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v
Matthew 25:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)
“The kingdom of heaven is like what happened one night when ten girls took their
oil lamps and went to a wedding to meet the groom. Five of the girls were foolish
and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps, but no extra oil. The ones
who were wise took along extra oil for their lamps. The groom was late arriving,
and the girls became drowsy and fell asleep. Then in the middle of the night
someone shouted, ‘Here's the groom! Come to meet him!’
“When the girls got up and started getting their lamps ready, the foolish ones said
to the others, ‘Let us have some of your oil! Our lamps are going out.’
“The girls who were wise answered, ‘There's not enough oil for all of us! Go and
buy some for yourselves.’
“While the foolish girls were on their way to get some oil, the groom arrived. The
girls who were ready went into the wedding, and the doors were closed. Later the
other girls returned and shouted, ‘Sir, sir! Open the door for us!’
“But the groom replied, ‘I don't even know you!’
“So, my disciples, always be ready! You don't know the day or the time when all
this will happen.”
THE CASE OF THE ABSENT HOMEROOM TEACHER
“Class,” Mrs. Williams told her ninth-grade students with a twinkle in her eyes,
“Starting Monday, I’ll be on maternity leave.”
Everybody gasped. They had hoped she would be with them on the Fantasy Park
trip.
“That’s great!” Susan Wilshire said, collecting herself. “If it’s a girl, name her
Susan!”
“No way!” Jim Usher joined in. “It’s going to be a boy and she’s naming him after
me.”
“Well, as great as you all are,” Mrs. Williams smiled, “the names are already
chosen. If it’s a boy, he’ll be named after my husband, and if it’s a girl, she’ll be
named after me.” She hurried on to cushion the class’s disappointment. “While I’m
gone, though, I want Jim to make sure Team A finishes their science project, and
Sabbath Afternoon | Today’s Reading
End-Time: Home at Last | Lesson 7 | February 12, 2011
The Case of the Absent Homeroom Teacher
Susan can do the same with Team B.”
“How long will you be gone?” Jim asked.
“A few weeks, but a substitute will be here to teach you. Since you’ve just about
finished your projects, pass them in by nine o’clock May 14, a month from today.”
“That’s when we go to the amusement park!” Susan gasped. “If we don’t finish our
projects, we can’t go!”
“Not to fear, Susan,” Mrs. Williams replied. “You’ve got more than enough time to
finish.” Then, her eyes twinkling, she added, “And I’ll work on being here for the
ten o’clock Fantasy Park trip.”
After Mrs. Williams went on leave, the groups worked hard on their projects. Then
everybody gradually slacked off, figuring they’d finish everything later. However,
Susan’s group made its materials, while Jim’s group waited for a department store
sale to buy theirs.
Then one day the substitute teacher reminded them, “Today’s May 14, and your
projects are due!”
They all stopped cold in their tracks
“Guys,” Susan yelled, heading for the last of the materials. “Let’s finish everything
now!”
“Hey,” Jim bellowed, “we need materials. . . Quick, Susan, lend us some of yours.”
“Sorry, Jim. We don’t have enough for our group and yours. Hurry to the store!”
Jim’s group left in a cloud of dust. While they were gone, Susan’s group finished
their project, and Mrs. Williams came and took the jubilant Team B to Fantasy Park.
What does “Today’s Reading” have to do with the story above?
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What if any parts of the story remind you of the parable?
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Please show the comparison.
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Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pp. 35-38
“‘Ye are the salt of the earth.’ Matthew 5:13.
“Salt is valued for its preservative properties; and when God calls His children salt,
He would teach them that His purpose in making them the subjects of His grace is
that they may become agents in saving others. The object of God in choosing a
people before all the world was not only that He might adopt them as His sons and
daughters, but that through them the world might receive the grace that bringeth
salvation. Titus 2:11. When the Lord chose Abraham, it was not simply to be the
special friend of God, but to be a medium of the peculiar privileges the Lord desired
to bestow upon the nations. Jesus, in that last prayer with His disciples before His
crucifixion, said, ‘For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified
through the truth.’ John 17:19. In like manner Christians who are purified through
the truth will possess saving qualities that preserve the world from utter moral
corruption.
“Salt must be mingled with the substance to which it is added; it must penetrate
and infuse in order to preserve. So it is through personal contact and association
that men are reached by the saving power of the gospel. They are not saved in
masses, but as individuals. Personal influence is a power. We must come close to
those whom we desire to benefit.
“The savor of the salt represents the vital power of the Christian—the love of Jesus
in the heart, the righteousness of Christ pervading the life. The love of Christ is
diffusive and aggressive. If it is dwelling in us, it will flow out to others. We shall
come close to them till their hearts are warmed by our unselfish interest and love.
