Seventh-day Adventist Heresies

Beginning in 1833, William Miller and his Millerite followers falsely predicted the return of Christ on October 22, 1844. When nothing happened, the Millerite Movement began to dissolve, which resulted in many becoming disillusioned and thinking that Jesus would never return. This period came to be known as the Great Disappointment. But new groups were spawned out of the failed Millerite Movement. Unfortunately, some went on later to repeat the same mistake and falsely predict other dates. One such group later became known as the Jehovah's Witnesses. There were also the Christadelphians. Another new group, which later became known as the Seventh-day Adventists (SDA), followed Hyram Edson and Ellen G. White (EGW) (1827-1915). In my previous articles, I have proven that Mormonism and the Jehovah's Witnesses are false, heretical groups. Today I would like to do the same regarding the SDA. 

Following an SDA split in the 1970's, one branch now continues to follow Ellen G. White's strange teachings as having equal authority to Scripture, while the other branch says the Bible is our final authority, deemphasizing Ellen G. White. The latter group is fairly similar to evangelical Christianity in most of its teachings. However, they exclude from their faith those who do not practice Saturday Sabbath worship. Moreover, there are teachings within both SDA branches that contradict the true gospel.

Here are some examples:

Christ's Investigative Judgment 

They teach that Christ did not finish the atonement at the cross, and that the divine judgment of professed Christians has been in progress since 1844. In 1877, Uriah Smith, an early Adventist, wrote, "Christ did not make the atonement when he shed his blood upon the cross. Let this fact be fixed forever in the mind." (The Sanctuary and the Twenty-Three Hundred Days of Daniel VIII, 14, p. 276, quoted in Are the Gospel and the 1844 Theology Compatible? by Robert D. Brinsmead, p.17).

Ellen White herself taught in The Great Controversy that "before Christ's work for the redemption of men is completed, there is a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the sanctuary. This is the service which began when the 2300 days ended." (October, 1844). So she placed the time of Christ's atonement after 1844, teaching that Christ entered into the second apartment of the sanctuary in heaven in 1844 to begin a work of "investigative judgment", in order to see who was worthy of eternal life, both of those still living and those dead.

Once it became obvious that Christ’s second coming did not happen in 1844, it soon became the date when the work of final atonement would begin, in order to blot out a believer's sin. This teaching contradicts the biblical doctrine of atonement taught in the New Testament, and it defies the words of our Savior uttered on the cross, "It is finished." (John 19:30). It also contradicts the words of the apostle who wrote: "But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He [Jesus] sat down at the right hand of God." (Heb 10:12). When Christ paid for our sins, He did so completely, fully atoning for them once and for all. The rest of Scripture is consistent with this. Therefore, there is no basis for the erroneous SDA teaching that the work of final atonement for sins began in 1844.

Following the Mosaic Law
Ellen White says in Amazing Grace p.136, "Under the new covenant, the conditions by which eternal life may be gained are the same as under the old [covenant]." They still follow the Law of Moses, except for things such as animal sacrifices and new moons.

For example, they forbid eating foods listed as unclean in the Old Testament, such as pork. This contradicts the teaching of Jesus that all foods are clean (Mk 7:15, 19; Mt 15:11), as well as the teaching of Paul the apostle (1 Timothy 4:1-5; Rom 14:14, 20). God commanded Peter to "kill and eat" unclean animals in Acts 10:13. When Peter refused to do so, God rebuked him in Acts 10:15. 

We are not to concern ourselves with ceremonial or ritual laws like circumcision or animal sacrifices. It doesn’t matter whether or not a man is circumcised. Nor do we observe the Jewish dietary laws. We are not endeavoring to keep up the law of Moses in conjunction with the gospel of Christ.  You cannot rely on your obedience to the Law of Moses to save you, because it is only by grace that you are saved through faith (Eph 2:8-10).  But the Ten Commandments are very clearly meant for all generations.  These still represent what pleases God today, and we express our love for Him by keeping His commandments. Keeping God’s commands in what counts! Please see my articles The Spirit of the Law and The Spirit's Law of Life.

Denial of the Holy Trinity
Some SDA adherents have denied the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. But today the church’s official statement of faith affirms it.

SDA the Only True Church
They teach that the SDA is the only true Church on earth today, and that they are the remnant spoken of in Scripture. Incidentally, the Jehovah’s Witnesses also claim to be the only true Church.

However, this is divisive and contrary to Scripture, which states: “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.” (Rom 16:17-18).

Divisive View of the Mark of the Beast
They divisively claim that other Christians outside of their organization are of satan or the beast and won't go to Heaven, because they worship on Sundays. They consider Sunday Sabbath worship to be the Mark of the Beast, and some SDA people claim that those who commit this so-called "sin" of Sunday worship are damned. They believe that the mark is not a physical mark on the body, as the Bible teaches, but rather the observance of Sunday as the day of weekly worship rather than Saturday. Therefore, everyone who does not keep the seventh day Sabbath will have no inheritance in the Kingdom of God.

