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Lesson 12, End-Time Prophetic Revelations, begins with a legal idea called a sunset provision, a clause that automatically ends a law on a set date. Governments sometimes use these in emergencies. Did God build a sunset provision into the gift of prophecy, so that it would stop before Jesus returns? That is the question behind this week's study. Sunday looks at Joel's promise of the Spirit and what kind of prophecy it is. Monday shows how Peter applied Joel at Pentecost, and Tuesday looks at the gifts of the Spirit and what biblical prophets have in common. Wednesday turns to Revelation 12 and the end-time remnant. The last two days bring it together. Thursday asks what modern manifestations of the gift should look like, and Friday shows that the purpose of the gift is mission. The lesson's answer is that Scripture never sets an expiration date on the gift of prophecy. Joel promised it, Pentecost began its fulfillment, Revelation 12:17 points to it among God's people at the end, and Adventists understand Ellen White's ministry as an example of that promise. Throughout, the test remains the same: does the message exalt Jesus, call for repentance, and lead people into mission? The Promise of Joel Joel was a prophet writing in about the seventh century B.C., but his words reach far beyond his own day. Theologians distinguish between classical prophecy, which deals with concrete nations, names, and numbers, like Jeremiah 25, and apocalyptic prophecy, which uses symbols, cosmic signs, and symbolic numbers, like Daniel 7. Joel 2:28-31 belongs to the apocalyptic kind, so we should expect its fulfillment in the future, not in Joel's lifetime. The gift appears before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. His cosmic signs, the sun darkened and the moon turned to blood, match Jesus' end-time teaching (Matt. 24:29) and Revelation 6:12, 13. If so many prophecies have already come true, we have every reason to trust those still ahead, such as the second coming of Christ. Pentecost Acts 2 contains one of the longest quotations from the Old Testament anywhere in the New. Peter applied Joel to the events of his day, pointing to the darkened sun at the crucifixion as a partial sign (Mark 15:33). Joel 2:23 speaks of the early and the latter rain, and Pentecost fulfilled the early rain. The latter rain is the final outpouring just before the end. Prophecy is not only about predicting the future. When Peter spoke, the people were convicted and asked what to do, and he told them to repent and be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist also joined a message about Christ's coming with a call to repentance (Matt. 3:2). The prophets of the last days will do the same, calling for repentance, pointing to Jesus, and guiding God's end-time church. Even then, the first reaction of the crowd was to suspect that the disciples were drunk, a reminder that people often look for a natural explanation when faced with the supernatural. Gifts of the Spirit The New Testament has several lists of spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:8-10, 28; Eph. 4:11), and prophecy appears in all of them, which suggests it is among the most important. The purpose of the gifts is to build up the church and proclaim the gospel (Eph. 4:11-14). The lesson also lists seven general features of biblical prophets: they are called by God, often feeling unworthy; God speaks through visions, dreams, or words; prophets may experience physical effects, as Daniel did; they communicate orally, by symbolic acts, or in writing; their messages agree with earlier prophets; their messages and their lives bear witness to their source; and Satan counterfeits the gift, so false prophets will appear in the last days (Matt. 24:24). The End-Time Remnant Revelation 12 summarizes the great controversy from its beginning in heaven to the last days. Verse 17 describes the end-time people of God as those who keep the commandments of God, including the Sabbath, and who have the testimony of Jesus. Translations differ on whether this means the testimony that believers bear about Jesus or the testimony that Jesus gives to His church. The Greek allows either reading, but the lesson argues that, since the commandments clearly come from God, the testimony of Jesus comes from Him as well. Revelation 19:10 says that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, and Revelation 22:9 links John with the prophets. Just as God sent prophets to Israel and to the early church, He will send them in the last days. Modern Manifestations Pentecost in A.D. 31 is a preview of the end-time outpouring, though on a smaller scale. It exalted Jesus, produced widespread repentance, and created a people equipped for God's mission, and Peter's Christ-centered sermon led about three thousand people to be baptized. Ellen White wrote that the former rain caused the seed to spring up, and the latter rain will ripen the harvest (The Great Controversy, p. 611). The end-time gift will be open to young and old, men and women, and the Holy Spirit chooses the messengers. Every true message will exalt Jesus, call for repentance, and prepare people for mission, and the lesson says these three marks characterized Ellen White's ministry. All About Mission According to Ephesians 4, spiritual gifts exist to advance God's mission, and Ellen White's ministry had the same purpose. She wrote that Adventists should lead other Christians in lifting up Christ, and that the third angel's message, including the Sabbath, must keep Christ as its central attraction (Gospel Workers, pp. 156, 157). She called for far greater personal effort from every church member, with no idlers in the Lord's work (Evangelism, pp. 113, 115). She herself served as a missionary in Europe in the 1880s and in Australia in the 1890s. The lesson also warns that Satan is enraged at God's end-time people (Rev. 12:17) and tries to discredit the prophetic gift, calling it irrelevant, labeling her a false prophet, or, most effectively, keeping this generation from reading her writings for themselves. Christ Connection The testimony of Jesus is not merely a set of prophetic claims. It is the voice of Jesus Himself guiding His people. Every gift of the Spirit exists to lead us back to Him, and every true prophetic message holds Him up. The One who promised the Spirit at Pentecost is the One who will return for His people. Reflection and Application 1. Since the Bible never sets an end date for the gift of prophecy, what should we expect from God in the last days? 2. Why do people often look for a natural explanation even when faced with the supernatural? 3. According to Ephesians 4:11-14, why does God give these gifts to the church, and how does prophecy help accomplish it? 4. What does it mean to "have" the testimony of Jesus, and how can we use the gift God has given with care and gratitude? 5. Satan wants to keep us from reading the prophetic writings for ourselves. What can we do this week to read them firsthand and keep Christ at the center? ✨ In essence: "End-Time Prophetic Revelations" assures us that God has not gone silent. The promise of Joel, begun at Pentecost and carried through to the last days, is that the Spirit will guide, correct, and encourage His people until Jesus returns, and that every true voice will point to Him.