Announced in Daniel

Thursday, October 30

Read Daniel 9:7–11. In his prayer, how did Daniel describe the condition of the people?

In order to experience divine healing and freedom from sin, we must first recognize our condition as sinners and as violators of God's revealed will. A fundamental human problem is our unwillingness to acknowledge that there is something seriously wrong with us, that we are in desperate need of forgiveness and reconciliation with our Creator. Even forgiven sinners constantly must recognize, as Daniel did, that we are in daily need of God's forgiving grace.

What is Daniel's specific request to the Lord? On what basis is Daniel making this request? Dan. 9:16–19.

Once we realize our condition as sinners, one of the most important discoveries we can make concerning our relationship with God is that the only thing we have to do to receive forgiveness is to ask for it. Daniel was totally relying on God's mercy, on His wonderful grace, as the only way out of His status as sinner.

In this chapter we also find a prophecy in which God revealed not only how He was planning to address the problem of sin but also the time frame within which this would happen, the when (see Dan. 9:24-27). The how was through His Anointed One, the Messiah, the King to which all the other kings of Israel pointed and represented. The time for His sacrificial death and the initiation of His priestly work (the anointing of the sanctuary) is given in terms of 70 weeks (490 years). The prophetic period runs from 457 B.C. to A.D. 34. God expected His people to be ready for the coming of the Messiah. What this incredible prophecy shows, in a very clear way, is that God is not only in absolute control of every aspect of His work of salvation but that He will make sure it accomplishes its eternally intended purpose.

How important is it for you to remain aware that, although you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are in constant need of His forgiving grace? Is that a threat to your assurance of salvation or a way of affirming that assurance? Give reasons for your answer.

The Servant of the Lord

Wednesday, October 29

Read Isaiah 52:13–53:12. What great hope and promise are found here for us?

These verses present one of the most majestic passages of the Old Testament. This section establishes, without explicitly stating it, the limits and ineffectiveness of the Israelite sacrificial system as a means of expiation (the removal of the barrier between humanity and God). The problem of sin was so serious that only the Servant of the Lord could solve it. The passage describes the experiences of both the people and the Servant.

The People: The people went through two experiences, one of disbelief and misjudgment, the other of confession and contrition. Initially the Servant was perceived as unattractive, almost like a leper (Isa. 52:14) and as someone “stricken by God, smitten by him” (Isa. 53:4, NIV). Because God appeared to have rejected Him, they, too, despised and rejected Him (vs. 3). Then they realized that there was a divine purpose in the experience of the Servant; that He was taking their sorrows and infirmities (vs. 4) on Himself. He was bearing their sins, and as their substitute, He was dying for them. In the light of the sacrifice of the Servant, they saw themselves as they truly were: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (vs. 6, NIV). It is only by looking at the Cross that we perceive the distortions of sin in our lives.

The Servant: The experience of the Servant was extremely painful. He was lonely, rejected by all (vs. 3), loaded with sorrows and suffering, and oppressed and afflicted (vs. 7) and even “cut off from the land of the living” (vs. 8, NIV). Yet, there was no justification for this treatment because “he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth” (vs. 9, NIV). Why was this innocent person suffering? It was because the Lord was presenting the Servant’s life as a “guilt offering” (vs. 10, NIV). He was bearing the iniquities of the people, dying in their place in order to declare them righteous and innocent (vss. 11, 12). But after that sacrificial death, He was to see light again (vs. 11) and to be highly exalted (Isa. 52:13).

This prophetic depiction of the sacrificial death of Christ was offered by Isaiah as the only effective way of expiation from sin. Christ became what we are in order for us to be restored to fellowship with God.

Read again Isaiah 52:13–53:12, paying special attention to all that Jesus has done for us on the cross. What hope do you see in there for yourself?

Moses and the Revelation of Salvation

Tuesday, October 28

What was God's reaction to the act of idolatry of the people of Israel on Mount Sinai? Why was it so strong? Exod. 32:7–10.

This act of idolatry was an act of rebellion against God, a breaking of the covenant that God had just made with them. Like Adam and Eve, the Israelites were left in a state of alienation—and they would have been left to perish had it not been for Moses’ intercession in their behalf (Exod. 32:11–14).

