Thursday, September 29, 2005

The Closet Adventist


We just finished a 5 night program on the the second coming at the local Seventh Day Adventist Church. It was beamed world wide via satellite to all of the western hemisphere. What can be a better place to find out about Christ's return than the Adventist Church. They have been in the business of predicting the date since they first got it wrong in 1844. It was a suprisingly good presentation; it had to be for me to go all 5 nights. No, we are not joining the Adventist Church; I like my meat and I like to listen to the "Car Guys" on Saturday morning at 10 am.

I guess it helped that the rabbi agreed with me. He presented a post tribulation rapture of the church that occurs concurrently with the second coming and the establishment of Christ's kingdom on Earth. I have never really been one to argue pre, post, mid or pan tribulation. I did read a book about 20 years ago that explained that the pre-trib position is only about 100 years old. I always thought all three postions should be presented together as the late Walter Martin did. At the Free Church in Maryland we studied the Apocalypse in Sunday School. I was a little put off by the teacher not presenting other views but insisting a pre-trib rapture was an essential article of faith. He said that the church wasn't mentioned after a certain point in Revelation. I replied that "you shouldn't create doctrine by what the bible doesn't say'. I think I went on to say that "Burger King and Wendy's weren't mentioned either but I'm hoping to get a good burger there". Needless to say I felt like Moses eating a pork chop after that. The sunday school teacher never finished the study; he cited health reasons or job related stress or something.

It was really a pretty mainline service for a church that brought you the "Branch Davidians". The local minister who did a 20 minute review after each broadcast was a terrific speaker. But I don't think we blend. They just seemed a little bit too classy for us. Plus the mean age was 67. But we went all five nights and got our free book. I'm not writing this to create any Blog Flame Out, it was just refreshing to hear one view explained so coherently. If you have any question about how I feel just study the above photo for 5 minutes in direct sunlight. If you still have any questions send me a love-gift and I'll mail you a prayer cloth.

PS: How do you like my paragraphs, U.F.?

14 comments:

Marianne said...

Babba, where do you find these pictures? you're a Google Images Jedi Knight!
I remember a week back when I was seven years old when some neurons in my brain started to fire off: "My school says that it's a sin to eat meat. But we eat meat. This is bad." Then I went on to finish my beef-a-roni and to go to gym class. I have never been tempted to try Boca burgers, and I thank the Adventists for that.

Anonymous said...

What do ya know, Babba has proven that a Christian can listen to a variety of doctrines and not lose his salvation. Heaven forbid we talk any other "trib" but pre. And let's not even open the water baptismal discussion. It seems in today's churches, a person's eschatological thoughts can get him booted out as fast as his ideas on the gifts of the Spirit. Throw in a little of Malachi 3, threaten people with ill health, and you've got some pretty anemic sheep afraid of their own shadows. Yeah, I think this hits a nerve. It's just so sad. just what are some of these people gonna do when they are sitting "at the table" and staring a Catholic brother in the face? I know,I know, stop being so literal, the Bible is pure metaphor. M-

Marianne said...

Worse still, what will all those poor Catholics do?

BTW, I met a Catholic Marxist the other day and got into a jolly good political debate. As always, it ended with the poor man saying, "You don't have to patronize me." And I was on my best behavior!

I've never met so many blank stares in my life as when I say, "Actually, I'm protestant," around here.

Babba-Gi said...

Marianne: When You say "Good Morning" you are patronizing.

Anonymous said...

How come your picture doesn't have any "footprints in the sand?" AAnnie

Anonymous said...

Michael (their Christ) doesn't leave footprints in the sand.

Babba-Gi said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Babba-Gi said...

Michael is Jesus's brother in the J.W. religion not the 7th Day Adventists. Most of the kooky Adventist stuff came from their Prophetess Of Health; E.G. White. This is the lady 7 year old Marianne refered to as "egg white".

Marianne said...

"Egg White"?!
You never told me that!
No wonder I have such a weird relationship to meringues.

Anonymous said...

Ellen’s view of God was unbiblical. It was ‘a different Godhead’ with a ‘different Jesus’ and a ‘different Father’ from the real Jesus Christ and real Father found in the Scriptures.

Worse yet, her calling Christ an angel, namely Michael the Archangel, and affirming his body dropped off at his ascension, denies He is returning ‘in the flesh’. The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 860 and vol. 7, p. 706, holds her view that Christ is the Archangel who comes from heaven for his saints. Here we must note 2nd John 7:

"For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who deny Christ is coming in the flesh, this is the deceiver and the antichrist".
This is from http://ellenwhite.org/egw68.htm

About 24 years ago I witnessed to an Adventist who held to the teachings of Ellen White. He said they were (at that time) still the offical teachings of the Adventists. Now whether they've changed or no I don't know. After showing him scripture his view changed, as did the idea that the baptists and charasmatics were demonized especially because we happened to worship on Sunday.

Anonymous said...

Check the official web site:
http://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/Biblequestions/jesusothername.htm

Sound like a cult to me....

Babba-Gi said...

In my vast research it seems that scholars are split down the middle on Adventism. They are as close to a cult as you can get but are not usually classed along with the Mormons and J.W.s. Speaking of cults, how about those Nazarenes. They worship food! Their worship is centered around biscuits, gravy and Jimmy Dean sausage.

Anonymous said...

Baba Meat-Wheel, great post and the comments are awesome also. Plus, love the paragraphs!
U.F.

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