IS GOD’S LAW STILL VALID?
Were the Ten Commandments abolished at Christ’s death on the cross? Or is God’s law, the Ten Commandments, still relevant today?
“Welcome back to what promises to be an epic journey through the unseen. We are looking at a saga, not of this world.
This is the 9th part of a 13-part series unlike any other.
We’re diving into the cosmic war beyond what we cannot see, hear, or imagine.
It is a war between the forces of good and evil. It is a war for our souls. It is designed to strip us of our knowledge of God, his Word, and our relationship with him.
We’re digging deep into the heart of this cosmic battle, exploring the origins of sin, the nature of evil, history, and what will lead to the ultimate showdown between Christ and Satan.
This series is about understanding the forces at play and our place within this universal struggle.
Every episode, every moment of this journey matters because, like it or not, this is a war that touches us all.
It is about a God who loves us so much that He is willing to give His life to maintain a relationship with us. Now, as our High Priest, He officiates for us in the Heavenly Sanctuary. What does that mean in relation to God’s government and our current generation?
Your view of the universe, life, and our place within it is about to change forever.
But, before diving into this conflict, let’s take a moment to invite God’s presence.
If you have not viewed the previous videos, view them at SabbathSchoolDaily.com (Split)
Inviting God’s Presence.
Heavenly Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit, give us a willing heart to receive and live by your every word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
The Great Controversy
The War Between Good and Evil
(Lesson 9)
The Foundation of God’s Government
Part 1 Introduction
In our rapidly changing world, where values seem to be on a decline, one might wonder: Is God’s law still valid?
Today, we explore this question, examining how the truths of the Bible have profound relevance in our modern lives.
The struggle between God’s written word and worldly demands is vividly depicted in the Scriptures. (Split)
Revelation 12:17 tells us about a fierce cosmic war “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17, NKJV).
This passage isn’t just a tale of old; it’s a clear reflection of the ongoing battle over God’s enduring commandments and his commandment-keeping people.
After facing the Great Disappointment in 1844, the early Adventists delved deep into the Scriptures.
Through prayer and the Holy Spirit’s aid, they came to understand the significance of God’s Law treasured in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary.
Their intensive studies helped them to understand that God’s law, particularly represented in the Ten Commandments, was not merely an old covenant between God and the Hebrews.
It is a vital component of God’s government in heaven and on earth.
As they examined the heart of God’s law, they discovered the significance of the Sabbath, the fourth commandment.
They recognized the Sabbath as a testament to our creation.
More than any other the fourth commandment pointing to keeping the Sabbath identifies God as our Creator.
It emphasizes the God of creation as the foundation of all true worship and the fundamental reason for worship.
It remains particularly relevant as the final days of earth’s history approach, as Revelation 14:6–12 describes. (Split)
Yet, there is an opponent to this truth. Satan’s aim from the beginning is to overthrow the government of God by undermining the law of God.
Thus, his aim is to make us humans dismiss the relevance of God’s law.
He knows the weight of God’s fourth commandment.
He knows that to offend “in one point” means to be “guilty of all” as expressed in James 2:10.
What is Satan’s strategy?
He encourages people to violate the law of God, which particularly includes an aversion to the Sabbath.
Why does He hate the Sabbath? Because it is a constant reminder of God’s role as our Creator.
The Sabbath is a reminder of the Creator and how He is to be worshiped.
Moreover, along with the other nine commandments, it is also treasured in God’s law in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary.
Why is the law of God significant? The law of God defines sin.
Because it tells us what sin is, as long as people seek to be faithful to God, His law, including the Sabbath Commandment, remains relevant. (Split)
In this lesson, we will explore the intricate connections between God’s sanctuary in heaven, His law, the Sabbath, and the coming crisis over the mark of the beast.
We will also look at the relevance of the Sabbath, especially to this end-time generation.
God’s law demonstrates “the principles of His rules of government, which have been falsified by Satan and by all whom he has deceived. His justice will finally be acknowledged by the whole world.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 78, 79.
