Thank you for responding to my email, and in such a timely manner. I thank you also for the study you have sent me, which points out the importance of being the Elijah-people in these last days. Perhaps in light of that message, I should share with you something about myself, and I apologize in advance if this takes up much of your time. I will try again to be brief, and in the course of doing so, I will respond to the statements in your reply. Also, concerning our conversation about the state of the SDA Church, I desire to post our conversation as an article on my website, that others may be edified.

So then... I was a Catholic in my "former life," but when I was 16 years old, some friends of mine began to speak to me about Seventh Day Adventism. What they said made sense to me, but what really got me interested was the way they explained the very prophecies with which we still have much to do. And so, in great fear of being part of a fallen Church when the plagues should begin to fall, I was baptized into the local SDA Church.

The way things work, however, fear cannot make anyone a friend of Yahweh. All six of the teenagers baptized with me fell out of the church after a couple years, including the two who had been instrumental in my decision. Eventually, although I held out the longest, I also lost interest and stopped going to the church. As Mrs. White wrote, the more exalted a being is when it falls, the darker the depths it will attain to [a paraphrase] - so it was that I began to study the occult, and became involved in things that are best forgotten.

A couple years ago (about 7 years later), I found myself in a truly bad state. I was involved in an ungodly relationship, and completely surrounded with the objects and practices of a darkened soul. Somewhere in that mess, my Father called out to me. Perhaps it was because even in the worst of times, I had respect for the Sabbath (even while breaking a healthy share of the other 9); but as we know repentance and salvation are free gifts, it may be better stated thus: nothing I did earned His call to me. It was a completely underserved act on His part, and even in this, He seemed different than the God of judgment with which my earlier SDA experience had acquanted me. Oh, I am not saying there was anything wrong with the message my friends brought to me, it was my own fears that did not allow me to see the love, but only the destruction, coming upon the fallen world.

For a week, for seven days, I wrestled with this angel. For all that time, I was weighing the cost of doing what I knew to be right. To leave the person I was with... to give up all that I was doing, all that I was - truly, that would require dying to self. But on the last day of that week, during a sudden freak hailstorm (in Florida, in in the summer), my Father set a crossroads before my eyes. "Choose," He said," and I knew that one path led to eternal destruction, and the other to life eternal.

I chose; but it was the most difficult decision (in my flesh) that I had ever made. I felt ripped apart, and waited patiently on the floor of my room to die. But I didn't, and so I set about to find an SDA Church in my area. For a few weeks, I attended a local church - but there seemed something wrong. It wasn't with with the pastor, or the people... When I spoke of my conversion, they were happy that I made the right choice, but of the sin itself, they just said, "Well, we all sin."

That seemed so wrong to me now... I wanted to remain dead to sin, and to make sure I never committed those awful things, or ANY sin, again. I knew from my early SDA studies that in the last days, God would have a people who were "sealed," who had received the latter rain, and who walked even as Christ walked, always growing, but never falling backward. They are a people of whom it is written, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1John 3:9)

The SDA Church taught all the right things, except this. And because my Father had called me, I knew there was more to it. I tell you truly, I wanted nothing more than to be silent, to sit in the back pew of the Church and repent with tears until Christ returned to take me home. But it wasn't to be that way.

Getting in contact (I thought at the time randomly) with a pastor from Tennesee, I was truly shocked when he told me that in Christ, we should no longer sin. That is to say, if a person is in Christ, he is dead to sin; old things being passed away, and we are completely new creations. We talked about all the verses that seemed to suggest that human beings will sin until the second Advent, and I came to understand the popular misconceptions about such passages as Romans 7 and a few lines in 1John. These teachings I have subsequently shared with others, and I find a marked difference between two types of listeners: those who truly desire to stop sinning (in more than just words) hear the message with gladness. These are by far in the minority of cases. Others grow either angry or distant, call me judgmental, and say it is impossible. But such blindness... for it is written that "With men this is impossible; but with God ALL things are possible," (Mat 19:26) and "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Phil 4:13) If we believe those promises - if we truly believe them - then we can accept the Gospel in its fullness.

This is the latter rain. This is what the prophet Joel spoke about, for it is written that our Father will pour out His spirit on all His true followers, and they will be sealed - prepared for Heaven and judged even while alive - made ready for translation without seeing death. Ellen White rejoiced to see these days, which are even now being fulfilled, and these things are now being reported to you, being read by you with your own eyes today.

Now, here is the problem. The SDA Church, as you know it, cannot receive this rain. You wrote to me, "It is very true that the conditions in some parts of the Seventh-day Adventist work are deplorable." I submit to you that the condition is far worse than that. You then said, "Jesus stated that the 'wheat and tares' would grow together until the harvest and at that time be separated. Nowhere in Scripture or in the Spirit of Prophecy do we find encouragement to leave the church because of the faults of others." With this statement I agree, but sir... the greater part of my last email to you was to show that the Church IS pure, but that according to both Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy, a church that joins itself (yes, though the actions of its leaders) to the world is NOT a church. Because of their actions the members, as Mrs. White put it, have "unchurched themselves." The true Church will always be pure, but the blood of the persecuted is on the hands of every covenant-sealed, tithe-paying, General-Conference-led Adventist in the world today. Furthermore, that time of separation to which you have referred is come.

"I have written largely in regard to Christians who believe the truth placing their cases in courts of law to obtain redress. In doing this, they are biting and devouring one another in every sense of the word, 'to be consumed one of another.' They cast aside the inspired counsel God has given, and in the face of the message He gives they do the very thing He has told them not to do. Such men may as well stop praying to God, for He will not hear their prayers. They insult Jehovah, and He will leave them to become the subjects of Satan until they shall see their folly and seek the Lord by confession of their sins." [Selected Messages, Book 3, 302]

The General Conference will not confess that their actions have been sinful, despite repeated pleas from Church members who understand Mrs. White's grave warnings. They have joined themselves fully to the idols of this world, and there is now no remedy.

