Three Cosmic Messages

Satan’s Final Deceptions

Lesson #10 for June 3, 2023

Scriptures:Revelation 12:9; 16:13-14; 18:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Ezekiel 8:16; 20:1-20; John 17:17.

1. Revelation 13:3-4,7-8 tell us that virtually the whole world is going to be confused and “poisoned” by Satan’s misrepresentations and lies about God. Satan’s deadly potion is called the wine of Babylon. This consists of false doctrines and teachings that will eventually lead to death because they turn people away from the truth about God.

Revelation 13:3-4,7-8: ³One of the heads of the beast seemed to have been fatally wounded, but the wound had healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. ⁴Everyone worshipped the dragon [the Devil] because he had given his authority to the beast. They worshipped the beast also, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who can fight against it?”…

⁷It was allowed to fight against God’s people and to defeat them, and it was given authority over every tribe, nation, language, and race. ⁸All people living on earth will worship it, except those whose names were written before the creation of the world in the book of the living which belongs to the Lamb that was killed.?American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation* (2nd ed.,Revelation 13:3-4,7-8). New York: American Bible Society [abbreviated as Good News Bible].^†‡

2. However, God has the answer. We know that God’s side will win in the end. Satan’s side will be defined by the sins they practice. So, what is sin? How does the Bible define sin?

1 John 3:4: Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God’s law, because sin is a breaking of the law.?Good News Bible.*^†

Romans 14:23: But if they have doubts about what they eat, God condemns them when they eat it, because their action is not based on faith. And anything that is not based on faith is sin.?Good News Bible.*^†

3. Why is Satan so successful? Who are the elect who will not be deceived by him? Let us not be confused or deceived even though the deceptions will be powerful.

Mark 13:22: “For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will perform miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God’s chosen people, if possible.”?Good News Bible.*

Matthew 24:31: “The great trumpet will sound, and he will send out his angels to the four corners of the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from one end of the world to the other.”?Good News Bible.*

4. Revelation 13 andRevelation 12:9 talk about people joining Babylon, Satan’s side.

Revelation 12:9: The huge dragon was thrown out—that ancient serpent, called the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him.?Good News Bible.*^†

5. Isaiah, who lived in the late 8^th century C., foretold Babylon’s fate.

[From the Bible study guide=BSG:] “It [Babylon] will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation; nor will the Arabian pitch tents there, nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there” (Isa. 13:20, NKJV). Throughout the centuries, this prophecy has been proven true. Alexander the Great of Greece brought 10,000 men to Babylon to clear the ruins and rebuild the city. He died in Babylon before the project could be accomplished. Subsequent to his death, the mission was abandoned. The city has lain in ruins for more than 2,500 year.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 132.^‡§

6. What do we know about spiritual Babylon?

[From the SDA Bible Commentary:] Babylon, both literal and mystical, has thus long been recognized as the traditional enemy of God’s truth and people. As used in the Revelation the name is symbolic of all apostate religious organizations and their leadership, from antiquity down to the close of time....

This prophecy of the fall of Babylon finds its fulfillment in the departure of Protestantism at large from the purity and simplicity of the gospel.—SDA Bible Commentary,* vol. 7, 830, par. 2-4.^†‡

[BSG:] Throughout the book of Revelation, spiritualism is one of Satan’s final deceptions to unite the world and lead it to earth’s final conflict between the people of God and the forces of evil.Revelation 16:14 states, “For they are the spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (NKJV).Revelation 19:20 adds that those who received the mark of the beast were deceived by these false spectacular wonders or signs, and Revelation 13 confirms that the devil [sic] “deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast” (Rev. 13:14, NKJV). According toRevelation 18:2, Babylon “has become the dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit” (NKJV). Under the guise of spiritualism, Satan will work with “lying wonders” and “all deceivableness” (2 Thess. 2:9, 10). One of his final deceptions will be the impersonation of the dead by his evil angels and a distortion of Bible truth, including the Sabbath.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 133.^†‡§

7. Unfortunately, we are all born selfish. Our natural tendencies are toward evil. Is that why Satan is so successful in deceiving us?

Proverbs 14:12: What you think is the right road may lead to death.?Good News Bible.*

8. Trusting our own inclinations is not safe unless guided by Bible study and the Holy Spirit.

Jeremiah 17:9: “Who can understand the human heart?

There is nothing else so deceitful;

it is too sick to be healed.”?Good News Bible.*

Romans 3:9-18: ⁹ Well then, are we Jews in any better condition than the Gentiles? Not at all! I have already shown that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. ¹⁰As the Scriptures [quoting Psalms] say:

“There is no one who is righteous,

¹¹ no one who is wise

or who worships God.

