Three Angels Messages

How the Three Angels Messages of Revelation 14 Relate to the End Times



Table of Contents



Background

The following is quoted from "Ministry Magazine":

"In the “seductive” politics of the spiritual Babylon, John draws atten­tion to the act of receiving a “ ‘mark on the forehead or on the hand’ ” (Rev. 14:9, NIV). What does this mark mean, and how are we to under­stand it? John uses the Greek word charagma, which, in his time, referred to Caesar’s image on coins, the impe­rial seal on official documents, and the brand mark carved on animals. The mark on the forehead and hand perhaps also connects to the ancient practice among Israelites during prayer time when the tefillin or a phylactery, a small leather box with passages from the Torah (Exod. 13:1–10; Deut. 6:4–9; 11:13–21), is bound to the forehead and hand. This ritual depicts the conscious acceptance of God’s will reflected through His commandments (binding on the forehead), and the readiness to fulfill this will in one’s life (binding on the hand). The beast’s mark on the forehead and the hand represents the mark of authority of the apostate church, the replacement of God’s righteous standards with human standards. That is why one of the most impor­tant characteristics of God’s faithful people centers in keeping His com­mandments (Rev. 14:12; 12:17).
https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2012/12/the-mission-of-adventism

According to the time line established thus far, the three angels messages started to be spread during the latter half of the 19th century. What else was going on during that time? The major Protestant churches at this time began to accept the theory of evolution which leads to a dismissal of the first ten chapters of Genesis. Darwin finished his first draft of Origin of Species in 1844 and published it in 1859. The Great Disappointment was in 1844, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church was officially organized in 1863. Dates are significant. The founder of the “God is Dead” movement, Frederick Nietzsche, was born the week before the Great Disappointment, October 15, 1844. He had a profound impact on philosophy in 19th century. He said that man is made for war, woman is made for man, and all else is folly. He couldn’t take his own philosophy and went mad. In later years he stayed with his sister and ended up in the parlor beating the piano with his elbows. That is a parable of mankind in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The churches also clung to the error of the natural immortality of the soul, which is the basis for belief in Spiritism. This was the time of the rise of modern spiritualism. Horoscopes and seances, and talking to the dead was all started in the United States during this time. This sprang from an incident that happened to the Fox Sisters. It began in 1848 in the bedroom of two young girls living in a farmhouse in Hydesville, New York. The Communist Manifesto was written by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels and was published in 1848. The words proletariat and bourgeois were brought together in this book have brought a hell on earth to millions since. But, again, notice the timing. An athiestic trend grew and grew, fueled by a chaotic 20th century with a depression, WWII, Vietnam, and a declining moral climate in the world.

Remember, any “ism” is a battle for your mind. With God, everything depends on the right use of the will! The frontal lobe of the brain! Some Protestant churches years ago accepted the prophetic interpretation system called futurism, which had been invented by two Jesuit writers, Manuel Lacunza and Francisco Ribera (born 1537). Simply put, this says that the antichrist can’t be identified now-it is still way in the future.

Jesuit priest Luis de Alcasar (1554–1613) wrote the first systematic preterist exposition of prophecy. This view states that all prophecies were fulfilled long ago. Other groups have accepted false views concerning the Second Advent, for example, the secret rapture. These churches demonstrated that they preferred to follow man’s traditions instead of the dictates of Scripture. This is described in Revelation 14:8, ie confusion and deception based on not reading the Bible. See http://biblelight.net/antichrist.htm for a study of preterism and futurism.

J.N. Andrews, one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, wrote the following in 1892:

"Finally, we see the unclean spirits preparing for the great battle. We see the preparation for the law which shall compel all men to observe Sunday. We see the papal power awakening to declare itself infallible, and to claim anew the power to rule over the kingdoms of the earth. We hear the voice of alarm of the third angel, and we already see many thousands in response to his warning turning to the observance of God's commandments. These things are striking signs of the great day of God now just before us." The Three Messages of Revelation 14:6-12 PARTICULARLY THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE, AND TWO-HORNED BEAST, JOHN N. ANDREWS, REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING CO.: BATTLE CREEK, MICH; CHICAGO, ILL.; TORONTO, ONT.; ATLANTA, GA, 1892, P. 57)

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First Angel

Revelation: Vs 6. Angels are God's messengers. By His grace, the gospel of Jesus Christ has gone to every nation, kindred, and tongue on this earth! Every language group is being reached via television, radio, missionary, or some other means. it is only a matter of a short time before Jesus will come. When everyone on earth has had a chance to accept or reject Christ, the end will come. This is the essence of the great controversy between Christ and Satan.

