Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Rev. 1:9–19; Matt. 24:4–8, 23–31; Rev. 14:6–12; Heb. 11:13–16; Phil. 4:4–6.
Memory Text: “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him’ ” (1 Cor. 2:9, NKJV).
Have you ever felt that you were in the midst of a great battle, a kind of struggle between good and evil? Many, even secular people, have sensed this reality. And we feel that way because, well, it’s true. We are in a great battle between good and evil, between Christ (the good) and Satan (the bad).
Life, then, is really being played out on two levels. The great controversy between Christ and Satan is taking place on a global scale—in fact, even a cosmic level, for in heaven is where it first began (Rev. 12:7). Yet, in the confusion of events, we can easily lose the big picture of God’s escape plan for this world. Wars, political unrest, and natural disasters can hold us in helpless terror. But God’s prophetic guidance can help us keep in mind the big picture of where we are going and how we will get there.
The great controversy also is being played out on a much more personal level. All of us individually face faith challenges in our everyday life, and if we die before the second coming of Jesus, we will face death too. This week, we look at how we can rest in Jesus in the face of global unrest and our own unknown future, at least in the short term. In the long term, things look very promising, indeed!
* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 25.
Sunday September 19
A Vision of the End
The oldest surviving disciple actually to have been with Jesus sat on a rocky prison island far from everything that was near and dear to him. What must have been going on in John’s mind as he found himself stranded on this desolate island? How did he wind up there, and like this too? After all, he had seen Jesus leave, and he had seen the two angels standing there, saying: “ ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’ ” (Acts 1:11, NKJV).
That, however, had been years and years ago, and Jesus had not yet returned. Meanwhile, the other apostles present on that day already had died, most of them martyred for their witness about Jesus. The young church had undergone a generational change and was now facing horrible persecution from the outside and strange heretical movements from within. John must have felt alone, tired, and restless. And then, suddenly, he was given a vision.
What comfort can you imagine that John got from this vision? Read Revelation 1:9–19.
Jesus had told His followers, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20, NKJV), words that, no doubt, must have encouraged John as he faced his lonely exile. Surely this vision, this “revelation” of Jesus, must have been a great comfort to him, knowing that Jesus, “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” was now manifesting Himself in a special way to the exiled apostle.
What followed from these verses were visions about the future of this world. An awesome panoramic view of history would be portrayed before him, basically what’s to us the history of the Christian church but was to him its future. And yet, amid the trials and tribulations that would come, John was shown how it would all end. “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:1, 2, NKJV).
The great apocalyptic vision John has recorded in Revelation helped John confidently to rest in God’s provisions and promises. Life now can be hard, even fearful at times. How, though, does knowing that God knows the future and that the future, long term, is good, give us comfort now?
Monday September 20
The Countdown
On the Mount of Olives, Jesus painted history in broad strokes as He responded to the questions of the disciples: “ ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ ” (Matt. 24:3, NKJV).
Jesus’ famous sermon, recorded in Matthew 24, covers the uninterrupted, historical time line from His days until the Second Coming and beyond.
Jesus wanted to give His people throughout the ages a rough sketch of the divine schedule for end-time prophecies so that those living at the end of time could be prepared for the ultimate event. He wanted us to be able to rest confidently in His love, even when everything around us is falling apart.
Adventists know well Daniel’s description of “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation” (Dan. 12:1). Jesus wants us to be prepared for this event, which precedes His second coming.
What will His coming be like? How can we avoid being deceived? Read Matthew 24:4–8, 23–31.
Jesus’ coming will be a literal event at the end of time. Considering the space given in prophecy to His return, and even in Jesus’ sermons, this is a big deal.
The last time there was a worldwide climactic event only eight people in all the world were ready for it. Jesus compares the unexpectedness of the Second Coming to that event—the Flood (Matt. 24:37–39). But although no one knows the day or hour of the Second Coming (Matt. 24:36), God has given us a prophetic countdown that we can watch happening in the world around us.
We have been given a role to fill in this prophetic drama. What is our part? Focus on Matthew 24:9–14.
In this cosmic conflict, we are more than just observers. We are to be active participants in spreading the gospel to the ends of the world, which means that we, too, will face persecution.
What does it mean to “endure to the end”? How do we do that? What choices do we need to make every day in order not to fall away, as many have done and as many will do?
Tuesday September 21
Marching Orders
The prophetic big picture of history doesn’t just allow us to sit back and do nothing as events unfold, events that we really can’t control. So often the attitude can be “Well, final events are going to happen as predicted, so what can we do about it other than just simply go along with them? After all, what can I alone do?”
But that’s not how Christians are to relate to the world around them and, especially, to final events. Revelation 14 tells us that our purpose at this time in history is to tell others about God’s judgment and help them prepare for the second coming of Jesus.
Read Revelation 14:6–12. What is being taught here, and what are we to proclaim to the world? Why is this message of such urgency?
