it’s being used later on.

Some Bible students refer to this as the “law of first mention,” although it would more properly be labeled a principle (or a pattern) rather than a law, because it is certainly not ironclad, and there are many exceptions to the rule. The pattern that seems to emerge, both in general Bible study and in Bible prophecy, is that God slowly feeds His children information over time, beginning with a basic concept and then enlarging on it many times over the years, or even the centuries.

Read Isaiah 40:7-8; Malachi 3:6; and Hebrews 13:8. What principle can you derive from these texts that would help you properly anchor your study of prophecy?

Much of the modern world speaks about “truthiness” instead of “truth,” because it is assumed that “truth” is a malleable thing that can change over time. Or, in some cases, the very concept of “truth” itself is deemed suspect.

When God establishes truth, however, He does not change His mind. Once He begins teaching His people truth, we can count on the fact that repetitions of the same biblical principle or theme do not change its meaning but, in contrast, shed further light on that meaning. It makes great sense in studying prophecy, therefore, to develop a good understanding of the book of Genesis, where you find many key concepts explained for the first time, and then take that foundational understanding with you as you explore the rest of the Bible.

Why is it so important that we not allow anyone or anything, no matter how smooth or even logical, to weaken our faith in the Bible and the infallible truths that it teaches? What are even subtle ways that this weakening can happen?

The Bible is the Book of Truth. If one has accepted this truth by testing it, then how could one be deceived as were the Jews who were being led by God Himself. If we take our eyes off of Jesus we are open to the lies of Satan. He spreads a net all around us waiting for us to fall. Satan can give much truth that not only sounds good, but is good. He then implants something that is not truth that the hearer does not see. He then is off to the races. There is safety in a multitude of Bible students who have spiritual discernment. But, in the end, we must know the truth for ourselves from the Bible. It is the Holy Spirit that teaches us. Thus, always ask for the Holy Spirit before entering into Bible study or discussion.

[Richard Myers]

Monday         April 7
Understanding God’s Love

Part of inheriting a sinful nature means that our perception of the universe has been tainted by our own propensities toward selfishness and pride. We see the world from our own limited perspective, rather than from God’s omniscient one (obviously). Perhaps no concept has been more skewed by the sinful human race than that of “love.” Popular culture tends to promote an understanding of love that centers on self-fulfillment rather than on others. This self-centered approach to the subject makes it hard for us to understand how God views the subject.

Understanding the nature of love is an important key to understanding Bible prophecy. One of the key themes in the great controversy is the existence of a substantial misunderstanding about God’s character. Ellen G. White, after all, ends her summary of The Great Controversy by writing: “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.

Read Genesis 22:1-13.

 22:1   And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, [here] I [am]. 
 22:2   And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 
 22:3   And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 
 22:4   Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 
 22:5   And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 
 22:6   And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid [it] upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 
 22:7   And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where [is] the lamb for a burnt offering? 
 22:8   And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 
 22:9   And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 
 22:10   And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 
 22:11   And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here [am] I. 
 22:12   And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son] from me. 
 22:13   And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind [him] a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 

The first mention of “love” in the Bible is found in Genesis 22:2. What does this story teach us about the nature of God’s love?

It may be the first mention of the word "love," but we know that when Abraham made sacrifices of rams, he knew it revealed God's love for him and his family. He knew that when God stopped him from sacrificing his son, that God would not stop from sacrificing His Son out of love for all of humanity. In Gen. 3:15 Adam was told that the only reason why he and his wife could obtain eternal life was because the subject of his sacrificial offerings was the lamb which represented His Son. Herein is love revealed. The heel of Jesus would be bruised, the Lamb of God must suffer for every sin of every person and die that we might live.

Occasionally, in addition to finding the first occurrence of a concept in the Bible, it can be useful to find the first mention of that same concept in individual books of the Bible—especially in the Gospels. In Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22, and John 3:16 we find the first mention of “love” in each of the Gospels.

