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The Two Babylons

by

May 24 – 30, 2026

Key Text

“Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.” Revelation 18:6

Study Help: Education, 175–178; The Great Controversy, 570–573, 580, 581

Introduction

“It [Babylon] has filled up the measure of her guilt, and destruction is about to fall upon her.” The Great Controversy, 604

Sunday

1 A UNIVERSAL KINGDOM

1.a. What was the extent of ancient Babylon’s dominion? Daniel 2:37, 38; 4:20–22

 

Note: “All unexpectedly a new world power, the Babylonian Empire, was rising to the eastward and swiftly overshadowing all other nations.” Prophets and Kings, 422

1.b.  How vast is the dominion of modern Babylon? Revelation 17:5; 13:3

 

Note: “The Roman Catholic Church, with all its ramifications throughout the world, forms one vast organization under the control, and designed to serve the interests, of the papal see. Its millions of communicants, in every country on the globe, are instructed to hold themselves as bound in allegiance to the pope. Whatever their nationality or their government, they are to regard the authority of the church as above all other. Though they may take the oath pledging their loyalty to the state, yet back of this lies the vow of obedience to Rome, absolving them from every pledge inimical to her interests.” The Great Controversy, 580

Monday

2 PROUD, CRUEL, OPPRESSIVE

2.a. What is written about the character of the ancient Babylonian conquerors and rulers? 2 Chronicles 36:17–20; Daniel 4:30. What lesson does the history of nations teach?

 

Note: “Prophecy has traced the rise and fall of the world’s great empires—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. With each of these, as with nations of less power, history repeated itself. Each had its period of test, each failed, its glory faded, its power departed, and its place was occupied by another.

“While the nations rejected God’s principles, and in this rejection wrought their own ruin, it was still manifest that the divine, overruling purpose was working through all their movements.” Education, 177

“Instead of being a protector of men, Babylon became a proud and cruel oppressor.” Ibid., 176

2.b. How is the character of modern Babylon depicted? Revelation 17:6; 18:24

 

Note: “Let none deceive themselves. The papacy that Protestants are now so ready to honor is the same that ruled the world in the days of the Reformation, when men of God stood up, at the peril of their lives, to expose her iniquity. She possesses the same pride and arrogant assumption that lorded it over kings and princes, and claimed the prerogatives of God. Her spirit is no less cruel and despotic now than when she crushed out human liberty and slew the saints of the Most High.” The Great Controversy, 571

“By perverted conceptions of the divine attributes, heathen nations were led to believe human sacrifices necessary to secure the favor of Deity; and horrible cruelties have been perpetrated under the various forms of idolatry.

“The Roman Catholic Church, uniting the forms of paganism and Christianity, and, like paganism, misrepresenting the character of God, had resorted to practices no less cruel and revolting. In the days of Rome’s supremacy, there were instruments of torture to compel assent to her doctrines. There was the stake for those who would not concede to her claims. There were massacres on a scale that will never be known until revealed in the judgment. Dignitaries of the church studied, under Satan their master, to invent means to cause the greatest possible torture and not end the life of the victim. In many cases, the infernal process was repeated to the utmost limit of human endurance, until nature gave up the struggle, and the sufferer hailed death as a sweet release. Such was the fate of Rome’s opponents.” Ibid., 569

Tuesday

3 INTOXICATING THE NATIONS

3.a. What influence did the doctrines of ancient Babylon exert upon other nations? Jeremiah 51:7. Who were her wise men, and what was the basis of their spiritualistic doctrines and practices? Isaiah 47:12, 13

 

Note: “Nearly all forms of ancient sorcery and witchcraft were founded upon a belief in communion with the dead. Those who practiced the arts of necromancy claimed to have intercourse with departed spirits, and to obtain through them a knowledge of future events. This custom of consulting the dead is referred to in the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘When they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God for the living to the dead? Isaiah 8:19.

“This same belief in communion with the dead formed the cornerstone of heathen idolatry. The gods of the heathen were believed to be the deified spirits of departed heroes. Thus, the religion of the heathen was a worship of the dead.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 684 [Author’s italics.]

3.b. What is the symbolic “wine” with which modern Babylon has inebriated the world? Revelation 17:2–4

 

Note: “The great sin charged against Babylon is that she ‘made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication’ (Revelation 14:8). This cup of intoxication which she presents to the world represents the false doctrines that she has accepted as the result of her unlawful connection with the great ones of the earth. Friendship with the world corrupts her faith, and in her turn, she exerts a corrupting influence upon the world by teaching doctrines which are opposed to the plainest statements of Holy Writ.” The Great Controversy, 388

“Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” Ibid, 588

Wednesday

4 AMBITIOUS ASPIRATIONS

4.a. What was the ambition of ancient Babylon? Isaiah 47:7. Yet, what was God’s declaration, and why? Isaiah 47:5; 13:18–22

 

Note: “Had the rulers of Babylon—that richest of all earthly kingdoms—kept always before them the fear of Jehovah, they would have been given wisdom and power which would have bound them to Him and kept them strong. But they made God their refuge only when harassed and perplexed. At such times, failing to find help in their great men, they sought it from men like Daniel—men who they knew honored the living God and were honored by Him. To these men they appealed to unravel the mysteries of Providence; for though the rulers of proud Babylon were men of the highest intellect, they had separated themselves so far from God by transgression that they could not understand the revelations and the warnings given them concerning the future.

“In the history of nations, the student of God’s word may behold the literal fulfillment of divine prophecy. Babylon, shattered and broken at last, passed away because in prosperity its rulers had regarded themselves as independent of God, and had ascribed the glory of their kingdom to human achievement.” Prophets and Kings, 501, 502

“ ‘The broad walls of Babylon’ became ‘utterly broken, and her high gates … burned with fire’ (Jeremiah 51:58). Thus did Jehovah of hosts ‘cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease,’ and lay low ‘the haughtiness of the terrible.’ Thus did ‘Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency,’ become as Sodom and Gomorrah—a place forever accursed.” Ibid., 532, 533

4.b. What is the political “dream” of modern Babylon? Revelation 18:7, last part. To what extent will this dream briefly be realized?

 

Note: “The so-called Christian world is to be the theater of great and decisive actions. Men in authority will enact laws controlling the conscience, after the example of the papacy. Babylon will make all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Every nation will be involved.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, 949

Thursday

5 FINAL REWARD: DESTRUCTION

5.a. How did prophecy accurately foresee the final reward that was reserved for ancient Babylon? Jeremiah 51:8, 25, 29, 43

 

Note: “From the rise and fall of nations as made plain in the books of Daniel and the Revelation, we need to learn how worthless is mere outward and worldly glory. Babylon, with all its power and magnificence, the like of which our world has never since beheld—power and magnificence which to the people of that day seemed so stable and enduring—how completely has it passed away! As ‘the flower of the grass,’ it has perished. James 1:10” Prophets and Kings, 548

5.b. What does prophecy say about the final destruction of modern Babylon? Revelation 17:16; 18:8, 15–21. Why will God destroy her? Revelation 18:5, 6

 

Note: “ ‘The merchants of the earth,’ that have ‘waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies,’ ‘shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought.’ Such are the judgments that fall upon Babylon in the day of the visitation of God’s wrath. She has filled up the measure of her iniquity; her time has come; she is ripe for destruction.” The Great Controversy, 653

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. How extensive is the influence of modern Babylon?
  2. Compare the characteristics of ancient and modern Babylon.
  3. Name some major aspects of Babylonian “wine.”
  4. How was prophecy fulfilled in the case of ancient Babylon?
  5. What would God have us remember about modern Babylon?

