My apologies to you, Green, for expecting you to know the old "jargon" of Adventism. It was in connection with us reading the Great Controversy for family worship about 70 years ago that I first learned the meaning of the "Image of the Beast". In SDA circles it has been used as a term for "fallen protestantism". It is used 249 times in the wrings of Ellen G White, and it would not hurt you to familiarize yourself with her use of the term.

If you choose to stay for a while with the Seventh-day Adventists, you will get familiar with these SDA terms, not the least if you stay with this forum.

I promise that in the future I will not be quite as hard on you if there are some terms you are not familiar with.

Even today I had a phone conversation with a fairly new Adventist who said he'd made the same discovery that there are more and more church members who are exchanging our solid methods of Bible interpretation for the methods of the Image of the Beast, and he is considering forming a study group with church members to re-discover the ancient paths which lead us back to understanding the real meaning of righteousness by faith and the true gospel.

Sunday-Law Enforcement
Precedes the Close of Probation


The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes, for it is to be the great test [SEE THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER, WHERE THE GREAT TEST FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD IS SHOWN TO BE SUNDAY-LAW ENFORCEMENT.] for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided.--2SM 81 (1890). {LDE 227.3}
What is the "image to the beast"? and how is it to be formed? The image is made by the two-horned beast, and is an image to the beast. It is also called an image of the beast. [THE TWO-HORNED BEAST OF REVELATION 13:11-17 MAKES AN IMAGE TO THE BEAST PORTRAYED IN REVELATION 13:1-10.] Then to learn what the image is like and how it is to be formed, we must study the characteristics of the beast itself--the papacy. {LDE 228.1}
...
The "image to the beast" represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas.--GC 443, 445 (1911). {LDE 228.3}

Ah. More vaguery. No definitions. But a possible lead we have here.

I'm still confused how anyone is to "interpret the Bible using the methods of 'Sunday law enforcement' or 'a form of apostate protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas.'" That seems like a rather interesting form of exegesis we should all be hearing about.

Oh...and perhaps I'm the "new" kid on the block who doesn't know what I'm talking about, which, if this is the case, you'll need to teach me about the following statement from the CD ROM (NOTE: The all-caps portion is the editorial comment from the CD, and I have added nothing).



The "image" of the beast is not the beast itself. It is something done in agreement with it--in this case, enforced religion by the civil power.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

when I was at Andrews I would read a lot of corrispondence that Mrs. White wrote; the ones that I found most interesting was between Mrs. White and Steven Haskell, where Haskell kept trying to convince Mrs. White of the views of the Fundamentalists and trying to convince her that this was how her inspiration worked, and how she kept trying to encourage him to give up fundamentalism and saying that it NOT how her inspiration worked. (Haskell's argument won out in the church and is the views of the typical Adventist).

Kevin H from New York posted this over at ClubAdventist which explains further what I refer to. He has given me permission to quote him:



I did not realize how widespread that method is, so there is all reason to beware.

So since Kevin H posted it on the internet it must be true..........thats not how it works Johann and trying to blame the corruption these new versions have on those who point them out and label them is not right either. Dont shoot the messenger, see what the message is, and look at its merits if it bears it out.

I was under the impression that this forum was for the purpose of discussing various viewpoints, and many of you have also presented the viewpoints of others.

Am I mistaken? Are only those allowed to participate who have the same conviction?

Yes, I share Kevin H's view in this area. His agrees with what our Bible teachers taught us at Andrews more than 50 years ago, and last I checked this is what teachers at the Seminary are still teaching. I have the documents.

Do we need to be ashamed of what the Seventh-day Adventist church is teaching today?

But you have to take into account that new Christians dont always know what they are looking for, and the NIV and the other corrupted versions can lead them astray or into confusion as we see even in Advenstist circles on the nature of the GodHead.

But if you admit that the KJV is wrong in places, too, then could not new Christians, who don't always know what they are looking for, be led astray or into confusion?

If not, then why not?

But there is a difference, the KJV was not changed it its translation to destroy the meaning and with the express purpose to delete text supporting the truth and correct doctrine and understanding, the same cannot be said for the Alexandrian manuscripts and the versions that use its text.

But there is a difference, the KJV was not changed it its translation to destroy the meaning and with the express purpose to delete text supporting the truth and correct doctrine and understanding, the same cannot be said for the Alexandrian manuscripts and the versions that use its text.

Would you be able to substantiate that claim?