nations

Bible Study Guides – “Go… Teach”

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June 28 – July 4, 2020

Key Text

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Study Help: The Acts of the Apostles, 25–34.

Introduction

“So mightily can God work when men give themselves up to the control of His Spirit.” The Acts of the Apostles, 49.

Sunday

TEACH ALL NATIONS

  • What commission did Jesus give to His followers? Matthew 28:19, 20.

Note: “The gospel commission is the great missionary charter of Christ’s kingdom. The disciples were to work earnestly for souls, giving to all the invitation of mercy. They were not to wait for the people to come to them; they were to go to the people with their message.” The Acts of the Apostles, 28.

  • How would their work progress, and how far would it extend? Acts 1:8.

Note: “Although My people would not come to Me that they might have life, although priests and rulers have done unto Me as they listed, although they have rejected Me, they shall have still another opportunity of accepting the Son of God. You have seen that all who come to Me confessing their sins, I freely receive. Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. To you, My disciples, I commit this message of mercy. It is to be given to both Jews and Gentiles—to Israel, first, and then to all nations, tongues, and peoples. All who believe are to be gathered into one church.” The Acts of the Apostles, 27, 28.

Monday

SLOW TO LEARN

  • How were the disciples often distracted as Jesus tried to forewarn them of His arrest and crucifixion? Mark 9:31–34; Luke 22:21–24.

Note: “On the journey through Galilee, Christ had again tried to prepare the minds of His disciples for the scenes before Him. He told them that He was to go up to Jerusalem to be put to death and to rise again. And He added the strange and solemn announcement that He was to be betrayed into the hands of His enemies. The disciples did not even now comprehend His words. Although the shadow of a great sorrow fell upon them, a spirit of rivalry found a place in their hearts. They disputed among themselves which should be accounted greatest in the kingdom. This strife they thought to conceal from Jesus, and they did not, as usual, press close to His side, but loitered behind, so that He was in advance of them as they entered Capernaum. Jesus read their thoughts, and He longed to counsel and instruct them. But for this He awaited a quiet hour, when their hearts should be open to receive His words.” The Desire of Ages, 432.

“The disciples clung to their favorite idea that Christ would assert His power, and take His position on the throne of David. And in heart each still longed for the highest place in the kingdom. They had placed their own estimate upon themselves and upon one another, and, instead of regarding their brethren as more worthy, they had placed themselves first.” Ibid., 643, 644.

  • How did these things take them by surprise? Luke 24:13–22.

Note: “Strange that the disciples did not remember Christ’s words, and realize that He had foretold the events which had come to pass! They did not realize that the last part of His disclosure would be just as verily fulfilled as the first part, that the third day He would rise again. This was the part they should have remembered. The priests and rulers did not forget this. On the day ‘that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again’ (Matthew 27:62, 63). But the disciples did not remember these words.” The Desire of Ages, 796.

Tuesday

ANOTHER TEACHER PROMISED

  • How would Jesus continue to teach the disciples after His ascension? John 16:12, 13.
  • How does the Spirit teach and correct us? John 16:8.

 Note: “The preaching of the word is of no avail without the presence and aid of the Holy Spirit; for this Spirit is the only effectual teacher of divine truth. Only when the truth is accompanied to the heart by the Spirit, will it quicken the conscience or transform the life. A minister may be able to present the letter of the word of God; he may be familiar with all its commands and promises; but his sowing of the gospel seed will not be successful unless this seed is quickened into life by the dew of heaven. Without the co-operation of the Spirit of God, no amount of education, no advantages, however great, can make one a channel of light. Before one book of the New Testament had been written, before one gospel sermon had been preached after Christ’s ascension, the Holy Spirit came upon the praying disciples. Then the testimony of their enemies was, ‘Ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine’ (Acts 5:28).” Gospel Workers, 284.

  • What special gift does God give the remnant? Revelation 12:17; 19:10. Where do we find this gift at work today?

Note: “I took the precious Bible and surrounded it with the several Testimonies for the Church, given for the people of God. Here, said I, the cases of nearly all are met. The sins they are to shun are pointed out. …

“But there are not many of you that really know what is contained in the Testimonies. You are not familiar with the Scriptures. If you had made God’s word your study, with a desire to reach the Bible standard and attain to Christian perfection, you would not have needed the Testimonies. It is because you have neglected to acquaint yourselves with God’s inspired Book that He has sought to reach you by simple, direct testimonies, calling your attention to the words of inspiration which you had neglected to obey, and urging you to fashion your lives in accordance with its pure and elevated teachings.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 605.

