The False Teaching of the Creation SDA Church

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The Mark of the Beast

“The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. The contest is between the commandments of God and the commandments of men.” Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 81.

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The Creation Seventh-day Adventist church http://endrtimes.blogspot.ca/2010/04/creation-seventh-day-adventist-church.html is teaching that the Sunday Law will never materialize. They teach that the Sunday Law test was tied intimately to a people, namely SDA Sabbath-keepers ONLY, and was inherently conditional. They don’t believe Ellen White’s Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 81, which says the test will come to every soul. Here is the statement of one of their members, Guerline Bailey:

 

From: Guerline A. Bailey

To: adventist hot issues

Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:16 PM

Subject: [AdventistHotIssues] Conditional Prophecy: no Sunday law

 

Now I believe you are ready for this part, so I will tell you about the conditional prophecy (which is all in the bible) and why there isn't and there will never be a Sunday law to test the SDA church or any others waiting for it. 

The following statement is from another post by Guerline, that is accompanied with its full context in this document:

“The Sunday Law, while it was to have been the herald of the events leading up to a final judgment, is not the judgment itself; and it was tied intimately to a people, (faithful Sabbathkeepers) therefore would be inherently conditional.”

Ron responds:

The Sabbath will be lightly regarded by the new movement, but it is also lightly regarding the Sabbath by the Creation SDA Church, to teach that the Sabbath will not be the final great test of God's people all over the earth. The Creation SDA Church removes the very Spirit of Prophecy warning sign to leave the large cities, per. Testimonies, 464, cited further down in this post. This is spiritual anarchy that is just as bad as the new movement! There is not the least CONDITIONALITY to any of the following statements:

 "The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the supposition that a great reformation was to take place among Seventh-day Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith, and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation to take place, what would result? The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church, would be discarded. Our religion would be changed. The fundamental principles that have sustained the work for the last fifty years would be accounted as error. A NEW ORGANIZATION would be established. Books of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced. The founders of this system would go into the cities, and do a wonderful work. The Sabbath of course, would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it. Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the NEW MOVEMENT. The leaders would teach that virtue is better than vice, but God being removed, they would place their dependence on human power, which, without God, is worthless. Their foundation would be built on the sand, and storm and tempest would sweep away the structure.

WHO HAS AUTHORITY TO BEGIN SUCH A [NEW] MOVEMENT? We have our Bibles. We have our experience, attested to by the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit. We have a truth that admits of no compromise. Shall we not repudiate everything that is not in harmony with this truth?" E.G. White, Selected Messages, Vol. 1, 204-205. 

“The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not." The Great Controversy, p. 605.

I would say that includes ALL OF HUMANITY living at the time.

"By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1}

"As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, so may this apostasy be a sign to us that the limit of God's forbearance is reached, that the measure of our nation's iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to take her flight, never to return. The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress which prophets have described as the time of Jacob's trouble. The cries of the faithful, persecuted ones ascend to heaven. And as the blood of Abel cried from the ground, there are voices also crying to God from martyrs' graves, from the sepulchers of the sea, from mountain caverns, from convent vaults: "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" {5T 451.2} 

“It is no time now for God's people to be fixing their affections or laying up their treasure in the world. The time is not far distant, when, like the early disciples, we shall be forced to seek a refuge in desolate and solitary places. As the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies was the signal for flight to the Judean Christians, so the assumption of power on the part of our nation in the decree enforcing the papal sabbath will be a warning to us. It will then be time to leave the large cities, preparatory to leaving the smaller ones for retired homes in secluded places among the mountains. And now, instead of seeking expensive dwellings here, we should be preparing to move to a better country, even a heavenly. Instead of spending our means in self-gratification, we should be studying to economize.”  Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 464-5. 

The Creation SDA Church removes the above warning sign by teaching it will never materialize! This is a serious error regarding an important warning sign for God’s people.

"The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes; for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided...Rev.13:11-17 quoted... This is the test that the people of God must have before they are sealed." 7 B.C. 976. 

“In some cases, BEFORE the time specified in the decree, enemies will rush upon the waiting ones to put them to death.”  E.G. White, The 1884 edition of The Great Controversy, p. 447. 

“Never did this message apply with greater force than it applies today. More and more the world is setting at nought the claims of God. Men have become bold in transgression. The wickedness of the inhabitants of the world has almost filled up the measure of their iniquity. This earth has almost reached the place where God will permit the destroyer to work his will upon it. The substitution of the laws of men for the law of God, the exaltation, by merely human authority, of Sunday in place of the Bible Sabbath, is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal, God will reveal Himself. He will arise in His majesty to shake terribly the earth. He will come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity, and the earth shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain.” {7T 141.1} 

"The great issue so near at hand [enforcement of Sunday laws] will weed out those whom God has not appointed and He will have a pure, true, sanctified ministry prepared for the latter rain."--3SM 385 (1886). {LDE 179.2} 

The Sunday Law will separate the wheat from the dross IN EVERY CHURCH AND INVOLVING EVERY PERSON ON EARTH. The following statement is speaking about Adventists AS WELL AS THOSE WHO HAD NOT HAD THE LIGHT WHICH HAS BEEN SHINING IN A CONCENTRATED BLAZE UPON SDA’S!

“There are precious ones now hidden who have not bowed the knee to Baal. They have not had the light which has been shining in a concentrated blaze upon you [SDA’S]. But it may be under a rough and uninviting exterior the pure brightness of a genuine Christian character will be revealed. In the day time we look toward heaven but do not see the stars. They are there, fixed in the firmament, but the eye cannot distinguish them. In the night we behold their genuine luster. {5T 80.1}

The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. The contest is between the commandments of God and the commandments of men. In this time the gold will be separated from the dross in the church. True godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of it. Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy will then go out in darkness. Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat. All who assume the ornaments of the sanctuary, but are not clothed with Christ's righteousness, will appear in the shame of their own nakedness. {5T 81.1}

When trees without fruit are cut down as cumberers of the ground, when multitudes of false brethren are distinguished from the true, then the hidden ones will be revealed to view, and with hosannas range under the banner of Christ. Those who have been timid and self-distrustful will declare themselves openly for Christ and His truth. The most weak and hesitating in the church will be as David--willing to do and dare. The deeper the night for God's people, the more brilliant the stars. Satan will sorely harass the faithful;” Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 81.

