TWO QUESTIONS? (1) WHO WROTE THE GREAT CONTROVERSY? (2) IS THERE LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS? Who wrote the book The Great Controversy? It was written by a woman who has become the most translated American author that has ever lived! When she was nine years old another student hit her in the face with a stone that caused her to be unconscious for three weeks. Her health following this incident was so feeble that she was unable to continue going to school. At the age of seventeen she was praying with other Methodist young ladies when God gave her a vision. She had around 2,000 more visions before she died at the age of eighty seven. She wrote 40 books in her lifetime and 5,000 magazine articles and thousands of pages of manuscript. Read about this amazing person in the two links below amazingfacts.org/media-library/study-guide/e/4981/t/a-colossal-city-in-space..aspx Study of the capital city of the universe (1) ellengwhitetruth/ (2) amazingfacts.org/media-library/storacle/e/5347/t/proving-the-prophets.aspx NOTE: God’s last warning message of Revelation 14:6-12 to “those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. . . with a loud voice!“ God’s identifying marks of His people who are to carry His last warning message of Revelation are found in Revelation 12:17 – which says “ And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, WHICH KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, AND HAVE THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST.” Here we see that the dragon, known as the Devil or Satan is angry with God’s church (In prophecy a good woman = God’s true church and a “fallen” woman = the church that apostatized from God – the ‘fallen’ church) God’s end-time church with whom the Devil makes war is identifies as those who “KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD” -- Therefore it must be a church who also keeps the seventh day Sabbath of God’s Word (Exodus 20:8-11) The other identifying mark is that the last church carrying God’s end time message would have “THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST.” So what is the Testimony of Jesus Christ? God’s Word says, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” I believe that God revealed many of the things we read in God’s word to her in vision so through the “Spirit of Prophecy, the working of the Holy Spirit God used her, not to write a new Bible but to serve as eyeglasses on the Bible. I wear eye glasses when I read – They enlarge the print so it is easier to see and understand. They neither add to or subtract from what I read but make it easier for me to read and understand. That is the gift (the spirit of prophecy) that God has given us in books like The Great Controversy with over 1,000 Bible verses quoted within. It is the most translated Bible prophecy book in the world outside of the Bible. It is in over 80 languages. And Steps to Christ by E.G. White is the most translated Christian book on how to know Jesus as a personal friend and Savior. It is in far more than 150 languages and with over 100 million copies in circulation today. Read about this amazing person in the following two links. (1) ellengwhitetruth/ (2) amazingfacts.org/media-library/storacle/e/5347/t/proving-the-prophets.aspx A question in our Sabbath school this week was asked – “Is there life in other WORLDS? Let’s ask Pastor Doug Batchelor Q. Is there life on other planets? A. I get this question a lot, and it’s certainly understandable why. According to scientists’ best estimates, at least 100 billion galaxies populate the known universe, each with as many as 200 billion stars. Given those numbers, it is at least reasonable to conclude that some of those stars have planets that host intelligent beings. But what does the Bible say on the subject? First, we know that God created everything we see and can’t see (Colossians 1:16, 17). We also know there are other forms of life—angels, cherubim, and seraphim—that come and go from our planet. We get many glimpses of them throughout the Bible. “Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men’ ” (Luke 2:13,14; also Genesis 28:12). Most angels are on God’s side and still serve Him. The “fallen angels” are in league with Satan and were cast out of heaven. They now dwell on the earth. (See Revelation 12.) It’s interesting to note that angels appear to travel many times faster than the speed of light. In Daniel 9:23, the old prophet was praying when the angel Gabriel appeared. “At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved.” That angel made it from God’s throne in the heavens to earth in mere minutes! But to get to the crux of the matter, I think there are other inhabited WORLDS that