THE ETERNAL
VOL. 5 NO. 1
“CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH WHICH WAS ONCE DELIVERED UNTO THE SAINTS.” JUDE 3
Bush Bows Before Benedict On June 9, 2007, President Bush traveled to Rome and met Pope Benedict XVI for the first time. They both met privately in the papal palace at the Vatican, where the pontiff expressed his concerns to the President. President Bush told reporters that he would “be in listening mode” when meeting with Pope Benedict XVI for the first time. It is quite a bit worrisome to see the leader of the most powerful, heavily armed nation in the world bow before the leader of the most treacherous and influential religion on the planet. What does this bow mean? What message does this send to the world? Does this mean that our President recognizes the Pope as the leader of all Christianity? Does this mean that America’s military is at the bidding of Rome? What message are we giving? When a superpower country like the USA bows to another superpower, Rome—who looks strong and who looks weak? The President makes America look weak. That is the perception. When other nations, especially the Muslims, see our top leader bow to the Pope—this doesn’t make us look stronger, it makes us look weaker! What ever happened to the Protestant-American principle of separating the politics of America from the religious influence of Rome? We are seeing a literal fulfillment of the predictions that were made in the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy: “Our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and re—continued on page 8
The Wall Street Journal Endorses Sunday Laws! The Decline of the Sabbath By Mollie Ziegler Hemingway Wall Street Journal, p. W-11 Friday, June 15, 2007 For many Americans, Sunday is unlike any other day of the week. They Photo: Plinio Lepri-VATICAN/Reuters spend its luxurious hours curled up in bed And he [USA] exerciseth all the power of the first beast with the paper, meeting friends for [Rome] before him, and causeth the earth and them which brunch, working off hangovers, watching dwell therein to worship the first beast [Sunday Law], golf, running errands and preparing themselves for the workweek ahead. But Sunwhose deadly wound was healed.” Revelation 13:12. day is also, for many, the Sabbath--a special day for religious reasons. Not that you Meet the Sunday-law Movement would notice. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep “It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have it holy," we are told in Exodus. Of all the made void thy law.” Psalms 119:126. gifts Jews gave the world, that of a weekly “I do hope that the trumpet will give a certain sound day of rest is certainly one to be cherished. in regard to this Sunday-law movement. I think that it And yet the Sabbath is now marked more would be best if in our papers the subject of the perpetuity by its neglect than its keeping. Or so says of the law of God were made a specialty... The truth Christopher Ringwald in his new book "A should be presented in short articles, in clear, distinct Day Apart." Mr. Ringwald notes that in the late lines, giving special points in regard to the Lord's Sabbath, and showing that those who frame laws to compel the ob- 18th century, states banned entertainment, servance of the first day of the week, are disloyal to the hunting or unnecessary travel on Sundays. Lord of heaven, who placed His sanctity upon the seventh The Second Great Awakening in the early day. Are we doing all we can to exalt the law of Jehovah? 1800s spread Sabbath-keeping to the frontiers. Church membership doubled, SunCounsels to Writers and Editors, pp. 97, 98. day schools proliferated and long sermons “Let not the commandment-keeping people of God be dominated the morning. It was unthinksilent at this time, as though we gracefully accepted the able that the general store would remain situation. There is the prospect before us of waging a con- open on the Sabbath. "Nothing strikes a tinuous war, at the risk of imprisonment, of losing prop- foreigner on his arrival in America more erty and even life itself, to defend the law of God, which forcibly than the regard paid to the Sabis being made void by the laws of men.” Seventh-day Ad- bath," Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in ventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7 p. 975. 1840. "Not only have all ceased to work, but they appear to have ceased to exist." The so-called blue laws that were a part of American culture--closing down bars and preventing the sale of liquor on Sunday-were commonplace well into the 20th century. But the Sabbath today is at odds with commercial culture. To generalize shameBelfast Telegraph lessly from personal experience: My Northern Ireland brother-in-law, who manages a national July 12, 2007 retail store in Colorado, works on Sundays, following church. He was shocked Ian Paisley, has launched a strong recently to find out he is now required to attack on Pope Benedict XVI. Mr Paisopen the store on Easter Sunday. Easter ley is accusing the Pope of excommuniused to be the one Sunday each year when cating every non-Catholic Christian and said Rome has not changed from its Rev. Ian Paisley retail stores closed. No longer. Of course, debates over the proper devilish ways. observance of the Sabbath date back to Mr Paisley, the founder and head of the fundamentalancient times. One early conflict between ist Free Presbyterian Church, said Pope Benedict had celebrated July 12 by un-churching every denomination Jesus and his fellow Jews was over what it in Christendom excepting his own. —continued on page 6 He had, said Mr Paisley, declared the Church of Special Note Rome alone was sole true church and all others were "not Churches in the proper sense of the word" but merely reliWe are grateful that Elder gious associations. Ron Spear, with all his He said Rome had not changed and will never change years of ministry and editoand all Protestant churches must uphold that Christ is the rial experience, has joined head of the church, not the Pope. The gospel message the editorial staff of The must go forth with trumpet blast, he said and all other Eternal Gospel Herald. messages were lying falsehoods and devilish deceptions.
Pope: Other Christian Denominations are Paisley Attacks Pope for not True Churches By Nicole Winfield The Associated Press July 10, 2007 Pope Benedict XVI reasserted the primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says other Christian communities are either defective or not true churches and Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation. It was the second time in a week that Benedict has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-1965 meetings that modernized the church. Benedict, who attended Vatican II as a young theologian, has long complained about what he considers its erroneous interpretation by liberals, saying it was not a break from the past but rather a renewal of church tradition. Despite the harsh tone, the document stressed that Benedict remains committed to ecumenical dialogue.
