Tag / The Great Controversy

by In Light Of The Cross

Our High Priest Gives us Hope, and Then More Hope

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16 NKJV)

While working on the sort isle at UPS, I was working alongside a Baptist seminary student named David. David was always cool, calm, and collected. One day I was overwhelmed with the high volume of packages on the sort isle belt, and our supervisor was pressuring us. Under the stress and the pressure I broke and lashed out in a very un-Christlike way. After regaining my composure, there I was sorting packages next to David, who of course remained calm. cool, and collected. I was embarrassed by my behavior,  especially since everyone knew I was a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. I told David I was very sorry for the way I acted and how terrible I felt. He sighed in sympathy with my feelings, and said, “It’s really difficult to keep your Christianity around this place. It is so hard with all the stress and pressure we face every day.” I was so comforted by David’s understanding, but then I also realized David had never lost his composure. He kept his Christian composure together while sympathizing with my weakness, and embarrassing outburst. 

This is where my High Priest gives me hope. 

While enduring all the temptations we endure, Jesus sympathizes with our weakness and forgives our sin, even though He never gave in to the same temptations. When we sin we can come boldly before the throne of grace and receive mercy and forgiveness. How quick our Savior is to forgive!

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 NKJV

Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” Luke 17:3-4 NKJV

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do… Luke 23:34 NKJV

If someone sinned against me, told me they repented, and then sinned again against me seven times in one day, I would be prone to tell them they are not genuinely repenting. After all, repenting is turning away from sin, right? It seems to me if my brother told me seven times in one day that he repented I would not believe him. Instead, I would give him a lecture on what true repentance means. But it appears to me that in Luke 17:3-4 Jesus is acknowledging that one can truly fall and repent and fall and repent 7 times in one day? And must be forgiven? How quickly and freely Jesus forgives us when we come boldly to the throne of grace asking for mercy! 

I know to some of you this seems like cheap grace and a license to sin, but it is not. First of all, historically, I think many Adventists have accused their brothers and sisters of wanting cheap grace and forgiveness, instead of seeking true repentance and turning from sin. The more I live the more I understand my brothers and sisters are not looking for cheap grace at all. My brothers and sisters are actually very discouraged by their sinful addictions and are tired of hurting Jesus and others. They don’t want to continue their addictions. They just don’t believe they can truly ever have victory. Cheap grace is not their desire, but in deep, dark despair they see it as the only solution. 

This is where my High Priest gives me more hope. 

Cody was a recovering drug addict with whom I had been studying for several weeks. One night I came to his home for our weekly Bible study and found that Cody was very discouraged because earlier in the week he had a weak moment and did drugs again. He was so disappointed because he thought he had the victory. Now he was doubting God could ever forgive him again after falling so low after so many weeks of victory. Immediately I shared with Cody Psalm 51:17.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. (Psalm 51:17 NKJV)

I shared with Cody that his heart was broken and contrite. God can never despise a broken and contrite heart no matter how many times that heart has already been broken for the same sin. If a heart is broken and contrite God will never despise it. I shared with Cody, that while Satan was discouraging him from seeking God’s presence, that at this time God’s presence was the only safe place for him to be right now. 

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8) NKJV

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. (Psalm 32:7 NKJV)

While writing about his sin and need of forgiveness David says God is his hiding place. Did you know that the sanctuary is the only safe place for sinners to be? When you sin, Satan is not your friend. When you get lung cancer from smoking, the cigarette manufacturers are not your friends. Jesus is the only friend for people with lung cancer due to smoking. Jesus is the only friend for sinners! The sanctuary is the only safe place for sinners. 

As we saw in Hebrews 4:14-16, we can come boldly before the throne of grace and find mercy and forgiveness. But wait. There is more hope. Hebrews 4:141-6 tells us we can also find grace to help us in time of need. What is grace?

Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, (Romans 1:5 NKJV )

Grace empowers our obedience. 

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV)

Grace empowers us to do good works. 

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,  teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, (Titus 2:11-12 NKJV)

Grace empowers us to live righteous godly lives right here and now in this present age. 

Titus 2 goes on to tell us

“He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin… (Titus 2:14 NLT) 

Several years ago I was walking through Al Lopez Park in Tampa. A section of the park is dedicated to cancer survivors and those still fighting cancer. It features a walking path that has different monuments along the way containing various inspirational quotes for people fighting cancer. One message especially caught my eye. It simply read, “There are people who have survived every form of cancer.” Some cancers are obviously more deadly than others. However, no matter what form of cancer someone has been diagnosed with, there is already someone who has survived it. Titus 2:14 tells us no matter what temptations we are facing, no matter what addictions we are fighting, there are already people Jesus has freed from those same temptations and addictions. 