What did Moses say to God after this incident? Exod. 32:30–32. How is the promise of the gospel seen here?

Moses did not excuse the people; he made it clear to them that they had sinned against God. But he also told them that he was going to approach the Lord to ask Him to forgive them. Moses knew that forgiveness is very costly and that it should not be confused with indifference to sin (the Lord’s reaction to their idolatry more than proved that!). Moses himself became the mediator of the people, their intercessor before the Lord, seeking to obtain for them redemption from their sin. He then did the inconceivable: he offered himself to the Lord as a means of atonement! He was willing to have his name deleted from the book of life (Exod. 32:32; see also Ps. 69:28, Phil. 4:3), if that would make it possible for the people to be restored to harmony with the Lord.

Obviously the Lord could not accept that unselfish offer. Moses’ life could not atone for sin.

How would the Lord finally solve the problem? Exod. 34:6–10.

Abraham Saw My Day

Monday, October 27

Review Genesis. 22:1–12.What was the nature of the test that Abraham was subjected to? Why would the Lord ask Abraham to do this? What deep issues were at stake here?

Genesis 22 does not inform us why the test was necessary, but the reason appears to be related to the covenant God made with Abraham. In the covenant relationship the Lord expected the patriarch to “ ‘walk before me and be blameless’ ” (Gen. 17:1, NIV), a standard that Abraham hadn’t always reached (Gen. 16:1–4, 20:1–10).

Isaac was the son of the covenant promise, the one through whom Abraham was to bless the world, and thus, without that son the promises that God had made to the patriarch could not have been fulfilled. In a sense, by asking Abraham to sacrifice him, God was telling Abraham that the covenant relationship had come to an end and that the special promises made to him were now over. Abraham was not going to be God’s instrument in blessing all the nations of the earth (Gen. 12:3), after all. But Abraham revealed his faith and commitment to the Lord, particularly in his willingness to return the gift of his son to God, fully trusting in His mercy and grace (Heb. 11:19).

What made it possible for the covenant to be renewed? Gen. 22:13–18.

By asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, God was pronouncing a sentence against him and bringing to an end His special purpose for him. All this, however, changed in a radical way when a ram was offered in place of Isaac. God provided what Abraham desperately needed, a sacrificial animal that could take the place of his son, making it possible for the Lord to renew the covenant with him. The human sacrifice (i.e., the death of a sinner) was substituted by the sacrificial victim provided by the Lord, not by Abraham. Thus, Abraham saw the mystery of the gospel, of substitutionary atonement, because through Jesus, “ ‘it [the sacrificial offering] will be provided’ ” (Gen. 22:14, NIV).

Our minds tremble at the faith of Abraham. What things are you being called to sacrifice, by faith, before the Lord? What things, if any, might you need to surrender in order for the covenant blessings to remain yours?

A Promise to Adam and Eve

Sunday, October 26

Review Genesis 3:1-15, focusing especially on verse 15. What is being said in verse 15, and what hope can be found there for us?

Christians have correctly found in Genesis 3:15 a prophecy of the Messiah.

First, the context of Genesis 3:15 indicates that the serpent is an instrument of evil and rebellion against God (Rev. 12:9). In the Garden of Eden this evil power defeated Adam and Eve and extended its dominion over the descendants of the woman.

Second, Genesis 3:15 announces the destruction of the serpent by the seed of the woman. It will “strike” the heel of the seed, but the seed will “crush” the head of the serpent. The Hebrew verb šfp (“bruise,” “strike at,” “crush”) is the same in both places, which suggests that the seriousness of the assault depends on the part of the body assaulted. The attack against the seed (at its heel) is not fatal; the seed, though, will crush the serpent’s head, indicating its ultimate demise.

Third, the Hebrew noun zerac (“offspring”) usually designates “offspring, posterity, seed” in the sense of descendants as a single group. But it can also refer to a single descendant (e.g., 2 Sam. 7:12, 13). In Genesis 3:15 we find both usages present. We read about the descendants of both the woman (the faithful church) and the serpent/Satan (his followers) but also about a single male descendant of the woman (“he”) who will “crush” “your [singular] head”; that is, the serpent’s head. Whenever “seed” denotes a particular descendant, the pronoun that follows it is in the singular. The “seed” of the woman is Jesus.