The Review and Herald, July 13, 1897 stated: "When you obey the decree that commands you to cease from labor on Sunday and worship God... you consent to receive the mark of the beast.” However, Sunday worship is not the mark of the beast and simply cannot be so, because the mark of the beast must be a mark on your right hand or forehead without which you cannot buy or sell (Rev 13:16-17). Moreover, the Bible clearly teaches that those who receive the mark of the beast will be tormented day and night forever and ever. That means nobody who receives this mark can enter heaven. Since they believe that Sunday worship is the mark of the beast that would have to mean that there is no hope for anyone who worships on Sundays, since they have supposedly already taken the mark of the beast and are condemned to hell. For Scripture states:

“A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: ‘If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.’" (Rev 14:9-11)

The SDA church teaches that anyone who has already taken this mark through Sunday worship still has time to repent until a certain point, namely when the seventh seal is opened and the angel (which they claim is Jesus) casts his censer down to the earth as described in Revelation 8:3-6, at which time they claim anyone with the mark of the beast will no longer have opportunity to repent from that. They believe that participation in Saturday Sabbath worship is the seal (or mark) of God that will protect you from the wrath that is going to come upon the wicked at that time, as just mentioned, when they believe the grace period will end.

Despite their false beliefs about Sunday worship, and the claim in 1897 that ceasing from labor on Sunday and worshiping God on that day constituted the mark of the beast, Ellen G. White later said in 1909 that it was all right at least to not work on Sundays. The Bible teaches that there are six days for work and one day of rest (Ex 20:9-10), but White taught that it would be fine to refrain from work on both Saturday and Sunday, and would no longer constitute the mark of the beast, which is inconsistent with her belief that we should not worship on Sundays, as well as her previous statement that ceasing from labor on Sundays was part of what would constitute the mark of the beast. It is also inconsistent with the Scriptures that say we have six days on which to work and one day of rest. Essentially, she taught that you can refrain from work on Sundays as a day of rest, but that you should not worship or honor the Lord on that day. 

The Bible does not teach that believers in Christ must worship only on Saturdays. We should worship God every day of the week, not just on Saturday, and it is not a sin to worship on any other day besides Saturday. The biblical and historical records clearly indicate that the Church has been meeting for worship on the first day of the week (now known as Sunday), since the first century. In fact, they were gathered together on the day of His resurrection, which was the first day of the week, and worshipped Him then (Mt 28:1, 10, 16-17; Lk 24:1, 13, 35-53; Jn 20:19-29; Ac 20:7; 1 Cor 16:1-2). Furthermore, the writings of the Church Fathers also indicate they used to meet on the first day of the week for worship. Sunday worship in the early Church did not begin with any edict by the emperor Constantine or one of the popes, as the SDA claims. It was practiced long before that from the first days of the Church.

For more on this see my articles: Christian Sabbath is Sunday, not Saturday and Famous Christian Sabbath Observers.

No repentance during the Great Tribulation
The SDA also believe that it will be impossible for any “sinners” to repent during the tribulation, as they claim the blood of Jesus will no longer be available. This is false, as I have taught elsewhere. For more on this see Is Repentance Possible During the Great Tribulation?

Soul-sleep
Like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christadelphians, SDA teaches that people who die remain unconscious until the final Judgment. This contradicts Scripture, which does not teach soul sleep. For believers in Christ, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23; 1 Thess 5:10; Jn 11:25, Lk 20:38, Heb 12:23, Rev 6:9-10). For unbelievers, death means eternal punishment in hell (Luke 16:22-23; Is 14:9-11, 1 Peter 2:9). Also, Scripture speaks of the imprisoned spirits, whom Christ went to during the period between his death and resurrection (1 Peter 3:18,19). 

No Hell, but annihilation
Like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the SDA church denies the existence of a literal hell as described in the Bible. They teach that hell (Hades or Sheol) is not an actual place of fiery punishment, as Scripture clearly teaches, where the damned suffer eternal, conscious torment (Mt 5:22, 29-30; 8:12; 10:28; 13:42, 50; 18:8-9; 22:13; 23:33; 24:51; 25:30, 41; Mk 9:43-47; Lk 12:5; 13:28; Jn 5:29; 2 Pet 3:7; Rev 14:9-11; 20:10-15; 21:8; Dan 12:2). Instead, they believe that the souls of the wicked dead will one day be resurrected for the Great White Throne Judgment, at which time they will be annihilated, or snuffed out of existence.

For more proof that this belief of theirs is false, please see eternaldestinations.info where I have posted many testimonies of many people who have been shown heaven and hell either through near-death experiences, after-death experiences, or through dreams and visions.

The Little Horn
They teach that the little horn in Daniel 8 is Jesus, not the antichrist. The Lord ensured that those who read His Word would have an excellent composite description of the antichrist, so that this person would deceive none of God’s people. We know what his character is like, and when he is revealed publicly, it will be clear to us. I have done an exhaustive study of the Little Horn (antichrist) and written my findings in a 36-page document, which I am not going to publish here for the sake of brevity.

However, in short, the archangel Gabriel explained to Daniel the meaning of the Little Horn he saw in his vision: 

"In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue [the Little Horn in the vision], will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.” (Dan 8:23-25)

Based on what the angel explained to Daniel, the Little Horn will be a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, who will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper. He will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes (i.e., Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords). 

Obviously Christ is not going to cause deceit to prosper or take His stand against Himself, the Prince of princes. In fact, none of these attributes of the Little Horn (antichrist) listed above are true of Christ, and will never be true of Him, but rather these describe the Little Horn mentioned in Daniel 8, as Gabriel clearly explained to the prophet. White and others who said that the Little Horn was Christ were in serious error.

