[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, 11, 27, 71, 77, 78; also read “Patriarchs and Prophets,” chapters 5 and 30. “Christ Our Advocate,” Bible Students’ Library No. 120 (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. When the work of the investigative judgment is over, what decree goes forth? “He that is unrighteous, let him do unrighteousness still; and he that is filthy, let him be made filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him do righteousness still; and he that is holy, let him be made holy still.” Rev. 22:11. Note .
2. Will the world know when this event takes place? “And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.” Matt. 24:37-39. Note .
3. What are God’s people exhorted to do before this decree goes forth? “Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that hath no shame; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” Zeph. 2:1-3.
4. What event takes place in close connection with the going forth of this decree? “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.” Dan. 12:1. (Dan. 7:13, 14.) Note .
5. What constitutes this time of trouble to the nations? “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having seven plagues, which are the last, for in them is finished the wrath of God.” Rev. 15:1. (Rev. 16:2.)
6. How long a time will be occupied in the pouring out of the plagues? “Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God which judged her.” Rev. 18:8.
8. What will be the experience of the foolish virgins at this time? “Afterward come also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But He answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” Matt. 25:11, 12. (Matt. 7:21-23.)
9. What will be the result of their not having kept God’s Word when they had it? “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.” Amos 8:11, 12.
10. By what will they still swear? What will be the result? “In that day shall the fair virgins and the young men faint for thirst. They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, As thy God, O Dan, liveth; and, As the way of Beer-sheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.” Verses 13, 14. Note .
11. What is the time of trouble to God’s people called? What will be the result in the end? “For thus saith the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child: wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it; it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bands; and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him; but they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.” Jer. 30:5-9.
12. When the prophet Habakkuk saw this time of trouble, what did he desire? “Thou wentest forth for the salvation of Thy people, for the salvation of Thine anointed; Thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, laying bare the foundation even unto the neck. Thou didst pierce with his own staves the head of his warriors; they came as a whirlwind to scatter me; their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly. Thou didst tread the sea with Thine horses, the heap of mighty waters. I heard, and my belly trembled, my lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in my place; that I should rest in the day of trouble, when it cometh up against the people which invadeth him in troops.” Hab. 3:13-16.
13. What is said of those who die in the Lord just before that time? “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth; yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them.” Rev. 14:13.
14. What causes this time of distress to God’s people? “And it was given unto him to give breath to it, even to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as should not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead; and that no man should be able to buy or to sell, save he that hath the mark, even the name of the beast or the number of his name.” Rev. 13:15-17.
15. What will this lead the saints to do? “And shall not God avenge His elect, which cry to Him day and night, and He is long-suffering over them? I say unto you, that He will avenge them speedily. Howbeit when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:7, 8.
16. Where will they go for safety? What promises will they live upon? “He shall dwell on high; his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks; his bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty; they shall behold a far-stretching land.” Isa. 33:16, 17. (Isa. 41:17, 18.)
17. What words of faith will they utter? “For though the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength, and He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and will make me to walk upon mine high places.” Hab. 3:17-19.
10 “And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward 11 Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay 12 down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land 14 whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the 15 families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have 16 done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; 17 and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and 18 this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of the city was Luz at the first.”
Golden Text.—“Surely the Lord is in this place.” Verse 16.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What journey of Jacob’s is mentioned in this lesson? Verse 10. (2) What was the occasion of this journey? Note 1. (3) What indicates the wearisome character of his pilgrimage? Verse 11. (4) What wonderful dream accompanied his slumber? Verse 12. (5) What was the crowning feature of the vision? What comforting assurance was given to Jacob? Verse 13, first part. Note 2. (6) What promise was given to Jacob? Verses 13, last part, and 14. (7) To whom had this promise been given before? Note 3. (8) What promise of present personal assistance was given to Jacob? Verse 15. (9) When Jacob awoke what did he say? Verse 16. Note 4. (10) What feeling did he specially experience? Why? Verse 17. (11) What time did Jacob arise? What then did he do as a memorial of the occasion? Verse 18. (12) What name did he give to the place? What had it been formerly called? Verse 19.
NOTES.
1. The occasion here referred to was Jacob’s leaving home for fear of his brother Esau, who had threatened to kill him. His exile from home had been caused by his own selfishness and deception. By deceiving his aged and blind father, he had secured the blessing which was designed for Esau. His mother had incited him to this deed, and was now separated for life from her favorite son. “It was with a deeply troubled heart that Jacob set ‘out on his lonely journey. With only his staff in ‘hand he must travel hundreds of miles through a ‘country inhabited by wild, roving tribes. In his ‘remorse and timidity, he sought to avoid men, lest ‘he should be traced by his angry brother.’”—Patriarchs and Prophets.
