The Three Angels' Messages (SDA)

[Pavel Mosko]

I am posting this not as advocate but because I think Christians should be aware of what SDA believes, especially concerning "The Gospel" and this is their primary Gospel and Eschatological message.​

"A few years prior to the end of the period of 2300 years (Daniel 8:14), shortly before Christ as our High Priest entered into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, there began a worldwide revival in expectation of the soon coming of Christ. Faithful Advent believers recognized the message of Revelation 14:6-8 as being entrusted to them by God. Although the majority among the Christian denominations rejected the solemn message of preparation, the first angel's message, and thus became Babylon (confusion), the second angel's message, serving as a warning, prepared the way for the third. Revelation 14:9-12. Since then, the everlasting gospel truth, which includes the commandments of God, is being proclaimed to all peoples, nations, and tongues. The gathering of the last church before the second coming of Christ is under way.

The closing work of the Gospel is represented in prophecy as being accomplished by three angels with important messages of present truth for mankind. These angels symbolize the people of God (movements) who proclaim the warnings entrusted to them. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, these messages call for men to make their final decision between truth and error and prepare to stand before the judgment seat of God and to be ready for the second coming of Christ.

"The three angels of Revelation 14 represent the people who accept the light of God's messages and go forth as His agents to sound the warning throughout the length and breadth of the earth."—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 455-456.

The First Angel​

The message of the first angel, having the "Everlasting Gospel," calls upon all nations to fear God, give glory to Him, and worship Him as the Creator. Romans 1:16; Mark 13:10. It also points to the fact that the time of the investigative judgment has come. Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; Matthew 12:36; Romans 14:12; 1 Peter 4:5, 17. Many, having forgotten God, felt that they were the rulers of their own destiny. Therefore, their allegiance must be called back to their Maker. It is their responsibility to obey God instead of pleasing themselves. This message points to the work of restoration of the original principles and institutions given by God in the beginning. Revelation 14:6, 7; Acts 3:19-21.

The Second Angel​

After the great Deluge in the time for Noah, God promised never again to destroy the earth by a flood. Unregenerate man disbelieved the promise of God and began to build the tower of Babel, which resulted in confusion. Genesis 11:1-9. During the early centuries of the Christian era, compromise between Christianity and Paganism led to the development of the papacy as prophesied in Revelation 13:1-10. In the book of Revelation, Babylon, represented by the woman riding upon a scarlet colored beast, together with her harlot daughters, is a fitting symbol of all apostate professed Christian denominations that have turned away from the law of God. The message of the second angel announces the fall of Babylon because they rejected the message of the first angel and denounces the corruption of the Protestant churches which are following the example of the Roman Catholic church. Apostatized Christianity, united with the State, will bring about persecution of the faithful believers and the final crisis. Revelation 14:8; Revelation 17:3-6.

The Third Angel​

The third angel's message is a strong warning against worshipping the beast and his image and receiving the mark of the beast (deliberate Sunday-keeping). "The papacy has attempted to change the law of God. The second commandment, forbidding image worship, has been dropped from the law, and the fourth commandment has been so changed as to authorize the observance of the first instead of the seventh day as the Sabbath. But papists urge, as a reason for omitting the second commandment, that it is unnecessary, being included in the first, and that they are giving the law exactly as God designed it to be understood. This cannot be the change foretold by the prophet. An intentional, deliberate change is presented: 'He shall think to change the times and the law.' The change in the fourth commandment exactly fulfills the prophecy. For this the only authority claimed is that of the church. Here the papal power openly sets itself above God."—Great Controversy, p. 446.

This angel identifies the remnant people of God living in the last days. When Protestantism in America shall call upon the secular powers to enforce Sunday observance (the false sabbath), then an image to the beast will have been formed. All will then be called to decide between showing allegiance to the law of God on the one hand or accepting the decree of the beast (the Antichrist) on the other hand. And God will honor the choice of each individual. He will render eternal life to those who, in spite of the death decree, keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and eternal death to those who disobey Him. Revelation 14:9-12; 13:11-18.

"The third angel's warning is: 'If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.' 'The beast' mentioned in this message, whose worship is enforced by the two-horned beast, is the first, or leopardlike beast of Revelation 13--the papacy."—The Great Controversy, p. 443.

