SALVATION IS A GIFT

Most believers in the world today are somehow convinced that they are the captains of their eternal destiny and that God helps them to save themselves in a cooperative or partnership manner.  This quickly becomes a very scary way to live since we have absolutely nothing to contribute in our behalf (not even possessing the tiniest island of righteousness).  Most of us grew up learning that there is no free lunch. We must earn our daily bread if we are able-bodied. 

Consequently, we still feel uncomfortable about the notion of getting anything for free. Moreover, from our own experience, the idea of getting anything for nothing is usually too good to be true.  We rightfully take great pride in being providers for our immediate families.  After all, the Apostle Paul declared that "if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever [or an "infidel" in some translations]" (1 Tim. 5:8 ESV emphasis supplied).


In the truest soteriological sense, however, salvation is a gift to be received, not a goal to be achieved.  This truth finally led me out of a false gospel and into biblical Christianity.  Salvation, the free gift, is provided by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, and for the glory of God alone. My wife and I will be forever grateful that our awesome, sovereign God didn't leave us where He found us.  He never goes on a rescue mission that fails. Salvation is a rescue operation from start to finish.  

Indeed, we should be "know-so" Christians instead of merely "hope-so" Christians (see 1 John 5:13). In his classic book, Chosen by God, Dr. R. C. Sproul adds that "The assurance of our salvation is vital to our spiritual lives.  Without it our growth is retarded and we are assailed with crippling doubts...No true believer ever loses his salvation.  To be sure, Christians fall at times seriously and radically, but never fully and finally.  We persevere, not because of our strength but because of God's grace that preserves us." Let us wholeheartedly exclaim with Jonah, the reluctant prophet: "For my salvation comes from the Lord alone" (Jonah 2:9 NLT). It's all about Him!  Soli Deo Gloria!


In awe of the guilt-removing, sin-atoning sacrifice of Jesus,


Dennis J. Fischer
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The Original "Jerry Springer" Family

A Devotional Message by Chris Hohnholz


How often have we looked at the patriarchs of the Old Testament with great reverence and maybe even wished we had just a modicum of the faith that they had? The Bible describes the great faith these men and women had and the great accomplishments they achieved because of it. The "Hall of Faith" passage of Hebrews points us to these men and women as examples of what true faith in God looks like.  If you are anything like me, it is not uncommon to wish we were more like them when we see the struggles we deal with in our own walks. But, are the patriarchs really that special? Were they so much holier than you and I?  Or do  they have more in common with ourselves than we think?  I'd like for us to look at a few of those patriarchs to answer this question. In fact, one family in particular, the one through which the Messiah would one day come.  I believe we will learn a lot from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the God whom they served.


Abraham is considered the father of the Jews.  He was so esteemed by the Jews in Jesus' day that they often cited their lineage from him in their debates with Jesus.  But what was it about him they were so proud of?  True, he had great faith when he believed the promise of God that he and  Sarah would one day have a child through which the nations would be blessed.  But as time went by, Abraham and Sarah apparently figured God had forgotten his promise, because Sarah offers her handmaiden to her husband through which to conceive the child. Abraham doesn't even feign an objection, he just does it.  This is also the same Abraham that, not once, but twice, failed to believe God's promise to keep him around long  enough to produce this nation that he convinces his wife to say "I'm his  sister" to keep from getting killed. Is he really so faithful and holy after all?


Next we get Isaac, the child of promise.  Truly a faithful son who, when bound up to be sacrificed, did not fight or argue with his father.  Such total faith is something we should all aspire to.  Yet, this is the same Isaac that, when Rebekah had twin sons, who knew that the younger, Jacob, was to rule over the older, Esau.  Yet, we see his preference for Esau because of his manly hunting skills.  Jacob, being more of a mother's boy, stayed around the tents and cooked.  How could he give the blessing to such a son?  And Isaac had a little positive influence over his family.  Jacob tricked Esau out of his birthright for a bowl of stew.  Esau purposely married pagan women to irritate his parents. Rebekah orchestrated the deception in which Jacob tricked blind Isaac into believing he was Esau.  Then she lied to him later to get Jacob out of town before Esau killed him. Rather than admit she was  part of the scheme and was trying to save Jacob, she told him she only wanted Jacob to marry from her family and not the local pagan women.  There are reality TV shows that don't have this much drama going on, and Isaac is one our patriarchs in the faith.


