Former SDA pastor Ryan Bell wrote an article in June of 2010 entitled " I am a Social Justice Christian." About that time or shortly after he became an activist in the church for ordination of women and acceptance of homosexuality. Then he became an atheist. Is there something to be learned from this ? Is a preoccupation with Social Justice a clever diversion where Satan has taken a Biblical mandate to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and turned it into a secular, humanistic, even atheistic thrust that forgets God ? So far, I have not seen or heard a thread of emphasis toward prophecy from those in the church that press the Social Justice agenda. Is becoming political activists the calling for SDAs ? Is there much going on in the SDA church regarding Social Justice ? There are 31 pages on the internet with links to sites where SDAs are discussing or promoting SJ.The following is a more recent blog from Ryan Bell. "Social Justice" is a counterfeit , humanistic religion that evolves with the culture. Bell speaks at about the 38 minute mark in the video. http://www.ryanjbell.net/category/social-justice/
Quote from: newbie on January 18, 2015, 11:53:37 AMI was told just yesterday by a visiting pastor fresh out of school that sunday is not the mark of the beast , YET. Yet, was his emphasis... in other words we are not to be giving the 3rd angel's message YET.Do you all agree with this?Ellen White is clear keeping Sunday is not the mark of the beast until the Sunday law gets passed. She is also clear that we are to be preaching the 3 angels' messages--in their entirety, so as to call people out of Babylon before it's too late.
I was told just yesterday by a visiting pastor fresh out of school that sunday is not the mark of the beast , YET. Yet, was his emphasis... in other words we are not to be giving the 3rd angel's message YET.Do you all agree with this?
Quote from: Raven on January 19, 2015, 04:38:02 AMQuote from: newbie on January 18, 2015, 11:53:37 AMI was told just yesterday by a visiting pastor fresh out of school that sunday is not the mark of the beast , YET. Yet, was his emphasis... in other words we are not to be giving the 3rd angel's message YET.Do you all agree with this?Ellen White is clear keeping Sunday is not the mark of the beast until the Sunday law gets passed. She is also clear that we are to be preaching the 3 angels' messages--in their entirety, so as to call people out of Babylon before it's too late.I've never heard this before... please Raven I would like to read the quotes... thanks in advance
The Mark of the Beast.--When Sunday observance shall be enforced by law, and the world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery above God. He is paying homage to Rome, and to the power which enforces the institution ordained by Rome. He is worshiping the beast and his image. As men then reject the institution which God has declared to be the sign of His authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has chosen as the token of her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to Rome,--"the mark of the beast." And it is not until the issue is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between the commandments of God and the commandments of men, that those who continue in transgression will receive "the mark of the beast."--The Great Controversy, p. 449. (1888) {Ev 233.4} Reception of Mark of the Beast Future.--The change of the Sabbath is the sign or mark of the authority of the Romish church. Those who, understanding the claims of the fourth commandment, choose to observe the false sabbath in the place of the true, are thereby paying homage to that power by which alone it is commanded. The mark of the beast is the papal sabbath, which has been accepted by the world in the place of the day of God's appointment. {Ev 234.1} No one has yet received the mark of the beast. The testing time has not yet come. There are true Christians in every church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion. None are condemned until they have had the light and have seen the obligation of the fourth commandment. But when the decree shall go forth enforcing the counterfeit sabbath, and the loud cry of the third angel shall warn men against the worship of the beast and his image, the line will be clearly drawn between the false and the true. Then those who still continue in transgression will receive the mark of the beast. {Ev 234.2} With rapid steps we are approaching this period. When Protestant churches shall unite with the secular power to sustain a false religion, for opposing which their ancestors endured the fiercest persecution, then will the papal sabbath be enforced by the combined authority of church and state. There will be a national apostasy, which will end only in national ruin. --Manuscript 51, 1899. {Ev 235.1}
"The Mark of the Beast.--When Sunday observance shall be enforced by law, and the world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery above God. He is paying homage to Rome, and to the power which enforces the institution ordained by Rome. He is worshiping the beast and his image. As men then reject the institution which God has declared to be the sign of His authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has chosen as the token of her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to Rome,--"the mark of the beast." And it is not until the issue is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between the commandments of God and the commandments of men, that those who continue in transgression will receive "the mark of the beast."--The Great Controversy, p. 449. (1888) {Ev 233.4}The mark of the beast does not go into effect as such until it is enforced. True, it is their mark now but it is not credited to the people until they have full light regarding the subject and then are forced to choose or reject the mark.
so we are not to be giving the 2nd and 3rd angel's messages then...
Quote from: newbie on January 24, 2015, 08:31:02 PMso we are not to be giving the 2nd and 3rd angel's messages then...Of course we are. They were doing that 100 years ago. The book the Great Controversy was/is one way of doing that. While the pastor had the first part right he used truth to promote error.