Jesus is Michael the archangel 
Like the Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs), SDA teaches that Jesus is the archangel Michael. Unlike the JWs, who deny Christ's deity, the SDA do not. The SDA believe that Jesus is very God who existed with the Father from all eternity, as the Bible teaches. But they erroneously teach that Jesus is Michael the archangel. They believe that "Michael" is but one of the many titles applied to the pre-existent Christ, or Son of God. They also claim that an archangel is not an angel.

Commendable Aspects of SDA
I want to mention that there are a few commendable aspects of SDA, such as the following:

• They take scripture authoritatively. Therefore, when you show them where their beliefs are unscriptural, regardless of whether they agree or disagree, they should at least take it seriously. 
• They believe that the Holy Spirit and the gifts are still available to the church in this day.
• They take obedience seriously and teach against easy believism.
• Many of them practice modesty in their attire and adornment.
• They don’t drink alcohol or smoke tobacco.

However, we cannot get away from the fact that they teach so many heresies.

Ellen G. White is viewed as a prophetess

They believe that White (pictured left) was not only a prophetess, but that she was the one and only prophetess of the SDA Church, and that she was the originator (via her alleged visions and voluminous writings) of almost all their distinctive doctrines that set them apart from all other churches. They believe her teachings carry the same authority as the Bible. But the fact is that her words contradict the teachings of Jesus and His apostles. For example, she taught that Satan bears our sins as a scapegoat, not Christ, contradicting the clear biblical doctrine that Christ bore our sins on the cross (1 Pe 2:24; Is 53:4-5). 

She also practiced blatant plagiarism, which the SDA people euphemistically refer to as “literary borrowing”. The SDA leadership has known for over a century of the evidence that White's claims about her writings are false, but rather than deal with this reality, they have engaged at times in blatant attempts to cover up the facts.

White plagiarized various writers of her time, and in doing so, she also copied statements teaching that redemption was finished at the cross. Interestingly, some SDA's like to quote only these references.  But the SDA view was and is a denial of the atoning work of Christ at Calvary. In fact, in The Great Controversy they denied Him as our absolute mediator. It stated: "Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above, are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort, they must be conquerors in the battle with evil." Also, in the same book it states, "In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor."

Heading 23, entitled, "Christ's Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary", says, "He (Christ) was inaugurated as our great High Priest and began His intercessory ministry at the time of His ascension. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgment which is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin, typified by the cleansing of the ancient Hebrew sanctuary on the Day of Atonement."

However, this SDA teaching contradicts the Bible. Scripture says, "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (1Jn 2:1). Note that “we have” is in the present tense, so we presently have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ. This was true when the apostle John wrote it during the first century, and it is still true today.

Paul the apostle wrote: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” (1Ti 2:5-6)

And the apostle who wrote Hebrews stated: “Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because He always lives to intercede for them.” (Heb 7:25)

And again in Hebrews he stated: “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Heb 9:15)

Ron Graybill, who was the assistant secretary of the Ellen G. White Estate, and loyal to Ellen White at the time he published the following statement in the October, 1981 edition of Ministry magazine, stated: "We believe the revelation and inspiration of both the Bible and Ellen White's writings to be of equal quality. The superintendence of the Holy Spirit was just as careful and thorough in one case as in the other." Although Graybill clearly held the revelation and inspiration of White’s writings to be equal with Scripture, he qualified that by stating, "We dare not use Ellen White as the final arbiter in matters of doctrine." Perhaps the SDA members should heed his advice not to use her writings as the final say on doctrinal issues, and rather use the Bible instead as the final authority. Incidentally, he ultimately resigned his position as assistant secretary years later. 

It should be noted that, “Those in the ministry of the SDA denomination who have attempted to address openly and honestly the facts of EGW's plagiarism, and other related serious problems in the denomination's history and doctrine, have often been summarily removed from their positions of leadership and kept from communicating their concerns in any official SDA setting. This has included the firing and disfellowshipment of well-respected men from the full-time ministry who had been loyal, life-long Adventists.” – Pamela Starr Dewey's Field Guide to the Wild World of Religion: Seventh Day Adventism at Is It So.

Examples of Plagiarism
The following examples are taken from a chart of examples of Ellen's plagiarisms based on the content of Prophetess of Health: A Study of Ellen G. White by Dr. Ronald Numbers. This is not an exhaustive list, but just a sampling (note that the initials EGW stand for Ellen G. White in the quotes below):

1a. Coles: "It is as truly a sin against Heaven, to violate a law of life, as to break one of the ten commandments" (Larkin B. Coles, Philosophy of Health (1853), p. 215).
1b. White: "It is as truly a sin to violate the laws of our being as it is to break the ten commandments. To do either is to break God's laws." (EGW, Christian Temperance (1890), p. 53.)

It should be noted that Larkin B. Coles, who died 1856, was a Millerite, and White plagiarized him in 1890.

2a. Coles: "The sympathy existing between the mind and the body is so great, that when one is affected, both are affected" (Larkin B. Coles, Philosophy of Health (1853), p. 127).
2b. White: "The sympathy which exists between the mind and the body is very great.  When one is affected, the other responds." (EGW, Testimonies, vol.4, p. 60 (1876).)

Notice that it was in 1876 that White plagiarized what Coles wrote in 1853.
 