“Un-Churching” Christian Groups
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the eternal gospel herald — volume 5, no. 1
EDITORIAL / LETTERS
Pope: Protestant Churches are not True Churches? by Pastor Raphael Perez There are some misguided or ill-informed people, even within the Vatican, who think that Rome has been changing. “And because they’ve changed, Protestant attitudes towards Rome must also change,” is the cry within the ecumenical circles. They think that since Vatican II, Rome has become “more open to the Protestant world.” “And now since Rome has been engaging in interfaith dialog and ecumenism, they must have certainly also forgotten about all the principles on which their church is founded,” some reason. Nonetheless, on July 10, 2007 the world was flooded with the Pope’s statement regarding other “religious communities” not being true churches, unless they acknowledge his supremacy within the only, true church of God, the Roman Catholic Church. What an embarrassment and complete failure to the entire ecumenical charade! How can we believe that Rome has really softened her attitude towards others? How can we believe that Rome was on the road to conversion? So much for all the mutual respect and understanding towards this “new” Rome. Will Protestants still want to continue to “normalize” relations with Rome through ecumenism? And if so, at what price? The price for such a relationship will undoubtedly be to accept the Pope as the leader of all Christianity. Protestants may have to create a new church, a pesudo church—one that will include the primacy of the Pope in order to even qualify to be called a church. This will entail the abandonment of Jesus being the head of the church and the final abandonment of the historic Protestant faith. Protestants who still owe their allegiance to God will have to do so on their own, outside of Babylon! The true Spirit of Protestantism is still under assault. The links the Vatican is seeking to restore are those which were broken during the Protestant Reformation. However, this new relationship will be one which proclaims openly that it is loyal to Rome, and not to Christ. This should be a wake-up call for Seventh-day Adventists, because we follow the historic succession of the Reformers. I believe that in our public witness and advocacy, that the best possible representation of both historic Protestantism and historic Adventism be given today.
THE ETERNAL GOSPEL HERALD PO Box 15138 West Palm Beach, FL 33416 1-800-769-2150 eternalgospel@att.net Subscription: FREE If you wish to receive a free subscription of this publication, please contact our office at: PO Box 15138, West Palm Beach, FL 33416 | 1-800-769-2150 | email: eternalgospel@att.net Online Edition: www.eternalgospelherald.com Raphael Perez Editor Andy Roman Assistant Editor Patricia Rocco Copy Editor
Ron Spear Co-Editor Miriam Ponce Contributor Anthony Ruiz Contributor
The Eternal Gospel Herald is published from West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, by the Eternal Gospel Church, a ministry that was founded in 1992 by Seventh-day Adventist believers to bring true, genuine, world-wide revival and reformation by proclaiming the Third Angel’s Message. The Eternal Gospel Herald is sent to you free of charge, with much love, work, and sacrifice. Every effort is made to insure the accuracy of the information contained herein. This publication is printed to communicate the issues and subjects pertaining solely to the development and fulfillment of the third angel’s message and the advance of Christ’s character in the lives of God’s faithful people. We hope and pray that you will not only enjoy it but that it will be informative and spiritually enlightening to all of you. It is only by the grace of God and the support of each of you that we are able to participate in publishing, radio, newspapers, billboards, and foreign missions.
Justification, Sanctification, Faith, Works, and Grace by Pastor Ron Spear “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” Rom. 4:7-8. It is one thing for us to know about Jesus and another to live for him. What are the requirements for salvation? Is it just simply knowing His name or is it knowing the requirements for salvation and teaching people about them? “The world needs today what it needed nineteen hundred years ago—a revelation of Christ. A great work of reform is demanded, and it is only through the grace of Christ that the work of restoration, physical, mental, and spiritual, can be accomplished.” Ministry of Healing, p. 143. Justification, sanctification, regeneration, being born-again, faith, works, the new heart, and even the new Spirit are all acts of God in which He imparts new spiritual life to us. This is a work in which God fulfills an active role in our lives. We play a submissive role in this work in that we must (1) have knowledge of the work that God does through His Word, (2) we must be responsive, (3) we must be in agreement with Him, (4) we must exercise personal trust and dependence, and (5) we must cooperate by surrendering our own lives to God’s good pleasure. “At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth...The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the
Offended by Absolute Truth, Why? by Andy Roman Does God love unrepentant sinners? Does God love unrepentant sodomites who purposely scorn His will for mankind? Does God love a perverted, pedophile priest who destroys children along with their families? How can He love the Nicolaitanes whose doctrines He “hates” (Rev. 2:15)? The list could go on and on. The Bible tells us, yes, that God does loves all the world (John 3:16); but, God’s love is not like our love. God’s love is holy, it is perfect, it is just, and righteous. Speaking of God, Moses says, “His work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” Deut. 32:4. This means that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is Himself the final, absolute standard of righteousness. God’s love, character, truth, and messages are all absolute! His truth is not subjected to anyone else’s feelings or perceptions. His message is not objective in which He needs to consider other views.
