HOW TO LIVE A VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIFE: TAKE BREAKS AND SIT WITH GOD

Do you want to rekindle the flame for God? Do you need a refreshing in your Spirit?
Heres how. Take time out for God. Not a few minutes or hours but days in which you and God alone canbe uninterrupted. This shows God you care for him and his work. In fact you will pay dearly without this. We all need refreshings. Extra blessings come when we wait with God.

Season of Waiting

"And when forty years were expired, there
appeared to him in the wilderness…an angel of the
Lord...saying....now come, I will send thee into
Egypt" (Acts 7:30-34).

Often the Lord calls us aside from our work for a
season, and bids us be still and learn ere we go
forth again to minister. There is no time lost in
such waiting hours.

Fleeing from his enemies, the ancient knight
found that his horse needed to be re-shod.
Prudence seemed to urge him on without delay, but
higher wisdom taught him to halt a few minutes at
the blacksmith's forge by the way, to have the
shoe replaced; and although he heard the feet of
his pursuers galloping hard behind, yet he waited
those minutes until his charger was refitted for
his flight. And then, leaping into his saddle
just as they appeared a hundred yards away, he
dashed away from them with the fleetness of the
wind, and knew that his halting had hastened his
escape.

So often God bids us tarry ere we go, and fully
recover ourselves for the next stage of the
journey and work. --Days of Heaven upon Earth

Waiting! Yes, patiently waiting!
Till next steps made plain shall be;
To hear, with the inner hearing,
The Voice that will call for me.

Waiting! Yes, hopefully waiting!
With hope that need not grow dim;
The Master is pledged to guide me,
And my eyes are unto Him.

Waiting! Expectantly waiting!
Perhaps it may be today
The Master will quickly open
The gate to my future way.

Waiting! Yes, waiting! still waiting!
I know, though I've waited long,
That, while He withholds His purpose,
His waiting cannot be wrong.

Waiting! Yes, waiting! still waiting!
The Master will not be late:
He knoweth that I am waiting
For Him to unlatch the gate.
--J. D. Smith

A NEW WAR: DEMOCRATS VERSES GOD

Nancy Pelosi and the democrats took control of the house and senate this January after the voters voiced their discussed at the election booths in November over the way the war was going in Iraq. They may have created a monster.

Since the Democratic dominated government took over, most of their bills have had one focus: get God out of America.
Senate one, which was their first bill to pass was against the people who send emails and calls to public offices about certain topics. They wanted to pass a bill that would censor groups from being able to tell the public what is going on in the White House on what is being voted on. They put this bill out there to sensor Christian groups who can get a large majority of their backers to email or write their Senators and Congressmen on certain issues. The bill did not pass but Pelosi is certain she can reintroduce it in the House later this year.
They also introduced last week a bill known as H254 which is a hate crime bill. This bill opens the door to vote against preaching in the pulpit such things as abortion or homosexuality as we Christians see it.
Another similar bill is against preachers on TV and large churches which would also be considered a lobbyist group. This bill states that any group larger than 500 members is a lobbyist organization and would have to pay dues to the government.

All these things suggest two things to us. We need to act as much as possible on these issues. We are being attacked. Nobody but Christians for what we and our founders stand and have stood for; God, are being attacked. These people who have been voted into office, who pray with us when we are in a bad situation like 911, have stood up again and showed us who they really are: God haters.

THE PAPER TRAIL MAY BE TELLING US SOMETHING

To remember things we tend to write them down. People in the past did the same and has always done this. We know our history because it was written down. We have Gods word because it was written down. When we have an agreement today we write it down so that no one can later down the road refute what was agreed upon. We document the facts as evidence.

We always talk about and debate the age of the earth and life on it and maybe we should look for a documented trail. As I looked for the evidence of writings that have been preserved or discovered I have found an amazing thing. It backs the biblical time table.

The discoverys are stagering. A piece of pottery was found in the Pakistan area with writing on it dates back to about 5500bc. Pakistan is the area where life began as we know it from the biblical writings in the garden of eden. Biblically man has been on the earth about 5000 to 6000 years. The jews have us at about 5800 years old according to their calendar.
The pottery had an inscription that is said to be about a deity.
There has also been discoverys of writings around 3300 bc in Egypt. This would date back to around Moses day.
Other artifact writings have been discovered in the Mesopatamian area dated about 3100bc.
There have been discoverys of writings in the new world dating around 1000 bc in Mexico.