Copyright 1997, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Captivity and Deliverance from Babylon

by

May 17 – 23, 2026

Key Text

“Flee from the midst of Babylon, and everyone save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; He shall recompense her.” Jeremiah 51:6

Study Help: Prophets and Kings, 452–463; Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, 1040

Introduction

“With what tender compassion did God inform His captive people of His plans for Israel!” Prophets and Kings, 441

Sunday

1 THE GREAT APOSTASY

1.a. Describe the great apostasy in Judah shortly before the Babylonian captivity. Ezekiel 8:7–12

 

Note: “In the sixth year of the reign of Zedekiah, the Lord revealed to Ezekiel in vision some of the abominations that were being practiced in Jerusalem, and within the gate of the Lord’s house, and even in the inner court. The chambers of images, and the pictured idols, ‘every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel’—all these in rapid succession passed before the astonished gaze of the prophet. Ezekiel 8:10

“Those who should have been spiritual leaders among the people, ‘the ancients of the house of Israel,’ to the number of seventy, were seen offering incense before the idolatrous representations that had been introduced into hidden chambers within the sacred precincts of the temple court. ‘The Lord seeth us not,’ the men of Judah flattered themselves as they engaged in their heathenish practices; ‘the Lord hath forsaken the earth,’ they blasphemously declared. Verses 11, 12” Prophets and Kings, 448

1.b.  What were some of the still greater abominations practiced in the temple of God? Ezekiel 8:13–17. Today, how may we who profess the three angels’ messages likewise be in danger of following after Baal, the sun-god?

 

Note: “In the exaltation of the human above the divine, in the praise of popular leaders, in the worship of mammon, and in the placing of the teachings of science above the truths of revelation, multitudes today are following after Baal. Doubt and unbelief are exercising their baleful influence over mind and heart, and many are substituting for the oracles of God the theories of men. It is publicly taught that we have reached a time when human reason should be exalted above the teachings of the word.” Prophets and Kings, 170

Monday

2 CONSEQUENCES OF APOSTASY

2.a. What punishment did God permit to come upon Judah as a result of their apostasy? 2 Chronicles 36:14–20

 

Note: “At the time of the final overthrow of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, many had escaped the horrors of the long siege, only to perish by the sword. Of those who still remained, some, notably the chief of the priests and officers, and the princes of the realm, were taken to Babylon and there executed as traitors.” Prophets and Kings, 459, 460

2.b. How does Jeremiah describe the beginning of the Babylonian captivity, and why did this punishment have to be administered? Jeremiah 25:5–11

 

Note: “The children of Israel were taken captive to Babylon because they separated from God, and no longer maintained the principles that had been given to keep them free from the methods and practices of the nations who dishonored God. The Lord could not give them prosperity, He could not fulfill His covenant with them, while they were untrue to the principles He had given them zealously to maintain. By their spirit and their actions, they misrepresented His character, and He permitted them to be taken captive. Because of their separation from Him, He humbled them. He left them to their own ways, and the innocent suffered with the guilty.

“The Lord’s chosen people proved themselves untrustworthy. They showed themselves to be selfish, scheming, dishonorable. …

“Why did He [the Lord] permit His people to be overcome by their enemies and carried into heathen lands?—It was because they had failed to be His missionaries.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, 1040

Tuesday

3 PRELIMINARY TRIALS

3.a. What inducements did Nebuchadnezzar use in order to try to convert four young Hebrew captives to the worship of the Babylonian gods? Daniel 1:3, 7. What similar temptations can the youth face today?

 

Note: “The king did not compel the Hebrew youth to renounce their faith in favor of idolatry, but he hoped to bring this about gradually. By giving them names significant of idolatry, by bringing them daily into close association with idolatrous customs, and under the influence of the seductive rites of heathen worship, he hoped to induce them to renounce the religion of their nation and to unite with the worship of the Babylonians.” Prophets and Kings, 481

3.b. How was the faith of the young Hebrews tried at the very beginning? Daniel 1:8–14. Explain how and why they revealed a decided advantage over the other students. Daniel 1:17–20

 

Note: “A portion having been offered to idols, the food from the king’s table was consecrated to idolatry; and one partaking of it would be regarded as offering homage to the gods of Babylon. In such homage, loyalty to Jehovah forbade Daniel and his companions to join. Even a mere pretense of eating the food or drinking the wine would be a denial of their faith.” Prophets and Kings, 481

“This request [from Daniel] was not preferred in a defiant spirit, but was solicited as a great favor. … Daniel and his companions … were courteous, kind, respectful, possessing the grace of meekness and modesty. And now as Daniel and his fellows were brought to the test, they placed themselves fully on the side of righteousness and truth. They did not move capriciously, but intelligently. They decided that as flesh meat had not composed their diet in the past, neither should it come into their diet in the future.” In Heavenly Places, 261

Wednesday

4 TRIAL BY FIRE

4.a. What test came upon three of the young Hebrews after the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream? Daniel 3:12–18, 23–25

 

Note: “The appointed day came, and a vast concourse from all ‘people, nations, and languages,’ assembled on the plain of Dura. In harmony with the king’s command, when the sound of music was heard, the whole company ‘fell down and worshiped the golden image.’ On that eventful day the powers of darkness seemed to be gaining a signal triumph; the worship of the golden image bade fair to become connected permanently with the established forms of idolatry recognized as the state religion of the land. Satan hoped thereby to defeat God’s purpose of making the presence of captive Israel in Babylon a means of blessing to all the nations of heathendom.

“But God decreed otherwise. Not all had bowed the knee to the idolatrous symbol of human power. In the midst of the worshiping multitude there were three men who were firmly resolved not thus to dishonor the God of heaven. Their God was King of kings and Lord of lords; they would bow to none other.” Prophets and Kings, 506

4.b.  How will the essence of Daniel 3:6 be repeated in these last days? Revelation 13:11, 14, 15

 

Note: “Trial and persecution will come to all who, in obedience to the word of God, refuse to worship this false sabbath. Force is the last resort of every false religion. At first it tries attraction, as the king of Babylon tried the power of music and outward show. If these attractions, invented by men inspired by Satan, failed to make men worship the image, the hungry flames of the furnace were ready to consume them. So it will be now. The papacy has exercised her power to compel men to obey her, and she will continue to do so. We need the same spirit that was manifested by God’s servants in the conflict with paganism.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, 976

Thursday

5 DELIVERANCE FROM BABYLON

5.a. How is the Babylonian captivity of Judah similar to the captivity of God’s people under spiritual Babylon? Matthew 24:21, 22

 

Note: “For many centuries God’s people suffered a restriction of their liberties. The preaching of the gospel in its purity was prohibited, and the severest of penalties were visited upon those who dared disobey the mandates of men. As a consequence, the Lord’s great moral vineyard was almost wholly unoccupied. The people were deprived of the light of God’s word. The darkness of error and superstition threatened to blot out a knowledge of true religion. God’s church on earth was as verily in captivity during this long period of relentless persecution as were the children of Israel held captive in Babylon during the period of the exile.” Prophets and Kings, 714

5.b. When the Babylonian captivity was to end, what message came to the Hebrew exiles? Jeremiah 51:6, 45. How does this message include today a solemn duty for all who accept God’s gracious deliverance from spiritual Babylon? 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18

 

Note: “As the captive exiles heeded the message, ‘Flee out of the midst of Babylon’ (Jeremiah 51:6), and were restored to the Land of Promise, so those who fear God today are heeding the message to withdraw from spiritual Babylon. …

“The hour of God’s judgment has come, and upon the members of His church on earth rests the solemn responsibility of giving warning to those who are standing as it were on the very brink of eternal ruin. To every human being in the wide world who will give heed must be made plain the principles at stake in the great controversy being waged, principles upon which hang the destinies of all mankind.” Prophets and Kings, 715, 716

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. In fleeing spiritual Babylon, what are we called to do?
  2. What warnings should we heed from the Babylonian captivity?
  3. In what ways can the four young Hebrews encourage us?
  4. By what means are the flames of persecution to be rekindled?
  5. How is the joy of deliverance from Babylon a call to action?