3a. Coles: "Flesh eating is certainly not necessary to health or strength. . . .If it be used, it must be a matter of fancy. . . .When we increase the proportion of our animal nature, we suppress the intellectual. . . .The use of flesh tends to create a grossness of body and spirit" (Larkin B. Coles: Philosophy of Health, (1853), p. 64-67)
3b. White: ". . .flesh meat is not necessary for health or strength. If used it is because a depraved appetite craves it.  When the animal propensities are increased, the intellectual and moral powers are decreased. The use of the flesh of animals tends to cause a grossness of body and benumbs the fine sensibilities of the mind." (EGW, Testimonies, vol.2, p. 63 (1868).)

Notice that it was in 1868 that White plagiarized what Coles wrote in 1853.

The rest of this is from Is it So.

White refers in the quote below to one of "these books", meaning her major volume titled The Great Controversy. About this book, she stated:

"While writing the manuscript of The Great Controversy, I was often conscious of the presence of the angels of God. And many times the scenes about which I was writing were presented to me anew in visions of the night, so that they were fresh and vivid in my mind." (Letter 56, 1911; Colporteur Ministry, p. 128. Emphasis supplied.)

Is that true that she actually received the content of the scenes she described in her book through “visions of the night”? That is what SDA members have believed for over 100 years. But in the past four decades, evidence has come to light, which makes it abundantly clear that most of her book was actually composed directly from the writings of earlier authors.

Asmund Kaspersen states in The Myth and the Truth: We are now being able to draw the following conclusions about the book The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White:

   1. The Great Controversy book contains the heart of the SDA faith system.
   2. Very little of the material in the book is original with Ellen White. Investigation has proven that the book is made up of material from at least 88 different authors.
   3. The book was published in three editions: 1884, 1888, and 1911. The 1884-edition (The Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 4), was simply doctored, new editions of James White's [Ellen's husband] book Life Incidents and Sketches of William Miller. James White in turn had been borrowing the material for his books from books by J.N. Andrews, Sylvester Bliss, and others.
   4. The 1888-edition was augmented with quite a number of pages, consisting of historical material, and from Uriah Smith - who in turn had been drawing from various sources. There were no references, and no credit had been given to the respective authors.
   5. Entire chapters in the book are from other authors.
   6. Historical errors these authors had been doing, were copied straight into The Great Controversy. This should refute the claim some are making, that "God showed Ellen White what to copy, and what to leave out".
   7. The theology in the book, and accordingly the central doctrines of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, like the 2300 years, 1844, the sanctuary, the Investigative Judgment, USA in the prophecies, the mark of the Beast etc., had in fact been derived from Adventist pioneers as J.N. Andrews, Uriah Smith, Owen R.L. Crosier etc.

SDA historian Donald Adams was forced to admit after reviewing the evidence:
   "What we find when we examine the historical portions of The Great Controversy (those events from the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. through the French Revolution) is that entire chapters at a time are simply selective abridgments of protestant historians. . . . In the samples I have examined there is not one historical fact in her text that is not in their text." (Donald McAdams, Ellen G. White and the Protestant Historians. Unpublished Manuscript, p. 16-17.)
   "The hand-written manuscript on John Huss follows the historian so closely that it does not even seem to have gone through an intermediary stage, but rather from the historian's printed page to Mrs. White's manuscript, including historical errors and moral exhortations." (Donald McAdams, Shifting View of Inspiration. Spectrum, vol. 10, No. 4, March. 1980. Quoted in Rea, p. 164. Emphasis supplied.)

Kaspersen’s conclusions quoted above are solid. I should note here that in his book about White, he quotes an entire chapter from the 1981 article about White by Dr. Delbert H. Hodder titled, "Visions or Partial-complex Seizures." In that chapter, Dr. Hodder concludes that White’s visions and dreams were a result of the severe head injury she sustained as a child, and that she was experiencing partial-complex brain seizures. I differ somewhat on my opinion about that, and believe that the trauma of the severe head injury she sustained as a child may have opened her up to demonic influence, which may have, in turn, possibly accounted for at least some of her strange behavior, manifestations, and teachings. 

In Walter Rea’s book The White Lie, through documented examples of the source material used in writing The Great Controversy, he proves that there is absolutely no room to doubt that White repeatedly plagiarized the writings of others verbatim, all the while falsely claiming inspiration as the source. Even if we accept the false, SDA notion of “literary borrowing” (a euphemism for White’s plagiarism), her writings are still a compilation of other people’s ideas, and not prophecies and visions from God to be considered equal with Scripture.

Jesus taught us how to identify a false prophet when we see one:

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Mat 7:15-20)

The Lord said we would know them by their fruit, and since the fruit of Ellen’s life is bad, she is considered a false prophetess, according to Scripture. 

Conclusion 
While the SDA Church may have some commendable aspects to it, as noted in this article, they are a divisive group that teaches they are the only true church on earth today, while at the same time holding to many false teachings, such as Christ's Investigative Judgment, satan (not Jesus) bore our sins, no intercessor or mediator, following the Mosaic Law, the mark of the beast being Sunday worship, soul-sleep, no hell, annihilation, the Little Horn of Daniel being Jesus (not the antichrist), and that Jesus is Michael the archangel. 

