We have to begin in late 2004. We were newly married and had just bought a house. Our new home had a rather large antenna on the roof, so we got a few channels-local channels, PBS, several fuzzy ones, and one "religious" one. I personally had never been a fan of televangelism, but Lee would watch it from time to time. For you SDA's out there, the religious channel turned out to be 3ABN (3 Angels Broadcasting Network). Lee and I both began to watch 3ABN; we were deeply drawn to the messages. Neither of us had heard anyone speak so intelligently about the Bible and FROM the Bible so extensively. We also kept hearing the name E.G. White. We went to every bookstore (secular and Christian) trying to find "The Great Controversy" with NO luck, most places had never even heard of this author. Lee decided to search for E. G. White on E-bay. Wow! 11 of her books including "The Great Controversy", "The Desire of Ages", and " Christ's Object Lessons" for less than $12- including shipping! (yet still not as good as the WLC deal!)
I guess that I should tell you that right before we started to watch 3ABN, Lee and I were reading a book together every night. I won't share the title because, Praise YAH, we know now that this book is from the adversary! Basically the premise of the book was this:
An highly-educated psychiatrist hypnotized a patient and she had recollections of "past lives". Then during a session, the "masters of light" or "spirit guides" spoke to the doctor through the patient. To make a long story short-the book claims to be "scientific proof" that reincarnation is real. (FALSE! We all know who he was really talking to...)
(as a side note: when I searched this book out again on Amazon, just to verify some info for the testimony, I was greatly disturbed by the reviews that it has received. Most people said that it changed their lives--now they believe that they are eternal/immortal souls or that they will be reincarnated. The only negative reviews, that I saw, said that there was just not enough evidence....No one said the obvious--that it completely contradicts the plain truths set forth in the Word of our Heavenly Father!!!!!.....this is so sad)
Lee and I were right on the verge of actually believing this completely FALSE doctrine, but this is precisely when Yahuwah Providentially led us to 3ABN---baby steps, baby steps, baby steps out and away from the EVIL, enticing, and exceedingly pagan doctrines (and we live in Asheville, where this is VERY popular!) Praise His Holy, Holy, Holy Name for starting our journey out of Babylon!!!!!!!!
We began to see that the 4th Commandment as well as all of the Commandments were still binding. And that the Holy Sabbath Day was not sunday! Rome had changed the day! Much to the dismay and ridicule of friends and family, Lee and I began to keep the Sabbath on what we thought was the 7th day, pagan saturday.
Lee had, at this point, been in a jam band for over 8 years. They toured regionally on many weekends. He began to feel convicted about playing-sending mixed messages through the other members of the band, i.e. Lee's songs all lifted up our Heavenly Father and Yahushua. However, the other band members had diametrically opposed religious views. He felt that he could no longer play music on friday nights or saturday days-the most popular times to go out to see bands! Lee quit the band much to the disdain of the other members (his very best friends for the past 8 years.) I learned quite a few lessons about being a submissive, supportive wife during this experience. The band was our family in Asheville and I cannot say that I was completely on board with his decision. But yet again, Praise Yahuwah!!!! for at this very same time, He was speaking to me through a Prophecy Seminar by SDA Pastor David Asscherick in the Fall of 2006. I was shown clearly from the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, that without a doubt, the roman system was the 1st beast of Revelation 13 and that America was the 2nd Beast!!! This went along perfectly with the research that Lee and I had been doing about politics and policy in the US. We both felt like a fire had been lit under us!!! I knew that I needed to be baptized, having only been "baptized" as a baby in the Lutheran church. So we decided to find an SDA church. We began attending a church that was really close to our house and we started the Bible studies - which we skipped most of because we had been watching 3ABN for like 1 1/2 years at this point. This is also right when Yahuwah, again very Providentially led us to our beloved World's Last Chance!!!
Late one night, when we were visiting my parents (for some pagan holiday, no doubt...thank you Father for winking at our ignorance) Lee was in the very dimly-lit basement searching YouTube for videos on the papacy (we still did not have internet access at home yet) and I bet that you can guess what he found :).....the MOST INTENSE videos that either of us had ever seen and every one of them totally Biblical and in complete harmony with our new "SDA" belief!!!(-except they weren't SDA???) and Yah's timing was, as always, perfect! That whole remainder of trip was spent reading over WLC and trying to understand why they had left the SDA church (and trying to recover from the shock of the Prophecy of the Century videos!!!)
