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The SDA Forgotten Foundation - Materialism This week we thought we would talk about a foundation - if not THE foundation - of the SDA movement that has been forgotten about. In fact, it is the foundation upon which all the pillars of our faith rest. But in spite of that, as we will show, Satan has buried this forgotten pillar under a pile of rubbish called "Spiritualism." Now most SDAs understand that the doctrine of the conscious state of the dead is spiritualistic. We should all know that the deceased do not have disembodied spirits. Today we are going to learn **why** the belief in the "conscious state of the dead," or "the immortality of the soul" is a form of "spiritualism". It is this aspect of our faith - the understanding of the root problem with spiritualism - that has been "forgotten" over the last century or more. Uriah Smith taught that the idea that the soul is immortal was the fundamental problem underlying that idea. That is, the idea of "immateriality." The belief in immateriality is the belief that something that is not made of matter exists - like the common idea of a soul, for example. Uriah Smith said immateriality is preposterous because "all nature is material," and also for the reasons that something not made of matter is impossible to comprehend, and that scripture expressly presents to us the materiality of human nature - and actually of all things. The prefix "Im" means "not," and the word "material" means, well, "material," or "matter" - you know, physical stuff. Today the word "material" and "materialism" are linked more popularly to the idea of accumulating worldly goods. But back in the 1800's, at the time Uriah Smith was writing, "materialism" more commonly meant the belief that all that exists is made of matter, or "material." Notice also that Uriah Smith attributes even the thoughts of the conscious mind to matter also. He said that "we do claim that all vital and mental phenomena result from material causes." The pioneers believed that consciousness is a function of certain material organizations. It is a process of the physical brain. Some SDAs today use the phrase "soul sleep" to express the Adventist position on the state of the dead, but this really isn't the best expression since it might convey that the soul is something separate from the body and that it continues to exist, albeit unconsciously, when the body dies. The early SDAs rejected the idea of a separate soul altogether, which is probably why Ellen White and the other pioneers didn't use the term 'soul sleep' to express their views. They understood that when the brain stops working, the mind ceases to exist (See Psalm 146:4). Now, the early SDA pioneers wrote a ton on the topic of spiritualism and immateriality – that the issue with spiritualism, again, is immateriality. In fact, it's clear from reading their writings that they equated spiritualism with the belief in anything immaterial. And actually, this is just what spiritualism means in philosophy, as it says in Encyclopedia Britannica, "Spiritualism - in philosophy, a characteristic of any system of thought that affirms the existence of immaterial reality imperceptible to the senses." Notice, spiritualism is any system of thought that affirms the existence of immaterial reality. Now, most of the Christian's in the world, including many if not most in the SDA church today, believe that God IS beyond time and space. But this idea concerning the "personality" or person of God – that He is beyond time and space - goes against the very foundation of our faith. The pioneers taught that there is no "immaterial substance," and that to view God as an immaterial spirit annihilates God entirely — it makes Him a nonentity. To the pioneers, to be beyond time and space was akin to non-existence. The pioneers had a shared doctrine regarding the personality of God. They held the view that for God to be a "person" means that He’s a strictly material being with a body and parts, and that the human form resembles His form. Now, pantheism is the spiritualistic belief that God is everywhere present in all things. While pantheists may grant that God manifests at times in a localized form, they assert that God isn't limited to any particular place or body. This sort of view about the nature of God was presented in 'The Living Temple' by John Harvey Kellogg. Materialism - it is simply the truth - God and everything that has existence is made up of matter. "Materialism: Our Forgotten Foundation," by Trent Wilde, http://www.bdsda.com/materialism-our-forgotten-foundation-2/ David Arnold's full article, ARSH July 21, 1853, p. 34 https://egwwritings.org/?ref=en_ARSH.July.21.1853.p.34.8¶=1644.992 Sabbath School Q4 2021: Present Truth In Deuteronomy - Week 10 A Branch Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist perspective on the Sabbath School lesson. www.bdsda.com Email us at bdsdalit@gmail.com for comments and literature requests.

