1999 Annual Council - Quotes

Quotes from the 1999 Annual Council

Edward Zinke:

Can anything be more exciting than the invitation of the Creator to explore the Universe and to spend all eternity with Him?

Has the second coming lost something of its certainty, its urgency, and its power and therefore its ability to shape our lives?

The second coming is the event of the ages, the culmination of all God has done to reconcile us to Him.

We are the messengers to proclaim the message of God in these last days.

Dr. Jan Paulsen:

Christian life will peak in the second coming of Jesus. That's why we have chosen this theme "Experiencing the Certainty of His Coming" as the theme for the end of this quinquennium.

More than any other church we have made the second coming our spiritual trademark. We want to make this our focus as we approach the year 2000.

The year 2000 has no more religious content than 1999 or 2001.

The only event of the future with ultimate consequence is the second coming. The history shall be summed up, the conclusion reached, and we shall be home.

We must be acutelly conscious of our mission. We are a spiritual community and nothing else.

In considering the second coming we need to see how this certainty impacts our lives.

Dr. Walter Pearson:

We are not led by human power, but by God Himself.

I believe we have come to the grandest time in human history. I believe we are on the precipice of the greatest power the church has even known.

Our motivating force is Jesus Christ.

The elements are charged with power because the King is coming.

Though of all people we have preached the second coming, we seem to have mixed reactions to it.

The Certainty of the Coming is not enough if we lose our focus.

It's time to go a step futher than to be certain of His coming. We need to stop planning to build on this [earthly] mountain, and build on the mountain 'up there.'