The Image of the Beast​

"The 'image to the beast' represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas."—The Great Controversy, p. 445.

"The professed Protestant world will form a confederacy with the man of sin, and the church and the world will be in corrupt harmony."—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 975.

"When the Protestant churches shall unite with the secular power to sustain a false religion, for opposing which their ancestors endured the fiercest persecution; when the state shall use its power to enforce the decrees and sustain the institutions of the church--then will Protestant America have formed an image to the papacy, and there will be a national apostasy which will end only in national ruin (ST March 22, 1910)."—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 976.

The Mark of the Beast​

"The sign, or seal, of God is revealed in the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, the Lord's memorial of creation. The mark of the beast is the opposite of this--the observance of the first day of the week. This mark distinguishes those who acknowledge the supremacy of the papal authority from those who acknowledge the authority of God.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 117.

"John was called to behold a people distinct from those who worship the beast and his image by keeping the first day of the week. The observance of this day is the mark of the beast (Letter 31, 1898)."—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 979.

The third angel identifies the remnant people of God by the following three main characteristics:

(a) The patience of saints, which is developed under great tribulation. Romans 5:3, 4; James 1:3; 1 Peter 1:7.

(b) The keeping of the commandments of God, including the seventh-day Sabbath, which is the seal of the living God and the special sign between Him and His people. Matthew 5:17-20; Luke 16:17; James 2:10-12.

(c) The upholding of the faith of Jesus which is the everlasting gospel and faith in His power to save to the uttermost those who accept Him as their personal Saviour. Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 1:9; 2:1-6; Ephesians 2:8.

"What constitutes the faith of Jesus, that belongs to the third angel's message? Jesus becoming our sin-bearer that He might become our sin-pardoning Saviour. He was treated as we deserve to be treated. He came to our world and took our sins that we might take His righteousness. And faith in the ability of Christ to save us amply and fully and entirely is the faith of Jesus."—Selected Messages, bk 3, p. 172.

"The proclamation of the first, second, and third angels' messages has been located by the Word of Inspiration. Not a peg or pin is to be removed. No human authority has any more right to change the location of these messages than to substitute the New Testament for the Old. The Old Testament is the gospel in figures and symbols. The New Testament is the substance. One is as essential as the other. The Old Testament presents lessons from the lips of Christ, and these lessons have not lost their force in any particular.

"The first and second messages were given in 1843 and 1844, and we are now under the proclamation of the third; but all three of the messages are still to be proclaimed. It is just as essential now as ever before that they shall be repeated to those who are seeking for the truth. By pen and voice we are to sound the proclamation, showing their order, and the application of the prophecies that bring us to the third angel's message. There cannot be a third without the first and second."—Selected Messages, vol. 2, pp. 104-105.

"Prophecy declares that the first angel would make his announcement to 'every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.' The warning of the third angel, which forms a part of the same threefold message, is to be no less widespread. It is represented in the prophecy as being proclaimed with a loud voice, by an angel flying in the midst of heaven; and it will command the attention of the world."—The Great Controversy, pp. 449-450.

"The three angels of Revelation 14 are represented as flying in the midst of heaven, symbolizing the work of those who proclaim the first, second, and third angels' messages. All are linked together. The evidences of the abiding, ever-living truth messages, that means so much to the church, that have awakened such intense opposition from the religious world, are not extinct. Satan is constantly seeking to cast a shadow about these messages, so that the people of God shall not clearly discern their import, their time and place; but they live and are to exert their religious power upon our religious experience while time shall last."—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, pp. 17-18.

"The true understanding of these messages is of vital importance. The destiny of souls hangs upon the manner in which they are received.'"—Early Writings, pp. 258-259."

