MEMORY VERSE: ‘Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I the LORD? And there is no God else beside Me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside Me.’ Isaiah 45:21.
LESSON AIM: To study how faithful are God’s prophecies.
‘It would not be necessary to enter into a lengthy argument to convince the candid that we are living in the last days. By comparing the sure word of prophecy with history and the signs of the times, we see clearly that we are occupying the last link in those great chains of prophecy which were to reach to the end; that the leading signs which were to be the precursors of Christ’s second coming, and which were to bring us to the last generation, have been fulfilled, and that the present signs of the times show conclusively that the great drama of this world’s history is about to wind up, and that the Lord is near even at the doors. It is clear that we have reached the time when a flood of light is shining from God’s word on the path of the just, and that this light relates to that great event which is immediately impending, the coming of the Lord, and to a preparation to meet it. This we denominate present truth, because it applies to the present time, and is adapted to the wants of the present generation; and it is through this truth that the last church will be sanctified.’ Daniel T. Bourdeau, Sanctification, page 13.
1. Why are prophecies given by God? John 14:29.
NOTE: ‘[Jesus] said, “I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am He.” The Lord says also by the prophet Isaiah, “I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.” Again, “I have declared the former things from the beginning, and they went forth out of My mouth, and I showed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. . . . I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I showed it thee; lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. Thou hast heard, seen all this; and will not ye declare it? I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them. They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not, lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.” From this language, the force of prophetic fulfilments as a proof of the divine origin of prophecy is seen, as well as its being a demonstration of the power of the Lord above all the gods of the heathen. It is also observed from these words that prophecy occupies a very important place in the Scriptures of truth.’ J. N. Loughborough: The Great Second Advent Movement, page 28.
2. What does the fact that God shows us the future tell us about how God values us? John 15:15.
NOTE: ‘“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends.” He does not call us servants, because the servant does not know what his lord does. He calls us friends, because He is not going to keep anything back from us. Jesus says, “I call you not servants; for the servant does not know what his lord is doing.” I take you closer than that. I call you friends. Why? “I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” You see, then, that He proposes to take us right into His home councils. He has no secrets to keep back from us. He does not propose to keep anything back. This is not to say that He is going to tell it all in a day. He cannot do that, because we are not large enough to grasp it all, if He were to try, but the fact is He says to us, All things I have heard of My Father I make known to you. You are welcome to a knowledge of it. But He gives us time so that we can get His truth. How much time does He give us? Eternal life, eternity. So we say, “Lord, go ahead; take Your time. Tell it. Tell us Your own will. We will wait to learn.”’ A. T. Jones: General Conference Bulletin, February 28, 1895.