grace of God has done for them.” Christ Object Lessons, pp. 415, 416. The requirements for salvation begin with God’s love and grace, His goodness His mercy and truth. Justification follows with forgiveness of sin—but it doesn’t end there. Justification ends with perfect, complete righteousness, complete restoration, and complete victory. If God merely forgave us of our sins, that would not solve our problem entirely, for it would only make us morally neutral before God. We would be in the state that Adam was in before he had done anything right or wrong, having no guilt before God, neither having any righteousness before God. The Bible warns us about a false concept of justification: “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we our- — selves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.” Galatians 2:17. Oh, the Catholic and Protestant Churches have spread the devil’s gospel of justification in sin. Even the SDA Church has been influenced by the satanic doctrine of saved while sinning! The following inspired statement from our prophet presents God’s ever-lasting truth on justification and sanctification: “The righteousness of God is absolute. This righteousness characterizes all His works, all His laws. As God is, so must His people be. The life of Christ is to be revealed in the lives of His followers. In all His public and private acts, in every word and deed, practical godliness was seen, and this godliness is to be seen in the lives of His disciples.” Selected Messages vol., 1 p. 198. Let us not just be in agreement with these beliefs, but let us allow God to put these beliefs into action. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Cor. 7:1. And His gospel is not relative, meaning that it is true only as it relates to others. When Jesus came to this world, “He saw his people deceived, self-satisfied, and asleep in their sins. He longed to rouse them to a holier life. The message that God had given him to bear was designed to startle them from their lethargy, and cause them to tremble because of their great wickedness.” Desire of Ages, pp. 103, 104. Notice the method and strategy that God uses in His great love to reach unrepentant sinners: “Before the seed of the gospel could find lodgment, the heart must be broken up. Before they would seek healing from Jesus, they must be awakened to their danger from the wounds of sin.” Ibid., p. 104. God does not use a subjective, an objective, or a relative gospel to reach the unrepentant. These are labels that man uses in order to please the carnal heart, to coddle the sinner into a false security, or to reject the warning messages of God. God’s gospel message is clear, authoritive, absolute, and straight to the point. “God does not send messengers to flatter the sinner. He delivers no message of peace to —continued on page 3
the eternal gospel herald — volume 5, no. 1 page 3 —continued from page 2
EDITORIAL / LETTERS Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Greetings to you in the precious name of our Savior Jesus Christ. I have just discovered your website with the most interesting and uplifting information. The SDA Church in Europe will never publish such important articles. Any information will be very helpful to keep our faithful brethren informed of what is going on. In His care, Arie Nainggolan, The Netherlands •
To the Eternal Gospel Herald, I want to thank you and the entire staff for the great information within your newsletter. I would like to receive some copies of the new Earth’s Final Warning. I also would like to encourage you to continue spreading the Three Angels’ Messages. At this present time, it is not a very popular message but it is a message that needs to go forward with great urgency. Continue to hold the faith until the very end. Scott Raymond, Ontario, Canada. •
Another of our most recent billboards on a major highway in Florida. lull the unsanctified into fatal security. He lays heavy burdens upon the conscience of the wrongdoer, and pierces the soul with arrows of conviction. The ministering angels present to him the fearful judgments of God to deepen the sense of need, and prompt the cry, ‘What must I do to be saved?’ Then the hand that has humbled in the dust, lifts up the penitent. The voice that has rebuked sin, and put to shame pride and ambition, inquires with tenderest sympathy, ‘What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?’ ” Ibid., p. 104. This is the method that God uses as the means to call sinners to repentance. This was how Christ dealt with humanity when He walked the earth. And remember, God’s absolute truths and His means to reach the world are despised by the devil. Look who’s behind those who reject the warning messages of truth. “Their unbelief bred malice. Satan controlled them, and in wrath they cried out against the Savior...These people had prided themselves on keeping the law; but now that their prejudices were offended, they were ready to commit murder.” Desire of Ages, pp. 239, 240. What caused the Jews of Nazareth to display such a hatred towards a loving Savior? It was their own personal unbelief and rebellion. It was Satan who was controlling them and giving them his spirit of malice towards the truth of God. This is what we are dealing with today. “Truth was unpopular in Christ’s day. It is unpopular in our day. It has been unpopular ever since Satan first gave man a disrelish for it by presenting fables that lead to self-exaltation.” Ibid. p. 242. What causes men today to war against the truth? It is the same unrepentant, carnal, prideful spirit of unbelief—and an unwillingness to receive correction or instruction. It is the spirit of Satan that is offended by the truth. God is not offended. It is the devil’s spirit that opposes itself against Christ and His truth and causes men to want to commit murder and bury the messenger. “But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth...Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” John 8:42,44,45. The existence of absolute truth is controversial. The preaching of absolute truth is even more controversial, because it does not sit well with a lot of people who like their God subservient, objective, and relative to their own distortions of truth. In this modern age of multiculturalism nobody wants to be bothered with the fine print in the Bible. The world just wants a God who loves everyone and tolerates everything. “Don’t read to us Romans 1:21-32,” is what the world is saying. You don’t ever hear anymore sermons on Romans 1:21-32 anymore. Why is that? Because these verses cause men to tremble due to their great wickedness; therefore, corrupt men attempt to separate God from His own truth. One more example: “So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.” Rev. 2:15. What was the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes that God hates? “The doctrine is now largely taught that the gospel of Christ has made the law of God of no effect; that by ‘believing’ we are released from the necessity of being doers of the Word. But this is the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes.” Signs of the Times, Jan. 2, 1912. The Three Angels’ Messages is God’s last, absolute, warning message given to the final generation—to counter the popular teachings that God’s law is unnecessary. As historic Seventh-day Adventists, we have never tried to offend the Catholic or Protestant people. Revelation 14 is not a message that originated from man. These are the words of God, and God put them there to be applied. It is not therefore bigoted or malicious to attempt to understand, to apply, or to preach these apocalyptic narratives, lest we conclude that the word of God or that our loving God Himself should be classified as such.
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Dear Brother Raphael, Now this is exciting! I was at my daughter’s house and they had received in the mail The Eternal Gospel Herald [Special Edition]. They gave me the copy to take home and read. I am so happy to see that your organization is standing up for the truth and not afraid to speak out about the Roman menace. I am aware of all of the trouble that you have had with the General Conference. But never mind, God is on your side and will continue to bless you for going straight ahead with what is right. I will meet you there on the Sea of Glass, Roy Pitts, United States. •
Eternal Gospel Church, I received your Gospel Herald and enjoyed it. We long for the Lord’s soon return when we will all be bowing at his precious feet. Yours in Christ, Julia White, Arizona. •
Eternal Gospel Church, I would like to thank you for the Gospel Herald you sent me. I was extremely excited for the up-to-date information I read. I began to share it with others and they were shocked at what they read. Tomorrow [Sabbath] I will give it to our Pastor to read too. Please do not forget to send me the latest edition. May the Lord our Father richly bless you and your ministry, Jemesa Goneca, California. •
Hello Pastor, Thank you for the DVD presentation, part 4, Ft. Caroline. It was shocking to see this. Could you send us the whole series please? God bless you, Patricia Dello-Buono, Florida. •
Dear Pastor Perez, Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for the newsletter you mailed to us. I believe we need to be informed, and you keep us informed. God will bless your work, we know, he is a great God. I pray this letter finds your family well. Mary and Larry Pitts, Florida. •
Pastor Raphael Perez, I was ashamed to see [The Eternal Gospel Herald, Vol. 4 No. 1 “In God We Trust, But in Securities We Invest”] that the conference gave $2.5 Million to a stock broker to put in the stock market and then lost the entire amount. I gave my tithes and offerings to the SDA Church to promote the spreading of the gospel and not to play the stock market. It distresses me greatly to learn that those who were put into positions of trust have betrayed that trust. I would greatly appreciate it if you would put me on your subscriber list. Very truly yours, E. Kenneth Lewis, Florida. •
Eternal Gospel Herald, Is it possible that I could get 10 copies of Vol. No. 9. The Secret Armies of the Night Unveiled. I would like to pass them out. Thank you, Evelyn Nelson, Oregon. •
Eternal Gospel Church, Thank you again for your work for our Lord to reach people before it’s too late. Thank you for your newsletters—I need them! You, along with all those who are doing God’s work are in my prayers. In His love, Dorothy Kohrman. Nebraska, •
Dear Sirs, I received a copy of your publication. I enjoyed the information and truth-filled articles so much that I would like to request a subscription. Thank you C.K., Arkansas.