What Genesis 3:15 suggests is that as soon as sin entered the world, God's eternal plan of salvation through Christ was put into effect. Adam and Eve did not experience eternal death because, from the divine perspective, Christ is the Lamb “that was slain from the creation of the world” (Rev. 13:8, NIV). Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, looking forward to the fulfillment of the wonderful promise of salvation.

Right from the start, God’s plan was to redeem us and to destroy Satan. What are you doing, day by day, to avail yourself of this wonderful provision so that, when all’s finished, you’re among the redeemed and not among the destroyed? (Remember, in the end, it’s one or the other.)

God's Plan Revealed in Jesus

According to these texts, what did Jesus “need” to do in order to accomplish His mission of salvation? Luke 4:43, 9:22, 17:25, 19:5, 22:37, 24:7, 24:26, 24:44.

In most of those passages we find a verb that could be translated “it is necessary” (Greek, dei). The verb expresses a very important aspect in the life of Jesus. The whole life of Jesus was oriented by what He needed to do in order to accomplish His mission: “ ‘We must [it is necessary for us to] do the work of him who sent me’ ” (John 9:4, NIV). At the beginning of his public ministry He said to the disciples, “ ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose’ ” (Luke 4:43, NASB). The ministry of Jesus clearly was determined by willingness to accomplish God's plan for the salvation of the human race. Every aspect of His life was part of this plan. For instance, He saw Zacchaeus and said to him, “ ‘I must [it is necessary for me] stay at your house today’ ” (Luke 19:5, NIV).

But the real goal of the ministry of Jesus reached beyond the compulsion to preach the good news of the kingdom of God. There was a dark path that He “needed to” tread. He needed to go to Jerusalem. He could have chosen not to go, but He knew that this was indispensable for the divine plan. So He said to His disciples “that he must [it was necessary for him to] go to Jerusalem and suffer many things . . . , and that he must [it was necessary for him to] be killed” (Matt. 16:21, NIV). He was going there because it was necessary for Him to be rejected by the evil generation (Luke 17:25), to be counted with the transgressors (Luke 22:37), and to be lifted up on the cross (John 3:14, 12:34). But dying was not enough to fulfill His mission. It was necessary for Him to be resurrected (Acts 17:3), to be received in glory, and to remain there until all the prophecies were fulfilled (Acts 3:21). He was following the eternal plan put together by the Godhead.

What are the things in your life that you must do, that are necessary, and what things aren’t? How do you make that distinction between them, and why is it so important to be able to?

The Way of the Cross

God could have dealt with human rebellion in several different ways. He could have immediately destroyed Adam and Eve, even the whole planet. Or He also could have decided to abandon them to their fate; that is, He could have just left them to face the inevitable results of sin, which would be eternal ruin.

But there was one thing He could not have done; He could not have ignored their rebellion, pretending as if nothing had happened and allowing their relationship to continue as before.

In the end, what did God do? He didn’t destroy them, He didn’t abandon them, and He didn’t ignore them. Instead, He put into effect His eternal purpose of salvation through Christ.

Read Mark 10:45, Galatians 1:4, 2:20, Ephesians 5:2, and Titus 2:14. What key theme is repeated in these texts? What do they tell us about the plan of salvation?

Once God committed Himself to save us, He didn’t have several options on how to do it. In fact, there was just one. Sin could be solved only through the incarnation, ministry, death, resurrection, and mediation of Christ. If we were to be spared eternal ruin, Jesus had to “give” Himself for us. The incarnation and the death of Christ were unavoidable if we were to be saved. In other words, there is only one road to heaven, and it passes through the heart of Christ on the cross.

When Jesus was in Gethsemane, experiencing the anguish of death (Matt. 26:36–46) and bearing the sins of the world, He approached the Father, asking Him, essentially, whether or not there was another option available to accomplish the salvation of humankind. The answer came wrapped in divine silence. There was no other way out for the human problem except through the sacrifice of Christ.

In the mystery of divine council, before the creation of the world, the Son of God offered Himself to die as our substitute and surety. He, as we saw in the above verses, “gave” Himself for us. There was no other way.

Again, He was not under compulsion to save us; He did it willingly, out of love. But once He decided to accomplish that salvation, His death was inescapable, even though a voluntary act. “ ‘I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord’ ” (John 10:17, 18, NIV).