Vs 7. The judgment hour has come. We are to worship the Creator God. There is an investigative judgment going align="justify" on right now!

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Vs 8. Ancient Babylon fell thousands of years ago. Babylon simply means confusion. In Genesis 11 the story is told of how the people were of one language and they tried to build a tower to heaven to avoid any future floods. This was an attempt at salvation by works, and the Lord woul d not allow it. He confused their language - hence the word Babylon. The word fornication is used in reference to impure doctrine. The church is the bride of Christ. Christianity in general has strayed away from true doctrine. Only a remnant have the doctrine that is pleasing to Jesus Christ. Most will just follow tradition. See Mark 7:7.

Why is it called the everlasting gospel? This is the only instance in Scripture where the gospel is described as everlasting. This is an acknowledgement that it is impossible to destroy the gospel of Christ. In spite of all attempts to obliterate or pervert the good news of the gospel, it continues to maintain its integrity. Secondly, the effect of the Gospel, its fruitage, is everlasting. Acceptance of the gospel provides everlasting life. A third reason is that the tremendous truths of the gospel - God’s love for humanity, God’s suffering for humanity, God’s plan of salvation for humanity - will be studied and retold for all eternity. Fourth, the gospel is a declaration from a God who is from everlasting to everlasting. He had no beginning and He has no end!

Scripture clearly portrays the establishing of a court trial that involves the saints in the Old testament book of Daniel - the name Daniel meaning God is judge - depicts an awe-inspiring court scenario. Daniel Chapter 7 describes how, after the reign of the four universal kingdoms, the little horn rises and reigns for twelve hundred and sixty years, ending in 1798. It is after 1798 that this remarkable court scene occurs, described in Daniel 7:9-10.

“ I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened”. Daniel 7:9-10

"krisis" (Greek κρισισ&) simply means judgment, the act of judging. From the context, this means that the cleansing of the sanctuary, or judgment, began in 1844. It should be noted that the three angels messages precede the second coming of Jesus Christ. When Christ comes, He is coming to execute judgment because His reward is with Him. (Revelation 22:12).. The act of judging which corresponds to the cleansing of the sanctuary, is going on right now in heaven.

The commencement of this judgment is revealed in Daniel chapter 8: And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed”. Daniel 8:14 The term cleansing of the sanctuary can be shown to represent a work of judgment in the heavenly temple. The two thousand three hundred days (that is, 2300 years) can conclusively be shown to end in the year 1844 AD. This means that the heavenly court session commenced in the year 1844. Therefore the fulfillment of the first angel’s message of Revelation 14:6-7 commenced in the year 1844.

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Second Angel

This is the first mention of Babylon in the book of Revelation. Babylon is called that great city. In prophecy, a city represents a church. In the Old Testament two cities, representing two religious organizations, are singled out. There is Babylon, representing Satan’s center of worship, and Jerusalem, representing Christ’s center of worship. Babylon is the most famous city from ancient Mesopotamia whose ruins lie in modern-day Iraq 59 miles southwest of Baghdad. The name probably comes from the word bav-il or bav-ilim in the Akkadian language of the time. It means 'Gate of God' or `Gate of the Gods'. Daniel and the Revelation - A Verse by Verse Commentary, Review and Herald Publishing Company, Washington, DC, 1955, p829.

The story in Genesis 11 is well known.

Genesis 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5) And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6) And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7) Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

And why did the Lord confound their speech? The big event preceding this was the flood. The universal flood destroyed all but eight souls. The tower of Babel was an attempt to defy God by building so high that another flood would not affect them. So, the Lord confounded their language. When someone said hand me a hammer they got a saw. Work could not continue so the unity they had for nefarious purposes was destroyed. The first official world ruler was Nimrod and he ruled from the city of Babylon. Most, if not all of the false religions of this world, can be traced back to the city of Babylon. Babylon, according to the Bible, would never be rebuilt (Revelation 18:2). There have been feeble attempts, but the Bible stands true.

Intoxicating wine represents false doctrine. The wrath of her fornication depicts the anger and intolerance of those who drink the wine, that is, the doctrines, of spiritual Babylon. It makes them intolerant of truth and intolerant of those who hold to the truth. What does wine do to the brain? Among other things, wine causes confusion. Who would disagree that there is confusion in the religious world today? There are hundreds of Protestant denominations, all claiming the truth. There are differences over every major point of doctrine. We just passed the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the Wittenburg Church door in October 1517. Today that same church is moving back into the fold of the Catholic Church.