The Three Angels' Messages | Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement

sdarm.org

 

[HTacianas]

I am posting this not as advocate but because I think Christians should be aware of what SDA believes, especially concerning "The Gospel" and this is their primary Gospel and Eschatological message.​

"A few years prior to the end of the period of 2300 years (Daniel 8:14), shortly before Christ as our High Priest entered into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, there began a worldwide revival in expectation of the soon coming of Christ. Faithful Advent believers recognized the message of Revelation 14:6-8 as being entrusted to them by God. Although the majority among the Christian denominations rejected the solemn message of preparation, the first angel's message, and thus became Babylon (confusion), the second angel's message, serving as a warning, prepared the way for the third. Revelation 14:9-12. Since then, the everlasting gospel truth, which includes the commandments of God, is being proclaimed to all peoples, nations, and tongues. The gathering of the last church before the second coming of Christ is under way.

The closing work of the Gospel is represented in prophecy as being accomplished by three angels with important messages of present truth for mankind. These angels symbolize the people of God (movements) who proclaim the warnings entrusted to them. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, these messages call for men to make their final decision between truth and error and prepare to stand before the judgment seat of God and to be ready for the second coming of Christ.

"The three angels of Revelation 14 represent the people who accept the light of God's messages and go forth as His agents to sound the warning throughout the length and breadth of the earth."—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 455-456.

The First Angel​

The message of the first angel, having the "Everlasting Gospel," calls upon all nations to fear God, give glory to Him, and worship Him as the Creator. Romans 1:16; Mark 13:10. It also points to the fact that the time of the investigative judgment has come. Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; Matthew 12:36; Romans 14:12; 1 Peter 4:5, 17. Many, having forgotten God, felt that they were the rulers of their own destiny. Therefore, their allegiance must be called back to their Maker. It is their responsibility to obey God instead of pleasing themselves. This message points to the work of restoration of the original principles and institutions given by God in the beginning. Revelation 14:6, 7; Acts 3:19-21.

The Second Angel​

After the great Deluge in the time for Noah, God promised never again to destroy the earth by a flood. Unregenerate man disbelieved the promise of God and began to build the tower of Babel, which resulted in confusion. Genesis 11:1-9. During the early centuries of the Christian era, compromise between Christianity and Paganism led to the development of the papacy as prophesied in Revelation 13:1-10. In the book of Revelation, Babylon, represented by the woman riding upon a scarlet colored beast, together with her harlot daughters, is a fitting symbol of all apostate professed Christian denominations that have turned away from the law of God. The message of the second angel announces the fall of Babylon because they rejected the message of the first angel and denounces the corruption of the Protestant churches which are following the example of the Roman Catholic church. Apostatized Christianity, united with the State, will bring about persecution of the faithful believers and the final crisis. Revelation 14:8; Revelation 17:3-6.

The Third Angel​

The third angel's message is a strong warning against worshipping the beast and his image and receiving the mark of the beast (deliberate Sunday-keeping). "The papacy has attempted to change the law of God. The second commandment, forbidding image worship, has been dropped from the law, and the fourth commandment has been so changed as to authorize the observance of the first instead of the seventh day as the Sabbath. But papists urge, as a reason for omitting the second commandment, that it is unnecessary, being included in the first, and that they are giving the law exactly as God designed it to be understood. This cannot be the change foretold by the prophet. An intentional, deliberate change is presented: 'He shall think to change the times and the law.' The change in the fourth commandment exactly fulfills the prophecy. For this the only authority claimed is that of the church. Here the papal power openly sets itself above God."—Great Controversy, p. 446.

This angel identifies the remnant people of God living in the last days. When Protestantism in America shall call upon the secular powers to enforce Sunday observance (the false sabbath), then an image to the beast will have been formed. All will then be called to decide between showing allegiance to the law of God on the one hand or accepting the decree of the beast (the Antichrist) on the other hand. And God will honor the choice of each individual. He will render eternal life to those who, in spite of the death decree, keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and eternal death to those who disobey Him. Revelation 14:9-12; 13:11-18.

"The third angel's warning is: 'If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.' 'The beast' mentioned in this message, whose worship is enforced by the two-horned beast, is the first, or leopardlike beast of Revelation 13--the papacy."—The Great Controversy, p. 443.

The Image of the Beast​

"The 'image to the beast' represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas."—The Great Controversy, p. 445.

"The professed Protestant world will form a confederacy with the man of sin, and the church and the world will be in corrupt harmony."—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 975.

