Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Dream 2/7/2020

I had been afraid to publish this, however I cannot keep silent.  So long as we accept any compromise of our faith we leave the door open for Satan to control us. "A lack of moral courage to step aside from the beaten track of the world leads many to follow in the steps of learned men; and by their reluctance to investigate for themselves, they are becoming hopelessly fastened in the chains of error." "Ignorance is no excuse for error or sin, when there is every opportunity to know the will of God."  "We must come with a humble and teachable spirit to obtain knowledge from the great I AM. Otherwise, evil angels will so blind our minds and harden our hearts that we shall not be impressed by the truth." "Our own future well-being and also the salvation of other souls depend upon the course which we now pursue. We need to be guided by the Spirit of truth. Every follower of Christ should earnestly inquire: “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” We need to humble ourselves before the Lord, with fasting and prayer, and to meditate much upon His word, especially upon the scenes of the judgment." http://www.thegreatcontroversyonline.com/GC37TheScripturesaSafeguard/index.html "In every generation God has sent His servants to rebuke sin, both in the world and in the church. But the people desire smooth things spoken to them, and the pure, unvarnished truth is not acceptable. Many reformers, in entering upon their work, determined to exercise great prudence in attacking the sins of the church and the nation. They hoped, by the example of a pure Christian life, to lead the people back to the doctrines of the Bible. But the Spirit of God came upon them as it came upon Elijah, moving him to rebuke the sins of a wicked king and an apostate people; they could not refrain from preaching the plain utterances of the Bible— doctrines which they had been reluctant to present. They were impelled to zealously declare the truth and the danger which threatened souls. The words which the Lord gave them they uttered, fearless of consequences, and the people were compelled to hear the warning." "The clergy will put forth almost superhuman efforts to shut away the light lest it should shine upon their flocks. By every means at their command they will endeavor to suppress the discussion of these vital questions." "Conscientious obedience to the word of God will be treated as rebellion." "As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition." "They cannot remain silent, except at the peril of their souls. Christ’s ambassadors have nothing to do with consequences. They must perform their duty and leave results with God." "Now the rays of light penetrate everywhere, the truth is seen in its clearness, and the honest children of God sever the bands which have held them. Family connections, church relations, are powerless to stay them now. Truth is more precious than all besides. Notwithstanding the agencies combined against the truth, a large number take their stand upon the Lord’s side."
 http://www.earthslastwarning.com/  This morning (2/7/2020) I awoke from a dream.  There was a small group of people trying to hide out in a cave.  In this cave there was a wooden door.  The leader of our group with his back to the door accidentally? opened this door with his foot and 3 apelike creatures came out of it, walking on their hind legs.  I tried to warn him, but  he shushed me and immediately those 3 took the form of 3 of our members and started talking like them.  The 3 members whose form had been taken slumped to the ground as if dead.  As I watched all of this I tried to warn them again, but one of the beasts started towards me as if to silence me for good and then I awoke.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Sabbath from the Catechism view



Caffeine

Cocoa beans are removed from their shells, fermented, dried, and liquefied as part of the chocolate-making process. Chocolate contains a small amount of caffeine, as well as other substances that may help elevate mood or energy in some people.
Commercially prepared chocolate products also contain added ingredients, such as sugar, vanilla, and lecithin.
The darker the chocolate, the higher the caffeine content
When cocoa beans are liquefied, the resulting liquid contains cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Both are used to make chocolate, although the amounts differ based upon the type of chocolate. Caffeine is found in cocoa solids, but not in cocoa butter.
You can usually determine the amount of caffeine in chocolate by how dark it is. The darker the chocolate, the more cocoa solids it contains. This increases the amount of caffeine it has per ounce. Since white chocolate contains only cocoa butter and no cocoa solids, it has zero caffeine.
 Dark chocolate contains 12 milligrams of caffeine per ounce.
Milk chocolate contains 9 milligrams of caffeine per 1.55 ounces.
White chocolate contains zero caffeine.
https://www.healthline.com/health/does-chocolate-have-caffeine#2

Effects of All Caffeine Drinks—The action of coffee and many other popular drinks is similar. The first effect is exhilarating. The nerves of the stomach are excited; these convey irritation to the brain, and this in turn is aroused to impart increased action to the heart, and short-lived energy to the entire system. Fatigue is forgotten; the strength seems to be increased. The intellect is aroused, the imagination becomes more vivid.—The Ministry of Healing, 326.

