DOCTRINES That DIVIDE

And will ye pollute Me among Ny people 

for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread,.... 

by your lying to My people that hear your lies?

Ezekiel 13:19

 THE GODHEAD

Trinitarian View: 

Catholic View-- That the Son and Holy Spirit proceed from the Father and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son from Eternity.

Orthodox View-- That the Son and Holy Spirit proceed from the Father from Eternity.

Triune Godhead View-- 3 distinct beings who work together as one in purpose from Eternity.

Binitarian View:

Binitarian--That only the Father and Son comprise the Godhead from Eternity. The Holy Spirit is the Father's presence in the world not a being.

Arian-- That the Son is not Eternal but rather the first of God's Creation but has always been Divine since His creation---The Father created a co-God in other words.

Semi-Arian-- Same as Arian except the Son wasn't granted Divinity until He was resurrected --sort of a reward for coming to earth and dying on the cross to represent the Father.

Socinianism-- That the Son did not exist until implanted in Mary.

Unitarian View:

Modalism-- That the 3 types of names for God (Father, Son, Spirit) are all one God but just different roles He plays as you approach Him in prayer. 

Also some believe the 3 types of names represent how God related to the world in history. As the Father from creation to the first advent. As the Son from the first advent to the cross. as the Holy Spirit filling the world post-cross.

POLITY

Episcopal-- Bishops run the Church.

Presbyterian-- Elders are elected to govern the Church boards.

Congregational-- Congregations run themselves by vote.

Conexionalism-- Boards of Church authority consist of clergy and laity.

Conference-- Leadership is elected by delegates elected.

Non Denominational Denomination-- No leadership above the congregation level---but they are united in either holding joint Camp Meetings, pitch in to support a Publishing House or a University.

SOTERIOLOGY

Sacramental-- The Sacraments have salvic benefits such as Mass, Last Rites, Penance.

Calvinism-- Traditional Predestination is that you were either predestined to be saved or lost--you don't have a choice. When you join a Protestant Church it is a sign you were predestined to be saved. (Liberal Calvinists include Catholics today on the list). Arminian Calvinism allows limited Free Will in that if you were predestined to be lost, but join a Church God in His mercy will make an exception for you. Hyper-Calvinism says that doing Missionary work is an indult to God and that He will lead His elect by His Grace one can't resist.

Eternal Security-- Known as Once Saved Always Saved says once your saved you can be lost. Billy Graham taught a watered down version called Preservation of the Saints (a term borrowed from TULIP of Calvinism) which was Grahams teaching that you can be lost--only if you leave Christianity. Spirit Baptism is the idea that you are saved once you speak in tongues and can't be lost after that (which is what Oneness Pentecostalism is accused of teaching).

Free Will-- Lutheran Free Will says all can be saved but doesn't know if one can be lost afterwards. Arminian Free Will answers the question and says yes you can be lost still.

Universalism-- Everyone will be saved.

Pluralism-- Many paths lead to God. In other words the Christian God will honor your faithfulness to a non-Christian religion and if you are a good person you can be saved.

ESCHATOLOGY

POST-MILLENNIALISM: The Second Advent is "Post", after the Millennium.

1) Amillennial-- The Millennium is symbolic for a long period of time from the Cross to the 2nd Advent.

2) Post-Millennial-- The 1,000 year Millennium is on earth with peace and love before the 2nd advent and at some point Christ comes down and reigns on earth in Jerusalem for a while. Then He leaves and a rebellion breaks out triggering the 2nd advent. The starting point for traditional Post Millennialists is when the last person on earth converts. For Dominionism it is when the government leaders convert and set up a religious world government preparing for Christ's rule in Jerusalem. Some Oneness Pentecostals believe it begins when the last person speaks in tongues on earth.

-*-Both Amillennial and Post-Millennial separate the Little Horn of Daniel and the Beast of Revelation. They make the Little Horn to be some obscure Greek King Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Beast into Roman Emperor Nero.

PRE-MILLENNIALISM: The Second Advent is "Pre", before the Millennium.

1) DISPENSATIONALISM: A "Secret Rapture" kicks off a 7 year tribulation. Those Left Behind split into two groups. One turns to God and the others follow the antichrist. 144,000 Jews convert to Christianity and restart the Old Testament sacrifices in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. At the 3 and a half year mark the antichrist destroys the temple and slaughters the Jews. The 2nd advent takes place during the physical battle at Arrnageddon in Israel as Christ intervenes. 

