Why, The "Third" Angel's Message?

Adventists have a "vocabulary unique to their belief that is just like the vocabulary one would find in any other church and even in the sciences. Not everyone is fluent in Adventistese. It takes a while to learn and understand the "insider" shorthand that we hear in Sabbath School, church and around the table at potlucks.

Some phrases are innocent enough while others display exclusivity and even and (unwarranted, I think) arrogance. There is need to expunge the arrogance and embrace the innocent.

Back to the point the Third Angel...

The work of the First Angel finished with the announcement of the Judgment. The Second Angel gave a matter-of-fact (not even loud) update on the status of Babylon and its inhabitant Beast, so, the messages of the first and second angels are history; but the work of the Third Angel is future...just not very far in the future. For review, it goes like this; "Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of god, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb..." [Rev. 14:9,10].

In Psalms 75:8 we find a verse that parallels part of the third angel's message; "For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; fully mixed, and He pours it out; surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth drain and drink down."

Our work; the work of the church; the work of every true believer, is to warn the world of the consequences of having a mark on the forehead (right behind is the frontal lobe of the brain where one evaluates and decides) or in the hand (which is symbolic when one is asked to "lend a hand." to help out even though they may not agree in principle with the project...the frontal lobe...

Think on these important things and "decide" to serve the Lord.

God bless. e.c.

Hotter 'n Hell

It's interesting the way expressions of religious beliefs...of a sort... become part of our national vocabulary. It's not that they have any transformatory power over the thinking and behavior of those who use them, obviously they don't.
The phrase, "Hotter 'n Hell". most of us have used or heard, unless of course we've been living in a Mason jar...sorry, I had no control over that pun. Which brings me to the point of this introduction: Does God torture sinners with fire for eternity?
If we think about it, there is a fundamental disconnect between believing in a God of Love and the same God who would torture (with fire) forever and ever. Such a juxtaposing of the two ideas brings shudders of fear and horror, and that was the goal because this is what a lot of people believe. Satan has done his work of distorting what people believe about God.
Question: if "God so loved the world that..." then why would he spend eternity "getting even" with those who, for this short life, choose to ignore and/or deny Him? It doesn't make sense, but evidently, it doesn't have to, because there are plenty of preachers who "like" to preach a forever hell because it scares the hell out of the poor souls who listen.
Of course the Bible says that "God is love" [somewhere in first John] but no matter, the furnace has been heated seven times hotter and is waiting to be fed the souls of sinners. Hmmm...didn't God deliver three young men from a furnace in Babylon? Maybe there's a lesson here.
In order to be God, He has to be love, He has to be fair, He has to be just, He has to exercise all righteousness, He has to be merciful, He has to ....you finish the list.
Here is my conclusion and recommendation: look to Jesus Christ and measure His words, His actions of healing, mercy, His life of suffering and death on the cross and then carefully weigh the question; "Is this the God who would torture sinners forever and ever with fire because they didn't believe?
Please don't recite the parable of Lazarus and the rich man [Luke chapter 16] because that is a parable in the midst of several parables and Christ used parables to teach principles and thought lessons; not doctrine. If you take the time to look in the back of Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible you will find a list of parables and this one is listed. Still, some use this as a basis for believing that Heaven and Hell are just a shout away from each other and the "saved" get to watch the "lost" be in torment for eternity. That would be heaven?? I don't, I won't, I can't believe it.
Be Blessed! e.c.

Ten Virgins. Again?

My perception is, that the church is getting tired of keeping trimmed lamps and waiting for the Bridegroom. Sadly (as I read a some posts on a recent NARLA blog--I wrote about this already) a few are cynical and critical of those who are into lamp-trimming.
This is to be expected-I guess-because half the virgins got tired of the whole waiting thing and took a nap. Naps are OK and at my age I believe in naps and awake revived. But virginal napping is a different breed of sleep because on waking the five were not revived, but were confused.
Confusion will be the Headline of the day in every church newsletter that is forward-thinking and brave enough to tell the church what it ought to hear and what it needs to hear.
Lamp-trimmers want to listen to sermons that encourage staying the course and staying close to Christ. Sleepy virgins may want to get on with napping. I guess what bothered me the most in my reading over the past week or so is the level of sarcasm--and even ridicule--that came from the elect who elect to stay awake. I was saddened by the dark words of one who found himself "amused" because some of the virgins were excited about the nearerness of Christ's coming.
George Knight, in his book of Neutering and relevance tells of talking to one (alleged) church intellectual who said to George, "I can't believe you still believe this stuff." Never one for lack of words George quickly trimmed his lamp and replied, "Well, if you're so smart, how come you're still in the church?" (read, among the awaiting virgins).
There's a lot to do while waiting and not all of it is glamorous, famous, or newsworthy; but it is laboring for the Lord, and what is more important than that?
Nothing!
Don't weary of waiting for Jesus. Don't allow the spirit of the nappers to infect your enthusiasm. Don't listen to, or take time to read infective, invective, missals that fly from the pens of cynics and nappers. Live in the shadow of the Jesus, The Christ.