One thing is clear from these discoverys: Cavemen either didnt exsist or didnt write anything down. Not only that but what about people after the cavemen who lived here 10,000 or 20,000 years ago according to evolutionists. These facts weigh heavily against evolution and support the scriptures. I can hardly believe all humans were that stupid for millions of years and then 6000 years ago began to write. This is not possible. The more we discover in our earth the more Gods word is supported.

CAN EVOLUTION AND THE BIBLE COEXIST AS FACT

I have heard a lot lately of how the word of God can coexsist with the evolutionary view on the longjivity of the earths age and its components. Can both exsist together?

WHY THEY CAN
If we take the seven day creation and say one day with the Lord is a number we cant explain because with him there is no real time element then we can say the bible doesnt refute evolution but can go hand and hand with it. The time element would not be a factor.

What about Adam being formed by God? If we claim that Adam being made from the dust was a long process, as evolution teaches, then we can say yes to God forming Adam and yet not contradicting the formation of man through the time and energy factors evolution teaches. Both can be right without compromise. Especially since it states animals were here before man as God created them a day or two earlier of course with no real time applied if we also claim theres no real time table with God.

WHY THEY CANT
The same word used for day in the Hebrew in Genesis 2 is also used in Jonah 1. In other words, a day can only mean a 24 hour time period otherwise the word could not have been used or we would have been given an explaination for the longevity of the creation days.

The word of God says God spoke and it was formed. When Jesus healed he did the same. At his word the body was made whole, the water changed its makeup, the waters calmed themselves at his command, the fish had a coin in its mouth, the fish gathered where he said they would be in the sea, and he raised the dead.
What im saying is, to say God took so much time doing certain things one detail at a time then how could Jesus do things so quickly? Jesus was the word the bible says and that he was with God and the word was God. He was with God at creation and at the word things were made. Jesus did something similar to this at the feeding of the 5000. With a few fish and 5 loathes he fed thousands. He was creating as they put their hand in the baskets. Theres no way around it. If he can create fish in seconds, then he can do the same when it all began.

Maybe out of all the debates and ponderings we forget one thing; hes God. We dont know everything and so we try to explain things we cant understand by our own reasoning. His thoughts and ways are high above ours the word says and this is obvious. Jesus was his example for us to see that he can create, give life, and change things at his command. His words are that powerful. If we doubt the seven actual day creation we only need to look at Jesus and the miracles he did. Its not a mystery after all. God showed us he can do it by Jesus' life. He really is the true example of all things.

We cant truly explain a butterfly, conception, or creation so we make up things that fall miserably short. The rapidness of change of the butterfly and the conception of life from nothing in nine months all show us how flawed the theory of evolution is and so does creation if we look at all the details. It didnt take a sperm millions of years to become an entire being with such intricate parts as an eye not to mention the dna makeup of the individual. We need to look at the earth the same way and just give God the glory.

WHAT IS PRETERISM AND IS IT BIBLICAL? A PRETERIST GIVES HIS VIEW

Preterism essentially means "past in fulfillment." The Preterist sees that while the prophecies of the New Testament concerning our Lord's Return were future to that first-century generation of Christians, they, nevertheless, are not future to us. The Preterist believes that when Christ spoke of the nearness of His Return, He did so in clear, plain, easy to understand language -
When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (Mtt.10:23)
For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. (Mtt.16:27-28)
Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. (Mtt.24:33-34)
It's really not that hard. The only thing that may be standing in your way is how you read your Bible. Do you apply the most basic rule of interpreting the Scriptures - Audience Relevance? Do you seek to understand the meaning of a particular verse or passage through the mind of the original audience? Put yourself in their sandals; because if you don't, you can make Christ's words mean anything you want; and many interpreters have.
"If the Scripture has more than one meaning, it has no meaning at all."
- Dr. John Owen
What would His words have meant TO YOU BACK THEN?If you were a member of the Church in Corinth or Thessalonica, what do you think Paul meant in his epistles written TO YOU BACK THEN?
Behold, I tell YOU a mystery: WE will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.
(I Cor.15:51)
According to the Lord's own word, we tell YOU that WE who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord. (I Thess.4:15)
Or the book of Revelation, written TO the seven churches in Asia?
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass....for the time is at hand. (Rev.1:1, 3)
Preterism is the only interpretive method that consistently maintains audience relevance throughout; and by so doing, it is the ONLY method that can stand on the Scriptures Alone.
Below are some of the main questions given to a preterist.

