April - May - June 2002
Adult SDA Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly

When Jesus returns, He will destroy our sinful nature without——in the process—destroying us. This would be impossible but for the Cross of Christ. The power of the sacrifice makes it possible for Christ to manifest the power that transforms our nature to a glorious one, free from the corrupting presence of sin. This will happen in a moment, "in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye"! (1 Cor. 15:52, NIV).

Please note the following points in conclusion to this week's study:

1. Vicarius Filii Dei (Vicar of the Son of God). Since the Reformation, this papal title has been used to calculate the number 666. But there are several questions that should make us cautious. First, it is not clear that this title is an official one. Second, there is no clear indication in Revelation 13 that the number is based on the numerical value of the letters of a name. The phrase "it is the number of a man" (vs. 18, NIV) could be translated "it is the number of [humanity]"; that is, of humans separated from God. Third, those who insist in counting the numerical value of letters confront the problem of deciding which language will be used. Because the text does not identify any language, the selection of a particular one will be somewhat arbitrary. At the present time, the symbolism of intensified rebellion, six used three times, and total independence from God seem to be the best option. Time will reveal the full meaning of the symbol.

Why do we say that those who keep Sunday do not have the mark of the beast now? Why is it important that we make this point clear?

The number of the beast. The mark, the name, and the number of the beast are closely related (Rev. 13:17). Many suggestions have been made to explain the meaning of 666. Here we must be very careful. The Bible does not say that the number is the added numerical value of the letters of a name. Some see in the meaning of 666 a symbol of humanity separated from God. Humans were created on the sixth day, and the number can stand as a symbol for humanity without divine rest (the seventh day). Humans have claimed ultimate independence from God (the cause of their fall), and even now they do not want to find rest in Christ.

Over the years, numerous Bible students have come up with various explanations for the 666. Some found significance in the fact that if you added up the number of letters in the name of a former president of the United States, Ronald Wilson Reagan, it came to 666; others saw meaning in that, years ago, all the buses in Jerusalem had 666 on their license plates. This is futile speculation that adds nothing toward understanding truth. The important point is that God's Word has given us enough information to know what the key issues are and who the players will be in the last days, even if we do not know all the details for now, such as the precise meaning of 666.

Quarterly Website: http://www.ssnet.org/qrtrly/eng/02b/

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The first passage in the quarterly you point out is extremely interesting. Note its tricky grammatical construction: "When Jesus comes, He will destroy our sinful nature without--in the process--destroying us. " To the not-so-observant eye one would think it is saying that when Jesus returns, He will destroy our sinful nature, and then destoy us. The key to the misleading construction are the dashes at each end of the phrase: "in the process," and the addition of the phrase itself. This particular part of the sentence renders the word "without' ambiguous in the sentence. But to the critical reader, this distraction is innocuous. It is very interesting that I missed this the first time I read it, and only realized it's artful construction reading it a second time. When I read it the second time I noticed the trickery, if you want to call it that, immediately. Note that a lot of people complained about the 666 issue (even Jan Marcussen in his newsletter reported on this), but have not heard any one mention the passage referring to our sinful nature when Christ returns. I think most people missed it because of the deceptive nature of the construction of the passage. Amazing. For as long as I can remember, Ellen White made it very clear that when Christ returns it will not be to change our sinful nature, but to transform all His saints into His glorious nature who have completely conquered self way before the close of probation.

Sincerely,

RT

Contributed by: Rick Love