January 30–February 5

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 6: “Playing God”

This week covers a portion of the book of Isaiah that deals with God’s promise to destroy the enemies of His chosen people. Although they fell into sin and will be taken into captivity, God Himself will ultimately deal with those foreign nations that are the tool of His hand to bring about Israel’s punishment. He promises to return Israel to their land and punish those who mistreated them.

After discussing some of the prophecies, the lesson asks an interesting question: “What other prophecies, yet unfulfilled, seem foolish and impossible to us now?”

Shall we look at some of the prophecies that are discounted and explained away because they are thought to be too “foolish” to be true? Or because another “reality” is assumed in place of the clear words of the Bible?

There are the many promises and prophecies that Israel will return to their Promised Land and dwell there forever. Until 1948, this promise was difficult to believe; but now that they are there and flourishing, how can it still be denied? And in fact, Romans 11:1 clearly says that God has not cast them off.

There are many prophecies in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other places that describe what can only be the Millennium on earth, not in heaven, and yet some have decided that we will spend 1,000 years doing an audit of God’s bookkeeping to make sure that every saved or lost person got the correct judgment. Not only is that notion not found in the Bible, but it is a blatant attempt to reduce God to a lesser position of a god who cannot be trusted to make the right decisions and must be checked by his created beings in the hope that they will decide to trust Him.

After just those two examples—and there are many more to be found—this from the lesson has added weight:

“Compare Isaiah 14:13, 14 with Matthew 11:29, John 13:5, and Philippians 2:5–8. What does this contrast tell us about the character of God as opposed to the character of Satan? What does this contrast tell us about how the Lord views pride, arrogance, and the desire for self-supremacy?”

Pride? Arrogance? How arrogant is it to rearrange the Bible to fit your own theology? But that is just what is done in order to deny the clear words in the two examples given above regarding Israel and the Millennium. And that is just what the author does in this question near the end in an attempt to prop up the idea of a desolate earth during the Millennium:

“Why does Isaiah’s description of the desolation of the earth (Isaiah 24) look like John’s description of events connected with 1,000 years that follow Christ’s second coming (Revelation 20)?”

The author uses Revelation 20 to make his point, but what is actually said in Revelation 20? 

First, the angel “comes down from heaven”. Obviously he comes down to earth which is John’s location. Then the angel throws the devil into the abyss. It says nothing about everyone suddenly traveling from earth to heaven and leaving the devil behind. No, from the perspective of John on earth, the devil is thrown into an abyss as John watches, as he is still on earth.

Once again, one must do serious damage to plain Scripture to support the notion that the earth is the abyss.

This again reminds us of the author’s own words about “how the Lord views pride, arrogance, and the desire for self-supremacy”.

Changing the Bible to fit one’s theology is the epitome of exhibiting the “desire for self-supremacy”.

How much better to study the Bible to discover its message and accept that as truth rather than determining on the basis of extra-biblical prophetic insight what we believe to be “truth”, searching out proof-texts that we say prove our point to be true.

The Holy Spirit is our Teacher, and He will not lead us into anything but truth (John 16:13; 1 John 5:6).  To cling to untruth is to invite the wrath of God (Romans 1:18).

Daniel 9:13 refers to the “calamity” that befell Israel when they believed untruths and asks God’s renewed blessing when they returned to truth.

In John 17—Jesus’ prayer to His Father just before the crucifixion—He said: Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

God’s Word found in the Bible IS truth, and if we change it, add to it or detract from it, we no longer have truth. †