Friday, September 18
“God has called His church in this day, as He called ancient Israel, to stand as a light in the earth. By the mighty cleaver of truth — the messages of the first, second, and third angels — He has separated them from the churches and from the world to bring them into a sacred nearness to Himself. He has made them the depositaries of His law and has committed to them the great truths of prophecy for this time. Like the holy oracles committed to ancient Israel, these are a sacred trust to be communicated to the world.
The three angels of Revelation 14 represent the people who accept the light of God’s messages and go forth as His agents to sound the warning throughout the length and breadth of the earth. Christ declares to His followers: ‘Ye are the light of the world’. Matthew 5:14. To every soul that accepts Jesus the cross of Calvary speaks: ‘Behold the worth of the soul. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature’ Mark 16:15. Nothing is to be permitted to hinder this work. It is the all-important work for our time; it is to be far-reaching as eternity. The love that Jesus manifested for the souls of men in the sacrifice which He made for their redemption, will actuate all His followers.
Christ accepts, oh, so gladly! every human agency that is surrendered to Him. He brings the human into union with the divine, that He may communicate to the world the mysteries of incarnate love. Talk it, pray it, sing it, fill the world with the message of His truth, and keep pressing on into the regions beyond.” Ellen G. White, Counsels for the Church, pp. 58, 59.
Discussion Questions:
1. How do the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 identify the essence of the Seventh-day Adventist Church?
2. Think about the Sabbath and the importance of what it represents. As we saw this week, the message it contains is so important that God commands that we set apart one-seventh of our lives in order to remember Him as our Creator and our Redeemer. Also, unlike a holy mountain or a holy city, we don’t have to go to it to worship. Every week, at about a thousand miles per hour (at least, near the equator), the Sabbath comes to us. How does this truth also help us understand the importance of the day and what it points to?
3. How can we explain the idea of the fall of Babylon or the concept of the mark of the beast in the most winsome way? That is, how can we present these truths in the least offensive way possible, even though we must understand that despite our best efforts some people will be offended?
