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A Response to the Video:
Seventh-day Adventism, the Spirit Behind the Church

by Bob Pickle

Answers to Questions Raised by:
Mark Martin, Sydney Cleveland
Dale Ratzlaff, The White Lie
. . . and Others

Discern Fact from Fiction

Other Doctrines; the Jehovah's Witnesses

#97: "Both have covered up their errors and claimed to be the only remnant church in the world."—Leslie Martin.

#97: Both claim to be the only remnant church. Under "Point 52a" in the documentation package is proof that Jehovah's Witnesses do not teach that they are the remnant church, contrary to what Mrs. Martin just said.

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the 144,000 are the only ones who go to heaven, few of these still being on earth today. The rest of the redeemed they believe will stay on earth. The photocopy under "Point 52a" plainly says that this latter group, the "earthly class" or "bridesmaids," are not the remnant. Only the 144,000, the "heavenly class" or "bridal congregation," are:

Of course these figurative bridesmaids do not expect to go to heaven with the "remnant," but they honor the heavenly King and his Bridegroom Son, and show due respect for the remnant of the Bridal congregation.—The Watchtower, Nov. 15, 1974.

Thus Witnesses teach that only a very minute portion of their numbers are the remnant. How minute? Of 10,650,158 Witnesses who attended the 1991 Memorial Service (communion service), only 8,850 believed they were part of the 144,000 (E. B. Price, Our Friends the Jehovah's Witnesses, p. 47). That means that in 1991, only .0831% of Jehovah's Witnesses were the remnant while 99.9169% were not, according to their own beliefs. And since the remaining 144,000 are quite advanced in years, this proportion decreases every passing year.

Seventh-day Adventists base their teaching of the remnant primarily on Revelation 12:17. "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" (Rev. 12:17). First of all, what does this woman symbolize? All through Scripture, a woman is used to symbolize God's people or church:

Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you. (Jer. 3:14)

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (Eph. 5:23-25)

We therefore have in Revelation 12:17 a picture of God's last day people, His remnant church. They are described as keeping God's commandments and having the testimony of Jesus. What is Jesus's testimony? How does He testify to us when He isn't here in person?

Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes. (2 Kings 17:13) [p. 70]

Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets. (Neh. 9:30)

Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, . . . Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. (1 Pet. 1:10, 11)

So when Jesus is not here in person to give His testimony, He testifies by His Spirit through a prophet. This is why the book of Revelation equates the "testimony of Jesus" with the "spirit of prophecy":

I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Rev. 19:10)

Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets. (Rev. 22:9)

Thus the remnant church is a church that keeps all of God's commandments and has the gift of prophecy. Find a church that meets that description, and you have found the remnant church of Bible prophecy.

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