SECOND QUARTER 2024
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #12
JUNE 22, 2024
“EARTH'S CLOSING EVENTS”

 

This week’s lesson asks us to study a vital topic, “Earth’s Closing Events.” If we have been paying attention to events in our world, wars, rumors of wars, hurricanes, tornadoes, hatred, violence, ideologies calling good evil and evil good, exchanging the truth of God for the lie, worshiping the creature rather than the Creator, the exaltation of man’s truth above God’s truth, societal norms that have stolen the hearts and minds of our children, confusion about Biblical truth within our own church, increasing ignorance of our history resulting in uncertainty of our identity and mission, this lesson should make us sit up and take notice.

In Matthew 24, Jesus is sitting with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, 400 feet above the Kidron Valley, 300 feet higher than the Temple. It was late Tuesday afternoon before crucifixion Friday. Notably, He was sitting outside the Sheep gate, outside the boundaries of Jerusalem. This is significant and Ellen White will explain. “That He might sanctify the people with His own blood,’ Christ 'suffered without the gate.’ Hebrews 13:12. For transgression of the law of God, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden. Christ, our substitute, was to suffer without the boundaries of Jerusalem. He died outside the gate, where felons and murderers were executed.” —Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 741.

From this vantage point, knowing what He was about to face, Jesus told His disciples that Jerusalem would be destroyed. The disciples wanted to know when, what signs were they to look for, and what would the earthly closing events look like, both for the temple and the end of the age. Jesus tells them many things, wars, rumors of wars, pestilences and the like, but those would not be the most important signs. Jesus said, “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” (Matthew 24:14, NKJV). But what does the text mean? Is “this gospel” an issue of quantity or is it a message that is complete, mature, and powerful enough to bring on the second coming? We will study this in this Insight, but first the lesson brings out other foundational truths.

We remind ourselves that the theme for our lessons this quarter is “The Great Controversy,” and the focus is Ellen White’s book by the same name. For this week’s lesson we are to read and focus our study on Chapters 37 and 38. Chapter 37, entitled “The Scriptures a Safeguard,” covers the importance of the Word of God and the importance of fortifying our minds with the truths of the Bible. She compares the Jews and the Jewish leaders of Christ’s day with the church today, pointing out that failure of the Jewish nation to believe the prophecies, and instead clinging to preconceived ideas, resulted in the rejection of Jesus Christ.

“Before His crucifixion the Saviour explained to His disciples that He was to be put to death and to rise again from the tomb, and angels were present to impress His words on minds and hearts. But the disciples were looking for temporal deliverance from the Roman yoke, and they could not tolerate the thought that He in whom all their hopes centered should suffer an ignominious death. The words which they needed to remember were banished from their minds; and when the time of trial came, it found them unprepared. …So, in the prophecies the future is opened before us as plainly as it was opened to the disciples by the words of Christ. The events connected with the close of probation and the work of preparation for the time of trouble, are clearly presented. But multitudes have no more understanding of these important truths than if they had never been revealed.

“When God sends to men warnings so important that they are represented as proclaimed by holy angels flying in the midst of heaven, He requires every person endowed with reasoning powers to heed the message. … But the masses of the people turn away their ears from hearing the truth and are turned unto fables. The apostle Paul declared, looking down to the last days: ‘The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.’ 2 Timothy 4:3. That time has fully come.” —Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 594.

“When Christ came to speak the words of life, the common people heard Him gladly; and many, even of the priests and rulers, believed on Him. But the chief of the priesthood and the leading men of the nation were determined to condemn and repudiate His teachings. Though they were baffled in all their efforts to find accusations against Him, though they could not but feel the influence of the divine power and wisdom attending His words, yet they incased themselves in prejudice; they rejected the clearest evidence of His Messiahship, lest they should be forced to become His disciples. These opponents of Jesus were men whom the people had been taught from infancy to reverence, to whose authority they had been accustomed implicitly to bow. ‘How is it,’ they asked, 'that our rulers and learned scribes do not believe on Jesus? Would not these pious men receive Him if He were the Christ?’ It was the influence of such teachers that led the Jewish nation to reject their Redeemer.

“The spirit which actuated those priests and rulers is still manifested by many who make a high profession of piety. They refuse to examine the testimony of the Scriptures concerning the special truths for this time.

“Christ foresaw that the undue assumption of authority indulged by the scribes and Pharisees would not cease with the dispersion of the Jews. He had a prophetic view of the work of exalting human authority to rule the conscience, which has been so terrible a curse to the church in all ages. And His fearful denunciations of the scribes and Pharisees, and His warnings to the people not to follow these blind leaders, were placed on record as an admonition to future generations.” —ibid., pp. 595,596.

“It is the first and highest duty of every rational being to learn from the Scriptures what is truth, and then to walk in the light and encourage others to follow his example. We should day by day study the Bible diligently, weighing every thought and comparing scripture with scripture. With divine help we are to form our opinions for ourselves as we are to answer for ourselves before God.” —ibid., p. 598.