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the eternal gospel herald — volume 5, no. 1
The Meltdown of Morality Divorce Not Always
Transgender Minister Reappointed Inevitable, Says in Maryland Adventist Pastor By BRETT ZONGKER Associated Press Writer May 24, 2007
By Taashi Rowe Adventist News Network June 5, 2007
WASHINGTON- A United Methodist minister who has changed gender since being chosen to lead a congregation in Baltimore will be reappointed there, church officials announced Thursday at a regional convocation.
While statistics on the number of members who are divorced are not available, Willie Oliver, family ministries director for the Adventist Church in North America estimates that one in four church members go through divorce. He says he suspects the figure might be even higher.
The Rev. Drew Phoenix told the church's BaltimoreWashington conference that he had gone through "spiritual transformation" in the past year, since changing his name from Ann Gordon and receiving medical treatment to become a man. The denomination bans sexually active gay clergy but does not have any rules about transgender pastors.
Since the Adventist Church strongly emphasizes marriage, Oliver says it should therefore be responsible for helping couples maintain marriage through counseling programs and seminars. Oliver says though divorce is sometimes inevitable, prevention is possible. He points to marriage conferences that he and his wife Elaine teach both for couples Rev. Drew Phoenix and for training pastors to lead the seminar in their own church. The conference, called "From This Day Forward," "It is my intention and hope that by sharing my story that we commit ourselves as equips couples with tools for improving their marriage. Christians and as United Methodists to become educated about the complexity of gender," said Phoenix, the only known transgender minister in the conference. "Each of us While the conference is particularly helpful for those havis a beloved child of God—no exceptions." ing serious marital problems, Oliver says it is also good for those who see no problems on the horizon. For some marPhoenix, 48, has led St. John's United Methodist Church for nearly five years. His riages he says the conference is like a tune-up for a car. term expires in July, and one of the purposes of the regional meeting is to reassign "You don't wait until the car breaks down to take it into the ministers for periodic terms with churches. Bishop John Schol said that the church's shop." 50-member congregation was fully supportive, and that no objections were raised during a closed-door meeting of the clergy. St. John's, a church that describes itself as diverse and inclusive, has more than tripled its membership since Phoenix arrived.
Iran Official Backs Temporary Marriage
Anglicans, Lutherans to Debate Same-sex Rights
By Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun Wednesday, June 20, 2007
By Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press June 2, 2007
WINNIPEG - The Anglican church and the Evangelical Lutheran church are gathering in this warm Prairie city for the next three days to make contentious decisions over how Iran's hard-line interior minister is encouraging temporary marriages as a way to avoid far to go to sanction homosexual relationships. extramarital sex, a stance many in this conservative country fear would instead enThe two churches, which together count almost one million courage prostitution. A temporary marriage, or "sigheh," refers to a Shiite Muslim tramembers in Canada, will be debating pro-homosexual prodition under which a man and a woman sign a contract that allows them to be posals that are anathema to many of their denominations' "married" for any length of time, even a few hours. An exchange of money, as a sort conservative adherents, both in Canada and especially in of dowry, is often involved. Africa, where the denomination is expanding rapidly. Although the practice exists, it's not very common in Iran, a Shiite majority nation where many consider it a license for prostitution. Others, however, have advocated institutionalizing the tradition, saying it would help fight "illicit" sex in a country where sexual relations outside marriage are banned under Islamic law. "Temporary marriage is God's rule. We must aggressively encourage that," state-run television quoted Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi as saying. The minister, who made his comments Thursday, was the first Iranian official to support the disputed practice in more than a decade. Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani raised the issue in the early 1990s but was opposed by the country's hardline clerics. Half of Iran's population of 70 million is under 30. Taxi driver Reza Sarabi, 23, expressed the frustration of many young Iranian men who can't afford to buy a house and get married. "I have no money to set up a matrimonial life. I don't want prostitutes. What should I do with my sexual needs?" he said. The "sigheh" is banned in Sunni Islam, but similar practices can be found in Sunni countries. One such practice is the "urfi" marriage, an unofficial arrangement that is often kept secret. Although an urfi marriage involves signing a document in front of witnesses, the marriage can be broken by destroying the paper.
Issues surrounding gay and lesbian sexuality and rights have been most publicly and globally divisive in the Anglican church. The more than 300 delegates to this week's Anglican general synod will be deciding whether to follow the lead of Vancouver-area Bishop Michael Ingham, who drew both global praise and censure in 2002 when he first endorsed the use of rites to bless same-sex couples. Although the battle over homosexual rights within the 175,000-member Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada has not received nearly as much media attention as the Anglican showdown, emotions among delegates to the Lutheran gathering will be running high when the issue rises to the fore later this week. The Lutherans - who will be officially meeting with the Anglicans Thursday to celebrate closer ties between the two denominations - will likely be voting Saturday on whether to do more to welcome gays and lesbians into the church, including offering same-sex blessings.