Wednesday

THE SPIRIT GIVEN

  • How was the promise of the Spirit repeated? Acts 1:4–9.

Note: “Jesus had opened before His disciples a vast tract of truth. But it was most difficult for them to keep His lessons distinct from the traditions and maxims of the scribes and Pharisees. … Earthly ideas, temporal things, still had a large place in their thoughts. They did not understand the spiritual nature of Christ’s kingdom, though He had so often explained it to them. Their minds had become confused. They did not comprehend the value of the scriptures Christ presented. Many of His lessons seemed almost lost upon them. Jesus saw that they did not lay hold of the real meaning of His words. He compassionately promised that the Holy Spirit should recall these sayings to their minds. And He had left unsaid many things that could not be comprehended by the disciples. These also would be opened to them by the Spirit. The Spirit was to quicken their understanding, that they might have an appreciation of heavenly things.” The Desire of Ages, 670, 671.

  • What happened when the promise was fulfilled? Acts 2:1–4.

Note: “Under the influence of this heavenly illumination the scriptures that Christ had explained to the disciples stood out before them with the luster of perfect truth. The veil that had prevented them from seeing to the end of that which had been abolished, was now removed, and they comprehended with perfect clearness the object of Christ’s mission and the nature of His kingdom. They could speak with power of the Saviour; and as they unfolded to their hearers the plan of salvation, many were convicted and convinced.” The Acts of the Apostles, 44.

“What was the result of the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost? The glad tidings of a risen Saviour were carried to the uttermost parts of the inhabited world. As the disciples proclaimed the message of redeeming grace, hearts yielded to the power of this message. … Every Christian saw in his brother a revelation of divine love and benevolence. One interest prevailed; one subject of emulation swallowed up all others. The ambition of the believers was to reveal the likeness of Christ’s character and to labor for the enlargement of His kingdom.” Ibid., 48.

Thursday

TO ALL THE WORLD

  • How were some early believers gently rebuked for their failure to advance in knowledge? Hebrews 5:12.

Note: “Many who ought to be teachers, have hardly learned the alphabet of the Christian life. They need constantly that one teach them. They do not grow in holiness, in faith, in hope, in joy, in gratitude. Christ opened the way, at an infinite cost, that we might live a Christian life. … It was by faith in Christ that the great apostle maintained the consistency and beauty of his course. He suffered opposition, insult, persecution, imprisonment, with a firmness and meekness which none but Christ could impart. Our obligations are no less than were his. Our privileges are great, our opportunities abundant. Great light is shining upon us, but it will become darkness to those who refuse to follow its guidance.” The Review and Herald, May 30, 1882.

  • What work is still to be done, and how? Matthew 24:14.

Note: “The Spirit of the Almighty is moving upon men’s hearts, and those who respond to its influence become witnesses for God and His truth. In many places consecrated men and women may be seen communicating to others the light that has made plain to them the way of salvation through Christ. And as they continue to let their light shine, as did those who were baptized with the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, they receive more and still more of the Spirit’s power. Thus the earth is to be lightened with the glory of God.” The Acts of the Apostles, 54.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    How does the Great Commission challenge me today?

2    Why were the disciples taken by surprise by Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion?

3    What is the role of the Holy Spirit in education?

4    How were the early Christians changed by the outpouring of the Spirit?

5    What education is needed by the world prior to the Second Coming?

© 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – The Nations are in God’s Hands

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June 30 – July 6 ,2002

By Ruth Grosboll

MEMORY VERSE: “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.” 2 Peter 1:19.

STUDY HELPS: The Great Controversy, 603–612.

INTRODUCTION: “All heaven is interested in the work that is going on in this world. A people is to be prepared for the great day of God, which is right upon us; and we cannot afford to let Satan cast his shadow across our pathway, and intercept our view of Jesus and his infinite love. We should draw from Christ the very help we need. And when do we need his help?—It is in times of trial, in times when temptation comes in like flood, when Satan would cast his dark shadow before our souls, that we may not be able to distinguish the sacred from the common. It is then that we need to flee to the Source of our strength.” Review and Herald, January 28, 1890.

1 What comparison is the power of God to the power of the mighty nations of the earth? Isaiah 40:15–17.

NOTE: “In the days of Isaiah, Assyria was the greatest nation of the earth, feared by all others. But the Lord would have His people know that this greatest nation was as nothing before Him. When men fear God they need have no fear of the so-called great powers of the earth. Regardless of the plans and purposes of men, God brings His own will to pass.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 247. (On Isaiah 40:15.)