An Eternal Plan

After the Fall, God was not obliged to save us. But He did so anyway. Moreover, this decision—which was extremely expensive for Him—was not an afterthought.

Read Ephesians 1:4; Colossians 1:26, 27; 2 Timothy 1:8, 9; and Titus 1:2. What do these texts us about when the plan to save us was instituted?

The New Testament reveals several things about the mystery of God.

First, it was formulated before the “foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4, NASB). This implies that long before humans fell into sin the Godhead had created a plan to deal with that calamity.

Second, this divine mystery was “kept hidden for ages and generations” (Col. 1:26, NIV). Not only was the plan configured in advance but it was also determined that it would be put into effect at a particular moment. Therefore it remained hidden within the Godhead for ages.

Third, the mystery is specifically identified with Christ (Col. 1:27). This refers to the mystery of the person of Christ, His ministry, death, resurrection, and mediation on behalf of a sinful human race. It is fundamentally the good news of salvation through Christ, the Christian gospel (Eph. 6:19).

Fourth, this mystery is more precisely defined as God's purpose in Christ “to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ” (Eph. 1:10, NIV). The plan was to restore, in and through the person of Christ, the cosmic harmony that was ruined through sin. The effectiveness of this process is already visible in the unity of Gentiles and Jews in the church (Eph. 3:6). Fifth, the mystery secretly formulated within the Godhead before the creation of the world has now become known through the coming of Christ into human history.

Even before the foundation of the world, God’s plan was to save the world, each one of us included. What hope can you draw, for yourself, from the amazing truth that God’s plan was to save you even before you existed?

The Mystery of God's Grace

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Eph. 1:7, NIV).

It would not be difficult to imagine that with the entrance of sin into the world, the intelligent creatures of the universe were wondering how God was going to relate to this rebellious race. They were to be surprised. They were to witness something they probably had never seen before, an aspect of the love and power of God that would now be expressed in the context of humanity’s fall. God was going to defeat sin on this planet through the power of grace. Within that context, God showed Himself to be, by nature, kind and mercifully disposed toward these sinful and rebellious creatures. Jesus testified concerning the Father, “ ‘He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men’ ” (Luke 6:35, NASB).

What is the significance of the contrast Paul makes between the phenomenon of sin and the revelation of God's grace? Rom. 5:20, 21.

In the Bible, grace is an aspect of God's love, and it is extended in a particular way to sinners. It seems to designate a dynamic, consistent, and permanent aspect of God's nature, one that constantly seeks to restore sinful creatures to harmony with Him. The biblical concept of grace reaffirms the fact that the atoning work of Christ reaches us as a gift, a work of salvation that we did not deserve. God's grace implies that our sin is inexcusable, unjustifiable, and deserving eternal death; yet, instead of that death we were given the hope and promise of life, even eternal life. Finally, this wonderful aspect of God's nature was revealed to the universe in an unparalleled way in the person and work of Christ. It is only and exclusively in Him that we find and enjoy the benefits of “the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7, NASB).

Read 2 Corinthians 8:9. What is Paul talking about here? More important, how have you experienced for yourself the kind of grace revealed in this text? How has your life changed as a result of what Christ has done for you?

The Mystery of God's Love

Read Romans 5:6–8. According to these texts, what prompted God to bring salvation to us through Jesus?

God was not obliged to save the human race. It was not something that He was forced to do. It is difficult to imagine the Godhead saying, “Had we done this or that, Adam and Eve would not have fallen into sin. Therefore, now we should do something to save them from their predicament.” Instead, humans brought upon themselves the condition in which they found themselves after the Fall: “ ‘God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes’ ” (Eccles. 7:29, NIV).

If God felt obliged to save us, salvation would be something that we deserve. But the opposite is true; it is something that we don’t deserve, and yet, God was willing to give it to us anyway. This makes His work of salvation in our behalf even more remarkable, because He did for us, not what He was forced to do, but what He out of love chose to do. He, the Creator, was under no obligation to us, the creatures.

Read Romans 3:19–22. What is Paul saying to us here about how we are saved? What role does the law have in solving the problem cause by sin?

