More than 1,000 people recently marched through St. John’s, the capital city of the island of Antigua, to promote the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Fundamental beliefs and its educational system. Coi…… Source: https://adventist.news/en/news/in-antigua-hundreds-of-students-march-to-promote-adventist-education
GC Statement on Non-Biblical Human Sexuality Lifestyles
14 June 2023 | The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists has released a statement re-affirming its stance on heterosexual sexuality as the only Biblically appropriate option. According to the article in Adventist News Network, the statement was released in response to the fact that, “In recent weeks, some local individuals or sometimes local church organizations […] Source: https://atoday.org/gc-statement-on-non-biblical-human-sexuality-lifestyles/
Thursday: The Sabbath Test
Even now, perhaps, the stage is being set for this impending persecution. On June 6, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI made this urgent appeal to more than 15,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Rome that Sunday must be a day of rest for everyone, so people can be free to be with their families and with God. “By defending Sunday, one defends human freedom.” This isn’t, of course, the same thing as demanding that others keep this day, as opposed to the biblical Sabbath, but it does show that the idea of Sunday as the “day of rest” is, definitely, a real issue. Sooner or later, laws will be passed, and those who conscientiously follow the Word of God and keep the true Sabbath will be labeled as opposing society’s best interests.
In this time of crisis, God’s faithful people will, by His grace and through His power, stand firm in their convictions to follow Him. They will not yield to the pressure.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
In contrast to the mark of the beast, they will receive the seal of God. Seals were used in ancient times to attest to the authenticity of official documents. We would then expect to find God’s seal embedded in His law. Ancient seals were a distinctive individualized mark. Isaiah the prophet says, “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples” (Isaiah 8:16, NKJV).
Read Exodus 20:8-11. What elements of a biblical seal do you find in the Sabbath commandment? How is the Sabbath command different from all the other commandments?
The fourth commandment contains three elements of an authentic seal. First, the name of the sealer: “The LORD your God” (Exodus 20:10, NKJV). Second, the title of the sealer: the Lord who “made,” (Exodus 20:11) or the Creator. And third, the territory of the sealer: “the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them” (Exodus 20:11, NKJV). According to Revelation 7:1-3, the seal of God is placed only on our foreheads, a symbol of our minds. Jesus respects our freedom of choice. He invites us to let Him shape our minds by His Holy Spirit so that we cannot be moved from the anchor of our faith in the Word of God (Ephesians 4:30). Thus, we understand that the faithful are those who “keep the commandments of God, and [have] the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12), and included in those commandments is the fourth, the one commandment the beast power thought to change (Daniel 7:25).
| What conditions can you see currently developing that could potentially lead to the restrictions of our religious liberty? What obstacles remain, as well? |
Amen!
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Banbridge Church Celebrates June Lang’s 90th Birthday
The Banbridge Seventh-day Adventist church celebrated the 90th birthday of June Lang on Sabbath 10 June 2023. The occasion had been kept secret by the organising team. June didn’t know, until the very last moment, that her elderly son and one of her granddaughters had flown from Australia to spend a few weeks with her. The celebration took place in the church’s hall after the morning service. For those who know June well, she doesn’t like to be ‘fussed over’. However, the church thought they…Source: https://adventist.uk/news/article/go/2023-06-14/1593/
Double Celebration at Ystrad Mynach Church
Members of the Ystrad Mynach church in the Welsh Mission witnessed two milestone celebrations on the weekend of 20 and 21 May 2023. It was the first time the church celebrated a baptism in its church building, followed by a wedding blessing the following day, which was also a first for the church.
Ellis and Courtney Lewis were the young Welsh couple at the centre of it. Their friends and family members who joined them at the service were touched by what they witnessed and heard during the…Source: https://adventist.uk/news/article/go/2023-06-14/1592/
