So I was handling a Sabbath School group in my church for awhile, and you probably aware of our SS lesson regarding the prophecies about Messiah from the previous week. I was using Mat 24:15 to explain about how Jesus also studied the OT and often referenced it.

Later during potluck a person came to me and ask me what I think about that verse, He mentioned something along the lines of "the abomination of desolation is already inside the church." Up until this point I kinda agree with what he said, but during this discussion he stated that he "used to" believe that Jesus is God; implying that he doesn't hold that belief anymore.

So in my country I am aware of a certain small group within the SDA community that did not believe that Holy Spirit is God (kind of anti-trinitarian?) and even the local union had to made seminars to address it. But I haven’t had the slightest idea about this one that does not believe that Jesus is God. I had heard rumors and read into some argument that say Jesus is "created", probably connected to this newly encountered believe; perhaps they accept that Jesus is Son of God, but He is not God?

What I wanted to ask is, whether in other places this belief is something new or not; if not then I'm just curious where did they get the idea and basis of this belief, so I can be more aware when I encounter these kind of strange teachings.

One Christian denomination that most reflects the Pharisees in terms of strict adherence to religious laws and traditions is the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA).

They emphasize a literal interpretation and follow the teachings of their teacher, Ellen G. White.

I have been raised in the gospel since I was a child, as my family is Christian. Although I decided to give myself and really seek God in my adolescence. I am currently 22 years old.

I had always heard some things about the Sabbath, but I was always taught and learned that it was something old for Jews that no longer needed to be done. Even as a child I remember when I attended church they read the ten commandments but omitted the fourth one (remembering the Sabbath) and didn't quote it. It was the only one they omitted. As a child it was strange to me and I was curious as to why they omitted it. But I never paid attention to it and grew up in what I had always learned.

About a year ago I stayed with relatives for about two months or so. My aunt's partner started talking to me about the Sabbath. I didn't take much interest in it, as I was telling him what I had always been taught. But one day I felt to pray to God about it and told him to show me what to really do, I told him to give me understanding and wisdom from his scriptures and not to let the devil (may the Lord rebuke him) get in and confuse me.

Days after I had been praying and searching for information I came across a paper or tract at my work that I don't quite remember what it said exactly but it was something about why the Sabbath was important. That impressed me. I decided to keep praying and looking for information though. Then I left the house of those relatives and went back to my home. I decided not to look for more information or pray for it, because I continued to maintain my position that it was no longer necessary to do so.

After a while, the concern about the subject came back to me again. And I said: Again?🤣. Then I decided to take a real interest in the matter and to pray a lot about it. Every day I prayed and searched for information. I also communicated with different people, pastors and churches to compare all their arguments and see what the Bible said. After analyzing everything they had told me, what I had seen and so on, there was something that did not convince me and I did not understand on the part of those who say that we should not keep the Sabbath. Their answers were always that it was for Jews and not for us, and they gave other arguments and verses from the Bible that seemed to me out of context. So I kept praying a lot about the matter.

One Saturday I got up and started praying and I was in great communion with God and I told Him to guide me, give me wisdom and tell me what was the right thing to do. I also emphasized to Him very much not to let the enemy get in the way and confuse me. At that moment I happen to open YouTube and a live transmission about the Bible appears in audible mode that is 24 hours transmitting, when I "click" on the transmission, just at that moment he mentions this verse:

"S. Mark 2:27-28 [27] And he said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. [28] Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day."

The instant I heard that I was impressed because as I said before it was a live transmission of Bible reading and he could be mentioning any other part of it, but just as I entered the transmission he said that. At that moment I decided to continue praying and while I was praying I put on another transmission and that one was talking about the commandments of God. For me it was a beautiful experience, but it is not everything yet! Time went by and I still didn't know what was right and what to do, I decided to keep praying about it.

One day I started to watch some videos about keeping the Sabbath and each time I was amazed at what I heard, because for me what they were saying was in agreement with the Bible. At that moment I decided to ask God to show me the answer and I thought of putting the live transmission of the audible Bible to see if God spoke to me, but at that moment something happened and I could not, so I decided to put it on later. At night I put the transmission on and what do you think? Just when I put it on it was mentioning the fourth commandment:

"Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy".

