Sabbath School with Branch Davidians

How are we saved from eternal death? Jesus said it was by loving your neighbor as yourself. Paul said the same thing. But often, people think the main thing we need to do to inherit eternal life is to accept as truth that Jesus came to die for us, and that by merely accepting this as truth, we thereby receive Jesus' righteousness vicariously, without needing to make His righteousness our own in ou...

In Acts chapter 2, we see that Peter was speaking to a Jewish audience that had come from far and wide to celebrate Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks. Peter confronted their incorrect beliefs and offered new explanations for what people were seeing and experiencing. These incorrect beliefs being confronted were the incorrect beliefs of God's denominated people at the time. And these corrections wer...

In this study, we going to look at the worldview mentioned by the Quarterly, or at least the part of the worldview that suggests various gods rule over various lands and their inhabitants. Is this idea only a traditional pagan worldview, or was it a view also held by the ancient Israelites, and particularly, the writers of scripture? To find this out, and to bring out the main point for this study...

Today we focus on something the lesson mentions, and that is what is said in Amos 3:7, which reads, "Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets." Amos 3:7 (WEB) From this key text, we not only learn that the role of prophets is to reveal the secret things of God, but also that the Lord won't carry out his plans unless he lets his servants, the...

How exactly Jesus is the solution to the sin problem? Some think Jesus solves the sin problem by changing the way God looks at the sinner, while leaving the sinner still committing sin in their hearts and lives. But if sinners still sin, is that really a solution to the sin problem? No. When you think about it (and you can even see it with your own eyes today), living in a society where sin still...

How is the concept of judgment linked to the "everlasting gospel" in the first angel's message? Why must the gospel be central to the idea of judgment?   Some might say that the gospel is central to the idea of judgment because it is thought that acceptance of the gospel equals salvation from judgment, and if we don't have to be judged, there is nothing to fear about the judgment.   Another thing...

In this study, we focus on what scripture has to say about God's nature, and by "nature" we mean the essential qualities of God that make Him what He is. In other words, our focus in this study isn't on God's actions or His character but on his *being.* Now some might think it is unnecessary to know what God is, and some might think it is off limits to even study the topic, and some might think is...

Ephesians 4:14 says that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by trickery of men. From this statement we know that obviously the early church struggled with internal struggles from the "trickery of men." How about the end-times remnant church? Does it face internal struggles from the "trickery of men?" It's doubtful any Seventh-day Advent...

Ellen White wrote of a future state of the church in which its members are all clad in this armor – the armor of Christ's righteousness. She wrote, "Clad in the armor of Christ's righteousness, the church is to enter upon her final conflict. 'Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners' ( Song of Solomon 6:10 ), she is to go forth into all the world, conquering and to...

The strength of the Lord is linked with the armor of God. The way we become strong in the Lord is by wearing 6 pieces of armor, and when each piece is put on and used correctly, we will be able to stand in the evil day. Having on the armor gives us the same strength God has. Not only does it personally equip us, but it identifies us as part of God's army and thus we have the protection offered by...

In this study, we talk about slavery in New Testament times, with a special focus on the principles promoted by Jesus and his early followers regarding how to deal with slavery, and examine the incredible wisdom involved in their approach. For further study, see: "Are You Minding What Matters?" by Trent Wilde https://www.bdsda.com/are-you-minding-what-matters/?highlight=are%20you%20minding%20what%...

This week's study investigates the merits of arbitrary headship based on gender, or any other factor other than truth. The writings of Genesis 1 and Galatians convey the fact that God doesn't distinguish between men and women as far as having dominion over the earth or being Abraham's offspring and heirs according to promise goes, but do we have any reason to think that God distinguishes between m...

According to Ephesians 5:1-2 we are to be imitators of God by walking in love. But what does that mean? How do we do that?   In this study, we look back at Ephesians 4, the chapter Paul was building on, to find the answer, and additionally discuss Ellen White's admonitions against "making flesh your arm," and the ad hominem fallacy. For further study, see: "How Does Faith Stop Us From Sinning? htt...