The sincere believers diffuse vital energy, which is penetrating and imparts new
moral power to the souls for whom they labor. It is not the power of the man
himself, but the power of the Holy Spirit that does the transforming work.
“Jesus added the solemn warning: ‘If the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it
be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden
underfoot of men.’
“As they listened to the words of Christ, the people could see the white salt
glistening in the pathways where it had been cast out because it had lost its savor
and was therefore useless. It well represented the condition of the Pharisees and
the effect of their religion upon society. It represents the life of every soul from
whom the power of the grace of God has departed and who has become cold and
Christless. Whatever may be his profession, such a one is looked upon by men and
Sunday | Today’s Reading
angels as insipid and disagreeable. It is to such that Christ say: ‘I would thou wert
cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will
spue thee out of My mouth.’ Revelation 3:15, 16.
“Without a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour it is impossible to make our
influence felt in a skeptical world. We cannot give to others that which we do not
ourselves possess. It is in proportion to our own devotion and consecration to
Christ that we exert an influence for the blessing and uplifting of mankind. If there
is no actual service, no genuine love, no reality of experience, there is no power to
help, no connection with heaven, no savor of Christ in the life. Unless the Holy
Spirit can use us as agents through whom to communicate to the world the truth as
it is in Jesus, we are as salt that has lost its savor and is entirely worthless. By our
lack of the grace of Christ we testify to the world that the truth which we claim to
believe has no sanctifying power; and thus, so far as our influence goes, we make
of no effect the word of God. ‘If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but
have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the
gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith,
so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And if I bestow all my
goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it
profiteth me nothing.’ 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, A.R.V.
“When love fills the heart, it will flow out to others, not because of favors received
from them, but because love is the principle of action. Love modifies the character,
governs the impulses, subdues enmity, and ennobles the affections. This love is as
broad as the universe, and is in harmony with that of the angel workers. Cherished
in the heart, it sweetens the entire life and sheds its blessing upon all around. It is
this, and this only, that can make us the salt of the earth.”
1. Highlight the paragraph that starts, “Without a living faith in Christ as a
personal Saviour . . .”
2. Underline the sentence that begins, “Unless the Holy Spirit can use us . . .”
3. Highlight the paragraph that starts, “When love fills the heart . . .”
4. Underline the sentence that begins, “ This love is as broad as the universe . . .”
HERE’S WHAT I THINK
Lately, Sandra’s been going to church for more than meeting her friends, hearing
the latest scoop, and planning after-Sabbath activities. She has a growing urge to
know Jesus better. Once when the pastor preached on Jesus’ second coming, she
felt that something—or someone—was nudging her to accept Jesus publicly. But
she knows that if she acts on these convictions, her group will label her “Holy
Jane.” On the other hand, she wants to get ready for Jesus’ return.
What should Sandra do? Is it possible to have it both ways? What will probably be
the result either way she goes?
Log on to www.guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your responses. Be up-front and
honest. Say what you think. The lines below are provided as an alternative to
posting. You may wish to record your thoughts and share them with your class
later.
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Jesus’ Second Coming
Find the hidden words within the grid of letters. Words can be horizontal, vertical,
or diagonal, and backward or forward.
angels dead rise heaven
oil lamps wise bridegroom
every Jesus see clouds
eye love virgins
Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 408-412
“In the parable, all the ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom. All had lamps
and vessels for oil. For a time there was seen no difference between them. So with
the church that lives just before Christ's second coming. All have a knowledge of
the Scriptures. All have heard the message of Christ's near approach, and
confidently expect His appearing. But as in the parable, so it is now. A time of
waiting intervenes, faith is tried; and when the cry is heard, ‘Behold, the
Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him,’ many are unready. They have no oil
Monday | Today’s Reading
Tuesday | Today’s Reading
in their vessels with their lamps. They are destitute of the Holy Spirit.
“Without the Spirit of God a knowledge of His word is of no avail. The theory of
truth, unaccompanied by the Holy Spirit, cannot quicken the soul or sanctify the
heart. One may be familiar with the commands and promises of the Bible; but
unless the Spirit of God sets the truth home, the character will not be transformed.
Without the enlightenment of the Spirit, men will not be able to distinguish truth
from error, and they will fall under the masterful temptations of Satan.
“The class represented by the foolish virgins are not hypocrites. They have a regard
for the truth, they have advocated the truth, they are attracted to those who
believe the truth; but they have not yielded themselves to the Holy Spirit's
working. They have not fallen upon the Rock, Christ Jesus, and permitted their old
nature to be broken up. This class is represented also by the stony-ground hearers.