As Adventists, we believe that “present truth” (2 Pet. 1:12) is found, specifically, in these verses that we refer to as “the three angels’ messages.” Here we find the essence of what our calling is at this time in earth’s history.
Notice, it starts out with the “everlasting gospel,” the wonderful news of Christ’s death and resurrection, upon which our only hope of salvation rests. There also is the message that “the hour of His judgment has come” (Rev. 14:7, NKJV), a powerful waymark that points to the end of time. Then, too, there is the call to worship the one “who made heaven and earth,” in contrast to the fearful warning about those who, staying in Babylon, worship “the beast and his image.” Finally there is the depiction of God’s end-time people: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (NKJV).
Read Revelation 14:11. What does it say about the lack of rest for those who worship the beast and his image?
No rest, day or night, for those who worship the beast and his image? Though various ideas exist regarding what this exactly means, all would agree that these people do not experience the kind of rest that God offers those who are faithful to Him.
Why do you think the first part of the three angels’ messages is the “everlasting gospel”? Why must we keep this wonderful truth always before us as we proclaim these messages to the world? How is understanding the gospel so central to the concept of rest?
Wednesday September 22
Rest in Peace
For long centuries now, Christians have been awaiting Christ’s return. It is, truly, the culmination of all our hopes—and not just ours but the hopes of all God’s faithful throughout all history. Read Hebrews 11:13–16. What great promise is there, not just for the people of old but for ourselves as well?
In many ways, these verses make no sense if the common and popular version of death were true. What is the passage talking about, these people “not having received the promises”? They’re dead, supposedly now up in heaven with Jesus enjoying their great reward. When, for example, Billy Graham died, again and again we heard how he was now in heaven with Jesus.
There’s an irony, too, in this view, because often when someone dies, we hear, “May he [she] rest in peace.” But what is going on here? Are such people resting in peace, or are they up in heaven doing whatever they are supposed to be doing (such as watching all the “fun” down here)?
How does Jesus describe death? Read John 11:11.
In fact, the idea of their resting “in peace” is, of course, the truth about what happens at death, isn’t it? The dead, truly, are at rest. “To the believer, death is but a small matter. Christ speaks of it as if it were of little moment. ‘If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death,’ ‘he shall never taste of death.’ To the Christian, death is but a sleep, a moment of silence and darkness. The life is hid with Christ in God, and ‘when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.’ John 8:51, 52; Col. 3:4.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 787.
Jesus compares a person’s condition between death and resurrection morning to an unconscious sleep (John 11:11, 14), but He also emphasizes that both the saved and the lost will receive their reward after the resurrection (John 5:28, 29). He highlights the necessity of being prepared for death, whenever it comes.
What comfort do you get from knowing that your deceased loved ones are, indeed, now at rest?
Thursday September 23
Rejoice in the Lord Always
One of the most-used apps on our smartphones is Google Maps. Most of us cannot remember what we did before GPS-based maps existed on our phones. We may be nervous heading toward a place that we have never been to before, but with Google Maps on our phones, we can confidently venture out and find our way in any foreign city. Could this confidence be an illustration of the kind of rest God wants to give us with His prophetic timetable?
Sometimes, however, we may enter the wrong address into our apps, or we may just decide not to follow the directions because we think we know a shortcut. In either case, we may end up somewhere we didn’t want to be—and most definitely not in a restful frame of mind, either.
Read Philippians 4:4–6. What is Paul saying here to us about the way to have true rest, true peace, even amid a harried and painful world?
In this passage, Paul is not saying to rejoice always, in all the trials that you are facing. Instead he is saying, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” No matter our present situation, no matter what trials we are facing, if we dwell on God, on His goodness, His love, and on His sacrifice on the cross for us, we can rejoice in Him and have peace for our weary souls. Just the very tone of the texts implies rest, peace, and a transcendent hope of something beyond this world.
Imagine, too, the kind of rest for our souls that we would have if, indeed, we could be “anxious for nothing.” This hardly seems realistic for anyone in this world (even Paul had plenty of worries), but again, knowing that a loving God is ultimately in control and will save us into His kingdom can, surely, help us put the things that we are anxious about into proper perspective.
The “Lord is at hand”? That is, He is always close to us, and as soon as we close our eyes and rest in the sleep of death, the next thing we know is the return of Christ.
No question, life is full of tensions, trials, and struggles. None of us escape them; certainly the apostle Paul didn’t either (see 2 Corinthians 11). Nevertheless, his point is to tell us that even with all that we endure now, we can rejoice in what we have been given in Christ, and, indeed, we can find rest for souls, even now.
Read Philippians 4:4–6 again. In what ways can you apply these wonderful words to your experience right now in whatever trials and tribulations you are facing?
Friday September 24
Further Thought: “We all desire immediate and direct answers to our prayers, and are tempted to become discouraged when the answer is delayed or comes in an unlooked-for form. But God is too wise and good to answer our prayers always at just the time and in just the manner we desire. He will do more and better for us than to accomplish all our wishes. And because we can trust His wisdom and love, we should not ask Him to concede to our will, but should seek to enter into and accomplish His purpose. Our desires and interests should be lost in His will.”—Ellen G. White, Gospel Workers, p. 219.