Then we get to Jacob, from whom the twelve tribes of Israel were born. The father of Judah, the line through which the Messiah was born. The man who saw the ladder coming from Heaven, which was a vision of the coming Christ.  The one who wrestled with the Lord and, because of his persistence, had his name changed from Jacob (which loosely means "dirty, sneaky thief") to Israel ("He strives with God"). Yet Jacob's life had so many twists and turns, that he lived up more to the name Jacob than Israel.  We already discussed his cheating his brother and that he lied to his father in order to get the blessing.  After fleeing to his uncle Laban, he falls in love with Rachel, but gets tricked into marrying both Rachel and her sister, Leah.  Leah and Rachel start the "baby-making wars" and even start bringing in their personal servant girls to add to the growing list of children.  All the  while, not a  peep comes from Jacob in objection. When he and Laban come to an agreement to payment (an agreement Laban tries to weasel out of), Jacob goes into the process of selective breeding to ensure he obtains a healthy flock.  


Finally, he decides to flee from his uncle without telling him (a time in which Rachel manages to steal Laban's household "gods" —there's a discussion for  another time!).  This results in Laban and Jacob agreeing at Mizpah to never cross over into each other's territory and pray God would keep an eye on the other.  This gives new meaning to those wonderful, little, Mizpah medallions that we  give to each other doesn't it?  Then after wrestling with the  Lord and being blessed with a new name, Jacob still doubts God's promise to deliver him.  He splits his family into multiple groups, sends everyone ahead first, and brings up the rear, testing his brother's actions.  Then, when Esau reveals no animosity toward him and asks Jacob to go home with  him, Jacob comes up with a lame excuse that his animals are too tired and weak. He tells Esau to go ahead and he would meet up later.  Then he promptly goes and gets up camp in another  city.  What a character we look to!


Now, there are literally hundreds of similar incidents throughout Scripture.  We can literally look at every person throughout the Bible and see where they routinely failed to obey or even trust the word of God.  So how on earth are we supposed to look to them for guidance and inspiration?  The truth is, we don't!  We look to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, just as they did.  See, the patriarchs of old received faith just as we in the Church today do, as a gift from God. We have no ability within ourselves to be pleasing to God.  The patriarchs are living proof  of that.  If the men God chose to start the nation of Israel and to become the line through which we would receive the Messiah couldn't do it, we don't have a chance! In fact, because God chose such hopeless cases should be a reason for us to rejoice! It proves that God does not pour out His grace on the basis of what we have to offer.  I have come to realize that when God goes fishing, he doesn't look for the biggest, best, and most colorful fish.  He looks at the rejects, the  worthless, the nastieth fish He can find. In fact, He looks for the ones that have no value whatsoever because then it is clear that His grace is His alone to give.  We can add nothing to it, we can take none of it away.  Like those patriarchs who were  such a mess, God calls us, makes us fit for His  use and brings glory to His name through it all.


So what is the point of this article?  Only this, when you are depressed or bummed out, thinking that you have not nearly done enough for the Lord, know this, you're right! In the eyes of God, you are a bottom dwelling, scum eating, worthless fish, four days dead with  no value whatsoever!  Yet, in His mercy, He has bought you, redeemed you, given you new life, cleaned you up, and made you fit for His use.  He is glorified because it is His sovereign work in us, and the patriarchs prove it!  No one could have looked at this first family of Israel and believed that they had  anything to offer God.  They were rebellious, lying, backstabbing misfits who would have fit better on the stage of a Jerry Springer episode than in the holy book of a world religion.  Yet, because they  received faith from God, trusted in His promises and, through that faith, did many wondrous works, we can know that we serve an amazing God who will work an amazing change in our lives as well.  We  can know that the works we accomplish in faith will be used by God for His glory, and  the  works we accomplish in the flesh will prove that  it was God who did the former.  Praise be  to our amazing and merciful God, and thanks to Him for using such people as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to do His work.

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THE LORD'S DAY: Does It Matter?

 by Dr. John MacArthur


Due to widespread interest, I am posting this inspiring, Bible-based sermon audio from a Sunday morning worship service in 1999.  You can also read a transcript of this sermon.  Dr. MacArthur gives the reason why the Resurrection Day or New Covenant Day is so important to Christ-followers around the world. Moreover, the Christian Church was born on Pentecost Sunday. Truly, not just any day could be this special in redemptive history. Our awesome, sovereign God distinctly chose this very special day to occur on Sunday. Simply click on the title above to hear this excellent, thought-stimulating sermon.