Copyright 1997, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

In Egypt, But Not of Egypt

by

May 10 – 16, 2026

Key Text

“Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ ” Ezekiel 20:7

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 331–335; Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, 1100, 1101

Introduction

“God designed to magnify His name through His chosen people, by showing the vast difference existing between the righteous and the wicked, the servants of God and the worshipers of idols.” The Signs of the Times, May 19, 1881

Sunday

1 GOD’S NAME BROUGHT TO EGYPT

1.a. How was Joseph instrumental in bringing the name and knowledge of God to Egypt? Genesis 41:16, 28, 32, 38, 39; Psalm 105:17, 22

 

Note: “Not to the people of Egypt alone, but to all the nations connected with that powerful kingdom, God manifested Himself through Joseph. He desired to make him a light bearer to all peoples, and He placed him next the throne of the world’s greatest empire, that the heavenly illumination might extend far and near. By his wisdom and justice, by the purity and benevolence of his daily life, by his devotion to the interests of the people—and that people a nation of idolaters—Joseph was a representative of Christ. In their benefactor, to whom all Egypt turned with gratitude and praise, that heathen people, and through them all the nations with which they were connected, were to behold the love of their Creator and Redeemer.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6, 219, 220

1.b.  How influential did Joseph become in Egypt? Genesis 45:8, 9; Psalm 105:20, 21. What was the secret of his prosperity? Psalm 1:1–3

 

Note: “At the time when he was called to the court of Pharaoh, Egypt was the greatest of nations. In civilization, art, learning, she was unequaled. Through a period of utmost difficulty and danger, Joseph administered the affairs of the kingdom; and this he did in a manner that won the confidence of the king and the people.” Education, 53

Monday

2 ISRAEL IN EGYPT—A SEPARATE PEOPLE

2.a. Though Joseph could have obtained for his brothers high positions in the Egyptian government, what did he advise and why? Genesis 47:2–6

 

Note: “Joseph, true to the worship of Jehovah, sought to save his brothers from the temptations to which they would be exposed at a heathen court; therefore he counseled them, when questioned by the king, to tell him frankly their occupation. The sons of Jacob followed this counsel, being careful also to state that they had come to sojourn in the land, not to become permanent dwellers there, thus reserving the right to depart if they chose.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 233

“Under Joseph’s fostering care, and the favor of the king who was then ruling, they [the Israelites] had spread rapidly over the land. But they had kept themselves a distinct race, having nothing in common with the Egyptians in customs or religion.” Ibid., 242

2.b. Instead of learning to worship the God of Israel, why did the Egyptians come to fear and hate the descendants of Joseph? Exodus 1:8–10; Psalm 105:23–25, 38

 

Tuesday

3 AT THE ROYAL COURT

3.a. Describe the conflict between light and darkness at the court of Egypt in the days of Moses. Hebrews 11:24–26

 

Note: “By the laws of Egypt all who occupied the throne of the Pharaohs must become members of the priestly caste; and Moses, as the heir apparent, was to be initiated into the mysteries of the national religion. This duty was committed to the priests. But while he was an ardent and untiring student, he could not be induced to participate in the worship of the gods. He was threatened with the loss of the crown, and warned that he would be disowned by the princess should he persist in his adherence to the Hebrew faith. But he was unshaken in his determination to render homage to none save the one God, the Maker of heaven and earth. He reasoned with priests and worshipers, showing the folly of their superstitious veneration of senseless objects. None could refute his arguments or change his purpose, yet for the time his firmness was tolerated on account of his high position and the favor with which he was regarded by both the king and the people.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 245

3.b. When the time came for Israel to be delivered from bondage, how did Pharaoh lift up his heart against Heaven? Exodus 5:2. What warning should we take from the king’s rebellion?

 

Note: “By rejecting light from heaven, he [Pharaoh] became hard and unimpressible. The providence of God was revealing His power, and these manifestations, unacknowledged, were the means of hardening Pharaoh’s heart against greater light. Those who exalt their own ideas above the plainly specified will of God, are saying as did Pharaoh, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?’ Every rejection of light hardens the heart and darkens the understanding; and thus men find it more and more difficult to distinguish between right and wrong, and they become bolder in resisting the will of God.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, 1100

Wednesday

4 TRUE AND FALSE MIRACLES

4.a. What miracles did Satan work through his agents in Moses’ time, and for what specific purposes? Exodus 7:11, 12, 22; 8:7. Describe the resisters of truth today. 2 Timothy 3:1–8

 

Note: “He [the prince of evil] well knew that Moses, in breaking the yoke of bondage from off the children of Israel, prefigured Christ, who was to break the reign of sin over the human family. He knew that when Christ should appear, mighty miracles would be wrought as an evidence to the world that God had sent Him. Satan trembled for his power. By counterfeiting the work of God through Moses, he hoped not only to prevent the deliverance of Israel, but to exert an influence through future ages to destroy faith in the miracles of Christ. Satan is constantly seeking to counterfeit the work of Christ and to establish his own power and claims. He leads men to account for the miracles of Christ by making them appear to be the result of human skill and power.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 264, 265

4.b. In the working of miracles, how did God show His superior power? Exodus 8:8, 16–19. What was the purpose of His powerful manifestations? Exodus 7:5; 9:16; Psalm 106:8

 

Note: “When the Egyptians, from the king upon his throne down to the lowliest servant, were afflicted, and their firstborn were slain, then there was wailing throughout all Egypt. Then Pharaoh remembered his proud boast, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.’ He humbled himself and went with his counselors and his rulers to Goshen in haste, and bowed before Moses and Aaron, and bid them go and serve their God. …

“There was quite a large number of the Egyptians who were led to acknowledge, by the manifestations of the signs and wonders shown in Egypt, that the God of the Hebrews was the only true God. They entreated to be permitted to come to the houses of the Israelites with their families, upon that fearful night when the angel of God should slay the firstborn of the Egyptians. They were convinced that their gods whom they had worshiped were without knowledge, and had no power to save or to destroy. And they pledged themselves to henceforth choose the God of Israel as their God. They decided to leave Egypt, and go with the children of Israel to worship their God. The Israelites welcomed the believing Egyptians to their houses.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, 1101

Thursday

5 A WARNING FROM ISRAEL’S HISTORY

5.a. How did the Israelites repeatedly fall into the snares of Satan? Acts 7:39–43; Numbers 25:1–3

 

Note: “This people whom God had chosen, he [Satan] would wrench away, in the very face of Heaven. By leading them into idolatry, he would destroy the efficacy of all worship; for how can man be elevated by adoring what is no higher than himself and may be symbolized by his own handiwork? If men could become so blinded to the power, the majesty, and the glory of the infinite God as to represent Him by a graven image, or even by a beast or reptile; if they could so forget their own divine relationship, formed in the image of their Maker as to bow down to these revolting and senseless objects—then the way was open for foul license; the evil passions of the heart would be unrestrained, and Satan would have full sway.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 334, 335

5.b. In what ways does the history of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt teach us about God’s mercy? Ezekiel 20:7; Romans 15:4

 

Note: “Though the Egyptians had so long rejected the knowledge of God, the Lord still gave them opportunity for repentance. In the days of Joseph, Egypt had been an asylum for Israel; God had been honored in the kindness shown His people; and now the long-suffering One, slow to anger, and full of compassion, gave each judgment time to do its work; the Egyptians, cursed through the very objects they had worshiped, had evidence of the power of Jehovah, and all who would, might submit to God and escape His judgments. The bigotry and stubbornness of the king resulted in spreading the knowledge of God, and bringing many of the Egyptians to give themselves to His service.

“It was because the Israelites were so disposed to connect themselves with the heathen and imitate their idolatry that God had permitted them to go down into Egypt, where the influence of Joseph was widely felt, and where circumstances were favorable for them to remain a distinct people. Here also the gross idolatry of the Egyptians and their cruelty and oppression during the latter part of the Hebrew sojourn should have inspired in them an abhorrence of idolatry, and should have led them to flee for refuge to the God of their fathers.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 333

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. How and why was God able to use Joseph in Egypt?
  2. How did Joseph reveal his faith in God’s plan for His people?
  3. Explain the contrast between Moses’ exemplary firmness and Pharaoh’s stubbornness.
  4. State the difference between God’s miracles and Satan’s.
  5. What should the experience of Israel in Egypt teach us all?

