Question of the Day

[Richard Myers]

Ed, interesting thoughts from Jones. What do you think? Is Jones right?

[Ed Sutton]

I have not researched history on this topic, first hand, as yet.

Assembling accurate historical documents will require God's help and motivation.

[Richard Myers]

It is important to note Islam was used by God to block the spread of the papacy and to allow the Protestant Reformation to succeed. The pope's armies had to deal with Islam and thus Luther and the reformation were not the object of war.

The fifth and sixth trumpets are an accurate prophecy of the attack and then the fall of Constantinople, then the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1840. The dates are accurate when using a day for a year principle.

In the year 1840 another remarkable fulfillment of prophecy excited widespread interest. Two years before, Josiah Litch, one of the leading ministers preaching the second advent, published an exposition of Revelation 9, predicting the fall of the Ottoman Empire. According to his calculations, this power was to be overthrown "in A.D. 1840, sometime in the month of August;" and only a few days previous to its accomplishment he wrote: "Allowing the first period, 150 years, to have been exactly fulfilled before Deacozes ascended the throne by permission of the Turks, and that the 391 years, fifteen days, commenced at the close of the first period, it will end on the 11th of August, 1840, when the Ottoman powerin Constantinople may be expected to be broken. And this, I believe, will be found to be the case."--Josiah Litch, in Signs of the Times, and Expositor of Prophecy, Aug. 1, 1840.
 
At the very time specified, Turkey, through her ambassadors, accepted the protection of the allied powers of Europe, and thus placed herself under the control of Christian nations. The event exactly fulfilled the prediction.  GC 334,5.

[ejclark]

Revelation 9:4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

So should we really have any thing to worry about from ISIS?

[Richard Myers]

    God is in absolute control!!

[Richard Myers]

Here is an interesting and important question. When Adam sinned, he did so in holy flesh. When probation closes, there will be living saints on this Earth. Jesus will have left the heavenly sanctuary and there will be no more mercy, no more forgiveness of sin. How will the character of Adam before he sinned compare to the character of the least one of those living saints that are alive when the character of every person on the Earth is fixed? This will be that time: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." Revelation 22:11.

Remember that we are comparing the character of one who had not yet sinned and who was living holy flesh, to one who is living after 6,000 years of sin and living in sinful flesh. 6,000 years later, the result of sin can be seen in the degradation of the physical body, the dullness of mind of most of humanity, and the degree of immorality sweeping over the Earth. If you were left stranded on an island, who would you choose to be your only help, Adam or the one who had inherited human nature after 6,000 years of sin?

[Richard Myers]

Are you ready for the persecution that will soon come?

Why is it soon? Because the church is seeing a beginning of revival and reformation. When we proclaim the truth entrusted to us to the whole world, then we will be hated by those who are seen to be in opposition to Bible truth. There are today, some church members not of our faith that are going to their pastor and saying "do you know what Seventh-day Adventists are teaching? Most do not, for we have not been doing what has been entrusted to us. Like Israel of Old, Satan has succeeded in perverting our understanding of the gospel message. But, sleepy eyes are being opened. The gospel of grace is now being seen on the internet around the Earth. I share two examples that will encourage you to look up, for our redemption draweth nigh. Both examples are from our Sabbath School Quarterly which is world-wide. And, it is broadcast on the internet world-wide. The two examples are Three Cosmic Messages (The Three Angels' Message) and The Great Controversy.

2nd   Quarter         Lesson 13                                                                                                                                                       June 22- June 28