 

Laws to Exalt the False Sabbath—“We are to be ready and waiting for the orders of God. Nations will be stirred to their very center. Support will be withdrawn from those who proclaim God’s only standard of righteousness, the only sure test of character. And all who will not bow to the decree of the national councils, and obey the national laws to exalt the sabbath instituted by the man of sin to the disregard of God’s holy day, will feel, not the oppressive power of popery alone, but of the Protestant world, the image of the beast.... {3SM 385.2}

The great issue so near at hand will weed out those whom God has not appointed and he will have a pure, true, sanctified ministry prepared for the latter rain....”  {3SM 385.3}


“A new life is proceeding from satanic agencies to work with a power we have not hitherto realized. And shall not a new power from above take possession of God’s people?”—Letter 55, 1886.  {3SM 385.4}


“We must soon wrestle with the powers of the land, and we have every reason to fear that falsehood will gain the mastery. We shall call upon our churches in the name of the Lord to view this struggle in its true light. [See Testimonies for the Church 5:711-718, “The Impending Conflict” (1889).—Compilers.] It is a contest between the christianity of the old and New Testaments, and the Christianity of human tradition and corrupt fables. {3SM 385.5}


“This contest is to decide whether the pure gospel shall have the field in our nation, or whether the popery of past ages shall receive the right hand of fellowship from Protestantism, and this power prevail to restrict religious liberty.... The message must go broadcast, that those who have been imperceptibly tampering with popery, not knowing what they were doing, may hear. They are fraternizing with popery by compromises and by concessions which surprise the adherents of the papacy....  {3SM 386.1}

 

A Spurious Sabbath the Issue—A spurious sabbath is presented to be legislated into power, compelling the observance of a sabbath which God has not enjoined upon man. The persecutions of Protestants by Romanism, by which the religion of Jesus Christ was almost annihilated, will be more than rivaled, when Protestantism and popery are combined....  {3SM 387.1}

Below I respond further and more specifically to Guerline’s statements:

Hi Guerline,

I will intersperse my comments below yours in your post below in this color print:

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Guerline A. Bailey

To: adventist hot issues

Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:16 PM

Subject: [AdventistHotIssues] Conditional Prophecy: no Sunday law

 

Now I believe you are ready for this part, so I will tell you about the conditional prophecy(which is all in the bible) and why there isn't and there will never be a Sunday law to test the SDA church or any others waiting for it.

"Now based upon the last statement  I  sent you on this subject, we saw that first, the original version of The Great Controversy, released in 1858, did not even contain the word “Sunday,” much less a reference to the specific law that would constitute the Mark of the Beast. 

Second, in even the later versions of The Great Controversy which deals specifically with last day events, a key quote reads, “the enforcement of Sundaykeeping in the United States would be an enforcement of the worship of the beast and his image.” [Great Controversy, p. 449, emphasis mine]

Here is an excerpt of my reasons: please read carefully.

«Examining the first of these two issues, we find that Ellen White later incorporated references to the Sunday Law in response to the events going on around her. In the late 1800s the Blair Sunday Rest bill appeared to be an imminent threat to the religious liberty of Sabbathkeeping Christians, and it was believed by all reasonable Adventists that this was indeed the great test to come. One of the works from which many of Mrs. White’s writings on the Sunday Law are drawn is entitled, “Lessons From Meeting the Sunday Law Crisis of the Late 1880’s..” in Selected Messages Book 3.

It is vital that Christians understand how “prophecy” works, and much more so now in these very last days. The most commonly used example (though there are a great many) to demonstrate this point is found in the book of Jonah. Jonah, a true prophet of the Lord, made the sure and often-repeated prediction, “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” (Jon 3:4) The messenger gave no conditions for this prophecy, yet as we see from the events recorded in his book the prophecy was indeed conditional. When the hearts of the people affected by the prophecy changed, so did the fulfillment of the events.

Now, at Jonah’s teaching Nineveh WAS overthrown! But the overthrow was a spiritual one, not physical. The Scripture tells us, and History records a time in the past, that the citizens of Nineveh suddenly gave up their polytheism, and began to worship a single god. Later, this god of theirs became the Ba’al of the Scriptures, and this led to their final destruction in the time of Nahum, yet we see that at the time the prophecy was given the message had served its purpose and accomplished a spiritual revival.

The basic principle when discussing conditional prophecy is this one: If the spiritual condition of the people affected BY the prophecy changes, so does the fulfillment of the prophecy itself. There are only TWO examples in Scripture for which this was not true, and both deal with judgment. The first was the prophecy given in Daniel of the time of the Messiah’s appearing. This was tied to the judgment of the world (John 5:22) and so depended on no course of human actions. The other example is the Flood in Genesis, and this is used as a pattern for the final judgment, (Mat 24:37) so it would appear that imminent global judgments are the only exceptions to the conditional prophecy rule. The Sunday Law, while it was to have been the herald of the events leading up to a final judgment, is not the judgment itself; and it was tied intimately to a people, (faithful Sabbathkeepers) therefore would be inherently conditional. 

Ron’s response: I disagree with your above statement I have highlighted in blue print. When Ellen White said that the Sunday Law would be the final great test to God’s people, I believe she meant all who finally subscribe to the final Loud Cry truth given to the world. The Sabbath test will be a test to all peoples everywhere. I kindly agree to disagree with you. 

A careful study of Scripture will confirm this for any who wish to dig deeper; and I can give another dramatic example. Compare the prophecies in Ezekiel 37 and 38 with the description of the last judgment given in Revelation. Ezekiel foresaw a time when Jerusalem would be faithful to God, and so when its enemies came up against its people (the enemies being called Gog and Magog) then fire would come down from Heaven to consume them. Now, it is apparent to every believer in the New Testament that the nation of Israel never became faithful to Yahweh to the degree that Ezekiel foresaw. Indeed, it grew worse and worse, “Until Yahweh removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.” (2 Kings 17:23

Ron’s response: I fully agree that there are many conditional prophesies in the Bible. But I don’t find any conditionality to Ellen White’s statement that the Sabbath will be the final great test involved with the image to the beast.

