“Endtime” Reality Check (Matt 24:14)
So ‘the end of the world is soon,’ ‘the signs of the times are rapidly fulfilling,’ and ‘final events will soon unravel’, well even generous estimates would reveal that ca. 7,000,000,000 currently, honestly do not know and/or understand this most crucial message of warning. So, you say, they will soon hear about it and be informed, well how about a little “reality check” (cf. here|here) in specifically this temporal regard.
Notwithstanding that, as discussed here (1) the Bible clearly shows that God is in full control of final events, capable, with sovereign, overriding power, of starting, or stopping them, at will (Rev 7:1-3), (2) if ‘Angels were to do this work,’ as it is commonly stated in knee-jerk defense, as long as God has a capable/functional Church on Earth, these Angels will not be given this mandate of emergency/last resort, currently:
-74% of the world does not have even “internet access”;
-for the 26% who can have such access, unless onhe is specifically searching for words/terms included in an SDA Christian website, all based upon a prior, external/independent knowledge of them, chances are extremely high that this content will not be found from among billions of webpages and online media; and thus not listed, by search engines;
-though SDA satellite signals have a global “footprint”, it still takes the relatively costly, proper reception equipment to access that specific signal;
-70% of people who have a television do not get programming via cable;
-transmission via broadcast TV and radio is quite competitive in already established circles, and relatively costly;
-independent broadcast transmission will require substantial ground infrastructure;
-shortwave radio, i.e., AWR is a viable option, but in terms of accessibility and reliability, ideally an option of last resort;
-all of these potential communication means still require that their content be made available in the language of the intended audience.
-It is tellingly/fittingly comical to hear SDA’s quasi-gleefully give the typical “Matt 24 signs of the times” sermon, along with a litany of “recent/latest” transpired real world disasters catastrophes, with, of course the, as e.g., in this 2013 'The End Of Days - Time Is Very Short' sermon by Stephen Bohr, confident-verging-on-proud, basely moronic understanding that ‘these are sure signs that the end is imminently near!!’, when the exegetical fact of the matter is, as stated in Matt 24:6, 8|Mark 13:7-8|Luke 21:9 that Jesus had actually cited those events to guard His followers against people, who like expected false christs (Matt 24:5) and false prophets (Matt 24:11), will claim that these events themselves are effectuating the end of the world, which is contrary to the end that the Real Returning Christ will bring. Jesus was thus not saying that these things are “signs” of the end, but rather that such catastrophic things would occur from now until then end, but they themselves are not the actual end. So ‘don’t fall for such claims; these natural and man-caused things are to naturally occur in a world where, for man caused crises, lovelessness, and thus lawlessness is also to naturally increase. (Matt 24:12). And ‘even before all of these crises’, as indeed seen quite immediately with the Apostolic Church, Christ warned His followers that they would be persecuted (Luke 21:12 = Matt 24:9), yet the proclamation of the Gospel will not be hampered by even such direct actions against Christians, but by God’s aid, quite to the contrary, continue to be more widely heard. (Mark 13:9-10; Luke 21:13-15). And that is because it is the completion of the global proclamation of the Gospel to all that is the actual action which will bring about the end (Matt 24:14), which will only then, after all of the upheavals which will result from these transpired times, be soon enjoined by Divine supernatural signs (=“these things” of Luke 21:28) in the Heavens and on Earth (Luke 21:25-26|Matt 24:29|Mark 13:24-25) as Jesus will then be actually returning. (Luke 21:27|Matt 24:30|Mark 13:26). So SDA’s should, instead of doing their usual of citing all of the catastrophes in their first or second seminar presentation “Signs of the Times” sermon, instead be documenting and demonstrating how the preaching of the gospel has been tangibly advancing in all of the world today, and also what they are doing, or planning to do, to hasten this work. (2 Pet 3:12|COL 69.2)...because that is the only actual and binding ‘“sign” [rightly in the singular] of Christ’s coming and of the end of the age’ (Matt 24:3|Mark 13:4|Luke 21:7).
-contrary to popular SDA Church belief and practice, the mandate of Matt 24:14 will not be fulfilled merely by e.g., handing out worldwide 1 Billion invitations to an SDA Evangelistic Seminar,[1] for the same reason that “hearsay” is not considered an acceptable testimony or witness in a court of law. Just hearing about something does not mean you “witnessed it” or else anyone who heard about a case on the news can walk into the court room and present themselves as a witness. Using a Biblical illustration, the World Harvest of Revelation 14:14-15, even including God’s vineyard (Rev 14:17-20; cf. Isa 5:1-7) will not become ripe until the earth is, not merely “sowed”, but also “cultivated.” (See 9T 28-29). And that is going to take much more significant and tangible, outreaching work.[2] And, at the very least, technically, (though actually, most exegetically so), Matt 24:14's “Gospel of the Kingdom” (=Matt 4:23; 9:35 -literally, merely: ‘the good news of/about the Kingdom’), may be an applicational-extent step up from simply the “Gospel/good news of Christ (=the Messiah)” (e.g., Rom 1:16; 2 Cor 10:14; 2 Thess 1:8; Gal 1:17; Phil 1:27). In other words, when Jesus first came on the scene, He more extensively had that ‘good news (from God) in regards to the Kingdom that could have been seamlessly set up in Israel then.’ (=Mar 1:14-15; Matt 4:17; cf. Matt 3:2). However, when He was being systematically rejected (see the Matt 10:23ff ‘sealing of the prior ‘John 6:15, 26ff, 66 (DA 383.1) "turning point"'’); the message downgraded from a more temporal/kingdom one to a more religious/ecclesiastical one which now focused on the “Church” (= ‘the assembly of called out ones’) which He would have to instead set up. (Cf. Matt 16:13-20, 21 -i.e., priorly, Jesus had no problem publicly proclaiming the “Kingdom message”, but not so with this different “Christ (= “Messiah”) message”, which He was from then on going to “build upon” (Matt 16:16-18). Yet both this temporal “Kingdom Gospel” and the religious “Messiah Gospel” are two successive, but distinct, parts of the overall/general: “Gospel of God” (Mar 1:14; cf. Rom 1:1; Rom 15:16; 1 Thess 2:2; 1 Pet 4:17). Jesus was first preaching the “Kingdom Gospel” (Mar 1:15). And the actual final mandate and work of Christ’s Church, as in the current prolonged-time circumstances, revolves around the pre-advent, Temporal proclamation & sealing (Rev 7:1-8), global gathering (Rev 7:8-17) and living testimony (Rev 14:1-5, 6-13ff) of that Seven-Last-Plagues-surviving Church Triumphant, Zion Kingdom (Rev 15:1-16:1ff).
-Also, it was commonly claimed before, that because the ratio of SDA to World Population was steadily dropping from, e.g., 1:646 in 1995 to 1:519 in 2000 to 1:450 in 2005, due to the higher (net) growth rate of SDA’s vs. that of the world, it must be stressed, in those times, that very soon SDA’s would literally “take over the world.” Well apparently someone has realized the false parameters used in making this calculative conclusion, for there are several other Christian Denominations/Megablocs, and also World Religions that also have a faster growth rate than the global population. Therefore SDA’s would only continue to share a part, though increasing, of the growing world population, and not “overtake it” as if it was alone in this category. Furthermore the SDA growth is faith-based and thus subjective and less ascertainable in the future as several subjective factors can easily affect it, while world population growth is naturally-based and much more steady.[3] Also, while a major factor that affects global population growth can also affect SDA’s, the converse is not likely to ever occur. Furthermore, the concrete numbers translating from these ratios/percentages are probably much more determinative here for, for every 1 new accession to the SDA faith there are over 80 new additions to the world population (i.e, ca. 1,000,000 to 80,000,000 annually). It should also be taken seriously that for every 3 people who are baptized to the SDA faith 1 baptized member leaves the Church, resulting in ca. 1300 daily such (non-death) “decessions.” It is surprising that much more is neither said, nor done, about this outrightly high number of willful “decessions” for it is clearly symptomatic of a much deeper problem that is encountered once these people have initially believed that the teachings of the Church are Biblical. It more than likely has to do with the, effectively, patent “3-sided” facade approach that is used in Evangelistic efforts, and even weekly Church Services, which has an ever-present gaping, missing back wall in this building of Truth. This “structural” void is tangibly seen in non-resolved Theological/Doctrinal/Exegetical issues, various non-practical application of Faith and Beliefs, on top of currently entrenched institutional, organizational and unity deficiencies and dysfunction (e.g., 83% pastoral under staffing). Therefore, it is only ‘persisting in an apologetic Denominational denial’ to think, say and act as if ‘all is going and progressing as well as it could.’ As the SOP repeatedly says: ‘this Church is judged by what she can do in the light of the great Spiritual privileges that has been bestowed on it, and not by what she has done, or is doing, in comparison with others.’ (8T 247 - see more on this in this post).