These divine guidelines are not just rules but a reflection of God’s character and love for us.
Embracing the Sabbath, in particular, allows us to weekly affirm our trust in Him, reinforcing our commitment to His eternal principles.
To get a deeper understanding of its relevance for us today, we need to understand what the scriptures say was in the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place of the Sanctuary.
Read Revelation 11:19, Exodus 25:16, Exodus 31:18, and Revelation 12:17, then:
Continue to Part 2: The Sanctuary and the Law
The Great Controversy
The War Between Good and Evil
(Lesson 9)
Light From the Sanctuary
Part 2: The Sanctuary and the Law
When we examine passages like Revelation 11:19, Exodus 25:16, Exodus 31:18, and Revelation 12:17, a consistent theme emerges about what resided within the Ark of the Covenant.
Revelation 11:19
19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:19)
Exodus 25:16
16 And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you. (Exodus 25:16)
Exodus 31:18
18 And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. (Exodus 31:18)
Revelation 12:17
17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:17)
The law treasured in the Ark of the Covenant demonstrates its value to God and to His people.
It was a promise that if we obeyed His commandments, we would have a good relationship with him and a good relationship with one another.
Thus, in ancient Israel
The law of God, written on tablets of stone, was kept in the Most Holy Place of Sanctuary in the Ark of the Covenant.
On the Day of Atonement, which was the day of judgment described in Leviticus 23:29–31, the high priest engaged in a solemn ceremony. (Split)
On this day, all of Israel was commanded to participate in the event by searching their souls or hearts, repenting of their sins, and refraining from all work.
This day was set apart for cleansing both the people and the sanctuary of sin.
The instructions for the day of Atonement are found in Leviticus 23:29-31
29 For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people.
30 And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.
31 You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. (Leviticus 23:29-31)
How did the Israelites prepare for this day?
They prepared through confession, self-examination, and ceasing all labor to reflect on their spiritual state.
On that day, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place, the innermost apartment of the sanctuary.
In this apartment was the ark of the covenant, and within it was God’s Ten Commandments law, written on tables of stone.
The Ark of the Covenant had a golden cover. This golden cover was called the mercy seat.
Blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat to cleanse the sanctuary from sin.
God’s presence was manifested in Shekinah Glory above the mercy seat, represented as light symbolizing God’s presence.
Through the sprinkling of blood, the high priest symbolically transferred the people’s sins onto the mercy seat on top of the Ark of the Covenant.
This act illustrated the profound meeting of God’s justice and mercy.
Every sacrifice offered by the priest revealed God’s mercy toward sinful humanity.
However, as expressed in Hebrews 10:3, the Day of Atonement was a reminder to the people that sin is remembered until the day of judgment.
Hebrews 10:3
3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. (Hebrews 10:3).
Sin could only be removed through faith in the blood of Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, to come.
Only His blood could cleanse from sin, as expressed in I Peter 1:18-19.
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (I Peter 1:18-19)
Thus, there, in the presence of God, in the Most Holy Place, above the Mercy seat, mercy and justice beautifully touch each other.
The Ark’s contents were not merely ceremonial.
They represented the unchanging nature of God’s law.
In Revelation 11:19, John saw “the temple of God . . . opened” and the “ark of His covenant” revealed (NKJV).
Thus, as Moses received the law on Sinai and recorded it, this divine law mirrors what is perpetually upheld in heaven’s temple.
The Great Controversy adds this comment: “Within the holy of holies, in the sanctuary in heaven, the divine law is sacredly enshrined—the law that was spoken by God Himself amid the thunders of Sinai and written with His own finger on the tables of stone. The law of God in the sanctuary in heaven is the great original, of which the precepts inscribed upon the tables of stone and recorded by Moses in the Pentateuch were an unerring transcript. Those who arrived at an understanding of this important point were thus led to see the sacred, unchanging character of the divine law.”— The Great Controversy, p. 434.
