The SDA proposition that the Law of Moses as represented by the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) is still binding and in force upon those professing faith in Jesus and is a necessary requisite for salvation is not new to our era.  The Church in the first century was faced with exactly the same proposition!  Historically, the very first converts to Christianity were all Jewish; the very first church as recorded in the book of Acts consisted purely of Jewish believers who had come to faith in the Messiah Yeshua.  However in accordance with the plan of God and the Old Testament prophecies, the door of salvation was opened to the Gentile nations.  When Gentiles began being converted in vast numbers and began coming into the Church, there were those Jews, the Judaizers, zealous for the Law of Moses who sought to place them under the law as a requisite for salvation. 

Are Seventh-day Adventists the modern day Judaizers?  Does salvation come by grace through faith or by the keeping of the law?  Can a professing Christian hold to both and be saved?  We explore these questions and more in this teaching!

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SDA‘s readily identify themselves as the remnant church who have been called out to keep the commandments of God.  By commandments, they mean the Decalogue or the Ten Commandments.  One cannot overemphasise the place that the SDA church places upon the Ten Commandments.  They are at the very heart and centre of the organisation!!  It has well been said that SDA’s are New Testament believers in profession but Old Testament in practise.  

In this teaching we begin to explore and answer the question, 'as New Testament believers are we required to keep the Ten Commandments?'    

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Ellen G. White had over 2000 visions during her lifetime and the content of those visions resulted in over 100,000 pages of writings which the SDA’s today consider to be inspired by the Holy Spirit and “…a continuing and authoritative source of truth…” (Fundamental Beliefs, Point 18).  Ellen White herself claimed that her visions and writings were not merely expressions of her own ideas, but rather had their source as coming from God.

In this teaching, we examine under a spotlight, the prophecies of Mrs White to see if she passes the test of a true Biblical prophet.  We will also examine the claim that Mrs White plagiarised a great amount of her written material that she claimed to have received directly from God!  

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/bethesdashalom/3c_Seventh-day_Adventists_Pt3.pdf

This teaching explores the history and begins of the Seventh-day Adventists.  The nineteenth century saw a literal explosion in the number of cults and religious groups springing up in the United States.  Out of this spawning ground came the Seventh-day Adventists.  In the 1830’s, a Baptist minister from New York by the name of William Miller began publicly sharing his new found belief, that Jesus Christ was going to return October 22, 1844.  When October 22 1844 came and passed without the Lord’s coming, William Miller’s followers were left absolutely devastated, their hopes dashed into pieces!!  It was against this backdrop that Ellen G. White emerged as a prophetess of a movement known as the Seventh-day Adventists.  

In this teaching we explore the nature and the substance of Mrs Whites visions and ask the question, are such visions compatible with a true Biblical experience.      

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The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) was officially established in 1863 in the U.S.A.  In 1961 they had a worldwide membership of about a million.  Today they have over 70, 000 churches globally with a worldwide church membership of more than 17.2 million people, spanning some 200 plus countries worldwide.  In the UK, they have a membership of approximately 34,000.  The SDA are one of the fastest growing organisations in the world with approximately 1 million new members joining each year, largely from the developing nations.  

This teaching takes a look at their core doctrines and beliefs and seeks to give a brief rebuttal to these teachings which separates Adventists from mainstream Christianity and brings them into the category of a cult.

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In this concluding part, we answer the question 'where will man spend eternity'.  According to Watch Tower doctrine, those who belong to God will spend eternity on paradise earth.   What does the Bible say?  We also examine the doctrine of salvation and ask the question 'how is a man saved?'  Is it by works or by grace?  What role does faith play?  Is faith works?

We conclude by looking at some of the 'changes' in Watch Tower teaching over the last century and even into this one.

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Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the eternal nature of man, i.e. the continued existence of the soul of man after death and instead believe that upon death man ceases consciously to exist until such time as he is resurrected.  This doctrine is known as the doctrine of Soul Sleep.  We tackle and expose this doctrine head on in this teaching, proving from Scripture that man is more than simply a material being empowered by God's life force but that he actually is a living eternal being.  We also consider what the Watch Tower teaches regarding the doctrine of hell and eternal punishment.

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/bethesdashalom/2d_Jehovahs_Witnesses_Pt4.pdf

This teaching follows on from part 2 in continuing to look at the heresies taught by the Watch Tower concerning the person and deity of Jesus Christ.  In what sense was Jesus worshiped?  Was His resurrection bodily or spiritual?  

We also explore in this teaching what Jehovah's Witnesses teach and believe about the Holy Spirit.  Is the Holy Spirit a person or simply God's active force?  

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/bethesdashalom/2c_Jehovahs_Witnesses_Pt3.pdf

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that there are two classes of people within its organisation.  There are those belonging to an earthly class known as the “Great Crowd” and make up 99.9% of all practising Jehovah’s Witnesses on the earth today.  Then there are those belonging to the heavenly class who are known as the “anointed class”.  The anointed class or the “little flock” consists of 144,000

In this teaching we begin to look Biblically at some of the heresies of the Watch Tower, including the doctrine of the 144,000, the doctrine of God and the Trinity and the deity and person of Jesus Christ.

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As of 2012, there are approximately 7.5 million members of Jehovah’s visible organization – aka Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide, spanning over 235 countries which were more than was represented at the London Olympic Games in which 205 countries were represented by their respective athletes.  In the UK, there is a reported 130,000 practising members.  Their infamous Watchtower magazine is the most widely circulated magazine in the world, with an average monthly print run of nearly 45,000,000 copies each month.  It is made available in 209 different languages including sign and brail.  Last year Jehovah’s Witnesses conducted a staggering 8.5 million Bible studies worldwide resulting in a quarter of a million new members being baptized worldwide.  

In this teaching we give an overview of some of the key beliefs and practices of this organisation along with a sketch of its history and beginnings.

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/bethesdashalom/2a_Jehovahs_Witnesses__Pt1.pdf