Sunday
March 21
1. A CHASTE VIRGIN
a. How does Christ represent the relationship between Himself and His church on earth? Jeremiah 31:31, 32; 3:14; Ephesians 5:23–27.
“In both the Old and the New Testament, the marriage relation is employed to represent the tender and sacred union that exists between Christ and His people. To the mind of Jesus the gladness of the wedding festivities pointed forward to the rejoicing of that day when He shall bring home His bride to the Father’s house, and the redeemed with the Redeemer shall sit down to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 151.
b. How is a pure church symbolized? 2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 12:1.
“[An] obligation, too often lightly regarded—one that to the youth awakened to the claims of Christ needs to be made plain—is the obligation of church relationship.
“Very close and sacred is the relation between Christ and His church—He the bridegroom, and the church the bride; He the head, and the church the body. Connection with Christ, then, involves connection with His church.”—Education, p. 268.
Monday
March 22
2. UNION OF CHURCH AND STATE
a. How is an impure church symbolized, and what is represented by her sitting on a beast? Revelation 17:1–6.
“When the early church became corrupted by departing from the simplicity of the gospel and accepting heathen rites and customs, she lost the Spirit and power of God; and in order to control the consciences of the people, she sought the support of the secular power. The result was the papacy, a church that controlled the power of the state and employed it to further her own ends, especially for the punishment of ‘heresy.’ . . .
“Protestant churches that have followed in the steps of Rome by forming alliance with worldly powers have manifested a similar desire to restrict liberty of conscience. . . .
“It was apostasy that led the early church to seek the aid of the civil government, and this prepared the way for the development of the papacy—the beast. Said Paul: ‘There’ shall ‘come a falling away, . . . and that man of sin be revealed’ (2 Thessalonians 2:3). So apostasy in the church will prepare the way for the image to the beast.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 443, 444.
b. What makes this woman and her daughters impure? Revelation 17:1, 2; Ezekiel 16:44.
“The union of the church with the state, be the degree never so slight, while it may appear to bring the world nearer to the church, does in reality but bring the church nearer to the world.”—Ibid., p. 297.
“The world must not be introduced into the church, and married to the church, forming a bond of unity. Through this means the church will become indeed corrupt, and as stated in Revelation, ‘a cage of every unclean and hateful bird’ (Revelation 18:2). . . .
“Through association with the world our institutions will become unsubstantial, unreliable; because these worldly elements, introduced and placed in positions of trust, are looked up to as teachers to be respected in their educating, directing, and official position, and they are sure to be worked upon by the spirit and power of darkness; so that the demarcation becomes not distinguished between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not.”—Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 265, 266.
Tuesday
March 23
3. WORLDLINESS AND FALSE DOCTRINE
a. What is the wine of fornication that the apostate church uses to make the kings of this earth drunk? James 4:4; 2 Peter 2:1, 2.
“It is our individual duty to walk humbly with God. We are not to seek any strange, new message. We are not to think that the chosen ones of God who are trying to walk in the light compose Babylon. The fallen denominational churches are Babylon. Babylon has been fostering poisonous doctrines, the wine of error. This wine of error is made up of false doctrines, such as the natural immortality of the soul, the eternal torment of the wicked, the denial of the pre-existence of Christ prior to His birth in Bethlehem, and advocating and exalting the first day of the week above God’s holy and sanctified day. These and kindred errors are presented to the world by the various churches, and thus the Scriptures are fulfilled that say, ‘For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication’ (Revelation 18:3). It is a wrath which is created by false doctrines, and when kings and presidents drink this wine of the wrath of her fornication, they are stirred with anger against those who will not come into harmony with the false and satanic heresies which exalt the false sabbath, and lead men to trample underfoot God’s memorial.”—Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 61, 62.
b. How is Babylon (apostate Christianity), through its false doctrines, casting a spell upon the nations? 2 Timothy 4:3, 4; Revelation 18:3, 23.
“To lower the standard in order to secure popularity and an increase of numbers, and then to make this increase a cause of rejoicing, shows great blindness. If numbers were an evidence of success, Satan might claim the preeminence; for in this world his followers are largely in the majority.”—Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 143.
