Sabbath School Lesson for April 12-18, 2025
Introduction of Lesson 3, Images From Marriage
Memory Text: “Then he said to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” ‘And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God.’ ” Revelation 19:9 NKJV
The first recorded miracle of Jesus was at a wedding feast in Cana. And our first encounter with Christ when we get to heaven will be at another marriage ceremony. We have been invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Jesus supplied the wine for the first feast in Cana, and He’s already prepared the wine for us in heaven. It will be the symbol of His sacrificial blood shed for us at Calvary.
During the very last days of earth’s history, it will be especially difficult to remember that God loves us. The suffering and trials we will experience, or may even experience now, make us wonder if God truly loves us. It is difficult to feel His love or any love during times of hardship. We just don’t feel as close to God, as we actually are.
There are many descriptions in the Bible of the most intimate of all relationships: the marriage of two individuals who pledge themselves for life to be faithful to each other. These examples of marriage remind us that God wants to know and love us as much as a spouse, who knows us intimately more than any other person.
- Sunday: One Flesh–Marriage and Sabbath were gifts from the beginning, and both show our intimate relationship with God.
- Monday: The Beautiful Bride–God made Israel His beautiful bride, but she failed to praise Him for it and became an unfaithful harlot.
- Tuesday: Hosea’s Harlot Wife–God tries to win us back to Him, just as Hosea was instructed to do with his unfaithful wife.
- Wednesday: Isaac and Rebekah–We must be cautious of who are companions are, looking to God for guidance.
- Thursday: The Harlot Is Judged–Prophecies in Revelation show us what happens when we are unfaithful to God.
Sunday: One Flesh
Marriage, the idea of being one flesh with someone else, is probably the most often-used metaphor, or image, in the Bible. Adam recognized that Eve had been created from one of his ribs, that she was actually part of him. This made him feel very close to his companion. We, too, are made in God’s image. Remembering this should make us feel close to Him as well.
The Sabbath and marriage both illustrate the close relationship God desires to have with us. In order for that relationship to work, a married couple must forgive and accept each other, spend quality time in each other’s company, and always put the other spouse first.
No wonder why marriage, or being one flesh with someone, can be applied to our relationship with God. When we ask for forgiveness, we receive it. When we rest on the Sabbath, His presence is felt. And as God continues to put us first, we must put Him first in our lives as well.
Verses and questions:
Genesis 2:23-25 and Ephesians 5:29-32
- How is human marriage similar to Christ’s relationship with us?
Monday: The Beautiful Bride
Those who are blessed with beauty of any kind do not acquire it in and of themselves. Ezekiel 16:4-14 explains how Jerusalem became a great and beautiful city. Their original state, when God found them, was anything but beautiful. They had been like a cast-away infant that God adopted and cared for. Later, after reaching maturity, a marriage was arranged between them and vows were given, but Jerusalem refused to acknowledge her Benefactor and broke her vows to God.
This story shows how much God cares for us on a personal level. We, too, were anything but beautiful when God found us. Our beauty depends entirely on His robe of righteousness that covers our filthy rags. When we take credit for our beauty, our beauty is cheapened. The high price God paid for it is forgotten and we are on the path to being an “unfaithful harlot” like Jerusalem turned out to be.
Verses and questions:
Ezekiel 16:4-15
- What happens when we fail to praise God for our beauty?
- What has God done to make you beautiful, and how do you thank Him for it?
Isaiah 64:6, 8 and 53:5-6
- Who plays a major part in our becoming God’s “bride”?
Tuesday: Hosea’s Harlot Wife
God gave the prophet Hosea a very unusual assignment. He told him to marry a prostitute, giving him firsthand knowledge of how God felt about His people, who had been unfaithful over the years by taking up the idolatrous practices of the surrounding nations. Several times Hosea’s harlot wife strayed away, deserting him. But Hosea was told to find her and continue efforts to win back her affection.
