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The mission of the Adventist movement is to call a people out of evil and point them to God. Just as God restored the law and the Sabbath to ancient Israel after calling them out of pagan Egypt (Exodus 16:23-30; 20:1-17), so the law and the Sabbath were restored to spiritual Israel after 1844.
Likewise, as God restored to Israel of old the principles of hygiene and healthful living (Exodus 15:26), so Adventists preach a message of healthful living believing that, as Christ saw to the physical maladies of people in His days, so the physical needs must be met in our day when presenting the Gospel. No other Protestant Church has such a large worldwide medical ministry as has the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. According to the Adventist Review, "one hundred sixty-eight hospitals are being operated by Adventist agencies" around the globe today. Read more about Adventist health ministry around the world
In Matthew 17:11, Jesus promises the return of Elijah to restore all things prior to the end:
...Elijah comes and will restore all things (NIV).
Matthew 11:12 refers to the Elijah who had already come, but whose teaching had been rejected. This is a reference to the preaching of John the Baptist.
Clearly, the references to Elijah refer to the message rather than the man. The messages of Elijah, of John the Baptist, and of the Seventh-day Adventist Church bear striking parallels: all three call the people back to obedience to God, and a worship of the Creator God. In addition, the messages of John and the Adventist Church are of preparation for the coming of the Lord—just as Isaiah prophesied (see Luke 1:17).
In 1 Kings 16, the story is told of the marriage of King Ahab to Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. This illicit marriage resulted in the introduction of Baal worship, or sun-worship in Israel.
The result was total apostasy by the northern tribes of Israel:
So they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal (2 Kings 17:16 NKJV).
Elijah’s mission was to call a people out of paganism and to restore the unity of Israel. He personally restored the broken sacrificial altar made of twelve stones symbolizing the unity of Israel. The altar itself is a symbol of salvation by grace, as it is only through the blood of the Lamb that we may be saved.
Just as Elijah was a forerunner of the impending judgments of God in ancient Israel, so end-time Elijah was to be a forerunner of the end-time judgment of God.
Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse (Malachi 4:4-6 NKJV).
Elijah restored the ancient landmarks of obedience to God and trust in His saving grace:
Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
"If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honourable,
And shall honour Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the LORD has spoken" (Isaiah 58:12-14 NKJV).
Likewise, the Adventist Church is to restore the broken law and trust in the merits of Jesus. The broken walls are a reference to the law of God. The paths are a reference to the ancient paths, the truths of the Gospel that had been trampled in the dust by paganism. In this end-time prophecy, the Sabbath is lifted up as the great cleaver that would separate a people out of the world to restore a right relationship with God. The Sabbath is not to be a burden, but a delight—a day to honor God.
The Jewish feasts foreshadowed the events unfolding here at the end of time. The telling of the soon coming of Christ is the antitype of the Feast of Trumpets. The announcement of impending judgment is the antitype of the Day of Atonement. And the Feast of Tabernacles foreshadowed the final deliverance and homegoing of the people of God.
The Three Angels’ Messages immediately precede the Second Coming of Christ. They prepare the way for the Second Coming and call out the people "who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12 NKJV). The battle between Christ and Satan is coming to a head over the Sabbath commandment. Where will you put your allegiance?
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This article is adapted from Truth Matters by Professor Walter J. Veith, an international speaker who has studied Biblical issues in-depth in his quest for truth. His popular series Genesis Conflict brings the debate between Creation and evolution to a new climax as he dissects the arguments with a scientific eye. His highly-acclaimed series Total Onslaught sheds light on the state of the world today as we move to a one-world government and an anticipated apocalypse.
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