--Dennis Fischer
Lincoln, Nebraska USA

HISTORICAL PHRASES DEPICTING SUNDAY

 The Day of Gladness

 The Weekly Easter

New Covenant Day


The Greatest Day in Redemptive History

 The Eighth Day


First Day of the Week


Chief of Days


The Lord's Day

First of Days

Resurrection Day


The Christian Sabbath


Palm Sunday

Easter Sunday


Pentecost Sunday


The Day of the Son instead of the Sun

The Day (Pentecost) when the Christian Church was Born

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UNDERSTANDING THE SABBATH (Genesis 2:1-3)

by Dr. John MacArthur


Please click on the title above to hear a superb, Bible-based sermon delivered by Dr. MacArthur on the Fourth Commandment (recorded live from Grace Community Church on Sept. 20, 2009).  It would be ideal for every current and former Seventh-day Adventist to hear this relevant presentation. Dr. MacArthur is pastor/teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California USA. MacArthur's radio program, "Grace to You," airs nationwide daily.  He is the author of more than six dozen books, and the founder/president of The Master's Seminary.


Moreover, the Adventist Sabbath is not the Bible Sabbath that Jesus and the Hebrew people observed before the New Covenant was inaugurated.  The Jewish weekly Sabbath, delivered by Moses to God's chosen people, was a lunar Sabbath fixed by the New Moon each month, and it changed every month to different days of the week. Interestingly, Seventh-day Adventists take great pride in the notion that they do not worship on the Pope's day (meaning Sunday). In reality, however, our SDA friends are indeed worshiping on a day (Saturday) that was arbitrarily re-positioned and decreed by Pope Gregory III in 1582, by skipping 10 calendar days, in the universally-accepted Gregorian calendar we have today.


Amazingly, official Adventism has chosen to worship on Sundays, in Samoa and nearby Tokelau in the South Pacific, when Friday (December 30, 2011) was deleted from their calendar due to the Samoan government moving the International Date Line for economic reasons. Samoan Seventh-day Adventist leaders insist that their recent compromise is really no big deal, but some members have voiced their disagreement with them. Their transition to worshiping on Sunday has not gone as smoothly as the leaders had anticipated.  Nevertheless, observing the weekly, festal Sabbath on Sunday is now their official stance.


With Samoan Adventists and non-Adventists now worshiping peacefully on the same day, the great SDA fear of an impending National Sunday Law has been quietly moved to the back burner. Will their Sabbath Schools now be called  Sunday Schools? Obviously, this major change will affect SDA outreach in the South Pacific islands of Samoa and Tokelau. It is important to know that the Israelites did not have a modern timepiece (clock or watch),  a man-made International Date Line, and a convenient calendar pinned to the flap of their tents like we use today.  All in all, one thing is very certain,  Seventh-day Adventists around the world are not observing the Sabbath on the same day and in the same way that Moses did.


Resting in Jesus, the true Sabbath Rest,


Dennis Fischer

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A THOUSAND YEARS AMONG FRIENDS

By Dr. Kim Riddlebarger

About the Author:  Dr. Riddlebarger is the senior pastor of Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim, California, visiting professor of systematic theology at Westminster Seminary California, and he co-hosts the popular White Horse Inn radio-internet talk show with Michael Horton, Rod Rosenbladt, and Ken Jones.  Visit his informative and interesting blog at:  http://www.kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com .


Dispensational premillennialism?  Historic premillennialism? The Rapture? Preterism?  Partial preterism? Postmillennialism? Historicism? A 1000 year reign on earth or in heaven?  Amillennialism? Futurism? The kingdom now?


What is this all about?  Controversy and serious disagreements swirl endlessly around the study and beliefs of the End Times.  In this lecture, Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, poses a logical, Biblical, and literal argument for the amillennial Two Stage Model.  With an honest listen, this should give all dispensational/premil folks reason to pause and examine their view a little closer.  


The Two Stage Model is a LITERAL and BIBLICAL doctrine related to the End Times that overwhelmingly supports the amillennial position and leaves dispensationalism looking for proof texts.  Dr. Riddlebarger delivers this lecture in an enjoyable and understandable way with great respect and honor towards the Dispensational brothers that he disagrees with.  Enjoy this excellent audio presentation by simply clicking on the title above!

