CLASS QUESTIONS ON LESSON IX., WITH ANSWERS.
1. How long after the disappointment in 1844, was it before the sanctuary question was brought out, and the Sabbath adopted by the Adventists? ANS. The Sabbath began to be observed among Adventists in that same year, 1844. Almost the entire church at Washington, N. H., besides several Adventist ministers, commenced its observance during that year. The subject of the sanctuary, as now held by us, was first written upon by O. R. L. Crozier in 1846. 2. Is there positive proof that Paul kept 78 Sabbaths at Corinth? It says that he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath; but after a short time he left the synagogue and went into Justus’ house and “continued there a year and six months.” Acts 18. ANS. The regular time of Paul’s meeting is at first particularly mentioned. It was every Sabbath. His object was to persuade, not the Jews alone, but the Greeks also. His change of place, verse 7, was not a change of city, nor even of his own lodgings, but only of his place of preaching; he left the synagogue, and continued his meetings in the house of one Justus, who lived close by the synagogue, but still in Corinth. His object and work was the same there, to teach the word of God among them. And the chief ruler of the synagogue, Crispus and all his house and many Corinthians were brought over. And this went on for the space of a year and six months, 78 weeks. Now where is there the first shadow of a reason to suppose that Paul did not use every Sabbath of this time as the day for religious gatherings and instruction, according to the manner in which he commenced? There is none. He says, indeed, verse 6, “Henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.” But we have found him a little before preaching to the Gentiles at their own requests, but doing it on the very day that meetings were held in the synagogue, namely, the seventh-day Sabbath. Acts 13: 42, 44. We have no right to presume a change of circumstances which have been once fairly described, unless some necessity for a change can be shown, or some testimony proving a change can be produced. But in this case the only change mentioned is the place of preaching203and the class to whom he directed his efforts; no change in the nature of his preaching, nor in the time of his preaching. Therefore we consider the testimony positive that Paul kept 78 consecutive Sabbaths in Corinth. 3. On what day of the week did the 15th of Abib occur? ANS. On all days of the week. The 15th of Abib was simply the 15th day of the month, and a day of the month comes on different days of the week from year to year. 4. Will the Sabbath be observed by the saints during the thousand years they are in Heaven? If so, what will mark the succession of days, which are here determined by the revolution of the earth? ANS. Inasmuch as the Sabbath is binding upon us here till the end of time, and the prophet presents the fact that it will be observed after the close of the thousand years, when we come into possession of the new earth, we see no reason why there should be any break in the observance during the thousand years. And if we can there measure and determine the succession of years, as the record makes it sure that we can, we can also determine that of months and weeks. 5. Do angels keep the Sabbath day? ANS. On this question we can do little more than conjecture, or perhaps draw a fair inference. We read in Ps. 103: 20, that the angels “do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.” And our Lord taught his disciples to pray, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven.” Matt. 6: 10. From this we infer that when earth is brought into harmony with Heaven, God’s will will be carried out in the same manner, and by the same worship, in both places. Hence we may reason from what we know would be carrying out God’s will here, to what it is there. But here God has ordained that we keep the Sabbath in honor of himself; hence we infer that the higher orders of his intelligences keep the Sabbath also. Indeed it seems to us a consistent and beautiful idea to suppose that all God’s creative work has been so performed with reference to periods of rest, that the Sabbath of each of his creatures will be the Sabbath of all the rest, so that all will observe the same period together for the same purpose. 6. Would it be right for a person to go to his place of business before the Sabbath had ended with the intention of doing business after it had ended, if he had to walk or ride some distance to reach it? ANS. The commandment forbids our doing any of our own work or business on the Sabbath day. Going to or from our place of business is certainly a part of our work. It plainly is not God’s work and should not be performed on his time. 7. Are the tables on which the commandments were written and the ark which contained them still in existence? Where in Bible history are they last mentioned? ANS. The ark is last mentioned historically, we believe, in 1 Kings 8: 4–9, when it was brought with great pomp and rejoicing and placed in the temple which Solomon had built, according to Usher’s chronology, B. C. 1005. Here it remained till the destruction of this temple by Nebuchadnezzar, B. C. 588. What then became of it is not positively known. A passage in the book of Maccabees leads some to suppose that it was concealed by Jeremiah the prophet, and will be discovered again before the end. The passage reads as follows: “Jeremy the prophet, ‘being warned of God, commanded the tabernacle and the ark to go with him, as he went forth into the mountain where Moses climbed up, and saw the heritage of God. And when Jeremy came thither he found a hollow cave, wherein he laid the tabernacle and the ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door. And some of those that followed him, came to mark the way, but they could not find it; which, when Jeremy perceived, he blamed them saying, As for this place it shall be unknown until the time that God gather his people again together and receive them unto mercy.’” 2 Mac. 2: 4–7.