tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122497645451976362024-03-04T21:58:19.086-08:00Sabbath School TodayUleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comBlogger859125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-18690280982848354372020-10-16T05:40:00.001-07:002020-10-16T05:40:19.348-07:00Lesson 3: The Law as Teacher<p align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 22px;"><strong><em>Sabbath School Today</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 20px;"><strong>With the 1888 Message Dynamic</strong></span></span></p><p align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><em>Education</em></strong></span></span></p><p align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><strong>Lesson 3: The Law as Teacher</strong></span></span></p><p align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"> </p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Children learn to recite the Ten Commandments. You know how children are--they'll cut corners if they can.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, they want to start with the third verse of Exodus 20, thinking that's where the Ten Commandments begin: "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me."</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But, no! That's not where they start. They start with wonderful Good News. They don't start with a stern command, Don't do this! Or don't do that! They start with the Good News that our heavenly Father is so strong and powerful that He has already delivered us from horrible slavery in the darkness of Egypt: "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." That Good News of salvation from slavery is part of the Ten Commandments!</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Church goers have usually had a love/hate relationship with the Ten Commandments. The law has seemed like a heavy burden, ten precepts carved in cold stone, heavy prohibitions that crush out all the joy of life. Everything that was fun doing seemed to be, "You shall not!" The Ten Commandments seemed like roadblocks in the highway of happiness.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yet deep in our human hearts we have realized that it's wrong to break them; suffering must be the result either in this life or in the next. Yet we just couldn't know how to keep them, let alone love them. They seemed too hard.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now comes this fantastic revelation: They are actually ten assurances of victory. And what we have to do is different than the "Do this or else!" rules we have thought them to be: our job is to believe the Good News that God has embedded in them. Then faith will work to produce a loving obedience.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">First comes an astounding disclosure: probably we have been misquoting the Ten Commandments, without realizing what we're doing. Whoever taught them to us since we were kids usually has inadvertently left out one verse that God put in at the very beginning before any of the prohibitions. Leave it out and the Ten indeed become Bad News, a "yoke of bondage." Many, even preachers and teachers, have not seen the importance of that preamble verse. Even some who claim to specialize in preaching "the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" have not seen it.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here it is--the missing verse that belongs at the beginning of any true version of the Ten Commandments: "And God spoke all these words, saying: 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage'" (Ex. 20:1, 2).</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To "fear God" does not mean to be afraid of Him, as we would fear an enemy, but to appreciate His forgiveness of our sins: "There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared" (Psalm 130:4). It follows that to "fear God" is to love Him. When a person knows he is a sinner, and when he knows his sins are forgiven by the blood of our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary, then he cannot help loving God. A person with such a "faith which worketh by love" (Gal. 5: 6) will "measure up" as a worshipper.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To love God is to keep His commandments, because "love is the fulfilling of the law" (see 1 John 5: 3; Rom. <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" style="color: currentcolor; text-decoration-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.38);">13:10</a>). In verse 19 of Revelation 11, John tells us that God's people see in the heavenly sanctuary "the ark of His testament." The law of God, traced in stone by the finger of God, is placed inside that ark as witness that God's law of love is the foundation of His government.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To believe that Good News changes the law of God from an Old Covenant set of impossible rules into a beautiful New Covenant gift of ten promises.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's not, "Now you must do this and that and that, and then I will deliver you from the slavery of sin." God never makes bargains with us for He knows that we have a sinful, carnal mind or nature which is "enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). The Old Covenant tells you what to <em>do</em>if you hope to be saved; the New Covenant tells you what to <em>believe</em>because the Savior has already given Himself to save you. He has already died your second death instead of you. He has already paid the penalty for your sin. You wonder how can you know for sure? Simply take a breath: The life you now have is the proof that He wants you to enjoy eternal life "in Christ." If He had not died for you, you would already be eternally dead. So, thank Him!</span></span></p><p align="right" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">--<em>Paul E. Penno</em></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5mXt-rh4fg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5mXt-rh4fg</a></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Many of Pastor Penno's sermons are on YouTube in Spanish. Just type <strong>pastor paul penno en español </strong>in the search bar.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="http://1888message.org/sst.htm">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p><img src="https://constant.email/t/1f7uaZZh2kZrWZZh8Oblcw/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg" alt="" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; width: 1px; height: 1px;" data-unique-identifier=""><br><br><div dir="ltr">Sent from my iPhone</div>Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-72550901859115462912020-10-02T08:04:00.001-07:002020-10-02T08:04:31.431-07:00Lesson 1: Education in the Garden of Eden<div dir="ltr"><p align="center"><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Lesson 1: Education in the Garden of Eden</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The premise of our lesson this week is that the Garden of Eden was a school for learning. Adam and Eve had great potential for growing and learning. Ellen White writes, "they were innocent and sinless, in perfect harmony with God" (<em>Church Triumphant</em>, p. 28).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">They were "put into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it" (Gen. 2:15). They <em>treasured </em>it! The word <em>shamar </em>connotes the beautiful idea of <em>appreciation</em>. Adam was to "cherish" or "treasure" the Garden of Eden, "prize" it highly.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">God was their teacher and He taught them about Himself. Love is eternal. Love has its source in God, for the Bible says that "God is love" (1 John 4:8), and He is eternal. And even love of man for woman and vice versa is a gift from God, for "God created man in His own image. In the image of God created He him; male and female created He them" (Gen. 1:27).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Those simple one-syllable English words convey a wealth of meaning: our maleness and femaleness are in the image of God, and since God is love, our male/female love is of God. It is God intended, God-given. But such love is regulated by law, just as electricity is regulated by law. Transgress the law of electricity and you have disaster. Transgress God's law of male/female love, and you have disaster instead of the happiness that the Creator/Redeemer has intended for us.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">And what is the law of male/female love as God intended? It is built-in to the very nature of love itself: love is eternal. Therefore love makes infidelity impossible. The 7th commandment of God's ten has its own inherent promise: Adam and Eve will not, cannot, commit adultery!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">In the Garden of Eden their First Teacher, the Creator, had plainly told Adam and Eve that if they should sin, "in the day" of their transgression "you shall surely die" (Gen. 2:17). He said exactly what He meant. It was the devil, a substitute teacher, who flatly contradicted Him, telling them: "You will not surely die" (Gen. 3:5).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">This error was the common idea of the natural immortality of the soul, the teaching that one cannot really die, that what we call death is merely an immediate release to another level of life. As a host of physical ills can result from a simple vitamin deficiency, so this basic error borrowed from ancient paganism, but handed down through Christendom, triggered a chain reaction of confusion in my understanding.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">In effect, the tempter, the false teacher, was voicing the teachings of paganism and of much so-called Christianity when he said that there is no such thing as death itself. No man can utterly perish. The soul possesses a natural immortality.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">This idea became not only the cornerstone of pagan religion, but from thence it infiltrated the doctrine of many Christian churches. The error may seem innocent enough at first thought; but consider what it does to our understanding of the cross of Christ:</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">It effectively contradicts the Scriptural statements, "Christ died for the ungodly," and "Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:6, 8).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">In other words, the way Satan wants us to understand it, Christ didn't really die for us at all. He merely endured physical pain in which He was sustained throughout by the assurance that He had nothing to risk, nothing to lose, since He could not really die. If He had nothing to lose, He therefore had nothing to give of any value beyond the endurance of physical pain.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">This error of the natural immortality of the soul is intended by its author to cast a suspicion of make-believe into the story of Calvary--just enough to paralyze the devotion of those who profess to follow Christ. If their appreciation of Jesus' cross is beclouded, their love will be stifled, and their devotion hobbled.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The sufferings of Jesus were incomparably greater than the endurance of physical pain, or the torture of any of the martyrs. There was no sham or make-believe about the burden He bore. Scripture says, "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6).</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Paul E. Penno</em></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/oDSUXF763MClRcRrgKNkBwPg/Bz0XjpPV2pC75nuSa61g6g" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lu3VqTehDY</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Many of Pastor Penno's sermons are on YouTube in Spanish. Just type <strong>pastor paul penno en español </strong>in the search bar.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/RWZ4Q77VX1j9hczVTJ3mWQ/Bz0XjpPV2pC75nuSa61g6g" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-10027444978545235082020-09-10T06:56:00.001-07:002020-09-10T06:56:33.895-07:00Lesson 11: Sharing the Story of Jesus<div dir="ltr"><div><p align="center"><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Lesson 11: Sharing the Story of Jesus</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">There's a gospel song called "I love to tell the story." The verses go like this: "I love to tell the story of unseen things above ... of Jesus and His love." Telling the "story" of Jesus is essential to outreach and evangelism. It was the story that the first disciples told beginning with their first sermon and Bible lesson on the day of Pentecost. Jesus gave the disciples this promise: "Ye shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">It was the story of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven as our High Priest that transformed people by the thousands from scoffers and doubters into to humble, believing followers of Jesus. This story gave people the confidence to face lions in the Coliseum, and to bravely endure unjust condemnation and death. It empowered a "few good men" to stand for truth though the heavens fall. It is what God is searching for today among His people.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"The greatest want of the world is the want of men,--men who will not be bought or sold; men who in their inmost souls are true and honest; men who do not fear to call sin by its right name; men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole; men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall" (Ellen G. White, <em>Education</em>, p. 57; 1903).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The "power to witness" came upon the disciples because they finally came to know who Jesus really is. For three and a half years, they had followed Jesus, listened to Him give His powerful sermons, and teach lessons through the use of parables about His Father's love for the lost world, about salvation, and the coming kingdom. But they really didn't truly know Him until after they were confronted with the depth of their sinful doubts about Him.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Saul, who would become Paul the apostle, knew who Jesus was. He had seen Him teaching in the temple, and was well aware of the influence the itinerant Preacher from Nazareth had on the "common people." But the knowledge possessed by Saul/Paul at that time did nothing to convert his heart to the truth of Jesus as his Saviour from sin.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Saul/Paul knew "the story" of Jesus, but resisted it because the "story" he knew was lopsided, containing erroneous elements that led to a false view of Jesus and His mission. Saul's view was so misinformed that he was willing to not just speak out against Jesus and His followers, but "breathing out threatening and slaughter" (Acts 9:1), he was eager to arrest the followers of Jesus, and even to put them to death.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Whether or not we are able to share the story of Jesus--the story of Him that brings salvation to the world--depends upon whether or not we truly know who He is, what His character is really like, and understand what He came to this benighted world to accomplish. It is only when those indisputable facts transform your heart and mind and character that you will be able to share the story of Jesus with others in a convincing and winning manner.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"If we do not have the personal assurance of salvation in Jesus, it is not possible to share it with someone else." We cannot share with any one else what we do not know about a person's character. We may gossip, we may tell a story that we heard somewhere about that person, but we cannot tell the truth unless we know the facts about the person, and have an experiential knowledge of that person.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"God is love" is the fundamental fact of the Gospel's message. But many in the world today have grave doubts about the veracity of this fact. So, what we are we to do?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"If I should express to an infidel my doubts as to the integrity of one of his friends, he would say: 'That's because you don't know him; just try him, and you will find him as true as steel.' This would be a fair reply; and so we say to the infidel who doubts the promises of God: 'O taste and see that the Lord is good ... there is no want to them that fear Him.' Ps. 34:8, 9." (E. J. Waggoner, The Bible Student's Library, "The Full Assurance of Faith," June 16, 1890; p. 8).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">In this little booklet, Waggoner quotes from a poem, the last stanza of which says: "Perhaps he will admit my plea/Perhaps will hear my prayer ... ," to which Waggoner answers: "such language might be excusable in one who knew nothing of God; but uttered by one who had known God, or rather, is known of God, it can be regarded only as libel upon God's word." He goes on, "There is no such thing as 'perhaps' with God. His promises to the penitent, and His threats to the impenitent, are equally positive. 'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.' Mark 16:16." (Ibid., p. 11, 12).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The apostle James wrote that with God there is "no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17). When we witness to others about what God has done for us, we cannot project any doubt about His faithfulness to perform His promise "to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Too often we hear people say, "Yes, you have conquered that problem in your life, but we know that you will stumble and fall again and again. We all do. Don't worry about it. When Jesus comes, all sin will be taken away from us."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Such language is discouraging to people who want to be fully free from the sins that beset them. And such language is casting doubt upon the power of God to deliver "to the uttermost" those who come to Him in faith that He will deliver them from every sin, right now, in this world fallen as it is. We do not need to wait a single moment longer to have the full assurance of salvation. "Have you repented of your sins? Do you hate them, and long for a better life? Have you confessed them? Then take the assurance of God's word as evidence that your sins are forgiven, and that you are entitled to peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ibid., p. 15).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Our faithful witness for God cannot contain any element of doubt about His power to one hundred percent deliver us from sin now, not later, but right now. And if we know Him as He wants us to know Him, then we will not project any doubts about His character when we tell the "old, old story of Jesus and His love." We will testify with full assurance and confidence of God's power over sin and death, and we will win souls for the kingdom of God.</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Ann Walper</em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/XD18928h7630KRq1RlMb763lecIw/gy1PvXCwAp6hmsaj8m2hUQ" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFnlE8oGhGU</a></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Many of Pastor Penno's sermons are on YouTube in Spanish. Just type <strong>pastor paul penno en español </strong>in the search bar.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/iu763BPSorDsGYaQbVhfoXbA/gy1PvXCwAp6hmsaj8m2hUQ" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p></div><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-28765892051071339772020-07-31T05:30:00.000-07:002020-07-31T05:31:06.176-07:00Lesson 5: Spirit-Empowered Witnessing<div dir="ltr"><p align="center"><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Lesson 5: Spirit-Empowered Witnessing</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Here are some questions that perplex many Christian people around the world: what is "the latter rain" of the Holy Spirit? Is that blessing falling today, like showers of rain on thirsty crops? What is the purpose of this blessing that the Bible says God will "pour out" on His people worldwide (Zech. 10:1)? How can we distinguish between God's true latter rain and the counterfeit?</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Can we who want it learn something from the history of the "early rain"? After over three years of teaching, the disciples were finally ready to be "with one accord in one place" (Acts 2:1).</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">All their individual desires for promotion were finally laid aside. Self was finally crucified with Christ so that sinful pride was humbled in the dust. Not one was seeking the highest place in the early church; each was ready to wash the feet of others.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">They were not praying for power so they could be vindicated before the unbelieving scribes and Pharisees, or to be self-exalted triumphantly; they were praying for something new--the gift of love (<em>agape</em>). In fact, they had just begun to understand what love (<em>agape</em>) is! They had finally received a sobering lesson--they had seen <em>agape </em>in the self-emptying sacrifice of Christ.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Like a burst of lightning on a dark night or the sun shining in full strength at midnight, they had come face to face with the reality of what it cost their Saviour to save them. The Lamb of God had died the world's "wages of sin." He had "poured out His soul unto death" (Isa. 53:12), which the apostles clearly understood was the world's second death. Christ had suffered the horrors of hell in order to save us. And death and hell could not hold the Divine One who had made this supreme sacrifice of <em>agape</em>. Now self had to be crucified together with Christ! When they surveyed the wondrous cross on which they had seen the Prince of glory die, their richest gain they counted loss, and poured contempt on all their pride. Is there any lesson here?</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">The lesson for us who await "the latter rain" is sharply focused. The "early rain" wasn't a miracle of elocution that wrought that great work in the hearts of thousands. Peter didn't show off as a brilliant man. The miracle of "tongues" was only secondary to something greater than itself.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">What got through to thousands of human hearts that day was a truth they had never dreamed of: they were guilty of the body and blood of the divine Son of God! They had murdered the Messiah! They couldn't blame the Romans and the chief priests. Now they had discovered their corporate guilt. Peter said, "Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). "Men of Israel, ... you denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life" (Acts 3:12-15).