Sabbath Afternoon, June 20
Memory Text:
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” KJV — 1John 3:2
“Soon we heard the voice of God [The voice of God is heard repeatedly during the period immediately preceding Christ's return. See The Great Controversy, 632, 633, 636, 638, 640, 641.] like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake.—Early Writings, 15 (1851). LDE 272.2
“As God spoke the day and the hour of Jesus’ coming, and delivered the everlasting covenant to His people, He spoke one sentence, and then paused, while the words were rolling through the earth. The Israel of God stood with their eyes fixed upward, listening to the words as they came from the mouth of Jehovah and rolled through the earth like peals of loudest thunder. It was awfully solemn. At the end of every sentence the saints shouted, “Glory! Hallelujah!” Their countenances were lighted up with the glory of God, and they shone with glory as did the face of Moses when he came down from Sinai. The wicked could not look upon them for the glory. And when the never-ending blessing was pronounced on those who had honored God in keeping His Sabbath holy, there was a mighty shout of victory over the beast and over his image.—Early Writings, 285, 286 (1858). LDE 272.3
“I have not the slightest knowledge as to the time spoken by the voice of God. I heard the hour proclaimed, but had no remembrance of that hour after I came out of vision. Scenes of such thrilling, solemn interest passed before me as no language is adequate to describe. It was all a living reality to me, for close upon this scene appeared the great white cloud, upon which was seated the Son of man.—Selected Messages 1:76 (1888).” LDE 273.1
Sunday, June 21
Living Today
“The tempest is coming and we must get ready for its fury by having repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord will arise to shake terribly the earth. We shall see troubles on all sides. Thousands of ships will be hurled into the depths of the sea. Navies will go down, and human lives will be sacrificed by millions. Fires will break out unexpectedly and no human effort will be able to quench them. The palaces of earth will be swept away in the fury of the flames. Disasters by rail will become more and more frequent. Confusion, collision, and death without a moment's warning will occur on the great lines of travel. The end is near, probation is closing. Oh, let us seek God while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near!—Messages to Young People, 89, 90 (1890). LDE 24.1
“In the last scenes of this earth's history war will rage. There will be pestilence, plague and famine. The waters of the deep will overflow their boundaries. Property and life will be destroyed by fire and flood. We should be preparing for the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for them that love Him.—Maranatha, 174 (1897).” LDE 24.2
Psalm 80 offers a beautiful appeal to God. Read the chapter and, in particular, consider verses 1–3, 14–17, 18, 19, and put the word “me” in place of “us.” Regardless of how different the time, place, and context of this psalm, in what ways can you personally relate to it?
“‘The pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart away.’ Zechariah 10:11. This is true not only of the nations that arrayed themselves against God in ancient times, but also of nations today who fail of fulfilling the divine purpose. In the day of final awards, when the righteous Judge of all the earth shall “sift the nations” (Isaiah 30:28), and those that have kept the truth shall be permitted to enter the City of God, heaven's arches will ring with the triumphant songs of the redeemed. “Ye shall have a song,” the prophet declares, “as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the Mighty One of Israel. And the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard.... Through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod. And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the Lord shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps.” Verses 29-32.” PK 366.3
Monday, June 22
Finally, Face to Face
Read 2 Corinthians 4:7–12. In this passage, what reveals how Paul was able to endure the trials he faced? What seems to be the focus of his life?
“Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud, about half the size of a man's hand. It is the cloud which surrounds the Saviour, and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness. The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of man. In solemn silence they gaze upon it as it draws nearer the earth, becoming lighter and more glorious, until it is a great white cloud, its base a glory like consuming fire, and above it the rainbow of the covenant. Jesus rides forth as a mighty conqueror.... LDE 274.1
“With anthems of celestial melody the holy angels, a vast, unnumbered throng, attend Him on His way. The firmament seems filled with radiant forms—“ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.” No human pen can portray the scene, no mortal mind is adequate to conceive its splendor.... LDE 274.2
“The King of kings descends upon the cloud, wrapped in flaming fire. The heavens are rolled together as a scroll, the earth trembles before Him, and every mountain and island is moved out of its place.—The Great Controversy, 640-642 (1911).” LDE 274.3
What will happen next? Read 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Ultimately, what Paul writes about in Philippians 2:10, 11will echo throughout the universe.