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ISLAM: What The West Needs To Know

Please sit back, relax, and click on the title above to watch and listen to this 98-minute, documentary film about Islam as a religious/political system.  I cannot recommend this film too highly. Hopefully, you will also be shocked by the astounding similarities between Islam and many religious cults in our society today (perhaps you belong to one now or have in the past). This interesting, factual film will answer most of the following questions and many more:

• What is the literal meaning of the word "Jihad"?
• Why are there frequently more Muslim volunteers to go on a Jihad than electronic equipment, explosives, backpacks, and vests available? Does going on a Jihad prove one's ultimate devotion and loyalty to Islam?
• Does Islam allow or encourage lying, under certain circumstances, about their belief system?  How subtle is their deception?
• What is the only possible way (in Islamic teaching) for any Muslim to have complete assurance of his or her salvation?  Is the "martyred"Jihadist's instant paradise of a sensual nature?
• Why do American and European political leaders rally around Islam by frequently calling it a "peace-loving" religion?
• Why do our politicians (of every party and stripe) refer to Christ-followers as a "misdirected" and even "dangerous" people if they do not appreciate and extol the Islamic religion?
• What were the seven "Crusades"  about from 1095-1291 AD? Why did Muslims close off Christian holy sites for pilgrimages to Palestine in the first place?
• How did northern Africa, a bastion of  early Christianity, become overwhelmingly Muslim?
• How moral or ethical was Mohammad in his personal life?  Is he worthy of adoration and emulation today as Islam teaches?
• Does so-called "multiculturalism" and "interculturalism" require the extolling of the Islamic religious/political system to avoid the label of bigotry or religious intolerance? 
• Is the Muslim god the same as the Christian God? Answer: The Muslim god is not the triune God that Christians worship, and their Jesus (a prophet only) did not die upon the cross as our Savior and Substitute. Truly, they do not love and worship the same God that Christians do.
• Why does Islam treat its women so badly?
• Do Islamic countries enter into peace treaties with the "infidels"?  If so, under what conditions?
• What  is the difference between the Islamic Koran and Hadith?
• What does Islam teach about the treatment of "infidels" and "Jews"?
• Is the only way to have lasting peace with Muslims to convert to their religion?  Is the threat and reality of death an option in Islamic conquest?
• Are the many contradictory statements of Mohammad (as with Ellen White) settled by simply believing in the later directives? Do the latter statements somehow negate and overrule the earlier ones?  If so, how does this interpretative model compare with Scripture?  Answer:  Yes, supposedly, in the case of Mohammad, but Ellen White's earliest visions and written words reportedly came directly from the throne of God. Thus, she did not have the same  luxury of maturing in her belief system as other religious writers did. She claimed her earliest writings were just as "inspired" as her later ones. Moreover, the writings attributed to Ellen White and Mohammad cannot be compared to Scripture in any way because they are not inspired (meaning "God-breathed").  In his excellent book, entitled Explaining Inerrancy, Dr. R. C. Sproul adds: "What is overcome or overridden by inspiration is not human personality, style or literary structure, but human tendencies to distortion, falsehood, and error."
• Did both Ellen White, the SDA prophetess, and the Prophet Mohammad predict that in the latter days their writings would be exposed and no longer believed by many of their devotees?  Answer:  Yes!  Apparently, they shared the same spirit guide.
• Does both Islam and Seventh-day Adventism have a similar "health message"?  If so, why do Muslims dislike Adventists so intensely? Answer:  Due to their observance of the Jewish Sabbath, Muslims think of them as "Christian Jews." (simply click on title to hear this factual presentation)

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THE URANTIA BOOK

A Critique by Dennis Fischer

Throughout its controversial history, Seventh-day Adventism has fathered numerous, unsavory offspring (i.e., the infamous Branch Davidians, the Shepherd's Rod, the Pilgrim's Rest, Strong City, etc.). However, it is most likely that you have never read The Urantia Book (click title above) nor heard of the Urantia Foundation headquartered in Chicago, Illinois USA.  This quasi-religious organization seems to appeal largely to the intellectual, unchurched community.  Thus, the far-reaching tentacles of Adventism continue to subtly confuse and deceive the world.  Moreover, it is not surprising to find the basic tenets of Arminianism, in stark contrast to Calvinism, taught in The Urantia Book.


