Sabbath: Motivated by Hope
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 11th of May 2024
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 24:27,30-31; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Daniel 8:14; Daniel 9:20-27; Ezra 7:7-13.
Memory Text:
“And it will be said in that day: ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation’ ” (Isaiah 25:9, NKJV).
The second coming of Jesus is one of the central themes of Scripture. It is a golden thread that runs through the Bible’s sacred pages. One scholar has estimated that there are 1,845 references to Christ’s second coming in the Old Testament. In the 260 chapters of the New Testament, there are more than 300 references to the return of Christ. One in every 25 verses mentions it. Twenty-three of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event.
After the Reformation in Europe foundered and was hampered by divisions and strife, Protestantism took root in the New World, including the United States, where many sought to pick up the mantle of truth, including the truth about the Second Coming.
Among them was a Baptist farmer named William Miller. From his study of the Bible, he believed that Jesus was coming soon, even in his lifetime, and then began preaching that message. Miller started a movement that, though facing a great disappointment, opened up to many people Bible truths that remain relevant to this day.
In this week’s lesson, we will examine why the second coming of Christ has filled the hearts of believers with joy through the centuries and how we can be ready for that great event.
*Study this week’s lesson, based on chapters 18–21 of The Great Controversy, to prepare for Sabbath, May 18.
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The irony of this week's lesson is that we are studying the roots of the Second Coming message that really started the Seventh-day Adventist church, yet, Jesus still has not come. I am a 4th generation Adventist and have teenage grandchildren so in essence, I have been in contact with 6 generations of Seventh-day Adventists. That is a long time. To put it into perspective, the 6th generation know nothing about the first two generations.
If nothing else, it is time to reflect. For me personally, I have to think very carefully about what I pass on to my grandsons. Reciting the mantra, "Jesus is Coming Soon!" more loudly is not going to work.
I hope that this week we do more than just recite the history of the Adventist pioneers, but that we revisit their motivation and develop a meaningful revision of our understanding and purpose.
Thought for the week: Jesus said: "Occupy till I come!"
Thank you for your comment, I believe the second coming of Jesus is also connected to the life of the christian, as soon as we die, and when we wake up from death Jesus is already here. How soon is Jesus return is connected to the question, how sure are we that we are still alive tomorrow?
I believe Jesus wanted His followers to always live in awareness of the imminence of His coming. He knows humanity well enough that if He said He would come some time 2000 years later, the lost sense of urgency would sabotage His mission.
And then, as Jon mentioned, there's the reality that Jesus is "coming" for each of us when we die - and we don't know whether that will be today or many years from now.
Maurice, you’re right but I strongly believe Jesus is coming very soon, I haven’t seen many things as you because I’m just 28 but when I look at the events which has been taking place in our world, I’m deeply convinced we’re at end. When I read the Bible prophecy almost every event before his return has already happened. We’re at the edge my friend Maurice
The topic of this week's lesson is *so* relevant today!
In past years, Adventists might have sounded like alarmists or fanatics when preaching about the end of the world. But those days are gone. Today, a great many secular thinkers see that things in our society cannot go on like this much longer. They see America on the edge of collapse, and, with America as "the leader of the free world," that means they see that modern society as we know it, is on the edge of collapse. Anarchy, promoted by riots, is on the rise and is even touted as a viable alternative to current forms of democratic government.
Suicides are rising steeply - not just among adults, but among teens and pre-teens. People commit suicide when they have no hope.
Yes, and truly "men's hearts are failing them for fear." (Luke 21:26)
If ever there was a time that society needed hope, it is now!
I used to think that The Great Controversy was not the best book to share, preferring books like Christ's Object Lessons, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, Desire of Ages. While I still think those books centering on Christ's life are absolutely precious and needful, people are now interested in why things are happening the way they are. They want answers and hope for the future, and that's exactly what The Great Controversy offers, although I think that Love Under Fire is a better option to share with some of our friends, because it is shorter and more attractive, and people are no longer used to read longer books. But for readers, by all means, share the full, original version!
We need to pray for wisdom to recognize how to approach people around us. A great many are fearful, though they will not admit it openly. We need to be not only wise as serpents and harmless as doves, but we need to learn to be bold to speak, or we will miss the opportunities to share God's last message while it is relatively easy, and we will have to do it when it is much harder.
We are so blessed to have the assurance that God has foreseen even the frightening movements in society today and that He is still in control and has hope for us and those around us. Let us not keep that hope to ourselves!
And, dear people, if you are not thoroughly familiar with these books and with the Bible, stop everything else you are doing with your free time and learn what God has to say to us! Time is, indeed, short.
You can get the share hard copy of Love Under Fire adapted to today's Language. https://adventistbookcenter.com/love-under-fire-the-great-controversy-adapted-to-today-s-language.html
Thanks, John. I see that currently the "mass market" version is $4.99 at the ABC plus $7.13 shipping, if that's all you get. (Shipping per item goes down if you buy more. It's free if you buy over $50.00 worth.) That's the same price as on Amazon, but for some reason, Pacific Press ships for only $4.67 through Amazon. So if you want only the one book, Amazon is good. If you want to get books totaling over $50.00, the ABC is better. 😊 (I tend to get mainly Kindle versions nowadays - for cost, convenience and ease of reading. Currently I need very bright light to read a paper book, and I can read on my Kindle app anywhere in any kind of lighting.)
My recommendation to our readers is to get either the Great Controversy or Love Under Fire in any version that is convenient for you and read it! If you live where cost is prohibitive, by all means check out reading for free at
egwwritings.org: The Great Controversy on the text site and Love Under Fire resized for reading. (I checked, and it did not come across in the link. Just know there's a way to close the left column, but I don't know how to do it on a large monitor. In mobile view, you xan "X" the menu at the top.)