QUESTION: 1 Thess. 4:16-18 says “the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” How could this be fulfilled already?
ANSWER: One thing that needs to be mentioned right up front is that there is a tremendous similarity between the language here in this context (1 Thess. 4, 5) and Matt. 23-25 (esp. Matt. 24:29-31). There was a great article on this similarity in the Nov. 1989 issue of our newsletter. It was written by Joseph Canfield, and entetled "Matt. 24 and 1 Thess. 4 Compared." Look for this article in the "Articles and Reviews" section of this website, under the heading "Articles from Past Issues of our newsletter." The angels, trumpet and gathering are mentioned in Matt. 24. The angels, trumpet and catching-up are mentioned in 1 Thess. 4. We should always use the easier passages on a subject to help interpret the more difficult ones. In this case, Matt. 24 is the easier one. It is a matter of historical record (Josephus, Eusebius, Tacitus and the Talmud) that the trumpets, voices of angels and angelic activity were seen and heard in the time leading up to and during the destruction of Jerusalem. Unfortunately many Christians are just not aware of this. They are not being taught this by current (predominantly-futurist) clergy. The “catching-up” (1 Thess. 4:17) or “gathering” (Matt. 24:31) occurred at this very time (AD 66) when Josephus says they saw the angels and heard the voices and trumpets. Here are a few quotes from the writings of Josephus, Eusebius, Tacitus, and Yosippon to document the fulfillment of these things.

QUESTION: Did the signs of his second coming (Mt. 24:27-30) already take place and nobody noticed them?
ANSWER: I would hardly describe the voluminous accounts of Josephus, Tacitus, and Eusebius as "nobody noticed them." Plus the "deafening silence" and mysterious absence of any Christian writings and missionary activity for almost a whole generation after AD 70 tells us that something very significant happened to remove the Christians. Their absence left a big "black hole" in church history about which patristic historians are still scratching their heads. Eusebius and other historians mention that the Christians definitely saw the signs and left Jerusalem. The Jews saw the signs too (acc. to Josephus and Tacitus), but they refused to heed them. They stubbornly believed that God was about to establish a literal, physical Golden Age of the Messiah. So, the Jews stayed in Jerusalem and Judea to fight the war, believing God would somehow miraculously deliver them and give them their physical kingdom over Rome and the whole world. But God had a "better" heavenly kingdom in store for His saints. -Edward E. Stevens

QUESTION: Does Matthew 24 refer only to the period of 40 years from the cross to the destruction of Jerusalem?
ANSWER: Yes. Let’s look at some of the factors in the Olivet discourse that definitely point to the conclusion that Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 were all fulfilled by A.D. 70.
First, when Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “What is the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3), they must have had in mind the destruction of the temple; Jesus had just told them that the temple was going to be completely destroyed (Matthew 24:2). For the disciples, the destruction of the Holy Temple would have been viewed as nothing less than a massive upheaval or end of their entire religious/political world. So it’s not surprising they would connect the destruction of the temple with the final coming of the King and with the end of the age (cf. Isa. 66:6).
Jesus said, “Many false christs will rise up, and false prophets” (Matt. 24:24). The rising up of many impostors was a sign that the last days had arrived. The apostle John understood that this was being fulfilled in the first century A.D. when he said, “...it is the last hour, and as you heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have risen up; by this you know that it is the last hour” (I John 2:18). John told his readers in this verse that they could know it was “the last hour” (the last hour of Biblical Judaism) because “many antichrists” had risen up. In other words, since Jesus said that many false christs and false prophets would appear in the last days, John and the other Christians knew the end was indeed near for them because many of the deceivers had already appeared.
Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14). The good news had been preached to all the world by the time the book of Romans and the book of Colossians were written in the first century. (Romans 10:18) “Their voice (the voice of those preaching the good news) has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world”. (Col. 1:23) “This...gospel...has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven”. And shortly after the good news was preached in the whole world in the first century, the end of the Old Testament world came in fiery judgment in A.D. 70, at the destruction of Christ’s enemies.
Finally, in Matthew 24, Jesus said, “This generation will in no wise pass away until all these things have happened.” “This generation” means the same thing here as it does in all other places in the NT. It speaks of those living at that time. So all of Matthew 24 was indeed fulfilled within the forty year period between the cross and the destruction of Jerusalem, including the parousia and the end of the age.

