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Of course your analysis is correct. Jesus would die for the sins of mankind, regardless. Nevertheless, Stephen, when on trial before the Sanhedrin, the representatives of the Jewish nation, called them the "betrayers and murderers" of "the Just One." What's sad is not the outcome, but the rebellion and murder that was in their hearts. Stephen was, of course, pointing it out for a good purpose, in order to bring them to repentance. We are ALL guilty of the blood of Christ. There is absolutely no ground for looking down on the Jewish nation, who are prophesied to eventually repent as a people. That's more than can be said for many who judge and look down upon others.

According to Scripture, dying for sin was one of the important objectives of Jesus coming to earth. If he was going to be successful, Jesus would die one way or another. Had the Jewish rulers and Jewish people unanimously accepted Jesus as the Messiah, it still would have been necessary for Jesus to die -- perhaps in a manner more like Abraham offering Isaac. Nevertheless, it probably would have been the Jewish leaders who killed Jesus. So, the traditional emphasis on the role of the Jewish leaders in having Jesus crucified seems rather over done -- as if their part in God's plan made the Jews as a whole some sort of permanent villain. According to Scripture, that's hogwash. In Peter's sermon in Acts 3 he brings up this very topic and speaks about it quite differently than Gentile Christians have spoken of it over the centuries. There's no "Sadly, they crucified..." in what Peter says. Instead Peter confirms, " those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled." Peter offers to those Jews who participated in the death of Jesus exactly the same remedy that is offered to us, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." According to Scripture, a large portion of the Israelite people accepted that offered remedy.

The Wanderer and I communicate off this site. He has left Adventistan. But he sent this message: "I should have mentioned that the reason I have left the forum is not because I was asked to, its just something I felt I needed to do. Although I have had a number of unpleasant experiences there which were already making me rethink what I do online, I felt I needed to devote more time & energy to my studies in Linux certification, web design & photography. You can keep an eye on my developing web site skills at https://lightintheclouds.ca/

The LORD can make men foolish in order to accomplish his purposes. Or, they can just be foolish on their own.

We talked about that several posts back: And we will get to this statement soon (but it won't hurt to share it now)

We are all responsible individually for how we relate to God. It is not the responsibility of a denomination to instruct us how to do so. It's obvious to me that different people and cultures relate to scripture differently. If this were not so, there would not be thousands of Christian denominations. For me, Adventism come closest to how I want to relate to God. For my siblings, it is still Catholicism. For my daughter and her husband, it's Calvary Chapel. Although I won't say a rosary, I have no problem otherwise worshiping with any of them. I would continue to attend an SDA Church even if I was disfellowshipped.

5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Mark Felt On May 31, 2005, former FBI second-in-command Mark Felt revealed he was the person behind Deep Throat, the secret informant who tipped off Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to Richard Nixon's connections to the Watergate scandal. Here are five things you didn't know about Mark Felt, the man better known as Deep Throat .. Felt's Family Wasn't Even Sure if He Really Was Deep Throat Bob Woodward was very good at protecting the identity of his source, and while rumors abounded over the years, no one knew (other than Woodward) who Deep Throat really was. Even Felt's family didn't know for sure, although they had heard rumors, too. It wasn't until Woodward contacted Felt in 1999 that the family began to find out what happened. When the Watergate scandal turned 25, reporters started contacting the people who had been involved and who were suspected of being Deep Throat, so Felt's daughter, Joan, was not surprised to find yet another reporter at the door. Yet this time, instead of turning people away, Felt spoke with Woodward for a while, and the two remained in contact, with the story gradually unfolding to Felt's family. Richard Nixon Thought Felt Might Be Deep Throat Back in the Early 1970s Woodward's efforts to keep Felt's link to the scandal secret were very good, but Felt was still under suspicion. Even as early as 1972, H.R. Haldeman and Richard Nixon both thought Felt might be Deep Throat. However, the feeling at the time was that Felt knew too much about Watergate, and if the administration tried to take him down, he could go public with more details than the administration would want floating around. His Decision to Leak Information May Have Been Influenced by Losing a Promotion One of the reasons Felt was under suspicion was that he had been passed over for a promotion to head the FBI, and he was clashing with the new head. It is possible that Felt's decision to talk to Woodward in the early 1970s was influenced by Felt's desire to do good, but it may have also had a tinge of revenge in it. Felt had been in the second-in-command position at the FBI and was a loyal subordinate of J. Edgar Hoover. But when Hoover died and had to be replaced, Felt did not get the job. That may have led to feelings of being underappreciated, which would have made the decision to contact Woodward and Bernstein that much easier. Carl Bernstein Didn't Meet Felt Until 2008 Bob Woodward's partner at the Washington Post knew Deep Throat's identity but never met Felt in person until 2008. The two reporters had sworn to keep Felt's identity secret until after Felt died (thus creating quite a shock for the reporters when Felt himself started telling everyone through an interview with Vanity Fair). Woodward was so determined not to let anyone know about the connection that Bernstein didn't get to meet the infamous informant in person until the end. Felt's Decision to Go Public Came About in Part Because of His Health and Because of Bills Felt went public mainly at the urging of his daughter, but he had a couple of reasons for following through on her suggestions. One was his health. He'd already had a minor stroke, and he and his daughter knew that this could mean time to come forward was running out, and his daughter and other family members thought he could get money for bills if he came forward.