The same judgment pronounced in Jeremiah 51:8 on ancient Babylon is given to end-time Babylon in Revelation 14:8. And, the same call given in Jeremiah 51:6 and 9 to come out of Babylon is given in Revelation 18:1-5.

scarlet woman of Revelation 17 Revelation 17 represents Babylon by the symbol of a woman seated on a scarlet colored beast. If therefore the woman Babylon represents the whole of this fallen world, the entire empire of the Devil, what does the beast represent upon which the woman is seated? Is it not a fact that the beast represents the fourth empire of our earth in its Papal form? And, that being the case, is it not a certainty that Babylon does not include the whole wicked world? That the beast and the woman are two distinct symbols, is evident from verse 7. "And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns".

We understand that the fall of Babylon is her rejection by God, that the Holy Spirit leaves her in consequence of her alienation from God and her union with the world, and that thus she is left to the spirits of devils. As an illustration, we will refer to the fall of the Jewish Church, the harlot of Ezekiel 16. This fall is distinctly stated in Rom.11. Its particulars may be gathered from Matt.21:43; 23; 12:43-45. The Three Messages of Revelation 14:6-12 PARTICULARLY THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE, AND TWO-HORNED BEAST, JOHN N. ANDREWS, REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING CO.: BATTLE CREEK, MICH; CHICAGO, ILL.; TORONTO, ONT.; ATLANTA, GA, 1892, P. 50)

"The founders of Babylon aspired to set up a government entirely independent of God, and had He not intervened, they would eventually have succeeded in banishing righteousness from the earth. For this reason God saw fit to destroy the tower and to scatter its builders.....Over the centuries the city lost more and more of its important and eventually, toward the close of the first century A.D. virtually ceased to exist.... Apparently, toward the close of the 1st century A.D. Christians were already referring to the city and empire of Rome by the cryptic title Babylon. Daniel and the Revelation Sections of Volume 4 and Volume 7 of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1955, P 829.

"The consequences of her fall testify that that fall is her rejection by God, and not her destruction; for her fall causes her to become the hold of foul spirits, and the cage of unclean and hateful birds. This shows that God has given her up to strong delusions. It is for this reason that the voice from heaven cries,"Come out of her, my people." The cause of the fall of Babylon is thus stated: "She made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." Her fornication was her unlawful union with the kings of the earth; and the wine is that with which the church has intoxicated the nations of the earth. There is but one thing that this can refer to; viz., false doctrine". The Three Messages of Revelation 14:6-12 PARTICULARLY THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE, AND TWO-HORNED BEAST, JOHN N. ANDREWS, REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING CO.: BATTLE CREEK, MICH; CHICAGO, ILL.; TORONTO, ONT.; ATLANTA, GA, 1892, P. 51)

There are many things that make up the wine of Roman Babylon. The following is a list taken from The Wine of Roman Babylon, Mary E. Walsh, Leaves of Autumn Books, Payson, Arizona, 1987)

✔ Tradition P.20 "A rule of faith, or a competent guide to heaven, must be able to instruct in all truths necessary for salvation. Now the Scriptures alone do not contain all the truths which a Christian is bound to believe, nor do they explicitly enjoin all the duties which he is obliged to practice". Quoted from The Faith of our Fathers, James Cardinal Gibbons, 110th revised edition, pp 89,90.

✔ Infant Baptism P.32 "Whoever shall affirm, that newborn infants, even though sprung from baptized parents, out not to be baptized, let him be accursed.

✔ Confession P.42 "Whoever shall deny that sacramental confession was instituted by divine command, or that it is necessary to salvation; or shall affirm that that practice of secretly confessing to the priest alone, as it has been ever observed from the beginning by the {Roman} Catholic Church, and it still observed, is foreign to the institution and command of Christ, and it a human invention; let him be accursed."

✔ Penance P.52 "In this sacrament sins are forgiven by the priest's absolution, joined with contrition , confession and satisfaction on the part of the penitent....It also remits the eternal, and at least a part of the temporal, punishment due to our past sins." Quoted from Francis J. Butler, Holy Family Catechism No. 3. P. 257.