2. The comfort of God’s Word always comes in time of greatest need to those who are in condition to receive it. Jacob had traveled at least two days from Beer-sheba to Bethel. He was lonely, tired, fearful, sorrowful, and penitent. But he realized that night that “the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Ps. 34:18. “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.” Ps. 145:18.
3. The promise here made to Jacob was a repetition of the promise to Abraham and to Isaac. Every true child of God has a part in this promise. Surely there is enough in it to induce faithful service, and to prove a solace in the hour of severest trial. A full belief in the promises of God will enable us to surmount the most formidable obstacle, and sustain us to the end, be the journey never so long or wearisome.
4. “I Knew It Not.”—How much of life’s troubles and fears might be avoided, if we could but realize the omnipresence of God; if in every condition and every place we could just look up to Him as “our Refuge and Strength, a very present Help in trouble.”
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Sound an Alarm
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Strikes and the Spirit of Strife
“Like Father, Like Son,” says the Union Signal. “Strikes are in the labor order of the day. A few days ago every messenger boy employed by a telegraph company in this city [Chicago], walked out on a refusal of the company to pay higher wages. The boys were discharged, and a new set engaged, whereupon the strikers gathered to whip those who took their places. Mere disability in matter of size and strength made the combatants yield to police force. Thus one generation educates the next, and the world is at the mercy of the children.” Not only is the strike the order of the day on labor’s side, but the provocation is the order of the day on capital’s side. Both are foretold in the “sure word of prophecy.” The consequence is that many employers are made to suffer without cause, and many laborers are compelled to strike against their will. We need not expect more than a temporary cessation of hostilities at best. We are in the last days, which the Lord Himself has said shall be as it was in the days of Noah, when the earth was “filled with violence.” The spirit of strife is abroad in the land, and the world is ignorant of what it means. Let those who do know “sound an alarm” with increasing energy.
Imperialism in the Labor Movement
In a San Francisco daily paper of recent date is a picture of “children jeering at non-union teamsters” as they drive along the street. Thus the rising generation is being taught that men have no right to engage in honest labor, unless they belong to some kind of combination that denies them the right to think and act for themselves—some order in which one irresponsible “president” or “delegate” may command thousands of laborers to quit work at a moment’s notice, and his command must be obeyed.
When we see the “bone and sinew” of the nation inaugurating the principles of imperialism in their daily labor, and see these principles inculcated in the children of the laboring classes at the instance of their parents, shall we wonder that imperialism is fostered in aristocratic circles, and even in the government itself? How could it be otherwise? In a representative government, in a government by representatives of the people, shall we not expect to find the principle of like people like government? Can the laboring classes reasonably complain of autocratic treatment by employers or by capitalists, when they themselves resort to that principle among themselves, and teach their children to jeer at men who seek to maintain independent action?
Be Sober
“Be Sober.” Why?—“For we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.”
Watch Unto Prayer
“Watch unto Prayer.” Why?—“Because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Preach the Word
“Preach the Word.” Why?—“For the time will ‘come when they will not endure sound doctrine.’ “They shall turn away their ears from the truth, and ‘shall be turned unto fables.”
A Perilous Army
The militia at Camp Gage, Santa Cruz, Cal., are reported by the papers to have exhausted all the beer in that city and to have sent to Watsonville for more. To this the Pacific Ensign adds that a drunken army and militia imperil a nation more than any foreign enemy.
Those Who Oppose God’s Law
It is not the keeper of the law who execrates the law. It is the man who is transgressing law or contemplating transgressing it, that objects to its enforcement. Likewise it is true that the man who wishes God's law abolished is the man who wishes to do something that the law forbids. It is always the evil-doer that hates every good law and its enforcement.
A Word to Boys.—
Sometimes the newspapers give good advice. Here is a word of advice to a boy of fifteen from an editorial in the San Francisco Examiner:—
Read good books. Read newspapers as little as possible. They do little good to a boy of your age.
That is emphatically true. The reading of newspapers makes children seem bright, but it is only seeming. Such reading is mental dissipation, not development.
The False and True.
