This weekly feature is dedicated to Adventists who are looking for biblical insights into the topics discussed in the Sabbath School lesson quarterly. We post articles which address each lesson as presented in the Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, including biblical commentary on them. We hope you find this material helpful and that you will come to know Jesus and His revelation of Himself in His word in profound biblical ways.
Lesson 2: “Moment of Destiny”
COLLEEN TINKER
Problems with this lesson:
- This lesson uses the EGW-endorsed idea of the investigative judgment to interpret Revelation 14.
- The three angels of Revelation 14 must be understood IN CONTEXT, not separated out and interpreted according to Adventist doctrine.
- The lesson teaches that our daily obedience determines our characters—which, in turn, determine our readiness for salvation.
First, we cannot take three angels out of Revelation 14 and make them the central passage for the Adventist gospel. In the first place, there are six angels in Revelation 14; we cannot take the first three mentioned out of context and incorporate a meaning to them that is not in the text.
Second, the investigative judgment is not found anywhere in Scripture. Adventist theologians and scholars have understood this fact for decades. The way EGW explained Daniel and Revelation and made them support her “great controversy” worldview which included an elaborate pre-history that includes God exalting Jesus and Lucifer becoming jealous of Jesus, resulting in his being cast out of heaven and accusing God of being unfair—this scenario is entirely invented. The Bible gives no support whatever for it.
The investigative judgment, however one interprets it, is a fiction. Jesus shed His blood once-for-all at a specific point in time. His blood applies to and covers ALL our sins the moment we trust and believe in His atonement and propitiation for our sin.
Significantly, this moment of belief is when our salvation happens. We literally pass from death to life and do not come into judgment (Jn. 5:24). We are sealed with the indwelling Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13,14), and we are born again. We cannot be “unborn”; we enter eternal life, and nothing—not even death—will ever separate us from the love and presence of the Lord Jesus, not ever! (Romans 8; 2 Corinthians 2:1–9; Philippians 1:22, 23).
Salvation is NOT a matter of perfecting our characters and keeping the law. We do not “accept Jesus” and then turn to the law and keep it better and better.
Galatians teaches the opposite: the law leads us to Christ; in Jesus, we receive eternal life and His perfection imputed to us. We are made ALIVE. The issue is not bad people becoming good; it is dead people becoming alive!
For the rest of this week, I invite you to read some articles already written and to watch some videos that will explain how we are saved and that will show the supposed “pre-advent”, or investigative, judgment is a fiction.
Videos
- Three Adventist Doctrines That Compromise the Gospel
- How To Be Secure In My Salvation
- Adventists Have the Wrong Priest
Articles
- April 27–May 3, 2024 - April 25, 2024
- We Got Mail - April 25, 2024
- April 20–26, 2024 - April 18, 2024