Leaderboard

I was told by a couple if people that they could not express their voice here, they provided no other info. We have provide seperate forum for some to share their new thoughts on biblical teachings.

The General Conference has just concluded an important meeting. The following article informs on what occurred.. https://spectrummagazine.org/news/gc-executive-committee-reviews-finances-approves-germany-reorganization-advances-onevoice27-at-2026-spring-meeting/ One aspect of the meeting, interesting to me dwelt with finances. See: "Audited figures showed total assets reaching about $677 million, with net assets increasing by roughly $32.7 million and an operating gain of approximately $25 million. Much of the surplus was driven by investment income, which contributed about $27 million, while tithe remained stable at around $89 million. Expenses rose modestly to about $281 million, with nearly 80 percent directed toward mission activities." I found other aspects of the meeting to be of interest. I found it interesting that the former President Wilson attended and participated by sharing his views on life and Adventist policy. Personally, I would prefer that former Presidents go into retirement and leave the operation of the Church to the new administration. President Wilson had his time in office. Now, give others the full freedom to reign.

The thing is the Easter celebration was a pagan festival to the gods thus the sun god worship.. Passover has none of that....

Christian liberty consists of freedom from legalistic observance of commandments, statutes, and laws of both human and divine origin. Ga 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Ga 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only [use] not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 1Pe 2:16 As free, and not using [your] liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Ironically, Jesus, in securing our liberty, sacrificed his own. Exodus 21 and Deuteronomy use an illustration from the slave culture of those times. Normally, a purchased servant would serve for six years and be released in the seventh year. If his master had given him a wife who had children, they would not be released. The servant could refuse his freedom, if he loved his family and master. In that case, he would be brought to a place of judgment, to the doorpost, and have his ear pierced with an aul. He would then serve his master forever. Jesus took upon Himself the form of a servant. He was made in the likeness of men. He allowed Himself to be pierced at the place of judgment, the doorpost of Calvary. He would forever bear elements of the humanity he died to save. He will, in a sense, be a servant forever, encumbered with a human form. Jesus didn't just die for us. He sacrificed an element of His divinity, that we might be partakers of the divine nature.

I had noticed that Paul often starts and/or ends his letters giving honor to God, Jesus, and sometimes the Holy Spirit, so I went through them to check. Here is my report, using the ESV. New Testament books greetings and closings (G = God, J = Jesus, S = Son, H = Holy Spirit) G JS H Romans 1:1-8 G J Romans 16:25-27 G J 1 Corinthians 1:1-4 J 1 Corinthians 16:23 G J 2 Corinthians 1:1-2 G J H 2 Corinthians 13:14 G J Galatians 1:1-3 J Galatians 6:18 G J H Ephesians 1:3, 13 G J Ephesians 6:23 G J Philippians 1:2 J Philippians 4:21, 23 G J Colossians 1:1-2 G JS H 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 10 J 1 Thessalonians 5:28 G J 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2 J 2 Thessalonians 3:18 G J 1 Timothy 1:1-2 G J 1 Timothy 6:11-16 G J 2 Timothy 1:1-2 G J Titus 1:1-4 J H Titus 3:5-6 G J Philemon 3 J Philemon 23 (Jesus G JS Hebrews 1:1-2 G J Hebrews 13:20-21 G J James 1:1 G J H 1 Peter 1:2-3 G J 1 Peter 5:14 (Jesus) G J 2 Peter 1:1-2 G JS 1 John 1:3-4 G J 1 John 5:20 G JS 2 John 1 G JS 2 John 9 G JS Jude 1 G J H Jude 20, 25 G J Revelation 1:1-2 G J ? Revelation 22:17-21

I hope so. Primary sources are essential. Review articles by E.G. White can't be denied, although highly prejudiced people as well as ignorant ones will read into her articles things which are not really there. If I say EGW said such and such in this article, it usually can't be disputed. If I say EGW said such and such or EGW believed such and such, that may be questionable if she said other things to different people in different situations at different times that appear to contradict what she seemed to say under different circumstances. There is a bit of an art to it, collecting data and assembling it in a way that appeals and makes sense to others way. The Jesuit articles, I'm just posting a link so every one can draw their own conclusions. People with an agenda are unreliable and should not be believed.

Gustave, I agree. Let's step back a moment and survey the damage done in the Middle East recently. As I watch smuggled videos about Israel, it appears the area above ground is 90% destroyed. Gaza is destroyed, Lebanon is pretty much destroyed. Syria is pretty much destroyed. Iran has been damaged, but it is hard to tell how much. However, things are not over, and I think it is likely to be destroyed like the others. In our lifetime, or the last 250 years, we have never seen war and destruction like this in the Middle East. The destruction is almost as complete as Europe in the 1940s. This is very historic. The Middle East will not recover economically for another 20-30 or 40 years, if the pattern of post-war Europe is followed. What does this mean? Many people are focusing on the trees and not seeing the forest or the future.

Yeah, well said. I agree. I would just add that The Passover is to the Sabbath what Easter is to Sunday. Both the Passover and the weekly Sabbath were commanded by God. Neither Easter nor Sunday were commanded to replace the Passover or the weekly Sabbath. Even what we refer to as the Lord's Supper was just the Messiah and His disciples keeping the Passover just like they kept the weekly Sabbath. Neither of those appointed times (mo'edim in Hebrew) got replaced.