Christ made. I don’t think we can even imagine what they are like. “[God] hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, … by whom also he made the WORLDS” (Hebrews 1:2, emphasis mine; see also Hebrews 11:3). All these other WORLDS are un-fallen and praise God. (See Revelation 5:13.) Perhaps this is why Jesus told this parable: “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” (Luke 15:4). Jesus left the adoration of sinless angels and WORLDS to come to this one lost world to save the wayward creatures made in His image. The Bible also speaks of an out-of-this-world council meeting in which the “Sons of God” gathered before the Lord—and Satan showed up to represent our planet. “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it’” (Job 1:6, 7 NKJV). Job 38:6, 7 also seems to indicate that these “Sons of God” existed before our world was made. But while the Bible seems to support the notion that there is life on other WORLDS, we should be careful to remember that the devil and his angels can easily create illusions to deceive us (2 Corinthians 11:14). Remember that un-fallen WORLDS are probably restricted from mingling with our sin-diseased planet. That’s why most UFO sightings are likely mere optical illusions or dangerous satanic deceptions. No, E.T. has not been here … yet. After God creates the new earth, we will be able to freely travel and visit with all of His creation (2 Peter 3:13) Now let’s look at what E.G. White wrote about life on other worlds! We will just look at 26 quotations about life on other planets (there are several more) and let you draw your own conclusion. Read one or two because this may be too long for you unless you have a deep interest. (1) The Son of God stooped to uplift the fallen. For this He left the sinless WORLDS on high, the ninety and nine that loved Him, and came to this earth to be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Isaiah 53:5. He was in all things made like unto His brethren. He became flesh, even as we are. He knew what it meant to be hungry and thirsty and weary. He was sustained by food and refreshed by sleep. He was a stranger and a sojourner on the earth--in the world, but not of the world; tempted and tried as men and women of today are tempted and tried, yet living a life free from sin. Tender, compassionate, sympathetic, ever considerate of others, He represented the character of God. The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, . . . full of grace and truth. John 1:14. AA 472 {AA = Acts of the Apostles by E.G. White) (2) The rabbis understood Christs parable as applying to the publicans and sinners; but it has also a wider meaning. By the lost sheep Christ represents not only the individual sinner but the one world that has apostatized and has been ruined by sin. This world is but an atom in the vast dominions over which God presides, yet this little fallen world--the one lost sheep--is more precious in His sight than are the ninety and nine that went not astray from the fold. Christ, the loved Commander in the heavenly courts, stooped from His high estate, laid aside the glory that He had with the Father, in order to save the one lost world. For this HE LEFT THE SINLESS WORLDS ON HIGH, THE NINETY AND NINE THAT LOVED HIM, AND CAME TO THIS EARTH, TO BE WOUNDED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS and bruised for our iniquities. (Isaiah 53:5.) God gave Himself in His Son that He might have the joy of receiving back the sheep that was lost. {COL 190.3} {Christ Object Lessons by E.G. White} (3) The earth itself, the very field that Satan claims as his, is to be not only ransomed but exalted. Our little world, under the curse of sin the one dark blot in His glorious creation, will be honored above all other WORLDS in the universe of God. Here, where the Son of God tabernacled in humanity; where the King of glory lived and suffered and died,--here, when He shall make all things new, the tabernacle of God shall be with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And through endless ages as the redeemed walk in the light of the Lord, they will praise Him for His unspeakable Gift,-- Immanuel, God with us. {DA 26.3} {DA = DESIRE OF AGES + PAGE AND PARAGRAPH NUMBER} (4) We should consider that it was not merely to accomplish the redemption of man that Christ came to earth, it was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world might regard the law of God as it should be regarded, but it was to demonstrate to all the WORLDS that God’s law is unchangeable and that the wages of sin is death. TMK 367.2 (5) There is a great deal more to this subject than we can take in at a glance. O that all might see the importance of carefully studying the Scriptures! Many