Wow!
This quarters lessons dig deep.
Notice at the bottom of each Sabbath day's page there is reference to chapters in Great Controversy that are being referenced.
The lessons then use the historical backgrounds to draw lessons for us in our Christian life.

The first lesson covered the origin of Sin --
A mighty, powerful, intelligent, beautiful angel challenges God and His government.
After all, aren't angels intelligent and fully capable of thought, reasoning and choosing what they want and don't want. Aren't they holy? They don't need God telling them what they can and can't do. So he worked, stealthfully at first then more openly to convince the angel's that God's laws are restrictive, and that he would offer them a more exalted existence, they could be like god, be their own god.

The question arises, if God knew one of His intelligent, beautiful angels would rebel against Him, why did He create that angel?

If it wouldn't have been that particular angel that rebelled, sooner or later another would have. The only way to avoid it would have been NOT to created thinking, reasoning beings who had the power of choice.
But God wants people, angels, to serve Him because they love and trust Him, not because they are programed to do so.

He could have wiped Lucifer out right then and there,,
What would that have accomplished?
All the other angels would have served out of fear and dread.

So God said, OK Satan, you cannot stay in heaven, for sin cannot live in heaven.
BUT, you can demonstrate your idea of a kingdom on one planet .

In the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve lived, there was one tree that had forbidden fruit.
Satan was allowed access to that one tree. He could not follow Adam and Eve around the garden, and Adam and Eve were warned concerning this enemy.
But if they ate of that one tree. They listened to his lies and the gates of sin were opened. Satan and his angels could roam the earth and plague the human race, teaching them to disregard God, and be their own "gods".

You won't die, (you are immortal) Satan told Eve on the fateful day, you will be like god! (Defining your own right and wrong)

And that has been his alluring lie to mankind ever since.
And most believe him.

Inspite of the death, misery and woe, Satan's reign has given mankind; so many still believe they've achieved a higher level of existence by operating independent of God.

Reading about those Reformers (they weren't perfect) BUT they put their life on the line standing up for the truth they discovered in the Bible. It was not easy for them.
We have no real idea of what it's like to have powerful dignitaries committed to trampling on everything we believe and seeking our very lives.

What is it that gave them the courage to stand amid fierce opposition?

This last weeks lesson looks back to the time of the Millerites' movement.

"Just as God used the Protestant Reformers to rediscover the truth about justification by faith in Christ alone, He used William Miller to rediscover the truth about the manner of Christ?s second coming."

Many at the time believed the world was heading into a millennium of peace, not in a second coming that would leave the earth desolate.
Miller, on the other hand, understood that the second coming would be a dramatic event, the end of all worldly cultures and systems.

William Miller opened up the study of Prophecy giving a solid foundation for the historicist method of interpreting prophecy.
He saw clearly that the time lines in scripture were all reaching their end points.

But a pre-conceived, generally believed belief, hid something important from him.
William Miller accepted the popular view that the "cleansing of the sanctuary" was the purification of the earth by fire.
Thus, when his calculations of the prophetic timelines ended in 1843-1844 he interpreted this as pointing to the time when Christ would come and cleanse the earth with fire.

Yet, there is no biblical link which says the "cleansing of the sanctuary" is the "purifying the earth with fire."

The study of the sanctuary would open another grand Biblical truth later, but at that time, the misunderstanding of what it meant to "cleanse the sanctuary" led to a serious disappoint.

The next lesson, coming this week, explores what "cleansing the sanctuary" means according to scripture.

The heavenly sanctuary.
What does scripture tell us about a sanctuary in heaven?

In Hebrews 8:1-2 we learn that in heaven, Christ serves in the sanctuary and true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man?

In Hebrews 8:5 we learn (the earthly sanctuary) served as the copy and shadow of the heavenly things

Hebrews 9:1-4 (the earthly sanctuary had two compartments) ; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the Holy Place.
The second had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein [was] the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; ... which is called the Holiest of all;

Hebrews 9:3 (The two compartments were divided by) the second veil,

Where was the first veil?
The "second veil" was that between the holy place and the holy of holies (Exodus 36:35), the curtain at the entrance of the holy place (Exodus 36:37) being regarded as the first.

Priests entered into the holy place every day all year.
But only on the day of atonement did the High Priest enter the most Holy Place,

The day of atonement = the cleansing of the sanctuary.

What does this mean to us individually?

Throughout the last hundred and seventy years critics from both within and outside the Seventh-day Adventist Church, have questioned the validity of seeing the "Day of Atonement" as a distinct and separate ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary.
Most arguments that we meet will try to link all the activities of the "Day of Atonement" to the cross, essentially combining their fulfillment with the fulfilment of the Passover.

Yet, according to our sanctuary map, Passover takes place at the beginning of the salvation calendar, while the Day of Atonement takes place near the very end of the salvation calendar.

Also our understanding of the FREEDOM OF CHOICE is an important part of understanding the "judgment" that takes place on the "day of atonement".
Indeed, for those who believe "once saved always saved" the idea of a pre-advent judgment doesn't fit their salvation paradigm.
But for those who see the Bible warnings to "perseverance" (Eph,. 6:18) to "hold fast" (Heb. 4:14; Rev, 3:3) that there is danger of "falling away" (Heb. 6:5-6) and danger of loosing our crown (Rev. 3:11) we realize people, even those who at some point have accepted Christ, still have the choice to distance themselves away from God and from salvation. (2 Peter 2:20-22)
There is also a very big chance that people who claim to be Christ's followers are only following a culture and are not connected with Christ. (Matt. 7:21-23)

Now the Biblical revelation of a heavenly investigation prior to the second coming as to who are the true followers of Christ becomes important! As we believe that a person who has genuinely accepted Christ at some point in their lives can still separate themselves from Christ at a later date, and be lost, and therefore there must be some form of investigative judgment differentiating between true believers, and those that profess to believe with their lips but their hearts are far from Him.


