HOME / PROCLAMATION! MAGAZINE / 2016 / SUMMER / LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

S U M M E R • 2 0 1 6
VOLUME 17, ISSUE 2

 

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D E P A R T M E N T S

LETTERS to the Editor
 

 

Enjoying Hebrew Roots article

I consider myself to be a former Adventist after 25 years of being one. I discovered for myself (towards the end of my Adventist experience) that living a grace-filled, Christ-filled life doesn’t work too well under a system of law and works.

I wanted also to let you know how much I enjoyed reading the recent issue of Proclamation! with Dale Ratzlaff’s article on the Hebrew Roots Movement. I found it to be very insightful. I have found out for myself that any religious group that has even one teaching that leans towards some form of Judaism (such as keeping the Sabbath, tithing, state of the dead, requiring the use of “Jehovah” when referring to God, denying the concept of the Trinity, the food laws, and so forth) has one foot already into the Hebrew Roots Movement. I wasn’t too surprised in seeing the Jehovah’s Witnesses being included among those who are vulnerable to the Hebrew Roots Movement. I’ve been taking my time in reading that article because there is so much information there that needs to be processed slowly in order to completely understand it. I think a lot of people may even be quite surprised to see that the Jehovah’s Witnesses have strong inclinations towards the HRM.

Thanks for everything.

South Daytona, FL

 

Praying for Adventists

I appreciate your magazine very much and your mission to help Adventists see that they are in bondage to a teaching that Jesus never would have taught. Keep up the good work.

I recently attended a small country fair on a Saturday where I observed a booth with the huge banner “Sabbath Keepers” blazoned across the front. Apparently they were a Seventh-day Adventist motorcycle group. I thought, how ironic to want to enslave people to the bondage of “Sabbath keeping” while they themselves couldn’t even begin to “keep” the Sabbath. First of all, they paid someone to rent the booth space. Second, they labored and toiled to set up the booth. And to top it off, this all was done on the supposed “Sabbath Day”, Saturday! I don’t mean to sound like I am mocking them, but I did pray for them to see the futility of this teaching—not even one of us can “keep the Sabbath”. Honoring God to the best of our ability, on any specific day (or every day) is awesome, but to think that we are “keeping the true Sabbath” even minutely is delusional. Jesus set us free from this kind of striving. He Himself was mocked by the Pharisees for “not keeping the Sabbath”. He came to show us a new and better way—He being the fulfillment of the law! Praise the Lord!

The sad thing is that people enmeshed in Adventist teaching have completely missed out on the joy and freedom for which Jesus died. Also, they try to enslave others [while trying to present themselves as] just “regular Christians”. I will keep praying for these people to be set free. Amen.

Thank you for all you do!

Whitmore, CA

 

Jonah: also a false prophet

I feel compelled to respond to Colleen Tinker’s logic regarding Ellen White and the disappointment.

She states (paraphrasing) that she can’t believe in Ellen White because she said it was God’s will [that William Miller set a date for Jesus’ return], and God purposely misled the Millerites so they would get ready for the next date:1844. She goes on to say it was at this point that she had to call Ellen White a false prophet, because God does not do such things. (See editorial, Spring, 2016.)

I would like to refer Colleen Tinker to the book of Jonah. In that book it is rather clear that God “purposely” misled the people of Ninevah by the preaching of Jonah to believe that the city would be overthrown. Jonah himself was angry and miserable because God did not do what He said He would do to the Ninevites. However, a great reformation occurred, and Ninevah survived for years afterwards.

Therefore, it is a shame that Colleen must now realize that Jonah was a false prophet as well.

North Fork, CA

 

Editor’s response: Because Adventists have begun to use Jonah as an argument that God does “trick” people into repenting, thus normalizing Ellen White’s claims that God concealed William Miller’s wrong date so that people would get ready for Jesus to come, we will print our response to this letter.

God sent Jonah to warn Ninevah that He was about to judge them for their persistent unbelief. When they did believe, there was no longer a need to judge them by death. The message was clear; they had displeased God, and they were to be destroyed. Had Ninevah not repented, they would have been destroyed. This message was not a trick; it was clearly a warning of the inevitable consequences of Ninevah’s habitual unbelief. When they heard the warning, they believed God and repented. God always honors belief in Him, just as Abraham in Genesis 15:6 believed God, and that belief was counted to him as righteousness.

