Category: Advent Hour Vineyard

GOD’S SEAL OR THE BEAST’S MARK?
June 9th – 15th, 2018

MEMORY TEXT: “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.” Revelation 15:3

SABBATH AFTERNOON: The ears of the Prophet of Patmos “caught the shout of the redeemed” singing “the song of Moses and the Lamb” in vision (Rev. 15:2). The ransomed are those who did not worship the beast or had his mark. Heresies about the mark of the beast are many. The study tries to annul this confusing ideas and how to avoid the mark of the beast— “by receiving the seal of God”.

SUNDAY: The Sabbath and circumcision stood as a sign that identified God’s people in the Old Testament (Gen. 17:9-11). Paul argues that physical circumcision is done away with baptism in the New Testament. It began with Abraham and meant renewal of the heart (Lev. 12:3; Deut. 30:6; Rom. 2:28, 29; 6:3, 4; 1 Cor. 7:19; Gal. 5:6; 6:15). The Sabbath began with creation and Paul posit that it is essential in identifying God as the Creator and challenging Satans attempt at pushing evolution (Exod. 31:13, 17; Ezek. 20:12, 20; Mark 2:27; Heb. 4:9).

MONDAY: All souls will take sides through their behavior, choices and action between God and Satan. There are those who are stamped with God’s seal and those who are stamped with the beast’s mark (Rev. 13:17; 14:9, 10; 16:2). This mark stands for false worship (worship prescribe by man but not aligned to God’s clear requirements) (Dan. 7:25; Rev. 12-14). While all who have God’s seal (Rev. 14:12; Exod. 20:11) rejoice in heaven, those who had the beast’s mark will receive God’s wrath.

TUESDAY: The Sabbath day is the seal of God (Eph. 1:13, 14; 4:30; 2 Tim. 2:19; Rev. 7:1-4; 14:1). It signifies ownership and protection from God. A seal or mark on the forehead means a definite choice to obey God or Satan. But the mark on the hand means siding with the beast to escape its persecution or to preserve worldy position or possession (Rev. 13:17, 15)

WEDNESDAY: The mark of the beast points to a false Sabbath—Sunday worship a put forward by man but not supported biblically. “Satan is now using every distraction or deviation in this sealing time to keep the minds of God’s people from obeying His full commandments including the seventh-day Sabbath which points to God as the Creator and not to evolution in the way the devil wants to lead the world (Dan. 7; Rev. 13; 14:9, 12; Exod. 20:11). But no one has the mark of the beast yet (Rev. 13:15). It’ll be given at the final test when it becomes a life-or-death, obedience or defiance of God’s laws, worship of God or allegiance to worship influenced by the devil and his agents.

THURSDAY: A mark is placed upon the righteous (Rev. 14:12). The Sabbath instituted in Eden was kept by our first parents, Jesus, and the apostles. It’s found at the heart of God’s law and identifies God by name, His power, and authority (Exod. 20:8-11; Heb. 4:9, 10). Jesus who created the world (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:1, 2) rested even in the tomb (John 19:30). He blessed the Sabbath at Creation and at the Cross.

PREPARATION DAY: The seal of God is not a visible mark seen by human eyes. Instead, it is settling into and complete acceptance of God’s Truth, both intellectually and spiritually. Those who possess God’s seal are saved by God in the end just as a mark placed over the doors of the Hebrew homes saved their firstborns. Obeying the Sabbath is a sign of loyalty to God. At the end, we will either have God’s seal of obedience ot the beast’s (devil’s) mark of disobience to God.

 

CREDITS/EDITS 
Source: Brother Steve Lawrence (SDA, Bermuda)
Format: Edited for presentation and to reflect KJV

AMERICA AND BABYLON
June 2nd – 8th, 2018

MEMORY TEXT*: “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.” Daniel 12:1

SABBATH AFTERNOON: “The time is not far distant when the… mark of the beast will be urged upon us”, and Satan plans to mimic the traits of God to delude men. The false trinity—Satan (the dragon), the sea beast, and the land beast will work together to persecute many in the endtime. Daniel 7 depicts the sea beast as a composite of a leopard, a bear, and a lion. Papal Rome is the little horn power from the fourth beast (Rev 13:1-10).

SUNDAY: Protestant believes the symbols in Revelation 13:1-10 points to the papacy. The papacy succeeded the seat and power of ancient Roman empire and started to oppress God’s people in A.D. 538. In 1798, the papal power was terminated when pope Pius VI was taken as captive by the French army (that’s the deadly wound). Rome today exercise both political and religious power (deadly wound healed).

