"But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets" (Revelation 10:7).

"We are to search the Scriptures, and dig in the mines of truth. It is the word of God that the mystery of the gospel is revealed; and God has there made known to us His matchless love."–The Review and Herald, July 16, 1889.

Suggested Readings: The Review and Herald, April 14, 1896.
The Great Controversy, pp. 423—432.

Sunday July 15

1. WHAT IS THE MYSTERY OF GOD?

a. How does the apostle Paul define the mystery of God? 1 Timothy 3:16.

"The work of redemption is called a mystery, and it is indeed the mystery by which everlasting righteousness is brought to all who believe. . . . Hiding His divinity, laying aside His glory, [Christ] was born a babe in Bethlehem. In human flesh He lived the law of God, that He might condemn sin in the flesh, and bear witness to heavenly intelligences that the law was ordained to life and to ensure the happiness, peace, and eternal good of all who obey."–The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 7, p. 915.

b. What is the basis of the plan of redemption? John 3:16.

"The scheme of redemption far exceeds the comprehension of the human mind. The great condescension on the part of God is a mystery that is beyond our fathoming."–The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 5, p. 1133.

Monday July 16

2. CHRIST, THE CENTRAL THEME

a. Through whom and how are we benefitted by the mystery of God? Colossians 1:26, 27; 4:3; Philippians 2:6, 7; Hebrews 12:2.

"The apostle [John] would call our attention from ourselves to the Author of our salvation. He presents before us His two natures, divine and human. Here is the description of the divine: ‘Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.’ He was ‘the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person.’

"Now, of the human: He ‘was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death.’ He voluntarily assumed human nature. It was His own act, and by His own consent. He clothed His divinity with humanity. He was all the while as God, but He did not appear as God. He veiled the demonstrations of Deity, which had commanded the homage, and called forth the admiration, of the universe of God. He was God while upon earth, but He divested Himself of the form of God, and in its stead took the form and fashion of a man."–The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 5, p. 1126.

b. What does the Bible say about God assuming human nature in the interest of our salvation? Matthew 1:23; John 1:14.

"[The plan of redemption] could only be successful by the clothing of divinity with humanity, by Christ becoming man, and suffering the wrath which sin has made because of the transgression of God’s law. Through this plan the great, the dreadful God can be just, and yet be the justifier of all who believe in Jesus, and who receive Him as their personal Saviour. This is the heavenly science of redemption, of saving men from eternal ruin."–The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 5, p. 1133.

"Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors."–The Desire of Ages, p. 49.

Tuesday July 17

3. THE PLAN OF REDEMPTION ESTABLISHED

a. When was the plan of redemption conceived? Revelation 13:8.

"The plan of salvation had been laid before the creation of the earth; for Christ is ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ (Revelation 13:8)."–Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 63.

"The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam. It was a revelation of ‘the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal’ (Romans 16:25, R. V.). It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God’s throne. From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency."–The Desire of Ages, p. 22.

b. What occurred in the heavenly courts as soon as man fell? Zechariah 6:13 (last part).

"Before the Father [Christ] pleaded in the sinner’s behalf, while the host of heaven awaited the result with an intensity of interest that words cannot express. Long continued was that mysterious communing–‘the counsel of peace’ (Zechariah 6:13) for the fallen sons of men."–Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 63.

"This work began in the heavenly courts. There God decided to give human beings unmistakable evidence of the love with which He regarded them. He ‘so loved the world, that He gave His only- begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16).

"The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave Themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption. In order fully to carry out this plan, it was decided that Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, should give Himself an offering for sin. What line can measure the depth of this love? God would make it impossible for man to say that He could have done more."–Counsels on Health, p. 222.

Wednesday July 18

4. THE PLAN REVEALED

a. When did man first learn of the plan of salvation? Genesis 3:15.

"To man the first intimation of redemption was communicated in the sentence pronounced upon Satan in the garden. The Lord declared, ‘I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel’ (Genesis 3:15). This sentence, uttered in the hearing of our first parents, was to them a promise. While it foretold war between man and Satan, it declared that the power of the great adversary would finally be broken. Adam and Eve stood as criminals before the righteous Judge, awaiting the sentence which transgression had incurred; but before they heard of the life of toil and sorrow which must be their portion, or of the decree that they must return to dust, they listened to words that could not fail to give them hope. Though they must suffer from the power of their mighty foe, they could look forward to final victory."–Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 65, 66.

b. When was the plan more fully revealed? Galatians 6:14; Romans 16: 25, 26.

"The union of divinity with humanity is a mystery indeed, hidden with God, ‘even the mystery which hath been hid from ages.’ It was kept in eternal silence by Jehovah, and was first revealed in Eden, by the prophecy that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, and that he should bruise His heel. To present to the world this mystery that God kept in silence for eternal ages before the world was created, before man was created, was the part that Christ was to act in the work He entered upon when He came to this earth. And this wonderful mystery, the incarnation of Christ and the atonement that He made, must be declared to every son and daughter of Adam, whether Jew or Gentile."–The Signs of the Times, March 25, 1897.

"The more we study the divine character in the light of the cross, the more we see mercy, tenderness, and forgiveness blended with equity and justice, and the more clearly we discern innumerable evidences of a love that is infinite and a tender pity surpassing a mother’s yearning sympathy for her wayward child."–Steps to Christ, p. 15.

Thursday July 19

5. THE MYSTERY OF GOD FINISHED

a. When will the mystery of God be finished? Revelation 10:7.

"The gospel dispensation is the last period of probation that will ever be granted to men. Those who live under this dispensation of test and trial and yet are not led to repent and obey will perish with the disloyal. There is no second trial. The gospel that is to be preached to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples presents the truth in clear lines, showing that obedience is the condition of gaining eternal life. Christ imparts His righteousness to those who consent to let Him take away their sins. We are indebted to Christ for the grace which makes us complete in Him."–The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 7, pp. 971, 972.

"When the work of the gospel is completed, there immediately follows the separation between the good and the evil, and the destiny of each class is forever fixed."–Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 123.

b. How do we know there will be no second probation after the mystery of God is finished? Revelation 22:11.

"When the Lord comes, those who are holy will be holy still. Those who have preserved their bodies and spirits in holiness, in sanctification and honor, will then receive the finishing touch of immortality. But those who are unjust, unsanctified, and filthy will remain so forever. No work will then be done for them to remove their defects and give them holy characters."–Testimonies, vol. 2, p. 355.

Friday July 20

1. What is the mystery of God?
2. Who is the central theme of the plan of salvation?
3. When was the plan of redemption established?
4. When was the plan of redemption first made known to man?
5. When will the mystery of God be finished?

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