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 NKJV)

When we fall into sin there is hope. We can go to Jesus and find mercy and forgiveness. But I know you do not want to keep hurting Jesus, others or even yourself, so there is more hope. You can go to Jesus and find grace to overcome. Jesus can forgive you and heal you, even if it means coming back for healing 7 times in one day. Remember Jesus is the only safe place for sinners! And I know you are not looking for cheap grace. You want actual healing, it’s just that  you may have already fallen so many times you may doubt healing is actually possible. It is possible. 

Cody stopped studying with me. However, a few years later he started studying with a new Bible Worker who replaced me after I left that area. Cody was rebaptized. I reached out recently. Cody is still active in his church family and has been drug free over 15 years now. 

Paul tells us in Hebrews 4:14-16 we have hope and more hope. When we want to overcome there is hope. God’s grace can deliver us and free us from every kind of sin. However if we do sin, there is hope. God’s mercy gives us grace and forgiveness. Are you tempted? Look to Jesus. Have you already fallen again? Look to Jesus. Our High Priest gives us hope and then more hope. After all, 

But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, Romans 5:20 NKJV

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

8: Light From The Sanctuary-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, May 25, 2024.

Main Theme: In the cleansing of the sanctuary, the sanctuary of the mind is cleansed from Satan’s lies about God’s character, so in the great controversy between God and Satan, people can see the true character of God, and the true nature of sin.

Read in Class: Exodus 25:8-9, 40 and Hebrews 8:1-6. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What two sanctuaries are outlined in these verses?

Apply: What does it mean for you to know that Jesus is in heaven ministering in your behalf, meaning that He is there mediating for you? Why do you need a Mediator in your behalf? Why is this truth good news?

Share: Your friend says he was raised in a home where he saw God as a God who was waiting to strike you down every time you made a mistake. How can you use Christ’s intercession in the sanctuary to demonstrate the true character and love of God? See Was The Atonement to Appease an Angry God or an Angry Race?

Read in Class: Leviticus 23:26-32 and Hebrews 9:23-28. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: Why was the Day of Atonement so important in ancient Israel?

Apply: What is the significance of the Day of Atonement in our lives today? Why should it make a difference in how we live?

Share: Your friend asks you if the thought of living during the judgment and day of atonement is scary to you? What do you tell your friend? See 1 John 4:17-19.

Read in Class: Daniel 7:9-10, Revelation 14:6-7, and Reveltion 22:10-12. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: After the judgment, when Jesus returns, what is the fate of all humanity? What clear declaration is made?

Apply: In the judgment do you see God trying to condemn you or vindicate you?

Share: Your friend says, that we are called to be God’s witnesses. Does God need witnesses because He is on trial? While God is judging the world is the world judging God? In what ways might we as God’s wintess help vindicate His character, causing people to accept Him instead of rejecting Him? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Hebrews 10:9-14. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What difference does this passage reveal between the priest’s ministry in the earthly sanctuary and Jesus’ ministry in the heavenly sanctuary?

Apply: How does Christ’s death on the cross relate to His intercession in the heavenly sanctuary, and why is the judgment so necessary to the plan of salvation?

Share: Can you think of someone who sees God as a vindictive God wanting to destroy him or her? What illustrations can you share from your study on the sanctuary and the cross to help them to see the love and goodness of God? Can you share with them this coming week?

by In Light Of The Cross

7: Motivated by Hope-Sabbath School Leson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, May 18, 2024.

Main Theme: 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.

Read in Class: John 14:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and Titus 2:11-14. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: Why did these Bible passages give such hope to Christians through the centuries?

Apply: Why is the Second Coming so important to our faith? Especially because we know that the dead sleep (see lesson 10), why does this teaching take on such importance? Without it, why would we be, as Paul said, in an utterly hopeless situation. See 1 Corinthians 15:15-18.

Share: Your friend says she grew up in an Adventist church and school, where she kept hearing that Jesus is surely coming in the next 5 years. She is now 70 years old and says she is tired of hearing the church cry “wolf.” She doubts Jesus is ever really coming again. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class, Acts 1:9-11, Revelation 1:7, and Matthew 24:27-31. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What do these verses teach us about the manner of our Lord’s return?

