Our Day in Bible Prophecy

God’s People at the End

Introduction.

A. Does God have favorite children?

B. God does have _______ _______: Deuteronomy 7:6-8.

chosenpeople

“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD yourGod has chosen you to be a peoplefor Himself, a special treasureabove all the peoples on the faceof the earth. The LORD did notset His love on you nor choose youbecause you were more in numberthan any other people,

for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He wouldkeep the oath which He swore toyour fathers, the LORD has broughtyou out with a mighty hand, andredeemed you from the house ofbondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

1. God’s covenant with Abraham: Genesis 12:1-3.

“Now the LORD had said to Abram:‘Get out of your country, from yourfamily and from your father’shouse, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation;

I will bless you and make yourname great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those whobless you, and I will curse himwho curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall beblessed.’”

2. To be a blessing to others.

3. Continued in the New Testament through the _________________: Galatians 3:27-29.

Christian Church

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put onChrist. There is neither Jew norGreek, there is neither slave norfree, there is neither male norfemale; for you are all one inChrist Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’sseed, and heirs according to thepromise.”

4. What about in the last days of earth’s history?

I. John’s Vision of Revelation Chapter 12.

A. First scene: Revelation 12:1, 2.

“Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with thesun, with the moon under her feet,

and on her head a garland oftwelve stars. Then being withchild, she cried out in labor andin pain to give birth.”

1. Woman = _________________: Isaiah 54:5.

God’s chosen people

“For your Maker is your husband,the LORD of hosts is His name;and your Redeemer is the HolyOne of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.”

2. Woman in labor = _______________Birth of Jesus

B. Second scene: Revelation 12:3, 4a, 7-9.

“And another sign appeared inheaven: behold, a great, fiery reddragon having seven heads and tenhorns, and seven diadems on hisheads. His tail drew a third of thestars of heaven and threw them

to the earth. . . And war broke outin heaven: Michael and his angelsfought with the dragon; and thedragon and his angels fought, butthey did not prevail, nor was aplace found for them in heavenany longer. So the dragon wascast out, that serpent of old, called

the Devil and Satan, who deceivesthe whole world; he was cast tothe earth, and his angels were castout with him.”

1. Dragon = ______.Satan

2. Stars = _______.angels

C. Third scene: Revelation 12:4b-6, 13-17.

“And the dragon stood before thewoman who was ready to give birth,to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Childwho was to rule all nations with arod of iron. And her Child was

caught up to God and His throne. Then the woman fled into thewilderness, where she has a placeprepared by God, that they shouldfeed her there one thousand twohundred and sixty days. . . Now when the dragon saw that he hadbeen cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave

birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of agreat eagle, that she might fly intothe wilderness to her place, whereshe is nourished for a time andtimes and half a time, from thepresence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of hismouth like a flood after the woman,

that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But theearth helped the woman, and theearth opened its mouth andswallowed up the flood which thedragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of

her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and havethe testimony of Jesus Christ.”

1. Male child = _____________.Jesus Christ

2. 1260 days = __________; _________________

1260 years538 – 1798 A.D.

3. Woman in the wilderness = __________________________church/God’s people in hiding

II. Relevance For Us Today.

A. The great controversy between God and Satan.

1. Fall of ________: Isaiah 14:12-15.

Lucifer

“How you are fallen from heaven,O Lucifer, son of the morning! Howyou are cut down to the ground, youwho weakened the nations! Foryou have said in your heart: ‘I willascend into heaven, I will exalt mythrone above the stars of God; Iwill also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides

of the north; I will ascend abovethe heights of the clouds, I will belike the Most High.’ Yet you shallbe brought down to Sheol, to thelowest depths of the Pit.”

2. Satan cast to this earth = ____________________: Genesis 3:4, 5.

fall of Adam and Eve

“Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die.For God knows that in the day youeat of it your eyes will be opened,and you will be like God, knowinggood and evil.’”

3. The promise of ___________: Genesis 3:15.

redemption

“And I will put enmity between youand the woman, and between yourseed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shallbruise His heel.”

4. Devil wants to destroy God’s people: I Peter 5:8.

“Be sober, be vigilant; becauseyour adversary the devil walksabout like a roaring lion, seekingwhom he may devour.”

B. God’s people in the end.

1. Timing: __________ (Revelation 12:6, 14)

after 1798

2. Key characteristics: Revelation 12:17.

“And the dragon was enragedwith the woman, and he went tomake war with the rest of heroffspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

a. _______________________.

b. _______________________.

c. __________________: Revelation 19:10.

Keep God’s commandments

Have the testimony of Jesus

“. . . Worship God! For the testimonyof Jesus in the spirit of prophecy.”

Spirit of prophecy

3. Seventh-day Adventist Church.

a. Grew out of the Great Disappointment of October 22, 1844.

b. Obedient to all of God’s commandments: James 2:10.

“For whoever shall keep the wholelaw, and yet stumble in one point,he is guilty of all.”

c. Motivation of _____, not _________: John 14:15.

“If you love Me, keep Mycommandments.”

lovelegalism

d. The spirit of prophecy in the person of ___________.Ellen White

Conclusion.

A. Why the Seventh-day Adventist Church?

1. _______________.

2. _______________________.

3. _______________________.

To bless others

Prepare world for 2nd coming

Vindicate character of God

B. What is the message to be proclaimed?