“Moreover they have done this to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and profaned My Sabbaths.” Ezekiel 23:38.
On Saturday, March 18, 2023, the puppet ministry of Auburn Academy and Walla Walla University in Tacoma, Washington, joined the Alofau Seventh-day Adventist Church in American Samoa for “the entire divine service.” The puppets sang and told stories that Sabbath morning. One of the puppets even told the church congregation during the “divine service” that he hadn’t changed his underwear in a month.
What else would you expect when puppet shows and comedians take over Sabbath morning and become the new agencies to deliver God’s Word and provide spiritual guidance, education, and inspiration to the members of the church? Puppets are no doubt an effective way to entertain people, if you were working for the circus. But what meaningful message and edification can imaginary puppets deliver to the church on Sabbath morning?
God’s Word in both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy gives us direction on who is allowed and qualified to serve the church during a divine worship service (Isaiah 28:9–12), and joking puppets are not part of God’s plan for His people. Obviously, the instructions concerning our Sabbath services (Leviticus 19:30) and all the other divine mandates and prohibitions regarding how to conduct ourselves in the house of God (1 Corinthians 14:40; Deuteronomy 4:24) are being rejected.
Adventism is being driven straight down the broad road onto the path to perdition, and we cannot afford to be “listless, indifferent,” or “unconcerned” at this solemn moment in earth’s history:
“There never was a more solemn time in the history of the world than the time in which we are now living. Our eternal interests are at stake, and we should arouse to the importance of making our calling and election sure. We dare not risk our eternal interests on mere probabilities. We must be in earnest. What we are, what we are doing, what is to be our course of action in the future, are all questions of untold moment, and we cannot afford to be listless, indifferent, unconcerned. It becomes each one of us to inquire, ‘What is eternity to me?’ Are our feet in the path that leads to heaven, or in the broad road that leads to perdition?” (Review and Herald, May 26, 1891).
Joking puppets trivialize “the most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals” (9T 10). That is what God has given to Seventh-day Adventists, and our character and demeanor must reflect our sacred calling. Puppets are known for entertainment. They were created to amuse the people. It is a temporary escape to delight an audience. Puppetry, however, undermines and weakens the distinctiveness and uniqueness of our spiritual calling because it reduces us to the same level as the local circus. And when we modify our church services to reflect what we see in the world, we do irreparable harm to both the church and our young people.
“Those in different churches abroad, who were unconsecrated, seized upon the first semblance of an excuse to engage in pleasure, hilarity (joking), and folly. As soon as it was known that the physicians at the Institute had recommended plays and amusements in order to divert the minds of the patients from themselves into a more cheerful train of thought, it went like fire in the stubble; the young in —– and other churches thought that they had need of just such things, and the armor of righteousness was laid off by many … They had not Christ in their hearts to confess to the world. They professed to be His followers, but earthly and temporal things held their frivolous, selfish hearts in subjection.” (Testimonies, Vol. 2, p. 137).
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The Sabbath of course, would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it. – 1SM 204.2
The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the supposition that a great reformation was to take place among Seventh-day Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith, and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation to take place, what would result? The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church, would be discarded. Our religion would be changed. The fundamental principles that have sustained the work for the last fifty years would be accounted as error. A new organization would be established. Books of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced. The founders of this system would go into the cities, and do a wonderful work. The Sabbath of course, would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it. Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement. The leaders would teach that virtue is better than vice, but God being removed, they would place their dependence on human power, which, without God, is worthless. Their foundation would be built on the sand, and storm and tempest would sweep away the structure. – 1SM 204.2
Who has authority to begin such a movement? We have our Bibles. We have our experience, attested to by the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit. We have a truth that admits of no compromise. Shall we not repudiate everything that is not in harmony with this truth? – 1SM 205.1
Like a decade ago, church’s pastor try to bring in puppets for our children’s story. I did not see it was right, so I did a research. In ancient time, puppet were originally used by sorseres as a mediums to bring forward demons will. There is no difference between then and now. Demons control some (a lot of) people in church to brings forward their massage.
Open our eyes, oh GOD..
God cannot be praised by puppets. They resemble the idols that people looked to in the Old Testament.
When you have a “puppet ministry” leading out in divine worship, that is when the faith is corrupted. This is what the fallen churches of Babylon are doing to supplement the lack of biblical truth.
It’s Blasphemy and rebellion making a puppet that resembles how Christ is often depicted.
{I have a message for those in charge of our work.
Do not encourage the men who are to engage in this work to think that they must proclaim the solemn, sacred message in a theatrical style.
Not one jot or tittle of anything theatrical is to be brought into our work.
God’s cause is to have a sacred, heavenly mold.
Let everything connected with the giving of the message for this time bear the divine impress.
Let nothing of a theatrical nature be permitted, for this would spoil the sacredness of the work.
I am instructed that we shall meet with all kinds of experiences and that men will try to bring strange performances into the work of God.
We have met such things in many places.
In my very first labors, the message was given that all theatrical performances in connection with the preaching of present truth were to be discouraged and forbidden.
Men who thought they had a wonderful work to do sought to adopt a strange deportment and manifested oddities in bodily exercise.
The light given me was, “Give this no sanction.” These performances, which savored of the theatrical, were to have no place in the proclamation of the solemn messages entrusted to us.
The enemy will watch closely, and will take every advantage of circumstances to degrade the truth by the introduction of undignified demonstrations.
None of these demonstrations are to be encouraged. The precious truths given us are to be spoken in all solemnity and with sacred awe. 19MR 125.1-3}
EGW: It is important also that the clothing be kept clean. The garments worn absorb the waste matter that passes off through the pores; if they are not frequently changed and washed, the impurities will be reabsorbed. {CG 109.1}
Comment: By declaring such nonsense, it implanted into children’s minds an anti-health message by making light of it.
Je ne vois pas l’utilité de faire ce genre de spectacle,en plus le jour du sabbat de l’éternel,cela ne droit pas se faire du tout,le sabbat est de plus en plus profané,les leçons des enfants d’Israël dans le désert n’a servi a rien,alors!penser a cet homme qui est sortie ramasser du bois le jour du sabbat,et qui à été puni,et ceux qui on ramasser plus de manne la veille du sabbat,et cela devint infect,et devint impropre à la consommation.La présence de Dieu,ne peut pas être là,où il n’est pas adorer comme il est écrit.