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Author Topic: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....  (Read 16235 times)

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reddogs

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Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« on: October 24, 2008, 08:26:52 AM »

Alpha and Omega....

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This makes for some very interesting reading.....


"...If we desire to climb the last part of the road to heaven, we must learn our lesson from history. This is not only true for the part of history recorded in the Bible (see 1 Corinthians 10:11) and the Great Controversy (see the Preface of that book), but it is especially for the history of Adventism. It was in this context that Ellen White talked about the Alpha and Omega of apostasy. She wrote, "We have now before us the alpha of this danger. The omega will be of a most startling nature." Selected Messages, vol.1, 197.

As we will see, in the following statement, the most startling nature of the omega apostasy consists in the extent of the crisis. While the alpha of apostasy stands for the beginning and was to be limited to a certain local area, the omega of apostasy would develop to a most startling degree until the end. "One thing it is certain is soon to be realized,—the great apostasy, which is developing and increasing and waxing stronger, and will continue to do so until the Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout." The New York Indicator, February 7, 1906.

If we want to know what course is to be followed in the days of the omega apostasy we have to heed the counsels and instructions given by Ellen White during the alpha crisis. We have to learn from history in order not to repeat the mistakes made in the past. "It is presented to me that in our experience we have been and are meeting this very condition of things." Battle Creek Letters, 124.

In the alpha crisis we find a description of the future (or already existing) condition and experience of the Adventist people. Ellen White tells us: "Past history will be repeated; old controversies will arouse to new life, and peril will beset God's people on every side." Testimonies to Ministers, 116. "We have nothing to fear for the future except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us." Testimonies to Ministers, 31.

How Did the Alpha Develop?
In the center of the alpha-crisis was one man, John Harvey Kellogg, an Adventist physician. Under his leadership, Battle Creek Sanitarium received worldwide fame at the turn of the century. But in the late 1890s, his zeal and energy were more and more mixed with a new idea—that God, not being personal, was in every living thing; in every flower, in every tree, in every morsel of bread. What Kellogg believed to be "new light" forced the prophet of God, even before 1881, to give him a warning message. "Those theories are wrong. I have met them before." Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 278, 279.

Since he was married to a Seventh Day Baptist, Kellogg came in contact with a Seventh Day Baptist minister named Lewis. This man held pantheistic views as well. In Kellogg's mind the pantheistic ideas were brought to maturity, so that, in 1897, he talked about this topic publicly for the first time. Others like Waggoner and Kress came to the same conviction and joined him in preaching this at the General Conference, of 1899, in South Lancaster, Massachusetts.

One month before that conference, Ellen White had written and sent warning letters from Australia, which arrived just at the right time. But sadly enough, these warnings were not heeded. Pantheistic ideas continued to be spread over the land. They were taught, in Battle Creek, in both the College and Sanitarium

Ellen White had to send warning after warning. On February 18, 1902 the Battle Creek Sanitarium burned to the ground. To finance the new sanitarium, Kellogg was asked to write a book, the royalties of which were to be taken for the new sanitarium building. The book Kellogg wrote was entitled "The Living Temple." The finished manuscript was full of his erroneous ideas that had their origin in spiritualistic, pantheistic philosophy. Many discussions followed. Ellen White wrote about this book.

"In the book 'Living Temple' there is presented the alpha of deadly heresies. The omega will follow, and will be received by those who are not willing to heed the warning God has given." Selected Messages, vol. 1, 200.

Despite the reproofs from God's prophet, Kellogg was determined to print his book in the way he wrote it. So he gave a printing order to the Review and Herald Publishing Company, which they accepted. But God Himself interfered. After the printing patterns were finished and the book was ready to be printed, the publishing house, on December 31, 1902, caught fire and burned to the ground. This did not happen unexpectedly, but was mentioned by the prophet of the Lord more than one year before. (See Testimonies, vol. 8, 91.) The sword of fire had fallen and all knew that God had spoken.

In spite of all this, Kellogg was not prepared to change his mind, and stubbornly went to another publishing house to get his book printed. He then took efforts to ensure that his book was widely circulated among Adventists and non-Adventists. So the pantheistic tares grew and became a danger for the whole work. Ellen White summed up the situation with these words: "Battle Creek has been the seat of rebellion among a people to whom the Lord has given great light and special opportunities." Paulson Collection, 71.
What is the Omega?