</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">There are some simple, clear facts that will at least begin to clear up our perplexity. Now, after 2,000 years, we expect the gift of the Holy Spirit to be given again as the complement of the "former" blessing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">The "former rain" was the light of truth that was given as a gift--it was the perception of the truth that God's professed people had rejected, murdered, and crucified the Lord of glory. Peter proclaimed that those people present there had crucified the Messiah, the Son of God. "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart" (Acts 2:36, 37).</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">The latter rain will therefore be a gift of the Holy Spirit that will bring the true and ultimate conviction of sin that only He can bring to human hearts: the guilt of the crucifixion of Christ is <em>our</em>sin. But that is a truth that we don't comprehend clearly, as yet. According to Zechariah 12:10-13:1, when God's people do grasp that reality, there will come the greatest repentance of the ages. It will become the "final" experience of reconciliation with Christ, something known as "the final atonement."</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">This will make possible a movement, a second "Pentecost," a message to be proclaimed worldwide that will "lighten the earth with glory," and prepare a people for Christ's return.</span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Paul E. Penno</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/TIadHzSrKxx7632Jj2pyp7gQ/r8923v61C6f4q76339e8QTcYmg" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb1S8huvYas</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Many of Pastor Penno's sermons are on YouTube in Spanish. Just type <strong>pastor paul penno en español </strong>in the search bar.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/Vpk7FiJbI8D1cUdXEO9892JQ/r8923v61C6f4q76339e8QTcYmg" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-73442262245591811112020-07-23T10:16:00.001-07:002020-07-23T10:16:29.488-07:00Lesson 4: Prayer Power: Interceding for Others<div dir="ltr"><p align="center"><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Lesson 4: Prayer Power: Interceding for Others</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">There is one prayer that will always be answered with a resounding "Yes!" from the throne of God. It's in Luke 11 where Jesus tells about the man who had an unexpected hungry guest show up at midnight and he had no bread to feed him. He goes to his neighbor, bangs on the door, wakes him, asks, "Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The point is, he is not saying, "Neighbor, I am hungry this midnight hour; feed me!" Rather, "Give me something I can pass on to someone else who is hungry."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">And the dear Lord assures us, "He [God] will rise and give him as many as he needeth" And then to underline the assurance, He adds, "Ask, and it shall be given you," that is, to pass on to others (Luke 11:5-9).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">You end up as a pipe through which some drops of the water of life flow to someone else. That's heaven on earth! And of course you may never see the answer to your prayer this side of the new earth, but that's okay. Just praying that prayer is joy enough, and thanking Him in advance. Now you have something to look forward to in heaven beyond your previous selfish desires--looking in the eyes of some now unknown recipient of the blessing you passed on. And you don't have to "preach." Just express love to someone.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">In the great controversy between good and evil, intercessory prayer is a powerful weapon (2 Cor. 10:4, 5). God is doing everything He can to reach people without our prayers, but He is gracious and never violates their freedom of choice. However, our prayers make a difference because there are ground rules in the conflict between good and evil. One of the eternal laws of the universe is that God has given to every human being the freedom of choice. All the demons of darkness cannot force us to sin, and all the heavenly angels would never coerce us to do right. God voluntarily limits Himself by our choices. He does not use force to motivate our service to Him.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">When we intercede for someone else, it enables God to work in ways that He could not work if we did not pray. In the cosmic conflict between the forces of heaven and the legions of darkness, God honors our freedom of choice to pray for another by powerfully working on their behalf. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Ellen White declares the efficacy of intercessory prayer in this remarkable statement: "Ministering angels are waiting about the throne to instantly obey the mandate of Jesus Christ to answer every prayer offered in earnest, living faith." [1]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">As our prayers ascend to the throne of God, Jesus commissions heavenly angels to instantly descend to earth. He empowers them to beat back the forces of darkness that are battling for the mind of the individual for whom we are interceding. The individual has the freedom to choose Christ or Satan. Our prayers do not force or manipulate the will; they provide the best opportunity for the individual to see the issues clearly, providing them the best possibility of choosing eternal life.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">How about praying the Lord's Prayer? "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever" (Matt. 6:13). It's a complete prayer; it encompasses the entire plan of salvation.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Every time we pray the Lord's Prayer, we pray the prayer that may be over our heads in understanding: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (vs. 10).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The "kingdom" has not yet "come." It's been awaiting establishment now for 2000 years since Christ gave us this prayer of expectation; many who reverence the Bible as the Word of God wrestle with the conviction that it's overdue. It's been hindered. They also are convicted that if there is any delay, the honor of God will be compromised.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The coming of "the kingdom" is equivalent to the great "other angel [who] comes out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sits on the cloud, 'Thrust in Your sickle, and reap; for the time is come for You to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe" (Rev. 14:15). It's the grand close of probationary history of this earth.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The coming of the kingdom is also equivalent to the grand climax of Christ's work as the world's High Priest: "We have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, ... not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:14, 15). The High Priest's work is to reconcile the alienated hearts of God's people to Him; another name for that is the ministry of the antitypical Day of Atonement, a simple word, at-one-with-God-in-heart. Yes, for that to happen would be a miracle; but that's what the Lord's Prayer has been praying for all this long while!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Another word for that is "the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary" (Dan. 8:14), a phrase that makes sense only if it is understood as the cleansing of the hearts of God's people from all sin, known and also unknown. The honor and vindication of Christ in the "great controversy with Satan" is involved in thus establishing "the kingdom." That is our true motivation, something that transcends our concern for saving our own poor little souls.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">That includes the healing of the wound that Lucifer's rebellion and Adam and Eve's sin in joining with the great rebel, have caused.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Praying the Lord's Prayer constantly reminds you and me of the privilege we have of a part in bringing the great controversy to a close.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">In fact, when we pray the Lord's Prayer we find we can't wait so we can get back to work to do what we can to help in the great crisis now going on.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Our part in the "great controversy" may be small; but the Lord does not "despise the day of small things" (Zech. 4:10). God delights in blessing you when you share a New Covenant truth with someone discouraged and confused. This helps fulfill the Lord's Prayer which says, "Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven."</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Paul E. Penno</em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Endnote:</strong><br>[1] Ellen G. White, <em>Selected Messages</em>, book 2, p. 377.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/hBmOPiNrhnPflDKEBfUEeg/RDpPi6JslhVDWoM763JSuStg" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3DF_-8KcfM</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Many of Pastor Penno's sermons are on YouTube in Spanish. Just type <strong>pastor paul penno en español </strong>in the search bar.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/CM8lrhCRgF7beASZi0Dc5A/RDpPi6JslhVDWoM763JSuStg" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-61491458857767631372020-07-17T14:16:00.001-07:002020-07-17T14:16:40.383-07:00Lesson 3: Seeing People Through Jesus' Eyes<div dir="ltr"><div><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Lesson 3: Seeing People Through Jesus' Eyes</strong></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">About 20 years ago there was a Christian movement that identified itself by wearing jewelry and bracelets with "WWJD?" on them--"What Would Jesus Do?" The idea was that the wearer was declaring that their actions and words took place with this question foremost in their minds. If presented with a situation, they would ask themselves: what would Jesus do if He were confronted with this problem?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The biggest problem that Jesus ever faced was the rebellion of His creatures when Adam and Eve sinned by listening to the Enemy and turning their backs on their Maker. It was not an insurmountable problem, neither was it a problem which the Godhead was unprepared to meet. The problem was promptly answered by Jesus Himself. "I will put enmity [intense hatred] between you [Satan] and My beloved. They have turned their backs on Me now, but they will come to realize the intensity of My eternal love for them, and they will return to Me." That is His promise to all who will believe.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Jesus looked with pity upon His deceived human friends, and with His divine arm He encircled them in His embrace of love. Forgiveness was immediate, even though Adam did not ask for it. "As soon as there was sin, there was a Saviour." The death penalty did not fall on Adam because "the instant man accepted the temptations of Satan, and did the very things God had said he should not do, Christ, the Son of God, stood between the living and the dead, saying, 'Let the punishment fall on Me. I will stand in man's place. He shall have another chance.'" [1] Adam well knew the punishment for sinning; the death penalty was clearly presented to him by God Himself. "In the day that you eat of this tree, you will die." (Gen. 2:17).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">What would Jesus do when His children rebelled against Him? He laid down His life for them. "Let the punishment fall on Me, so that man can have another chance." Each and every human being ever born into this world was born because of the gift of Jesus' death for them. In theological terms this is called "legal justification" and it took place "as soon as there was sin" in this world through Adam's fall. The human race was placed on a second probation to see how, individually, we would handle the gift of God's Son. Through His death Jesus redeemed the human race. "He has bought us; and having bought us, He has broken every bond that hindered us from serving Him. If we but believe, we have the victory that has overcome the world. 1 John 5:4; John 16:33." [2]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Jesus saved us from the just penalty of the broken law that demanded the death of the sinner. He did this by "being made a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13). "Sin can have no dominion over us if we accept Christ in truth and without reserve. This was just as much present truth in the days of Abraham, Moses, David, and Isaiah, as it is today." [3]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">In the Garden that fateful day when Adam sinned, victory was obtained for the whole human race through the promise of God's everlasting covenant which is the eternal promise that the Son of God would lay down His life to save us. "This victory, in its fullness, is free to every soul in Christ Jesus. It is received by faith in Jesus. It is accomplished and maintained by 'the faith of Jesus,' which He wrought out in perfection, and has given to every believer in Him. For 'this is the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith.'" [4]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">When we "see people through Jesus' eyes" we will see that they are saved by His precious blood. They are already one of God's children, destined for the eternal kingdom. All were "chosen before the foundation of the world" as "adopted children in Jesus Christ" (Eph. 1:4, 5). There is no difference in race, social position in life, male or female, Jew or Gentile. All were included in that promise to place enmity in our hearts against sin and Satan so that we might learn to appreciate the gift of God's love for us, demonstrated through His Son, who laid down His life for His friends (John 15:13; Rom. 5:10).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">This being the truth, it is our responsibility as God's witnesses to declare to all who have not heard this good news that they <em>already have</em> forgiveness for their sins. No one is asked to make himself "good" before he can come to God. No one is capable of "making himself good." That is an impossibility. We are all "without strength" and completely incapable of making ourselves any better than we are: "wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked" (Rev. 3:17).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Jesus' mission was to save the world, and salvation comes only through His compassion and love. "At the time of Christ's first advent the world was in a terrible condition. Men were being controlled by satanic agencies. The Majesty of heaven looked with pity on the human race. He saw that Satan was gaining control of the bodies and minds of men, and Christ knew that He alone could break the enemy's power. It was because of this that He laid off His kingly crown and royal robe, and clothing His divinity with humanity, came to our world to meet the powers of darkness, and to hold in check the forces of Satan. This was His work. A counter-working influence, coming from the highest authority, was to hold the enemy in check, and resist his power." [5]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"The Lord wants everyone to be saved, and that with the very fullness of salvation. And therefore He has given to every one of us the very fullness of grace, because it is grace that brings salvation. For it is written, 'The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,' Titus 2:11. Thus the Lord wants all to be saved, and therefore He gave all of His grace, bringing salvation to all." [6]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">If ever there was powerful good news, this is it! "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:19, 20). God has already done what is necessary for the salvation of the whole human race. Our assignment as God's ambassadors is to bring this good news to the people we come into contact with on a daily basis.</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Ann Walper</em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Endnotes:</strong><br>[1] Ellen G. White, Letter 22, Feb. 13, 1900.<br>[2] E. J. Waggoner, <em>The Glad Tidings</em>, p. 13; CFI ed. (2016).<br>[3] Ibid., p. 66.<br>[4] A. T. Jones, <em>Review and Herald</em>, Oct. 2, 1900; cf. Gal. 2:16, 20; Rom. 12:3.<br>[5] Ellen G. White, <em>Review and Herald</em>, January 21, 1909.<br>[6] A. T. Jones, <em>Review and Herald</em>, April 17, 1894.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/bjTuGuBCaqmysW2ONuSOdw/763I7fSRb8Robm5jl2ADs1bg" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMUp5ehWZ6Q</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Many of Pastor Penno's sermons are on YouTube in Spanish. Just type <strong>pastor paul penno en español </strong>in the search bar.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/jdukwNgazPf9VOly6GE2cA/763I7fSRb8Robm5jl2ADs1bg" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p></div><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-62391010567876536802020-07-03T05:31:00.001-07:002020-07-03T05:31:26.510-07:00Lesson 1: Why Witness?<div dir="ltr"><p align="center"><strong>Lesson 1: Why Witness?</strong></p><p align="center"> </p><p>When we are changed by the grace of God, charmed by His matchless love, and redeemed by the power of Christ, we cannot be silent. We long to tell the story of Christ with others.</p><p>Let's spend a few weeks looking at each lesson during this quarter in the light of the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message which God has given us to give to the world.</p><p>The Bible tells us that God would very much like for everyone to go to heaven, because He "will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." Christ "gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Timothy 2:3-6). The Father and the Son personally love each person on earth, no matter how much he may have sinned. The Holy Spirit says to each one, "Come" (Revelation 22:17).</p><p>The idea that Christ is running the special "shop" of salvation here, and He stays inside like a shopkeeper until the sinner takes the initiative to come seek Him out, is not what the Bible says! We must mention two reasons for this:</p><p>First, Christ is the Good Shepherd who does not wait for the lost sheep to try to find its way home again; He always goes in search of it: "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep" (John 10:11). The lost sheep may be lost out on the hills on a wild, stormy night; no matter. The Good Shepherd leaves His "ninety and nine" and at the risk of His own life goes out in the wildest storm imaginable through the mountains "until He find it" He goes "after that which is lost, until He find it" (Luke 15:4).</p><p>Second, "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).</p><p>Don't imagine that you can save yourself, or that you have grown up on the right side of the railroad tracks so you are naturally almost saved on your own; if the Lord were to leave us to ourselves, we would be hopelessly lost.</p><p>Think of a shepherd of sheep; he has had a hard day, he is tired and hungry; his wife has cooked his favorite roast for supper; but as he counts his sheep, he finds that one is not there; it's out somewhere in the mountains.</p><p>A wild storm is brewing; she says, "Come and rest and eat your supper, you have 99 sheep, are they not enough for you?"</p><p>But he can't rest and eat; one sheep is lost.</p><p>So out in the wild storm he goes, maybe looking all night, cold and hungry; he must find that one sheep!</p><p>And who is it? You personally, and me personally.</p><p>No human being can possibly believe until first of all he hears the good news. You cannot originate faith within yourself apart from understanding God's love. No one has a self-starter. We cannot make our own atonement apart from the revelation of Christ.</p><p>Even faith itself is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher ... [of] glad tidings of good things! ... Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:14-17).</p><p>The moment you hear the smallest beginning of that good news, make a choice immediately to believe it. Don't delay even a moment.</p><p>The evangelist who has understood "the third angel's message in verity" (the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message) has the glorious privilege of being the one who tells it so it grips hearts. He forgets himself; he is caught up in the whirlwind of the Holy Spirit, whether his audience is large or small. "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come unto Me and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:27, 28; compare Song of Solomon 4:15).</p><p>This glorious final movement began at the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> General Conference Session at Minneapolis, but it was disliked, shoved away, and "in a great degree" rejected and "kept away" from both "our people" and "from the world." [1]</p><p>Doesn't it make good sense to recover the message as the "messengers," A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner, brought it, the ones who were given "heavenly credentials"?</p><p>When the gospel is presented in the light of the great cosmic Day of Atonement, and the truths of the cross shine clearly, Pentecost can be repeated. The apostles brought to the people the conviction that they had crucified their Lord of glory, and yet there was forgiveness for them. Then only they could truly fear the Lord.</p><p>In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, the apostle Paul notes that some people think he's crazy for wearing himself out in service for Jesus; (he calls himself "a slave of Jesus Christ" Romans 1:1), but he explains that a new motivation has possessed him. "The love of Christ constraineth us." And it's not a shallow sentimentalism, for he says "we judge thus, that if One died for all, then all died" (<em>New King James Version</em>).</p><p>That's a reasonable, common-sense deduction! One-dying-for-all means that if One had not so died, all would be dead. (He clearly saw that the "death" Jesus died was his own second death.) And from that common-sense deduction, Paul's soul is moved with such total gratitude that "henceforth" he can no longer live unto himself; "I am crucified with Christ" becomes his daily heart-choice. No ugly fear clouds the pure flame of his devotion. He is a "slave" of love, a heart appreciation of what it cost the Son of God to save him from hell itself.</p><p align="right">--<em>Paul E. Penno</em></p><p><strong>Endnote:</strong><br>[1] Ellen G. White, <em>Selected Messages</em>, vol. 1, pp. 234, 235.</p><p><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/4zVk5vq5MXdbDSYzLnRz0A/hFDYvVeaqUkJSQ4wGg0DsA" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYjlsN2IDNg</a></p><p>Many of Pastor Penno's sermons are on YouTube in Spanish. Just type <strong>pastor paul penno en español </strong>in the search bar.