My many thanks to all whose efforts, and research, put this work together. { John B)
NOTE( JB ) : This is a magazine, which is sent each week, to all Baptized members, yet the message is most profound to all human beings, hence this post!
The Author Martin Weber, is the maker of Logos Bible Software, and a Product manager for Faithlife. Therefore we can all, in truth, that his writings are biblically sound, and not personal ideas, as so many are taught from the many Pulpits, today and .... for eons, past!
What's happening with the Seventh-day Adventist church? Members world-wide are worried about this month's Annual Council, where global representatives will debate what should happen to elected leaders and their constituencies who are "out of compliance" with church policy on woman's ordination. {To be recognized officially as Pastors}
Most of us have strong convictions one way or the other. Whatever yours may be, I respect your conscience. Seeking common ground upon which we can stand together. { JB in love for Jesus) I am hoping here to encourage you with all Seventh-day Adventists have in common-- no matter what gets voted at the Annual Council. I'm thinking specifically about our Fundamental Beliefs Based upon Scripture, they{ JB, MUST) transcend all committee actions and church policies.
Note (JB): Any decision on this emotional fact, must be based upon Scripture, and not any kind of modern P.C. Political Correctness!, Which is seldom correct. Please know, I do not have the space restrictions that Mr. Weber had.
Christians {J B of all Christian faiths) around us believe in Jesus, yet suffer confusion regarding "The Truth that is in Jesus"....
Ephesians 4:19-23 " Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;"
But God has entrusted those who follow His word, with a coherent and compelling system of truths that no other denomination teaches or defends. These doctrines are intrinsically grace-based and Christ centered, ( despite being catastrophically misrepresented by well intentioned legalists throughout history)
When unencumbered by unbiblical baggage Adventist beliefs exude a spiritual and psychological life and health messages. Moreover, our doctrines uniquely support God's grand narrative of Eden lost to Eden restored.
NOTE (JB): I personally look at the Holy Scriptures, as a circle, a loop, wherein the end comes back to the end of Genesis 2nd chapter, and Eden upon the entire earth, which the meek will have for their inheritance with Jesus! Your careful reading of Revelation 21-22 and Genesis 1-2 chapters will show this. All Scriptures in between these two base points,which are Jesus showing us how to live this portions of our probation, to be ready for the Kingdom!
Please, consider, for one example, about our teaching about hell. Most Christians deny that God will put and end to evil {and JB. to death itself). Many teach and hold, that their notion of eternal hell ceasely mingles with the screams of damned souls with the cursings of demons. And that nightmare is supposedly happening now as loved ones who died away from Jesus are already writhing in the flames.
NOTE ( JB ):
for this to be factually correct, it MUST mean that God, is much more cruel that humanity, PLUS, the mere fact, that He must also give eternal life to all sinners, thus perpetuating sin itself! That's three (3) huge facts that can't find a fit in Scripture, anywhere! Thus is ONLY the "Traditions of men"....
Mark 7:13 " Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye."
Examples? Sunday the first day of the week worship, in-place of the Seventh-day Sabbath {Daniel 7:25. Exodus 20:8-11}
Eternal Life for the souls:Genesis 3:19 " In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. and Ecclesiastes 9:4-7 "For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works."
Who can not fail to see the validity of Mark 7:13 within the two above passages? The "TRADITIONS OF MEN"! Purgatory, indeed..... Just another "REVENUE STREAM".
REFORMING THE REFORMATION.
FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, this month, October, Martin Luther thundered in his 95 Theses against purgatory, which purports that even saved people suffer in flames upon death--- being purged from their sins to become perfect enough for heaven.
NOTE (JB ): Excuse me, but do not this very same organization, claims that it's priests do HAVE the POWER to forgive all sins? Then why, WHY, the need of purgatory's flames to purify all souls? Can you say OXYMORON? This is the result of straying away from Bible principles, and creating human traditions!
Yet some Protestants envision a worse hell than Catholics do--- that God has PREDESTINED billions to be lost before they are even born!
2 Peter 3:9 " The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
Psalms 98:9 "Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity."
