The farewell conversation of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Epistle to the Ephesians of St. Paul — the Way to the refutation of the doctrines of Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses about universal apostasy

Abstract

The doctrine of universal apostasy (apostasy) which was happened after the death of the apostles is of great moment for Seventh day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses. One should rely not only on numerous quotations about the continuity of the Church scattered throughout the New Testament when arguing with them, but also on two whole texts describing the future fate of the Church — the farewell conversation of Jesus Christ and the Epistle to the Ephesians. Their analysis shows that Christians sealed by the Holy Spirit, with the support of God Himself, from the day of Pentecost until the Second Coming, can successfully resist persecution and various temptations, so Christ will forever remain the Head of the Church and the Savior of the faithful. The pastoral (not polemical) New Testament interpretations of the Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses, which prove identically with the Orthodox the need for ordinary believers to obey the authority of the true Church, are particularly considered.