In Iran, temporary marriage has been reported as a way some widows and poor In some ways, the two mainline denominations are decidwomen help support themselves. But critics of the practice believe such arrangements ing whether to follow the lead of the United Church of only exacerbate the country's prostitution problem and undermine Iran's values. Canada, the country's largest Protestant denomination, which sanctioned same-sex blessings more than 15 years ago.
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Catholic Bishops Plan to Influence Spiritualism Seeps into the 2008 U.S. Elections the U.S. Senate Bishops Weigh Political Involvement
Hindu Prayer in Senate Disrupted
By Eric Gorski Associated Press June 21, 2007
By Charles Babington Associated Press July 12, 2007
As most of the nation’s 268 active Catholic bishops met for a private retreat this week in New Mexico, questions were building about how prominent their voices will be in the 2008 race.
WASHINGTON - A Hindu clergyman made history Thursday by offering the Senate's morning prayer, but only after police officers removed three shouting protesters from the visitors' gallery.
Will some follow the example of Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I., who last month called the pro-abortion rights position of Catholic GOP candidate Rudy Giuliani, "pathetic and confusing?" Will abortion dominate the bishops' statements on the election, or will immigration and poverty? Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput said in an interview with The Associated Press that official Catholic involvement depends on which candidates and issues emerge from primary season. A vocal proponent of calling on Catholic politicians and voters to follow church teachings, Chaput also made it clear he thinks the time for behind-the-scenes diplomacy with politicians is over. Chaput said his more aggressive posture grew partly out of frustration from his personal meetings with politicians, who often would just "look at you vacantly." "I think being more aggressive, more assertive doesn't in any way violate the principles we have to follow" under laws governing nonprofit involvement in politics, he said. The most effective approach, Chaput argues, is educating Catholic voters, which in turn could influence politicians. However, if bishops conclude the major-party nominees in 2008 are "indifferent to the important issues ... if everybody is taking the same negative position, perhaps there will be no motivation to talk about it at all," he said. John Allen Jr., a senior correspondent for the independent National Catholic Reporter, said U.S. bishops who want to withhold Communion from Catholic politicians can find support in Pope Benedict XVI's comments, made to reporters en route to Brazil this year, that essentially endorsed the idea that Mexican legislators who voted to legalize abortion have separated themselves from the church. "If you are an American bishop who is inclined to move in that direction, you're going to feel like the pope has got your back," Allen said. One guidepost will come at the next U.S. bishops' conference meeting in November, when a statement on faithful citizenship, a sort of voters guide, is up for revision.
Zimbabwe Archbishop Calls for Overthrow of Government Catholic World News CWNews.com) July 2, 2007 CWNews.com - Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, has openly called for the overthrow of the government led by President Robert Mugabe. In an interview with the Sunday Times of London the archbishop said: "I think that it is justified for Britain to raid Zimbabwe and remove Mugabe." Archbishop Ncube later told BBC that while he suggested intervention by Great Britain, the former colonial ruler of the African country, he could justify action by any other power to ease the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe. Some action is required, he said, to oust "a government which is ready to sacrifice the lives of its people." "We have to choose between two evils," the archbishop explained. He said that Zimbabwe is facing a desperate situation, with widespread crop failures aggravating an economic disaster that has seen the annual inflation rate rise toward 15,000 percent. Archbishop Ncube, the most outspoken critic of President Mugabe, places the blame for the economic disaster squarely on the government. He notes that the Mugabe regime is spending millions on domestic surveillance programs to monitor political opposition, and drawing millions more from the impoverished financial system in graft. The Catholic bishops' conference of Zimbabwe has denounced the regime for pervasive corruption. Archbishop Ncube has said in the past that he is prepared to face death in order to bring about change in his country. Now he told the Sunday Times, "I'm ready to lead the people, guns blazing."
Rajan Zed, director of interfaith relations at a Hindu temple in Reno, Nev., gave the brief prayer that opens each day's Senate session. As he stood at the chamber's podium in a bright orange and burgundy robe, two women and a man began shouting "this is an abomination" and other complaints from the gallery. Police officers quickly arrested them and charged them with disrupting Congress, a misdemeanor. The male protester told an AP reporter, “we are Christians and patriots” before police handcuffed them and led them away. For several days, the Mississippi-based American Family Association has urged its members to object to the prayer because Zed would be “seeking the invocation of a non-monotheistic god.” Zed, the first Hindu to offer the Senate prayer, began: "We meditate on the transcendental glory of the Deity Supreme, who is inside the heart of the Earth, inside the life of the sky and inside the soul of the heaven. May He stimulate and illuminate our minds." As the Senate prepared for another day of debate over the Iraq war, Zed closed with, "Peace, peace, peace be unto all." Zed, who was born in India, was invited by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Speaking in the chamber shortly after the prayer, Reid defended the choice and linked it to the war debate. "If people have any misunderstanding about Indians and Hindus," Reid said, "all they have to do is think of Gandhi," a man "who gave his life for peace." "I think it speaks well of our country that someone representing the faith of about a billion people comes here and can speak in communication with our heavenly Father regarding peace," said Reid, a Mormon and sharp critic of President Bush's Iraq policies. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the protest "shows the intolerance of many religious rights activists. They say they want more religion in the public square, but it's clear they mean only their religion." Capitol police identified the protesters as Ante Nedlko Pavkovic, Katherine Lynn Pavkovic and Christan Renee Sugar. Their ages and hometowns were not available.
