My friend, what constitutes God's church today? Most Christians believe that their denomination is the church of God, but is this really true? Does God have a denominated people that He works through? I believe the answer is both yes and no. In Revelation 12:17 it says "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." The key characteristics of this verse are keeping the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
When these two characteristics are applied it would point to the Seventh-day Adventist church, for of all the denominated churches she is the only one that truly keeps all of the commandments of God as well as has the testimony of Jesus which is the Spirit of Prophecy. But does this still hold true today?
The messages of Jesus to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2, and 3 represent the seven ages of the church from apostolic times to the end of time. The Seventh-Day Adventist church began in the time of the sixth church, the church of Philadelphia in which there was no fault within her, and continues into the last church the church of Laodicea in which there is no longer any thing that is good within her. How is it that the once pure church of Philadelphia has become the corrupt church of Laodicea? The answer is that they have forsaken Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, as the head of the church. It has accepted in His place "God the Son" a being that is not truly the Son of God, but is only a metaphor, meaning not literally true. It has accepted a false Christ in His place.
Because of this the condition of the church today is that they are "... wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:" (Revelation 3:17). These have a false experience of righteousness by faith and are blind to their true condition before God. Jesus, the only begotten Son of God says to them "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." (Revelation 3:18). They are naked because they do not have the white raiment of Christ's righteousness, and because they have accepted the trinity in place of the One true God, which has the form of God but in reality is not, they cannot see their wretched condition.
The Seventh-day Adventist church was once the pure church of God, but today this is no longer true. They have forsaken the One true God and His Son Jesus Christ for the false god of the trinity. The true church of God is not a denominated body, but are those who follow the true Lamb of God. To His people in all walks of life and in all churches He says today "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Revelation 18:4). Jesus said to the woman of Samaria "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him." (John 4:23).
My friend, the time has come for us to leave the denominated bodies that were once places where God dwelt and gather together in small groups that hold fast to Jesus Christ as the true Son of God. Jesus said "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20). Where Christ is there is His church.
God bless,
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