Adopted at a Funeral By Andrew McChesney Mourners gathered for the funeral of the young mother at the Seventh-day Adventist church in Milange, a town just 2 miles (3 kilometers) from Mozambique’s border with Malawi. The woman had died of HIV complications just five days after giving birth to a baby boy. Her HIV-positive … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The World’s Need”, pages 457-460, in Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers. The vision of the opening of the seven seals points symbolically to God’s care for, and discipline of, His people on earth. As Kenneth A. Strand has pointed out: “In Scripture there is assurance that God has always cared for … Continue reading –>
In the fifth seal, we see God’s people suffering injustice in a hostile world, crying for God’s intervention on their behalf. The time has come for God to intervene in answer to the prayers of His people. Read Revelation 6:12-14 along with Matthew 24:29-30 and 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10. What is being revealed here? The last three signs of the sixth … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 6:9-10. What is happening here? The word “soul” in the Bible denotes the whole person (Gen. 2:7). The martyrdom of God’s faithful and persecuted people is portrayed here in terms of the sacrificial blood poured out at the base of the earthly sanctuary’s altar of sacrifice (Exod. 29:12, Lev. 4:7). God’s people have suffered injustice and death … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 6:7-8. What scene is portrayed here? How is this scene related to the previous one? The color of the horse in the fourth seal is expressed with the Greek word chloros, which is the ashen-gray color of a decomposing corpse. The rider’s name is Death; meanwhile, Hades, the place of the dead, accompanies him. These … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 6:3-4. On the basis of the description of the red horse and the rider, what is being talked about here in reference to the gospel? Red is the color of blood. The rider has a great sword and is allowed to take peace from the earth, which opens the way for people to kill … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 6:1-8 along with Leviticus 26:21-26 and Matthew 24:1-14. Note the common key words in these texts. What do you learn about the meaning of the first four seals on the basis of these parallels? The events of the seven seals must be understood in the context of the Old Testament covenant curses, specified in terms of sword, famine, … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Rev. 6:1-17, Lev. 26:21-26, Ezek. 4:16, Deut. 32:43, 2 Thess. 1:7-10. Memory Text: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “To My Father, and Your Father,” pages 829-835, in The Desire of Ages; “The Gift of the Spirit”, pages 47-56, in The Acts of the Apostles. The message of Revelation 4 and 5 is particularly important to the people of God living at the close of earth’s history. The coming of the Holy Spirit … Continue reading –>
By Andrew McChesney One of the most perplexing questions that people ask is how to choose the right spouse. For Mario Brito, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Inter-European Division, it was simple: He asked God two seemingly impossible things. Mario remembered Maria while praying for a mission-minded wife as a third-year theology student at … Continue reading –>