"When the Protestant churches shall unite with the secular power to sustain a false religion, for opposing which their ancestors endured the fiercest persecution; when the state shall use its power to enforce the decrees and sustain the institutions of the church--then will Protestant America have formed an image to the papacy, and there will be a national apostasy which will end only in national ruin (ST March 22, 1910)."—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 976.

The Mark of the Beast​

"The sign, or seal, of God is revealed in the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, the Lord's memorial of creation. The mark of the beast is the opposite of this--the observance of the first day of the week. This mark distinguishes those who acknowledge the supremacy of the papal authority from those who acknowledge the authority of God.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 117.

"John was called to behold a people distinct from those who worship the beast and his image by keeping the first day of the week. The observance of this day is the mark of the beast (Letter 31, 1898)."—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 979.

The third angel identifies the remnant people of God by the following three main characteristics:

(a) The patience of saints, which is developed under great tribulation. Romans 5:3, 4; James 1:3; 1 Peter 1:7.

(b) The keeping of the commandments of God, including the seventh-day Sabbath, which is the seal of the living God and the special sign between Him and His people. Matthew 5:17-20; Luke 16:17; James 2:10-12.

(c) The upholding of the faith of Jesus which is the everlasting gospel and faith in His power to save to the uttermost those who accept Him as their personal Saviour. Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 1:9; 2:1-6; Ephesians 2:8.

"What constitutes the faith of Jesus, that belongs to the third angel's message? Jesus becoming our sin-bearer that He might become our sin-pardoning Saviour. He was treated as we deserve to be treated. He came to our world and took our sins that we might take His righteousness. And faith in the ability of Christ to save us amply and fully and entirely is the faith of Jesus."—Selected Messages, bk 3, p. 172.

"The proclamation of the first, second, and third angels' messages has been located by the Word of Inspiration. Not a peg or pin is to be removed. No human authority has any more right to change the location of these messages than to substitute the New Testament for the Old. The Old Testament is the gospel in figures and symbols. The New Testament is the substance. One is as essential as the other. The Old Testament presents lessons from the lips of Christ, and these lessons have not lost their force in any particular.

"The first and second messages were given in 1843 and 1844, and we are now under the proclamation of the third; but all three of the messages are still to be proclaimed. It is just as essential now as ever before that they shall be repeated to those who are seeking for the truth. By pen and voice we are to sound the proclamation, showing their order, and the application of the prophecies that bring us to the third angel's message. There cannot be a third without the first and second."—Selected Messages, vol. 2, pp. 104-105.

"Prophecy declares that the first angel would make his announcement to 'every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.' The warning of the third angel, which forms a part of the same threefold message, is to be no less widespread. It is represented in the prophecy as being proclaimed with a loud voice, by an angel flying in the midst of heaven; and it will command the attention of the world."—The Great Controversy, pp. 449-450.

"The three angels of Revelation 14 are represented as flying in the midst of heaven, symbolizing the work of those who proclaim the first, second, and third angels' messages. All are linked together. The evidences of the abiding, ever-living truth messages, that means so much to the church, that have awakened such intense opposition from the religious world, are not extinct. Satan is constantly seeking to cast a shadow about these messages, so that the people of God shall not clearly discern their import, their time and place; but they live and are to exert their religious power upon our religious experience while time shall last."—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, pp. 17-18.

"The true understanding of these messages is of vital importance. The destiny of souls hangs upon the manner in which they are received.'"—Early Writings, pp. 258-259."

The Three Angels' Messages | Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement

sdarm.org

The Papists did it. That would come as a shock to the Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Yes, it is interesting how many people seem to be influenced or at least have the same mindset / zeitgeist of Alexander Hislop's Three Babylon's. I mean Luther somewhat popularized the notion of making the pope the antichrist in the mind of many Protestants, but even in Luther's day he preached a double headed anti-Christ of the Turkish Islamic Caliph and the pope. The whole notion that the antichrist would be some kind of middle eastern king was the notion of the Early Christians and Church Fathers, with the rise of the Islam this was made more specific to Mohammed and the various Islamic Caliphs and other leaders. But at least Protestants these days are moving back to the original view that is also more easily defended by the actual context of the Bible.

https://www.ldolphin.org/PDFs/The_Two_Babylons-Alexander_Hislop.pdf

 

[BobRyan]