We see then that the principle works both ways. In Jonah’s case the prophecy’s fulfillment was changed because the hearts of the people went from bad to good. In Ezekiel’s case, the prophecy’s fulfillment was altered because the hearts of the people went from good to bad. In both cases, the prophecy was fulfilled spiritually (see Revelation’s statements regarding “Gog and Magog” for example), and NOT physically.

This is what has happened with the Sunday Law. As in the example of Jonah, or perhaps more applicably the example of Ezekiel, the hearts of the people changed. Adventism began to incorporate some grievous errors after the death of Ellen White, and some began to come in even before her passing regarding both the nature of God: 
http://www.csda-adventistchurch.to/Binary/essays/ePioneer.html 
and the victory over sin. Here is an example of what the SDA Church once taught regarding the matter of salvation: 
http://www.csda-adventistchurch.to/Binary/essays/ecrevevo.html  

Ron’s response: Ellen White anticipated the many apostate changes that would come after her death in 1 SM 204-205, but she did not alter her statements on the Sunday Law being the final great test. In fact, in 1884, she prophesied that SDA church leaders would apostatize to the point of stressing Sunday sacredness, to wit: 

“The Lord has a controversy with His professed people in these last days. In this controversy men in responsible positions will take a course directly opposite to that pursued by Nehemiah. They will not only ignore and despise the Sabbath themselves, but they will try to keep it from others by burying it beneath the rubbish of custom and tradition. In churches and in large gatherings in the open air, ministers will urge upon the people the necessity of keeping the first day of the week. (Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, March 18, 1884). 

Now, this caused a problem, to be sure, but it was not an image to the beast simply because the church had begun to fall away. It is only a church/state union that results in an image to the beast, and THIS, Ellen White says, is the test of God’s people. [Maranatha, page 164]

For the second issue, that of the Sunday Law being “an” Enforcement.... Uriah Smith confirms this in his book Daniel and The Revelation. He writes, “An ecclesiastical organization composed of different sects in the land, in coalition with Roman Catholicism, by the promulgation and enforcement of a civil Sunday-Sabbath law, would fulfill what the prophecy sets forth in reference to the image and the mark of the beast. These movements, or their exact equivalent, are called for by the prophecy.” [D & R, page 617] Creation Seventh Day Adventists point out that the SDA General Conference Trademark law, which was created by a union of the Seventh Day Adventist General Conference and the United States Government, is an exact equivalent, having fulfilled every detail of that statement. In seeking civil aid against their imagined “enemies,” SDAs of the Conference have followed in the path of “different sects in the land” who in the 1800s attempted to preserve the safety and peace of this “Christian nation” by making a day of rest enforceable by the state. They have done this “in coalition with Roman Catholicism,” for it is an established fact that religious corporations, by which this law was made possible in the courts, is a child of the papacy. The pope, in mirroring the organizational structure of pagan Rome, gave birth to the concept of a religious corporation. And finally, what the Adventist church has done is an enforcement of a Sabbath law as surely as if the Sunday was being used to replace the true Sabbath. I will explain this third point in a moment. 

Ron’s response: What I believe to be the important factor is GOD’S LAW being changed and ENFORCED by Satan. You totally ignore this serious factor. I don’t agree with you or the Creation SDA Adventists on this issue. I fully disagree with the SDA church doing what it has done in taking members to court over the Trademark issue, but Ellen White says when they do that it shows that they do not possess the Holy Spirit and not the mark of the beast which involves a change in God’s law and an enforcement of that change by Satan’s new world order.  

For now, if we understand the principles of conditional prophecy and what it is that makes an “image to the beast” we can easily see that after Adventism became corrupt, a Sunday Law would no longer be able to test who true Christians were. Those who crucified Christ were Sabbathkeepers after the letter; where they failed to be faithful was the spirit of the law. Let’s look at the spirit of the Sabbath law, and how this relates to the mark of the beast, now that the nature of the Sunday Law prophecy has changed. 

Ron’s response: Adventists are not the only ones tested by the Sunday Law. The entire world will be so tested. Nothing could work better as a test to the entire world as to its fidelity or not to God’s law, versus the changes in that Law by Satan and his agents. I fully reject your teaching on this issue.

Here are the three criteria again for what composes the “beast and his image” that will enforce the mark:
1) It would be the made at the request of a Church that was once faithful, but has gone apostate. [Great Controversy, p. 443-444]
2) It would be formed in conjunction with United States government, and from THIS country, it would spread out to other countries of the world to become a global event. [Christian Service, page 160]
3) It would constitute a great test for commandment-keepers, particularly regarding the 4th commandment that deals with the Sabbath. [Last Day Events, page 225] 

Ron’s response: I have already demonstrated how the church will try to stress Sunday sacredness. The test is to the entire world at the end-time after hearing the final Loud Cry of the three angel’s messages which, according to Revelation 14:10-12 involve the commandments of God. 

1) There is little question that the doctrines and practices of the SDA Church have become corrupt. Even the pastors and historians (I can provide you with their names and quotes if you like, but my intent here is more general) will say things like, “We know there are major problems within Adventism, but we believe that God has not abandoned us. The church will go through, just stay within the Church and ignore the corruption.”

This is both unsafe and unScriptural. The Bible tells faithful servants of God, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” (Isaiah 58:1) The question may be asked, “Can we stay within the Church and be a force for good? Can we try to reform it from the inside?” 

Ron’s response: Agreed! We call people out of that apostate church. My Website is clear on that fact! 