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meant to keep the Sabbath. Jesus' failure to hew to ever-expanding rules--he healed the sick on the Sabbath--angered the Pharisees. Not that Christians later fell into easy agreement about Sabbath conduct. In another new book, "Sunday: A History of the First Day From Babylonia to the Super Bowl," Craig Harline shows how all sorts of complicated rules governing work, travel, sex and leisure grew up around the Sabbath in medieval Europe, creating a tangle of proscriptions that had overwhelmed the day by the 14th century. One genre of church mural at the time, known as the "Sunday Christ," showed Jesus surrounded by tools of the fishing, carpentry and farming trades. Each ax, rake and fishing hook inflicted a fresh wound on the crucified Christ. The message was not lost on worshipers: Work on the Sabbath only added to Jesus' suffering. Reformation leader Martin Luther resisted such Sabbath guilt, saying that the commandment
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was kept by daily worship and high regard for God's Word, not strict rules governing behavior. Discussing the Sabbath, he highlighted Paul's relief at being free from the demands of Jewish law. And yet from the 16th century to the modern era, a Sabbath consensus emerged. Christians were to keep Sunday as a day of rest and worship, and their governments supported this pious notion. The day of rest did not become secularized until very recently. What happened? It is hard to say. Both Mr. Ringwald and Mr. Harline note that our religious practices are more and more isolated from the habits of the broader culture. Think only of the coarseness of the Internet, gossip rags and Hollywood fare in a country that claims 45% church attendance every Sunday: We live now on two tracks, a secular and a religious one, shuttling between them all too easily. This Sabbath dissonance was evident even in the 1950s, Mr. Harline notes. More than 90% of American homes had a television, and some 37%
were tuned to Sunday football. "Sundays changed when the world changed," he writes. Stopping farming in the Middle Ages was easy. But to close restaurants, shut up amusement parks or clear the airwaves when Americans with money were trying to spend it that day was impossible. The flip side of the prosperity we enjoy is that we have lost our day of rest for another day of consumption. The pace of commerce and technology provide unheard of options for ignoring family, religion and rest--not just on the Sabbath but every day of the week. Ultimately, Mr. Ringwald would like to see the Sabbath restored to one track--if not a strictly religious one, then one not actively secular. Taking a day of rest protects us from ourselves, he writes, from "our urge to always be doing, improving, earning, getting, spending, having, consuming--all the ways we hurry on toward death."
Praise the Lord for giving us the opportunity to meet, to worship, and to study with such a wonderful group of Brethren that came from Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee. It was a small taste of what the latter rain experience is going to be like in the near future. The Holy Spirit was felt not only throughout the meetings, but the unity that was seen was a heavenly experience. Elder Ron Spear presented to us the urgent need of all of us to return and to take hold of the 1888 Minneapolis Messages. The need for each of us to develop in each of our lives that character of our heavenly father that will enable us to live eternally in God’s presence. Pastor Raphael Perez brought to us the most recent developments in the prophetic times in which we are living. Everyone felt the strong conviction that we are indeed living at the end of the time. The handwriting on the walls, the signs of the times, and the need of preparation so that we can cross the swelling of the Jordan river. Yes, we saw in these presentations how the “princes of the people” are committing whoredoms with the Moabites. But the good news was that God is still giving us an opportunity to wake up the elect, to wake up the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and to wake up the vast majority of God’s people who are still in the Babylonian churches. After this series of presentations Elder Spear and Pastor Perez had a visit with Pastor Vance Ferrell from Pilgrims Rest. It was good to see how God has men of experience who have been battle-tested and who are encouraging us all to hold on to the truth and to keep moving forward with the work that God has entrusted us to do. Finally, the trip concluded with three days of prayer, planning, and study with Pastor Moses Mason, Elder Mike Nicholson, Pastor Raphael Perez, Elder Ron Spear, Andy Roman, and others. Historic Adventistism is still alive and well in many places around the world. We are hoping that the Lord will continue to open meetings like this in different communities around the world. —The Editors
Elder Ron Spear, Pastor Vance Ferrell, and Pastor Raphael Perez.
Elder Ron Spear, Pastor Vance Ferrell, and Pastor Raphael Perez.
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SPECIAL NOTE: This is a reduced-sized copy of the actual full-page ad that was published July 11, 2007 in a Texas Newspaper. This was also sent to the publisher, editors, and vice-presidents of the Wall Street Journal. We are planning to keep publishing this urgent message throughout the United States. Unknown to us, it came out the same day that the Pope made his comments about Protestants.
Sunday Laws Are Coming Soon!—On Friday, Disciples—“And that day was the preparation and the June 15, 2007 in the Weekend Edition Opinion Journal sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with page W-11 of the Wall Street Journal appeared an artihim from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulcle by Mollie Ziegler Hemingway entitled: “The decher, and how His body was laid. And they returned and cline of the Sabbath in America: Less praying, more prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath working and playing.” day according to the commandment” (Luke 23:54-56). This article was circulated worldwide to over 2 milNotice that Luke, a non-Jewish biblical writer, aplion people promoting Sunday-keeping and Sunday proximately 37 years AFTER the resurrection of Christ, closing laws as necessary for saving our culture. The still called the Sabbath (the seventh day of the week) a Wall Street Journal’s editorial perspective is one-sided. Commandment of God. We should welcome an intelligent, healthy discussion “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, on issues that will affect both the morality and econand Mary the mother of James...very early in the mornomy of our nation. ing the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun... And entering into the sepOne only needs to look at modern history to find out ulcher, they saw a young man...And he saith unto them, the true nature of Sunday laws: “The earliest recognition of the observation of Sunday as a legal duty is a President Bush bows before the Bishop of Rome (Rev. 13:3) be not affrighted; Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: He is risen.” (Mark 16:1-6). It is well known constitution of Constantine, the first Roman churchthat Sunday was the resurrection day. “The Sabbath was past” when it dawned. Thus state emperor, in 321 A.D.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Ninth Edition, Article “Sunday.” Constantine was responsible for the first Sunday law. In Constantine’s day, Rome’s it is evident that the Sabbath is Saturday, the day before Sunday. official religion was sun worship – the cult of Sol Invictus [Invincible Sun] and Con“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destantine was its head priest. As an ambitious politician and life-long pagan wanting to stroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth unite his empire, he instituted Sunday by law as a day of rest for both the Christians pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” and for the pagans who worshiped the sun god. The purpose was to get the pagans or (Matthew 5:18). the unchurched to come to church. And what better way than through a legal enactThroughout the New Testament, there are no fewer than 59 references to the Sabment. bath. Constantine decreed on March 7, 321 “Dies Solis” [day of the sun] as the Roman day Sabbath in the New Earth—“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I of Rest: “On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name cities rest, and let all workshops be closed.”