seem to have the idea that this world and the heavenly mansions constitute the universe of God. Not so. The redeemed throng will range from WORLD TO WORLD, and much of their time will be employed in searching out the mysteries of redemption. And throughout the whole stretch of eternity this subject will be continually opening to their minds. The privileges of those who overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony are beyond comprehension. TMK 367.3 We have each to battle with the fallen foe.... Begin the warfare at once by gaining victories over self. Do not give place to the devil.... Throw all the weight of your influence on the side of Christ. TMK 367.4 (6) When you look at the cross of Calvary you cannot doubt God’s love or His willingness to save. He has WORLDS upon WORLDS that give Him divine honor, and heaven and all the universe would have been just as happy if He had left this world to perish, but so great was His love for the fallen race that He gave His own dear Son to die that they might be redeemed from eternal death. As we see the care, the love, that God has for us, let us respond to it; let us give to Jesus all the powers of our being, fighting manfully the battles of the Lord. We cannot afford to lose our souls; we cannot afford to sin against God. Life, eternal life in the kingdom of glory, is worth everything.34The Review and Herald, March 9, 1886. TMK 367.5 (7) The WORLDS unfallen and the heavenly angels had watched with intense interest as the conflict drew to its close. Satan and his confederacy of evil, the legions of apostasy, watched intently this great crisis in the work of redemption. The powers of good and evil waited to see what answer would come to Christs thrice-repeated prayer. Angels had longed to bring relief to the divine sufferer, but this might not be. No way of escape was found for the Son of God. In this awful crisis, when everything was at stake, when the mysterious cup trembled in the hand of the sufferer, the heavens opened, a light shone forth amid the stormy darkness of the crisis hour, and the mighty angel who stands in Gods presence, occupying the position from which Satan fell, came to the side of Christ. The angel came not to take the cup from Christs hand, but to strengthen Him to drink it, with the assurance of the Fathers love. He came to give power to the divine-human suppliant. He pointed Him to the open heavens, telling Him of the souls that would be saved as the result of His sufferings. He assured Him that His Father is greater and more powerful than Satan, that His death would result in the utter discomfiture of Satan, and that the kingdom of this world would be given to the saints of the Most High. He told Him that He would see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied, for He would see a multitude of the human race saved, eternally saved. {DA 693.3} (8) TO THE ANGELS AND THE UNFALLEN WORLDS THE CRY, IT IS FINISHED, HAD A DEEP SIGNIFICANCE. It was for them as well as for us that the great work of redemption had been accomplished. They with us share the fruits of Christs victory. {DA 758.2} (9) NOT UNTIL THE DEATH OF CHRIST WAS THE CHARACTER OF SATAN CLEARLY REVEALED TO THE ANGELS OR TO THE UNFALLEN WORLDS. The archapostate had so clothed himself with deception that even holy beings had not understood his principles. They had not clearly seen the nature of his rebellion. {DA 758.3} (10) All heaven and the unfallen WORLDS had been witnesses to the controversy. With what intense interest did they follow the closing scenes of the conflict. They beheld the Saviour enter the garden of Gethsemane, His soul bowed down with the horror of a great darkness. They heard His bitter cry, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. Matthew 26:39. As the Fathers presence was withdrawn, they saw Him sorrowful with a bitterness of sorrow exceeding that of the last great struggle with death. The bloody sweat was forced from His pores, and fell in drops upon the ground. Thrice the prayer for deliverance was wrung from His lips. Heaven could no longer endure the sight, and a messenger of comfort was sent to the Son of God. {DA 759.5} (11) WHEN CHRIST RETURNED TO HEAVEN AFTER HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS (11) The voice of God is heard proclaiming that justice is satisfied. Satan is vanquished. Christs toiling, struggling ones on earth are accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:6. Before the heavenly angels and the representatives of unfallen WORLDS, they are declared justified. Where He is, there His church shall be. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psalm 85:10. The Fathers arms encircle His Son, and the word is given, Let all the angels of God worship Him. Hebrews 1:6. {DA 834.3} (12) The Lord has given me a view of other WORLDS. Wings were given me, and an angel attended me from the city to a place that was bright and glorious. The grass of the place was living green, and the birds there warbled a sweet song. The inhabitants of the place were of all sizes; they were noble, majestic, and lovely. They bore the express image of Jesus, and their countenances beamed with holy joy, expressive of the freedom and happiness of the place. I asked one of them why they were so much more lovely than those on the earth. The reply was, We have lived in strict obedience to the commandments of God, and have not fallen by disobedience, like those on the earth. Then I saw two trees, one looked much like the tree of life in the city. The fruit of both looked beautiful, but of one they could not eat. They had power to eat of both, but were forbidden to eat of one. Then my attending angel said to me, None in this place have tasted of the forbidden tree; but if they should eat, they would fall. Then I was taken to a world which had seven moons. There I saw good old Enoch, who had been translated. On his right arm he bore a glorious palm, and on each leaf was written Victory. Around his head was a dazzling white wreath, and leaves on the wreath, and in the middle of each leaf was written Purity, and around the wreath were stones of various colors, that shone brighter than the stars, and cast a reflection upon the letters and magnified them. On the back part of his head was a bow that confined the wreath, and upon the bow was written Holiness. Above the wreath was a lovely crown that shone brighter than the sun. I asked him if this was the place he was taken to from the earth. He said, It is not; the city is my home, and I have come to visit this place. He moved about the place as if perfectly at home. I begged of my attending angel to let me remain in that place. I could not bear the thought of coming back to this dark world again. Then the angel said, You must go back, and if you are faithful, you, with the 144,000, shall have the privilege of visiting all the WORLDS and viewing the handiwork of God. {Early Writings, page 39-40}. (13) GODS GOVERNMENT INCLUDED NOT ONLY THE INHABITANTS OF HEAVEN, BUT OF ALL THE WORLDS THAT HE HAD CREATED; AND SATAN THOUGHT THAT IF HE COULD CARRY THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN WITH HIM IN REBELLION, HE COULD CARRY ALSO THE OTHER WORLDS. He had artfully presented his side of the question, employing sophistry and fraud to secure his objects. His power to deceive was very great, and by disguising himself in a cloak of falsehood he had gained an advantage. Even the loyal angels could not fully discern his character or see to what his work was leading. {GC 497.1} {GC = The Great Controversy} (14) Even when it was decided that he could no longer remain in heaven, Infinite Wisdom did not destroy Satan. Since the service of love can alone be acceptable to God, the allegiance of His creatures must rest upon a conviction of His justice and benevolence. The inhabitants of heaven and of other WORLDS, being unprepared to comprehend the nature or consequences of sin, could not then have seen the justice and mercy of God in the destruction of Satan. Had he been immediately blotted from existence, they would have served God from fear rather than from love. The influence of the deceiver would not have been fully destroyed, nor would the spirit of rebellion have been utterly eradicated. Evil must be permitted to come to maturity. For the good of the entire universe through ceaseless ages Satan must more fully develop his principles, that his charges against the divine government might be seen in their true light by all created beings, that the justice and mercy of God and the immutability of His law might forever be placed beyond all question. {GC 498.3} (15) All the treasures of the UNIVERSE will be open to the study of Gods redeemed. UNFETTERED BY MORTALITY, THEY WING THEIR TIRELESS FLIGHT TO WORLDS AFAR--WORLDS THAT THRILLED WITH SORROW AT THE SPECTACLE OF HUMAN WOE AND RANG WITH SONGS OF GLADNESS AT THE TIDINGS OF A RANSOMED SOUL. With unutterable delight the children of earth enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. They share the treasures of knowledge and understanding gained through ages upon ages in contemplation of Gods handiwork. With undimmed vision they gaze upon the glory of creation--suns and stars and systems, all in their appointed order circling the throne of Deity. Upon all things, from the least to the greatest, the Creators name is written, and in all are the riches of His power displayed. {GC 677.3} (16) The Creator of all