¹² All have turned away from God;

they have all gone wrong;

no one does what is right, not even one.

¹³ Their words are full of deadly deceit;

wicked lies roll off their tongues,

and dangerous threats, like snake’s poison, from their lips;

¹⁴ their speech is filled with bitter curses.

¹⁵ They are quick to hurt and kill;

¹⁶ they leave ruin and destruction wherever they go.

¹⁷ They have not known the path of peace,

¹⁸ nor have they learnt reverence for God.”?Good News Bible.*^†‡

Judges 21:25: There was no king in Israel at that time. All the people did just as they pleased.?Good News Bible.*^†

9. We can read how bad things were during the time described in the book of Judges. Read Judges 19-20. It is clear that left to ourselves, we are all headed for destruction. Our only solution is to focus on Jesus as represented in Bible study, prayer, and witnessing.
10. Many examples could be given throughout history of times when people thought they were doing right when they were actually doing things very wrong. The prime example is the Pharisees and Sadducees who rejected Jesus and murdered Him.
11. So, what are the two major lies that Satan is promoting in our day? One is the lie of natural immortality; the other is Sunday sacredness.

Revelation 16:13-14: ¹³Then I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs. They were coming out of the mouth of the dragon [the Devil], the mouth of the beast [the papacy], and the mouth of the false prophet [apostate Protestantism]. ¹⁴They are the spirits of demons that perform miracles. These three spirits go out to all the kings of the world, to bring them together for the battle on the great Day of Almighty God.?Good News Bible.*^‡

Revelation 18:2,23: ²He cried out in a loud voice: “She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She is now haunted by demons and unclean spirits; all kinds of filthy and hateful birds live in her….”

²³ “Never again will the light of a lamp be seen in you; no more will the voices of brides and grooms be heard in you. Your merchants were the most powerful in all the world, and with your false magic you deceived all the peoples of the world!”?Good News Bible.*

12. The idea of the immortality of the soul was prevalent in ancient Egypt, Syria, Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece, and Rome. When Constantine declared the Christian church to be the predominant church in the Roman Empire, pagan ideas gradually crept into the Christian church as pagans joined the church.

[BSG:] In the Old Testament, the spirits of the dead played a major part in Babylonian religion. The Babylonians had a strong belief in the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. They believed at death, the soul entered the spirit world. The concept of the immortal soul is foreign to the teachings of Scripture. The Jewish Encyclopedia clearly identifies the origin of the false idea of the immortality of the soul. “The belief that the soul continues its existence after the dissolution of the body is . . . nowhere expressly taught in Holy Scripture. . . . The belief in the immortality of the soul came to the Jews from contact with Greek thought and chiefly through the philosophy of Plato, its principal exponent, who was led to it through Orphic and Eleusinian mysteries in which Babylonian and Egyptian views were strangely blended.”—Kaufmann Kohler, “Immortality of the Soul,” (1906).?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Friday, June 2.^‡§

13. Why is it that most Christian churches today still teach the natural immortality of the soul? What does the Bible say about that?

Ecclesiastes 9:5-6: ⁵ Yes, the living know they are going to die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward; they are completely forgotten. ⁶Their loves, their hates, their passions, all died with them. They will never again take part in anything that happens in this world.?Good News Bible.*^†

Job 19:25-27: [From Job’s speech:] ²⁵ But I know there is someone in heaven

who will come at last to my defence [sic].

²⁶ Even after my skin is eaten by disease,

while still in this body I will see God.

²⁷ I will see him with my own eyes,

and he will not be a stranger.?Good News Bible.*^‡

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: ¹⁶There will be the shout of command, the archangel’s voice, the sound of God’s trumpet, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first; ¹⁷then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.?Good News Bible.*^†

Revelation 14:13: Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: happy are those who from now on die in the service of the Lord!”

“Yes indeed!” answers the Spirit. “They will enjoy rest from their hard work, because the results of their service go with them.”?Good News Bible.*

[BSG:] One of the pillars of Babylonian deception is a false understanding of death, which, centered in the idea of the immortality of the soul, prepares the way for the deceptive influence of spiritualism. If you believe that the dead, in some form, live on and might even be able to communicate with us, then what protection do you have from any of the myriad deceptions that Satan has? If someone who you thought was your dead mother or child, or someone else beloved, was suddenly to appear and talk to you, how easy would it be to be fooled by your senses? This has happened in the past; happens now; and, certainly, as we near the very final days, will happen again. Our only protection is to stand firmly rooted in what the Bible teaches and to cling to the biblical teaching about death as a sleep until the second coming of Jesus.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Monday, May 29.^†‡ [SeeJob 4:12-19; 1 Samuel 28.]^‡

14. Can you think of any examples of Satan’s lies that are commonly promoted in our day? Think of all the movies that play on the idea that a dead person is still “alive” and can influence events on this planet.