“It will only be a little while before Jesus will come to save His children and to give them the finishing touch of immortality. . . . The graves will be opened, and the dead will come forth victorious, crying, ‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’ Our loved ones who sleep in Jesus will come forth clothed with immortality.”—Ellen G. White, Counsels on Stewardship, p. 350.
Discussion Questions:
1 . Think about the reality of the great controversy. How do you see it being played out in the world? How about in your own personal life? It’s very real, isn’t it? In fact, it’s more real than many people think, because many don’t believe in a literal devil. Why is understanding the reality of the great controversy so important in helping us to understand the state of our world? Also, why is our understanding of how this great controversy will end so comforting?
2 . Prophecy can be a distraction if we try to go beyond what is clearly revealed. How often have church members gotten in trouble, making predictions about events that didn’t come to pass or believing in others’ predictions that didn’t come to pass? How can we protect ourselves from falling into that kind of trap?
3 . In class, go over Revelation 14:9–11 and the question about those who worship the beast and his image not having rest. What might that mean?
4 . A controversial topic in the church has to do with what role we do or do not have in the timing of Christ’s return. Whatever position one takes on this, why is it still very important that we take an active role in spreading the message of His return to the world?
Tough First Day of School
By Andrew McChesney
The first day of school was hard for Niang Muang. Really, really hard. The nine-year-old girl had arrived in the United States only a month earlier from Myanmar. Her parents were refugees. She didn’t know English, and she didn’t have any friends. “Hello, what’s your name?” a girl asked her.
Niang shook her head.
“No,” she said.
“Oh,” said the girl, confused. “Where are you from?”
Niang shook her head again.
“No,” she said.
Niang was not trying to be rude. She just didn’t understand. Because she didn’t know English, she sat quietly all morning in class. At lunchtime, she followed the other children to the cafeteria and looked at the food being served. Nacho cheese and shredded beef. Mini-pizzas. Chicken nuggets. The food was very strange to her. She was used to eating mustard leaves, potatoes leaves, watercress, brown beans, and red lentils.
After tasting the food, she returned to the classroom and sat quietly until school ended for the day. At home, she prayed for help. “Dear God, please help me survive another day of school,” she said. Fourth grade was tough, but fifth grade was better. She began to speak English and to make friends.
“What’s your name?” a girl asked. “My name is Niang,” she replied with a shy smile. “Oh, where are you from?” the girl said.
“I am from Burma, which is also called Myanmar,” Niang said. The girl nodded her head. She had heard of the country. Several other refugee children from Myanmar also studied at their school. “Oh, OK,” she said. “Do you want to play?”
Niang felt happy. She was beginning to fit in. She felt even happier in seventh grade. She was able to transfer from the public school to a Seventhday Adventist school thanks to money from a 2011 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering to help refugees in the North American Division.
She thanked God in her daily prayers. “Dear God, thank You so much for helping me learn this new language and for taking care of me,” she prayed. Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help more child refugees like Niang study at Adventist schools. Niang is now 21 and studying to become a mission doctor.
Part I: Overview
The title of this week’s lesson, “The Ultimate Rest,” implies that our rest here is only temporary. We rest in Christ today, but our rest is always in the context of a world of suffering, sorrow, and sickness. There is a day coming when we will enter eternal rest. All the heartaches of life will be over. Disease, disaster, and death will be gone forever.
Jesus gave the aged apostle John, exiled on the Isle of Patmos, a vision of Himself. This vision from Christ gave John encouragement and hope. In prophetic revelations, John saw the history of the Christian church and the climactic events at the close of this earth’s history. The book of Revelation ends with a new heaven and a new earth, ushering in God’s ultimate rest.
Before that ultimate rest, there will be specific signs pointing forward to Jesus’ return. In Matthew 24, Jesus outlines these end-time events that will occur with increasing frequency before His glorious second coming. Throughout the ages, the patriarchs and prophets looked forward to the Lord’s return without experiencing the “ultimate rest” that Christ promised. They died in anticipation of an event that would come, but they died in hope. In Revelation 14:6–12, the three angels’ messages, heaven’s last-day messages to prepare the world for the return of Christ, are proclaimed.
As the battle between good and evil rages on a global scale, Christ invites us to “watch” and “be ready” for His soon return and to be ready to enter His eternal rest.
Part II: Commentary
John informs us that he was on the island of Patmos when he received the visions that make up the book of Revelation. Patmos is a little island in the Aegean Sea between the coasts of Turkey and Greece. It’s about nine miles long. In John’s time, it was a rocky, barren Roman penal colony where prisoners were exiled. There was a small mining community there as well—and little else.
