I don’t think I have to tell you this morning, that the world is immoral and getting worse, exponentially worse by the day. As we see what’s going on with the progressive agenda in politics and the moral climate of the world in general with the confused ideas that men can become pregnant, that many people can’t define what a woman is, that men can become women and women men, that you are what you think you are, that same sex marriage is now protected by the Supreme Court, and by the way, Congress just signed “The Respect for Marriage Act,” which should be “The Disrespect for Marriage Act,” because it redefines marriage to include same sex marriage and undoes the “Defense of Marriage Act” that was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996, defining it as between one man and one woman. It’s amazing how things have changed in just 26 years, isn’t it? And it’s the same political party that did the changing both times. And because this Bill will become a federal law when President Biden signs it, and I have no doubt that he will, individual States will no longer have the right to refuse to go along with it as they were able to before.

And then there’s a growing list of gender identities as long as your arm that includes nearly every letter of the alphabet, and many of the schools and libraries and day care centers are now having drag queen story time where children kindergarten age, are being indoctrinated with many of these corrupt ideas, and the same within the public school system.

As we witness these things, I know many people are wondering, where does it all end, and how much worse can it get. Well, according to Bible prophecy it can get worse, much worse, and unfortunately it will, because there’s a time of trouble coming the likes of which this world has never seen before, and there have been some pretty bad times!

I was just in a laundromat the other day and noticed a free paper called “The Patriots Free Press” and read the following headline, “California Is “Now Castrating Children From All 50 States.” Needless to say, that made me curious, so I began to read. It’s too long for me to read the whole thing to you this morning, but I would like to read just a small portion. This is regarding a Bill that was recently signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. The Bill is SB 107. “California Governor Gavin Newsom signs a bill allowing children from any state in the country to go to California for transgender medical procedures without parental consent. California is being hailed as a transgender surgery sanctuary state, now providing chemical and surgical castrations for all of America’s children. According to this new law, California can take emergency jurisdiction over any child from anywhere if there’s a disagreement between the parent and the state of California over how to treat a child’s gender distress. SB 107 states that taking a child away from the child’s parents is justifiable if it is done to pursue gender transition procedures in California and allows for the state to wage child custody claims against out of state parents. SB 107 forbids health care providers from providing medical information related to gender identity procedures to a child’s parent, even if sought under a subpoena.”

I think you will agree with me that this is just wrong and evil, but such is the condition of America at the present time. And by the way, I’m hearing from several different sources that Gavin Newsom will probably run for President in 2024.

So, we are very near the breaking point in this nation, and many other nations around the world the same, and it’s all leading somehow to religious persecution, and according to Revelation 14:12 we know it’s commandment keepers that have the faith of Jesus who will be persecuted by commandment breakers that have no faith in Jesus, even though they will claim that they do. Seems odd, doesn’t it, that persecution comes to those who want to do what’s right rather than do what’s wrong? But such was the case with Jesus, and didn’t Paul tell us that “all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”? So, it’s to be expected, and soon to a heightened degree.

So yes, the world is immoral in the extreme, and we shouldn’t be too surprised about all these things, because the Lord Himself told us what the world would be like just before He comes. Notice what He said in Luke 17:26-30, “As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; (in other words, they were oblivious to the fact that coming judgment was imminent, just like today) but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. (Now pay close attention to this last sentence) Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” That is, when He’s revealed from heaven when He comes back to deliver His people. And I say, “Come Lord Jesus,” amen? But in the meantime, we have a work to do, and we should be about our Father’s business while we still have opportunity. Jesus said we must work while it’s day, for the night is coming when no man can work, and that time is fast approaching.

Sodom and Gomorrah and the little city of Zoar that Lot asked to flee into, which God eventually destroyed also, is located, according to some scholars, at the bottom of the Dead Sea, which is the lowest place on earth. If this is true, I think that’s very fitting, don’t you? Because it’s known to be the lowest place on earth in a moral and spiritual sense as well because of what took place there.

In Luke 17 we’re given two examples in connection with Christ’s coming of what the world was like when God destroyed everyone who was not in the Ark of safety, and afterward when He destroyed the cities of the plain because of their sexual perversion. Now please, don’t miss this point; Jesus here is talking about much more than just catching people by surprise, and yes, that will happen too, but it’s also a picture of the state of things just before He comes, and we can see it clearly if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.