[From the writings of Ellen G. White=EGW:] The doctrine of man’s consciousness in death, especially the belief that spirits of the dead return to minister to the living, has prepared the way for modern spiritualism. If the dead are admitted to the presence of God and holy angels, and privileged with knowledge far exceeding what they before possessed, why should they not return to the earth to enlighten and instruct the living?...

He [Satan] has power to bring before men the appearance of their departed friends. The counterfeit is perfect; the familiar look, the words, the tone, are reproduced with marvelous distinctness. Many are comforted with the assurance that their loved ones are enjoying the bliss of heaven, and without suspicion of danger, they give ear “to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy* 552.1.^†‡

15. We belong to a church which has prided itself on following the Bible and the Bible only. We need to recognize that statement was originally the claim of all Protestantism.

[BSG:] Lest we pride ourselves on our knowledge of Bible truth and believe we are in no immediate danger from such blatant deceptions, think again. Modern spiritualism extends far beyond the impersonation of our loved ones by evil angels. (Bible-believing Adventists are, for the most part, not going to be tricked by Beelzebub appearing at the foot of their bed at night as dear old Uncle Barney back from the grave with “new light” on the Sabbath.) Spiritualism, in its modern incarnation, finds its expression in a more subtle, though devastating, attack on Bible truth.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 134.^‡ [Might Satan use virtual reality, AI, or ChatGPT?]^‡

16. It is not only through the ideas and the various implications of spiritualism that Satan has attacked, but also, he will very openly attack on the issue of the Sabbath truth.
    Where did the idea of sun worship come from? Encyclopedia Britannica has an insightful article describing the influence of the “sun god” on past civilizations. According to the editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, the ancients believed:

[BSG:] “The sun is the bestower of light and life to the totality of the cosmos; with his unblinking, all-seeing eye, he is the stern guarantor of justice; with the almost universal connection of light with enlightenment or illumination, the sun is the source of wisdom. . . . These qualities—sovereignty, power of beneficence, justice, and wisdom—are central to any elite religious group, and it is within these contexts that a highly developed solar ideology is found. Kings ruled by the power of the sun and claimed descent from the sun. Solar deities, gods personifying the sun, are sovereign and all-seeing. The sun is often a prime attribute of or is identified with the Supreme Deity.”—“Sun Worship: Religion,” Encyclopedia Britannica.?[as quoted in Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 135].^‡

[BSG:] Sun worship was prominent in Egypt, Assyria, Persia, and certainly Babylon. In his book The Worship of Nature, James G. Frazer makes this observation, “In ancient Babylonia the sun was worshipped from immemorial antiquity.”—(London: Macmillan and Co., 1926), vol. 1, p. 529.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Tuesday, May 30.^†‡§

[BSG:] The chief god of the Babylonians was Bel-Marduk. He was depicted as sitting on a golden throne in a golden temple before a golden table. He was the sun god of justice, light, truth, and kingly authority.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 134-135.^‡

17. Were God’s faithful people in Jerusalem and/or in captivity influenced by ideas of sun worship? How could people stand in the courtyard of the famous Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, turn their backs on the temple, and worship the sun?

[BSG:] It may seem surprising, but at times, Babylonian sun worship influenced the worship of God’s people in the Old Testament.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Tuesday, May 30.^†‡

Ezekiel 8:16: So he took me to the inner courtyard of the Temple. There near the entrance of the sanctuary, between the altar and the passage, were about 25 men. They had turned their backs to the sanctuary and were bowing low towards the east, worshipping the rising sun.?Good News Bible.*^†

2 Kings 23:5,11: ⁵He [Josiah] removed from office the priests that the kings of Judah had ordained to offer sacrifices on the pagan altars in the cities of Judah and in places near Jerusalem—all the priests who offered sacrifices to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars….