“Every unconverted man is fascinated, bewildered, by the bewitching power of the great deceiver. Paul wrote to the Galatians, ‘Who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth’ (Galatian 3:1)? Every person who cherishes a known error, in faith or practice, is under the power of sorcery, and is practicing sorcery upon others. Satan employs him to mislead other souls.”—The Signs of the Times, May 18, 1882.
Wednesday
March 24
4. POPULARLY DISASTROUS
a. What terrible evil does the apostate mother church do (so much so that the prophet is caused to marvel)? When did this mother of harlots have its beginning? Revelation 17:15, 6; 18:24; Daniel 7:25; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12; 1 John 4:3.
“The forty and two months are the same as the ‘time and times and the dividing of time’ (Daniel 7:25), three years and a half, or 1260 days, of Daniel 7— the time during which the papal power was to oppress God’s people. This period, as stated in preceding chapters, began with the supremacy of the papacy, A.D. 538, and terminated in 1798. At that time the pope was made captive by the French army, the papal power received its deadly wound, and the prediction was fulfilled, ‘He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity’ (Revelation 13:10).”—The Great Controversy, p. 439.
b. What contrast is evident between God’s true people and Babylon (apostate Christianity)? Luke 12:32; 2 Timothy 3:12.
“Let the education and training of the members of our churches be such that the children and youth among us shall understand there are to be no concessions to this power, the man of sin. Teach them that although the time will come when we can wage the war only at the risk of property and liberty, yet the conflict must be met, in the spirit and meekness of Christ; the truth is to be maintained and advocated as it is in Jesus. Wealth, honor, comfort, home—everything else—is to be a secondary consideration. The truth must not be hid, it must not be denied or disguised, but fully avowed, and boldly proclaimed.”—Selected Messages, bk. 2, pp. 369, 370.
“The apostle Paul declares that ‘all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution’ (2 Timothy 3:12). Why is it, then, that persecution seems in a great degree to slumber? The only reason is that the church has conformed to the world’s standard and therefore awakens no opposition. The religion which is current in our day is not of the pure and holy character that marked the Christian faith in the days of Christ and His apostles. It is only because of the spirit of compromise with sin, because the great truths of the word of God are so indifferently regarded, because there is so little vital godliness in the church, that Christianity is apparently so popular with the world. Let there be a revival of the faith and power of the early church, and the spirit of persecution will be revived, and the fires of persecution will be rekindled.”—The Great Controversy, p. 48.
Thursday
March 25
5. THE FALL OF BABYLON AFTER THE FIRST MESSAGE
a. As the first angel’s message started to sound just before the investigative judgment in 1844, to what fall of Babylon must the second angel’s message be referring? Revelation 17:5; 14:8.
“Babylon is said to be ‘the mother of harlots.’ By her daughters must be symbolized churches that cling to her doctrines and traditions, and follow her example of sacrificing the truth and the approval of God, in order to form an unlawful alliance with the world. The message of Revelation 14, announcing the fall of Babylon must apply to religious bodies that were once pure and have become corrupt. Since this message follows the warning of the judgment, it must be given in the last days; therefore it cannot refer to the Romish Church, for that church has been in a fallen condition for many centuries. . . . In what religious bodies are the greater part of the followers of Christ now to be found? Without doubt, in the various churches professing the Protestant faith.”—The Great Controversy (1888), pp. 382, 383.
b. What warning should we heed in these last days? 2 Thessalonians 2:10–12.
“God’s people will not find their safety in working miracles, for Satan will counterfeit the miracles that will be wrought. God’s tried and tested people will find their power in the sign spoken of in Exodus 31:12–18. They are to take their stand on the living word: ‘It is written.’”—Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 16.
Friday
March 26
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
a. What symbol depicts God’s pure church in this evil world?
b. What actions of a professed church make her a harlot?
c. What effect does a compromise of pure doctrines for the sake of popularity have upon the church as well as on the world at large?
d. What is the distinction between Babylon and the people of God?
e. Since Rome had been in a fallen state for centuries before the proclamation of the first angel’s message, what fall of Babylon is depicted in the second angel’s message?