John was an old man, in his nineties, when he received the visions of Revelation. He had lived a long life in the service of his beloved Master. He probably had been living in Ephesus before being exiled to Patmos. Now he was separated from friends and family. He was frail, and it was doubtful he would ever get off this small, isolated island. But then in a blaze of glory, Jesus revealed divine truth to John that would enlighten and encourage God’s people for millennia. These last-day truths reveal the events that are soon to take place in this world to prepare God’s people for what is coming. Sometimes it’s in the greatest trials of our lives that God speaks to us most clearly. When we’re feeling lonely and discouraged, Jesus visits us just as He did John and fills us with the warmth of His presence.
The book of Revelation is a book about the Jesus who intervenes. He does not merely sit on His throne in heaven; He enters the affairs of life here on earth. He ministers to us in the trauma, the heartache, and the disappointments we face. When Jesus came down to speak with His beloved disciple, He illuminated rocky, barren Patmos with His glory. There is no place we can find ourselves that is beyond the reach of God. He will meet you with His presence wherever you are. Revelation is filled with hope. The One who is with us through His Holy Spirit now is soon coming in glory to take us home. John joyfully states, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him” (Rev. 1:7, NKJV).
Signs of Jesus’ Return
Jesus told His disciples about a time when Jerusalem would be surrounded by an attacking army and destroyed (Luke 21:20). This happened in a.d. 70 when the Roman general Titus invaded Israel and laid siege to the city. The Jewish historian Josephus describes the devastating effects of the siege. He says that the starving people “would often come to blows over a small piece of bread; children would often rip food from their parents’ mouths. Neither brother nor sister had mercy upon the other. A bushel of corn was more precious than gold.”—“The Destruction of Jerusalem,” trans. D. J. Muehlenbruch (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1922). There were instances during the siege in which parents boiled their children who had died and ate them. Josephus goes on: “Driven by hunger, some ate manure; some, the cinches of their saddles; some, the leather stripped from their shields; some still had hay in their mouths when their bodies were found.” The effects of the attack on Jerusalem by the Romans were gruesome and devastating. Before it was over, fire broke out, and thousands more died in the flames.
In the 1970s, archaeologists uncovered the home of an aristocratic family that was burned to the ground in the flames during the siege in a.d. 70. This home is a remarkable testimony to the intensity of the flames and to the total devastation and absolute destruction.
The Disciples’ Questions
When Jesus told His disciples about this coming disaster, they thought that something so destructive could happen only at the end of the world. For this reason, they asked Him, “ ‘When will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ ” (Matt. 24:3, NKJV).
The disciples were actually asking two different questions. Their first question, “ ‘When will these things be?’ ” refers to the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. Their second question was: “ ‘What will be the sign of Your coming, and the end of the age?’ ” In His reply, as recorded in Matthew 24, Jesus blended the two events. He told about events that would lead up to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. These events would serve as a preview of what would happen just before His second coming. In Matthew 24, Jesus mentioned the signs that would precede His return. These signs reveal the nearness of His coming.
The Savior did not give us a date for His coming, but He did tell us about signs that would allow us to know when it was near. Jesus’ sermon on last-day signs focuses on four specific areas: (1) signs in the realm of religion, (2) international affairs, (3) nature, and (4) society. These signs include false spiritual revivals, global conflicts, wars, famines, natural disasters, pestilences, pandemics, rising crime, increased violence, waning morality, and finally the rapid spread of the gospel to the whole world.
Matthew 24 outlines the signs of Christ’s return; Revelation 14 is an urgent appeal to be ready for His coming.
Revelation’s Last-day Message In Revelation 14, the three angels’ messages are rapidly proclaimed to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people to prepare the world for His soon return. It is the message of the “everlasting gospel” of God’s amazing grace for an entire planet. It is a call in the light of the gospel to live obedient lives, glorifying God in all we do in the judgment hour. It is an appeal in an age of evolution to worship Him as the Creator. It is an endtime message of hope. Jesus will stand for us in the judgment and present His righteous life in the place of our unrighteous life. The apostle John gives us this encouragement: “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1, NKJV). God’s final judgment is just. He can represent only those who surrender their lives to Him and by faith accept His life and death in their behalf.
Rejoice in the Lord Always. Imprisoned in Rome, the apostle Paul wrote an encouraging letter to the believers in Philippi. Some Bible commentators have labeled the book of Philippians “the epistle of joy.” In this short, four-chapter letter, Paul uses the word “joy” or “rejoicing” repeatedly. The theme of chapter 1 is “Joy in Trials.” Chapter 2’s theme is “Joy in Humility,” chapter 3’s theme is “Joy in Surrender,” and the theme of Chapter 4 is “Joy in Gratitude.”