-contrary to popular SDA Church belief and practice, the mandate of Matt 24:14 will not be fulfilled merely by e.g., handing out worldwide 1 Billion invitations to an SDA Evangelistic Seminar,[1] for the same reason that “hearsay” is not considered an acceptable testimony or witness in a court of law. Just hearing about something does not mean you “witnessed it” or else anyone who heard about a case on the news can walk into the court room and present themselves as a witness. Using a Biblical illustration, the World Harvest of Revelation 14:14-15, even including God’s vineyard (Rev 14:17-20; cf. Isa 5:1-7) will not become ripe until the earth is, not merely “sowed”, but also “cultivated.” (See 9T 28-29). And that is going to take much more significant and tangible, outreaching work.[2] And, at the very least, technically, (though actually, most exegetically so), Matt 24:14's “Gospel of the Kingdom” (=Matt 4:23; 9:35 -literally, merely: ‘the good news of/about the Kingdom’), may be an applicational-extent step up from simply the “Gospel/good news of Christ (=the Messiah)” (e.g., Rom 1:16; 2 Cor 10:14; 2 Thess 1:8; Gal 1:17; Phil 1:27). In other words, when Jesus first came on the scene, He more extensively had that ‘good news (from God) in regards to the Kingdom that could have been seamlessly set up in Israel then.’ (=Mar 1:14-15; Matt 4:17; cf. Matt 3:2). However, when He was being systematically rejected (see the Matt 10:23ff ‘sealing of the prior ‘John 6:15, 26ff, 66 (DA 383.1) "turning point"'’); the message downgraded from a more temporal/kingdom one to a more religious/ecclesiastical one which now focused on the “Church” (= ‘the assembly of called out ones’) which He would have to instead set up. (Cf. Matt 16:13-20, 21 -i.e., priorly, Jesus had no problem publicly proclaiming the “Kingdom message”, but not so with this different “Christ (= “Messiah”) message”, which He was from then on going to “build upon” (Matt 16:16-18). Yet both this temporal “Kingdom Gospel” and the religious “Messiah Gospel” are two successive, but distinct, parts of the overall/general: “Gospel of God” (Mar 1:14; cf. Rom 1:1; Rom 15:16; 1 Thess 2:2; 1 Pet 4:17). Jesus was first preaching the “Kingdom Gospel” (Mar 1:15). And the actual final mandate and work of Christ’s Church, as in the current prolonged-time circumstances, revolves around the pre-advent, Temporal proclamation & sealing (Rev 7:1-8), global gathering (Rev 7:8-17) and living testimony (Rev 14:1-5, 6-13ff) of that Seven-Last-Plagues-surviving Church Triumphant, Zion Kingdom (Rev 15:1-16:1ff).
-Also, it was commonly claimed before, that because the ratio of SDA to World Population was steadily dropping from, e.g., 1:646 in 1995 to 1:519 in 2000 to 1:450 in 2005, due to the higher (net) growth rate of SDA’s vs. that of the world, it must be stressed, in those times, that very soon SDA’s would literally “take over the world.” Well apparently someone has realized the false parameters used in making this calculative conclusion, for there are several other Christian Denominations/Megablocs, and also World Religions that also have a faster growth rate than the global population. Therefore SDA’s would only continue to share a part, though increasing, of the growing world population, and not “overtake it” as if it was alone in this category. Furthermore the SDA growth is faith-based and thus subjective and less ascertainable in the future as several subjective factors can easily affect it, while world population growth is naturally-based and much more steady.[3] Also, while a major factor that affects global population growth can also affect SDA’s, the converse is not likely to ever occur. Furthermore, the concrete numbers translating from these ratios/percentages are probably much more determinative here for, for every 1 new accession to the SDA faith there are over 80 new additions to the world population (i.e, ca. 1,000,000 to 80,000,000 annually). It should also be taken seriously that for every 3 people who are baptized to the SDA faith 1 baptized member leaves the Church, resulting in ca. 1300 daily such (non-death) “decessions.” It is surprising that much more is neither said, nor done, about this outrightly high number of willful “decessions” for it is clearly symptomatic of a much deeper problem that is encountered once these people have initially believed that the teachings of the Church are Biblical. It more than likely has to do with the, effectively, patent “3-sided” facade approach that is used in Evangelistic efforts, and even weekly Church Services, which has an ever-present gaping, missing back wall in this building of Truth. This “structural” void is tangibly seen in non-resolved Theological/Doctrinal/Exegetical issues, various non-practical application of Faith and Beliefs, on top of currently entrenched institutional, organizational and unity deficiencies and dysfunction (e.g., 83% pastoral under staffing). Therefore, it is only ‘persisting in an apologetic Denominational denial’ to think, say and act as if ‘all is going and progressing as well as it could.’ As the SOP repeatedly says: ‘this Church is judged by what she can do in the light of the great Spiritual privileges that has been bestowed on it, and not by what she has done, or is doing, in comparison with others.’ (8T 247 - see more on this in this post).
With the economy of the world continuing to favor the already rich, and with the population in poorer countries growing at a much faster pace than these rich countries, then these numbers are only to crucially/significantly lag and/or incrementally get worse, accentuated by the “occasional/seasonal” recession which more severely impacts the poor. Unfortunately in such circumstances, it is ‘the rich who also become spiritually richer.’ All this to say that “Finishing the Work” will require a much more generous, deliberate and involved effort by every member of the Church.
Still, even with many of the world’s population that can access these various SDA broadcasts, the dilemma that still remains is: Do they have a compelling reason to find them out from among all of the other choices they also have available to them?
Still, even with many of the world’s population that can access these various SDA broadcasts, the dilemma that still remains is: Do they have a compelling reason to find them out from among all of the other choices they also have available to them?
The Biblical Solution
You can “tell” somebody|1+ Billion|the World that ‘Jesus loves them,’ ‘Sunday keeping is the Mark of the Beast’ and ‘the utter end of the world will soon be here’ and the default/natural/human thing for them to do is to dismiss you by saying: ‘I’ll wait and see’, which, Biblically/Spiritually speaking will be too late. (Matt 24:37-39). On the other hand, you can do all you possibly can to save and preserve the very life of someone, at no cost to them, and the default/natural/human thing for them to do, after profusely thanking you, would be to ask you: Who sent you to do this?, Why did you obey Him? and What must I also do to be like you and Him, at the very least, to be able to thank and repay you? Between these two ways which one will indeed bring “true success” MH 143.3ff, both in actually getting people truly ready for the end and in finishing the work? (Cf. COL 417.3-4ff) Indeed God’s set, and unequivocal, endtime plan will prove to be so much better. (Much more compelling, effective and vitally beneficial than the envisioned “(Smart) cell phone advertising”... if you can even “compete.”)
Furthermore, the prophesied “Final Events” will not begin to unravel as foreseen ‘until/so that (Greek Subjunctive mood) the would-be bond-servants of God are/may be sealed in their foreheads’ (Rev 7:1-3); and, in reality, there is only one way to accomplish/ascertain this.
SDA Panel on Second Coming Delay
It was overshadowingly quite comical to hear the ASI 2013 Panel here made up of Ted Wilson, Mark Finley, C. D. Brooks, Lewis Walton, Ed Reid, Andi Hunsaker, and moderated by Don Mackintosh, try to variously explain ‘why the Second Coming had not yet occurred’. While during that discussion the most correct point/answer was made by Ted Wilson, and that most naturally because he has rightly begun to tangibly espoused the Full Gospel mandate of Christ, and thus is most naturally beginning to “see the light”, namely the “light” for/about this “past Midnight Cry” (as concealedly most pivotally involved within this prophetic revelation) (=Matt 25:1-13) delay, which indeed, as he rightly, essentially said [at 35:37-37:42] all revolves around ‘truly reflecting the Character of Christ in ministering to the needs of others as unequivocally stipulated in Isa 58 (=RH, February 11, 1896 par. 6; COL 69.1), and not merely on the verbal proclamation of the Gospel/Three Angels’ Message. As referenced in here, Don Mackintosh also rightly has that Biblical understanding, and it was probably because he was here merely the moderator, that he himself did not also express this answer, probably not seeing a need to add anything to what Ted Wilson had correctly said. (Also similarly expressed by Mark Finley [21:10-22:37] and Andi Hunsaker [17:47-20:13]; cf. Lewis Walton’s related point on the “Spirit of ASI” at [24:04-24:41]).
And that is indeed, as it was with the Jews in the First Century AD (cf. Luke 10:30-37) the thin line veil that restricts one from being able to clearly and illuminatingly look into the prefect Law/Will of God and fully understanding what God’s Gospel Truth is all about. (=2 Cor 3:7-18). And once that veil is removed, pointedly revealing that God is, pointedly in this Eschatological age not at all dependent on “set times” [cf. Finley’s 7BC 971.7-capped more than less accurate mini-exposition [at 01:22:50-01:26:42] on this issue], then should, if humbly not pridefully resisted, naturally also come other pivotal Theological understandings, pointedly about ‘God and the Future’ (Isa 46:9-11) which clearly shows that God does implement His Jer 18:1-10 principle at will and is not restricted by either any promise, or even condemnation, which He had said He would justly effectuate based on passed warranting circumstances. For one thing, this Biblical understanding would have avoided that Panel from expressing the various smug, quasi-heretical, Bible and SOP dismissive, and Theologically dissonant statements which they did for the most part of the Panel, including the mystically Pharisaical vacuous call by Andi Hunsaker to ‘“repent(??)” for what happened back in 1888’ [50:52-52:25]. As discussed here, that message has actually not only since long been heeded by SDA’s, i.e., as it was then ideologically known and understood by A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner (LDE 200.1-2), But it has actually since further advanced, developed and fully bloomed into its Full, now also practical (LDE 218.3), second part, which is what completes the revelation of the Christ to the world, being, i.e. His tangibly great good works also the tangible reason why He was put on the Cross. (John 11:45-53; RH, January 7, 1902 par. 11 = 16MR 34.1). So the actual “repentance” that now needs to be done is in present relation to not heeding this message as it now fully applies.