The Triumph _of_ God’s Love

Friday  June 28
Further Thought


Again we thank our Brother Mark for sharing such a powerful story of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, between good and evil. Let us pray that we continue to hear the truth, the present truth entrusted to us who have been greatly blessed with a knowledge that surpasses that of any time in the past. With that comes a responsibility to not only share this truth, but to live it as a witness of the power of grace to transform sinners into saints. Christ does not just wait for us to quit sinning, He is our High Priest who is doing all He can to awaken a sleeping Laodicean Church. When those who have have been blessed with opportunities to study and teach this truth fail to do so, then  it becomes important that those who have discovered the gospel truth be faithful watchmen and watchwomen to alert the church of the dangers we face from without and within.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom; and when God is not depended upon, the result of education is only to elevate ungodliness. The reason that the church is weak and inefficient is that there is a want of the grace of Christ among those who profess the truth for these last days. If the Lord has ever spoken by me, there is sin of almost every character cherished by many who claim to be children of God; and unless they separate themselves from Satan and cling to Jesus our righteousness, the woe of God will be upon those who have had great light, and yet have chosen to walk in darkness. “Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin; Woe unto thee, Bethsaida; for if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee.” Matthew 11:20-25.

It is a fearful thing to have great light and blessing, to have many opportunities and privileges, and yet make no saving use of them. Those who do not make a saving use of their opportunities, will be condemned by the privileges God has granted to them; but those who walk in the light will have increased light. Those who have had the light of truth, and yet have failed to walk in the light, are under the same sentence of condemnation as were Chorazin and Bethsaida. Shall not these warnings be heeded? Shall not these admonitions have weight with us? In the near future it will be seen just who have been walking humbly with God, and who have been obeying his orders. Those who have been walking in the sparks of their own kindling will lie down in sorrow. It will be seen that they have made a terrible mistake. O let us awake! light is now shining; let the windows of the mind and heart be open to welcome the heaven-sent rays. Shall Jesus say of those who profess to obey the truth, and yet who fail to walk in its light, “In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: for this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them”? Matthew 13:14, 15.—MS. CE 140.

And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence, and happiness increase. The more men learn of God, the greater will be their admiration of His character. As Jesus opens before them the riches of redemption and the amazing achievements in the great controversy with Satan, the hearts of the ransomed thrill with more fervent devotion, and with more rapturous joy they sweep the harps of gold; and ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of voices unite to swell the mighty chorus of praise.

“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” Revelation 5:13.

The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love. 

And a second Sabbath School quarter taught by Mark Finley.


 Lesson 13                                                                                                                                                                  June 17-23    2023

Ablaze With God’s Glory

Friday         June 23

All around us we see the fulfilling of prophecy, but what is missing? Jesus cannot come as long as we continue to dirty the heavenly sanctuary. There must be revival and reformation in His remnant church. We must be keeping His commandments. We must be walking together in the truth. Why do we have such conflicts in the church? The church remains in a Laodicean condition. The solution is given in the message. Jesus is calling to each of us. He wants the whole heart. By beholding His grace we will be converted. By continuing to cling to Christ, we will remain converted. I must die daily to self.  How can these things be? Listen to Jesus telling Nicodemus that he must be born again. Would He reprove Nicodemus without telling him how to be born again of the Spirit? No. He told him what he must do. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up," that we might "look and live." By beholding His glory (character) we are changed into the same image (character). 2 Cor 3:18. It would be well to spend a thoughtful hour a day contemplating the life of Jesus, especially the closing scenes where we see His bleeding back as He hung on the cross. "By His stripes we are healed."  This is the grace by which we are transformed from sinners into saints. Join with us in beholding His glory each day as we read a chapter on the life of Christ. By beholding the  loveliness of Jesus you will be transformed in nature, you will become a partaker of His divine nature. Desire of Ages

This quarter's lessons have been the best we have had in the 40 years I have been in His remnant church. We can expect that with the wide circulation of these truths, there will be a beginning of the persecution which will bring about a purification of His church. Get ready, look up, for our redemption draweth nigh!!

[Richard Myers]

The great question to ask and answer is "what must I do to be saved?" We are saved by grace, but what does that mean? Many believe they are saved by grace, but are not saved. It is those who walk after the Spirit that are saved (Rom. 8:1). But, how can this be, as Nicodemus asked Jesus when told he must be born again of the Spirit. What are we to do that we would be born again? First we need to understand we are evil by nature and can do no good thing. We need to understand what Jesus told Nicodemus, you will not enter heaven unless you are born again. Thus the need to help the sinner see his condition.

