Has a line been drawn in the sand? An almost imperceptible line that most Adventists have missed or can not see? A line that demands we make a choice? When we hear of the shaking, we often imagine a huge sieve with people falling through the holes out of the church. What if it’s more subtle than that. What if we are being shaken right now and the choices we make now determine how easy or hard it will be for us to make a stand for Jesus and truth soon when the situation we’ll be facing will be more difficult. What if we are unwittingly making a choice by our own action or inaction to a situation arising within the church.
I always thought that the shaking involved people leaving the church like Ryan Day but maybe not so spectacularly. They will find fault with the beliefs and walk away but that’s not what happened in Jesus’ time. When Jesus came there was a tremendous shaking of Israel. When you read the New Testament, you don’t see people leaving Judaism you see people choosing to follow Jesus and Biblical truth or to follow the organisation, i.e. the leadership embodied by the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Throughout the Old Testament, the scrolls of the law and the prophets, there are numerous warnings to not make covenants with the heathens, with unbelieving governments but that was exactly what the leaders of Israel did, repeatedly, and even during Jesus’ time. Even though these leaders studied the scrolls diligently they never learned from the lessons being taught. They never learned from the history that repeated. They never took heed to the teachings that would show them the warning signs leading to and the results of making such covenants. As soon as they began benefitting financially and from the “peace” and “protection” solicited from the heathens they forgot the teachings and warnings.
However, throughout the stories we see the faithful men and women who stood for God and truth. Who opposed such actions and were persecuted for it. The sad reality we see is that it is always a minority. A small group like Daniel and his three friends, Moses, Aaron and the Levites, Elijah who thought he was the only one etc. The majority seemed to sleepwalk into danger because they put their trust in the leadership, the organisation, instead of God. In Jesus’ time a minority stood for Jesus while the rest, following leadership who joined forces with the Roman government, called for His crucifixion.
We sit in our churches on Sabbath believing that the remnant is the SDA church but what if the remnant is not the entire church but comes from the church. A small group who remains faithful to Gods word, who see the errors within the organisation and instead of sitting back and letting “God deal with it” they let God use them by taking a stand. A small group who sees where the ship is heading but instead of sitting back and blindly trusting leadership they take a stand to try to warn those at the helm in the hopes they’ll correct its course. A small group that instead of jumping ship and leaving everyone to drown are trying to hand out life jackets so when we do hit troubled waters as many people as possible can be as safe as possible.
To those who can see the line it is glaringly obvious. It is a fluorescent line against a black background. It’s so obvious that we struggle to comprehend why others can’t see it, but here we are. The line is drawn and many don’t perceive it.
As a church our mission is to give the three angels messages as outlined in Revelation 14. This encompasses the cry in Revelation 18:4 to “come out of her my people.” We are to be separate from the world and to stand out as a peculiar people, to shine Gods light into an ever increasingly dark world. We as individuals are called out of Babylon to stand against it. But as a whole we haven’t. We have pastors preaching against our teachings, sin being celebrated and welcomed in our churches and institutions and sermons on Sabbath that tickle our ears with the love of Jesus but without the truths, rebukes and reproofs we need to hear to grow spiritually. Local culture is held in a higher regard than Biblical principles. We are compromising left, right and centre.
When the world hears of Seventh-Day Adventists it’s just another Christian denomination. The only difference is we go to church on Saturday which they think is a bit weird. It’s a great springboard into Biblical truth but it’s hampered when they see our institutions compromising on other fundamental truths. The biggest most damaging, yet most underrated, compromise our church has made is the union with the United Nations. We ourselves are under the thumb of Babylon whilst we are supposed to be calling others out of it!
The line has been drawn as to whether we openly oppose the organisations entanglement with Babylon (the UN) or not. It’s that simple. The test has begun; do we openly see no fault with being at the mercy of the UN as long as we get the funding we want or any other benefits, we think we can get from the union. Do we secretly, like Nicodemus, whisper “I disagree with the union” but refuse to voice our opinion in public thus straddle the line desperate to keep a foot in each camp for the sake of “unity”, our reputation or our salary packet. Or do we like Jesus’ first disciples, and the faithful men and prophets before them, take a stand for God’s word and, like Stephen boldly did before they stoned him, openly rebuke the errors of the leadership in the hope that they will repent.
Jesus warns that we can not serve two masters, we cannot straddle the line. We are either for Him or against Him. There’s no grey area. He calls us to leave all behind for Him; money, family, careers, temporal stability, friends etc. He wants us to choose Him over everything even our spouses and children. He asked the same of Abraham who was willing to give his promised son. He wants us to make the same sacrifices so that we can gain more than we can ever imagine in the world to come. Jesus Himself declared that He didn’t come to create unity under compromise in Matthew 10:32-36 “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” He came to separate truth from error. He separated faithful followers from the rest of Israel.
Am I saying that to make a stand we all must shout from the rooftops that the union with the UN is wrong, no. However, we can let our voices be heard by signing a public letter/petition rejecting the validity of the union and by voting as local churches in our business meetings to reject the union and the ADCOM statements made as a result of the union. We can share information with all of the SDAs we know and on social media so that each and every one of us can decide which side of the line we stand on.
God gave us the freedom to choose, and I am not telling you what to choose but the time has come where in everything we must choose whom this day we will serve. The results of the choice you make is between you and God. However, I do advise that you do your research, don’t just make a blind decision. Would you buy a car or a house without looking at it? I sure hope not.
Here is a book detailing our union with the UN and the issues: The Captive Bride
If you prefer to watch/listen to videos here is a playlist I have made: Religious Liberty YouTube Playlist
Please also take the time to watch this sermon: True and Free Adventists
If you are aware and wish to lead a business meeting vote at your local church email: sdapearl@yahoo.com for information to help you.
If you disagree with the union and want the GC to sever ties with the UN please sign this petition: Sever Ties with UN Petition and send it to all of the SDAs you know and on social media. Let’s all together, unified under truth, “cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins!”
