There are More Questions!

One of the major impediments to a deeper understanding of the Sanctuary and the Sabbath message is the tendency to only ask one type of question of our doctrines.

The Only Question Some Ask

Some of us only have one question that we ask of theological doctrines. That question is "How am I saved as an individual?" That question overrides all other concerns. No doubt this is a very important question, but even those who think it is the primary question do ask other questions. Such questions as "How am I to live?" or "What is the ultimate destiny of the earth?" Both are questions that are important for us to ask. If we are to gain all the benefit from our doctrines, we must ask more questions and be open to the light that these doctrines will lead us into.

Progressive Adventism is asking different questions and finding importance in the doctrines that we have been called to give and live in the world. I would encourage you to visit the site and think about living the Advent message in the contemporary world.

Begin Asking Other Questions

Here is a piece of the article. Agree or disagree, at least begin asking different questions of your doctrine than just the one, "What does this have to do with my Individual Salvation."

Being a community of the sanctuary means we seek to extend wholeness and justice to every member of society. It means to speak truth to power – not out of self-righteousness or vain heroism, but because that’s what priestly advocacy and intercession require.

Being a people of the Sanctuary means to extend the Sabbath experience to society in real practical ways: to all of creation – land and all of creation; the animal kingdom – the livestock were to rest; foreigners – strangers within your gates; the working class - servants; and children. Being a people of the Sanctuary and the Sabbath means to be real advocates for all of these in society. If we are indeed God’s remnant, we ought to be at the forefront of the advocacy for the environment, animal welfare, immigrant rights (even that of illegals), human trafficking, poverty, healthcare access, education, living wage, and children. There’s a fierce urgency of the now to each of these issues. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were the last generation that experienced problems in these areas? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were the last generation suffering from the horrible malaise of human suffering? Indeed, the Sanctuary and Sabbath message of Adventism offers us a compelling vision to be the final generation that knows evil in the great social arenas. It compels us – those who claim to be remnant – to live a life of real, meaningful, radical intercession and healing for the world.

Sabbath, More than a Day?

There are two prevalent attitudes that I have witnessed amongst Sabbatarians that can lead to neglect of the teaching, learning, and living the Sabbath.

Nothing Else To Learn

The first of these attitudes is the belief that we have learned all we need to learn about the Sabbath. Those who accept such a position feel the need to move on to other doctrines after they have learned that the seventh day is the Biblical Sabbath. After they discover this, they totally set it aside as the day in which "we go to church."

When we accept such an idea, the doctrine goes into hibernation until it is time to prove to someone else that they need to "go to church on" the Biblical Sabbath. The problem with such a view is that it does not recognize that the Sabbath is not merely to teach us the day to assemble. It also includes a prophetic portion of looking forward to the ultimate fruition of all things. This can be seen in the Prophets including Isaiah who said from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship(Isaiah 66:23).

The Look Back

But more than the future look, the Sabbath provides a look back at creation. We can look at creation and catch a glimpse of how we should live today, on the Sabbath, and will live in the world to come. Our brothers and sister who "already know everything" about the Sabbath will not learn of the way that the Sabbath trains us to live today and in the coming kingdom.

Looking for the Sunday Law

However, there is another prevalent view of the Sabbath that forever looks for manifestations of the coming Sunday law. Here the Sabbath is reduced to a mile-marker on the way to the second coming. We look for this "Sunday law" in every bill that comes around. We find non-existent bills that are very close to bringing in the second coming, however, just like the other view, we end up with a lack of understanding of how the Sabbath provides a glimpse of the coming kingdom and thus has a strong ethical component that directs our living. But even more than that, the Sabbath also provides strength for living the life of Christ. All of these themes are tied up in the doctrine.

Proclaiming the Sabbath More Fully

It is true that some reduce the teaching to simply the day we assemble for worship and others reduce it to a discussion of a coming Sunday Law, but there will be some who will preach the "Sabbath more fully" as Ellen White predicted.

Audio 39 - Healing in Jesus and a Sabbath Reflection

This audio post consists of two reflections. The first is on the woman who touched Jesus clothes to get healing. The second is entitled: "The Sabbath's Attack on Busyness."