God does not send messengers to flatter the sinner. He delivers no message of peace to lull the unsanctified into fatal security. He lays heavy burdens upon the conscience of the wrongdoer, and pierces the soul with arrows of conviction. The ministering angels present to him the fearful judgments of God to deepen the sense of need, and prompt the cry, “What must I do to be saved?” Then the hand that has humbled in the dust, lifts up the penitent. The voice that has rebuked sin, and put to shame pride and ambition, inquires with tenderest sympathy, “What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?” ......

Amid discord and strife, a voice was heard from the wilderness, a voice startling and stern, yet full of hope: “Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” With a new, strange power it moved the people. Prophets had foretold the coming of Christ as an event far in the future; but here was an announcement that it was at hand. John’s singular appearance carried the minds of his hearers back to the ancient seers. In his manner and dress he resembled the prophet Elijah. With the spirit and power of Elijah he denounced the national corruption, and rebuked the prevailing sins. His words were plain, pointed, and convincing....John proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, and called the people to repentance. As a symbol of cleansing from sin, he baptized them in the waters of the Jordan. Thus by a significant object lesson he declared that those who claimed to be the chosen people of God were defiled by sin, and that without purification of heart and life they could have no part in the Messiah’s kingdom. Desire of Ages, pg 104.

But this does not answer the great question to be asked and answered. Now that the sinner sees his need as did Saul when he asked that most important question "O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death?" Romans 7:24. The answer is found in Christ. He made it very clear that we must "drink His blood and eat His flesh." If we want physical health, we eat bread, if we want spiritual health, we eat the "Bread of Life" which came down from heaven. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." John 6:51.  By beholding His glory which is His character we will be changed into His character and be fit for heaven. "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." 2 Cor. 3:18.

When we spend time studying the life of Jesus, especially the closing scenes where we see Him hanging on the cross, the heart is broken and we will fall on our face and confess our sins, and be transformed, be born again. The heart will be purified. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  It is a Bible promise! 1 John 1:9. We need to be reminded daily in order to maintain our connection with Christ. Otherwise, the "old man" will re-appear. He is just waiting for us to let the mind wander away from Jesus. And Satan has prepared nets all around us just waiting for us to forget what Jesus has done for us. The mind must be kept in communion with Jesus lest we crucify Him afresh. Grace is more than a word, it is the power that keeps us from sin. It is the love of God for a world that does not deserve it.

[Richard Myers]

How long before Jesus comes?  Does the Bible tell us anything about when He comes?

[Richard Myers]

How is one sanctified to a higher level of sanctification?

[Richard Myers]

How can we "give glory to God? In today's Sabbath School lesson we are asked how can we reflect the jealousy of God which is a part of His character. Since we all are to be giving the three angels' message, we ought to know how to give glory to God. When we discover that we give glory to God when we reflect His character, then we need to know how can we can be transformed into His character.

Wednesday        January 22
A Jealous God?


How can we learn to reflect that same kind of good "jealousy" toward others that God displays toward us?

First we need to make sure we love the Lord our God with all of the heart. In other words in a Laodicean church most are not truly converted as it was in the days when more than a prophet was in our church. "The new birth is a rare experience in this age of the world. This is the reason why there are so many perplexities in the churches. Many, so many, who assume the name of Christ are unsanctified and unholy. They have been baptized, but they were buried alive. Self did not die, and therefore they did not rise to newness of life in Christ" (Manuscript 148, 1897).  Vol 6 Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary; pg 1075.

Then, we are jealous, but we do nothing like God will deal with those who do not repent. We are to love those who are the enemy who pervert the truth. That means helping them to see their error in a loving and kind way. If that does not work, then we take another with us in our effort to help the false teacher. If that fails we are to take it to the church that the accursed be removed from the church of God if they repent not. If this what we are doing with false teachers? Is it Biblical to remove the teacher of a false gospel from the church?  From the Book of Joshua:

 7:12   Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, [but] turned [their] backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. 
 7:13   Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, [There is] an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.   

