Sermon Study Guide: “Entropy”

Based on the Sermon by Dr. Vine

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Introduction: Setting the Stage

Opening Illustration:

• Dr. Vine shares a providential encounter on a flight with a young Adventist woman serving as a senior advisor to RFK Jr. in the federal government.

• He frames her position as an “Esther” in a pagan court – a reminder that God places faithful people in strategic positions.

• The conversation lasted 4.5 hours, demonstrating that God answers prayers when we ask Him to bring someone into our lives to share with.

Key Principle: When we pray, “Lord, bring somebody into my life today,” God will answer.

Theme Text: Isaiah 58:1 – “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”

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Part 1: Understanding Entropy

What is Entropy?

Scientific Definition:

• The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that in a closed system, entropy (disorder) always increases over time.

• Practical Examples:

  • Boiling water left on the counter eventually becomes cold

  • A bonfire will burn out without fresh wood

  • A wound watch will eventually stop

Application: Every closed system winds down unless there is a fresh infusion of energy.

Spiritual Application: “Unless you have the daily baptism of the Holy Spirit in your spiritual life, what you have is going to dissipate over time.”

Sociological Entropy

Definition: All human movements throughout history experience entropy – they degrade over time.

Two Patterns:

1. Institutional Entropy: Organizations start with positive vision, energy, and warmth but become cold, institutionalized, and controlling systems that lose sight of the original vision.

2. Leadership/Followership Dynamic: Leaders become more authoritarian and absolute; followers become more submissive and passive.

Example: The papacy – when the Pope speaks ex cathedra, he claims infallibility; members must accept dogma without question.

Key Insight: Organizations tend toward authoritarianism and unquestioning submission over time.

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Part 2: Four Dimensions of Entropy in the Adventist Church

Dimension 1: Entropy Between Members and Pastors

Historical Example: Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1939)

• A German pastor who sailed back from safety in New York to shepherd his flock through Nazi Germany.

• He understood that “sheep need a shepherd” and “shepherds stick with their flock in hard times, not just in good times.”

• He was executed two weeks before the end of WWII for opposing Hitler.

Shepherd Metaphor:

• The flock follows the shepherd because they know the shepherd will lay down his life for them.

• The shepherd defends against wolves, bears, and lions.

• The flock endures heat, hunger, and drought because they trust the shepherd.

The Pandemic Crisis:

• Many pastors refused to write letters of support for members seeking religious waivers.

• Some churches (Catholic) supported members while Adventist pastors followed conference rules instead of shepherding their flock.

• Notable Exception: Pastor Isaac Oluni from Stateline Church – one of the brave pastors who stood by his flock.

The Hard Truth Revealed:

• Many pastors revealed themselves as “conference employees” with primary loyalty to the conference and their paychecks, not to the flock.

• “When the mark of the beast comes, every congregation will be led by volunteer elders because the system cannot function when you can neither buy nor sell.”

Ellen White’s Counsel (PK 141):

“Men who should be standing as faithful guardians of God’s law have argued till policy has taken the place of faithfulness and sin is allowed to go unreproved. When will the voice of faithful rebuke be heard once more in the church?”

Discussion Questions:

1. What does it mean for a pastor to be a “conference employee” versus a “shepherd of the flock”?

2. How would you want your pastor to respond in a future crisis of conscience?

3. What does loyalty to God look like when it conflicts with loyalty to an institution?

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Dimension 2: Entropy Between Members and Conferences

Historical Purpose of Conferences (1863-1864):

1. Legal entity to hold property so wealthy members couldn’t blackmail congregations

2. Credentialing system so members could verify genuine Adventist preachers

Current Reality:

• Conferences now coerce and blackmail congregations (e.g., threatening insurance coverage)

• “Ecclesiastical absolutism” is rising, particularly in places like Michigan

• A selective quote from 2SM is used to silence dissent: “Christ is the head of the church… therefore no member can speak against leadership”

The Question: What actually is the church?

• Is it the structure (conference, union, division, GC)?

• Or is it “those disciples of Jesus who love God and keep His commandments”?

Key Illustration: If the Michigan government withdrew the legal registration of the SDA conference, would the SDA church cease to exist? No – the members, elders, Sabbath School teachers, deacons, and deaconesses would remain.

