Lesson 9: In the Psalms, Part 2

9.7 Questions

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Introduction

The questions in section 9.7 challenge us to actively carry forward the end-time message, to understand God’s sovereign guidance through church history, and to sense the prophetic dimension of current world events. This lesson encourages us not to despair but to bear bold witness by the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Answers to the Questions

Question 1: There are many unreached people, even though the three angels went out into all the world. Discuss how we as the church can better fulfill the task Christ has given us. How can we learn not to despair, even though it is true that very many people still have not heard the end-time truth?

Although the three angels (Rev. 14:6–12) went into all the world, many remain unaware of end-time truth. How can we as the church do better?

• Leverage global connectivity: Digital platforms, podcasts, and social media now reach remote regions. For example, online Bible schools allow people in Central Asia to join emerging congregations anonymously.

• Culturally relevant methods: Indigenous communities need translations into their mother tongues and contextualized storytelling. Mission work that uses local songs and narratives opens hearts.

• Sustainable relationships: Short-term teams spark interest, but ongoing partnerships (teaching teams, sponsorship programs) foster lasting growth.

To avoid despair:

• Focus on the harvest: Jesus spoke of a great harvest (John 4:35). Every small conversion is part of that harvest.

• Corporate prayer: In group prayer we experience God’s dynamic intervention.

• Promise of the Spirit: The Holy Spirit guides and empowers gifts (Acts 1:8), giving joy even amid hardship.

Question 2: In Revelation 5 John witnesses the sealed scroll being handed to the Lamb because He is worthy. When the seals are opened in Revelation 6, we see the history of the New Testament church foretold to the end of time. What can we learn from this description about how God will bring His work to completion?

In Rev. 5 John sees the Lamb alone worthy to break open the scroll. The six riders of Rev. 6 portray church history in phases:

1. Conquest and peace (white horse): The early church spreads the gospel without violence.

2. War and persecution (fiery red horse): Christians suffer under the Roman Empire.

3. Hunger for Word and bread (black horse): Medieval famines, the Reformation, and church divisions.

4. Death and Hades (pale horse): Plagues and oppression through the Enlightenment.

5. Silent intercession for justice (souls under the altar, v. 8): The martyr’s seed and missionary expansion through the 19th century.

6. Final crisis (thunder, earthquake): World wars, the Cold War, and today’s refugee and climate crises prepare the way for the Lamb’s return.

Lesson: God’s work moves through seasons of peace, conflict, trial, and renewal. He remains sovereign over time and history, and each era contributes to the church’s maturity.

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Spiritual Principles

• Mission is relationship: God’s call is lived out in personal connections.

• History is in God’s hands: Every chapter of church history belongs to His redemptive plan.

• Watchfulness and prayer: Revelation’s warnings urge spiritual alertness.

• Shaping the present: Our choices determine whether freedom or control prevails.

• Hopeful expectancy: In turmoil we fix our eyes on the Lamb, not the beast.

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Everyday Application

• Digital evangelism: Launch a podcast or blog on end-time themes in your mother tongue.

• Prayer networks: Form weekly prayer groups for unreached people groups.

• History workshop: Host a lecture series on church history through the seven seals.

• Civic engagement: Advocate for privacy rights and freedom in local forums.

• Ethical foresight: Before buying new tech, reflect on its potential for misuse.

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Conclusion

Revelation teaches that God acts sovereignly in every age, that mission is built on relationships, and that we must live alertly and prayerfully. What we do today influences whether Christ’s light outshines the flames of control.

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Thought of the Day

“Not the beast, but the Lamb writes our story—in faith, hope, and love.”

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Illustration – Light in the Desert

Phoenix, Arizona, 2025
Jason Nguyen, a former tech entrepreneur, sat in his air-conditioned office staring at his company’s latest AI-driven surveillance cameras. The world seemed on the brink of what he’d once heard in sermons about the beast’s mark. A conflict raged within him: Was he part of the problem?

One evening his sister Emily, a missionary among the Navajo, visited. She told of villages embracing the gospel in their own language. Jason felt a call: to use technology for God’s kingdom.

He began developing a decentralized Christian social app to protect privacy and foster real relationships—sharing daily prayer requests and forming virtual small groups.

As the project grew, Jason persuaded his board to reinvest some profits in Internet access for rural African communities. At the same time, Emily set up training centers where villagers learned to read in their mother tongue and access Scripture.

One day Jason received a message from a tribal elder: “You’ve given our people not just technology but hope.” Standing on the desert’s edge watching the sunset, Jason whispered the thought of the day:

“Not the beast, but the Lamb writes our story—in faith, hope, and love.”

He knew: in an age of control and surveillance, the church must bring freedom and truth to the remotest corners through creativity and prayer.

May 31, 2025

DAILY BIBLE READING

Genesis 45 –Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers

From Separation to Reconciliation through God’s Providence

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Bible Text – Genesis 45 (KJV)

¹ Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.

² And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.

³ And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.

⁴ And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

⁵ Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

⁶ For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.

⁷ And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

⁸ So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

⁹ Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:

¹⁰ And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:

¹¹ And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

¹² And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.