“With unerring accuracy the Infinite One still keeps account with the nations. While His mercy is tendered, with calls to repentance, this account remains open; but when the figures reach a certain amount which God has fixed, the ministry of His wrath begins. The account is closed. Divine patience ceases. Mercy no longer pleads in their behalf.” Prophets and Kings, 364.

2 What does God declare about Himself? Isaiah 46:9, 10.

NOTE: “I Am means an eternal presence; the past, present, and future are alike to God. He sees the most remote events of past history, and the far distant future with as clear a vision as we do those things that are transpiring daily. We know not what is before us, and if we did, it would not contribute to our eternal welfare. God gives us an opportunity to exercise faith and trust in the great I Am (MS 5a, 1895).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1099.

3 How extensive is God’s knowledge? Daniel 2:22.

NOTE: “But when the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the conscience will be quickened, and the sinner will discern something of the depth and sacredness of God’s holy law, the foundation of His government in heaven and on earth. The ‘Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,’ illumines the secret chambers of the soul, and the hidden things of darkness are made manifest. John 1:9. Conviction takes hold upon the mind and heart. The sinner has a sense of the righteousness of Jehovah and feels the terror of appearing, in his own guilt and uncleanness, before the Searcher of hearts. He sees the love of God, the beauty of holiness, the joy of purity; he longs to be cleansed and to be restored to communion with Heaven.” Steps to Christ, 24.

4 How much control does God have over the kingdoms of this world? Daniel 4:17.

NOTE: “In the annals of human history the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as dependent on the will and prowess of man. The shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. But in the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, behind, above, and through all the play and counterplay of human interests and power and passions, the agencies of the all-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will.” Education, 173.

5 What did Divine wisdom do as a result of sin? Genesis 6:5–7.

NOTE: “The world was in its infancy; yet iniquity had become so deep and widespread that God could no longer bear with it; and He said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth.’ He declared that His Spirit should not always strive with the guilty race. If they did not cease to pollute with their sins the world and its rich treasures, He would blot them from His creation and would destroy the things with which He had delighted to bless them; He would sweep away the beasts of the field, and the vegetation which furnished such an abundant supply of food, and would transform the fair earth into one vast scene of desolation and ruin.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 92.

6 What is God’s assurance to mankind? Amos 3:7.

NOTE: “While ‘the secret things belong unto the Lord our God,’ ‘those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever.’ . . . Deuteronomy 29:29. God has given these things to us, and His blessing will attend the reverent, prayerful study of the prophetic scriptures.” The Desire of Ages, 234.

7 What warnings did God give to the antediluvians? Genesis 6:3, 13.

NOTE: “Amid the prevailing corruption, Methuselah, Noah, and many others, labored to keep alive the knowledge of the true God, and to stay the tide of moral evil. A hundred and twenty years before the Flood, the Lord by a holy angel declared to Noah His purpose, and directed him to build an ark. While building the ark he was to preach that God would bring a flood of water upon the earth to destroy the wicked. Those who would believe the message, and would prepare for that event by repentance and reformation, should find pardon and be saved. Enoch had repeated to his children what God had shown him in regard to the Flood, and Methuselah and his sons, who lived to hear the preaching of Noah, assisted in building the ark. . . .

“Many at first appeared to receive the warning; yet they did not turn to God with true repentance. They were unwilling to renounce their sins. During the time that elapsed before the coming of the Flood, their faith was tested, and they failed to endure the trial. Overcome by the prevailing unbelief, they finally joined their former associates in rejecting the solemn message. Some were deeply convicted, and would have heeded the words of warning; but there were so many to jest and ridicule, that they partook of the same spirit, resisted the invitations of mercy, and were soon among the boldest and most defiant scoffers; for none are so reckless and go to such lengths in sin as do those who have once had light, but have resisted the convicting Spirit of God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 92, 95.

8 What two ancient cities received Divine retribution for their wickedness? Genesis 19:24, 25.

NOTE: “Sin has prevailed since the fall. While a few have remained faithful to God, the great majority have corrupted their ways before Him. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was on account of their great wickedness. They gave loose rein to their intemperate appetites, then to their corrupt passions, until they were so debased, and their sins were so abominable, that their cup of iniquity was full, and they were consumed with fire from heaven.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 60.

9 How did God warn Sodom and Gomorrah before He destroyed them? Genesis 19:1, 12–17.

NOTE: “The Lord’s anger was finally kindled against the wicked inhabitants of the city. The angels of God visited Sodom to bring forth Lot, that he should not perish in the overthrow of the city. They bade him bring his family, his wife, and the sons and daughters who had married in wicked Sodom, and they told him to flee from the place; ‘for,’ said the angels, ‘we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.’” Review and Herald, November 14, 1882.

