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Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Talking Points 2nd Quarter 2023: Three Cosmic Messages

Kameron DeVasher

Mark Howard

01 Jesus Wins –– Satan Loses

I'm Cameron DeVasier and I'm Mark Howard and this is Talking Points.

We are on to a whole new series of lessons at this point.

Our second quarter of the year, and the title of this entire series is called 3 Cosmic Messages.

And it's exciting because it's about the 3 angels' messages of revelation.

And this week's title is Jesus wins, Satan loses.

Man, it's all about the positivity and this is good.

You developed our talking point outline for this week.

Are there any comments that we need to look at?

All right, well let's bow our heads for a word of prayer and then you can lead us through.

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this day.

Thank you for the opportunity to study this important theme and topic from your word, especially it's so relevant to our last day event experience here on earth at this point in time.

Please, Lord, help us to understand and apply all that your word tells us.

So just thinking about our, You know, we've commented on this before, because I don't know if they used to, I think in the Adventist Church, they used to do actually, the same author might do several quarters or whatever, but we have a, I say author, contributor for the lessons, we have a new 1 every quarter, just about.

And so, we've commented on this, how every quarter starts with either the fall or the great controversy or creation.

And I haven't gotten to the, I haven't looked at the end of this but I just, we're starting in.

Are you feeling that heaven's on the way at the end maybe?

And I'm thinking to myself, you know, and out of 13 lessons, so you've got 2 lessons that are going to be potentially redundant, and how it'd be if the same author did several ones, then it would be, anyway.

I will say this, the lesson number 1 is on the great controversy.

But it does bring out as typically, you know, I don't want to give the impression that well we studied that before we don't need to study it again.

Well it definitely sets up the context for the 3 angels messages and so it's an important starting point for this particular series.

So our introduction I've put, I've described it this way, this week's lesson focuses on the great controversy between Christ and Satan, the underlying issue in that controversy, and the final victory of that controversy.

This lesson basically takes the vantage point of Revelation 12 is where we're looking from.

Revelation 12 is an overview of the great controversy taken primarily from Monday and Wednesday's lessons.

And then talking point number 2, the heart of the battle, this great controversy battle, is the freedom of choice, taken primarily from Sunday's lesson.

And that's taken from Tuesday and Thursday.

So let's walk through that great controversy and again home base for this week's study is going to be Revelation chapter 12 and it's essentially a drawing out from that chapter this theme of the Great Controversy.

Folks, If you don't know, and we may have had it, you know people ask me about the talking points.

They're like, so how many do we do these in 1 take?

It's evident, but I just don't want to, let's pray again.

I'm certain we did, but why don't you, why don't you buttress it?

Father in heaven, I just pray that you would guide us now in this outline of this study.

We pray the spirit of truth would give us an understanding, a practical understanding of your truth and how better to share it with others, we ask in Jesus' name, amen.

All right, so talking point number 1, Revelation 12 is an overview of the Great Controversy.

Again, Monday and Wednesday's lesson highlight this and to me it's like, you know, Monday's lesson starts to talk about the symbols of this chapter, Revelation 12, and then Wednesday goes into the time times and half a time to me.

Yeah, Let's do that up front and then we'll begin to unpack it.

So Revelation 12 is an overview of the great controversy.

It is the, in fact what I put in the notes here is, as this war in heaven is brought to view most clearly in Revelation chapter 12.

So the other places in Scripture you see the great controversy, but Revelation 12 really is the 1 chapter that talks about the war in heaven.

It talks about Satan and his angels being cast out and then what they did after that in that time.

And it does it in the context of the church which we're gonna see.

So as this is the chapter that most clearly identifies this war in heaven It's important to identify the symbols which the quarterly does and I'm summarizing here first of all you have the woman the woman is representative the woman in Revelation 12 represents the church And a couple references in scripture there are more than this but Jeremiah 6 2 2nd Corinthians 11 1 are Places where the Bible uses a woman as a symbol of God's Church I have a sub point here that outlines how the woman represents the church so all these symbols together the woman represents the church so you have this woman she's standing on the moon.

