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Sealed for Eternity

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Lesson 6 Sabbath, August 7, 2010

The Seven Last Plagues

“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God” (Revelation 15:1).

“The plagues upon Egypt when God was about to deliver Israel were similar in character to those more terrible and extensive judgments which are to fall upon the world just before the final deliverance of God’s people.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 627, 628.

Suggested Reading:   Early Writings, pp. 36, 52-54, 64-67,  
  118–121.  

Sunday August 1

1. THE WRATH OF GOD

a. What warning does the third angel sound against those who receive the mark of the beast, and what is the fullness of the wrath of God? Revelation 14:9, 10; 15:1.

b. Can the seven last plagues be poured out while Jesus is ministering in the temple in heaven? Revelation 7:1–3; 8:3, 4. What will happen when He ceases His intercessory ministry? Revelation 8:5; 15:5–8.

“It was impossible for the plagues to be poured out while Jesus officiated in the sanctuary; but as His work there is finished, and His intercession closes, there is nothing to stay the wrath of God.”—Early Writings, p. 280.

c. Who will receive the seal of protection against the seven last plagues? Psalms 27:2–5; 91:9, 10.

“Those that overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, will be the favored ones who shall receive the seal of the living God. Those whose hands are not clean, whose hearts are not pure, will not have the seal of the living God.”—Testimonies to Ministers, p. 445.


Monday August 2

2. THE FIRST THREE PLAGUES

a. What reasons are given for the first three plagues? Revelation 16:2–7.

“God’s judgments will be visited upon those who are seeking to oppress and destroy His people. His long forbearance with the wicked emboldens men in transgression, but their punishment is nonetheless certain and terrible because it is long delayed.”—The Great Controversy, p. 627.

b. What measures will be taken against the people of God? Revelation 13:15.

“These [seven last] plagues enraged the wicked against the righteous; they thought that we had brought the judgments of God upon them, and that if they could rid the earth of us, the plagues would then be stayed. A decree went forth to slay the saints, which caused them to cry day and night for deliverance. This was the time of Jacob’s trouble.”—Early Writings, pp. 36, 37.

“By condemning the people of God to death, [those who receive the mark of the beast] have as truly incurred the guilt of their blood as if it had been shed by their hands. In like manner Christ declared the Jews of His time guilty of all the blood of holy men which had been shed since the days of Abel; for they possessed the same spirit and were seeking to do the same work with these murderers of the prophets.”—The Great Controversy, p. 628.

c. How did Ellen White respond when shown the plagues in vision?

“Terror seized me, and I fell upon my face before the angel and begged of him to cause the sight [of the plagues] to be removed, to hide it from me, for it was too dreadful. Then I realized, as never before, the importance of searching the Word of God carefully, to know how to escape the plagues which that Word declares shall come on all the ungodly who shall worship the beast and his image and receive his mark in their foreheads or in their hands. It was a great wonder for me that any could transgress the law of God and tread down His holy Sabbath, when such awful threatenings and denunciations were against them.”—Early Writings, p. 65.


Tuesday August 3

3. THE FOURTH AND FIFTH PLAGUES

a. Describe the fourth and fifth plagues. Revelation 16:8–11.

“In the plague that follows, power is given to the sun ‘to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat’ (Verses 8, 9). The prophets thus describe the condition of the earth at this fearful time: ‘The land mourneth; . . . because the harvest of the field is perished. . . . All the trees of the field are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.’ ‘The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate. . . . How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture. . . . The rivers of water are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.’ ‘The songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence’ (Joel 1:10–12, 17–20; Amos 8:3).”—The Great Controversy, p. 628.

“With shouts of triumph, jeering, and imprecation, throngs of evil men are about to rush upon their prey, when, lo, a dense blackness, deeper than the darkness of the night, falls upon the earth.”—Ibid., pp. 635, 636.

b. Describe the woe that will come upon those who have believed in the third angel’s message, yet have compromised with the prevailing apostasy in Christendom. Isaiah 8:22; Jeremiah 8:20; Matthew 7:22, 23.