Paul learned to live in the joy of Christ because he discovered how to rest in Christ. He believed that Christ would strengthen him in every situation and supply his needs (Phil. 4:13, 19). His confidence was fixed on the divine reality that his “citizenship is in heaven” and that, one day, Christ would “transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body” (NKJV). He eagerly awaited the coming of the Savior Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20, 21, NKJV). He could “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4) because he had absolute confidence of Christ’s care in the present and the fulfillment of Christ’s eternal plan in the future. His statement, “The Lord is at hand,” gave him the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:5, 7, NKJV). Along with the apostle Paul, we can rejoice that there is never a situation we face in which Christ does not provide immediate help for us today, hope for tomorrow, and the promise of ultimate rest in Christ for all eternity.
Part III: Life Application
Some time ago a friend shared this heart-wrenching story. Her eight-yearold son was dying of a rare blood disease. People around the country earnestly prayed for the boy’s recovery. They sought God for a miraculous healing. The child became progressively worse. The last few days of his life, his mom sat at his bedside constantly holding his hand and gently stroking his hair. When it became apparent that he only had hours left to live, she took him in her arms and sat in a rocking chair, softly singing the songs of heaven. Sometime after his death, we were talking, and she made this remarkable statement: “Although there is a deep throbbing pain in my heart, God has given me ‘a peace that passes understanding.’ ” When asked what a peace that passes understanding was, she simply responded, “When you do not understand, you can still rest in Christ’s love and care.”
As this series of Bible study lessons comes to its conclusion, whatever is personally going on in your life, Jesus longs to give you a “peace that passes all understanding.” He is there for you, today, tomorrow, and forever. His plans are greater than you can ever imagine. Remember Jesus’ words: “ ‘He who endures to the end shall be saved’ ” (Mark 13:13, NKJV). Trust His strength to see you through life’s challenges and be at peace.
Lesson 13 *September 18–24
Sabbath Nitaklam Sept. 18
Tukalsung Simding: Mang. 1:9–19;Mate 24:4–8, 23–31;Mang. 14:6–12;Heb. 11:13–16;Phil. 4:4–6.
Kamngah: “Laisiangtho in: ‘Kuamah in a muh ngeiloh, a zak ngeiloh, piang thei dingin zong a ngaihsutloh uh thu pen, Pasian in Amah a it mite adingin a bawlkholh saksa ahi hi’ a ci hi.” 1 Cor. 2:9.
Asia leh apha kikal gal kidona lianpi sungah om gige na hihlam na kiphawkkha ngei hiam? Mi tampi takin, hih thu phawkkha bilbel uhhi. E’n zong phawklel mah hang nge. Eite in apha leh a sia, Khazih (apha) leh Satan (asia) kikal kidona lianpi sungah i omgige hi.
Nuntak zong thunih tawh nungta i hihi. Khazih leh Satan kikal kidona lianpi zong leitung buppi huam a- vantungpan kipan ahihmanin (Mang. 12:7) vannuai bup huam cihding hizawlai hi. Thubuai tampitak kawmkal ah Pasian’ geelsa suaktak na’ng lampi pen kimangngilh kha thei sop ding hi. Galte, gamvai buainate leh khuahun siatna cihte in, eite hong kem ding omlo bangin hong koih hi. Ahih hangin Pasian in kamsang tungtawnin hong makaihna hangin, koilam zuanin kipai a, tua mun koici tun theih ding cih hong theisak hi.
Kidona lianpi pen a mimal mahmah in zong hongtung zel thei hi. I nisim nuntak sung mah ah, i upna hong kito zelzel thei a, Zeisu nihveina hong pai dong nungta ding i hihkei ngaalleh bel sihna mah i masuan veve hi.
Tukal sungtengin, a tawlnga hetlo i leitung, a ki telcianlo i mailam khawng eima nuntak sungteng beek a tomin ending hihang. Asauzaw in bel, na khempeuh kamciam vive tawh kidim hi.
Sunday September 19
A Tawp Dong Muhkholhna
A khanghampen in a nungta nungzuipa pen, ama’ it mahmah na khempeuh tawh a kigamla, suangbek tawh a kidim tuikulh tungah a tutna panin Zeisu tawh kimu uhhi. Hih bang tuikulh a tang-om khat a tunciangin ama’ lungsim sungah bang om thei ding hiam? Tua bang munte koibang in khengzo thei hiam? Zeisu van akahtoh lai mu a, vanmi nihte zong mu in, a thugen uh: “Galilee mite aw, banghangin vantung lam enin ding niloh nahi uh hiam? Note kiang panin vantungah a ki lato hih Zeisu pen, vantungah a paitoh na muh uhmah bang teekteek in khatvei hong paisukkik ding hi” (Sawl. 1:11) cihi.
Kum tampi paikhin napi tua Zeisu hong kileh nai peuhmah lo hi. Tualai in a omkha, a nungzui dangte si mangkhin uh a, Zeisu’ thu teci panna sihlawh uhhi. A khangmoi pawlpi zong, a khang kikhel kawmin a lauhuai mahmah bawlsiatna leh, a sunglam pan mahmah in lehdona hong omta hi. John ahihleh khattang zuang a, tawl in, tawldam ngahlo hi. Tua laitakin mangmuhna amah kipia hi.