“Those who have acted the most prominent part in the rejection and crucifixion of Christ come forth to see Him as He is, and those who have rejected Christ come up and see the saints glorified, and it is at that time that the saints are changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. The very ones who placed upon Him the purple robe and put the crown of thorns upon His brow, and those who put the nails through His hands and feet, look upon Him and bewail.—Manuscript Releases 9:252 (1886). LDE 275.1
“They remember how His love was slighted and His compassion abused. They think of how Barabbas, a murderer and a robber, was chosen in His stead, how Jesus was crowned with thorns and scourged and crucified, how in the hours of His agony on the cross the priests and rulers taunted Him, saying, “Let Him come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He saved others, Himself He cannot save.” All the insult and despite offered to Christ, all the suffering caused to His disciples, will be as fresh in their recollection as when the satanic deeds were done. LDE 275.2
“The voice which they heard so often in entreaty and persuasion will again sound in their ears. Every tone of gracious solicitation will vibrate as distinctly in their ears as when the Saviour spoke in the synagogues and on the street. Then those who pierced Him will call on the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.—Letter 131, 1900.” LDE 275.3
“The precious dead, from Adam down to the last saint who dies, will hear the voice of the Son of God and will come forth from the grave to immortal life.—The Desire of Ages, 606 (1898).” LDE 276.3
Tuesday, June 23
The Bride
Read Revelation 21:9–11. What analogy was given, and why do you think it was used?
“In the summer and autumn of 1844 the proclamation, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh,” was given. The two classes represented by the wise and foolish virgins were then developed—one class who looked with joy to the Lord's appearing, and who had been diligently preparing to meet Him; another class that, influenced by fear and acting from impulse, had been satisfied with a theory of the truth, but were destitute of the grace of God. In the parable, when the bridegroom came, “they that were ready went in with him to the marriage.” The coming of the bridegroom, here brought to view, takes place before the marriage. The marriage represents the reception by Christ of His kingdom. The Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which is the capital and representative of the kingdom, is called “the bride, the Lamb's wife.” Said the angel to John: “Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.” “He carried me away in the spirit,” says the prophet, “and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” Revelation 21:9, 10. Clearly, then, the bride represents the Holy City, and the virgins that go out to meet the bridegroom are a symbol of the church. In the Revelation the people of God are said to be the guests at the marriage supper. Revelation 19:9. If guests, they cannot be represented also as the bride. Christ, as stated by the prophet Daniel, will receive from the Ancient of Days in heaven, “dominion, and glory, and a kingdom;” He will receive the New Jerusalem, the capital of His kingdom, “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Daniel 7:14; Revelation 21:2. Having received the kingdom, He will come in His glory, as King of kings and Lord of lords, for the redemption of His people, who are to “sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,” at His table in His kingdom (Matthew 8:11; Luke 22:30), to partake of the marriage supper of the Lamb.” GC 426.2
The parable of the ten virgins cannot preserve the virgins until the Lord's coming, but rather up to some time before the final close of probation, for, note more carefully what the scripture saith: "And they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut." (Matt. 25:10.) The words "to the marriage" denote that the call was made and the door was shut before the marriage took place, and as Christ is married or crowned at the close of human probation (see The Great Controversy, 426, 427), and before the seven last plagues are poured out, it proves that the call, "Behold the Bridegroom cometh," is not the coming of Christ in the clouds when He receives His people "unto Himself" (John 14:3), but rather His coming to the sanctuary for the judgment of the living.
As the five wise virgins are the 144,000 (Rev. 14:4), we see that the cry for them to awake is the same as Isa. 52:1: which makes the time of the cry the same as "the sealing time of the 144,000" (3 T 266), and their meeting the bridegroom the same as Ezek. 9. Then after the close of probation and after the pouring of the plagues, He will come and take His own, not to witness the marriage but to eat the marriage supper after the ceremony is performed.
Wednesday, June 24
Follow the Lamb
What other blessings might we look forward to in eternity? Read Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 7:17, and Revelation 21:4.
“One of the marked features in the representation of the 144,000 is that in their mouth there was found no guile. The Lord has said, “Blessed is the man ... in whose spirit there is no guile.” They profess to be children of God, and are represented as following the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. They are prefigured before us as standing on Mount Zion, girt for holy service, clothed in white linen, which is the righteousness of the saints. But all who follow the Lamb in heaven will first have followed Him on earth, in trustful, loving, willing obedience, followed Him not fretfully and capriciously, but confidently, truthfully, as the flock follows the shepherd....” 3SM 424.2
“Upon the crystal sea before the throne, that sea of glass as it were mingled with fire,—so resplendent is it with the glory of God,—are gathered the company that have “gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name.” With the Lamb upon Mount Zion, “having the harps of God,” they stand, the hundred and forty and four thousand that were redeemed from among men; and there is heard, as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of a great thunder, “the voice of harpers harping with their harps.” And they sing “a new song” before the throne, a song which no man can learn save the hundred and forty and four thousand. It is the song of Moses and the Lamb—a song of deliverance. None but the hundred and forty-four thousand can learn that song; for it is the song of their experience—an experience such as no other company have ever had. “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.” These, having been translated from the earth, from among the living, are counted as “the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.” Revelation 15:2, 3; 14:1-5. “These are they which came out of great tribulation;” they have passed through the time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation; they have endured the anguish of the time of Jacob's trouble; they have stood without an intercessor through the final outpouring of God's judgments. But they have been delivered, for they have “washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” “In their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault” before God. “Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.” They have seen the earth wasted with famine and pestilence, the sun having power to scorch men with great heat, and they themselves have endured suffering, hunger, and thirst. But “they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Revelation 7:14-17.” GC 648.3
Thursday, June 25
“Come!”