Copyright 1997, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Choices in the Life of Lot

by

May 3 – 9, 2026

Key Text

“Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.” 2 Peter 2:9

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 56–170; Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 108–113

Introduction

“It will be more tolerable in the day of judgment for the cities of the plain than for those who have known the love of Christ, and yet have turned away to choose the pleasures of a world of sin.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 165

Sunday

1 A SERIOUS MISTAKE

1.a. When Lot and Abraham separated, what mistake did Lot make, and why? Genesis 13:10–13; Jude 7

 

Note: “Lot chose Sodom for his home because he saw that there were advantages to be gained there from a worldly point of view. But after he had established himself, and grown rich in earthly treasure, he was convinced that he had made a mistake in not taking into consideration the moral standing of the community in which he was to make his home.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 110

1.b. What should we remember when we choose a place to establish our residence? Ephesians 5:8–11; 1 Corinthians 15:33

 

Note: “In choosing a home, God would have us consider, first of all, the moral and religious influences that will surround us and our families. We may be placed in trying positions, for many cannot have their surroundings what they would; and whenever duty calls us, God will enable us to stand uncorrupted, if we watch and pray, trusting in the grace of Christ. But we should not needlessly expose ourselves to influences that are unfavorable to the formation of Christian character. When we voluntarily place ourselves in an atmosphere of worldliness and unbelief, we displease God and drive holy angels from our homes.

“Those who secure for their children worldly wealth and honor at the expense of their eternal interests, will find in the end that these advantages are a terrible loss. Like Lot, many see their children ruined, and barely save their own souls.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 169

Monday

2 A GOOD EXAMPLE

2.a. Why can it be said that, though Lot was in Sodom, he was not of Sodom? 2 Peter 2:7, 8

 

Note: “In Sodom there was mirth and revelry, feasting and drunkenness. The vilest and most brutal passions were unrestrained. The people openly defied God and His law and delighted in deeds of violence.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 157

“The dwellers in Sodom were corrupt; vile conversation greeted his [Lot’s] ears daily, and his righteous soul was vexed by the violence and crime he was powerless to prevent. His children were becoming like these wicked people, for association with them had perverted their morals. Taking all these things into consideration, the worldly riches he had gained seemed small and not worth the price he had paid for them.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 110

2.b. What can we learn from the consistent attitude of Lot while he lived in Sodom? Genesis 19:1–3; Hebrews 13:2

 

Note: “Seeing the abuse to which strangers were exposed in Sodom, Lot made it one of his duties to guard them at their entrance, by offering them entertainment at his own house. He was sitting at the gate as the travelers approached, and upon observing them, he rose from his place to meet them.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 158

Tuesday

3 A CORRUPTING INFLUENCE

3.a. Despite the detrimental influence upon the spiritual stability of Lot, what did his appeal to the Sodomites reveal? Genesis 19:6–8. What should we learn from Lot’s experience in Sodom?

 

Note: “When iniquity abounds in a nation, there is always to be heard some voice giving warning and instruction, as the voice of Lot was heard in Sodom. Yet Lot could have preserved his family from many evils had he not made his home in this wicked, polluted city. All that Lot and his family did in Sodom could have been done by them, even if they had lived in a place some distance away from the city. Enoch walked with God, and yet he did not live in the midst of any city polluted with every kind of violence and wickedness, as did Lot in Sodom.” Evangelism, 78

3.b. What type of mentality did Lot’s daughters develop while living in Sodom? Genesis 19:30–32

 

Note: “The sinful conduct of his [Lot’s] daughters was the result of the evil associations of that vile place. Its moral corruption had become so interwoven with their character that they could not distinguish between good and evil. Lot’s only posterity, the Moabites and Ammonites, were vile, idolatrous tribes, rebels against God and bitter enemies of His people” Patriarchs and Prophets, 167, 168

“The sinful conduct of his [Lot’s] daughters after leaving Sodom was the result of wicked associations while there. The sense of right and wrong was confused in their minds, and sin did not appear as sin to them.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 112

Wednesday

4 THE LAST CALL

4.a. Why did God not give Sodom one more chance as He later did for Nineveh? Genesis 18:32; 19:13, 14; Jonah 3:5, 10

 

Note: “The Sodomites had passed the boundary of mercy, and no more light was granted to them prior to their destruction. Had the warning gone through these cities of the plain, and had they been told just what was to come, who of them would have believed it?” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, 1093, 1094

4.b. What call did God’s messengers extend to Lot and his family? What warnings should we heed from that call and from Lot’s hesitation? Genesis 19:15–26; 2 Timothy 2:19

 

Note: “How reluctant was Lot to obey the angel and go as far as possible from corrupt Sodom, appointed to utter destruction! He distrusted God and pleaded to remain. Living in the wicked city had weakened his faith and confidence in the justice of the Lord. He pleaded that he could not do as he was required, lest some evil should overtake him, and he should die. Angels were sent on a special mission to save the lives of Lot and his family; but Lot had so long been surrounded by corrupting influences that his sensibilities were blunted, and he could not discern the works of God and His purposes; he could not trust himself in His hands to do His bidding. He was continually pleading for himself, and this unbelief cost him the life of his wife.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 111

Thursday

5 A WARNING FOR OUR DAYS

5.a. Give the reasons why the attitude of Lot’s wife should be taken as a warning in these last days. Luke 17:32

 

Note: “The wife of Lot was a selfish, irreligious woman, and her influence was exerted to separate her husband from Abraham. But for her, Lot would not have remained in Sodom, deprived of the counsel of the wise, God-fearing patriarch. The influence of his wife and the associations of that wicked city would have led him to apostatize from God had it not been for the faithful instruction he had early received from Abraham. The marriage of Lot and his choice of Sodom for a home were the first links in a chain of events fraught with evil to the world for many generations.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 174

“While her [Lot’s wife’s] body was upon the plain, her heart clung to Sodom, and she perished with it. She rebelled against God because His judgments involved her possessions and her children in the ruin. Although so greatly favored in being called out from the wicked city, she felt that she was severely dealt with, because the wealth that it had taken years to accumulate must be left to destruction. Instead of thankfully accepting deliverance, she presumptuously looked back to desire the life of those who had rejected the divine warning.” Ibid., 161

5.b. What lesson does the history of Sodom and Gomorrah teach us today? 2 Peter 2:6; Luke 17:28–30

 

Note: “The flames that consumed the cities of the plain shed their warning light down even to our time. We are taught the fearful and solemn lesson that while God’s mercy bears long with the transgressor, there is a limit beyond which men may not go on in sin. When that limit is reached, then the offers of mercy are withdrawn, and the ministration of judgment begins.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 162–165

“Licentiousness is the special sin of this age. Never did vice lift its deformed head with such boldness as now. The people seem to be benumbed, and the lovers of virtue and true goodness are nearly discouraged by its boldness, strength, and prevalence. The iniquity which abounds is not merely confined to the unbeliever and the scoffer. Would that this were the case, but it is not. Many men and women who profess the religion of Christ are guilty. Even some who profess to be looking for His appearing are no more prepared for that event than Satan himself. They are not cleansing themselves from all pollution. They have so long served their lust that it is natural for their thoughts to be impure and their imaginations corrupt. It is as impossible to cause their minds to dwell upon pure and holy things as it would be to turn the course of Niagara and send its waters pouring up the falls.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 2, 346

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. How may our priorities be perilously out of order as were Lot’s?
  2. What good qualities can we learn from the example of Lot?
  3. Why was the character of Lot’s daughters so different from his?
  4. Knowing well the corruption in Sodom, why did Lot delay his exit?
  5. What solemn warnings are we to heed from this lesson?

Copyright 1997, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

The Call of Abraham

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The Second Angel’s Message

April 26 – May 2, 2026

Key Text

“Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.” Genesis 12:1

Study Help: The Ministry of Healing, 363–367; Patriarchs and Prophets, 125–131

Introduction

“In order that God might qualify him for his great work as the keeper of the sacred oracles, Abraham must be separated from the associations of his early life.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 126

Sunday

1 WIDESPREAD APOSTASY FROM BABEL

1.a. After the dispersion from Babel, what spiritual condition developed in nearly all the inhabited areas of the world, including in the household of Abraham’s father? Joshua 24:2

 

Note: “After the dispersion from Babel idolatry again became well-nigh universal, and the Lord finally left the hardened transgressors to follow their evil ways, while He chose Abraham, of the line of Shem, and made him the keeper of His law for future generations. Abraham had grown up in the midst of superstition and heathenism. Even his father’s household, by whom the knowledge of God had been preserved, were yielding to the seductive influences surrounding them, and they ‘served other gods’ than Jehovah. But the true faith was not to become extinct.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 125

1.b. From age to age and through deep apostasy, how has God preserved His truth? Romans 11:4, 5

 

Note: “God has ever preserved a remnant to serve Him. Adam, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, Shem, in unbroken line, had preserved from age to age the precious revealings of His will. The son of Terah became the inheritor of this holy trust.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 125

“From the beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth. In every age the Lord has had His watchmen, who have borne a faithful testimony to the generation in which they lived.” The Acts of the Apostles, 11

Monday

2 A WISE MOVE

2.a. In the providence of God, what did Terah do for the spiritual benefit of his household? Genesis 11:31. What should be our main consideration when deciding where to live?

