Sabbath Afternoon - July 16
Memory Text:
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” KJV — 2Corinthians 3:18
“‘And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.’ This is the process, the refining, purifying process, which is to be carried on by the Lord of hosts. The work is most trying to the soul, but it is only through this process that the rubbish and defiling impurities can be removed. Our trials are all necessary to bring us close to our heavenly Father, in obedience to His will, that we may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness…” 3T 541.1
Sunday - July 17
In His Image
Romans 8:29
When will the image of God be reproduced in humanity?
“‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.’ Galatians 5:22, 23. This fruit can never perish, but will produce after its kind a harvest unto eternal life. COL 68.1
“‘When the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.’ Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own. COL 69.1
“It is the privilege of every Christian not only to look for but to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, (2 Peter 3:12, margin). Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with the seed of the gospel. Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened, and Christ would come to gather the precious grain.” COL 69.2
Monday - July 18
Faith Amid the Refining Fire
Job. 23:1-10
What other ways could you be refined, other than through suffering?
When will the church really become God’s Dwelling Place? By human effort it is as impossible to bring about such a change as it is to dry up the ocean. Only God can do it. But when He does, He will certainly make a clean work of it:
“And I will,” He says, “fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy My people, since they return not from their ways.” Jer. 15:7.
His “fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matt. 3:12.
“I saw that the Lord was whetting his sword in Heaven to cut them down. Oh, that every lukewarm professor could realize the clean work that God is about to make among His professed people.” – Testimonies, Vol. 1, page 190.
“The Lord will work to purify His church. I tell you in truth, the Lord is about to turn and overturn in the institutions called by His name. Just how soon this refining process will begin, I can not say, but it will not be long deferred. He whose fan is in His hand will cleanse His temple of its moral defilement. He will thoroughly purge His floor.” – Testimonies to Ministers, page 373.
“The time has come for earnest and powerful efforts to rid the church of the slime and filth which is tarnishing her purity.” – Id., p. 450.
Do not, my Brethren, say: “The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.” For “the days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.” Ezek. 12:27, 23. “For Zion’s sake will I not hold My peace,” says the Lord, “and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” Isa. 62:1.
“But the days of purification of the church are hastening on apace. God will have a people pure and true. In the mighty sifting soon to take place, we shall be better able to measure the strength of Israel…. Those who have trusted to intellect, genius or talent, will not…stand at the head of rank and file” (Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 80).
Tuesday - July 19
Jesus’ Last Words
Matthew 25:1-12, 31-46
What are the implications of this story for you if the oil represents the Holy Spirit, or a Christlike character?
Again, it plainly appears that the church membership is divided into two classes, the wise and the foolish. The wise take no chances; they continually search for oil (Truth) and they fill their vessels with It at first opportunity. The foolish, though, see no need for any more than what is in their lamps; they are satisfied with what they already have.
The oil, a substance which lightens ahead one's path, obviously is figurative of prophetic Truth, Truth that lightens the heart by unveiling the future. Concretely speaking, the lamp filled with oil denotes the individual's reservoir of Truth in action, Truth that meets his needs only for the time then present. The extra oil in the vessels, therefore, represents additional Truth, Truth that takes up where the old Truth leaves off. In other words, the oil in the lamps and the oil in the vessels represent two revealed truths, at two different times, one following the other. For example, while the Judgment for the Dead is Truth in action, the Judgment for the Living is Truth to go into action as soon as the Judgment for the Dead is over.
Obviously, oil that has been consumed, as is the oil in the virgins' lamps, represents past Truth, Truth that has accomplished Its purpose; but the oil in the vessels represents Truth ready to be activated and made to shine immediately after the oil in the lamps is consumed. Since the ten virgins represent the church membership during the Judgment for the Dead, the oil in the lamps manifestly represents the truth of the Judgment for the Dead. The extra oil, that in the "vessels" must, therefore, represent the truth of the Judgment for the Living, the additional Truth (E.W. 277). Plainly then, the lamps gone empty represent the Judgment for the Dead passing away, and the oil in the vessels represents the Truth of the Judgment for the Living going into action.
Since all ten had oil in the lamps, but only half of them had the oil in the vessels, the symbolism clearly discloses that, as always, the whole church membership did not accept the message of the Judgment for the Living. The foolish virgins were satisfied with the Truth they had acquired while joining the church that bore the message of the Judgment for the Dead, but failed to acquaint themselves with the additional message—the message of the Judgment for the Living. Finally, after the necessity for It became imperative, they began to search for It but it did them no good, they were too late getting It.
These were left out with the tares only because they let the Devil sow in their hearts seeds of foolishness, seeds of contentment (lukewarmness) with the initial truths by which they joined the church; thus they mistakenly felt no need of additional light from the Lord. But when prophecy began to fulfil itself beyond their scope of Divinely revealed knowledge, and as they saw the events of the gospel shaping themselves contrary to their expectations, they became alarmed and confused, saw themselves in darkness.
The lesson is unmistakable: Those who for ever feel "rich, and increased with goods, and in need of nothing" more, will not get to the "door" on time.
Besides the tares among the wheat, there are idlers, inactive folk who are to be cast out and destroyed with the tares. Let us read.
What criteria are used in separating the sheep and the goats?