QUESTION: Matt 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation...” In this passage it is clearly said that Christ would come immediately after the tribulation, but in 2 Thess. 1:6-8 it is shown that it is his coming “from heaven with his angels” that is causing the tribulation! How can this be explained?
ANSWER: You are correct in pointing out that the word “tribulation” (Gr. thlipsis) is found in both passages. Both passages harmonize well. In Matthew 24, there is a great tribulation (persecution) of the saints which is followed immediately by the coming of Christ, which causes the heavens & earth to be shaken and all the tribes of the earth to mourn (Matt. 24:30). In 2 Thess. 1:6-10, we see the same scenario. The saints were being persecuted. Christ would come and give them relief (AD 66), and at the same time give tribulation to their persecutors. We are talking about two different phases of the tribulation, with Christ’s return in the middle (the first against the saints in AD 62 - 66, and the second against their persecutors in AD 66-70). Both passages (in their contexts) deal with both phases.

WAS REVELATIONS WRITTEN BEFORE 70ad

The 96 AD date is the most common view today, though it wasn’t that way a century ago. The late 96 AD date has been shown by several writers to rest on very unstable ground. A lot of influential English and German (and a few American) scholars in the 1800’s and early 1900’s believed quite strongly that the book was written (and mostly or completely fulfilled) before A.D. 70. There are a few contemporary American theologians who believe and teach the early date as well (Max King, Jay Adams, Foy Wallace, Jr.; Franklin Camp; etc.). These are especially good sources. I highly recommend Milton S. Terry’s book Biblical Hermeneutics and J. S. Russell’s The Parousia. The comments in my book, What Happened In AD 70? are pretty persuasive for an early date (at least that’s what a lot of people keep telling us). There is a good list and bibliography of other good sources in that booklet. There is a lot of internal evidence for an early date. Some of the passages in Revelation which point clearly to a date before A.D. 70 are Rev. 11:1, 2; 11:8 and 18:24.
Rev. 11:1, 2 seems to indicate that the Temple in Jerusalem was still standing when the book was written. It wouldn’t make much sense otherwise.
Rev. 11:8 indicates that “The Great City” was Jerusalem (“where also their Lord was crucified”). Jerusalem was also quite often compared “mystically” to Sodom and Egypt, by the Prophets, by Jesus, and by John as well.
And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. (Rev. 11:8)
And, the statements in Rev. 18:24 seem to identify the Great City even more clearly:
And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.

The other view is a post 70ad view during the reign of Emperor Domitian which most hold today. His rule ended in 96 AD. His hatred and persecution did extend out into most of the known world, including Asia minor. It is thought that it was during his reign, that Emporer worship became a non-optional practice. It began to be enforced under penalty of death. This would explain the type of persecution talked about in the letters to the seven Churches.
A second internal evidence of the later authorship would be the amount of spiritual decline that is evident in the letters addressed to the 7 churches in chapters 2 & 3. It seems that just after having the Apostle Paul spend years in your area in the early 60’s, it would be unreasonable to think that by the mid 60’s (the date of alleged early authorship) you would be spiritually dead or even lukewarm as these churches are diagnosed. However if the later date of 97 AD is true, this would seem more reasonable. Additionally, it has been claimed that the church in Smyrna was not in existence in Paul’s lifetime. Paul lived up until about AD 67. This would make it difficult to believe that this church was addressed during the time of Nero, the Emporer in power in the 60’s. This claim is based on writings of an early church leader, Polycarp.

It is very possibly Revelations was written before 70ad since it seems Jerusalem is still standing and all the references about the time being near for these events always being mentioned. However, it is not neccessary for it to be written after 70ad to still have future prophecys within it. I think most of these prophecys were in fact part of the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the old covenant simply due to the writers of the gospels and the prophecys in Daniel and Isaiah just to name a few. Clearly Revelations 20 speaks of a future judgement and raising of the dead and Revelations 7 speaks of a similar event in the future. Preterests teach the writtings before 70ad to back their doctrine while dispensationalists do the same putting Revelations in the future. Clearly preterists come up short on Revelations 7 and 20 since it emplys extending until a great judgement and ressurection day of all people where as dispensationalists come up short on most of Revelations arguing for a future fulfillment of all these things.

