On October 15, 1844, one week before the Great Disappointment, a boy had been born into a pious Lutheran family in Germany. His name was Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, who would become one of modernity's most influential atheists. Believing that the Christian God was dying in the West, Nietzsche railed against the Christian religion's continued moral influence, deriding it as a "slave morality," the morality of the weak who, in an attempt to protect themselves from the stronger, concocted such silly notions as "Love your enemies." For Nietzsche, modernity needed to get beyond antiquated notions of "good and evil"; a character in one of his books (Thus Spoke Zarathustra) declared, "Break . . . the old tablets!" (meaning, of course, the Ten Commandments).
The year 1844 was also important for Karl Marx, the founder of Communism. Called the "Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844," this work had been written by Marx that year, even if not published until 1932 by the Soviet Union. The manuscripts show the early development of Marx's ideology in which he argued for a totally materialistic reality that moved through various economic stages until the workers of the world would unite, overthrow their capitalist oppressors, and create a utopia on earth.
The year 1844 had been an important one for Charles Darwin, too. In what has become known as the "Essay of 1844," Darwin produced one of the earliest expressions of his evolutionary theory, even if it was not then made public. Only in 1859, with the publication of On the Origin of Species, did Darwin publicly promulgate his view that all life on earth originated from a common ancestor by natural and chance processes alone.
The year 1844 was, however, the fulfillment of the 2,300-day prophecy of Daniel 8:14, and the same year that, out of the leftovers of the Great Disappointment, seeds were planted that would burgeon into a worldwide movement whose core message repudiated the guts of Marxist, Nietzschean, and Darwinian ideology.
Contra Marx, the Seventh-day Adventist movement proclaimed that the great controversy between Christ and Satan, not a materialistic flow of history, explained world history that would end, not in a human–made Communist utopia but in the supernatural establishment of God's eternal kingdom.
Contra Darwin, the Seventh-day Adventist movement taught that life originated, not in the natural and chance process of random mutation and natural selection but by the power of the Creator God, who in six days created life on earth and rested on the seventh.
And contra Nietzsche, the Seventh-day Adventist movement proclaimed not only that God exists but that His universal code of morality (the "old tablets" ), the Ten Commandments, remains God's ultimate standard of judgment and binding on all humanity. A coincidence that all these events happened in 1844? One should not think so. Marx, Nietzsche, and Darwin are three influential figures whose work has caused humanity irreparable harm. But amid all these errors, God did not leave the world without a witness to His truth, which is why, amid these destructive ideologies, He raised up a movement that would, over time, morph into the Seventh-day Adventist Church and that would proclaim His last-day truth to the world—the three angels' messages. These are messages that, at their core, refute the errors and misconceptions promoted by those three terribly deceived men.
The three angels' messages are, in a sense, the marching orders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. And at their core, they are the gospel, pure and simple, but the gospel presented in the context of "present truth" (2 Pet. 1:12, NKJV). And this, the three angels' messages, is our study for the quarter.
Panellists/Discussants:
Eld. Michael Osei Boateng
Eld. Oliver Chikuta (PhD)
Br. Paul Brian Rutaha
Br. Delight Hwarari
Hosted by Stephen Agyeman
Kindly comment, share, subscribe, like, grow our viewership. Send support, personal questions and suggestions to [email protected] and [email protected]
Affiliate and alternative media/platforms, Facebook page:
1. Nanjing Adventist Students Fellowship: https://www.facebook.com/nanjingadventiststudentsfellowship/
2. Nanjing-Zhenjiang Adventist Students' Fellowship: https://www.facebook.com/nanjingzhenjiangadventiststudentsfellowship/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@p2tslive
Alternative YouTube platform:
1. Brighteon: https://www.brighteon.com/channels/pt2tslive
2. Odysee: https://Odysee.com/p2tslive/
3. Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-2609982
Twitter
1. https://twitter.com/presenttruth/
2. https://twitter.com/nanjingzhenjiangadventiststudentsfellowship/
Helpful materials:
1. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eHKxTS9wEpxY7tMc5UGfjtCtsaO7Rs4R?usp=share_link
2. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LeSvNzgx9raVCjoIQKXih1lzoFMQuWqY?usp=share_link
Access your personal copy of ASSBG (PDF, MS word, ppt), through the following links:
1. Study Resources: https://www.sabbathschoolpersonalministries.org/international
2. Slides: https://www.fustero.es/index_en.php
Memory Text: “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God . . . ?” (2 Peter 3:11, 12, NKJV).
The book of Revelation fills the mind with scenes of the end. The epicenter of the book deals with the cosmic conflict between Christ and Satan. Satan has lost his legal hold over the earth, and now he pursues those who remain loyal to God. The book climaxes with Jesus’ return to deliver His children, both the living righteous and those faithful ones who have died since the fall of Adam and Eve. The book shows us, too, the destruction of Satan and the wicked by fire and Jesus’ establishment of His eternal kingdom on earth made new.
Students of Revelation enthusiastically explore and seek to identify the predicted signs and events that mark church history from the first century ad to our day in the end of time. They are right to do so, too.
However, in this quarter’s final lesson, we...
Memory Text: “ ‘I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth’ ” (Isa. 49:6, NRSV).
One of the most inspiring accounts of “cross-cultural ministry” in the Bible can be found in the book of Esther. A great deal has been written over the millennia about this book, and to this day many Jews celebrate the feast of Purim, based on Esther 9:26–31.
Esther and Mordecai, her cousin, were Jews living in the capital of the Persian Empire, Susa. For whatever reason, unlike other Jews who had returned to Judah, they, along with others, remained in the land of their captivity.
Then, through a series of providences, Esther becomes queen. “The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti” (Esther 2:17, NKJV).
It was in this role that Esther, even if somewhat reluctantly, was able to play a major part in biblical ...
Memory Text: “Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour” (Matthew 15:28, NKJV).
From the beginning, a loving God sought His lost children 3:9) reach the lost; and, to our day, this same loving God is still seeking to (see Rev. 14:6–12), including the lost in the cities. (Gen. In 2018, the United Nations published its latest findings, which say that 55 percent of the planet’s population lives in urban areas, and this will grow (if time should last) to 68 percent by 2050. We have no choice: we must witness to those in the cities.
Yet, many of God’s people act as Jonah did when called to witness to a city: for whatever reason, they flee from the task. “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Rom. 15:4, NKJV). That includes what was written about Jonah.
When here, Jesus ministered not only ...
LOVE ❤🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍 is the most abused word in the world. This four-letter word has been portrayed in movies, novels, politics, international organizations, synagogues/temples, arts and culture, and families. Fully-fledged Love is an amazing word. Love types Eros (passionate Love), Storge (familial Love), Ludus (playful Love), Mania (obsessive Love), Philia (deep friendship), Philautia (self-love), Pragma (Enduring Love), are inferior to Agape (universal/unconditional Love). Who is the epitome, architect, and source of Love? Many (kings, subjects, rich, poor, big, small, young, aged) have been conquered, ruled, and reigned by it. Others have triumphed through it. It seems to permeate all spheres of life. Charity is chastity! However, "the law of love is the foundation of the government of God." [Patriarchs & Prophets, pp. 34, 35]. Love is a gift from God.
Unfortunately, the social media, families, churches, governments, and entertainment industries, including sports personalities, movie makers,...