As for Jonah, he was not tricked, either. He knew God was gracious and merciful and would not punish true belief. He was, however, self-centered and complaining, not wanting God to be gracious to these historically oppressive gentiles. He was feeling imposed-upon because God had sent him to Ninevah to proclaim the truth to his nation’s enemies, and God dealt with Jonah’s hard heart in the process. Moreover, Jonah did not deliver a false message. His message was true and was from God; God consistently used prophets throughout the Old Testament to call His people (and in this case gentiles) from their wicked ways to avoid His judgment. This message of judgment was quite unlike Ellen’s explanation that God hid Miller’s mistake.

There was no misleading that went on in the story of Jonah. Jonah delivered God’s message that was 100% true for the Ninivites at that time. Their repentance was an honor to God, and His saving them was a testimony to His compassion. There was absolutely no trickery or face-saving that went on there.

As for William Miller, his date-setting did not come from God. He used Old Testament dates and figured out a confusing 15-step “proof” for his belief that Jesus would return in 1843. He did not credit God with this insight. It was EGW who said the date was from God. Moreover, when Miller realized his calculations had been “off” and re-set the date for 1844, he clearly accepted the responsibility and did not blame God for the error. It was EGW who made the mistake God’s. She declared that God hid Miller’s wrong date so people would get ready for the right date…and the “right” date also turned out to be wrong.

Ellen’s declarations about God’s intentions and trickery and actions were hers alone, not William Miller’s. She defended a charlatan by claiming authority from God. There is absolutely no comparison between her and Jonah.

Finally, Ellen defended a man’s calculations, claiming authority from God to do so. Jonah did not deliver a man’s message; he (reluctantly) delivered God’s own word to a perishing people.

 

Pidgin Clear Word in Papua

I am a Baptist Missionary (independent) in Papua New Guinea (PNG). I also have an uncle who became a Seventh-day Adventist pastor after marrying an Adventist woman in college.   

Since moving to a remote area of PNG, I have found a large group of families here that have been influenced by Ellen G. White (EGW). There is also an Adventist congregation and church building. I started learning some of their doctrines and was quite shocked. I thought, “Surely these are only the beliefs of these poor, uneducated people,” and I appealed to my Adventist uncle to help me set them straight.

After contacting him, I was dumbfounded. These Adventists in the bush of New Guinea were in one accord with Adventist doctrines world wide. They even have a Pidgin (Tok Pisin language) Clear Word Bible. As I emailed my uncle, using the Bible to reply to his arguments, he refused to answer or outright ignored some of my questions. After a while, he stopped replying.

This year I started to research more about the doctrines of Adventism, and in May, 2016, I found Proclamation! online. It was amazing to find I had been using many of the same arguments with my uncle that you have been using to win your family and friends to Christ!  I enjoy the stories of how the Holy Spirit has led so many out of bondage into His glorious light. May God continue to bless your ministry.

Papua New Guinea

 

Complete garbage

I have read some of your material. Complete garbage. Love of Jesus is not ever mentioned. Everyone I read about is self righteous, claiming Jesus and His love, but rejecting His commandments and biblical truths. How does one love Jesus genuinely and at the same time reject His truths, His commandments, and His Sabbath (which will be in heaven for eternity)? Freedom outside the law of God yields the same results as Lucifer and His angels. If you reject His words here, your rejection will continue in heaven with the same spirit of rebellion that Satan had for God’s truths.

Such deceived people! Those who will not enter into the final phase of God’s plan to save, the Most Holy Place where Jesus has moved, are deceived by remaining in the Holy Place after Jesus is no longer there. I cannot believe how supposedly intelligent people can be so deceived and follow the teachings of the religious world. All the world shall be deceived except a small remnant group who follow all of God’s teachings all the way. You will do anything to avoid persecution like our Lord had. Everybody that I have written to that is a former Adventist is usually cocky, negative, self-righteous, fault finding, and criticizing without a glimmer of genuine love. What terrible deception. Wake up and know God’s word.

via email

 

Pitched into the lake of fire

Too bad that you people are going to be pitched into the lake of fire one day soon!! Angels of God are making up the crown to be placed on the heads of the true, the frank, and the honest. Angels of God will pick you up and throw you into the fire because Jesus is going to tell you to depart from Him, because He never knew you.