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST: CHRISTIAN OR CULT

Seventh-Day Adventism (SDA) arose from the aftermath of the Adventist movement of the mid-1800s. "Seventh-day" refers to the focus on sabbath, or Saturday worship. "Adventist" refers to the SDA belief that they are the fulfillment of prophecies pertaining to the latter days remnant and the coming of Christ. The world was predicted to end in 1844 with the Second Coming of Christ, by William Miller, a New England Baptist itinerant preacher. Miller's followers condemned all the churches of the day as apostate and "Babylon," and warned Christians to come out of them. A great many did, and the "adventist" movement was born and grew rapidly (Melton, J. Gordon, Encyclopedia of American Religions, Vol. 2, pp. 21–22).
Christ did not appear in 1844. After this "Great Disappointment," one "little flock" still insisted the date of their original predictions had been correct. They decided the event marked by 1844 was not the Second Coming, but the entrance of Christ into the Holy of Holies in the Heavenly Sanctuary. There, they said, He began the "Investigative Judgment." (See #6 below.) This doctrine was received and endorsed by Ellen G. White (Ibid., p. 680).
From 1844 to 1851, the group taught the "shut door" doctrine, based on Jesus' parable of the ten virgins. Anyone who had not accepted the Adventist message by the time Jesus entered the Holy of Holies was to be shut out permanently, as were the five foolish virgins. Cut off from the Bridegroom, they could not join the Adventists or have any hope of eternal life. Ellen White not only approved and taught this doctrine, but her first vision experience (she claimed over 2,000 visions) was largely responsible for its being received by the Adventist group (Brinsmead, Robert, D., Judged by the Gospel: A Review of Adventism, pp. 130–133).
By 1846, the group had adopted the Seventh-Day Baptists' view that the Saturday Sabbath must be observed by Christians. A highly elevated form of this doctrine, together with the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment, became the hallmarks of Seventh-Day Adventism. In 1850, James and Ellen White began publishing a magazine, The Review & Herald, to disseminate Adventist and Sabbatarian doctrines. This helped many of the remaining "Millerites" to coalesce into a distinctive body, which adopted the name of Seventh-Day Adventist Church in 1860, and formally incorporated in 1863, with approximately 3,500 members in 125 congregations (Encyclopedia of American Religion, Vol. 2, p. 681).
Ellen G. White (1827-1915) never held official title as the head of the SDA church, but was one of its founders and acknowledged spiritual leader. She rather disingenuously declined to claim the title of "prophet," calling herself a "messenger" instead (P.G. Damsteegt, et al., Seventh-day Adventists Believe … A Biblical Exposition of 27 Fundamental Doctrines, 1988, p. 224). But she claimed to have the "spirit of prophecy," and that her messages were direct from God for the guidance and instruction of the church. With her knowledge and consent, others called her a prophet and an inspired commentator of Scripture1, and even "the Spirit of Prophecy" (Maurice Barnett, Ellen G. White & Inspiration, pp. 5–17). Having only a third grade education, Ellen White said for years she was unable to read, bolstering the claim that her beautiful prose was inspired by God. However, it has been discovered that she not only read, but plagiarized other Christian authors throughout virtually all her writings. Ellen G. White claimed to be, "a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light." The official SDA Questions on Doctrine (Q.D.) states that, "the Holy Spirit opened to her mind important events and called her to give certain instructions for these last days, and inasmuch as these instructions, in our understanding, are in harmony with the Word of God, which Word alone is able to make us wise unto salvation, we as a denomination accept them as inspired counsels from the Lord" (Q.D., p. 93). (Emphasis added.) Mrs. White claimed to have received more than 3,000 "inspired counsels from the Lord" (i.e., visions) between 1844 and 1868. (From these "visions," she produced over 100,000 handwritten manuscript pages from which were published 54 books!) Therefore, SDAs have a new source of authority in their lives -- according to SDA's dogma, if an SDA does not accept Mrs. White as infallible, they have no salvation!
Seventh-Day Adventists do not believe that the whole man or any part of him is inherently "immortal" (Q.D., p. 518). SDAs believe in "soul sleep" for the saved (i.e., no conscious existence from the time of death until the resurrection), and annihilation for the wicked (i.e., the body and soul are destroyed at death rather than experiencing everlasting torment). How, then, can one get to heaven?: SDAs believe that one can have immortality only on the condition that he comes to Christ through Ellen G. White; i.e., a works program, following salvation by grace with light of revelation through Ellen G. White as the infallible guide to Holy Scripture, apart from which one cannot have immortality.3 Then, at resurrection day, the body will be re-created (necessary because of soul sleep) for all those who believe in White's guidance and teachings (while non-SDAs will remain in "soul sleep" forever; i.e., will cease to exist [annihilated] and will not suffer everlasting torment).