And remember also what it says in Genesis 6:5 as to why God destroyed the world with a flood in Noah’s day. It says, “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” You see, the carnal heart in imagination is evil continually, because it’s evil and evil only. There’s no good in it, that’s why it’s essential that we allow the Holy Spirit to create within us a new heart. But if we’re unwilling to receive it, there’s no hope that we will ever overcome an evil imagination, and thus we will miss out on the things that Jesus is preparing for those who love and obey Him.

Now, as far as Sodom goes, the people there were involved in the works of the flesh on steroids as described in Galatian 5, especially the ones that have to do with sexual sins, and as we see what’s happening today, we see that that is the world we live in right now. Lovers of sinful pleasure more than lovers of God. That’s how it was in Sodom, and friends, Sodom is here today! I was just talking to my daughter the other day and I told her the title to my next sermon was “Sodom Bound”, and she said “Dad, we’re not bound for Sodom, we have arrived! We are there!” And I had to agree with her.

Sodom of old may have passed away, but this current age of Sodom survives at the present time, and how was Sodom destroyed? By fire, and something similar is going to happen again very soon, only on a much wider scale. But we can thank God this morning that we don’t have to suffer in those flames. In Matthew 25:41 Jesus said hell fire is prepared for who? “The devil and his angels.” It was never God’s intention that human beings should take part in that lake of fire burning with brimstone, but unfortunately that will be the fate of the majority when everything is said and done. America, dear friends, and I say this with great sadness; America is spiritually at the same place today as the unbelieving Jews of old when they said, “Give us Barabbas”, and the results of that kind of mindset has brought us to where we are today.

Think of the condition of the world just before the flood, and of Sodom and Gomorrah with its sexual perversion. Is it really that much different today with people continually thinking evil thoughts and committing sexual sins? Oh, I know there are pockets here and there where people are trying to serve God, but in the populated cities it’s much like Sodom today. What things were like before the flood and what it was like in Sodom before it was destroyed are all signs that Jesus said would be prominent in the last days. They are a type of what it will be like just before Jesus comes, and we see it in all the perversion and craziness going on all around us today. So, get ready my dear friends, because truly, the end of all things is at hand.

Now, all these things are bad enough, but when we see the same things creeping into the church, and specifically into the great Advent movement, the movement God raised up over 180 years ago to proclaim the truth for these last days, what are we to think? And more importantly, what are we to do?

You know, the Spirit of Prophecy says we all ought to know what’s being taught among us, because if it’s truth we need it, but if it’s error we need to correct it, and if the church won’t accept correction, then we need to separate from it or be held accountable for the error. That’s just the simple truth. A hard thing to do for some, but necessary just the same.

Let me put it to you this way: if Lot had refused to leave Sodom, what would have happened to him? The answer is obvious, is it not? And if we don’t leave a church where the same immoral things are being practiced, encouraged, supported and accepted, what will happen to us? I’ll leave that thought with you for a little while, and maybe by the time we’re done you’ll know exactly what to do if you haven’t already figured it out.

You probably remember reading the statement in Testimonies for the Church, volume 1, page 321 where it says, “In this fearful time (are we living in a fearful time? Yes, we are. More fearful than when this was written) “In this fearful time just before Christ is to come the second time (are we living just before Christ is to come the second time? Yes, we are) God’s faithful preachers (that means there are unfaithful preachers) God’s faithful preachers (who are in the minority) will have to bear a still more pointed testimony than was borne by John the Baptist. (Did John bear a pointed testimony? Yes, he did. And today an even more pointed testimony is required. Why? Because sin is running rampant, in and out of the church) A responsible, important work is before them (the faithful preachers, why? Because so many are on the road to perdition, and if they don’t tell the truth they will have blood on their hands); and those who speak smooth things, God will not acknowledge as His shepherds. A fearful woe is upon them.”

Friends, we are living during a time when many in the church have the same desire as ancient Israel when they said to the prophets of old in Isaiah 30:10, Don’t prophesy unto us the truth, “speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.”

So, if it’s smooth things you want to hear today you’ve come to the wrong place. The job of God’s faithful preachers is not to make people comfortable in sin, to sweep it under the rug, or to sugar coat what God condemns. The Holy Spirit is to work through them to bring conviction that a change needs to take place, because the end of all things is at hand. And so, you’ll have to go elsewhere if you’re looking for carnal security and a warm fuzzy feeling.