God's Reaction to Human Sin

Read Genesis 3:8–13. How did the Lord approach Adam and Eve after they sinned? What was the purpose of the questions He asked them?

The Lord approached them in order to evaluate—with them—the crime they had committed and to pass judgment on it. Through a process of judgment, in which questions were asked and answers given, God was leading them to recognize that they were indeed guilty and that their rebellion was unjustified. The result was separation from the Lord, represented by their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

What is God’s reaction to sin? Eph. 5:6. How are we to understand the idea of God’s wrath?

We should keep several things in mind when we talk about God's wrath. First, human anger is not a model for understanding His wrath. Our anger is often irrational and damaging. God's wrath is untouched by sin and is primarily intended for healing (Heb. 12:6, Rev. 20:15–21:1). Second, God's wrath against human sin testifies that He takes us seriously, that He does not ignore us—even in our rebellion. Ignoring people can reveal disrespect, even unconcern. He reacts to our sin, and in so doing God tells us that we are important to Him. Third, God's wrath is not a permanent attribute of God but His reaction to the irrational presence of sin and evil. There is always a reason for it; sin provokes it (Deut. 4:24, 25). Therefore His wrath is momentary, while His love endures forever (Isa. 54:8).

Because of sin, what was needed was Someone who could deliver us from “the coming wrath” (1 Thess. 1:10, NIV).

If you love someone and see him or her hurt, would you not feel anger about what was happening? How can this parallel help us understand the meaning of God’s wrath?

Physical and Eternal Death

God's words to Adam—“ ‘When you eat of it you will surely die’ ” (Gen. 2:17, NIV)—indicate that death is the result of rebellion against God. Death and sin cannot be separated. This death is not only spiritual; it also designates the physical and eternal death of sinners. Because of its connection with sin, death is not a simple biological phenomenon but a fearful awareness of our eternal separation from the Source of life—a separation that leads to eternal extinction. In all of its expressions, death is like sin, universal and inevitable (Rom. 5:12, Heb. 9:27). With the entrance of sin into the world, the human race was an endangered species about to disappear from the universe. God's creation on Planet Earth, human and nonhuman, was on its way to annihilation.

Read Romans 5:10–21. How did death enter? What caused it? What’s our only way out?

Sin, Death, The Law and the Character of God

Yesterday, I was talking to a friend of mine and he asked me directly... why is death the wages of Sin? why is it that God can't just forgive and be over with Sin once there is repentence? What answer do you give?

Slaves of Sin

According to 2 Peter 2:19 and Romans 6:16, what does sin do to sinners?

In order to illustrate the devastating power of sin, Paul sometimes personifies it as a tyrant. It “entered the world through one man” (Rom. 5:12, NIV), reigns over humans in death (Rom. 5:21, 6:12), deceives (Rom. 7:11), dwells in humans (vs. 17), enslaves (Rom. 6:20), and produces death (Rom. 7:13). The sin of Adam and Eve was unique in that it resulted in the subjection of everything to its corrupting power. Satan became the prince of this world (John 12:31, 14:30). In their search for autonomy, Adam and Eve exchanged the Lordship of God for the enslaving and corrupting lordship of Satan. Sin became a universal power from which human beings have not been able to escape by themselves (Rom. 5:12).

According to Romans 3:9–18, what has been the situation of the human race under the reign of sin?

Rebellion in the Garden

What biblical evidence can you find in Genesis 1–3 to support the view that Adam and Eve rebelled against God? (See, for instance, Gen. 2:16, 17; 3:2, 3, 6.)

The word rebellion is not used in Genesis 1–3 to describe the sin of Adam and Eve, but the idea is nevertheless present. Not only did they openly violate a divine command, but in the process of disobedience, they shifted loyalties. Eve listened to the reasoning of the enemy and thought it more reliable than the explicit word of God. She concluded that the divine command was too restrictive, and that in order to achieve her highest potential she had to claim independence from her Creator. This was rebellion. Adam listened to the voice of his wife instead of the voice of God and joined her in the rebellion.

What are some of the immediate results of sin, especially when understood as rebellion against God? Isa. 59:2; compare to Gen. 3:23, 24.