In the context of the alpha crisis, Ellen White describes a vision about the soon coming omega apostasy among Adventists. "The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the supposition that a great reformation was to take place among Seventh-day Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith, and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation to take place, what would result? The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church, would be discarded. Our religion would be changed. The fundamental principles that have sustained the work for the last fifty years would be accounted as error. A new organization would be established. Books of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced. The founders of this system would go into the cities, and do a wonderful work. The Sabbath of course, would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it. Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement. The leaders would teach that virtue is better than vice, but God being removed, they would place their dependence on human power, which, without God, is worthless. Their foundation would be built on the sand, and storm and tempest would sweep away the structure." Selected Messages, vol. 1, 204, 205.
A reformation inspired by the devil was to take place, and it would consist "in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith."
What are the pillars of our Adventist faith? They are as follows:
The nature of Christ
The sanctuary service
The spirit of prophecy
The Three Angels' Messages (exposing the papacy, Babylon, ecumenism, explaining the Sabbath-Sunday-question, exalting the law of God, etc.)
The state of the dead and the exposure of spiritualism
....Excerpts from Alpha and Omega, by Herman Kesten
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GrandmaNettie

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2008, 01:14:45 PM »

Can any one of us deny that truth is progressive? Do we come to an understanding about anything, only to have it remain static... as is.... unchanged?  Learning and understanding come in layers, over time.  As our wisdom and judgment improve (hopefully) our understanding parallels that growth.  We have been promised that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth.

Does God really want us to simply be indoctrinated followers of a specific dogma established upon the understandings and interpretations from another century or does He want us to develop our capacity to think critically about important issues, gather the proper facts and then come to a place of increased undertanding?
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reddogs

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2008, 11:08:52 AM »

Here is some feedback I got at one of the forums...

The very LAST deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God. "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Prov 29:18). Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God's remnant people in the true testimony. LDE 177,178 (1 SM 48)

Ellen White wrote of a technique used by Dr. John H. Kellogg. He would say he believed, but then turn right around and say or do things that proved that he didn't believe at all. But saying he believed made people comfortable in trusting him and listening to him. If he had told the truth, people's alarms would have gone off and they wouldn't have listened to a word he said.
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Bob Pickle

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2008, 02:55:54 PM »

Sounds quite familiar.
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dburt

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #4 on: June 13, 2009, 06:12:22 PM »

It seems that perhaps we are in the midst of the Omega apostasy even now, and it has been simmering and coming to fruitation for the last 10-12 years. What is it? The inroads and even teaching of evolution in our educational institutions, and the accompanying companion of homosexual acceptance and gay marriage. It is "of a most startling nature". It targets "the best and brightest of our youth". It seeks to "wrest control of our institutions from church control".  The "Sabbath is lightly regarded". The "testomonies are made of none effect", books of a new order would be written, and our core doctrines would be changed if these apostates had thier way. Actually, when you really think about it, if you believe in evolution, there is no need for a Sabbath, why would we need a santurary message, and why a need for a last day prophet? Why we have slept, the devil and his minions have stolen a march on us, and as my grandma used to say- "the chickens are coming home to roost!" The only good thing about it?? It is a another sign that we are right at the end! Thank God this mess will soon be all over, and we can go home!
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Johann

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #5 on: June 13, 2009, 06:29:37 PM »

Thank you, dburt. This important subject is also being discussed at:

http://www.adventtalk.com/forums/index.php/topic,1608.msg20592.html#new

It seems that perhaps we are in the midst of the Omega apostasy even now, and it has been simmering and coming to fruitation for the last 10-12 years. What is it? The inroads and even teaching of evolution in our educational institutions, and the accompanying companion of homosexual acceptance and gay marriage. It is "of a most startling nature". It targets "the best and brightest of our youth". It seeks to "wrest control of our institutions from church control".  The "Sabbath is lightly regarded". The "testomonies are made of none effect", books of a new order would be written, and our core doctrines would be changed if these apostates had thier way. Actually, when you really think about it, if you believe in evolution, there is no need for a Sabbath, why would we need a santurary message, and why a need for a last day prophet? Why we have slept, the devil and his minions have stolen a march on us, and as my grandma used to say- "the chickens are coming home to roost!" The only good thing about it?? It is a another sign that we are right at the end! Thank God this mess will soon be all over, and we can go home!
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Bob Pickle

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #6 on: June 13, 2009, 07:51:32 PM »

dburt,

Do you think we might get accused of being accusers of the brethren and of engaging in gossip if we say that evolution is being taught in one of our institutions?