Before the church/state union that I will describe to you in a moment, this was possible. Before the leaders of Adventism declared, for all intents and purposes, “We have no king but Caesar,” it is what God would have wanted for His flickering candle. But if you read Ellen White’s comments regarding the point at which the Jewish Nation fell, and after which people began to be called OUT so they could point out her sins, you notice something significant: “They [the Hebrew religious leaders] cried out for the crucifixion of Christ and, as representatives of the Jewish nation, placed themselves under the Roman jurisdiction, which they despised, by saying, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’ When they said this, they unchurched themselves.” [Manuscript Releases Volume Twelve, page 388, paragraph 1]

It is when the Jewish Church united with Rome that the system fell and people were called out. The same thing happened with Catholicism and Rome, with Sundaykeeping Protestantism and the U.S. Government in the 1800s, and with nominal Adventism today. It is no longer possible to reform the SDA Church from the INSIDE, but now the commandment becomes applicable: “Thus shalt thou separate the Levites [the faithful intercessors] from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.” (Deuteronomy 18:4) More to the point, if one can agree that the doctrines of Adventism have indeed become corrupt, and that they have crossed a “point of no return” when they joined with the State in 1981 as I shall shortly describe, then an individual who truly wishes to serve God rather than men must... “‘come out from among them, and be ye separate,’ saith the Lord, ‘and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.’” (2 Cor 6:17

Ron’s response: I teach that the church has committed unpardonable sin per ecumenical liaison with Babylon in breach of Isaiah 8:9-12 and Jeremiah 11:9-15, and that the bride has no place in that church (verse 15). 

2) In 1981, the General Conference of Seventh Day Adventists, on behalf of its every member, trademarked the name “Seventh Day Adventist” and several variations thereof, and since that time have brought lawsuit after lawsuit in violation of Scripture, Spirit of Prophecy Writings, the spirit of charity, the humility of Christ, and plan old common sense, in order to protect their “good name,” and their tithe base.

Yes, their finances are part of the reason they do this, for hear what SDA legal counsel Walter Carson said in defense of their ungodly policy: “... there is a moral – and even monetary – value to the name of the church, as suits like this one [against a church in Brooklyn] show. [...] A name, particularly the name of a faith community, identifies it and its value system as distinct from all others.” [What’s in a Name, an interview by Bill Knott, associate editor of the Adventist Review] Notice that they admit this to be a RELIGIOUS matter, and not merely one of legality, for “the name of a FAITH community identifies it and its VALUE SYSTEM” in a unique way. CSDAs heartily agree with this clear teaching from early Adventist writings.

Now some, in trying to back-pedal and say the Trademark lawsuits do not constitute religious persecution for those who believe it is part of their faith to call themselves Adventists, as Ellen White said it was [The Early Years Volume 1, p.438] will actually contradict the intention of their legal advisors with words such as this, “The trademark litigation has nothing to do with enforcing a doctrine. It has to do with defining the identity of the church.” [May 7th, 1997, Letter to pastor Walter “Chick” McGill from Alan J. Reinach, Esq. Director, Public Affairs & Religious Liberty from the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh Day Adventists]

Marvin G. Lowman, Executive Secretary of the Kentucky-Tennessee conference writes, in a letter to the same individual in July 1998 that the trademark lawsuits are an attempt of “the leaders” of the church “to protect the good name and reputation of their church and to preserve its distinctive doctrinal platform.” It is indeed a matter of doctrine. A pastor of the SDA Church of Cohutta, GA calls the distribution of literature that points out these fearsome issues “unforgivable,” and likens those who speak these words of warning to Lucifer, saying, “[God] kicked him and his followers out of Heaven and won’t ever let them back in.” [Letter, March 28 1998] Such is the spirit of those being informed that they are violating the law of God for their own worldly motives. These are not Christian men if the words and teachings of Christ define a “Christian.”

We submit to you that taking the name God gives to His people is clearly a matter of religious freedom, a matter of great doctrinal importance; and to restrict someone from practicing his/her beliefs in the manner he or she believes is the express command of God is an attempt to control conscience and religious observances. This is exactly the language found in the Trademark agreement – the document gives the General Conference control over “religious observances.” This disagreement between the leaders and lawyers of the fallen SDA Church is a confusion of tongues, but they must do this, because if they ever admit openly that they are truly participating in religious persecution, while waiting to BE persecuted by the US government for a Sunday Law their hypocrisy will be laid bare, and the faithful would quickly depart.

For over 20 years the leaders of the mainstream Adventist church HAVE, in conjunction with the United States government which they despise, acknowledging it to be the second Beast of Revelation, led a campaign to crush the religious freedom of those who cannot in good conscience submit to their evil policies, yet who MUST, because of their beliefs, continue to call themselves “Seventh Day Adventists.” There have been jailings, confiscation of land and property, and worse... all in the name of Christ. Indeed, faithful, commandment-keeping, SOP believing Adventists who have found they could not remain under the leadership of evil men, have found that they could not buy or sell anything regarding the Adventist gospel without violating the law of the 2nd beast, the US Government! The Trademark is indeed a trade (buy/sell) mark. To submit to this law, either by agreement or by going along with it, is to reject the idea that Christ will defend His people. “During the course of His trial Jesus said, ‘If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight.’ It is only when Christians mistakenly come to believe that Christ’s kingdom is of this world that they resort to force in defending what they take to be its interests.” [SDA Bible Commentary, Vol.5, p. 527] 

Ron’s response: I share your indignation against the church, but this is not the mark of the beast, but a symptom of being once again in liaison with Babylon and the world. 

Reading Acts 2, reading Isaiah 9:16, we read that every least member is guilty for what their spiritual leaders do on their behalf. It is written, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” (Hosea 4:6) and so we say to those who remain under the General Conference, waiting to be persecuted even while they persecute others, “Beware the log in your own eye. Flee the wrath to come.” Many take pride and security in the words of Ellen White’s predictions, little realizing that those promises are for a faithful church, which they no longer are, and still less realizing that had the Jews not relied on the words of their conditional prophecies at the expense of the spirit of the prediction, they would not have rejected Christ and His apostles, and they would have been saved. Do not mistake my meaning; the hearts of Creation SDAs are heavy for the fate of our former brethren. We would have them saved, and call no individual damned; but the system is fallen, and will never be repaired; the only hope for those who wish to be saved is to repent, come out, and be baptized anew into the Church of Christ. (Acts 2:38 – 42

Ron’s response: Fully agree and I teach corporate responsibility accruing to every member of the apostate SDA church! Just search the words corporate responsibility on the intra-site find search engine on my Website. 