¹¹He also removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the worship of the sun, and he burnt the chariots used in this worship. (These were kept in the temple courtyard, near the gate and not far from the living quarters of Nathan Melech, a high official.)?Good News Bible.*^†‡

Romans 1:25: They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised for ever [sic]! Amen.?Good News Bible.*^†‡

18. Historically, we know what happened. Constantine saw what he thought was a miraculous sign in the heavens, indicating that he would be victorious in his battle against two other Roman generals. He was successful in that battle. As a result, following his mother’s example, he chose to make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

[BSG:] “The Sun was universally celebrated as the invincible guide and protector of Constantine.”—The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, (London: J.O. Robinson & Co, Ltd., 1830), p. 12. In a.d. 321, Constantine also passed the first “Sunday law.” This edict stated, “On the venerable day of the Sun let the Magistrates and the people residing in the cities rest, and let all workshops be closed.”—Edict of Constantine, a.d. 321.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Tuesday, May 30.^‡§ [BSG:] The Babylonians, along with their pagan counterparts, gave great reverence to the sun god, Bel-Marduk. The false religious system of end-time Babylon disregards the law of God as did its ancient counterpart. In the early centuries, a compromise occurred in the Roman Church to accommodate the surrounding pagan culture. To disassociate from the Jews and to evangelize the heathen, church and state leaders united to honor Sunday, first as a civil rest day and then as the official day of worship. Through the centuries of the Middle Ages under the auspices of Babylon, this church-state, religiopolitical alliance substituted human traditions for the Word of God. The worship of idols replaced worshiping Jesus directly. The Bible truth about the state of the dead was supplanted by the error of the immortality of the soul. The Sabbath was changed from the seventh day, Saturday, to the first day, Sunday. It appeared that error and falsehood would triumph. But the Bible’s last book, Revelation, prophesied that God would raise up a last-day remnant who, saved by grace and through the power of the living Christ, would live in godly obedience and proclaim His last-day message to the world.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 135.^‡†

19. We should note that this was not a law requiring people to observe Sunday; it was just a suggestion and encouragement. So, how prevalent is Sunday worship in our day? Most important of all, how can we protect ourselves against these deceptions?

[EGW:] In order to endure the trial before them, they must understand the will of God as revealed in His word; they can honor Him only as they have a right conception of His character, government, and purposes, and act in accordance with them. None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. To every soul will come the searching test: Shall I obey God rather than men? The decisive hour is even now at hand. Are our feet planted on the rock of God’s immutable word? Are we prepared to stand firm in defense of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus?—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy* 593.2-594.0.^†‡

20. Staying true to God’s Word, the Bible, is our only safety.

[BSG:] Here is a remarkable statement by Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, the author of the Standard Manual for Baptist Churches. In 1893, he addressed a group of hundreds of Baptist ministers and shocked them as he explained how Sunday came into the Christian church.

“What a pity that it [Sunday] comes branded with the mark of paganism, and christened with the name of the sun god, then adopted and sanctioned by the papal apostasy, and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism!”—Before a New York ministers’ conference, November 13, 1893.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Wednesday, May 31.^‡?§

21. The keeping of the Sabbath will be an indication that those who are faithful to God set themselves apart as separate from Satan’s forces in the world.
22. At the end of this world’s history, the faithful people of God will be standing up for the truth even in the face of threats of death. But, we also need to remember that everything that we say, even think, or do, are a representation of God to those who know that we are Christians. Are they attracted by what they see? Or, are they repulsed?

1 Corinthians 10:11: All these things happened to them as examples for others, and they were written down as a warning for us. For we live at a time when the end is about to come.?Good News Bible.*^†

23. We are told that the woman in scarlet and purple in Revelation 17 is going to deceive the world by making them drunk with her wine. What is that wine?

[EGW:] What is that wine?—Her [“Babylon’s”] false doctrines. She has given to the world a false Sabbath instead of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and has repeated the falsehood that Satan first told to Eve in Eden,—the natural immortality of the soul.—Ellen G. White, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald,* December 6, 1892, par. 15.^†‡

24. God has always been trying to encourage His chosen people to live faithful, observant lives so that those around them can see the advantages of doing that.

Romans 1:5: Through him God gave me the privilege of being an apostle for the sake of Christ, in order to lead people of all nations to believe and obey.?Good News Bible.*^†

Deuteronomy 4:6: “Obey them faithfully, and this will show the people of other nations how wise you are. When they hear of all these laws, they will say, ‘What wisdom and understanding this great nation has!’”?Good News Bible.*^† [What do people say about the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its members? Or, even about the God we worship?]^‡

25. Let us clarify as best we can what the final issues will be.

[SDA Bible Commentary:] “Babylon the great” in the book of Revelation designates in a special sense, the united apostate religions at the close of time.... “Babylon the great” is the name by which Inspiration refers to the great threefold religious union of the papacy, apostate Protestantism, and spiritism.... The term “Babylon” refers to the organizations themselves and to their leaders, not so much to the members as such. The latter are referred to as “many waters.” (Rev. 17:1, 15).—SDA Bible Commentary,* vol. 7, 851-852.^†‡