Most are Pre-trib meaning the rapture is at the beginning of the 7 year tribulation. A few are Mid-trib believing the rapture is on the eve of the attack on Jerusalem. And a few are Post-trib meaning the rapture is at the 2nd Advent.

Many tend to consider the Mark of the Beast to be an implanted chip, or a card, or a stamp placed on you.

2) HISTORIC PRE-MILLENNIAL: The prophecies unfold over time culminating in the 2nd Advent.

-*-Dispensationalists separate the Little Horn of Daniel from the Beast of Revelation. They make the Little Horn some obscure Greek King of the past Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Beast of Revelation is put into the future as the antichrist of some yet unknown world leader.

Some Historic Pre-Millennials view the Little Horn of Daniel and the  Beast of Revelation as one and the same entity as the reformers did--Papal Rome. Others have their own views such as the Little Horn being Papal Rome and the Beast the U.N., etc.

MINOR VIEWS:

IDEALIZED VIEW: That prophecies are just a spiritual symbol for the battle between good and evil in your heart.

REALIZED VIEW: That all the prophecies were fulfilled by 70 A.D. with the destruction of Jerusalem. There are no future prophecies.

CONSITENT VIEW: That Christ was wrong about the nearness of His coming so who are we to think we can figure out prophecy?

The SABBATH

"Christian" View: That the Solemnity of the 7th Day Sabbath was transferred to the 1st Day of the week by His resurrection.

Lutheran View: Pick any day of the week as long as you keep one Holy.

Idealist View: There is no literal Sabbath Day. It is just a spiritual metaphor for resting in His Grace.

Sabbatarian View: The  Solemnity of the 7th Day Sabbath has never been Changed by God.

LORD"S SUPPER (COMMUNION / MASS)

Catholic View: Transubstantiation, that the substance of the bread and drink literally transforms into Christ's flesh and blood as it enters one's lips.

Lutheran View: Cosubstantiation, that the bread and drink is literally Christ's flesh and blood before entering one's lips but not after.

Calvinisitic View: That the bread and drink is filled spiritually with the Holy Spirit.

Zwinglian View: The bread and drink are just symbols for a memorial service.

CREATION

Young Earth Creationist: God spoke the world into existence a little over 6,000 years ago fully functioning with plants, animals and humans. 

Old Earth Creationists: That God created the earth but over millions of years in gradual steps.

Theistic Evolution: Life evolved over billions of years via Darwiniam mechanisms but God guided it.

Pre-Adamite: That man evolved from primates and didn't have a "soul" until the first human evolved and God placed the soul in one named Adam.

STATE OF THE DEAD

Immortality of the Soul: That the soul lives on after death, in heaven or hell.

Soul Sleep: That the Breath of Life returns to God at death and the soul ceases to exist until the resurrection.

Reincarnation: The "soul" keeps coming back.

"HELL"

Eternal Torment: That souls rot in a fiery "hell" for eternity.

Annihilationism: That "hell" is the Lake of Fire where the wicked are destroyed once and for all. They are not tormented eternally.

SCRIPTURE

Hyper-Dispensationalists: Only use the writings of Paul for Church Doctrine.

New Testament Christians: Only use the New Testament.

Red Letter Christians: Only use the words of Christ in the Bible.

Theological Liberal: Don't take much of Scripture serious or literal.

Theological Moderate: Liberal here, Conservative there.

Theological Conservative: Takes Bible serious and is filled with literal stories unless context specifically indicates otherwise.

ISRAELITISM

British Israelitism: That the lost 10 tribes of Israel are 10 German tribes, some of which settled England (like the Saxons, Angles and Jutes) and that is why God has blessed Germany, Britain and the U.S.A. economically.

Black Hebrewism: That blacks from Africa are the lost 10 tribes of Israel and blacks are God's special people today. 

Mormon Theology: That the lost 10 tribes of Israel are the American Indians.

BAPTISM

Pedobaptism-- Infant Baptism

Credobaptism-- Age of consent Baptism only.

Sprinkling-- Baptism by sprinkling,

Immersion-- Baptism by Immersion.

