James, I have not made myself clear to you. I was responding to KLAND's statement

'That's against policy.'

What I want to make clear is that, even though institutions within the Seventh-day Adventists have policies, those "policies" do not contain any of our teachings, doctrines, nor determining who will be saved or lost. They have more to do with salaries and working conditions, employment, buildings, insurance, which unit should have the title to various properties, etc.

Therefore policies should really not be discussed under our teachings or doctrines, but you could not know that.

Let me make another point clear. The Seventh-day Adventist church believes God has given this denomination a reposibility of proclaiming certain points which bring us closer to Jesus Christ.

We find honest Christians who love Jesus Christ in most denominations. We invite those brothers and sisters in faith to join us in a closer walk with Christ in particular on the only day he has blessed and sanctified. You should experience this encounter with God.

And as Adventist we do havee a special message to the world that this Jesus is fulfilling His promise by coming again. The Bible teaches us that as the Day approaches there will on the one hand be a great revival and on the other a great confusion, a Babylon.

Through the mist ecchoes this clarion call "Come out of Baylon, my people!"That is a call for a closer union with Jesus Christ going out to all people. We want you, James Peterson, to accept that call as well.

Actually Johann, I wasn't talking about policies of the church. I was talking about how MM uses the 28+/- hammers as some organizations use unwritten policies. Guess those of the church included. But policies are not the 28+/-.

The FB are not hammers - they are eternal truths. Jesus raised up the SDA Church to practice and proclaim them. Yes, there are sincere believers in other churches who will be saved. However, that is not the same as saying Jesus raised them up to proclaim the 3AM, to prepare the world to accept or reject the truth as it is in Jesus. They will leave their churches and join the SDA Church when the call to come out of Babylon is sounded. They will gladly embrace the FB.

You raise two points:

1. SDA believe they are "in a closer walk with Christ in particular on the only day he has blessed and sanctified". As you must know, there are many other denominations that worship God on Saturdays too. But that doesn't amount to anything before Him because salvation is not by works of the law but by grace through faith (Rom. 3). We are ALL continuing sinners without exception, remember?

2. SDA believe that they will give the "clarion call, 'Come out of Babylon (a great confusion), my people!'" just before the Second Advent; but such a belief is based on an SDA misunderstanding of Rev. 18. The narrative does NOT have the world divided into two camps, but three:

1. Babylon (v.2),
2. kings of the earth, representing the secular world (v.9), and
3. holy apostles and prophets, representing believers in Christ (v.20)

Everyone is urged to leave Babylon just like Lot was urged to leave Sodom. The prophecy is NOT about the end of the world, just about the fall of a city alone (v.15). If SDA misunderstand this very simple prophecy and misapply it, then are they not false prophets, the blind leading the blind? From where then comes this audacity to say to others, "God has given this denomination a responsibility of proclaiming certain points", seeking to "discipline members for disagreeing on [SDA] 28 FB"? Have you become as the Roman Catholics who hated and murdered their brothers for the sake of a doctrine of a trinity?

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No - there are only 2 groups
1 - Babylon is the secular/pagan world
2 - True believers

The secular world runs on Babylonian principles. Babylonianism is paganism. Who are the true believers? Those that keep the commandments and have the testimony of Jesus.

Note: many in the SDA church misrepresent who God really is and what He is like, that is sad.

And the Biblical basis for your interpretation is? Where did you get that from?

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From the study of the Bible, particularly Daniel and the study of near eastern religions.

You say the kings of the earth are the secular world. Perhaps you can tell us where kings come from, you seem to know.

Johann said SDA believe (1) SDA are the ones depicted by "the other voice from heaven" in Rev. 18:4, and (2) the world will be divided into two camps over SDA 28FB, at least one of them. But Rev. 18 suggests something entirely different. It neither has the world divided into two camps, but three; nor is it about the end of the world at all. From the text itself:

1. Babylon (v.2),
2. kings of the earth, representing the secular world (v.9),
3. holy apostles and prophets, representing believers in Christ (v.20), and of note ...
4. everyone is urged to leave Babylon just like Lot was urged to leave Sodom. The prophecy is NOT about the end of the world, just about the fall of ONE city (v.15).

You asked about the kings. Well we know they represent the secular world in the prophecy because they do not associate with those who rejoice, i.e. "the holy apostles and prophets (of the believers in Christ)", but weep at the loss of their worldly gain. Read verse 15. Those are the two camps: those who rejoice, those who weep. And then they are those who are deluded and remain in Babylon to fight -- the third group. Again, I repeat, the prophecy is NOT about the Second Advent, just about the fall of ONE city. It's an echo of Mat. 23 and 24.

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I asked where do kings some from? How did they originally come into being. This comes from an understanding of near eastern religions. Israel wanted a king. What that so they could be just secular, was religion gone? No. There are only 2 groups. But your are welcome to hold to your belief.