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✔ Mass P.62 They say priest recreates the Creator every week at massThe bread and wine, the consecrated stone, a priest, is all that is needed now, for at any moment it is in his power to call the Lord of glory with holy words down upon the earth, to bless him with his lips, to hold Him in his hands, to receive Him into his mouth, and to distribute Him to the faithful, whilst at the same time the angels stand about him in reverent awe to honour Him who is sacrificed. The power of the priest, exclaims St. Bernardine of Sienna, surpasses the power of the blessed virgin; Mary brought the Son of God only once into this world, the priest can do so daily." Quoted from William Doyle, Shall I Be a Priest? P. 14

✔ Purgatory P.78 "The souls who go to purgatory are saved. They are certain of heaven, and shall reach it as soon as they are prepared for it...But as yet they are not pure and holy enough."

✔ Peter and the Rock P.89 "Jesus our Lord founded but one church, which He was pleased to build on Peter. Therefore, any church that does not recognize Peter as its foundation stone is not the church of Christ, and therefore cannot stand, for it is not the work of God." Quoted from Cardinal James Gibbons, Faith of Our Fathers P. 100.

✔ Peter and the Keys P.111 "While the {Roman} Church lasts, Peter (and his successors) will hold its keys...He admits to and excludes from the church in his Master's name. Quoted from William B. Addis and Thomas Arnold, A Catholic Dictionary, p. 669, art. "Pope".

✔ Immaculate Conception P.128 The immaculate conception was not formulated as a doctrine until 1854. "The doctrine which hold that the blessed Virgin Mary, at the very first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of the Omnipotent God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ,the Saviour of mankind, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, has been revealed by God, and therefore should firmly and constantly be believed by all the faithful." Bertrand I. Conway, The Question Box Answers

✔ Immortality of the Soul P.174 "The belief and teaching of the Roman Catholic Church is that man is inherently immortal, and that after death he lives on in the form of an immortal soul."

✔ Eternal Torment in Hell P.180 "Hell may be defined as the place and state in which the devils and such human beings as die in enmity with God suffer eternal torments."

✔ Sunday Observance P.213 "The (Roman) Catholic Church for over 1,000 years before the existence of a Protestant, by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday." Quoted from The Catholic Mirror, September 23, 1893.

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Third Angel

9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Controversy began as far back as Adam and Eve. Cain relied on the fruits of his own labor, self-righteousness, and wanted to substitute his own way instead of the way God had commanded him. Abel obeyed God implicitly and incurred the wrath of Cain. God told each one of them to bring a lamb, but Cain substituted fruit and vegetables that he had grown. In other words, Cain substituted the fruits of his own labor instead of accepting the sacrifice. This, you will discover, will always be the mark of the dragon. He tries to substitute, or make a counterfeit, for the exact truth of God. Persecution for obeying God began almost immediately in the human family.

In fact, values are so mixed up today that something Jesus said will hold true to the letter. It will be as in Christ's day See John 16:1-2.

So, those who hate Christians, and those Christians who hate Sabbathkeepers, will unite in persecuting those who keep the Sabbath. At the same time, the message is going out in Revelation 14:6-12 to come out of Babylon (Babylon means confusion)and worship God the way He wants us to worship Him.

Unfortunately, religious ideas are very mixed up today. And many just say leave me alone. Athiests will want to persecute Christians just for being Christians and the majority of Christians are Sundaykeepers who will not want to be reminded of the Sabbath. Sabbathkeepers are considered troublemakers and legalists, and eventually the great controversy will revolve around true worship or false worship with the Sabbath at the center of the controversy. See Revelation 13:16-17.

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The number of his name will also be the number of a man. Undoubtedly this refers to the man who heads the beast power. The ancient method of deriving the number of a name is to take the numerical value of all letters and add them up to get the sum. If we want to apply this test to the papacy, we must find the official name of the pope, who is the head of his church. It is interesting to note that there is an official Latin title for the pope, a title which has been granted by the Church itself. This title is found repeatedly in the publications of Rome. But in the weekly Catholic newspaper, "Our Sunday Visitor", of April 1915, we have the interesting statement that the letters of the official title are inscribed in the pope's miter. Here is the actual quotation: "The letters inscribed in the pope's miter are these; Vicarius Filii Dei, which is the Latin for 'Vicar of the Son of God.' Catholics hold that the Church, which is a visible society, must have a visible head; Christ, before His ascension into heaven appointed St. Peter to act as His representative. Hence, to the Bishop of Rome as head of the church, was given the title, 'Vicar of Christ.'" At present, the pope's miter does not contain the Latin title, but the words are incorporated into the coronation ceremonies of each newly crowned pope. What is the number of his name? By getting the numerical value of the Roman numerals of the title Vicarius Filii Dei, we actually come the number 666.
SOURCE: http://www.preparingforeternity.com/beastdragonwoman.htm


Please note that the beast of Revelation 13 symbolizes a gigantic antichrist power that attempts to displace God entirely. The Bible describes this in Revelation 13:1-7.