Of course we are not in a theocracy, but we are to remove the accursed from the church if they repent not. Yet, many will rise up against the truth. But, be encouraged. God is removing His Spirit from the world. At the same time He is pouring out His Spirit upon those seeking truth. We see there are two groups being formed in the world and in the church. Those who love the truth and those who do not. Jesus is coming very soon when these two groups are set in their character. Then there will be those who are filthy  and those that are holy and they will forever remain as such. Their habits of obedience or disobedience have become their fixed character. The question asked by the author of our lesson is what can we do to reflect this lovely character of God.  The best answer that addresses this in manner easily understood is found in the Book of 2 Cor. where we begin today's lesson. Chapter 3 verse 18. "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." We may have some new scholars reading today, so let's translate this verse into something all can understand since it is also the answer to great question all need to ask and answer. What must I do to be saved?

Satan's great lie is "if you choose to disobey God you  will surely not die". From Gen. 3:4. "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die."  Thus it is today in the church that the accursed has perverted the gospel by teaching we have eternal life when we sin a known sin. It is important that we have spiritual discernment. How can we be transformed from sinner to saint? How can we reflect the character of  God? 

2 Cor. 3:18 tells us to behold the glory of God. What is the glory of God? In the three angels' message we are to take to the world it says in the first message to "give glory to Him." Do you give glory to God. How many know how to give glory to God? It means  to reflect His character. Then this is really an important question to ask and answer. How do we be changed to reflect His character? We behold His glory which is His character. Then if we behold His character, what will happen? We will be changed into His image. Do we want to reflect His image? His image is His character. Thus, if we will spend a thoughtful hour a day contemplating the life of Jesus (His character) we will be changed into His character. Instead of being heathen sinners, He will transform all who do this into His image. When this happens to repentant sinners, they are then known to be His saints. May God bless us as we study each day the life of Jesus. We might recommend the most beautiful book ever written next to the Bible, the Desire of Ages which is the life of Jesus.

[Richard Myers]

Monday       February 10



How does God's answer to Job shed light on the problem of evil? How much do we know and not know about what might be going on behind the scenes?

God's answer is not a general problem of evil in the world, but in the heart of Job. It is hard to maintain a connection with God when we are tired and sick. Job let go of the hand of Jesus and began to murmur about his condition wishing he was dead, like Elijah. But, the first indication that Job had taken his eyes off of Jesus was when he called his three friends "miserable comforters."  "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." Romans 15:1. Who was the strong one?  Job! "And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" Job 1:8. But, he is not now ministering to his three friends. Job is now thinking of himself, he is not thinking of helping his three friends who we see are also full of self and wrong in there first declaration that Job had sinned. He had not sinned until he gave into Satan and took notice of how unkind and wrong his friends were as they attacked Job's character.

Then we read for 30 chapters the bemoaning  of Job how great he was and now how he is mistreated. Then God speaks through Elihu to all four who need to repent. They all stop arguing knowing they were all four wrong. Then God Himself speaks to Job. It is not a matter of evil in the world, but evil the heart of Job. God starts out by telling Job He is unhappy that he spoke of things he knew nothing of which darkened things God had said. God uses strong words to reprove Job of his sins. He then tells Job to gird up his loins! "38:3   Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me." Job 38:3. How would you like for God to speak like this to you. But, it stops no there. For two whole chapters he continues to rebuke Job. Then God makes it plain that you all may know that Job sinned. He names the sin.

 40:1   Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, 
 40:2   Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct [him]? he that reproveth God, let him answer it. 
 40:3   Then Job answered the LORD, and said, 
 40:4   Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. 
 40:5   Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further. 
 40:6   Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 
 40:7   Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. 
 40:8   Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

There are a multitude of false teachers who refuse to acknowledge that Job sinned. They have trusted in their religious leaders instead of accepting what is clearly spoken by God as to what Job had done. God then goes for another two chapters rebuking Job.  Who then repents of his sins: "Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Job 42:6.  Even this is not good enough for many who insist Job did not sin. God forgive them if they know not what they have done.