So, specifically, what all these more advanced and Biblically accurate understanding would have avoid that panel is, as most emblematically seen from the very first question, from that first section of questions [at 17:54-28:23] of: ‘why Paul (involving Col 1:23), and many times the SOP [see Walton’s citations at 22:37-25:40], could claim/state that the Second Coming could have occurred at prior times before our day.’ Succinctly said here, as discussed within this post, it indeed should have occurred during the First Century AD, but as emblematically reflected in the 7 Letters to the 7 Churches, most of the congregations of the Christian Church then had several pivotal faulting issues...and so in His mercy God did not effectuate then, which would have been shortly after the 70 A.D. destruction of Jerusalem. In objection, Ed Reid doubles down on his pet “booked” theory that ‘God was dependent on a “Great Week in Time’ which would necessitate that the Second Coming can only occur upon 6000 years having passed since the Fall/Creation, and moreover that ‘God will not come late’, (which thus, according to his theory, all claims that the Second Coming will occur in 2031), and he also cites EGW in GC 356.1 that says that the end could not have occurred prior to the 1260 years having elapsed, thus by 1798...(and I guess one would then have to likewise actually say: ‘not prior to the 2300 days which ended in 1844’), but all this is Theologically and Biblically resolved by the fact that in what pivotally took place in Rev 5, God actually then charted an new course for the prolonged time that occurred then upon the failure of the First Century Christian Church in them not being ready (cf. EW 38.1-2|Rev 7:1-3). So Christ Prophetic Olivet discourse was then expanded into the book/prophecies of Revelation now covering what would be over 1800 years of “Church History”. As it was succinctly presented here, all Daniel/OT prophecies involving the Antichrist would have been fulfilled in the First Century, as they did not necessarily have to be reckoned according to a Day-Year principle. That only became the applicable principle when time was prolonged by the events of Rev 5 which transpired (actually again, with the first being at Christ ascension in 31 AD and focusing on the damage which had been done by the failing Jewish nation, pointedly sealed in 34 AD), in ca. 90-95 AD. And that prophetic event has since had a couple more fulfillments, indeed each major time when the Second Coming could have occurred. Another one around 1844 with the Millerite/Adventist movement failure, which then led to the charting of an advancing course in the prophecies given to EGW, and then as EGW saw, for another future time, (discussed within here) when again ‘the “everlasting” [i.e., final work =Rev 14:6ff] covenant was broken, -through the shirking/skirting/dereliction of duties’ (as e.g., here) (9T 267.1), and a further course (cf. here on Dan 11) would again have to be charted for now a resetting Eschatological age which replaces the halted Historical one. (See in this post & this one) (cf. 15MR 292.3-4).
So what was really involved in what EGW said in GC 356.1-2, was all within the context of the post 90-95 AD started Historical age. Those Daniel/OT prophecies were indeed “sealed” but that was pointedly in regards to their time for Paul surely fully understood what would, events wise, be involved in their fulfillment. (2 Thess 2:1-6, 7-12; cf. within here) And their now also time-based unsealing occurred during the “unsealing” of the Rev 5 Scroll (=Rev 6)And, indeed during that age, God then, for reasons of faith evidencing, restricted Himself to set times for now day-year applied times in Biblical prophecies. But that was not applicable in the prior Local/Literal era of 31-70-95 A.D. when all things could, and should have wrapped up.
Relatedly C.D. Brooks most subjectively claims [at 28:24-29:50] (actually indifferently caveatly sidestepping the quite manifest deliberate “setting up” point in that question directed to him as he, as documented in here, is ‘one of those who are in favor of racial “factions” in the Church’ (=Jude 1:19)), that: ‘Christ could not have come around 1844 because Black people then were slaves.’ Well the objective Biblical Truth on that issue is that, as fully discussed here for the Bible-echoing SOP, God revealed in EW 276.1 that ‘only slaves who were raised worst than brutish animals and actually did abominable things all because they only feared the whip of their master, would/could not be saved.’ As I understand U.S. Slavery history, that was actually the conditions with a very minimal amount of slave owners as most slave owners were, (most ironically/oxymoronically enough) devote Christians and they more than less treated their slaves humanely and even instructed them Biblically. They just, as referenced/discussed in here, wrongly believed that they had a Biblical “Curse of Ham/Canaan” imperative to enslave Black Africans. So if Jesus had come back then, probably most righteously acting slaves would still have been saved. It would just have been the ones who decided to not resist the whip of their master and do what they innately knew was evil/abominable instead of suffering who would have been lost, and actually mercifully spared Hell’s Judgement by God. And fact is, there were then millions of other “People” in the world , e.g. in China/Asia, India, Middle East, etc who then, and mostly now still do not, know of the saving message of the Gospel. So Christ most likely postponed the Second Coming for their sake, more for African-American salves who were for the most part actually (really most likely self-servingly for the order/discipline-seeking slave owners, forcefully) converted to “Christianity”.
C.D. Brooks later [at 31:41-31:59] tries to generalize that claim by saying that ‘it was good for, effectively, our ever/present existence case that Jesus did not return before.’ That somewhat almost encroaches on the outrightly unbiblical claim that this was because God actually wanted further generations to be born. But the realistic fact is that if we, or any other people since 1844 had not been born...they just would not have ever had any notion of this. To echo what the Angel said to EGW in EW 276.1: ‘they would have continued to be as they had always never been.’ And this actually pointedly speaks about this issue of Finishing the Work. God actually realistically is only in “present time” relationship with people. He does not know who will exist in the future, and not what they will do, though He certainly has the brain power to compute a myriad of genetic/DNA inputs from an alive group of people to forecast scenarios of, at least what future people could look like. However in terms of what they will be like character-wise, as this squarely depends on the decisions they will make (See this sermon by David Asscherick), that in itself would be an even more complex computing ordeal which I think God just does not bother to “speculatively” do. He has much more important Creative and Sustaining things to constructively do with His Divine Energy.
So all this to soberingly say that no one is ‘indispensable’ to God, to the point where he would delay the Second Coming so that a person can be born in the future. Life entirely is a gift and not a cosmic right, meaning that it just happens that people are born and not that they have an Eternal right to be born. The future is created by every passing second and does not actually exist. So, and also in relation to Finishing the Work, it always will be what we make it to be by our present decisions. And relatedly, if one is presently involved in doing such Work, it is not self-importantly because they were always meant to be, and were thus “indispensable to God’ but because, when it happened, through the passing of, since the First Century AD, “bonus” time, they were step by step obedient to the leading of God who had “electingly” cast His vote of confidence and trust on them to do a specific task that He needed/needs to be done in His overall Redemptive Work. So at best, one can only thank God for the “bonus” which is their life/existence, and this chance that they have “to also be”, -which is why all conceived life should be honored and protected.
This is all not simple to spell out, but tersely said “Life is what we make it to be” and not what it was always supposed to be...so we all have this imperative to “Live Well” and make our existence count for the best. No one is doing, even “prophetically” so, ‘what they were always supposed to do’ but merely what they have chosen and decided to do. And when one grasps all of that, they then “reality checkly” realize the great opportunity they presently have, and that they should literally ‘“seize the day”’s Divine duty’ (Heb 4:6-11ff) pointedly as the Bible and SOP are clear that Final Events are on an action-reaction basis...I.e., God’s Righteous people act and the unrighteous, spuriously claiming “national security” and “peace” react (=2 Tim 3:12 (cf. this sermon), see on the Second Seal’s Horseman (Rev 6:3-4) in here), and God increasingly duly adjudges, including with the releasing of the 4 Winds...when then all “Hell” will literally break lose. So those who have an “awaiting of a set time/event” (i.e., Sunday Laws, or (Ed Reid’s misconstruingly erroneously, spuriously attributed&claimed) 2031 limit or Financial Collapse[53:48-55:16-56:17]) mentality and won’t do anything until they will see these things occur are just shooting themselves in the foot, actually “head”, since they are then actually assuring their death as the Second Coming will not occur until God’s testifying Work is done. And now there is the whole further issue as to what the prophetic/Spiritual issues actually have Eschatologically advanced to be today....
Notes
[1] Similarly, as another case in point, it was seriously asked in a Signs of the Times TV program, ‘how come the news of 9/11 attacks spread around the World in a matter of minutes, but the Church cannot do the same with its own message, and thus fulfill Matt 24:14.’ Well, for one thing, you can do a 9/11-style terrorist attack to achieve the same instant notoriety! And two, though the news of the 9/11 attacks indeed became known by many/most people in the World, and that instantly, while many became quite sympathetic to America, even putting aside a prior spitefulness of it, this probably did not convince most of them to absolutely want to do all that they can to seek to become American Citizens, and immigrate to the United States. So similarly, it will first take a compelling attractive Church, living up to all of the great light of Biblical Truth, for any global message, or even newsflash, to be significant and successful and not, spiritually, correspondingly, speaking, just a “flash-in-the-pan, grand miracle”.
[2] Cf. this sermon and this one by David Asscherick emphasizing this most pivotal spiritual fact, even ‘necessity’.
[3] And if abortion was outlawed globally as the crime against people/humanity that it factually is, then this ratio would almost be steadily doubled, at least for the next ca. 15-20 years until these born children would, at least become of an age where baptism to the SDA faith could possibly (i.e., with cognition and relative parental/family independence) begin to occur. (However with abortion so intricately tied to various aspects of the economy, such a global ban is not likely to occur, for the Economy is the most revered and obeyed, Chief god of this World, even when it demands, ala. “Molech” of old (not coincidentally enough from the Semitic word for “King” = melek), that one sacrifices their children. (See starting from in this forum discussion post and its responses starting in here for more on the Molech & Abortion comparison.)).
Furthermore, the prophesied “Final Events” will not begin to unravel as foreseen ‘until/so that (Greek Subjunctive mood) the would-be bond-servants of God are/may be sealed in their foreheads’ (Rev 7:1-3); and, in reality, there is only one way to accomplish/ascertain this.
The Church’s Pet Pretext
So present, (as it has been done by the NJK Project), this pivotally binding Full Gospel Message to the Church, which is: for them to endeavor to truly and fully help everyone in, at the very least, vital need, including being aborted infants, thus preserving and sustaining these lives, and the knee-jerk, puffed up, vexatious rebuttal that will patently be made is a sanctimonious combination of: ‘that’s not our mission, nor message’, ‘time is running out’, ‘only Jesus can, and will, do that’ and/or ‘the Church is doing the best it can’. However, faulty and deficient theology aside, the “naked” (=Rev 16:15) underlying truth in all of this is that the Church and its members, encouraged by unfaithful and dishonest leaders, do not want to make the necessary sacrifices of: time, effort, comfort and money to accomplish those things. Indeed the present Global Church of ca. 18,000,000 members collectively has enough of these variously needed resources to get these task done. But because selfishness, indifference, individualism and a reverential love of the world, reigns Supreme in the Church, this Full Gospel Call and Work of God is gleefully completely ignored. And thus the Church’s entrusted Talents towards this end are baselessly left unused and unimproved. (COL 325.1-365.3) Yet Christ words are unequivocal and all will have to correspondingly answer for such willful/preferential neglect of those in vital need. (Matt 25:31-46; Luke 9:23-26; EW 50.2-3).