Moreover, Ellen G. White is viewed not only as a prophetess, but as the one and only prophetess, who was the originator of almost all that distinguishes them from all other churches (via her visions, dreams, and writings), yet she was a deceptive plagiarist, who denied that any of her writings were influenced by other teachers or writers. Her writings were not written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but through blatant plagiarism of other authors. Therefore, as it turns out, The Great Disappointment era that began in 1844 eventually led to White’s volume, The Great Controversy, which was actually The Great Deception. 

If you are a Seventh Day Adventist, you need to grapple with these facts, and take it before the Lord in prayer. If you are considering joining this group, I advise you to run the other way and avoid it completely, since it could cost you your soul.  

Attribution notice: Source materials for my research in producing this expose courtesy Steven M. Morrison, PhD. of Christian Debater™ at www.BibleQuery.org, as well as Pamela Starr Dewey's Field Guide to the Wild World of Religion: Seventh Day Adventism at isitso.org. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Special thanks to my son Christopher Lacroix for proofreading this article.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend Christian Sabbath is Sunday, not Saturday Famous Christian Sabbath Observers, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part I, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part II, The Lord's Day, The Origin of the Sabbath, The Place of Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth, The Spirit of the Law, The Spirit's Law of Life, and By Grace Alone. You may access more of my articles on the Main Directory of this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

Are Jehovah's Witnesses a Cult?

In this blog, I have addressed many false teachings and cults, including the Mormons, the Oneness Christology heresy, the prosperity gospel, cessationism, the false eternal security gospel, those who deny the Deity of Christ, and the Roman Catholic Church. Today I would like to touch briefly upon a very active group that is constantly trying to make converts to their religion, which is the Jehovah's Witnesses.

These people go around from house to house, knocking on doors, ringing door bells, wanting to talk to people about God and the Bible; but if you are wise, you will not allow them into your home. 

I know a precious sister in Christ, who once made the mistake of welcoming these people into her home. They became friends, and she was away from the Lord for several years, while she was caught up in this cult. 

She says of those nine years of her life as a JW, "I never once felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. My time there was absent from the presence of God. The reason I stayed in the cult for so long was because they skillfully use scripture out of context to support their claims, and they keep people using their intellectual, natural thinking, and don't allow room whatsoever for the person to experience the confirming, spiritual presence of God.  They 'reason' everything with their natural minds and give no room for the life-giving presence of Jesus to abide in their hearts.  Those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and Truth, not just head knowledge." 

Thank the Lord that eventually, through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, she came out of it, and is once again walking with Jesus as her Lord and Savior. But it all began with allowing them into her home, which the Scripture teaches us not to do so. It says: 

"Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work." (2Jn 1:9-11)

I saw an excellent video recently about a lovely Amish couple that got saved. The Amish couple mentioned that after they were excommunicated from the Amish, they were approached by people from four of five different religious groups, including the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Christ (probably he was referring to Latter Day Saints/Mormons), and another was an Apostolic guy (Oneness Pentecostal). That last one has something in common with the first ones, as both the JW's and Apostolic people deny the essential doctrine of the Holy Trinity.  A person made a comment on the video asking what was wrong with the Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs), since he apparently has noticed that a large part of society seems to dislike them. Here is the person's comment:

"Why is everyone so anti- JW? I had them visit me every week, and they were absolutely lovely. I'd love to understand why they are considered cultists, as they were open, friendly, and welcoming. They love God and family. Those are two things that are undervalued so much."

Please allow me to explain why true believers are against the JW cult. It's because we love the truth, and we hate the devil's lies; that's why. JW's deny the doctrine of the Trinity — one of the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. They claim that Jesus is not God. Rather, they say he was the Archangel Michael. And they don't believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ, but that He was resurrected as a spirit. John 1:1 clearly says He “was God.”  They changed it in their own New World Translation (NWT) to say he was “a god,” and teach that He is something less -- not truly God. But there is no Greek word for “a” (the indefinite article) in this verse, nor does Greek grammar allow one to be inserted¹, as they have done. This is just one of the perverted verses in their NWT Bible translation, produced by their Watchtower Society, which is not a valid translation of the Bible, but rather one that is dishonest, inconsistent, and has been changed in order to agree with their false doctrine, since the true Scriptures do not support it². 

Not only do they deny Christ's deity, which is clearly taught all throughout Scripture (see here), they also deny the existence of a literal hell as described in the Bible. Watch Tower publications teach that hell (Hades or Sheol) is not an actual place of fiery torment, as Scripture clearly teaches, but rather the "common grave of mankind", a place of unconscious non-existence. Therefore, the JWs deny that hell even exists, in clear contradiction of the Holy Scriptures, which explicitly teach that hell is real (Mt 5:22, 29-30; 8:12; 10:28; 13:42, 50; 18:8-9; 22:13; 23:33; 24:51; 25:30, 41; Mk 9:43-47; Lk 12:5; 13:28; Jn 5:29; 2 Pet 3:7; Rev 14:9-11; 20:10-15; 21:8; Dan 12:2). 