For example, the first mention of “love” in John (John 3:16) is particularly enlightening: it appears to allude to the story of Isaac on the altar. Abraham’s faith in God was such that he trusted Him, choosing to believe that God could raise his son if he went through with the sacrifice (Heb. 11:19). It foreshadowed God’s love for the human race. He loved us to the point where He “gave His only begotten Son” (see Gen. 22:2-12, 16)—and, then, raised Him from the dead. Thus, we are given a revelation of the kind of love, the self-sacrificing love, that God has for us.

How do we even begin to manifest to others the kind of self-sacrificing love that God has for us? Why, for most of us, is this kind of love not necessarily basic to us?

We begin by spending a thoughtful hour a day getting to know God. We cannot trust someone with all we have and all we are if we do not intimately know them. When we then love God supremely, we will begin to love others as Jesus loves us. We manifest then all of the fruits of the Spirit, not one will be missing.

Why is this kind of love not basic to us? Because we do not love the Lord our God with the whole heart. We do not trust Him with all we have and all we are. How can we change this? We can be transformed according to 2 Cor. 3:18. Then we will be changed into His image by the Spirit. His image is His character. When teach "fear God and give glory to Him," it means we are to represent His character which is His glory.

[Richard Myers]

Tuesday       April 8
Isaac’s Question: Where Is the Lamb?

The Bible’s first mention of a seh (Hebrew: a lamb) occurs in the same story as the first mention of love, Genesis 22. The lamb, of course, is one of the most persistent symbols found in the book of Revelation, where Jesus is called “the Lamb” more than twenty times. In one of the most powerful scenes of Revelation John’s visit to the throne room of God in chapters four and five—the Lamb plays the central role.

Read Genesis 22:7-8; Exodus 12:3-13; and Revelation 5:5-10. How does the story of Isaac’s near-sacrifice help us understand how lambs are used symbolically? How does this story tie into what John sees in Revelation 5?

The first mention of a seh (lamb) in the Bible comes in the form of Isaac’s question: “Where is the lamb?” (Gen. 22:7). Interestingly enough, the rest of the Bible answers that question in great detail. The other 38 books of the Old Testament lead the reader along a path where Isaac’s question is progressively answered with further and further details, from the Passover rituals to David’s early occupation and onward. The entire story is punctuated with countless Messianic prophecies that anticipate the answer to Isaac’s question. Then in the New Testament, the question is answered when Jesus appears in flesh and blood, ministers among His people, and finally sacrifices His life at the cross.

Meanwhile, look at the first mention of a Lamb in John’s Gospel, in John 1:29-34. It would almost seem as if John the Baptist is personally answering Isaac’s question, and the setting couldn’t be more apropos. Sinners are repenting and going under the water in baptism, symbolizing the death of the sinner and the beginning of a new life. In this context, Jesus, the Lamb of God, suddenly, appears and, according to Matthew’s account, the heavens open to announce Him: “ ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’ ” (Matt. 3:17, NKJV). Notice how a voice, the Angel of the LORD, also announces from heaven the solution to Abraham and Isaac’s problem (Gen. 22:11-14).

When you weave all the threads together, it is clear that Jesus, the Lamb of God, is our Substitute. That sheds much light on our understanding of the slain Lamb in John’s vision.

Amen! It is so very amazing that John the Baptist did not that the Lamb had to die for him to be saved. He thought all his life that Jesus was going to rule from a throne on Earth. Just prior to his death he realized that the Lamb came to suffer and die. It is amazing that he could be such a powerful witness when not understanding the gospel message.

Why is knowing that Jesus is our Substitute so foundational to our salvation? What hope would you have without Him, as that Substitute, especially in the judgment?

It reveals how much He loves us, and why it is that He had so pay the price for our sins in order for us to be saved.

[Richard Myers]

Wednesday        April 9
Dealing With Death

Perhaps the cruelest aspect of living in a world detached from its Creator is the way that death lurks in the background of every life, ready to strike at any moment. It is the “wages of sin,” the penalty that we pay for having been disconnected from the only Source of life in the universe: the Creator. As such, it plays a major role in Bible prophecy, both its reality and, even more important, its solution, which is found only in Jesus and His death and resurrection.