It is claimed that The Urantia Book was assembled and prepared for publication, in the early 1950s, by a select closed group (called "revelators") who took a vow of secrecy in regard to its authorship. The Urantia Foundation, like the SDA White Estate, serves as an apologist, custodian, copyright holder, and publisher. They insist that "student visitors" or "celestial beings" while enroute from one universe and planet to another, visited our planet and miraculously inspired and/or wrote various papers that later became The Urantia Book. This lack of forthright disclosure is akin to no author being listed for the articles found in Watchtower magazines as well. Not knowing the names of the authors in a book or magazine creates a sense of mystery and suspense that enthralls many readers.


The subject matter of The Urantia Book is much like the content in the writings attributed to Ellen G. White, the Seventh-day Adventist messenger and prophetess. The Urantia Book deals with unbiblical views like a person can overcome evil by simply choosing to do good (an Arminian and/or Semi-Pelagian stance common in Adventist dogma), Jesus is not the Eternal Son, making Jesus primarily an Exemplar instead of a Substitute, sensational commentary about  the so-called "lost years" of Jesus' life, supposed additional "insights" into many Bible stories, alleged extensive travel destinations of Jesus while on earth, etc. This book reads a lot like something Ellen White would have said. While researching The Urantia Book, I was constantly reminded of Ellen White, the SDA visionary.


Although denied by the Urantia Foundation, it is no secret that Dr. William S. Sadler (1875-1969), a friend and colleague of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (1852-1943), a health food salesman, the author of 42 books, a winsome orator/lecturer, and an employee (beginning at the age of 14) of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, initially wrote and directed the overall content of The Urantia Book. Apparently, Dr. Sadler was convinced that he could compete with the religious fiction of Ellen White. Raised in an Adventist home and later becoming an ordained professor at a SDA theological school in San Francisco, Dr. Sadler developed a dim view of Ellen White's alleged gift of prophecy. 


Also, Dr. William Sadler married Dr. John Kellogg's neice, Lena Celestia Kellogg. For its devotees,The Urantia Book is also available in a luxurious, genuine-leather binding. Various groups of people (study groups) around the world still meet together to discuss, ponder, and teach the "Urantia papers." A new online study course is also available (click the title above for a closer look at the Urantia Foundation). Lena and William Sadler, both physicians, had lengthy and well-respected medical careers in the city of Chicago--often helping the underprivileged. Dr. Sadler, as a psychiatrist, taught pastoral counseling to theology students at the McCormick Theological Seminary for 25 years, and he was also a faculty member of the University of Chicago. 


All in all, the content of The Urantia Book is most bizarre and unbiblical, and it is translated into many languages. It is not astounding to discover that its strange, extra-biblical revelations from so-called "superhumans" are the direct consequence of its initial link to Seventh-day Adventism. After Dr. Sadler crossed swords with Ellen White, he launched his own career into writing religious fiction. Obviously, two wrongs do not make a right. The core problem is the fact that both Sadler and White vigorously denied teaching a false gospel. Many sincere people are sincerely wrong, and sincerity itself does not denote biblical truth.


Someone aptly stated that "man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true." This is why the inspired writers of the New Testament spent so much time and effort in exposing the heresies of their day and those yet looming in the future. In Galatians 1:8-9, the Apostle Paul twice pronounced a curse upon those who preach anything contrary to the Gospel that he preached. There is a notable and recognizable common thread that weaves together all cultic organizations. Satan has many, clever ways in an attempt to mislead every segment of humanity. Truly, those who are intent upon accurate answers will no longer identify themselves with a toxic-faith system.

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NO ONE WILL BE BORN OR DIE IN SAMOA THIS FRIDAY

www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/12/28/144385201/there-will-be-no-friday-this-week-in-samoa?ps=cprs

www.fijitimes.com/print.aspx?id=189586

www.jta.org/news/article/2011/12/30/3090969/samoa-calendar-change-impacts-sabbath-but-affects-few

What a major challenge for Samoan Seventh-day Adventists who may belong to the same Sabbath School class but live on opposite sides of the man-made International Date Line!  They will be required, only hours from now, to choose between two different "sabbaths" (Saturday or Sunday). Interestingly, as the second link above reports, Samoan Adventists will now have two Sabbaths.  This unique dilemma confirms yet again that the Mosaic Sabbath was intended to be observed only in the region of Palestine.