</p><p>"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/3fNLcIFJ9Ar0PJEnqVhjTQ/hFDYvVeaqUkJSQ4wGg0DsA" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-52883329345793793612020-06-04T04:48:00.001-07:002020-06-04T04:48:46.729-07:00Lesson 10: The Bible as History<div dir="ltr"><div><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:22px"><strong><em>Sabbath School Today</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:20px"><strong>With the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> Message Dynamic</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:20px"><strong><em>How to Interpret Scripture</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Lesson 10: The Bible as History</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Through His covenant promise, God works directly with His agents--Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets--to see that history's prophetic destiny of the promised Messiah is fulfilled. In the "fullness of the time," God sends His Son, the ultimate divine act in human history, to pay the penalty for humanity's rebellion against the divine law of God's government (Gal. 4:4).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">All creation anticipates Christ's proclamation from the cross: "It is finished" (John 19:30). As prophesied, after three days, He breaks free of the tomb, appears to hundreds of people, and ascends to heaven.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">He then goes into the Holy Place to perform His High Priestly ministry before entering the Most Holy in 1844 for the pre-Advent judgment. The prophet Daniel foresaw that it would take 2300 years (Dan. 8:14) for God's people to realize an understanding of the extent of God's purposes in Christ to redeem and eliminate sin through His shed blood.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">When God's judgment is finished, He returns in triumphant glory to claim His ransomed people. The scope of Scripture thus spans the beginning and end of human history.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">No other sacred religious text provides this perspective of totality in time and place. No other books, secular or sacred, contain prophetic messages of God's omniscient foreknowledge and His intervention in human affairs.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Why do we need to go back in history to <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> and devote time to what happened there? <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> marks a significant progression in the understanding of God's people in coming to a full knowledge of the plan of salvation.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Ellen White put it succinctly: "We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history." [1]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Two complimentary dates in Adventist history demand special attention: 1844 and <span class="gmail-il">1888</span>. The first marks the prophetic beginning of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, the Day of Atonement and the beginning of the sounding of the seventh angel's trumpet (Dan. 8:14; Rev. 11:15-19).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The second date marks the beginning of the long-awaited outpouring of the Latter Rain and the loud cry.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">History and inspiration are clear that the Latter Rain and loud cry "special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them" "was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world." [2] This is the <em>primary</em> reason for the long delay in the finishing of our gospel commission. The Lord has not delayed His return; we have delayed it.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">There is no problem facing this worldwide church as serious as our relationship to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead. The Lord's inspired messenger said of the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> experience: "I know that at that time the Spirit of God was insulted." [3] </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Again, "All the universe of heaven witnessed the disgraceful treatment of Jesus Christ, represented by the Holy Spirit. Had Christ been before them they would have treated him in a manner similar to that in which the Jews treated Christ." [4] </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">But what difference does this make to us in 2020? Does this terrible sin of <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> have any appreciable affect on us now?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Yes, this sin does have a serious affect on our relationship to the Holy Spirit today. It has delayed the preparation of God's people for the coming of the Lord for over 130 years.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Sin and guilt are not passed on from our fathers genetically (Eze. 18:19-30). None of us were personally present in <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> to join in that sin, but we are told that "sin has continued its hateful work, reaching from mind to mind" [5] unless repentance takes place.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">For example, the sin of crucifying Christ involves a guilt that includes the "whole world ... all classes and sects who reveal the same spirit ... manifested by those who put to death the Son of God" [6] unless they experience genuine repentance.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">By nature we are not better than those who have gone before us. They insulted the Holy Spirit and showed enmity against Christ through His delegated messengers.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Until full understanding of our history and a full repentance bring full healing and reconciliation, the spiritual alienation will continue. The hard hearts and mind set of our predecessors are passed on to us "through the influence of mind on mind." The Bible declares that this was also the experience of the ancient Jews: "... ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye" (Acts 7:51).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Practically without exception, Seventh-day Adventists recognize our need of the Holy Spirit. Since Ellen White recognized in the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message the beginning of the Latter Rain, there has been no further authenticated manifestation of the Latter Rain. Large numerical increases to the church do not necessarily indicate the reception of the Latter Rain. Christ will reap the mature grain harvest at His coming (Rev. 14:15), which is prepared by the message of the Holy Spirit. This Latter Rain message--the cleansing of the sanctuary--began in our history during the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> era.</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Paul E. Penno</em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Endnotes:</strong><br>[1] <em>Life Sketches of Ellen G. White</em>, p. 196.<br>[2] Ellen G. White, <em>Selected Messages</em>, book 1, pp. 234-235.<br>[3] <em>The</em><em>Ellen G. White <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> Materials</em>, p. 1043 [1892].<br>[4] <em>The</em><em>Ellen G. White <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> Materials</em>, p. 1479.<br>[5] <em>Review and Herald</em>, April 16, 1901.<br>[6] Ellen G. White, <em>Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers</em>, p. 38.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/uvTr6g8RqaPPTBwzkoLo7Q/no763cw1wERWNZskb763AIWbIQ" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRnxZsuK3XQ</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Many of Pastor Penno's sermons are on YouTube in Spanish. Just type <strong>pastor paul penno en español </strong>in the search bar.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/VjTxK2ZDlcMsWHyPA2IlbA/no763cw1wERWNZskb763AIWbIQ" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p></div><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-66570302291009778482020-05-20T05:34:00.001-07:002020-05-20T05:34:38.884-07:00Lesson 8: Creation: Genesis as Foundation--Part 1<div dir="ltr"><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:22px"><strong><em>Sabbath School Today</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:20px"><strong>With the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> Message Dynamic</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:20px"><strong><em>How to Interpret Scripture</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Lesson 8: Creation: Genesis as Foundation--Part 1</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The book of Genesis contains or anticipates all of the truths found in the Bible. In spite of accusations that the stories are myths, our culture borrows freely from it. The question, "am I my brother's keeper," is still a common phrase, though few know its origin. Many other examples come to mind. Some secular universities even teach creation concepts in science classes under the names "creationism" or "intelligent design." Christians know that the word of God contains a power that attends no other written or spoken word. Perhaps students who study this biblical book, even if taught as myth, will come to hear the voice of God.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">God begins His written record with simple words: "in the beginning." We might ask, "the beginning of what?" All creation necessarily has a beginning, but God is eternal and has no beginning. Thus, even though the book begins with "in the beginning" it cannot be referring to God's beginning. This book answers the perennial question, "how did we get here?" That alone justifies including the Genesis account as part of legitimate study.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Jesus Christ Himself is the Beginning (Col. 1:18). He is the beginning of the creation of God (Rev. 3:14). He is the power of God, and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24). He is the one speaking in the eighth chapter of Proverbs saying, "The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was" (Prov. 8:20-23). The words "set up" come from a single Hebrew word meaning "anointed." This word is also used in the second chapter of Psalms, "But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, 'Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee.'" (Psalm 2:4-7, <em>New American Standard Bible</em>).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">How can Jesus be the beginning of creation? It is true that the fleshly body of Jesus had not yet been prepared "in the beginning." However, God is eternal, and He speaks of things that happen in points of time as if they already exist since He cannot lie. In Genesis 3:15 God promised the world a Redeemer Who would accomplish the necessary things to restore fallen mankind to a direct communion with God.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"For Seventh-day Adventists, the book of Genesis is of special significance. Not only does it explain and justify their keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath as a people united in a covenant with the God of Israel, it also substantiates their 'advent' hope, when the world will be restored to its original 'Genesis' state. It is noteworthy that nearly all Seventh-day Adventists beliefs are both found in and founded on this book: the seventh-day Sabbath ... the unity of human nature ... conditional immortality ... the Law of God ... the great controversy ... salvation ... substitutionary atonement ... the practice of tithe ... the ideal of a plant-based diet ... the distinction between clean and unclean meats ... the meaning of baptism (1:1-3; cf. 1 Peter 3:21), the cosmic significance of the sanctuary doctrine ... the creation ... the Trinity ... the responsibility of mission to the nations ... and the gift of prophecy (3:15; 20:6)." [1]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">It is generally accepted that Moses wrote the first five books of the bible of which Genesis is the first. Before the flood people relied on their memories to pass down stories to the next generation. Adam lived for almost a thousand years, so he could verify stories as they were handed down. If anything was written before the flood, nothing has been found. Mankind's life expectancy quickly diminished after the flood. The Genesis account makes no attempt to provide a complete history of everyone in the world before or after the flood, but focuses on the people who believed in the one true God. After the flood, the focus is on Abram, one of apparently few humans who still believed in a single, all-powerful God. He is chosen to begin the nation that Jehovah would use to demonstrate to the world just Who He is and how He deals with humans.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">God called Abram out of Ur, in the Chaldean area at the southwest portion of Babylonian territories. Ur is on the Euphrates river just west of where it joins with the Tigris river, which continues south emptying into the modern day Persian Gulf. These geographic locations still exist, mutely testifying to the accuracy of the Genesis record. The Tigris and Euphrates were originally identified in Genesis 2:10-14 as the third and fourth rivers that arose from the river that God placed in Eden. It seems significant that God did not allow the cataclysmic dynamics of the flood to obliterate two of the four rivers originally placed in the antediluvian world.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Our Quarterly asks the question "What difference does it make to know that you were created by God?" (p. 65). This question goes to the value of a human being. We are told that humans were created in "the image" of God. There is tremendous encouragement in knowing that. Much more value can be given to a human created by God, in His image, compared to the theory that a piece of slime slid off a ledge in some primeval forest and somehow triggered an evolutionary advantage to that particular piece of slime resulting in development of the human race.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Two institutions, marriage and the Sabbath, were created by God at the end of creation week. The concept of "rest" is inherent in both. Since we know that Adam was created on the sixth day, he did not need to rest from labor, but God wanted him to enter into God's rest. The Sabbath was created so mankind could have an entire 24-hour period where he did not need to "labor and do all your work." That is a very practical reason to enter into God's rest, but there are always spiritual aspects in His design. He knew that in addition to physical rest we needed mental rest as well. Focusing our thoughts on our Creator is an essential part of rest, yet so often humans completely ignore this to their detriment.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"But God always was and is everywhere present; why then do not all people have rest?--For the simple reason that as a general thing men do not recognize His presence, nor even His existence. Instead of taking God into account in all the affairs of life, most people live as though He did not exist. 'Without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is.' Heb. 11:6. This shows that the general inability to please God, and so to find rest, arises from practical unbelief that He exists." [2]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The "rest" inherent in marriage also has practical and spiritual implications. "In Christ we have the rest and the inheritance; but in order to be made partakers of Christ we must 'hold fast the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.' Heb. 3:14." [3]There is no rest out of Christ, either in marriage or on the Sabbath. It is significant that in order to adequately create "man in our image" two separate beings were required.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The relationship of marriage is also used to represent the relationship Jesus wants to have with His church. Yet Christ told the disciples, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">A happy marriage is one in which the husband and wife are committed to making things work even though there will be "tribulation." The knowledge that both respect their marital commitment produces a restful relationship. Likewise, Christ has fulfilled His commitment to the church. He made promises to restore the broken relationship to Adam and Eve. He worked out a righteousness that the bride requires to "make herself ready" and paid the penalty for sin at the cross. All the bride needs to do is enter into that rest by faith.</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Arlene Hill</em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Endnotes:</strong><br>[1] Jacques B. Doukhan, <em>Seventh-day Adventist International Bible Commentary,</em>p. 22.<br>[2] Ellet J. Waggoner, <em>The Everlasting Covenant: God's Promises to Us, </em>pp. 283-284; Glad Tidings ed., 2002.<br>[3] Ibid., p. 288.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/ls5Z0MrVKz63892ASHTXAqhg/e27WQ8zrUWk892LFhS8VtGug" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXLvWsFVivg</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Many of Pastor Penno's sermons are on YouTube in Spanish. Just type <strong>pastor paul penno en español </strong>in the search bar.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/nDGo0xdykGMJmv2DzoKnPw/e27WQ8zrUWk892LFhS8VtGug" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-64702935400701317882020-05-07T05:44:00.000-07:002020-05-07T05:45:09.020-07:00Lesson 6: Why Is Interpretation Needed?<div dir="ltr"><p align="center"><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Lesson 6: Why Is Interpretation Needed?</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>"Interpretation"</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">To interpret means to explain what is unintelligible,--to put that which is vague and mysterious into plain language.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>The Bible Plain. </strong>But the Bible does not stand in need of this. It is simple and plain to those who are simple enough to believe just what it says, without trying to make it fit their ideas.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Light. </strong>David said, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). A light is for the purpose of making other things clear; but a light which could not be seen without the aid of another light, would not be much of a light.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>All Light. </strong>Even the most difficult portions of the Bible are for the purpose of giving light. "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19). "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou halt hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast: revealed them unto babes" (Matt. 11:25).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>The Difficulty. </strong>How is it, then, that people find such difficulty in understanding the Bible? It is because there is a settled conviction in the minds of most people that the Bible does not mean what it says. Accordingly people will go everywhere except to the Bible, to find out the meaning of the Bible. They get from some source or other an idea of what the Bible means, and then try to fit the language of the Bible to that idea. This makes necessary a "system of interpretation;" and as different classes of people have different ideas, so there are different systems of interpretation, and all tend to obscure the light.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Teachers. </strong>Is there, then, no need of teachers? Indeed there is. The gift of teaching is third in order of the gifts of Christ, and is above the gift of working miracles. See 1 Corinthians 12:28. But remember that it is a gift of the Spirit. Teaching the Bible properly does not consist in "interpreting" it by human wisdom, but in "comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Cor. 2:12, 13), by the aid of the Spirit, whose office it is to guide into all truth (John 16:13).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Example of Christ. </strong>Jesus, the great Teacher, who was anointed with the Holy Spirit for the purpose of preaching the Gospel to the poor, occupied His time in directing the minds of the people to the Word. They could not understand it because they had glossed it over so much with human speculation and tradition. See Matthew 15:3, 6-9; John 5:46, 47.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>The Walk to Emmaus. </strong>When He walked with the two disciples to Emmaus, "He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:27). That is, as they had been slow of heart to believe, He set the Scriptures so plainly before them that they could not help seeing them as they were, and, referring to the matter, they said, "Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?" (verse 32).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>The Opened Word. </strong>That is what is wanted. Let the Scriptures be opened. "The opening of Thy words giveth light" (Psalm 119:130). For they themselves are light. "It giveth understanding to the simple." What is necessary is that we should consider what the Lord says, and He will give us "understanding in all things" (2 Tim. 2:7).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Rest on the Word. </strong>Before the crucifixion Jesus had told the disciples these things. He had spoken plainly of His coming decease. But the difficulty was that they did not listen to what He said. Their thoughts were on their own plans, their own ideas as to how it ought to be, and notwithstanding the plainest statements, they did not hear what He told them. Now, when the Lord had been removed from their sight, and they failed to recognise Him on the walk to Emmaus, He directed their minds to the Word, and they saw what they could not see before because they listened to it without preconceived opinions and plans of their own. It is evident that "their eyes were holden that they should not know Him" in order that their faith might rest on the Scriptures alone, and that having found Christ and His life in the Word their faith might stand when His visible presence was removed from them.</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--Ellet J. Waggoner, one of the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> "messengers"<br><em>The Present Truth</em>, vol. 11, no. 38, (Sept. 19, 1895), pp. 593, 594.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/kXtj9u7yXQBTKBlCyqTrAg/8jXLBcFBgkoeyALJDaXD7g" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvqzZooyJZw</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Many of Pastor Penno's sermons are on YouTube in Spanish. Just type <strong>pastor paul penno en español </strong>in the search bar.