“I was shown a company who were howling in agony. On their garments was written in large characters, ‘Thou art weighed in the balance, and found wanting.’ I asked who this company were. The angel said, ‘These are they who have once kept the Sabbath and have given it up.’ I heard them cry with a loud voice, ‘We have believed in Thy coming, and taught it with energy.’ And while they were speaking, their eyes would fall upon their garments and see the writing, and then they would wail aloud. I saw that they had drunk of the deep waters, and fouled the residue with their feet—trodden the Sabbath underfoot—and that was why they were weighed in the balance and found wanting.”—Early Writings, p. 37.


Wednesday August 4

4. THE SIXTH PLAGUE

a. During the sixth plague, what will occur? Revelation 16:12.

“When the protection of human laws shall be withdrawn from those who honor the law of God, there will be, in different lands, a simultaneous movement for their destruction. As the time appointed in the decree draws near, the people will conspire to root out the hated sect. It will be determined to strike in one night a decisive blow, which shall utterly silence the voice of dissent and reproof.

“The people of God—some in prison cells, some hidden in solitary retreats in the forests and the mountains—still plead for divine protection, while in every quarter companies of armed men, urged on by hosts of evil angels, are preparing for the work of death. . . .

“With shouts of triumph, jeering, and imprecation, throngs of evil men are about to rush upon their prey, when, lo, a dense blackness, deeper than the darkness of the night, falls upon the earth. Then a rainbow, shining with the glory from the throne of God, spans the heavens and seems to encircle each praying company. The angry multitudes are suddenly arrested. Their mocking cries die away. The objects of their murderous rage are forgotten. With fearful forebodings they gaze upon the symbol of God’s covenant and long to be shielded from its overpowering brightness.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 635, 636.

b. What powers are involved in bringing the whole world together for the last battle? Revelation 16:13, 14.

“Every form of evil is to spring into intense activity. Evil angels unite their powers with evil men, and as they have been in constant conflict and attained an experience in the best modes of deception and battle, and have been strengthening for centuries, they will not yield the last great final contest without a desperate struggle. All the world will be on one side or the other of the question. The battle of Armageddon will be fought, and that day must find none of us sleeping.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 7, p. 982.

c. How are the events under the sixth plague disclosed by God through the prophet Joel? Joel 3:2.


Thursday August 5

5. THE SEVENTH PLAGUE

a. What will happen under the seventh plague? Revelation 16:17–21. Why only can God’s faithful remnant have hope through all this accumulated turmoil? Isaiah 26:20, 21.

“It is at midnight that God manifests His power for the deliverance of His people. The sun appears, shining in its strength. Signs and wonders follow in quick succession. The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene, while the righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance. Everything in nature seems turned out of its course. The streams cease to flow. Dark, heavy clouds come up and clash against each other. In the midst of the angry heavens is one clear space of indescribable glory, whence comes the voice of God like the sound of many waters, saying: ‘It is done’ (Revelation 16:17).

“That voice shakes the heavens and the earth. There is a mighty earthquake, ‘such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great’ (Verses 17, 18). The firmament appears to open and shut. The glory from the throne of God seems flashing through. The mountains shake like a reed in the wind, and ragged rocks are scattered on every side. There is a roar as of a coming tempest. The sea is lashed into fury. There is heard the shriek of a hurricane like the voice of demons upon a mission of destruction. The whole earth heaves and swells like the waves of the sea. Its surface is breaking up. Its very foundations seem to be giving way. Mountain chains are sinking. Inhabited islands disappear. The seaports that have become like Sodom for wickedness are swallowed up by the angry waters. Babylon the great has come in remembrance before God, ‘to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.’ Great hailstones, every one ‘about the weight of a talent,’ are doing their work of destruction (Verses 19, 21).”—The Great Controversy, pp. 636, 637.


Friday August 6

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

a. What triggers the beginning of the seven last plagues?

b. What opposition will the people of God have to suffer?

c. How will rebellion continue even during the plagues?

d. What powers unite to usher in the climax of the ages?

e. What is essential in order to be protected during the plagues?

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