Any work which leads men to laud and glorify man is false either in spirit or doctrine or both. Sometimes, sad to say, men preach the truth of the Gospel in theory, but with man in the foreground and Christ secondary. Those affected by the preaching often praise the man, honor the man, glorify the man. It is wrong. Sometimes men preach error, preach it in such a way that men receive it as truth, but glorify the one who brought it. And so we have the followers of this woman and that man, who glorify the creature, make of no effect the Word of God, and oftentimes relegate the Creator to an impersonal nothingness. The true spirit of Christian work is not expressed by what great I have done or will do, but by such words as these:—
“Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
But unto Thy name give glory,
For Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake.”
There is soon coming a time when—
“The lofty looks of man shall be brought low,
And the haughtiness of man shall be bowed down,
And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.”
And a good time to begin to exalt God is now. “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted, and he that ‘exalteth himself shall be brought low.” God looks with loving-kindness upon the man of poor and contrite spirit, and who trembles at His Word.
Physical Force to the Front.
A horse owned by an Ohio man recently made the fastest trotting time on record—a mile in two minutes and two and one quarter seconds. Amid the enthusiasm of the occasion the owner was called out for a speech, and started out with the boast that, “Ohio has had the greatest prize-fighters, the smartest Presidents, and the fastest horses in the Union.” This is a fair expression of the spirit of the age, the world’s idea of greatness; but the classification is hardly a compliment to the dignity of the presidential office. Such sentiments, in connection with the prominent position accorded to athletics in the highest educational institutions, indicate the upward tendency of brute force in the appreciation of the public. It is no wonder that the “strike,” with all its possibilities of physical strife, is becoming popular.
Christ, Not Moses.
A contributor to one of our exchanges, in endeavoring to convince people that the law of God is dead, says, “Christ is our law-giver, not Moses.” True, and it was Christ, not Moses, who rehearsed the law from Sinai. And it was Christ, not Moses, who from a mountain in Palestine, said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” Matt. 5:17. Then to fulfil does not mean to destroy. It was by fulfilling the law that Christ “condemned sin in the flesh.” The assertion that He did not come to destroy the law is one of the “sayings” to which Christ referred when He said, “Whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock,” etc. Matt. 7:24–27.
Midsummer Number of Good Health
The midsummer number of the Good Health has just reached us. As usual it is full of interesting and valuable matter. The leading articles have the following titles:—
Why Do Invalids Travel? The Outdoor Gymnasium—(Illustrated), Is Disease a Struggle for Life? Disease in Animals—(Illustrated); How, What, and When to Drink; The Use of Water for the Relief of Pain; Food and Strength; Tea and Coffee; Cholera Infantum; Fruit; A Cooling Diet; Ideal Dress—(Illustrated); Summer Dishes—(Illustrated); The Curiosities of Common Water; Heat Stroke; The Best Cosmetic; Dr. Baynard on Mineral Springs; Spinal Curvature; Scrofula.
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Woman’s Suffrage and Moral Influence
The “Union Signal,” the organ of the W. C. T. U., in speaking of the adoption by the Alabama Constitutional Convention of a section providing that women tax-payers shall have the privilege of voting on bond issues, etc., commends it, and remarks: “Alabama women will now get ready for the next ‘step upward.’” The convention’s decision is doubtless just and right, but what has this to do with women’s step upward? Every step upward or downward will be taken by herself, regardless of constitutional conventions or statute laws. Some of the lowest women of earth have reigned on thrones; while some of those whose feet ever stood in the highways of holiness knew naught of political enfranchisement or the right of suffrage. Politics may open before woman a different field, but it will give her no higher station, no more exalted position of moral influence.
Preparing for the Final Examination
Life’s probation is a school, and the judgment is the final examination. Then it is essential that we become proficient in the things upon which the examination will be based. As a really practical education is that which qualifies one for practical duty, it is well to remember that to “fear God and keep ‘His commandments’ is the ‘whole duty of man.’” It is also well to remember that in the final examination, or judgment, “every work” will be considered, with “every secret thing, whether it be good, or ‘whether it be evil.’” Only the righteousness of Christ will gain the prize, which is eternal life. From these facts it is clear that the most profitable education is that which has in view a preparation for the final examination and graduation from life’s probationary school.
Right Not a Question of Majority.—
The Christian Work, in speaking of the “Steel Strike and Its Lesson,” truly says: “Wrong can not be made right ‘by majority rule.’ Truth, righteousness, and morality are fixed facts, and no matter how numerous the opposers, or how great the majority in favor of a course opposed to these, such a course is wrong and to be avoided.” Now let it apply these “self-evident postulates” to the Sabbath question, and how easily it will be settled. The truth, the righteousness, the morality, according to God’s Word, are all on the side of the Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day.