7000 Year Theory
SDA’s inaccurately believe that the number 7 is used to symbolize completeness,
however as discussed here, it rather is used to indicate a “perfect representation”. I.e., Something that is adequately, representative enough so that a totality/completeness, (which is instead indicated by the number 10), does not need to be ascertained|demonstrated|utilized.
It is quite evident that SDA’s, though they don’t generally make a time-setting claim, at the very least, implicitly believe that ‘the present age of human life on earth cannot last for more than a “complete” 7000’. And with a knowledge that there will be a 1000 year Millennium, it is reversed-engineeringly assumed that the Second Coming will therefore have to occur after 6000 years of this GC have passed; -thus, as historically ascertainable, “soon”, since this present age is reckoned to have been going on for 6000 years (which supposed was reached in ca. 1996).
The Exegetical/Biblical/Theological fact is that 7000 years is, in keeping with the symbolism in "7" merely a ‘prefect representative number of years for this GC’. I.e., the Almighty, Sovereign God has variously paced, calibrated and rectified key events and developments on this earth so that within those 7000 years, including a 1000-year period in Heaven, all questions in this GC could, and would, be ‘adequately resolved enough’ so that this GC could be ended by then. However that is not a “complete” period of allocatable time. SDA’s today look around in the world and claim that ‘surely things cannot go on much longer’,well the scientific fact, is that they actually easily can. I.e., there are enough various vital resources on this planet, including the overall natural health of the planet itself, to sustain normal human life for at least 10,000 years. The only hindrance to this is how man has decided to waste, misuse, even artificially restrict and not use at all, those available, all inherently freely available, resources. And all of this ‘artificial limiting’ is done through and because of, the individualistic, greed-based, selfish and wasteful economic system of Capitalism. Even in terms of societal and geo-political relations, the fact that the vast majority of people in this world can go about their normal life without being certain that they will be the victim of some crime, is an indication that ‘the world is not in ‘unlivable, lawless chaos’. And much, if not arguably, all, of the various manifested problems, discords, crimes, strife, and wars are all inceptively caused by/derived from, the intrinsic and needful adversiality and competition involved in Capitalistic “living” and pursuit. So remove that spurious, Devil-inspired system, and most of those issues would be quenched if it was completely discarded and replaced with God’s sabbatical, socio-economic ideal (cf. the New Covenant, temporally fulfillable statements in e.g., Isa 2; 60; Mic 4; Zech 14; cf. Ezek 38 & 39). Indeed the fact that the socio-economic world has not artificially remained in, and further be in the 1930's Great Depression, Capitalism halting, is only because Biblically derived Socialistic measures were “mixed” in to dilute the detrimental effects of Capitalism. And, as seen in the various “Occupy...” protests, it seems that further diluting in still needed today, something that is actually easily achievable in a true democracy. Indeed it is inevitable that Capitalism continue to be watered down until it exists in mere name only, indeed as the present Mixed Economies are still called/claimed to be “Capitalism”. (These economies are “mixed” at a ca. 60-40 ratio based merely on the ca. 35%-40% of tax collecting needed to run purely social services which, in a truly Capitalistic economy, should actually be done according to a ‘personal/individual costs & payment’ model).
If however God gives this world, and the GC, a “complete” 10,000, (which indeed can, and will, be done if the GC-wrapping up work is never “Finished” as it can, should, and is required to be (= Rev 7:1-3), it is then that this ever-degenerating world will reach “chaotic” conditions where, in the social world, e.g., high-hand crime will be the norm, and, in the natural world, life will actually not be sustainable. Just in the realm of religion, with most of the Christian world generically believing in a Secret Rapture ‘at some time’, and given the current SDA, at least, trace, belief in a determined 6000-year, earth/GC time period, it is easy to perceive that if time should last, e.g., 200 more years, that there won’t be much ‘pleading/persistent faith left on earth’ (Luke 18:1-8) among both Christians in general, and also SDA’s. It is thus then that society in general, and also God’s Remnant cause, if they remain on the same unbiblical paths, will virtually ‘fade to black’ from “lighting” this planet. (Matt 5:13-14ff). Indeed just looking at the various pertinent trends in the Christian and SDA Church, they are majoritarily actually moving further and further away from what its Full Gospel mandate is, than the contrary. And with the prominently held, self-motivation of a ‘soon, 6000-year ended GC Second Coming, then having certainly long past, it can be seen how, pointedly, the SDA Church itself would have lost its self-imposed impetus, which actually is not even really propelling them into due action, even in simply according to their shallow, merely “Tell the World” Gospel parameters.
The underlying theological fact of this whole matter is that, since its genesis in ca. 1844, the Remnant|SDA Church was actually never given by God the mandate of ‘proclaiming that the Second Coming is near,’ but rather that ‘it is now time to get ready for God’s begun (investigative) judgement,’ and all that this comes to ‘sanctifyingly necessitate’ through believers being increasingly processed through the 3 parts of God’s Sanctuary. (I.e., Courtyard-Holy Place-Most Holy Place). A “Soon Second Coming” notion was, and still is, actually erroneously based upon William Miller’s interpretational error of Dan 8:14. Jesus actually said/meant in Rev 22:7, 12, 20 that ‘He would come quickly.’ Thus ‘whenever it is that the conditions on earth would necessitate it, He would “quickly” arrive on the scene to deliver His then only-remaining faithful People, who have complete all of the Gospel warning and (tangible) testimony work, (a condemning work to which the wicked people on earth are vexatiously, directly reacting against) from being totally put to death, as then it will be lawfully decreed.’
Priorly, I would, (manifestly) like missionary Andrew Michell in this 2011 Indonesia Youth Conference presentation [video] on his conversion testimony, become disappointed and alarmed to hear, once again, the, missions-wise, actually appeasing, typical SDA “more frequent and greater intensity birthpangs” sermons which claim that ‘the end is very soon because of the increase in, and strength of, natural disasters in recent years.’ For such claims really only convey the message to the vast majority of the pew warming hearers that: ‘we’re on the right course, so there is no need to make any change, especially a radical one such as wholly engaging in foreign missions.’ However as Andrew stated [40:47-42:14], the Biblical Truth is that ‘Jesus will not, and cannot, come back until everyone in the world’s nations, tribes, tongues and people has heard (and understood) this Gospel and final warning message.’[4] (Cf. this video clip. See also a similar and thematically related, statement by Dwight Nelson in regards to the outpouring of the Latter Rain in his GYC 2011 sermon [01:17:41-01:20:31ff] = Acts 5:32).[5] And see the 03-31-2012 Sermon “The Gospel” [44:38ff] by Mark Howard (mp3) & the 02-16-2013 Sermon “The Kingdom” by Jonathan Henderson. And so now, I see that such common SDA “birthpangs” messages, are unsuspectingly actually acting a part in separating the wheat from the tares in the Church for if, as many enthralled “Amening” listeners in these pews show, they really believe that ‘the end is very, very near’, but their concrete works do not correspond to such a professed faith, namely they are not systematically actively and/or most tangibly engaged in sharing this message with as many people as they can, then they are just proving themselves to be tares. And conversely, if one believes that ‘the end will only occur when everyone has intelligently heard this message and they are not engaging in doing all they can to hasten that day (cf. COL 69.2), then they also are proving themselves to be tares. Nothing else than the active working in God’s vineyard will qualify one as wheat (cf. Matt 24:45-47ff; LDE 62.1-2).
Back in the Spring of 1999, while on my Pastoral Practicum assignment during my Theology studies at Andrews University, I preached a, as I now much more appreciate it, (to my surprise: yet again during these Practicum’s preachings), theologically “loaded” sermon (i.e., it is at the spiritually subliminal root base of several of my blogs posts such as this post, this one, and this present one (cf. here)), entitled “The Longsuffering of God” (2 Pet 3:8-9) which can be read in this document pp. 280-294, and for the ‘ministry overburdened’ reasons related here (cf. in here), which did not allow me to best prepare the delivery of my sermons, including not having prepared, more than less, audience-pertinent tangible/practical/pragmatic applications/implications of the message, all resulting in relatively short sermons (ca. 20 minutes), as the sermon was winding down I just knew that I could not continue doing these practicum preachings anymore and so knew (or, as I now see it, was impressed), that this would be my very last practicum sermon/assignment (and it was). And so starting with that last page, I, to my trepidating self-surprising, actually began slightly/ad-libly deviating from my script, and from the second line of the second paragraph on the last page (#14; at line #10 from the top of that page: -I.e., from: “One of you one...” onward) of my manuscript (p. 294), I actually “scrapped”, the rest of what I was planning to say and during that whole sudden impressed switching I was impressed to instead say (if I now recall exactly (i.e., word-for-word):
“Even the Holy Spirit is longsuffering. He takes our prayers and rearranges them...because ‘we don’t know what to ask’!!! With such enabling power who wouldn’t wan to do something to help take God out of this misery!... In the end... ‘Wooohoooo the end’* We will ALL** be involved in some kind of MINISTRY*** ...so we might as well....begin.........TO-DAY!!! [End of Sermon; ~DA 240.4ff]
Well in listening to Mark Howard’s sermon that day[6] today, (Feb. 24, 2013), I was confirmingly pleased to see that EGW had made quite similar statements and applications in Ed 263.1-264.1ff as I had built up towards making in that sermon, and that impressed ending....and further confirmingly to me, as is the theme of this present blog post, also in the context of rightly understanding the contingent mandate of Matt 24:14!