MONDAY: Just at the time the papacy lost its power (Rev, 13:11, 12), another beast unlike the sea beast which arose from water (masses of people) arises from the earth (uninhabited part of the world). This power (“lamblike”) didn’t overthrow any kingdom but grew (GC, p. 440) peacefully and received attention. This images with no doubt points to the United States of America. USA will unite with papacy to persecute.

TUESDAY: As Daniel and his friends were urged to worship a “golden image” or face a fiery furnace, so will Christians be urged to worship the beast or face persecution (Dan. 3:5; Matt. 4:8-10; Rev. 13:15). The seat of false worship is Babylon—all who posses the pride of Lucifer, like the Tower of Babel builders (Rev. 14:9-11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4; Isa. 14:14; Gen. 9:8-11). Many died because of false worship (Dan. 4:30; 5:3, 4).

WEDNESDAY: Babylon known for its great idolatry and sins was felled. All who heeded to the message of warning and fled from her were saved (Jer. 51:6, 7, 53, 57; Zech. 2:7; Rev. 17:5, 6; 18:2, 3), so will all who flee from the spiritual Babylon be saved (compare the pure woman in Rev. 12 & the harlot on the scarlet beast in Rev. 17). God calls his faithful still in Babylon to come out of her (Rev. 12:3, 13:1-3, 17:3, 14:9-11; 18:1-4).

THURSDAY: We’re saved to save. The call “come out of her, my people” is a one that tasks all Christians already saved from Babylon to lead those who are still in it to God. The world is filled with sin and this call “is the last that will ever be given to the world”. (Rev. 18:1-4). Adventists identified America as the second beast power as far back in 1851 (Rev. 13:11-15). No one has the “mark of the beast” now, “more needs to unfold”.

PREPARATION DAY: “Satan is working as never before. He is striving to act as director of the Christian world”. He failed when he attacked God’s law in heaven, and has now directed his attack to those who keep the law of God (Rev. 12:17, 14:12). “Just as he was defeated in heaven, he will be defeated here on earth”. It is his plan to deceive and delude men to break the law of God—either all or just one (James 2:10).
EGW – The Great Controversy, p. 582.

Credits/Edits
Source: Brother Steve Lawrence (SDA, Bermuda)
Format: Edited for presentation and to reflect KJV
*Substituted for verbatim: “Focus Text”

END-TIME DECEPTIONS
May 26th – June 1st, 2018

MEMORY TEXT: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:9

SABBATH AFTERNOON: All falsehood and all falsifying originated from Satan. “He who utters falsehood and practices deception” started his apostasy in heaven. He deceived angels in heaven, man in Eden
and still carries his scheme of deception today, and will seek to deceive many “at the end of the millennium” (Rev. 20:8; GC, p. 495). Only with Jesus can we defeat this crafty rival (Deut. 4:4).

SUNDAY: Myriads of people of which some Christians are part assert that the “cosmic controversy” is a mere theory. They posit that, God is similar to “Darth Vader of ‘Star Wars’ fame or the like”, who is at the helm of scientific fiction and that Satan doesn’t exist. Yet, Satan is real and seeks to control many minds at this end time (Rev. 2:13; 24; 12:3, 7-9, 12, 17; 13:2; 20:2, 7, 10, 2 Cor. 2:11).

MONDAY: Satan has disguised himself as “an angel of light” spreading falsehood through delusive teachings (2 Cor. 11:13-15; 2 Thess. 2:9, 10; Rev. 12:9; 20:10; Matt. 24:5). But this “false christs and prophets” are just one of many deceptive arsenals of Satan. “It is written” is the watchword to overcome the two great errors of today — Sunday Sabbath & immortality of the soul (GC, p. 588).

TUESDAY: “The doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul is one error with which the enemy is deceiving man.” It is an error forged by the devil to tell people that they don’t need Jesus. Fables about the dead who talked with a divine being/relatives, and came back to life are widespread that it has a scientific name — near-death experiences (NDEs, see Eccl. 9:5, 6; Ps. 115:17; 146:4, 1; 1 Cor. 15:16-18; Dan. 12:2).

WEDNESDAY: The Sabbath commandment is the only one among the Ten which points to God as the Creator of the universe. By the theory of evolution (it says all living things preexisted and advance with time), the devil seeks to denude the Sabbath its importance. Another alludes that the world was created not in literal days but in a 3-4 billion years period (read Gen. 1:1-2:3).