Many Catholics will not leave Catholicism, because they are confident in the absolute unconditionality of promise given by Christ, that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against” the church. They take this to mean that no matter WHAT happened, the organization that began with Peter and the apostles would go through. The men of Israel shouted, “The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD,” when Jeremiah predicted that Jerusalem would fall. What became of them? “Trust ye not in lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.’” (Jer 7:4

) Do not trust in conditional prophecies regarding the SDA Church when the conditions outlined IN the prophecies were never met! God is not mocked, and He will, and does, have a faithful people on the earth. Ellen White was a true prophet, and the conditions she gave for those promises being fulfilled were accurate. [Manuscript Releases Volume Twenty-one, page 380] 

Ron’s response: A thousand amen’s! Ellen White was a true prophet and you have no right to put away her statements on the third person of the Godhead which don't support the Trinity Doctrine when rightly understood! 

If you wish to know more about the ability of the current government to enforce a Sunday Law, you may find this link useful, though it is by no means our “proof” that the Trademark has replaced it in the altered fulfillment of prophecy: http://csda.us/news.html

Ron’s response: I know of the Pope’s current teachings on Sunday observance and of the Lord’s Day Alliance. I believe Ellen White that they are working in the dark and it all will explode upon us. I trust Ellen White’s teaching on this and not yours or your church. I believe the Bible teaching that the antichrist will change times and laws, GOD’S LAW, for human laws are changed everyday, BUT TO CHANGE GOD’S LAW IS ANOTHER MATTER. 

3) What proves it is an examination of the third principle for defining the Mark of the Beast. What Christians of all types must come to realize is that for every commandment there is both a Spirit and a Letter, and that the letter without the spirit kills (2 Cor 3:6), for breaking the spirit of the Law results in guilt at least as great as violating the precise wording of the Decalogue.

For example, we are taught that unlawful lust is as the sin of adultery. (Mat 5:28) Hatred of one’s brother is as murder. (1 John 3:15) Covetousness and envy are the same as stealing. (Rom 7:7) And the Sabbath also has a spirit. It is eloquently described in the book of Hebrews. We are told, “There remaineth therefore a rest [lit. a “Sabbathkeeping”] to the people of God; for he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” (Hebrews 4:9 – 11)

We see that the spirit of the Sabbath is rest. If we keep the seventh day pure from work, and from trade, but we are not at rest in Christ, what profit is it to us? We are convicted as Sabbathbreakers, for we have never learned the rest to which Christ has been trying to lead us. If we do not see the Messiah as our hope and shield, as our defender against our enemies and the trials of this world, we will never see the inside of the Holy City. Yet men who claim to be God’s servants take human weapons and use them to crush their opposition, as if there were not a God in Heaven. God says to such men, “Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Ba’alzebub the god of Ekron? Therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.” (2 Kings 1:6) The bed on which the General Conference is laying is a bed of both sickness and fornication, for they have sought the kings of this world to protect them, divorcing Christ and going after other lovers. 

Ron’s response: Agreed, I teach both on my Website—literal Sabbath-keeping and the principle of Sabbath rest from OUR OWN WORKS that are not based on faith in and love for Christ and a self-sacrificing spirit [Gold tried in the fire of obedience—grace (indwelling of the Holy Spirit) for obedience, Rom. 1:5].

Early Adventists knew that civil lawsuits could not be started by anyone who called himself a Sabbathkeeper. In their own words, published in a General Conference Bulletin in the year 1895, we find this written, “I need not undertake to give a definition in detail of what the image of the beast is; we all know well that it is the church power using the government, the civil power, for church purposes . . . And of all Christians, SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS cannot do it. The very KEEPING of the Sabbath forbids it.” [emphasis mine] Ellen White said, when referring to the Sunday Law, “A union of church and state means a recognition of a spurious Sabbath, and a failure to respect the conscientious observance of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.” [Manuscript Releases Volume Twelve, page 218] Anyone with spiritual eyesight can perceive how the union of church and state enacted between the General Conference of Seventh Day Adventists and the United States government “means a recognition of a spurious Sabbath,” as surely as if they had rejected the 7th day; for the spirit makes them guilty of the letter as well. 

Ron’s response: Fully agree! But the mark of the beast is not fully formed until a false Sabbath is enforced upon us by the governments of the world. 

It is therefore established that the Trademark Law fulfils every shade of detail given regarding the Sunday Law and the Mark of the Beast. Indeed, the two laws are one and the same, if the Scriptural teachings regarding the conditional nature of prophecy are even lightly understood. To those who persecute others, therefore, while waiting to be persecuted themselves we would say, “A day will not save you from judgment, if your heart is evil.” The true Sabbath is the 7th day of the week, but it is more than this, it is the state of rest and perfect trust in Christ that would forbid ANY true Christian from taking the sword of Caesar, and holding it to the throat of one whom he believes (even if correctly) has wronged him. Those who are waiting for a Sunday Law, while being a part of a system that persecutes others on religious grounds will find that the way of the Lord is not uneven; and many will fail to even recognize the great test of God’s people, now that it has come upon them.» 

Ron’s response: Fully agree! But such an action of the “local” SDA church, is not the COMPLETE mark of the beast test that comes upon the entire world and I believe enforced Sunday observance will be THE TEST—THE ULTIMATE MARK OF THE BEAST, while all apostate acts constitute liaisons with the Babylon, the world and Satan. 

I pray this has dealt with the matter most thoroughly, though there are other details I have not included for lack of space and time. If you have any questions on any of these specifics, please let me know. 

Ron’s response: I give you full credit for being a thinker and I praise God for that, but I believe you are not seeing the full panorama of truth regarding the Mark of the Beast Issue and the Godhead. I have not yet investigated other beliefs held by the Creation SDA church. I sympathize with your position in this post, but what I reject is your replacing the FINAL TEST TO THE WORLD with the view you express in this post. I believe they compliment (COMPLETE) one another. 