By this continual course of indulgence of appetite the natural vigor of the constitution becomes gradually and imperceptibly impaired. If we would preserve a healthy action of all the powers of the system, nature must not be forced to unnatural action. Nature will stand at her post of duty, and do her work wisely and efficiently, if the false props that have been brought in to take the place of nature are expelled.—The Review and Herald, April 19, 1887.

Cause of Time Lost on Account of Sickness—Many who have accustomed themselves to the use of stimulating drinks, suffer from headache and nervous prostration, and lose much time on account of sickness. They imagine they cannot live without the stimulus, and are ignorant of its effects upon health. What makes it the more dangerous is, that its evil effects are so often attributed to other causes.—Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 35.

Habit-Forming Beverages—Tea and coffee are neither wholesome nor necessary. They are of no use as far as the health of the body is concerned. But practice in the use of these things becomes habit.—Manuscript 86, 1897.

An Unnatural Craving Produced—The continued use of these nerve irritants is followed by headache, wakefulness, palpitation of the heart, indigestion, trembling, and many other evils; for they wear away the life forces. Tired nerves need rest and quiet instead of stimulation and overwork. Nature needs time to recuperate her exhausted energies. When her forces are goaded on by the use of stimulants, more will be accomplished for a time; but as the system becomes debilitated by their constant use, it gradually becomes more difficult to rouse the energies to the desired point. The demand for stimulants becomes more difficult to control, until the will is overborne, and there seems to be no power to deny the unnatural craving. Stronger and still stronger stimulants are called for, until exhausted nature can no longer respond.—The Ministry of Healing, 326, 327.

Preparing the System for Disease—It is these hurtful stimulants that are surely undermining the constitution and preparing the system for acute diseases, by impairing Nature's fine machinery and battering down her fortifications erected against disease and premature decay.—Testimonies for the Church 1:548, 549.

The Whole System Suffers—Through the use of stimulants, the whole system suffers. The nerves are unbalanced, the liver is morbid in its action, the quality and circulation of the blood are affected, and the skin becomes inactive and sallow. The mind, too, is injured. The immediate influence of these stimulants is to excite the brain to undue activity, only to leave it weaker and less capable of exertion. The aftereffect is prostration, not only mental and physical, but moral. As a result we see nervous men and women, of unsound judgment and unbalanced mind. They often manifest a hasty, impatient, accusing spirit, viewing the faults of others as through a magnifying glass, and utterly unable to discern their own defects.—Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 35, 36.

The Tongue Is Loosened—When these tea and coffee users meet together for social entertainment, the effects of their pernicious habit are manifest. All partake freely of the favorite beverages, and as the stimulating influence is felt, their tongues are loosened, and they begin the wicked work of talking against others. Their words are not few or well chosen. The tidbits of gossip are passed around, too often the poison of scandal as well. These thoughtless gossipers forget that they have a witness. An unseen Watcher is writing their words in the books of heaven. All these unkind criticisms, these exaggerated reports, these envious feelings, expressed under the excitement of the cup of tea, Jesus registers as against Himself. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.”—Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 36.

An Economic Waste—The money expended for tea and coffee is worse than wasted. They do the user only harm, and that continually.—Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 35.

Destructive Narcotics—All should bear a clear testimony against tea and coffee, never using them. They are narcotics, injurious alike to the brain and to the other organs of the body.—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 430.

Destroys Temple of God—The drunkard sells his reason for a cup of poison. Satan takes control of his reason, affections, conscience. Such a man is destroying the temple of God. Tea drinking helps to do this same work. Yet how many there are who place these destroying agencies on their tables, thereby quenching the divine attributes.—Manuscript 130, 1899.

Use Inimical to Spiritual Life—Tea and coffee drinking is a sin, an injurious indulgence, which, like other evils, injures the soul. These darling idols create an excitement, a morbid action of the nervous system.—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 425.

Those who indulge a perverted appetite, do it to the injury of health and intellect. They cannot appreciate the value of spiritual things. Their sensibilities are blunted, and sin does not appear very sinful, and truth is not regarded of greater value than earthly treasure.—Spiritual Gifts 4a:129.

Less Susceptible to Holy Spirit's Influence—To a user of stimulants, everything seems insipid without the darling indulgence. This deadens the natural sensibilities of both body and mind, and renders him less susceptible to the influence of the Holy Spirit. In the absence of the usual stimulant, he has a hungering of body and soul, not for righteousness, not for holiness, not for God's presence, but for his cherished idol. In the indulgence of hurtful lusts, professed Christians are daily enfeebling their powers, making it impossible to glorify God.—The Sanctified Life, 25.

