On Saturday, June 6, an entire family from the village of Maslyanino in the Novosibirsk Region of Russia, Yuri and Olesya Krasnov and their daughters Esther and Sophia joined God’s church. The intrigue of their baptisms is that Bible prophecies about the gathering of Israel and bringing the people of God to his flock have recently been fulfilled.
Since the late 1990s, the Krasnovs went to the Baptist church. But they felt in their souls that something was missing--they wanted something deeper. Curious, Yuri and Olesya began to study the Bible more deeply and came to the conclusion that God has not changed since the Old Testament, and that his law and the commandments of God, as well as the ministry of Christ as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary, are unchanged and apply to all times.
“Christians often misunderstood me, calling me a legalist,” recalls Yuri. “But I received a firm conviction from God that his truth and law are unchanging and eternal, and extend to the time of the New Testament.”
Olesya adds, “In the Bible, we saw that the covenant between God and his people is one, as is the Israel of God alone. We wanted to find God’s church.”
Svetlana Buzyuk, a member of the Adventist church who lives in Maslyanino, began to communicate with the Krasnov family. A Bible study group was formed and a pastor with several members of the community met with the family to study the Word of God. The Holy Spirit continued his amazing work of conversion and affirmation in truth. Discussion of Bible prophecies and understanding of God's providence during this period in the history of the earth led the Krasnovs to the conviction that they should be baptized for a second time. They decided to observe the Sabbath and submitted to their school a certificate stating that they are now members of the Seventh-day Adventist church.
“I was baptized once before, but my knowledge of the covenant and truth of the present and my religious experience was insufficient,” Yuri says. “I understood that it is necessary to renew the covenant in spirit and truth and to accept baptism for the second time as an act of full and unconditional dedication to God, making a covenant with him by accepting all the commandments of God with all my heart.”
Olesya describes her experience thus: “In the Baptist church, I took care of children and conducted camps and youth events. Following my baptism into the Adventist Church, I am ready to participate in and organize the same events. Moreover, our daughters have also been baptized and keep the Sabbath.”
Every Saturday, the family gathers for a thorough study of the Torah and Hebrew, and the quarantine period helped the Krasnov family make a decisive breakthrough in the adoption of the prophetic message. Sermons and video programs of pastors Bolotnikov and Oleinik have made amazing transformations in the life of the Krasnov family.
Today a group in Maslyanino is praying for the baptism of the Holy Spirit and bringing many people to God, firmly believing that the Lord will make it happen.
This article was originally published on the Euro-Asia Division’s news site