I couldn't believe it, something similar had happened to me before and it couldn't be a coincidence. At that moment my skin crawled and I was literally in "shock". Besides, I put the transmission on at the right time, because as I said, I was going to put it on much earlier and I couldn't at that moment. After that I said to God: "Lord, is that you speaking to me? I decided to open the Bible and fell into John chapter 15 and there I read verse 10 which says:

"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love."

You may say that after that I was convinced that it was God speaking to me and that it was necessary to keep the Sabbath, but yes and no. I felt clearer on the subject but I still did not dare to say yes completely.

One day I decided to make a letter to my boss at work and ask her to give me off every Sabbath, I was making a draft and when I finished, I knelt down and said to God: "Lord, I am making this letter to see if you will give me off on the Sabbath. But I ask you to give me the ultimate confirmation on the subject. I know you can speak to me in any way." At that point I opened the Bible app I have on my cell phone and wouldn't you know what? The verse of the day (which is a Bible verse that the app randomly gives you every day) was this:

"Genesis 2:2-3 [2] And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. [3] And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which He had made in creation."

When I read that I cried and thanked God so much because I had been praying for the answer for a long time and He was speaking to me in different ways. The next day was my birthday, I decided to go to my work and take the letter to my boss. Before that I prayed that I would be granted the Sabbath and God would touch her heart. I was very nervous, when I went to explain everything to her and I noticed mixed feelings in her, she was very happy for me and she told me that she would grant it to me. I thanked God very much because I know He touched her heart as I asked and I know He was in the matter. I also thanked her very much for her great help, understanding and kindness.

So finally, today I say it, the seventh day is the Lord's day. It is a gift He gave us to rest from our works and toil, to disconnect from the world and dedicate it to Him. It is not something for Jews or something that a particular church does. It is something that is in His Word, it is a commandment. And there are so many verses in both the Old and New Testaments that confirm it. Maybe you think differently or you are also confused and don't know what to do. My advice is to pray and ask God for wisdom and understanding. And don't just go by what you have always heard or been taught. If you put interest and ask God from your heart he will answer you. We should not criticize, much less judge the one who keeps the Sabbath as the one who does not.

I am still asking God for spiritual order and direction in many other things. I know that little by little he will guide me and answer me as he did with this. This is my testimony and my experience, God bless you and I hope it will be of edification for your lives.

Glory to God, amen!!!!

Would you please pray for me,my family and people from my past, I am very worried, I used to read tarot and preach that we are all God, i am scared for those people and extremely worried, also especially my family some bad things happened to us, please all prayer could help...

Have I understood wrong? Are we supposed to pray for our worldly needs? I've never prayed for a Lamborghini, or a 10 mil $ in my bank account. My prayers were for things I need, not want. Whenever I had a big bump in my life, like a huge exam, or relationships. I prayed. The result? exactly the opposite.

To give you a little context. I'm almost 30, baptized (if it makes any difference), unemployed. Since 2022 I've been studying hard to become a programmer. I've invested a huge amount of time and effort, finished 4 courses and have a hefty amount of project in my portfolio. Last summer I quit my job that brought me so much misery and depression that It felt like it drained me 5 extra years from my life.

My fiancee got a job in another country and we're just a couple months away from wedding. Our parents are very poor and everything we built so far are on our own. The wedding is 100% from our money and we still need to make some payments until the event. My goal was to find a job in her country so we won't be stuck after wedding 1 in a place and 1 in another.

Since last summer, I've did everything in my power to find a job. I've invested so much in my skills to boost my chances. All I asked God was to give me a chance. Am I wrong? Are we not supposed to pray for our needs? Long story short, every opportunity I found was met with a straight NO. With time passing, my budget was running low and I was forced to apply for unqualified jobs. Same thing. NO!

