Transcript Slide 1

SS Lesson 13 for December 27. 2009
Atonement and Universal Harmony
What are other words for harmony ?
Agreement, accord, concurrence,
union, contract, pact, deal, treaty,
blending, coming together, joining
together, merger, unification, fusion
Harmony Quotations
“One must marry one's feelings to one's beliefs and ideas. That is
probably the only way to achieve a measure of harmony in one's
life. Napoleon Hill
“In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that
binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony. Eva
Burrows
Harmony is pure love, for love is complete agreement. Lope de
Vega
“What is important to a relationship is a harmony of emotional
roles and not too great a disparity in the general level of
intelligence. Mira Komarovsky
“I would say that the surest measure of a man's or a woman's
maturity is the harmony, style, joy, and dignity he creates in his
marriage, and the pleasure and inspiration he provides for his
spouse. Benjamin Spock
Gracefulness has been defined to be the outward expression of the
inward harmony of the soul, William Hazlitt
“Look, how the floor of heaven
Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold;
There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st
But in his motion like an angel sings ...
Such harmony is in immortal souls;
But, whilst this muddy vesture of decay
Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.”
William Shakespeare
“A life in harmony with nature, the love of truth and virtue, will
purge the eyes to understanding her text, Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Music is harmony, harmony is perfection, perfection is our
dream, and our dream is heaven. Henri Frederic Amiel
“Man with a ll his shrewdness is as stupid about understanding by
himself the mysteries of God, as an ass is incapable of
understanding musical harmony. John Calvin
“Talking is one of the fine arts - the noblest, the most important,
the most difficult - and its fluent harmonies may be spoiled by the
intrusion of a single harsh note. Oliver Wendell Holmes
“Nothing exists without music, for the universe itself is said to
have been framed by a kind of harmony of sounds, and the
heaven itself revolves under the tones of that harmony”
“Beauty: the adjustment of all parts proportionately so that one
cannot add or subtract or change without impairing the harmony
of the whole. Leon Battista Alberti
“Friends do not live in harmony merely, as some say, but in
melody. Henry David Thoreau
Happy is said to be the family which can eat onions together. They
are, for the time being, separate, from the world, and have a
harmony of aspiration.” Charles Dudley Warner
The secret of success is to be in harmony with existence, to be
always calm to let each wave of life wash us a little farther up the
shore. Cyril Connolly
You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note.
Doug Floyd
What kind of harmony will we have
in heaven? Memory Text
“And I heard a loud voice from the
throne saying, "Now the dwelling
of God is with men, and he will live
with them. They will be his people,
and God himself will be with them
and be their God. He will wipe
every tear from their eyes. There
will be no more death or mourning
or crying or pain, for the old order
of things has passed away."
Revelation 21:3-4
Heaven is the place where we will
really experience a new world
order or better yet a new universal
order—Sunday, Universal Cleaning
Sunday
Universal Cleansing
The restoration of God’s creation to its
original condition, one free from sin and
uncleanliness, was represented in the Day
of Atonement ritual. On that day the high
priest came closer to the presence of God
than on any other day of the year. The
daily cleansing of the people that day
reached its consummation and therefore
pointed to the time when the whole
universe will be free from sin.
Daniel 8:14 And he said to me, "For two
thousand three hundred days; then the
sanctuary shall be cleansed."
Daniel uses Day of Atonement symbolism
to describe the consummation of God’s
redemptive work in Christ. The heavenly
temple is where God has been—through
the mediation of Christ—dealing with the
sin problem. This work of mediation will
come to an end through the final cosmic
cleansing from sin and rebellious
sinners—a process that began at the end
of the 2,300 “days.” This cleansing is
associated with God’s end-time
judgment. In this work of judgment takes
place before His angelic host in the
context of a court of law, showing that
their final destruction has a legal
foundation.