As the early Adventists continued to study the Bible teachings on the sanctuary, their biblical insights from the study of God’s word led them to recognize the relevance of God’s law and the Sabbath. (Split)
They reasoned that if the law of God was pictured in the ark of the covenant in the heavenly sanctuary, it could not have been abolished at Jesus’ death on the Cross.
What is our obligation to God’s law today? Is Law relevant?
Read: Matthew 5:17, 18; Psalm 111:7, 8; Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; 1 John 5:3; and Proverbs 28:9
Then view the next segment of this video, Part 3: The Immutability of God’s Law
The Great Controversy
The War Between Good and Evil
(Lesson 9)
Light From the Sanctuary
Part 3: The Immutability of God’s Law
What is the relevance of God’s law in our lives today?
How does this divine guidance connect us more deeply with our God as our Creator and His eternal love?
The Scriptures, including both the Old and New Testaments, affirm the timeless and enduring nature of God’s law.
In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus Himself emphasizes that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it, ensuring that not a single detail would pass away until all is accomplished.
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (Matthew 5:17-18)
Psalm 111:7-8 praises the works and precepts of the Lord as trustworthy and established forever.
Psalms 111:7-8
7 The works of His hands are verity and justice; All His precepts are sure.
8 They stand fast forever and ever, And are done in truth and uprightness. (Psalms 111:7-8)
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 reminds us that fearing God and keeping His commandments is the whole duty of humanity, underscoring the universality and permanence of His divine law.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) (Split)
The connection between God’s law and the Christian life is further clarified in 1 John 5:3, which states that loving God means keeping His commandments, which are not oppressive.
I John 5:3
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (I John 5:3)
Furthermore, Proverbs 28:9 teaches that when we turn away from hearing the law, even our prayers become an abomination, highlighting the integral role of our obedience to the law of God in our relationship with Him.
Proverbs 28:9
9 One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination. (Proverbs 28:9)
The Protestant Reformers upheld the sacredness, timelessness relevance of the law of God.
Seventh-day Adventists, products of the Millerites movement of the 1800s, maintain the Protestant tradition, as voiced by John Wesley. He argued that Jesus did not abolish the moral law encapsulated in the Ten Commandments. He affirmed the law stating:
“The ritual or ceremonial law delivered by Moses to the children of Israel, containing all the injunctions and ordinances which related to the old sacrifices and service of the temple, our Lord indeed did come to destroy, to dissolve and utterly abolish. . . . But the moral law, contained in the Ten Commandments, and enforced by the prophets, he did not take away. It was not the design of his coming to revoke any part of this. This is a law which never can be broken, which ‘stands fast as the faithful witness in heaven.’ . . . Every part of this law must remain in force, upon all mankind, and in all ages; as not depending either on time or place, or any other circumstances liable to change, but on the nature of God and the nature of man, and their unchangeable relation to each other.”—“Upon Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount,” Discourse V, John Wesley’s Sermons: An Anthology (Nashville, TN: Abington Press, 1991), pp. 208, 209.
In other words, Westley maintained that the Ten Commandments are a “loyal witness” of God’s holy and loving nature, meant to govern the lives of all people across all ages and are firmly rooted in God’s unchanging character.
Additionally, when comparing texts such as Exodus 34:5-7 with Romans 7:11, 12; Psalm 19:7–11; Psalm 89:14; and Psalm 119:142, 172. it becomes clear that God’s law is an expression of His love and righteousness.
It is not merely a set of rules but a reflection of God’s holy nature, His character.
In it, His mercy, truth, and righteousness are revealed.
For instance, Romans 7:11-12 declares his commandments holy, just, and good.
And Psalm 19:7-11 praises the law as perfect, sure, and righteous. And in keeping them, there is great reward.
Psalms 19:7-8 says:
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; (Psalms 19:7-8)
Psalms 89:14 tells us that righteousness and justice are the foundations of God’s governement. Mercy and truth stand before his face.
And Psalm 119:142, 172 echoes that God’s righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and His law is the truth.