Repent and do your first works!

You people spend so much time hating the truth that you actually remind people like me of the real truth that I learned as a child. So, thanks! I am going to repent and do the first works and I wish to be among the real Seventh-day Adventists who will be in heaven with the true Son of God along with Ted Wilson, my long-ago friend from Blue Ridge Youth Camp.

Ms. Colleen—you are the one who will suffer the burning the most because you are the one who seems to be the leader of this sad “movement” against real true Adventists. I want to be so real to Jesus that when He sees me He will hold me to His chest and cuddle me. I ask Him if I may have the honor to give Him the grapes one day when He can finally enjoy them once again with everyone.

I believe He will. He likes to give good gifts to His children. What an honor! And how did I think of that? The wooing of the Spirit. You, too, can ask Him to break those chains that bind you.

Love Jesus. Don’t be jealous of anyone. Believe on the Father, the son, and the Holy Spirit, and let them woo you. It will work. You will no longer hate or be on the wrong side.

Let the wooing begin now,

Sincere love to you,

Round Hill, VA

 

A life saver

Here is an appreciation gift for you to use wherever you deem necessary. I have benefited greatly from your ministry including books such as Sabbath in Christ and White Washed and the plethora of videos available on the Former Adventist YouTube channel. This is my way of saying thank you.

I was engaged to an Adventist girl until late July of 2015. I was already having doubts about their denomination several months prior to discovering the Youtube videos that disclosed their true purpose and identity. Watching Dale Ratzlaff’s videos and others became a greater catalyst for our ending our relationship. What a life saver.

I still listen to much of Gary Inrig’s teaching as well. Colossians, Galatians, and Judges have been truly insightful and helpful.

Please pray for me. After being thoroughly exposed to a religious cult, I now see the value in a book-by-book, verse-by-verse approach to God’s word that I didn’t see before.

Your brother and pupil,

Chattanooga, TN

 

How do you sleep at night?

I was raised a Catholic with the doctrine of immortal souls burning in hell forever, which gave me nightmares of people suffering unimaginable pain with no hope of it’s ever ending. With a God this cruel, I could not imagine bringing kids into this world so that they could have even the remotest chance of winding up there. Yet this is the doctrine loved by Sunday-keepers, especially Baptists and Pentecostals.

Learning the Bible truth about the state of the dead and God’s justice in dealing with the wicked now allows me to sleep better. I’m so thankful for the Adventist faith. Perhaps you are really doing work for God in a sense, because a person who would choose the God of the Sunday churches [for that is where you send them] would be a poor example to the world of an Adventist Christian who is supposed to be a lover of the truth.

For example, a friend invited me to his Baptist church where the sermon was that the Ten Commandments were all done away with. Like Herod who killed all the children in Bethlehem to get rid of a certain holy one, our Sunday friends kill all of God’s law to get rid of a certain holy day, and we all know which one that is.

While I may sleep well now, I don’t know how you can.

Sandpoint, ID

 

Legacy of Adventist trauma

I was raised a third-generation Adventist. I bought it all because I was raised in the subculture and spent 2 1/2 hours a day being bussed to Adventist school.

As a child I was in fear constantly but for some reason did not express myself and my needs to my folks. My busy parents did not explain how “the world was evil” or how I could ever feel safe knowing that Jesus was available by prayer.

The thought of the time of Jacob’s trouble without our having a mediator terrified me! The doctrines did little to help me understand love, friendship, or life.

I was shy and compliant. I tried hard to memorize and do the Sabbath rules and was proud not to associate with non-Adventists. Now I see that behavior was so unbiblical. The twists of thinking really harmed the gospel.  

I left Adventism at 30 and have been in good Bible churches, but I found my childhood trauma led to clinical depression, and I lack a sense of being able to understand what happened to me as a child. Have others written about this and how they could find freedom?  

I learned that Ellen White’s claiming to be the Spirit of Prophecy is to claim the Holy Spirit’s title!!

Trying to really sense God loves me is still hard; can you give me help from others who overcame and recovered to a joyful life?

I have been grateful to read Proclamation! many times. You have been courageous to oppose the church and have been gracious in words.

via email

 

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