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It Never Ends - Predicting the End

It never ends. In case you have not heard, the economy of the United States will Crash in September of 2008. Then, os some say, the global economy will crash. We can expect a war with Iran soon as well, presumably ushering in a full scale world war. Some say it is the work of the Illuminati, some say it is the New World Order, but whoever is behind it, it is a certain thing, so they say...

Predictions of the End

I am still a young man(will soon be 40), but I have heard many of these "predictions" by folks that I used to deem credible people. I remember the stories of Sunday law bills on presidents desk. In fact the same law has been on Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and presumably Bush II. The same law is about to be signed so we had better straighten up.

Then there were the economic crashes that were to come. Every recession that America entered in my life brought someone saying that this was gonna be the beginning of the BIG one. The one that is allegedly prophesied in the Bible. The economic crash that will bring in the one world currency. Yes it began in the dismal economic time during Carter's administration. Reagan was to use the poor economy to bring an end to all we know and love with the help of the Moral Majority. Again during the economic downturn during Bush I presidency when you add in the War against Iraq over Kuwait, we had another certain end...

These prognosticators had more opportunity for pessimism when the Dot Com bust happened and the stock market dropped. "We are certainly entering a depression!!" they told us. And we can't forget the 1999-2000 non-event that was to bring in global chaos at set the stage for the end of all things.

Here We Go Again

Well, here we are again, and I am tired of the prophets who are forever making predictions and never making apologies. I am tired of the Prophets who tell us what is gonna happen and then when it fails to happen hide their mistakes by making more predictions.

But perhaps the greatest problem that these preachers have is that they know more about speculation then they know about the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are forever talking about what may happen and never what has happened in Jesus Christ for all of us. They are forever getting us used to thinking about the wrong things.

In addition, their answer to every problem is the same, hoard resources for yourself and forget about the world in which we are to live the life of Christ. Run away with your gallons of water and canned goods while we leave the rest of the world to fend for themselves in this coming global appocolypse.

Jesus comes to all of us, ultimately asking the same simple question that he asked Peter who sunk in the water, "Why did you fear?" It is time for many to stop teaching fear and start teaching faith.

The Bible also Says...

I don't know what will happen in September 2008. I am not a prognosticator, but one thing I do know, God is faithful to help us through any time that is to come. Certainly the Bible speaks of a time of trouble, but the Bible also speaks of a God that is with us in trouble. Certainly the Bible speaks of end time peril, but the Bible also speaks of a God who will never leave us nor forsake us, certainly the Bible speaks of trouble, but like my ancestors used to say, "I'm so glad trouble don't last always." I pray that I will live the life of Christ and that whenever the end comes, God will make good on the promise to wipe away every tear that this world has created.

Revelation 13, John Hagee, and Jeremiah Wright

If you want to see how crazy those who teach Revelation 13 as the Great Second Advent Movement has taught it then I would invite you to turn on the television.

America a Beast?

I invite you to look at how Jeremiah Wright was treated for saying that America would be punished for its treatment of African Americans. Others have said similiar things. Many preachers have said that America would be punihsed for its killing of millions of unborn and/or allowing homosexuality in its borders. Some would expand it to pornography and the like.

All of these things have in common, that America will be punished for wrongdoing. For some reason, many in America finds such sentiment as unpatriotic or problematic. To say that america will be punished for wrongdoing is seen as a great problem and issue. And yet in these last days, we must preach this. Revelation 13 speaks of a lamb coming up out of the land with two horns like a lamb. Christians connected to the Great Second Advent Movement has seen in this a look at the United States of America.

In the late 1800s some even said that Slavery was an example of the lamb horned beast speaking like a dragon. America will cease being the land of religous liberty and will speak like a beast. We can see movements now setting things in place for this.

And when you say that, you will be seen as just another kook.

Roman Catholic Church a Whore?

And if that is not enough, the first beast of revelation 13 which is the roman catholic church is none other than the whore of babylon. All of the reformers saw it as such. Many Christians throughout history have agreed. Here we have the reality that a system that thinks to change times and laws and set itself up in the place of God is a condemned system.

