Lesson 13: IMAGES OF THE END

13.6 Summary
Warning, Grace, and Hope – Lessons from the Past for the End Time

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Introduction

Lesson thirteen presents a powerful blend of biblical stories that go far beyond their historical contexts. Whether it’s a reluctant prophet, a pagan king surrounded by splendor and decay, or the symbolic drying up of a great river — all of it reflects God’s guidance, judgment, and plan of salvation. These “images of the end” are more than prophetic shadows – they are mirrors of our time, warning voices, and helping hands.

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Bible Study

13.1 The Reluctant Prophet
Jonah was called to proclaim judgment, but his heart wasn’t ready. He fled – yet God did not let him go. In his story, we see a God who not only wants to save cities but also the hearts of His own messengers.

13.2 A Work of Repentance
Nineveh’s reaction was astonishing: king and people bowed in repentance. This scene reveals that repentance opens the door to grace – even for the “lost”.

13.3 Belshazzar’s Feast
A feast full of arrogance ends in judgment. Belshazzar drinks from the sacred vessels – a symbol of contempt for what is holy. God’s hand writes the end on the wall. Judgment does not come unexpectedly – it is deserved and just.

13.4 The Euphrates Dries Up
In prophetic imagery, the drying up of the Euphrates represents the collapse of human systems. When supposed security fades, it becomes clear who we can truly trust.

13.5 Cyrus, the Anointed One
God calls a pagan king “My anointed.” Cyrus opens the way for Israel’s liberation – a picture of Jesus, who breaks open the gates of slavery and ushers in a new era.

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Answers to the Questions

• God works with and through the unwilling. His plans are not hindered by our weakness.

• Genuine repentance moves God’s heart. Grace is near when repentance is sincere.

• Pride comes before the fall. Those who exalt themselves above the holy will be humbled.

• Earthly kingdoms pass – God’s Kingdom remains. Trust in human power is fleeting.

• God can use anyone – even the unexpected. He is not limited by our boundaries.

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Spiritual Principles

This week challenges us to examine our own hearts:

• Are we fleeing from God’s calling, like Jonah?

• Are we willing to repent – or do we resist correction like Belshazzar?

• Do we build our lives on fleeting security or on God’s eternal Kingdom?

• Do we recognize God’s work even through “worldly” people and circumstances?

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Practical Application – What does this mean for my life?

1. Be honest with your “inner Jonah”

There are moments when God calls us – to repentance, service, or responsibility – and we run the other way. Ask yourself: What am I currently avoiding in my life? Maybe it’s an uncomfortable calling, a painful truth, or a healing process you’re resisting. Jonah reminds us: God does not give up on you. He pursues you – not to punish you, but to bring you back to life.

Daily step: Write a letter to God in which you honestly name what you’re running from internally.

2. Make repentance a lifestyle, not a rare exception

Nineveh repented – and God’s judgment was withheld. Repentance is not a one-time event but a posture: I’m ready to turn around when God reveals my missteps. In an age of self-justification, humility is revolutionary.

Daily step: Consciously ask someone for forgiveness – even if your fault seems small. Practice humility.

3. Pay attention to the “writing on the wall” in your life

Like Belshazzar, many live in the bustle of success, celebration, and self-confidence – until God intervenes. It’s wise to heed warnings before it’s too late. Sometimes God speaks quietly – through restlessness, a Bible verse, a person. Sometimes it’s unmistakable.

Daily step: Pause today and ask: What might God be trying to show me? Is there a warning I’ve been ignoring?

4. Don’t trust in “great rivers” – but in living water

The Euphrates was once a symbol of strength and safety – but it dries up. Many build their lives on wealth, reputation, or systems. But these sources fail. Only Jesus offers water that never runs dry.

Daily step: Evaluate your sources: What nourishes your hope, identity, and security? Consciously replace a “dry source” with something spiritually life-giving (e.g., swap social media time for daily Bible reading).

5. Believe that God still sends “Cyrus-people” today

God sometimes uses the unexpected – people outside your church, culture, or comfort zone – to open doors. Be open to what you can’t control. Sometimes help comes through “strangers”; sometimes you are that Cyrus for someone else.

Daily step: Ask yourself: Where could God use me to bring freedom to others? Maybe through a conversation, an invitation, or a prayer.

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Conclusion

This lesson is a mosaic of divine interventions in history. It shows: God works in the big and small, through believers and non-believers, through judgment and grace. In the end, there is not chaos – but redemption. These stories call us not to be spectators but participants in God’s plan – with open hearts and alert spirits.

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Thought of the Day

God’s judgment is real – but His grace is closer.
Whoever approaches Him in humility will not be destroyed, but renewed.

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Illustration – “The River That Dried Up”

A modern parable based on Exodus, Daniel, and Isaiah – set in Berlin, 21st century

Chapter 1 – The Call

It was mid-winter in Berlin. The streets glistened wet, fog drifted between buildings like a veil, hiding not only what people didn’t want to see but what they couldn’t.

