Most academic programs begin with a general survey course (often given the number “101”), a course that covers broad and basic principles that will form the basis for further study as you dig deeper into the subject. Likewise, when you read through the entire Bible, you quickly discover that God also has a general survey course in the book of Genesis, where He introduces ideas that will be examined in more detail throughout the rest of the Bible. Generally speaking, the first time a concept or s...
Apr 06, 2025•16 min•Season 7Ep. 2358
Read for This Week’s Study Isa. 40:7, 8; Gen. 22:1–13; John 3:16; Rev. 5:5–10; 1 Cor. 15:15–19; Rev. 12:1–9 . Memory Text: One of the key problems with modern interpretations of Bible prophecy, such as in Revelation, is that they fail to recognize the ancient roots of Revelation. The author assumes a knowledge of the Old Testament and uses concepts that would have been well-known to his audience. While searching the entire Bible for passages that resemble the text you are studying in Revelation ...
Apr 05, 2025•6 min•Season 7Ep. 2357
Read Ellen G. White, “An American Reformer,” pp. 319–324, in The Great Controversy. “Ministers and people declared that the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation were incomprehensible mysteries. But Christ directed His disciples to the words of the prophet Daniel concerning events to take place in their time, and said: ‘Whoso readeth, let him understand .’ Matthew 24:15 . And the assertion that the Revelation is a mystery, not to be understood, is contradicted by the very title of the book: ‘T...
Apr 04, 2025•11 min•Season 7Ep. 2355
One of the key issues students of prophecy need to deal with is how to determine whether the language of the Bible is to be taken literally or figuratively. How does one determine if the author was using symbolic language, and how does one know what the symbol represents? The crucial way to do this is to see how that figure, the symbol, has been used all through the Bible, as opposed to looking at how a symbol is used in contemporary times. For example, some see the bear symbol in Daniel 7 as po...
Apr 03, 2025•14 min•Season 7Ep. 2355
Seventh-day Adventists owe much to William Miller for their understanding of Bible prophecy. While his understanding of key passages (such as Daniel 8:14 ) was not perfect, Miller’s methodology was, nonetheless, important, because it paved the way for the birth of our last-day remnant movement. Read Matthew 5:18, 2 Timothy 3:15–17, and Luke 24:27 . What do these verses teach us about the way we ought to approach Bible prophecy? In some ways, studying the Bible is not unlike assembling a large ji...
Apr 02, 2025•11 min•Season 7Ep. 2354
Read Daniel 12:4 . What was the Lord telling Daniel here? (Contrast this with Rev. 22:10 .) It is not uncommon to hear preachers use Daniel 12:4 to predict the rise of technological and scientific knowledge just prior to the advent of Christ. Many also use it to describe the advances in rapid travel that have taken place over the past century or so. Many of our own books have taken this approach. Though certainly reasonable interpretations, it might mean something else, as well. Read the passage...
Apr 01, 2025•14 min•Season 7Ep. 2353
Nothing is quite as frustrating as urgently needing to communicate, perhaps at a clinic or pharmacy, while in a foreign country where you barely speak the language. You know what you need to say, but you do not have an adequate vocabulary to say it. With God, a different problem emerges. “ ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth,’ ” He says, “ ‘so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts’ ” ( Isa. 55:9, NKJV ). The problem isn’t that God doesn’t have the vocabu...
Mar 31, 2025•12 min
Walk into any Christian bookstore and scan through the titles on Bible prophecy. You will quickly discover that there is a mind-boggling assortment of views and interpretations, and it can be tempting to believe that no one can truly understand what books such as Revelation are saying. For example, one author says the antichrist is nothing but a metaphor; another says he is still coming in the future; and another that he was a reference to something or someone in the days of the pagan Roman Empi...
Mar 30, 2025•13 min•Season 7Ep. 2351
PRECURSORS FOR PROPHECY During the First Gulf War (1991), a well-known Protestant writer and speaker was convinced that the book of Revelation predicted this conflict. His argument was based on the fact that some of the helicopters in the war looked like the locusts depicted in Revelation 9. “And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke locusts came u...
Mar 29, 2025•14 min•Season 7Ep. 2349
Some Principles of Prophecy Jer. 29:23, 24; Ps. 139:1–6; Dan. 12:4; Rev. 22:10; 2 Tim. 3:15–17; Heb. 4:12 . Memory Text: As with most everything else in Scripture, Christians disagree about prophecy, which often convinces others that Bible prophecy is a waste of time. After all, if Christians fight over every prophetic jot and tittle, how valid could it be? Unfortunately, many believers also begin to think that some books of the Bible, such as Revelation, are simply incomprehensible. Instead of ...