Adam’s and Eve’s rebellion brought an end to the kind of intimate relationship that they had first enjoyed with God. The nature of their rebellion was such that it disrupted how they related not only to God but to each other. Instead of mutual love and commitment, their rebellion against God resulted in mutual shame (Gen. 3:7). Their interpersonal relationship was no longer harmonious (vs. 12). This rebellion resulted, above all, in their separation from God and the perception that God was someone to fear, someone from whom they needed to hide (vss. 8–10). God and humans were no longer united in love and harmony. What was needed was an act of reconciliation.

What has been your own experience with sin and how it impacts your relationship with God and with others? In what ways can you see the same principles in your own experience as seen here in Genesis?

Ocotber 10 Further Study

Further Study

“There was one who perverted the freedom that God had granted to His creatures. Sin originated with him who, next to Christ, had been most honored of God and was highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven. Lucifer, ‘son of the morning,’ was first of the covering cherubs, holy and undefiled. He stood in the presence of the great Creator, and the ceaseless beams of glory enshrouding the eternal God rested upon him.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 35. Made a Final Choice: “Lucifer in heaven had sinned in the light of God's glory. To him as to no other created being was given a revelation of God's love. Understanding the character of God, knowing His goodness, Satan chose to follow his own selfish, independent will. This choice was final. There was no more that God could do to save him.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 761, 762.

Discussion Questions

Think about the fact that Lucifer was a “perfect” being and yet iniquity was found in him. What does that tell us about the kind of freedom God has given to His intelligent creatures? What kind of moral responsibility does this freedom place on each of us?

Keeping the idea of our freedom in mind, discuss the role of the law. Why would law be so important for free beings? If we were not free, why would there be no need for law? That is, what’s the purpose of a law for beings who don’t have moral choices to begin with?

Go back to the question at the end of Tuesday’s lesson. What are the various ways Satan seeks to manifest his character in us, both individually and as a church? What are the things we do that show, at times, just how successful he has been?

War in Heaven

There are two words used by Ezekiel that could help us understand the strategy of Lucifer’s attack against God.

The first one is trade (“your widespread trade” [Ezek. 28:16, NIV]); he was involved in “widespread trade.” The word translated “trade” also could be rendered “slander,” suggesting that in heaven Lucifer was involved in raising false accusations against God and probably other heavenly beings. “Slander” is evil speech intended to damage the reputation of others, and it can describe the behavior of a person who has chosen to ignore the will of God and who stands under divine judgment (Lev. 19:16, Jer. 6:28–30). It results in division and disorder (2 Cor. 12:20). Satan is described in the Bible as the accuser or slanderer of God's people, the adversary (Zech. 3:1, Rev. 12:10). Satan did not hold “ ‘to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies’ ” (John 8:44, NIV).

This slander led Satan to violence, the second important word (Ezek. 28:16). Violence designates an antisocial behavior that violates God's established order. It is motivated by hate or egotism and could lead to physical and social attacks. In some cases it results in murder or in the exploitation of others for personal benefit (Gen. 49:5, Micah 6:12). Satan was a “ ‘murderer from the beginning’ ” in that he introduced violence and death into God's creation (John 8:44).

What was the final result of the anti-God behavior of Lucifer in heaven? Rev. 12:7-9.

Slowly and mysteriously Satan's selfish feelings were transformed into a behavior that was an open attack against God and His Son. What was at first hidden soon became visible, creating confusion and disorder. There was war in heaven. This was the beginning of the cosmic conflict in which we all are involved. Satan and his supporters were defeated in heaven, on the cross, and will be extinguished from the universe at the appropriate time. The resolution of the sin problem not only restores the fallen human race to perfect and permanent union with God but will reestablish a perfect moral harmony throughout all of God’s creation.

Sin as Rebellion Against God's Government

How does Paul describe the cosmic role of Christ? Col. 1:16, 17.

That which integrates creation into a harmonious unity are not the laws of nature, important as they are, but the power of a loving God in the person of Christ. Love is not only the bond that keeps Christians united (Col. 3:14) but the bond that holds the universe together. It is not an impersonal force but the very essence of God Himself. An attack against God is an attack against the way He rules the universe and, therefore, is an attempt to upset the divine order of creation.

Read Job 1:8–11. Where do you see in these verses an attack on God Himself by Satan?