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “As the world goes, so goes the church,” well, unfortunately this has proved to be a true statement. It was true in the past and it’s true today. The longer time goes on the worse things become, and the more the world creeps into the church. We should have been out of this sinful world ere this we’re told, and because time has gone on longer than God intended, sin has become less sinful in the minds of God’s professed people. And guess what? Just before the flood, Noah, the sole faithful preacher, was regarded as a fanatic, and the same will be thought of those who speak the truth in warning today.

Let me read something to you that was written well over a hundred years ago, and you tell me if you think things in the church are better or worse today. Testimonies for the Church, volume 5, page 217. “I am filled with sadness when I think of our condition as a people. The Lord has not closed heaven to us, but our own course of continual backsliding has separated us from God. Pride, covetousness, and love of the world have lived in the heart without fear of banishment or condemnation. Grievous and presumptuous sins have dwelt among us. And yet the general opinion is that the church is flourishing, and that peace and spiritual prosperity are in all her borders. The church has turned back from following Christ her leader and is steadily retreating toward Egypt. (And I think we can include Sodom here, because she brings it into that context) Yet few are alarmed or astonished at their want of spiritual power. Doubt and even disbelief of the testimonies of the Spirit of God is leavening our churches everywhere. Satan would have it thus.” Then on page 218 she gives the reason for such a stern rebuke. “The sins that destroyed the antediluvians and the cities of the plain exist today (where do they exist? In the church. Then she says)—not merely in heathen lands, not only among popular professors of Christianity, but with some who profess to be looking for the coming of the Son of man.”

Who was it that was looking for the second coming of the Son of man when this was written? Seventh-day Adventists! Over 100 years ago she said the sins that destroyed the antediluvians and the cities of the plain existed in the church, and what do you think she would say today? You may want to wait till we’re through before you can answer this question with conviction.

Back in the 1980s the evangelist CD Brooks had a sermon titled “Sodom Bound,” hence the title to today’s sermon, and if that were the case some 40 years ago, what about today? Do you think it’s gotten any better? Or like my daughter said, “We’re not headed toward Sodom, we have arrived.”

Did you know that the Hollywood, California Seventh-day Adventist Church ordained a transgender man as elder in 2016, and by the way, I refuse to call him her, because I don’t want to say anything that would affirm anyone as something other than the way they were physically born. They also put him in as a fulltime adult Sabbath School teacher. He calls himself Rhonda and says it was the movie Seventh Gay Adventists that helped pave the way for him to join the Hollywood Adventist Church. “Seventh Gay Adventists” is a movie written by Seventh-day Adventists in an attempt to gain sympathy and support for gay church members, and in his case, it accomplished its purpose.

Let me read from this church’s official website, “At Hollywood Adventist Church, where God’s Spirit is given space to change lives, we are committed to the ongoing work of making that space fully inclusive. (Inclusive seems to be the new buzz word within liberal churches today, and it means “we accept all the options.” “Fully inclusive!”) God’s love is broader and deeper than we can fathom. Fellowship and membership (fellowship and what? Membership) in His church should, likewise, be open and generous. The redemptive power of Christ’s love extends to everyone regardless of age, race, class, sexual or gender identity. We embrace the challenge of being a diverse community, which encourages dialogue and welcomes questions, as we continue to identify the ways God is at work in all of our lives. We believe this will ultimately enrich us and be a witness for and a foretaste of the kingdom God intends to establish in the earth made new. All are welcome in our church.”

Last I knew, you must be a member of the church to be ordained as an elder and to teach a Sabbath School class. So evidently, they still accept into membership those who’s sexual and gender identity is condemned in God’s word.

