Sabbath School Study Hour

Over and over, Jesus said things like “Do not fear,” and “Why do your thoughts trouble you?” It is important to remember that the focus of prophecy is Christ, and, as such, we must be able to find the same counsel throughout the scenes portrayed in earth’s closing moments. “ ‘Let not your heart be troubled,’ ” He taught His disciples, “ ‘you believe in God, believe also in Me’ ” (John 14:1, NKJV). In other words, yes, last-day events will be difficult and trying for those who seek to stay faithful to God. But ultimately, we should view these events with hope, not fear.

In prophecy, a woman is a powerful symbol for God’s church, shedding much light on how God regards His people. Let’s look at the biblical accounts of these two women, whose life circumstances have been immortalized in the Word of God, and seek to draw whatever lessons we can from their experiences.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be searching through a number of key stories in order to see what they might have to say about events such as the Second Coming, the investigative judgment, the final crisis, and more. And, through it all, we find Christ as the center, for He must be the foundation as well as the end goal of all our prophetic endeavors.

The Psalms also deal with these issues in great depth, exploring nearly every possible human emotion—from dark despondency to unbridled joy. We see Israel preparing for battle against the forces of darkness. We read about individuals wrestling with the question of why doesn’t God address evil more directly and immediately, a question that no doubt we all have asked. We are directed to the sanctuary for answers, and there are also repeated appeals to God’s status as Creator. Are these not issues and questions that we, in our context today, wrestle with, as well? Of course—which is why we will continue unpacking Psalms in order to learn more about these crucial truths.

The book of Psalms offers rich spiritual insights that deepen our understanding of Revelation, especially chapter 14. This inspired poetry reflects the human journey with God and highlights themes of worship, repentance, and salvation. As God's people are called to share a final message with the world, the Psalms provide meaningful context and encouragement for that mission. We’ll explore this connection further throughout the week.

This week, we move further into the vision of the throne room and consider how the human race relates to a holy God and how the sacrifice of Christ restores us and brings us close to the throne. God plans to restore us, not just as individuals but also as a race, so that we once again reveal His glory to the rest of Creation. By searching through the rest of the Bible, we can find important clues that help us understand and begin to appreciate the high calling that God has extended to us, a race of forgiven and redeemed sinners.

This week we will look at some of the themes of sacrifice that inform our understanding of Jesus, the slain Lamb, the clear protagonist of the throne room scene. He is accepted as worthy, where no one else is, and His unique worthiness speaks volumes about what the Lord was doing through the sacrificial system. It reveals Him as a God of infinite love who made the ultimate sacrifice, an act that we, and the other intelligences in the universe, will marvel at for eternity.

This week, we will continue looking at the problems caused by the Fall and the desire for human government as opposed to God’s governance. These truths are powerfully revealed in the book of Daniel, which shows that God was right when He warned His people about what would happen when they turned away from Him and chose earthly monarchs instead. This is exactly what they got: earthly monarchs instead, and sinners lording it over sinners—never a good combination.

In this lesson, we will explore humanity’s long and often tragic journey of self-government through the lens of Scripture. From the table of nations in Genesis to the hopeful vision in Revelation, this lesson traces how human attempts to rule without God have consistently fallen short. With key texts from Genesis, Samuel, Daniel, and Revelation, we uncover the contrast between earthly kingdoms and the everlasting kingdom of Christ—one that will never be destroyed. Join us as we reflect on God’s ultimate solution to our broken world and the hope of His eternal reign.

This week we will explore different ways the Word of God talks about marriages, good and bad. We can then draw lessons from these examples to understand better how God relates to His people, even when they fall short, and we can learn some truths about His love that can help us better grasp last-day events.

This week, we are going to study a handful of big concepts at the core of Revelation. There are many, and so we will choose a few to illustrate the all-important point that understanding the ancient foundations behind Revelation enables the student to see countless nuances in the text, each of which can yield important lessons about the nature of humanity, of God, and of the conflict being waged in our universe and, thus, in our lives, as well.

Why does Bible prophecy cause so much confusion—even among Christians? Some avoid it altogether, thinking it's too complicated or divisive. But that wasn’t always the case. For centuries, believers found unity and clarity in God’s prophetic Word. In this week’s lesson, we’ll explore simple, powerful principles that bring prophecy into focus—and show how it can still inspire faith and understanding today.

God’s law is not a set of abstract principles but commands and instructions intended for our flourishing. God’s law is, in its totality, an expression of love as God Himself expresses it.

Part of loving one another is sharing a concern for the well-being of those around us. When others are afflicted by poverty, oppression, or any kind of injustice, we should be concerned. When others are oppressed, we should not turn a blind eye. Instead, we should ask ourselves what we can do, individually and corporately, to advance God’s love and justice in a way that reflects to our broken world our Lord’s perfect character of righteousness and love.

Many struggle with the question: If God is good, why is there so much suffering? Where is He in the midst of pain? The cosmic conflict helps shed light on this crucial issue, yet many questions remain. But when our search for answers falls short, we can look to Jesus on the cross and see that God is trustworthy, even when some questions remain unanswered—for now.

For the cosmic conflict to occur, God must allow the enemy some freedom and power within certain parameters, though the details are unknown to us. Even God's angels operate within these "rules of engagement." Understanding that God governs by love, not coercion, helps us grasp this concept and better understand the great controversy.

The theme of a cosmic conflict, in which the kingdom of God is opposed by the devil and his angels, is not one that we can neglect without missing a great deal of what the biblical narratives are about. The Gospels alone are filled with references to the devil and demons who oppose God. This week, we will address how the two following questions might be answered according to some crucial biblical passages: 1- Where does Scripture teach that there is a cosmic conflict between God and Satan? 2- According to Scripture, what is the nature of the conflict?

The God of the Bible could not be more different from these demonic forces. Yahweh is perfectly good and His character changeless. And it is only because of God’s constant goodness that we can have any hope, now and for eternity.

Perhaps the greatest problem facing Christianity is the problem of evil—how to reconcile the fact that God is perfectly good and loving, with the fact of evil in this world. In briefest terms, if God is all-good and all-powerful, why is there evil, and so much of it, too?

Throughout Scripture, love and justice go together. True love requires justice, and true justice can be governed by and meted only out in love.