Lesson 9 February 20 - 26

Guide for the Last Days

Memory Verse: (Eph 6:17 KJV) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Sabbath Afternoon

(Jer 29:13 NKJV) And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

(Jer 29:13 NIV) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

(John 16:13 NIV) But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

Sunday

Sometimes The Prophets Did Not Understand What They Were Writing

(Dan 7:15-16 NIV) "I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. {16} I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this. "So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things:

(Dan 7:28 NIV) "This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself."

(Dan 8:17 NIV) As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. "Son of man," he said to me, "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end."

(Dan 8:27 NIV) I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.

Read Daniel chapters 9 - 10

Monday

Daniel's Difficulty Explained

Read Daniel chapters 11 - 12

(Dan 12:8 NIV) I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?"

(Dan 12:9 NIV) He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.

(Dan 12:13 NKJV) "But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days."

(Dan 12:13 NIV) "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."

(Dan 12:9-13 NIV) He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. {10} Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. {11} "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. {12} Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. {13} "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."

(Rev 10:1-2 NIV) Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. {2} He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,

(Rev 10:7 NIV) But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets."

Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 971

(Ch. 5:8; Ps. 141:2; John 1:29; Eph. 5:2.) Incense Represents Blood of Atonement.--[Rev. 8:3, 4 quoted.] Let the families, the individual Christians, and the churches bear in mind that they are closely allied to heaven. The Lord has a special interest in His church militant here below. The angels who offer the smoke of the fragrant incense are for the praying saints. Then let the evening prayers in every family rise steadily to heaven in the cool sunset hour, speaking before God in our behalf of the merits of the blood of a crucified and risen Saviour. {7BC 971.1}

That blood alone is efficacious. It alone can make propitiation for our sins. It is the blood of the only-begotten Son of God that is of value for us that we may draw nigh unto God, His blood alone that taketh "away the sin of the world." Morning and evening the heavenly universe behold every household that prays, and the angel with the incense, representing the blood of the atonement, finds access to God (MS 15, 1897). {7BC 971.2} Chapter 10

1-11 (ch. 14:6-12; Dan. 12:4-13). No Less a Person Than Christ.-- The mighty angel who instructed John was no less a personage than Jesus Christ. Setting His right foot on the sea, and His left upon the dry land, shows the part which He is acting in the closing scenes of the great controversy with Satan. This position denotes His supreme power and authority over the whole earth. The controversy had waxed stronger and more determined from age to age, and will continue to do so, to the concluding scenes when the masterly working of the powers of darkness shall reach their height. Satan, united with evil men, will deceive the whole world and the churches who receive not the love of the truth. But the mighty angel demands attention. He cries with a loud voice. He is to show the power and authority of His voice to those who have united with Satan to oppose the truth. {7BC 971.3}

After these seven thunders uttered their voices, the injunction comes to John as to Daniel in regard to the little book: "Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered." These relate to future events which will be disclosed in their order. Daniel shall stand in his lot at the end of the days. John sees the little book unsealed.

Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 971 (continued)

Then Daniel's prophecies have their proper place in the first, second, and third angels' messages to be given to the world. The unsealing of the little book was the message in relation to time. {7BC 971.4}

The books of Daniel and the Revelation are one. One is a prophecy, the other a revelation; one a book sealed, the other a book opened. John heard the mysteries which the thunders uttered, but he was commanded not to write them. {7BC 971.5}

The special light given to John which was expressed in the seven thunders was a delineation of events which would transpire under the first and second angels' messages. It was not best for the people to know these things, for their faith must necessarily be tested. In the order of God most wonderful and advanced truths would be proclaimed. The first and second angels' messages were to be proclaimed, but no further light was to be revealed before these messages had done their specific work. This is represented by the angel standing with one foot on the sea, proclaiming with a most solemn oath that time should be no longer. {7BC 971.6}

This time, which the angel declares with a solemn oath, is not the end of this world's history, neither of probationary time, but of prophetic time, which should precede the advent of our Lord. That is, the people will not have another message upon definite time. After this period of time, reaching from 1842 to 1844, there can be no definite tracing of the prophetic time. The longest reckoning reaches to the autumn of 1844. {7BC 971.7}

The angel's position, with one foot on the sea, the other on the land, signifies the wide extent of the proclamation of the message. It will cross the broad waters and be proclaimed in other countries, even to all the world. The comprehension of truth, the glad reception of the message, is represented in the eating of the little book. The truth in regard to the time of the advent of our Lord was a precious message to our souls (MS 59, 1900). {7BC 971.8}