Read the following passages and notice His invitation for you to come to Him: Matt. 11:28–30, Isa. 55:1–3, John 6:44.
“The world’s Redeemer came not only to be a sacrifice for sin but to be an example to man in all things, a holy, human character. He was a Teacher, such an educator as the world never saw or heard before. He spake as one having authority, and yet He invites the confidence of all. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). 3SM 138.3
“The only begotten Son of the infinite God has, by His words [and], His practical example left us a plain pattern which we are to copy. By His words He has educated us to obey God, and by His own practice He has showed us how we can obey God. 3SM 138.4
“Not only did Christ give explicit rules showing how we may become obedient children but He showed us in His own life and character just how to do those things which are right and acceptable with God, so there is no excuse why we should not do those things which are pleasing in His sight.” 3SM 139.1
“Disobedience has closed the door to a vast amount of knowledge that might have been gained from the Word of God. Understanding means obedience to God’s commandments. Had men and women been obedient, they would have understood the plan of God’s government. The heavenly world would have opened its chambers of grace and glory for exploration. Human beings would have been altogether different from what they are now, in form, in speech, in song; for by exploring the mines of truth, they would have been ennobled. The mystery of redemption, the incarnation of Christ, His atoning sacrifice, would not be, as they are now, vague in our minds. They would have been not only better understood, but altogether more highly appreciated. BLJ 127.3
“In eternity we shall learn that which, if we had received the enlightenment that it was possible for us to obtain here, would have opened our understanding. The themes of redemption will employ the hearts and minds and tongues of the redeemed through the everlasting ages. They will understand the truths that Christ longed to open to His disciples, but which they did not have faith to grasp. Forever and forever, new views of the perfection and glory of Christ will appear.—The Review and Herald, July 3, 1900.” BLJ 127.4
Friday, June 26
Further Thought
“In that day the redeemed will shine forth in the glory of the Father and the Son. The angels, touching their golden harps, will welcome the King and His trophies of victory—those who have been washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. A song of triumph will peal forth, filling all heaven. Christ has conquered. He enters the heavenly courts, accompanied by His redeemed ones, the witnesses that His mission of suffering and sacrifice has not been in vain.—Testimonies for the Church 9:285, 286 (1909). LDE 281.1
“With unutterable love, Jesus welcomes His faithful ones to the joy of their Lord. The Saviour's joy is in seeing in the kingdom of glory the souls that have been saved by His agony and humiliation.—The Great Controversy, 647 (1911). LDE 281.2
“In the results of His work Christ will behold its recompense. In that great multitude which no man could number, presented “faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,” He whose blood has redeemed and whose life has taught us “shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.”—Education, 309 (1903). LDE 281.3
“I saw a very great number of angels bring from the city glorious crowns—a crown for every saint, with his name written thereon. As Jesus called for the crowns, angels presented them to Him, and with His own right hand, the lovely Jesus placed the crowns on the heads of the saints.—Early Writings, 288 (1858). LDE 281.4
“On the sea of glass the 144,000 stood in a perfect square. Some of them had very bright crowns, others not so bright. Some crowns appeared heavy with stars, while others had but few. All were perfectly satisfied with their crowns.—Early Writings, 16, 17 (1851). LDE 282.1
“The crown of life will be bright or dim, will glitter with many stars, or be lighted by few gems, in accordance with our own course of action.—The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 6:1105 (1895). LDE 282.2
“There will be no one saved in heaven with a starless crown. If you enter, there will be some soul in the courts of glory that has found an entrance there through your instrumentality.—The Signs of the Times, June 6, 1892. LDE 282.3
“Before entering the city of God, the Saviour bestows upon His followers the emblems of victory, and invests them with the insignia of their royal state. The glittering ranks are drawn up in the form of a hollow square about their King.... Upon the heads of the overcomers, Jesus with His own right hand places the crown of glory.... In every hand are placed the victor's palm and the shining harp. Then, as the commanding angels strike the note, every hand sweeps the harp strings with skillful touch, awaking sweet music in rich, melodious strains.... Before the ransomed throng is the holy city. Jesus opens wide the pearly gates, and the nations that have kept the truth enter in.—The Great Controversy, 645, 646 (1911).” LDE 282.4