* Here-in/with deriding the, as alluded to in this post, typical mindless view of SDA’s towards their obligation in actually contributing to Finishing the Work]
** Contra also typical SDA “z-jealously” selfish/sectarian/individualistic/“Cain-ly” ‘not my brother’s keeper’ dispositions. (1T 113.3ff)
*** I.e. some intentional, deliberate and systematic “medical missionary”|evangelistic ministry work versus the typical occasional, happenstance approach of SDA lay people.[7]....And in Spiritual Fact [which the a-Spiritual world would deem “Freudian], this issue can easily be resolved by having each members on morning in Church writing down for a suggestion box what they think the Church should be doing, or better doing....and then assigning them to that “ministry”...for, if Biblical, such ‘pressing ideas’ of members are most likely from the Holy Spirit in accordance to the Spiritual “talent” (Matt 25:14ff) that God has granted to each (albeit if actually “born from above”) member. (Cf. the: ‘Getting a Divine Holy Purpose’ (Neh 2:12) sermon by Mark Howard). (If a member is actually not, in any “conceived” degree, ‘born again”, they’ll probably will just have ‘drawn a blank’ in this exercise.)
Relatedly, many SDAs believe that they have found a both motivating and balancing view on ‘when the Second Coming will be’ by stating that ‘it will be in one’s lifetime’ since whenever it is that one dies, that is the only chance they have to be ready for the Second Coming. As typical with anything that the present state of the SDA Church tries to do, this too is basely marred with selfishness and self-interest, and moreover this is seen as the “only and best solution” (‘for everyone is selfish’). (Might as well similarly provide: ‘wine to the alcoholic’ or consenting mates to the sexually promiscuous!!?). And not surprisingly such base thinking/reasoning/rationalizing leads to the also selfish actions of such a person only “investing” in “things” which they believe will produce the Second Coming in their lifetime and ignore anything else which won’t. So, e.g., planning for a system and ministry to properly spiritually cultivate and humanitarianly minister to the world, such as being done in the NJK Project, is summarily dismissed as there is no surety of “self-profiting” “in one’s own lifetime” through such an altruistic endeavor. And thus is the Full Gospel of Christ “selfishly” curtailed and hindered and, most ironically enough, as this all delays the ‘true and full emulation of Christ’s Character in His people’ =COL 69.1, (indeed just fully engaging in such self-disinterested and altruistic works would speak volumes in regard to full Christlike character), that is actually what is preventing the Second Coming from ever actually being an even soon possibility. (COL 69.2) (See the similar commenting related to these SOP statements by Shawn Brace here[03:36-06:18] during NZYC 2012).
SDA Pseudo-Eschatology: ‘Global Economic Crisis = Final Events’
If it wasn’t so Spiritually pivotal, it would be unrestrainedly Roll on the Floor, Laugh Out Loud, to see how more and more SDA are buying into this subtle prophetic view, as popularly/prominently (still) preached by David Gates (see in here) that: “SOP Prophesied Final Events will unravel due to a soon coming Global Economic Crisis.” (See also e.g., in this 09-08-12 sermon and the beginning of this 10-13-12 sermon (and also the beginning of the 11-10-12 sermon) by Dwight Nelson; which were (nonetheless) tacitly, even furtheringly, supported & endorsed during this 2012 NARLA presentation by Lake Union Religious Liberty Director, Vern Alger, [a PMC member] (02:15-07:28 & 33:15ff); -later relatedly enjoined during Q&A by co-presenter, MAUC Religious Liberty Director, Darrel Huenergardt (01:12:01-01:16:05)). Most are seeing this as the prophesied “National Ruin”. The Bible and SOP account however is contrarily clear that ‘National Ruin will follow (and not, as they claim/believe/preach, cause) National Apostasy, and that this National Apostasy will be caused by the terror brought about by Super-Natural (i.e., non-“natural”, and at the very least, ‘God-allowed’ (=GC 589.2)) Disasters. The SOP says absolutely nothing about an Economic Crash and Crisis causing all of this. (See the futile attempts by Ed Reid here). That is just the positing of people who have this worshipful mentality [just as seen by the people who are willing to put their life at risk in related violent manifestations] that the Capitalistic Economy is god (=Mammon) and so if it crashes, then it must be “the end of the world”. An idolizing mentality that is even worsely (for they should “enlightenedly” know the Truth) shared by SDAs as they completely ignore what God has specifically said in order to “fearfully” bow down to the “All Mighty Economy”. (contra Rev 14:7). An Economic Crisis is never an “Act of God” it is always purely man-made, and all reflective of, and entirely due to, the utter spuriousness of this man-made, fictional and whimsical, Capitalistic Economy.[8], [9]
But in all of this is fulfilled the Ezek 14:1-5, 7ff Divine modus operandi, and also 2 Thess 2:7-12 scenario, where God is allowing even SDAs to be self-deceived and misguided by the Prophetic Golden Calf (ala. 1 Sam 13:8-12ff) that they have chosen to erect and follow as their god. Like that rebellious generation in God’s Israel, they wanted something more tangible and concrete to fix their faith upon than something that entirely depended on God (and also His chosen time) (1T 186.2-188.2)
...And so, deliberately tersely said here....do expect most delusive things to “unravel” in that spurious context of a Global Economic Crisis for therewith will God cause the SDA Church, or whatever is left of it after that, to “hit the wall” and too late realize that they have fought the wrong fight. Remember 70 A.D.... -all because the Jewish Nation would not heed the Gospel teachings of Christ!! (=TM 409.2-3; COL 294.1-2ff; see here)[10]
SDA Panel on Second Coming Delay
It was overshadowingly quite comical to hear the ASI 2013 Panel here made up of Ted Wilson, Mark Finley, C. D. Brooks, Lewis Walton, Ed Reid, Andi Hunsaker, and moderated by Don Mackintosh, try to variously explain ‘why the Second Coming had not yet occurred’. While during that discussion the most correct point/answer was made by Ted Wilson, and that most naturally because he has rightly begun to tangibly espoused the Full Gospel mandate of Christ, and thus is most naturally beginning to “see the light”, namely the “light” for/about this “past Midnight Cry” (as concealedly most pivotally involved within this prophetic revelation) (=Matt 25:1-13) delay, which indeed, as he rightly, essentially said [at 35:37-37:42] all revolves around ‘truly reflecting the Character of Christ in ministering to the needs of others as unequivocally stipulated in Isa 58 (=RH, February 11, 1896 par. 6; COL 69.1), and not merely on the verbal proclamation of the Gospel/Three Angels’ Message. As referenced in here, Don Mackintosh also rightly has that Biblical understanding, and it was probably because he was here merely the moderator, that he himself did not also express this answer, probably not seeing a need to add anything to what Ted Wilson had correctly said. (Also similarly expressed by Mark Finley [21:10-22:37] and Andi Hunsaker [17:47-20:13]; cf. Lewis Walton’s related point on the “Spirit of ASI” at [24:04-24:41]).
And that is indeed, as it was with the Jews in the First Century AD (cf. Luke 10:30-37) the thin line veil that restricts one from being able to clearly and illuminatingly look into the prefect Law/Will of God and fully understanding what God’s Gospel Truth is all about. (=2 Cor 3:7-18). And once that veil is removed, pointedly revealing that God is, pointedly in this Eschatological age not at all dependent on “set times” [cf. Finley’s 7BC 971.7-capped more than less accurate mini-exposition [at 01:22:50-01:26:42] on this issue], then should, if humbly not pridefully resisted, naturally also come other pivotal Theological understandings, pointedly about ‘God and the Future’ (Isa 46:9-11) which clearly shows that God does implement His Jer 18:1-10 principle at will and is not restricted by either any promise, or even condemnation, which He had said He would justly effectuate based on passed warranting circumstances. For one thing, this Biblical understanding would have avoided that Panel from expressing the various smug, quasi-heretical, Bible and SOP dismissive, and Theologically dissonant statements which they did for the most part of the Panel, including the mystically Pharisaical vacuous call by Andi Hunsaker to ‘“repent(??)” for what happened back in 1888’ [50:52-52:25]. As discussed here, that message has actually not only since long been heeded by SDA’s, i.e., as it was then ideologically known and understood by A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner (LDE 200.1-2), But it has actually since further advanced, developed and fully bloomed into its Full, now also practical (LDE 218.3), second part, which is what completes the revelation of the Christ to the world, being, i.e. His tangibly great good works also the tangible reason why He was put on the Cross. (John 11:45-53; RH, January 7, 1902 par. 11 = 16MR 34.1). So the actual “repentance” that now needs to be done is in present relation to not heeding this message as it now fully applies.