7 (ch. 22:10-12). The Last Period of Probation.--The gospel dispensation is the (p. 972) last period of probation that will ever be granted to men. Those who live under this dispensation of test and trial and yet are not led to repent and obey will perish with the disloyal. There is no second trial. The gospel that is to be preached to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples presents the truth in clear lines, showing that obedience is the condition of gaining eternal life. Christ imparts His righteousness to those who consent to let Him take away their sins. We are indebted to Christ for the grace which makes us complete in Him (MS 40, 1900). {7BC 971.9}

(1 Cor 10:11 NIV) These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

Read Matthew chapter 24

Tuesday

How The Holy Spirit's Guidance Prevents Us From Misinterpreting The Scriptures

(2 Tim 2:15 NIV) Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Education, p. 189

The student of the Bible should be taught to approach it in the spirit of a learner. We are to search its pages, not for proof to sustain our opinions, but in order to know what God says. {Ed 189.1}

A true knowledge of the Bible can be gained only through the aid of that Spirit by whom the word was given. And in order to gain this knowledge we must live by it. All that God's word commands, we are to obey. All that it promises, we may claim. The life which it enjoins is the life that, through its power, we are to live.

Education, p. 189 (continued)

Only as the Bible is thus held can it be studied effectively. {Ed 189.2}

The study of the Bible demands our most diligent effort and persevering thought. As the miner digs for the golden treasure in the earth, so earnestly, persistently, must we seek for the treasure of God's word. {Ed 189.3}

In daily study the verse-by-verse method is often most helpful. Let the student take one verse, and concentrate the mind on ascertaining the thought that God has put into that verse for him, and then dwell upon the thought until it becomes his own. One passage thus studied until its significance is clear is of more value than the perusal of many chapters with no definite purpose in view and no positive instruction gained. {Ed 189.4}

One of the chief causes of mental inefficiency and moral weakness is the lack of concentration for worthy ends. We pride ourselves on the wide distribution of literature; but the multiplication of books, even books that in themselves are not harmful, may be a positive evil. With the immense tide of printed matter constantly pouring from the press, old and young form the habit of reading hastily and superficially, and the mind loses its power of connected and vigorous thought. Furthermore, a large share (p. 190) of the periodicals and books that, like the frogs of Egypt, are overspreading the land, are not merely commonplace, idle, and enervating, but unclean and degrading. Their effect is not merely to intoxicate and ruin the mind, but to corrupt and destroy the soul. The mind, the heart, that is indolent, aimless, falls an easy prey to evil. It is on diseased, lifeless organisms that fungus roots. It is the idle mind that is Satan's workshop. Let the mind be directed to high and holy ideals, let the life have a noble aim, an absorbing purpose, and evil finds little foothold. {Ed 189.5}

(Isa 8:20 NIV) To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

Wednesday

A Light On Our Path

(Psa 119:105 NIV) Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

(Psa 119:130 NIV) The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

My Life Today, p. 27

My Light The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. Ps. 119:130 {ML 27.1}

It {the Word of God} is a light shining in a dark place. As we search its pages, light enters the heart, illuminating the mind. By this light we see what we ought to be. {ML 27.2}

We see in the Word, warnings and promises, with God behind them all. We are invited to search this Word for aid when brought into difficult places. If we do not consult the Guidebook at every step, inquiring, Is this the way of the Lord? our words and acts will be tainted by selfishness. We shall forget God, and walk in paths that He has not chosen for us. {ML 27.3}

God's Word is full of precious promises and helpful counsel. It is infallible; for God cannot err. It has help for every circumstance and condition of life, and God looks on with sadness when His children turn from it to human aid. {ML 27.4}

He who through the Scriptures holds communion with God will be ennobled and sanctified. As he reads the inspired record of the Saviour's love, his heart will melt in tenderness and contrition. He will be filled with a desire to be like his Master, to live a life of loving service. . . . By a miracle of His power He has preserved His Written Word through the ages. {ML 27.5}

My Life Today, p. 27 (continued)

This book is God's great director. . . . It flashes its light ahead, that we may see the path by which we are traveling; and its rays are thrown back on past history, showing the most perfect harmony in that which, to the mind in darkness, appears like error and discord. In that which seems to the worldling an inexplicable mystery, God's children see light and beauty. {ML 27.6}

Happy is the man who has discovered for himself that the Word of God is a light to his feet and a lamp to his path--a light shining in a dark place. It is heaven's directory for men. (p. 28) {ML 27.7}