THURSDAY: The Godhead — known as the trinity is depicted in Bible. But in these last days, the devil has a “false trinity” —  the dragon, the sea beast, and the land beast (Rev. 13). The dragon (falsified as God the Father) gives power to the sea beast (falsified as Christ, Rev. 12:17; 13:1, 2; 13:2-5, Matt. 28:18), and the land beast like the Holy Spirit “promotes the interests of the sea beast” (Rev. 13:11-17; John 16:13, 14; Acts 2:3).

PREPARATION DAY: Charles Darwin, the originator of the evolution theory found it difficult to grasp how a loving God could allow evil and suffering to exist. He planned to seek for answers to his questions outside the Bible. Howbeit, the Seventh-day Adventist Church just came in time to refute his claims in “the mid-to-late 1800s”. He failed to know that all was perfect until sin stained the earth. – EGW, Education, p. 26.

Discussion Questions
📌 Why do so many Christians reject the idea of a literal Satan? What does this view teach us about how dangerous it is to reject the clear teaching of the Bible?

📌 What can you say to a person who claims that his of her neardeath experience shows that we go on living after death?

📌 What other reason could there be for why those who believe in evolution would be so much more susceptible to deceptions in the last days?

Credits/Edits
Source: Brother Steve Lawrence (SDA, Bermuda)
Format: Edited for presentation and to reflect KJV

WORSHIP THE CREATOR
May 19th – 25th, 2018

MEMORY TEXT: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,” Revelation 14:6

SABBATH AFTERNOON: Present truth is the truth applicable to a present time (1 Pet. 1:12). The “present truth” to the fallen pair was that a Savior would come through her (Gen. 3:15). Over the ages, this promise was re-echoed to Abraham (Gen. 18:18) and was later fulfilled (Mark 10:45). God’s “last message of warning and mercy is to enlighten” us about His return—this is our “present truth” (Rev. 14:6-12).

SUNDAY: The gospel is a “universal blessing, pouring forth its treasures on” all. The first angel’s message is a statement of universal truth—hence, can be called “the Great Commission”. It’s to be shared to the whole world (Rev. 14:6; Matt. 24:14, 28:19). Sin is universal, hence, the gospel must also be universal. “Every nation” has sinned and needs Jesus to be saved (Gal. 3:22).

MONDAY: The heirs of God are sinners who have “washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”. In themselves they are faulty, and “have nothing to offer” like the thief on the cross (Luke 23:42). Jesus did not rebuke him (Matt. 5:20; 27:44). Only the grace of God can “obtain for us a passport into heaven”. The gospel is “everlasting”, it has power to give us eternal life.

TUESDAY: Embedded in the “everlasting gospel” is godly fear. “The life in which the fear of the Lord is cherished will” glorify God. Thus, fearing God and glorifying Him are linked to each other. This is the “present truth” to be carried to all. Those who “fear” God obeys His “command to the very letter”. This fear leads us to Christ (Gen. 22:12; Exod. 20:20; Job 1:9; Eccles. 12:13, Matt. 5:16).

WEDNESDAY: “The Lord alone is the judge of man’s work, and He will give to each his just reward” (Rev. 14:7). In Him, justice and mercy “have kissed each other”. Thus, although we’ve “all sinned” and have to die, God is able to save us like the thief on the cross. Yet, we are saved not by our merits, but by the merits of Christ imputed on us (Matt. 12:36; Eccl. 12:14; Rom. 2:6, 8:1; 1 Cor. 4:5, 6:11; 5T, p. 471).

THURSDAY: The first angel bids us to spread the gospel to the world and “fear God and give glory to Him”because God is our Creator (Rev. 14:6, 7). By constant worship, we learn to depend on God. The Sabbath reminds us of our Creator—God. The issue of worship is crucial, those who receives the mark of the beast and obey the false Sabbath instead of the Creator’s rest day shall face God’s wrath (Rev. 14:8-11).

PREPARATION DAY: The call to worship the Creator in Revelation 14:7 and the call to obey the Sabbath in Exodus 20:11 are linked to each other. Author John Baldwin posit that, God’s deliberate listing of some of His created things specifically “fountains of water” is for a purpose. It points us to the flood in Noah’s time to remind us about God’s justice and mercy. Hence, we ought to keep in mind a pending end time.

Discussion Questions

📌 Isaiah 53:6 reads: “All we like sheep have gone astray.” The word in Hebrew used in this text for “all of us” is cullanu. In the same text, Isaiah says that the Lord laid upon Jesus “the iniquity of us all.” The word for “us all” here, too, is cullanu. How does this show us that no matter how great the sin problem is, the solution to it is more than sufficient to solve it?

📌 What other lessons can we learn from the story of the thief on the cross? Suppose the thief received a pardon and was brought down from the cross and survived. How different a life do you think he would have lived? What does that answer tell us about the power of Christ to change our lives?