How does this affect our walk with Christ?
Hopefully it leads us to a close walk with Him, not just a form of religion, but a relationship of humility and intimacy, seeking His guidance, grace, and strength on a daily basis.

Rev. 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Time flies, we are already at lesson 10 in the study of the Great Controversy!

This week's lesson really brings out the fact that there IS a Great Controversy.
There are spiritual beings at war -- a very serious war with eternal consequences!

We are the prize that is being fought over.
The war is between God and His angels on one side, and the rebel (Once highest ranking angel), the serpent, satan, the devil and his angel on the other side.

The unfathomable question is why would anyone have any problem choosing which side they want to be on? Why does spiritualism have such a large following?
Satan offers brief moments of pleasure and fame, but with serious bad after effects, and results which bind us in downward spirals into misery and eternal death.
Jesus offers deliverance, life, peace, goodness and eternal joy. He wants us to live, and gave Himself for us that we might be rescued, restored and saved and live with Him forever!

The three chapters 31-34 in the book "The Great Controversy" show how Satan works to blind, bind and deceive people, so they won't accept the life from Jesus.

SPIRITUALISM EXPOSED
Spiritualism is demonic seduction, in which powerful fallen angels prey on our emotions to get us to accept a counterfeit.
Spiritualism is based on the lie "you shall not surely die" claiming that people have an immortal soul.
It promises life that is not dependent on God or obedience to God's law, but suggests we have life in ourselves that cannot be taken away. We are our own gods.
It promises continuing growth in wisdom and power after the present body dies -- demons masquerading as ancient people who supposedly have ascended to high levels as "masters", come to give "important" messages to people. Claiming they are helping the human race to evolve.
It pretends to show us our loved ones that have died are actually still alive, with demons appearing in the very form and mannerisms of the dead. Communicating with the grieving who are only to ready to welcome them and believe their
messages, thinking they are their departed loved ones.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high positions. Ephesians 6:12

Neither God's angels or the fallen angels are departed loved ones. THEY ARE NOT spirits of dead people!

This is hard to imagine in Tuesday of this weeks lesson 'The Triumph _of_ God?s Love'...
Jeremiah 4:23?26The New King James Version
"23 I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void;

And the heavens, they had no light.

24 I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled,

And all the hills moved back and forth.

25 I beheld, and indeed there was no man,

And hall the birds of the heavens had fled.

26 I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a iwilderness,

And all its cities were broken down

At the presence of the Lord,

By His fierce anger."

God hates sin. Why?
But, as we read about His hatred of sin, remember God has a great love for sinners and wants to deliver them from the bondage of sin.

In God's kingdom there is perfect happiness, joy, peace, contentment, honor, nobility of character.
God created a perfect world (Genesis 1) It was very good, beautiful, perfect! He created humans in His own image, to be His friends, His companions, with the potential to enjoy and explore life to its fullness in eternal youth.

What is sin? Sin is flaunting God's law. A law that isn't some arbitrary control by some control system of a tyrant, but a law that is the very essence of happiness and harmony and goodness.

What did this flaunting of God's law do? It deceived the created ones into thinking they could find happiness by flaunting those laws, but under the first "thrill" lay deep pits of emotional trauma, misery, and all manner of hurtful results. Sin ruins happiness, joy, contentment and nobility of character. Sin brought sickness, pain, death, fear, war, destruction we see so rampant in the world.

Why has God allowed sin to do its terrible work ever since created beings chose to flaunt God's law?
There were only two ways to stop sin. 1) stop it by force and immediate extinction of the rebel. But that would remove freedom of choice, and create a kingdom of fear, not love. 2) allow the rebels to set up their supposed "better way" and see the results, while also providing hope and deliverance at great cost, for all who turn to God.

All the truly good things we still enjoy in this world are due to God's hands restraining evil to have full sway. But in the end, that restraining hand will be withdrawn and the world will plunge into TERRIBLE TROUBLE.

"At that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book." Daniel 12:1.

At this time (yet future)

Who, according to the quote above, is fully unleashed and uses this unhindered freedom to plunge the world into one great, final trouble of ruin more terrible than what happened in Jerusalem in 70 AD?
But God's people will not be left to perish, God will act.

Yet even the plagues seem to only drive those who have set themselves above God's commandments into greater determination to rid the earth of God's loyal subjects. A date is set to exterminate them. But God will intervene!
Christ will come in the clouds of glory. The wicked can't stand in that glory. They flee, but they have no shelter, no robe of righteousness, no protection against the fires flashing from the throne.
But those who have accepted Christ do not flee now. They are dressed in Christ's robe of righteousness and are fitted to stand in the fiery glory of sinless beings.

"he end will come more quickly than men expect. The wheat will be gathered and bound in sheaves for the garner of God; the tares will be bound as fagots for the fires of destruction. {GC 630.2}

Those in Christ will be caught up in the clouds, while all the things on earth collapse and cease.

It was sin that completely undid God's perfect creation.

But that's not the end of the story!
God will create the earth and it's atmosphere anew! It will be a beautiful world, in which everything is very good, once again. No more tears or pain or death which were all the result of sin. God will recreate the lost dominion where love, harmony, joy, perfect trust and heavenly adventure, and eternal loving fellowship with our Savior, await all who believe and accept Christ, the Savior of love and life!


Yes, love triumphs!
That is the great future!