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/ZbyNKjSZ0gaI7635xD6emZSA/8jXLBcFBgkoeyALJDaXD7g" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-32018513290701609022020-04-30T02:00:00.001-07:002020-04-30T02:00:36.669-07:00Lesson 5: By Scripture Alone--Sola Scriptura<div dir="ltr"><p align="center"><span style="font-size:22px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong><em>Sabbath School Today</em></strong></span></span><br><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>With the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> Message Dynamic</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong><em>How to Interpret Scripture</em></strong></span></span><br><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Lesson 5: By Scripture Alone--<em>Sola Scriptura</em></strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message is all about "sola scriptura"--the Bible "alone" as its source. The message is not opinion or imagination, but was gleaned from God's holy Word by two men who were avid Bible students.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The General Conference Session that was held at Minneapolis in the fall of <span class="gmail-il">1888</span>, opened with a Bible Institute that convened October 10. The general business session began on October 18 and ran more than two full weeks, ending on Sunday November 4. This church conference was one of the most significant meetings ever convened by the church. At those meetings, God attempted to shed light on the fact that the church leaders had succumbed to legalism in their presentation of the message of Christ's second coming.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The leaders, especially George I. Butler, Uriah Smith, and J.H. Morrison, arrayed their influence against A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner, two young men from California. Butler had been president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church since 1872. Smith was the first secretary of the General Conference, elected in 1863 and served in 1876 as the General Conference treasurer. Smith began working in the offices of <em>Advent Review and Sabbath Herald</em>in 1853 and became its editor in 1855, a position he was repeatedly elected to for more than 45 years.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Jones and Waggoner were considered "up-starts" and untrained in theology. Jones served in the army, and during that time he developed a passionate interest in ancient history. Beginning in 1887, Jones became the editor of the <em>American Sentinel,</em>the magazine that eventually became the church's official organ of the religious liberty department of the church (<em>Liberty</em>magazine). In 1897, Jones was appointed editor of the <em>Review and Herald</em>magazine. He held this position until 1901. Uriah Smith worked as his associate editor. From 1901 to 1903, Jones served as president of the California Conference. Waggoner was a medical doctor, who in 1883 stopped practicing medicine and became the assistant editor for the <em>Signs of the Times</em>, serving under his father.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The opposers of the message presented at the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> General Conference Session claimed that Jones was cocky, arrogant and lacked respect for the older brethren who had been at the head of the work for many years. They considered Waggoner's views on the law in Galatians chapter 3 to be Biblically unsound, and a detriment to the Adventist evangelism work because, to Butler and Smith, it undermined their foundation for preaching the Sabbath commandment.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Because Waggoner had published an article in the <em>Signs of the Times</em>that was strongly opposed by Smith and Butler, "the law in Galatians" became the topic of controversy at Minneapolis. When A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner were challenged on their presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His righteousness as the only source of our salvation, they stood before the Minneapolis conference delegates and presented their case entirely from Scripture.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">In reply to their opponents at that conference Jones and Waggoner stood before the delegates with their open Bibles, nothing more. Waggoner read a verse, and then Jones read a verse, and so it went until they had presented the entire message from their Bibles alone. It would do us well if we dwelt upon the verses they presented, studying them deeply, just as Waggoner and Jones did. It was through a deep, prayerful, Holy Spirit-led study of these verses that they arrived at the truths they presented at Minneapolis. When we become thoroughly conversant in these verses--having knowledge and experience in them--then we will be able to defend the message of Christ and His righteousness against any dissenter.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Waggoner opened their presentation by reading Jeremiah 23:5-7. Jones followed by reading Ephesians 2:4-8. Waggoner: Galatians 2:16-21; Jones: Romans 11:1-33. Waggoner: Romans 1:14-17; Jones: Romans 2:12-29. Waggoner: the whole of Galatians chapter 3; Jones: the whole of Romans chapter 3. Waggoner: Galatians 5:1-6; Jones: Romans 9:7-33. Waggoner: the whole of Galatians chapter 2; Jones: Romans 4:1-11. Waggoner: the whole of Romans chapter 5; Jones: Romans 1:15-17. Waggoner: Romans 8:14-39; Jones: 1 John 5:1-4. [1]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">When Jones and Waggoner completed their readings, they calmly took their seats without further comment. The men gathered in that small church in Minneapolis were stunned into silence.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The following summer, Mrs. White was asked whether she endorsed the message presented by Jones and Waggoner and her reply was: "When Brother Waggoner brought out these ideas in Minneapolis, it was the first clear teaching on this subject from any human lips I had heard, excepting the conversations between myself and my husband. I have said to myself, It is because God has presented it to me in vision that I see it so clearly, and they [the church leaders who were in opposition] cannot see it because they have never had it presented to them as I have. And when another presented it, every fiber of my heart said, Amen." [2]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Ellen White called the message of Christ and His righteousness that Jones and Waggoner taught at Minneapolis in <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> "the most precious message," because it brought "more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God." [3]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">This statement flies in the face of those who claimed during that time of early opposition that Waggoner's view on the law in Galatians destroyed their foundation for presenting commandment-keeping, especially Sabbath-keeping. Ellen White recognized that when we believe the message we will become commandment-keepers by faith, and not commandment-keepers by works, striving to keep the law in our own power. In his treatise on the Book of Galatians, Waggoner wrote that we "become doers of the law." This is what "righteous" means--a doer of the law by faith in the power of Christ to work out His own character in our lives. "How shall we become doers of the law, and thus escape wrath, or the curse? The answer is, 'He who through faith is righteous shall live.' By faith, not by works, we become doers of the law! 'With the heart man believeth unto righteousness.' (Romans 10:10)." [4]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Today many voices are being raised proclaiming that overcoming sin is an impossibility, and some even claim that overcoming is not necessary for "salvation." God just "declares" us saved and that's enough to get us a "ticket" into heaven at the second coming of Christ. These voices tell us that there is no such thing as a "final generation" through whom God will demonstrate His righteous character of love to the dying world. The increasing argument is that no character change is necessary; no true heart obedience is required. But people who make this claim are "false guideposts."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"I have no smooth message to bear to those who have been so long as false guideposts, pointing the wrong way. If you reject Christ's delegated messengers, you reject Christ. Neglect this great salvation, kept before you for years, despise this glorious offer of justification through the blood of Christ and sanctification through the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit, and there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation." [5]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Let us be like A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner, diligent students of the Bible, searching for the deep things of God that we may present them clearly to anyone who asks us. In this way, we will be true Protestants and able to stand in the final hours of this earth's history.</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Ann Walper</em></span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Endnotes:</strong><br>[1] From R. T. Nash, "An Eye Witness Account," <em>Manuscripts and Memories of Minneapolis <span class="gmail-il">1888</span></em>, p. 35.<br>[2] Ellen G. White, Manuscript 5, 1889, 10; Sermon, Rome, New York, June 19, 1889.<br>[3] Ellen G. White, <em>Testimonies to Ministers</em>, pp. 91, 92.<br>[4] E. J. Waggoner, <em>The Glad Tidings</em>, p. 58.<br>[5] <em>Testimonies to Ministers</em>, p. 97.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/rSW1TbSQ8920bI892HkS2yXFUA/9rYkzC9LlqOpXiu3RZW63w" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Puaf-WdyZHE</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Many of Pastor Penno's sermons are on YouTube in Spanish. Just type <strong>pastor paul penno en español </strong>in the search bar.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/MMei89235fJxkoFhmFn2hTGQ/9rYkzC9LlqOpXiu3RZW63w" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-11903845728419488102020-04-23T03:44:00.001-07:002020-04-23T03:44:55.007-07:00Lesson 4: The Bible--the Authoritative Source of Our Theology<div dir="ltr"><p align="center"><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Lesson 4: The Bible--the Authoritative Source of Our Theology</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The disciples asked Jesus the question, "When shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" (Matt. 24:3). He replied: "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying. I am Christ; and shall deceive many" (vss. 4 and 5). "There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" (v. 24).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The very fact that there are hundreds of different church theologies, all claiming to be right, is in itself one of the signs that Jesus foretold. People are puzzled by the fact that there are so many different religions. They cannot all be right! In the theological confusion that prevails, many people are being deceived as Jesus said they would be.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">In order to avoid being deceived, we must study for ourselves the clear teachings of the Holy Bible. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20). "Thy word is truth" (John 17:17). Not miracles and wonders, nor the size of the churches, but teaching of <em>theological truth is </em>the test by which we are to know which is the right way.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">We want to encourage you to ask God to give you a "hunger and thirst after righteousness" as Jesus said (Matt. 5:6), a desire to know the theological truth that He has revealed in His word, the Bible. It's "blessed" to sense that hunger for Bible truth that is stronger than our natural-born infatuation with fictional portrays and sports. It's impossible to know "the love of the Father" (which is all-important) if our love is "for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:15, 16).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">In fact, a love for the word of God is an absolute miracle for any of us, because no one is born with it; it must be acquired as a gift of the Holy Spirit. If you are praying for a new luxury car, your prayer may or may not be answered as you want; but for sure, if you pray for the dear Lord to give you that hunger for biblical theology, He will respond positively. But don't pray like a child asking for something from the toy storewhich tomorrow he forgets he ever wanted; be serious, be persistent. Let the Lord see that you mean business.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">And while you are praying, remember to ask for God to give you good common sense to go along with your "hunger for righteousness" that will enable you to distinguish between solid biblical theological truth and the multitude of clever counterfeits that the devil is constantly prompting people to come up with. There are people who are wiser and better informed than you; "he that walketh with wise men shall be wise" (Prov. 13:20). But some people who think they know the Bible and love to talk (and write!) their ideas are fools, for "in the multitude of words there wanteth not sin" (Prov. 10:19). Ask God to give you grace to tell the difference. John says, "Believe not every spirit, but try [test] the spirits whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The evidence that we truly believe in Him will be seen in the quality of the spiritual food, or refreshing "water of life," that we share with others. It's what Paul said is "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5), which is "the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16). New Covenant truth is the explosive "gospel." This is what we're beginning to see as a result of believing this important aspect of the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">A prayer that is according to the will of God (1 John 5:14) and therefore sure to be answered in our behalf is a prayer for understanding of the pure truth of the New Covenant in contrast to the Old; the Old leans toward bondage (Gal. 4:24). For sure, that is not "water of life"! Only the New Covenant has life in it.</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Paul E. Penno</em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/pGYzo3GarWNTckwYlYES3Q/4tVIb8ckUwnoeUJXty2UaQ" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCfZjSxyJCY</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Many of Pastor Penno's sermons are on YouTube in Spanish. Just type <strong>pastor paul penno en español </strong>in the search bar.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/EzRzxjX1N05kKmpX3z763iNg/4tVIb8ckUwnoeUJXty2UaQ" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-36731028878105192982020-04-16T04:58:00.000-07:002020-04-16T04:59:10.067-07:00Lesson 3: Jesus and the Apostles’ View of the Bible<div dir="ltr"><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Lesson 3: Jesus and the Apostles' View of the Bible</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:16px"><strong>"Jesus and the Law"</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Ellen White declared in 1889, that before <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> "we" had "preached the law until we [were] as dry as the hills of Gilboa that had neither dew nor rain." [1] "We" thought we were doing great, fulfilling Revelation 12:17 and 13:12: we were the wonderful "remnant" distinguished by "keeping the commandments of God." Then came <span class="gmail-il">1888</span>!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">During those pre-<span class="gmail-il">1888</span> years we lacked what later came as "a most precious message." The gospel was far better than "we" had thought it could be.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The basic theme that permeates what we hear in pulpits and at camp meetings is that in order to be saved there are three things we must <em>do</em>: (1) Read the Bible, (2) pray, and (3) witness. The theme is played almost endlessly, "Maintain your relationship with the Lord," which means get up in the morning, read something devotional, and pray. Once we get far enough along that we have what we think is a "relationship," it's commonly understood that <em>maintaining</em>it is the believer's job.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">And here's where we often fall down. We forget or we get too busy, and then it seems the Lord is far away. And of course it's all our fault, isn't it? So … enter Old covenant guilt. Ever since <em>Early Writings</em>was written (1850) we had been praying for the Lord to send the "latter rain." And now at last in <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> He did so with refreshing advance "showers" in a message that startled and even alarmed "us."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The question naturally arises, How does the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message (which Ellen White endorsed so heartily) relate to God's law? Does it proclaim cheap grace? Does it encourage disobedience to the law of God? Does the message lower church standards? Does it dwell too much on the cross of Christ and what happened there, and then neglect to remind us of our works, the obedience we must continually demonstrate?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">We know that Ellen White was overjoyed to hear A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner present the message. She declared it to be the clearest presentations of the gospel she had heard publicly "for the last 45 years." [2] She also said that if they had not brought the message, we wouldn't have had it, meaning that the Lord laid a burden on them He had not laid on her. [3] If in any way their message weakens obedience to God's law, it could not be "precious," let alone "<em>most</em>precious." What made her so happy was that their understanding of justification by faith was fresh, unique, and dynamic. It set the law before the people in its true light. She was painfully aware that the views held by the Sunday-keeping Evangelical churches denigrated God's law, declaring either (1) that it had been abolished at the cross or (2) it was impossible for us fallen humans to obey. Either way, this popular view of justification by faith was employed to refute the Sabbath truth. She rejoiced that the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message presented the Ten Commandments as ten promises—glorifying obedience.</span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>God's Ten Commandments Become Good News!</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Rightly understood, the Ten Commandments, which people have long thought spoil our fun ("Don't do this!" or "Don't do that!"), turn out to be ten categories of Good News if we understand why God gave them. This discovery is lifting heavy burdens from tired hearts all over the world.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">For example, when the commandment reads, "You shall not steal!" what it actually says is that God will save you from ever stealing even a shoelace! You'll never have a problem, even if you're alone in the treasurer's office with a million dollars on the desk. <em>God will save you from stealing</em>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">It is the talked-about topic in some of the highest placed circles of Bible scholars. As the Internet is a discovery that has revolutionized modern communications, so this discovery of Bible truth revolutionizes the preaching of the gospel worldwide. People are waking up as from a dream; the Ten Commandments have become Good News! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Now at last we can experience the freedom that the Bible has been telling us but which seemed so difficult to understand: "Oh, how I <em>love</em>thy law! [not many of us have ever felt <em>that</em>way!] It is my meditation all the day [boring, we have thought!]. Thou, through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies; … I have more understanding than all my teachers, … I understand more than the ancients, … How sweet are thy words unto my taste … sweeter than honey to my mouth! [this <em>will </em>be a miracle!] Through thy precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way" (Psalm 119:97-104). Most people have never begun to discover this joy. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Even church-goers have usually had a love/hate relationship with the Ten Commandments. The law has seemed like a heavy burden, ten precepts carved in cold stone, heavy prohibitions that crush out all the joy of life. Everything that was fun doing seemed to be, "You shall not!" The Ten Commandments seemed like roadblocks in the highway of happiness.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Yet deep in our human hearts we have realized that it's wrong to break them; suffering must be the result either in this life or in the next. Yet we just couldn't know how to keep them, let alone <em>love </em>them. They seemed too hard.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Now comes this fantastic revelation: The Ten Commandments are actually ten assurances of victory. And what we have to do is different than the "Do this or else!" rules we have thought them to be: our job is to <em>believe</em>the Good News that God has embedded in them. Then faith will work to produce a loving obedience.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">First comes an astounding disclosure: probably we have been misquoting the Ten Commandments without realizing what we've done. Whoever taught them to us since we were kids usually left out one verse that God put in at the very beginning, before any of the prohibitions. Leave it out and the Ten indeed become Bad News, a "yoke of bondage."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Here it is—the missing verse that belongs at the beginning of any true version of the Ten Commandments:</span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><em>"And God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am the Lord thy God, <br>which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, <br>out of the house of bondage'"</em>(Ex. 20:1, 2).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">There are some dynamite-like truths implicit here that can shake the earth.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">First, God tells us what His true name is: "The Lord." Second, this neglected verse tells us that He is everybody's God, "I am the Lord <em>thy </em>God." Third, in His Preamble God tells us that we don't belong in spiritual Egypt. Fourth, God has <em>already </em>delivered you "out of the house of bondage." Fifth, such Good News is true because the Son of God became incarnate.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><em>"Godly fear" is appropriate for any true-hearted Christian.