They receive the word with readiness, but they fail of assimilating its principles. Its
influence is not abiding. The Spirit works upon man's heart, according to his desire
and consent implanting in him a new nature; but the class represented the foolish
virgins have been content with a superficial work. They do not know God. They
have not studied His character; they have not held communion with Him; therefore
they do not know how to trust, how to look and live. Their service to God
degenerates into a form. ‘They come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit
before thee as My people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them; for
with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their
covetousness.’ Ezekiel 33:31. The apostle Paul points out that this will be the
special characteristic of those who live just before Christ's second coming. He says,
‘In the last days perilous times shall come: for men shall be lovers of their own
selves; . . . lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof.’ 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
“This is the class that in time of peril are found crying, Peace and safety. They lull
their hearts into security, and dream not of danger. When startled from their
lethargy, they discern their destitution, and entreat others to supply their lack; but
in spiritual things no man can make up another's deficiency. The grace of God has
been freely offered to every soul. The message of the gospel has been heralded,
‘Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely.; Revelation 22:17. But character is not transferable. No man can believe for
another. No man can receive the Spirit for another. No man can impart to another
the character which is the fruit of the Spirit's working. ‘Though Noah, Daniel, and
Job were in it [the land], as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son
nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.’ Ezekiel
14:20.
“It is in a crisis that character is revealed. When the earnest voice proclaimed at
midnight, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him,’ and the
sleeping virgins were roused from their slumbers, it was seen who had made
preparation for the event. Both parties were taken unawares; but one was prepared
for the emergency, and the other was found without preparation. So now, a sudden
and unlooked-for calamity, something that brings the soul face to face with death,
will show whether there is any real faith in the promises of God. It will show
whether the soul is sustained by grace. The great final test comes at the close of
human probation, when it will be too late for the soul's need to be supplied.
“The ten virgins are watching in the evening of this earth's history. All claim to be
Christians. All have a call, a name, a lamp, and all profess to be doing God's
service. All apparently wait for Christ's appearing. But five are unready. Five will be
found surprised, dismayed, outside the banquet hall.”
Why did Jesus tell the parable of the ten virgins?
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How many people feel that they are the foolish virgins?
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Are the foolish virgins hypocrites?
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How did they come to be called “foolish”?
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How can we be “wise”?
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Should we be afraid of Jesus’ second coming?
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What will Jesus’ second coming be like?
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SO WHAT?
Look around you. Everything in this world is in a mess, and doesn’t seem to be
getting any better. Wars overturn governments, destroy buildings, and split up
families. Everywhere there is death and there is loss. Mysterious diseases strike,
threatening whole groups of humans, as well as animals. Natural disasters are on
the rise, the crime rates are growing higher, and evil people find new ways to inflict
pain and terror.
These events all shout that something BIG is about to happen. Just like a person
dying from cancer or AIDS, our hopelessly sick world announces that it cannot last
much longer. Life has strayed so far from what God intended it to be that God must
surely send His Son to destroy sin and restore the earth to the wonderful, perfect
place He created it to be.
But true to His nature of love, God has extended the time for us to get ready for
Jesus’ return. He uses the awful things we see around us to warn us. But the time
for making the choice to let Him get us out of this mess is almost over. Very soon
He has to come and put an end to sin and rescue those of us who have chosen to
let Him fix us up and get us out of here.
Why on earth would a wise person want to waste this last bit of time, when making
the decision to follow Jesus out of all this will guarantee a forever life of peace, joy,
and adventure?
Match the text with the verse
Matthew 1:21 (NIV) _______
John 14:1-3 (NIV) _______
1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) _______
Matthew 24:24 (NIV) ______
Matthew 24:27 (NIV) ______
Wednesday | Today’s Reading
Luke 12:32 (KJV) ______
Isaiah 11:6-9 (KJV) _______
Isaiah 65:22 (NIV) _______
A. “No longer will they build houses and others live in them . . .”
B. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus . . .”
C. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb . . .”
D. “Do not let your hearts be troubled . . .”
E. “Fear not little flock . . .”
F. “For as lightning that comes from the east . . .”
G. “For false Christs and false prophets . . .”
H. “Be self-controlled and alert . . .”
Mark 13:3-27 (New International Version)
“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James,
John and Andrew asked him privately, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen? And
what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?’
“Jesus said to them: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my
name, claiming, “I am he,” and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and
rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to
come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be
earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
“‘You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and
flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and
kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about
what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking,
but the Holy Spirit.
“‘Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel
against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of
me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
“‘When you see “the abomination that causes desolation” standing where it does
not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the
Thursday | Today’s Reading
mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take
anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be
in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take
place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the
beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.
If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of
the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. At that time if anyone says
to you, “Look, here is the Christ!” or, “Look, there he is!” do not believe it. For false
Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive
the elect—if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything
ahead of time.
