Friday: Further Thought – Images of the End
Daily Lesson for Friday 27th of June 2025
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Unseen Watcher,” Pages 535–538, in Prophets and Kings.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“Every nation that has come upon the stage of action has been permitted to occupy its place on the earth, that the fact might be determined whether it would fulfill the purposes of the Watcher and the Holy One. Prophecy has traced the rise and progress of the world’s great empires—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. With each of these, as with the nations of less power, history has repeated itself. Each has had its period of test; each has failed, its glory faded, its power departed. While nations have rejected God’s principles, and in this rejection have wrought their own ruin, yet a divine, overruling purpose has manifestly been at work throughout the ages.”—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 535.
In Jeremiah 18:1-23, Jeremiah observes a potter doing what a potter does: molding and shaping whatever he is working on. It is this imagery, that of a potter molding his clay, that God uses to explain the principle of conditionality in biblical prophecy. And just to make sure we understand, the Lord speaks through Jeremiah, saying: “ ‘The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it’ ” (Jeremiah 18:7-10, NKJV).
Discussion Questions
|
(9)
Now it is time to leave our discussion of "Allusions, Images and Symbols" and move on to the next topic. So, one last look at lessons this Quarter.
As a young student, I learned about the power of symbols in my algebra classes. The idea of representing numbers with letters gave me new tools for expression and introduced ideas that I had not even thought about before. The relevance of symbolic manipulation became clear when I started to study physics and I could express relationships between observations and properties that I could not even envisage without the power of symbolic manipulation.
The biblical symbolism offers a similar experience. They are a way of expressing and exploring the topics of salvation in a way that makes sense to us. Yet so often we get bogged down in the symbolism rather than what they represent.
As a kid attending a state primary school in rural New Zealand, I had a sudden rush of missionary zeal and decided to tell my fellow students about Jesus so I could report some numbers for Bible studies in the Junior Missionary Volunteer class. I had one student and I proceeded to tell him about Seventh-day Adventist doctrine and why it was important. After 5 minutes, my fellow student said to me, "Look, I don't have a clue what you are talking about! I know that God loves me and I ought to love him back!" And with that, he ran off to play footy. And after a moment's reflection, I joined him. And 70 years later, I still think my little schoolmate got it right.
There is a sense among some Adventists that we have got to get the symbolism sorted and the doctrines correct. That is head religion. We have got to get heart religion, the relationship with Jesus, right.
If this quarter's lessons have moved us closer to heart religion, then it has served its purpose. Christianity is not about vindication of our interpretation. It is about moving closer to Jesus so the people who are part of our lives see Jesus in us.
In Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…” This verse answers a profound question: Why does God leave believers on earth after they are saved? The answer is simple yet powerful He leaves Christians here to be His witnesses. God could have taken all Christians to heaven immediately, but He didn’t. That implies that He has a job for each of us here. William Arnot once said, “To every true Christian these two things may be said: You have need of Christ and Christ has need of you.” If we’re still here, it’s because God has work for us to do namely, sharing the good news.
Unlike singing, praying, or fellowshipping with other believers which we can enjoy both now and in heaven sharing good news can only be done on earth since heaven will be filled with the redeemed, meaning preaching and sharing Christ's saving grace is for the lost here on earth. Romans 10:14 asks, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” We remain on earth so that through our witness, others may come to know Jesus. This is God’s job description for every Christian:"be my witness, I will empower you through the Holy Spirit, right where you are."
The witness of love. Doing speaks more than preaching! Pray and act, that's how it should be. Regarding power, all kingdoms and nations on planet Earth will fall before the everlasting kingdom Jesus is finally coming to install here, forever!
The idea that it is often not the intellect but the heart that keeps people from faith is a crucial insight when it comes to witnessing. Many people who resist the gospel are not necessarily unconvinced by the facts or doctrines of Christianity—they may intellectually understand the message, but their hearts remain untouched or wounded. This reveals that evangelism must go beyond merely presenting theological truths or biblical facts. It must reach the heart.
Jesus Himself emphasized the importance of the heart in our relationship with God. When asked what the greatest commandment was, He replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Notice that while the mind is included, the heart is listed first. True faith and lasting transformation are born out of love, not just logic. People need to experience the love of God, not just learn about Him.
This means that when we witness, our goal should not only be to prove that God exists or that Jesus rose from the dead, but to present Jesus in such a way that people are drawn to Him—captivated by His character, His compassion, and His sacrifice. Our evangelism should help others fall in love with Jesus, not merely agree with a set of doctrines.
Paul writes in Romans 2:4 that it is “the goodness of God [that] leads [us] to repentance.” That goodness must be on full display in our words, actions, and tone. People are more likely to be won to Christ through the warmth of genuine love than through a cold, intellectual argument.
Therefore, effective witnessing is heart-centered. It’s relational, not just informational. It’s rooted in love—for God and for others. If we want people to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, we must model that love and share the gospel in a way that touches both the head and the heart.