[EGW:] Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy* 588.1.^†‡

26. Satan will force some issues out in the open such as a death penalty for those who do not worship on Sunday. But, Satan also has other very subtle deceptions that we need to be prepared to resist. What are they? Babylon became a symbol of error, a center of apostasy, and the archenemy of the truth. Babylon conquered Jerusalem, and finally, destroyed it three times in the late 7^th century c. What was its major theological error? It was substituting human demands and human authority for the truth about God as represented in the Bible.
27. In order for God to win in the end, a huge transformation and change in our understanding needs to take place.Revelation 14:8and 18:1-4 make it very clear that those who want to be faithful followers of God need to “come out” of Babylon. While God’s faithful people are threatened with death and their right to buy and sell are taken away, those faithful people will be calling others around them to come out of Babylon.
28. Are we very clear about the difference between Satan’s side and God’s side? Is there no way we could be deceived and confused?
29. Another major issue needs to be clarified—God’s name/reputation/government.

Ezekiel 20:2-20: ²Then the LORD spoke to me. ³ “Mortal man,” he said, “speak to these leaders and tell them that the Sovereign LORD is saying: you have come to ask my will, have you? As surely as I am the living God, I will not let you ask me anything. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken.

⁴ “Are you ready to pass sentence on them, mortal man? Then do so. Remind them of the disgusting things their ancestors did. ⁵Tell them what I am saying. When I chose Israel, I made them a promise. I revealed myself to them in Egypt and told them: I am the LORD your God. ⁶It was then that I promised to take them out of Egypt and lead them to a land I had chosen for them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all. ⁷I told them to throw away the disgusting idols they loved and not to make themselves unclean with the false gods of Egypt, because I am the LORD their God. ⁸But they defied me and refused to listen. They did not throw away their disgusting idols or give up the Egyptian gods. I was ready to let them feel the full force of my anger there in Egypt. ⁹But I did not, since that would have brought dishonour [sic] to my name, for in the presence of the people among whom they were living I had announced to Israel that I was going to lead them out of Egypt.

¹⁰ “And so I led them out of Egypt into the desert. ¹¹I gave them my commands and taught them my laws, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. ¹²I made the keeping of the Sabbath a sign of the agreement between us, to remind them that I, the LORD, make them holy. ¹³But even in the desert they defied me. They broke my laws and rejected my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They completely profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and destroy them. ¹⁴But I did not, since that would have brought dishonour [sic] to my name among the nations which had seen me lead Israel out of Egypt. ¹⁵So I made a promise in the desert that I would not take them to the land I had given them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all. ¹⁶I made the promise because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, and profaned the Sabbath—they preferred to worship their idols.

¹⁷ “But then I took pity on them. I decided not to kill them there in the desert. ¹⁸Instead, I warned the young people among them: do not keep the laws your ancestors made; do not follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹I am the LORD your God. Obey my laws and my commands. ²⁰Make the Sabbath a holy day, so that it will be a sign of the covenant we made, and will remind you that I am the LORD your God.?Good News Bible.*^†‡

30. It is extremely important to see why God did not reject them earlier: “That would have brought dishonour [sic] to my name among the nations”!^‡ (Ezekiel 20:14, GNB*) God is concerned about how every individual perceives Him because:

John 17:3: “And eternal life means knowing you, the only true God, and knowing Jesus Christ, whom you sent.”?Good News Bible.*

 [EGW:] To be permitted to have a view of God is the highest privilege accorded to man. This privilege should be prized above all earthly distinction or honor.—Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times,* June 16, 1898, par. 15.^†‡

[EGW:] Multitudes have a wrong conception of God and His attributes, and are as truly serving a false god as were the worshipers of Baal. Many even of those who claim to be Christians have allied themselves with influences that are unalterably opposed to God and His truth. Thus they are led to turn away from the divine and to exalt the human.—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings* 177.1-178.0.^†‡

31. One final, important point: Satan is very adept at manipulating our emotions. Will we be able to resist those emotions? What role should emotion play in our religious experience?

[EGW:] Satan will work his miracles to deceive; he will set up his power as supreme. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place. None but those who have been overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony will be found with the loyal and true.—Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary,* vol. 7, 911.6; Letter 55, 1886 [written from Basel, Switzerland, to G. I. Butler and S. N. Haskell, December 8, 1886], Manuscript Releases,* vol. 12, 324.3; Maranatha* 32.5; Reflecting Christ* 226.6.^†‡

©2023, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged. *Electronic version. ^†Bold type is added. ^‡Brackets and content in brackets are added. ^§Italic type is in the source. ^?Brackets and the content in brackets within the paragraph are in the Bible study guide or the source.                                                              Info@theox.org

Last Modified: March 23, 2023