Further Thought - Friday, June 15

“Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads — it is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved — just as soon as God’s people are sealed and prepared for the shaking, it will come. Indeed, it has begun already; the judgments of God are now upon the land, . . . that we may know what is coming”. — Ellen G. White, The Faith I Live By , p. 285.

“The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not. While the observance of the false sabbath in compliance with the law of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God’s law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God”. — Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 605.

Discussion Questions:

What are ways we can reveal to others the truth about the mark of the beast and the seal of God that don’t cause unnecessary controversy? For instance, why must we emphasize the fact that no one now has the mark of the beast?

How are the Sabbath and the sealing of the Holy Spirit related?

Reflect on the above idea of the seal as “a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually”. What does that mean?

Discuss what characterizes spiritual Babylon, its values and methods. How do they differ from the values of God’s kingdom? How might some of Babylon’s values be creeping into our own church even now? How can we learn to recognize what they are and seek to deal with them, but in a Christian manner, one that reflects the values of God’s kingdom?

O Sábado Como o Selo

Quinta-feira, 14 de Junho

Como já vimos, o Sábado tem sido um sinal do verdadeiro povo de Deus ao longo da história, desde o tempo de Adão e Eva e o período de Israel. Ele também foi perpetuado na igreja do Novo Testamento com a prática de Jesus e dos apóstolos, e aparece como sinal distintivo do povo de Deus nos últimos dias, “os que guardam os mandamentos de Deus e a fé em Jesus” (Apocalipse 14:12).

7. Porque é o Sábado tão importante? Que significado especial tem ele para os cristãos? Êxodo 20:8-11; Hebreus 4:9, 10

O Sábado aparece no centro dos Dez Mandamentos. Ele foi dado pelo Criador como sinal ou selo da Sua autoridade. Este mandamento identifica-O pelo nome, o Senhor Deus. Identifica o domínio sobre o qual Ele tem jurisdição, “os céus e a Terra, o mar e tudo o que neles há” (Êxodo 20:11). Também identifica o fundamento da Sua autoridade: “Porque, em seis dias, fez o Senhor os céus e a Terra, […] e, ao sétimo dia, descansou”.

O Novo Testamento identifica Jesus como Aquele através de quem Deus fez todas as coisas (João 1:1-3; Colossenses 1:16; Hebreus 1:1, 2). Cristo criou o nosso mundo em seis dias e descansou no sétimo. Portanto, é muito significativo o facto de que, enquanto Jesus estava pendurado na cruz naquela tarde de sexta-feira, Ele bradou: “Está consumado!” (João 19:30). Assim como Cristo descansou no Sábado depois de concluir a Sua obra de criação, Ele também descansou no túmulo durante o Sábado, depois de concluir a Sua obra sacrifical ao morrer em nosso lugar para nossa redenção. Portanto, o Sábado foi duplamente abençoado, primeiramente na criação e depois na cruz. Por essa razão, de acordo com o livro de Hebreus, ao descansar no Sábado, o cristão mostra que “ele mesmo descansou de suas obras, como Deus das Suas” (Hebreus 4:10). O Sábado é um símbolo perfeito de que não nos podemos salvar; de que, do início ao fim, a salvação é a obra de Cristo, que se torna disponível a nós mediante a fé (compare com Hebreus 12:2).

Se o Sábado simboliza o descanso das nossas obras, o que representa a guarda do domingo? Como se encaixa isto perfeitamente no caráter essencial de Babilônia?

The Sabbath as the Seal

Thursday. June 14

As we have seen, the seventh-day Sabbath has been a sign of God’s true people throughout history, beginning with Adam and Eve and continuing during the time of Israel. We also see it perpetuated in the New Testament church with the practice of Jesus and the apostles, and as a distinguishing sign of God’s last-day people who “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).

Why is the Sabbath so important, and what special significance does it have for Christians? Exodus 20:8-11; Hebrews 4:9, 10.

The Sabbath appears in the heart of the Ten Commandments. It was given by the Creator as a sign or seal of His authority. It identifies Him by name, “The LORD your God”. It identifies the realm over which He has jurisdiction, “the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them”. It also identifies the basis of His authority, “for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, . . . and rested the seventh day”.