</em>Jesus describes a group who will appear before Him in judgment at last. They think they have "kept the commandments." But Jesus must tell them sorrowfully, "I never knew you" (Matt. 7:21-23). What could have gone wrong? Their good "works" were "wonderful." </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Paul can help us understand this: these dear people had misunderstood what true commandment-keeping is. It <em>does</em>include Sabbath-keeping, health reform, tithe-paying, all the good works we can think of; but it fails to be true obedience unless it is motivated by <em>agape</em>: "Love [<em>agape</em>] worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love [<em>agape</em>in the original] is the fulfiling of the law" (Rom. 13:10).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Popular Christianity, which teaches that we can be saved <em>in </em>sin rather than <em>from</em>it, fails to grasp the import of <em>agape</em>because people generally hold to the natural immortality of the soul. The world needs to hear the "most precious message," which if proclaimed will be "Pentecost" over again.</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>From the writings of Robert J. Wieland</em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Endnotes:</strong><br>[1] <em>Review and Herald</em>, March 11, 1890.<br>[2] <em>The Ellen G. White <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> Materials</em>, pp. 348, 349.<br>[3] Ibid., p. 608. Ellen White never claimed that she herself was bringing the message of the latter rain or the loud cry; she said that of their message.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/enIt3RznvQszxsp2vyuulQ/om1KpUllQGnPkUK5C892y3uQ" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70f4cnIo8R0</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Many of Pastor Penno's sermons are on YouTube in Spanish. Just type <strong>pastor paul penno en español </strong>in the search bar.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/DXIDZ5lE9a892AK0lKXJAY1A/om1KpUllQGnPkUK5C892y3uQ" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-85161462564190612372020-04-08T22:57:00.001-07:002020-04-08T22:57:51.151-07:00Lesson 2: The Origin and Nature of the Bible<div dir="ltr"><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Lesson 2: The Origin and Nature of the Bible</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Why are there so many versions of the bible? When the Godhead saw fit to send Jesus to this earth to be incarnated as a human being, God was trying to reveal Himself to us in a way that words cannot convey. Isn't that enough?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"The Bible, with its God-given truths expressed in the language of men, presents a union of the divine and the human. Such a union existed in the nature of Christ, who was the Son of God and the Son of man. Thus it is true of the Bible, as it was of Christ, that 'the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.' John 1:14." [1]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Why is faith necessary to accept anything anyone (even God) says? When someone states that something is a fact, why should he or she be believed? An example of this is your name. How did you learn what your name is? Your mother, father, and extended family probably told you your name, and that has been attached to you ever since. What if they were wrong? Well, you say you trust your mother, father, and family to tell you the truth. That's where the "faith" comes in.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Since the Bible is an assembly of many different writers over a long period of history, why do we have a Bible limited to 66 books, to the exclusion of many other writings during the same period of time? Without going into detail, it is true that the early church leadership looked at many different writings before accepting the Bible we now have. There are people who believe the Bible has left some things out, such as the Apocrypha. A careful examination quickly shows us that these writings are not inherently consistent with the Bible writers.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">An example of this is the Song of Solomon. Some folks think that book shouldn't be included in the Bible, claiming that there are no references to it in the New Testament. Let's see if that is true. In Song of Solomon, chapter 3, the bride begins a description of a troubled dream she had. She is seeking after her beloved but cannot find him. The rest of the book is a description of the deep feelings between a man and a woman who love each other and want to get married. That is an apt description of Christ who is waiting for His church to "make herself ready" but, because of apathy, she is delaying.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Jesus said "I am the door of the sheep. ... I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture" (John 10:7-9). In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">For years, scholars missed this obvious connection between an Old and New Testament book. It is evidence of God's patience that He made sure that the Song of Solomon be included in the Bible, even though, at the time, people didn't completely understand its significance.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Why should we believe the Bible writers were inspired just because they claim to be? How do we know what to believe? These questions usually come from people who haven't read much of the Bible, or they have read compilations of various verses that present a distorted view of the Bible. Most importantly, they have not had the experience of hearing the subtle promptings by the Holy Spirit as they read the word of God. This is personal, it cannot be shared.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">It is impossible to understand the gospel without the Bible. The people who lived on this earth while Christ was here had the entire Old Testament but they failed to recognize Him. They hadn't experienced Him through the scriptures.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, ... He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. ... He was pierced through for our transgressions, ... He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth" (Isa. 53:1-7). This passage by itself should have been enough to identify Jesus as the predicted Messiah, but since they were expecting an earthly king, preconceived notions got in the way.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">So many times people reject the Bible because of the preconceived notions they got from others. People believe that the Bible requires them to be good before they come to God. They are burdened and heavy-laden and don't see how they could ever be that good, so they avoid anything to do with "religion." It would be better if they would just read the Bible and worry about "religion" later. Jesus told the burdened and heavy-laden to simply come to Him and He would give them rest. What a shame that folks allow lies to prevent them from simply reading to see if the Bible really says what they have been told. They will never know the will of God for them if they avoid reading anything in the Bible. The minute these people suffer any difficulty, they blame God.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The will of God is therefore something to rejoice in and not something to be merely endured. Even though it involves suffering, it is for our good and is designed to work "for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor. 4:17). </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Here is the comfort of knowing the will of God. He wills our deliverance from the bondage of sin: therefore we can pray with the utmost confidence and with thanksgiving, for 'this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him' 1 John 5:14, 15, <em>King James Version</em>." [2]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">There would be no <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message without the Bible. It is the essence of the "everlasting gospel." The Word of God will convince, convert, regenerate, sustain, and comfort every heart that receives it. If you are having trouble "believing," just keep reading His Word, and pray for discernment to understand what God is saying to you. God will always reward such a prayer.</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Arlene Hill</em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Endnotes:</strong><br>[1] Ellen G. White, <em>The Great Controversy</em>, p. vi.<br>[2] E. J. Waggoner, <em>The Glad Tidings, </em>p. 14; CFI ed. (2016).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Bible texts are from the <em>New American Standard Bible</em>, unless cited otherwise.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/UV75MO7bG8Ce5XfgUch2lA/TnSYZOOYA12sB763j7yOnajw" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNea1d2Fha0</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/WHEnOmdmTIDUnqWzmtbq2w/TnSYZOOYA12sB763j7yOnajw" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-11000305575172391242020-03-26T03:38:00.001-07:002020-03-26T03:38:18.643-07:00Lesson 13: From Dust to Stars<div dir="ltr"><div><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:22px"><strong><em>Sabbath School Today</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:20px"><strong>With the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> Message Dynamic</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:20px"><strong><em>Daniel</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Lesson 13: From Dust to Stars</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">One discerning writer says that "it is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality; but this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal." [1]</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Don't forget that Daniel adds some tremendous "good news" about this time of trouble: "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: ... and ... thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book" (Daniel 12:1).</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Michael is another name for Christ which means, "Who is like God?" The angel who was talking with Daniel probably used the name to emphasize the divine-human character of the mighty One who steps forward in the final crisis for the defense of His people. To "stand up" is an idiom to describe how a king takes over his throne and assumes complete control. The idea is clear: Jesus won't be asleep during the time of trouble!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">For Him to "stand up" means that He will enter into a new nearness with His people, something never before realized. He will become a Bridegroom and they will become His bride. Revelation pictures the sublime excitement of this new relationship: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready" (Rev. 19:7). There is an intimacy in marriage that no other relationship can approach. And a bride not only loves her bridegroom; she can't help but respect and trust him implicitly. She is ready to go with him anywhere, even to perils. She will gladly share all his future experiences. She is even jealous to share his sorrows and pain.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">No way will the Lord allow this coming time of trouble to take place until His people collectively "marry" Christ in that capacity as a bride. And this means for them a growing-up "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13) like a bride is grown-up to be able to stand by the side of her bridegroom at the wedding.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">A wedding means that now the bridegroom and bride will begin sharing life together. This explains how the coming time of trouble will be the "honeymoon" for Christ and His bride. They will get to know each other intimately as they share the excitement of that time. And if there is to be any pain and sorrow endured by God's people in the time of trouble, you can be sure that Christ will suffer it as much as they.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">He is not the one who brings on the time of trouble; He will not cause it in any way. He would love to return the second time in perfectly peaceful circumstances; the time of trouble was never His idea. It is Satan's idea of a farewell party for the saints of God. It will be brought on entirely by the machinations of the wicked who let their hatred of God erupt into a final frenzy of rebellion. Christ will meet this head on as "Michael," the Son of God to be sure; but also the Son of man "not ashamed" to call us "brethren" (Heb. 2:14-18). He is a partaker of our "flesh and blood," the new Head of the human race, 100% human as well as 100% divine. Single-handedly He takes on the combined enmity of hell and of the apostate human race in the final defense of His people.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">So we conclude this series of studies on the Book of Daniel with the standing up of "Michael"--the most solemn, awe-inspiring act humans have ever had a chance to see. All the Star Wars and Superman epics of fiction will be eclipsed by the grandeur of His final campaign when He sallies forth (Rev. 19:11-15).</span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Paul E. Penno</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Endnote:</strong><br>[1] Ellen G. White, <em>The Great Controversy</em>, p. 622.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/st9892Jqop6UT51X763VlviRMQ/aH5L71GavAgSScYmZT2HEw" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQtfeyWZ3Jg</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/K9892763glh892Sr9FCR4XVVdi6g/aH5L71GavAgSScYmZT2HEw" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></p></div><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-59279963927499484262020-03-20T01:41:00.001-07:002020-03-20T01:41:36.529-07:00Lesson 12: From North and South to the Beautiful Land<div dir="ltr"><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Lesson 12: From North and South to the Beautiful Land</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Perplexity" is the word that the Son of God used to describe the kind of international stalemate that characterizes the relations between the Western World and the Middle East. The ABCs have been trying to find the elusive XYZs of peace. And Christ's word is right on. He said that "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be. ... upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity" (Luke 21:24, 25). Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians want all-out war, but their religious traditions are in total conflict over the fate of the tiny Old City of Jerusalem. Strange, that in our age of economic and political euphoria that mysterious Middle Eastern "city" still dominates world attention.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The words of Jesus are solemn, but cryptic. Prominent church leaders don't know for sure how to understand what He meant; and there are the equally mysterious chapters of Daniel 11 and 12 where the prophet spoke of political (and religious) developments centering in Jerusalem (the city "between the seas in the glorious holy mountain") as signaling the time for Christ to "stand up" at the beginning of the "time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time" (11:45; 12:1). One's heart goes out to all political leaders who sincerely have been agonizing over what to do to prevent bloodshed.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The religious traditions of Jews and Muslims are deeply rooted and take us back to the biblical beginnings of the present tensions--the Old and New Covenants in the Book of Genesis (we take notice of this because of the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> Message bringing to our attention the two covenants).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">In the last Book of the Bible we are introduced to God's solution to the crisis: the proclamation of a Good News New Covenant message that will "lighten the earth with glory" (Rev. 18:1-4). It will penetrate even to those deep roots of conviction that motivate Jews and Muslims. How that "loud cry" message will capture their attention is something only God knows. But it will; and it deserves our solemn attention just now. In that same Luke 21 Jesus says the time for fun and games is over (vss. 34-36).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Daniel 11 is probably the longest, most detailed prophecy of the Bible. It mentions wars, persecution, and suffering in connection with alliances and conflicts. National politics, world governments, and power plays involving nations and ideological factions seem overwhelming. All of this can easily cause believers to retreat or, just as dangerously, to embrace worldly methods to advance God's work. Many Christians have fallen into either of these extremes. Some have cowed before the challenge, while others have joined the world in an attempt to advance God's kingdom.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Beyond this important lesson, what else can we learn from Daniel 11 that is relevant and meaningful to our lives? This complex chapter shows that the powers of the world by themselves can neither thwart nor advance God's work.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Daniel 11 focuses on the kings of the north and the south because God's people, living between the warring parties, would be affected by the war and, ultimately, become the target of the final attack. However, as the prophecy reaches its climax, it becomes evident that the God who stands above and behind the unfolding military, political, and religious events will destroy the enemy.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">As the prophecy unfolds, there arises "one who imposes taxes on the glorious kingdom" (Dan. 11:20). Historicist interpreters have identified this ruler as Caesar Augustus, who ordered the census that led to Jesus' birth in Bethlehem (Luke 2:1). Next, the prophecy predicts the rise of "a vile person" who has no legitimate claim to the throne and who destroys the "prince of the covenant" (Dan. 11:21, 22).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Augustus Caesar was a man of peace. He was famous as a "raiser of taxes." Luke speaks of "a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed" (Luke 2:1), at the time that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Augustus' days were the "glory of the kingdom" of Rome. Peace was universal, corruption had been curbed, justice was maintained, and learning was promoted. He died a few years after the birth of Christ, not at the hand of assassins as happened so often, but peacefully in bed.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">But Another was "broken" during the reign of Tiberius Caesar--the Prince of the Covenant, the Christ, the Son of God, mentioned as the "Messiah the Prince" in Daniel 9:25-27. This was the one great event of all world history. Rising above the stormy waves of a sea of corrupt human history, stands this eternal Rock of Ages--the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, whence we have everlasting salvation.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The death of Christ, the "Prince of the covenant," confirms beyond all doubt the interpretation of these verses in Daniel 11. Christ died only once, under only one government, under only one Roman emperor--Tiberius Caesar. Like an expert surveying land, we see this landmark as making certain our understanding so far of the history in this prophecy.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">People from the four quarters of the earth gathered around Christ in His last hours. The Greeks representing the cultured and proud of earth, came saying, "We would see Jesus" (John 12:21). The thief, representing the fallen failures of human life, repented as he was crucified with Jesus. The Roman soldier, a European, was convicted and said, "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matt. 27:54). Simon of Cyrene from North Africa bore His heavy cross to Calvary, the first of hundreds of thousands of Africans who since have gladly shared the sufferings of Christ.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Could it be that what was "present truth" then is still present truth today? It was indeed the intention of Jesus Christ to have returned to earth to claim His people within the lifetime of those who first began to understand Daniel and Revelation in the opening of "the time of the end" (1798). The Millerites' prophetic expositions were carefully studied; their conclusions were conscientious and reasonable. Truth is still truth.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">God's word has not failed, but God's people have failed to "follow on" to grasp the ever-developing "light" of justification by faith. Their failures have delayed the final victorious conclusion of "the great controversy between Christ and Satan." The delay has not been due to faulty prophetic understandings, but to a failure to grasp the self-humbling revelations of "the everlasting gospel." It must yet "lighten the earth with glory" when the fourth angel's message of Revelation 18 is finally proclaimed clearly.</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Paul E. Penno</em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/xJpPfOGyb1ODtR5HcjAaaw/ikgSTg67UgmGc08W8hFQ5A" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P2ahxIYLAE</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/az32QV3qJEuoz892eVU5P9Cg/ikgSTg67UgmGc08W8hFQ5A" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-35429298419736826422020-03-13T02:13:00.001-07:002020-03-13T02:13:21.720-07:00Lesson 11: From Battle to Victory<div dir="ltr"><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Lesson 11: From Battle to Victory</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Daniel chapter 10 is a link between the vision of the 490 years probation for the Jewish nation after their return from Babylonian captivity (9:24-27), and the final vision of world history to the "time of the end" (chapters 11 and 12). It is fascinating because it gives us a behind-the-scenes view of the way God intercedes to beat back the powers of darkness that is hindering His work.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The misunderstanding concerning "the daily" and what the "prince of the host" is, shows up again in Thursday's lesson. The "prince of the host" is not Christ. Neither is Daniel 8:11 referring to a heavenly "host" or angels. The "host" in Daniel 8:11 is the pagan military "host" that gave his power to the rising papacy in A.D. 508, when the Frankish king, Clovis, was baptized into the papal church, and surrendered his entire army to the service of the bishop of Rome. In that way, paganism was "absorbed into" and exalted in the papal, "little horn" system.