The Impending Conflict - Steps to Life

The Third Angel’s Message

August 30 – September 5, 2026

Key Text

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 582–592; Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, 232–238

Introduction

“A refusal to obey the commandments of God, and a determination to cherish hatred against those who proclaim these commandments, leads to the most determined war on the part of the dragon, whose whole energies are brought to bear against the commandment-keeping people of God.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 8, 117

Sunday

1 THE BASIC ISSUE IN THE GREAT CONTROVERSY

1.a. What has been Satan’s purpose from the very beginning of the great controversy in heaven? How does God regard partial obedience to His law? James 2:10–12

Note: “From the very beginning of the great controversy in heaven it has been Satan’s purpose to overthrow the law of God. It was to accomplish this that he entered upon his rebellion against the Creator, and though he was cast out of heaven he has continued the same warfare upon the earth. To deceive men, and thus lead them to transgress God’s law, is the object which he has steadfastly pursued. Whether this be accomplished by casting aside the law altogether, or by rejecting one of its precepts, the result will be ultimately the same. He that offends ‘in one point,’ manifests contempt for the whole law; his influence and example are on the side of transgression; he becomes ‘guilty of all.’ James 2:10.” The Great Controversy, 582

1.b. What will be the basic issue of the age-long controversy between good and evil? Revelation 12:17

Note: “The last great conflict between truth and error is but the final struggle of the long-standing controversy concerning the law of God. Upon this battle we are now entering—a battle between the laws of men and the precepts of Jehovah, between the religion of the Bible and the religion of fable and tradition.” The Great Controversy, 582

Monday

2 THE POPULAR CHURCHES TODAY

2.a. How has Satan been able to win the professed Christian churches? Hosea 4:6; 2 Timothy 4:3, 4

Note: “Many ministers are teaching their people, and many professors and teachers are instructing their students, that the law of God has been changed or abrogated; and those who regard its requirements as still valid, to be literally obeyed, are thought to be deserving only of ridicule or contempt.

“In rejecting the truth, men reject its Author. In trampling upon the law of God, they deny the authority of the Lawgiver. …

“No error accepted by the Christian world strikes more boldly against the authority of Heaven, none is more directly opposed to the dictates of reason, none is more pernicious in its results, than the modern doctrine, so rapidly gaining ground, that God’s law is no longer binding upon men.” The Great Controversy, 583, 584

2.b. How does God regard the professed Christian churches of today—and why? Revelation 3:9

Note: “Satan has a large confederacy, his church. Christ calls them the synagogue of Satan because the members are the children of sin. The members of Satan’s church have been constantly working to cast off the divine law, and confuse the distinction between good and evil. Satan is working with great power in and through the children of disobedience to exalt treason and apostasy as truth and loyalty. And at this time the power of his satanic inspiration is moving the living agencies to carry out the great rebellion against God that commenced in heaven.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 16

Tuesday

3 A CAUSE-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP

3.a. What does history teach about the fearful consequence of rejecting God’s law? Jeremiah 6:19; Isaiah 59:2–8

Note: “Would we know the result of making void the law of God? The experiment has been tried. Terrible were the scenes enacted in France when atheism became the controlling power. It was then demonstrated to the world that to throw off the restraints which God has imposed is to accept the rule of the cruelest of tyrants. When the standard of righteousness is set aside, the way is open for the prince of evil to establish his power in the earth.

“Wherever the divine precepts are rejected, sin ceases to appear sinful or righteousness desirable. Those who refuse to submit to the government of God are wholly unfitted to govern themselves. Through their pernicious teachings the spirit of insubordination is implanted in the hearts of children and youth, who are naturally impatient of control; and a lawless, licentious state of society results.” The Great Controversy, 584

3.b. What cause-effect relationship can be seen in society where people are taught to disregard God’s law? Hosea 8:7; Isaiah 59: 11–15; Matthew 24:12

Note: “Those who teach the people to regard lightly the commandments of God sow disobedience to reap disobedience. Let the restraint imposed by the divine law be wholly cast aside, and human laws would soon be disregarded. Because God forbids dishonest practices, coveting, lying, and defrauding, men are ready to trample upon His statutes as a hindrance to their worldly prosperity; but the results of banishing these precepts would be such as they do not anticipate. … The civilized world would become a horde of robbers and assassins; and peace, rest, and happiness would be banished from the earth.” The Great Controversy, 585

Wednesday

4 THE PRESENT SITUATION

4.a. What is the main cause of the growing deterioration of society? Isaiah 24:4, 5

Note: “Already the doctrine that men are released from obedience to God’s requirements has weakened the force of moral obligation and opened the floodgates of iniquity upon the world. Lawlessness, dissipation, and corruption are sweeping in upon us like an overwhelming tide. In the family, Satan is at work. His banner waves, even in professedly Christian households.” The Great Controversy, 585

4.b. How do professed Christian leaders misinterpret the real cause of the present world troubles? How do they imitate the Jewish leaders in the time of the apostles? Romans 2:17–24

Note: “The teachings of religious leaders have opened the door to infidelity, to spiritualism, and to contempt for God’s holy law; and upon these leaders rests a fearful responsibility for the iniquity that exists in the Christian world.

“Yet this very class put forth the claim that the fast-spreading corruption is largely attributable to the desecration of the so-called ‘Christian Sabbath,’ and that the enforcement of Sunday observance would greatly improve the morals of society. This claim is especially urged in America, where the doctrine of the true Sabbath has been most widely preached.” The Great Controversy, 587

Thursday

5 A TIME OF WOE

5.a. What prophesied woe is increasingly taking place in our world, and why? Revelation 12:12. What deception will Satan perpetuate as the cause of all this suffering?

Note: “In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous. …

“And then the great deceiver will persuade men that those who serve God are causing these evils. The class that have provoked the displeasure of Heaven will charge all their troubles upon those whose obedience to God’s commandments is a perpetual reproof to transgressors. It will be declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday sabbath; that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced; and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity.” The Great Controversy, 589, 590

5.b. What situation will those who honor God’s law have to face in the near future? Mark 13:9

Note: “Those who honor the Bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchy and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the earth. Their conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and contempt of authority. They will be accused of disaffection toward the government. …

“The dignitaries of church and state will unite to bribe, persuade, or compel all classes to honor the Sunday. The lack of divine authority will be supplied by oppressive enactments. Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected.” The Great Controversy, 592

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

What important lesson does James 2:10–12 teach us?
What happens when professed believers reject God’s law?
Describe the state of society when God’s law is cast off.
How will religious leaders explain the world’s corruption?
What will trigger the enforcement of Sunday observance?