 

Note: “The gospel is a wonderful simplifier of life’s problems. Its instruction, heeded, would make plain many a perplexity and save us from many an error. It teaches us to estimate things at their true value and to give the most effort to the things of greatest worth—the things that will endure. This lesson is needed by those upon whom rests the responsibility of selecting a home. They should not allow themselves to be diverted from the highest aim. Let them remember that the home on earth is to be a symbol of and a preparation for the home in heaven. Life is a training school, from which parents and children are to be graduated to the higher school in the mansions of God. As the location for a home is sought, let this purpose direct the choice. Be not controlled by the desire for wealth, the dictates of fashion, or the customs of society. Consider what will tend most to simplicity, purity, health, and real worth.” The Ministry of Healing, 363

2.b. What shows that it was God who influenced the decision to leave that center of idolatry called Ur? Genesis 15:7. What should we realize about the blessing of God’s guidance?

 

Note: “God desires to bring men into direct relation with Himself. In all His dealings with human beings He recognizes the principle of personal responsibility. He seeks to encourage a sense of personal dependence and to impress the need of personal guidance. He desires to bring the human into association with the divine, that men may be transformed into the divine likeness. Satan works to thwart this purpose. He seeks to encourage dependence upon men. When minds are turned away from God, the tempter can bring them under his rule. He can control humanity.” The Ministry of Healing, 242, 243

Tuesday

3 A NEEDED SEPARATION

3.a. Whom did God choose as a lightbearer? What characteristic qualified him to be chosen? Nehemiah 9:7, 8

 

Note: “The son of Terah became the inheritor of this holy trust [the precious revealings of His will]. Idolatry invited him on every side, but in vain. Faithful among the faithless, uncorrupted by the prevailing apostasy, he steadfastly adhered to the worship of the one true God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 125

3.b. Later, what message of God came to Abraham while he was in Haran? Genesis 12:1, 4

 

Note: “The influence of kindred and friends would interfere with the training which the Lord purposed to give His servant. Now that Abraham was, in a special sense, connected with heaven, he must dwell among strangers. His character must be peculiar, differing from all the world. He could not even explain his course of action so as to be understood by his friends. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and his motives and actions were not comprehended by his idolatrous kindred.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 126

Wednesday

4 DIVINE LIGHT COMES TO CANAAN

4.a. Why did the two brothers—Abraham and Nahor—have to separate from each other? Amos 3:3

 

Note: “Here [at Haran] Abraham remained till the death of Terah. But from his father’s grave the divine Voice bade him go forward. His brother Nahor with his household clung to their home and their idols. Besides Sarah, the wife of Abraham, only Lot, the son of Haran long since dead, chose to share the patriarch’s pilgrim life. Yet it was a large company that set out from Mesopotamia. …

“During their stay in Haran, both Abraham and Sarah had led others to the worship and service of the true God. These attached themselves to the patriarch’s household, and accompanied him to the land of promise.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 127

4.b. Why did God want Abraham to pitch his tent in Canaan, although the land was full of idolatry? Genesis 12:5, 8

 

Note: “Abraham, ‘the friend of God,’ set us a worthy example. His was a life of prayer. Wherever he pitched his tent, close beside it was set up his altar, calling all within his encampment to the morning and evening sacrifice. When his tent was removed, the altar remained. In following years, there were those among the roving Canaanites who received instruction from Abraham; and whenever one of these came to that altar, he knew who had been there before him; and when he had pitched his tent, he repaired the altar, and there worshiped the living God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 128

Thursday

5 A TEST OF FAITH

5.a. How was Abraham’s faith tested after he had settled down in Canaan in obedience to God’s command? Genesis 12:10. What lesson did God want to teach Abraham as well as each of His children today?

 

Note: “Abraham could not explain the leadings of Providence; he had not realized his expectations; but he held fast the promise, ‘I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing’ (Genesis 12:2). With earnest prayer he considered how to preserve the life of his people and his flocks, but he would not allow circumstances to shake his faith in God’s word. To escape the famine, he went down into Egypt. He did not forsake Canaan, or in his extremity turn back to the Chaldean land from which he came, where there was no scarcity of bread; but he sought a temporary refuge as near as possible to the Land of Promise, intending shortly to return where God had placed him.

“The Lord in His providence had brought this trial upon Abraham to teach him lessons of submission, patience, and faith—lessons that were to be placed on record for the benefit of all who should afterward be called to endure affliction. God leads His children by a way that they know not, but He does not forget or cast off those who put their trust in Him.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 129

5.b.  For what purpose does God permit trials to come upon His servants? Deuteronomy 8:2; James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:6, 7. What should we never overlook when we are tempted? Psalm 145:18

 

Note: “God permits trials to assail His people, that by their constancy and obedience they themselves may be spiritually enriched, and that their example may be a source of strength to others. ‘I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil’ (Jeremiah 29:11). The very trials that task our faith most severely and make it seem that God has forsaken us, are to lead us closer to Christ, that we may lay all our burdens at His feet and experience the peace which He will give us in exchange.

“God has always tried His people in the furnace of affliction. It is in the heat of the furnace that the dross is separated from the true gold of the Christian character. Jesus watches the test; He knows what is needed to purify the precious metal, that it may reflect the radiance of His love. It is by close, testing trials that God disciplines His servants. He sees that some have powers which may be used in the advancement of His work, and He puts these persons upon trial; in His providence He brings them into positions that test their character and reveal defects and weaknesses that have been hidden from their own knowledge. He gives them opportunity to correct these defects and to fit themselves for His service. He shows them their own weakness, and teaches them to lean upon Him; for He is their only help and safeguard. Thus, His object is attained. They are educated, trained, and disciplined, prepared to fulfill the grand purpose for which their powers were given them. When God calls them to action, they are ready, and heavenly angels can unite with them in the work to be accomplished on the earth.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 129, 130

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. How is the spiritual atmosphere prevailing today similar to that which existed in the days of Abraham?
  2. What reformatory step taken by Terah is exemplary for us today?
  3. In preparing Abraham to be a lightbearer, what did God command him to do, and why?
  4. What should we learn from God’s purpose in sending Abraham to Canaan?
  5. Explain how our trials are to benefit us.

Copyright 1997, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Recipe – Caramel Vanilla Bean Hazelnut Milk

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Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are known for their unique flavor, which many enthusiasts describe as nutty, creamy, and earthy with a smooth buttery flavor.

The word hazel comes from the Anglo-Saxon word haesel, meaning “bonnet.” As they grow on the branch, hazelnuts are surrounded by a green husk. They are also called filberts, which comes from the German word vollbart, meaning “full beard.” The scientific name of the world’s most commonly-cultivated hazelnut species is Corylus avellana. Corylus comes from the Greek word for “helmet,” in reference to the hazelnut’s shell.

Hazelnuts are monoecious, meaning they have separate male and female flowers on the same tree. In late winter, small spiny flowers (female) and long, trailing gold catkins (male) come into maturity on the trees. Hazelnut trees rely on the wind, birds, or insects to cross-pollinate, transferring pollen from one variety of hazelnut to another tree nearby. Hazelnut trees are slow growers, taking up to a year following pollination for hazelnuts to be ready to harvest.