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">If this view is not accepted as correct, then there is no explanation for the 1290 years in Daniel 12:11, which is speaking of the very same "desolating power" that is prophesied in Daniel 8:9-12; 9:27, and 11:31. "Those who hold to the view that the 'daily' refers to the continual priestly ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary and to the true worship of Christ in the gospel age find no satisfactory explanation of this text [Daniel 12:11]." [1]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Just as Satan was interfering with God's work in returning the Jews to Jerusalem and reestablishing them there as a sovereign nation (see Ezra 7:25, 26) in preparation for the first advent of Christ, so Satan has been working to hinder God's work through His remnant church that should be preparing for second advent of Christ. By infiltrating the modern remnant church with evangelical theology, such as "the daily" being the ministry of Christ, the claim that sin was finished at the cross (Calvinism), and futurism that is creeping into our prophetic teachings, God's people are being subtly led deeper into Laodicean lukewarmness. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"This means that Satan will endeavor to commandeer the whole system of substitution just as he took over the old sacrificial system to fight against Christ and the preaching of the new covenant. He [Satan] will proclaim that the gospel of the Reformation, the preaching of Martin Luther, is sufficient to prepare a people for the second advent, and the Lord will come when we have done enough proclaiming. He [Satan] will insist that substitution is sufficient and there is no need for repentance and cleansing." [2]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"We may have much so-called 'righteousness by faith,' but it is a far cry from the light that the Lord gave this people in the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message. And not only has the charismatic movement made attempts to seduce the remnant church through an extremely subjective 'gospel,' but the opposite extreme of a purely objective Calvinist or Reformationist 'gospel' has exploited our widespread ignorance of the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message." [3]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Just as Christ and Gabriel wrestled with the leader of the Medes, Christ and the Holy Spirit are now wrestling with the leadership of the modern remnant church. "The Lord had [a blessing] for us at Minneapolis ... but there was no reception. Some received the light for the people and rejoiced in it. Then there were others that stood right back, and <em>their position</em>has given confidence to others to talk unbelief." "Leading men are giving a mold to the work that will result in a loss of souls." [4]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Christ has called His people to repentance through His last message to the world--"be zealous therefore, and repent!" (Rev. 3:19). We continue to believe the smooth words of theologians and cynics who claim that there will never be a "last generation" through whom Christ will demonstrate His power to perfect our characters, and prepare a people for translation. Accepting the words of the skeptics causes us to believe that there is nothing for us to do but wait for the grave to take us. If there will never be a people that finally surrenders to Christ and allows Him to clean us up, then the hope of translation evaporates as a mist.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"We have been enriched by an <em>acceptance</em> of the message that was to illuminate the earth with glory and prepare that generation for translation. Yet no one has been translated, and the loud cry has not yet lighted the earth. This means either one of two things: the message was not what Ellen White said it was, <em>or</em> <em>our acceptance of it was not what we have supposed it was</em>." [5]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">We must not overlook the desperation under which Satan toils to prevent God's last message to the dying world from going forward. When it is accepted and proclaimed with the power of the Holy Spirit through the latter rain, Satan's days are at an end. Therefore, he is doing everything he can, using anyone who will promote conflict and doubt that will turn God's people from the message of Christ and His righteousness.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">9"According to Ellen White, the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> Conference was a miniature Calvary, a demonstration of the same spirit of unbelief and opposition to God's righteousness that inspired the ancient Jews. The spirit that actuated the opposers of the message was not a minor misunderstanding, a temporary underestimate of a debatable doctrine. <em>It was inward rebellion against the Lord</em>. If the Lord's messenger [Ellen White] means what she says over and over, it was a reenactment of the crucifixion of Christ--in principle. This reality is our great stone of stumbling and our rock of offense." [6]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">It is past time for us to wake from our Laodicean stupor, repent of our continued resistance to the work of the Holy Spirit in us as individuals, and as a corporate body. It is time for Christ to receive the honor and blessing due to Him when every creature on earth will proclaim, "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever" (Rev. 5:13).</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Ann Walper</em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Endnotes:</strong><br>[1] <em>Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary</em>,vol. 4, p. 881.<br>[2] Donald K. Short,<em>Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Cleansed</em>, p. 97, CFI ed. (2018).<br>[3] Robert J. Wieland,<em>The <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> Message: An Introduction</em>, p. 34, Glad Tidings ed. (1980).<br>[4] Ellen G. White, quoted in Robert J. Wieland,<em>Grace on Trial</em>, p. 138, Glad Tidings ed. (2001).<br>[5] Ibid.<br>[6] Robert J. Wieland,<em>Corporate Repentance: Plea of the True Witness</em>, Glad Tidings ed., p. 127 (1992).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/B76368oAByhXUhvC5ysIFQ5g/pLWHYnfz54Bflk26AN5Acg" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJea1K8wE94</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/SzD5TQ9DGq0ruNHeP9fx0Q/pLWHYnfz54Bflk26AN5Acg" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-70674592314990558572020-03-06T01:21:00.001-08:002020-03-06T01:21:30.262-08:00Lesson 10: From Confession to Consolation<div dir="ltr"><div><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Lesson 10: From Confession to Consolation</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-family:arial">M<span style="font-size:16px">any years ago one of the Andrews Seminary professors, Leslie Hardinge, had a unique way of looking at the prayer recorded in Daniel 9. He asked his students to read aloud the entire prayer, verses 3-19, and time how long it took. With a big grin on his face, he would read verse 23 where the angel Gabriel relates to Daniel that as soon as he started his prayer, Gabriel was commissioned to leave heaven and meet with Daniel on earth. With the grin still on his face, Dr. Hardinge would tell his students that this is a good indication of the distance between us and heaven.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">While this idea might be a little tongue-in-cheek, it's just a literal way to make heaven more real. We know that the Holy Spirit given to us by Jesus is everywhere all the time, and in reality, He doesn't need a few minutes to get to us when we pray, but if Daniel had to wait, we can persist in prayer like he did.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">This wasn't an ordinary prayer. Daniel had been studying his Bible, specifically the prophecies of Jeremiah (25:11, 12; 29:1, 10), and he realized that the captivity had been predicted to last only 70 years and that was almost done. At this point in his lengthy life, Daniel could have left studying to the younger men, but he knew the need for staying close to God through His written word. He was a prophet who had explained Nebuchadnezzar's vision of the image, and the first phase, the fall of Babylon and power transfer to Medo-Persia, had already happened. That must have made him a highly respected legend, yet he was remained humble enough to study the scriptures.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Daniel's prayer is one of the best examples of "corporate repentance" found in the Bible. "We are told: 'Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ' (Gal. 6:2). By taking his people's sins upon himself, Daniel was experiencing a repentance for the sins of others, as though they were his sins (he had not joined in their apostasy!). This is the kind of repentance that Jesus experienced in our behalf. When He came to John the Baptist requesting baptism, John refused Him, for he knew that Jesus was sinless. But Jesus had to explain to him that He has come as 'the Lamb of God' taking upon Himself the sins of the entire human race. … John was not permitted to baptize anyone except 'for repentance.' This repentance that Jesus experienced in our behalf was a corporate repentance--repenting for the sins of others, putting Himself in our place. As soon as we begin confessing 'our' sin as Daniel did, realizing that the sin of others would be our sin but for the grace of Christ, revival and refreshing of the Holy Spirit will sweep through God's people." [1]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Daniel's prayer begins with a hopeful note. "Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and Keep His commandments" (Dan. 9:4, <em>New American Standard Bible</em>). Daniel knew God didn't need to be reminded of His promises to His people, but it was probably good for Daniel to say these words and remind himself that he served a loving and faithful God. This is a gracious way to start any prayer which can serve to remind us that those promises (covenants) that He made to ancient Israel also apply to modern Israel who believe in Christ. (cf. Gal. 3:29). God is the loving, covenant keeping God that He has always been. It is the same God that came looking for Adam and Eve on the <span class="gmail-il">day</span> they sinned. He was not coming to punish them so much as He was there to tell them that they had a significant problem that would kill them, but that He had a solution--the entire plan of salvation.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Daniel's prayer reveals the best reason for prayer. "Daniel pleads a reason that at present moves only a few of God's people to pray. Not for their <em>own </em>personal or selfish benefit, but that the <em>Lord's name may be honored and glorified before the world.</em>…Moses used the same argument in pleading for Israel (Num. 14:11-19). As we near the end, this paradigm shift in motivation will more and more impress God's people." [2]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">One of the important facets of the 1888 message is that our motivation for seeking the Lord changes from self-centered requests for our own benefit. We join Daniel and Moses in their concern that the people of the world will misunderstand who God is and how much He loves and cares for His wayward children. Most people have trouble believing God loves even people who are against Him. They don't realize that God poured His love into our hearts through the gift of the Holy Spirit while we were sinners, ungodly, helpless and enemies (see Rom. 5:5-10).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">A little insight into the mind of Daniel is found in Daniel 9:21. He is offering his prayer "at about the time of the evening offering." Daniel knew the sanctuary in Jerusalem was demolished and we have no record that the Jews attempted or were even allowed to keep the services going while they were in Babylon. In his small way, Daniel was doing what he could to keep the prayers for his nation going by molding his life according to the sanctuary schedule. The "<span class="gmail-il">daily</span>" sacrifices offered by the priests were "corporate" sacrifices made on behalf of the entire camp.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">It is interesting that the question Daniel is asking is the one he first asked back in Daniel chapter 8 since he was troubled by that vision and had become sick and exhausted trying to understand it. Daniel had been studying to try to understand what "2300 evenings and mornings" meant for about 12-13 years since that original vision. Daniel was trying to fit the time frame into the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem, but he was still confused. Even though Daniel was assured in chapter 8:26 that the vision pertained to "many days in the future," he was still trying to understand it. This must be part of the reason Gabriel tells him he is "highly esteemed." He has persistently been praying for understanding for 12-13 years.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">So many people have no interest in what is happening in heaven. Many go about our <span class="gmail-il">daily</span> routines ignoring that there is a heaven and a God who is very interested in us. We fail to recognize how all of heaven is working for humanity's benefit to help us understand what heaven is trying to communicate. Daniel was given the vision of the 70-week prophecy which pinpoints when Christ would come to earth to accomplish the sacrificial phase of the plan of salvation.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Daniel chose to believe the Good News of the great plan of salvation that God was accomplishing through the centuries of earth's time. He also chose to respond and receive Christ's legal justification which gave Daniel the experience of justification by faith. This resulted in his obedience and interest in heavenly things. Pray that we who are privileged to hear this "most precious message" will also receive Christ's free gift.</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Arlene Hill</em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Endnotes:</strong><br>[1] Robert J. Wieland, <em>The Gospel in Daniel</em>, Glad Tidings Publishers. pp. 128-129 (2004).<br>[2] Ibid., p. 132.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/9Bv763jg7hWpeU0dP763892uZsNQ/2jwjx18Ky7eHXPVlB892L763XA" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcqAPk1-Nyg</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/Dj0nrU9Ygm156AjUdCW3763g/2jwjx18Ky7eHXPVlB892L763XA" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p></div><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-48151440796949691882020-02-20T14:54:00.001-08:002020-02-20T14:54:18.541-08:00From the Stormy Sea to the Clouds of Heaven<div style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(49,49,49);word-spacing:1px" dir="auto"><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:22px"><strong><em style="font-size:1.375rem">Sabbath School Today</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:20px"><strong style="font-size:1.25rem">With the 1888 Message Dynamic</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:20px"><strong><em style="font-size:1.25rem">Daniel</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:18px"><strong style="font-size:1.125rem">Lesson 8: From the Stormy Sea to the Clouds of Heaven</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">In Daniel 7:9-10 we read:"I beheld till the thrones were cast down and the Ancient of days did sit, ... the judgment was set, and the books were opened."</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">In Revelation 14:6, 7, we read an announcement to the world that the time of the judgment here described has <em style="font-size:1rem">already</em>come--"the hour of His judgment is come." It was future in Daniel's <span class="term-highlighted" style="background-color:rgba(253,239,193,0.498039)">day</span>; it is present truth in ours.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">What thinking man can fail to tremble before an infinite personal Judge? It is a fearful time, when the angels assemble before Him and the books which record every secret of our lives are opened for divine inspection. It is of this judgment time, when our names will be called for judgment, that Jesus warns us: "Take heed to yourselves, lest ... that <span class="term-highlighted" style="background-color:rgba(253,239,193,0.498039)">day</span> come upon you unawares. ... Pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy ... to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:34-36). But there are two kinds of judgment: one is condemnation; the other is vindication. What God's people face in the judgment is <em style="font-size:1rem">vindication</em>, because Christ has accepted in Himself their condemnation and has died for them their second death.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">The "books" are the records kept of all that has been right or wrong on earth. They contain our "tears" of agony and sorrow and repentance (Psalm 56:8), the names of those who respond to God's love (Psalm 69:28; Exodus 32:32, 33), and the record of our lives (Psalm 139:16; Malachi 3:16). Those who devote their lives to God's service have their names enrolled in the book of life (Phil. 4:3).</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">So do not be afraid of this judgment! Your Savior died to redeem you. He is not trying to keep you out of His kingdom, but He is seeking to prepare you to enter in triumphant so you'll be happy there. He will honor and vindicate in this judgment those who respond to His Holy Spirit. Trust your case to Him (1 John 2:1, 2). "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out," says Jesus (John 6:37). Cling to that promise as for dear life!</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">Again, in Daniel 7:11-14 we read:"I saw ... one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">The "One like the Son of man" can be no other than Jesus, the Son of God, who loved to call Himself "the Son of man." He became one with us as our Elder Brother. The footsteps of Jesus can be traced all through the Old Testament because He is the One "whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2). His footsteps lead today into that place in the sanctuary of heaven which is called "the most holy apartment." There He is working for us as our great High Priest in the "presence of God for us," to finish His work of redemption. When this judgment described in verses 9 and 10 is finished, Christ will win an everlasting kingdom of righteousness.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">The nations and languages who serve Christ in His coming kingdom are not worldly kingdoms, but the host of redeemed in the "new earth" from every language and people (see Rev. 21:24).</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">Ellen White was overjoyed when she heard the message of justification by faith from the lips of A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner. To her this clear teaching was consonant with the message of the three angels: "The hour of His judgment is come" and our Priest is cleansing the heavenly sanctuary. What connection was there between justification by faith and the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary by Jesus our High Priest?</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">The answer is that since 1844 Jesus has been performing the <span class="term-highlighted" style="background-color:rgba(253,239,193,0.498039)">Day</span> of Atonement ministry--the final blotting out of sins. But before the sanctuary could be cleansed in heaven, the temple of His people on earth must be cleansed. The source of sin pollution must be ended in His people. The honor of God and the integrity of His covenant were at stake. God has the solution to the problem of sin. The gospel of Jesus Christ can forgive sins, and His righteousness has the power by virtue of the Holy Spirit to cleanse the soul temple. This God has promised in His everlasting covenant (see Jer. 31:33).</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">So when she heard this message she recognized in it the power and force of the gospel which would prepare God's people to stand with a pure character in the <span class="term-highlighted" style="background-color:rgba(253,239,193,0.498039)">day</span> of Christ's second coming. They would be a living testimony for God through the crisis hour. They would be part of the 144,000 who would be translated without seeing death at His return. They would be a living testament to the power of God unto salvation from sin. Living in sinful flesh, tempted, tried and afflicted, the mystery of godliness would be revealed in them--"Christ in you the hope of glory."</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">God's people have been given a unique understanding of justification by faith in connection with the cleansing of the sanctuary that is to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">Justification by faith in connection with the sanctuary cleansing is the third angel's message in verity. It is the judgment hour message, which prepares the way for the great and dreadful <span class="term-highlighted" style="background-color:rgba(253,239,193,0.498039)">day</span> of the Lord. It prepares a people to stand in the hour of crisis and to be translated without seeing death at the second coming of Jesus. It was and still is the shaking message to the Laodicean church. It bears with it all the prospect of the loud cry and latter rain of the Holy Spirit.</span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">--<em style="font-size:1rem">Paul E. Penno</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem"><strong style="font-size:1rem">Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/5z8Lg9NTX4XzwTHl6AeBiw/xKWlORaYDi3d6cqI1msY892w" target="_blank" style="font-size:1rem">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvwvBJSbB0w</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/Ki4jwmkwHA8OfaEB6PCNyA/xKWlORaYDi3d6cqI1msY892w" target="_blank" style="font-size:1rem">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></p><p> </p></div><img src="https://constant.email/t/xKWlORaYDi3d6cqI1msY892w/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg" alt="" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); word-spacing: 1px; width: 1px; height: 1px;">-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-31953346568442212772020-02-07T09:37:00.001-08:002020-02-07T09:37:53.125-08:00Lesson 6: From Arrogance to Destruction<div dir="ltr"><div><p align="center"><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Lesson 6: From Arrogance to Destruction</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:11, 12). "Ensample" is an old English word translated from the Greek word <em>typikos</em>, which means a pattern of warning; ruinous events which serve as admonitions or warnings to others. The message in Daniel chapter 5 is a warning to the world, to "believers" as well as non-believers. Arrogance or pride will bring the destruction of the individual as well as a nation. "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The opening line of the lesson used the word "hubris" which means exaggerated pride and self-confidence. Hubris can be used when speaking of both people and nations. An example is found in Pharaoh's declaration: "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice?" (Ex. 5:2). The same arrogant defiance of the God of heaven was recorded for us concerning Nimrod. In Genesis 10:8, 9 we read that he was "a mighty one in the earth; he was a mighty hunter before the LORD." The Hebrew word for "might one" means "to raise oneself up in arrogance and stand in God's face."