John in hih mangmuhna pan bang hehnepna ngah in na-um hiam? Mang. 1:9–19 simin.
Zeisu in a nungzuite kiangah “Hun beidong in note a hong ompih tawntung ding ka hihna thu phawk ta un” (Mate 28:20) a cih kammalte in, khattang a zuang John pen thapia den hihtuak hi. Hih Mangmuhna Zeisu’ “kilaakna” tengin amah hehnem a, Zeisu zong pen “Alpha leh Omega, A masa leh a nunung” hi in, khattang ompa tawh thutuam khatin omkhawm tawntung hi. Hih pan a kipan a zomsuk khempeuhin hongpai leitungvaite vive ahi hi. Tangthu pen a lamdang mahmah in kimu khol saka, amau adingin mailam’ thu hiziau napi, ei adingin Christian pawlpi’ tangthu hisese hi.
Hong piang ding gimna leh haksatnate kawmkalah, hunbei dingzia zong John kiangah kilak hi. “Vanthak leh leithakkhat kamu hi. Vanmasa leh leimasa maimangkhin a, tuipi zong om nawnlo hi. Mothakkhat a pasaltawh kituah dingin kizem bangin, vantung Pasian kiang panin, khuapi siangtho Jerusalem khuathak a hong paisuk kamu hi” (Mang. 21:1, 2). Leitung hun bei nading Mangmuhna sung kiciamteh tengin, John pen Pasian panpihna leh kamciam sungah tawldamna taktak ngahsak hi.
Nuntakna haksa in lauhuai theikha ding hi. Pasian in mailam khempeuh theikhol a, tua mailam hunsaupi in eite adingin bang hehnepna hi thei hiam?
Monday September 20
Hun Simna
Olives mual tungah, Zeisu in, nungzuite’ dotna a dawnna ah, tangthu azaizaw in pulak hi. “Hih thute cik ciangin hong piang ding a, nang na hong pai ding hun leh hun bei nading bang lim om ding hiam hong genin” (Mate 24:3)a ci uhhi.
Mate 24 sunga Zeisu sermon kigelhte in, ama’hunpan kipanin nih veina hong paikik kikal sungteng huamgai hi.
Zeisu in, khang tawntung adingin Pasian’ geelna ombang a hun nunung genkholhnate bangin, hun nunung mite kiginkholh theih nadingin a mite hilhkhol nuam hi. I kimkotteng a kisia khin zongin, Ama itna sungah lungmuang takin tawlnga dingin hong deih hi.
Daniel 12:1 sungah “mihing pianzawh a kipan a nasia penpen gimna hun hong tung ding hi” ci hi. Zeisu in Amah nihveina hong paima a piang ding teng ahih mannin, i kiginkholh ding hong deihsak hi.
Ama’ koibangin hongpai ding hiam? Khemna koici pelhthei ding ihi hiam? Mate 24:4–8, 23–31.
Hun nunungah Zeisu in hong pai takpi ding hi. Ama’ hong pai ding hungeelna genkholhna sunga omkhin a, Ama’ sermon sung nangawnah om khin hi.
Leitungbup khuahun kikhellai in zong leitungbup sung pan mi giat bek mahin kigingkhol kha uhhi. Zeisu amah teekin nihveina hong kumkik ding lam-etloh laitak ahih dingpen, tua tuiciin tawh na genteh hi (Mate 24:37-39). Nihveina hong kumkik ding hun kuamah’n theilo mahleh (Mate 24:36), Pasian’ genkholhna bangin leitung thupiangte i muhciangin ahun naitektek cih Pasian in hong theisak hi.
Genkholhna sungah eimah zong pansan nei dingin hong sehkhin hi. Eite pansan bang hiam? Mate 24:9–14 siksan in.
Hih vannuai sungah eite in a en bekte ihi hetkei hi. Lungdamthu thehthang dingin, eite in lawptakin semkhia ding hihang a, bawlsiatna mahmah zong phukha ngiat ding hihang.
“A tawpdong kipkho” cihteh bang acihnopna hiam? Koicih peuhmah ding? Mi tampi a puk ziazua bangin, ei i pukkhakloh nadingin bang khentatna neih kul hiam?
Tuesday September 21
Mainawt Ding Thupiakte
Thu lamdang piang ziahziahte eite’n ukzo peuhmahlo i hihhang, eite in bangmah semlo in tu hithiat ding zong hituanlo hihang. Mite’ ngaihsutdan pen “hun nunung thupiangte bel genkholh bangin pianglel ding hi a, om ngei bangin om lel ding lobuang bang hih ding om hiam? Kei guak in bang hihthei ding ka hiam?”
Christian peuhmah in amau kimkot a mite tawh tuabangin kizop ding hi lo a, a diakin hun nunung ah tua cihloh ding kisam hi. Mangmuhna 14 sungah, hih banghun laitakin eite ngiimna pen, Pasian’ thukhenna leh Zeisu nihveina hong paikik ciangin kiging dingin midangte huhding cihi.