Mrs. White: "Christ took upon His sinless nature our sinful nature ... Christ took human nature and bore the infirmities and degeneracy of the race. He took our nature and its deteriorating condition" (Q.D., pp. 654-656) (cf. Jn. 14:30). According to SDA, then, Christ acquired a sinful nature! Of course, if this could have been so, there could have been no sinless sacrifice, no hope for sinners, and no Savior.

They seem to also teach we are kept by the law. They quote "Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ" (E.G. White, The Great Controversy [TGC], 1911, p. 623; TGC has since been retitled and published as America in Prophecy, 1988). SDA teaches that, though saved by grace, we are kept by the Law (i.e., "partial atonement"). Therefore, one must keep Old Testament dietary and ceremonial laws, paying particular attention to keep the Saturday Sabbath and the Ten Commandments, and most importantly, making sure to faithfully pay the tithe.
Even when speaking of being saved by the righteousness of Christ, Adventist writers refer to imparted righteousness, seldom to the Biblical concept of imputed righteousness. Calling it "Christ's righteousness," while insisting on the believer's perfection of character as a prerequisite to salvation, is at worst a thinly veiled works salvation, or at best an attempt to mix grace and works, something the Bible says is impossible to do (Rom. 11:6). Mrs. White's words are crystal clear -- one will not be forgiven until all sins are eradicated from one's life and one's character is perfected. Precisely the same heresy is found (besides many others) in Mormonism. It is not the salvation by grace alone through faith alone offered in the Bible.

They put baptism with salvation as a requirement for becoming a Christian. They claim Christ made it clear that He required baptism of those who wished to become part of His church, His spiritual kingdom"; "In baptism believers enter into the passion experience of our Lord"; "… [B]aptism also marks [a] person's entrance into Christ's spiritual kingdom. … it unites the new believer to Christ.… Through baptism the Lord adds the new disciples to the body of believers -- His body, the church.… Then they are members of God's family" (SDAs Believe …, pp. 182, 184, 187).

According to SDA theology, beginning on October 22, 1844, Christ entered upon the "judgment phase" of His ministry, whereby He blots out sin: [The SDA doctrine of the "Investigative Judgment" rests on Ellen G. White's claimed revelation that Christ entered the heavenly Holy of Holies, not at His ascension, but in 1844, wherein He then began to investigate the records of human works (TGC, pp. 362-373) (cf. Heb. 9).] "When Christ, by virtue of His own blood, removes the sins of His people from the heavenly sanctuary at the close of His ministration, He will place them upon Satan, who, in the execution of the judgment, must bear the final penalty" (TGC, p. 422). Satan, thereby, becomes the scapegoat of Leviticus 16. This lack of clear distinction between the forgiveness of sins and the blotting out of sins, makes it impossible for anyone to know, even in the hour of his death, whether he is saved or not. (SDAs are not "allowed" to experience assurance of salvation, because then there would be no pressure on them to keep the Old Testament law, as interpreted by Ellen G. White, and especially no pressure to pay the tithe.) Moreover, the concept that the sins of all men are to be laid on Satan, assigns to Satan an indispensable role in the blotting out of sin, thus nullifying the all-sufficiency of the finished work of Christ. [When Jesus said on the cross, "It is finished," i.e. completed, paid in full, it cannot be that there is yet another salvation event more than 1,800 years later, just as essential to salvation as Christ's death on the cross, in which one must believe in order to be saved. This is clearly "another gospel" (Gal. 1:6–9).]4The "Investigative Judgment" and the "Scapegoat Theory of the Atonement" are, by themselves, so non-Biblical as to contradict Galatians 1:8-9. It is "another gospel," about which the Apostle Paul wrote, "let such be anathema" (i.e., cursed/condemned). Yet according to Ellen White, one must believe this doctrine to be saved: "Those who would share the benefits of the Savior's mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God … The subject of the sanctuary and the Investigative Judgment should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position [in the Holy of Holies] and work [Investigative Judgment] of their great High Priest. Otherwise it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this time or to occupy the position which God designs for them to fill. Every individual has a soul to save or to lose. Each has a case pending at the bar of God … All who have received the light on these subjects are to bear testimony of the great truths which God has committed to them. The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ's work in behalf of men … It is of the utmost importance that all should thoroughly investigate these subjects … The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon a cross. By His death He began that work which after his resurrection He ascended to complete in Heaven" (TGC, pp. 488–89; emphasis added).