Fosters Desire for Stronger Stimulants—By the use of tea and coffee an appetite is formed for tobacco, and this encourages the appetite for liquors.—Testimonies for the Church 3:563.

Some Have Backslidden—Some have backslidden and tampered with tea and coffee. Those who break the laws of health will become blinded in their minds and break the law of God.—The Review and Herald, October 21, 1884.

God's People Must Overcome—Those who have received instruction regarding the evils of the use of flesh foods, tea and coffee, and rich and unhealthful food preparations, and who are determined to make a covenant with God by sacrifice, will not continue to indulge their appetite for food that they know to be unhealthful. God demands that the appetites be cleansed, and that self-denial be practiced in regard to those things which are not good. This is a work that will have to be done before His people can stand before Him a perfected people.—Testimonies for the Church 9:153, 154.

Determined Perseverance Will Bring Victory—Those who use these slow poisons, like the tobacco user, think they cannot live without them, because they feel so very bad when they do not have these idols.

Why they suffer when they discontinue the use of these stimulants, is because they have been breaking down nature in her work of preserving the entire system in harmony and in health. They will be troubled with dizziness, headache, numbness, nervousness, and irritability. They feel as though they should go all to pieces, and some have not courage to persevere in abstaining from them till abused nature recovers, but again resort to the use of the same hurtful things. They do not give nature time to recover the injury they have done her, but for present relief return to these hurtful indulgences. Nature is continually growing weaker, and less capable of recovering. But if they will be determined in their efforts to persevere and overcome, abused nature will soon again rally, and perform her work wisely and well without these stimulants.—Spiritual Gifts 4a:128, 129.

In some cases it is as difficult to break up this tea and coffee habit as it is for the inebriate to discontinue the use of liquor.—Counsels on Health, 442.

A Pledge Embracing Tea and Coffee—All these nerve irritants are wearing away the life forces; and the restlessness, the impatience, the mental feebleness caused by shattered nerves, become a warring element, ever working against spiritual progress. Shall Christians bring their appetite under the control of reason, or will they continue its indulgence because they feel so “let down” without it, like the drunkard without his stimulant? Shall not those who advocate temperance reform awake in regard to these injurious things also? And shall not the pledge embrace coffee and tea as hurtful stimulants?—Counsels on Health, 442.

Some Need to Take This Step—We hope to carry our brethren and sisters up to a still higher standard to sign the pledge to abstain from Java coffee and the herb that comes from China. We see that there are some who need to take this step in reform.—The Review and Herald, April 19, 1887.

Proper Course at the Tables of Others—a Word to Colporteur Evangelists—If you sit at their table, eat temperately, and only of food that will not confuse the mind. Keep yourself from all intemperance. Be yourself an object lesson, illustrating right principles. If they offer you tea to drink, tell them in simple words its injurious effect on the system.—Manuscript 23, 1890.

Following Jesus in the Path of Reform—Jesus overcame on the point of appetite, and so may we. Let us move on, then, step by step, advancing in reform until all our habits shall be in accordance with the laws of life and health. The Redeemer of the world in the wilderness of temptation fought the battle upon the point of appetite in our behalf. As our surety He overcame, thus making it possible for man to overcome in His name. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.”—The Review and Herald, April 19, 1887.
https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/110.401?hl=caffeine&ss=eyJ0b3RhbCI6MjUsInBhcmFtcyI6eyJxdWVyeSI6ImNhZmZlaW5lIiwidHlwZSI6ImJhc2ljIiwibGFuZyI6ImVuIiwibGltaXQiOjIwfSwiaW5kZXgiOjB9#415
Caffeine, a major culprit in tea and coffee, is easily available in many popular drinks (cola drinks) and over-the-counter medications. Physiological effects of caffeine are apparent in adults at doses of only 100-200 mg.—the equivalent of one to three cups of coffee. But for a child (age 1-5) one can of caffeinated soda is equal to four cups of coffee!

The Adventist Health Study found that the use of even one cup of coffee daily was associated with a 33 percent increase in the risk of fatal heart disease in men. Adventists who use two or more cups of coffee daily are reported to have a greater risk of fatal colon and bladder cancer. 