10 How suddenly was the kingdom of Babylon destroyed? Daniel 5:30, 31.

NOTE: “As men multiplied upon the earth after the flood, they again forgot God, and corrupted their ways before him. Intemperance in every form increased, until almost the whole world was given up to its sway. Entire cities have been swept from the face of the earth because of the debasing crimes and revolting iniquity that made them a blot upon the fair field of God’s created works. The gratification of unnatural appetite led to the sins that caused the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God ascribes the fall of Babylon to her gluttony and drunkenness. Indulgence of appetite and passion was the foundation of all their sins.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 43.

11 What prediction had the Lord given to Daniel about Babylon’s future? Daniel 2:38, 39.

NOTE: “Exalted to the pinnacle of worldly honor, and acknowledged even by Inspiration as ‘a king of kings’ (Ezekiel 26:7), Nebuchadnezzar nevertheless at times had ascribed to the favor of Jehovah the glory of his kingdom and the splendor of his reign. Such had been the case after his dream of the great image. His mind had been profoundly influenced by this vision and by the thought that the Babylonian Empire, universal though it was, was finally to fall, and other kingdoms were to bear sway, until at last all earthly powers were to be superseded by a kingdom set up by the God of heaven, which kingdom was never to be destroyed.” Prophets and Kings, 514.

12 What was the warning God sent to the people of Nineveh? Jonah 3:1–4.

NOTE: “When Jonah proclaimed in the streets of Nineveh that within forty days the city would be overthrown, the Lord accepted the humiliation of the Ninevites and extended their period of probation; yet the message of Jonah was sent of God, and Nineveh was tested according to His will. Adventists believed that in like manner God had led them to give the warning of the judgment. ‘It has,’ they declared, ‘tested the hearts of all who heard it, and awakened a love for the Lord’s appearing; or it has called forth a hatred, more or less perceivable, but known to God, of His coming. It has drawn a line, . . . so that those who will examine their own hearts, may know on which side of it they would have been found, had the Lord then come—whether they would have exclaimed, “Lo! this is our God, we have waited for Him, and He will save us;” or whether they would have called to the rocks and mountains to fall on them to hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. God thus, as we believe, has tested His people, has tried their faith, has proved them, and seen whether they would shrink, in the hour of trial, from the position in which He might see fit to place them; and whether they would relinquish this world and rely with implicit confidence in the word of God.’—The Advent Herald and Signs of the Times Reporter, vol. 8, No. 14 (November 13, 1844).” The Great Controversy, 406.

13 What did the Lord prophesy against Tyre and why? Ezekiel 26:1–5.

NOTE: “Tyre was a powerful commercial city composed of Old Tyre, situated on the mainland, and New Tyre, built on a rocky island some 140 acres in area about a half mile from shore. . . .

“When Alexander besieged New Tyre, he built a causeway from the mainland to the island and used the stones and rubble from Old Tyre as material for it. . . .

“The site of ancient Tyre is still used by fishermen for drying their nets.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 667, 668. (On Ezekiel 26:2, 4, 5.)

“There was a shut door in Noah’s time. There was a shut door to the unbelievers in the destruction of Sodom, but an open door to Lot. There was a shut door to the inhabitants of Tyrus, a shut door to the inhabitants of Jerusalem . . . who disbelieved, but an open door to the humble, the believing, those who obeyed God. Thus it will be at the end of time.—Manuscript 17, August 14, 1885, ‘Shipboard Meditations.’” This Day With God, 235.

14 What is prophesied for our world today? 2 Peter 3:10.

NOTE: “Fire comes down from God out of heaven. The earth is broken up. The weapons concealed in its depths are drawn forth. Devouring flames burst forth from every yawning chasm. The very rocks are on fire. The day has come that shall burn as an oven. The elements melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein are burned up. Malachi 4:1; 11 Peter 3:10. The earth’s surface seems one molten mass— a vast, seething lake of fire. It is the time of the judgment and perdition of ungodly men—‘the day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion.’ Isaiah 34:8.” The Great Controversy, 672, 673.

15 What warnings are we given? Revelation 14:6, 7.

NOTE: “John in the Revelation foretells the proclamation of the gospel message just before Christ’s second coming. . . . [Revelation 14:6, 7 quoted.]

“In the prophecy this warning of the judgment, with its connected messages, is followed by the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven. The proclamation of the judgment is an announcement of Christ’s second coming as at hand. And this proclamation is called the everlasting gospel. Thus the preaching of Christ’s second coming, the announcement of its nearness, is shown to be an essential part of the gospel message.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 227, 228.