What's up with the Holy Spirit? Is the Spirit a person? Or is the Spirit a power or influence? As you probably know, this is a hot debate right now at least among some Seventh-day Adventists. Many SDAs today assume that there was no diversity of views about the personhood of the Holy Spirit among the SDA pioneers. It is thought that since the pioneers were clearly and adamantly against Trinitarian...

Does the Bible validate the functioning of the gift of prophecy in the church only during the time of the apostles? Or does the gift continue until the return of Christ? The early Adventists found their answer in  Ephesians 4:13  and shared it through a story by Uriah Smith about the captain of a ship who was bound to follow the instructions provided for a voyage. Does this pioneer's perspective a...

This week's Sabbath School lesson notes that in Ephesians 3:1-6, Paul receives new light on the mystery of the gospel, that is – that it is to go to the Gentiles. Paul tells us that this mystery was made known to him, and also to the other apostles and prophets, and that this mystery was something that was not known to previous generations. In other words, this mystery revealed to Paul and the oth...

People sometimes say that in order to have reconciliation, one of the two parties must decide to just let go of their position solely for the sake of unity – one party needs to suck it up. But all of us know that this method really doesn't bring true reconciliation or true peace. How could it? We would just be saying, "'Peace! Peace!' when there is no peace," right? Furthermore, Ephesians 2 says n...

Many know Ephesians 2:8-9 by heart: ""for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast." (WEB) Saved from what? The very next verse (10) tells us, saved from bad works, or wrong-doing. So, we are saved from sinning through faith.  People often assume that what we are saved from is the *penalty* of sin, even whi...

This week's Sabbath School study is called, "The Power of the Exalted Jesus." One of the things it considers is the "now" and "not yet" statements in scripture in relation to the scope of the reign of Jesus. Fridays first discussion question reads,  "Ponder the 'now' and 'not yet' of the exaltation of Jesus. In what sense is Jesus already the Lord of 'all things,' with the demonic powers subservie...

Wednesday's Sabbath School study is entitled, "The Holy Spirit: Seal and Down Payment."   First, we look at what it means to be sealed with the Holy Spirit. Then, we take a look at something Ellen White said about being sealed. She wrote, "The 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, God, New Jerusalem, and a glorious star containing Jesus' new name." Ellen Whi...

The memory text for this week is Ephesians 1:9-10. It speaks of a mystery that has been revealed by Jesus before He went to the cross. When we understand what the mystery is by comparing Ephesians with John 14 and 17, we will recognize that Satan has done everything he can to shroud it again in mystery, and thereby frustrate God's plan for all of us in heaven and on earth.   For further study:   "...

Ellen says that the message from the Revelation 18:1 angel is an *addition* to the third message, joining it as the Midnight Cry joined the second angel's message. The Midnight Cry was a message that came in the summer of 1844. It built upon the 1st and 2nd angel's message, but it was distinct from them and had content of its own. It was a new message teaching them something they didn't already kn...

Last week, we focused on the "faith of Jesus," since this is an imperative distinction for the saints who are allowed to proclaim the third angel's message. We learned that Jesus' faith was ultimately in truth - that Jesus had faith in His Father, not merely because He was His Father, but because of the way His father lives – the way His father conducts Himself. He knew His Father was just, mercif...

Having the "faith of Jesus" is an imperative distinction for the saints who are allowed to proclaim the third angel's message (see Revelation 14:12). In Desire of Ages, Ellen White writes about the extreme feelings Jesus experienced while on the cross of despair, that He had no hope of ever being resurrected, and thought that He would never see His Father ever again. Jesus, while on the cross, tho...

It is true that "The belief that the soul continues its existence after the dissolution of the body is . . . nowhere expressly taught in Holy Scripture." But, even though scripture does not teach that the soul continues its existence after the dissolution of the body, does scripture teach that there is a separate entity in the body called a "soul" that exists while the body is alive? In other word...