Note to the Student.—These lessons are not designed to be exhaustive, but suggestive. In references to the “Desire of Ages,” in the lessons, the subscription edition is referred to. Those who have only the trade edition will find the matter in chapters 1, 4, 27, 71, 77, 78; also read “Patriarchs and Prophets,” chapters 5 and 30. “Christ Our Advocate,” Bible Students’ Library No. 129 (price, 10 cents), and “Looking unto Jesus” (price, $1.00) will be found a great help. The SIGNS OF THE TIMES will have an article on the subject of each lesson this quarter by J. O. Corliss. Read these articles in connection with the study of the lesson. We have not space to print all the scriptures. Let the student study them carefully from the Bible. Those printed are from the Revised Version.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
1. At what time are God’s people delivered?
“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. (1 Cor. 15:51, 52.)
2. What is caused by the voice of God?
“And the Lord shall roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but the Lord will be a refuge unto His people, and a strong hold to the children of Israel.” Joel 3:16.
“See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh. For if they escaped not, when they refused him that warned them on earth, much more shall not we escape, who turn away from Him that warneth from heaven: whose voice then shook the earth; but now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heavens. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain.” Heb. 12:25-27. (Matt. 24:29; Isa. 2:19, 21. “Early Writings,” page 33.)
3. In what words do God’s people then express their faith?
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change, and though the mountains be moved in the heart of the seas; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations He hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariots in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” Ps. 46:1-7.
4. What other event takes place at the same time?
“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Dan. 12:1, 2. (Rev. 1:7; Luke 21:27-30; Matt. 26:64.)
5. What follows the shaking of the powers of heaven?
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send forth His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matt. 24:30, 31.
6. How do the saints welcome their Saviour?
“And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” Isa. 25:9.
7. What will be the result of His coming to them?
“For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of His glory, according to the working whereby He is able even to subject all things unto Himself.” Phil. 3:20, 21. (1 Thess. 4:16-18; 1 John 3:2; 1 Cor. 15:51, 52; Matt. 13:43.)
8. With what feelings will the Saviour and the saints view the results of redemption?
“He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied; by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; and He shall bear their iniquities.” Isa. 53:11.
9. What will be the experience of the wicked at the coming of Christ?
“And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of Their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?” Rev. 6:14-17. (Isa. 2:19-21; Zeph. 1:14-18; Jer. 25:34; Isa. 13:6.)
10. What will be the result of His coming to them?
“Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” Isa. 13:9. (Jer. 25:33; Zeph. 1:2, 3.)
11. What effect will the coming of the Lord have upon the earth?
“I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and before His fierce anger. For thus saith the Lord, The whole land shall be a desolation; yet will I not make a full end.” Jer. 4:23-27. (Isa. 24:1, 3-6; Rev. 20:11.)
12. What other great event takes place in connection with the coming of the Lord?
“And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed for a little time. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and such as worshiped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Rev. 20:1-4.
13. What is the type foreshadowed of this?
“And when he hath made an end of atoning for the holy place, and the tent of meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat: and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a man that is in readiness into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a solitary land: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” Lev. 16:20-22. “Great Controversy,” p. 659.
14. Where are the righteous during the thousand years?
“After these things I heard as it were a great voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, Hallelujah; Salvation, and glory, and power, belong to our God.” Rev. 19:1. (Rev. 20:4.)