Hi Inge. This link eliminates the left column on my monitor.
https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p12269.2&index=0
Here is another perspective. We are told that Jesus could have come around 1900 if the church had fulfilled its mission. While the world has gotten worse, the estimated 11 billion people who have been born since 1900 have been given the opportunity to have eternal life through Jesus Christ. They would not have had this opportunity if Jesus had come at that time since they would have never been born. This number includes us. I thank God for this infinite opportunity!
For the believers in the Return of Jesus Christ, His coming signals the end of this world as we know it; we are told to ‘occupy’ until then. We have already accepted the call to ‘come out of this world’ to live in the Kingdom of Heaven, and in one way of interpretation, for those living in Him, He has already returned - Matt.28:20.
I believe that His call – ‘occupy until I come’ - addresses those who live in the Kingdom of God; their ‘occupation’ referring to something specific, something spiritually based. Could it not mean that we who believe God’s Truth do so more fervently as we apply and speak of our faith during the remaining time? Luke 19:12-26.
Are some in danger of loosing that which was given to them – Luke 19:26? The definition of ‘fervent’ is: “having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm.” ‘Occupying’ in this context would mean that we need to wake up from our 'slumber'; doing away with ‘being neither cold nor hot’ and truly starting to live by faith in Christ Jesus - our Hope! Rev. 3:15-22.
There is an old song that I have not heard for a while. It depicts what is being said in todays blog, and seems to be the theme of this weeks lesson. It perks up the conscience. It reveals the message of the reformation, clear through to these times.
Many of you, as I also, remember Del Delker singing this song. Maurice, that was just 0.4 generations ago.
The theme of the Bible is Jesus
and how He died to save men
The plan of salvation assures us
He's coming back again.
Are you ready for Jesus to come?
Are you faithful in all that you do?
Have you fought a good fight?
Have you stood for the right?
Have others seen Jesus in you?
Are you ready to stand in your place?
Are you ready to look in His face?
Can you look up and say, "This is My Lord!"
Are you ready for Jesus to come?
Don't cling to the world and its treasure
This earth will soon pass away
Oh, give Him your love without measure, He's calling you today!
Now, I believe it is like the Bible in the Dark Ages, it is not completely lost. It has been on 3 Angels Broadcast Network and is on many youtubes with lyrics, found in some evangelistic series. Just the same it is a relic that needs to be taken off of life support, not because it is totally dead, but because it is no longer in need of life support, it's SpO2 is 97% JC Zielak, with the respirator turned low, much like the Bible was at the start of the Reformation. Then the Bible during the Reformation was weaned off of life support by the Reformation. Our challenge is to keep the Bible, the Gospel, from going back on life support.
I think we as christians are more excited about the second coming of Jesus forgetting that He's also coming as righteous judge (Matthew 25:31-46) and that who will not be found in Him, will go away to eternal punishment.
That should motivate us to pray and witness like never before.
Inge, Thanks to you and your team for your strong commitment to provide an avenue for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As expected, our Church leadership, our preaching, our blogs, etc., represent a range of discourses ranging from personal commitment or challenges, to current world conditions, and preaching the Gospel - authentic or copying the models of quantity and financial success.
Recently, there was a massive SDA response, demonstrated by number of baptisms, in Rwanda. In the USA, Europe, Australia, etc., we do not expect that kind of response, even in our own SDA families - as some indicated.
Jesus Christ left notice that the time of the end will resemble the result of Noah's preaching for 120 years. Church people, as the rest of the world, will be going about their own daily business empowered with a daily Bible verse kick and a "quick prayer" (exactly like many Church leadership meetings). Was Jesus Christ wrong or right about the Noah's duplication? Today, everyone who dies promptly goes to Heaven - a believeable and satisfactory theology for the world of believers, and even unbelievers. For the rest of the world, suffering is an evil monster, and death is just dust and ashes.
The Book of Acts, Chapter 1, paints a model of truly discovering Who Jesus Christ really is (The "I AM"), and the response of His people becoming a growing passionate Church daily coming together to recite the Life and Words of Jesus Christ, and pray, pray, pray, for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to use them to reach out to the lost/unsaved.
If we believe that the SDA Church is the Message of God in our times, our options are clear: We know Jesus Christ, the Resurrected Son of God - YHWH, Redeemer, and are passionately following the model of the Early Church; or we are the Text of the Day, quick prayer unbelievers.
My hope and prayer for your ministry, Inge, is for your/our people to present to the world the Person, Presence and Love of Jesus Christ in His Passion, Resurrection, Intercession and soon Return to resurrect his Saints, and with them all His Sons and Daughters be "Caught up to Meet Him in the Air; so shall we ever be with the Lord".
God Bless!!!
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Thank you, Hurford! You've analyzed things well, and we appreciate your prayer for our ministry.
Together with our supporters and participants on the blog, we want to
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Please keep lifting us and our readers and participants up in prayer!🙏 Thank you!
Even if it takes 2000 years more before Jesus returns, He is still coming back soon. When we meet Him soon, it will be like we have waited but for a day.
All the signs in the world are showing that Jesus is coming back soon. However, don’t forget that judgment first begins in the house of God and then for the world, and if you think that you would be zooming up straight to heaven from where you are think again. God has promised to restore his kingdom that was destroyed, all His people that was scattered throughout the world He will gather them back into his vineyard on this planet, he will reunite them for the world to see that he is God. The 144000 sealed servants of God Rev7, must be fulfilled then the great multitude must be gathered revelation 7:9 then after the 144000 are gathered along with the great multitude into the kingdom, then the seven last plagues will fall, upon Babylon, the evil, the wicked then Jesus put in his appearance .