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There is a passage in the book of Daniel which has always been a subject of lively discussion among Adventist theologians, Daniel 11:40-45. Until recently, most agreed that the king of the north represents the papacy and the king of the south represents atheism or secularism. But now a new view has appeared on the horizon that sees radical Islam as playing a significant role in the fulfillment of this prophecy. Those who have embraced this view have concluded that the events of 9/11 and the war against... READ MORE

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As is well known, the Seventhday Adventist Church is presently involved in an in-depth study to ascertain if there is any bib - lical support for the ordination of women as elders and pastors. Vari - ous arguments have been proposed by those who favor the practice and in this article I would like to evalu - ate two of those arguments, the cas - es of Deborah and Huldah. It is customary for the women’s ordination advocates to take excep - tional, out-of-the-ordinary cases and make them the norm to be fol - lowed in all situations. For example... READ MORE

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As Adventists we have always followed the sound hermeneutical principle that ambiguous texts must be interpreted in the light of clear ones. It would be most unusual for the church to use a single text, and a disputed one at that, to prove or disprove any doctrine or practice. We cannot establish the apostleship of women based on one text whose meaning is inconclusive. There must be other texts to support the idea that women were apostles, and the simple fact is that there are none... READ MORE

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The entertainment industry feeds our carnal (the word means ‘fleshly’) nature, and we are told that those who are in the flesh cannot please God. The Apostle Paul wrote about the dangers of having a carnal or fleshly mind: “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit for to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:5-8 But what does it mean to have...READ MORE

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When the vote to change the bylaws failed by just four votes, the Central California Conference president courageously stood up to question whether the session could go forward with the second motion to ordain candidates without regard to gender. He argued that to do so would be illegal because the bylaws required that: “All policies, purposes, and procedures of this Union shall be in harmony with the working policies and procedures of the North American Division and the General Conference of Seventhday Adventists.”... READ MORE

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Some pro-ordination scholars make statements that downplay the clear affirmations of Ellen White, and a handful have even suggested that she be excluded from the ordination conversation because the Bible and the Bible only is to be our guide. For example, more than one has stated that there is no biblical evidence that Jesus ordained His disciples by the laying on of hands. Ellen White begs to differ: “When Jesus had ended His instruction to the disciples, He gathered the little band close about Him, and kneeling in the midst of them, and laying His hands upon their heads, He offered a prayer dedicating them to His sacred work. Thus the Lord's disciples were ordained to the gospel ministry.” Desire of Ages, p. 296 Although it is true that the word ‘appointed’ in Mark 3:14 does not necessarily carry with it the meaning of ordaining by the laying on of hands, the Analogy of Scripture principle that a text is fully understood only in the light of the totality of Scripture helps us understand that those... READ MORE

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The papacy’s sordid history clearly reveals that its foundation and source of power lies on the union of church and state. It matters not that the papacy is losing droves of members to the Protestant churches in Latin America or that only a sliver of the population in western Europe regularly attend church. The power of the papacy resides not so much in the number of its members but rather in the maneuvering of its hierarchy in every country of the globe. What many fail to understand is that the word ‘papacy’ does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church as a religious entity. It is rather a code word for a system that unites church and state and whose leader, in union with the... READ MORE

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Ten Characteristics Point #1: In eternity past, before anything was created, Jesus already existed side by side with His Father as a distinct Person, with His own individuality. God the Father and God the Son are two separate individuals, two distinct personalities, each with their own selfidentity. Both the Bible and the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy make this crystal clear. In His intercessory prayer of John 17, Jesus spoke these words to His Father: “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” It is obvious that the Son could not be with the Father if He was the same person as the Father (see also John 1:1- 3). Two distinct persons, two separate individuals, are clearly in focus here... READ MORE

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The proponents of the third option attempt to distinguish the examples of Uzzah and the sons of Aaron from their own adaptation of Scripture by attributing these failed examples to “individual decisions made haphazardly and based on personal preference.”20 But in the case of Korah, he and his company were by all appearances meeting the third option’s conditions for an allowable adaptation of an “organizational and ecclesiastical ideal,”21 basing it as they were on a group decision and a sense of conviction, equality, and the furthering of the mission (see Numbers 16:3, 12-14). With the vast majority of the people siding with Korah, some may also have argued that... READ MORE

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“Better never have the worship of God blended with music than to use musical instruments to do the work which last January was represented to me would be brought into our camp meetings.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 36 “Those things which have been in the past [at this point both the early Adventist experience and the Indiana camp meeting had already passed] will be in the future. Satan will make music a snare by the way in which it is conducted.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 38 “Satan works amid the din and confusion of such music, which, properly conducted, would be a praise and glory to God.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 37 Thus Ellen White links a skewed understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit with a skewed view of doxology and worship. The modern Pentecostal... READ MORE

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The crucial question is this: What would lead politicians in the United States to repudiate the secret of its power and prosperity? The answer is that the Protestant clergy will counsel and influence the civil government to enact a National Sunday Law, thus officially trampling on the Fourth Commandment of God’s Law. Ellen White described it this way: “The clergy will put forth almost superhuman efforts to shut away the light lest it should... READ MORE

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Who was Phoebe? Let’s answer our first question. The apostle Paul highly commended the ministry of Phoebe and recommended her without reservation to the congregations in Rome. But was she a deacon? Here are the words of the apostle Paul: “I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant [diakonon] of the church in Cenchrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also” (Romans 16:1, 2). What does this text actually say about Phoebe and what does it not say?... READ MORE

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Life and Death Questions We must now ask three vital questions concerning the third angel’s message: • Who is the beast? • Why does it demand worship? • What is the mark of its authority? The answer to these questions is not merely academic for we are told that those who worship the beast and receive his mark will be forever lost! Identity of the Beast In order to determine which power is represented by the beast, we must compare God’s prophetic chain in Daniel 7 with Revelation 13:1-10:.... READ MORE