I am posting this not as advocate but because I think Christians should be aware of what SDA believes, especially concerning "The Gospel" and this is their primary Gospel and Eschatological message.​

"A few years prior to the end of the period of 2300 years (Daniel 8:14), shortly before Christ as our High Priest entered into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, there began a worldwide revival in expectation of the soon coming of Christ. Faithful Advent believers recognized the message of Revelation 14:6-8 as being entrusted to them by God. Although the majority among the Christian denominations rejected the solemn message of preparation, the first angel's message, and thus became Babylon (confusion), the second angel's message, serving as a warning, prepared the way for the third. Revelation 14:9-12. Since then, the everlasting gospel truth, which includes the commandments of God, is being proclaimed to all peoples, nations, and tongues. The gathering of the last church before the second coming of Christ is under way.

The closing work of the Gospel is represented in prophecy as being accomplished by three angels with important messages of present truth for mankind. These angels symbolize the people of God (movements) who proclaim the warnings entrusted to them. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, these messages call for men to make their final decision between truth and error and prepare to stand before the judgment seat of God and to be ready for the second coming of Christ.

"The three angels of Revelation 14 represent the people who accept the light of God's messages and go forth as His agents to sound the warning throughout the length and breadth of the earth."—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 455-456.

The First Angel​

The message of the first angel, having the "Everlasting Gospel," calls upon all nations to fear God, give glory to Him, and worship Him as the Creator. Romans 1:16; Mark 13:10. It also points to the fact that the time of the investigative judgment has come. Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; Matthew 12:36; Romans 14:12; 1 Peter 4:5, 17. Many, having forgotten God, felt that they were the rulers of their own destiny. Therefore, their allegiance must be called back to their Maker. It is their responsibility to obey God instead of pleasing themselves. This message points to the work of restoration of the original principles and institutions given by God in the beginning. Revelation 14:6, 7; Acts 3:19-21.

The Second Angel​

After the great Deluge in the time for Noah, God promised never again to destroy the earth by a flood. Unregenerate man disbelieved the promise of God and began to build the tower of Babel, which resulted in confusion. Genesis 11:1-9. During the early centuries of the Christian era, compromise between Christianity and Paganism led to the development of the papacy as prophesied in Revelation 13:1-10. In the book of Revelation, Babylon, represented by the woman riding upon a scarlet colored beast, together with her harlot daughters, is a fitting symbol of all apostate professed Christian denominations that have turned away from the law of God. The message of the second angel announces the fall of Babylon because they rejected the message of the first angel and denounces the corruption of the Protestant churches which are following the example of the Roman Catholic church. Apostatized Christianity, united with the State, will bring about persecution of the faithful believers and the final crisis. Revelation 14:8; Revelation 17:3-6.

The Third Angel​

The third angel's message is a strong warning against worshipping the beast and his image and receiving the mark of the beast (deliberate Sunday-keeping). "The papacy has attempted to change the law of God. The second commandment, forbidding image worship, has been dropped from the law, and the fourth commandment has been so changed as to authorize the observance of the first instead of the seventh day as the Sabbath. But papists urge, as a reason for omitting the second commandment, that it is unnecessary, being included in the first, and that they are giving the law exactly as God designed it to be understood. This cannot be the change foretold by the prophet. An intentional, deliberate change is presented: 'He shall think to change the times and the law.' The change in the fourth commandment exactly fulfills the prophecy. For this the only authority claimed is that of the church. Here the papal power openly sets itself above God."—Great Controversy, p. 446.

This angel identifies the remnant people of God living in the last days. When Protestantism in America shall call upon the secular powers to enforce Sunday observance (the false sabbath), then an image to the beast will have been formed. All will then be called to decide between showing allegiance to the law of God on the one hand or accepting the decree of the beast (the Antichrist) on the other hand. And God will honor the choice of each individual. He will render eternal life to those who, in spite of the death decree, keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and eternal death to those who disobey Him. Revelation 14:9-12; 13:11-18.

"The third angel's warning is: 'If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.' 'The beast' mentioned in this message, whose worship is enforced by the two-horned beast, is the first, or leopardlike beast of Revelation 13--the papacy."—The Great Controversy, p. 443.