Moreover, in northern Alaska, Norway, Russia, and many other Polar areas the weekly Sabbath cannot be observed from sunset to sunset.  Therefore, it is not surprising that the SDA Church finds it impossible to publish a weekly sunset calendar for those regions. Oh yes, don't forget to read Rabbi Heber's advice (click on third link above) about the Sabbath (Shabbat) dilemma in Samoa and neighboring Tokelau. 


Interestingly, both Ellen White and Rabbi Heber agree that people should not live in areas of the world where weekly Sabbath observance is impossible.  Rabbi Heber even recommends that Sabbath-observant Jews should avoid traveling to these island nations. With this unique turn of events, the latest polls indicate that the vast majority of Samoan Seventh-day Adventists will transition to Sunday as their new day of worship. However, there are a few dissenters who have organized an independent movement.  This development is somewhat akin to the SDA underground movement that existed in the former Soviet Union.


Unlike the festal, weekly Sabbath that is impossible to observe in many regions of the world, an authentic "moral" law can be properly obeyed anywhere on this planet (24/7), every nanosecond of time, and not merely once a year, season, month, or week. Truly, God's righteous standards are not applicable or binding in merely an occasional or sporadic manner.  Moreover, God's righteous standards can be faithfully obeyed on a space station and even by an astronaut orbiting the earth.


With Samoan Adventists and non-Adventists finally worshiping on the same day, how will this impact SDA evangelism? Will their "Sabbath School" be renamed as Sunday School? Will so-called "Sunday-keepers" no longer be derided as the "whores of Babylon" and as "apostate Protestants"?  Will the "Mark of the Beast" still be inflicted upon those who worship on the Lord's day? Truly, those who still insist upon observing any shadow, pointing to the Redeemer, are actually diminishing the glory, majesty, and reality of Jesus Christ, the true Sabbath Rest (Matthew 11:28-30).  When Jesus died, the Sabbath died (Colossians 2:16-17).


Resting in Him,


Dennis Fischer

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CALCULATING CHRISTMAS: The Story Behind December 25

by William J. Tighe
Associate Professor of History 
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, Pennsylvania USA


This informative, five-page article first appeared in the December 2003 issue of Touchstone magazine (click on title above to read). In regard of this article, the following three examples verify anew the zealous strategies of non-Christians in striving to compete with Christmas, Christian academia, and a Christ-centered dating system:


1.  BC-AD versus BCE-CE: As an anti-historical act, the ultimate purpose of a BCE-CE (meaning "Before the Common Era" and "Common Era" respectively) alternative dating system is an attempt to make chronological dates more palatable to non-Christians.  This competing dating system is confusing at best. Moreover, it is promoted to appeal largely to the egos of the intellectual community as an "in-house" vocabulary.  They further argue that only 1 in 3 persons on this planet is a Christian, so they don't deserve a majority view. 


However, since there is no so-called "Common Era" in history, Common dating does not exist.  All in all, their dating system attempts to diminish the glory and majesty that belongs to Jesus Christ. Thus, with such an alternative, non-Christians supposedly do not even have to think about or be reminded of God the Son when dealing with historical time frames.  Such proponents, however, fail to realize or to give credit to Christianity for establishing the university and hospital systems that we highly appreciate and respect today. Therefore, Christians are not uninformed nor ignorant crackpots after all.


Truly, Christianity has transformed civilization, and Satan is not pleased with the results.  Alvin Schmidt, in his excellent book entitled "Under the Influence," correctly stated that, "Unlike the leaders of so many other religious movements, Jesus was no political figure; he had no connection with Herod or the Sanhedrin; he took no political action; his disciples were relatively uneducated.  Yet he conquered more millions than Alexander the Great, Mohammed, and Napoleon put together.  It all happened because his message and his physical resurrection transformed his early followers, who did not pick up the sword to defend themselves even during brutal persecutions, but rather went about spreading his love and the need for his forgiveness by word and deed to all--regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, poverty, or wealth."