WORLDS loves those who give themselves to His service, even as He loves His son. Even here and now His gracious favor is bestowed upon us to this marvelous extent. He has given us the Light and Majesty of heaven, and with Him He has bestowed all the heavenly treasure. Much as He has promised us for the life to come, He bestows princely gifts in this life. As subjects of His grace, He desires us to enjoy everything that will ennoble, expand, and elevate our characters. He is waiting to inspire the youth with power from above, that they may stand under the blood-stained banner of Christ, to work as He worked, to lead souls into safe paths, to plant the feet of many upon the Rock of Ages. {MH 405.4} {MH = Ministry of Healing by E.G. White} (17) Leaving his place in the immediate presence of the Father, Lucifer went forth to diffuse the spirit of discontent among the angels. He worked with mysterious secrecy, and for a time concealed his real purpose under an appearance of reverence for God. He began to insinuate doubts concerning the laws that governed heavenly beings, intimating that though laws might be necessary for THE INHABITANTS OF THE WORLDS, angels, being more exalted, needed no such restraint, for their own wisdom was a sufficient guide. They were not beings that could bring dishonor to God; all their thoughts were holy; it was no more possible for them than for God Himself to err. The exaltation of the Son of God as equal with the Father was represented as an injustice to Lucifer, who, it was claimed, was also entitled to reverence and honor. If this prince of angels could but attain to his true, exalted position, great good would accrue to the entire host of heaven; for it was his object to secure freedom for all. But now even the liberty which they had hitherto enjoyed was at an end; for an absolute Ruler had been appointed them, and to His authority all must pay homage. Such were the subtle deceptions that through the wiles of Lucifer were fast obtaining in the heavenly courts. {PP 37.1} (18) God placed man under law, as an indispensable condition of his very existence. He was a subject of the divine government, and there can be no government without law. God might have created man without the power to transgress His law; He might have withheld the hand of Adam from touching the forbidden fruit; but in that case man would have been, not a free moral agent, but a mere automaton. Without freedom of choice, his obedience would not have been voluntary, but forced. There could have been no development of character. Such a course would have been contrary to GODS PLAN IN DEALING WITH THE INHABITANTS OF OTHER WORLDS. It would have been unworthy of man as an intelligent being, and would have sustained Satans charge of Gods arbitrary rule. {PP 49.1} (19) It was the marvel of all the universe that Christ should humble Himself to save fallen man. That He who had passed from star to star, from world to world, superintending all, by His providence supplying the needs of every order of being in His vast creation--that He should consent to leave His glory and take upon Himself human nature, was a mystery which the sinless intelligences of other WORLDS desired to understand. When Christ came to our world in the form of humanity, all were intensely interested in following Him as He traversed, step by step, the bloodstained path from the manger to Calvary. Heaven marked the insult and mockery that He received, and knew that it was at Satans instigation. They marked the work of counteragencies going forward; Satan constantly pressing darkness, sorrow, and suffering upon the race, and Christ counteracting it. They watched the battle between light and darkness as it waxed stronger. And as Christ in His expiring agony upon the cross cried out, It is finished (John 19:30), a shout of triumph rang through every world and through heaven itself. The great contest that had been so long in progress in this world was now decided, and Christ was conqueror. His death had answered the question whether the Father and the Son had sufficient love for man to exercise self-denial and a spirit of sacrifice. Satan had revealed his true character as a liar and a murderer. It was seen that the very same spirit with which he had ruled the children of men who were under his power, he would have manifested if permitted to control the intelligences of heaven. With one voice the loyal universe united in extolling the divine administration. {PP 69.3} (20) The holy inhabitants of other WORLDS were watching with the deepest interest the events taking place on the earth. In the condition of the world that existed before the Flood they saw illustrated the results of the administration which Lucifer had