¹³ And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.

¹⁴ And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

¹⁵ Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.

¹⁶ And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, Joseph’s brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

¹⁷ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;

¹⁸ And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.

¹⁹ Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.

²⁰ Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is your’s.

²¹ And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

²² To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

²³ And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way.

²⁴ So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.

²⁵ And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father,

²⁶ And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not.

²⁷ And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:

²⁸ And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.

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Introduction

Genesis 45 marks the climax of the Joseph narrative: after years of separation, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers with full authority and forgiving love. This chapter shows how God’s plan unites humanity and mercy even amid harsh circumstances.

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Commentary

1. Joseph’s Revelation (Verses 1–4)

   • Emotional Outburst: Overcome with emotion, Joseph silences everyone, then unveils himself in tears.

   • Declaration of Identity: “I am Joseph”—three words that bridge past guilt and pain with hope and reconciliation.

2. Bridges of Forgiveness (Verses 5–11)

   • Redemptive History: Joseph explains that their betrayal was part of God’s salvation plan:

     • Not out of anger, but “for your sake” God sent him ahead.

     • Pharaoh’s decree is seen as divine providence empowering him to save Israel.

   • Family Invitation: He urges them to bring Jacob down to Goshen, promising provision for five more years of famine.

3. Signs of Truth and Affection (Verses 12–15)

   • Eyewitness Testimony: Joseph reminds them that Benjamin and the others have heard his words firsthand.

   • Affectionate Embrace: Hugs and kisses emphasize the depth of their reconciliation.

4. Pharaoh’s Generosity (Verses 16–20)

   • Royal Favor: Pharaoh welcomes the family, provides carts, provisions, and land.

   • International Recognition: Allowing Egyptian carts to accompany them signals honor.

5. Return and Renewed Faith (Verses 21–28)

   • Journey to Canaan: Clothed in finery with gifts in hand, they set out.

   • Jacob’s Initial Doubt: He struggles to believe until he sees the carts.

   • Confession of Contentment: “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive”—an expression of deepest joy.

6. Theological Reflection

   • Justice and Mercy: Joseph’s forgiveness shows how divine justice culminates in mercy.

   • Providence in Betrayal: Human treachery and suffering become part of God’s greater plan to save His people.

   • Reconciliation Bridge-Builder: Joseph is a type of Christ, the ultimate reconciler of God and humanity.

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Summary

Joseph reveals himself to his brothers after years of hardship, explaining that God used their betrayal to preserve the family during famine. Empowered by divine favor, he invites Jacob and the household to settle in Egypt, leading to Jacob’s joyous proclamation of his son’s life.

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Message for Today

• Practice Forgiveness: Like Joseph, we can forgive those who hurt us instead of seeking vengeance.

• Trust God’s Plan: Even our darkest trials can serve God’s purposes and lead to blessing.

• Build Reconciliation: True healing requires courage to face one another and mend broken relationships.

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May 25 – 31, 2025

WEEKLY SPIRIT OF PROPHECY READING

Ellen G. White │ Patriarchs and Prophets – Chapter 7

The Flood

Read online here

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Introduction

In a world once of paradisiacal beauty, deep corruption reigned: idolatry, violence, and moral decay had driven out trust in the Creator. When God saw that “every intent of the thoughts of [people’s] hearts was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5), He announced a worldwide judgment by water—and at the same time provided a means of rescue: Noah’s Ark.

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Commentary

1.The Earth’s Fatal Condition

• • Corrupted by idolatry and self-deification

  • Adultery, violence, and licentiousness: violations of God’s order for life

2.Noah’s Commission and Preparation

• • 120 years of Ark-building as a living warning

  • Preaching repentance and extending an invitation to salvation

3.God’s Deliverance for Noah and His Family

• • The Ark as a sign of divine grace and obedience

  • The closing of the door: the end of all opportunity for repentance

4.The Day of Judgment in the Flood

• • The bursting of the subterranean springs and the opening of the heavens

  • Destruction of the unrepentant; preservation of the righteous

5.A Type of the Final Judgment

• • Parallels between Noah’s day and the last days (Matt. 24:38–39; 2 Pet. 3)

  • God’s warning and invitation remain in effect until Christ’s return

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Summary

The pre-Flood generation abused God’s gifts and life itself, denied Him, and forged their own destruction in sin. God revealed His judgment to Noah, yet at the same time offered rescue to him and his family through the Ark. Those who heeded God’s call were saved; those who persisted in rebellion were swept away in judgment. The Flood displays both God’s holy justice and His merciful deliverance for all who believe and obey.

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Message for Us Today

• Watchfulness and Repentance: As in Noah’s day, our hearts can easily be seized by selfishness and excess. God’s warning calls us to turn from sin and live holy lives.

• Obedience as Deliverance: Those who heed God’s voice and walk in His ways find rescue—not by their own merit, but by His grace.

• Eschatological Parallel: The Flood is a sobering picture of Christ’s coming judgment. Let us prepare by living in faith, shunning sin, and sharing the saving message with others.