Hazelnuts have the highest folate and proanthocyanidin of any tree nut. Folate is an essential B vitamin that helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, depression, and birth defects in newborns. Hazelnuts are also a potent natural source of proanthocyanidin, which is a polyphenol compound with high levels of antioxidants that may help reduce the risk of blood clotting and urinary tract infections. They are also high in dietary fiber, vitamin E, and essential minerals like zinc and magnesium.

Ancient Greeks used hazelnuts in treatment of cough and baldness.

Hazelnuts can be enjoyed raw, roasted, or added to various dishes, including salads, cereals, desserts, yogurt, milks, or as a creamer in hot or cold drinks, providing a delicious and nutritious addition to the diet.

www.chukar.com/blog/northwest-hazelnut-facts

Recipe – Caramel Vanilla Bean Hazelnut Milk

Ingredients

¾ cup raw hazelnuts

¼ cup raw almonds

3 ½ cups water

2 ½-3 pitted dates

1 vanilla bean, roughly chopped

¼ tsp. cardamom

tiny pinch salt (optional)

Process

Cover the hazelnuts and almonds with water. Soak overnight for 8-12 hours. Rinse and drain. Place into a blender along with water, dates, vanilla bean, cardamom, and salt. Blend for 1 minute or so. Pour the milk mixture into a milk bag over a bowl. Gently squeeze the bag for 3-5 minutes to release the milk, leaving about 1 cup pulp. Pour into a jar with a lid. Refrigerate. Shake before using.

God’s Gifts to His Last-day People

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To be a Free Seventh-day Adventist, you must first be a Seventh-day Adventist. To be a Seventh-day Adventist, you must first be an Adventist. You cannot be an Adventist, and therefore, cannot be a Free Seventh-day Adventist, if you do not believe the Bible doctrine of the Investigative Judgment, a foundational doctrine to the advent faith.

Critics within the Seventh-day Adventist church are working to undermine the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment, saying that it can only be proven from the Spirit of Prophecy. This is why, when I address the subject, I use the Bible alone. While the Spirit of Prophecy is helpful in proving the doctrine, it is not needed.

For the sake of this study, we will assume that you already understand and believe in the Investigative Judgment.

“Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14

Two statements.

  1. The second advent movement is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
  2. The second advent movement has within it the gift of prophecy. This also is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

Now we will look for the evidence to prove these statements from the Bible.

“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’ ” Revelation 14:6, 7

Revelation shows us that there are many messages delivered by many angels. These angels are given control of what is going on in the world. For example:

“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.” Revelation 7:1

When these four angels let loose of the four winds, there will be an unimaginable scene of strife and trouble in this world. But for now, they are still holding them back.

“The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.” Revelation 1:20

Seven churches. Each representing the changing spiritual characteristics of God’s church throughout history. Every church has an angel whose work is to impress the minds of the people, but they are not commissioned to preach the gospel. God asks His people to be coworkers with Him in spreading the gospel.

The first angel.

Revelation 14:6 tells us that the first angel’s message will be given to “those who dwell on the earth— to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.” What is his message? The everlasting gospel. The power of this gospel makes it possible for a soul to be set free from sin and its guilt, and the character to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Those who accept the gospel message given by the first angel will take it to all the world.

But the first angel’s message includes something in addition to the gospel. Paul wrote about it in Acts 17:31 while preaching to the Athenians.

“Because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him [Jesus] from the dead.”

Paul preached that a day is coming when God will judge the people of the world. Notice, Paul indicates that this is a future event.

Paul also preached the message of a coming, future judgment to Felix, governor of Judea and Samaria, and a very wicked man. Speaking to Felix, Paul offered him his one and best chance to have eternal life; the same gift offered to all who accept the everlasting gospel.

“Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, ‘Go away for now; when I have a convenient time, I will call for you.’ ” Acts 24:25

Paul told Felix there was a judgment coming, not in their day, but in the future. He told the Athenians God had appointed a specific, future time when He will judge the world in righteousness. And we see in the first angel’s message that that time has come.

“Saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come.’ ” Revelation 14:7

The Protestant reformers didn’t preach that the judgment was happening in the 16th century. Martin Luther knew that the judgment was in the future. A brilliant Bible student, he said the judgment would occur about 300 years into the future. He was very nearly right.

A few facts about the judgment.

  • God’s judgment proceeds from His sanctuary. “He has prepared His throne for judgment.” Psalm 9:7, last part
  • God has prepared His throne for judgment. “A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.” Jeremiah 17:12
  • God’s throne is in His sanctuary. “I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:9, 10

Looking at the context of these two texts, we certainly know that the judgment could not occur until sometime after 1798. The judgment is to set things right in God’s sanctuary. What needs to be set right? That’s not a difficult question to answer.

What needs to be set right?

The Bible is full of information to answer this question.

“Pour out Your indignation upon them, and let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.  Let their habitation be desolate; let no one dwell in their tents. For they persecute Him whom You have struck, and talk of the grief of those You have wounded. Add iniquity to their iniquity, and let them not come into Your righteousness. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.” Psalm 69:24–28

Daniel 7 says there are books in this judgment, the judgment was set, the books were opened, and we see there is a book of the living. But David is talking about the wicked. He says,“Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.” Verse 28

If something is right, there is no need to blot it out. In figurative language, when David says that these names should be blotted out of the book of the living, he means that they are headed for eternal death not eternal life.

The first and second deaths.

The time is coming that if your name is not in the book of the living, you will die forever and never wake up. “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:14, 15

When you die the first time, your body dies but your character, your spirit, is preserved. Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28

We need only fear the first death if we choose not to accept Jesus as our Saviour. In the first death, the soul does not die; man’s body rests in an unconscious state, but the soul resides with God until the resurrection at the second coming. Only Jesus can save your soul. Mankind can destroy the body, but the soul belongs to God. Mrs. White is very clear about this.

“The sword cannot kill the soul, for the life is hid with Christ in God.” Our High Calling, 320

Moses said, “ ‘Yet now, if You will forgive their [the children of Israel’s] sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.’ ” Exodus 32:32

Moses was willing to lose his life eternally to save the children of Israel but the Lord said that’s not the way it is. “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.’ ” Verse 33

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19

In the judgment, one of two things will happen: sins are blotted out or a name is blotted out. God said, the one who has sinned against Me is the one I will blot out of My book. It makes all the difference in the world whether your name is in the Book of Life, because if it isn’t, in the second death both body and soul are destroyed. This is what is wrong with God’s heavenly sanctuary. There are millions of people all over the world who have accepted Christ as their personal Saviour and their names are written in the Book of Life, but they are not overcoming their sins. The Holy Spirit pleads with them day after day, week after week.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t tell you every sin. He puts His finger on the sin that you need to overcome today. We must listen to our conscience. The Holy Spirit helps us to overcome one sin at a time, because He knows we would be overwhelmed if we had to face all of our sinfulness at once.

God keeps records in His books.

  • God keeps a record of everything that we have ever done, good or bad.

“God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14

  • God has a record of every word that we have ever spoken.

“ ‘I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.’ ” Matthew 12:36, 37

  • God has a record of every thought you have ever thought.

“ ‘I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory.’ ” Isaiah 66:18

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” Psalm 139:1–4

That is something beyond human comprehension, but there is very good evidence in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy that it is so. God understands your thought before you think it, your words before you speak them.

“Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens [earthly sanctuary] should be purified with these [animal sacrifices], but the heavenly things themselves [heavenly sanctuary] with better sacrifices [sacrifices of Christ] than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Hebrews 9:23–26

Jesus was not sacrificed on the cross just so that He could forgive your sins, He was sacrificed on the cross so that He could put away sin.

The 144,000 are a special group mentioned in the book of Revelation, but if you are not part of the 144,000 then this verse applies to you, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.” Verses 27, 28, first part

Your judgment occurs after your death. For the 144,000, judgment occurs during their lifetime and at the same time as those who are not part of the 144,000 and who will be lost in the last generation. While people are living in the world, their destiny will be decided.

“Unto evenings and mornings two thousand three hundred, then the sanctuary will be cleansed [set right, justified, vindicated].” Daniel 8:14

God’s gifts.

The Bible teaches that in the last days, during the time of the judgment, God will give to His people the gift of prophecy.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25–27

When Jesus comes again, He will have a holy church without blemish. How is the Lord ever going to get a church like that?