Then there’s the Crosswalk Seventh-day Adventist church in Redlands California with many other satellite locations around the country. Here’s what they say on their website, “Anyone who comes in our doors or on our radar is welcome and accepted, (welcome and what? Accepted), just as they are—even you. (Yes, come as you are, but somehow the part about not staying just as you are is missing) You are great. And we’re glad you’re here. There’s no dress code. You’ll see people dressed up and others in t-shirts and ripped jeans. Dress however you feel comfortable. . . The details matter at Crosswalk – like locally roasted espresso and trained baristas. This is why we say to come early. . . (yes, fill them up with caffeine before Sabbath School and church so they can’t think straight) Music binds us together and opens us up emotionally for the message. (It sure does, and Satan’s the choir director) So let loose, forget who’s watching and sing your guts out with us. (And of course, you can see on their website that they have their rock band on stage during their services) You are loved and welcome right now, as you are, no exceptions. Jesus was radically inclusive (there’s that word again), so come on in.” And just like the Hollywood Adventist church, they welcome the LGBTQ+ community to come and join their church.

Then there’s Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International that was organized for the purpose of accepting and coddling people involved in an immoral lifestyle because they “have felt hurt or rejected because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.”

Now, what is Satan’s purpose in all this? Isn’t it an attempt to normalize sexual sins and make people feel comfortable and take away the conviction and guilt that comes from living in a way that’s condemned in God’s word? And the Seventh-day Adventist church is being complicit by not doing what John the Baptist did and calling sin by its right name.

It’s interesting to me that the denomination went to great lengths a few years ago to hire a Catholic lawyer, who was paid with the sacred tithe, to sue Historic Seventh-day Adventists who believe what the pioneers of the faith believed, simply because they felt convicted to call themselves Seventh-day Adventists, while at the same time it’s just fine for Kinship International, the Hollywood church and all the Crosswalk churches to use the name without any retaliation.

Now, the Seventh-day Adventist Denominational leaders will tell you that they’re opposed to all this, but at the same time they allow it to go on without any repercussions, which makes them corporately accountable. In other words, unless they get a backbone and make a course correction in this area, they are as guilty in God’s eyes as those who are engaged in sodomite practices. Think I’m being too harsh by speaking this way? Listen to what God says in Testimonies for the Church, volume 3, page 269, “The plain, straight testimony must live in the church, or the curse of God will rest upon His people as surely as it did upon ancient Israel because of their sins. God holds His people, as a body, responsible for the sins existing in individuals among them. If the leaders of the church neglect to diligently search out the sins which bring the displeasure of God upon the body, they become responsible for these sins.”

Also, Patriarchs and Prophets, page 578, “Those who have too little courage to reprove wrong, or who through indolence or lack of interest make no earnest effort to purify the family or the church of God, are held accountable for the evil that may result from the neglect of duty. We are just as responsible for evils that we might have checked in others by exercise of parental or pastoral authority, as if the acts had been our own.”

Did you know that Loma Linda University Health just celebrated pride month this past summer? Let me read you a couple paragraphs from a letter written by Dr Richard Hart, President of this corrupt institution of the Seventh-day Adventist church. And by the way, it’s my understanding that a percentage of God’s sacred tithe collected by the General Conference goes to support Loma Linda University, which used to be called “The School of Medical Evangelists,” but it is far removed from that today. If they were still living up to that designation, they would be worthy of tithe support, but unfortunately that’s no longer the case, and hasn’t been for many decades.

Here’s what President Hart wrote in a letter in an effort to support his idea of celebrating pride month. “We have just ended the month of June, designated as ‘Pride Month.’ This is a societal attempt to recognize the lives of those who identify as LGBTQI. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact LGBTQI individuals have had on history and to acknowledge the prejudice and hate many have experienced. (What kind of impact have LGBTQI individuals had on history and society over the years? Has it been good? No! The impact has been morally devastating to the world) In addition, it is an opportunity for those who do not identify in this way to connect and support.

“When Loma Linda University Health participates in months of recognition, we are working to heal and restore relationships, as I believe Christ calls us to do. (In other words, we should be inclusive) May each of us open our hearts to all those around us who are deserving and in need of this love and acceptance.”

If this is the way God feels about the LGBTQI community today, as President Hart says, then why did He destroy Sodom yesterday? Doesn’t the Bible say, “God is the same yesterday, today, and forever”? Didn’t He say, “I change not”? Hate sin but love the sinner, yes, but connect with them, and support them, and accept them, and sympathize with them? That kind of approach will never bring conviction, but only embolden people in sin. President Hart is encouraging them in their sinful lifestyle rather than warning them, and it’s not going to bode well for him when his name comes up in review before God unless there is genuine repentance and an effort to correct wrongs.