“It is God’s purpose that the truth for this time shall be made known to every kindred and nation and tongue and people. In the world today men and women are absorbed in the search for worldly gain and worldly pleasure. There are thousands upon thousands who give no time or thought to the salvation of the soul. The time has come when the message of Christ’s soon coming is to sound throughout the world.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 24.

Bible Study Guides – The History of Nations Foretold

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October 2, 2004 – October 8, 2004

Memory Verse

“And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” Daniel 7:27.

Suggested Reading: Prophets and Kings, 547.

Introduction

“As Daniel clung to God with unwavering trust, the spirit of prophetic power came upon him. While receiving instruction from man in the duties of court life, he was being taught by God to read the mysteries of the future and to record for coming generations, through figures and symbols, events covering the history of this world till the close of time.” Prophets and Kings, 485.

1 When did Daniel have the vision that is recorded in the seventh chapter of Daniel? Daniel 7:1.

note: “This vision was given to Daniel in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar, about 540 b.c. The mere giving of this view bears the strongest testimony to the results of Daniel’s education when a youth, to his steadfastness of purpose, and his growth in spiritual things.” Stephen N. Haskell, Story of Daniel the Prophet (1904), TEACH Services, Inc., Brushton, New York, 1995, 89.

2 What two symbols are used in Daniel 7:2? In prophecy, what do winds symbolize? Isaiah 21:1, 2; Jeremiah 25:32, 33. What are symbolized by the sea or waters? Isaiah 8:7; 17:12, 13; Revelation 17:15; Jeremiah 51:42.

note: “The great kingdoms that have ruled the world were presented to the prophet Daniel as beasts of prey, rising when ‘the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.’ Daniel 7:2. In Revelation 17 an angel explained that waters represent ‘peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.’ Revelation 17:15. Winds are a symbol of strife. The four winds of heaven striving upon the great sea represent the terrible scenes of conquest and revolution by which kingdoms have attained to power.” The Great Controversy, 439, 440.

3 What did Daniel behold, as the result of strife and commotion among the nations and peoples of earth? Daniel 7:3.

note: “To Daniel was given a vision of fierce beasts, representing the powers of the earth. But the ensign of the Messiah’s kingdom is a lamb. While earthly kingdoms rule by the ascendancy of physical power, Christ is to banish every carnal weapon, every instrument of coercion. His kingdom was to be established to uplift and ennoble fallen humanity (Letter 32, 1899).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1171.

4 What was symbolized by these four great beasts? Daniel 7:17.

note: “The great kingdoms that have ruled the world obtained their dominion by conquest and revolution, and they were presented to the prophet Daniel as beasts of prey, rising when the ‘four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.’ [Daniel 7:2.]” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 277.

5 What was the first kingdom? Daniel 7:4.

note: “Babylon, the first of these kingdoms, was represented to Nebuchadnezzar as the golden head of the great image. To Daniel the same power appeared as a lion, having eagle’s wings.” Haskell, 90.

6 How does the lion compare with the other beasts of prey? Proverbs 30:30. How does Babylon compare with other nations? Isaiah 13:19. Compare Habakkuk 1:6–10. What other characteristic of Babylon was symbolized by “eagle’s wings”? Deuteronomy 28:49; 11 Samuel 1:23.

note: “Instead of being a protector of men, Babylon became a proud and cruel oppressor. The words of Inspiration picturing the cruelty and greed of rulers in Israel reveal the secret of Babylon’s fall and of the fall of many another kingdom since the world began.” Education, 176.

“The gratification of unnatural appetite led to the sins that caused the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God ascribes the fall of Babylon to her gluttony and drunkenness. Indulgence of appetite and passion was the foundation of all their sins.” Counsels on Health, 110.

“Before Babylon was known as an independent kingdom, while it was still a subject province of Assyria, Habakkuk, a prophet of Israel, had been given a view of its work which shows the force of the symbol of a lion with eagle’s wings.” Haskell, 90.

7 What change did the prophet see come over this symbol? Daniel 7:4. What change in the kingdom of Babylon was thus indicated? Jeremiah 51:30; Isaiah 21:3, 4.

note: “Toward the close of Daniel’s life great changes were taking place in the land to which, over threescore years before, he and his Hebrew companions had been carried captive. Nebuchadnezzar, ‘the terrible of the nations’ (Ezekiel 28:7), had died, and Babylon, ‘the praise of the whole earth’ (Jeremiah 51:41), had passed under the unwise rule of his successors, and gradual but sure dissolution was resulting.” Prophets and Kings, 522.

