1988: Judgment of the Living

Church Reference Says

When we come back to Revelation, we find in 14:1-5 that the 144,000 are sinless and without lies and that they stand with God on Mount Zion singing! Quite obviously, the 144,000 are the end-time "remnant" foretold by the Old Testament prophets.
These 144,000, who are victorious over the beast (Revelation 15:2-5), are the same as the "saints" in 14:12 who instead of worshiping the beast keep God's commandments; and these "saints" are the same as the people who keep God's commandments in 12:17. God Cares, Vol. 2, p. 407.

1. In 1844 Jesus came to the Ancient of Days to receive His kingdom (Daniel 7:9-14); that is, He then came as the Bridegroom to marry His bride (Matthew 25:1-13). Those Christians who have enjoyed a true relationship with Him (who have had oil in their lamps) have followed Him in faith and trust as He has been engaged in the wedding ceremonies.
2. Since 1844 the judgment has been going on (Daniel 7) in which the King has been examining everyone who throughout human history has claimed to be His follower. These people as a whole have made up His church, His betrothed bride. But as individuals not all have been true and faithful. Many have taken His name in vain. They have disregarded His commandments. Many have even persecuted fellow believers who wanted to obey God. These untrue, unkind followers are found in the pre-advent judgment not to have on the white-linen wedding garment. Matthew 22:1-14. They are removed from the book of life. Then the church is purged and pure and faithful. The bride is clean and white. Revelation 19:7-9; Ephesians 5:25-27.
3. The bride at last being ready for Him, Jesus marries her; that is, He receives His kingdom. Daniel 7:14; Luke 19:11, 12. The door to the wedding is shut, and any who at so late a date want to get in are found to be unprepared and unworthy. Matthew 25:1-14; compare Revelation 22:11.
4. Immediately after the marriage, Jesus returns to the earth (Luke 12:35-37) to gather His waiting servants.
5. Thereupon He causes His faithful servants to sit down and eat (Luke 12:35-37) by taking them to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). God Cares, Vol. 2, pp. 408- 409.

Daniel 7:13, 14 shows that at the close of the pre-advent phase of the final judgment, which began in 1844 and ends just before the second coming, Jesus, the Son of man, was to receive "dominion and glory and kingdom" from God the Father, the Ancient of Days. Christ's kingdom on this earth becomes truly His when, as a result of the judgment and of the preaching of the three angels' messages, His church comes to be composed entirely of individuals fully committed to His service. (In the final analysis, a kingdom belongs to a king only to the extent that its people choose to obey him.)

Immediately upon receiving His kingdom in its fullness, Jesus rushes off jumps on His "white horse" and gallops away to rescue from the earth His loyal but harassed citizens and share His kingship with them.

To put the matter another way, during the pre-advent phase of the judgment, Christ's church becomes "bright and pure" (Revelation 19:8), "without spot or wrinkle or any such thing" (see Ephesians 5:26, 27). By clothing herself in "fine linen" (the "righteous deeds of the saints"), she thus makes herself "ready." Revelation 19:7, 8. At once Jesus marries His church, symbolized as New Jerusalem. Immediately after the wedding (see Luke 12:35-37) He returns to His waiting servants on earth to invite them to attend the "marriage supper of the Lamb." Revelation 19:9 . . . . God Cares, Vol. 2, p. 489.

The investigative judgment takes place in heaven before Christ comes, in order to ascertain who are worthy to be raised in the first resurrection, at His coming, and who among the living are to be changed in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trump. It is necessary for this to take place before the Second Advent, as there will be no time for such a work between the coming of Christ and the raising of the righteous dead. Bible Readings for the Home, pp. 211, 212 (1949 ed.).

NOTE. The beast "which had the wound by a sword, and did live," is the Papacy. That was a church dominating the civil power, a union of church and state, enforcing its religious dogmas by the civil power, by confiscation, imprisonment, and death. An image to this beast would be another ecclesiastical organization clothed with civil power another union of church and state to enforce religion by law. Ibid, p. 236.