Thus as per these folks, even the non-believer that plows the snow out of your drive-way each snow -fall, is already condemned, perhaps even before birth,....... without any chance of being saved, even if its his or hers greatest wish,??? Oh- so, non-Biblical, right? What kind of monstrous God do they believe in? A God more cruel than any man? Is God less just than men or man? {JB these must equate God with their levels morality]
Is it any wonder, why so many reject such monstrosity and despise religion, today? Some Christians, in desperation, to salvage God's reputation amid the endless tyranny, have invented a kinder and gentler hell, involving eternal darkness rather than painful flames. Well, just sit inside your own closet at night, with the door shut, and no lights on in the house, and sit there for an hour, IF YOU CAN, now think how this would be for eternity, and not go stark raving mad!
Granted, there are 'figures of speech' in Scripture, we use then today,right Terribly awesome, or bad, are both as such.yet the actual meaning is clear to most.
Popular views of eternal punishments utterly violate the Gospel, the Gift of Jesus Christ Himself. People who reject Christ shall perish....
John 3:16 " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
NOTE ( JB) : Thus whomsoever, does not BELIEVE shall perish, at His return! How do we know this?
Matthew 24:28 " For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. "
Luke 17:37 " And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together."
Let's look at 1 John 5:12. shall we?
1 John 5:12 " He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."
NOTE (JB): So it is for all those who obey the laws of men, Such as abortion, drug addictions, Sunday Worship, on the First day of the week, in place of the Seventh-day Sabbath. Gen.2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11,.
Isaiah 66:22-23;
Luke 4:14-16 "And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read"
Was Jesus not sent to earth, to set the example, for us? Can man save YOU, or self? They why obey men, and disobey God? Remember traditions of men? read Matthew 15:3,6: Mark 7:3,8,9: Colossians 2:8: 1 Peter 1:18, all have remarks about human traditions, over God's Truth!
God alone, hath immortality, within Himself, thus can give it to whomever He pleases....
1 Timothy 6:16 "Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen."
So the question remains, "Who are those without Christ, yet thinking they can gain eternal life, without Him?" No wonder more and more Christians embrace annihilationism, ( to be totally destroyed) [visit the fascinating site rethinkinghell.com]
Another concern about eternal hell is the denial of Christ's FINISHED sacrifice, Evangelicals say Christ took all punishment for sin on the cross, BUT HE HUNG THERE FOR JUST PART OF THE DAY, NOT FOR ALL ETERNITY! SO if....if eternal punishment, ( either by flames or darkness) they must believe in the erroneous fact, that Jesus did NOT suffer enough! THIS DENIES THE GOSPEL!
GRACE BASED TRUTH: THE ADVENTIST ADVANTAGE.
Amid popular confusion, Adventists stand united in proclaiming our loving God Who will not eternalize punishments for a few decades of unbelief. There will be a merciful closure, with peace on the remade earth forever. What's more, we will all go together in community , when Jesus comes, again. Not to float away at death as isolated spirits!
1 Corinthians 15:50-54 " Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."
NOTE (JB) : All of God's saints, shall have the same Glorious Body that Jesus has now, and shall have ever more.
I n the light of God's Grace and truth, Adventists ought to be the happiest Christians in town, Yet we are not, be looking for the why in another column. But let us be aware of arrogance, since Jesus warns us...
Luke 12:48 "But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more."
So let's expect the best from our leaders at the Annual Council, this month., yet if they vote against your will, our message remains the same, cherish His truth, as He has given it, and share , with love, to your fellow man!
NOTE (JB): This tired old body of mine, can no longer get around, as it used to, but it can still work a keyboard, and to date there's been 60,000 plus views to these three blogs,. How effective have they been, in planting seed, for Jesus? He shall tell me on the day of His return! Yet it is my prayer dear reader, that a seed has been planted within YOU, that shall grow, and be able to stand in THAT DAY! Because YOU name is written, by God's judgment, in the Book of Life!
Thanking Y O U for your time. Questions? Comments? John at servant@frontier.com
Want/Need more? Visit your Seventh-day Adventist Church, any Saturday/Sabbath, 9-10 AM, and learn there's a place for Y O U in heaven, no other can fill.
Other sites: AFTV.org. BLBN.org. Amazingdiscoveries.org . redeem.international , itiswritten.com
servantsite@wordpress.com
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