Sabbath, December 31, 2022
Lesson 27 We Will See His Face
“And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 22:4, 5.
“The church is God’s fortress, His city of refuge, which He holds in a revolted world. Any betrayal of the church is treachery to Him who has bought mankind with the blood of His only-begotten Son. From the beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth. In every age the Lord has had His watchmen, who have borne a faithful testimony to the generation in which they lived. These sentinels gave the message of warning; and when they were called to lay off their armor, others took up the work. God brought these witnesses into covenant relation with Himself, uniting the church on earth with the church in heaven. He has sent forth His angels to minister to His church, and the gates of hell have not been able to prevail against His people” –The Faith I Live By, p. 281.
SUNDAY
God’s greatest longing
1.As a father yearns for his family, what great desire did the Lord repeatedly express to His people?
Leviticus 26:11, 12 And I set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. 12And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Psalm 132:13, 14 For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habita- tion. 14This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.
“Great blessings were promised to Israel on condition of obedience to the Lord’s directions. ‘I will give you rain in due season,’ He declared, ‘and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land…. I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be My people.’ Leviticus 26:4-12.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 535.
MONDAY
2, Unfortunately, what did the people say when they could hear God’s voice directly and witness His presence and amazing miracles?
Exodus 20:18, 19 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
“The proclamation of the law of ten commandments was a wonderful exhibition of the glory and majesty of God. How did this manifestation of power affect the people? They were afraid. As they saw ‘the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking,’ they ‘removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.’ Exodus 20:18, 19. They desired Moses to be their mediator. They did not understand that Christ was their appointed Mediator, and that, deprived of His mediation, they would certainly have been consumed.” –Selected Messages, book 1, p. 238.
TUESDAY
John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Matthew 28:20, last part … And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
“This is well, but if more efforts were given to sending forth the living missionary to preach the truth, many more souls would be aroused and won to the truth. While Jesus ministers in the true sanctuary above, He is through His Holy Spirit working through His earthly messengers. These agencies will accomplish more than the printed page, if they will go forth in the Spirit and power of Christ. Christ will work through His chosen ministers, filling them with His Spirit, and thus fulfilling to them the assurance, ‘Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.’ Matthew 28:20.” –Counsels on Health, p. 545.
WEDNESDAY
4. After spending more than three years with them, what great desire did Jesus express before parting from His disciples?
John 14:2, 3; 17:24 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also…. 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
“Before the ransomed throng is the Holy City. Jesus opens wide the pearly gates, and the nations that have kept the truth enter in. There they behold the Paradise of God, the home of Adam in his innocency. Then that voice, richer than any music that ever fell on mortal ear, is heard, saying: ‘Your conflict is ended.’ ‘Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’
“Now is fulfilled the Saviour’s prayer for His disciples: ‘I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am.’ ‘Faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy’ (Jude 24), Christ presents to the Father the purchase of His blood, declaring: ‘Here am I, and the children whom Thou hast given Me.’ ‘Those that Thou gavest Me I have kept.’ Oh, the wonders of redeeming love! the rapture of that hour when the infinite Father, looking upon the ransomed, shall behold His image, sin’s discord banished, its blight removed, and the human once more in harmony with the divine!” –The Great Controversy, p. 646.
THURSDAY
The desire to see Him
5. What did the apostle John, who saw Jesus glorified at least twice, say about seeing Him again?
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
“Glorious will be the reward bestowed when the faithful workers gather about the throne of God and of the Lamb. When John in his mortal state beheld the glory of God, he fell as one dead; he was not able to endure the sight. But when the children of God shall have put on immortality, they will ‘see Him as He is.’ 1 John 3:2. They will stand before the throne, accepted in the Beloved. All their sins have been blotted out, all their transgressions borne away. Now they can look upon the undimmed glory of the throne of God. They have been partakers with Christ in His sufferings, they have been workers together with Him in the plan of redemption, and they are partakers with Him in the joy of seeing souls saved in the kingdom of God, there to praise God through all eternity.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, p. 285.
FRIDAY
6.In view of the wonderful reunion with His people, what did Jesus repeat at the end of the holy Scriptures?
Revelation 22:7, 12, 20 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the say- ings of the prophecy of this book…. 12And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be…. 20He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
“To those who are tired of a life of sinfulness, but who know not where to turn to obtain relief, present the compassionate Saviour, full of love and tenderness, longing to receive those who come to Him with broken hearts and contrite spirits. Take them by the hand, lift them up, speak to them words of hope and courage. Help them to grasp the hand of Him who has said, ‘Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.” Isaiah 27:5.” –Counsels on Health, p. 539.
