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What We Believe

We are a group of laypersons dedicated to the preservation and presentation of Bible truth. We believe that Christ is soon to return to the earth in all His majesty to reap His harvest. Therefore it is imperative that the world be educated in these vital truths so that each individual on earth may make an intelligent decision, whether it be for or against God. "Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" 2 Corinthians 6:2. "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." Romans 13:11.

Our foundational belief is that the Bible is the Holy Word of God, given by divine inspiration through holy men of God who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. In this Word, God has committed to man the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are the infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the authoritative revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God’s acts in history as He has worked with mankind to deal with the sin problem through the revelation of His character of love. The prophecies contained in Scripture is sure and can be understood by anyone who will diligently study them. (2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 30:5, 6; Isaiah 8:20; John 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 4:12).

We believe that there is ONE God in THREE eternal, divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is immortal, all-powerful (omnipotent), all-knowing (omniscient), above all (transcendent), and ever present (omnipresent and immanent). God is Creator of all that exists, but is separate from that which He has created. God does not exist IN His creation as pantheists and panentheists believe. He is infinite and beyond human comprehension, yet can be known through His self-revelation and the power of the Holy Spirit. He is forever worthy of worship, adoration, and service by the whole of His creation. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15-16; Revelation 14:7).

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. Through Him all things were created, the character of God is revealed to humanity, the salvation of humanity is accomplished through His eternal sacrifice and ministry, and the world is judged against His character. Forever truly God, He became also truly man, Jesus the Christ. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived and experienced temptation by assuming fallen human nature (taking upon Himself that which He was not), but He perfectly exemplified the righteousness and love of God.
      Assuming fallen human nature, and thus encumbered with faulty “equipment,” by faith in His Father’s power to deliver Him from sin, He nevertheless worked out a perfect performance in obeying all the commandments of God. He is thus our example in overcoming all sin through faith in God’s power to deliver from sin. By His miracles He manifested God’s power and was proven to be God’s promised Messiah. He suffered and died voluntarily on the cross for our sins. Taking our sins upon His sinless self He became sin for us, and died as us (one death for all mankind, corporately). Showing that sin shall not have power over us, He was raised from the dead, and ascended to minister in the heavenly sanctuary in our behalf. He will come again in glory for the final deliverance of His people and the restoration of all things (John 1:1-3, 14; Colossians 1:15-19; John 10:30; 14:9; Matthew 1:21; Romans 1:3; Romans 5:17-18; 6:23; Romans 8:1-3; 2 Corinthians 5:14-19; John 5:22; Luke 1:35; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 2:9-18; 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4; Hebrews 8:1, 2; John 14:1-3).

We believe that all humanity is now involved in a great controversy between Christ and Satan regarding the character of God, His law, and His sovereignty over the universe. This conflict originated in heaven when a created being, endowed with freedom of choice, in self-exaltation became Satan, God’s adversary, and led into rebellion a portion of the angels. Satan introduced the spirit of rebellion and sin into this world when he led Adam and Eve into sin. Thus human sin resulted in the distortion of the image of God in humanity, the disordering of the created world, and its eventual devastation at the time of the worldwide Flood.
       Observed by the whole creation, this world became the arena of the universal conflict, out of which the God of love will ultimately be vindicated. To assist His people during this controversy, Christ sends the Holy Spirit and the loyal angels to guide, protect, and sustain us in the path of salvation (Revelation 12:4-9; Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-18; Genesis chapter 3; Romans 1:19-32; 5:12-21; 8:19-22; Genesis chapters 6 to 8; 2 Peter 3:6; 1 Corinthians 4:9; Hebrews 1:14).

We believe that God always, for the last 6000 years of earth's history, has had a remnant people who believed His word and kept His Commandments. The universal church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ. But in the last days, a time of widespread apostasy and in fulfillment of prophecy, a remnant has been called out to keep the Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This remnant announces the arrival of the judgment hour, proclaims salvation through Christ, and heralds the approach of His second advent. This proclamation is symbolized by the three angels of Revelation 14; it coincides with the work of judgment in heaven and results in a work of repentance and reform on earth. Every believer is called to have a personal part in this worldwide witness (Revelation 12:17; 14:6-12; 18:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Jude 3, 14; 1 Peter 1:16-19; 2 Peter 3:10-14; Revelation 21:1-14).