It is not a prayer that sparked from an idea 2 days ago, just to clarify. I'm praying for this since 2022 (to leave my miserable job, to finally work something that I love). I'm tiered. I'm exhausted and in a pit of disappointment. It is also not the first time I pray for something and it happened exactly the opposite. I've come to the point where I'm completely afraid to even bend the knee for a cause just because I'm afraid that it will turn the opposite way, like it always did.

For now, I'm completely defeated, I ran out of options. I'm returning back to my old job. I'm extremely sad. I know what awaits for me and I just lost every hope I had.

This two-part, simplified pair of posts provide an easy to understand, chronological exploration of the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan. It covers key historical events and prophetic fulfillments, from the origin of sin in heaven to the final eradication of evil and the restoration of God’s perfect creation. Each section includes scriptural references and detailed explanations, offering a blend of Bible study and historical insights. This post is designed to deepen understanding of the conflict’s significance, the vindication of God’s character, and the hope of eternal peace.

Links:

1. Part 1: The Great Controversy Timeline - From Lucifer's Fall to the Apostolic Era
2. Part 2: The Great Controversy Timeline - From the Rise of Apostasy to Earth’s Final Restoration

Do they not believe in hell and eternal torture in it - like Jehovah's Witnesses?

When unbelievers die, do they just die and not burn in hell forever?

Title.

I've been in the sda church my entire life and six years ago I came to the realization that I am bisexual. I regularly attend sabbath school and church. I'm celabate, have only dated those of the opposite sex, and haven't told many people outside some supportive friends and fellow lgbtq folks. I'm fairly confident in my beliefs, (including that there wouldn't be any "sin" to wed a member of the same sex) and after attending 4 "Coming Out Ministries" symposiums/series and reading a few books on the topic recommended/published by the church, my aforementioned views remain unchanged. I don't really feel much like arguing for my positions; my question is should I pull my membership or leave it? Does the church want card-carrying bisexual members?

Edit: still plan on attending (unless requested otherwise) but being an attendee is different from being a member.

Can somebody please pray for me im suicidal

Why does everyone I've seen in an online Adventist community only listen to hymns and Christian music? I listen to mostly indie music and have not once met an Adventist that shares my taste in music.

How did the people writing the Bible know the conversations with satan and God for example in Job? Or other stories like how satan tempted Jesus? Thank you

What do you think why was there so many similarities between Epic of Gilgamesh worldwide flood or other flood stories with Noah's ark Was the Bible written way after the flood happened so Gilgamesh was written because the story was around? Thank you

Hello. I'm not sure if this is the proper venue for this question but I'm not seeing any pastors for a very long time. I'm curious whether SDAdventists consider those who are not part/members of the church as gentiles or no? If yes, does Romans 2:14 apply?

Hi everybody, there is something from the Bible that new age believers usually use to interpret Bible metaphorically. It's this psalm How can we explain why "you are gods" is being used in this text? Thank you

New International Version Psalm 82 A psalm of Asaph. 1 God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the “gods”: 2 “How long will you[a] defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?[b] 3 Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. 4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. 5 “The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6 “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’

How is this to not be taken as literally forever as an eternal hell:

*Revelation 20,10: And the devil that decieved them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Please somebody help me understand if you know, thank you

The NAD is hosting an online Sabbath School training conference in 2 weekends, Sept. 12-14. I got an email about it, but since it's open to basically anyone, I figured I'd link it here. (I'm not affiliated with it in any way, unless you count me being a member of the NAD.)

URL: http://oneteamplaybook.org/register/2024-do-it-together-sabbath-school-conference

If you want the list of topics, scroll down a bit. There should be a yellow button with workshop descriptions you can click on. It looks like the training workshops use Zoom, and that you'll have to register at the bottom.

I'm not really sure what to expect from it, but Sabbath School attendance in my area has been down for a while. A lot of classes lean toward reinforcement rather than discussion, and honestly I think people kind of get bored with it sometimes. At least they're trying something, so credit for that.

Do you guys know of any creators who are Adventist? Id like to follow people on Yt Ig etc. that are SDA. not necessarily looking for theological content just someone with similar ideals who happens to be Adventist. do you guys know of anyone of that sort?