Psalms 119:142
142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth. (Psalms 119:142)
Psalms 119:172
172 My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness. (Psalms 119:172)
Scripture reveals that the law of God is a transcription of His character.
It is a record of God’s personality.
It lets us know that the law is the foundation of His throne, his government, and the moral basis for us humans.
Satan hates God’s law and has, through the ages, tempted us to break God’s enduring and everlasting commandments.
Notice what it says in the book The Great Controversy regarding the treasure in the ark of the covenant in the earthly sanctuary, which was patterned after the sanctuary in heaven.
“None could fail to see that if the earthly sanctuary was a figure or pattern of the heavenly, the law deposited in the ark on earth was an exact transcript of the law in the ark in heaven; and that an acceptance of the truth concerning the heavenly sanctuary involved an acknowledgment of the claims of God’s law and the obligation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 435.
Yes, God’s commandments are relevant today.
They are the moral boundaries that help us know when we are harming our relationship with God and harming our relationship with one another.
If all were to strive to obey them, how much better the world would be today?
As we take time to ingest this profound insight, let us recognize that God’s law serves as a bridge connecting us to His divine love and righteousness.
It is a reflection of His perfect character and a blueprint for living in alignment with His divine will.
It is true the law does not save us, Jesus saves us.
However, how we live our lives in contrast to it demonstrates our relationship to God.
Jesus in John 14:15 says: “If you love me keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
Again, in John 14:21, he says:
21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:21)
Thus, He expects us to use them to guide us in our daily walk with Him.
We walk, therefore, secure in the knowledge that in doing so, we draw closer to the heart of our Creator.
Speaking of our Creator, in the scriptures, we find that there is a relationship between Creation, the Sabbath, and the law of God.
What is that relationship? Read: Revelation 14:6-7, Revelation 4:11, Genesis 2:1-3 and Exodus 20:8-11 then:
Continue to the next Segment of this video, Part 4: The Sabbath and the Law
The Great Controversy
(Lesson 9)
The Foundation of God’s Government
Part 4: The Sabbath and the Law
In the beauty of creation, the Sabbath stands as a symbol of rest and reflection.
There is a deep connection between God’s creative work, the observance of the Sabbath, and His eternal law.
Revelation 14:6, 7, and 4:11, along with Genesis 2:1–3 and Exodus 20:8–11, construct a narrative that demonstrates and celebrates God as the Creator of the universe.
Genesis 2:1-3 tells us that God completed His creation in six days and rested on the seventh, establishing the Sabbath not only as a day of rest but as a perpetual reminder of His creative power and love.
1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (Genesis 2:1-3)
Pointing to God as our creator, we are not left alone in the universe. (Split)
We are not some genetic random mutations.
We are here, not by accident.
We are here today because Jesus created us.
Therefore, he is worthy of our worship. Not just because He created us but also because He redeemed us.
The heart of all true worship is centered on these two points:
God created us, and He redeemed us.
Vital to acknowledging God as our Creator and understanding His plan for our redemption is the Sabbath.
At the end of God’s Creation week, He rested.
His rest was not due to weariness.
His rest was in the beauty and majesty of the world He had made.
It was an act of setting the day apart as holy.
God’s resting on the seventh day of creation was an invitation for us to stop our labors and reflect on the beauty and completeness of His work.
I like how the study guide puts it. It asserts that the Sabbath is a weekly pause to praise the One who made us.
Thus, as we worship on the day God has established for the Sabbath, we open our hearts to receive the special blessing He placed on that day only and on no other day.
Moreover, the Sabbath is deeply embedded in the Ten Commandments, as highlighted in Exodus 20:8–11, emphasizing its importance in God’s law.
It’s a day that transcends time, linking us back to Eden and forward to the renewed creation promised in Revelation 4:11.
11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)
It serves as a symbol of God’s ongoing care and an assurance of His plan for salvation, which is not based on our works but on His grace.
The act of keeping the Sabbath holy, as described in Ezekiel 20:12, 20, is a declaration of our loyalty to God.