Mar 29, 2025•6 min•Season 7Ep. 2350
Read Ellen G. White, “The Least of These My Brethren,” pp. 637–641, in The Desire of Ages. “Those who minister to others will be ministered unto by the Chief Shepherd. They themselves will drink of the living water, and will be satisfied. They will not be longing for exciting amusements, or for some change in their lives. The great topic of interest will be, how to save the souls that are ready to perish. Social intercourse will be profitable. The love of the Redeemer will draw hearts together i...
Mar 28, 2025•13 min•Season 7Ep. 2348
If love is the fulfillment of the law, then one cannot keep God’s law in the full sense simply by refraining from doing wrong things. The law of love itself (expressed in the fullness of Scripture) not only commands us to refrain from doing evil but the law prompts us to do acts that reveal the love of God to others—not only to other church members but also to the world at large, which is so desperately in need of a true Christian witness. Read James 2:1–9 . What crucial messages are we given he...
Mar 27, 2025•8 min•Season 7Ep. 2347
Special Podcast Episode: "From the Mouths of Children" In this heartwarming special edition, we bring you something truly precious—2.5-year-old Beatriz reciting the Lord’s Prayer. There’s something deeply moving about hearing such profound words spoken with childlike innocence. "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3) Join us as we listen to Beatriz’s sweet voice reminding us of the beauty of simple, sincere...
Mar 26, 2025•1 min
As we have seen, law and grace are not opposed to one another. Instead, they serve different functions in accordance with the love and justice of God. A sharp contrast between law and grace would have puzzled ancient Israelites, who saw God’s giving of the law itself as a great display of God’s grace. While the “gods” of the surrounding nations were fickle and entirely unpredictable, leaving people without a way to know what the “gods” desired and what would please them, the God of the Bible ver...
Mar 26, 2025•12 min•Season 7Ep. 2346
As we have seen, law and grace are not opposed to one another. Instead, they serve different functions in accordance with the love and justice of God. A sharp contrast between law and grace would have puzzled ancient Israelites, who saw God’s giving of the law itself as a great display of God’s grace. While the “gods” of the surrounding nations were fickle and entirely unpredictable, leaving people without a way to know what the “gods” desired and what would please them, the God of the Bible ver...
Mar 25, 2025•15 min•Season 7Ep. 2345
Love is the foundation of God’s law. When God upholds the law, He upholds love. This is why Jesus died in order to save sinners, so that He could uphold the law while also extending grace to us. Thus, He could be both just and the justifier of those who believe ( Rom. 3:25, 26 ). What an expression of love! Accordingly, the law is not invalidated by the process of redemption; rather, it is further confirmed. Read Romans 6:1–3 and then Romans 7:7–12 , with particular emphasis on verse 12. What ar...
Mar 24, 2025•13 min•Season 7Ep. 2344
God’s law does not consist of abstract principles; instead, God’s law is an expression of relationship. This can be seen explicitly in the Ten Commandments. The basic principles of the Ten Commandments were in place already in the Garden of Eden, the principles of love that were to govern the relationship between God and people and between people themselves. When the Ten Commandments proclaimed in Exodus 20 were afterward written in stone, they were given to Israel in the context of the covenant...
Mar 23, 2025•11 min•Season 7Ep. 2343
Read for This Week’s Study Exod. 20:1–17; Rom. 6:1–3; Rom. 7:7–12; Jer. 31:31–34; Matt. 23:23, 24; James 2:1–9 . Memory Text: While they were dealing with a problematic member, someone on the church board said to the pastor, “We can’t make decisions based on compassion.” We can’t? The pastor wondered what this person’s understanding of God and of God’s law must have been. Compassion certainly needs to be central in how we deal with people, especially erring ones. Compassion is part and parcel of...
Mar 22, 2025•6 min•Season 7Ep. 2342
Read Ellen G. White, “The Sabbath,” pp. 281–289, in The Desire of Ages. “The spies dared not answer Christ in the presence of the multitude, for fear of involving themselves in difficulty. They knew that He had spoken the truth. Rather than violate their traditions, they would leave a man to suffer, while they would relieve a brute because of the loss to the owner if it were neglected. Thus greater care was shown for a dumb animal than for man, who is made in the image of God. This illustrates t...
Mar 21, 2025•8 min•Season 7Ep. 2341
In Luke’s account, just after Jesus declares the two greatest commandments of love for God and love for a neighbor, a lawyer, “wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ ” ( Luke 10:29, NKJV ). In response to this, Jesus tells the now-familiar, but then shocking, parable of the good Samaritan. Read the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25–37 . What is this passage saying in light of the cry of the prophets for mercy and justice and of the kinds of injustices that...