The Image of the Beast​

"The 'image to the beast' represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas."—The Great Controversy, p. 445.

"The professed Protestant world will form a confederacy with the man of sin, and the church and the world will be in corrupt harmony."—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 975.

"When the Protestant churches shall unite with the secular power to sustain a false religion, for opposing which their ancestors endured the fiercest persecution; when the state shall use its power to enforce the decrees and sustain the institutions of the church--then will Protestant America have formed an image to the papacy, and there will be a national apostasy which will end only in national ruin (ST March 22, 1910)."—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 976.

The Mark of the Beast​

"The sign, or seal, of God is revealed in the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, the Lord's memorial of creation. The mark of the beast is the opposite of this--the observance of the first day of the week. This mark distinguishes those who acknowledge the supremacy of the papal authority from those who acknowledge the authority of God.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 117.

"John was called to behold a people distinct from those who worship the beast and his image by keeping the first day of the week. The observance of this day is the mark of the beast (Letter 31, 1898)."—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 979.

The third angel identifies the remnant people of God by the following three main characteristics:

(a) The patience of saints, which is developed under great tribulation. Romans 5:3, 4; James 1:3; 1 Peter 1:7.

(b) The keeping of the commandments of God, including the seventh-day Sabbath, which is the seal of the living God and the special sign between Him and His people. Matthew 5:17-20; Luke 16:17; James 2:10-12.

(c) The upholding of the faith of Jesus which is the everlasting gospel and faith in His power to save to the uttermost those who accept Him as their personal Saviour. Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 1:9; 2:1-6; Ephesians 2:8.

"What constitutes the faith of Jesus, that belongs to the third angel's message? Jesus becoming our sin-bearer that He might become our sin-pardoning Saviour. He was treated as we deserve to be treated. He came to our world and took our sins that we might take His righteousness. And faith in the ability of Christ to save us amply and fully and entirely is the faith of Jesus."—Selected Messages, bk 3, p. 172.

"The proclamation of the first, second, and third angels' messages has been located by the Word of Inspiration. Not a peg or pin is to be removed. No human authority has any more right to change the location of these messages than to substitute the New Testament for the Old. The Old Testament is the gospel in figures and symbols. The New Testament is the substance. One is as essential as the other. The Old Testament presents lessons from the lips of Christ, and these lessons have not lost their force in any particular.

"The first and second messages were given in 1843 and 1844, and we are now under the proclamation of the third; but all three of the messages are still to be proclaimed. It is just as essential now as ever before that they shall be repeated to those who are seeking for the truth. By pen and voice we are to sound the proclamation, showing their order, and the application of the prophecies that bring us to the third angel's message. There cannot be a third without the first and second."—Selected Messages, vol. 2, pp. 104-105.

"Prophecy declares that the first angel would make his announcement to 'every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.' The warning of the third angel, which forms a part of the same threefold message, is to be no less widespread. It is represented in the prophecy as being proclaimed with a loud voice, by an angel flying in the midst of heaven; and it will command the attention of the world."—The Great Controversy, pp. 449-450.

"The three angels of Revelation 14 are represented as flying in the midst of heaven, symbolizing the work of those who proclaim the first, second, and third angels' messages. All are linked together. The evidences of the abiding, ever-living truth messages, that means so much to the church, that have awakened such intense opposition from the religious world, are not extinct. Satan is constantly seeking to cast a shadow about these messages, so that the people of God shall not clearly discern their import, their time and place; but they live and are to exert their religious power upon our religious experience while time shall last."—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, pp. 17-18.

"The true understanding of these messages is of vital importance. The destiny of souls hangs upon the manner in which they are received.'"—Early Writings, pp. 258-259."

The Three Angels' Messages | Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement

sdarm.org

You posted an official statement of another denomination called - The Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement which is a Protestant Christian denomination that formed from a schism in the European Seventh-day Adventist Church during World War I

 

[BobRyan]

But at least Protestants these days are moving back to the original view that is also more easily defended by the actual context of the Bible.

Luther, Calvin and a great many Protestants differ with you on that one - as we all know

 

[The Liturgist]

You posted an official statement of another denomination called - The Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement which is a Protestant Christian denomination that formed from a schism in the European Seventh-day Adventist Church during World War I

Are you asserting the quotations of The Great Controversy and other writings of EGW contained therein are inaccurate?

