Sabbath School Lesson for October 24-30, 2026
Introduction to Lesson 5, Revelation and Inspiration
Memory Text: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants–things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things he saw” Revelation 1:1, 2 NKJV
The first two verses of Revelation describe the delivery chain of those who enabled John to receive and transmit messages from God. The messages came from God the Father, to Jesus Christ, to an angel, to the appointed prophet, and finally to the readers and hearers of the message.
It’s important to know how God manifests Himself to humans through the process of revelation, and then inspires the prophets with ways to share His message. Both revelation and inspiration are necessary for God’s plan of salvation to reach all of us.
We know John to be one of the twelve apostles who was very close to Jesus. After Christ was gone from their midst, John continued ministering in Jerusalem, and later moved to a church in Ephesus in the Roman province of Asia Minor. Roman Emperor Domitian persecuted Christians there, resulting in John’s banishment to the island of Patmos, a remote, sparsely-populated place where John received a number of revelations from God.
This week, we’ll explore:
- Sunday: General and Special Revelation
- Monday: The Process of Inspiration
- Tuesday: Oral Messages
- Wednesday: Written Messages
- Thursday: Drama, Symbols, Parables
- Friday: Ellen G. White on Revelation and Inspiration
Sunday: General and Special Revelation
Before Adam and Eve sinned, God was clearly seen and understood through the natural beauty of the world around them. God walked and talked with them directly in the Garden, and they easily felt His infinite power and love in such a peaceful, perfect environment.
This revelation of Himself is known today as general revelation. Even after sin marred our natural world, we get glimpses of God’s healing, caring attributes by observing nature.
It’s been necessary, however, to supplement the ambiguous revelation of nature, marred as it has been with evil, with special manifestations of God. Through Scripture and Jesus’ own life and ministry, we can more fully understand the way God wants to save us from the evil that now surrounds us.
Verses for reflection and discussion:
Psalm 19:1 and Romans 1:20
- What can we still know about God through the general revelation given to us through nature?
Matthew 13:24-30
- What can we learn from the parable of the wheat and the tares?
- How has sin changed our natural world, making it necessary for special revelations from God?
Hebrews 1:1-2, John 5:39, and John 1:14
- In what two ways has God reached out to communicate with us with special revelations?
- What’s the difference between the word of God and Jesus, the Word made flesh?
Monday: The Process of Inspiration
Prophets received messages from God in various ways, which included: visions and dreams (Numbers 12:6), eyewitnesses (1 John 1:1-3), and divine impressions on the mind (2 Peter 1:21). Other chosen ways to make His will known to ancient Israel were through the casting of lots and the Urim and Thummim worn by the high priest.
Much of God’s communication with mankind has been preserved in the Holy Scriptures. The Bible is meant to be our source of doctrine, and is useful for instruction, correction, and to make us wise. See 2 Timothy 3:15,16.
Other inspirational ways of getting God’s messages out to the people besides writing them down, were to preach them and sometimes act them out. Both Hosea (Hosea 1:2) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 4:1-8), for example, were told to dramatize their messages in such a way that made them obvious and memorable.
Verses for reflection and discussion:
2 Timothy 3:15-17 and James 1:17
- How are we to use the Bible?
- Why can we trust the Bible record? What makes it so trustworthy?
Tuesday: Oral Messages
Some prophets heard God speak audibly, including Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. How comforting to know that when God speaks this way, just as He did with Adam and Eve in the Garden, there is no miscommunication or deception possible on God’s part. His messaging is totally clear and reliable.
As we know, there were several prophets who did not preserve God’s messages in written form, as some had been instructed to do. But they were fully committed to sharing them orally. Their spoken word also reached many people.
Of course, Noah comes to mind, as a preacher of righteousness who faithfully warned for years about the coming flood. Other noncanonical prophets whose words are not found in the Bible are Nathan, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. Even Jesus of Nazareth taught and preached orally during His earthly ministry. And it was said that He did so “as one having authority” (Matthew 7:29).
Verses for reflection and discussion:
2 Peter 1:19-21
- How did the Bible come to be written?
- How does Bible study bless us and how does it help our relationship with God?
Wednesday: Written Messages
God told certain prophets to record the messages given to them. These written messages were helpful in making God’s revelations permanent and available to more people. Moses, for example, was told to write things “for a memorial” (Exodus 17:14). This prophet thankfully provided us with the first five books of the Bible, Psalm 90, and the book of Job.
Roughly 30-40 other authors have contributed to the 66-book Holy Bible as we know it today. It was written over a 1,500-year timespan, in three languages, from three continents: Asia, Europe, and Africa. Amazingly, although they wrote in their own style, often expressing their personal reactions, we find a harmonizing thread throughout its pages, showing us who God is and what His plans are for us.
Some parts of the Bible are more relevant to us now, but all the Scriptures deserve our attention, because they point to the Messiah. They are meant to instruct and grow our faith in God’s love for us, making us fit vessels for use in His service.
Verses for reflection and discussion:
Exodus 17:14, John 20:30, 31, 1 Corinthians 10:11, and Revelation 1:19
- Why were prophets told to write God’s words, and what can the Bible do for us?
- How have you personally benefited from studying the Bible?
Thursday: Dramas, Symbols, Parables
Hosea and Ezekiel were two prophets who were told to dramatize their revelations from God. But, perhaps a more prominent pictographic representation was the sacrificial system in the Old Testament. The whole sanctuary structure and services, including its furniture and feast days, were dramatically symbolic of who Jesus is. It’s all about Him as our Lamb, Priest, and King.
If we’re looking for symbols, they also abound in the books of Daniel and Revelation, where kingdoms and powers are represented by different metal parts of a great image, or by beasts and horns. Many descriptions found in these books are symbolic and help us understand our ongoing struggle with the powers of evil.
Some of God’s messengers found it helpful to use stories, or parables, to reach people. For example, Nathan’s delicate way of rebuking King David for his sin with Bathsheba was to use a story (2 Samuel 12). Jesus, of course, used many symbols and parables in His earthly ministry. He described Himself as the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, and the True Vine. And several parables made His lessons more relatable and memorable as well.
Verses for reflection and discussion:
Hebrews 8:1-6 and Psalm 77:13
- Why is it easier for us to know about God through the sanctuary service?
- What can we still learn from studying the sanctuary, even though its services have ended?
1 Corinthians 2:9
- How does this help explain why so much symbolic language is used in Daniel and Revelation?
- What might be other reasons why these prophetic books are so full of symbols?
Matthew 13:34, 35
- Why did Jesus use so many parables?
- Why do you think He sometimes explained them, but sometimes chose not to?
Friday: Ellen G. White on Revelation and Inspiration
Ellen G. White is thought by Seventh-day Adventists to have been divinely inspired. She repeatedly uplifted the Bible as the authoritative revelation of God, and her writings have helped draw many to God’s word. Knowing her views on revelation and inspiration should prevent us from carelessly using her words or the Bible in ways they weren’t intended.
It’s important to remember that God communicated His messages, but the prophet used his or her own language to convey them to others. In other words, it is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the prophet himself who was inspired, based on 2 Peter 1:21.
She described this “thought inspiration” as a union of divine revelation and human experience. She expressed it this way: “The Bible, with its God-given truths expressed in the language of men, presents a union of divine and the human.” Selected Messages, book 1, pa. 25.
This revelation and inspiration process makes it easier for us to absorb and use God’s truths in ways that make sense to us, as humans. It is also why God became flesh and came to us in the person of Jesus.
Next Week: The Prophetic Writings
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