This is the harvest.

The greater part of my last letter served to establish the Biblical pattern that runs from Genesis (The Tower of Babel) through Kings (Jezebel/Ahab) and down to Revelation (The woman riding the beast). A church that joins itself to the world by the actions of its leaders IS no Church. And once that marriage is consumated in the persecution of Christians (for that union invariably persecutes God's people), there can be no going back. Invariably, the true Church, the pure Church, is called out. It is far worse than you stated it; it is not that in some parts the work is deplorable - were that all, I would keep my silence, as I desired to do all along. But seeing what I have seen, reading the court transcripts and instructed by the Spirit of Yahweh Itself, I am commanded, "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." (Isa 58:1)

And sir, this is not a call for reformation. It is a call to get out. According to Jer 3 and Deu 24, there is no going back after the woman takes a second husband; there is no remedy. Only thus can one receive the latter rain, and be sealed that he/she may have complete victory over sin. My statements concerning Acts 2 are applicable here, the devout Jews SAW that because of their leaders they also were guilty, and they understood Peter's commands - they must be baptized and flee the church/state union their high priests had formed. As it also is written, "As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone. Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, 'Give ye.'" (Hos 4:7,17,18)

Again, "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Mat 6:22,23) If you see these in the light of the verse I shared with you last time: "For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed," (Isa 9:16) how can there be any doubt as to the clear teaching of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy?

Returning to my own story, when I understood this I was baptized as a Creation Seventh Day Adventist - NOT because the SDA Church was wrong, there were many Sabbath-keeping offshoots I could have gone to if it was just to get out of the "bad place." I became a CSDA for three major reasons.

First: It taught the Victory over sin, which no other Church in the world teaches, and we know in the last days, the True Church will both keep the commandments of God and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ. This testimony means two things - first it will have the Spirit of Prophecy, which refers not only to Mrs. White's writings, but also the Spirit to be poured out on the handmaids and servants in the last days. It also means that we will have His testimony and His faith, and His testimony before His enemies was this: "And He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him." (John 8:29) And we know this is the true Gospel, for the results are also recorded: "As He spake these words, many believed on Him." (John 8:30)

Second: Yahweh has never just called a people OUT of somewhere. He has always had a place ready for them: "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared." (Exo 23:20) He called them from Babylon, but not just from Babylon, to Canaan. Similarly from Egypt to Canaan. He called the Jews from earthly Israel to the Church. He called the Church from Catholicism to somewhere - the Protestant Reformation. He called Protestants (when they were no longer protesting all of the Papacy's errors) to the SDA Movement. Now... the SDA Church has joined itself to the world. It's not that some parts are bad, but the leaders HAVE caused the people to sin in setting up these idolatrous laws, just as Jeroboam caused Israel to sin in the matter of the silver calves. Not by man's power or human laws will the Name "Seventh Day Adventist" be protected, not by a trademark will the true Church be defended. "But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by Yahweh their God, and will NOT save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen." (Hos 1:7)

Third: I joined the Church is because: "We are Seventh-day Adventists. Are we ashamed of our name? We answer, 'No, no! We are not. It is the name the Lord has given us. It points out the truth that is to be the test of the churches.'" [Selected Messages, Book 2, 384] Many that split away from the Conference, such as the Eternal Gospel Church in Miami, have forsaken the name SDA because of the Trademark law, but the people of God will not do it. We will not receive the mark of this human kingdom, this beast, even it it means jail or worse.

A people defended by human works and human inventions cannot be God's people. "Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians [worldly forces], and oil is carried into Egypt." (Hos 12:1) What is the result of this? "Israel shall cry unto me, 'My God, we know thee.'" But, "Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him." (Hos 8:2&3) "Then said God, 'Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.'" (Hos 1:9) Ah, that you could see my face, Ephraim, as I plead with you.

Our Father not only calls a people out of somewhere, He has a good land to call them to - a land that flows with milk and honey: an inheritance that contains the Victory, the complete Victory over sin and self. That is this, the only Church that teaches the Gospel in its fullness: both keeping the commandments of God and having the Faith and Testimony of the Messiah.

That is my story, basically, and ever since that time two years ago, I have been teaching this message. I know it is true, for the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Prophecy and the Scriptures bear witness to this, as does my own life. With a heart of deep love and compassion, I invite all to share this great victory, to await with joy the return of Christ, and often do I shed tears when this invitation is rejected (and it is rejected often). I know what it means for those who reject this great salvation, the Gospel wherein Chirst heals both body AND soul, and says, "Go, and sin no more."

In closing, you said, "Let us pray together that the Lord will soon purify His church so that it will be ready for His coming." His Church IS pure; it has been made pure by the blood of cleansing, and by the separation It has made from the unclean thing. As it was said, "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, 'I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,' saith the Lord, 'and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,' saith the Lord Almighty." (2Cor 6:16,18)

It is to this separate Body that I invite you to add your own gifts, that we may draw others to the One Barn (Mat 13:30), One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism. (Eph 4:5) Most pastors I have spoken to have answered as you have, "Let us pray for the Church." But the Church is here waiting for the wheat, and though we are small and will be rejected by many, as representatives of Christ Himself "The Stone which the builders refused is become the head Stone of the corner. This is Yahweh's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes." (Psa 118:22,23)

I pray you will be soft to this message, and that the desire in all who hear this to overcome sin and self will be THE driving factor, the very force that will cause them to hear the voice of Yah, and be drawn to His people.

This is the harvest.

Your servant in the faith of Christ,
David.