Result of This Entropy:

• Discouragement, disillusionment, and disengagement

• A silent exodus – members stay in conference buildings but loyalty to the system has gone

• Investment in independent ministries that uphold liberty of conscience

Ellen White’s Counsel (4MR):

“No man’s intelligence is to become a controlling power… God forbids. We are not to have kingly authority in the Adventist work.”

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the difference between the church as an institution and the church as the body of Christ?

2. Is it possible to be loyal to the body of Christ while questioning institutional leadership?

3. What does the gift of leadership mean according to Romans 12?

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Dimension 3: Entropy Between Members and the General Conference

The UN Connection:

• In 1985, GC leadership signed up for consultative NGO status with the UN (ECOSOC – Economic and Social Council).

• To have this status, they had to legally agree to support the “spirit, goals, and objectives of the UN.”

The Problem: Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Article 18: Everyone has the right to choose, change, or practice their religion.

• Article 29: These rights are subject to “limitations as are determined by law” for “public order and general welfare” – AND “these rights may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.”

The Betrayal:

• Two official statements in the last 50 years affirm support for the UDHR.

• Our liberty of conscience is no longer a divine right but “temporary permission from government” subject to their approval.

• “In plain English, the General Conference has publicly declared that we are only allowed to exercise our God-given liberty of conscience subject to the dictates of the morally corrupt UN and the papacy.”

The Reaffirmation Statement (October 2021):

• GC leaders told Adventists worldwide that “deeply held prayerful convictions” did not provide a legitimate basis to object to vaccine mandates.

• They asserted authority to override the convictions of the Holy Spirit on individual consciences.

GC Legal Justification:

• They cited Section 4.1 of the GC constitution: “Administrative issues as they arise.”

• They claimed ADCOM (Administrative Committee) has power to “respond to administrative issues as they arise and give general counsel to world church entities as requested.”

Why This Claim is Invalid – Four Reasons:

1. Vaccination mandates from private employers are NOT internal administrative issues for the GC.

2. GC administrators have NO jurisdiction over private sector employment relations between employers and SDA employees.

3. The reaffirmation statement was NOT issued via internal denominational channels to “world church entities” (entities listed in the Yearbook, unlike private employers and governments).

4. ADCOM has never been given authority to give counsel to non-SDA employers or governments worldwide.

The Harm:

• A friend in the Pentagon reported that the GC statement was downloaded by the military and used to presumptively deny all religious waiver requests from Adventist service members.

• “This was an act of corporate negligence that caused immense harm to members worldwide.”

The Spirit of Prophecy Warning (GC 596):

“Christ foresaw that the undue assumption of authority indulged by the scribes and Pharisees would not cease with the dispersion of the Jews… His fearful denunciations of the scribes and Pharisees and His warnings to the people not to follow these blind leaders – that is, those who presume to exalt human authority over human conscience – were placed on record as an admonition to future generations.”

Application: “Any leaders who presume to exalt human authority to rule over the conscience are blind leaders, and we are not to follow those leaders today in the church.”

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the dangers of the church forming alliances with secular powers like the UN?

2. Should the GC have authority to override individual conscience? Where does biblical precedent stand on this?

3. How should we respond when leaders claim authority that Scripture does not give them?

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Dimension 4: Entropy Between Administrators and Ideology

The Rise of Cultural Marxism in Adventist Institutions

Definition: Cultural Marxism is rooted in the writings of Karl Marx (who was a Satanist) and divides the world into oppressors and oppressed.

Evidence of Progressive Ideology Infiltration:

1. Central States Conference (September 2025)

   • Issued a statement implying Charlie Kirk’s murder was divine judgment

   • Used Galatians 6:7 (“God is not mocked”) in context of a public figure’s death

2. La Sierra University (January 2026)

   • Hosted LGBTQ Week with film “Mama Bears”

   • Panel discussion encouraging LGBTQ advocacy and normalization

   • GC Board Members (President, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President Tom Lemon) serve on the board

3. Message Magazine (January 2026 – NAD publication)

   • Encouraged young people to become cultural Marxist social activists

   • Article about “Moral Mandate: Conscience Over Compliance” – rebellion against ICE

4. Pacific Union Recorder (February 2026)

   • Published article “Honoring God through Science and Scripture” promoting theistic evolution