(John 16:13 NIV) But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

The Desire of Ages, p. 671

The Comforter is called "the Spirit of truth." His work is to define and maintain the truth. He first dwells in the heart as the Spirit of truth, and thus He becomes the Comforter. There is comfort and peace in the truth, but no real peace or comfort can be found in falsehood. It is through false theories and traditions that Satan gains his power over the mind. By directing men to false standards, he misshapes the character. Through the Scriptures the Holy Spirit speaks to the mind, and impresses truth upon the heart. Thus He exposes error, and expels it from the soul. It is by the Spirit of truth, working through the word of God, that Christ subdues His chosen people to Himself. {DA 671.1}

In describing to His disciples the office work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sought to inspire them with the joy and hope that inspired His own heart. He rejoiced because of the abundant help He had provided for His church. The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail. The power of evil had been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world's Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church. {DA 671.2}

Of the Spirit Jesus said, "He shall glorify Me." The Saviour came to glorify the Father by the demonstration of His love; so the Spirit was to glorify Christ by revealing His grace to the world. The very image of God is to be reproduced in humanity. The honor of God, the honor of Christ, is involved in the perfection of the character of His people. {DA 671.3}

"When He [the Spirit of truth] is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." The preaching of the word will be of no avail without the continual presence and aid of the Holy Spirit. This is the only effectual teacher of divine truth. Only (p. 672)

when the truth is accompanied to the heart by the Spirit will it quicken the conscience or transform the life. One might be able to present the letter of the word of God, he might be familiar with all its commands and promises; but unless the Holy Spirit sets home the truth, no souls will fall on the Rock and be broken. No amount of education, no advantages, however great, can make one a channel of light without the co-operation of the Spirit of God. The sowing of the gospel seed will not be a success unless the seed is quickened into life by the dew of heaven. Before one book of the New Testament was written, before one gospel sermon had been preached after Christ's ascension, the Holy Spirit came upon the praying apostles. Then the testimony of their enemies was, "Ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine." Acts 5:28. {DA 671.4}

Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 3, p. 1152

Psalm 119 An Example of Prayer.--[Ps. 119:17, 18, 33-40 quoted.] Such prayers as this the Lord's servants should be continually offering to Him. This prayer reveals a consecration to God of heart and mind; it is the consecration that God is asking us to make (RH Sept. 18, 1908). {3BC 1152.2}

18. The Reservoir of Heaven Not Locked.--The Bible should be studied with prayer. We should pray as did David, "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." No man can have insight into the Word of God without the illumination of the Holy Spirit. If we will but come into the right position before God, His light will shine upon us in rich, clear rays. This was the experience of the early disciples. . . . [Acts 2:1-4 quoted.] God is willing to give us a similar blessing, when we seek for it as earnestly. {3BC 1152.3}

The Lord did not lock the reservoir of heaven after pouring His Spirit upon the early disciples. We, also, may receive of the fullness of His blessing. Heaven is full of the treasures of His grace, and those who come to God in faith may claim all that He has promised. If we do not have His power, it is because of our spiritual lethargy, our indifference, our indolence. Let us come out of this formality and deadness (RH June 4, 1889). {3BC 1152.4}

111-115, 125-130, 165. Commandments a Delight to the Obedient.-- To the obedient child of God, the commandments are a delight. David declares: [Ps. 119:111-115, 125 quoted]. {3BC 1152.5}

Did the contempt shown to the law of God extinguish David's loyalty? Hear his words. He calls upon God to interfere and vindicate His honor, to show that there is a God, that there are limits to His forbearance, that it is possible to so presume upon the mercy of God as to exhaust it. "It is time for thee, Lord, to work," he says, "for they have made void thy law." {3BC 1152.6}

David saw the divine precepts thrown aside, and obstinacy and rebellion increasing. Was he swept away by the prevalence of apostasy? Did the scorn and contempt cast upon the law lead him to cowardly refrain from making an effort to vindicate the law? On the contrary his reverence for the law of Jehovah increased as he saw the disregard and contempt shown for it by others [Ps. 119:126-130, 165 quoted] (MS 27, 1899). {3BC 1152.7}

126, 127. Time for God to Work.--David was greatly tried in his day in seeing men pouring contempt upon God's law. Men threw off restraint, and depravity was the result. The law of God had become a dead letter to those whom God had created. Men refused to receive the holy precepts as the rule of their life. Wickedness was so great that David feared lest God's forbearance should cease, and he sent up a heart-felt prayer to heaven, saying, "It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law. Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold." {3BC 1152.8}