Chronology of 1988 Events

February 4: "The Seventh-day Adventist Church has asked the United States District Court for the Central District of California to issue injunctions to prevent a support group for homosexuals from using the church's
name . . ." Adventist Review, Newsbreak.
May: First printing of the book Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . (27 Fundamentals). Although church officials deny that this work is intended to be a church creed, it has been employed to define what a true Seventh-day Adventist is in terms of their beliefs. The world would likely view these doctrines as the Seventh-day Adventist Church Creed.
May 12: Court order handed down imposing fines on Pastor Marik and his small congregation in Hawaii. Warrant issued for the arrest and incarceration of Pastor Marik for trademark infringement.
June 9: TRADEMARK PROTECTION, by Calvin B. Rock. "The name Seventh-day Adventist carries special meaning. If its significance is to be retained, the church must protect it from those who would misrepresent it. . . . We regard the use of the church's name by a group that is not a duly recognized component of the Seventh-day Adventist Church organization as a fraud upon the public. . . . The church's trade names are registered and protected under United States law." Adventist Review, June 9, 1988, page 16. This marks the first appearance in Adventist media discussing the SDA Church trademark policy regarding protection of the church's name.
June 11: Walter "Chick" McGill is given a dream describing the work of judgment and final sealing of God's servants in Ezekiel 9. He is commissioned to herald "the judgment-hour message," calling, first, Seventh-day Adventists to the judgment of the living.
June 18: "We've got to protect that [Seventh-day Adventist] name, because we are giving a false impression to the world . . . And this church-state business, be a little careful how you use that, because that is not in Scripture-- separation of church and state." Neal C. Wilson.
September 15: Judgment Hour Call published "Important Trademark Petition". See "Why a Petition?" for the full text.
October 6: "Project 27" announced in the Adventist Review by General Conference President, Neal C. Wilson. This campaign called for placing the book Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . with over 200,000 non-Adventist ministers, in every library in the world, and in the editorial offices of every major newspaper and magazine around the world. A major concern stated by Wilson was that the public "learn that we are not some strange, fanatical religious sect, but a people with a clear understanding of the gospel and a mission to carry it to the world."
October 6: Petition to cancel General Conference Corporation's trademark registration filed with U. S. Patent and Trademark Office by Virginia Stocker (SDA Church member).
October 4-11: Seventh-day Adventist Church's annual world business session in Africa. "The Lord Our Righteousness" was their theme, and the "New Trademark Policy" which "crucifies the Lord afresh" was one of their accomplishments. Adventist Review, Oct. 27, 1988, pp. 6-7.
October 30-November 2: North American Division's year-end meetings in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The meetings "approved a set of guidelines that define what the church considers 'acceptable' independent ministries by Seventh-day Adventist members. The document lists 11 characteristics, including being supportive of the church at all levels and providing audited financial statements upon request." Adventist Review, Nov. 24, 1988, pp. 6-10.
November 2-5: "Celebration '88", 1888 centennial celebration in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Adventist Review, Nov. 24, 1988, p. 11, "At the conclusion of the Minneapolis session 100 years ago, evaluations of the meeting varied greatly. Ellen White, however, saw it as an opportunity largely lost because of the unchristian attitude of most of the delegates. The spirit of Celebration '88 was vastly different. Perhaps it will mark another milestone in the history of the SDA Church."
November 6-12: 1988 Week of Prayer. Sabbath, November 12, a day for world-wide prayer and fasting. Calvin B. Rock wrote in Adventist Review, Oct. 20, 1988, p. 2, "Please join your brothers and sisters around the globe in making this Week of Prayer of 1988 what 1888 was meant to be our linchpin of theology, our call to repentance, our source of effectiveness and power."
November 27: Los Angeles Times: "Tiny Church in Hawaii Battles Adventists Over Trademark Use." This popular news coverage was distributed around the world in Adventist communities.
December: General Conference trademark policy, Should the church sue to keep its name clean? "The General conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists, on behalf of the entire denomination, has registered under the United States trademark laws the name 'Seventh-day Adventist'. . ." Ministry, pp. 4-7. This article marked only the second open discussion of the trademark name controversy in Adventist Church media.
December 29: 1988 ITS IMPACT UPON THE CHURCH, Events That Helped Shape the Adventist Church of Today and Tomorrow, by Myron Widmer. "After squandering a perfect opportunity in 1888 to fully accept and proclaim the message of righteousness by faith in Christ, the church hoped this centennial year would be different, that it would mark the beginning of a renewed emphasis upon preaching and living the heaven-sent message. . . . The name Seventh- day Adventist became a legally registered trademark." Adventist Review, Dec. 29, 1988, pp. 9, 10.
Other Related Events:

