For some time now, the Creation Seventh Day (and) Adventist Church has been involved in educating Christians in the Gospel, in that "faith which was once delivered unto the saints." (Jude 1:3) From the beginning of our ministry we have been opening up the exceedingly precious promises of the Bible to those who would have treasures laid up in Heaven. We have shared the great blessing once known within Adventism, that "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His Seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not." (1 John 3:9, 5:18)

        Now, however, the religious liberty that has allowed us to speak the truth in the name of Adventism is being threatened. As our Savior once told us, "a man's foes shall be they of his own household." (Mat 10:36) Based upon the Word of God, we have become convicted of the teaching that whenever an ecclesiastical organization has recourse to civil power, that religious body becomes a corrupt institution, and reveals its nature openly as a fallen church. In the words of SDA writer Ellen White, "Force is the last resort of every false religion." [The Signs of the Times, May 6, 1897]

        In the year 1981 the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists enacted a civil law with the United States government, trademarking its name. From that time it has gone forward, taking faithful individuals and ministries to court who could not, in good conscience, either submit to the Conference's strategies or surrender the name "Seventh Day Adventist," believing it to be a mark of their faith. Where coercion and threats have failed, force has been employed by the leaders of denominational Adventism to accomplish their aims and "protect the church" from those it perceives as its enemies. However, "It is only when Christians mistakenly come to believe that Christ's kingdom is of this world that they resort to force in defending what they take to be its interests. [SDA Bible Commentary, Vol.5, p. 527]

        An important part of the Gospel for these last days is not merely an individual abstinence from known sins, but also a corporate purity. The Bride of Christ is one Bride, and it does not have recourse to the world for heavenly motives. Adventists once taught that to go to human strength in support of a spiritual matter is a rejection of the very Sabbath commandment! Creation Seventh Day Adventists continue to teach this startling message: that the 10 Commandments must be kept in both letter AND spirit, and the Spirit of the Sabbath involves trusting in Christ to take care of His own people. In all of ecclesiastical history, whenever there has been a union of church and state, an "image" of papal Rome - that first, great enemy of Christianity - has been formed; the Sabbath has been lightly regarded, and "It has ever been true that a backslidden body, one that has turned from God's word to men, from God's power to the state, was never reformed in itself. Invariably God's message has called out those from the fallen church who would do His will and preach His gospel." [SDA Sabbath School Quarterly, 1896]

        Remember, "it is not the true church of God that makes war with those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. It is the people who make void the law, who place themselves on the side of the dragon, and persecute those who vindicate God's precepts." [Signs of The Times, 22 April, 1889]

        Though the satanic efforts put forth by the General Conference in enforcing its decrees have gone relatively unreported in the past few years, it must not be thought that they have turned from their course of action. Indeed, recent information shows that they are going forward with their oppressive law, and a new round of legislation is about to begin. Please see the hyperlinks above to examine each of the key issues introduced here in greater detail, and may the Almighty be with the reader as the following quotations are considered:

        "To punish those who were supposed to be evildoers, the church has had recourse to the civil power. [...] But it is the spirit of Satan, not the Spirit of Christ, that inspires such acts. This is Satan's own method of bringing the world under his dominion." [Christ's Object Lessons, p. 74]

        "The same spirit that actuated those who persecuted the true church in ages past, will lead Protestants to pursue a similar course toward those who will maintain their loyalty to God. Church and state are now making preparations for the last great conflict." [Review and Herald, 23 January, 1908]

        "Boldly will men of God's appointment denounce the union of the church with the world. Earnestly will they call upon men and women to turn from the observance of a man-made institution to the observance of the true Sabbath. 'Fear God, and give glory to Him," they will proclaim to every nation; "for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. . . . If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation.' Revelation 14:7-10." [Prophets and Kings, page 186]

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The First Angel - The Gospel: Victory over Sin

The Victorious Life
The Victory
Ruth
Claiming the Victory: Ellen G. White
The Two Pauls
Creation and Evolution
Whirlwind and Scepter
Romans 1 - 8
1 John - A Detailed Study
Common Objections to The Victory

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The Second Angel - A Strong Voice: Babylon is Fallen