Ezra Sez

The prophet of the Lord is writing about the rebuilding of the Temple of the Lord after the 70-year Babylonian captivity. He writes: "When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord:
'For He is good
For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.'
Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
The first foundation of the Seventh-day Adventist church was laid in eternity when God made plans for the creation of the world, its inhabitants, and His Sabbath. I can imagine hearing all the sons of God shouting with joy in praise of Creation.
I also remember reading that those who laid the second foundation of our church shouted for joy as they discovered truths long obscured by tradition, misinterpretation, and misunderstanding.
Of course, shouting in church these days is thought unacceptable ,but praise to God is always acceptable. Ezra goes on to say that "...the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off." [Ezra 3:10-13].
The church school is bursting at the seams (see letter from m.lp.), the child care center is filled, and the church...the church is praying and building on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. This is the week of Vacation Bible School and each member ought to pray that God will give us reason to shout for joy because we were able to tell the children about Jesus Christ.
Today, go outside, into the woods, or to a room in the back of your house and shout for joy to the Lord. Try it. It might feel Good. I think God might be caught off guard and ask, "What was that?" and the covering cherub would answer, "Oh, that was just your people in Shelton shouting for the joy of Your blessings." And God would answer, "Oh. Good! Very good!"
God bless.
e.c.

Go Phish

We took a little time-out from the work we're doing around the place and ventured out in the paddle boat. Of course I grabbed the lone fishing pole (whose job it is to lean against the house summer and winter) and then got the worms we keep in the refrigerator.
You know what? You can't leave worms in the refrigerator for two months. They die!; but I took 'em anyway. This was a first fishing trip for Domino (4.7 lb., part Papillon, part toy poodle) and she was all sported out in her new tiny-size pfd.
The dogs were really interested in the dead worms. Fortunately they didn't smell dead to me but even if they had it wouldn't have made any difference to the dogs; especially Domino.
So we trolled along for an hour or so.The dogs didn't care the worms were dead and neither did the fish. But these weren't real fish, they were those rude little pan-fry kind that just eat worms-dead or alive-until they get to the hook, where they stop biting. There's always lots of them around when the weather gets warm and the trout go to cooler water on the bottom. It wasn't too hot. There was a nice breeze out of the North and everyone seemed to have a good time...except the worms.
Have a good sleep and God Bless. e.c.

Too Funny....

Just a short note: This morning on 3ABN a preacher was doing what preachers do best; preaching. He was about to read Psalms 33:6 and 9, so, I started to quote it before he began reading. (Now the background here is that Jeane has been training our new little dog, Domino, to do several tricks on command and one of them is, "speak."
Domino was sitting next to me on the couch looking at me...as if she were trying to understand...when I started quoting verse nine "(For He spake and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast.") You can see what's coming. When I said "spake" Domino barked, once and sat looking at me with eyes asking, "Where is my treat? I spoke."
Too funny. We cracked up laughing. Thank you Lord for creating the animals.
God Bless.
e.c.

Memorize This...

"Those who are true to God need not fear the power of men nor the enmity of Satan. In Christ their eternal life is secure. Their only fear should be lest they surrender the truth, and thus betray the trust with which God has honored them." [The Desire of Ages. pg. 370.8]
It is no different now than with the infant church; people listened to the Lord, His Disciples, the Apostles, for a time they believed and then were no more in the midst of the congregation.
In my church there are empty seats previously occupied by some who were deacons, believers and attendees. Who is safe from the whisperings and deceptions of the evil one? The question is already answered. "...Those who are true to God..." Is it fair, or is it unfair to pose the question; 'Those that are now gone, were they, or were they not, true to God?'
Though brave/foolish enough to pose the question I am not Omniscient, as is the Christ, and dare not even attempt an answer...nor even to think about one. But this I know; seats that were occupied now are not, and I find that very disturbing.
We call ourselves a friendly church and have been called the same by some now habitually absent. Why? Has it anything to do with "being friendly"? I simply don't know. Are then contentions and dissatisfaction's that have driven people away? (Same answer).
This one thing I know; neither man nor Satan is able to separate anyone from Him who have determined to be true.
A few questions have been posed today but I will add one; "Will you too determine to be true to Jesus Christ? I may not know you but I can pray for you simply because you chose to read this post. Amen. e.c.