America as a lamb-horned beast and the Roman Catholic Church as the whore of revelation. Open up Great Controversy. If you don't think you are going to be seen as a kook member of a cult, then once again, just turn on the television and see what they are saying about others who say something similar. It will not be a hard sell to make you look like you are a member of a cult if you belive as much. In the end, we all have to make a decision. Will we follow a kinder-gentler message that is acceptable to all, or will we go the road that Rev. Wright and Rev. Hagee are showing us. The way of ridicule, but the way of being true to onesself and one's understanding of truth. Because agree or disagree with them, they show what happens when you say something that is unpopular.

Audio 37 - Doctrines or Jesus

Audio of the post Doctrines or Jesus.

The is read by Sherman Haywood Cox II.



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Does it Fit? The Economic Crash of the USA and Bible Prophecy

The other day I received an email regarding the coming economic crash to the US. This is interesting to me for a few reason. First I am a citizen of the United States, but what was of more interest was the fact that the person was a Seventh-Day Adventist who tried to emphasize that there were prophetic implications to this crash. He quoted a popular evangelical author that predicted this downturn and connected it to his prophetic time-line that ushers in the secret rapture.

Where is the Connection?

The question I have is where is the necessary connection between an American economic collapse and the end time? Why is there a desire to hook an American financial collapse to the onset of the end times? To put it more clearly, Is the economic crash before or after the onset of the final issues?

While I do agree that a financial collapse that brings on the end time is certainly possible, but why is it preached as a necessary condition for the onset of the final crisis and our end time scenario. I mean there is nothing that says that our end time scenario could begin by some other crisis.

Is this a Necessary Component of Our End-Time Scenario?

The Great Controversy scenario sees a powerful United States and an apostate Christianity at the center of the end time crisis. The Adventist end-time scenario sees that many of these issues will converge on the issue of obedience symbolically presented in the Sabbath issue.

Finally, the Adventist scenario, as traditionally understood, sees great importance in the state of the dead which is a way to unify disparate groups. But where is the NECESSARY connection between an American Financial collapse and the ushering in of the end time crisis.

The Economy May Collapse, But What are the Prophetic Implications

One could argue that the economy will collapse before the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, the scripture points to that, but is that a necessary component of the "onset" of the crisis?

Now I am not arguing that the US Economy might not collapse. It may very well. Neither am I arguing that if it did collapse that it will not help usher in the end time. Certainly it COULD be a factor in bringing in the end. If the economy collapsed then one could easily see the onset of the things that Adventists have predicted for years, however note I said "could" be a factor. But there are other things that COULD be factors that we don't' emphasize. Perhaps we don't emphasize some of these possibilities because there are no popular evangelical authors promoting it as helping their own end time scenario which many evangelicals don't' even accept. What that means is that we are promoting ideas simply because a popular author is using it to promote his scenario.

What are the Factors?

So what are some factors that are in line with the scenario that the Great Controversy predicts? Well the continued progress of the Gospel to all the world is one. Another factor is increased religious intolerance. America is showing this with recent laws such as the patriot act where they are holding American citizens in jail for months and months without any recourse. Could the hatred of Muslims that we saw a couple of years ago be a precursor to the hatred of other religious minorities?

The increased power of the United States. Not long ago their power was shown in the beat down of both Afghanistan and Iraq (which was one of the strongest military powers in the world) very quickly. How about the increased spiritualism that you see on television including such things as Sci-Fi where life after death is assumed true and supposed proof of is given on such shows as "Ghost Hunters?"

Finally, Ellen White argues that Christ could have come around 1888. The congress had passed some Sunday legislation called the Blair Bill. The loud cry, according to White, had begun in the work of Jones and Waggoner. And there was no American economic collapse for another 40 years at least.

Conclusion

In short, I don'' deny that the end could be ushered in with an economic collapse of the United States of America, but that is only one scenario. However there are real fulfillments happening today, but we are not going to find it in the prophetic speculations of those who are attempting to teach the secret rapture.

To repeat, Where is the Required financial crisis to usher in the end time?