Might maybe be helpful just to read those verses.

Chapter 12 verse just 1 and 2 yeah sure okay says now a great sign appeared in heaven a woman clothed with the Sun with the moon under her feet and on her head a garland of 12 stars.

Then being with child she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

And another sign appeared in heaven behold a great fiery red dragon having 7 heads and 10 horns and 7 diadems on his head.

And it goes on to talk about, I mean if we could do a poem.

Well the symbols, I'm just looking at the symbols here and I should have listed that.

Yeah drew a third of the stars of heaven, still speaking of the dragon, and threw them to the earth.

And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth to devour her child as soon as it was born.

And verse 5 goes on, she bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron and her child was caught up to God and his throne.

Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she is a place prepared by God that she should be feed there 1260 days.

So those first 6 verses give us all those symbols of the woman, the dragon, the child, and the time element.

So the woman, again the Bible uses this symbol of a woman to represent the church in many different places.

What's interesting is the woman is standing on the moon and we were discussing this, But she's standing in the light of the sun.

Now, just from a standpoint, whether you look at Genesis, whether you just look at the sun and the moon, the idea is the moon doesn't have natural light.

I shared that at 1 point and somebody said, well, actually the moon has some infinitesimal amount of its own light.

I'm just saying- I wanna see some receipts on that 1.

But the point is that the moon reflects the light of the sun.

02 A Moment of Destiny

I'm Cameron DeVasher and I'm Mark Howard and this is Talking Points.

We're on our second lesson now all about these 3 cosmic messages and this time it's called A Moment of Destiny.

Basically, we're going to be looking at the unique time in which we're living now ahead of the last day events, or the final, very final events of Earth's history.

And what preparations can be made now, not just in the world, but particularly in our own hearts as we get ready for these culminating events of Earth's history.

That's right, and as you mentioned we are in a new quarter.

We do not have the quarterlies as of this recording.

I do have the, the, we have the digital copy of it.

My iPad and you've had to print 1 out here, but I just wanted to highlight that this quarter our mission emphasis is on the Inter-European Division.

Which is typically on the back of the quarterly, so.

Yeah, but we don't have that map to show you, but inter-European division does exist and there are good mission projects still collecting those 13th Sabbath offerings for this time.

I'm the 1 who outlined this week's lesson study so why don't you start us off with a word of prayer and I walk us through let's pray father in heaven we just thank you for the word of truth we thank you for the 3 angels messages Lord as we spend time discussing them this week and this quarter, we pray the Spirit of God would give understanding to all of the listeners, especially, Lord, those who are going to be teaching others in their classes.

Lord, we want the world to be prepared for the coming of Jesus, that we might be among those who say this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us thank you for hearing and answering for we ask it in Jesus name amen amen well last week when you were outlining the lesson of the very first 1 of this quarter it basically was a look at the great controversy theme from Revelation chapter 12.

And Jesus wins, exactly right, and it was kind of outlining the context for those 3 angels messages.

How did we get here and what does the Bible prophecy tell us about our place in it?

This week we're kind of doing something similar, but instead of looking at the symbols and the grand overarching great controversy theme and throughout the universe we're looking at our own hearts where are we in relation to those 3 angels messages and what preparation needs to be made right now.

And that I believe that everlasting gospel theme.

This week's lesson discusses the trajectory of the gospel.

We're gonna see it moves with momentum towards this great culmination, its fulfillment at the return of Jesus, and the preparation of character that we need today.

So, 3 talking points, and the first 1 is Christ is the gospel.

That should be a self-evidently clear thing, but sometimes we think, oh, there's the gospel, then there's those 3 angels' messages, and the last present truth message.

But we're gonna see that Christ is the gospel all the way through and that comes from Sabbath, Sunday, and Tuesday's studies.

