END-TIME: DISAPPOINTMENT Where Are You, Lord? February 7, 2015 periods, but in the event to take place at the 1 PREPARING end of the 2300 days. Through this error the be- lievers had suffered disappointment, yet all that A. THE SOURCE was foretold by the prophecy, and all that they had any Scripture warrant to expect, had been Exodus 25:8 (NIV) • “Then have them make a accomplished. At the very time when they were sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” lamenting the failure of their hopes, the event had taken place which was foretold by the mes- Hebrews 8:5 (NIV) • “They serve at a sanctuary sage, and which must be fulfilled before the Lord that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. could appear to give reward to His servants.” This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) • “‘For I know the plans I make everything according to the pattern shown have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to pros- you on the mountain.’” per you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” John 14:6 (KJV) • “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (See additional passages in student material.) Daniel 8:14 (KJV) • “And he said unto me, Unto B. WHAT’S TO BE SAID ABOUT two thousand and three hundred days; then “DISAPPOINTMENT” shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” This week’s lesson deals with two insepa- Numbers 14:34 (KJV) • “After the number of rable subjects, the Great Disappointment and the days in which ye searched the land, even the Heavenly Sanctuary. Both reflect issues that forty days, each day for a year.” gave special formation to what emerged as the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Both features, Daniel 9:25 (KJV) • “Know therefore and un- moreover, are related to October 22, 1844 in derstand, that from the going forth of the com- special ways and reach across the gap of the mandment to restore and to build Jerusalem centuries to us in equally significant ways. unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven The nineteenth-century events surrounding weeks.” our subject are fascinating. Picture God calling a New England farmer and former agnostic, The Great Controversy, p. 424 • “The mistake William Miller, to warn a self-satisfied people had not been in the reckoning of the prophetic about the Judgment and Jesus’ Second Coming! Lesson 6 • February 7, 2015 - End-time: Disappointment • 67 Gaining from 50,000 to 100,000 followers who dent script provided with Beginning Activity A came from all walks of life, he preached his and four students to play the parts of a nine- solemn message from 1831 to 1844. In the pro- teenth-century disappointment scene; period cess, he gained many critics, who rejected his costume is optional ; (Activity B) four copies of message and labeled him and his followers de- student script provided with Beginning Activity luded fanatics. Unmoved, the Millerites pressed B and the previous four students to enact the on, sure that Jesus would return to earth on script; period costume is optional. (Distribute October 22 and institute His heavenly kingdom. scripts to students beforehand, so that they will Imagine their keen disappointment when be prepared to do their best on Sabbath.) October 23 dawned and Jesus had not come! But imagine, also, their joy when God revealed Connecting • Pictures of Advent pioneers, through vision and Scripture the real event that Bibles, student lessons. had occurred! Imagine what blessings they experienced as they understood the far-reach- Applying • Bibles. ing implications of the sanctuary service! For them, it proved that a personal, loving God was undeniably in control of a movement that was 2 BRIDGING destined to succeed—whatever assaults men or demons would launch against it! As spiritual descendants of the Advent A. WHERE WE’VE BEEN BEFORE pioneers, we likewise find this week’s lesson relevant and comforting. Just as He comforted Allow 10 minutes as students are arriving to: and energized them amidst their daunting cir- 1. Ask them which verse they chose to learn cumstances, Jesus comforts and energizes us in from Wednesday’s section of their lesson. our individual challenges and disappointments of Give them opportunity to say their verses twenty-first century life. He uses the sanctuary from memory. service to show us that He is as much in control 2. Give the students opportunity to “quote” of our lives as He is the movement of which we themselves, using what they wrote in are a part. Using us, He reaches out to include Monday’s section of their lesson. Be sure as many as possible in this movement that is to debrief them about any quotations that soon to triumph in His second coming. might not reflect the Christian life accu- rately. However, quotations of this nature C. WHERE WE’RE GOING WITH do not occur in every lesson. “DISAPPOINTMENT” 3. Review responses that they and others made to the scenario that was posed As a result of this lesson, we would like the on Sunday. Discuss the variety of re- students to be able to: sponses, ending with thoughts from last 1. Understand the reason for the Great week’s What’s to Be Said About . in the Disappointment. teacher lesson. 