So, specifically, what all these more advanced and Biblically accurate understanding would have avoid that panel is, as most emblematically seen from the very first question, from that first section of questions [at 17:54-28:23] of: ‘why Paul (involving Col 1:23), and many times the SOP [see Walton’s citations at 22:37-25:40], could claim/state that the Second Coming could have occurred at prior times before our day.’ Succinctly said here, as discussed within this post, it indeed should have occurred during the First Century AD, but as emblematically reflected in the 7 Letters to the 7 Churches, most of the congregations of the Christian Church then had several pivotal faulting issues...and so in His mercy God did not effectuate then, which would have been shortly after the 70 A.D. destruction of Jerusalem. In objection, Ed Reid doubles down on his pet “booked” theory that ‘God was dependent on a “Great Week in Time’ which would necessitate that the Second Coming can only occur upon 6000 years having passed since the Fall/Creation, and moreover that ‘God will not come late’, (which thus, according to his theory, all claims that the Second Coming will occur in 2031), and he also cites EGW in GC 356.1 that says that the end could not have occurred prior to the 1260 years having elapsed, thus by 1798...(and I guess one would then have to likewise actually say: ‘not prior to the 2300 days which ended in 1844’), but all this is Theologically and Biblically resolved by the fact that in what pivotally took place in Rev 5, God actually then charted an new course for the prolonged time that occurred then upon the failure of the First Century Christian Church in them not being ready (cf. EW 38.1-2|Rev 7:1-3). So Christ Prophetic Olivet discourse was then expanded into the book/prophecies of Revelation now covering what would be over 1800 years of “Church History”. As it was succinctly presented here, all Daniel/OT prophecies involving the Antichrist would have been fulfilled in the First Century, as they did not necessarily have to be reckoned according to a Day-Year principle. That only became the applicable principle when time was prolonged by the events of Rev 5 which transpired (actually again, with the first being at Christ ascension in 31 AD and focusing on the damage which had been done by the failing Jewish nation, pointedly sealed in 34 AD), in ca. 90-95 AD. And that prophetic event has since had a couple more fulfillments, indeed each major time when the Second Coming could have occurred. Another one around 1844 with the Millerite/Adventist movement failure, which then led to the charting of an advancing course in the prophecies given to EGW, and then as EGW saw, for another future time, (discussed within here) when again ‘the “everlasting” [i.e., final work =Rev 14:6ff] covenant was broken, -through the shirking/skirting/dereliction of duties’ (as e.g., here) (9T 267.1), and a further course (cf. here on Dan 11) would again have to be charted for now a resetting Eschatological age which replaces the halted Historical one. (See in this post & this one) (cf. 15MR 292.3-4).
So what was really involved in what EGW said in GC 356.1-2, was all within the context of the post 90-95 AD started Historical age. Those Daniel/OT prophecies were indeed “sealed” but that was pointedly in regards to their time for Paul surely fully understood what would, events wise, be involved in their fulfillment. (2 Thess 2:1-6, 7-12; cf. within here) And their now also time-based unsealing occurred during the “unsealing” of the Rev 5 Scroll (=Rev 6)And, indeed during that age, God then, for reasons of faith evidencing, restricted Himself to set times for now day-year applied times in Biblical prophecies. But that was not applicable in the prior Local/Literal era of 31-70-95 A.D. when all things could, and should have wrapped up.
Relatedly C.D. Brooks most subjectively claims [at 28:24-29:50] (actually indifferently caveatly sidestepping the quite manifest deliberate “setting up” point in that question directed to him as he, as documented in here, is ‘one of those who are in favor of racial “factions” in the Church’ (=Jude 1:19)), that: ‘Christ could not have come around 1844 because Black people then were slaves.’ Well the objective Biblical Truth on that issue is that, as fully discussed here for the Bible-echoing SOP, God revealed in EW 276.1 that ‘only slaves who were raised worst than brutish animals and actually did abominable things all because they only feared the whip of their master, would/could not be saved.’ As I understand U.S. Slavery history, that was actually the conditions with a very minimal amount of slave owners as most slave owners were, (most ironically/oxymoronically enough) devote Christians and they more than less treated their slaves humanely and even instructed them Biblically. They just, as referenced/discussed in here, wrongly believed that they had a Biblical “Curse of Ham/Canaan” imperative to enslave Black Africans. So if Jesus had come back then, probably most righteously acting slaves would still have been saved. It would just have been the ones who decided to not resist the whip of their master and do what they innately knew was evil/abominable instead of suffering who would have been lost, and actually mercifully spared Hell’s Judgement by God. And fact is, there were then millions of other “People” in the world , e.g. in China/Asia, India, Middle East, etc who then, and mostly now still do not, know of the saving message of the Gospel. So Christ most likely postponed the Second Coming for their sake, more for African-American salves who were for the most part actually (really most likely self-servingly for the order/discipline-seeking slave owners, forcefully) converted to “Christianity”.
C.D. Brooks later [at 31:41-31:59] tries to generalize that claim by saying that ‘it was good for, effectively, our ever/present existence case that Jesus did not return before.’ That somewhat almost encroaches on the outrightly unbiblical claim that this was because God actually wanted further generations to be born. But the realistic fact is that if we, or any other people since 1844 had not been born...they just would not have ever had any notion of this. To echo what the Angel said to EGW in EW 276.1: ‘they would have continued to be as they had always never been.’ And this actually pointedly speaks about this issue of Finishing the Work. God actually realistically is only in “present time” relationship with people. He does not know who will exist in the future, and not what they will do, though He certainly has the brain power to compute a myriad of genetic/DNA inputs from an alive group of people to forecast scenarios of, at least what future people could look like. However in terms of what they will be like character-wise, as this squarely depends on the decisions they will make (See this sermon by David Asscherick), that in itself would be an even more complex computing ordeal which I think God just does not bother to “speculatively” do. He has much more important Creative and Sustaining things to constructively do with His Divine Energy.
So all this to soberingly say that no one is ‘indispensable’ to God, to the point where he would delay the Second Coming so that a person can be born in the future. Life entirely is a gift and not a cosmic right, meaning that it just happens that people are born and not that they have an Eternal right to be born. The future is created by every passing second and does not actually exist. So, and also in relation to Finishing the Work, it always will be what we make it to be by our present decisions. And relatedly, if one is presently involved in doing such Work, it is not self-importantly because they were always meant to be, and were thus “indispensable to God’ but because, when it happened, through the passing of, since the First Century AD, “bonus” time, they were step by step obedient to the leading of God who had “electingly” cast His vote of confidence and trust on them to do a specific task that He needed/needs to be done in His overall Redemptive Work. So at best, one can only thank God for the “bonus” which is their life/existence, and this chance that they have “to also be”, -which is why all conceived life should be honored and protected.
This is all not simple to spell out, but tersely said “Life is what we make it to be” and not what it was always supposed to be...so we all have this imperative to “Live Well” and make our existence count for the best. No one is doing, even “prophetically” so, ‘what they were always supposed to do’ but merely what they have chosen and decided to do. And when one grasps all of that, they then “reality checkly” realize the great opportunity they presently have, and that they should literally ‘“seize the day”’s Divine duty’ (Heb 4:6-11ff) pointedly as the Bible and SOP are clear that Final Events are on an action-reaction basis...I.e., God’s Righteous people act and the unrighteous, spuriously claiming “national security” and “peace” react (=2 Tim 3:12 (cf. this sermon), see on the Second Seal’s Horseman (Rev 6:3-4) in here), and God increasingly duly adjudges, including with the releasing of the 4 Winds...when then all “Hell” will literally break lose. So those who have an “awaiting of a set time/event” (i.e., Sunday Laws, or (Ed Reid’s misconstruingly erroneously, spuriously attributed&claimed) 2031 limit or Financial Collapse[53:48-55:16-56:17]) mentality and won’t do anything until they will see these things occur are just shooting themselves in the foot, actually “head”, since they are then actually assuring their death as the Second Coming will not occur until God’s testifying Work is done. And now there is the whole further issue as to what the prophetic/Spiritual issues actually have Eschatologically advanced to be today....
Notes
[1] Similarly, as another case in point, it was seriously asked in a Signs of the Times TV program, ‘how come the news of 9/11 attacks spread around the World in a matter of minutes, but the Church cannot do the same with its own message, and thus fulfill Matt 24:14.’ Well, for one thing, you can do a 9/11-style terrorist attack to achieve the same instant notoriety! And two, though the news of the 9/11 attacks indeed became known by many/most people in the World, and that instantly, while many became quite sympathetic to America, even putting aside a prior spitefulness of it, this probably did not convince most of them to absolutely want to do all that they can to seek to become American Citizens, and immigrate to the United States. So similarly, it will first take a compelling attractive Church, living up to all of the great light of Biblical Truth, for any global message, or even newsflash, to be significant and successful and not, spiritually, correspondingly, speaking, just a “flash-in-the-pan, grand miracle”.
[2] Cf. this sermon and this one by David Asscherick emphasizing this most pivotal spiritual fact, even ‘necessity’.
[3] And if abortion was outlawed globally as the crime against people/humanity that it factually is, then this ratio would almost be steadily doubled, at least for the next ca. 15-20 years until these born children would, at least become of an age where baptism to the SDA faith could possibly (i.e., with cognition and relative parental/family independence) begin to occur. (However with abortion so intricately tied to various aspects of the economy, such a global ban is not likely to occur, for the Economy is the most revered and obeyed, Chief god of this World, even when it demands, ala. “Molech” of old (not coincidentally enough from the Semitic word for “King” = melek), that one sacrifices their children. (See starting from in this forum discussion post and its responses starting in here for more on the Molech & Abortion comparison.)).
[4] Manifestly Andrew Michell [and see in his testimony that his last name indeed is not: Mitchell] was decryingly, pointedly responding to the presentation a couple of days before [11-03-11 at 9:00] [video] in that Youth Conference by Dwayne Lemon of P.T.H. Ministries [who also has an interesting conversion testimony] which presented this ‘of late SDA-typical, “birthpangs” sermon.’ Pivotally, Lemon posited [22:33-24:25ff & 35:29-40:46ff] that the word “perplexity” [Strongs #640 & #639] in Luke 21:25 meant ‘a lack of (coping) resources’, (which is passably true given its general “at a loss” meaning, but not necessarily, i.e., substantively/factually actually, financial resources) and so ‘since figures such as the whole World (and not just America as Lemon probably misread and thus misstated, but his displayed article clearly indicated otherwise, (and he does seem to have suddenly noticed this then, but chose to gloss over it), [i.e., ‘$210B of those $265B were for the Japan Tsunami and its Nuclear Plant meltdown disaster’]), suffering a record $265 Billion in natural disaster damages in 2011 [actually during just the first 6 months], the World is right on the verge of this tipping point where it can no longer provide the needed “resources” to face natural disasters.’ Conclusion: ‘The end is very, very near!!”