IMO... I believe there is another class of people regarding views on the sabbath, that being those legitimate, sincere God-fearing Christians who HAVE studied the question, sincerely and deeply, and have NOT come to the conclusion that God requires 7th-day observance, based on evidence they feel is stronger.

https://mailchi.mp/nad/may-23-2019-special-edition-former-nad-president-don-c-schneider-passes-away?e=1819699121&fbclid=IwAR2CyFp3rIlHQuuXkincGHYp48AEFgR6QSVpdW1s3okJTfRZAJuaTQzTQNo Don C. Schneider, former president (of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America (NAD), passed away this morning, May 23, 2019, in Texas, where he was living with Marti, his wife and partner in ministry. He was 76. Schneider served as NAD president for 10 years. He was elected to the office in 2000 at the General Conference Session in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to this, he served as Lake Union Conference president for almost six years. Several friends and former colleagues shared the following words upon hearing of Schneider's death. “Don was 'the Jesus man.' There is no more eloquent statement that can be made," said Daniel R. Jackson, current NAD president. "He travelled throughout the NAD and the world declaring that Jesus was his best friend. His loss will never be equated with being forgotten. He was a 'one of a kind' man and leader.” G. Alexander Bryant, NAD executive secretary, shared that "Don Schneider's greatest passion was to introduce people to his best friend, Jesus. He sought to model this to his colleagues in many ways, but one comes to mind: he routinely had block ice cream parties for his neighbors to try and show love and genuine compassion for them. I don't know how he managed this with his hectic travel schedule, but he did. He truly lived what he preached. It was a pleasure to serve with him. He was my friend; he will be missed." "It was a shock for Shirley and me to hear of the passing of Don Schneider," said G. Thomas Evans, recently retired NAD treasurer. "I have know Don for many years and worked with him at the NAD Office for two and a half years. Don had a great memory and was able to work effectively with committees and in meetings from his vast knowledge. I will remember his fervent faith and his love for his friend, Jesus. Our prayers are with Marti and the family as they morn their loss." Juan Prestol-Puésan, current General Conference treasurer and former NAD treasurer, said he had the pleasure of working with Schneider for nine years. "He was a man of impeccable integrity, and a balanced, spiritual leader who was always engaged with people and issues," said Prestol-Puésan. He is survived by Marti, daughter Carol, son Don Jr., and daughter-in-law Dorothy. A more detailed report will be published soon.

Ron Amnsn had just said: "It was the pre-incarnate Jesus that taught the Israelites the Old Testament instructions and statutes found in the Law of Moses, including the Decalogue." Jesus' gospel teachings included the Sermon of the Mount, in which He not only upheld His own Ten Words from the Old Testament, but enlightened His hearers as the breadth and depth of their meaning and application. The effect of the gospel is not to make people more careless in regard to the moral requirements of the Ten Words. Rather, it has the effect of creating in the heart a love for that law, in all of its implications, and a natural desire to honour God by living out its principles.