Now, I want you to think about celebrating pride month for a minute. Why would any Christian celebrate things that God condemns? According to the dictionary, the word celebrate means to, “Observe with ceremonies of respect, festivity, or rejoicing; to extol or praise.” Celebrate and commemorate pride month, really? The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, + community is involved in open sin, and if we’re going to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, why stop there? Why not celebrate adultery, pedophilia, incest, and every other sexual sin you can think of?

Then there’s Advent Health. Advent Health gave one million dollars to something called the Pulse Memorial. The owners of Pulse Memorial are the same owners of Pulse Nightclub. Pulse Nightclub was the gay and lesbian bar and dance club in Orlando, Florida that became the scene of a mass shooting on June 12, 2016, where 49 people were killed and another 53 injured. According to Advent Health the one million dollars will be used “to help build the National Pulse Memorial & Museum and develop [an] educational curriculum focused on diversity and (guess what?) inclusion.” One million dollars to help respect and promote the LGBTQ+ community and educate people to accept this perverse lifestyle. Don’t you think that kind of money could be better spent to promote the three angels’ messages, and with better results?

Then there’s Andrews University that authored a series of articles in 2021 in response to transgenders, and in just a few words the takeaway is that we should empathize and support the LGBTQ+ community, and that they should be afforded dignity and respect, and that it’s OK to give them puberty blockers to prevent unwanted physical changes until they are legally old enough to have permanent surgeries, which can never be reversed. In other words, they should be welcomed to come to Andrews University, because they will be accepted with open arms, and that you can be assured that no one there will warn them that their chosen lifestyle is leading them to hell. What do you think J. N. Andrews would say today of the school that bears his name? It’s a disgrace!

There’s a new book out called The Bible and LGBTQ Adventists, and it’s not negative toward LGBTQ Adventists. The author believes the church should support same-sex couples and same-sex marriage, and as we have seen, it appears that it is doing so, and it’s full throttle toward Sodom. “The Bible and LGBTQ Adventists” was written be Alicia Johnston, a former Seventh Day Adventist minister who resigned her position, which she should have done, in fact, she shouldn’t have been a pastor in the first place, but in her book she lists 8 former and current pastors and church administrators that endorse her book and her ideas, and one of these pastors is directing people to Alicia Johnston’s fundraising page so she can continue to promote her destructive and sinful ideas.

If those in leadership would do the right thing, every one of these men should be relieved of their positions immediately, but no, they are still being supported from the sacred tithe while they undermine the plain truths of God’s word. Again, the denomination says they “condemn same-sex practices and relationships”, but they do nothing about stopping it, which makes them, and all who support them, corporately accountable for their do-nothing approach to these sinful practices.

Then this last thing I’ll mention has to do with one of the most popular ministers in the Seventh-Day Adventist denomination today by the name of Dwight Nelson. Popular because he says what people want to hear, not what they need to hear. He’s currently the senior pastor at Andrews University Memorial Church, so he has a lot of influence upon the young people who go to school and attend church there.

Just this year he received a letter from an 11-year-old boy who wanted Pastor Nelson to respond to a question he had. The boy’s question was as follows. “Dear Pastor, the Bible says things against being LGBTQ+. Since I am bisexual, does that mean I won’t go to heaven? But I also don’t want to give up my feelings. Could you do a sermon on God and the LBGTQ+ community? It would help a lot. Thank you very much, God bless. Happy Sabbath.”

You’d have to watch this sermon for yourself to get the full impact, which I don’t encourage you to do unless you want to get sick, but as Pastor Nelson read this young boy’s letter, he acted as though he thought it was so sweet for this boy to thank him and bless him and say happy Sabbath. The impact he wanted to portray was that this boy must be a fine young man and a good Seventh-day Adventist to say such nice and meaningful things.

Before I continue with Pastor Nelson’s response to this young bisexual boy of 11, I’d like to read something from Signs of the Times, March 12, 1894, “If parents had educated their children to reverence the law of God, as Christ enjoined that they should educate them, we should not see wickedness reaching so great proportions. Through disobedience the world is fast becoming as it was in the days before the flood and as it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. The church has taken the world into her fellowship and has given her affections to the enemies of holiness. The church and the world are standing on the same ground in transgression of the law of God. The church prefers to assimilate to the world rather than separate from its customs and vanities.”