   • Retracted after backlash, but publication itself reveals the problem

   • Theological Issue: Theistic evolution requires death before the Fall, nullifying the plan of salvation and the need for a Savior

5. Spectrum Magazine (April 2026)

   • Published article celebrating “Pioneering Gay Adventist Pastor Lee Flynn”

   • He was in a same-sex marriage for 20 years while serving as a pastor in Glendale

   • He was never banned from Adventist pulpits

6. La Sierra University Lavender Graduation (June 2026)

   • Celebrated “resilience and resistance” of LGBTQ+ graduates

   • Photos show President Crystal Arthur celebrating with rainbow flags in the Adventist chapel

7. Adventist Health – White Memorial Hospital (June 2026)

   • Celebrated Pride Month with official posts celebrating “what makes you uniquely you”

   • Post: “We believe that whole-person care starts with honoring what makes you uniquely you”

8. La Sierra University Discussion on Critical Race Theory

   • Topic: “Is the religion of whiteness a barrier to authentic Christian community?”

   • Application of CRT’s “interest convergence hypothesis” (Derek Bell’s theory that white people are intrinsically evil)

The Core Issue:

“We are a house divided in the North American Division. We have two worldviews in our division. We have the Bible faithful Adventists. We have the progressive Adventists. And they are mutually incompatible.”

Current Situation:

• Two worldviews held together by a common financial system

• Progressives control financial mechanisms

• They are now “overtly weaponizing it against Bible faithful Adventists”

Ted Wilson’s Warning (Annual Council 2024):

“If you as a leader cannot accept the Word of God as it reads, I urge you to resign your position.”

Ellen White’s Warning (Review and Herald, 1893):

“Of those who boast of their light, and yet failed to walk in it, Christ says, ‘But I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.’ And thou, Seventh-day Adventists, who have had great light, which are exalted unto heaven in point of privilege, shall be brought down to where? Hell!”

Application: “God will bring judgment upon those parts of the Adventist movement that are celebrating the works of Sodom and Gomorrah.”

Discussion Questions:

1. How should we respond when our educational institutions promote ideologies contrary to Scripture?

2. What responsibility do we have as members who pay tithes to these institutions?

3. Is there a biblical way to address leaders who have departed from the faith?

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Part 3: Impact of Institutional Entropy

Current Symptoms in the Church

1. Authoritarian Spirit: Administrative elites have taken on an authoritarian spirit with no place in God’s kingdom.

2. Selective Application: Church Manual is applied only in favor of the conference, never to defend members.

3. Ignored Petitions: Petitions and grievances are sent to the GC and simply ignored.

4. Banned Preachers: Bible faithful pastors are being fired or banned from preaching.

5. Deplatformed Delegates: GC delegates are deplatformed to prevent them from raising awkward questions.

6. Crushed Congregations: Churches promoting truth are being crushed (e.g., Village church).

7. Demonized Members: Faithful members are demonized in denominational media (unvaccinated compared to jihadis in Review, 2022).

8. Cancellation Culture: Preachers are smeared and vilified; pastors are threatened with firing for inviting certain speakers.

What Reformation Looks Like – Seven Steps

1. Heed the counsel of the True and Faithful Witness (Revelation 3)

2. Withdraw from partnership with the UN – the source of many present ills

3. Revoke the reaffirmation statement and give assurance it will never be issued again

4. Publicly pledge to uphold scriptural truths and reject woke ideologies

5. Cease the cancellation culture against Bible faithful preachers

6. Repent of authoritarianism and learn servant leadership

7. Ensure institutions honor the Fundamental Beliefs in classroom and public events

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Part 4: What Can Members Do?

The Problem of Steam

“Many Adventists are kind of steaming in frustration. Steam just dissipates into the air. But if you can channel that steam, it can turn a turbine that will generate electricity.”

The Question: “What mechanism can channel that steam to bring matters to our leaders’ attention in a way they understand and are likely to respond to?”

The Answer: Faithful Stewardship of Tithe

Biblical Principles:

1. Tithe belongs to the Lord – not to administrators or any conference.

   • Abraham returned tithe to Melchizedek (a type of Christ)

   • We return tithe to Jesus Christ

2. Tithe is a moral obligation recognizing God as Creator and Provider.

3. Three Choices for Returning Tithe:

   Option 1: Return tithe in dollars to any conference that is faithful to Scripture.