Talking point number 2, Christ only harvests ripe fruit.

There's a lot of language about the harvest in the book of Revelation and what does that mean?

We're gonna look at that from Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday's lessons and that's honestly gonna be, at least in my preparation of it, the largest theme of this week is what is this harvest theme all about?

And then finally, of course, the preparation, Talking point number 3, character for eternity is built today.

Again that's Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday.

When we tell the gospel story, We share the gospel with the world.

We know that that means good news, but good news about what?

And sometimes we try to limit that by saying, well, it's his death on the cross or it's his taking his sins upon.

I would propose to you that the gospel is everything about Jesus and he still is the gospel to this day.

I made the little note that the gospel is the story of Christ's work to save the universe from sin so once Lucifer from that last week's study introduced rebellion into the universe Christ has been at work as I think Sister White said about the fall of man, as soon as there was sin, there was a Savior.

And there are 2 chapters of this great saga have occurred over time, and we now just happen to be living in anticipation of Christ's soon return.

So we just happen to find ourselves in the flow of gospel history really near these end time events.

Well I was just gonna say, I mean honestly the good news about Jesus is so ubiquitous in Christian churches today that means a hundred different things.

I was gonna say the heretical statement that it's the good news of salvation and then salvation is salvation from sin but you know what?

Next week's lesson, which I'm working on outlining, is on the everlasting gospel so I'll have my place.

I'm not disagreeing with you but I but I am saying that that's 1 of the things that does become clarified through the 3 angels messages is sometimes the gospel is made to be very trite.

Anyway, you'll probably elaborate it more as we go.

Well, that's fine, but the point here is that when we talk about these 3 angels' messages, we're talking about the gospel message.

There's not a gospel, and then there's this additional hang-on thing.

Christ is through and through, and he is the gospel.

So wherever Jesus is, that's our gospel message.

Thus, I put in this, this wasn't from the lesson, but I've just all I love the statement.

It's from manuscript release Volume 21 page 37 where she simply states hanging upon the cross Christ was the gospel Now I don't know if she would also say the same thing that standing beside the empty tomb, Christ was the gospel, standing at the right hand of God, he is the gospel.

But clearly our gospel message is Christ himself.

There's Christ and then there's other additional stuff.

Now in Matthew chapter 24, let's go there really quickly if you would, Matthew chapter 24, and I'll go to Revelation chapter 14, but what you're gonna find is the prophecy that Jesus gave in Matthew 24 of the gospel message, the story of his work on our behalf, going to all the world.

If you read verses 13 and 14 of Matthew 24.

He who endures to the end shall be saved and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come.

So as Christ is looking forward to end time events he gives the prophecy that in the very last days there will be some who endure to the end right and through them this gospel is going to be given to all the world as a witness to all nations.

When you then go to Revelation chapter 14, which is the focus of our lesson study this entire quarter, those 3 angels messages, the prelude, the preamble to them in verses 1 through 6 describe the character of those who will endure to the end and through whom the gospel we give.

And so we're not gonna read through the whole thing right now, but you see in Revelation chapter 14, verses 1 through 6, you see people who have the father's name written on their forehead, symbolic, represented as 144, 000.

It's a picture of victory and it says that these are those who were redeemed from the earth, these are the saved from the earth, pictured as victorious with Christ.

They have a unique experience, they sing a song nobody else can sing.

And I like to point out they follow the Lamb wherever he goes.

So it's the same Lamb that was crucified, Now he's in heaven, now he's returning, but they are faithful to Christ, who is our gospel message, all the way to the end.

And then in verse 6, it says, Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth.

So what you see in Revelation chapter 14 is simply a fleshed-out more detailed account of what Christ foretold in Matthew chapter 24 about those who endure the end and the gospel go to the world and then the end will come.

So Revelation chapter 14 is not in competition with the gospel commission that Jesus gave, it's the fulfillment of it.