Well, we found out why WLC separated but, at the time, we didn't fully understand the importance of it. We took several papers that we printed off from WLC about the apostasy of the SDA church to the pastor and the elder helping with the Bible studies. We handed the pastor the papers (mostly the quotes from Sister White about the omega apostasy, etc. and the Neal Wilson quotes) and asked if he could please explain them. Literally, he looked at the papers and said nothing really and then said, "Well, either the 8th or the 15th will be the best days for you to be baptized." (Not to imply that they were trying to "cover anything up", we truly feel that they were both ignorant/unaware of all of it...but YAH only knows.....) For some reason, we didn't really ask any more questions.....(but this always stuck out in both of our minds as a very fishy thing, though it should have been a huge red flag...) So I was baptized on the 15th of dec. 2007 (kind of ironic that the saturdays fell on the 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th of that month, huh???????)
The church greeted us with warm, wide arms-despite our dreadlocked appearance :) and we love all of the dear, dear members of this and all churches but, rather quickly, that burning fire began to fade to coals as no fuel was being added--our fires were, quite literally, being put out by this dry, apostate church experience. We eventually stopped going and began to keep the Sabbath at home. We kept going to WLC; reading the articles and watching the videos. And then it happened.....
Late one evening, I was online (we had finally gotten internet access:) looking over WLC. What's this, a new video? Yay! "Lee-ee, World's Last Chance has a new video, will you watch it with me?" What a sweet, gentle title for WLC; "3 Months in a Row". And such calm, beautiful music...calendar origins....interesting, I don't know much about that.....sunday is not the Sabbath, got it!.............
And then, BOOM!!!!!
Saturday...is...not...the...Sabbath?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Saturday is not the Sabbath????? :( What???? I must have watched it 3 or 4 times. What could/would/should this mean??? Well, when is it then? Friday? Tuesday? When is it????????? What is up with this calendar that starts and stops with days missing??????? We both felt like the rug had just been pulled out from underneath us! We began to search WLC for any and all other information about the Creator's Calendar. We were glued to WLC; reading the articles, doing the e-courses, and waiting on new videos!
Anyway, what a plethora of information WLC has grown into!!! We put together a 3-ringed binder of the Lunar Solar articles and sent it to a very well-know and highly respected SDA pastor. After many weeks of waiting to hear a response, he called. I must admit that I was a little giddy; I had been watching and listening to this man on 3ABN for several years and Lee and I really valued his council and his opinions. So, to receive a phone call was kinda' exiting. Yet after several hours of discussion, he (the pastor) concluded by saying that the proposal of a lunar-based Sabbath was "at best...a distraction." However, the only refute to the proposal that he had was that Sister White believed that saturday was the 7th day Sabbath. This was incredible disappointing, as Lee and I thought for sure that he would both see and embrace the light of this present truth. However, we trust that YAH is working and will enlighten all who are earnestly seeking to serve Him...in His perfect timing. Also, I believe that this was the Father's way of directing me to follow Him regardless of what others believe or don't believe (no matter how well respected they may be). Thankfully, these conversations prompted an even more intense investigation as to which day is YAH's true 7th day Sabbath. And I can wholeheartedly say that the overwhelming weight of evidence has solidified our faith in the Lunar Solar Calendar and its Divine role in pinpointing Yahuwah's Holy 7th day Sabbath!
Lee and I are still trying to continue a dialogue with our former pastor--we humbly ask for your prayers for the softening of his heart, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to talk to him and we love this man and his family dearly. However, it is very important to note that he has yet to refute any of our numerous points in favor of the Lunar Solar Calendar; he just continues to say how wrong it is but has yet to give even one reason why....
Time and time again we have encountered those who disregard that very wise Proverb:
"He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him." Prov 18:13 (KJV)
It is our prayer that anyone reading this who perhaps has not fully committed to the reckoning of the lunar based 7th day Sabbath will not make this same egregious error.
"When a message comes in the name of the Lord to His people, no one may excuse himself from an investigation of its claims. No one can afford to stand back in an attitude of indifference and self-confidence, and say: "I know what is truth. I am satisfied with my position. I have set my stakes, and I will not be moved away from my position, whatever may come. I will not listen to the message of this messenger; for I know that it cannot be truth." It is from pursuing this very course that the popular churches were left in partial darkness, and that is why the messages of heaven have not reached them." Councils on Sabbath School Work, p.28
We pray that you will honestly study these things out for yourselves and may Yahuwah bless and guide all of those who are earnestly seeking to do His will and all who, with a sincere heart, want to know "what saith the Scriptures."
Your brother and sister in Yahushua's Service and Care,
Lee and Rebecca Houser