2.  Feast of Dedication:  The apostle John, in John 10:22-39,  indicates that Jesus attended a Hanukkah (meaning "dedication" in Hebrew) festival of lights in Jerusalem. This festival is based upon Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrating the Temple in numerous ways and even requiring that pigs be sacrificed to Zeus, by a Hellenistic priest, upon the altar as an utter insult against Judaism. Moreover, under the oppression of Antiochus IV, Jews were forced to eat unclean animals, scrolls of the Torah were destroyed, weekly Sabbath observance was halted, Temple gold was stolen, and male circumcision was forbidden. When the Temple was restored and rededicated, after three years of intensive abomination and desolation, there was only one flask of untainted oil left for the large menorah candelabrum to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days. This miracle gave them the additional time to provide a fresh supply of pure olive oil.


It is traditional for Jews to eat foods fried or baked in oil (preferably olive oil) during those festive days to highlight the oil miracle.  Unfortunately, SDA apologists desperately try to overlook the importance of this festival due to their faulty interpretation of Daniel 8:14.  Truly, it is safe to say that if William Miller had known biblical Hebrew there would never have been a Seventh-day Adventist.  Although Hanukkah has nothing to do with gift exchanging, but due to Jewish children being jealous of Christian children, many Jewish families now exchange gifts to somewhat compete with the grandeur of Christmas.


3. Kwanzaa: A Swahali term that denotes a week-long celebration that has become the newest attempt to mimic or replace Christmas.  Starting the very next day after Christmas, this latest celebration consists of carefully arranging mats, altars, lights, and fruit to honor a distinctive African culture.  Indeed, Christmas has an ever-increasing competition from an assortment of events that attempt to mimic its traditions.   The ultimate result, whether intentional or unintentional,  diminishes  the glory and majesty that belongs to Jesus Christ.  With these contemporary examples, it should not surprise us to learn that non-Christians have utilized similar strategies many centuries ago in regard to Christmas.  This fact is just opposite of what Seventh-day Adventism teaches about this festive season and the origin of the Lord's Day (Resurrection Sunday).


Feliz Navidad!  During this special time of the year, you can appreciate anew the dynamic voices of  the Three Tenors; namely, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavorotti that are easily accessible online.  I want to wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS (Froliche Weihnachten) from the bottom of my heart. In spite of all the commercialization and the non-Christian competing factors of Christmas, Jesus Christ is still the reason for this festive season around the world. Indeed, this world is a better and brighter place as a result of Christmas. Wise men still adore Him! George W. Truett aptly stated: "Christ was born in the first century, yet He belongs to all centuries.  He was born a Jew, yet He belongs to all races.  He was born in Bethlehem, yet He belongs to all countries." Soli Deo Gloria!


--Dennis Fischer 

courtesy of

DENNIS FISCHER MINISTRIES

Worldwide Chaplaincy Services

E-mail:  dfministries@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dfministries

GEMS OF GRACE

Man's original capacities included both the power not  to sin and the power to sin (posse non peccare et posse peccare).  In Adam's original sin, man lost the "posse non peccare" (the power not to sin) and retained the "posse peccare" (the power to sin) which he continues to exercise.  In the fulfillment of grace, man will have the "posse peccare" taken away and receive the highest of all, the power not to sin (non posse peccare).  This highest state, in itself, is worthy of our eager anticipation. The ultimate reward of the saints is not a so-called "Eden restored" where  temptation toward disobedience existed,  but rather eternal bliss without the ability to sin.


The late Martyn Lloyd-Jones aptly stated that "Many are in trouble simply because they do not realize the truth concerning the new birth...Nothing is more glorious than the doctrine of the rebirth; and this is obviously the work of God in us through the Spirit.  We do not give birth to ourselves, we are not born because we believe.  We believe because we are reborn."  Moreover, our awesome God never unadopts us from His wonderful family.  Once reborn, we cannot become unreborn (John 10:27-29). Thankfully, His elect are never treated like foster children who worry about being forsaken at any moment.


Due to our fallen state, we are not merely partly or mostly dependent upon Christ for our conversion but totally dependent upon Him.  The state of original sin leaves us in the wretched condition of being unable to refrain from sinning.  We are still able to choose what we desire, but our desires remain chained by our evil impulses. Thus, in the flesh, we are free only to sin, a hollow freedom indeed. It is a freedom without liberty, a real moral bondage.  True liberty can only come from without, from the work of God on the soul.  All in all, we are not partly or mostly dependent upon His saving grace for our conversion (regeneration) but totally dependent upon grace. It's all about Him!  Soli Deo gloria!


In awe of the guilt-removing, sin-atoning sacrifice of Jesus,




Dennis Fischer, Web Chaplain
E-mail: dfministries@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dfministries