On the seventh floor of a glass office tower in the city center sat Jonas Matthäus, 42, communications strategist for a global consulting firm. He was the man for complex crises. “Image problems? Give them to Jonas.” Success rate: 96%. Reputation: spotless. Faith? Somewhere dusty in the closet, next to his confirmation shirt and his grandmother’s Luther Bible.

That evening, as he left the office alone and walked down Friedrichstraße, an old man stopped him. Gray coat, crystal-clear eyes, voice like iron:
“Jonas Matthäus. God gave you a message, but you’re running away.”

Jonas laughed — but it caught in his throat. How did this stranger know his name?

“What are you talking about? Who are you?”
“Someone who must remember. And you — someone who must not forget.”

Jonas walked away. He didn’t think much about it — until that night, when he dreamt of water. A mighty river that dried up. And from the dry riverbed rose a golden city — but its foundations were rotten.

Chapter 2 – The Invitation

Two weeks later, an invitation landed on his desk. An international conference in Babylonia — a luxury hotel near the ruins of the ancient city in Iraq. Topic: “The Future of Global Order.”

The event’s name?
“The Great Feast – The Final Vision.”

He laughed. Fitting. And yet — something inside him hesitated. The dream returned, night after night.

The event was as expected: caviar, tech, politics, and people mocking God. Speakers from around the world presented solutions for a new world order.
Jonas was speaker #7. His topic: “Truth Is What Works.” Thunderous applause. Champagne flowed. The night felt eternal.

But then — at midnight — the power failed. Seconds later, one light flickered on: a projector cast a sentence onto the marble wall:

“Mene, Mene, Tekel, U-Parsin.”

Some laughed nervously. Others took photos. Jonas froze.

Chapter 3 – The Turning Point

The next morning, the conference room was empty. No speakers, no guests. Jonas wandered the hallways. In a remote corridor, he saw a girl — maybe eight years old, dusty clothes, barefoot, a goat herder’s child. She said nothing. Just looked at him — and handed him a wrinkled paper.

It read:
“You have been weighed and found wanting. But My arm is still extended.”

Suddenly Jonas felt it all: his arrogance, emptiness, inner fraud. Like Belshazzar, he had drunk from sacred vessels — not of gold, but of grace.

He left it all behind. The ticket. The hotel. The prestige. He walked — for hours — to the old city wall. There he fell to his knees.

He didn’t scream. He simply wept. For the first time in decades.

Chapter 4 – The New Stream

Back in Berlin, Jonas quit his job. No one understood. “Burnout,” they said. “Crisis.” “Ridiculous.” But he remained calm.
He started speaking in schools. About truth. About responsibility. About the invisible streams shaping our minds — and how they run dry.

He wrote a book:
“The Euphrates Is Almost Dry.”

And when someone once asked,
“Why did you give it all up?” he answered:
“Because I realized it’s better to be poor with God than rich without truth.”

Epilogue – The Anointed One

Five years later, Jonas visited a refugee camp in Greece. There he met a man named Kiros — a Kurdish Christian translating Bibles into Arabic and spreading hope.

“Kiros – like Cyrus,” Jonas said.

The man laughed.
“I’m no king. But I open gates for truth.”

And Jonas understood: God still uses “foreigners” to free His people. And sometimes, when the Euphrates dries up, true life begins.

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Final Thought:
Sometimes God leads us through judgment into grace. And sometimes, it takes the silence of a river for heaven’s voice to be heard.

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/lesson-13-images-of-the-end-13-6-summary-allusions-images-symbols-living-faith/

June 27, 2025

DAILY BIBLE READING

Exodus 22 – Justice, Mercy, and Responsibility in Daily Life

God’s Social and Moral Order in the Old Covenant

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Bible Text – Exodus 22 (KJV)

1 If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.

2 If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.

3 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.

4 If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.

5 If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man’s field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution.

6 If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.

7 If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.

8 If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods.

9 For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.

10 If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it:

11 Then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.

12 And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof.

13 If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.

14 And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good.

15 But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: if it be an hired thing, it came for his hire.

16 And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.

17 If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.

18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

19 Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.

20 He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

21 Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.

23 If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;

24 And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

25 If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.

26 If thou at all take thy neighbour’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:

27 For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.

28 Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.

29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.

30 Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me.

31 And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.

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Introduction

Chapter 22 of the book of Exodus contains a collection of laws that regulated everyday life in ancient Israel. It addresses the protection of property, the treatment of the socially vulnerable, justice, and reverence for God. These laws are more than mere legal instructions — they reveal God’s heart for order, care, and holiness. Although originating in an ancient culture, they convey timeless principles that still apply today in our ethical and social considerations.

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Commentary

1. Protection of Property (Verses 1–6)

God provides guidance on how to deal with theft, property damage, and personal responsibility.

• Self-defense during a break-in is permitted, but only at night.

• A thief must repay double.

• Anyone causing damage to another’s field or starting a fire is held accountable.

Core principle: Responsibility for harm and clear restitution.

2. Trust and Disputes (Verses 6–14)

When property is entrusted to someone, their honesty is assessed, especially in case of loss or theft.

• A sworn oath before God is binding.