And vindicating God’s character—
Monday, Vindication of God’s People
Monday
Vindication of God’s People
Finally, the consummation of the Adventist hope at the Second Coming will also
consist of a harmonious social interaction. That will be a moment of reunion, a
reencounter. The separation from loved ones occasioned by the power of death
comes to an end through the re-creative power of the Savior. The individual hope
merges here with the collective hope of those who, throughout the ages, died in
Christ while embracing the promises of God. This is the consummation of our
reconciliation and will not be threatened by the presence of sin.
1 Corinthians 15:51-57 Behold, I tell you a
mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all
be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet
will sound, and the dead will be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and
this mortal must put on immortality. So when
this corruptible has put on incorruption, and
this mortal has put on immortality, then shall
be brought to pass the saying that is written:
"Death is swallowed up in victory." So when
this corruptible has put on incorruption, and
this mortal has put on immortality, then shall
be brought to pass the saying that is written:
"Death is swallowed up in victory." "O Death,
where is your sting? O Hades, where is your
victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the
strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to
God, who gives us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Why are all these promises shown above so important to us? Why
must our hope be “other-worldly;” that is, beyond anything that this
present world offers, no matter how much good we seek to do here
and now?
No matter how much we labor here, we are just pilgrims in a world of
wickedness and evil powers—Tuesday, Judging the Evil Powers and the
Wicked.
Tuesday
Judging the Evil Powers and the Wicked
1 Corinthians 6:2-3 NKJV 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be
judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge
angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
1 Corinthians 4:5 NKJV 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both
bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise
will come from God.
First, the millennium
is an indispensable
event that will lead
to a cosmic
revelation of God’s
justice, and it will
result in the full
reconciliation of all
the things on earth
and in heaven.
Second, the millennium is a time of
cosmic reflection and analysis. Time
will be spent, both by the redeemed
and Satan, reviewing the results of the
great controversy. Satan and his angels,
imprisoned on a desolated planet, will
have plenty of time to think about
what they have done. Together Satan
and his angels will reflect on the results
of their rebellion against the loving
government of God. This introspection
will contribute to the reconciliation of
the universe.
Third, the reflection in heaven takes
place in the setting of the judgment
of the wicked. The redeemed ones
will join the heavenly court and will
participate in the examination of the
lives of those who persisted in their
rebellion against God. They will reign
with Christ for 1,000 years, in the
sense that they will participate with
Him in His judicial capacity. They can
witness in the throne room of the
universe the fact that God did all He
could do to save repentant sinners
and that the lost should now assume
responsibility for their decisions. In
short, we will all be convinced of the
rightness of God’s final actions
toward the lost.
Our awesome God was the One to
take the initiative of a Cosmic
Reconciliation, Wednesday.
Wednesday
Cosmic Reconciliation
Before the universe has been clearly presented the great sacrifice made by the Father and the
Son in man's behalf. The hour has come when Christ occupies His rightful position and is
glorified above principalities and powers and every name that is named. It was for the joy that
was set before Him--that He might bring many sons unto glory--that He endured the cross and
despised the shame. And inconceivably great as was the sorrow and the shame, yet greater is
the joy and the glory. He looks upon the redeemed, renewed in His own image, every heart
bearing the perfect impress of the divine, every face reflecting the likeness of their King. He
beholds in them the result of the travail of His soul, and He is satisfied. Then, in a voice that
reaches the assembled multitudes of the righteous and the wicked, He declares: "Behold the
purchase of My blood! For these I suffered, for these I died, that they might dwell in My
presence throughout eternal ages." And the song of praise ascends from the white-robed ones
about the throne: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and
wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." Revelation 5:12. {GC 671.1}
Notwithstanding that Satan has been
constrained to acknowledge God's justice
and to bow to the supremacy of Christ, his
character remains unchanged. The spirit of
rebellion, like a mighty torrent, again bursts
forth. Filled with frenzy, he determines not
to yield the great controversy. The time has
come for a last desperate struggle against