12 Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.
20 hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’ (Ezekiel 20: 12, 20).
As indicated in the Lesson Study, the Sabbath is a symbol of rest, not of works, of grace, not of legalism, of assurance, not of condemnation; of depending upon God for salvation, not on ourselves.
In other words, the Sabbat is a sign of our trust in God’s provision and promises, not a means of earning salvation.
In reality, it is the ultimate expression of faith and dependency on God.
Hence, observing the Sabbath should be a time of celebration of creation, a testament to God’s ongoing work in our lives, and a foretaste of the eternal rest to come in his heavenly kingdom.
Since the Sabbath is a sign of loyalty to the true God, it should come as no surprise that Satan would seek to prevent the people of God from observing it.
How has he attempted to do this? What will he attempt to do in the future
View the next segment of this video: Part 5: The Mark of the Beast
The Great Controversy
(Lesson 9)
The Foundation of God’s Government
Part 5: The Mark of the Beast
Revelation 12:12 and 17, coupled with Revelation 13:7, vividly illustrate the depth of Satan’s wrath towards God’s end-time people.
His is bent on the work of deception and ruin.
Revelation 12:12
12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” (Revelation 12:12)
Revelation 12:17
17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:17)
Revelation 13:7
7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. (Revelation 13:7)
These passages show us that Satan is not just angry; he is furiously enraged, waging war against those who keep God’s commandments and bear testimony to Jesus.
This fierce anger is driven by his defeat in heaven and his limited time on earth, knowing his end is near.
Revelation 12 and 13 outline the cosmic conflict, the ongoing battle between Christ and Satan that originated in heaven and continues on earth.
Satan, depicted as the dragon, aligns with two other entities—the sea beast and the land beast—to intensify his assault against God’s people.
These alliances aim to deceive and coerce the world into false worship, as detailed through the worship directed towards the sea beast in Revelation 13:4, 8, 12, 15.
8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. (Revelation 13:4, 8, 12, 15)
And Revelation 14:7-9-11
7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand,
10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:7, 9–11.
Also read Revelation 15:4, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4, and 22:9, which emphasize the choice facing humanity.
It is a choice we must all make: worship God, the creator and redeemer, and live eternally with him, or worship the beast and face eternal separation from God. This cosmic battle over worship traces back to Lucifer’s original rebellion in heaven, where he sought to draw to himself the worship that God deserves.
He, according to Isaiah 14:14, said:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ (Isaiah 14:14)
He wants the worship that only belongs to the Creator.
Using his arts and crafts according to Revelation 13, he succeeds through the activity of the land beast described in Revelation 13: 4
4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4)
A comparison of the little horn in Daniel 7:25 with the land beast of Revelation 13:4 shows that this land beast is the same as the little horn that “seeks to change times and laws” and exercises authority for 1,260 prophetic “days,” that is, for 1,260 years.
He according to Revelation 13:5 “ was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.” Which is 1260 years. Review lesson 6 for more clarification.
The specific issue of worship in Revelation ties closely to the prophetic insights of Daniel 7, where the “little horn” changes God’s law, specifically the fourth commandment concerning the Sabbath.
This entity attempts to change the day of worship from Saturday, the seventh day, to Sunday, the first day of the week.
Attempting to change the day of worship, the seventh-day Sabbath, which God Himself gave as a sign of His authority as expressed in Exodus 31:13 and Ezekiel 20:12, 20), is an attempt to take over divine authority.
Thus, the focus of the final conflict will be on true vs. false worship.
Therefore, Revelation identifies the people who are faithful to God as those “who keep the commandments of God,” as expressed in Revelation 12:17 and Revelation 14:12, including the seventh-day Sabbath.
Consequently, those who refuse the final call of the three angels to worship God on His holy day, as stated in Isaiah 58:13, and who worship the beast on his counterfeit day will receive the mark of the beast.
Isaiah 58:13
13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, (Isaiah 58:13) (See Lesson 11)
In this cosmic battle between Christ and Satan, the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath emerges as a sign of loyalty to God, contrasting sharply with the counterfeit worship advocated by the beast.