In fact, they even teach that there is no general (universal) resurrection of all the dead, although the Scripture explicitly says the exact opposite (Mt 22:30-32; Lk 14:14; 20:35-36; Jn 5:28-29; 11:25; Ac 4:2. 33; 17:32; 23:6; 24:15, 21; Ro 6:5; 1 Cor 15:12-13, 21, 29, 42; Heb 6:2; 11:35). The Bible teaches that there will be a resurrection of all the dead, the righteous to eternal life and the wicked to eternal punishment. But the JWs believe that at the time of death, a person's existence completely stops, since they believe that human beings do not have an immortal soul that survives when the body dies. For more proof that this belief of theirs is false, please see eternaldestinations.info where I have posted many testimonies of many people who have been shown heaven and hell either through near-death experiences, after-death experiences, or through dreams and visions.

To be sure, while the JWs do not believe in a general, bodily resurrection of all mankind, they do believe that a spiritual resurrection is possible for certain people. They teach that in 1878 Jesus resurrected as spirit beings to heavenly life those among the 144,000 (known as the "anointed") who had already died at that time. And they believe that since 1878, any "anointed" (i.e., members of the 144,000) are individually resurrected as spirit beings to heavenly life at the time of their death. They teach that the 144,000 anointed ones, which are all Jehovah's Witnesses, of course, shall serve as kings alongside Christ in his heavenly government. They say that the 144,000 are the only ones who are born again and who experience heavenly life. Finally, they falsely claim that all other JW's who have died and don't go to heaven will one day get resurrected and will live on a paradise earth (not heaven).  Therefore, to summarize, they only believe in a resurrection (as spirit beings) of the 144,000 to heaven, and an ultimate resurrection of all other JWs to an earthly paradise, but they do not believe in a general, bodily resurrection of all mankind.

Furthermore, the Jehovah's Witnesses deny the power of God and believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased during the first century. They do not believe these gifts are still in operation today, and in teaching this, they directly contradict Scripture (Mk 16:17-18; Jn 14:12; Ac 1:8; 2:17-18; Joel 2:28-29), as well as the experience of billions of people like me, who have and still are experiencing the spiritual gifts in operation in their lives today. For more on this, please see Have the Spiritual Gifts Ceased?

They also deny the Holy Spirit, and say that He is not a Person but just a force. They like to use head knowledge, natural, intellectual, and human reasoning to explain God's Word, instead of being led by the Holy Spirit.

Lastly, they are into using occult symbols. For example, the early Watchtower publications prominently displayed on the upper left-hand corner the cross and crown symbol of the Knights Templar, which is actually a Masonic symbol. The same symbol can be found at the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pictured here to the left is the Jehovah's Witness headquarters in Denmark as seen from the sky using Google Earth. Notice the obvious pyramid with the all-seeing eye at the top like the one on the US currency. 

Closing Words

The Jehovah's Witness religion meets the basic criteria of a cult, which is any group that claims to be Christian, as this group does, yet does not adhere to the basic, essential tenets of the true Christian faith as taught in Scripture and embraced by the Church for thousands of years. They do not hold to the true doctrines of the Holy Trinity, the Deity of Christ, or His bodily resurrection, nor do they believe in the general resurrection of the dead, or a literal hell, where the wicked are forever separated from God in a fiery place of eternal, conscious torment. They claim that theirs is the only true religion. They have a form of godliness, but they deny the power of God (2 Tim 3:5). They deny the Person of the Holy Spirit, and teach that the gifts of the Spirit have ceased. They have their own erroneous Bible translation, and they use it, as well as any Bible version, to deceive people, as Peter the apostle spoke of, distorting the Scriptures to their own destruction (2 Pet 3:16). They follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons (1 Tim 4:1). The Bible tells us to have nothing to do with such people. Do not take them into your house or welcome them (2Jn 1:9-11). 

If you do a Google search on whether this is a cult, one of the first results that you will get will be an article written by the JWs defending their false religion. Anyone can pay to have search engine optimization (SEO), so that their article will be one of the top results in a search. They don't want you to find other results from Christian authors that will show you the truth about their cult from Scripture. But one article you may find helpful that is buried in the search results is called Using the New World Translation to refute the New World Translation: John 1:1. If you know what's best for you, I urge you to stay away from this cult, even though they claim to be the only true Christians.

Footnotes: ¹ Ancient (koine) Greek does not have an indefinite article like the English word a, and nominatives without articles also have a range of meanings that require context to interpret. The noun theos (meaning "God" in John 1:1) is anarthrous (meaning it lacks an article), which often is how indefinite nouns are expressed in Greek. The construction in John 1:1 is that of an anarthrous nominative singular in a preverbal position; so in this verse, theos (1) lacks an article, (2) it occurs before the verb, and (3) it is a nominative singular. Therefore, an indefinite article "a" cannot be inserted before the word "God" in this verse, as the JWs have done. Also see here.

² Dr. Julius Mantey, author of A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, and a first rate scholar who studied Greek for more than 65 years, calls the NWT "a shocking mistranslation." "Obsolete and incorrect." "It is neither scholarly nor reasonable to translate John 1:1 'The Word was a god.'" "I have never read any New Testament so badly translated as The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of The Greek Scriptures.... it is a distortion of the New Testament. The translators used what J.B. Rotherham had translated in 1893, in modern speech, and changed the readings in scores of passages to state what Jehovah's Witnesses believe and teach. That is a distortion not a translation." (Julius Mantey, Depth Exploration in The New Testament (N.Y.: Vantage Pres, 1980), pp.136-137). The translators of the NWT are "diabolical deceivers." (Julius Mantey in discussion with Walter Martin). Also see here.