“We are living in the most solemn period of this world's history. The destiny of earth's teeming multitudes is about to be decided. … We need to be guided by the Spirit of truth.” —ibid., p. 601.

In the first paragraph of Sunday’s lesson, the author aptly points out that, “Throughout the ages, the great controversy has been a battle between truth and error.” Jesus tells us in John 14:6 that He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” His final prayer addresses the importance of the truth. “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17, NKJV).  Again in John 8:32 Jesus says, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The Psalmist says, “The entirety of Your word is truth” (Psalm 119:160, NKJV). The sanctifying power of this word results in the sealing John speaks of in Revelation 7:1,2 and Revelation 14:1. These verses describe the sealing of God’s people, a settling into the truth. The battle between truth and error is finished in their lives. In Monday’s lesson, the author provides valuable insights into the essential work of sealing.  Additional evaluation of Revelation 7:1-3 gives us more understanding of this process of sealing. “After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”  The scene here is reminiscent of Ezekiel’s vision in Ezekiel chapter 9, where a man with the writer’s inkhorn was to “put a mark on the foreheads” of the faithful. The mark signified those faithful to truth, who had Christ-like characters.  Combining the “seal” of Revelation 7 and the “name” of Chapter 14 we see a close connection with the seal and the divine name. Their hearts and minds are sanctified, they have made a conscious decision. The name of God, His character, has been stamped in their hearts and minds.

Tuesday’s title gets to the truth at the center of the great controversy or the cosmic conflict, “Whom Do We Worship?”. The author says, “Creation is the basis of true worship”. …Satan hates the Creator and has attempted, through earthly powers, to change the Sabbath, the memorial of Creation. The coming conflict over the law of God focuses on authority.” In a prior lesson three weeks ago, the author beautifully stated that, “True Sabbath rest is the rest of grace.” Putting this together, we understand that the Sabbath is the sign of creation, the ultimate sign of redemption, and demonstrates an appreciation of the infinite sacrifice that Jesus paid that we might live.  “It is impossible for us to realize the far-reaching nature of God's law unless we view Christ upon the cross of Calvary—the atoning sacrifice. Through the law is the knowledge of sin. God's moral law is the sin detector, and how can we have an intelligent knowledge of what constitutes sin unless we acknowledge God's moral standard of righteousness? He who has the fullest conceptions of the infinite sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the world, and by faith seizes and appropriates the righteousness of Christ as his righteousness, can see the holiness, beauty, and glory in the law of God, and exclaim with David, ‘O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.’ Psalm 119:97, NKJV.” —Ellen G. White, 1888 Materials, p. 373. True Sabbath worship is included in the law in which we see holiness, beauty, and glory.

Wednesday’s and Thursday’s lessons bring us to the main event of earth’s final events. Let us note this quote from Ellen White: “The time of test is just upon us, for the loud cry of the third angel has already begun in the revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin-pardoning Redeemer. This is the beginning of the light of the angel whose glory shall fill the whole earth.”—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Vol. 1, p. 362. The question is, what happened? The loud cry of the third angel had “already begun.” The following sobering quotes are to inspire us to faithfulness, knowing that “the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people” (1 Samuel 12:22, NKJV).

“Had Adventists after the great disappointment in 1844 held fast their faith and followed on unitedly in the opening providence of God, receiving the message of the third angel and in the power of the Holy Spirit proclaiming it to the world, they would have seen the salvation of God, the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts, the work would have been completed, and Christ would have come ere this to receive His people to their reward.... It was not the will of God that the coming of Christ should be thus delayed.” —Ellen G. White, Last Day Events, p. 37.

“For forty years did unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion shut out ancient Israel from the land of Canaan. The same sins have delayed the entrance of modern Israel into the heavenly Canaan. In neither case were the promises of God at fault. It is the unbelief, the worldliness, unconsecration, and strife among the Lord's professed people that have kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years.”— Ellen G. White, Evangelism, p. 696.

“Had the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before this have been warned and the Lord Jesus would have come to our earth in power and great glory.”— Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 633-634.

“We may have to remain here in this world because of insubordination many more years, as did the children of Israel, but for Christ's sake His people should not add sin to sin by charging God with the consequence of their own wrong course of action.”—Ellen G. White, Evangelism, p. 696.

When Jesus was asked by His disciples, “what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3, NKJV), Jesus promised them something remarkable. He said, “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” (Matthew 24:14, NKJV).

Two of the greatest words in Paul’s writings are, “But God.” The expression means that humanity’s actions have not surprised God. He always has a plan, and He will not fail. Paul tells us in (Ephesians 2:4 NKJV), that God is rich in mercy and has great love for His church. At the General Conference session in 1888, He provided the “this gospel.”

 “The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family. All power is given into His hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own righteousness to the helpless human agent. This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel's message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure.” —Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 91-92.

May God bless us as we study this lesson that the author has thoughtfully prepared and the Chapters in the book The Great Controversy.

 

~Lyndi Schwartz