And also, to what extent does the SDA disagree with the SDA Reform Movement, whose foundation I am well aware of, regarding the document posted by @Pavel Mosko ?

Luther, Calvin and a great many Protestants differ with you on that one - as we all know

Luther and Calvin also believed in the Perpetual Virginity of St. Mary, and both rejected Memorialism, with Calvin believing in the spiritual presence of Christ in the Eucharist and Luther believing in His physical presence.

Furthermore, as far as I am aware, Luther and Calvin believed that both the currently serving Pope, and the Turkish Sultan, who was also regarded by Sunni Muslims as the Caliph, the spiritual leader of Islam, were Antichrist, and to my knowledge did not regard all previous Popes, for example, Pope St. Gregory the Great, or all future Popes, as being the anti-Christ, as my Lutheran friends @MarkRohfrietsch and @ViaCrucis and my Calvinist friend @hedrick would be in a position to confirm, or correct me if I have misread Luther and Calvin on this point.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Are you asserting the quotations of The Great Controversy and other writings of EGW contained therein are inaccurate?

And also, to what extent does the SDA disagree with the SDA Reform Movement, whose foundation I am well aware of, regarding the document posted by @Pavel Mosko ?



Luther and Calvin also believed in the Perpetual Virginity of St. Mary, and both rejected Memorialism, with Calvin believing in the spiritual presence of Christ in the Eucharist and Luther believing in His physical presence.

Furthermore, as far as I am aware, Luther and Calvin believed that both the currently serving Pope, and the Turkish Sultan, who was also regarded by Sunni Muslims as the Caliph, the spiritual leader of Islam, were Antichrist, and to my knowledge did not regard all previous Popes, for example, Pope St. Gregory the Great, or all future Popes, as being the anti-Christ, as my Lutheran friends @MarkRohfrietsch and @ViaCrucis and my Calvinist friend @hedrick would be in a position to confirm, or correct me if I have misread Luther and Calvin on this point.

Based on my understanding of my own Lutheran tradition and my reading of the Confessions and other Lutheran sources:

For Luther, and Lutherans more broadly, it is the Papacy itself as an institution that was declared Antichrist. Insofar as the occupant of St. Peter's chair used human power and weaponized his ecclesiastical and episcopal rank to deprive the Christian Faithful of hope and faith in Christ and His Gospel and instead that they must submit to the authority of the Pope to attain salvation, then the Pope made himself Antichrist.

It is not a condemnation against every occupant of St. Peter's chair. It is, chiefly, a condemnation against the innovation of the Papacy itself, and the ecclesiastical and spiritual abuses which flowed from the misuse of St. Peter's chair that constituted being Antichrist.

In a sense it isn't really all that different from the sort of thing St. Gregory the Great himself said, when he wrote that any man "who would desire to call himself universal bishop is precursor of antichrist", St. Gregory wrote this to condemn the attempts by then Patriarch of Constantinople, Cyriacus II's use of the term "universal bishop".

Since the Church has no universal bishop, but rather a brotherhood of bishops, anyone who would attempt to rise to the top and seek to become lord over the whole Church was acting contrary to the ancient Canons of the Church, and more importantly, acting against the supreme Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Church's only Head.

What is important, in all of this, is to understand that:

1) Not all Lutherans make this a particularly strict doctrinal position, some Lutherans do, other Lutherans do not.
2) None of this means that the individual person who occupies St. Peter's chair is personally the Antichrist, and it does not deny that modern Popes can't themselves be true believing Christians.

It is a condemnation of the power and institution of the papacy in its abuse and misuse of St. Peter's chair, historically, to seek temporal power (that's not really much of a thing today as it once was), and to seek to make communion within the Holy Catholic Church about bending the knee to Papal authority rather than faith in Jesus Christ.

In the centuries since the Reformation, things have become more complicated, obviously. On the one hand, the claims made at Vatican I are even more problematic from a Lutheran perspective; and on the other, a lot of good came out of Vatican II.

