Sabbath school summary

By Elder Dr Masimba Mavaza

Foundations for Prophecy

Lesson 7

Memory Text: Isaiah 6:8

Memory Text: “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me’ ” (Isaiah 6:8, NKJV).

Introduction

God’s right to rule the universe is founded upon His position as the Creator of all things (Rev. 4:11) and also upon His character. It is in discovering God’s righteous character that we begin to understand how and why sinful human beings fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).

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.
Human rebellion, ultimately and forever, will be ended. And, more than that, God’s loving character, His self-denying and self-sacrificing character, will shine even brighter than it did in His original design for humanity. Though God never intended for humanity to fall, through the Cross, God’s loving character has been put on display in a remarkable way.

SABBATH:
Have you ever wished you could go back in time to be your true & innocent self again? Since the fall in the Garden of Eden, God’s mission has been to restore His lost image in us. As the Creator of all things, He has the right to rule the universe & restore our earth to its Edenic state (Rev. 4:11, Rom. 3:23). A sneak peek into the throne room of God shows His holiness & our unholiness. Christ offers us forgiveness. Sin will end & we shall reflect God’s character/love.

Here I Am, Send Me

SUNDAY:
The more you get close to Christ, the more faulty you’ll appear in your own eyes; for you see more clearly. It’s like a church that first installed light to beautify a basement they wanted to renovate to start a new fellowship. They saw the bright light made the basement looked even worse. That was the case of Isaiah when he saw the God’s throne. He cried, “woe is me” (Isa. 6:5-8). But his sins were forgiven at the touch of a seraph—“the burning one” (Rev. 8:3, 4).

The Two Cherubim

MONDAY:
Two lovely cherubs were sent to guard the gates of Eden when Adam & Eve were expelled. Eden stayed on Earth for a time. Here, Adam & his sons came to worship & renewed their vows to keep God’s law that was broken. The glory of God could be seen by all the fallen race in the bright light of the two cherubs. The cherubs symbolized hope & God’s presence (Gen. 3:15, 21-24, Exod. 25:18, PP, p. 62, 1 Chron. 13:6, Ps. 80:1, Isa. 37:16, Rev. 4, 5). They stand before God’s throne (see Rev. 4:11).

Like Burning Coals of Fire

TUESDAY:
God dwells between the two cherubs as seen in the ark of covenant. Cherubs stand next to God’s throne & radiate His glory to the universe. They are woven in the curtain before the Holy of Holies & are used to depict God’s power over creation (Exod. 26:1, Ps. 18:10, Exod. 25:18-22). Ezekiel, Isaiah, & John all had throne visions where they saw angelic beings with the same faces (Ezek. 1:4-14, 10:1-21, Isa. 6:1-6, Rev. 4:1-11). All God’s creatures, angels or humans, are to reflect God’s glory.

God Among His People

WEDNESDAY:
In Israel’s walk to Canaan, they’d pause & set up the tabernacle. Tribes pitched tents around it—3 tribes on each of the four sides (Num. 2). Each dominant tribe had its flag (Gen. 49, Deut. 33). Rabbinical tradition reveals Judah bore a lion, Reuben bore a man’s head, Ephraim bore an ox, & Dan bore an eagle, to show a unity of the 4 living creatures. The New Jerusalem also has gates with 3 tribes on all 4 sides of the city (Rev. 21:12, 13). It’s seen that God wants to dwell with His people (Rev. 21:22).

The Fall of Lucifer

THURSDAY:
Lucifer was once a covering cherub who could’ve revealed the glory of God to the universe. But he gloried in self (Ezek. 28:11-17, Isa. 14:12-14; Rev. 14:1-12). In contrast to Lucifer who was removed from the holy mountain, God set the saved on Mount Zion with the Lamb of God. Lucifer will be destroyed, but humanity, through Christ, will be restored to Paradise (Rev. 5:9). The saved will fill the space made in heaven by the fall of Lucifer & his angels.

Further Thought

FRIDAY:
Satan, once a covering cherub, aimed to undermine God’s throne, & God permitted fallen angels to rebel to reveal the results of self-exaltation. Despite deceiving humanity into joining his rebellion, Christ triumphed over Satan at the cross, securing a place for humanity where fallen angels once lived. God’s goodness & love will be seen more than before Lucifer’s fall. Christ will present the saved as the result of His sacrifice, leading to eternal praise.

—Ellen G. White, T“The Controversy Ended,” pp. 669–671, 676–678, in The Great Controversy.

Keywords

“Seraph”- A seraph is an angelic being. The word means “the burning one.” Jesus used the term to describe the ministry of John the Baptist in John 5:35—“‘He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light’”. Though, of course, John himself was a sinner in need of grace and salvation, his ministry pointed to the only One who could bring grace and salvation. Jesus came as the perfect representation of the Father’s glory—and God sent a prophet, a sinner, who performed a similar task as one of heaven’s seraphim.

Cherub/Cherubim- They are heavenly angels found in proximity to God’s throne. Their function is seen in the ark of covenant. In Genesis 3:24, God “placed” the cherubim to the east of Eden, using the Hebrew word shakan, which is the root for “tabernacle” (as seen in Exod. 25:9 and Num. 3:26). This indicates where God’s presence dwelt among His people. Although the term Shekinah for God’s presence does not appear in the Bible, it derives from this word, often translated as “tabernacle.” A literal translation of shakan could be understood as “God tabernacled cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden.”

PP- Patriarchs and Prophets

The Four Living Creatures- They are identified as seraphim.

The 24 Elders- They are identified as the representatives of the unfallen worlds.

Discussion Questions

📌 Imagine standing before God with every flaw, every character defect, every wrong act, every wrong thought, every wrong motive fully exposed before Him! What would you rightfully and fairly deserve? What, then, is your only hope? Why must we have “the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe” (Rom. 3:22, NKJV) covering us now, and in the judgment, when we need it most? In short, why do we need the gospel?

📌 As we have seen, John the Baptist played the role of a seraph— a burning and shining lamp. (See John 5:35.) He was, of course, the forerunner to Christ, heralding the Messiah’s first appearance. How do God’s last-day people hold a similar prophetic role?