And isn’t this the reason as to why the condition of the church is what it is in the area we’ve been discussing this morning? The prophet said the church “has given her affections to the enemies of holiness,” and the church continues to do the same to this day regarding the gay movement, but God likens it to “becoming as it was in the days before the flood and as it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah.”

Pastor Nelson’s sermon is titled, “Marriage, The Pope, and Same-Sex Marriage.” He starts out by saying, “I want to say to this 11-year-old two things, the maker of all things wants and loves you, bisexual or not, bisexual or not. (That’s his emphasis, not mine) And number 2, you wanted a sermon on LGBTQ+, well by God’s grace here it comes.”

Pastor Nelson then quotes the Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage in 2015. Really what the Supreme Court did was redefine marriage as being between one man and one woman, to marriage between one man and one man, or one woman and one woman.

Then after quoting the Supreme Court’s decision, Pastor Nelson tries to justify same-sex marriage because the Supreme Court says so. And then he quotes Pope Francis of all people, as if he’s the final authority upon marriage. By the way, the pope thinks same-sex civil unions are just fine. In other words, Pastor Nelson quotes the Supreme Court and the beast power to indicate that he is in line with these two institutions.

Then Pastor Nelson talks about an exception to the marriage institution as created by God as being between a man and a woman; an exception that’s created by culture, he says. And then he asks, “is this exception a valid one with God?” And yes, he believes it is. Then he quotes from a book titled Torn written by a gay young man named Justin Lee that says, nobody really knows why people of the same sex are attracted to each other, but nonetheless it’s a real phenomenon. Then Pastor Nelson quotes from an official statement by the North America division of Seventh-day Adventists that came out right after the Supreme Court’s decision that basically says the same thing as Justin Lee. The North America division says, “the church does not presume to have settled the scientific and social questions regarding the cause of non-heterosexual orientation.” In other words, the church leaders are saying we’re still learning about this, and we don’t know why this happens or the cause, and that we are relying upon science to come up with a reason for it.

Dear friends, what happened to the Bible? Doesn’t the Bible have an answer to non-heterosexual orientation? Yes, it does, it’s called sin! And the example given in the Bible for the penalty of such things is what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, plain and simple! But no, the church’s answer and attitude toward the LGBTQ+ community is love and compassion and support and acceptance. Then Pastor Nelson quotes the Supreme Court’s decision once again and says, “You know what? I agree, I do.”

Then Pastor Nelson continues by quoting from a lady by the name of Rebecca McLaughlin, who from a young child was so desirous of having a same-sex relationship, but because of societal restrictions could never find fulfillment. Then after quoting from Rebecca for a little while, with quite a bit of sympathy and emotion and feeling for her exasperation, Pastor Nelson read this final sentence that he calls a “stunning line that I hope you’ll take away with you today. One line, here it is, ‘Blue blood heterosexuality is not the goal of the Christian life, Jesus is.’ And you hear many amens from the congregation. ‘Blue blooded heterosexuality is not the goal of the Christian life, Jesus is.’ In other words, as long as you bring Jesus into the picture, then sexual sin doesn’t really matter.

The takeaway from Rebecca’s book that Pastor Nelson wants his hearers to get is that same-sex attraction is acceptable and we shouldn’t be judgmental, and cling to the Biblical definition of marriage and the condemnation of sexual perversion, because you’re keeping people like Rebecca from being accepted and loved and having their heart’s desire fulfilled. And again, with what passion and emotion and feeling and concern Pastor Nelson has for this woman who is mentally distraught over her sinful desires comes through loud and clear.

Pastor Nelson doesn’t quote from the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy in his sermon as an authority, but from Rebecca, who has sinful weaknesses for a same-sex relationship, just like this 11-year-old bisexual boy. Then he says, “what does Jesus want us to do? Listen, it is neither the goal of Christ Jesus nor the mission of the church of Christ to seek to turn every LGBTQ+ member into a heterosexual Christian.” Notice the words “LGBTQ+ member.”  Then he goes on to say, “Heterosexuality is not the end game; it is not the end goal. In fact, marriage is transient right now. You don’t believe it? Turn to Matthew 22:30.” Then he says, “watch this, red letter words now. ‘“For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”’ (I’m still quoting Pastor Nelson now) So, I’m asking you a question, why then would the church consider it her mission to turn all people into heterosexuals with opposite sex attraction? We’re not even headed that way.” (I want you to let that sink in for a minute “We’re not even headed that way.” The angles of God in heaven don’t have opposite sex attraction, so why should we? He continues) “I want to say a word to the parents that are listening right now. And I know you’re listening. My dear parents, if you have a child who is a part of the LGBTQ+ community, your mission is not to pray that child into heterosexuality. Your mission, please, your mission is to love that child until your dying day or until Jesus returns.” More amens.