Attribution notice: Most Scriptures takes from the NIV Holy Bible, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only. Special thanks to my son Christopher Lacroix for proofreading this article.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend Charles Taze Russell -- JW Founder in Hell, Refuting the Oneness Christology Heresy, Is Jesus God?, The Place of Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth, The Holy Trinity, Have the Spiritual Gifts Ceased?, The Person of the Holy Spirit, The False Gospel of Eternal Security. The False Gospel Without Repentance. You may access more of my articles on the Main Directory of this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

New Testament Books Disproving Eternal Security

In my series of articles entitled, The False Gospel of Eternal Security, I have completely disproved that doctrinal error, which is also known as Once Saved Always Saved (OSAS). In this article today, I will show you how most of the New Testament books of the Bible contain one or more verses proving that doctrine to be false. For the sake of brevity, I will directly quote only one verse per book, and simply cite the references to the other verses, while in some cases also making general reference to them for emphasis.

Matthew
Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Mat 7:21). It could not be clearer than that. He said that only the one who does the will of His Father in heaven shall enter the kingdom of heaven, regardless of whether that person calls Jesus their Lord. 

Speaking to His disciples, He also taught that it is possible for them to lose their saltiness and become worthless (5:13). Anyone who says, "You fool!" is in danger of hell fire (5:22). You would be better to cut off any body part of yours that causes you to stumble, so that you can avoid hell and enter heaven (5:29-30; cf.,18:8-9). If you do not forgive, the Father will not forgive you (6:15), and any unmerciful servant will be thrown into jail (hell) to be tormented (18:32-35). If you merely hear His words, but don't practice them, you will be completely destroyed (7:26-27). Only those who stand firm to the end will be saved (10:22). You should fear God, who has the power to destroy you in hell (10:28). Jesus will disown any disciple who disowns Him (10:33). Any disciple who does not take up his cross and follow Jesus is not worthy of Him (10:38). It's possible to fall away on account of Jesus (11:6). Your words will either acquit or condemn you (12:36-37). The disciple who has no roots falls away from the Lord (13:21). You must be ready when Jesus comes back, or else be left behind (24:40-44). The wicked servant will be thrown out where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (24:48-51; 25:26-30). The goats are cast into the eternal fire, and the factor that made the difference between them and the sheep was what they did or didn't do (25:41-46). The Lord clearly taught that to enter life, you must obey the commandments (19:17).

See also Mt 12:31-32; 18:6-7.

Mark
Jesus said to His disciples, "...the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Mar 13:13). This salvation that He promised to those who stand firm to the end is not merely referring to deliverance from evil, but rather to the eternal blessedness to be received by all those who endure or persevere to the end throughout their service to Him in the midst of its accompanying sufferings. This implies that those who do not stand firm or endure to the end will not be saved, which he directly states elsewhere. For example, He taught about some seeds of the Word that are planted on the soil of human hearts, who initially make a start, but later fall away, because of trouble or persecution (4:16-19). For whoever tries to save his life will lose it (8:34-35), and at His coming the Lord will be ashamed of anyone who has been ashamed of Him and His Words. 

See also Mk 8:38; 9:42-48; 11:25-26; 13:22.

Luke
The Lord said to Peter, "But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers." (Luk 12:45-46). Notice that the Lord said He (the Master) will cut the servant up and assign him a place with the unbelievers (hell).

He also said that the disciple who is not careful or prayerful won’t be prepared for the Lord’s return (21:34-36).

See also Luke 6:49; 7:23; 8:13-15; 9:23-26, 62; 10:28; 12:9; 12:10; 13:24-25; 14:27; 17:33; 18:18-22; 21:19.

John
Jesus said that He cuts off every fruitless branch of His (Jn 15:2), and warned us, "If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." (Jn 15:6). He meant that any disciple of His who does not remain in Him will be cut off and thrown into the fires of hell to be burned. 

That is why He warned the former, lifelong invalid whom He had miraculously healed, "Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." (5:14). It's also why He told the woman caught in the act of adultery to go and leave her life of sin (8:11). For at the resurrection, those who have done good will live, and those who have done evil will be condemned (5:28-29). Those who don’t keep his Word will be condemned (12:47-48). But if you are really His disciple, you will hold to His teaching (8:31-32) and keep His Word, thus you will never see death (8:51). It's simple: Love your life and you will lose it; or hate your life and keep it for eternal life (12:25). 

Jesus never taught easy believism or grace as a license to sin. Nor did he teach that nothing you ever do or say could ever have any bearing on your salvation. Instead, He had many hard sayings, which is why at one point, many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him (6:66).

Acts

Peter taught that just as Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people [Jesus]; you must listen to everything He tells you. Anyone who does not listen to Him will be completely cut off from his people.'" (Act 3:22-23). Thus Scripture teaches us that anyone, no matter who they are, who does not listen to everything Jesus says will be completely cut off. That's why Peter told Simon he would perish for his sin, despite being a baptized believer (8:20-23).

Romans
Paul the apostle wrote to the Romans, "Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off." (Rom 11:20-22)

To all who persist in doing good, God will grant eternal life, but for those who are self-seeking, reject the truth, and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger (2:5-8). All who sin apart from the Law will perish (2:12). If you live according to the sinful nature, you will die (8:13). It is possible to destroy a brother by distressing him (14:15-16), for you can destroy the work of God in the life of a fellow believer by what you allow in your own life (14:20-21).