Mangmuhna 14:6–12 simin. Hih tengah bang honghilh a,leitungah bangthu tangko ding ihi hiam? Banghangin hihthu in manmawh hiam?
Adventist i hihmanin “tulai thumaan” (2Peter 1:12) sang hihang a, a diakdiakin, “Vanmi Thumte Thupuak” hipha diak hi. Tulai hun in eite hong sapna thubulpi i muthei hi.
Phawk dingin “tawntung lungdam thu” tawh panpah a, tua in eite’lam-etna leh hotkhiatna ahi Khazih sihna, thawhkikna ahi hi. “Ama’ thukhen hun hong tungta hi” (Mang. 14:7) cih penin hun nunung hun honglak thupuak ahi hi. Tua banah “van leh lei bawlpa” hong bia un cih hong sapna langkhatah; Babylon sungah omlai a “sahang leh a milim” a biate vauna lauhuai zong omlai hi. A tawpna ah hun nunung Pasian’ mite adingin: “Pasian’ thukham leh Zeisu’ teci panna a kemcing mite adingin upna leh thuakzawhna kisam hi” cihi.
Mangmuhna 14:11. Sahang leh a milim abia mite tawldamlohna bangci gen hiam?
Sahang leh a milim abia mite asun azanin tawlngak omlo hiam?Ngaihsutna tuamtuam tawh khiatdan kibanglo theitak ahihhang, hihmite peuhmah in, Pasian tunga thumaan mite ngah khak tawldamna peuhmah ngahlo cih thukimciat lelni.
Vanmi thumte thupuak apatna lamtengpen “tawntung lungdam thupuak” hi cih banghangin cithei ding hiam? Hih thupuakte leitungah i puakciangin a thumaan banghang in masuan tawntung ding hiam? Lungdam thupuak telcianna ah koibangin tawldamna bulphuh thei ding hiam?
Wednesday September 22
Tawlnga Hithiat
Christiante in kum zalom tampi sungmah Khazih hong pai ding ngak uhhi. Eite’ lam-etna saangpen hi a, eibek hi lo, a khang tawntungin a thumaan Pasian’ mite lam-etna ahi hi.
Hebrew 11:13–16 simin. Khangluite bek hi lo, tulai eite mahmah adingin bang kamciam omhiam?
Mi thupi leh thupilo a vekin silel a hih ciangin hih munte in khiatna nei khollo bang ahi hi. Hih “kamciamna a sangnailo mite” cih in bang ci nuam ahi diam? Amau sikhin a, vantungah Topa tawh mangkhawmuh in thaman ngah zihziah hileh, Billy Graham zong sikhin a, vantungah Zeisu tawh a maankhopna thute i zaza ding hi. Sihna thu peuhmah a leh a mak in kigengen hi. Mikhat si a, “RIP (tawlnga hithiat)” peuh cihi hang. Tua banzom bang omlai? Hih mite vantungah a ututin omta uh a, leitungah thupiangte khawng hong ensuk hithiat lel hiding hiam?
Zeisu in sihna koici gen hiam? John 11:11 simin.
Sihciangin “tawlnga hithiat” cihbel bangbang hitaleh thumaan hi photphot hi lo hiam? Misite tawlnga taktak uhhi. “Thu ummite adingin sihna pen thuneu hilel hi. Khazih in tawmveino sungbek dingin gen hi. ‘Ka thu a mang mi in sihna tuakkhalo ding hi, sihna ciamkhalo ding hi.’ Ei Christiante adingin sihna pen ihmutna hi a, khuamial sungah gamdai takin ompak hilel hi. Amau nuntakna ahihleh Khazih hangin Pasian in kepsak a, eite’ nuntakna ahi ‘Khazih hong kilat ciangin, Ama’ sungah minthanna tawh i kilangh ding uhhi’ John 8:51; Col. 3:4.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 787.
Zeisu in, mikhat a sihhunsung leh a thawhkikni zingsang pen khuaphawklo in ihmutna tawh genteh (John 11:11, 14) a, hot ngah leh ngahlo te’n zong a thamanuh thawhkikni zingsangin ngahpan dinguh (John 5:28, 29) cihi. Sihna hongtun hunhun in a kigingsa in i omtheih ding Amah’n hong vaikhak phapha hi.
Na it na ngaih a sisate in tawlnga hithiat takpi cih na theih manin bang hehnepna na ngah tuam hiam?
Thursday September 23
Topa sungah Lungdam Tawntung
Zuutphone sung Google Gamlim pen kizangpha mahmah hi. Phone sungah GPS hong ommaa in koici gamtat cih zong phawkzo nawn tuankei hang. Theih ngeilohna mun khat bang pai nuam hileng kilungkham mahmah a, phone sungah google gamlim a omkhit ciangin gamdang khuapi khat zong lungmuang takin kipai theita hi. Hih lungmuanna pen, Pasian in genkholhna sungah hunsehna hongpiaksa tetawh a kigenteh thei diam.