Another false teaching is on the Sabbath. They claim, "In the last days, the Sabbath test will be made plain. When this time comes, anyone who does not keep the Sabbath will receive the mark of the beast and will be kept from heaven" (TGC, p. 449); "… [T]he divine institution of the Sabbath is to be restored … The delivering of this message will precipitate a conflict that will involve the whole world. The central issue will be obedience to God's law and the observance of the Sabbath. … Those who reject it will eventually receive the mark of the beast" (TGC, pp. 262–63). In one of her most revered works, Ellen White wrote that Sabbath observance would be the "line of distinction" in the "final test" that will separate God's end-time people who "receive the seal of God" and are saved, from those who "receive the mark of the beast" (The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan, p. 605). Describing a supposed vision direct from God, Ellen White wrote, "I saw that the Holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers" (Early Writings, p. 33; emphasis added). She also wrote of some Adventists failing to understand that "Sabbath … observance was of sufficient importance to draw a line between the people of God and unbelievers" (Ibid., p. 85).
SDAs have, thereby, made Sabbath-keeping a criterion for a personal relationship with the Lord -- even to the extent of one's salvation! Why? Because, according to SDAs, we are all to be under strict adherence to Old Testament Law, including the Ten Commandments, of which the fourth one says, "keep the Sabbath." (This Sabbath-keeping requirement was supposedly confirmed in a vision received by Ellen G. White, rather than by study of the Bible.) SDAs believe that "Sunday-keeping" will be the mark of the beast in the future.

They continue to defend and claim Ellen G. White as a prophet of God. Many rank-and-file SDA members deny that their organization any longer decrees Ellen G. White a God-inspired prophet. Yet in SDA official publications, the SDA church continues to defend Ellen White legends, and maintain there was no difference in the degree of inspiration she received from that received by Bible writers (Review & Herald, 4 October 1928, p. 11; "Source of Final Appeal," Adventist Review, 3 June 1971, pp. 4–6; G. A. Irwin, Mark of the Beast, p. 1; "The Inspiration and Authority of the Ellen G. White Writings," Adventist Review, 15 July 1982, p. 3; Ministry, October 1981, p. 8 (5); see also, Judged by the Gospel, pp. 125–130). And in the SDA June 2000, General Conference, the church voted to more aggressively affirm and support the "Spirit of Prophecy through the ministry of Ellen White" (Adventist Today, [online: July 2000]).

PART 2: TONGUES AND THE BAPTISM

I have discussed why Jesus breathed on them the Holy Spirit in John 20 and that all believers are said to have been baptized by the Holy Spirit both of which are taught the opposite in Charasmatic and word of faith circles.
What we will look at now is the situations in scripture in which people spoke in tongues and examine them to what is being taught today.

I picked up a book the other day on spiritual gifts and it said the first gift given is tongues and that it is the elementary gift. Because it is given at the baptism and it is not understandable that it is some type of baby language or beginner gift into the spiritual gift world.
This to me is contradictory in one glaring fact: speaking in tongues was not a gift everyone would receive and we should not seek this gift. Paul clearly taught this in 1 Corinthians 12. No where in scripture is it taught to seek tongues and no where is it said to be the elementary gift.
Now lets look at the examples scripture gives us and see if they hold any teaching value.

Acts 8:14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
17Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

In Acts 8 the Samaritans heard the teachings of Jesus and believed them but did not receive the Spirit until Peter and John laid hands on them then they received. Lets look at the next.