The charges Satan raised against both Job and God reflect the charges he raised against God in heaven. According to him, Job served God out of selfish concerns, not out of love. He served God in order to obtain things from Him, and God provided for Job in order to gain his service. Satan argued that God's government was characterized by selfishness—not by selfless love, as God claimed. According to him, the true nature of humans is revealed in the midst of chaos, and if given the chance, they would rebel against God.

“All things Christ received from God, but He took to give. So in the heavenly courts, in His ministry for all created beings: through the beloved Son, the Father's life flows out to all; through the Son it returns, in praise and joyous service, a tide of love, to the great Source of all. And thus through Christ the circuit of beneficence is complete, representing the character of the great Giver, the law of life.

“In heaven itself this law was broken. Sin originated in self-seeking. Lucifer, the covering cherub, desired to be first in heaven.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 21.

Sin and the Law of God

The law is an expression of the character and will of the Lawgiver. The psalmist wrote, “ ‘I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart’ ” (Ps. 40:8, NIV). Here the will of God has been internalized and has become part of the character of the psalmist. In other words, the character of God is being appropriated through submission to the divine will expressed in the law.

How do these texts help us understand the link between God’s love and His law? Matt. 22:37–40; John 3:16; 14:15, 21; 1 John 5:3.

When John wrote, “The devil has been sinning from the beginning” (1 John 3:8, NIV), He was saying that Satan, in heaven, rebelled against the loving will of God.

In contrast to loving obedience, there is lawlessness (see 1 John 3:4). The word lawlessness (anomia) refers to a deep-seated attitude in the heart of rebellious human beings. It speaks of chaos and anarchy as the substitutes for the divine law and for what it stands for, the divine character. The cosmic conflict is against God and what He is in Himself. Paul describes the end-time eschatological antichrist as “the man of lawlessness” (2 Thess. 2:3, NIV), and refers to the phenomenon of sin as the “mystery of anomia” (vs. 7).

Review God’s command to Adam and Satan’s words to Eve (Gen. 2:17; 3:4, 5). What was going on here?

Attack On God

How did Isaiah describe the true intentions of the rebellious cherub? What was in his heart, his inner being? What was his real motive? Isa. 14:13, 14

As the strange, selfish feelings and emotions of the cherub gained ascendancy over his higher powers and reason, he became bolder. He perverted and misused the freedom that God had entrusted to him, even to the point where He wanted to usurp God’s own authority.

In Ezekiel 28:15 a contrast is made between the condition of the cherub as a good creature from the hand of his Creator and what he, the creature, had became. He was at first “blameless” (NIV), whole, lacking nothing, but something new was formed within him: The verse says that “iniquity,” or “wickedness” (NIV), was found in him. This term in the Old Testament can be used to mean duplicity, unholy ambition, lying, and apostasy.

Ezekiel also said: “ ‘ “Your heart became proud [Heb. gabah, ‘to be high,’ ‘to be exalted’]” ’ ” (Ezek. 28:17, NIV). To be proud can included perceiving oneself as being more than one really is, or to view oneself as superior to others. It also can lead to behavior that ignores God's will (Ps. 10:4, Jer. 13:15) and that opposes God Himself (Ezek. 28:2). One could easily conclude that the fallen cherub was being disloyal to God, attacking Him, speaking lies and acting deceptively.

Cosmic Crisis: The Disruption of God's Established Order

This weeks lesson deals with Satan's fall and the origin of sin. Ezekiel 28:14-17.

What does this tell us about the origin of sin?

Sin originated when Lucifer grew proud and began to exalt himself above everyone in heaven. His selfishness turned to wickedness and rebelled against God and was thrown out of heaven taking a 5th of the angels with him to the earth. Thus sin entered the world and God's perfect plan of order was disrupted.

What was Lucifer like before he fell?

Before Lucifer's fall, the Bible says he was the highest appointed cherub created by God. Vs-15 says "You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created". He was perfect in beauty and wisdom. The origin of evil within this perfect being is a mystery, but all have been suffering as a result of sin ever since. But how wonderful it is to have God so loving and wise that he foresaw these circumstances and has a perfect resolution to the issue of sin.

How often has it been that no matter what you had, you still wanted more? Whose character are you manifesting? Why is that so opposite to the character of Christ?