So when we look at the 3 angels messages, we're seeing Jesus and that gospel message.

Sabbath afternoon in paragraph 2 of the quarterly it says, in these last days of human history, he, that is Christ, has sent a special message to the world and to his people, designed to meet the need of the hour.

He pictures this message as being carried by 3 angels and flying in midheaven with their urgent end time message to all the world.

So I guess my point was and talking about number 1, I don't want anyone to miss out on the point that the 3 angels message we're discussing number 1 is the gospel so it's not like we have the gospel and then there's these other messages.

It says they say with a loud voice, and it's the everlasting gospel.

And number 2, it's just a continuation of the work of Jesus, which he's been doing ever since sin began.

And so it's all about Christ, and it's just particularly contextualized in these last days.

Talking point number 2, like when I think is gonna be in the largest discussion probably here and my guess is in most local classrooms, is that Christ only harvests ripe fruit.

There is a harvest, well it's before we get to the harvest, I thought the lesson did a very good job of drawing out this emphasis on the 1 doing the harvesting as Revelation chapter 14 talks about is invoked as the Son of Man.

Over and over, more than 80 times in the Gospel record, Christ refers to himself as the Son of Man.

Now, you'll find all throughout the Bible, you know, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, the Son of God.

There's all these truisms, titles you could give to inscribe to Christ, which would all be valid.

But when he speaks of himself in terms of relating to humanity and his work on our behalf, he recurs over and over, he returns to this son of man, right?

And I believe it's a reference to familiarity with and sympathy for humanity in our fallen state, that he has come close to us, he can sympathize with us, and so when he speaks as, quote, the Son of Man, it's relational.

Why don't you read the, do you have that up there, on Monday's lesson, paragraph 2 speaks about this.

03 The Everlasting Gospel

We have arrived now at the third lesson of our 3 cosmic messages study guide here and this week's title...

I don't want to be always spitting the special effects you know but we have the the lesson for this week is entitled the everlasting gospel.

And that's drawn of course from Revelation chapter 14, where the 3 angels message are.

And I don't wanna say too much about it, but definitely the gospel, whatever this everlasting gospel is, apparently is a central feature of these 3 angels messages and tied intrinsically together to it.

So you actually put together our talking points for this week, so I don't want to say too much about the stuff before you explain what we're talking about, but I do want to have a word of prayer before we turn the time over.

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the opportunity to study your word, whether it's at home, up in preparation for our sabbatical class, or in the group setting of that class.

Lord, help everything that we cover today to be a blessing to every individual and every local church.

Please guide us by the power and insight and wisdom of the Holy Spirit that we may be led into all truth.

As you had mentioned, the lesson is entitled, The Everlasting Gospel, taken specifically from Revelation 14, verse 6, and I think the thrust, of course, that's what we're going to talk about this week, the everlasting gospel, but in that context of these 3 messages, I think what they're trying to get at is for a lot of, even Christians, there's a mindset that there's the gospel and all the gospel-centered, you know, testimony, stories, history, whatever, in the Bible, And then there's prophecy, you know?

And especially the book of Revelation, like, oh, that's all these crazy symbols and beasts and whatever, and it's almost like it's disassociated from the gospel.

And so these 3 messages, as we're gonna see throughout this quarter, are really at the heart of the message of Revelation.

It's like it's where all the action comes in, everything comes into play.

And at the heart of those messages, the very first message starts out with an angel who has the everlasting gospel to proclaim.

Well, interestingly, and I'm sure we'll get into this either this week or later on, but when he gives the gospel to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, and then what comes out are those 3 angels of messages.

So somehow he has the gospel to give and it's tied directly to, not an addendum to or gospel first, then we're gonna go, they're linked together inseparably.

So I can tell you from this week's lesson, it doesn't necessarily unfold that throughout all 3 messages because we're going to be looking at the messages further on.

So what I've done is, as I've gone through the lesson this week, we've got 3 talking points.