Apply: Read 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5; Hebrews 9:28. What encouragement do these verses give us regarding the manner of Christ’s coming?

Share: Your friend says Luke 17:31-37 and Matthew 24:37-44 teach about a secret rapture. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Daniel 9:24-27. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: When would this entire prophetic period begin? What major events do these verses predict?  How would the 70-week prophecy end?

Apply: Seeing the fulfillment of the prophecy of the 70 weeks, what hope does this give you regarding the surety of the second coming?

Share: Your friend asks you, if the Bible told us when Christ would come the first time, why doesn’t it tell us when He will come the second time? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Daniel 8:14. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What event was to occur at the end of the 2,300 days?

Apply: How does the 2,300- day prophecy help us understand where we are it in the history of the great controversy and why Christ has not returned yet? What we are to be doing now?

Share: Can you think of a friend who would be encouraged by the hope of the second coming? What can you do to share it with them this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

Why are There 360 Days to a Year in Bible Prophecy?

Occasionally when I am studying Daniel and Revelation with someone, they will question how we get 360 days to a prophetic year instead of 365.First of all, the Cambridge University Press confirms for us that ancient Israel had a 360-day year with each month having 30 days.

The story of Noah also confirms that in Bible times each month had exactly 30 days, thus giving us 360 years in a Biblical year. 1

First, where do we get a-day -for-a-year in Bible prophecy?

The first time we find a day for a specific year in prophecy is in the book of Numbers. 

According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. Numbers 14:34 

Later, in Ezekiel repeats this idea of a day for a year. 

For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year. Ezekiel 4:5-6

So now, how does the story of Noah and the flood help us establish one year equaling 360 days to a year in Bible prophecy?

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. Genesis 7:11NKJV
And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days. Genesis 7:24 NKJV
And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. Genesis 8:3-4 NKJV

Here we clearly see that from the 17th day of the second month to the 17th day of the seventh month is exactly 150 days. Every month had 30 days equaling 360 days for a year. The 42 months of Revelation 13:5 would be 1260 prophetic days or 1260 years. 2 and “Appendix Two: The day-for-a-year principle,” accessed May 5, 2024.]

  1. The Jewish 360-day luni-solar calendar was  adjusted by adding a leap month of 30-days every six years to coordinate with the solar year. See “Bible Prophecy Year of 360 Days,”  accessed May 6, 2024 ↩
  2. See also “What the Bible says about Day-for-a-Year- Principle,” accessed May 5, 2024 ↩

You may study this week’s Sabbath School Lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

5: Faith Against All Odds-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School Class, May 4, 2024.

Main Theme: The Reformers saturated their minds with Scripture. They lived by the Word, and many of them died because of the Word. They were not casual, complacent, careless Christians with a superficial devotional life. They knew that without the power of God’s Word, they would not withstand the forces of evil arrayed against them.

Read in Class: Psalm 119:103-104, 147, 162. Define the main idea of these passages.

Study: What was David’s attitude toward God’s Word? How did this impact the Reformers, and how does it influence our lives today?

Apply: In what ways have the Scriptures comforted you in times of trial?

Share: Your friend says it must have been hard for the reformers to stand alone, just like it must have been hard for Elijah to stand alone. Sure God is with us, but why does God often let us feel alone as if we have no human support? It would be a lot easier to stand alone on the Word of God if we had more human support and encouragement. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 2:14 and 2 Corinthians 4:1-6. What is the common thread in these passages.

Study:  What do these passages tell us about the confidence Paul had, despite the challenges he faced in proclaiming the truth of God’s Word?

Apply: Read Daniel 12:3 and Revelation 14:13. How do these texts relate to the lives of the reformers? Now think about your own life and your impact on others. What encouragement do these texts give regarding the opportunity you have to influence others for eternity?

Share: Your friend feels discouraged and laments that they have never given a Bible study where anyone got baptized, and has never been able to lead anyone to Christ. Even in their family no one seems to listen when they talk about Jesus. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: John 16:13-15. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What principles can we take from this text regarding how we should interpret the Bible?

Apply: How often do you pray as you read Scripture? How much do you depend on Bible commentaries as opposed to doing your own searching and comparing Scripture with Scripture?