 

Credits/Edits
Source: Brother Steve Lawrence (SDA, Bermuda)
Format: Edited for presentation and to reflect KJV

THE “CHANGE” OF THE LAW
May 5th – 11th, 2018

MEMORY TEXT: “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Daniel 7:25

SABBATH AFTERNOON: The crisis that is soon to befall our world all revolves around the issue of “the law of God”. “God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh day” and made it holy to be a day of worship. But Satan has made God’s law, especially the seventh-day Sabbath, “an object of special attack”. God’s remnants obey the Creator whilst the unjust obey creatures (Rev. 13, 14).

SUNDAY: God’s remnants, even men closest to Christ had their wars against sin. Such is the story of every Christian. In our own selves we cannot escape from the pit of sin (Rom. 8:1; 7:15-25). Amidst the defect of God’s people, “Christ does not turn away from” them when they surrender their lives to Him. Apostle Paul found his answer in Jesus when he cried out to be delivered from sin.

MONDAY: God’s law is a revealer of sin and the price of death the sinner has to pay. Yet, it offers no remedy of solving the problem (read Rom. 7:15-25). “Without the law we have no knowledge of what sin is”. “Not one command has been annulled, not a jot or tittle has been changed” (Rom. 7:7). “The law does not produce death; sin does (Rom. 7:13, 6). We need Jesus to be saved.

TUESDAY: Amongst God’s law, it’s the Sabbath commandment that the apostate claim to be “done away with” or replaced by the first day—Sunday. Yet this claim has no biblical support. Hence, several texts in the NT has been misinterpreted (read John 20:19-23; Acts 20:6, 7; 2:46; 1 Cor. 16:1-4). These texts has no prove that Sunday has replaced the seventh-day Sabbath. The law is immutable.

WEDNESDAY: Christ Himself who made the Sabbath worshipped on the Sabbath day, including His disciples. He rested on the Sabbath when alive and even in the tomb (Luke 4:14-16; 23:55, 56). The women who had been with Jesus knew about the Sabbath and rested when He died (Luke 23:56; John 14:15). The Apostles kept the Sabbath also after His ascension to heaven (Acts 13:14, 42-44; 16:12, 13).

THURSDAY: Just as God does not change, so is His law (including the Sabbath, Jam. 2:10-12). Amongst the four great kingdoms that ruled the world was the Roman Empire (Daniel 7). A little horn (identified as the Papacy) that arose from it intended to change God’s law. Under the Papal rule, the seventh-day Sabbath was replaced with Sunday (compare Rev. 13:1-17 & Dan. 7:1-8, 21, 24, 25).

PREPARATION DAY: Satan after failing to conquer heaven seeks to conquer the earth. In the last days of earth’s crisis, he is embittered against God’s remnants who keeps His law (Rev. 12:7; 13:2, 4). Satan who claims not only to be God but above God demands worship due to the Creator. Hence, he attacks the Sabbath (Gen. 2:1-3) commandment which points to God as the Creator.
– Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 53, 54.

Keyword
NT- New Testament

Captions
SUNDAY- The Promise
MONDAY- The Law and Sin
TUESDAY- From Sabbath to Sunday?
WEDNESDAY- The Seventh Day in the New Testament 
THURSDAY- The Attempted Change of the Sabbath

Discussion Questions
📌 What is the problem with those who talk about the reality of sin and yet argue that God’s law has been done away with? What great inconsistency can you point out in that line of reasoning?

📌 What has been your own experience with those who argue for Sunday instead of Sabbath? What arguments did you use, and how effective were they? How can you deal with the common argument that keeping the seventh-day Sabbath is an attempt at salvation by works?

📌 As we talk to others about the Sabbath and as we prepare for end-time events, why is it important to make it clear that the challenges regarding the “mark of the beast” have not yet happened?

Credits/Edits
Source: Brother Steve Lawrence (SDA, Bermuda)
Format: Edited for presentation and to reflect KJV

JESUS AND THE BOOK OF REVELATION
April 14th – 20th, 2018

Prayerfully* Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Cor. 10:1-11, Rev. 12:1-17, 19:11-15, Eph. 1:20, Rev. 11:19, 1:10-18.

MEMORY TEXT: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Revelation 3:21

SABBATH AFTERNOON: The New Testament is linked to the Old Testament along a continuum of time documenting the Gospels and the Epistles. Revelation is about Jesus, about what He has done and will continue to do for His people.

SUNDAY: The central themes of Daniel and Revelation are historical and end-time events intricately woven together. By looking through the window of the Old Testament history, we can see indicators of what will happen in our days and beyond.