The New Testament identifies Jesus as the One through whom God made all things (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:1, 2). It is Jesus who created our world in six days and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, it is highly significant that as Jesus hung on the cross that Friday afternoon, He cried out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30, NKJV). Just as He rested on the Sabbath after finishing His work of Creation, so Jesus rested in the tomb over the Sabbath after finishing His sacrificial work by dying in our place for our redemption. So, the Sabbath is doubly blessed, first at Creation and then at the cross. That is why, according to the book of Hebrews, in resting on the Sabbath the Christian shows that he “has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:10, NKJV). The Sabbath is a perfect symbol of the fact that we cannot save ourselves, that from start to finish it is Christ’s work made possible through faith (compare Hebrews 12:2).

If the Sabbath symbolizes resting from our works, what does the keeping of Sunday represent, and how does this fit right in with the basic character of Babylon?

Trump Volta a Falar da Fé

A Marca da Besta

Quarta-feira, 13 de Junho

Qual é essa marca que precisamos evitar receber? Como vimos numa lição anterior, o poder do quarto animal de Daniel 7 (também retratado pela besta do mar, de Apocalipse 13), na sua última fase, cuidaria “em mudar os tempos e a lei” (Daniel 7:25). Uma lei que ele cuidou em mudar foi a observância do sábado, o quarto mandamento, o único que aponta diretamente para Deus como Aquele que fez “os céus e a Terra, o mar e tudo o que neles há e, ao sétimo dia, descansou” (Êxodo 20:11).

Enquanto isso, a primeira mensagem angélica – indicando esse mesmo mandamento que o poder da besta tentou mudar – deixa claro que devemos adorar somente ao Senhor como Criador. Em seguida, depois de uma advertência sobre o destino daqueles que adoram a “besta e a sua imagem” (Apocalipse 14:9), o povo fiel de Deus é retratado no verso 12.

6. De acordo com Apocalipse 14:12, porque é o sábado tão central para os eventos finais?

O texto diz: “Aqui está a perseverança dos santos, os que guardam os mandamentos de Deus e a fé em Jesus” (Apocalipse 14:12). Como vimos, o quarto mandamento, sobre a guarda do sábado, está incluído nos “mandamentos de Deus”. Esse preceito revela o Senhor como Criador, o único que deve receber adoração. Não é de admirar, portanto, que muitos vejam a questão da “marca da besta” como estando diretamente ligada à questão da adoração dominical, um falso “sábado” que não é ordenado na Bíblia, ao contrário da guarda do quarto mandamento, que é prescrita na Palavra de Deus.

Isso significa que os cristãos que adoram a Deus no domingo têm a marca da besta hoje? Não. De acordo com Apocalipse 13:15, os que se recusarem a unir-se a essa falsa adoração à besta serão mortos. No fim, isso tornar-se-á uma questão de vida ou morte. Evidentemente, contudo, os eventos ainda não chegaram a esse ponto, e a marca da besta não será dada até que esse teste final ocorra. Portanto, ainda ninguém recebeu a marca da besta.

Os mandamentos de Deus. A fé de Jesus. Porque são essas características, mesmo agora, aspectos cruciais da vida do cristão?

The Mark of the Beast

Wednesday, June 13

What is this mark that we need to avoid getting? As we saw in an earlier lesson, the fourth beast power of Daniel 7, in its latter phase (also depicted by the sea beast of Revelation 13), would “think to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25). As we have seen already, one law that it thought to change was the Sabbath, the fourth commandment, the only commandment that points directly to God as the One who “made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11).

Meanwhile, the first angel’s message — pointing the reader back to this same commandment, one that the beast power tried to change — makes it clear that we are to worship the Lord alone as the Creator. Then, after a warning about the fate of those who instead worship the “beast and his image” (Revelation 14:9), God’s faithful people are depicted in verse 12.

Read Revelation 14:12. Given the immediate context, how does this depiction of God’s faithful people help us understand why the Sabbath is so central to final events?

The text reads: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12). As we have seen, included in “the commandments of God” is the fourth commandment, the Sabbath, which points to God as the Creator and the one who alone should be worshiped. No wonder, then, that many see the issue of “the mark of the beast” as being directly tied to the question of Sunday worship, a counterfeit “sabbath” that is not commanded in the Bible, as opposed to keeping the fourth commandment, which is commanded in the Bible.

Does that mean that Christians who worship God on Sunday have the mark of the beast now? No. According to Revelation 13:15, those who refuse to join in this false worship of the beast will be killed. It will eventually become a life-or-death issue. Obviously, though, events have not yet reached that point, and the mark of the beast will not be given until this final test does come. Therefore, no one has yet received the mark of the beast.

Commandments of God. The faith of Jesus. Why are these traits, even now, crucial aspects of what it means to be a true Christian?

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