Hope Sabbath School

The war between God and Satan is about worship, loyalty, and control. In Daniel 7, we read about the little horn power. That same power is shown as a wild animal in Revelation 13. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 names this same religious power “the Man of Evil” (ERV). So, the little-horn power, the wild animal, and the Man of Evil are names for the same religious power. This power tries to take control of the church away from God. This power commands people to be loyal to its rules. It also replaces God’s rules and worships Him with its own rules and forces people to accept false ideas about God. God is different. He is love. God doesn’t force anyone to worship Him. We worship God because we love Him, and He loves us. Only one thing will keep us from getting the sea animal’s mark in the end times. A love for Jesus. This study will explore the sea animal’s mark.

The Book of Revelation warns us that the people on this earth will drink a special drink named the wine of Babylon. This “wine” is false teachings that will lead to everlasting death. But God gives us “medicine” to cure us if we get sick from drinking Babylon’s wine. The “cure” is the Three Angels’ Messages of Revelation 14. In this episode, we will continue to look at Babylon’s lies and false teachings. We also will look at Jesus’ plans to save us from them.

The book or Revelation shows us two women. These two women are word pictures for churches. The first woman wears clothes that shine as bright as the sun. The second woman wears a red dress. Together, these two women show us what happens between God’s followers and Satan’s followers in the war between good and evil. In this episode, we will study the two women in Revelation.

Every person on the earth belongs to the same family. We are brothers and sisters made by the same God. The Genesis story (Genesis 1 and 2) shows us how much we really are worth. What’s more, each one of us is special. There’s no one else who is an exact copy of you anywhere. You are worth so much to God that He was born as a human and died on the cross for you and your sins!

Why does our universe itself, and all the majesty and grandeur and astonishing things in it, exist to begin with? What great logical contradiction would occur were our universe, and we who are in it, not here? According to the latest scientific theory (they tend to change), our universe once did not exist. In other words, ours is a contingent existence, and it’s a miracle that we are here at all. And despite all sorts of myths about the universe arising from absolutely nothing, or from some kind of mathematical equation, our universe exists because God, the Creator, has made it and everything in it.

At the cross, God judged Jesus as a sinner who must die. Jesus died so that we could be judged as holy citizens in God’s kingdom in heaven. God judged Jesus as a criminal so that He can free us from everlasting fire. This fire will burn up all sin and everyone who refuses to accept God’s mercy and forgiveness for their sins.

In the end, God’s work as Judge will show His love and mercy to everyone in heaven and on earth. We will see that God is both fair and full of mercy when He judges the saved and the lost. In this episode, we will study about God’s work as Judge in the end times. We also will look at what happens to God’s loyal people during “the time when God will judge everyone” (Acts 24:25, NIrV).

The purpose of the book of Revelation for our generation is to prepare a people to be ready for Jesus’ soon return and to unite with Him in giving His last-day message to the world. Revelation reveals the plans of God and unmasks the plans of Satan. It presents God’s final appeal, His urgent, eternal, universal message for all humanity.

When most people think about the Bible’s last book, Revelation, they do not think about God’s grace. When they consider God’s last-day message, their thoughts often turn immediately to frightening beasts, mystic symbols, and strange images. The book of Revelation scares as many people as it reassures, which is unfortunate because it is, indeed, saturated with grace and filled with hope. That is, even amid the scary beasts and warnings of persecution and the hard times ahead, God still gives us reasons to rejoice in His salvation.

The three angels’ messages are Jesus’ final message of mercy, a call that leads us from trusting in our own righteousness to trusting the righteousness of Jesus to justify us; to sanctify us; and, at the end of time, to glorify us. As always, though, we must choose Christ, to surrender to Him and to obey Him, and the choices we make now will, indeed, impact the choices we make in the final crisis ahead of us. Thus, now is the time to prepare.

This study focuses on the great controversy between good and evil down through centuries. Revelation 12 presents four great episodes in this conflict. In each of these conflicts, Christ is revealed as our victorious Lord, our triumphant Redeemer, and our mighty Conqueror.