And His suffering. Often this is forgotten or not understood. How important is it to understand that God is not going to burn sinners in Hell for eternity? And is it not just as important to tell the unrepentant sinner that he will only burn until justice is satisfied? God is perfectly just, perfectly fair. The sinner must suffer for each sin. He will only receive for what was done in the flesh. "The wicked receive their recompense in the earth. Proverbs 11:31. They “shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 4:1. Some are destroyed as in a moment, while others suffer many days. All are punished “according to their deeds.” The sins of the righteous having been transferred to Satan, he is made to suffer not only for his own rebellion, but for all the sins which he has caused God’s people to commit. His punishment is to be far greater than that of those whom he has deceived. After all have perished who fell by his deceptions, he is still to live and suffer on. In the cleansing flames the wicked are at last destroyed, root and branch—Satan the root, his followers the branches. The full penalty of the law has been visited; the demands of justice have been met; and heaven and earth, beholding, declare the righteousness of Jehovah." { GC 673.1}

Both the first mention of death in the Bible and its first occurrence shed much light on this major theme in prophecy, helping us to understand the gravity of the sin problem, and giving us important tools to understand God’s solution to the problem.

Read Genesis 2:15-17, Genesis 4:8-15, 1 Corinthians 15:15-19, and Revelation 1:18. What do these passages—which include the first mention and occurrence of death—tell us about why people die, how God views death, and what His solution is for our problem?

We often say that “death is just part of life.” That is a lie. Death is the opposite of life, the undoing of life; it is an alien intruder that was never meant to be part of our experience here. Even though we have become accustomed to death, our hearts still protest strongly when we encounter it, as if the human race still collectively realizes that there is something fundamentally wrong with it. As painful as death is, there are some instances of death that seem even more tragic than others, like the death of a child. For the most part, we expect that parents will precede their children in death, and we have come to accept that as the normal order of things.

The first death recorded in Scripture, however, goes against the expected norm. Before Adam and Eve went through death themselves, they experienced the tragedy of death when their righteous son was murdered by his unrighteous brother. It was a particularly unjust death.

Think about Jesus, the righteous murdered by the unrighteous, as was Abel. What death could have been more unjust than Christ’s? What other parallels might one find between the death of Abel and of Christ on the cross? How might the nature of Abel’s death help us understand about why Jesus has “the keys of Hades [the grave] and death” and what God is offering us in Him?

Without the problem of death being solved, why are our lives ultimately useless, meaningless and futile? What does this fact teach us about how thankful we should be for what Jesus has done for us?

Actually Christ did not die, but just went to sleep. Divinity cannot die.  So it will be for sinners. They will sleep for a season, then God will bring them up to be punished. Dying is the loss of living in a world without sin, but there is a punishment not just going to sleep. If we do not understand this, then we do not understand how much God loves us because we do not understand He took upon Himself the "punishment" due to all of humanity for every sin we do. How sad that we do not teach this even though many ministers ought to know this. And sadly, thus is removed a fear that ought to be in the unrepentant sinner. It is not fair to not tell people there is a punishment coming if they continue to reject God's offer and love.

[Richard Myers]

Thursday        April 10
The Serpent

The issue of worship is a key subject in the book of Revelation. The perpetrator and enabler of false systems of worship is identified as the “dragon” (Rev. 13:2-4), and the serpentine description of this fallen cherub is no accident. It clearly points us back to the Garden of Eden, where a serpent entered Paradise and persuaded Adam and Eve to follow him into rebellion against the Creator.

Compare Genesis 3:1-5 with Revelation 12:1-9. What are some of the common themes in each account? How do the details found in the introduction of the serpent in Genesis help us to understand some of the issues that had previously led to the war in heaven mentioned in Revelation?

There are two accounts in the Scriptures where Satan leads the whole world astray. In Genesis, at a moment when there were only two people in existence; and then in the account given in Revelation 12 and Revelation 13, where Satan is identified as the one who “deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9) and as the one who enables the sea beast power so that “all the world” marvels and follows it (Rev. 13:2-3). One of the themes found in Bible prophecy is the unchanging nature of the great controversy. God’s character and Word do not change, and neither do the ambitions of the devil.

