Another day has begun. Eyes open, bodies stretch, thoughts are toward what this day will hold. Another day of servitude in Egypt? Another day of threats, anger, unfairness, wondering? Wait! Memory is jogged to remember the past days and all of their unusual events. Water turned to blood, frogs, flies, darkness, and so forth. Today is the final day. Today, the choice must be made! Today, the blood must be placed upon the doorposts or tonight terrible things will happen in all of the homes without the necessary preparation. I am sure that you remember the events of which we speak. It was the time in the history of Israel, just before they were gathered out of Egypt. God had spoken, God had proven Himself, God had worked and now they had something to do as well. They needed to show their faith in Him, their works needed to prove their loyalty to Him, their belief in what He had said. They need to apply the blood. Notice the following:

“The Lord declared: ‘I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. . . . And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt’ (Exodus 12:12, 13).”1

“Many of the Egyptians had been led to acknowledge the God of the Hebrews as the only true God, and these now begged to be permitted to find shelter in the homes of Israel when the destroying angel should pass through the land. They were gladly welcomed, and they pledged themselves henceforth to serve the God of Jacob and to go forth from Egypt with His people.

“The Israelites obeyed the directions that God had given. . . . Fathers and mothers clasped in their arms their loved firstborn as they thought of the fearful stroke that was to fall that visited by the death-dealing angel. The sign of blood - the sign of a Saviour’s protection - was on their doors, and the destroyer entered not.”2

What wonderful care of the Father for His children! For those who would follow His instruction, protection; for those who would not, destruction. There is another interesting thought about this subject:

“When the children of Israel were gathered out from among the Egyptians, the Lord said: ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord’ (Exodus 12:12). . . . Any one of the children of the Hebrews who was found in the Egyptian habitations was destroyed.” 3

Is it possible, that with all the light that Israel had been given, some would not have availed themselves of His protecting care? If so, what was the result? Destruction! What a terrible thing to happen to one of His professed children. What about in our time of earth’s history? Is there destruction on the horizon? Has God in His mercy given us instruction for our families, to protect us from the things to come? Indeed He has.

“This experience of the Israelites was written for the instruction of those who should live in the last days. Before the overflowing scourge shall come upon the dwellers of the earth, the Lord calls upon all who are Israelites indeed to prepare for that event. To parents He sends the warning cry: Gather your children into your own houses; gather them away from those who are disregarding the commandments of God, who are teaching and practicing evil. Get out of the large cities as fast as possible. Establish church schools. Give your children the word of God as the foundation of all their education. This is full of beautiful lessons, and if pupils make it their study in the primary grade below, they will be prepared for the higher grade above.” 4

“There is an earnest work to be done for the children. . . . Had the churches in different localities sought counsel of God, they would not need to be thus addressed on this point.” 5

Why the urgency, why such strong words, why should we go through all of the changes necessary to fulfill this commission?

“Now, as never before, we need to understand the true science of education. If we fail to understand this, we shall never have a place in the kingdom of God.” 6

Did you notice the message? Read the above again, please. If we fail to understand the true science of education, we shall never have a place in the kingdom of God. That’s serious. It reminds me of another thought: “In the highest sense the work of education and the work of redemption are one.” 7

Why? Because true education is about character! “Higher education calls for something greater, something more divine, than the knowledge to be obtained merely from books. It means a personal, experimental knowledge of Christ; it means emancipation from ideas, from habits and practices, that have been gained in the school of the prince of darkness, and which are opposed to loyalty to God. It means to overcome stubbornness, pride, selfishness, worldly ambition, and unbelief. It is the message of deliverance from sin.”8

“When the truth for these last days came to the world in the proclamation of the first, second, and third angel’s messages, we were shown that in the education of our children a different order of things must be brought in ; but it has taken much time to understand what changes should be made.” 9

Why a different order of things? Because the surrounding atmosphere and what they were being taught affected the character, therefore the salvation of the child. “We have a special work to do in educating and training our children, that they may not, either in attending school or in associating with others, be influenced by those of corrupt habits.” 10

True education has a different basis than what the world offers. A different foundation, a different focus, a different motive, a different goal.

“ ‘This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent’ (John 17:3). If this is the price of heaven, shall not our education be conducted on these lines?”11

In this series of articles, we hope to discuss the characteristics of true education in the hope that we may individually and corporately have a different order of things, that we may, by the grace of God, have a people prepared for the work ahead, prepared to meet Jesus, prepared to live in heavenly places.

Have you thought about who is going to finish the work here on earth? “The Lord has appointed the youth to be His helping hand.” 12

“With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world! How soon might the end come - the end of suffering and sorrow and sin! How soon, in place of a possession here, with its blight of sin and pain, our children might receive their inheritance where ‘the righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever;’ where ‘the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick,’ and ‘the voice of weeping shall be no more heard’ (Psalm 37:29; Isaiah 33:24; 65:19).”13

Who will train the youth? We, as parents and as a church, must understand that the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow. “Satan is marshaling his hosts. Are you prepared for the conflict just before us? Are you preparing your children for the crisis? Are your children forming habits of decision, that they may be firm to principle? Parental duty has been sadly neglected. Will you not now repent, and take up your God-given lifework? There is no time to lose. Redeem the time, because the days are evil. Pray that your spiritual perceptions may be quickened. Strive to realize the importance of living in obedience to the Holy Spirit. When you do this, the heavenly angels will minister to you as teachers in the home, training you for the work of teaching your children.” 14

“While the judgments of God were falling upon the land of Egypt, the Lord directed the Israelites not only to keep their children within their houses, but to bring in even their cattle from the fields. . . . As the Israelites kept their children within their houses during the time when the judgments of God were in the land of Egypt, so in this time of peril we are to keep our children separate and distinct from the world. We are to teach them that the commandments of God mean much more than we realize. Those who keep them will not imitate the practices of the transgressors of God’s law.”

“Parents must regard God’s Word with respect, obeying its teachings. To the parents in this day, as well as to the Israelites, God declares: ‘These words . . . shall be in thine heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates’ (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).”15

There is a prophesied reformation in Malachi 4:5, 6: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

May we partake of the blessing!