. remain; and it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Forty years after Constantine’s first Sunday law, Church Bishops met at the Council sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the LORD” (Isaiah of Laodicea to establish Sunday as the official religion throughout all of Christianity, 66:22, 23). According to Colossians 2:14-17, the sacrifices with its ceremonial Sabbaths, the yearly feast days, and rituals as registered in Leviticus 23 and other texts, and to excommunicate and persecute those who kept the Seventh-day Sabbath. “Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath [Saturday], but must work on were nailed [abolished] on the cross. But not the Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment that day, rather honouring the Lord's Day [Sunday]; and, if they can, resting then as that is Eternal, as indicated in the above Bible verses. Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema [cursed] The Encyclopedia Britannica—“There is no evidence that in the earliest years of from Christ.” Council of Laodicea 363-364 A.D, Canon 29. Christianity there was any formal observance of Sunday as a day of rest or any general This decree abolished the Seventh-day Sabbath and institutionalized Sunday to be cessation of work.” 1911 Edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, Article: Sunday kept by all Christians. The cult of Sol Invictus continued to be part of Rome’s state (www.1911encyclopedia.org). religion until paganism was abolished by decree of Theodosius I on February 27, 390. Baptist: “Of course I quite well know that Sunday did come into use in early ChrisHowever, by then Sunday had become popular largely because it was established and tian history as a religious day, as we learn from the Christian Fathers and other enforced by the power of the church and the state. sources. But what a pity that it comes branded with the mark of Paganism, and chrisIn America, Sunday laws are often referred to as Blue Laws and were established as tened with the name of the sun-god, then adopted as sanctified by the Papal apostasy, early as 1655 by the church clergy, who also exercised civil authority. The purpose of and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism.” Dr. E.T. Hiscox, author of the these early Puritan Sunday laws was to try to have people be in church, to pray to God, Baptist Manuel. From a photostatic copy of a notarized statement by Dr. Hiscox. and read the Bible. Failure to do so would result in fines, imprisonment, or possible Methodist: “It is true that there is no positive command for infant baptism. Nor is death. This of course caused church attendance to go up, as well as church offerings. there any for keeping holy the first day of the week. Many believe that Christ changed Enforcing the conscience will not bring happiness, enjoyment, or salvation through the Sabbath. But, from His own words, we see that He came for no such purpose. Jesus Christ. Those who believe that Jesus changed the Sabbath base it only on a supposition.” Most recently, in his 1997 Apostolic Letter, “Dies Domini” (Keeping the Lord’s Amos Binney, Theological Compendium, 1902 edition, pp. 180-181. Binny [1802Day), the late Pope John Paul II called upon Christians in every nation to secure Sun- 1978] was a Methodist minister and presiding elder, whose Compendium was published for forty years in many languages. He also wrote a Methodist New Testament day as a day of rest and worship through civil legislation! For many years, we have seen Sunday closing laws on local, state, and municipal Commentary. levels. Men are forced to close certain kinds of businesses, and are prohibited from Disciples of Christ: “If it [10 Commandments] yet exist, let us observe it…And if it some secular activities on the first working day [Sunday] of the week, lest they be does not exist, let us abandon a mock observance of another day for it. ‘But,’ some fined or imprisoned. And the situation will grow worse in the days ahead, “And that say, ‘it was changed from the seventh to the first day.’ Where? When? And by whom? no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the No, it never was changed, nor could it be, unless creation was to be gone through again – for the reason assigned [Genesis 2:1-3] must be changed before the observance or number of his name” (Read Rev. 13:15-17). All the material that is in this document proves one thing: “The dignitaries of church respect to the reason, can be changed. It is all old wives’ fables to talk of the change of and state will unite to bribe, persuade, or compel all classes to honor the Sunday. The the Sabbath from the lack of divine authority will be supplied by oppressive enactments...and even in free seventh to the first America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular day. If it be changed, demand [from mainstream churches] for a law enforcing Sunday observance.” The it was that personage Great Controversy p. 592, Pacific Press Publishing Association, published in 1888, who changed it who I think his name is (bracket ours). ‘Doctor Antichrist.” Sabbath from a Theological Perspective: Sunday or Saturday? Alexander Campbell, Jesus—“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and, as his cus- the Christian Baptist, tom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” February 2, 1824, vol. 1 no. 7. CampLuke 4:16. Jesus declared—“...The sabbath was made for man* [Greek: anthropos, man- bell [1788-1866] was an Irish Protestant who founded in America the denomination known as the Disciples of Christ. kind]…” Mark 2:27. “The Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day” Mat. 12:8. Lutheran: “They [the Catholics] allege the change of the Sabbath into the Lord’s God commanded—“But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God” ExoDay, as it seemeth, to the Decalogue [Ten Commandments]; and they have no example dus 20:10. Paul—“And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days more in their mouths than the change of the Sabbath. They will needs have the Church’s power to be very great, because it hath dispensed with a precept of the Decareasoned with them out of the Scriptures.” Acts 17:2-3. “And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the logue.” The Ausburg Confession, 1530 A.D. (Lutheran), part 2, article 7, in Philip Schaff’s, the Creeds of Christendom, fourth edition, vol. 3 p. 64. Greeks” Acts 18:4. Roman Catholic: “Question: Which is the Sabbath day? Answer: Saturday is the Paul declared—“There remaineth therefore a rest [Sabbath] to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did Sabbath day. Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday? Answer: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the sofrom His” Hebrews 4:9, 10. “For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day...And God did rest the seventh lemnity from Saturday to Sunday.” Peter Geiermann, The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, 1957 edition. day from all his works,” “And blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Hebrews 4:4. Roman Catholic—“Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her Paul and the Gentiles—“And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. And act... And the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things.” H.F. the next Sabbath came almost the whole city together to hear the Word of God.” Acts Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons. Nov 11, 1895. 13:42, 44. Call or write for your FREE BOOK! The book of Acts records 84 Sabbaths on which the Apostle Paul and his associates ETERNAL GOSPEL CHURCH held religious services (Acts 18:4, 11). Yet there is not ONE word in the entire Bible Founded in 1992 by Seventh-day Adventist Believers authorizing Sunday keeping in place of the Seventh-day Sabbath. PO Box 15138 - West Palm Beach, FL 33416 | 1-800-7TH-DAY-2