• Borrowed items must be replaced, except when the owner is present.

Core principle: Trust and accountability go hand in hand.

3. Moral and Religious Laws (Verses 15–20)

• Sexual relationships are regulated: seduction leads to marriage or financial compensation.

• Sorcery, idolatry, and bestiality are punishable by death.

• God tolerates no idolatry — He alone is Lord.

Core principle: Holiness before God and protection of human dignity.

4. Protection of the Vulnerable (Verses 20–26)

• Foreigners, widows, and orphans must not be oppressed.

• God hears their cry and will personally judge.

• No usury or exploitation in pledges.

Core principle: Mercy, justice, and protection for the helpless.

5. Reverence for God and Respect for Authority (Verses 27–30)

• Blasphemy is forbidden.

• Firstborn humans and animals belong to God.

• Holiness is reflected even in what we eat.

Core principle: Reverence, devotion, and consecration to God’s service.

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Summary

Exodus 22 shows that God’s law extends beyond religious rituals and into the everyday. It establishes social justice, protects the weak, and promotes a life of responsibility and reverence. God is both a just judge and a merciful redeemer. He loves justice but also delights in compassion. His people are called to live differently — with integrity, empathy, and holiness.

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Message for Us Today

• Take responsibility: Even today, we are called to take responsibility for the damage we cause — whether material or relational.

• Honor trust: When something is entrusted to us — possessions or people’s trust — we must handle it with faithfulness.

• Live social justice: Protecting the vulnerable, offering help, and acting fairly in all areas of life are marks of true faith.

• Cultivate reverence for God: A life lived in reverence for God shapes our behavior — especially when no one is watching.

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Thought Impulse

What does “justice with mercy” look like in my life today?
Am I willing to act honestly and responsibly even when it’s inconvenient?
Whom can I see with God’s eyes today — as in need of care, as a brother or sister?
And where does my heart need to rediscover holy reverence for God?

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June 22 – 28, 2025

WEEKLY SPIRIT OF PROPHECY READING

Ellen G. White │ Patriarchs and Prophets – Chapter 13

The Test of Faith

Read online here

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Introduction

Abraham – the father of faith. And yet, his faith wasn’t a static possession, but a journey shaped by challenges, doubts, and divine tests. In Chapter 13 of Patriarchs and Prophets, it becomes clear: true faith proves itself not in the easy times, but in the difficult ones.

God tested Abraham with a command that is almost impossible to comprehend: “Sacrifice your son, your only son, whom you love.” This story is not just an ancient tale about a man long ago – it is a mirror reflecting our own journey of faith.

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Commentary

1. The Beginning of Doubt (Hagar and Ishmael)

• Abraham accepts God’s promise – but does not wait patiently.
• Sarah’s suggestion to take Hagar as a wife is a human solution to a divine promise.
• Consequences: unrest, jealousy, brokenness in the family, mockery, and rejection.

Lesson: When we replace God’s timing with our own methods, we create conflict, not solutions.

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2. God’s Promise Stands (Isaac is born)

• Despite human mistakes, God renews His promise.
• Isaac – the child of the miracle – becomes the center of the covenant.
• Ishmael and Hagar are sent away – with divine comfort, but not without pain.

Lesson: God’s plans prevail, even when we take detours. His faithfulness remains constant.

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3. The Great Test – The Sacrifice of Isaac

• Abraham receives the hardest command: Sacrifice your son.
• Inner struggle, silence, prayer – no excuses, only obedience.
• Isaac shows willing obedience – he is not forced, but trusts.
• At the last moment, God intervenes: a ram is sacrificed in Isaac’s place.

Lesson:

• Faith without works is dead (James 2:17).
• God tests to strengthen – not to destroy.
• Obedience is rewarded – even when we don’t understand everything.

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4. God’s Covenant and Prophetic Meaning

• God confirms His covenant with Abraham through an oath.
• The ram as a substitute offering prophetically points to Christ.
• Even angels gain deeper understanding of the plan of redemption through this scene (see 1 Peter 1:10–12).

Lesson: This story is a prophetic shadow of Golgotha.

God gave what Abraham did not have to give – His only Son.

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Summary

Chapter 13 shows: Faith doesn’t mean never doubting – it means trusting despite the doubts.
Abraham’s life is a journey from impatience to surrender, from human solutions to divine obedience.

The greatest evidence of his faith was not words, but action. And in that obedience, God’s grace is revealed: He saves – through a sacrifice He Himself provides.

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Message for Us Today

God doesn’t test to destroy, but to strengthen.

True faith is shown in action, not in talk.

Obedience to God may cost sacrifice – but it is never in vain.

God’s timing is better than our own impatience.

Our trust in God often becomes most visible when we understand the least.

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Reflection Question

What would you do if God asked something “incomprehensible” of you?

Are there “Ishmaels” in your life – human solutions trying to replace God’s promises?

How is your obedience shown today – even when no one sees it?

Do you know the God who provides “a ram” for you – the solution, when you are ready to trust?

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/27-06-2025-exodus-chapter-22-believe-his-prophets/