8 What two kingdoms united in the conquest and overthrow of Babylon? Isaiah 21:2. [Elam is but another name for Persia.] What was symbolized by the bear raising itself up on one side? What was symbolized by the three ribs in the mouth of the bear? Daniel 7:5.

note: “The marginal reading of verse 5 says, ‘raised up one dominion.’ Darius, the Mede, and Cyrus, the Persian, were associated together in the conquest and overthrow of Babylon. As an act of courtesy on the part of Cyrus, the rulership of the newly-formed kingdom was given to his uncle, Darius. But in a short time the Persian became the ruling element in the kingdom. Thus the dual kingdom represented by the bear is said to have exalted one branch above the other.

“The bear is a bloodthirsty animal, and that bloodthirsty disposition of the Medes and Persians is supposed to have been further stimulated by the overthrow of the three provinces of Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt.” International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904, 8.

9 What special characteristic does the leopard possess? Daniel 7:6. What then would be symbolized by four wings added to this swift-footed beast? What is symbolized by the four heads upon the leopard?

note: “The Grecian kingdom, which followed the Medo-Persian, is compared to the sprightliness of a leopard in its natural state. This not being sufficient to represent the rapidity of the conquest of Alexander, the first king, the leopard had on its back four wings of a fowl. It also had four heads, which symbolized the division of Alexander’s empire after his death, when his four generals took his kingdom and dominion was given to them.” Haskell, 92.

10 What is symbolized by the fourth beast? Daniel 7:7, 23, 24, first part. Concerning what did Daniel especially desire further information? Verses 19, 20. What information did he receive? Verse 24.

note: “It is clear from history that the world power succeeding the third prophetic empire was Rome. However, the transition was gradual so that it is impossible to point to a specific event as marking the change.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 823.

“The successive invasions of the Roman Empire by numerous Germanic tribes, and the replacement of the empire by a number of separate states or monarchies, are well established facts of history. . . . The following list is representative: Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Suevi, Alamanni, Anglo-Saxons, Heruli, Lombards, Burgundians. ” Ibid., 826.

11 What did Daniel behold on the part of the power symbolized by the little horn? Daniel 7:21. How long was the oppression of this power to be felt by the saints? Verse 22.

note: “The little horn of Daniel 7, unquestionably points to the papacy.” The Great Controversy, 439.

“ ‘Power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.’ [Revelation 13:5.] . . . The forty and two months are the same as the ‘time and times and the dividing of time,’ three years and a half, or 1260 days, of Daniel 7,—the time during which the papal power was to oppress God’s people. This period . . . began with the establishment of the papacy, a. d. 538, and terminated in 1798.” Ibid.

12 What will certainly follow the kingdoms represented by these four beasts? Daniel 7:26, 27.

note: “The kingdom of God’s grace is now being established, as day by day hearts that have been full of sin and rebellion yield to the sovereignty of His love. But the full establishment of the kingdom of His glory will not take place until the second coming of Christ to this world. ‘The kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,’ is to be given to ‘the people of the saints of the Most High.’ Daniel 7:27. They shall inherit the kingdom prepared for them ‘from the foundation of the world.’ Matthew 25:34. And Christ will take to Himself His great power and will reign.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 108.

These lessons are adapted from International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904.

The Three Shakings

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Have you ever been in an earthquake? Earthquakes have been important signs of the end. It was an earthquake, in Lisbon, Portugal, that started the signs of the time of the end. Growing up on the Mississippi, I heard about the greatest earthquake which happened there in about 1800. It was so strong, that the Mississippi River flowed backwards for five or ten minutes. We have the record of a steamboat captain who went backwards while the bluffs were crashing into the water. They estimate that it measured eight on the Richter scale. In 1906, there was a big earthquake in San Francisco, which Ellen White saw in vision two days before it happened. Then there was the earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska. More recently there was the earthquake in San Francisco when the Bay Bridge collapsed. Each of us is going to go through a shaking. In fact, I hope that each of you will go through three shakings. First the church shakes. Second, the nations shake. And third, the earth shakes. The shakings become successively better and better for the saints, and worse and worse for those who disregard God’s law.

 

The Shaking in the Church

 

The underlying issue of the shaking of the church is, “Where is your trust?” Is it in man? Or God? Jeremiah 17:5 says, “Thus saith the Lord. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.” But cursed be the man who makes flesh his arm.

We can make flesh our arm in a number of ways. We can make an organization an arm of flesh by saying, “This organization or this church will not be shaken out. We will trust in this.” But we cannot put our trust in an organization or man, because all who have their trust in the arm of flesh, will be shaken out. All who are not firmly rooted and grounded to the Rock, Christ Jesus, will be shaken out.