Share: Your friend says, I told my sister about the Sabbath and even showed her right there in the Bible. But she died without ever accepting it, so I guess she will be lost. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Romans 1:5, Ephesians 2:8-10, and Titus 2:11-12. Define the common thread in these texts.

Study: How are we saved? What vital truths do these passages reveal about the Christian life? What do faith and grace produce in our lives?

Apply: When you look at yourself what hope do you have for salvation from both sin and death? How has God’s grace changed both your way of thinking, and your behavior?

Share: Can you think of a friend who may benefit from an encouraging passage from Scripture? How can you share it with them this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

Winning Souls While Suffering

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:10-11 NKJV

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 NKJV

Last Sabbath morning, I was having my own personal devotion time before meeting with God’s people. As always my favorite devotional book is the Bible itself. I am not opposed to devotional books, It’s just that I love reading the Bible. I have been reading through the New Testament lately, and last Sabbath I came to Mark 15. 

In Mark 15:1-5, I read how the justice system failed Jesus. Yet Jesus never opened His mouth to deliver Himself. Jesus knew, be it ever so wrong that these things were supposed to take place. It has me wondering, if I should ever be wrongly imprisoned would I be protesting or using my injustice as an opportunity to be a missionary to those in prison? Remember when we were studying Ephesians a while back in Sabbath School? Paul referred to himself as a prisoner of the Lord instead of being a prisoner of Rome. Would you be willing to serve a life sentence in prison for a crime you did not commit if it led to just one other prisoner receiving eternal life? 

In Mark 15:6-15 I read about how the people preferred the release of a hardened criminal over the loving and gentle healer. Even today we see the basest of men exalted over those who are righteous and humble. And I am talking about the church as much as the world. When this sort of thing happens today, my friend calls it “the Barrabas syndrome.” 

In Mark 15:16-20 I read about the soldiers mocking and making fun of Jesus. Why such humiliating treatment for the least deserving Person in the whole universe! When a man becomes president of the United States, they have a huge inauguration parade and inauguration ball to honor him. Instead, Jesus got stripped, beaten and mocked. People have gone to prison for doing lesser things to dogs and yet God allowed this happen to His Son! Why? 

In Mark 15:21-37 I read about how Jesus experienced the death of the wicked on the cross. Jesus took the punishment for our sins and died the death that was ours. so we could have the reward of His righteousness and have the life that was His. He took the death we deserve so we could have the life He deserves. Jesus was treated the way we deserve so we may be treated as He deserves. While Jesus was going through all of this the verbal abuse continued from those witnessing the crucifixion, those doing the crucifying, and even those being crucified with Him. Why would God allow His Son to suffer so much? Why would Jesus submit to such suffering?  Then I read verse 39.

So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” Mark 15:39 NKJV

Then I paused. Could it be that the way Jesus handled all of this persecution convinced the centurion that He was the Son of God? Satan meant to cast so much mockery and persecution on Jesus so as to convince the world that Jesus definitely was not the Son of God, and yet Jesus used the same evidence Satan provided to convince a witness that He was indeed the Son of God. Though Satan cast so much darkness upon the Savior, the centurion could still see the righteousness of Christ shinning with the blazing glory of the noonday sun. 

Years ago a Bible worker was in a home where he was answering Bible questions from a young college student. Her father kept making fun of the Bible worker’s answers and the Bible. The Bible worker was afraid the father’s mockery was going to make the daughter not believe the Bible worker or even the Bible. However, the Bible worker noticed the young woman was frustrated with her father and was doing her best to tune him out as she kept asking the Bible worker more questions. The Bible Worker noticed the young woman was not even paying any attention to her mocking father and kept talking to him like her father not even there. She was hanging on to every word the Bible worker shared from the Bible, while pretending her mocking father was not even there. While rhe Bible worker was annoyed by the mocking father, he realized in the end it was a very productive Bible study. A study he could have easily ruined had he retaliated against the father. Instead, the Holy Spirit took over the Bible worker and the entire Bible study. The young woman saw through all the darkness her father was spreading and saw the light of the Bible shinning with the blazing glory of the noonday sun. 

Of course we know more than just the centurion believed. One thief repented and I am sure many others did as well that day. Since then, millions and millions have been saved and are being saved. Are you willing to suffer the way Jesus did if it will lead someone to be eternally saved? 

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

4: Standing for the Truth-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class, April 27, 2024.

Main Theme: By choosing to suffer or die for their faith many have won souls to Christ.

