The morning Manna will be provided at 6am. Thanks.

Studying In the Crucible with Christ in the SSnet.org series Lesson 4, may the Holy Spirit be the speaker to your heart.

The Topic today is: "Character development"

The Opening Hymn will be 229 "Spirit of the Living God"

The Sabbath School Quarterly, downloadable from SSnet.org in the Teacher's Edition is on page 47 and for the laymen edition or Standard Edition, on page 33.

The SSnet.org site allows anyone, anywhere to read the lesson in their own language. Choose your own language to see God speaking also to your heart.

---Today's lesson explains Jesus' Last words to His disciples and two parables stands out in the lesson: the ten virgins and the parable of the sheep and goats.

---It is Last Generation Theology at its best.

---Suppose you say like H. K. LaRondelle in his thinking and George Knight following his teachers also, teachers who also followed Karl Barth when he influenced Protestantism in the 1960's and 1970's with his thoughts, thoughts that said that the regenerated Christian is at the same time sinner and saint and will stay so until Jesus comes.

---Think about it: cannot change until Jesus Comes: cannot fully 100% be obedient; cannot fully 100% keep the Law of God; cannot fully 100% be perfect; thus character perfection is a constant evasion and Last Generation Theology an imagination not tenable.

---Ellen White and the Bible is full of Last Generation Theology. Full of "overcoming statements". They are with Jesus telling the woman of John 8: "Go and sin no more".

---Was Jesus just teasing the woman?

---Ellen White in her writings says that we have to attain perfection of character. She says that the oil that the virgin had to prepare is both the Holy Spirit and character development.

---Mind you, she does not allow for any inherited habits and acquired ones to reign in our lives eventually.

---She is on the same page with Reformed Theologians, LaRondelle and Knight in his cynical works on Adventism, but when they close the book of possibility to reach perfection before the Second Coming, she sticks to Jesus, Paul, John, Peter, James and Luke's words: overcome. To him that overcome I will give right to sit with Me on My throne....

---Sorry Martin Luther, sorry John Calvin, sorry John Wesley, sorry F. Schleiermacher, sorry Martin Hegel, sorry Karl Barth, sorry Gerrit Berkhouwer, sorry Hans K. LaRondelle, sorry George Knight but Jesus is speaking.

---The Eschatology of Didache is found in the last chapter, namely 16.

---For a Seventh-day Adventist the situation of the Didache is clear: it is evidence of the apostasy that crept into the church after the death of the last apostle, John circa 97 A.D.

---Whether on Sabbath or whether on Baptism, Didache is non-biblical.

---The Perfection expectation before the Second Coming in Didache 16:2 is very relevant in the Biblical Theology and Ellen White.

---(Kirsopp Lake) 2”But be frequently gathered together seeking the things which are profitable for your souls, for the whole time of your faith shall not profit you except ye be found perfect at the last time.”

---This translation is very literal by Lake and it definitely illustrates the requirement of perfection in sanctification so commonly found in the Old Testament, the preaching of Christ and the apostles. Adventists is familiar with this requirement in the work of Ellen White.

---The doctrine of enabled sanctification is presented in Didache 10:5: 5.

J. Draper translated: “Remember, Lord, your church, to snatch it from all evil and to perfect it in your love and gather it from the four winds having been sanctified into your kingdom which you have prepared for it that you are the power and the glory unto eternity”.

---The role of the biblical sanctification doctrine is untouched in Didache. It is not a case of individual versus corporately but individual as corporately. The body has many members. One individual body but also many members. Each member needs to participate to be part of the body. That is the biblical view of sanctification. The perfection requirement is of all from Adam to Adam in sanctification and the power to attain it is from God.

---But, Didache is still evidence of falsehood that crept into the pure church of John after he died. Therefore it is not biblical.

---Enabling grace is really able, really 100% able and perfection of character and overcoming a must before Christ comes.