Now, what do you suppose this 11-year-old boy was thinking after listening to this sermon? Don’t you think he was thinking, “Praise the Lord, God loves me and accepts me no matter how I choose to live? I’m on the level with the angles of God in heaven. And mom and dad, you don’t have to pray for me anymore that I might someday find a nice girl and have a family, because it doesn’t matter if I choose to live with a man or a woman. Just love me and accept me the way I am, because that’s what God does.”

Not one word in his sermon about what the Bible says, except as he twists it to say Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, queers, and all the rest are just like the angles in heaven who don’t marry. So, what difference does it make who we have a sexual relationship with here on earth. Not one word about what the Spirit of Prophecy says, and not one word about the need to change or be lost.

Does all this sound like Pastor Nelson was bearing an even more pointed testimony than was born by John the Baptist, or does it sound more like speaking smooth things? Is Pastor Nelson a faithful preacher, or does a fearful woe rest upon him?

How would you respond to the question this 11-year-old boy asked? Hopefully it would be how Jesus would respond. To every sinner He says, “He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out”, but he would also say the same as he said to Mary Magdalene, “neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” This 11-year-old was never told the second part, only that Jesus loves you, “bisexual or not, bisexual or not.” Yes, Jesus loves us just as we are, but we cannot stay just as we are if we would be saved in God’s kingdom.

In 1 Corinthian 6 Paul gives a long list of sins, among which are sexual sins like this 11-year-old bisexual boy asked about, and Paul says, “And such were (past tense). And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” This is what that boy needed to hear, that he needs to be “washed and sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God”, and not made to feel that his sinful feelings and emotions are acceptable.

The Spirit of Prophecy has the proper response to this boy’s question in Christian Education, page 118, “Those who humbly and prayerfully search the Scriptures, to know and to do God’s will, (and if the children don’t, or are not capable at a young age, the parents should) will not be in doubt of their obligations to God. For ‘if any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.’ [John 7:17.] If you would know the mystery of godliness, you must follow the plain word of truth,—feeling or no feeling, emotion or no emotion. Obedience must be rendered from a sense of principle, and the right must be pursued under all circumstances. This is the character that is elected of God unto salvation.”

Since all the things I’ve exposed this morning are already going on, why don’t the leaders just come right out and openly support the LGBTQ+ community? Why don’t they shout it from the housetops if they believe it’s the right thing to do? Or let me ask it another way. What would happen if the denomination did come out and openly support the LGBTQ+ community? It’s because they are afraid of a mass exodus or a split in the church, like what has happened in other denominations in recent years that have caved to the woke agenda, and so these things must be introduced slowly in order for people to get used to the idea. But who is the one that works in this way? Certainly not God!

Remember, those of you who are old enough, when Pastor Joe Cruz had a sermon titled “Creeping Compromise?” Oh, I remember it well. He even wrote a small book of 55 pages by the same title. Creeping Compromise is what has been going on in the church for many years.

Let me read a few inspired statements to help bring some clarity to these convoluted ideas we’ve been talking about. The first is in Select Messages, book 2, page 21, “Satan will insinuate himself by little wedges, which widen as they make a place for themselves.”

Also, Patriarchs and Prophets, page 718, “The work of the enemy is not abrupt. . .  . It is a secret undermining of the strongholds of principle. It begins in apparently small things.”

And by contrast, how are God’s faithful preachers supposed to respond to sin? Spiritual Gifts, Volume 2, pages 284-285, “Preachers should have no scruples to preach the truth as it is found in God’s Word. Let the truth out. I have been shown that why ministers have not been more successful, they are afraid of hurting feelings, fearful of not being courteous, and they lower the standard of truth and conceal if possible the peculiarity of our faith. . . The truth must be made pointed, and the necessity of a decision urged. (This is what was missing in Pastor Nelson’s sermon) And as false shepherds are crying, Peace, and are preaching smooth things, the servants of God must cry aloud and spare not and leave the result with God.”