Prophecies in the book of Revelation speak about a harlot, one with whom the kings of the earth commit fornication (Revelation 17:1-2). Up to the close of probation, when the time comes for Jesus to return in clouds of glory, God will be found calling out to His unfaithful people, imploring them to return to Him (Revelation 18:4). Just like Hosea did for his wayward wife.
Any time we stray from our relationship with God in hopes of finding our own answers to our problems, we are in danger of committing spiritual fornication. But Hosea’s story assures us that God will do everything in His mighty power to win us back.
Verses and questions:
Hosea 1:2, 3:1, Revelation 17:1-2, 18:1-4
- How might the Christian church today be a harlot?
- What can we do about our unfaithfulness? What can God do?
Wednesday: Isaac and Rebekah
The marriage of Isaac and Rebekah helps us understand many things about our relationship with God. Isaac’s father Abraham was wise in not wanting his son to marry anyone from the idolatrous Canaanite tribes. It wasn’t their ethnicity or national background that concerned him, but the spiritual aspect that drove this decision.
Sending his oldest servant to Mesopotamia, the land of his father, enabled him to find a bride who would be more likely to keep Isaac from idolatry. It should be noted that Rebekah was allowed the right to accept or refuse the marriage offer, just as God allows us a choice to follow Him.
Later, ancient Israel often got caught up in the false worship of their neighbors, causing their relationship with God to suffer immensely. No wonder Abraham was so concerned about Isaac’s marriage prospects.
God’s church today is in no less danger of falling for the devil’s deceptive ideas. An example of this is how almost the entire Christian world has accepted Sunday, originally a pagan day of sun worship, as a replacement for the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. But God, continues to work and bless His people, anxiously calling us into a stronger relationship with Him (Revelation 18:4).
Verses and questions:
Genesis 24:1-4
- Why do you think Abraham was so concerned about Isaac’s marriage prospects?
- Why should we be careful about our associations with people today?
Thursday: The Harlot Is Judged
There is a great contrast in the fate of the harlot (corrupt church) in Revelation 19 and God’s true church , “the holy city, New Jerusalem…prepared as a bride for her husband” (Revelation 20:2). The first will experience fire coming down from heaven to devour them (Revelation 20:9) and God’s beautiful bride will enjoy a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1).
Even though there is heartbreak over the sad ending of the lost, there will be rejoicing for God’s people as they realize that sin can no longer threaten the universe with its ugly pain, suffering, and death.
Christ, the Bridegroom, plays a major role in this dramatic event. 1 Peter 1:18-19 tells how He redeems us, not with silver or gold, but with His precious blood. He is like the innocent Passover lamb, without spot or blemish. And He prepares us, His bride, with a garment that has neither spot nor wrinkle, making us holy and without blemish too (Ephesians 5:27).
Verses and questions:
Revelation 19:1-9
- How are the end of the harlot and the marriage of Christ both seen as demonstrations of God’s loving character?
Revelation 21:1-4
- What hope and promise do you feel after reading these verses?
- What do you most look forward to in the new earth?
- What makes the heavens new and what heaven might this be talking about?
Friday: Final Thoughts
The conjugal, or marriage, metaphor presents us with an image of the kind of relationship we can have with God. It is one of selfless, voluntary service and love, with the added bonus of communication that allows our relationship to grow and flourish.
As we read about various marriage stories God has provided us in the Scriptures, we can more fully understand and appreciate the relationship we have with our Maker, knowing that we, too, are made in His image. Just as Eve was a part of Adam, for she was taken from his rib, we can be a close companion to our Father in heaven. We were designed that way.
However, we must not forget that the institution of marriage is also meant to instruct us how to treat everyone, especially our own spouse and our brothers and sisters in the church family. We must think of everyone as our equal, and do all we can to stay connected and subservient to others. Humility of this kind is not just something we reserve for God; it’s an attitude that we use in all our human relationships.
…and for more about prophecies in the Bible, see these articles:
https://www.outlookmag.org/who-is-the-king-of-kings-and-lord-of-lords/
https://www.outlookmag.org/the-mark-of-the-beast/
https://www.outlookmag.org/the-time-of-trouble/
Next Week: The Nations–Part 1
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