Good Response from Africa
I re-posted the “central pillar” article on our Facebook pages. We’ve gotten some good feedback from Africa so far!
Wishing you and your dear family a wonderful Thanksgiving.
—PAUL CARDEN, THE CENTERS FOR APOLOGETICS RESEARCH
Most Deceptive Religion
Wow, this is a big step to be invited to Cultish! I’ve been wondering why they have never covered Adventism.
Thank you for your ministry. I have listened to almost every podcast episode you have posted. I am not a Former Adventist, but Adventists did confuse me when I first heard of them on YouTube about three years ago. I must say I have studied them very carefully, and they are probably the most deceptive religion I have ever heard of because of the fact that they claim to be sola scriptura.
—VIA EMAIL
Response: We agree with your assessment of Adventism. They have posed as evangelical Christians and have done a thorough job of hiding their true worldview and the skew with which they understand Scripture. Their foundational dependence upon Ellen White makes them who they are—but even Adventists themselves do not realize that their “sola scriptura” claim is false. They depend upon proof-texting and have no real understanding of contextual Bible study.
Yes, we are thankful for the Cultish coverage of Adventism and pray that the Lord will use it to reveal the truth to many people.
Question About Michael the Archangel
Kaspars, regarding your article “How the Little Book of Jude Refutes Adventism”, how would you answer someone who quotes Zechariah 3:2 to say that Michael could be Jesus:
“The LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?’”
—VIA PROCLAMATION! BLOG
Response: Thanks for your question. There is actually an apocryphal work called the Testament of Moses that some scholars think is being quoted or alluded to by Jude here (that does not mean that Jude regarded this work as inspired, any more than Paul regarded the Greek poets he quoted as inspired!). In any event, it does seem that Jude 9 must relate somehow to Zechariah 3:2.
Zechariah 3:2, in my view, describes the pre-incarnate Christ acting on behalf of him who sent him (i.e., the LORD = the Father). It is very akin to the remark in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19): “Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven.” This is a very confusing verse if we do not hold together the oneness of God along with the eternal procession of the Son from the Father. John 1:18 is another important and amazing clue: Jesus is described as being the “only-begotten God” in some manuscripts. That is why the ancient Nicene Creed states that Christ is “God from God” and “light from light.”
Michael is never described in this way. Although he uses the same phrase as in Zechariah 3:2, I would say that this points to the only connection between Michael and the angel of the LORD = both are sent from God. Sometimes in the gospels, Jesus appears to make claims about the Father being greater than him, or the ultimate authority. In such cases I would say that Christ is speaking from his human nature, even though in his divine nature there is no trinitarian hierarchy, only an eternal begottenness between Father and Son.
—KASPARS OZOLINS
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