Sabbath School Today
With the 1888 Message Dynamic
Ezra and Nehemiah
Lesson 6: The Reading of the Word
We can take a lesson from the experience of Israel after they finished the wall. The neighboring people knew how much trouble they caused Israel during the construction process. In spite of that, the wall was finished and the troublemakers saw this as a sign of the strength of Jehovah, the God Israel. Often when we have trouble in this world, we wonder why God doesn't intervene to smooth our way. We tend to forget that He always has the greater picture in mind, so we can be grateful that He uses us to carry out His plans. Israel could review her past history with God and have confidence He would accomplish what He promised. The Lord was gracious and gave the struggling workers two prophets to reinforce the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah.
We can review the history of our church and have the same confidence regardless of how bleak things might look. God has given the Seventh-day Adventist Church the solemn responsibility of preaching the messages of the three angels in Revelation 14. Some are confused as to just what that message is. The Spirit of Prophecy made it clear in a statement printed in the Review and Herald, in 1890:
"Some of our brethren have expressed fears that we shall dwell too much upon the subject of justification by faith, but I hope and pray that none will be needlessly alarmed; for there is no danger in presenting this doctrine as it is set forth in the Scriptures. If there had not been a remissness [sic] in the past to properly instruct the people of God, there would not now be a necessity of calling especial attention to it. Some of our brethren are not receiving the message from God upon this subject. They appear to be anxious that none of our ministers shall depart from their former manner of teaching the good old doctrines. We inquire, is it not time that fresh light should come to the people of God, to awaken them to greater earnestness and zeal? Several have written to me, inquiring if the message of justification by faith is the third angel's message, and I have answered, 'It is the third angel's message in verity.'" [1]
Our Sabbath School lessons this quarter focus on the brave faith demonstrated by Ezra and Nehemiah. Regardless of the opposition from within and without Israel, they knew they were doing a "great work" for God and they remained true to it. The resolve of these leaders restored the people's confidence and after returning to work, they completed the wall in 52 days.
The "great work" our church has been given is to preach the three angels' messages, which Ellen White stated is the message of justification by faith. It is this gospel that Jesus directed His followers to take to the entire world before the end would come. It follows that if we are preaching another distorted gospel mixing a works program with faith in what Jesus accomplished on the cross, we are preaching the same error the Syrians had come to know, mixing pagan ideas with the worship of the true God.
One of the things that was especially damaging was the letter Rehum wrote to Artaxerxes against Jerusalem (cf. Ezra 4:8-24). The most serious accusation was that in the past, the Jews had risen up against the Babylonian kings, and Judah's kings had taken tribute, custom and toll that was rightfully due the foreign kings (vs. 19). Unfortunately, this was true and even though the then living Jews had not done these things, their forefathers had and they were stuck dealing with the reputation.
In a remarkably candid response, they wrote "But because our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar..." (Ezra 5:12). This is an example of what is meant by "corporate repentance." Even though the ancestors who created the Jews' reputation of resisting foreign kings were long passed away, the people who were then alive were the only ones who could do anything to correct the past.
The same is true of us living today. No, we weren't alive when our church forefathers rejected the message and messengers of 1888, but we are the only ones who can correct the situation today. In the 1890s many claim that the church leaders reversed their rejection of the 1888 message of righteousness by faith, but more thoughtful researchers found differently.
"The message of righteousness by faith was preached with power for more than ten years during which time the Minneapolis crisis was kept before the leaders. This message brought the beginning of the latter rain. 'The time of test is just upon us, for the loud cry of the third angel has already begun in the revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin-pardoning Redeemer. This is the beginning of the light of the angel whose glory shall fill the whole earth' (Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, Nov. 22, 1892). Why did not the latter rain continue to fall? Because the message that brought it ceased to be preached. It was rejected by many and it soon died out of the experience of the Advent people and the loud cry died with it. It can begin again only when the message that brought it then is revived and accepted. ...
'Just before the end the Advent people will review their past history and see it in a new light. ... We must acknowledge and confess the mistakes of our fathers and see to it that we do not repeat them and thus further delay the final triumph of the Advent Movement. The history of the past must be reviewed and studied in the light of these mistakes and their consequence in a long delay of the coming of Christ' (Taylor G. Bunch, The Exodus and Advent Movements in Type and Antitype, Privately Published Facsimile, cir. 1937, pp. 107, 168)." [2]
We can learn a lesson from Ezra. When the people gathered "as one man" (Nehemiah 8:1) they asked Ezra to bring the "book of the Law of Moses" to be read. Obviously, Ezra supported their request and all were blessed to hear the word of the Lord. If Ezra had opposed the request, pressure from the people might have compelled him to read God's words to them.
Like ancient Israel, our church has all but buried the original message that God gave us. We need to know our history, especially the important subject of righteousness by faith. Without an understanding of this process, the Seventh-day Adventist Church's unique concept of the cleansing of the sanctuary makes no sense. Without that, the bride will never "make herself ready" by clothing herself in "fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints" (Rev. 19:7, 8). We need to pray for the leadership of our church that they will come to embrace this message so the membership aren't afraid to study it.
--Arlene Hill
Endnotes:
[1] Ellen G. White,Review and Herald, April 1, 1890.
[2] Ron Duffield, The Return of the Latter Rain, p. 13.
Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU0GBKUCoc4&list=PLsjY9Yfwx9Nx1uiXLl_c49fae41rrkgPO
"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm
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