the King (p. 672) of heaven. He rushes into
the midst of his subjects and endeavors to
inspire them with his own fury and arouse
them to instant battle. But of all the
countless millions whom he has allured into
rebellion, there are none now to
acknowledge his supremacy. His power is at
an end. The wicked are filled with the same
hatred of God that inspires Satan; but they
see that their case is hopeless, that they
cannot prevail against Jehovah. Their rage is
kindled against Satan and those who have
been his agents in deception, and with the
fury of demons they turn upon them. {GC
671.2}
The evidence against the lost will be so
overwhelming that even “Satan sees that
his voluntary rebellion has unfitted him
for heaven. He has trained his powers to
war against God; the purity, peace, and
harmony of heaven would be to him
supreme torture. His accusations against
the mercy and justice of God are now
silenced. The reproach which he has
endeavored to cast upon Jehovah rest
wholly upon himself. And now Satan
bows down and confesses the justice of
his sentence. . . . With all the facts of the
great controversy in view, the whole
universe, both loyal and rebellious, with
one accord declare: ‘Just and true are Thy
ways, Thou King of saints’ ”—Ellen G.
White, The Great Controversy, pp. 670,
671
Revelation 22:3-6 And
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.
They shall see His face,
and His name shall be on
their foreheads. There
shall be no night there:
They need no lamp nor
light of the sun, for the
Lord God gives them
light. And they shall reign
forever and ever
Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given
Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and
of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, we will see with our
own eyes the triumph of God’s Love—Thursday
Thursday
The Triumph of God’s Love
Satan's work of ruin is forever ended.
For six thousand years he has wrought his
will, filling the earth with woe and causing
grief throughout the universe. The whole
creation has groaned and travailed
together in pain. Now God's creatures are
forever delivered from his presence and
temptations. "The whole earth is at rest,
and is quiet: they [the righteous] break
forth into singing." Isaiah 14:7. And a
shout of praise and triumph ascends from
the whole loyal universe. "The voice of a
great multitude," "as the voice of many
waters, and as the voice of mighty
thunderings," is heard, saying: "Alleluia:
for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."
Revelation 19:6. {GC 673.2}
While the earth was
wrapped in the fire of
destruction, the
righteous abode safely
in the Holy City. Upon
those that had part in
the first resurrection,
the second death has
no power. While God is
to the wicked a
consuming fire, He is to
His people both a sun
and a shield. {GC
673.3}
"I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the
first earth were passed away." Revelation 21:1. The fire that consumes
the wicked purifies the earth. Every trace of the curse is swept away.
No eternally burning hell will keep before the ransomed the fearful
consequences of sin. {GC 674.1}
One reminder alone remains: Our Redeemer will ever bear the marks of His crucifixion. Upon
His wounded head, upon His side, His hands and feet, are the only traces of the cruel work
that sin has wrought. Says the prophet, beholding Christ in His glory: "He had bright beams
coming out of His side: and there was the hiding of His power." Habakkuk 3:4, margin. That
pierced side whence flowed the crimson stream that reconciled man to God--there is the
Saviour's glory, there "the hiding of His power." "Mighty to save," through the sacrifice of
redemption, He was therefore strong to execute justice upon them that despised God's mercy.
And the tokens of His humiliation are His highest honor; through the eternal ages the wounds
of Calvary will show forth His praise and declare His power. {GC 674.2}
"The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever." Psalm 37:29. {GC 674.3}
A fear of making the future inheritance seem too material has led many to spiritualize away
the very truths which lead us to look upon it as our home. Christ assured His disciples that He
went to prepare mansions for them in the Father's house. Those who accept the teachings of
God's word will not be wholly ignorant concerning the heavenly abode. And yet, "eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9. Human language is inadequate to
describe the reward of the righteous. It will be known only to those who behold it. No finite
mind can comprehend the glory of the Paradise of God. {GC 674.4}
There, "the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall
rejoice, and blossom as the rose." "Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead
of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree." "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the
leopard shall lie down with the kid; . . . and a little child shall lead them." "They shall not hurt
nor destroy in all My holy mountain," saith the Lord.{GC 675.3}
Pain cannot exist in the atmosphere of heaven. There will be no more tears, no funeral
trains, no badges of mourning. "There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying: . . .