Sued by a Fictitious Person: A Paper Describing the Apostasy Manifested in the Current Trademark Lawsuit
Hated of All Men for His Name's Sake: The sequel to Sued by a Fictitious Person written in March '09
Bible Readings for the Home Defines "the image to the beast."
All Manner of Beasts
1896 Sabbath School Lesson
The Mark in Prophecy
1893: The SDA Church is Not Babylon
Appearing to Fall

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The Third Angel - The Trademark: Seal of A False Religion

A 2007 Letter of Appeal to the SDA Church Members
SDA Open Letter
Crucified Afresh [PDF file]
Crucified Afresh [MS Word document]
Crucified Afresh [Real audio]
The Mark and The Seal
The Five Towers
Jeremiah: A Prophecy Against The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Letter showing the source of funding for the General Conference's legal department: the sacred tithe
Articles about The Mark of The Beast
Editorial: What Adventists Once Believed
Religious Liberty Reclaimed

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Coercion and Threats

The SDA Trademark Documentation:
Page 1
Page 2
Letter of demand to the Standish brothers
Letter of demand to the Rogue Valley Historic SDA church
Notice of contest to Troy SDA church
Letter to the Eternal Gospel church
Correspondences with The General Conference

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Employment of Force

TM Wars: A timeline of the litigation
Associated Press article: Adventist denomination sues a church
Court documents regarding the infamous "Eternal Gospel" lawsuit [PDF file]
Court ruling in Eternal Gospel case
TM Alert: A compilation of relevant articles
John Marik's Testimony [Real audio]

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Corporate Purity

The Judgment of the Living
Corporate Accountability
The Mark, The Beast and The Corporation [Real video]
Appearing To Fall
Fill Up The Measure
A Sure Covenant

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The Trademark: Making Void the Law

The Sabbath Rest Principle [Real audio]
The Spirit of The Law
The Mark and The Seal
1896 Sabbath School lesson: Page 1 Page 2 [Best if printed]
(These documents show the original - and correct - Adventist position on the Sabbath and Lawsuits)

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Legal Updates

Letter of demand to owner of Davidian SDA domain names: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

Update 07/19/05: It has been revealed to us that the General Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists has begun to move forward with their expected legal persecution of the Creation Seventh Day (and) Adventist Church. A letter has been drafted, but not yet received by our members, which follows the same mode of delivery as was undertaken in the above-mentioned letter to the Davidian, and the previous letters of demand that have been sent to various other Adventist believers over time. With prayer, and by the grace of the Almighty, we will stand in the face of this great evil, and witness for the purity of the Faith of our Savior.

Update 07/22/05: Pastor Walter "Chick" McGill has drafted a letter to the lawfirm being used by the General Conference to enforce the Trademark asking for their understanding in the delay of his receiving the letter, as he is away currently on an evangelistic mission. The Letter may be read HERE.

Update 10/21/05: Pastor "Chick" has received a certified letter from the General Conference Corporation's attorneys, demanding the surrender of several domain names. This letter appears, upon inspection, to be merely a copy of a previous letter sent to the owner of some domain names maintained by the owner of davidiansda.org, containing only insignificant alterations (see Davidian related communication in the above links). From the letter itself, it appears that the facts of the correspondance have been confused, as they refer to communications with him through the Davidian SDAs (that never took place), and all but one of the domain names they cited are / were owned by the Davidians.. Pastor "Chick" has sent an answer to the letter via certified mail.

Demand letter : Introductory letter Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

Pastor "Chick"s response may be read HERE.

Update 03/22/06: The General Conference attorneys have now sent documents to our web-hosting company complaining of certain trademark violations among our domain names. As documentation becomes available we plan to post for your reading.

Update 05/27/06: We have received notice that the General Conference Corporation of SDAs is now threatening our internet domain names on the world scale. Pastor "Chick" has received email notification that the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center has received a complaint against several of our websites, this complaint being dated at May 23rd of this year.

We have also received word that Vincent Ramik (attorney for the General Conference Corporation) has sent a box containing some kind of information to pastor "Chick." As it turns out, pastor "Chick" had recently left on an evangelism trip to Canada, to meet with some of the brethren there who were baptized this last Feast of Unleavened Bread. As such he was not available to receive the package (which we assume is related to the WIPO complaint). When we discover the contents of this package, we will inform our readers.