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11–13

The purpose of these gifts is to educate and train God’s church and to equip the saints to do the work of ministry. Only then will we come together, unified in faith in the Son of God until we are remade into a perfect man after the likeness of Christ. Only then will God have a church ready to be received at Jesus’ second coming.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4:5, 6

The great and dreadful day of the Lord is still a future event. Before it comes, God said He would send an Elijah prophet. That prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus came the first time. However, that wasn’t the final fulfillment. When Jesus came the first time, it was the great and dreadful day of the Lord. So, we know that God will send another Elijah prophet and then the future great and dreadful day of the Lord will come.

“ ‘And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

“ ‘And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth; blood and fire and pillars of smoke [Hebrew: pillars of smoke in the shape of a palm tree]. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.

“ ‘And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, [and] among the remnant whom the Lord calls.’ ” Joel 2:28–32

Each verse should stand on its own weight.

I had a theology teacher who would say, “Make each verse that you preach stand on its own weight.” When a verse says something important, you need to be sure that you let that verse stand and give its testimony. Let’s use this principle and allow Revelation 12:17, to give its testimony.

“The dragon [devil] was enraged with the woman [pure church clothed with the sun and the moon is under her feet] and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring [the remnant, the last church], who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

This verse says very clearly that the last pure church of God on this earth, will have two characteristics. First, His church will keep His commandments.

James says, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10

You cannot be called a commandment-keeping Christian:

  • If you do not keep all ten of the commandments including the fourth, the Sabbath commandment.
  • If you condone men and women living together without being married.
  • If you worship any kind of idol.
  • If you kneel before another man.
  • If you worship on Sunday.
  • If you speak lies.
  • If you practice unrighteousness.

Once you study the ten commandments, you will find that all of mankind will be excluded from heaven except the saints, holy people spotless and without blemish. The Bible says, “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” Romans 7:12

So, the person who keeps the commandments is made holy through obedience. The person who breaks one or more of the commandments is an unholy person; that includes almost everyone.

Second, God’s church has the testimony of Jesus.

“I [John] fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that!’ ” Revelation 19:10, first part

Angels do not accept worship. But all around the world we see sinful man bowing and worshiping sinful man.

“ ‘I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’ ” Verse 10, last part. What is the testimony of Jesus? The Spirit of Prophecy. And only God’s last-day people will have it.

Skeptical people.

This world is filled with skeptical people. People who may believe in something or part of something, but still hold back. Let’s look at three questions that we must have the answers to.

  1. Does God exist? That wasn’t a hard question for me to answer. I knew that God existed because in the past He had directly answered so many of my prayers.
  2. Is the Bible His book? Do you believe that all 66 books are inspired? There’s argument about this because the Roman Catholic Church says that the Apocrypha is inspired. I spent several months studying this and I knew the Apocrypha is not inspired. The Protestant Reformers didn’t believe the Apocrypha was inspired. The Jews in Jesus’ day knew that the Apocrypha wasn’t inspired, but people now are mixed up. There are some people who can’t figure out whether the books of James and 2 Peter should be in the New Testament or whether the book of Esther should be in the Old Testament. However, all of my studies have led me to believe in the inspiration of all 66 books.
  3. Is Ellen White a prophet of God? What are the Bible tests of a prophet?

        a) A prophet of God will always teach in harmony with the law of God.

“To the law and to the testimony! If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20

       b) Does this prophet’s work bear good fruit? “You will know them [false prophets in sheep’s clothing] by their fruits. … Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. … Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Matthew                7:16–20

       c) A true prophet always glorifies Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come … He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” John 16:8, first part, 14

      d) A person who has the gift of prophecy will have visions and dreams.

“If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord will reveal Myself to him in a vision and in a dream.” Numbers 12:6

When a prophet is in vision, they lose all strength, they lose all breath and yet are able to continue speaking, sometimes remaining in vision for hours. There is documented evidence that this was Mrs. White’s experience when she was in vision. You             cannot fake it. Only God provides the strength to maintain the prophet.

       e) A true prophet will confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh (1 John 4:1–3). If they do not, then the spirit that actuates them is the spirit of antichrist.

        f) A true prophet will make predictions that will be fulfilled.

In 1922, F. C. Gilbert wrote and published Divine Predictions Fulfilled, which contains many examples of Mrs. White’s predictions. Prophet of the End, written by Vance Ferrell mentions many more.

Take heed of the prophet’s predictions.

We must be aware of the importance of Mrs. White’s predictions concerning the end of time.

“The time is fast coming when the controlling power of the labor unions will be very oppressive. Again and again, the Lord has instructed that our people are to take their families away from the cities, into the country, where they can raise their own provisions; for in the future the problem of buying and selling will be a very serious one.” Letter 5, 1904

If the truckers’ union went on strike, it would only be a matter of days before grocery store shelves would be empty. If the dock workers’ union went on strike, necessities arriving by ship would sit offshore, rotting and deteriorating inside storage containers disrupting the supply chain. Oil would sit in tankers offshore and soon gas would be unavailable.

“We should now begin to heed the instruction given us over and over again: Get out of the cities into rural districts, where the houses are not crowded closely together, and where you will be free from the interference of enemies.” Ibid.

“It is Satan’s purpose to attract men and women to the cities, and to gain his object he invents every kind of novelty and amusement, every kind of excitement. And the cities of the earth today are becoming as were the cities before the Flood. …

“In the days before the Flood, every kind of amusement was invented to lead men and women to forgetfulness and sin. Today, … Satan is working with intensity, that the same conditions of evil shall prevail. And the earth is becoming corrupt. …

“At such a time as this, the people who are seeking to keep the commandments of God should look for retired places away from the cities.” Country Living, 14

“Men are seeking to bring those engaged in the different trades under bondage to certain unions. This is not God’s planning, but the planning of a power that we should in no wise acknowledge. …

“We are not to unite with secret societies or with trades unions. We are to stand free in God, looking constantly to Christ for instruction.” Ibid., 11

“The trade unions will be one of the agencies that will bring upon this earth a time of trouble such as has not been since the world began.” Letter 200, 1903

We were given a warning over a hundred years ago. The question is, are we listening? Friend, this world is headed very rapidly toward total destruction. Will you listen to God’s instruction so that you might be delivered when the rest of this world is destroyed?

Pastor John J. Grosboll is the Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be reached by email at historic@stepstolife.org or by telephone at 316-788-5559.

Lupin Beans

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As much as soy is talked about today, it wasn’t always a well-known product in the West. In fact, scholars of Asian culture and social development, noticed how people in China lived long lives, had large families, and worked the land diligently from generation to generation with trade in soybeans as their main source of income. Their entire livelihood was based on this grain. It took them decades to explore its value and excellent nutritional properties. This product has been an icon of Asian cuisine and life for millennia.

However, in another part of the world, also relatively unknown until the last century, there is a legume very similar to soybean that is native to the South American Andes: the lupin bean.

Lupin bean is a legume cultivated by the ancient inhabitants of the central Andean region since pre-Incan times. According to studies, its cultivation began approximately between 2500 and 2200 BC. Native to the Andes, lupin beans grow at altitudes between 0.1–2.5 miles above sea level, in temperate and cold climates.

Once washed and cooked, it is ready for human consumption. Currently, lupin bean has a strong presence in traditional Ecuadorian cuisine, and because it is a food very rich in protein, it is nutritionally very good for our bodies, even more so than soybeans.

Its cultivation and consumption have grown gradually in recent years due to the ease with which the plant thrives in any type of soil. Lupin has many uses, including medicinal, industrial, and agricultural, and there are also experiments underway to use the plant’s residue as fuel.

Characteristics

Technical name: Lupi Nut

Family: Fabaceae, Leguminosae

Scientific name: Lupinus mutabilis Sweet

Common name: Chocho

Origin: America and Mediterranean

Lupin is an annual plant. Depending on the species it can reach a height of six feet and more. Each plant produces eight to 28 elongated pods, one to two inches long, containing six to eight oval beans that vary in color from white, gray, tan, brown, black, and marbled. They have a high content of calcium, phosphorus, iron, protein, and oils. Various products can be derived from the lupin bean and used in food once the alkaloids that make it bitter have been removed through debittering, either by cooking or prolonged soaking.