Oh friends, do you see what’s happening to God’s professed church? I say professed, because it’s just nominal at this point. They are Seventh-day Adventists in name only and are not proclaiming the truth unapologetically.

Just one more quick note about Loma Linda University before we close. The General Conference President, along with many other top General Conference officials are on the board of trustees at Loma Linda and are responsible for what goes on there, and do you know what the Spirit of Prophecy says will happen when there is corruption at the head of the work? Let me read it to you from Testimonies for the Church, volume 4, page 210, “The great heart of the work is at —– (it was at Battle Creek when this was written, but now it’s in Silver Spring, Maryland) and, as the human heart throws its living current of blood into all parts of the body, so does the management at this place, the headquarters of our church, affect the whole body of believers. If the physical heart is healthy, the blood that is sent from it through the system is also healthy; but if this fountain is impure, the whole organism becomes diseased by the poison of the vital fluid. So it is with us. If the heart of the work becomes corrupt, the whole church, in its various branches and interests, scattered abroad over the face of the earth, suffers in consequence.”

Friends, I don’t know how I can make it any clearer. The whole organism today is diseased by the poison of sexual sin, among other things. The heart of the work has become corrupt, and the whole church suffers God’s condemnation as a result. Will they ever apply the eye salve so they can see? No, they won’t, because the great apostasy that began when Sister White was alive, she says will only continue to wax worse and worse until the Lord shouts from heaven. You can read that in Special Testimonies, Series B, volume 7, page 57

The Spirit of Prophecy says, “sin is an intruder” and “to excuse it is to defend it.” To not condemn sin is to defend it, plain and simple, and that’s exactly what the Hollywood church is doing, that’s what the Crossroads churches are doing, that’s what Loma Linda and its trustees are doing, that’s what Andrews University is doing, that’s what Advent Heath is doing, that’s what Pastor Nelson is doing, that’s what the General Conference is doing, and that’s what the North American Division is doing.

So, what is Satan’s end game in all this? Well, it’s the same as it has always been, to get people to transgress God’s law any way he can so they will be lost, and he has been very successful.

Prophets and Kings, page 188 says, “The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The observance of the false sabbath will be urged upon us. The contest will be between the commandments of God and the commandments of men. Those who have yielded step by step (Those who have yielded how? Step by step) to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs (like LGBTQ+), will then yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death.”

Then this last one from Testimonies for the Church, Volume 1, pages 608-609, “I would say that we are living in a most solemn time. In the last vision given me, I was shown the startling fact that but a small portion of those who now profess the truth will be sanctified by it and be saved.”

Honestly brothers and sisters, I myself, having left the denomination some 30 years ago, did not realize how far Satan has moved into the church on this point until I started searching into these things, and I know exactly why this is going on and what the origin of it is. It’s not all that hard to figure it out. It all stems from the first lie the serpent told Eve in Eden, you can disobey God and “you shall not surely die.” You can disobey God and still enjoy a saving relationship with Him, even if you are LGBTQ+. That’s the message that comes through loud and clear from the leadership and all the institutions.

This lie, which some call the new theology that was being heavily promoted by denominational leaders back in the 1970s, has now come home to roost in the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, no matter what they say in their official publications to the contrary, and you can look for this thing to become more prominent in the church as time goes on, because it’s not going to go away. The camel already has more than his nose in the tent, and soon he’ll be in all the way.

Like one of the LGBTQ+ promoters has said, and I paraphrase, “You can pick the flowers, but they will always come back, and more prolifically the following year.” In other words, they don’t plan on going away, but they will continue to promote their agenda until they get what they want, and what they want is for their perverted lifestyle to be just as accepted and normal as is traditional marriage and relationships.

Anyway dear friends, I’ve given you plenty to think about and I’ll just end with this: our redemption draws nigh; stay as active as you can by distributing truth filled literature; look for openings to be witnesses for the truth; pray and study to show yourselves approved unto God, and obey all that the Lord revealed to you, because Jesus will soon be here to gather His faithful people unto Himself and take them to their heavenly home. May we all be ready for that great day is my prayer.

Sodom Bound