If David thought in his day that men had exceeded the limits of God's mercy, and that God would work to vindicate the honor of His law, and bring the wickedness of the wicked to an end, then what influence should the widespread iniquity of our day have upon those who love and fear God? When there is widespread disobedience, when iniquity is increasing to a swelling tide, will the professed Christian world be evil with the evil, unrighteous with the unrighteous? Shall we place our influence on the side of the great apostate, and shall universal scorn be heaped upon God's law, the great standard of righteousness? Shall we be swept away by the strong tide of transgression and apostasy? Or shall the righteous search the Scriptures, and know for themselves the conditions upon which the salvation of their souls depend? Those who make the Word of God the man of their counsel will esteem the law of God, and their appreciation of it will rise in proportion as it is set aside and despised. Loyal subjects of Christ's kingdom will re-echo the words of David and say, "It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law. Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold." This (p. 1153)

is the position those will occupy who love God sincerely and their neighbors as themselves. They will exalt the commandments in proportion as contempt increases (Undated MS 145). {3BC 1152.9}

(John 14:24 NIV) He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

(Isa 50:4 NIV) The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

Christ's Object Lesson, p. 139

Asking to Give Christ was continually receiving from the Father that He might communicate to us. "The word which ye hear," He said, "is not Mine, but the Father's which sent Me." John 14:24. "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister." Matt. 20:28. Not for Himself, but for others, He lived and thought and prayed. From hours spent with God He came forth morning by morning, to bring the light of heaven to men. Daily He received a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit. In the early hours of the new day the Lord awakened Him from His slumbers, and His soul and His lips were anointed with grace, that He might impart to others. His words were given Him fresh from the heavenly courts, words that He might speak in season to the weary and oppressed. "The Lord God hath given Me," He said, "the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth Mine ear to hear as the learned." Isa. 50:4. (p. 140) {COL 139.1}

Thursday

The Light Of The World

(Isa 60:1-3 NIV) "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. {2} See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. {3} Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

(Mat 5:14 NIV) "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

(Rev 18:1 NIV) After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.

(Rev 3:17 NIV) You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

(Isa 60:1-2 NIV) "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. {2} See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

Friday

The Great Controversy, chapter 37 (not included with lesson help)

(Isa 8:20 NIV) To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

(Rev 14:9-11 NIV) A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, {10} he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. {11} And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."

(2 Tim 4:3 NIV) For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

(Prov 3:13 NIV) Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding,

(Prov 16:25 NIV) There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

(Mark 12:24 NIV) Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?

(John 7:17 NIV) If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.

(Psa 119:11 NIV) I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

(Psa 119:18 NIV) Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

(Psa 119:99 NIV) I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.

(Psa 119:104 NIV) I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

(Isa 59:19 NIV) From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along.

(John 14:26 NIV) But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

(Eph 5:14-16 NIV) for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." {15} Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, {16} making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

(Jer 17:8 NIV) He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Counsels to Writers and Editors, p. 49

But every truth which is essential for us to bring into our practical life, which concerns the salvation of the soul, is made very clear and positive.--Preach the Word, pp. 6, 7. (1895.) {CW 49.1}

A Device of the Enemy.--We are to pray for divine enlightenment, but at the same time we should be careful how we receive everything termed new light. We must beware lest, under cover of searching for new truth, Satan shall divert our minds from Christ and the special truths for this time. I have been shown that it is the device of the enemy to lead minds to dwell upon some obscure or unimportant point, something that is not fully revealed or is not essential to our salvation. This is made the absorbing theme, the "present truth," when all their investigations and suppositions only serve to make matters more obscure than before, and to confuse the minds of some who ought to be seeking for oneness through sanctification of the truth.--Preach the Word, p. 4. (1891.) {CW 49.2}

"New Light" Which Unsettles Confidence.-- Satan hopes to involve the remnant people of God in the general ruin that is coming upon the earth. As the coming of Christ draws nigh, he will be more determined and decisive in his efforts to overthrow them. Men and women will arise professing to have some new light or some new revelation, whose tendency is to unsettle faith in the old landmarks. Their (p. 50) doctrines will not bear the test of God's word, yet souls will be deceived. False reports will be circulated, and some will be taken in this snare. They will believe these rumors, and in their turn will repeat them, and thus a link will be formed connecting them with the archdeceiver. This spirit will not always be manifested in an open defiance of the messages that God sends, but a settled unbelief is expressed in many ways. Every false statement that is made feeds and strengthens this unbelief, and through this means many souls will be balanced in the wrong direction.-- Testimonies, Vol. 5, pp. 295, 296. (1885.) {CW 49.3}