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Blasphemy

NOTE: Jesus dealt with the term blasphemy in two specific instances.
The first is John 10:33.

A reality check is in order here. "The priest holds the place of the Saviour Himself, when, by saying, 'Ego te absolvo' {I thee absolve}, he absolves from sin....To pardon a single sin requires all the omnipotence of God....But what only God can do by His omnipotence, the priest can also do by saying 'Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis....Innocent III has written: 'Indeed, it is not too much to say that in view of the sublimity of their efforts the priests are so many gods."
Dignities and Duties of the Priest, Alphonsus de Liguori, p 34-36.

"Thus the priest may, in a certain manner, be called the creator of his Creator...."'The power of the priest' says St. Bernadine of Sienna, 'is the power of the divine person; for the transubstantiation of the bread requires as much power as the creation of the world.'
ibid, pp32,33.

These developments are already on the horizon. Those who refuse to accept the false day of worship will face fines, boycott, prison and finally, the threat of death. With the priest tradionally having the power to 'create his Creator' there will be overwhelming public opinion against Sabbathkeepers. When the Sabbath question is thus made a national issue, people will be forced to accept one side or the other. Every single person will have to make a decision. The mark of the beast will then be placed upon all who choose to disobey the commandment of God to keep the Sabbath day holy. By accepting the mark of allegiance to the papacy (Sunday), they reject the mark that God claims as His sign of authority - the seventh-day Sabbath.
http://www.preparingforeternity.com/beastdragonwoman.htm 

Daniel chartThe only reliable source in discussing the future is the Bible! The prophet Daniel wrote about our day under inspiration from God 2,600 years ago. A historical timeline appears on the left. We are now living in the time of the toes of the figure! It is not the purpose of this web site to historically identify the beast power. There are other web sites that do that such as http://www.amazingfacts.org. The focus here is how end time events will unfold in the United States.

There is a concerted effort on the part of many, particularly in the news media, to belittle and mock Christianity. Christianity has been hijacked into some social justice mission with focus on the here and now. Admittedly, that is important, but, according to the Bible, that is a side issue, however important it is. All social issues will be resolved when Jesus comes! Issues related to the antichrist are not clarified because the ones trying to promote the end time events ideas are drowned out by social justice seekers or just ignored as some kind of crazy person who should be ignored or persecuted.

In a move more reminiscent of a banana republic, Houston pastors were ordered .

Antichrist

There is probably no subject in Sacred Writ that has evoked more passion and opinion than that of the antichrist. People are entitled to their own opinion but not to there own facts. Facts are stubborn things. Facts about Bible matters must be considered by the Bible and the Bible only. There are only four verses in all of Scripture that use the word antichrist. All of them are in the New Testament. In fact, all of them are in the books that John wrote.

1 John 2:18 (KJV)
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1 John 2:22 (KJV)
22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

1 John 4:3(KJV)
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

2 John 1:7 (KJV)
7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Explanation

There is an obvious conclusion that antichrist means against Christ. Certainly that meaning can be gained from the texts. But, there is a deeper meaning that needs to be gleaned. The diabolical trick of antichrist is not to place the bad in the room of the good, but the good in the room of the glorious work of Jesus Christ. The deeper answer lies in the preposition 'anti'.

The word means "in the place of", giving the impression of substitution. 1 Timothy 2:6 (KJV) "6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time". There is a meaning here of substitutionary ransom. The Greek word for ransom is 'lutron'. The meaning of the verse is substitutionary ransom.

There are many ways of substituting man and his experience in the place of Christ and His unique saving experience. The Christian church has adopted many anthichrist ideas over the years:

Sanctification in the place of justification.

The personal righteousness of the believer in the place of the vicarious righteousness of Christ.

Our new life in the place of His sinless life.

Our experience in the center in the place of His.

Our love for God in the place of His love for us.

Our surrender instead of Christ's.

Our victorious life in the place of His.

Our attainment instead of His atonement.