But at the end of the day the Lutheran view is that the Papacy by its very nature is illegitimate and illicit, and that makes the Papacy estranged from the Church Catholic; and that true restoration of communion within the Western Church would require St. Peter's successor to recant and repent of these errors.

There is simply no comparison to be had between the 19th century anti-Catholic nonsense of Ellen G. White and other 19th century anti-Catholic polemicists and the actual views of Luther and the Evangelical Reformation, or of the Lutheran tradition broadly.

From the Lutheran POV, Ellen G. White and her teachings would also be understood as antichrist, and that Seventh-Day Adventists have entertained errors far worse and contemptible than anything Papal Rome ever could have.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[BobRyan]

Are you asserting the quotations of The Great Controversy and other writings of EGW contained therein are inaccurate?

And also, to what extent does the SDA disagree with the SDA Reform Movement, whose foundation I am well aware of, regarding the document posted by @Pavel Mosko ?

Many books were written by Ellen White in her life time - still SDAs have only 28 Fundamental Beliefs and that other denomination that split off from the SDA denomination is not "The SDA denomination" so it is a bit misleading to claim this is an SDA thread then lead by quoting non-SDA sources.

Luther and Calvin also believed in the Perpetual Virginity of St. Mary,

Which is neither here nor there if you are talking about SDA 28 fundamental beliefs.

both rejected Memorialism, with Calvin believing in the spiritual presence of Christ in the Eucharist and Luther believing in His physical presence.

SDAs are not Calvinist as it turns out.

One cannot quote Calvin as a way of defining SDA official doctrine.

Furthermore, as far as I am aware, Luther and Calvin believed that both the currently serving Pope, and the Turkish Sultan, who was also regarded by Sunni Muslims as the Caliph, the spiritual leader of Islam, were Antichrist

Luther did use that term for the Pope but he did not do so before first noting that Popes were calling each other Antichrist.

So he does deserve credit for noticing that.

 

[BobRyan]

And also, to what extent does the SDA disagree with the SDA Reform Movement

Those two denominations share some beliefs but are not in line with how they state those beliefs or manage their public statements of faith.

Maybe someone should retitle the the thread "What is the difference between the following denominations... SDA and SDARM"

 

[BobRyan]

Based on my understanding of my own Lutheran tradition and my reading of the Confessions and other Lutheran sources:

For Luther, and Lutherans more broadly, it is the Papacy itself as an institution that was declared Antichrist.

Indeed. It would make no sense at all for Luther to start a new denomination because he thought the current pope had some issues but other than that - things were just fine.

Even the RCC has a list of what they call "wicked popes" and that does not result in their leaving the Catholic denomination just to note that some rather problematic characters at one time or another served as Pope.

 

[BobRyan]

From the Lutheran POV, Ellen G. White and her teachings would also be understood as antichrist, and that Seventh-Day Adventists have entertained errors far worse and contemptible than anything Papal Rome ever could have.

-CryptoLutheran

I for one would enjoy reading an official Lutheran denomination level statement actually stating the above. Or are you just saying this is your own POV??

 

[The Liturgist]

Many books were written by Ellen White in her life time - still SDAs have only 28 Fundamental Beliefs and that other denomination that split off from the SDA denomination is not "The SDA denomination" so it is a bit misleading to claim this is an SDA thread then lead by quoting non-SDA sources.

But I am curious if the quotations are accurate. We recognize that the statement quoting them is not from your denomination, but the question is, are the quotes they ascribe to EGW consistent with the editions of the books officially designated as inspired prophecy by the SDA?

 

[BobRyan]

But I am curious if the quotations are accurate. We recognize that the statement quoting them is not from your denomination, but the question is, are the quotes they ascribe to EGW consistent with the editions of the books officially designated as inspired prophecy by the SDA?

As far as I know they are giving accurate quotes from the various books they are posting but in some cases on CF you can find people opposed to the SDA denomination that are providing an accurate quote from this-or-that book while ignoring context and ignoring the official SDA denomination's 28 Fundamental beliefs statements.

Those who wish to have "All Ellen White all day" discussions are welcome to their threads. I prefer the SDA 28 Fundamental Beliefs and the Bible.

This thread is not titled "statements Ellen White made that I don't like". If it were - I probably would not participate.