Basic theme: The Seven Last Plagues (Rev 15-16)

The changes to this week’s Teacher’s Edition of the Adult Sabbath School Study Guide (known popularly as the Sabbath School Quarterly) for January to March 2019 were generally small and improved on my work. I will review the changes that were interesting or substantive.

There were several small changes in the Introduction paragraph of the Overview. These improved on my original.

The editors added a sentence and removed a clause in Main Themes I. Once again, the final product was improved.

In Main Themes IV, the word trinity was replaced with “triad.” Interesting idea, I still think “trinity” has a nice impact, but triad isn’t bad. Later I had the three angels presenting the true gospel, it was modified to three angels “working through God’s remnant church” to present the gospel. I agree that the three angels represent the going forth of the gospel at the end of time through God’s people. But Revelation speaks of the remnant, never the “remnant church.” I prefer using biblical language wherever possible.

Several small changes in the first paragraph of Main Themes V improved on my original. In the next paragraph I had it that the end-time Cyrus (the “kings from the east”) “dries up the end-time River Euphrates.” That clause was removed. I agree that my comment goes beyond the text, but I was following the analogy that Cyrus actively dried up the river. Revelation doesn’t say that with regard to the kings from the east, but doesn’t rule it out either. If the end-time Cyrus is Jesus Christ, He would be quite capable of drying up the Euphrates, whatever that means (I tie it to Rev 17:15-16).

In Life Application 2 the editors removed “the military language of Rev is not to be taken in a military way. The battle of Armageddon is a battle for the mind. In the final battle of earth’s history. . .” and replaced it with “now is the time to heed the warning so as not to be on the wrong side then. I think my statement is based on solid evidence in the text (Rev 16:15), so I’m not sure why my sentence is changed. The final version says essentially the same thing I was saying, but not as clearly, it seems to me. On the whole, I can’t complain about how this week’s teacher’s material was handled.

Again, for those who don’t have access to the standard printed edition of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide or the Teacher’s Edition for this quarter, you can access them online week by week at https://www.absg.adventist.org/. My original pre-edited Teacher’s Edition manuscript for this week is provided in the previous blog. You can also download audio of me teaching the lesson ahead of time each week at http://pineknoll.org/sabbath-school-lessons.