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The next verse tells us "the beginning of his kingdom was Babel" (Gen. 10:10). From its founding, Babylon was "against" everything that was godly. For nearly 1700 years, ancient Babylon had existed as a magnificent city on the Plain of Shinar, an example of what the mind and hands of man can accomplish when in rebellion against God. The kingdom established by Nimrod represented the complete development of Satan's plans to overthrow the King of the universe and take His throne (see Isa. 14:13, 14).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">At the time of our lesson study (538 B.C.), Babylon had received the witness of God's love and mercy for 69 years through Daniel and his three companions, who had ministered to the king of Babylon in high government capacities. These faithful men instructed all who would listen of the coming Messiah who would deliver them from sin. Day by day through their righteous living, they taught faith in the living God of heaven. As God's blessed servants, they revealed the "spirit of prophecy" through their God-given wisdom and abilities to interpret the "mysteries" God showed to the king. But they also preached the coming judgment and hour of God's destruction upon the wicked nation. Babylon had no excuse to continue in rebellion against the God of heaven.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Twenty-five years before the events that took place the fateful night of Belshazzar's bacchanalian feast, Nebuchadnezzar surrendered fully to God's will for him. However Nebuchadnezzar's grandson never learned his lesson. In fact, Belshazzar was not a particularly religious man. The arrogant and comfortable environment that he had been raised in caused him to discount anything that did not exalt and praise him. He thought of himself as "god on earth" and sought to prove it by using the sacred vessels from God's Temple in his drunken orgy. In doing so, Belshazzar filled his "cup of iniquity" to overflowing, and judgment was swiftly executed. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">For two years prior to that night, there were "signs" of the impending fall of Babylon. In 539 B.C., the Medes and Persians joined forces and started their march toward Babylon, bent on conquest. Cyrus's sacred white horse was drowned while attempting to cross a river and this event stopped his forward march for a period of time. When he arrived at the city, he had his men dig channels to divert the course of the river away from the gates under which the river flowed through the midst of the city. The work took nearly a year to complete. All who heeded the warning message sent by God through Jeremiah, left the city. They "came out of her" and were saved from destruction when Cyrus invaded the city the night God wrote His message upon the wall of the banquet hall.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">We have been living in a suspended time frame, as God waits upon His people to flee the fallen theologies of the world. Since the Second Great Awakening, God has been working through His remnant people to bring the good news of salvation through Christ and His righteousness. The good news includes the glorious truth of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, that of necessity must be preceded by the cleansing of the hearts of His people. Since 1844 God has been calling people out of spiritual Babylon to join with His remnant church.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">But God's remnant has a spiritual problem. Just like ancient Babylon's arrogance and self-sufficient attitude, Laodicea thinks that she is "rich and increased with goods" (Rev. 3:17). This "richness" does not mean material wealth. The Faithful Witness is pointing out our false assumption concerning spiritual blessings. We think we have "need of nothing" pertaining to spiritual things.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Voices from the power centers of the church counsel against the "<span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message" of overcoming sin before the second coming of Jesus, calling it is an impossibility, a theological fiction. These voices excoriate the idea of a "final generation" that will heed the counsel of the True Witness to "overcome even as I overcame" (see Rev. 3:21). Rejecting the "most precious message" that God sent through A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner [1], the church has succumbed to an erroneous view on justification and sanctification that will never prepare a people to overcome sin. The "popular" view focuses on human possibilities (or impossibilities) rather than on the power of the Holy Spirit working through a surrendered heart and mind.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Our misunderstanding of the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message has blinded us to the deficient and faulty theology of the Evangelical churches. Because of 'preconceived opinions' and 'opposition manifested at Minneapolis against the Lord's message,' a vacuum was created which we tried to fill with our methods and borrowed plans from popular churches. The result is, 'Satan has succeeded in shutting away from our people in a great measure the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart.' The enemy has prevented us from 'obtaining that efficiency which might have been [ours] in carrying the truth [of overcoming sin] to the world' [<em>Selected Messages</em>, book 1, pp. 234, 235]. Intensive professional research, Madison Avenue techniques [in advertising], church growth seminars, or any other man-made programs cannot replace the 'power' and 'efficiency' the Holy Spirit would bring God's people." [2]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Our spiritual impotence can be traced to our history. The truths inherent in the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message of Christ's righteousness are not comprehended by us or by any segment of Christians who do not understand the two-apartment ministry of the heavenly High Priest. The 'gospel' proclaimed by the 'little horn' power virtually justifies sin and therefore logically upholds Satan's rebellion. This is the secret of the lawlessness that pervades the modern world on all levels. ... As long as pride and self-seeking masquerade as devotion to Christ, there we have Baal-worship. It has penetrated all levels of the church body." [3]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"The hope of redemption rests upon the shoulders of that final generation and that responsibility can only be met when that generation comes to sense the travail and distress it has caused but which in its immaturity has mercifully been hidden from it. We are that generation! We have not fathomed the pain which the Lamb has borne since the inception of sin." [4]</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">For more than a century we have been earnestly praying for the latter rain, while we remain "dry as the hills of Gilboa." God cannot send us the latter rain until we overcome our spiritual arrogance, and understand our responsibility in resisting the message and power God has already given to us.</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Ann Walper</em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Endnotes:</strong><br>[1] See Ellen G. White,<em>Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers</em>, pp. 91, 92.<br>[2] D. K. Short, "Baal Worship and the Long Delay," pp. 11, 12.<br>[3] Ibid, pp. 13, 14.<br>[4] D. K. Short,<em>Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Cleansed</em>, p. 98, CFI ed., 2018.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HidQryp4zmc" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HidQryp4zmc</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/7S9doZdWIwossxMEI0RGGw/kHW4qzfIlQBFLQbWBj2qog" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p></div><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-58755762996638798592020-01-31T08:16:00.000-08:002020-01-31T08:17:02.673-08:00Lesson 5: From Pride to Humility<div style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(49,49,49);word-spacing:1px" dir="auto"><p align="center"><span style="font-size:22px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong><em style="font-size:1.375rem">Sabbath School Today</em></strong></span></span><br><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong style="font-size:1.25rem">With the <span class="term-highlighted" style="background-color:rgba(253,239,193,0.498039)">1888</span> Message Dynamic</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong><em style="font-size:1.25rem">Daniel</em></strong></span></span><br><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong style="font-size:1.125rem">Lesson 5: From Pride to Humility</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">What does it mean to "come out of Babylon"? Unfortunately, Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way. He had been (in today's vernacular) full of himself, taking credit for everything good he had ever done, giving no acknowledgement to Jehovah or even Babylonian gods. Thus, God showed him what it means to "come out of Babylon." It means that all human glory is put in the dust. If Nebuchadnezzar knew the <span class="term-highlighted" style="background-color:rgba(253,239,193,0.498039)">1888</span> message, he would have known what God does with human pride. The message of righteousness by faith allows no room for pride in anything we have done.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">In His great mercy, God patiently worked with Nebuchadnezzar to bring him back to an understanding of truth. He even warned him in a dream what would happen if Nebuchadnezzar ignored the warning. The use of a tree to symbolize a powerful nation must have meant something to the proud king. The story of the Tree of Life had been handed down by legend in old Babylon, as had the story of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Ezekiel had foretold the great fall of the king of Egypt, and now Nebuchadnezzar would be the instrument used by the Lord for cutting him down, "to the end that none of all the trees by the waters [including the kings of Egypt and Babylon] exalt themselves for their height" (Ezek. 31:14). Nebuchadnezzar should have learned a lesson from this humbling experience of another tree that had been cut down in the past. But so much like you and me, the king has been slow to learn his kindergarten lessons in the school of faith. But you've never had a teacher in school more patient than the Lord is in His "school."</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">We should remember that God had tried to get Nebuchadnezzar to realize that his kingdom, Babylon, would not last forever. We know this didn't appeal to the king back in Daniel chapter 2. In spite of the Daniel 2 image being five distinctly separate kingdoms, Nebuchadnezzar revised God's image to represent only the kingdom of Babylon. He should have remembered this image when he received the powerful dream of warning.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">We don't have to be the ruler of a great nation to receive warnings from God that we need to humble ourselves. It is important to remember that humility is not the same as humiliation. The latter is what happened to Jesus at his trial and crucifixion at the hands of wicked people. Jesus didn't deserve to be humiliated, but when He prayed in Gethsemane He humbled Himself. He told His Father that if possible, to take "the cup" away, but if that was not possible, He would submit to the will of the Father. That is probably the world's best example of dignified and voluntary humility.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">It is noteworthy that Daniel 4:17 tells us that Nebuchadnezzar's sentence was issued and pronounced by a "watcher, a holy one" who had descended from heaven to give the king his warning. It is comforting to know that angelic beings are watching what happens on this earth. Presumably, these angels had lived through Lucifer's crisis of pride in heaven, and the angels knew that nothing good could come of the course Nebuchadnezzar was pursuing. Their concern prompted the warning. Even though warnings and correction might be unpleasant at the time, we can choose to be grateful for heaven's interest in us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">The use of a tree is an interesting choice of imagery. God used two trees in the Garden of Eden to symbolize His government. The tree of life was the only tree He wanted Adam and Eve to experience. But divine love required that they be allowed a choice. Thus, He placed the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden. Sin entered the world by means of a tree, and God put His Son, the second Adam, on a tree, in the form of a cross, to redeem mankind from the curse of sin. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree, they brought the curse of sin into the world. The sign of the curse of creation was that the ground would produce "thorns and thistles" (Gen. 3:18). By wearing a crown of thorns at His crucifixion, Jesus, the second Adam, took upon Himself the curse of creation, to undo it for the purpose of restoring the blessing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">Heaven's use of the image of a tree shows us that God withholds nothing good from us. It was unnecessary for us to experience evil to understand it isn't good, but Satan perverted God's loving kindness so Eve thought she was missing out. It was on this point that she failed to believe God and His system of government.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">The important lesson to learn from Nebuchadnezzar's experience is that no matter how confident we are in ourselves, when things get rough, the only thing that will sustain us is Christ through His Holy Spirit living in us. Our own efforts will always fail.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">"If you would stand through the time of trouble, you must know Christ, and appropriate the gift of his righteousness which he imputes to the repentant sinner. Human wisdom will not avail to devise a plan of salvation. Human philosophy is vain, the fruits of the loftiest powers of man are worthless, aside from the great plan of the divine Teacher. No glory is to redound to man; all human help and glory lies in the dust; for the truth as it is in Jesus is the only available agent by which man may be saved. Man is privileged to connect with Christ, and then the divine and the human combine; and in this union the hope of man must rest alone; for it is as the Spirit of God touches the soul that the powers of the soul are quickened, and man becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus. He was manifested to bring life and immortality to light. ...</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">"Read the book of Daniel. Call up, point by point, the history of the kingdoms there represented. Behold statesmen, councils, powerful armies, and see how God wrought to abase the pride of men, and lay human glory in the dust. The light that Daniel received directly from God was given especially for these last days. The visions he saw by the banks of the Ulai and the Hiddekel, the great rivers of Shinar, are now in process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold will soon come to pass. [1]</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">"What is justification by faith? It is the work of God in laying the glory of man in the dust, and doing for man that which it is not in his power to do for himself. When men see their own nothingness, they are prepared to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ." [2]</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">"Those whom heaven recognizes as holy ones are the last to parade their own goodness. The apostle Peter became a faithful minister of Christ, and he was greatly honored with divine light and power; he had an active part in the upbuilding of Christ's church; but Peter never forgot the fearful experience of his humiliation; his sin was forgiven; yet well he knew that for the weakness of character which had caused his fall only the grace of Christ could avail. He found in himself nothing in which to glory." [3]</span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">--<em style="font-size:1rem">Arlene Hill</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem"><strong style="font-size:1rem">Endnotes:</strong><br>[1] Ellen G. White, <em style="font-size:1rem">Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers</em>, pp. 112, 113.<br>[2] Ellen G. White, ibid<em style="font-size:1rem">.</em>, p. 456.<br>[3] Ellen G. White, <em style="font-size:1rem">The Faith I Live By,</em>p. 111.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem"><strong style="font-size:1rem">Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/8923g04ks5OkVS0o892kJfmjVg/uVAvoxPnxq6i5tJiRGIuZA" target="_blank" style="font-size:1rem">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jewX-6w38E</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:1rem">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/uDEdgIH763duAVMwlSSpXxjQ/uVAvoxPnxq6i5tJiRGIuZA" target="_blank" style="font-size:1rem">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></p></div><img src="https://constant.email/t/uVAvoxPnxq6i5tJiRGIuZA/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg" alt="" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); word-spacing: 1px; width: 1px; height: 1px;">-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-4564444148238903852020-01-23T22:55:00.001-08:002020-01-23T22:55:31.316-08:00Lesson 4: From Furnace to Palace<div dir="ltr"><div><p align="center"><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Lesson 4: From Furnace to Palace</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Is the story of the "burning fiery furnace" in Daniel 3 pious fiction? Or authentic history?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Historical and archaeological research confirms supportive details: such as brick kilns that were common. Jeremiah 29:22 tells the history of how King Nebuchadnezzar "roasted in the fire" two seditious Jews; another Babylonian king boasted of burning some political enemies--evidence that this method of execution was actually practiced; Herodotus and Pliny tell of ancient kings who built huge statues covered with gold leaf. The deliverance from death by fire had been promised: "When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you." Doubtless the three Hebrew youth thrown in the fire had cherished this assurance. The promise "I will be with you" was literally fulfilled (Isa. 43:2). "The Son of God" shared the "furnace" with them, as even the pagan king confessed (Dan. 3:25).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">How did that heathen king know what the Son of God looked like? God's people in Old Testament times looked forward to the coming of Christ, while we look back to His first coming. Alike, we all see Him by faith. No one has ever been saved except by the power of Christ. The Hebrews had preached in Babylon of Christ, the Redeemer to come. The king remembered their teaching, and from their message recognized the Son of God when he saw Him.</span></span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Incidentally, they seem in no hurry to come out of the fire. God provides air-conditioning where and when it is needed. They will be happy to stay there, if only they can walk and talk with Christ. To be with Him is sufficient reward for all the trials of earth! When we suffer for Him today, we too may enjoy His presence with us in the same way (see John 15:18; Isa. 63:9; James 1:2). You may think this is hard to believe. But you'll know it next time you are thrown into your "fiery furnace" for your faith in Christ; He'll make Himself preciously near to you as ordinarily you never know Him in times of peace.</span></span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">This is the point of Daniel 3: will we believe that the Son of God shares our sufferings for His sake? Will He give divine courage to "stand up" when everybody else bows down? The apostle Peter collapsed when the test came to him (Matt. 26:69-75); in fact, all the eleven disciples ran away.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">Many Israelites had been exiled to Babylon when Daniel and his three companions went, but none of them had the courage to obey God's Ten Commandments except these four! Granted, the three who faced the fiery furnace were terrified at the prospect of death by fire; but they sensed that they were called to honor the truth of God before the assembled leaders of an empire. He gave them courage, even if God should choose not to deliver them from death (Dan. 3:16-18; this was a selfless motivation inspired by <em>agape</em>). A similar final test will come to us all in the "mark of the beast" crisis (Rev. 13:11-17).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">And so there is a beautiful illustrationof genuine faith in the story of the three Hebrews of Daniel 3 who were thrown into the fiery furnace. They told the insanely angry king that: the living God whom they served was "able" to deliver them from his power, but; it might possibly be that He would be unwilling to do so--they didn't know for sure--but if He were unwilling to deliver them they would serve Him nonetheless, and they would not cast contempt on His holy law by bowing down to his golden image.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">In this way these three men demonstrated that their faith in God was the New Covenant kind, not the Old Covenant kind. (They probably had been studying the writings of Jeremiah!)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">So here we find the two kinds of covenant-faith expressed in the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message. The Old Covenant kind of "faith" is a counterfeit of the genuine: it's making a "bargain" with God. Old Covenant faith says," Lord, if You will deliver us, then we'll keep Your commandments." Sometimes preachers lead their people into Old Covenant faith when they tell them that if they take the initiative to "pay tithe," then God will bless them financially. New Covenant faith is a choice to pay tithe whether or not the Lord rewards us.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The New Covenant is God's out-and-out promises to His people, and their heart response is to believe and appreciate what He promises. His love, not fear, "constrains" them to loyalty and service (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). The Old Covenant is "bargaining" with God. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego rebuke us for that. Jeremiah promises (31:31-34) that the time will come when God's people graduate completely out of the Old into the living faith that is in the New. As God's people face the trials of the last days, their faith will mature into that of "the Lamb's wife"--a church that has grown up into that "measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). It's time for the New Covenant, now.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">The good news is that right now worldwide the Holy Spirit is preparing, nerving, strengthening, and training willing people to endure the test. Fellowship with Christ in "fire" is precious, even today as we honor Him in school, in our community, at work, and at home.</span></span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Paul E. Penno</em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/KHS892E1pa8sDYb3aqW7630Whw/uggt763Huerst22B342vTVKA" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5vHqRQWHq0&list=PLsjY9Yfwx9Nx1uiXLl_c49fae41rrkgPO</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/bmJcmG6DJioCf97CJ6n2763w/uggt763Huerst22B342vTVKA" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></span></p></div><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-29686703625728828532020-01-09T20:06:00.001-08:002020-01-09T20:06:26.785-08:00Lesson 2: From Jerusalem to Babylon<div dir="ltr"><div><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:22px"><strong><em>Sabbath School Today</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:20px"><strong>With the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> Message Dynamic</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:20px"><strong><em>Daniel</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Lesson 2: From Jerusalem to Babylon</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-family:arial">"In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim" sets the date for the beginning of the Book of Daniel. Jehoiakim's reign lasted seven years and in every respect was a disaster for himself and the people of Judah, and was the beginning of the end for the nation. The reformatory work done by Josiah was soon overthrown and the people returned to their pagan idolatry. The voices of the prophets Jeremiah and Habakkuk rose louder in response to the declining spirituality of the people, but their warnings went unheeded and were scorned. Rejecting the word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit through His prophets precipitated the crisis. The fast that Jehoiakim proclaimed in 607 B.C., perhaps superstitiously, did not effect any significant change in the people's hearts and minds.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">When Nebuchadnezzar first marched against Jerusalem he ended up taking captives as well as certain sacred vessels from the Temple. King Jehoiakim had been bound in fetters with the intention of his removal from Judah to Babylon, but this was not done. Nebuchadnezzar decided to leave him in Jerusalem as a vassal to Babylon. However, all persons who were physically strong enough or in a political position in which they could foment an uprising, were carted off to Babylonian garrisons. Over three different deportations there were a total of 4600 of the highest ranking, best educated, and strongest people carried away by Nebuchadnezzar's army (Jer. 52:28-30).</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">We do not know how many of these people were considered "princes" of Judah who were placed in Nebuchadnezzar's special holding area in his palace, but we are told that they were "without blemish, well favored, and skillful in wisdom, knowledge and science." While living in Judah, even under the terrible conditions of war, some of these young men sought to be well prepared intellectually and spiritually for whatever was coming upon them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">When they were taken captive, all the young men were living in a completely immoral society where great confusion about who God is was rampant. But the four men that are brought into focus in the narrative--Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah--had especially dedicated their lives to the one true God of heaven and earth. Even though sin abounded in their country, God did not leave in the dark those who sought to know the truth. God is never without a witness and His word is never so abused or obscured that truth cannot be found and diligently studied.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">How had their culture become so corrupt? They like us, live in a sinful world, and because our basic human nature "is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7), we accept various sins as normal for the society in which we live. Hazy, indistinct ideas about what constitutes sin produces only a hazy, indistinct response to it when we're confronted by it. This is a major reason why there is so much apostasy and backsliding in the church, then and now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Another example is Lot's children, raised in a completely immoral society they succumbed to sin's seduction and could not discern the danger when their father warned them to flee in the night to avoid destruction. They had been so influenced by the society in which they lived, through mind working upon mind during their daily associations, that the "natural" enmity they had for God was stimulated into action. We may shake our heads in disbelief over their wrong decision, but we are of the same mind. We await only convenient circumstances to demonstrate our willingness to also commit the same sin that we frown on in others.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Through our neglect to call sin by its right name, we are constantly compromising our moral convictions, convincing ourselves little by little that "sin must not be so bad" since the whole of our society is committing it without apparent condemnation. By our silence and lack of moral outrage when confronted by evil, we are in essence condoning those sins committed by our society.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">When Daniel and his companions were confronted with the king's command to "eat from his table" food and drink that were not wholesome and included the flesh of animals sacrificed to pagan idols, an opportunity for a major compromise was presented to them. Those young men who had not shunned compromise while living in Judah were not likely to stand firm to principle in Babylon. However, Daniel's group, when they came face to face with this difficult problem, knew they could rely on God's teaching and His protection.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">The lesson from Daniel chapter 1 is especially for us, showing us how we should be living. Daniel learned the message of righteousness while living among corruption and sin in Judah. That message was the only thing that could prepare him for the trials he faced. Just so, the message of Christ and His righteousness brought to us in <span class="gmail-il">1888</span>, and largely neglected ever since, is the only message that will prepare us to stand in the time of trouble.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">In the near future when we are called upon to pass through challenging experiences, we will not be able to endure if we have not prepared ourselves before that time. We must have already obtained that spiritual "eyesalve" that Jesus wants us to receive from Him (Rev. 3:18). We must have already given up everything that impedes the power of the Holy Spirit to work upon our minds in guiding us during that "time of trouble such as never was" on the earth (Dan. 12:1). Voluntary self-control ("temperance in all things") must be the standard of our life. Control of appetite is the foundation of all self-control.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">We are on the borders of the heavenly Canaan, and living in the antitypical fulfillment of the challenge that the children of Israel faced at Baal-Peor (Num. 25:1-3). If we open our eyes we will recognize the parallels between that day and ours.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">"The last great day is right upon us. Let all consider that Satan is now striving for the mastery over souls. He is playing the game of life for your souls. Will there be sins committed by you on the very borders of the heavenly Canaan? ... Men that God has entrusted with noble talents will be, unless closely connected with God, guilty of great weakness, and not having the grace of Christ in the soul will become connected with greater crimes. This is because they do not make the truth of God a part of them. Their discipline has been defective, the soul culture has not been carried forward from one advance to another, inborn tendencies have not been restrained, but have degraded the soul. For all the natural weaknesses Jesus has made ample provision, that they may be overcome through His grace. If not overcome, the weakness will become a tyrant, a conqueror, to overcome them, and the heavenly light will become beclouded and extinguished" (Ellen G. White, <em>Review and Heral</em>d, May 24, 1887).</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">God desires to shape our character through the things He allows to happen to us, whether accidents or disease or loss of wealth or death of loved ones, or as in the case of Daniel and his three companions, unjust captivity. Faith sees through and reaches through all these trials and tragedies, trivial or major. Through all that comes upon us to afflict us and make us miserable, we are to steadfastly look to Jesus and know that nothing in this earth can truly hurt us. "What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... No! In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us" (Rom. 8:35, 36 ff.).</span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Ann Walper</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/Alx892O2b9fM0uTdSHz763ajaw/RNBieQkfz6Jt1jyO892q3UvQ" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTkjC-hFkuM&list=PLsjY9Yfwx9Nx1uiXLl_c49fae41rrkgPO</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/Oxt892c892HHKlec3noBz0abZA/RNBieQkfz6Jt1jyO892q3UvQ" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></p></div><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-51250589942697115032020-01-02T18:35:00.001-08:002020-01-02T18:35:12.606-08:00<div dir="ltr"><div><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:22px"><strong><em>Sabbath School Today</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:20px"><strong>With the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> Message Dynamic</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:20px"><strong><em>Daniel</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Lesson 1: From Reading to Understanding</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Google has searched out, for all of us, enormous amounts of information; everybody's computer has become a university at your fingertips.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">What does Daniel mean: "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Dan. 12:4)?</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">It's obvious that the "increase of knowledge" comes in "the time of the end" when the book is unsealed; so the question is, is it knowledge of what the book of Daniel means, or is it secular Google-indexed knowledge in general?</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">"The time of the end" is a time when God's people are blessed with an "increase of knowledge." We have traditionally understood this to be scientific and engineering knowledge, which has indeed "increased" exponentially since the end of the 1260 years of papal oppression. But in its context, verse 4 is concerned with "turning many to righteousness" and becoming "wise" for eternal life. "He that winneth souls is wise" (Prov. 11:30). This "increase" has to do with understanding the gospel!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Fear of "the time of trouble" (admittedly, will be the worst in human history) is dissipated by this "increase of knowledge"--that's more than scientific knowledge. Only "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). In other words, the "increase of knowledge" is a clearer grasp of what the Son of God accomplished on His cross for "every man." This will be the truth that the fourth angel brings to lighten the "earth" in Revelation 18:1-4. Not only does it "cast out" fear, it also inscribes for deliverance one's name in the book of life and the book of remembrance that God keeps.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">In the context of how Daniel 12 relates to the good news of Revelation 18:1-4 (lighting the earth with glory), one wonders if perhaps there is something good here that invites further study. God's people are not "holy" in and of themselves; it's Christ's righteousness, not theirs. If Daniel 12 relates to the final "loud cry" and if God's people are not "holy" of themselves, perhaps this "dispersal of the power of the holy people" has some good news in it. Ellen White, A. T. Jones, and E. J. Waggoner, all tried to tell us that when "the most precious" message of Christ's righteousness is preached to the whole world, the end will come!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Learn to "understand" the Book of Daniel. "And they that understand among the people shall instruct many" (Dan. 11:33). Here's the good news?</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">If you "understand" the Book of Daniel, you "will instruct many." The God of heaven who sent Gabriel to instruct Daniel will open doors for you to communicate to others, maybe to children and teenagers, the truths of Daniel. And what happens when you do that? Here's the answer: "they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever" (Dan. 12:3). You "instructing" others, and sharing the joy. The once-sealed Book is wide "open" now!</span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Paul E. Penno</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/9r1HUc9pDwZhSsZt382QCw/EtoQCnOm2LeYGQOGXLpmDA" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S_JZVbfhL8</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/uGCVFSH2uHkcgPolnLf6cQ/EtoQCnOm2LeYGQOGXLpmDA" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></p></div><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-712249764545197636.post-76927802532163147872019-12-26T18:44:00.001-08:002019-12-26T18:44:31.162-08:00Lesson 13: Leaders in Israel<div dir="ltr"><div><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:22px"><strong><em>Sabbath School Today</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:20px"><strong>With the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> Message Dynamic</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:20px"><strong><em>Ezra and Nehemiah</em></strong></span><br><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Lesson 13: Leaders in Israel</strong></span></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p><span style="font-family:arial">The biblical narrative is faithfully realistic and reports successes and failures. It records disappointments and shortcomings, putting leaders on alert and cautioning them against making the same mistakes that God's people made in the past. The successes and defeats of reforms are part of the biblical story. In the end, Ezra and Nehemiah are not heroes and models for long-term successful leadership. Though Ezra and Nehemiah were great leaders, the people were not great followers and hesitated to let God change their hearts and be their strength. Hence the short-lived reforms. Permanent reforms are possible only when humans continue to collaborate with the grace and power of God. This raises the issue of the role leadership played in our <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> history.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Official correspondence in the Battle Creek archival files corroborates Ellen White's and A. T. Jones' testimony regarding the negative attitude of the most responsible leaders in Battle Creek toward the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message. A. T. Jones said that "there was a secret antagonism always carried on." [1]</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">The letters of the General Conference Secretary, Dan T. Jones, illustrate how this attitude functioned. Although he was deeply prejudiced against the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message and the messengers, a few weeks after Minneapolis the Holy Spirit impressed him with clear evidence that A. T. Jones was a true messenger of God.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">It is phenomenal how good leaders could harden their hearts against what they clearly saw to be "credentials" of the Holy Spirit. We need to understand how this happened, for we today are in grave danger of repeating their history.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Dan Jones let his heart become hardened against the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> messengers, while during this same period Ellen White's attitude toward them became increasingly supportive. Here we see a mysterious ferment of the human spirit. As a responsible administrative officer, Dan Jones wrote to the leadership of the Missouri Conference, his home area. He communicated his mistaken judgment. There was an under-the-table kind of influence operating, the "secret antagonism" A. T. Jones spoke of:</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">"I think an Institute in Missouri would be a splendid thing; but I believe an institute on a quiet plan will be just as valuable to you as to make a great parade of it and get in ... Elder A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner. To tell you the truth, I do not have very much confidence in some of their ways of presenting things." [2]</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">The <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> messengers probably never knew why their ministry was not welcome in Missouri.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Dan Jones' informative letters to G. I. Butler regarding developments at Battle Creek revealed the "antagonism" operating. He encouraged Butler in his opposition to the message:</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">"I have often thought of what you said to me last winter that the California fellows [Jones and Waggoner] would be on the editorial staff of the <em>Review </em>in less than two years. I should not be at all surprised if an attempt in that direction was made inside of that many months. But I feel sure that it would meet with very strong opposition." [3]</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">The "strong opposition" he anticipated erupted like a volcano within his own soul during the following winter of 1890. Waggoner one day announced in his Bible class that on the next Monday morning he would discuss the two covenants. He had been officially invited, even urged, to leave his work in California and teach in Battle Creek.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">But when Dan Jones heard the news about the two covenants, he could not contain himself. He immediately took steps to stop Waggoner, appealing to Uriah Smith and even to Ellen White for support.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Jones and Waggoner were not welcomeat the Battle Creek headquarters. The tension was so sharp that it is easy to understand how Waggoner found himself sent to Britain in early 1892.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Uriah Smith's opposition to the <span class="gmail-il">1888</span> message was logical, scholarly, and apparently reasonable. He wrote Ellen White on February 17, 1890 explaining why he could not receive it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">"As it looks to me, next to the death of Brother White, the greatest calamity that ever befell our cause was when Dr. Waggoner put his articles on the book of Galatians through the <em>Signs</em>. ..." [4]</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Could it be that there are many "Uriah Smiths" in the church today, just as sincere and reasonable in their heart opposition to the light that in God's providence must yet lighten the earth with glory?</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">A deep heart enmity against the humbling message of Christ's righteousness made it possible for good brethren long ago to credit ill-founded rumors and distorted reports. Ellen White often compared the situation with the Jews opposing Christ.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">It's too late now for our brethren of a century ago to dig deep enough into their souls to repent of rejecting the most significant outpouring of the Holy Spirit since Pentecost.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">Thank God, it's not yet too late for us to do so, for we can easily see ourselves in them. With that we say goodbye to Ezra and Nehemiah for this quarter and welcome in the New Year with a study of the Book of Daniel.</span></p><p align="right"><span style="font-family:arial">--<em>Paul E. Penno</em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Endnotes:</strong><br>[1] Letter to C. E. Holmes, May 12, 1921.<br>[2] Letter to N. W. Alee, January 23, 1890.<br>[3] Letter, August 28, 1889.<br>[4] Letter of Uriah Smith, February 17, 1890.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Notes:</strong><br>Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: <br><a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/f892Lj4SiNNgjOKYFyoadiFg/BqCZculTFP8tV5gw5iFk763A" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR-bU-meHxo</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial">"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: <a href="https://constant.email/l/SsoBAE7g207KDupjWItusg/UFtDQOcNfnWuPhe84Xt4uw/BqCZculTFP8tV5gw5iFk763A" target="_blank">http://1888message.org/sst.htm</a></span></p></div><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:22.4px;text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><td style="padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:0px;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;width:auto;height:20px"><u> RR</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Raul Diaz</div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://about.me/raul.diaz" target="_blank">https://about.me/raul.diaz</a><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,Tahoma,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;border-spacing:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:center"><tbody style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><tr style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-style:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Uleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484865630577013932noreply@blogger.com