Fortunately, because the nature of the great controversy does not change, and because we have clear reference points in the prophetic Scriptures, Christians are able to sift through trends and begin to recognize where spiritual pitfalls might lie. God will always be who He is, and the same is true of the devil. Satan may wear a thousand disguises, but millennia of fallen human history, coupled with the prophetic scenario painted in Revelation, demonstrate that he never strays from the game plan he used in Eden. God has promised us wisdom and discernment (James 1:5), and armed with the certainty of the Scriptures, we need not fall for the devil’s lies. Though, unfortunately, so many have fallen for them, and so many—the majority—will, as well.

Consider how culture changes over time. Societal norms shift; things that were once acceptable become unacceptable, and vice versa. Given that the underlying issues and actors in the great controversy do not change, what things should a Christian consider in examining the shifting cultural landscape? For example, the original lies that the devil told, such as you shall not die, and you shall be as gods—where can you find them being told in your culture today?

I do not doubt that there are those that are told they can be as gods, but I am not aware of this. The lie that Eve would not surely die when disobeying God, is the great lie of today in many religions. Even in His church today a vast multitude have been taught that they have life when sinning a known sin. A very influential minister in our churches said "the monstrous teaching in our church is when one sins, he must be re-justifed." In other words he is saying when you sin a known sin, you still have eternal life. Sadly much of the church have been taught this. The same old lie with which Satan deceived Adam and the Jews. The Laodicean believes he has life and in need of nothing. Jesus says to the Laodicean "repent"   (Gen. 3:19).

[Richard Myers]

Friday       April 11

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Revelation,” pp. 578-581 in The Acts of the Apostles.

Many world religions simply deal with ideas; in powerful contrast, the ideas found in the Christian religion are anchored firmly in historical events. The Bible is the story of God’s interacting with humanity throughout history, and by studying thousands of years of such interactions, we can learn much about the consistent character of God.

Sometimes, however, Christians complain that they are getting tired of hearing the same things. Sometimes, when our distinctive prophetic message is being preached publicly, we think that we already have heard it and have nothing new to learn.

The fact that our message is unchanging and consistent, however, does not mean that it is simplistic or unchallenging. Quite the opposite: when you are studying information relayed to us from the mind of an infinite God, you quickly discover that you will never reach the end of a subject.

Ellen G. White states that one of the reasons the book of Revelation was written was to anchor the Christian church in its historical message for all time. “Some of the younger workers [at that time]. . . had become weary of oft-repeated truths. In their desire for something novel and startling they attempted to introduce new phases of doctrine.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 580. To that extent, it is not merely a book about the future; it is also a book about the past, designed to keep us rooted in our historical faith so that we are not led astray by a desire to seek originality.

Amen! We love the truth, we want the truth, not deceptive ideas no matter how exciting they may be.

Discussion Questions:

    The Scriptures never fail to yield new information and new understanding. How does one balance the desire to learn something new with the importance of staying anchored in the truths that we already have been given?

    How should the church respond to new interpretations of prophecy? Though we know that there is always more to learn, how do we discern whether the new light is essential or just a fad, or even error?

    In World War II as a sailor in the Pacific lay dying, he cried out to the medic, “I am an orphan. When I die, who will remember me?” The medic responded, “I will always remember you.” However well-meaning the medic’s words, sooner or later he also would die, and so would the memory of the orphaned sailor. How does this account help us realize the futility and meaningless of all our lives if death, ultimately, has the final say?

We understand what the author is saying. Without eternal life, life is not worth living. But, even if I were  to fall away and lose eternal life, the time I have spent with Jesus has given me much happiness. It is not the offer of eternal life that motivates me, but the love, joy, and peace I have found in this world serving Christ and those who He suffered for. If for some reason the universe blew up, it would not change the joy I have experienced even amid great trials, life has been worth all of it.