SABBATH
7. When will there finally be no more distance or obstacles between God’s servants and the heavenly throne?
Revelation 22:4, 5, 3; 7:14, last part-17, first part And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever…. 3And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:… 7:14These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple:… 16They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters:…
“Whatever crosses they have been called to bear, whatever losses they have sustained, whatever persecution they have suffered, even to the loss of their temporal life, the children of God are amply recompensed. ‘They shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.’ Revelation 22:4.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 180.
While men are dwelling on earth
“By the king’s examination of the guests at the feast is represented a work of judgment. The guests at the gospel feast are those who profess to serve God, those whose names are written in the book of life. But not all who profess to be Christians are true disciples. Before the final reward is given, it must be decided who are fitted to share the inheritance of the righteous. This decision must be made prior to the second coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven; for when He comes, His reward is with Him, ‘to give every man according as his work shall be.’ Revelation 22:12. Before His coming, then, the character of every man’s work will have been determined, and to every one of Christ’s followers the reward will have been apportioned according to his deeds.
“It is while men are still dwelling upon the earth that the work of investigative judgment takes place in the courts of heaven. The lives of all His professed followers pass in review before God. All are examined according to the record of the books of heaven, and according to his deeds the destiny of each is forever fixed.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 310.
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Missionary Report from the Solomon Islands
To be read on Sabbath, December 31, 2022
The Special Sabbath School Offering will be gathered on Sabbath, January 7, 2023
“Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am He. The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came. They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.” Isaiah 41:4-6.
Greetings to all of our dearly beloved brethren around the world. The brothers and sisters of the Oceania Division and the Oceania Union are grateful to be able to take part in the support of the Lord’s work in the Solomon Islands. There are 653,000 people living on six major and more than 900 smaller islands located to theeast of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu. The land area covers 28,400 square kilometers (17,646 miles). Forming a scattered archipelago of mountainous islands and low-lying coral atolls, the Solomon Islands stretch about 900 miles in the southeasterly direction from the Shortlands Islands to the Santa Cruz Islands. The six major islands are Choisuel, Guadacanal, Malaita, Makira, New Georgia, and Santa Isabel.
About 95% of the population is Christian. The main religions are Church of Melanesia (Anglican) 29%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Seas Evangelical Church 17%, United Church (Methodist) 11%, and Seventh-day Adventist Church 10%. And more recently there are also representatives of the Baha’i religion, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Assembly of God, and Baptist Church.
I recall that, as a young boy and as a member of the International Missionary Society, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Reform Movement (IMS), in an atheistic, communist country, I came across a book about the Solomon Islands. At that time, the thought came to my mind that one day I would be a missionary in the Solomon Islands. For me this seemed impossible, but God made it possible.
Toward the end of 2018, I visited the Solomon Islands for the first time with Elder Sanaila Kenivale. We visited an SDA Reform Movement group (’51 movement) during their service and had the opportunity to explain briefly the difference between them and the IMS. In the afternoon of the same day, we visited an SDA Church and were invited to speak at that meeting; the church members received us with a good spirit. This helped to build a good understanding between us. God blessed, and we were able to establish a group at that time with a few members from the ’51 movement.
The years 2020 and 2021 proved to be a blessing, for Elder Frank Tabai, an SDA minister, following a lot of study and conversations, made the decision to join the IMS with his family and other members of the SDA Church, who also made the decision to be baptized and join the IMS. There is a good number of members now, and the church is registered with the government.
At present, the members in Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands, meet in rented school buildings, since we do not have land on which to build. Elder Tabai, the church leader, lives in a rented place. The missionary work is progressing very well, extending to Malaita and the Russell Islands, as well as others. Honiara is located on the coast; but those members who are inland live in a hilly, mountainous area, so it is difficult and expensive for them to travel by taxi to attend the church on the Sabbath.
The message from heaven is now becoming known, and people from other parts of the Solomon Islands are waiting for us to visit them. These trips are expensive, and the people are very poor. In one area, we have made contact with the church leader and a group of believers who are interested in joining the church. These people are so poor that they cannot afford to buy clothes and are naked!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we appeal to you to help in the advancement of the work in the Solomon Islands, for the Lord’s glory. Your prayers and your financial support will be a blessing and are very greatly appreciated.
–Anton Salavyov
Oceania Division Leader