Acts 10: 44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
47Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

Here the gentiles in Cornelius' home heard the gospel and as they believed they received the Holy Spirit. It was their initial giving and they spoke in tongues glorifying God.

Acts 19: 2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
4Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

Here Paul clearly asks do they have the Holy Spirit yet? The story continues as they learn about Jesus they then receive the Holy Spirit. Clearly like all the other passages no one had the Spirit then received another baptism of the Spirit. They clearly just received the Spirit for the first time.

They only other account was in Acts 2 where the apostles received the Spirit for the first time as they did as Jesus said by going to Jerusalem and waiting for him. Just like we do today, the Holy Spirit comes on us once we believe just like it did in the apostles day. The only difference we can see is the laying on of hands by Peter, John, or Paul. The reason for this is so the jews would accept the others receiving the Spirit. This is why they had to come and be present. It wasnt for everyone but the leaders to be there and an apostle at that who had seen Jesus.

HE BREATHED ON THEM THE HOLY SPIRIT

Many teach that Jesus gave the disciples the Holy Spirit after the ressurection and then they were baptized by the Spirit at pentecost. They teach this to show a two part giving of the Spirit to the believer. Is this what happened? John 20:22 is the only verse that speaks on this but if we look at all the accounts of the encounter between he and the disciples after his ressurection we will see what really happened.

John 16:7-16
7Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
12I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
15All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
16A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

Jesus is saying here that he must go or else they cant benefit from the Holy Spirit that was to come to them when he goes to the Father. The purpose for the Spirit he says here is to guide them in truth and show them things to come.
Jesus after his ressurection tells the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promise. What promise? The one he made here in John 16. Look at the passage in Acts 1.

4And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The promise was that they would recieve the Spirit in Jerusalem and that they would have power to witness to the world.

Now lets look at the passages associated with John 20 on the Spirit breathed on them.
Matthew 28 gives us his thoughts on the first encounter of the disciples and Jesus after Jesus was ressurected.

16Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Mark 16: 14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Luke 24: 36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
37But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
38And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
39Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

Luke 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
46And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48And ye are witnesses of these things.
49And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

John 20:19Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
20And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD.
21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Clearly all these passages talk about one event when Jesus first appears to the disciples and shows them who he is and explains to them what they will do in the Kingdom.
The reason he breathed on them is the same as in Lukes account in verse 45 of Luke 24.
It was for their ability to understand, to take in what he was saying. They had to have the Spirit to understand and he gives them some type of ability through the Spirit to understand the reason for all this. Luke just uses a different way of saying the same thing John does and the other two leave out this point of view. The scriptures clearly teach that the promise of the Holy Spirit was to be given at Pentecost in Jerusalem and to say otherwise would be contrary to scripture. There is no teaching in scripture of a temporary filling and then the fulness of the Spirit later and this passage gives no reason for us to do so either. The Spirit baptism is on all believers at their salvation experience as Paul teaches us (Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 12) and the bible never contradicts this. Taking a verse and making a doctrine against what the rest of scripture teaches is clearly the definition of a false teaching.

THE SUN AND MOON PROPHECY OF JOEL 2

In the previous blog I showed how the sun and moon were used as language discussing the great tribulation in the apostles day. It was a quote from the book of Isaiah about Gods judgement coming on a group of people. In Joel the sun and moon is again used as language about the coming of the Spirit of God to his people. Peter uses this quote from Joel in describing the coming of the Spirit to the jews in the audience to explain to them what they were seeing unfold before their eyes. Lets look at the two passages.

Joel 2:28-32
28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.
32And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Acts 2:14-21
14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
21And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Peter clearly is quoting the passage in Joel and confirming by what is taking place that the prophecy is being fulfilled in their hearing.
When the sun and moon is used in scripture it is a lot of times used as language to convey an event in which God has moved and done a work. It does not mean the sun literally became dark and the moon turned to blood or hid its face but is language jews used to convey a message to the reader that God has done something. Joel and Isaiah used this in language describing a future prophecy and Jesus (Matthew 24) and Peter (Acts 2) use it to show the prophecy was fulfilled to the hearers present. Whosoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved is a quote from Joel that Peter proclaimed as fulfilled is still being fulfilled today as we one by one turn to Christ as our salvation. This prophecy is fulfilled and being fulfilled as we continue in these last days (Acts 2:17) until Christ returns for his bride.