Came across this video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQeSJm2wltQ

Interesting take. It is weird that there's so much divisiveness and that Hollywood is putting out movies like Civil War and apparently this new one I'd never heard of called "God's Not Dead: In God We Trust", and talking about Church/State separation.

Just a coincidence? Or are they trying to push things in this direction?

I know Ellen White talked about a civil war. But Trump is distancing himself from Project 2025, but then if he's really serious about that, why did he pick JD Vance, who has ties to Project 2025?

Ellen said we would have to learn in months what they had spent years learning. Are we truly that close at this point?

We're definitely living in interesting times...

I want to marry in the faith but I’m giving up. I don’t like dating apps because I’ve had a bad experience. I just don’t know what to do.

I just can’t stand the side effects of belief.

Here are a few verses that stay planted in my mind. I can’t believe I tried to convince myself there was any version of these laws that isn’t deplorable.

Deut 22:13-18 - a man marries a woman, but speaks publicly about her not being a virgin. He has to pay the father of the women for the offense. The woman then has to stay with the man who has publicly humiliated her. if the man of the town agree with the husband, they all go out and stone the woman together.

Deut 22: 28-30- if a man rapes a woman who is not engaged then he just has to pay her father and marry her. Only if she is already promised to another man will the rapist be punished.

Deut 21:10-14- go into a land kill everyone, but keep any woman you want. Have sex with her, then, if you decide you’re no longer interested, put her out of your house. But don’t sell her, because you have already “humbled” her.

What a loving god….

I know some of you will quote Original sin, and I just want to tell you right now, that is a non starter. Because what you would be saying is “ alll women deserve to be treated as property, that their bodies are for the profit and use of man for all time because Eve ate a fruit” you’ll just be further proving my point.

Hello! I was invited to a Seventh Day Adventist funeral. I am an Orthodox and never been to an Adventist funeral so I don't have any idea if they are completely different compared to Orthodox funerals. Can you give an even number of flowers (for Orthodox even flowers are for the dead)? Wear black? How is an Adventist funeral going?

Thanks for your answers!

Just to confirm, the 4th beast in Daniel 7, the one that "changes set times and the law" (Daniel 7:25) is believed to be the Catholic Church, right.

I've been doing some studying recently and would like to see how the church viewed the timeline of events and why. A video explaining it would be great.

Anyone have a proper link?

I remember watching a video of Total Onslaught like 10 year ago by Walther Veith and I am not sure in which one it was where he talked about South Africa and the laws that got established and about people getting their bike stolen and their cars being shared and their house also when on vacation. I believe at the end of this video, he was lecturing in German(y) he also pointed out that Germany had this political change coming. Maybe someone could help me find the video. Just a stab in the dark hoping for someone who might maybe give me a hint or maybe even knows in which part he talks about this. I would greatly appreciate it.

Hello SDA brothers and sisters! Have you heard of project 2025? If this ends up coming to fruition, then it seems like the prophecy of the merging of church and state as a signaling of the end times may be happening before our very eyes. Do you think that to be true? Genuinely curious to hear your thoughts.

Edit: Added link!

I found the faith to be what I am looking for.

Only problem I have is that I am currently living with my fiancée and our newborn son before marriage. I didn't care much about religion for a few years and want to get more involved now. From what I have read this seems to be mostly a non-issue other than with membership, disregarding the perceived immorality of cohabitation (we consider ourselves married, just not on paper until November.)

Other churches (caugh usually Calvinists caugh) basically treat me as a monster for even daring to live outside of what they say is correct, and seem to not even want us to attend church in their denominations, so I wanted to see what Adventists usually do/see in this situation. I don't want to bring my family somewhere that treats others poorly for not being perfect essentially, for lack of a better term.

I grew up in both, and I guess I thought I knew, but upon recent inspection I realized that I actually didn't. It's been a very long time and I've forgotten a lot of details. Full disclosure, I have not considered myself a Christian in a little over a decade so please disregard my post if it's not allowed here. Thank you so much.