“‘But in those days, following that distress, “the sun will be darkened, and the
moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies
will be shaken.”
“‘At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and
glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from
the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.’”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (New King James Version)
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then
we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore
comfort one another with these words.”
According to Mark 13 what are the signs of Jesus coming? Please list them.
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How many of them have already happened?
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How many people will see Jesus when He comes according to “Today’s Reading”?
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WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
The Second Coming is going to be the greatest event in history. It represents the
victory of God’s way over Satan’s way. Accompanied by millions of rejoicing angels,
Jesus comes to earth with a trumpet blast that wakes the dead. Like a champion
who has defeated a powerful enemy, He shouts His joy about bringing sin and
suffering to an end.
Before your birth, He formed you, preparing your pathway for life. After birth, He
stuck by you in good times and in bad. Despite you sins, He loved you as though
you were the only person on earth. Now as He enters Earth’s atmosphere, He looks
for you. He longs to hug you, to take you away from every remembrance of sin and
earth forever and, at long last, to introduce you to His Father.
Would you disappoint Someone who loves you that much? Who did so much for
you? Who values you so highly? Pleasure, money, and popularity can never
compare with Him! They can never match the wonder of living with Him in a perfect
world that daily increases your joy, peace, and love! Please make up your mind to
accept this wonderful bargain today.
You’ll never regret it!
Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pp. 107-109
“‘Thy kingdom come.’ Matthew 6:10.
“God is our Father, who loves and cares for us as His children; He is also the great
King of the universe. The interests of His kingdom are our interests, and we are to
work for its upbuilding.
“The disciples of Christ were looking for the immediate coming of the kingdom of
His glory, but in giving them this prayer Jesus taught that the kingdom was not
then to be established. They were to pray for its coming as an event yet future. But
this petition was also an assurance to them. While they were not to behold the
coming of the kingdom in their day, the fact that Jesus bade them pray for it is
Friday | Today’s Reading
evidence that in God's own time it will surely come.
“The kingdom of God's grace is now being established, as day by day hearts that
have been full of sin and rebellion yield to the sovereignty of His love. But the full
establishment of the kingdom of His glory will not take place until the second
coming of Christ to this world. ‘The kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of
the kingdom under the whole heaven,’ is to be given to ‘the people of the saints of
the Most High.’ Daniel 7:27. They shall inherit the kingdom prepared for them ‘from
the foundation of the world.’ Matthew 25:34. And Christ will take to Himself His
great power and will reign.
“The heavenly gates are again to be lifted up, and with ten thousand times ten
thousand and thousands of thousands of holy ones, our Saviour will come forth as
King of kings and Lord of lords. Jehovah Immanuel ‘shall be king over all the earth:
in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one.’ ‘The tabernacle of God’
shall be with men, ‘and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and
God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.’ Zechariah 14:9; Revelation
21:3.
“But before that coming, Jesus said, ‘This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world for a witness unto all nations.’ Matthew 24:14. His kingdom will not
come until the good tidings of His grace have been carried to all the earth. Hence,
as we give ourselves to God, and win other souls to Him, we hasten the coming of
His kingdom. Only those who devote themselves to His service, saying, ‘Here am I;
send me’ (Isaiah 6:8), to open blind eyes, to turn men ‘from darkness to light and
from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and
inheritance among them which are sanctified’ (Acts 26:18)—they alone pray in
sincerity, ‘Thy kingdom come.’”
1. Highlight the paragraph that starts, “The kingdom of God’s grace . . .”
2. Underline the sentence that begins, “Only those who devote themselves to His
service . . .”
The Great Controversy, p. 678
“The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe
is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From
Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of
illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate
and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is
love.”
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Think of all the things that you really love. Often what we value is determined not
only by what we say about something but also by what we think of it and do about
it. What, for instance, is it you think of most? What is it you spend a lot of time
doing—or wishing that you could do? What is it that you could talk about for a long
time—and not feel time pass? In short, what is it that really has your affections?
Write a paragraph identifying these things.
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After writing, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Can the things that I love compare with Jesus or match what He has in store
for me in heaven?
2. Is what I love helping or hindering my preparation for Jesus’ second
coming?
3. If they are helping my preparation, how can I share them with others?
4. If they are hindering my preparation, are they worth my time and affection?
Write another paragraph recording your answers to the questions.
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End the activity by asking God to reveal Himself to you as your best Friend. Ask
Him to help you to continue loving the things that help you and others get ready for
His return, and pray for strength to stop doing anything that hinders your
relationship with Him or readiness for His coming.
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Scripture quotations identified CEV are from the Contemporary English Version. Copyright © American
Bible Society 1991, 1995. Used by permission.
Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
Texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by
Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.