Read in Class: Jude 1:3-4 and Revelation 2:10. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What’s the warning here and how did it apply to the later Christian church? What promise does God give those who are faithful to Him in the face of death itself?

Apply: What encourages you in challenging times? What frightens you? What promises can you claim for those times?

Share: Your friend says, I thought the whole reason for serving Jesus is so that I am always protected and have everlasting life? So how is Jesus protecting me if He lets me die because I serve Him? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Acts 5:28-32, Ephesians 6:10-12, and Revelation 3:11.Point out the common thread here.

Study: What basic principle is found in these texts?

Apply: How can we, reflecting the light of Christ, shine in our own community? Do we?

Share: Your friend is a public school teacher. She says she wants to share Jesus with her students but it is against the law. She asks you if she should go ahead and share Jesus even though its against the law and she may lose her job? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 19:7-11 and Jeremiah 15:16. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What similar attitudes did David and Jeremiah have toward the Word of God that were, really, the cornerstone of the Reformation?

Apply: What advice did Paul give Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:1-3 and how should we apply that advice to our own situations?

Share: Your friend says he is not one for preaching and teaching like Paul and Timothy. He would rather not have to talk about the Bible. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Hebrews 2:14-15, John 5:24, John 11:25-26, and 1 John 5:11-13. Define the common threads of these passages.

Study: How did believers in the Middle Ages experience the reality of the great controversy? What assurances do these promises give you personally? How do they help us in the trials of life?

Apply: What might it mean to lose everything for Christ? What, in the end, do you really lose? (See Mark 8:36 .) What lessons can we learn from the Waldenses and the Reformers that can sustain us in earth’s final conflict?

Share: A friend asks if your suffering for the Gospel has ever led someone to accept Jesus as their Savior? What do you tell your friend? See Winning Souls While Suffering.

by In Light Of The Cross

Truth or Popularity?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=_mAqkoVPJ0Q%3Fsi%3DyP3tMoxV0X8JeV4u

And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. Revelation 13:8 NLT

Sadly many put their confidence in popular opinion, while the Bible tells us the vast majority of the world will worship the beast.

Interestingly while Jesus claimed to be God, the majority accused Him of blasphemy and had Him crucified for making such a claim. Later the beast claims to be God, but, instead of accusing him of blasphemy, the majority worships him. Truth is clearly not a popularity contest.

Occasionally, at church or the Adventist school where I teach Bible and evangelism, someone will ask me, “What do we believe about such and such?” My response has always been, “I don’t know what you believe, but here is what I and many Seventh-day Adventists believe,” and I show them in the Bible what I believe and why. I am not going to tell someone what they believe. That is not teaching. That’s brainwashing. Besides truth is not truth just because everyone in the Adventist church believes it. Truth is not a popularity contest in the church or the world. Truth is truth only if the Bible supports it.

During the Dark Ages, when people did not have access to the Bible, people trusted their priests to tell them what they believed, and because of that there was a lot of brainwashing going on.

Even before the Dark Ages, priests abused their authority, and tried to brainwash people into believing whatever they believed. This happened in Jesus’ day when those in “authority” were trying to capture Jesus.

When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

“We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded.

“Have you been led astray, too?” the Pharisees mocked. “Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him? John 7:45-48 NLT

The guards experienced and heard the Word of God speaking to them and believed. Since the Pharisees did not want to believe, they mocked at this. In John 7 the Pharisees misconstrued Scripture to try and prove their point, but amazingly, instead of hanging their hat on Scripture, they hung it on the fact that none of the rulers or leaders believed. Is truth a popularity contest? If everyone else believes something is it right, and if no one else believes it, then is it wrong? Is that how it works?

The number of people who believe something simply because everyone else believes it is staggering. Take the state of the dead for example. Years ago I attended the funeral of a dear Adventist saint. Her family believed in the immortality of the soul and asked the Adventist preacher doing her funeral to “put her in heaven now.” The pastor replied that he could not do that since it simply is not true. However he told them he believed in liberty of conscience and freedom of speech so if one of them wanted to stand up and say she was in heaven, they could. So one of the family members stood up and talked about how her grandmother was now in heaven. I remember she kept saying “we cling to this!” Very emphatically, yet she gave no Scriptural reference other than that is what everyone believes. So I am not sure exactly what it was she was clinging to other than popular belief. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Paul tells us to “comfort each other with these words” about the resurrection. Sadly instead of comforting each other with the words Paul told us to use to comfort each other, many people use phrases about going straight to heaven when you die that are nowhere in the Bible and Paul nor anyone else ever suggested that we use. Sadly those phrases have been used so often that people believe it because they have heard it so many times.