We cannot trust in our own arm. We are doing this when we say, “I can do this by myself.” That is what Peter did. Jesus said, “Peter, before the cock crows, you are going to deny Me three times.” And Peter said, “You have to be mistaken. I would never deny You, Lord. Though all these deny You, I will not.”

Peter trusted in himself and because he trusted in himself, he was shaken. We have to put our trust in the Lord and in God’s Word. If our trust is not here, like Peter, we will deny our Lord.

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is.” Jeremiah 17:7. We are blessed if we put our trust in the Lord in order to stand. Cain trusted in his own arm when he brought his very best, but not what God required. He said, “I will trust in my arm. I do not want to go to Abel and ask for a lamb to have a blood sacrifice to point forward to the Messiah.” But Abel, said, “I will bring the best of my flock. I will do what the Lord has said. I will trust, that if I obey, He will deliver me.”

Where is our trust? Is it in our own arm, our parent’s arm, our friend’s arm, our pastor’s arm, or an organization? If we trust in the arm of flesh, we are virtually denying God’s power.

Isaiah commanded, “Cease ye from man.” Isaiah 2:22. The whole issue of the shaking is, “Are we leaning on the arm of flesh or on the Omnipotent arm of God?” If we will obey explicitly like Abel, and trust in God, we will also be accepted.

We can always trust God. When we come to a dark place in our lives, we can trust that He will see us through. Would it be trust if we could see through the darkness to the other side? No, but God has given us evidences to strengthen our faith. Just consider all the stories in the Bible when God sustained His people. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and as long as we do not turn from Him, He will hold us fast.

The shaking is painful, but is it necessary? Why is it necessary? At the bottom of a box of apples there is one rotten one. If left the apples around it will spoil and become rotten. That is the work of the shaking, testing and sifting out of the good from the rotten.

During this shaking, the world exults. They say, “Your numbers are getting smaller. Many people are leaving you.” This is the most difficult shaking for God’s church.

There was a parallel of today’s shaking in Jesus’ time. It lasted throughout the life and ministry of Jesus. We read in John 6 that many of His disciples walked no more with Him because He said, “I am not here for temporal gains, I am here to free you from your sins.”

The company that followed Jesus became smaller until eventually, on the cross, there were only eleven men and a few women remaining. To see how essential this shaking was, consider Judas. The disciples trusted in Judas because he seemed to be eloquent, intelligent, and have more ability than other disciples, but inside he was rotten.

 

The Nations Shake

 

The second shaking shakes the nations of this earth. This shaking is much more exciting, and much better for God’s people. It was necessary that the first shaking, the shaking of the church, take place before the shaking of the nations. If we do not make it through the first shaking, we will not be a part of this shaking when the church shakes the nation.

When the nations shake, it is going to be more powerful than anything yet seen. “After these things I saw another angel come down from heaven having great power and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:1–4.

Before Christ’s second coming the earth will be lightened with His glory. This will shake the nations. The glory of God will go all the way around the earth. It will be a world wide message.

The day of Pentecost was a foretaste of what it will be like when the earth is lightened with His glory. When that other angel comes down, it will be much more powerful than the day of Pentecost. “Be glad then, ye children of Zion. Rejoice in the Lord your God for He hath given you the former rain moderately and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.” Joel 2:23,24.

I want to be part of that experience. On the day of Pentecost, three thousand were added to the church. The gospel went to all the then known world in just a matter of years. But that will be small in comparison to when the nations shake. We are very privileged to be living in this period of earth’s history, and have the opportunity to be part of that work.

Ellen White tells us that the loud cry will be ten times greater than the midnight cry of the 1840s. (See Spaulding Magan, 4.) Just think about that. During the midnight cry, the first angel’s message went to every tribe, kindred, tongue, and nation. Joseph Wolf , missionary to the world, preached the soon coming of Jesus to Jews, Hindus, Turks, and even in Congress, warning them that the hour of His judgment had come. La Cunza, a Jesuit priest in South America, preached the same first angel’s message. In Scandinavia, children between six and eight years of age preached because the ministers were silenced by the church, saying Jesus is soon to come.

William Miller in America, preached the first angel’s message to thousands, and hundreds of thousands who flocked to hear him. But the latter rain, the “other angel” who is going to lighten the earth with his glory, will be ten times more powerful than that. Do you want to be a part of giving that message? God is waiting on us.