 Guerline

----- Original Message -----

From: Guerline A. Bailey

To: adventist hot issues

Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:16 PM

Subject: [AdventistHotIssues] Conditional Prophecy: no Sunday law

Now I believe you are ready for this part, so I will tell you about the conditional prophecy (which is all in the bible) and why there isn't and there will never be a Sunday law to test the SDA church or any others waiting for it. 

Now based upon the last statement  I  sent you on this subject, we saw that first, the original version of The Great Controversy, released in 1858, did not even contain the word “Sunday,” much less a reference to the specific law that would constitute the Mark of the Beast.

Second, in even the later versions of The Great Controversy which deals specifically with last day events, a key quote reads, “the enforcement of Sundaykeeping in the United States would be an enforcement of the worship of the beast and his image.” [Great Controversy, p. 449, emphasis mine]

The original version of The Great Controversy, released in 1858, did not even contain the word “Sunday,” much less a reference to the specific law that would constitute the Mark of the Beast. 

Second, in even the later versions of The Great Controversy which deals specifically with last day events, a key quote reads, “the enforcement of Sundaykeeping in the United States would be an enforcement of the worship of the beast and his image.” [Great Controversy, p. 449, emphasis mine]

Here is an excerpt of my reasons: please read carefully.

«Examining the first of these two issues, we find that Ellen White later incorporated references to the Sunday Law in response to the events going on around her. In the late 1800s the Blair Sunday Rest bill appeared to be an imminent threat to the religious liberty of Sabbathkeeping Christians, and it was believed by all reasonable Adventists that this was indeed the great test to come. One of the works from which many of Mrs. White’s writings on the Sunday Law are drawn is entitled, “Lessons From Meeting the Sunday Law Crisis of the Late 1880’s..” in Selected Messages Book 3.

It is vital that Christians understand how “prophecy” works, and much more so now in these very last days. The most commonly used example (though there are a great many) to demonstrate this point is found in the book of Jonah. Jonah, a true prophet of the Lord, made the sure and often-repeated prediction, “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” (Jon 3:4) The messenger gave no conditions for this prophecy, yet as we see from the events recorded in his book the prophecy was indeed conditional. When the hearts of the people affected by the prophecy changed, so did the fulfillment of the events.

Now, at Jonah’s teaching Nineveh WAS overthrown! But the overthrow was a spiritual one, not physical. The Scripture tells us, and History records a time in the past, that the citizens of Nineveh suddenly gave up their polytheism, and began to worship a single god. Later, this god of theirs became the Ba’al of the Scriptures, and this led to their final destruction in the time of Nahum, yet we see that at the time the prophecy was given the message had served its purpose and accomplished a spiritual revival.

The basic principle when discussing conditional prophecy is this one: If the spiritual condition of the people affected BY the prophecy changes, so does the fulfillment of the prophecy itself. There are only TWO examples in Scripture for which this was not true, and both deal with judgment. The first was the prophecy given in Daniel of the time of the Messiah’s appearing. This was tied to the judgment of the world (John 5:22) and so depended on no course of human actions. The other example is the Flood in Genesis, and this is used as a pattern for the final judgment, (Mat 24:37) so it would appear that imminent global judgments are the only exceptions to the conditional prophecy rule. The Sunday Law, while it was to have been the herald of the events leading up to a final judgment, is not the judgment itself; and it was tied intimately to a people, (faithful Sabbathkeepers) therefore would be inherently conditional.

A careful study of Scripture will confirm this for any who wish to dig deeper; and I can give another dramatic example. Compare the prophecies in Ezekiel 37 and 38 with the description of the last judgment given in Revelation. Ezekiel foresaw a time when Jerusalem would be faithful to God, and so when its enemies came up against its people (the enemies being called Gog and Magog) then fire would come down from Heaven to consume them. Now, it is apparent to every believer in the New Testament that the nation of Israel never became faithful to Yahweh to the degree that Ezekiel foresaw. Indeed, it grew worse and worse, “Until Yahweh removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.” (2 Kings 17:23)

We see then that the principle works both ways. In Jonah’s case the prophecy’s fulfillment was changed because the hearts of the people went from bad to good. In Ezekiel’s case, the prophecy’s fulfillment was altered because the hearts of the people went from good to bad. In both cases, the prophecy was fulfilled spiritually (see Revelation’s statements regarding “Gog and Magog” for example), and NOT physically.

This is what has happened with the Sunday Law. As in the example of Jonah, or perhaps more applicably the example of Ezekiel, the hearts of the people changed. Adventism began to incorporate some grievous errors after the death of Ellen White, and some began to come in even before her passing regarding both the nature of God: 
http://www.csda-adventistchurch.to/Binary/essays/ePioneer.html 
and the victory over sin. Here is an example of what the SDA Church once taught regarding the matter of salvation: 
http://www.csda-adventistchurch.to/Binary/essays/ecrevevo.html

Now, this caused a problem, to be sure, but it was not an image to the beast simply because the church had begun to fall away. It is only a church/state union that results in an image to the beast, and THIS, Ellen White says, is the test of God’s people. [Maranatha, page 164]

For the second issue, that of the Sunday Law being “an” Enforcement.... Uriah Smith confirms this in his book Daniel and The Revelation. He writes, “An ecclesiastical organization composed of different sects in the land, in coalition with Roman Catholicism, by the promulgation and enforcement of a civil Sunday-Sabbath law, would fulfill what the prophecy sets forth in reference to the image and the mark of the beast. These movements, or their exact equivalent, are called for by the prophecy.” [D & R, page 617] Creation Seventh Day Adventists point out that the SDA General Conference Trademark law, which was created by a union of the Seventh Day Adventist General Conference and the United States Government, is an exact equivalent, having fulfilled every detail of that statement. In seeking civil aid against their imagined “enemies,” SDAs of the Conference have followed in the path of “different sects in the land” who in the 1800s attempted to preserve the safety and peace of this “Christian nation” by making a day of rest enforceable by the state. They have done this “in coalition with Roman Catholicism,” for it is an established fact that religious corporations, by which this law was made possible in the courts, is a child of the papacy. The pope, in mirroring the organizational structure of pagan Rome, gave birth to the concept of a religious corporation. And finally, what the Adventist church has done is an enforcement of a Sabbath law as surely as if the Sunday was being used to replace the true Sabbath. I will explain this third point in a moment.

