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We acknowledge God’s ownership by returning tithe (10% of income) and giving offerings in addition for the proclamation of His gospel and for the support of His church. (Malachi 3:8-12; Matthew 23:23)
Our entertainment should meet the highest standards of Christian taste. Our dress should be simple, modest, and neat, for true beauty does not consist of outward adornment such as jewelry. Along with adequate exercise and rest, we should adopt the most healthful diet possible and abstain from the unclean foods identified in the Scriptures. Since alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and the irresponsible use of drugs and narcotics are harmful to our bodies, we should abstain from them as well. (1 John 2:15-17; 1 Peter 3:3, 4; Leviticus 11; 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20)
Christ was inaugurated as our great High Priest and began His intercessory ministry at the time of His ascension. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry, typified by the cleansing of the ancient Hebrew sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. (Hebrews 8:1-5; Daniel 8:13, 14; Leviticus 16)
The second coming of Christ will be literal, personal, visible, and worldwide. The righteous dead will be resurrected, and together with the righteous living will be glorified and taken to heaven; but the unrighteous will die. The almost complete fulfillment of most lines of prophecy, together with the present condition of the world, indicates that Christ’s coming is imminent. (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 24)
Death is an unconscious state for all people. When Christ appears the resurrected righteous will be glorified and caught up to meet their Lord. The resurrection of the unrighteous will take place a thousand years later. (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6; Psalm 146:3, 4; John 11:11-14; 1 Corinthians 15:1-54; Revelation 20:1-10)
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