For now, the CSDA Church covets the prayers of those who have been following our work and ministry. If this matter indeed goes as the Conference would have it go on a world scale, things could move forward very quickly to the end; for when the Trademark is imposed upon the people of Yah on a worldwide stage, it will not be long before the voice of the Witness ceases to be heard on the earth, and then the end will come. Our prayers are with all those who have been sympathizers and supporters, and may Yahshua find our houses in order upon His grand and glorious return.

Update 06/09/06: We have received notice that the official arbitration procedure has begun as of June 8th of this year. We are now in the 20-day response process, and will be making reply to WIPO in a timely fashion, Yahweh willing. The complaint document itself may be viewed HERE. Let us be fervent in prayer as matters continue to develop.

Update 06/16/06: We finally received a seven pound package from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in Geneva, Switzerland. It contains the complaint filed by the General Conference, along with all annexes and other official policies set for the arbitration process. This is evidently a duplication of the box that the General Conference attorney tried to have delivered to Pastor "Chick" at the church house in Tennessee.

Update 06/28/06: Our response has been sent to the WIPO domain dispute center by email and by FedEx as of yesterday, 27th of June. The response may be viewed HERE, and the list of annexes sent may be viewed HERE. Our prayers continue upward for Yah's perfect will to be done in this situation.

Update 09/02/06: We have received the decision of the arbitration panel appointed by WIPO. The decision of the panel is that all four of the domain names under dispute must be turned over to the Conference. This will be done automatically at some point in the near future; therefore, we are in the process of updating our current site to house all of our relevant data. We are anticipating that local litigation may follow at any time, therefore we ask for the continued prayers and support of those who protest any and all unions of civil power with ecclesiastical authority. The decision documents that pertain to our case may be read HERE and HERE. The official online WIPO decision may be accessed HERE.

Update 09/27/06: The SDA trademark lawsuit expected for the past 15 years has now begun. The "image of the beast" is imposing "the mark" on the "Remnant Church of Creation 7th Day Adventists." The legal complaint may be viewed by clicking HERE or HERE for printable PDF format. An explanation (in Real Audio) of our reasons for not yielding the name "SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST" can be accessed HERE.

Update 10/10/06: The General Conference of SDA is now threatening Pastor "Chick" with a demand letter regarding a CSDA domain name in Canada. See images of the letter and Canadian trademark documents following:
Demand Letter, page 1
Demand Letter, page 2
Trademark Document, page 1
Trademark Document, page 2
The Canadian website is accessed HERE.

Pastor "Chick" will be answering the demand letter in a timely manner.

Update 10/20/06: Read Pastor "Chick's" response to Associate General Counsel Parker's demand letter HERE.

Update 11/01/06: The new book entitled Finally... Out of Darkness, Into His Marvelous Light was mailed to all of the Conference Offices in North America today. Read the CSDA Church Membership Cover Letter enclosed with the gift book HERE.

Update 12/24/06: The official scheduling order for the McGill lawsuit has been received. A jury trial is set for January 7, 2008 (a three-day trial is expected).

Update 03/25/07: A two-page letter has been sent out to a large number of Adventists to inform them of the Trademark lawsuit, of which most are unaware. Positive responses have already begun to be received as a result of this information.

Update 05/17/07: A Letter of Appeal dated April, 2007, has been drafted to and posted for the benefit of the General Conference Seventh-day Adventist membership.

Letter of Concern: Written from an elderly Adventist Dad to his beloved Son (a prominent SDA Church evangelist).

Update 11/17/07: Judge James Todd rescheduled the three-day jury trial to begin June 2, 2008. Lead attorney for the Plaintiffs, Jeffrey Tew, has officially withdrawn from the trademark lawsuit.

Update 04/29/08: A court order was filed by the judge denying the General Conference motion to prevent a jury trial. This is a signal victory in the McGill case.

Update 05/30/08: Judge Daniel Breen rescheduled the three-day jury trial to begin Monday, October 6th at 9:30 a.m.