In 1988, both the Lord Our Righteousness Church (LOR) and the Fourth Angels Movement (FAM) yielded to the trademark law requirements by giving up the name "Seventh-day Adventist." These two movements were founded on the 1888 Message, described by Ellen G. White as "a most precious message" and comprising requisites of "the loud cry." Sadly, they did not pass the final test of the third angel in the judgment of the living.
In the Jan/Feb/Mar 1989 issue of The Runner, this news came from Puerto Rico: Los Angeles Times article [Nov. 27, 1988] has been circulated not only in California but also in many countries such as England, Israel, Holland, Rome, Mexico, etc. . . . "My aunt has been taking a neighbor to a series of the Revelation Seminar being held at the SDA Church. About a week ago the neighbor presented my aunt with the Los Angeles Times article and said to her: 'If this is what your church does to fellow Christian believers, (taking them to court, fining them, and jailing them over a name), I don't want to have anything to do with them.'"

Seven Years of Grace

November 10, 1981: The mark "Seventh-day Adventist" was registered to the General Conference under Registration No. 1,177,185. (U. S. Patent and Trademark Office.)
April, 1984: Letters of complaint were mailed to Pastor John Marik from SDA Church officials regarding the unauthorized use of the name "Seventh-day Adventist."
April, 1987: The General Conference Corporation filed lawsuit against Pastor John Marik and his small Hawaii congregation for trademark infringement.

A certain man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, "Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?" And he answered and said to him, "Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down." Luke 13:6-9.

May 12, 1988: Court order was handed down, imposing fines on Pastor Marik and his small congregation in Hawaii. Warrant was issued for the arrest and incarceration of Pastor Marik for continued violations of December 8, 1987 court order to cease using the name "Seventh-day Adventist," take the church sign down, and deliver books, etc. to Federal agents for destruction.
October 4-11, 1988: Seventh-day Adventist Church's annual world business session in Africa. "The Lord Our Righteousness" was their theme, and the "New Trademark Policy" which "crucifies the Lord afresh" was one of their accomplishments. Adventist Review, Oct. 27, 1988, p. 7.
October 30-November 2, 1988: North American Division's year-end meetings in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The meetings "approved a set of guidelines that define what the church considers 'acceptable' independent ministries by Seventh-day Adventist members. The document lists 11 characteristics, including being supportive of the church at all levels and providing audited financial statements upon request." Adventist Review, Nov. 24, 1988, p. 9.
November 2-5, 1988: "Celebration '88", 1888 centennial celebration in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Adventist Review, Nov. 24, p. 11, "At the conclusion of the Minneapolis session 100 years ago, evaluations of the meeting varied greatly. Ellen White, however, saw it as an opportunity largely lost because of the unchristian attitude of most of the delegates. The spirit of Celebration '88 was vastly different. Perhaps it will mark another milestone in the history of the SDA Church." See "Celebration '88" for further commentary on this event and the close of probation for the General Conference Denomination.
November 6-12, 1988: 1988 Week of Prayer. Sabbath, November 12, a day for world-wide prayer and fasting. Calvin B. Rock wrote in Adventist Review, October 20, p. 2, "Please join your brothers and sisters around the globe in making this Week of Prayer of 1988 what 1888 was meant to be our linchpin of theology, our call to repentance, our source of effectiveness and power." This week marked seven full years from the issuance of the Federally registered trademark to the General Conference Corporation. (emphases added.)

