• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

Recent content by mrasell

  1. M

    Absent from the body and someplace else !

    There is a study on this on the Adventist Biblical Research website: https://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/materials/bible-nt-texts/2-corinthians-51-11 Basically Paul is using a figure of speech, we die, then he hoped to be in heaven. Elsewhere Paul makes it clear that the resurrection...
  2. M

    The Sanctuary Study

    You might be interested in my book, "Exploring the Heavenly Sanctuary". The sanctuary doctrine is based on Leviticus, Daniel, Hebrews and Revelation. All four books are important in understanding this doctrine.
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    Is Saturday Sabbath Observance Essential?

    You might be interested in my book, "The Mark of the Beast and the Seal of God". Salvation by grace through faith does not set us free to break the 10 Commandments. Christ died because we broke the law (1 John 3:4), sin is transgression of the law. He died to save us from the condemnation of...
  4. M

    The 70 week prophecy of Daniel 9

    Thanks for the discussion on this important topic. I think we agree that this prophecy points to Jesus' ministry and death. The problem is when one tries to use modern methods of counting and calendar methods which were not in use in ancient times. An example of this is why people have problems...
  5. M

    The 70 week prophecy of Daniel 9

    The Jews used a fall (autumn) calendar at that time for civil things, the new year would have begun in the fall when calculating regnal years. Also if they were using the non-accession year system at that time it would mean that the first year of the king would be counted as year 1 until the...
  6. M

    The 70 week prophecy of Daniel 9

    Ezra gives a summary of opposition, but includes in his summary material from a later date - the opposition to the rebuilding of the city walls. This is clear because the temple was already complete in 515 BC (Ezra 6:15), so the reference to Artaxerxes must refer to opposition to the rebuilding...
  7. M

    The 70 week prophecy of Daniel 9

    The temple was already finished by 457 BC, but the decree allowed for some embellishment of the temple. The temple was finished in 515 B.C. during the reign of Darius (Ezra 6:15). The important point of the decree of 457 BC is that it allowed the Jews to enforce a measure of Jewish law, thus it...
  8. M

    The 70 week prophecy of Daniel 9

    The decree in Artaxerxes' 7th year allowed for the city to be established, but it was stopped because of opposition, then allowed to continue in the kings 20th year: phase 1: return of exiles under Ezra (457 BC) 1. return Ezra 7-8 2. city founded Ezra 4:12-13 3. opposition arises Ezra...
  9. M

    The 70 week prophecy of Daniel 9

    The ancient way the days of the month was calculated was based on the observation of the crescent moon. This leads to an error margin of more than one day, as poor weather could obscure the moon, and it can take from 1-4 days to appear after the new moon, so it is actually impossible to know the...
  10. M

    Petition, Role Of Women in Minstry, SDA, Stand For The Word Of God and Christ Jesus

    The letter is in the section "inbox", about the third page down.
  11. M

    Petition, Role Of Women in Minstry, SDA, Stand For The Word Of God and Christ Jesus

    I wrote a letter to the Messenger, a BUC newsletter on this issue here: http://adventist.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/53922/Bam2015-06.pdf The authority of the GC in Session is similar to that of Acts 15. In one of my books, "the investigative judgement: am I saved?" I wrote about the...
  12. M

    Petition, Role Of Women in Minstry, SDA, Stand For The Word Of God and Christ Jesus

    Ellen White raised concerns when a few men controlled decision, but she said when the General Conference meets in Session with delegates from all over the world we should submit to its decisions. The principle is that it is easy for Satan to overwhelm one man, but difficult when there are many...
  13. M

    Petition, Role Of Women in Minstry, SDA, Stand For The Word Of God and Christ Jesus

    Thank you for reading the newsletter, I feel the important thing is for us to unite in preaching the three angels' message, rather than becoming divided over this issue until it becomes clear to all the brethren that God is leading us in a certain direction.
  14. M

    Theophilus Brabourne the Sabbath keeping Anglican clergyman

    In 1628 an Anglican clergyman named Theophilus Brabourne42 produced the first English-language book calling for the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath.43 His Discourse upon the Sabbath Day laid the theological foundations for a movement that, in one form or another, has continued into the...
  15. M

    Can the Sabbath be separated from the other nine commandments?

    I think the problem I notice in this forum is the notion that somehow the Sabbath is different from the other nine commandments. Most if not all Christian denominations support the 10 commandments or moral laws of the OT. This can be confirmed by looking at official creeds or statements. One...