"TONGUES"

Glossolalia-- Gibberish Tongues.

Xenolalia-- Foreign Languages as poured out at Pentecost.

"Those who are unwilling to accept the plain, 

cutting truths of the Bible are continually seeking 

for pleasing fables that will quiet the conscience. 

The less spiritual, self-denying, and humiliating the doctrines presented, the greater the favor with which they are received. 

These persons degrade the intellectual powers to serve their carnal desires. Too wise in their own conceit to search the Scriptures with contrition of soul and earnest prayer for divine guidance, they have no shield from delusion. Satan is ready to supply the heart's desire, and he palms off his deceptions in the place of truth." 

E.G.W.

SIDE NOTE: Who Made Sunday Holy?

And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: Daniel 7:25

Question - Which is the Sabbath day?

Answer - Saturday is the Sabbath day.
Question - Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
Answer - We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 364), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday. 

Peter Geiermann, C.S.S.R., The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, p. 50, 3rd edition, 1957

O foolish Galatians,

who hath bewitched you,

that ye should not obey the truth, ...?

Galatians 3:1

SIDE NOTE: DEATH 

"That the grave, whither we all tend, expressed by the Hebrew word “sheol” and the Greek word “hades,” is a place, or condition, in which there is no work, device, wisdom, nor knowledge, Ecclesiastes  9:10,23.
*That the state to which we are reduced by death is

--one of silence,

--inactivity,

--and entire unconsciousness. 

Ps. 146:4; Eccl. 9:5, 6; Dan. 12:2,24.

That out of this prison-house of the grave, mankind are to be brought by a bodily resurrection,
-----the righteous having part in the first resurrection, which takes place at the second coming of Christ;
-----the wicked in the second resurrection, which takes place in a thousand years thereafter. Revelation 20:4, 6:25.

Because when Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Romans 5:12, Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin. And so people die, animals die, leaves die, you name it. 

Birds die, fish die, death cursed the entire creation.

Anything cursed by sin cannot continue forever.
That's why God will one day destroy this earth, destroy the galaxy connected to this earth.
That is why it is wrong to teach people will burn in hell forever.
--Because if you're burning in hell forever, you're still alive.
And the Bible teaches in the beginning that it is not God's will that anything tainted by sin shall live forever.
*That's why God has to make a new heaven and a new earth. But He

also has to make new people because in our condition that cannot last forever.
The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Notice the contrast.
*The Bible does not say the wages of sin is eternal life and torment.
*It simply says the wages of sin is death.
Throughout scripture, the fate of the wicked is described using words such as perish, destroy, consume, devour, burn up, and become ashes.
Jesus Himself said in Matthew 10:28, Fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Notice that Christ uses the word destroy.

Malachi 4 declares that the coming day shall burn the wicked like stubble, leaving them neither root nor branch, and that they shall become ashes under the feet of the righteous.
Q: "What about the verses that speak of everlasting fire or eternal punishment?"
A: The word eternal or everlasting used in those passages does not mean the fire will burn forever. It means it will not go off until
it consumes everything it's meant to consume and the result will be eternal.
Let me give you an example. The Bible says in Jude 1:7 that Sodom and Gomorrah suffered the vengeance of eternal fire.

Yet those cities are not still burning today.

--The fire was eternal in its result because the destruction was permanent.
--Likewise, the punishment of the wicked has eternal consequences because there will never be another resurrection after the second death.
The second death is the final extinction of life.
That is to say, the end-result of the second death is saying goodbye to life forever, sleeping a perpetual sleep from which there will be no resurrection.
Randy Skeete/Stephen Bohr/Uriah Smith

SIDE NOTE: 3 Angel's Messages Simplified

[of Revelation 14]

1st Angel's Message:

Called to the True WORSHIP of God

2nd Angel's Message:

Called away from the False WORSHIP of God

3rd Angel's Message:

The showdown over the 2 forms of WORSHIP of God

--As innocent Abel fell before Cain (who received a mark) so too will spiritual Abel (via martyrdom) fall before spiritual Cain (with the mark of the beast) in the end......over WORSHIP of God...

Not as Cain,

who was of that wicked one,

and slew his brother.

And wherefore slew he him?

Because his own 

works were evil,

and his brother's righteous.