Well that prophetic theory is factually debunked by the fact that $265,000,000,000 represents only ca. 0.4% of the World’s $75 Trillion GDP (and in total: 1.8% of the U.S.’s, but with only potentially $55B at most (and actually +$52B for the full 2011 year according to this PBS News report [03:20]) being applicable, thus 0.4% of the U.S. $15T GDP) economic output. Furthermore, as implicitly cited in that article, in developed (western) countries like the U.S. and Japan, most of these costs were fully covered by already collected insurance funds [unless of course they were classified as “Acts of God” and/or there were no specific “disaster” policies/coverage], including State/Provincial and Federal/National Disaster Relief Funds. And with the warped way in which a Capitalistic economy functions, indeed where ‘digging a hole simply to refill it’ would qualify as a valid job if someone could somehow figure out how to profit from this activity, such natural disasters actually help the economy job-wise as they created repair, re-construction and infrastructure work jobs, which are indeed indirectly fully paid for by those Insurance and (the more generalized) Public funds (with the government fund being a sort of (public) Insurance for “private” Insurance companies). So the $75 Trillion GDP producing World, (including the $15T GDP U.S.), has a long, long way to go before it, in whole or in part, ‘“at a loss”, i.e., insolvently, runs out of (financial) coping resources’! (By the way, the U.S. probably suffers the most number of, and most costly (given their high advanced development), natural disasters (e.g., namely: (regularly) earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, forest fires, floods; with occasionally also hailstorms, blizzards, ice storms, heat waves, droughts, landslides, [ecological impact of oil spills]) than any other single country in the world; -with 12 such “severe weather events” in 2011. (Perhaps not at all a coincidence, but an chastising, Divine Allowance. Indeed compared to its northern neighbor Canada and its relative lack of such, especially regular, annual natural disasters, the U.S. really seems like a training camp of Hell!) So even trying to use the U.S.’s, especially resulting financial costs totals to gauge the rest of the World is not an accurate parameter.
It is also debunkingly significant to point out that Lemon makes the common worldly, preferentially and reverentially entrenched, capitalistic false assumption and claim that ‘money is determinative of a country’s resource capability.’ (Cf. this post). The fact of the matter is that in the capitalistic scheme, if there is no produced/accrued money/finances, then a poor person can e.g., starve to death inside a restaurant; or die of thirst next to a bottled water refill dispenser. As money trumps even a scientific reckoning of actual resource wealth in this moronically spurious system, and all out of a “religious” utter abhorrence of ‘conscientious fair wealth allocation and sharing’, such fictitious weighing of the world wealth will not only prove to be misleading for those, including SDA who subscribe to it, and are seeking to interpret/understand final events according to its “Light”, but will actually not begin to impact actual final events. When Capitalists will have finished worshipfully self-crashing their own economies and destroying helpless lives by having been “most obedient” to their whimsically impish economic system, they will then realize that they were grossly “misinformed”, and subscribing SDA’s (which currently is quite literally the whole Church, across the board from leaders, pastors and lay members) will starkly see that they had all along been ‘bowing before the wrong person at an actually transitioned throne’, in vain seeking for (Prophetic) Guidance and Light. (DS, March 14, 1846 par. 1-2|EW 54.1-56.1|(RH, Dec. 16, 1890 par. 19) =Rev 8:10 (see discussion on the (Eschatological), ‘world-yielding/compromising’ Third Trumpet in this post).
[5] However, effectively conversely, in this September 1, 2012 sermon [e.g., 16:39-21:38ff] Nelson makes a claim which can be succinctly, summarily captioned as: ‘Jesus will come soon...no matter what.’ And along this rationale he claims that ‘the soon Second Coming is the only hope of deliverance for, e.g., the 80,000 starving to death each day, the 46 million Americans on food stamps, the 1,000,000 worldwide who are annually committing suicide, the many who are sexually assaulted,’ etc.. He then ends by saying that: ‘in the light of all this, it is not selfish to hope for a soon Second Coming...it is actually human.’ Indeed... ‘humanly selfish’ (=DA 20.2) for a soon Second Coming will not automatically be a “deliverance” for any of those groups, but for most, if they are not by then fully aware of the saving and testing Gospel truths for the end, will just be a doom and eternal death for them; -especially as it typically is the variously poor and/or “depressed” who mostly engage in criminal and/or sinful activity. (And even, currently all, SDAs likewise would fail God’s actual/full End Time Test).
[5] However, effectively conversely, in this September 1, 2012 sermon [e.g., 16:39-21:38ff] Nelson makes a claim which can be succinctly, summarily captioned as: ‘Jesus will come soon...no matter what.’ And along this rationale he claims that ‘the soon Second Coming is the only hope of deliverance for, e.g., the 80,000 starving to death each day, the 46 million Americans on food stamps, the 1,000,000 worldwide who are annually committing suicide, the many who are sexually assaulted,’ etc.. He then ends by saying that: ‘in the light of all this, it is not selfish to hope for a soon Second Coming...it is actually human.’ Indeed... ‘humanly selfish’ (=DA 20.2) for a soon Second Coming will not automatically be a “deliverance” for any of those groups, but for most, if they are not by then fully aware of the saving and testing Gospel truths for the end, will just be a doom and eternal death for them; -especially as it typically is the variously poor and/or “depressed” who mostly engage in criminal and/or sinful activity. (And even, currently all, SDAs likewise would fail God’s actual/full End Time Test).
It is quite common and popular for SDAs to think that the “carrot” of ‘a soon Second Coming’ must be kept dangled in front of fellow SDAs lest the entire “movement” then come to a stop, but if that is actually the motivation for any, though inherently selfishly marred, “good” works, instead of the “disinterested love” that Jesus expects, then it will not only not be a lasting motivation, but will also serve to perpetuate the current ‘live and let die’ belief where the Church only endeavors to do the task of “preaching” about the Second Coming, and not tangibly engaging in (actually needed) benevolent works which will actually resolve all of those problems. And this is all linked to, and derived from, a (self-inherently worshipful) capitalistic mentality, which is reigning supreme in the SDA Church, where it is “spiritually vacuously” thought and taught that ‘only what is financially/capitalistically feasible and/or profitable (including for foreign mission) is worthwhile pursuing.’
“Hope”, even ‘Hope of the soon Second Coming’ will never: feed those dying of starvation, rescue the aborted, provide clean water to those in need of it, etc. Only fully obeying Christ’s (two-fold) Gospel mandate will...and then, i.e., when that demonstration of what His Kingdom will be and His character is fully revealed, will the (also testing) end come. (e.g., Matt 24:14; COL 67.3, 69.1).
[6] And I seem to recall a tall, slim, young man, visibly slightly older than me, who, I now see, looked very much like Mark Howard (who would later pastor that Burlington, Michigan SDA Church), who, along with several other people (e.g., the elder I then had this brief exchange with), went out of their way, to greet me after the sermon (as I was in a fog of being perturbed with that sudden “impressed” decision that this would be my final practicum sermon), and had immediately struck me as a potential pastor, which I intimated to him. (As related also there, at the very least, that Church needed to have regular lay preachers who could hold its worship services at normative times, as this would be much more conducive to evangelism, than that present 8:30-ca.11:00 A.M. scheduling in their pastor sharing scheme). And, along these lines, in my parting “pastoral counsels”, I went on to also intimate to a couple of elders that ‘they needed to do something about the especially shoddy and dilapidated exterior look of the Church [which they have done by now], and also the Church’s fellowship basement which frankly gave me the creepy-crawly (albeit merely from my external entrance consideration), starting with pressing the conference for better socialistic wealth sharing in the conference... starting with taking more from the millions which the Pioneer Memorial Church at Andrews University obtained and were just splurging on, e.g., courtyard stone gardens and $75,000 bronze statues!!’
[7] See similar “laity ministry” calls in e.g.: this 04-06-13 Church sermon by Mark Finley on Isa 6 [esp. at 37:31ff ]; and this 07-13-13 sermon by Chris Buttery entitled “Our Moment, Our Opportunity” prior to the Sacramento Central Church Ministry Fair.
[8] And these are those who adamantly profess that they believe that, e.g., ‘in EGW’s visions and prophesying, God had, (contrary to what the Bible actually teaches), revealed the future exactly as He had seen/knows it will occur,’ yet they have absolutely no qualm to usurpingly substitute their own “economic crisis-initiating scenario”. And that is all because, they actually do believe that God is both not “All Mighty” (i.e., even over all Earth powers/systems and ‘gods’ = Rev 16:14) and in ultimate control of Time & Events (contra. Rev 7:1-3): e.g., they preach: “we do not have decades now, but years” and/or ‘we only have months left’, etc. Yet the actual work that they have to first do is outrightly neglected and/or inadequately done (i.e., attempted) due to their various worshipful reasons.... (contra. Psa 119:36 = EW 266.1-268.2)
Relatedly, by the way, FYI: proper “testing studies/analysis” show that this “The Amusement Park” Dream by Ernie Knoll fulfills the revealed plans of Satan to have a special subtle snare for SDA in that EW 266.1-268.2 SOP “Covetousness” vision. I.e., it is that ‘other subtle manner’ (than the one used in EW 262.1-265.2 “Spiritualism” for the rest of the world. Hint: ‘young woman with fruit’ = depiction of a converted “Eve-type” in Eden with, now, the Fruit of Life (see more here)) by which Satan would (and indeed has) trap/ped SDAs!!)
[9] Relatedly, and thus most tellingly, enough, as seen in the “lack of financial resources” claim of Dwayne Lemon discussed above, even when the SOP revelation of natural disasters is somewhat maintain in an SDA Eschatological claim, it is nonetheless still twisted to tacitly/inherently/sequiturly imply that: ‘it will be because of “the terrorizing fear” due to great economic losses caused by natural disasters that Mark of the Beast Final Developments will come to begin and unravel,’ whereas the SOP straightly states that the fear will directly come from those super-natural disasters which will be deemed to be the direct judgements of God (for pointedly nationally condoned Sunday desecration.)