   • Note: You are not limited to your local conference.

   Option 2: Return tithe in the form of food (as in the Bible).

   • There is not a single instance in the Bible of tithe being paid as money.

   • Tithe was always agricultural produce (food).

   • You could order rice, beans, canned vegetables, and olive oil and drop-ship them to the conference.

   • This would be a faithful biblical tithe.

   • In the U.S., in-kind donations are tax-deductible with a receipt.

   Advantage: Food is an appreciating asset (inflation-proofing the tithe), while money loses value.

   Option 3: Return tithe to support Bible faithful gospel workers directly.

   • Independent Adventist ministers, Bible workers, evangelists, church planters

   • Local church elders who labor in word and doctrine

   • “Independent ministry” in the sense of not being a conference employee

Biblical Example: 2 Kings 4:42 – A man brought first fruits to Elisha (an independent prophet), not to the tabernacle.

Key Insight: “Other than the book of Ezekiel, every book in the Bible was written by an independent ministry. Nobody was a conference employee who wrote any book of the Bible.”

The Watson Letter (Ellen White’s Example)

“I have myself appropriated tithes to the most needy cases brought to my notice. I’ve been instructed to do this, and as the money is not withheld from the Lord’s treasury, it is not a matter that should be commented upon.”

Three Distinctions:

• Tithe Withholding: Not returning any tithe to the Lord – unacceptable

• Tithe Diversion: Using tithe for unauthorized purposes (e.g., buying a laptop) – unacceptable

• Tithe Appropriation: Directing tithe to faithful gospel workers outside the denominational structure – acceptable and modeled by Ellen White

Is the Local Conference the “Storehouse”?

Randy Robinson (NAD Treasurer, December 2023):

“The Adventist Church defines the storehouse within its own structure as the local conference. That definition is not a theological requirement… It is a polity decision we have simply agreed upon collectively.”

Fundamental Beliefs:

• Stewardship: “We acknowledge God’s ownership by… returning tithe and giving offerings for the proclamation of His gospel and the support and growth of His church.”

• Church: “The church is the community of believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.”

No mention of conferences, unions, divisions, or GC in the Fundamental Beliefs regarding where tithe must go.

The Church Manual: Does NOT list “not returning tithe to the local conference” as a discipline-able offense.

Warning: Fearful Woes

“There are fearful woes for those who preach the truth but are not sanctified by it, and also for those who consent to receive and maintain the unsanctified to minister to them in word and doctrine.”

Key Question: “Does God hold me responsible for the apostasies of those who use the financial tithe I return?”

Answer: Yes. Supporting what God condemns as an abomination makes you an enemy of God (James 4:4).

Application: “Do not blindly return tithe to a system that is upholding abominations in front of our faces on a monthly basis and is essentially spitting in the faces of Bible faithful Adventists.”

Practical Challenge

The Four Conditions:

1. Dissolve GC’s union with the United Nations and revoke all related statements

2. Apologize to those hurt by the reaffirmation statement and assure members such a statement will never be issued again

3. All institutions publicly pledge to uphold Fundamental Beliefs regarding biblical marriage, human sexuality, and reject woke ideologies

4. Stop banning and cancelling Bible faithful preachers, pastors, elders, and Sabbath School teachers

The Challenge: “Nobody from this day forward should return any tithe in the form of money to any Adventist conference, mission, or field worldwide until the following conditions are met.”

The Motivation: “If you go woke, you go broke. If you remain woke, you deserve to go broke, and the irregular lines will flourish.”

The Critical Question About Slavery

Dr. Vine’s Challenge to African-American Adventists:

“The transatlantic slave trade was one of the greatest crimes in human history. How many years did Africans fight to have agency over their own bodies? How is it that within one lifetime, Adventists with African heritage are yielding control of their bodies once more to another person?”