MONDAY: Jesus is depicted as the Lamb, the Sacrifice, the Risen, and the Breath of Life. His crowning role will be his return as the Righteous Judge who will “reward every man according to his works.” (Matt. 16:27)

TUESDAY: Christ appears in the heavenly sanctuary (Rev. 1:10-18) carrying out His priestly role for our souls. Regardless of our earthly challenges we can have the assurance that it is all about preparing us for His return.

WEDNESDAY: Interestingly enough the primary focus of Revelation is to reveal Jesus Christ ultimately as King of Kings. With all the stress, strife, decay and confusion caused by the devil and sin, we can have the assurance that our Saviour will come again and deliver on His promises.

THURSDAY: Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last and promises that He who believes in Him, though he may die, he shall live. His ability to deliver us from even death as promised is exemplified in His own resurrection after being sacrificed and killed for our sins.

PREPARATION DAY**: Revelation importantly reveals to us historical truths and prepares us for the last days. Prophecy is clearly echoed and confirmed by current-day events fulfilling same. Most significantly is how it reveals the great conflict between the powers of darkness and our God victorious.

(Steve Lawrence Ministries)
Steve Lawrence: Now that we are at the close of this earth’s history, Satan is working with all his powers, in the same manner, with the same temptations and traps that he set for and used to tempt and ensnare ancient Israel just before their entering the land of promise… He will lay snares for those who seek to keep the commandments of God, and who are working for God, with the hope to claim His promise of a Heavenly reward. He will use his powers to their utmost in order to entrap souls, trick people, distract us, have us lose sight of the call to love God and all others. It is always the devil’s plan to attack, discourage and destroy God’s professed people upon their weakest points… Let us stand ready, trim our lanterns so they give off the best and brightest Light from Above to draw others to Christ. Let us never lose sight of the prize, mission and focus always on God.
(A quote from EGW paraphrased*** to reflect the reality that we are now at that place in human history)
(Steve Lawrence Ministries)

 

Credits/Edits
Source: Brother Steve Lawrence (SDA, Bermuda)
Format: Edited for presentation and to reflect KJV
*Added by website host
** Substituted for “Friday”, by website host
*** Substituted for verbatim: “updated”, by website host (still awaiting authur’s approval)

DANIEL AND THE END TIME
April 7th – 13th, 2018

MEMORY TEXT: “The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.” Daniel 2:47

SABBATH AFTERNOON: The Lord had great plans for ancient Israel. Unfortunately, the nation didn’t live up to the holy calling that God had given it. God was still able to use individual to be His witnesses & examples to others. How can God use you?

SUNDAY: “He that is faithful in that is least is faithful also in much:…” (Luke 16:10) God gives knowledge and wisdom because of faithfulness to Him. How can each one of us individually make decisions that will enable us to be powerful witnesses for God?

MONDAY: Daniel 2 provides powerfully rational evidence, not only for the existence of God but for His foreknowledge. Daniel had openly and unashamedly given all the credit to God for what had been revealed to him. The prayers that he and the others prayed (Dan. 2:17-23) showed their utter dependence upon God. What have we learnt about utter dependence upon God for salvation?

TUESDAY: The story of the three Hebrews, is an echo of the persecution that God’s people have faced in the past and will face in the last days. The issue of worship is pivotal but both talk about a worship that is forced. That is, the political powers in control demand the worship that is due to God alone. In Daniel 3:13-18 we are guided as to what we will face because of our beliefs in God & how we should face what is coming. Do you think you will be faithful when these challenges come?

WEDNESDAY: The knowledge of God and of His power isn’t the same as having the born-again experience that Jesus said was crucial for salvation (John 3:7). Indeed, the man depicted in Daniel 4:30 was anything but a converted soul. We have to totally submit to God, head knowledge does not equate to submission. What will prepare us for the end time events?

THURSDAY: Daniel 6 speaks about a man who was faithful to God even when the traps laid by those around him sought his life. He exemplified purity of spirit, action and motives that we should also seek to mirror in our own lives. What does Daniel 6 reveal about the character of Daniel?

PREPARATION DAY*: Typically we look at the book of Daniel in the context of the rise and fall of nations, the judgment (Dan. 7:22, 26; 8:14), and the final deliverance of God’s people in the time of trouble (Dan. 12:1). Daniel gives us examples of what it means for us individually to be prepared for trials and persecution, whenever they come. Examining scriptural accounts of what will come, are you ready?

CREDITS/EDITS 
Source: Brother Steve Lawrence (SDA, Bermuda)
Format: Edited for presentation and to reflect KJV
*Substituted for “Friday”, by website host