When I started this thread about does anyone keep the Sabbath day and someone by the name chief was replying I asked if a person does not keep the Sabbath day law what happens to them when they die he said as it says in revelation of them who keeps the commandments and faith in Jesus will only go to heaven I asked what if a person belongs to a church group that does keep the Sabbath day but is not the SDA group he seems to say still will not make it to heaven because only SDA group are the only ones who really teach from the bible I use to watch free satellite TV and the SDA stations they would say the same SDA won't say it out right to people as people would get put off but they will teach their bible study's and slowly introduce it. When I went to the SDA with people I knew years ago they would say the same other churches are not really believeers. One time when I went to the SDA meeting the chap who was talking said that all the other church group's have wondered away from the SDA as the SDA was the first Prositent church and all the others have gone their own way when it is the other way around SDA comes from the Prositent church and introduced Sabbath keeping it's world history. The Catholics go on Sunday to church because they copied the early church. Catholics didn't make it the first Christian's made church on Sunday's because Jesus rose on the first day of the week and Paul said that works of the Law can not save anyone but only faith in Jesus can take away sins it doesn't matter what day people go to church the church can not save you only faith in Jesus Christ can wash away your sins that's what the whole new testament is about.
Evakool I largely agree with your statement that SDA's introduce the notion of "we are the only ones who teach from the Bible"...that is true.
If you don't mind, i would like to present a defense of the above because it should be fairly treated:
1. You would of course be familiar with the Reformation...started when
Martin Luther presented his 95 thesis to the Holy Roman Catholic Church...it was at this point that the pathway toward Schism in the Christian church really began to gather momentum. We saw a great many Christian denominations formed out of that over the centuries in our history since that time
2. Considering the Reformation, Martin Luther believed that the existing church was in error, misrepresenting biblical theology and doctrine, so he started a new movement. This movement (Lutherism), believed that individuals who followed the old ways were being led astray...that is the same as the claims of modern evangelical denominations...i would suggest that pretty much all of them believe that the movement they came out of fell into habits of heresy...hence new movements claiming further enlightenment on biblical theology. of these, the SDA denomination is a relatively recent one (1860's), JW's another.
3. SDA vs other recent evangelical denominations - SDA's exhibit concerns that members of churches such as JW's may not be saved is well founded. Unlike many earlier Reformed Churches, JW's have regressed back to a very works-based religion...to add to this, the denomination almost exclusively reads its own bible paraphrase...and that version contains some very significant theological and translational errors...errors that coincidentally enough have been intentionally selected for inclusion into the NWT bible in order to support what are very clearly heretical doctrines (two classes of people, Christ isn't Mighty God, people who don't survive running for their lives during armageddon must have been condemned by God and arent saved anyway). JW's have some truly woeful theology and doctrine. Add to that that the founder of the JW movement attempted to shoot his way out of trouble with townsfolk before being killed himself...the man and his movement's roots are clearly untoward from the get-go!
4. Your claim about Catholicism and Sunday worship...might i suggest that you download and read "From Sabbath to Sunday" by Samuelle Bacchiocci ...he completed his PhD studies at the Pontifical University in Rome and was given access to the Vatican archives. The evidence he presents in that book is very enlightening on the issue of Sunday worship...it was clearly not a biblical based change. Personally, I am aware that there were a couple of historical factors involved in the change of the day of worship...early on, these were driven by an attempt by the Jews and Christians to avoid persecution at the hands of the Romans. At one time the Romans went after the early Christian church, and then later they went after Judaism. The change in the day of worship got entangled in the persecutions at the hands of Rome and the day generally worshipped today is evidence of that issue. Christians changed their day of worship largely to try to distance themselves from Judaism who were revolting in the late first and early second centuries. This only added to the Roman Catholic Churches interest in rubber stamping a new day of worship...Constantine recognised the importance and power of the church and was keen to settle on a single unified movement day of worship to try to stabilise his empire.
5. Jesus and the resurrection
1. Please google "Old Testament Tabernacle", select images, and actually look at the illustration on your screen.
2. Answer this question - what is the first element in the old testament tabernacle? Its the altar of sacrifice.
Christ cannot possibly have referred to the Mosaic sanctuary and the law when he said "it is finished" before dying on the cross and below is the explanation why (and these are not my words, they are historical and biblical fact btw, you can check for yourself by reading the books of Exodus and Leviticus)
Look at your downloaded image of the Tabernacle:
a. The altar of sacrifice represents Christs death on the cross. Its the first element in the image...so Christs death is the first part of the process of salvation (not the last as Sunday worship necessitates)
b. there are 5 more elements in the tabernacle. These are: Laver, Table of Shewbread, Candlesticks, Altar of Incense, Ark of the Covenant.
c. on the Day of Atonment, the High Priests last activity was to go outside the tabernacle and place his hands on Azazeels goat and then cast that goat out into the wilderness where it died in the desert. As Christians, this represents the time after the second coming of Christ...after the millennium actually, when the final judgement pronounced upon satan and his angel is carried out and they are destroyed.
So if the final judgement has not yet been enacted in heaven, because we are still here, then the sanctuary service illustration of the old testament is not yet completed...that is why Christ saying it is finished does not refer to throwing out the Mosaic law. If the law was gone, then by what standard are the wicked, who lived after the cross, by what standard are they judged? Without a law, there is no transgression in order to judge anyone!
The reality is, Revelation 14:12 (written 60 years after the cross) tells us that
Saints are those who:
1. keep the law
2. live/preach the gospel
That means that the inverse is also true.
The wicked are those who:
1. do not keep the law
2. do not have the gospel