[10] No doubt the typical SDA mindless/vacuous/knee jerk retort here at this Biblically and SOP-substantiated denunciation that they have a pseudo-eschatology (i.e., one which subjectively has replaced the actual “endtime vision” given to EGW about final events, -and that all out of their sustainedly innate and/or inculcated wholesale worshipful view of the economy, even in/for/over God’s affairs/duties (=Ezek 8:16-17's: ‘violence-resulting, backs to God’s Temple and worshipping of the Sun.’ See in here)), their vexatious retort here/now no doubt is: how can I condemn them for that (indeed “hellish-borne”) alternate/divergent prophetical view, when in my own prophetical views presented throughout this blog (see e.g., here, here, and here, and see more in the eschatological prophetic index here), I have prophetic interpretations which are (surfacely) not as what the SOP has stated?
[6] And I seem to recall a tall, slim, young man, visibly slightly older than me, who, I now see, looked very much like Mark Howard (who would later pastor that Burlington, Michigan SDA Church), who, along with several other people (e.g., the elder I then had this brief exchange with), went out of their way, to greet me after the sermon (as I was in a fog of being perturbed with that sudden “impressed” decision that this would be my final practicum sermon), and had immediately struck me as a potential pastor, which I intimated to him. (As related also there, at the very least, that Church needed to have regular lay preachers who could hold its worship services at normative times, as this would be much more conducive to evangelism, than that present 8:30-ca.11:00 A.M. scheduling in their pastor sharing scheme). And, along these lines, in my parting “pastoral counsels”, I went on to also intimate to a couple of elders that ‘they needed to do something about the especially shoddy and dilapidated exterior look of the Church [which they have done by now], and also the Church’s fellowship basement which frankly gave me the creepy-crawly (albeit merely from my external entrance consideration), starting with pressing the conference for better socialistic wealth sharing in the conference... starting with taking more from the millions which the Pioneer Memorial Church at Andrews University obtained and were just splurging on, e.g., courtyard stone gardens and $75,000 bronze statues!!’
[7] See similar “laity ministry” calls in e.g.: this 04-06-13 Church sermon by Mark Finley on Isa 6 [esp. at 37:31ff ]; and this 07-13-13 sermon by Chris Buttery entitled “Our Moment, Our Opportunity” prior to the Sacramento Central Church Ministry Fair.
[8] And these are those who adamantly profess that they believe that, e.g., ‘in EGW’s visions and prophesying, God had, (contrary to what the Bible actually teaches), revealed the future exactly as He had seen/knows it will occur,’ yet they have absolutely no qualm to usurpingly substitute their own “economic crisis-initiating scenario”. And that is all because, they actually do believe that God is both not “All Mighty” (i.e., even over all Earth powers/systems and ‘gods’ = Rev 16:14) and in ultimate control of Time & Events (contra. Rev 7:1-3): e.g., they preach: “we do not have decades now, but years” and/or ‘we only have months left’, etc. Yet the actual work that they have to first do is outrightly neglected and/or inadequately done (i.e., attempted) due to their various worshipful reasons.... (contra. Psa 119:36 = EW 266.1-268.2)
Relatedly, by the way, FYI: proper “testing studies/analysis” show that this “The Amusement Park” Dream by Ernie Knoll fulfills the revealed plans of Satan to have a special subtle snare for SDA in that EW 266.1-268.2 SOP “Covetousness” vision. I.e., it is that ‘other subtle manner’ (than the one used in EW 262.1-265.2 “Spiritualism” for the rest of the world. Hint: ‘young woman with fruit’ = depiction of a converted “Eve-type” in Eden with, now, the Fruit of Life (see more here)) by which Satan would (and indeed has) trap/ped SDAs!!)
[9] Relatedly, and thus most tellingly, enough, as seen in the “lack of financial resources” claim of Dwayne Lemon discussed above, even when the SOP revelation of natural disasters is somewhat maintain in an SDA Eschatological claim, it is nonetheless still twisted to tacitly/inherently/sequiturly imply that: ‘it will be because of “the terrorizing fear” due to great economic losses caused by natural disasters that Mark of the Beast Final Developments will come to begin and unravel,’ whereas the SOP straightly states that the fear will directly come from those super-natural disasters which will be deemed to be the direct judgements of God (for pointedly nationally condoned Sunday desecration.)
[10] No doubt the typical SDA mindless/vacuous/knee jerk retort here at this Biblically and SOP-substantiated denunciation that they have a pseudo-eschatology (i.e., one which subjectively has replaced the actual “endtime vision” given to EGW about final events, -and that all out of their sustainedly innate and/or inculcated wholesale worshipful view of the economy, even in/for/over God’s affairs/duties (=Ezek 8:16-17's: ‘violence-resulting, backs to God’s Temple and worshipping of the Sun.’ See in here)), their vexatious retort here/now no doubt is: how can I condemn them for that (indeed “hellish-borne”) alternate/divergent prophetical view, when in my own prophetical views presented throughout this blog (see e.g., here, here, and here, and see more in the eschatological prophetic index here), I have prophetic interpretations which are (surfacely) not as what the SOP has stated?
Well the exegetically Biblical answer is that my prophetic views have followed the Biblical hermeneutic that: in circumstance of a Divinely-postponed prophecy, i.e., when God can now longer fulfill His promises due to the unfaithfulness of those to whom He had made those promises and prophecies (cf. Jer 18:1-11), as it was first revealed here in 1999 in regards to the present SDAs, those prophecies and promise can, and indeed will be postponed, all in the context of the Four Wind having been yet again withheld, and be instead later fulfilled upon another chosen people, which in this case is the SOP revealed/prophesied Church Triumphant (=LDE 59-61). And, as also seen with what similar transpired with Ancient Israel when they rejected Christ and His New Covenant, some of God previous promises which were to be literally fulfilled now have to instead be spiritually/typologically fulfilled. But, on the other hand, God still has many prophecies and/or aspects/elements within those prophecies which nonetheless come to have a most pointed fulfillment with that new replacing group.
And so is the case with SDAs today. They indeed have been rejected and replaced, and the previous, actually “fast-tracked” (even Plan B) prophetic scenario given to them through the specially-crafted revelations given to EGW, have been postponed and most will only be spiritually fulfillement with God’s new, Church Triumphant movement. And so God will now more detailedly, eschatologically fulfill those prophecies in parts of Daniel and Revelation, as well as many OT prophecies which speak of God’s temporal Zion. And at the crux of this indeed “furthering” prophetic unveiling, is the understanding that, as discussed here, SDA History typically enough, through a proper and “fuller” understanding of what constitutes the Seal of God (i.e., involving the proper and “fuller” comprehension/application of His Law and His Sabbath), the Mark of the Beast is seen to be much more than merely, religiously, Sunday Sacredness (as the First Beast of Rev 13 championed), but instead/actually the socio-economic opposition to God’s Full Sabbath and Sabbatical law and principles (=Isa 58/Matt 25:31-46) as currently being championed by the Second Beast of Rev 13 through its romancing, dogmatic and belligerent espousing, advocating and “exporting” of Capitalism. (See this post)
So while SDAs have most subtly (=EW 266-269), deceivedly, and indeed faithlessly, usurpingly substituted their worshipful economic views as what will precipitatively initiate the SOP-prophesied Final Event scenario (i.e., the results of an Economic Crisis will lead to the clamoring for Sunday Law, whereas the SOP actually says that it will be God-allowed, most evidently “super”-natural disasters), that “Golden Calf” view is not at all the ‘more things to be “understood” (vs. “known”) about the Mark of the Beast’ expected by the SOP in 6T 17.1 (discussed at the start of this post), because it is actually entirely “replacing” in a key part, and not “spiritually furthering”, what God has revealed. And it is through a “fuller” (=Full Gospel) understanding of God’s Sabbath that that complimentary understanding of Final Events and the Mark of the Beast is achieved. (Cf. this illustrating/explaining allegory).
(See also more related comments on this overall “wedge eschatological issue” here).
(See also more related comments on this overall “wedge eschatological issue” here).
I don't understand if you are troubled by SDA doctrine and fight against it, or this blog is just another way to reshape your own views in the light of what might be "new light" for you...
ReplyDeleteAs clearly stated in the post on the Fundamental Beliefs, I am seeking to Fix, Further and “Finish” the current state of many SDA Doctrines in the light of all that the Bible, upon proper and more exhaustive exegetical studies, shows that they should be. (Cf. Dan 12:4). I also only “fight” teachings that are clearly unBiblical, (Isa 8:20; 28:10) such as paramountly the theological understanding on God and the Future (see post entitled “God All Mighty”). I am indeed seeking to correct my SDA Views where needed indeed in the light of verified “new light”. (Pro 4:18) I have painstakingly aimed to be transparently Biblical in my postings, so I hope, and actually know, that these views are not private interpretations. (contra e.g., 2 Pet 1:20, 21). If you actually know that any of them are, or you honestly (i.e., upon careful study on your part), think that they are, please to point this out with adequate Biblical substantiation so that this can be verified and corrected if applicable.
ReplyDeleteThere is a systemic tendency in the Church to actually “dumb things down”, i.e., not even ‘“simplify”’, as Counseled, ‘due exegetical study and concrete Biblical expositions’ that is quite detrimental, to the point where it is wrongly assumed that we have everything figured out, and thus have no need to engage in both much deeper studies, and also in the proper instruction and education of equally, allChurch members worldwide, and in their functionally fluent language. (This is all like Catholics believing that the leaderships knowledge somehow imputively “saves” them.) And all of this is ultimately due to a non-desire by the Church to expend the various required resources towards this due end and also preferring to operate by the sectarian tenets dictated by a capitalistic mindset. All of this is contrary to the will of God and is proving, and will continue to prove to be, if not completely rectified, the great weakness in the Church’s Spiritual Armor, because in many, many ways, we really cannot prove what we believe with actually sound and verifiable , exegetical Biblical support.
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