For now, if we understand the principles of conditional prophecy and what it is that makes an “image to the beast” we can easily see that after Adventism became corrupt, a Sunday Law would no longer be able to test who true Christians were. Those who crucified Christ were Sabbathkeepers after the letter; where they failed to be faithful was the spirit of the law. Let’s look at the spirit of the Sabbath law, and how this relates to the mark of the beast, now that the nature of the Sunday Law prophecy has changed.

Here are the three criteria again for what composes the “beast and his image” that will enforce the mark:
1) It would be the made at the request of a Church that was once faithful, but has gone apostate. [Great Controversy, p. 443-444]
2) It would be formed in conjunction with United States government, and from THIS country, it would spread out to other countries of the world to become a global event. [Christian Service, page 160]
3) It would constitute a great test for commandment-keepers, particularly regarding the 4th commandment that deals with the Sabbath.
[Last Day Events, page 225]

1) There is little question that the doctrines and practices of the SDA Church have become corrupt. Even the pastors and historians (I can provide you with their names and quotes if you like, but my intent here is more general) will say things like, “We know there are major problems within Adventism, but we believe that God has not abandoned us. The church will go through, just stay within the Church and ignore the corruption.”

This is both unsafe and unScriptural. The Bible tells faithful servants of God, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” (Isaiah 58:1) The question may be asked, “Can we stay within the Church and be a force for good? Can we try to reform it from the inside?”

Before the church/state union that I will describe to you in a moment, this was possible. Before the leaders of Adventism declared, for all intents and purposes, “We have no king but Caesar,” it is what God would have wanted for His flickering candle. But if you read Ellen White’s comments regarding the point at which the Jewish Nation fell, and after which people began to be called OUT so they could point out her sins, you notice something significant: “They [the Hebrew religious leaders] cried out for the crucifixion of Christ and, as representatives of the Jewish nation, placed themselves under the Roman jurisdiction, which they despised, by saying, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’ When they said this, they unchurched themselves.” [Manuscript Releases Volume Twelve, page 388, paragraph 1]

It is when the Jewish Church united with Rome that the system fell and people were called out. The same thing happened with Catholicism and Rome, with Sundaykeeping Protestantism and the U.S. Government in the 1800s, and with nominal Adventism today. It is no longer possible to reform the SDA Church from the INSIDE, but now the commandment becomes applicable: “Thus shalt thou separate the Levites [the faithful intercessors] from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.” (Deuteronomy 18:4) More to the point, if one can agree that the doctrines of Adventism have indeed become corrupt, and that they have crossed a “point of no return” when they joined with the State in 1981 as I shall shortly describe, then an individual who truly wishes to serve God rather than men must... “‘come out from among them, and be ye separate,’ saith the Lord, ‘and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.’” (2 Cor 6:17)

2) In 1981, the General Conference of Seventh Day Adventists, on behalf of its every member, trademarked the name “Seventh Day Adventist” and several variations thereof, and since that time have brought lawsuit after lawsuit in violation of Scripture, Spirit of Prophecy Writings, the spirit of charity, the humility of Christ, and plan old common sense, in order to protect their “good name,” and their tithe base.

Yes, their finances are part of the reason they do this, for hear what SDA legal counsel Walter Carson said in defense of their ungodly policy: “... there is a moral – and even monetary – value to the name of the church, as suits like this one [against a church in Brooklyn] show. [...] A name, particularly the name of a faith community, identifies it and its value system as distinct from all others.” [What’s in a Name, an interview by Bill Knott, associate editor of the Adventist Review] Notice that they admit this to be a RELIGIOUS matter, and not merely one of legality, for “the name of a FAITH community identifies it and its VALUE SYSTEM” in a unique way. CSDAs heartily agree with this clear teaching from early Adventist writings.

Now some, in trying to back-pedal and say the Trademark lawsuits do not constitute religious persecution for those who believe it is part of their faith to call themselves Adventists, as Ellen White said it was [The Early Years Volume 1, p.438] will actually contradict the intention of their legal advisors with words such as this, “The trademark litigation has nothing to do with enforcing a doctrine. It has to do with defining the identity of the church.” [May 7th, 1997, Letter to pastor Walter “Chick” McGill from Alan J. Reinach, Esq. Director, Public Affairs & Religious Liberty from the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh Day Adventists]

Marvin G. Lowman, Executive Secretary of the Kentucky-Tennessee conference writes, in a letter to the same individual in July 1998 that the trademark lawsuits are an attempt of “the leaders” of the church “to protect the good name and reputation of their church and to preserve its distinctive doctrinal platform.” It is indeed a matter of doctrine. A pastor of the SDA Church of Cohutta, GA calls the distribution of literature that points out these fearsome issues “unforgivable,” and likens those who speak these words of warning to Lucifer, saying, “[God] kicked him and his followers out of Heaven and won’t ever let them back in.” [Letter, March 28 1998] Such is the spirit of those being informed that they are violating the law of God for their own worldly motives. These are not Christian men if the words and teachings of Christ define a “Christian.”

We submit to you that taking the name God gives to His people is clearly a matter of religious freedom, a matter of great doctrinal importance; and to restrict someone from practicing his/her beliefs in the manner he or she believes is the express command of God is an attempt to control conscience and religious observances. This is exactly the language found in the Trademark agreement – the document gives the General Conference control over “religious observances.” This disagreement between the leaders and lawyers of the fallen SDA Church is a confusion of tongues, but they must do this, because if they ever admit openly that they are truly participating in religious persecution, while waiting to BE persecuted by the US government for a Sunday Law their hypocrisy will be laid bare, and the faithful would quickly depart.