I certainly don't disagree with you, but I merely suggest that the concerns you have mentioned elsewhere can be inappropriately used to try to silence a wide variety of legitimate and honest concerns.
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dburt

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #7 on: June 16, 2009, 09:05:33 PM »

I have two children that graduated from WWC (now WWU). Both have given specific info about professors at that institution teaching evolution. Also have a close friend's son who graduated from there in pre-med. He told me first hand about why he could no longer believe in the Biblical account of creation due to "overwhelming evidence supporting evolution" that he was taught in his science classes. One could hardly call this gossip or hearsay evidence. I presume you have read David Asherick's letter to the NAD and GC leadership about issues at LaSierra College. On several websites and blogs there are other individuals and professors named, classes and even class outlines. I find the witnesses of this info quite crediable.
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Johann

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #8 on: June 18, 2009, 10:39:54 AM »

I discussed your post with a professor of biology at one of our educational institutions. He tells me that there is a diversity of opinion among the faculty on evolution-related issues, but he is not aware that anyone would teach things such as were referred to in your letter where he teaches.  Students may need to be challenged with new, uncomfortable information about issues but those challenges should be given in a supportive context. He feels the most dangerous is when a student drops out of the class in the middle of such a discussion, and might therefore go away with a very wrong impression.

 
I have two children that graduated from WWC (now WWU). Both have given specific info about professors at that institution teaching evolution. Also have a close friend's son who graduated from there in pre-med. He told me first hand about why he could no longer believe in the Biblical account of creation due to "overwhelming evidence supporting evolution" that he was taught in his science classes. One could hardly call this gossip or hearsay evidence. I presume you have read David Asherick's letter to the NAD and GC leadership about issues at LaSierra College. On several websites and blogs there are other individuals and professors named, classes and even class outlines. I find the witnesses of this info quite crediable.
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Daryl Fawcett

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #9 on: June 19, 2009, 06:42:41 AM »

It isn't what is being taught as much as how it is being taught and the impression being left on any student in any class, whether or not they drop out in the middle of a course.

Johann

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #10 on: June 19, 2009, 03:40:31 PM »

How do you measure or evaluate that?

It isn't what is being taught as much as how it is being taught and the impression being left on any student in any class, whether or not they drop out in the middle of a course.
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Daryl Fawcett

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2009, 06:11:24 PM »

If evolution of any type is being taught for information only as history is taught for such a reason, then that isn't so bad, however, if it is being taught as if it were a fact, then that is a concern!

Johann

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #12 on: June 22, 2009, 10:57:31 PM »

Paulsen Speaks on Issue of Origins
Adventist position on creation affirmed by church president

Responding to ongoing discussions in the church, the president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church urged Adventists to look to scripture as the validity of their faith as it relates to origins.

In a statement released today, Pastor Jan Paulsen appealed to church administrators, ministers, teachers and writers to articulate and reflect the church's stand on creation.

"We must not allow ourselves to come adrift from the Bible in defining our values and in stating what we hold," Paulsen said.

Paulsen referred to the church's position on creation, which was affirmed by the General Conference Executive Committee in October of 2004.

Paulsen said that his appeal came with respect for integrity and professional skills from educators, ministers and writers.

Read Paulsen's full statement below.                                                                  — Adventist News Network
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Gregory

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #13 on: July 02, 2009, 02:43:47 PM »

Dayrl said:

Quote
If evolution of any type is being taught for information only as history is taught for such a reason, then that isn't so bad, however, if it is being taught as if it were a fact, then that is a concern!

I can not hlelp but to chime in on that one:  It is certainly an excellent example of what commonly happens when people begin to discuss evolution and creationisn.  They (people on both sides) simply do not understand each other and they (Both sides) will oftent make statements that feed the other side, so to speak.

Before I go further, let me clearly state where I am:

1) I accept as truth that everything that exists owes it origin to the creative activity of God.  However, what exists today often exists in a different form than in the form in which it was created by God.

2) I accept as truth that when God organized this planet and when God created the life  that came into being on this planet that organization of this planet and its life took place in seven (7) days.
 
NOTE: I   feel compleled to stated teh above so taht people will not accused me of believing that God was not the creator ofthis earth.

 
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Gregory

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Re: Alpha and Omega of Apostasy....
« Reply #14 on: July 02, 2009, 02:51:26 PM »

However, "evolution" can be broken down into a number of constitutent parts--e.g. it is a philosophy and a process, along with some other parts.

Several of these parts seemingly are opposed to what conservative Christians believe that the Bible teaches.  Several of the parts and believed not to be opposed to what conservative Christians believe the Bible teaches.

Therefore, it is from this perspective that I take issue whith what my friend Daryl has posted.

I, and several other writers have written on what I have said here.  Some of them have been published in conservative SDA publications.  In any case, what I have posted on the Internet forums is still available for anyone who might want to read it.

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