When it comes to Sabbath keeping, I have heard so many people say that Sunday must be the true day because the whole world can’t be wrong. They forget that at the time of the flood only 8 people were right! Truth is not a popularity contest.

And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. Acts 17:11 NLT

Like the temple guards, the Bereans were interested in new ideas as long as they were found in Scripture. They didn’t believe something because Paul and Silas believed it or because a ruler did. On their own they searched the Scriptures daily to find truth.

I have heard Seventh-day Adventists telling their Baptist and Methodist friends to search the Bible for themselves because their pastors could be wrong. I have watched some of the same Seventh-day Adventists listening to their own favorite Adventist preachers, without bothering to search the Scriptures, because, after all, their pastor is Adventist, so he is automatically right, right? Wrong! We all make mistakes, as we all continue to learn and grow.

Let’s not be like the foolish Pharisees in John 7, who hung their hats on how many people believed or did not believe something. Truth is not a popularity contest. Let’s search the Scriptures ourselves to find truth.

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

3: Light in the Darkness-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, April 20, 2024.

Main Theme: God’s grace and the Holy Spirit empower us to stay faithful amidst the most difficult situations. 

Read in Class: John 8:44 and John 17:17. Define what these passages are contrasting.

Study: Where do we find truth? Where do lies come from? 

Apply: In what ways has Satan tried to make you doubt God’s Word? How did you overcome these illusions and temptations to doubt God’s Word?

Share: Your friend says her dead husband visited her last night and talked about things only the two of them knew about. She was able to hug and hold him, so she knew it was really him because she both saw him and felt him. What do you tell your friend? See Every Word of God Proves True. 

Read in Class: Acts 20:27-32. Define the main idea of this passage. 

Study: What specific warnings did the apostle Paul give to the church leaders from Ephesus regarding the coming apostasy?

Apply: Read 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12. How does the apostle Paul describe the coming apostasy? What characteristics should believers look for? See also Pray to Have a Love for the Truth. 

Share: Your friend asks, “What kind of compromises do we see entering the church today? More importantly, what compromises might you be making? Is it sometimes by blending truth and error?” What do you tell your friend?  

Read in Class: John 17:15-17 and Acts 20:32. Define the common thread in these passages. 

Study: What insights do Jesus and the apostle Paul give us regarding protection from the deceptions of Satan?

Apply: Read Psalms 119:105; Psalms 119:116; Psalms 119:130; Psalms 119:133, and Psalms 119:160. What insights does the psalmist give us regarding the significance of God’s Word in the plan of salvation?

Share:  Your friend argues that” the Bible is just the writings of kings, shepherds, fishermen, priests, poets, and others who shared their understandings and conceptions of God, of nature, and of reality the best that they, in their time and place, understood them. So why should we, living today in the twenty-first century, really care about what these people thought, much less make what they thought the foundation for our hope of eternity?” What do you tell your friend? 

Read in Class: Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 16:25, and 2 Corinthians 4:3-6. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: How do these passages warn us against Satan’s schemes and our own human reasoning? 

Apply: Why is the human mind without the aid of the Holy Spirit incapable of discovering divine truth? Discuss the relationship between human reason and divine revelation. How does reason actually help us understand divine revelation? For example, look at Daniel 2:1-49, a prophecy that covers world history from the time of Babylon to the Second Coming. How does a prophecy like this powerfully appeal to human reason?

Share: Do you know someone who has questions about the authenticity of the Bible? Can you give them a Bible study on how to know if God’s Word is true or not? See The Scriptures in Light of the Cross. 

by In Light Of The Cross

Winning the Great Controversy in Everyday Life

Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com

Back in my literature evangelism days, I was sitting in the Oklahoma Adventist conference president’s office along with 4 or 5 other literature evangelists. We were discussing what one book, in addition to the Bible, we should be promoting for these last days. One person said we should be promoting books warning people about the mark of the beast. I suggested if we promoted books like The Desire of Ages, and encouraged people to fall in love with Jesus, then when the mark of the beast becomes an issue, people will make the obvious choice and follow Jesus. A few of them agreed.

