COVID-19 is Helping to Break Down Barriers Between Adventists, Catholics and Evangelicals During the 2020 Easter Season

Ben Timothy is the President of the North New Zealand Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. [1] He signed the Easter greeting on behalf of Seventh-day Adventists.

A special Easter greeting signed by 30 church leaders representing Catholics, Evangelicals and Seventh-day Adventists was published in the New Zealand Herald, a daily newspaper in Auckland, New Zealand. The Easter message was about breaking down “barriers” during the COVID-19 lock-down. The word “barrier” was mentioned 17 times in the Easter message. [2] This was no secret, subliminal message. The ecumenical call to break down barriers was made public for all to see.

The letter came from “Auckland Church Leaders” and included an invitation to “join us this Easter season.” Pastor Ben Timothy, President of the North New Zealand Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, signed on behalf of Seventh-day Adventists. The signed letter was a warm and comforting message that Christians must work to break down “barriers.” What barriers? Well, “every” barrier. This is the same mission that Rome has been advocating for years.

Breaking down barriers is a popular message endorsed by Pope Francis. This message has been the theme of his papacy. He is breaking down barriers between the different religious traditions trying to bring them all to Rome. [3] [4] [5] Below are the 17 times that “Auckland Church Leaders” called upon New Zealanders to break down every barrier as published in the local media:

Easter is about the ways in which God breaks down every barrier.
Jesus, on several occasions, “tore open” the barriers that separate humanity from God.
The sky was understood by the people of the time as a barrier between this world and God.
Jesus broke down the barriers between humanity and God. This is the Easter message.
A physical barrier — in this case, Mary’s human form — was passed through by God, who filled the womb with his love and favour.
A further barrier-breaking is seen in the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.
Here, the barrier is a massive stone that seals his tomb.
The sealing stone at the tomb was a symbolic barrier between this world and the next.
The women who first came to Jesus’ tomb witnessed this barrier removed—the stone had been rolled away—Christ had risen.
Jesus’ followers were all together in one room, with the doors locked. This signifies the impenetrability of another barrier.
Covid-19 is the latest in a long list of barriers in life.
Christians are those who seek to follow God and to be barrier-breakers as well.
This Easter, Christians are actively looking for ways to follow God through what, previously, were barriers but are now open doors, to find ways to serve, to love and to care for one another.
Easter speaks to us, telling us to care for one another, to check in on our neighbours, to call those at risk and not to let barriers— self-imposed or other — prevent us from living lives of meaning and purpose.
Easter tells us that God loves us, cares for us, and will stop at nothing, not even the death of his Son, to break through any barrier that separates us from him.
Covid-19 has put up barriers between us.
God can break down barriers and he can be with us.

Here are the 30 church leaders who have pledged to break down every barrier during the 2020 Easter season:

Rev. Paul Allen-Baines, Congregational Union of N.Z.
Rt. Rev. Ross Bay, Anglican Bishop of Auckland
Pastor Tak Bhana, Senior Pastor, Church Unlimited
Pastor Paul de Jong, Senior Pastor, LIFE
Pastors Jonathan and Robyn Dove, Senior Pastors, Greenlane Christian Centre
Most Rev. Patrick Dunn, Catholic Bishop of Auckland
Majors Ian & Liz Gainsford, Divisional Leaders, The Salvation Army
Rev. Jaron Graham, on behalf of the Church of the Nazarene
Rev. Brett Jones, Interim National Superintendent, Wesleyan Methodist Church
Pastor Sanjai Kandregula, Executive member, Assemblies of God NZ
Pastor Brian Kelly, Senior Pastor, Calvary Chapel
Pastor Nich Kitchen, Mountainside Lutheran Church
Rev. Dr Stuart Lange, National Director, NZ Christian Network
Rev. Kok Soon Lee, Auckland Chinese Churches Association
Pastor David MacGregor, National Director, Vineyard Churches
Rev. Andrew Marshall, National Director, Alliance Churches of New Zealand
Very Rev. Anne Mills, Dean, Auckland Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
Rev. Steve Millward, Moderator, Northern Presbytery, Presbyterian Church
Pastor Bruce Monk, International Overseer for Acts Churches & Equippers
Pastor Sam Monk, Senior Pastor, Equippers Church & Acts National Leader
Pastor Peter Mortlock, Senior Pastor, City Impact Church
Rt. Rev. Te Kitohi Pikaahu, Anglican Bishop of Te Tai Tokerau
Pastor Lui Ponifasio, on behalf of the Christian Community Churches of N.Z.
Pastor Boyd Ratnaraja, National Leader, Elim Churches
Pastors Dean Rush, Senior Leaders, C3 Church Auckland
Pastor Jim Shaw, New Life Churches Executive team
Bishop Brian Tamaki, Senior Minister of Destiny Churches International
Pastor Allan Taylor, Northern Baptist Association
Pastor Ben Timothy, President, North New Zealand Conference, Seventh-day Adventist Church
Rev. Graeme R. White, Auckland Synod Superintendent, Methodist Church of N.Z.

I’m all in favor of making friends, talking to people and sending warm greetings to the community; but as Seventh-day Adventists, we must exercise great caution when signing documents and letters that talk about “tearing down every barrier,” especially in light of Bible prophecy. We are called at this time to “build” up the “waste places” and repair the “breach” within God’s moral law that has been torn down by many of these same churches mentioned above.

“And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.” Isaiah 58:12.

Are we hobnobbing with religious communities that are trampling upon God’s moral law? Do we not create a scandal when we sign letters promoting Easter greetings with church leaders who promote the LGBT+ agenda, feminism and Romanism? How do we sign agreements with those who make the blasphemous claims that there are no moral standards for marriage, family, sexuality and gender? Many of the churches today want to be “spiritual” while rejecting the clear and moral teaching of God’s word.

When will we communicate God’s warning message of Revelation 14:6-12 and address it to these same churches? When will we publish a special letter in the same newspaper, publicly outlining a “prophetic” greeting (not an ecumenical Easter greeting) to the people? And when will we finally start fulfilling the following divine mandate: