Adventist News Network Report:

In a television interview with Egyptian TV on Jan. 7, Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt said that Christians and Muslims are united in Egypt, but that Seventh-day Adventists, along with others, are disturbing the unity in the country.

Comment

Seventh-day Adventist leadership regrets this kind of bad public relations, being accused "along with others," Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other cults, as "disturbing the unity in the country." Yet for over one hundred years faithful Seventh-day Adventist colporters, missionaries, evangelists and laymen have spread the three angel's messages across "the country." Of course, the third angel's message is going to disturb the unity of the churches of Babylon. The truth always disturbs.

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth," Jesus said, "I came not to send peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34, emphasis supplied).

Adventist News Network Report (Continued):

Emphasizing his love for Muslims, Shenouda also listed as unity disturbers Jehovah's Witnesses and American Jews.

Comment

"American Jews?" That is a new one. We thought perhaps Mormons would be listed along with Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses. Are we to assume that the Coptic Pope is anti-Semitic? I suppose Muslim Christians must be anti-Semitic. Do the leading SDA brethren really wish to confer with, and be confirmed by, such a bias Pope? Cannot the SDA leadership find a nice Pope to associate with? (I am sorry, dear reader, for being so intolerant of the leading brethren and their schemes, but this report is so ridiculous, so absurd, that I could not resist the temptation to make an amusing remark about something that is really not so amusing.)

Adventist News Network Report (Continued):

Shenouda's comments followed a message from the president of Egypt, Hosny Mubarak, declaring Coptic Christmas, Jan. 7, as a national holiday for Christians as well as Muslims.

Comment

Does the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists now wish to be included in a "Coptic Christmas?" If so, we Adventists could "celebrate" two pagan Christmas holidays. Perhaps we could celebrate an Adventist Christmas. Although it is not in Scripture, the theologians at Andrews University could possibly come up with a viable date when our Savior was born. The General Conference in session could vote on the date and make it official. Is that any more absurd than the leading brethren seeking to meet with a secondary Pope? Why not meet with the real Pope? He could then be presented with another medallion, as Dr. Bert B. Beach once presented to Pope Paul VI back in 1977. (See, W. D. Eva, Adventist Review, "Book, Medallion Presented to Pope," August 11, 1977, (847), page 23).

Do you suppose there will ever be an Adventist Pope? Why not? We are now bigger than the Coptic Orthodox Church! At the General Conference Session in 1985, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Neal C. Wilson, then General Conference President called Division Presidents "Cardinals." (Adventist Review, July 3, 1985, page 11). Beyond question, the title "Cardinal" refers to the highest Roman Catholic ecclesiastical position other than that of the Pope. Kidding aside, we are now getting closer and closer to a national and world-wide Sunday Law. Why seek accord and unity with a semi-Antichrist pope at this critical hour?

Adventist News Network Report (Continued):

"Pope Shenouda is known for making controversial statements," said Dr. Bert B. Beach, general secretary of the Council on Inter-church/faith Relations at the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States. "In view of the rather tense situation in the Middle East, one would expect Christian church leaders not to make irresponsible statements that can exacerbate Christian-Muslim relations. It is important to work for peaceful relations, both among Christians and across religious borders," he said.

Comment

Notice that Dr. Beach's ecclesiastical title alone takes up half the paragraph. Prophecy reveals that "the rather tense situation in the Middle East" is going to get worse before our Lord returns. This is no reason to seek harmony and unity with the Protestant churches of Babylon, the World Council of Churches, or the Roman Catholic Church.

Adventist News Network Report (Continued):

"Seventh-day Adventists in Egypt are regarded as peaceful and law-abiding citizens of that country," Beach continued. "The Adventist Church is always ready to dialogue with other Christian churches and work in harmony for the good of Egyptian society."

Comment

This is the biggest problem between the Seventh-day Adventist denomination and the independent ministry movement today. "The Adventist Church is always ready to dialogue with other Christian churches" and working in harmony with them. In the process of their ecumenical- minded leadership they have given up the three angel's messages. They no longer teach historic Adventism. If they did, there would be no need of independent ministries. The Lord is now moving through independent workers who are not afraid to give the trumpet that certain sound.

Adventist News Network (Continued):

Adventist Church leaders in Egypt made an appeal to the president of the television station. Peter Zarka, president of the church in the region, says that they were "assured by the TV president that the [Adventist] Church will have some minutes on TV when it can introduce itself to the public of Egypt and, by this way, the TV [station] can compensate the Adventist Church for the insult."

Comment

Here it is stated that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is looking for an apology from the state. And if the SDA Church is granted time on television in Egypt, does that mean they will boldly give the third angel's message? If American radio and television is an example -- these is no reason to think that they will!

Adventist News Network Report (Continued):

According to Zarka, this would be the first time the church has been given the opportunity to present a message on Egyptian television. Christian churches are given air time just two times a year -- at Christmas and Easter, for the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Church.

Comment

"the first time the church has been given the opportunity to present a message on Egyptian television." The question is, What kind of ecumenical message would that be? The leading brethren might gain television time in Egypt by convincing the television manager and state authorities that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is also an Evangelical Church.

"Although we do not yet have a pope, the fact is that we are just like you!" SDA leadership emphatically declares. "We cannot understand why you consider us a cult! Our feelings are hurt because we are shunned by the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and the other Evangelical Churches of Egypt!"

Adventist News Network Report (Concluded):

"The Adventist Church in Egypt is not an immigrant church," Beach explained, "but it is an Egyptian church that has been organized in that country for more than a century."

Concluding Comment

Unfortunately for contemporary SDA leadership, most of the past "century" faithful Adventists gave the three angel's messages to the nations of Africa. That is why the Coptic Pope accuses Adventists of "proselytism." In the past Adventists have indeed converted members from the Egyptian fallen churches of Babylon to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Those who engage in the solemn work of bearing the third angel's message, must move out decidedly, and in the Spirit and power of God, fearlessly preach the truth, and let it cut. They should elevate the standard of truth, and urge the people to come up to it. It has been lowered down to meet the people in their condition of darkness and sin. It is the pointed testimony that will bring up the people to decide. A peaceful testimony will not do this. The people have the privilege of listening to this kind of teaching from the pulpits of the day. But God has servants to whom he has entrusted a solemn, fearful message, to bring out and fit up a people for the coming of Christ. There is as great a difference in our faith and that of nominal professors, as the heavens are higher than the earth. (Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts. Vol. 2, pages 299, 300, emphasis supplied).

"God has committed to us the special truths for this time to make known to the world," Ellen White reminded. (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, page 236).

In these last hours, "God has given to us," Seventh-day Adventists "the special truths for this time to make known to the world." He has not given this message to the Sunday-keeping churches of Babylon. Our commission is to call the people out of Babylon, not to join hands with Babylon! We are not to please the churches of the world by emphasizing doctrines SDA leadership alleges we hold in common with them.

"The world is against us, the popular churches are against us," Ellen White stated, "the laws of the land will soon be against us." (ibid., 5T, p. 236, emphasis supplied).

"And the Roman Catholic Church was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her false doctrine," the apostle John wrote. "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER Of HARLOTS -- FALLEN PROTESTANT CHURCHES -- AND ABOMINATIONS Of THE EARTH." (Revelation 17:4, 5, paraphrase).

"The Protestants have accepted the spurious Sabbath, the child of the papacy, and have exalted it above God's holy sanctified day," Ellen White stated, "and our institutions of learning have been established for the express purpose of counteracting the influence of those who do not follow the word of God." (Fundamentals of Christian Education, page 288, emphasis supplied).