Khatveivei ciang, phone apps sungah mun khawng i khialhkhak ciang, ahih keileh lampi tomzaw peuh i theihciangin hong kilak lampi zuilo in adangkhat peuh kizui thei hi. Cihdan tuam khatah, ei painopna mun ahi lo khat tungkha in – lungsim nakbuai mahmah thei hi.
Philippi 4:4–6 simin. Haksat natna a kidim hih leitung mahmahah tawldamna leh lungnopna taktak koici ngahtheih ding Paul in ci hiam?
Hih munsan ah Paul in, haksatna bangbang na tuak zongin lungdam lel ding hong cilo hi. Paul in, “Topa sungah Lungdam tawntung in” cizaw hi. I tuakkhak haksatna hang hizawlo in, i tunna mun peuhpeuh Pasian tungah i kingak nakleh, Ama’ hoihna, itna leh singlamtehah hong ki piakkhiatna hangin, a genthei i kha in, Ama sungah lungdam tawntung ding hi.
Hih kammalte in hih leitung galkhat lam a tawlngakna leh lungnopna a gengen ahi hi.
I lungsim tawlngak nading dan pen “bangmah lung hihmawh neilo” dingin ngaihsun dih in. Tua bangdan pen leitungmi ta’dingin piang zolo ding a, (Paul nangawn haksatna tampi mah nei hi)a hihhang itna Pasian in na khempeuh lencip a, Ama’ gam sungah hong honkhia ding, eite lunghihmawh teng khempeuh pen muhna thak tawh hong musak ding hi.
“Topa ei kiangah om hi. “Hong naih mahmah a, sihna sung ahi ihmut khit ciangin, i muhkik masak ding pen Khazih hong paikikna” hipah hi.
Nuntakna pen kitelkhialna, ki etcikna leh kitomgawpna khawng tawh kidim hi. Kuamah i pengzokei a; sawltak Paul zong peng tuanlo hi (2Cor. 11). Ama cihnopna pen bang peuh a piang zongin, Khazih hangin hong kipia kha-tawldamna sungah tumahmah in lungdam ding cih hong gengen ahi hi.
Philippi 4:4–6 simkik in. Bang haksat gentheihna peuh na thuak zongin, hih kammalteng nangma nuntakna sungah na koici zattheih ding hiam?
Friday September 24
Ngaihsutbeh Ding: “I thungetna peuhmah i ngetbanglianin hong kipiak ding lunggulh hang a, tua bang in hong kipialo-in, a tumdang khat peuh hong pianzawk ciangin i lungkia thei hi. Thunget bangbang a hun leh deihna tawh kizui in hong piak danding Pasian hoih lua in theikhialua hi. Ei deihna sang a hoihzaw in hong lepsak zawsop ding hi. Ama’ pilna leh itna muang in, ei deihna hong zom zawdingin ngenlo ding hang a, Ama’ deihna eimah’n zop zawk dingin amai ah lut ding hihang. Eite’ deihna leh lunggulhnate Ama’ deihna sungah mangsakzaw ding hihang.”—Ellen G. White, Gospel Workers, p. 219.
“Tua hunin, amite honding leh tawntung nuntak pia dingin Zeisu hong pai madeuh in . . . Hankhukte kihong in, misite gualzosa in hong thokhia in, Sihna aw na guu koiah om hiam? Han aw, na gualzawhna koiah om hiam ci in kiko ding uhhi. Zeisu sungah a ihmu it leh ngaihte in sih theihlohna silhsa in hong thokhia ding uhhi.”—Ellen G. White, Counsels on Stewardship, p. 350.
Kikup Ding Dotnate:
1. Kidona lianpi omzia ngaihsunpha in. Leitungah koibangin hong kilangkhia hiam? Nangma nuntakna mahmah eleh? Om takpi hilo hiam? Mite’n dawite om taktak ding khawngin ngaihsunlo uh himahleh, hih thute piang taktak hi. Leitung pianzia i theihtel nadingin hih Kidona Lianpi thuzong telphat mahmah ding banghang kul hiam? Banghangin hih Kidona Lianpi in hehnepna tawh tawpthei ding hiam?
2. Genkholhna khengval a paikha peuhmah lungheina peuh piangsakthei hi. Mi genkholh mawkmawk i upmahmah khatpeuh hong tangtunloh ciangin pawlpi mite in koibangin lungsim buaipihthei uhhiam? Tua bang thaangsungah awkloh nadingin koibangin i kikem khinkhian thei ding hiam?
3. Mangmuhna 14:9-14 sungah sahang leh a milim biakna tawh a tawldamlote’ thu simkik unla, bang acihnopna hiding hiam?
4. Pawlpi sungah kidona khatpeuh a omleh zong Khazih hong paikik nading tawh kizomthei kizomlo thei lel hi. Bangbang hitaleh, Topa hong paikik ding thupuakna ah kihel tawntung ding banghangin phamawh thei ding hiam?