Amazing Facts bible study guide

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Jennifer123

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Someone came to the door today to with a questionaire and an Amazing Facts Study Guide saying he’ll be back next week to see if the family will be interested in a personal bible study led by someone from his group - his nametag said something like “Mission College of Evangelization”.

I was trying to figure out what denomination he was from but couldn’t really spend much time chatting as the kids were running around and I had dinner on the stove. I figured I could tell from the materials but they don’t really list anything specific.

My guess is Jehovah Witness due to the questions about Jesus’s Second Coming, whether He would appear in my lifetime, and that I would be interested in the study since I’m Catholic.

He said he’ll be back next week, and I don’t really mind since he was pretty nice and polite but I want to be ready with response.

Am I right that this is probably JW materials??
 
Jennifer123 said:
Someone came to the door today to with a questionaire and an Amazing Facts Study Guide saying he’ll be back next week to see if the family will be interested in a personal bible study led by someone from his group - his nametag said something like “Mission College of Evangelization”.

I was trying to figure out what denomination he was from but couldn’t really spend much time chatting as the kids were running around and I had dinner on the stove. I figured I could tell from the materials but they don’t really list anything specific.

My guess is Jehovah Witness due to the questions about Jesus’s Second Coming, whether He would appear in my lifetime, and that I would be interested in the study since I’m Catholic.

He said he’ll be back next week, and I don’t really mind since he was pretty nice and polite but I want to be ready with response.

Am I right that this is probably JW materials??
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Amazing Facts is Seventh-Day Adventist. My husband was an SDA for a few years back in the early 1980s before his eventual conversion to Orthodox Judaism (he had been raised a Baptist, however.)

I’m very familiar with the SDA Bible studies (Amazing Facts,Revelation Seminars, etc)
 
Ahhh - thank you. Hmm…I’m less familiar with SDA. Anything I should know about engaging them in conversation?
 
Jennifer, you’re welcome to message me. I’ll try to help you out.
 
Jennifer123 said:
Yep - that looks like it! Thanks!
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If they are SDA their intention will be to try to convert you. I’m a former SDA.

You should know they have some very anti-catholic beliefs which they do not share upfront, including that the papacy is the anti-christ and the Catholic church is the beast of revelation.

Their method of bible study is to string together verses from various parts of the bible to support their theories. They call it letting the bible interpret the bible, but its more like a scavenger hunt to find bits and pieces to string together in ways that suit them. They claim various dates in history corraborate their conclusions, but if you actually look at their claims from authentic historical sources, the impression of a perfectly lined up prophetic dateline falls apart.

You are welcome to msg me if you have questions.

I wouldn’t let them in the door personally unless you are really wanting to engage them in a discussion. They train to answer typical Catholic objections to their teachings.

MarysRoses
 
Anything I should know about engaging them in conversation?

**Among other things, they teach that the Pope is the Antichrist of Revelation and worship on Sunday is the mark of the Beast because the Pope changed Saturday to Sunday.

Of course, they never say WHICH pope, and if you ask the average SDA, you’ll just get silly looks.

BTW–references to the Spirit of Prophecy do NOT mean the Holy Spirit, but the ravings of Ellen G. White.**
 
bpbasilphx said:
Anything I should know about engaging them in conversation?

**Among other things, they teach that the Pope is the Antichrist of Revelation and worship on Sunday is the mark of the Beast because the Pope changed Saturday to Sunday.

Of course, they never say WHICH pope, and if you ask the average SDA, you’ll just get silly looks.

BTW–references to the Spirit of Prophecy do NOT mean the Holy Spirit, but the ravings of Ellen G. White.**
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I try to find the truth in all religions, and the SDAs also have some truth.

Ellen G White said a few things in her day that people thought were insane, but she was proven to be correct on, for example, about cigarettes.

She referred to tobacco as a “slow and insiduous poison” at a time when doctors were advising athletes to smoke to clear their lungs (!)
 
HashemEchad said:
I try to find the truth in all religions, and the SDAs also have some truth.

Ellen G White said a few things in her day that people thought were insane, but she was proven to be correct on, for example, about cigarettes.

She referred to tobacco as a “slow and insiduous poison” at a time when doctors were advising athletes to smoke to clear their lungs (!)
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I really appreciate your help - but your post begged a response to which I say, “Even a stopped watch is true twice a day”. 😉 😛
 
Thanks all for your responses. I didn’t know SDA’s were so anti-Catholic, I’m not so sure now that I want to engage the gentleman in discussion when he returns, though I’m surely on their radar now…😛
I’ll do a bit of research and see what I can gather - I think I’ll just try to hand him some material, in the spirit of reciprocation of the material he gave me.
 