For over 20 years the leaders of the mainstream Adventist church HAVE, in conjunction with the United States government which they despise, acknowledging it to be the second Beast of Revelation, led a campaign to crush the religious freedom of those who cannot in good conscience submit to their evil policies, yet who MUST, because of their beliefs, continue to call themselves “Seventh Day Adventists.” There have been jailings, confiscation of land and property, and worse... all in the name of Christ. Indeed, faithful, commandment-keeping, SOP believing Adventists who have found they could not remain under the leadership of evil men, have found that they could not buy or sell anything regarding the Adventist gospel without violating the law of the 2nd beast, the US Government! The Trademark is indeed a trade (buy/sell) mark. To submit to this law, either by agreement or by going along with it, is to reject the idea that Christ will defend His people. “During the course of His trial Jesus said, ‘If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight.’ It is only when Christians mistakenly come to believe that Christ’s kingdom is of this world that they resort to force in defending what they take to be its interests.” [SDA Bible Commentary, Vol.5, p. 527]

Reading Acts 2, reading Isaiah 9:16, we read that every least member is guilty for what their spiritual leaders do on their behalf. It is written, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” (Hosea 4:6) and so we say to those who remain under the General Conference, waiting to be persecuted even while they persecute others, “Beware the log in your own eye. Flee the wrath to come.” Many take pride and security in the words of Ellen White’s predictions, little realizing that those promises are for a faithful church, which they no longer are, and still less realizing that had the Jews not relied on the words of their conditional prophecies at the expense of the spirit of the prediction, they would not have rejected Christ and His apostles, and they would have been saved. Do not mistake my meaning; the hearts of Creation SDAs are heavy for the fate of our former brethren. We would have them saved, and call no individual damned; but the system is fallen, and will never be repaired; the only hope for those who wish to be saved is to repent, come out, and be baptized anew into the Church of Christ. (Acts 2:38 – 42)

Many Catholics will not leave Catholicism, because they are confident in the absolute unconditionality of promise given by Christ, that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against” the church. They take this to mean that no matter WHAT happened, the organization that began with Peter and the apostles would go through. The men of Israel shouted, “The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD,” when Jeremiah predicted that Jerusalem would fall. What became of them? “Trust ye not in lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.’” (Jer 7:4) Do not trust in conditional prophecies regarding the SDA Church when the conditions outlined IN the prophecies were never met! God is not mocked, and He will, and does, have a faithful people on the earth. Ellen White was a true prophet, and the conditions she gave for those promises being fulfilled were accurate. [Manuscript Releases Volume Twenty-one, page 380]

If you wish to know more about the ability of the current government to enforce a Sunday Law, you may find this link useful, though it is by no means our “proof” that the Trademark has replaced it in the altered fulfillment of prophecy: http://csda.us/news.html

3) What proves it is an examination of the third principle for defining the Mark of the Beast. What Christians of all types must come to realize is that for every commandment there is both a Spirit and a Letter, and that the letter without the spirit kills (2 Cor 3:6), for breaking the spirit of the Law results in guilt at least as great as violating the precise wording of the Decalogue.

For example, we are taught that unlawful lust is as the sin of adultery. (Mat 5:28) Hatred of one’s brother is as murder. (1 John 3:15) Covetousness and envy are the same as stealing. (Rom 7:7) And the Sabbath also has a spirit. It is eloquently described in the book of Hebrews. We are told, “There remaineth therefore a rest [lit. aSabbathkeeping”] to the people of God; for he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” (Hebrews 4:9 – 11)

We see that the spirit of the Sabbath is rest. If we keep the seventh day pure from work, and from trade, but we are not at rest in Christ, what profit is it to us? We are convicted as Sabbathbreakers, for we have never learned the rest to which Christ has been trying to lead us. If we do not see the Messiah as our hope and shield, as our defender against our enemies and the trials of this world, we will never see the inside of the Holy City. Yet men who claim to be God’s servants take human weapons and use them to crush their opposition, as if there were not a God in Heaven. God says to such men, “Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Ba’alzebub the god of Ekron? Therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.” (2 Kings 1:6) The bed on which the General Conference is laying is a bed of both sickness and fornication, for they have sought the kings of this world to protect them, divorcing Christ and going after other lovers.

Early Adventists knew that civil lawsuits could not be started by anyone who called himself a Sabbathkeeper. In their own words, published in a General Conference Bulletin in the year 1895, we find this written, “I need not undertake to give a definition in detail of what the image of the beast is; we all know well that it is the church power using the government, the civil power, for church purposes . . . And of all Christians, SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS cannot do it. The very KEEPING of the Sabbath forbids it.” [emphasis mine] Ellen White said, when referring to the Sunday Law, “A union of church and state means a recognition of a spurious Sabbath, and a failure to respect the conscientious observance of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.” [Manuscript Releases Volume Twelve, page 218] Anyone with spiritual eyesight can perceive how the union of church and state enacted between the General Conference of Seventh Day Adventists and the United States government “means a recognition of a spurious Sabbath,” as surely as if they had rejected the 7th day; for the spirit makes them guilty of the letter as well.

It is therefore established that the Trademark Law fulfils every shade of detail given regarding the Sunday Law and the Mark of the Beast. Indeed, the two laws are one and the same, if the Scriptural teachings regarding the conditional nature of prophecy are even lightly understood. To those who persecute others, therefore, while waiting to be persecuted themselves we would say, “A day will not save you from judgment, if your heart is evil.” The true Sabbath is the 7th day of the week, but it is more than this, it is the state of rest and perfect trust in Christ that would forbid ANY true Christian from taking the sword of Caesar, and holding it to the throat of one whom he believes (even if correctly) has wronged him. Those who are waiting for a Sunday Law, while being a part of a system that persecutes others on religious grounds will find that the way of the Lord is not uneven; and many will fail to even recognize the great test of God’s people, now that it has come upon them.»

I pray this has dealt with the matter most thoroughly, though there are other details I have not included for lack of space and time. If you have any questions on any of these specifics, please let me know.

 Guerline