Sabbath School Today
With the 1888 Message Dynamic
Preparation for the End Time
Lesson 12. Babylon and Armageddon
To set the stage for the great battle of Armageddon, let's first answer some questions to make sure we understand what the Bible tells us about the timeframe and those involved.
"Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued" (Dan. 12:1).
This verse predicts a "time of distress such as never occurred," which occurs after Michael stands up.
"And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him, who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed" (vs. 7).
What is meant by "finish shattering the power of the holy people"?
"Many will be purged, purified and refined; but the wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand (vs. 10).
How does God purge, purify and refine His "holy people?" God precipitates a time of trouble "such as never occurred."
Why does He do this? The book of Revelation tells us that its purpose is to "reveal" Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:1). He uses human beings to reveal Jesus, but how does He do this?
"In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets" (Rev. 10:7).
What is this mystery and how is it accomplished?
"That is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you the hope of glory" (Col. 1:26, 27).
So, the mystery of God is finished in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel. Who is this angel?
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever'" (Rev. 11:15).
We can therefore conclude that God will prepare a people at the very end of time who have accepted His purification process so completely that they reflect Christ perfectly.
Ellen White tells us that "Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; ... But Christ declared of Himself: 'The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.' John 14:30. Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father's commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble. It is in this life that we are to separate sin from us, through faith in the atoning blood of Christ. ... None can neglect or defer this work but at the most fearful peril to their souls." [1]
At the prompting of Satan, Christ went through great trials and temptations while on this earth, which intensified at the end of His life as He went to the cross. This persecution of Christ continues in the person of His holy people, and like Christ's life, will intensify at the end of human history. But, God will seal His people so He can demonstrate to the angels and watching universe that He can, through the mystery of the indwelling Holy Spirit, write His law in their hearts and His law therefore can be kept.
This is the essence of the 1888 message. It is not through our own works that we are perfected because God has "shattered" the power of His holy people. It is entirely by faith that they are purified in God's refining fire.
After their faith is sealed, God's final judgments will fall in the form of the bowl "plagues" of Revelation 16. These literal plagues have not yet fallen, because they are declared to be the last plagues. They cannot fall until the world has been warned, and the work of salvation has closed. And that work cannot close as long as there is one human soul somewhere who will yet respond to the Good News of the grace of Christ.
As long as the Holy Spirit has been working in the earth, judgments and disasters have brought many people to think and to repent. But before the last plagues can be poured out, the Holy Spirit will have been driven finally from the earth by the rejection of the wicked. It will then be demonstrated that troubles will not bring to repentance those who have rejected God's goodness, for only "the kindness of God leads you to repentance" (Rom. 2:4).
It is during the pouring out of these plagues that the warnings against worshiping the beast and his image and receiving his mark will be fulfilled, and the rejectors of God's grace will "have no rest day or night" (Rev. 14:10, 11). These plagues will bring the downfall of Babylon in one day (Rev. 18:8).
What would this world be like if it were not for the restraining power of the Holy Spirit? Multitudes do not realize that they owe all their security and happiness under what measure of law and order prevails, to the blessed ministry of God's Spirit in the earth. During the time of the plagues, all will see clearly that when men give themselves up to the control of Satan, they will themselves produce a hell here on earth.
While imagining that they are being blessed with a marvelous outpouring of God's Holy Spirit, these rejectors will in reality be gathered together for the great battle against God Himself. Although the lost have been rebellious against the principles of God's truth, they have not previously dared to try actually to fight against God. They have known such a battle would be hopeless for them. But now these "spirits of demons ... gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty, ... to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon [Armageddon]" (Rev. 16:14, 16).
Israel fought a memorable battle (described in Judges 5:19-21) on the plain of Megiddo in the land of Canaan. God Himself went to battle for His people. The Battle of Armageddon is the Bible way of speaking of the final fruit of an active rejection of grace.
"The work begun in 1844, at the end of the 2300 years, is unique in the universe and brings Christ and the remnant into a new kind of union. There will be a mutual understanding which makes His remnant go with Him into the Most Holy Place. (See Ellen G. White, Early Writings, pp. 55, 251, 255, 261.) ... They will have the faith of Jesus which keeps mortals from sinning. ... This experience awaits the remnant whenever they choose to accept the eyesalve of heavenly insight from the True Witness. And when her blindness is gone and at last she can 'see,' then the Bride will sit down with the King on His throne, as He has promised, for both have overcome by the blood of the Lamb." [2]
--Arlene Hill
Endnotes:
[1] Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 623.
[2] Donald K. Short, "Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Cleansed," 1991, p. 92.
Notes:
Bible texts are from the New American Standard Bible.
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at:
https://youtu.be/p8Hgp_Tl9vE
"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm
| RR |