endeavored to establish in heaven, in rejecting the authority of Christ and casting aside the law of God. In those high-handed sinners of the antediluvian world they saw the subjects over whom Satan held sway. The thoughts of mens hearts were only evil continually. Genesis 6:5. Every emotion, every impulse and imagination, was at war with the divine principles of purity and peace and love. It was an example of the awful depravity resulting from Satans policy to remove from Gods creatures the restraint of His holy law. {PP 78.4} (21) The whole UNIVERSE had been witness to the scenes at Sinai. In the working out of the two administrations was seen the contrast between the government of God and that of Satan. AGAIN THE SINLESS INHABITANTS OF OTHER WORLDS BEHELD THE RESULTS OF SATANS APOSTASY, and the kind of government he would have established in heaven had he been permitted to bear sway. {PP 335.3} (22) We should consider that it was not merely to accomplish the redemption of man that Christ came to earth, it was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world might regard the law of God as it should be regarded, but it was to demonstrate to all the WORLDS that God’s law is unchangeable and that the wages of sin is death. TMK 367.2 There is a great deal more to this subject than we can take in at a glance. O that all might see the importance of carefully studying the Scriptures! Many seem to have the idea that this world and the heavenly mansions constitute the universe of God. Not so. The redeemed throng will range from world to world, and much of their time will be employed in searching out the mysteries of redemption. And throughout the whole stretch of eternity this subject will be continually opening to their minds. The privileges of those who overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony are beyond comprehension. TMK 367.3 (23) We have each to battle with the fallen foe.... Begin the warfare at once by gaining victories over self. Do not give place to the devil.... Throw all the weight of your influence on the side of Christ. TMK 367.4 When you look at the cross of Calvary you cannot doubt God’s love or His willingness to save. He has WORLDS upon WORLDS that give Him divine honor, and heaven and all the universe would have been just as happy if He had left this world to perish, but so great was His love for the fallen race that He gave His own dear Son to die that they might be redeemed from eternal death. As we see the care, the love, that God has for us, let us respond to it; let us give to Jesus all the powers of our being, fighting manfully the battles of the Lord. We cannot afford to lose our souls; we cannot afford to sin against God. Life, eternal life in the kingdom of glory, is worth everything.34The Review and Herald, March 9, 1886. TMK 367.5 (24) There is a great deal more to this subject than we can take in at a glance. O that all might see the importance of carefully studying the Scriptures! MANY SEEM TO HAVE THE IDEA THAT THIS WORLD AND THE HEAVENLY MANSIONS CONSTITUTE THE UNIVERSE OF GOD. NOT SO. THE REDEEMED THRONG WILL RANGE FROM WORLD TO WORLD, and much of their time will be employed in searching out the mysteries of redemption. And throughout the whole stretch of eternity this subject will be continually opening to their minds. The privileges of those who overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony are beyond comprehension -- That I may Know Him page 367 - That I May Know Him, page 367.3} (25) We should consider that it was not merely to accomplish the redemption of man that CHRIST CAME TO EARTH, IT WAS NOT MERELY THAT THE INHABITANTS OF THIS LITTLE WORLD MIGHT REGARD THE LAW OF GOD AS IT SHOULD BE REGARDED, BUT IT WAS TO DEMONSTRATE TO ALL THE WORLDS THAT GODS LAW IS UNCHANGEABLE AND THAT THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH. {TMK 367.2} (26)This speck of a world was the scene of the incarnation and suffering of the Son of God. Christ did not go to WORLDS unfallen, but He came to this world, all seared and marred with the curse. The outlook was not favorable, but most discouraging. Yet He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth. Isaiah 42:4. We must bear in mind the great joy manifested by the Shepherd at the recovery of the lost. He calls upon His neighbors: Rejoice with Me; for I have found My sheep which was lost. And all heaven echoes the note of joy. The Father Himself joys over the rescued one with singing. What a holy ecstasy of joy is expressed in this parable! That joy it is your privilege to share. {6T 124.3} {6T = Testimonies volume 6}
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 01:26:10 +0000
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