Thank you. But can you name any other church that is proclaiming the truth about the sabbath, the sanctuary, the three angels' messages, and the mark of the beast? All of which are waymarks of the remnant church since 1844.

The remnant is not without a history. It began with Jesus and led up to 1844 and now beyond. Whatever unfulfilled prophecies meant to remnant believers before 1844 is not as relevant as what they mean to remnant believers today. Testing truths have progressed since the Dark Ages to include the 27 fundamental doctrines.

It wasn't until after the Great Disappointment that they got it completely right (i.e., the truths listed above). None of this means people who still have it wrong will never come out of Babylon and join God's remnant believers. Many will come and many will go - the great two way exodus just before human probation closes.

Mike,
You are missing my point, (or maybe I haven't made it yet) a group cannot say "we are the remnant" because they don't know how many people on this globe are worshipping God and are His. Our saying that we are the remnant is just like Elijah telling God, "Lord I am the last one," and God telling Elijah, you are wrong, there are 7000 who haven't kneeled to Baal......

Doctrinal positions cannot save, and last time I checked, just because someone belonged to a church was no guarantee that they are saved either..... God saves individually.... so no matter how much we wish to brag about being the right church, with the truth, if our relationship with God is nonexistent, we will have missed the boat........

Steve, thank you for clarifying your point. And I agree with you that church membership doesn't save us. I'm sorry if my words implied such a thing. However, as you said earlier, there has been a remnant church since apostolic times. And as truth has unfolded and expanded so has the message and mission of the remnant church.

I have attempted to define the message and mission of the remnant church since the passing of 1844, but my words have failed to convey my intentions. Would you agree that the remnant church is the depository of present truth, the testing truths for the final generation of mankind? If so, where might one find this church today? is it the SDA church? By church I don't mean its hot or lukewarm members, rather I'm referring specifically its message and mission.

Mike wrote, "I have attempted to define the message and mission of the remnant church since the passing of 1844, but my words have failed to convey my intentions. Would you agree that the remnant church is the depository of present truth, the testing truths for the final generation of mankind? If so, where might one find this church today? is it the SDA church? By church I don't mean its hot or lukewarm members, rather I'm referring specifically its message and mission. "

Mike thanks for the response. I do not agree with your basic premise, that being, that the "remnant" can be readily identified. Consequently I do not agree that the remnant church is the depository of present truth, or that there is a identifiable "remnant church." As I stated earlier, we may be able to say we believe we are part of God's remnant church, but ultimately God and only God knows exactly who the remnant church is comprised of.

The problem I have with our "remnant" theology is that fact that it is exclusionary. We cannot know who is and who is not following God. The parable of the wheats and tares illustrates this point. EGW in Christ Object Lessons points out that we don't know who is who and that if we were to try to separate wheat from tare, we would remove the very one that God has put in the church. The other problem with our "remnant" theology is that it shifts the focus from Jesus the author and perfector of our faith and places it on what qualifies a church as being the remnant. Eventually those members of that church believe that they have a monopoly on truth, and that they are superior because of their "status." That mentality leads to arrogance, much like the Jews in Jesus' day exhibited....just my thoughts...

Steve, the following passages seem to speak to the issues you raised. Apparently the truth is important. Is it possible that no one church has been entrusted with the truth?

John
8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed;
8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Matthew
15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.

2 Thessalonians
2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Jude
1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort [you] that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Galatians
1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Revelation
22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book.

Mike,
It is my belief that no one church has been entrusted with "all" the truth.... In fact if one church had "all" the truth would make that church equal to God, for only God has all the truth....

Wasn't Israel once the repository of all the truth that God chose to reveal to this world at that time?

Daryl,
We have no preserved record of how God dealt with His other children throughout the world. For example we now know that there was sabbath keeping among some of the tribes in Africa who lived during the same time as ancient Israel. Who knows what God revealed to the Native Americans on this continent, or elsewhere. Thus I cannot say with certainty that God entrusted all the truth with Israel....