The aim of this study is to present the gospel in its simplicity. These simple teachings of Jesus and Paul (that we are saved from sin rather than in sin) have sadly been lost from the thoughts of men for a long time, but they are now restored in their original beauty. ===== These bdsda people are pretty cool: bdsda.com

These Branch Davidians are very interesting! Listen to this short "lesson". They've got an interesting blend of being strongly rational and materialist, and yet have a deep comprehension of the Bible. ============= Forgiveness Can Not Erase the Past The lesson discusses forgiveness, and uses the story of David and Bathsheba as an example. The lesson does not brush over the consequences of David’s sin. 2 Samuel tells us that the sword would never depart from David’s house. While we can be forgiven after we repent, the truth is, the consequences of some sin can never be reversed. All we can do, and all God can do, is make the best of whatever the situation leaves us. Thankfully, God promises to do this for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Our choices forever change what the future will be. Not only for us, but for everyone else too. Any choice, like where you choose to take a job for example, just WILL affect the course of your life. Different choice – different life. And obviously, this is also the case with the choice to sin. Forgiveness can never wipe out the reality of the past. In the case here in 2 Samuel with King David, no amount of forgiveness for David would ever affect Uriah, because Uriah’s reality was over. Uriah’s friend’s and family’s lives were forever devastated by David’s sin. Now, to be clear, forgiveness definitely impacts the future for all who are affected by sin, which is everyone, but forgiveness will never wipe away the tragedy caused by our choices to sin. This is just a reality due to the linear nature of time. Justification cannot erase the permanent effects of sinful choices either. Some think that to be justified means that God will see me “just-as-if-I-never-sinned.” But, since it is impossible for our futures not to be impacted by our choices in this moment, that idea is completely out of touch with reality. The only way God could make things “just-as-if-I-never-sinned” is to go back in time and cause me to make a different choice (in the case of sin, the righteous choice), therefore causing a different reality to commence. But this cannot happen, because, first of all, God can’t cause me to make any choice…I can only do that for myself. Second, time is just the change of events from one moment to the next. Time is a one way street, and even God cannot go back in time to do anything. I know it is common for people to imagine that God is outside of time and able to go to any moment past, present, or future. But where in Scripture does it say anything like that about God? The truth is, the scriptures don't present God as a time-traveller. They present him as a real being within time and space. As one example, consider this passage from Jeremiah. The context is that the northern kingdom of Israel had apostatized and now Judah had apostatized as well. God was greatly troubled over this and the following passage is the beginning of Jeremiah's record of what God said to him about it. It is Jeremiah 3:6-7. This is just one of many passages that clearly portray God as experiencing time moment by moment as we all do. And there is no scripture that says that God is outside of time. Time is actually just a fundamental part of reality. The past is the past. It does not exist anymore, and it cannot be undone. The past is gone; all we have from it is how it has shaped the present. This includes our present memories of what happened in the past and the present consequences of our past choices and actions. Furthermore, the future does not exist yet. All that we have is the present moment, and our choices each moment necessarily affect the course of our lives in the future. And this is why it is so important to stop sinning. Every choice we make affects everything else going forward. This will be the case forever into eternity. This reality does not change when Jesus returns. It literally can’t change when Jesus returns. It just is what is true about material reality. We can’t change the past, and our choices today affect the future. Sabbath School Q3 2021: Rest in Christ - Week Four A Branch Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist perspective on the Sabbath School lesson. www.bdsda.com Email us at bdsdalit@gmail.com for comments and literature requests. See "Battle for Today," by Teresa Wilde https://youtu.be/dReo1edIKMc "The Power of Forgiveness," by Trent Wilde https://youtu.be/3-pinxLiizs "Sabbath School 3rd Quarter 2018 Week Nine: Justification" https://youtu.be/2Wy2Qn1h14A