How can we be a part of this? First we must pray for it. In every assembly we need to pray for this, because God loves to hear and answer our prayers. It is like a child asking his father for something good. The father wants to give it to the child. So our Heavenly Father wants to give us the latter rain. He wants to fit us so we can be a part of this “other angel.” But He cannot while we are not ready.

“When the Third Angel’s Message shall go forth with a loud voice, the whole earth shall be lightened with His glory, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon His people. The revenue of glory has been accumulating for this closing work of the Third Angel’s Message. The prayers that have been ascending for the fulfillment of the promise, the descent of the Holy Spirit, not one has been lost. Each prayer has been accumulating, ready to overflow and pour forth a healing flood of heavenly influence and accumulated light all over the world.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 180, 181.

The prayers have been accumulating, none has been lost. That should urge us to pray more. The more we pray for it, the more quickly it will come and the more powerful it will be. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. We need to pray for it as we have never prayed before.

That is not all that we need to be a part of the first shaking. We need to become a part of fulfilling God’s promise in Isaiah 13:12, 13: “I will make a man more precious than fine gold. Even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore, I will shake the heavens and the earth shall remove out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of Hosts, and in the day of His fierce anger.”

Jesus by His death upon the cross of Calvary has made provision so that we can be made more precious than the golden wedge of Ophir. To make use of the provision we must give up our sin.

If we have not given up our sins, if we have not laid all on the altar, we are not ready for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Why could God entrust the Holy Spirit without measure to Jesus? Because, He had no sin, and that is the only way He can entrust us with the Holy Spirit without measure.

“Now the Lord is that Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17. We need liberty from sin in order for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us fully. We cannot just believe it, we have to experience it. God says, “Taste and see.” (Psalms 34:8). We have to know for ourselves that He is good and we have to give up all sin for Him.

God poured out the Holy Spirit upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost, after they experienced the cross. They saw the deep spiritual significance of it. They spent ten days in the upper room, praying, searching their hearts and making things right. That experience enabled them to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We will be enabled, in the same way, to partake of the latter rain, to be a part of the church that shakes the nations.

Are we spending time at the cross daily? When we look at the cross, we see how horrible sin is, and how much we need to have it taken our of our hearts. We must ask ourselves, is there anything that is separating me from God? Am I clinging to any sin, so that God cannot use me for the fulfillment of His great work? We must humble ourselves before the Lord, and He will show us what we must do.

The third thing we must do in order to receive the latter rain, is to be working earnestly for others. In order for the other angel to unite with the third angel, we must be proclaiming the third angel’s message. “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts: According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.” Haggai 2:4–7. (All emphasis supplied).

After the nations are shaken, then Jesus can come. Everyone will have made his decision. In Noah’s day everyone heard that a flood was coming. And every person on the globe had a chance to make his decision to heed Noah and go into the ark or not. So it is today. Jesus will not come the second time until everyone has had a chance to make a decision. That is the work that we have to do. We have a part to play in shaking the nations and hastening Jesus’ soon coming.

We have to be working earnestly for the salvation of our neighbors, our friends, and all we come in contact with. We are to pray, “Lord, what more can I do to be a part of the proclamation of the third angel’s message. I want to be a part of that other angel who lightens the earth with his glory and shakes all nations.”

The gospel has to go to all the world before the end can come. Paul said the gospel was “preached to every creature.” Colossians 1:23. And it must be again. They said about Paul, “These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also.” Acts 17:6. We need to be one of those today who turns the world upside down.

How badly do we want Jesus to come? Can other people tell by how we live that we want Him to come? The power that lightens the earth with his glory is never going to come upon someone who is not working earnestly for the salvation of souls now.

To be living during the time when the earth is lightened with his glory, to be living during the time when the Holy Spirit is poured out, and not to know that it is going on would be dreadful. That will be our experience if we are not praying for it, nor removing sin from our lives and if we are not earnestly working for others.

We have seen, that during the first shaking, the church shakes. The second shaking, the nations shake. The third, and best shaking is when the heavens and the earth shake. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” Matthew 24:29.

This occurs at the voice of God, just a few days before Jesus comes. This shaking will be wonderful for God’s people, for they know they will soon be delivered. It is the worst shaking for those wicked, because they realize that they are lost.

Immediately after this “shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven.” Matthew 24:30. After this shaking, Jesus is will come. Is this not what we are longing for? When Jesus comes, He is will take away all sickness and sorrow and we will live in a perfect world. We have a part to do in bringing this about. We must experience the Latter Rain, when the Holy Spirit is poured out without measure. Then we will be able to give the loud cry. The work will be finished and we can go home where Jesus is.