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“From the beginning of time the foremost leaders of men have been prophets. The mightiest forces among men have been prophets. The greatest conquerors of ancient times were not warriors but prophets. Buddha went forth alone on foot and empty handed, yet he won more followers than Alexander conquered with all his armies. Buddha went forth without gold in his purse, or script, or two coats, or shoes; and men beholding him said; ‘There goes a man who has no strings tied to him. He is not bound to anything or anybody, and he can speak without fear. Let us listen to him.’ And they listened, and they gave to every word its face value. So it has always been: the man to whom the people listen and to whom they surrender their hearts is not the man with the sword, but the man who has no axe to grind. All the money in the world, all the guns in the world, cannot speak with the power of a man who can face his fellowmen unafraid because he is neither bound to the world nor bound by it… When a man is not bound to the world men receive him as one who comes from another world. And they listen. They may kill him afterwards but they listen.” (Edward Pell, Our Troublesome Religious Questions, 1916, p.56,57)

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[F]or a church to get involved in politics runs the risk of implying that there is a proper ‘Christian’ position on every political issue. On some issues there is a clear a non-negotiable Christian position. For example, the matter of abortion allows little room for debate: the Bible clearly teaches that life begins at conception; human life is a gift from God and must be protected. But on many other issues there is not a clear unequivocal Christian position. Good Christians disagree on such issues as the environment, nuclear weapons, gun control, capital punishment, and support of the State of Israel. Whenever the church or a group of Christians- such as the Christian Coalition- engages in the political system, it eventually takes a stand on a variety of issues. The danger is that this implies to others -Christians and non -Christians alike- that there is a correct ‘Christian’ position on every political issue. The net result is that the understanding as to what it means to be an authentic Christian becomes contaminated.” (Cal Thomas & Ed Dobson, Blinded by the Might, 1999, p.181)

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“During Vatican II an accredited journalist from the Lithuanian Socialist Soviet Republic gave a humorous orchestral interpretation of Catholic ecumenism. The story goes like this:

All churches are to play a part in the great Catholic symphony orchestra. The Orthodox are to play first violin, the Anglicans will be given second violin, the Lutherans counter base, and the young churches from mission lands the drums; all churches are to have at least a minor part. The Jews will be invited to play the harp. The soloists will be from Rome, the Curia will be the agent, and the conductor will always be the pope.” (Bert Beach, Vatican II: Bridging the Abyss, p.284 in V. Norskov Olsen, Papal Supremacy and American Democracy, 1987, p.107)

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“So what should be our response to the recent terror attacks and the ongoing Jihad against so many Christians worldwide?

Firstly, we need to recognize that this terrorism and anti- Christian persecution is originating from the least evangelized area of the world-the Middle East. The birth place of the Church is now the most needy mission field on earth. If we truly want to uproot the support basis of such terrorism and implode the regimes that persecute Christians, we need to get really serious about the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18- 20.)

This will mean recognizing that we are already in a spiritual world war. And the only reason why the devil is so often winning is because the church is so seldom fighting! We must not just retreat into our barracks to sing our battle songs-we must attack strongholds. We must not only talk about our spiritual weapons -we must use them. We must not only praise our Commanding Officer-we must obey Him. And the best form of defence is attack.

Now civil government has a Ministry of Justice. Under God they have a biblical duty to protect their citizens, by bearing “the sword” and being “an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” (Romans 13:4.) This is their job.
Our duty in the Christian Church is to be a ministry of grace. We are to be ‘a house of prayer for all nations’ (Mark 11:17); preaching ‘repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations’ (Luke 24:47); making disciples of all nations and teaching obedience to all things that the Lord has commanded. (Matthew 28:19- 20.) “(Peter Hammond, Slavery, Terrorism and Islam, 2010, p.46-47)

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“[T]he book of Revelation hints at a more inclusive identification for the harlot woman than merely with Rome. Babylon, derived from ‘Babel’ and meaning confusion, ‘is employed in Scripture to designate the various forms of false or apostate religion.’ (GC. 380). Rev. 17 is not complete in itself; it prepares the reader for chapter 18, with its graphic images of the judgments that afflict and finally destroy the whore. The representation of Babylon largely has a end-time focus. It is significant that through its wording Rev. 18:3 is closely linked with Rev.14:8.

Babylon includes degenerate forms of Protestantism, churches that have forsaken the principles established by the Reformation and seek to reunite or closely cooperate with Rome. She is, after all, not only the great whore, but also ‘the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth’ (vs.5). Before the Second Coming, they-together with pagans, spiritualists, an all the opponents of the Lamb-will confederate and help the dragon in his war against the last generation who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Edwin de Kock, 7 Heads and 10 Horns, 2012, p.40-41)

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“{T}he most satanic resistance to God's testimony, in the world, is offered by those who, though they imitate the effects of the truth, have but ‘the form of godliness’ and ‘deny the power thereof.’ Persons of this class can do the same things, adopt the same habits and forms, use the same phraseology, profess the same opinions as others. If the true Christian, constrained by the love of Christ, feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, visits the sick, circulates the scriptures, distributes tracts, supports the gospel, engages in prayer, sings praise, preaches the gospel, the formalist can do every one of these things; and this, be it observed, is the special character of the resistance offered to the truth ‘in the last days’- this is the spirit of Jannes and Jambres.” (C. H. Mackintosh, Commentary on Exodus, 1858, p.77-78)

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“Although the words spoken through the prophets are difficult at times to comprehend, sometimes this is because their primary purpose may be for a particular situation which has not yet occurred. Prophecy is often intended for future generations to understand after the events have taken place to which the prophecy is pointing. This was the case with many Old Testament prophecies, particularly to those that pointed forward to the coming of Christ. Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:10-12 regarding the salvation brought to mankind through Christ, ‘Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.’

He is saying that there are truths found in Scripture that the prophets themselves did not understand because they pertained to future events to which they were not entirely privy, but which are now available to us through the gospel. In fact, even angels long to probe these prophecies more fully, since they are so rich and deep.” (Edwin Reynolds, Accurately Handling the Word of Truth, art. 2004, The Word of God, p.15)

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“The secularization of the Adventist mind and imagination have affected the church to the point that, for many believers, daily life appears to be separate from the experience of salvation as forgiveness of sins. This dichotomy between daily life and salvation appears normal in the eyes of most believers. That this is not biblical can be seen when we realize that this attitude generates a new legalism that has invaded the church through the emphasis of the justification by faith presented in the 1970s and 80s. To avoid legalism by works we have fallen, since that time, into a legalism by faith. Let us remember that a faith that offers forgiveness without works is, at ground, only a legal transaction and, as such, a legalism as destructive as the one by works we try to combat.” (Fernando Canale, Secular Adventism, 2013, p.15)

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“When God created man, He established certain immutable laws, commonly called the laws of nature, by which man was to regulate his conduct in all things. These laws were to serve him as guides in the pursuit of happiness. That man might be enabled to discover and apply the laws of nature, he was endowed by the Creator with the faculty of reason. Among the laws or principles of reason here referred to, are these following: -that we should live honorably; that we should hurt nobody; that we should render to all their dues; that we should seek the good of our fellows; and, to this end, that we should institute societies, establish governments and ordain laws. And all these, society, government, law, are, at the same time, truly divine and truly human institutions. They are divine, inasmuch as they are essential agencies in carrying out the divine purpose in the creation of man. They are human, inasmuch as they are instituted and administered by men, without any special and immediate interposition of the Deity.” (E.C. Wines, Commentary on the Laws of the Hebrews, 1853, p.32-33)