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—continued from page 1 publican government.” Testimonies, vol. 5 p. 451. “Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power.” The Great Controversy, p. 588. All the while Rome’s image and confidence continues to grow stronger. So much so that she now feels comfortable telling the entire world that there is no salvation outside of her. Amazing! Rome has become so bold and so proud. And who can blame her when you have the President of the most powerful nation on the earth bowing before you in front of the cameras for all the world to see! That would make anybody proud. Why shouldn’t Rome be boastful when you have Sunday laws, a Catholic institution, being promoted openly through secular newspapers like the Wall Street Journal. When the American Catholic clergy publicly states in the media its intentions to swaying our 2008 Presidential elections and absolutely no one challenges her, that means that she’s going to continue to keep doing it. [See article On Catholic Bishops on page 5]. The Bible describes her this way: “For she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” Rev. 18:7. But God’s true and faithful people will not sit quietly and allow this power to come in and tear down the Spirit of Protestantism on which this nation was founded. We have been waiting for someone in high places to call into question, to challenge, and to reprove these blatant violations against our religious freedoms. Where are the champions of Protestantism at this crucial hour? Sadly, we have seen throughout the years that the so-called defenders of religious liberty, including the General Conference Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department, have all been clasping hands with the Roman power.” Praise God not everyone is going to be wondering after the beast. We have been told that the same way that the work was carried on in the days of Jesus, it is going to be carried on today. “What is our work? The same as that given to John the Baptist.” Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 9. “With the Spirit and power of Elijah he [John the Baptist] denounced the national corruption, and rebuked the prevailing sins. His words were plain, pointed, and convincing.” Desire of Ages, p. 104. We can see from this that God is not waiting for great institutions to warn against the dangers which are ahead of us. “If they [God’s people] do nothing to disabuse the minds of the people, and through ignorance of the truth our legislators should abjure the principles of Protestantism, and give countenance and support to the Roman fallacy, the spurious sabbath, God will hold His people, who have had great light, responsible for their lack of diligence and faithfulness.” E.G.W. 1888 Materials, p. 503. “Let not the commandment-keeping people of God be silent at this time, as though we gracefully accepted the situation. There is the prospect before us of waging a continuous war, at the risk of imprisonment, of losing property and even life itself, to defend the law of God, which is being made void by the laws of men.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7 p. 975. We are told that we must wage a continuous war. No war was ever won by fighting on the defensive. There is a time to be on the defensive and to defend the Word of God from those who would distort it. But then there are times when God’s people have to be on the offense and take God’s message to the world. We have to make it happen. God is waiting for us. The Pope Makes War Against the Protestants On July 10, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI declared to the entire world that Protestants were not “true churches and Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation.” There should be a
Dr. John Graz, General Conference Executive Board Member and Director of the Adventist Church's Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department gave an official response to the Pope’s statement on Protestants not being true Churches. He said, “Such statements from the Vatican do not disappoint or affect Adventists” and that “Adventists favor good relations and religious freedom for all.”
siren alarm blaring—warning God’s people that it is high time to wake-up out of sleep. Our hearts should be stirred, our voices should be raised, and the trumpet should be sounding far and wide, proclaiming to the world: “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” Rev. 18:2. Why does God command us to give such a message? The answer is found in the very next verse: “For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” Rev. 18:3. And for the sake of God’s people who are still bound in church traditions and pagan customs, God sends us to give the most solemn and final call to His faithful children: “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” Rev. 18:4, 5. The “Official” Adventist Response Church
John Graz not only works at the General Conference level but he is also the General Secretary for the Christian World Communion, a ecumenical association of the World Council of Church. Here Graz sits with Evangelicals and Catholics during an Interfaith Convocation on June 6, 2005 at the Washington National Cathedral.
Above: If these men are sitting down, then whose doing all the talking? You guessed it. Below you will see the man in charge—Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
The “official” response by the General Conference to the brazen statements made by Pope Benedict XVI is disheartening to say the least, but not surprising. Adventist News Network reported on July 11, 2007 in an article entitled: “Adventists Call Catholic Claim Nothing More Than Tradition — Catholic Church Reaffirms Protestants Are Not ‘True’ Churches.” In this article, two men were quoted. Kwabena Donkor, associate director of the Adventist Church's Biblical Research Institute stated that Seventh-day Adventist “don’t identify the church as being Christ with the pope as the head.” No further explanation is given. One is only left to wonder as to who then is the head of the church: Christ alone, the pope alone, Christ and the GC, or the GC alone. Then the Adventist News Network article quotes John Graz, a General Conference Executive Committee Member, head of the Religious Liberty work, and General Secretary for the Christian World Communions, a branch organization under the World Council of Churches. Graz said, “Such statements from the Vatican do not disappoint or affect Adventists” and “Adventists favor good relations and religious freedom for all.” This weak statement is a betrayal to the Protestant Reformers who lived and died for its truths. What a pitiful response was given to address such an disgraceful declaration by the Pope. Obviously, these men do not want to engage in the “prospect before us of waging a continuous war, at the risk of imprisonment, of losing property and even life itself, to defend the law of God, which is being made void by the laws of men.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7 p. 975. Is it any wonder why the laity must lead out in the final warfare against enemies of the truth and the principalities of darkness. With new vigor and determinations and in the power of the Holy Spirit we must give the Three Angles’ messages to world now more than ever before. Every Seventh-day Adventist pastor, leaders, and laity must be in some way involved in this prospect— knowing that soon all of our labors will be over. Full-page, secular newspaper articles, radio programs, billboards, and publications like this one, and others must be spreading around the world like the leaves of autumn, sounding the messages to prepare a to stand in the great and final battle ahead and to prepare for the coming of the Lord. We hope and pray that many of you will continue to support this work with your prayers and sacrificial giving. The Lord is depending not on great numbers but in the faithful few to finish up his work and cut it short in righteousness. —The Editors