Why a Petition?

WHY A PETITION?
It is imperative that we help our brethren in Hawaii if we can possibly do so. Not because we either agree or disagree with their position, but because a 'precedent in court' is being established where a large denomination may take a small group to court for being too close to the foundation beliefs of the larger denomination, and yet be separate from them. Thus no one knows how far this can take the entire religious world, restricting religious freedom.
Make additional copies of the petition, if you wish, and send them to whomsoever will get them filled out for you. Send me the originals and send a copy to Neal Wilson, 6840 Eastern Avenue N.E., Washington, D.C. 20012. We wish the originals so they can be used by Max Corbett as he defends the Hawaii people.
This is a matter of grave importance to all of us. It is a similar matter to that resulting from action taken by the Roman Catholic Church in 313 A.D. In that year the Edict of Milan was issued by Constantine. As a result of the issuing of the edict, any persons not members of the Roman Catholic Church were declared to be heretics. Thus, they were liable to have their property confiscated.
Thus there is a great need for a sufficient number of Seventh-day Adventists to ask their Conference officials to take a good look at the path upon which we have strayed.
It is desired that these petitions be secured so that they can be presented as a package to the court by the attorney for the defense; thus I will be the one holding them in readiness for that time. It is necessary that this be done before November 1, 1988, so please help us. Catherine Curtis, P.O. Box 138, Bangor, Ca. 95914

PETITION

The undersigned, each being a constituent member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, hereby petition the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists that a general assembly of the Seventh-day Adventist Church be promptly called to meet in special session to consider the grievance hereafter specified, and after due deliberation, take whatever steps, procedures and actions are necessary to correct all matters requiring correction, including removal from office of any party or parties deemed appropriate or necessary, by impeachment or otherwise, instituting or amending bylaws or procedures to prevent reoccurrence of member actions taken, including changes in organizational structure of the church, and taking whatever steps and means are necessary or appropriate to quickly finish the gospel proclamation mission of the church.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church, acting by and through the General Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists has trademarked the name of "Seventh-day Adventist." Suit has been instituted against various churches utilizing this name who are not part of the duly organized Seventh-day Adventist Church for trademark violations. In one instance lawsuit has been brought against a small church of twelve members, the Seventh-day Adventist Congregational Church of Hawaii. Fines of $500 per day were accessed against this church and its pastor, individually and collectively, for trademark violation and a warrant was issued for arrest of its pastor, John R. Marik. We firmly believe that this is clearly contrary to the Biblical injunctions: "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?" (1 Corinthians 6:1)
The Spirit of Prophecy emphatically cautions against such a course of action: 1T 201, 5T 242-3, Acts of Apostles 304-306.
The trademarking of the name "Seventh-day Adventist", the institution of suits for violation of such trademark, and the continuance of such lawsuits constitutes our grievance. Immediate redress is sought.
Under these circumstances, it is duly recognized that an emergency exists for it is evident that appeals through normal channels will avail nothing, and that a call has gone forth: "Who is on the Lord's side?" (Exodus 32:26)
Firmly believing in the council, "If God abhors one sin above another, of which his people are guilty, it is doing nothing in case of an emergency." We do hereby affix our signature, calling upon the Lord to duly witness thereto:

DATE NAME ADDRESS CHURCH
_______________________________________
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From: Judgment Hour Call,
Vol. 1, Number 1, September 15, 1988, Editor: G. Harvey Rue.

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