SS26-Q1-Uniting Heaven and Earth

SS26–Q1 | Uniting Heaven and Earth: Christ Formed in a Last-Day People

Introductory Statement (Integrated With the Quarterly Themes)

Think of the hardest task you have ever undertaken—one that stretched your strength, tested your patience, and seemed impossible to finish. Often, the difficulty lies not merely in the work itself, but in the impossibility of accomplishing it by human ability alone. Such is the nature of the plan of salvation—the divine purpose of uniting heaven and earth in a world fractured by sin.

Humanly speaking, this mission is unattainable. Yet Christ deliberately entrusted it to His church. Before ascending to heaven, He commissioned His disciples to disciple all nations, restoring fallen humanity into harmony with heaven’s government (Matt. 28:19–20). Likewise, Paul was sent to the Gentiles to open blind eyes, turn hearts from darkness to light, and translate souls from Satan’s dominion into God’s kingdom (Acts 26:18). These assignments were not optional nor symbolic—they were prophetic mandates, culminating in the final events of earth’s history.

This quarter’s Sabbath School lesson traces how God accomplishes this impossible work through a persecuted yet preserved people, revealing Christ formed within them. The journey begins with “Persecuted but Not Forsaken,” affirming that heaven stands with God’s people in suffering. It progresses to “Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer,” showing that gratitude and intercession are heaven’s channels of strength in trial. The lesson “Life and Death” reveals Christ as the dividing line between eternal realities, while “Unity Through Humility” exposes the only pathway to true oneness between heaven and earth.

As the quarter unfolds, the church is portrayed as a people “Shining as Lights in the Night,” possessing “Confidence Only in Christ,” and living as “A Heavenly Citizenship” while still on earth. Christ’s supremacy is exalted in “The Preeminence of Christ,” leading to “Reconciliation and Hope,” where heaven’s peace is restored to broken humanity. God’s people are shown to be “Complete in Christ,” walking daily in resurrection life in “Living With Christ,” and expressing that life practically in “Living With Each Other.”

The closing lesson, “Standing in All the Will of God,” brings the quarterly theme to its prophetic climax—revealing a people fully surrendered, sealed, and aligned with heaven’s purpose in the last days. This is the fulfillment of the divine intention: a church on earth reflecting heaven’s character, order, and authority before Christ returns.

What makes this humanly impossible work achievable is not human strength but divine presence. Christ’s promise—“Lo, I am with you always”—extends from the apostolic age to the sealing time. As inspired testimony declares, “As the will of man co-operates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent.” Heaven supplies the power; earth supplies the yielded instruments.

SS26–Q1: Uniting Heaven and Earth is therefore not merely a study—it is a call. A call to live the life of Christ, reflect His humility, stand firm under persecution, and cooperate with heavenly agencies in finishing the work. In the final generation, heaven and earth are united—not by human effort, but by Christ living fully in His people.

SS26–Q1: Uniting Heaven and Earth presents the prophetic journey of Christ forming a people in the last days—persecuted yet preserved, humble yet victorious—fully aligned with heaven’s will and prepared to finish God’s work on earth.

Content

1. Persecuted but Not Forsaken—December 27–January 2

2. Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer—January 3–9

3. Life and Death—January 10–16

4. Unity Through Humility—January 17–23

5. Shining as Lights in the Night—January 24–30

6. Confidence Only in Christ—January 31–February 6

7. A Heavenly Citizenship—February 7–13

8. The Preeminence of Christ—February 14–20

9. Reconciliation and Hope—February 21–27

10. Complete in Christ—February 28–March 6

11. Living With Christ—March 7–13

12. Living With Each Other—March 14–20

13. Standing in All the Will of God—March 21–27