The caffeine syndrome is recognized by aggressiveness, hyperactivity, and sometimes psychotic behavior. Caffeine and the excess ingestion of xanthine alkaloids (found in coffee, tea, cocoa, and some popular beverages) affect people differently, usually observed in the abnormal stimulation of the nervous system and the inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. 
Caffeine affects spirituality. Ellen White may not have known that she was many decades ahead of scientific confirmation when she warned that “all such stimulants and narcotics as tea, coffee, tobacco, alcohol, and morphine ... exert a pernicious influence upon moral character. The earlier these hurtful habits are formed, the more firmly will they hold their victim in slavery to lust, and the more certainly will they lower the standard of spirituality.”  But this truth is reflected in current studies. Researchers, among other findings, note that as coffee drinkers grow older, their coffee consumption increases. On a spiritual plane, this increase in consumption accompanies a decrease in religious involvement. 

Faulty diet and poor scholarship. In 1884 Ellen White stated that “nine tenths of the wickedness among the children of today is caused by intemperance in eating and drinking.” Six years later she wrote that “the diet materially affects the mind and disposition.”  Today widespread evidence indicates that there is a correlation between poor diet habits and poor scholarship. Better-fed children get better grades in school. When students with poor grades and poor diets are given nutritionally enriched meals, their grades and other scholastic indicators improve. 
https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/656.2976?hl=caffeine&ss=eyJ0b3RhbCI6MjUsInBhcmFtcyI6eyJxdWVyeSI6ImNhZmZlaW5lIiwidHlwZSI6ImJhc2ljIiwibGFuZyI6ImVuIiwibGltaXQiOiIyMCJ9LCJpbmRleCI6M30%3D#3009

Monday, February 10, 2020

So confused...all of these statements are in the same book.

A Time of Spiritual Weakness and Blindness
I was confirmed in all I had stated in Minneapolis, that a reformation must go through the churches. Reforms must be made, for spiritual weakness and blindness were upon the people who had been blessed with great light and precious opportunities and privileges.
As reformers they had come out of the denominational churches, but they now act a part similar to that which the churches acted. We hoped that there would not be the necessity for another coming out.
Abuse of Power at Church Headquarters
The General Conference is itself becoming corrupted with wrong sentiments and principles....
Men have taken unfair advantage of those whom they supposed to be under their jurisdiction. They were determined to bring the individuals to their terms; they would rule or ruin....
The high-handed power that has been developed, as though position has made men gods, makes me afraid, and ought to cause fear. It is a curse wherever and by whomsoever it is exercised.—Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 359-361 (1895)
Unwise Leaders Do Not Speak for God
The voice from Battle Creek, which has been regarded as authority in counseling how the work should be done, is no longer the voice of God.—Manuscript Releases 17:185 (1896).
It has been some years since I have considered the General Conference as the voice of God.—Manuscript Releases 17:216 (1898).
That these men should stand in a sacred place, to be as the voice of God to the people, as we once believed the General Conference to be—that is past.—The General Conference Bulletin, April 3, 1901, p. 25.
I know that the Lord loves His church. It is not to be disorganized or broken up into independent atoms. There is not the least consistency in this; there is not the least evidence that such a thing will be.—Selected Messages 2:63, 68, 69 (1893).
You will take passages in the Testimonies that speak of the close of probation, of the shaking among God's people, and you will talk of a coming out from this people of a purer, holier people that will arise.
Now all this pleases the enemy.... Should many accept the views you advance, and talk and act upon them, we would see one of the greatest fanatical excitements that has ever been witnessed among Seventh-day Adventists. This is what Satan wants.—Selected Messages 1:179 (1890).
I tell you, my brethren, the Lord has an organized body through whom He will work.... When anyone is drawing apart from the organized body of God's commandment-keeping people, when he begins to weigh the church in his human scales and begins to pronounce judgment against them, then you may know that God is not leading him. He is on the wrong track.—Selected Messages 3:17, 18 (1893).
God Will Set Everything in Order
There is no need to doubt, to be fearful that the work will not succeed. God is at the head of the work, and He will set everything in order. If matters need adjusting at the head of the work God will attend to that, and work to right every wrong. Let us have faith that God is going to carry the noble ship which bears the people of God safely into port.—Selected Messages 2:390 (1892).
Although there are evils existing in the church, and will be until the end of the world, the church in these last days is to be the light of the world that is polluted and demoralized by sin.
We cannot now step off the foundation that God has established. We cannot now enter into any new organization, for this would mean apostasy from the truth.—Selected Messages 2:390 (1905).
I am instructed to say to Seventh-day Adventists the world over, God has called us as a people to be a peculiar treasure unto Himself. He has appointed that His church on earth shall stand perfectly united in the Spirit and counsel of the Lord of hosts to the end of time.—Selected Messages 2:397 (1908).
At times, when a small group of men entrusted with the general management of the work have, in the name of the General Conference, sought to carry out unwise plans to restrict God's work, I have said that I could no longer regard the voice of the General Conference, represented by these few men, as the voice of God.
But this is not saying that the decisions of a General Conference composed of an assembly of duly appointed, representative men from all parts of the field should not be respected.
God has ordained that the representatives of His church from all parts of the earth, when assembled in a General Conference, shall have authority.
The error that some are in danger of committing is in giving to the mind and judgment of one man, or of a small group of men, the full measure of authority and influence that God has invested in His church in the judgment and voice of the General Conference assembled to plan for the prosperity and advancement of His work.—Testimonies for the Church 9:260, 261 (1909).
God has invested His church with special authority and power which no one can be justified in disregarding and despising, for he who does this despises the voice of God.—The Acts of the Apostles, 164 (1911) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=carmengomez.last.days.events.  That night I dreamed that I was in Battle Creek looking out from the side glass at the door and saw a company marching up to the house, two and two. They looked stern and determined. I knew them well and turned to open the parlor door to receive them, but thought I would look again. The scene was changed. The company now presented the appearance of a Catholic procession. One bore in his hand a cross, another a reed. And as they approached, the one carrying a reed made a circle around the house, saying three times: "This house is proscribed. The goods must be confiscated. They have spoken against our holy order." Terror seized me, and I ran through the house, out of the north door, and found myself in the midst of a company, some of whom I knew, but I dared not speak a word to them for fear of being betrayed. I tried to seek a retired spot where I might weep and pray without meeting eager, inquisitive eyes wherever I turned. I repeated frequently: "If I could only understand this! If they will tell me what I have said or what I have done!"
I wept and prayed much as I saw our goods confiscated. I tried to read sympathy or pity for me in the looks of those around me, and marked the countenances of several whom I thought would speak to me and comfort me if they did not fear that they would be observed by others. I made one attempt to escape from the crowd, but seeing that I was watched, I concealed my intentions. I commenced weeping aloud, and saying: "If they would only tell me what I have done or what I have said!" My husband, who was sleeping in a bed in the same room, heard me weeping aloud and awoke me. My pillow was wet with tears, and a sad depression of spirits was upon me. 1T 577.2 - 1T 578.1