2. Discover the sanctuary’s role in alleviating If you have a very large group, have adults the Disappointment and our own prob- available to process this section with smaller lems. groups of students. 3. Know that a loving God is leading His peo- ple to inevitable victory. B. OTHER SABBATH SCHOOL COMPONENTS D. MATERIALS NEEDED >> Song service Beginning • (Activity A) four copies of stu- >> Mission emphasis (find a link for Adventist 68 • February 7, 2015 - End-time: Disappointment • Lesson 6 Mission for Youth and Adult at for years and years. And Mother became so www.realtimefaith.net) much nicer, too. >> Service project reports Mary (brightening): And God made church and the Bible seem enjoyable. The meetings were like heaven to me, and I couldn’t get 3 BEGINNING enough of them! When I read about Jesus, He seemed as real as you are—and as close to me as you are now! NOTE TO TEACHER: Put together your own pro- Clara: Yes, I felt the same way. Only it’s so gram with options from the categories below— difficult now that we’re still here on Earth and not Beginning, Connecting, Applying, and Closing. in heaven with Him. So difficult now that Father’s Please keep in mind, however, that the students wanting to go to the taverns again and Mother’s need to have an opportunity to be interactive getting crosser and crosser by the minute. (Sighs) (participate actively and with one another) and Mary: It is difficult, Clara. But we mustn’t to study from the Word. At some point you give up. We must pray for them. I just know God should distribute or call their attention to their will hear our prayers. He’ll help us and tell us student lesson for this week. why Jesus hasn’t come! (Characters are to “freeze” while the A. BEGINNING ACTIVITY teacher quickly debriefs the class). Get ready • You will need 8" x 10" pictures, por- Debriefing • Ask: Are religion, God, and the traits, or crayon drawings of a few Adventist pio- Bible only for adults? What do Clara and Mary neers, with their names beneath the illustrations; show about the children and youth who were a boy and two girls; a table and three chairs. waiting for Jesus to come in 1844? (They were just as disappointed as the adults.) How does Get set • Use pictures of Adventist pioneers as Mary propose dealing with their disappoint- backdrops on a wall. Set up table and chairs, as ment? Is this an effective strategy? in a room. Have girls in room talking with each other, while boy remains outside, prior to knock- B. BEGINNING ACTIVITY ing on the “door.” Get ready • The above materials and characters Go • Have students act out the following skit: are also to be used for this activity. “From Disappointment to Happiness” (Part One). Get set • The situation described above forms Mary (sobbing): Clara, I just don’t know the foundation for the activity in this section. why He hasn’t come . Clara (rather crossly): Especially after He Go • After the Debriefing, the characters promised He would! Mother and Father are unfreeze to present the following: “From really upset. Everybody’s making fun of us and Disappointment to Happiness” (Part Two). telling us there isn’t a heaven, after all. Some An excited knocking is heard at the door, even say there’s no God! startling Mary. Mary (bursting into fresh tears): But there Mary: Whoever can that be? is! There is a God—and a heaven, too! He’s been Clara (crossing to the door): Whoever’s so good to me, you, and all the others since we there sure wants to get in quickly. (Opening the believed Elder Miller’s message of Jesus’ coming. door) Oh, it’s you, Peter! Clara (softening): Yes, you’re right. Father Peter: Yes! And I’ve got good news! stopped drinking after he attended the meetings, Clara: We can really use some of that even though he’d been trying to stop by himself around here today. Lesson 6 • February 7, 2015 - End-time: Disappointment • 69 Mary (excitedly): What’s the news, Peter.