Ft Myers Shores SDA Church seeks to be a Christ-centered church family. That reaches out to bring people to a closer relationship with God in Jesus' name. We invite you to join our fellowship.

1 Corinthians 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. :23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

Matthew 24:26  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.     :27  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.      :30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.      :31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

John 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,    :29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

The History of the Seventh day Sabbath.

Before the fall the Sabbath was made for mankind by Jesus.

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. :3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.  :14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The seventh day sabbath is the Lord's day.

Mark 2:27  And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: :28  Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.   [Isaiah 58:13,14; Rev. 1:10]

Blessed and sanctified by God.

Genesis 2:1  Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. :2  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. :3  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Exodus 20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

The seventh day sabbath is a sign that the LORD doth sanctify them that are Abraham's seed, His covenant keeping  people from the beginning.

Exodus 31:13 ...   Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.16  Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.:17  It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

Ezekiel 20:12  Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.  :20  And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.      Isaiah 8:16  Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. :20  To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

 Jesus is our example of how we as Christians should live, which included the sabbath. 

 Luke 4:14  And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.   :15  And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.  :16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. Luke 6:5  And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.  :6  And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.   Matthew 12:12 … Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

Yes, the seventh day sabbath is a commandment

even after the Jesus' death on the cross.

Luke 23:52  This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.   :53  And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.    :54  And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. :55  And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. :56  And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

Yes, Jews and Gentiles besought to hear God's word on the sabbath.

Acts 13:42  And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. :43  Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. :44  And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

Yes, the Lord opened hearts as Paul and other Christians assembled together on the sabbath.

Acts 16:12  And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.   :13  And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.   :14  And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.    :15  And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

There will always be faithful gospel believers and those who will not believe the truth.

Hebrews 4:1  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.    :2  For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.   :3  For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.  :4  For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.    :8  For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.  :9  There remaineth herefore a rest to the people of God. :10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Hebrews 10:15  And the Holy Spirit also gives us his witness. First he says,    :16  "This is the covenant that I will make with them in the days to come, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds."   :17  And then he says, "I will not remember their sins and evil deeds any longer."  :23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)   :24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: :25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

The Father is seeking true worshippers.

John 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.   :24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.   8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Will you worship the Father in Spirit and in truth? Please invite the Holy Spirit into your heart and mind and experience the truth that makes you free.

Falling away from God's truths.

God's word says there would be a falling away from His truths before Jesus' advent.

2 Thessalonians 2:1  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,  :2  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.  :3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;   :4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.   :5  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? :6  And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.    :7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.    :8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:    :9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,   :10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.    :11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:   :12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.   :13  But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:   

Yes, during these dark ages God's truth was changed or they thought they did.

The devil has and is using these and other changes to deceive the whole world.

Daniel 7:25  And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the

saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into

 his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

Revelation 13:5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies;

and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.  :6  And he opened his mouth

 in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in

heaven. :7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and

power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. :8  And all that dwell upon the

earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from

the foundation of the world.

Praise Jesus!  There will be people living God's truths at Jesus' advent.

Revelation 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.  :10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.   :11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. :17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.    :13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.   :14  And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

Will you received the love of the truth of God's word,

even with the strong delusions that the devil is using to deceive the whole world?

Will you believe in Jesus' advent in the flesh to die for you on the cross?

Will you believe in Jesus' advent to take His people home?

Will you believe in the Bible's Lord's day the seventh day sabbath?

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH HISTORY

In just a century and a half the Seventh-day Adventist Church has grown from a handful of individuals, who diligently studied the Bible in search for truth, to a world-wide community of over eight million members and millions of others who regard the Adventist Church their spiritual home. Doctrinally, Seventh-day Adventists are heirs of the interfaith Millerite movement of the 1840s. Although the name "Seventh-day Adventist" was chosen in 1860, the denomination was not officially organized until Ma y 21, 1863, when the movement included some 125 churches and 3,500 members.

Between 1831 and 1844, William Miller--a Baptist preacher and former army captain in the War of 1812--launched the "great second advent awakening" which eventually spread throughout most of the Christian world. Based on his study of the prophecy of Daniel 8:14, Miller calculated that Jesus would return to earth on October 22, 1844. When Jesus did not appear, Miller's followers experienced what became to be called "the great Disappointment."

Most of the thousands who had joined the movement, left it, in deep disillusionment. A few, however, went back to their Bibles to find why they had been disappointed. Soon they concluded that the October 22 date had indeed been correct, but that Miller had predicted the wrong event for that day. They became convinced that the Bible prophecy predicted not that Jesus would return to earth in 1844, but that He would begin at that time a special ministry in heaven for His followers. They still looked for Jesus to come soon, however, as do Seventh-day Adventists yet today.

From this small group who refused to give up after the "great disappointment" arose several leaders who built the foundation of what would become the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Standing out among these leaders were a young couple--James and Ellen G. White -- and a retired sea captain named Joseph Bates.

This small nucleus of "adventists" began to grow -- mainly in the New England states of America, where Miller's movement had begun. Ellen G. White, a mere teenager at the time of the "great Disappointment," grew into a gifted author, speaker and administrator, who would become and remain the trusted spiritual counselor of the Adventist family for more than seventy years until her death in 1915. Early Adventists came to believe -- as have Adventists ever since -- that she enjoyed God's special guidance as she wrote her counsels to the growing body of believers.

In 1860, at Battle Creek Michigan, the loosely knit congregations of Adventists chose the name Seventh-day Adventist and in 1863 formally organized a church body with a membership of 3,500. At first, work was largely confined to North America until 1874 when the Church's first missionary, J. N. Andrews, was sent to Switzerland. Africa was penetrated briefly in 1879 when Dr. H. P. Ribton, an early convert in Italy, moved to Egypt and opened a school, but the project ended when riots broke out in the vicinity. The first non-Protestant Christian country entered was Russia, where an Adventist minister went in 1886. On October 20, 1890, the schooner Pitcairn was launched at San Francisco and was soon engaged in carrying missionaries to the Pacific Islands. Seventh-day Adventist workers first entered non-Christian countries in 1894 -- Gold Coast (Ghana), West Africa, and Matabeleland, South Africa. The same year saw missionaries entering South America, and in 1896 there were representatives in Japan. The Church now has established work in 209 countries.

The publication and distribution of literature were major factors in the growth of the Advent movement. The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald (now the Adventist Review), general church paper, was launched in Paris, Maine, in 1850; the Youth's Instructor in Rochester, New York, in 1852; and the Signs of the Times in Oakland, California, in 1874. The first denominational publishing house at Battle Creek, Michigan, began operating in 1855 and was duly incorporated in 1861 under the name of Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association.

The Health Reform Institute, later known as the Battle Creek Sanitarium, opened its doors in 1866, and missionary society work was organized on a statewide basis in 1870. The first of the Church's worldwide network of schools was established in 1872, and 1877 saw the formation of statewide Sabbath school associations. In 1903, the denominational headquarters was moved from Battle Creek, Michigan, to Washington, D.C., and in 1989 to Silver Spring, Maryland, where it continues to form the nerve center of ever-expanding work.