Mar 20, 2025•8 min•Season 7Ep. 2340
The prophets in Scripture continually highlight God’s call for justice in society. Again and again, Scripture does not shrink back from highlighting issues of injustice and oppression. Indeed, the call for God to bring judgment was itself the call for God to establish justice. For example, the prophet Isaiah does not mince words about the injustice in Israel at the time. His words and call for justice should ring loud and clear in our ears today. “ ‘Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the opp...
Mar 19, 2025•9 min•Season 7Ep. 2339
Scripture declares that God loves justice and hates evil (for example, Ps. 33:5, Isa. 61:8 ), and He is deeply concerned about injustice, which evokes righteous indignation on behalf of all those who are the victims of injustice. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God is consistently passionate in favor of the downtrodden and oppressed while expressing righteous anger against the victimizers and oppressors. Read Psalm 82 . How does this psalm express God’s concern for justice in this world? ...
Mar 18, 2025•12 min•Season 7Ep. 2338
According to Jesus Himself, the two greatest commandments are love for God and love for one another. And carrying out these commands involves sacrifices that tangibly show love to others, which is what following in the footsteps of Jesus is really about. Now, if the two greatest commandments are love for God and love for others, what are the two greatest sins? Read Psalm 135:13–19 . What does this reveal about a common sin emphasized throughout Scripture? The Old Testament continually emphasizes...
Mar 17, 2025•12 min•Season 7Ep. 2337
To reflect on what we might do, individually and corporately, to advance God’s love and justice in our world, it is appropriate to begin by focusing on what God has commanded us. Read Matthew 22:34–40 . How did Jesus answer the lawyer’s question? According to Jesus Himself, the “ ‘first and great commandment’ ” is “ ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” ’ ” And, Jesus adds, “ ‘the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as ...
Mar 16, 2025•13 min•Season 7Ep. 2336
Read for This Week’s Study Matt. 22:34–40, Zech. 7:9–12, Psalm 82, Micah 6:8, Matt. 23:23–30, Luke 10:25–37 . Memory Text: Though we have confidence that God will make all things right in the end, it still matters what we, as Christians, do in the here and now. Though there may be many injustices and evils that God will not now eradicate (because of the parameters of the cosmic conflict), this doesn’t mean that we can’t be used to help alleviate whatever suffering and evil we come across, at lea...
Mar 15, 2025•5 min•Season 7Ep. 2335
Read Ellen G. White, “The Reward of Earnest Effort,” pp. 285–288, in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9. “All that has perplexed us in the providences of God will in the world to come be made plain. The things hard to be understood will then find explanation. The mysteries of grace will unfold before us. Where our finite minds discovered only confusion and broken promises, we shall see the most perfect and beautiful harmony. We shall know that infinite love ordered the experiences that seemed mo...
Mar 14, 2025•5 min•Season 7Ep. 2334
Ultimately, God’s name is vindicated in every way. Through the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the plan of redemption, the perfect righteousness and love of God is manifested beyond any reasonable doubt (see Rom. 3:25, 26; Rom. 5:8 ). Read Romans 3:1–4 in light of Isaiah 5:3, 4 . What does this teach about God Himself being vindicated in the cosmic conflict? What more could He do than what He has done? In Romans 3 and Isaiah 5 , we see that God (in some limited sense) invites mere cr...
Mar 13, 2025•10 min•Season 7Ep. 2333
In the parable of the vineyard owner, in Matthew 21 , Jesus picks up where Isaiah 5 left off, shedding additional light on the character and actions of the vineyard owner on behalf of His vineyard. Read Matthew 21:33–39 with particularly the question of Isaiah 5:4 in mind. What more could He do than what He has done? The first part of Christ’s parable quotes directly from the song of Isaiah 5 about the vineyard owner and His vineyard. Then, Jesus adds, the vineyard owner “ ‘leased’ ” His vineyar...
Mar 12, 2025•8 min•Season 7Ep. 2332
In amazing ways, God has manifested His love and righteousness amid the cosmic conflict. Yet, some might ask, Should God have done more than He has done to prevent and/or remove evil? We have seen a cosmic conflict framework that indicates that God has acted in order to respect the free will necessary for the maximal flourishing of love relationships between Him and humanity. Further, He has apparently acted within moral constraints, or rules of engagement, within the context of a cosmic dispute...
Mar 11, 2025•11 min•Season 7Ep. 2331
At every turn, Christ’s work undoes the work of the devil. And, according to 1 John 3:8 , Jesus “was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil” ( 1 John 3:8, NRSV ) and to “destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” ( Heb. 2:14, NRSV ). Yet, the total defeat of the enemy’s rulership takes place in two stages. First, through the work of the Cross, Christ disproves Satan’s slanderous allegations. And, later, Satan and his kingdom will be destroyed. Read Roma...
Mar 10, 2025•11 min•Season 7Ep. 2330