Friday, February 7, 2020

Green Sabbath??????!!!!!!!!


This is the exact thinking that will lead to a national Sunday law.   http://thegreatcontroversyonline.com/ me

Do you see that as good or bad?  Jonathan Schorsch Founder and Director
Professor, Jewish Religious and Intellectual History
Universität Potsdam

We should be allowed to rest according to our conscience not by mandate of a law.  God's Sabbath is the 7th day of the week,  or Saturday.   If you or anyone else tries to tell me that I  must rest on any other day that would go against my conscience.  Just like the 3 Hebrews in Babylon I would have to disobey the law of the land in order to obey God.-me

I am not calling for a sabbath law.  I am calling for people to consult their conscience and push themselves to really refrain from environmentally-destructive behavior one day a week, and not just "rest" in some vague sense.  I don't care which day it is.

But tell me, should we eliminate laws against murder because everyone should only avoid murder out of conscience?  Are you against licensing drivers because everyone should drive well only if her conscience tells her so?  Are you opposed to positive laws, such as mandating recycling or composting?  Opposition to law makes no sense to me.  Conscience is an ideal, but law is what keeps people (or mostly keeps people) from following their worst instincts.  Jonathan

God gave us 10 laws and we can't seem to keep them.  We don't need more laws.  Your premise will lead us to a Sunday law mark my words.  Blessings,  Lisa 

I hear you, Lisa.  According to the Israelites, however, God gave us 613 laws, at least!  I agree that no number of laws seems to have done the magic trick yet of ensuring human goodness.  Neither has conscience, alas.  We're stuck being human.

And are Sunday laws the worst thing in the world?  Worse than no bees, crazy weather, countries becoming uninhabitable due to extreme heat, etc., etc.?  Is our love of freedom, which I value passionately, the very thing that prevents us from controlling ourselves when doing so would be beneficial, healthy and life-saving?

Thanks for your blessing.  I accept.  And thanks for the conversation. Be well, JonathanGreen Sab