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Statements from the Church Itself

But, the biggest one is the fact that the Catholic Church claims that the pope actually takes the place of God on earth and the Catholic Church changed the day of worship from Sabbath to Sunday! Unam Sanctam (Rome: 1302)

Cardinal Sarto, who became Pope Pius X, as quoted in Publications of the Catholic Truth Society Volume 29 (Catholic Truth Society: 1896): 11: "The Pope represents Jesus Christ Himself..."

In 1512 Christopher Marcellus said this to Pope Julius II:
Take care that we lose not that salvation, that life and breath which thou hast given us, for thou art our shepherd, thou art our physician, thou art our governor, thou art our husbandman, thou art finally another God on earth.
Christopher Marcellus addressing Pope Julius II during the Fifth Lateran Council which began in 1512, as quoted in Alexander Hislop, The light of prophecy let in on the dark places of the papacy (London: William Whyte and Co., 1846): 91 and Letters between a Catholic and a Protestant on the doctrines of the Church of Rome originally published in Borrow's Worcester Journal (Worcester Journal, 1827)

In a letter written in November, 1893, C.F. Thomas, chancellor to Cardinal Gibbons, replying to an inquiry as to whether the Catholic Church claims to have changed the Sabbath, said: "Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act... and the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things."

The {Catholic} Church took the pagan philosophy and made it the buckler of faith against the heathen....She took the pagan Sunday and made it the Christian Sunday.... There is, in truth, something royal, kingly about the sun.... Hence the Church in these countries would seem to have said, 'Keep the old, pagan name.'.... Thus the pagan Sunday... became the Christian Sunday. The Catholic World, March, 1894 (Eastern Issue).

Bishop Patrick Dunn of Auckland said this: "It seems that Pope John Paul II now presides over the universal Church from his place upon Christ's cross.
"Auckland Bishop Says Pope Presides From the Cross" (Zenit, September 20, 2004)

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Summary


There is almost universal agreement in Christendom that Sunday is the correct day of worship. Protestant churches bowed down to the Roman church centuries ago. With the exception of Seventh-day Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists, there is universal agreement on this issue.

The United States is completely unique in human history with regard to individual freedoms guaranteed by its founding documents, among them is the freedom to worship according to dictates of conscience. Nobody has the right to force their will on others. But, the Bible says that will happen at the risk of death.

middle of the roadThe history of the United States is the story of mixed results. The freedom that exists is to be found nowhere else on earth at any time in history. But, prejudice of all kinds has marred the experience. The picture on the left may seem silly, but there is truth in it. There has never been a time when the majority has been right and true Christians will be held accountable for their faith. See Matthew 7:13-14.

The time is coming soon when circumstances will force Christians to make a choice over the Sabbath or suffer imprisonment or death. There will be no middle ground. See Revelation 13:15

Elijah confronted the people centuries ago in the same manner that the Three Angels Messages of Revelation 14 confront people today. See 1 Kings 18:21

Baal was a sun God. It was worshipped as a substitute God. Today, the image made to the beast power, Sunday, has become a normal day of worship in the Christian world. A remnant worship the Sabbath day as Jesus did in Luke 4:16 "And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read." And those today who keep the Sabbath will be in the minority and be persecuted. Some calamity in the environment or economy will come upon people in the United States, and the remnant will be blamed. There will be a general call to get back to God. Everyone needs to go to church. I want to see you in church next SUNDAY!


Food for Thought

The true ground of divine worship, not of that on the seventh day merely, but of all worship, is found in the distinction between the Creator and his creatures. This great fact can never become obsolete, and must never be forgotten.” It was to keep this truth ever before the minds of men, that God instituted the Sabbath in Eden; and so long as the fact that he is our Creator continues to be a reason why we should worship him, so long the Sabbath will continue as its sign and memorial.
Great Controversy, Ellen White, P. 437.

"Though the last act of Satan be to unite all the wicked of the earth in the worship of the beast, and to attempt the utter extermination of the saints; yet God has said the saints shall triumph!" The Three Messages of Revelation 14:6-12 PARTICULARLY THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE, AND TWO-HORNED BEAST, JOHN N. ANDREWS, REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING CO.: BATTLE CREEK, MICH; CHICAGO, ILL.; TORONTO, ONT.; ATLANTA, GA, 1892, P. 144)

Important Statements


Living Word Seventh-day Adventist Church, 508 Aquahart Road, Glen Burnie, Maryland 21061Please contact any Seventh-day Adventist church for more information. There are over 100,000 Seventh-day Adventist churches in the world with over 17 million members. We invite you to visit our church at 508 Aquahart Road in Glen Burnie, Maryland and let us explain.