Though it may be touchy for some, this isn’t merely a doctrinal stance; it’s a commitment to the Creator, who alone is worthy of our worship and praise.
God offers a solemn warning to those who persist in worshipping the beast and his image. What is it? Read Revelation 14:7-12
Continue to the next segment of this video, Part 6: The Three Angels Message
The Great Controversy
(Lesson 9)
The Foundation of God’s Government
Part 6: The Three Angels Message
As we approach the culmination of earth’s history, Revelation 14 presents a loud and clear appeal to reaffirm our allegiance to God.
Revelation 14:7-12 graphically illustrates the urgent messages of three angels focusing earth’s inhabitants’ toward the imminent judgment and the choice between true and false worship.
The first angel’s message, Revelation 14:7, urges us to “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water” (Revelation 14:7, NKJV).
This call to worship the Creator is a reminder to give our supreme honor and heartfelt worship to the Creator in light of facing the impending judgment.
The scene intensifies with the second angel’s declaration in Revelation 14:8 that “Babylon is fallen… because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Revelation 14:8, NKJV).
Babylon symbolizes the fallen, corrupt, apostate religious systems that lead people to accept a false system of worship in place of the first angel’s message. )
Two opposing choices are presented here:
- We have the choice to worship God or,
- Worship the beast.
Every person on this Earth will have to decide.
The decision they make will be final, it is irrevocable.
It will be a decision to give our allegiance to Jesus or Satan.
It will be our choice, our call.
Revelation 14:12 identifies the enduring qualities of God’s end-time people: they “keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12).
These characteristics are critical as they signify not only obedience but also trust in Jesus, which mirrors His faith, which is unshakable in the face of persecution or deception.
In other words, God’s end-time people are loyal to Him even in the face of the greatest opposition and fiercest persecution.
Fill with grace and the righteousness of Christ, they obey God rather than man.
This clash between the worship of the Creator and the worship of the beast underscores the central theme of the great controversy, the conflict between good and evil.
This conflict revolves around who we will worship and give our allegiance to.
Worshiping the Creator stands in direct opposition to worshiping the beast.
Our worshipping of the Creator is expressed in our keeping the commandments of God, which shows our allegiance to Christ.
A refusal not to keep the commandments of God indicates that allegiance is to God’s opponent.
Thus, the Sabbath is at the heart of commandment-keeping.
The Sabbath is a sign of God’s creative authority and a symbol of our loyalty to Him above any earthly power.
Thus, the final conflict is over allegiance to Christ or allegiance to the beast’s power centers in worship.
And the Sabbath is at the heart of this great controversy between good and evil.
The devoted followers of Christ will possess not only faith “in” Jesus—believing in His teachings and promises—but also faith “of” Jesus, that is, having a personal faith that mirrored His faith during His earthly ministry.
This faith is deep and unyielding, strong enough to withstand the fiercest demonic forces and the most severe earthly trials.
It is a faith that continues to trust God even when circumstances are unclear.
This faith holds firm even when reasons and rational explanations fail.
It maintains hope even in seemingly hopeless situations.
This extraordinary “keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12 is a gift granted to all believers, enabling them to endure through the final crises.
As we face potential hardships such as economic boycotts, persecution, imprisonment, and even the threat of death, it is this resilient faith that will sustain us during Earth’s final hours before Jesus returns.
As we reflect on the messages of Revelation 14, let us ask ourselves how we are preparing for the trials ahead.
How is God shaping our faith today to stand firm tomorrow? (Split)
As we navigate life’s challenges, may we allow God to cultivate the faith of Jesus in us.
This faith that endures beyond reason, sees beyond sight, and triumphs over the darkest trials. May this unwavering faith guide us as we pledge our unwavering allegiance to our Creator, awaiting His joyous return.
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Hebron Seventh-day Adventist Church
7902 Wheatly Street
Houston, TX 77088
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