Talking point number 1, Lessons from Sunday to Tuesday talk about the gospel and talk about grace.

Talking point number 1 is that grace is great.

I don't think that's going to be controversial in any class anywhere.

Sunday to Tuesday, you know, I'll do my best.

Talking point number 2, drawn from Monday, there's a little overlap there, is the law and the gospel go hand in hand.

And then finally talking point number 3, the gospel is news.

Now you've heard the gospel is good news and but I'm I'm wanting to focus in on and I think this what the lesson is doing from Wednesday to Friday is focusing in on this idea that the gospel is news.

So it's not just the good news, it's the news element is gonna be the focus.

What a nice, easy kind of vanilla phrase.

But it's, so what I've put here in our notes is that grace is, God's grace is great in both quality and in magnitude.

First of all, the first sub point I have is that God's grace is quote unmerited favor.

In a Christian crowd, it's like, oh grace is unmerited.

Not that everybody even thinks about what that means.

It's just kind of like by rote, it's like unmerited favor.

But unmerited simply means undeserved or unearned.

And so the Bible uses this concept of grace to convey God's love, his compassion, his mercy, his forgiveness towards fallen humanity, undeserved by humanity.

So the idea, in fact, a lot of times we try to rightly convey the idea of the undeserved or unmerit or unearned aspect of the grace by using the term free grace.

Which is, in a way, it's a little redundant.

It always strikes me as redundant because grace comes from the, or the word gracious comes from grace.

Grace is the idea of being gracious to somebody and if I'm being gracious to you, then, for example, if you did something, if you worked for me and I gave you a paycheck, I'm not being gracious to you.

Earned grace would negate the grace part of it.

I'm not being gracious like how gracious he gave me what I worked for so the very concept of grace is that you didn't deserve it.

From a standpoint of, you know, quality, good, awesome, whatever, that is fantastic.

Grace is great in that it's God's love and compassion, mercy, and whatever else is we're gonna see here, freely given.

That element of the grace makes it its own greatness right there.

And even to take that a step further, and this is drawn out of Tuesday's lesson, the freeness of God's grace is clearly demonstrated by the fact that the plan of salvation, where God poured out His grace on humanity through His Son, was not an afterthought.

And the lesson highlights, I'm going to have you read a statement on this in a minute, but that means that God wasn't waiting for fallen humanity to come to a certain point where he said, okay, I guess I'll help them out, where they became deserving.

You know, that would, an afterthought would have been, well I'm not ready just yet.

At some point God was like, all right, fine, I'll go.

Yeah, but instead what we see in this idea of the undeserved grace of God is the initiative of God, where God takes the first step and that proves that grace was not dependent on us.

It wasn't earned by us because before we ever did anything, he started it.

And there's a statement there from Desire of Ages, it's also in Tuesday's lesson.

He says, the plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam.

It was a revelation of, quote, the mystery which had been kept in silence through times eternal.

She goes on to say, it was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God's throne.

I love that last sentence, the unfolding of the principle.

So these principles, they've always been there, now they just had a need to be fleshed out and done something with and applied, but they were always in the heart of God even before we had a problem.

Well there's more to that greatness though.

So and obviously this is even a limited discussion on grace, there's so much more you could say about the quality of grace, but then there's the magnitude and what I mean by the magnitude of grace is that the term grace in the Bible is a very broad term.

And so oftentimes, and this isn't a wrong thing per se, but oftentimes, in fact I would say the majority of time as I've heard Christians talk about grace, we talk about the grace of God as conveying God's desire.

Almost his regard or his attitude toward us.

04 Fear God and Give Glory to Him

We're now on our fourth lesson in this 3 cosmic messages series of studies here.

And we're looking at, of course, Revelation chapter 14, what is known as the 3 angels' messages.

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Talking Points 2nd Quarter 2023: Three Cosmic Messages

09 A City Called Confusion

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