Jennifer123 said:
Thanks all for your responses. I didn’t know SDA’s were so anti-Catholic, I’m not so sure now that I want to engage the gentleman in discussion when he returns, though I’m surely on their radar now…😛
I’ll do a bit of research and see what I can gather - I think I’ll just try to hand him some material, in the spirit of reciprocation of the material he gave me.
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If you have the background knowledge at your fingertips and the temperament to engage and be engaged without getting rattled (or vice versa) this can be an opportunity to witness. I would not set out for full-blown conversion, but sometimes a few historical facts can open doors, even with SDAs. Even if he goes away scratching his head because one member of the “synagogue of Satan” seemed so CHRISTIAN, you will have done a good thing.
 
mercygate said:
If you have the background knowledge at your fingertips and the temperament to engage and be engaged without getting rattled (or vice versa) this can be an opportunity to witness. I would not set out for full-blown conversion, but sometimes a few historical facts can open doors, even with SDAs. Even if he goes away scratching his head because one member of the “synagogue of Satan” seemed so CHRISTIAN, you will have done a good thing.
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I completely agree.

I would buy a Catechism if you don’t have one ($15 USD) and set it beside you with a NASV Bible.

Then when needed, refer to the Catechism, only use its words not your own, do not say “I feel.”

Be kind but authoritative with your words and mannerism.

Don’t show any sign of doubt in your Church or your God, not in words or body language.

Again, at the utmost, be kind and listen; but do not show any sign of doubt (even if you may have some). Refer only to the Catechism if points are brought up that are in direct opposition of the Catholic faith. If you don’t know, admit it. But again, be careful not to make this a point of weakness, but of strong faith.

Do what God gives you to do. If God tells you that you are not to take this on at all, then do not. If He tells you to do it, then do it. Pray about it, earnestly. Messing with your faith is not something you want to take lightly. I have a feeling you will come out of this stronger than weaker, and you will be the better for it… But that is only my feeling. Let God’s will be done! 🙂
 
Hi Jennifer123
Sorry I only found this thread yesterday.
Yes, Amazing Facts is a series of Bible Studies compiled by Seventh Day Adventists with the specific purpose of helping people to find God’s instructions in the Bible.
In fact, that is how the SDA church started – Bible believing Christians of many faiths discovered in the 1850’s that their churches were following human traditions instead of God’s Word, and when they started asking questions, they were disfellowshiped.
I should know since I am a SDA Bible teacher.
I must warn you to think very carefully before starting on Amazing Facts Bible Studies. If your church traditions are more important to you than the Bible, the Word of God, then DON’T study these lessons! You will soon discover Amazing Facts – that many of our church traditions are truly that – mere human traditions sanctified by the blessings of time and habit, with a sprinkling of Bible verses to camouflage their pagan origins.
Let me warn you again: If you study Amazing Facts Bible Studies, you will no longer be ignorant of God’s real will for your life, and God won’t be able to overlook the times of ignorance'' (Acts 17:30) anymore. God says: Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin’’ (James 4:17).

Only you know whether you want to face the challenges of these Amazing Facts!

God bless,

Friedrich
 
🙂 Hi Friedrich,if you are going to follow all the bible teaches why are yous not out there stoning harlots and divored then remarried people?by whose authority do you accept the bible as God’s word? and if you say God, you still have no proof of anything cause i’ll say so God waited how many yrs after Jesus’s resurection to declare what His word is.what church tradtion is of man?Christ was raised from the dead on Sunday not saturday. the sabbath is one day in seven not a particular day.the Jews of old chose which day the sabbath was to be on and that was saturday.under the new law Christ’s law the christians choose which day to hold as sabbath. so if you would like to be a Jew then be one.this last line was not meant as an offense to those of Jewish faith/decent(sic)
 
Friedrich said:
Hi Jennifer123
Sorry I only found this thread yesterday.
Yes, Amazing Facts is a series of Bible Studies compiled by Seventh Day Adventists with the specific purpose of helping people to find God’s instructions in the Bible.
In fact, that is how the SDA church started – Bible believing Christians of many faiths discovered in the 1850’s that their churches were following human traditions instead of God’s Word, and when they started asking questions, they were disfellowshiped.
I should know since I am a SDA Bible teacher.
I must warn you to think very carefully before starting on Amazing Facts Bible Studies. If your church traditions are more important to you than the Bible, the Word of God, then DON’T study these lessons! You will soon discover Amazing Facts – that many of our church traditions are truly that – mere human traditions sanctified by the blessings of time and habit, with a sprinkling of Bible verses to camouflage their pagan origins.
Let me warn you again: If you study Amazing Facts Bible Studies, you will no longer be ignorant of God’s real will for your life, and God won’t be able to overlook the times of ignorance'' (Acts 17:30) anymore. God says: Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin’’ (James 4:17).