Growing Climate

The optimal temperature for this crop is between 46° F and 57° F. It should not be planted in areas at risk of frost and hail, which especially affect the plant in its initial stages of development, though it can withstand these conditions in its adult stage.

Cultivation

The lupin crop is located in the Andes Mountains, in the provinces of Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Pichincha, Bolívar, Tungurahua, Carchi, and Imbabura. It is planted in dry, sandy areas between December and March and has a vegetative cycle of six to eight months, depending on whether it is an early or late variety. It does not need much humidity but is affected by excessive drought. It requires between six and seven hours of sunlight daily.

It thrives in well-aerated, loose soils with a balanced nutrient profile, predominantly phosphorus and potassium, with good natural drainage and a pH between 5.6 and 6.8. During flower and fruit formation, it requires a large amount of water.

Harvest

The lupin bean is harvested when the leaves yellow and fall from the plant, the stem becomes woody, the pods dry, and the beans can withstand the pressure of a fingernail.

Up to two harvests can be carried out: early-maturing ecotypes (six months) and long-cycle ecotypes (12 months). The first harvest is when the central stems are dry, and their beans are used as seed because they are larger and more uniform.

The second harvest takes place 20 to 30 days later when the lateral branches are mature or dry, with a moisture content of 15% to 18%. Harvesting is done with a sickle.

Uses

Initially, lupin beans were used to make ceviche, potato stew with lupin beans, chili sauces, lupin bean tamales, salads, and refreshing drinks. However, they were mainly consumed as whole beans on their own.

Today, the bean is consumed in stews, purées, sauces, salads, ceviches, soups, lupin bean cream, desserts, and juices. Lupin bean flour can be incorporated up to 15% into baked goods to significantly improve the protein and calorie content.

Growing children are greatly benefitted by the use of lupin thanks to its organic calcium and magnesium content. As a personal recommendation, just wait until you taste lupin in ceviche*, I’m sure you’ll be hooked! Enjoy!

* Ceviche is a cold dish appetizer popular in Latin American countries along the Pacific Ocean. While it is most often made including fish and shrimp, there are many vegan recipes made with a variety of different fruits, vegetables, seasonings, and herbs available online.

Sources: Drummond, C. S.; et al. (2012). “Multiple continental radiations and correlates of diversification in Lupinus(Leguminosae): Testing for key innovation with incomplete taxon sampling.” Systematic Biology. 61 (3): 443–60. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syr126. PMC 3329764. PMID 22228799. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016.

Esteban Salazar is a preventive medicine and lifestyle coach with more than 25 years of experience. His work has expanded as an international speaker and featured guest in many TV and radio shows around the world. He has a bachelor’s degree in Health Ministries and Nutrition from Hartland College, Virginia and also completed additional studies at the E. I. Institute of Applied Chemistry in Mittlesinn, Germany. He enjoys country living with his wife Maritza in the Sierra region of Ecuador. He loves playing the piano, traveling, and vegan cuisine.

The Manatee

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The manatee, commonly called a sea cow, is a large fully-aquatic marine mammal. It can be as much as 9-15 feet long and can weigh 880-1,300 pounds. Females tend to be larger and heavier than the males. Baby manatees weigh 66 pounds at birth. It lives in shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Amazon basin, and West Africa.

It has a paddle-like tail that looks similar to a beaver’s tail and two flippers. It is slow-moving and curious. The eyes are widely-spaced. The ears are internal, but outside the opening is small. They can be found approximately four inches behind each eye. It emits a wide range of sounds to communicate. And it is believed that taste, smell, sight, sound, and touch are all used to communicate.

The manatee is an herbivore. Its main diet is freshwater and saltwater plants. It has a large, flexible prehensile upper lip which allows it to grip or grasp as it gathers food. It is also used during social interaction and to communicate. An adult manatee has no incisors or canine teeth. Its cheek teeth are replaced multiple times throughout its life. It typically has no more than six teeth in each jaw, similar to an elephant. It has a simple stomach, like the horse, with a large cecum in which tough plant matter can be digested. The intestines are approximately 148 feet long, unusually long for a mammal the size of a manatee. It uses its flippers to walk along the bottom while it digs for plants and roots.

The manatee breeds once every two years and gives birth, generally, to just one calf. Gestation is about 12 months and the calf is totally weaned from the mother in 12-18 months.

Except when with its young or a male following a receptive female, it is a solitary creature. Fifty percent of the day is spent sleeping submerged, though it surfaces at 20-minute intervals for air. The remainder of the day is spent grazing in shallow waters between 3-6 feet deep. It swims up to five miles per hour, but can, in short bursts, swim up to 20 miles per hour.

The manatee is intelligent and capable of performing discrimination tasks including complex associative learning like dolphins and seals, with good long-term memory. Its social interactions are highly complex which may be indicative of higher intelligence. Sadly, it is poorly understood by science.

The manatee’s worst enemy is man who is its main cause of death. Having a curious nature, it encounters man and is killed or harmed by propeller-driven boats and ships. Man also destroys its habitat. It hears at a higher frequency than most mammals its size and large boats emit sound at a lower frequency. This confuses the manatee and explains its lack of awareness when boats are around. However, when boats emit a higher frequency, the manatee will rapidly swim away. It also dies as a result of adverse temperatures, poor water quality, genetic diversity, disease, starvation, and crocodiles that eat their young. Red tide, microscopic algae, has a toxic effect on the manatee’s central nervous system.

If the manatee can manage to survive man, crocodile, and natural causes, it can live up to 60 years. What a magnificent creature!

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manatee

Who Touched Me?

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This woman had been ill for many years. The physicians could not help her, but she believed that if she could touch Jesus, she would be healed.

I’ve been thinking lately about one of my favorite Bible stories. Mark 5 tells us about a woman who had been ill for 12 years. She had seen doctor after doctor, went through treatment after treatment, and spent every dinar she had. She was alone, broke, discouraged, and still sick. Have you ever spent days, weeks, years, living with something, but you don’t know what it is, and the best anyone can tell you is that it just is? She was desperate.

One day she heard that Jesus, the Teacher and Healer, would be coming close by. She had heard what He taught and about those He had healed. Perhaps she personally knew someone He had healed. Sick and weak, she still determined to join the crowd waiting for Him. If she could just get close enough to ask Him to heal her. But when she arrived at the spot He would pass by, there were so many people already gathered, waiting to see Him. How would she ever get close enough?

She determined that if she could just get close enough to touch the hem of His garment, she had faith enough to believe that she would be healed.

I’d like to think about a couple of things that I personally find to be so profound about this story.

  1. The path Christ took that day was not His usual path. Mrs. White tells us that, “Christ understood all that was in her heart, and He placed Himself where she could have the opportunity she desired. He would use that act to distinguish the touch of genuine faith from the casual contact of those who were crowding about Him.” In Heavenly Places, 108
  2. When it seemed impossible for her to connect with Jesus, she pressed forward and touched just the hem of His garment. Immediately, she felt the healing surge spread throughout her body. Because of her faith, Jesus knew the difference between her touch and the indifferent jostling of the crowd. This was no casual touch. It was the touch of faith, and His divine power could not be withheld. It responded to the longing of her heart.

Christ said, “Who touched Me?” Surrounded by people pressing around Him on every side, He felt the touch of faith, the yearning desire for the help only He could give. When it was clear that she could not conceal herself, she came forward, relating the story of her suffering for the last 12 years and her belief that if she could just touch His garment, she would be healed. Then Christ said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” (See Mark 5:25–34; Daughters of God, 63, 64.)

“Here was distinguished the casual contact from the touch of faith. Prayer and preaching, without the exercise of living faith in God, will be in vain. But the touch of faith opens to us the divine treasure house of power and wisdom; and thus, through instruments of clay, God accomplishes the wonders of His grace.

“This living faith is our great need today. …

“There is a wide difference between a pretended union and a real connection with Christ by faith. …

“This spiritual relation can be established only by the exercise of personal faith. … Our will must be wholly yielded to the divine will … .” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 228, 229