for the former things are passed away." "The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people
that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity." {GC 676.1}
There is the New Jerusalem, the metropolis of the glorified new earth, "a crown
of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God." "Her
light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal."
"The nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of
the earth do bring their glory and honor into it." Saith the Lord: "I will rejoice in
Jerusalem, and joy in My people." "The tabernacle of God is with men, and He will
dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them,
and be their God."{GC 676.2}
In the City of God "there shall
be no night." None will need or
desire repose. There will be no
weariness in doing the will of
God and offering praise to His
name. We shall ever feel the
freshness of the morning and
shall ever be far from its close.
"And they need no candle,
neither light of the sun; for the
Lord God giveth them light."
Revelation 22:5. The light of the
sun will be superseded by a
radiance which is not painfully
dazzling, yet which
immeasurably surpasses the
brightness of our noontide. The
glory of God and the Lamb
floods the Holy City with
unfading light. The redeemed
walk in the sunless glory of
perpetual day. {GC 676.3
There the redeemed shall know, even as also they are known. The loves and
sympathies which God Himself has planted in the soul shall there find truest and
sweetest exercise. The pure communion with holy beings, the harmonious social life
with the blessed angels and with the faithful ones of all ages who have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, the sacred ties that bind
together "the whole family in heaven and earth" (Ephesians 3:15)--these help to
constitute the happiness of the redeemed. {GC 677.1}
There, immortal minds will
contemplate with never-failing
delight the wonders of creative
power, the mysteries of
redeeming love. There will be no
cruel, deceiving foe to tempt to
forgetfulness of God. Every
faculty will be developed, every
capacity increased. The
acquirement of knowledge will
not weary the mind or exhaust
the energies. There the grandest
enterprises may be carried
forward, the loftiest aspirations
reached, the highest ambitions
realized; and still there will arise
new heights to surmount, new
wonders to admire, new truths to
comprehend, fresh objects to call
forth the powers of mind and soul
and body. {GC 677.2}
All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God's redeemed. Unfettered by mortality,
they wing their tireless flight to worlds afar--worlds that thrilled with sorrow at the spectacle of human
woe and rang with songs of gladness at the tidings of a ransomed soul. With unutterable delight the
children of earth enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. They share the treasures of
knowledge and understanding gained through ages upon ages in contemplation of God's handiwork. With
undimmed vision they gaze upon the glory of creation--suns and stars and systems, all in their appointed
order circling the throne of Deity. Upon all things, from the least to the greatest, the Creator's name is
written, and in all are the riches of His power displayed. {GC 677.3}
And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of
God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence, and happiness
increase. The more men learn of God, the greater will be their admiration of His character. As
Jesus opens before them the riches of redemption and the amazing achievements in the great
controversy with Satan, the hearts of the ransomed thrill with more fervent devotion, and
with more rapturous joy they sweep the harps of gold; and ten thousand times ten thousand
and thousands of thousands of voices unite to swell the mighty chorus of praise. {GC 678.1}
"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under
the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I
saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
Revelation 5:13. {GC 678.2}
The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. 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. {GC 678.3}!!
God’s love will be triumphant, and
He continually tries to
communicate this truth to us.
Lesson 1 of the first quarter of
2009 will be called Heavens Means
of Communication "God, who at
various times and in various ways
spoke in time past to the fathers by
the prophets, has in these last days
spoken to us by His Son, whom He
has appointed heir of all things,
through whom also He made the
worlds" Hebrews 1:1, 2