We believe that God's Law represents His character and has never been changed in any manner. The great principles of God’s law of love are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of Christ. These ten eternal promises express God’s love, will, and purposes concerning human conduct and relationships, and are binding upon all people in every age. The Ten Commandments are the transcript of God’s character and the standard in God’s judgment. Through the agency of the Holy Spirit they point out sin and awaken in us a sense of our need of a Saviour from sin. Salvation is all of grace and not of works, but its fruitage is evidenced in submission to God and willing obedience to the Ten Commandments.
       Under the new covenant experience, full allegiance to God develops Christian character and results in a sense of well-being as our characters are transformed, bringing us into harmony with our Lord and Saviour. Obedience is an evidence of our love for the Lord and our concern for our fellow men. The obedience of faith demonstrates the power of Christ to transform lives, and therefore strengthens a Christian’s witness (Exodus 20:1-17; Exodus 34:5-7; Daniel 7:9-10; Psalm 40:7, 8; Matthew 22:36-40; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Matthew 5:17-20; Hebrews 8:8-10; John 14:15; John 15:7-10; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 John 2:3-5; 1 John 5:3; Romans 8:3, 4; Psalm 19:7-14).


God's fourth Commandment embodies the truth of who God is, as opposed to all false gods arising from man's imagination that have no power. The beneficent Creator after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and communed with His new family, Adam and Eve. Thus He instituted the Sabbath rest for all people as a memorial of Creation, and a testimony of Himself as the one, true God, Creator of all things. It shows that He is a personal God who desires close fellowship with His people. The fourth commandment of God’s unchangeable law enjoins the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, holy worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God, family and friends.
       As part of the new covenant experience, it is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, as we rest in His finished work as the Lamb of God. It is a sign of our sanctification, a token of our allegiance to God as Lord of the universe, and a foretaste of our eternal future in God’s kingdom. The Sabbath is God’s perpetual sign of His everlasting covenant between Himself and His faithful people. Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening (sunset to sunset) on the seventh day of the week (Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset), is a celebration of God’s creative and redemptive acts (Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11; 2 Kings 19:15; Psalm 146:5-6; Jeremiah 10:10-12; Jeremiah 32:17-18; Luke 4:16; Isaiah 56:5-6; 58:13, 14; and 66:22-23; Matthew 12:1-12; Exodus 31:13-17; Ezekiel 20:12, 20; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Hebrews 4:1-11; Leviticus 23:32; Mark 1:32; 2:27-28; Acts 17:2-3; Revelation 14:7).

We believe that Jesus Christ is High Priest for all of humanity. There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle which the LORD set up and not man. In it Christ works as our High Priest, ministering the blood of His atoning sacrifice offered once for all humanity on the cross (for every nation, tribe and people). As the Eternal Sacrifice, He paid the redemption price for all mankind and therefore legally justified all humanity before the throne of grace. At the time of His ascension ten days prior to Pentecost in AD 31, He was inaugurated as our great High Priest and began His intercessory ministry in heaven. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days (prophetic time as literal years) spoken of in Daniel 8:14, Christ entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgment which is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin.
       The Old  Testament sanctuary system typified and pointed toward this final Day of Atonement, the culmination of the Gospel. In that typical service, once a year the sanctuary was cleansed with the blood of animal sacrifices, but the heavenly things are purified with the blood of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God.
       The investigative judgment reveals those among the dead who are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. This judgment vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom. The completion of this ministry of Christ will mark the close of human probation before the Second Advent (Acts 1:8-11; Hebrews 8:1-5; 4:14-16; 9:11-28; 10:19-22; 1:3; 2:16, 17; Daniel 7:9-27; 8:13-14; 9:24-27; Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6; Leviticus chapter 16; Revelation 14:6-7; 20:12; 14:12; 22:12).

The world is ripe for the harvest and the second coming of our Redeemer is imminent. The second coming of Christ is the blessed hope of the church, the grand climax of the Gospel. The Saviour’s coming will be literal, personal, visible, and worldwide. All living upon earth at that time will witness it. When He returns, the righteous dead will be resurrected, and together with the righteous living, will be glorified and taken to heaven, but all the unrighteous persons will die. The complete fulfillment of most lines of prophecy, together with the present spiritual and temporal condition of the world, indicates that Christ’s coming is imminent. The exact time of this event has not been revealed, and we are therefore exhorted to be ready at all times (Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; Matthew 24:14; Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:43, 44; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2:8; Revelation 14:14-20; 19:11-21; Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6).

 

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