1 John 3:12

* It exposes the work of the beast, 

* shows the nature of its opposition to the law of God, 

* warns the people against compliance with its demands, 

* and points the way of truth to all.

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the

everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth…saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 

Revelation 14:6-7

SIDE NOTE: What is the first Sign of the End Christ mentions?

"....they asked Jesus that they said Lord before you leave tell us what should we look for as the sign of Your coming and the sign that the world is going to end. (Matthew 24:3)

Q: What answer you think Jesus gave them? There shall be wars and

rumors of war. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
A: The the very first thing that came out of Jesus's mouth when they asked Him, "What is the sign we must look for that the world is going to end and that you will be coming?"
Here's the first thing. Jesus answered and said unto them, take heed that no man deceive you. (Matthew 24:3)

So deception in the last day is 

the first sign that the Lord is coming.

Many will come in My name....(Matthew 24:5)
Q: So, where the scamming going to take place?
A: In church.
Q: Where the deception going to take place?
A: In church.
Social media is exploding with preachers that they put on there are false preachers.
Matthew 24:24, Jesus continued talking to the disciples on the mountain, saying, "For false Christ and false prophets will rise and they will show signs and what? shall deceive the very elect."
----That's how dangerous they will be.

Your Bible is loaded with the warning.

*Paul warns his church at Ephesus. Let no man deceive you with

what? Empty words. Let no man deceive you. That's at the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 5:6.
*And if you miss that, here comes 1 John 3:7. Little children, let no one deceive you. 

*And if you miss that, here's another one. 

1 Timothy 4:1. Now the spirit expressly says that in latter times, some will depart from the truth, giving heed to what? Deceiving spirit and doctrines of in the last days. 
*And yet still some people are still deceived.
Q: So, who is behind this deception?
A: It all began in heaven. Michael and His angels fought the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought. 

So you see the two armies here now.
Q: And have you noticed that Satan has angels?
Q: Where get them from?
Q: Does he make angels?
Q: So where did he get them from?
A: Deception. Satan is so good with deception that he deceived angels in heaven.
And when he lost the battle up there, there was no place found for them in heaven any longer.
Q: What does that mean?
A: God kicked them out.
You can't come fight God in heaven and expect to stay. 

God deported him."

Shion O'Connor

SIDE NOTE: The Sanctuary Doctrine

"The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. 

***By His death He began that work which 

after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven.***

Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: 

We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

Neither by the blood of goats and calves,

 but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Hebrews 8:1,2/9:12

The sanctuary in heaven, in which Jesus ministers in our behalf, is the great original, of which the sanctuary built by Moses was a copy. At the termination of the 2300 days, (years) in 1844, there had been no sanctuary on earth for many centuries. Thus the prophecy, "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed," (Daniel 8:14) unquestionably points to the sanctuary in heaven.

As anciently the sins of the people
--were by faith placed upon the sin-offering and through its blood

transferred, in figure to the earthly sanctuary;
--so in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ, and transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary.
And as
--the typical cleansing of the earthly was accomplished by the
removal of the sins by which it had been polluted,
--so the actual cleansing of the heavenly is to be accomplished by the removal, on blotting out, of the sins that are there recorded.

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Hebrews 9:27/Ecclesiastes 12:14.

He who becomes a partaker of the divine nature (1) will be in harmony with God's great standard of righteousness, His holy law. (2) This is the rule by which God measures the actions of men. (3) This will be the test of character in the judgment."

E.G.W.

SIDE NOTE: Purpose of the SDA Church

"Adventists have been chosen by God as a peculiar people separate from the world. By the great cleaver of truth, He has cut them out

from the quarry of the world and brought them into connection with Himself. 

He has made them His representatives and called them to be ambassadors for Him in the last work of salvation. 

The greatest wealth of truth ever entrusted to mortals. The most solemn and fearful warnings ever sent by God to man have been committed to them to be given to the world....the most solemn and fearful warnings.

That's been us this time.

When you hear in Genesis 1, and God divided the light from the darkness, you can almost hear the spiritual principle in
2 Corinthians 6:14. Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And or what communion hath righteousness with unrighteousness? Or what fellowship hath light with darkness?
There should be no interaction.

When light and darkness mix,

they both become darkness."

Randy Skeete