Several years later I was in a vespers service at my church, where the group doing the presentations were telling us that instead of preaching the three angels’ message, we should be preaching the gospel. Apparently they did not understand the three angels message is the gospel. The first angel has the everlasting gospel which prepares us for judgment. The second angel warns us against choosing man-made religions instead of God. The third angel warns us against trusting in our own works to save us instead of resting on God’s Sabbath and letting Him save us. 

Over the years I have heard people say Seventh-day Adventists should not be preaching about every-day living but should be warning people about last day events. I hope those of you who have been following my my ministry over the last 30 years have found it to be balanced. I have done my best to stay Jesus-focused, and present our Bible teachings and crucial themes like the great controversy and the three angels’ message in the light of the cross. Here is why I believe we need to have a balanced blend of the cross in all our teachings, especially about last day events.

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:4 NKJV

Notice first, our repentance does not lead to God’s goodness. God’s goodness leads us to repentance. Therefore, if we want the world to repent and prepare for the judgment, shouldn’t we be preaching about God’s grace and goodness? The Conflict of the Ages series, which covers the great controversy from start to finish, begins Volume 1 (Patriarchs and Prophets) of that series with one sentence. That same sentence is the very last sentence in the last book of the series. That one sentence is not “Sunday is the false Sabbath.”  The author of this series well knew Sunday was not the Sabbath, but that is not the main focus of her Conflict of the Ages series. That one sentence is not, “The Ten Commandments can be obeyed.” Again she well knew that, by God’s grace, we can live in harmony with God’s law. These are important aspects to consider in the great controversy, but the opening and closing sentences in the entire Conflict of the Ages series is, “God is love.”  The  number one reason the Seventh-day Adventist church was brought into existence is to proclaim the unadulterated truth about Jesus. Jesus came to show us the true character of the Father.

God is love! 

  • The first angel has the everlasting gospel. Jesus is the everlasting Gospel. John 3:14-17. John 19:17-36. 
  • The first angel reminds us about the creation Sabbath. Jesus came to give us rest and gave us an example of Sabbath-keeping, demonstrating God’s love and mercy. Matthew 11:28-30. Matthew 12:1-8. 
  • The first angel also tells us about the judgment.  Jesus showed us how to prepare for the judgment by loving God first and others second. Matthew 5:17-19, Matthew 22:34-40, Matthew 25:34-40, 1 John 4:17. 
  • The second angel warns us not to follow man-made religions instead of God.  Jesus showed us how to trust God instead of man-made systems of worship. Matthew 4:8-10, Matthew 15:3-9. John 3:14-17. 
  • The third angel assures us that only God’s grace can save us. If we trust our own works and ability to do work, – doing business buying and selling in order to put bread on our family’s table – then we have rejected what Jesus did for us on the cross, and we will thus have to drink the bitter cup ourselves that Jesus already drank for us in Gethsemane. (See Luke 22:41-44.) Jesus teaches us that we can trust God’s grace instead of our own work to put bread on our family’s table. Matthew 6:25-33

When we properly  share the three angels’ message and great controversy themes with our friends and neighbors, we are sharing the gospel. The seventh-day Adventist Church was brought into existence to help others see the gospel more clearly. Our Bible teachings about the Sabbath, judgment, the great controversy and the three angels’ messages help us to see God’s love more clearly in a world full of deceptions and lies about God’s loving character. 

This is why I believe that, if people see the love of God in all His glory, they will be so in love with Jesus that when the test of the mark of the beast comes, they will not take that mark. Maybe they knew it was coming, maybe they didn’t, but either way, they will love Jesus so much they will not fall for it. After all, throughout earth’s history, people have been tested in various ways. The Sabbath is not always the test that is given. Perhaps on the Titanic people passed the test by putting others first and giving up their place on a lifeboat for someone else. Isn’t that what the gospel is all about? 

Knowing that it is God’s goodness that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4), how important it must be to show God’s goodness in everyday life. After all, consider this, 

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:31-40 NKJV

Consider that in the judgment Jesus did not reward people for what they preached but by what they did to show His love for others. The most crucial theme in the great controversy is if God is love or not. While Satan is busy telling all kinds of lies about God’s character, the Seventh-day Adventist church is to be showing the mercy and goodness of God with those in need. This goodness will lead people to repent from believing Satan’s lies about God’s character. This goodness will also keep people from believing Satan’s lies about Seventh-day Adventists themselves. The great controversy won’t be won by preaching behind the pulpit. It will be won by everyday Adventists  loving their neighbors in everyday life. 

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.