The most outstanding sin of the goat class of professed believers is that they are all for self and none for others. The sheep class are the opposite in character. Since those who do charity work are not to make a display of it—not to let the left hand know what the right hand is doing (Matt. 6:3)—and since the system of such benevolent work is clearly pointed out in the Hebrew economy, we would do well to look there for it: "To promote the assembling of the people for religious service, as well as to provide for the poor, a second tithe of all the increase was required. Concerning the first tithe, the Lord had declared, 'I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel. But in regard to the second he commanded, 'Thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always.' Thus tithe, or its equivalent in money, they were for two years to bring to the place where the sanctuary was established. After presenting a thank-offering to God, and a specified portion to the priest, the offerers were to use the remainder for a religious feast, in which the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow should participate. Thus provision was made for the thank-offerings and feasts at the yearly festivals, and the people were drawn to the society of the priests and Levites, that they might receive instruction and encouragement in the service of God."—"Patriarchs and Prophets," p. 530. For this work to be carried out systematically by the Lord's treasury through gifts and free will offerings, sometimes called second tithe, we cannot but do likewise if we are to find favor with God.
Wednesday - July 20
The Wise
Daniel 12:1-10
What is the context? What time in earth’s history is being referred to? Most important, what can we tell from these verses about the character of God’s people during these times? What characteristics are given them, in contrast to the wicked? See also Rev. 22:11
Daniel 12:1-3 - “And at that time” – that is, at the time the king of the north comes to his end (chapter 11, verse 45) – shall Michael stand up and deliver His people, the Church, all who are written in the Book. What else takes place?
Here is projected a resurrection of a mixed multitude, wicked and righteous – foolish and wise. This resurrection, then, is not the pre-millennial “first resurrection,” nor the post-millennial resurrection of the wicked (Rev. 20:5, 6), but a special one. If the wise who turn many to righteousness are of the resurrected in this special resurrection, and if they shine as the stars forever and ever, then this special resurrection takes place in probationary time.
In these three verses several things clearly stand out: (1) Only those whose names are written in the books are delivered; there are therefore no "foolish" ones among them; (2) Those who are resurrected, however, are mixed, both foolish and wise come up; (3) The statement "and they that be wise [implying that some be foolish] shall shine as the brightness of the firmament" indicates that these "wise" ones are from among the raised; (4) That if the wise are from among the resurrected and turn many to righteousness, then they must be resurrected in probationary time, in time of salvation.
“Your work, my work, will not cease with this life. For a little while we may rest in the grave, but, when the call comes, we shall, in the kingdom of God, take up our work once more.”—Testimonies, Vol. 7, p.17.
By delivering the righteous, He thoroughly separates the righteous from among the wicked – He puts the good “fish” in the vessels and casts out the bad (Matt. 13:48). He shall cleanse His people from sin and sinners.
The wicked that arise with the righteous in this mixed resurrection are also to be separated from the righteous. The wicked are to be put to shame and everlasting contempt, but the righteous are to be given eternal life.
Daniel 12:4 - The understanding of the book and of the words of it, were to be sealed to the time of the end. During the time of the end, therefore, the book was to be opened. Knowledge was also to increase. Moreover, many were to run to and fro; that is, communication was to speed up greatly. All this we have already seen takes place during “the time of the end.” Thus there is no room for doubt as to the time in which we are living – the time of the end.
Daniel 12:8-10 - Here Inspiration itself explains that no one, not even Daniel himself could possibly understand the book before the time of the end. And too, while the wicked were to continue doing wickedly, many were to be purified, made white and tried; that is, the purification of the church, the cleansing of the Sanctuary (Dan. 8:14), was to take place during the time of the end. In the words of the prophet Malachi the cleansing of the Sanctuary is preceded by this announcement:
Mal. 3:1-3 – “Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”
Rather than say “Sanctuary,” Inspiration in this instance says “Temple.” And rather than say “cleansing,” It uses the terms refining and purifying. The Apostle Peter, though, chooses to call the cleansing of the Sanctuary, “Judgment” in the “house of God”:
1 Peter 4:17, 18 – “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
In the parable, however, Jesus explains the cleansing of the Sanctuary thus:
Matt. 13:30 – “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into My barn.”
Here it is made clear that in this instance the wicked among the righteous are likened to tares, and the time of the cleansing itself, the Judgment, is likened to a “harvest,” but that the cleansing itself is likened to a separation of wheat and tares.
Again, in verses 47 and 48 Christ draws a parallel between the Church a “net”; the people he likens to “fish,” and the purification to a separation, whereas in Matthew 25 He calls the purified Church the Kingdom of God, and the people He likens unto “virgins,” and the cleansing He illustrates by a door which lets in the wise but keeps out the foolish. But His second parable of Matthew 25, the separation, we are told, is to be like a master who comes to reckon with his servants. Those who have done nothing good for the advancement of His kingdom (who have not traded with and increased His talents – Matt. 25:27) are cast out, there to gnash their teeth in “outer darkness.” (Matt. 25:30.) In His third parable the separation He likens to a shepherd who separates the goats from the sheep (sinners from the saints); the goats are condemned to die but the sheep are given the right to the Kingdom.
Thursday - July 21
Character and Community
Ephesians 4:11-16
What’s the point Paul is making here?
Inspiration makes it plain that God’s plan is that the Church should ever be growing both in knowledge and perfection till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.
Since the Church has not yet attained the standard set forth in this verse of Scripture, it is obvious that she needs to have greater knowledge of Bible religion than she has at the present time.
Being far from having reached such unity of faith, of knowledge, and perfection, we see the need as clear as crystal: We as Christians need to start growing, otherwise the season of such growth will pass and we shall be left but dwarfs, not having advanced far enough to be eligible for a home in the Kingdom. Then shall it come to pass that all such unmatured Christians shall bitterly cry out, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” Jer. 8:20.
Friday - July 22
Further Study
“Says the prophet: “Who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers’ soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” Malachi 3:2, 3. Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God's people upon earth. This work is more clearly presented in the messages of Revelation 14. GC 425.1
“When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for His appearing. “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.” Malachi 3:4. Then the church which our Lord at His coming is to receive to Himself will be a “glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” Ephesians 5:27. Then she will look “forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.” Song of Solomon 6:10.” GC 425.2