Update 06/16/08: An order granting in part and denying in part [pdf/doc] the General Conference's motion for a summary judgment was issued on June 11, 2008. The trademarked name "Seventh day Adventist" was upheld by the judge's decision. A complete victory was denied the Conference, however, regarding the words "SDA and "Adventist." As more information about what this decision means for the CSDA movement becomes available, we will update this page.

Update 09/04/08: The trial has been moved to an unset date pending a court-mandated mediation conference between Pastor McGill and the Plaintiffs, set for October 2nd. The purpose of the conference is to attempt to reach a compromise regarding the remaining issues - the acronym "S.D.A." and the name "Adventist." Pastor McGill has certified to the court that he will not be attending the mediation conference.

Update 05/27/09: An injunction is issued by Judge Daniel Breen enjoining the Church from using the names Seventh-day Adventist, Seventh-day, Adventist, or the acronym SDA with an order to submit a sworn notice of compliance to the Court by June 17, 2009. No compliance report was filed.

Update 08/20/09: An appellant brief has been filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit by the defendant.

Update 11/21/09: The attorneys for the General Conference have submitted a proposed order of contempt to the Court. While it has yet to be accepted or rejected by the Judge, it is highly significant as it reveals clearly the intent and desires of the General Conference towards dissenters. Written as though it were by the Judge himself, the General Conference seeks in the document - among other things - the immediate arrest and incarceration of Pastor McGill as soon as he returns to any part of the United States, the dispatch of a U.S. Federal Marshal to the Guys property - accompanied by and under the direction of the General Conference's representative - to confiscate and destroy all signs and materials displaying or even containing the terms "Adventist," "SDA," "CSDA," etc., the removal of several domain names and websites, including several domains such as thefourthangel.net which have no relation to the Church name, and the authority to carry out an investigation into the identities of anyone other than Pastor McGill who may be assisting in proclaiming the CSDA message.

The sheer similarity between the words in this document and the words of the Papacy during the Reformation are so striking that they ought to make any supporter of the trademark policy blush in shame. A document written by the church for the magistrate to adopt and enforce, authorizing the destruction of heretical materials by an officer of the law acting under the direct physical supervision of an agent of the church, the imprisonment of dissenters wherever they may be found until such a time as they recant, and the authority to seek out and find any others who dare defy the ruling - all because of the name in which we teach our faith. Truly the image bears a striking resemblance to the beast.

Update 12/14/09: The Magistrate Judge has filed a report and recommendation with the Court advising it to adopt the contempt of court charges requested by the Conference and award them attorney's fees, as well as the confiscation of virtually all domain names related to the CSDA faith, whether making use the name or not. The Magistrate Judge advised against the use of U.S. Marshals, as the GC had requested, and instead advised the Court to order the GC to take down the signs either themselves or through their agents, and to present the Defendant with the bill.

Update 1/6/10: Judge Breen adopts the Magistrate judge's recommendation in full and issues an order of contempt against Pastor McGill. The order also authorizes the seizure of several websites suspected of association with or ownership by the CSDA Church, including some not violative of the injunction.

Update 2/11/10: Notice is received from the attorneys for the General Conference that the raid by Federal Marshals on behalf of the General Conference will occur on February 12th at 11:00 am. Advertisements are run in area newspapers for a religious liberty rally on the date to protest the infringement of First Amendment rights. The same day, the General Conference sends notice of the date being changed for undisclosed reasons to the 16th. The date of the rally is likewise altered to the 16th at 9:00 am. ABC News in Jackson, Tennessee covers the impending raid and trademark conflict.

Update 2/16/10: Attorneys for the General Conference, accompanied by a Constable and videographer, arrive at the CSDA Church building with a sign crew in tow and destroy the church's signs. Officials also confiscate various religious materials, books, and articles from the building while a picket line protests the church-state union and trademark enforcement. During the raid, the audio testimony of Dr. David Aguilar is played via loudspeakers on the property. ABC News, The Daily Corinthian, and the McNairy County News offer coverage of the event, and a video of "some reaching up their hands to remove the banner, and obscure it's significance" may be seen here.

Update 3/8/10: Signs are restored on the Church building via white paint. Pictures may be seen here and here. ABC News and The Daily Corinthian cover the event.

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