Only you know whether you want to face the challenges of these Amazing Facts!

God bless,

Friedrich
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I hope you don’t encounter some of the more strident folk on these forums, who will defend both the Catholic faith and Scripture with what can amount to pugnacity.

As a Convert to the Catholic Faith, I assure you that there are no amazing facts in in the Bible that are inconsistent with the ancient and apostolic faith. In order to make the Bible appear to contradict the faith, you need to read it as if it fell out of the sky bound in Morocco leather on India paper witht he words of Jesus tricked out in red letters.

That isn’t how it works. Never did.

Welcome.
 
Friedrich said:
Hi Jennifer123
I should know since I am a SDA Bible teacher.
I must warn you to think very carefully before starting on Amazing Facts Bible Studies. If your church traditions are more important to you than the Bible, the Word of God, then DON’T study these lessons! You will soon discover Amazing Facts – that many of our church traditions are truly that – mere human traditions sanctified by the blessings of time and habit, with a sprinkling of Bible verses to camouflage their pagan origins.
Let me warn you again: If you study Amazing Facts Bible Studies, you will no longer be ignorant of God’s real will for your life, and God won’t be able to overlook the times of ignorance'' (Acts 17:30) anymore. God says: Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin’’ (James 4:17).

Only you know whether you want to face the challenges of these Amazing Facts!

God bless,

Friedrich
Click to expand...
Dear Friedrich,

I address you, because you are a Bible teacher in the SDA church. I graguated from Columbia Union College with a degree in theology, preparing to serve as a minister. I worked summers as a Literature Evangelist, gave individual Bible studies in homes to interested folks, participated in prison ministries, served as an elder in my home SDA congregation, preached more sermons than I can remember…in other words, I was a Seventh-day Adventists’ Seventh-day Adventist. Your warning to Jennifer, regarding receiving the Light of God from His Word which will thus lead to spiritual illumination (amazing facts) and then ultimately to be faced with a decision to follow either God or man, is as important to give to others as it is to follow ourselves. And if you are as willing to follow your own advice as you pray for Jennifer to do, then I will share something with you, that if entered into with much prayer for God to clarify for you, will be an amazing fact that will challenge you to your very core, and trouble your soul more than I have space to describe, but will result in a deeper, fuller, more grace filled relationship with Jesus than you have ever experienced…I promise you that. I say this because it happened to me, and it was only after much prayer, and reaching the point of unquenchable thirst and hunger for righteousness that I begged God from the core of my being in uncontrollable crying, to show me the Truth or to let me die rather than to be deceived. And it was after that prayer when God opened my eyes to a truly amazing fact…and that is the fact of the Blessed Gift that Jesus gave to His followers before His crucifixion, and to all believers beyond the cross to the time until He returns again in the clouds of Glory…and that Blesse Gift is His sacrifice as the Lamb of God…our salvation. Dear Friedrich, read the gospel accounts of the last supper. Jesus told His disciples as He broke the bread and passed the cup of wine that “This IS MY body given for you”…This IS MY blood. The read John 6 and what Jesus said that caused so many of His followers to walk away sad because His teaching was too hard. Of course I am talking about what we call communion, and the Catholic Church calls Eucharist. It is about the real presence of Jesus being with His followers, giving His body and blood for us to eat thus re-creating us as His Body, His Bride, His Church. Protestants do not teach this amazing fact, saying only the communion is symbolic. Please dear Friedrich, show me from the scriptures where this core teaching of Jesus love and involvement with His followers is symbolic because I cannot find it. I know what you are feeling and thinking right now, because I too felt and thought the same things. I only ask that you look at the scpiptures regarding this subject, and ask God to reveal His Truth to you…that truth being Jesus, since Jesus said “I am the Truth”. If you enter upon this journey prayerfully and open to the Holy Spirit, you may reach a point where you despise me for suggesting this to you. If you continue upon this study prayerfully, I believe one day you will love me for pointing out this amazing fact to you. I ask that you pray for me in my journey as I will pray for you in yours. There is a reason that we have met here, and it may not be what we at first think it to be. I would love to hear about your journey should you accept this offer of a subject to study from the scriptures only. It took me two years to understand, yet the grace that God has given me was well worth the sores of the journey. After you study of the scriptures, I have a book that I would suggest you read on the subject, entitled “The Hidden Manna: A Theology of the Eucharist”. You will find it to be a spiritual blessing on par with “The Desire of Ages”. God bless you!
 
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