Discussion Questions:

1. What does it mean to be a “faithful steward” of God’s tithe in a time of institutional apostasy?

2. How do we balance respect for church structure with loyalty to God?

3. Is the “tithe appropriation” model (following Ellen White’s example) a viable biblical option today?

4. What would you need to see from your local conference to feel confident in returning tithe there?

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Part 5: Conclusion – Standing Firm

Key Principles for the Final Crisis

1. Loyalty to Christ must override loyalty to any failing institution.

2. Friendship with the world is enmity with God. (James 4:4)

3. Supporting what God condemns brings us under God’s condemnation.

4. Be a “True and Free Adventist”: True to Scripture; free from institutional, UN, or papal control over conscience.

The Final Crisis

What Will Happen:

• When the mark of the beast comes, the system will be swept away

• “If you neither buy nor sell, you can’t bank, you can’t receive, you can’t process payroll, you can’t receive tithe”

• We will become “a movement of house churches focused on local ministry”

• “Going door-to-door in that final crisis” with local elders and deacons

The Encouragement:

“You may be outside the walls today, but you’re still within the faith. One day we’re all going to be outside the walls, but by God’s grace, we’ll still be within the faith. What matters is are you within the faith?”

The Call to Action

To Faithful Adventists:

“Be of good courage. You may think you’re on your own, but God has His 7,000 who’ve not yet bowed the knee to Baal. We are not fighting against our church because we are the church. We are contending for the pure faith that’s been passed on to us from the apostles onward.”

To Leaders:

“Every conference president, every union officer, the GC officers, the educators in our institutions, conference and college presidents – look in the mirror and ask yourselves whether you are faithfully representing Jesus Christ or not.”

Final Encouragement

“What matters is not our numbers, but whether our cause is just and of God. The time has come for you and I to stand together, to stand up, and to stand tall for God. And if our cause is just, who can be against us?”

“May this sermon not be the cause of division, but the cause for coming together in repentance… The goal is not to tear the church down, but that the church can be pure. We can be unified on Scripture, and the witness we give to the world is not filled with competing and contradictory messages.”

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Group Discussion Questions

Opening Questions

1. What part of this sermon impacted you the most and why?

2. Have you personally experienced any of the “entropy” described in the sermon? If so, how?

On Pastoral Relationships

3. How did your pastor(s) handle the pandemic crisis in your area? Did they support members or follow conference mandates?

4. What should the relationship between pastors and members look like according to Scripture?

On Conference Authority

5. What is the biblical basis for church organization? Where does authority ultimately reside?

6. Is it possible to be loyal to the church while disagreeing with leaders? If so, how?

On GC and UN Relations

7. Should the church have partnerships with secular organizations like the UN? What are the biblical principles regarding this?

8. What is the significance of the UN’s Article 29 limitation on religious freedom? How does this affect Adventist liberty of conscience?

On Progressive Ideology

9. Have you observed “woke” or progressive ideologies entering your local church, school, or institution?

10. What is the biblical response to ideologies that contradict Scripture?

On Tithe and Stewardship

11. Have you ever considered that tithe in the Bible was food, not money? What are the implications of this?

12. What do you think about the “tithe appropriation” option (returning tithe directly to faithful gospel workers)? Is this biblical?

13. Do you believe God holds us responsible for how our tithe is used? Why or why not?

On Standing Firm

14. What does it mean to be a “True and Free Adventist”?

15. How can we prepare for the time when the institutional church structure may be swept away?

16. What practical steps can you take to remain faithful in a time of increasing apostasy?

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Key Scriptures for Meditation

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Spirit of Prophecy References

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Prayer Points

1. Pray for a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit in your personal life and in the church

2. Pray for church leaders at all levels – that they would be faithful shepherds and servants

3. Pray for those who have been hurt by authoritarian leadership and institutional policies

4. Pray for our educational institutions – that they would uphold Scripture

5. Pray for wisdom in stewarding tithes and offerings faithfully

6. Pray for unity that is built on Scripture, not compromise

7. Pray for courage to stand firm in the final crisis

8. Pray that the church would repent of its Laodicean condition and become the pure bride of Christ

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Personal Application Questions

1. What is one thing you learned from this sermon that you didn’t know before?

2. What is one area where you feel convicted to take action?

3. What is one way you can support Bible faithful gospel workers?

4. What is one way you can pray differently after hearing this sermon?

5. What is one change you need to make in your relationship with your local church or conference?

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Closing Reflection

“Everything I have said today is publicly available on the internet. You can see it for yourself. I haven’t made anything up. It is factual and true.”

“I hope and pray that this sermon will not be the cause of division in our church, but will be the cause for coming together in repentance… The goal of such preaching is not to tear the church down, but that the church can be pure.”

“May God bless us as we stand tall in an era of universal apostasy.”