1 Corinthians
Paul the apostle wrote to the Corinthians, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Co 6:9-11). By this he meant that those who do evil, including those in the Church, will not inherit the kingdom of God.

That's why Paul instructed them to expel the wicked brother from among them, and hand him over to Satan, so he that he wouldn't be destroyed (5:5). If the prospects of eternal destruction were not real, there would be no need to resort to such drastic measures. However, a believer may in fact be disqualified for the prize, even after preaching to others, and that is why Paul did everything in his power to avoid such a potential outcome for himself (9:27).

Of course, we are saved by believing the gospel, as long as we hold firmly to the Word. For it is possible to believe in vain, and perish in the end (15:2). Paul also taught the saints that God will destroy those who destroy His temple (3:16-17).

Galatians
He warned the Galatian church that, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal 5:19-21). Those who live wickedly will simply not inherit the kingdom of God, regardless of whether they are a baptized believer or not. For he who sows to please the sinful nature will reap destruction (6:7-8).

Ephesians
Paul wrote to the saints in Ephesus, "For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient." (Eph 5:5-6). He could not have been more clear that no immoral, impure, or greedy person shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Philippians
Why else would he have told the Philippians, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." (Php 2:12). Let there be no doubt about it that we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Colossians
Again, he exhorted the saints in Colossae: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." (Col 3:5-8). You must put to death the sinful nature, for because of these sinful things the wrath of God comes.

1 Thessalonians
He wrote to the saints in Thessalonica, "For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain." (1Th 3:5). Paul was afraid the tempter may have tempted the saints, and his efforts might have been useless, meaning that they had gone back into sin and forfeited the gift of eternal life.  Also see 4:6-8.

1 Timothy
In his first epistle to Timothy, Paul exhorted him to keep on "holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith." (1Ti 1:19). If any believer fails to hold onto faith and a good conscience, like Hymenaeus and Alexander, they will shipwreck their faith and perish. That's what happens to those who abandon their faith, wander from it, or turn away from it to follow satan (4:1; 5:15; 6:9-10).

2 Timothy
In his second epistle to Timothy, Paul again warned him to, "Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some." (2Ti 2:16-18). Not only do such people depart from the truth to their own ruin, but they also destroy the faith of some other believers as well (2:16-18).  

Hebrews
The apostle wrote to the Hebrews: "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' and again, 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Heb 10:26-31)

Therefore, if those who have been sanctified by the blood of Jesus deliberately keep on sinning, then there remains for them only a fearful expectation of judgement and fire that consumes God's enemies.

That's why we must pay careful attention, so that we don’t drift away, because it's possible to drift away to one's own destruction (2:1-3).  Indeed, a believer could have a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from God, so we must hold firmly till the end as Jesus said (3:12-15). Be careful that none of you falls short of God's eternal rest (4:1), and make every effort to enter that rest, so no one falls by following disobedience (4:11). The warnings against falling away are real (6:4-6), and that's why we must show diligence to the very end to make our hope sure (6:11), because those who shrink back are destroyed (10:36,38-39). Surely no one will see the Lord without holiness (12:14), and we won’t escape, if we refuse Him who warns us from heaven (12:25).

James
James wrote: "My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." (Js 5:19-20). He was writing to believers regarding their fellow believers who have wandered from the truth and are headed for eternal death.

All religion, including the Christian faith, is profitless (worthless) if you don’t keep tight rein on your tongue (1:26-27). For example, James said that you will receive condemnation for swearing, and if your "yes" is not "yes", and your "no" is not "no". We must be men and women of our word, or else face condemnation (5:12). Moreover, judgment without mercy will be shown to the unmerciful, whether you are a believer or not (2:12-13). Likewise, if a believer becomes a friend of the world, then he is an enemy of God (4:4). 

1 Peter
In his first epistle, Peter taught that judgment begins with the family of God, that it is hard for the righteous to be saved, and that we must obey the gospel. He said, "For it is time for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, 'If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?'" (1Pe 4:17-18)

2 Peter

In his second epistle, Peter taught: "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them." (2Pe 2:20-21). Believers who have once known the way of righteousness, and then become entangled in the world again, after escaping it by knowing the Lord, are worse off in the end than they were before they got saved.

Therefore, you must make your calling and election sure by doing what Peter instructs us to do in his opening chapter. For if you do these things, you’ll never fall (1:10-11). Moreover, you must be on guard against error, so as not to be carried away by it and fall from your secure position (3:17). If it were not possible to fall from your secure position, there would be no need to warn against it. For more on this verse, please see my in-depth, Greek-word study called Can You "lose" Your Secure Position in Christ?

Revelation
Our Lord Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, said: "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." (Rev 22:14-15). This means that only those who wash their robes can enter the Holy City, not those who practice evil. 

Based on what He had previously said to the church in Sardis, we understand that, as a believer, you must be dressed in white, being careful not to soil your robes, and you must overcome in order for your name not to be blotted out of the book of life (3:4-5). We also learn from Him that those who’ve forsaken their first love must repent or have their lampstand (their church) removed (2:4-5). And as He warned the church in Sardis, if your deeds are not complete in God’s sight, you need to repent, wake up, and obey God, or Jesus will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour He comes (3:2-3).

Also see Rev 21:7-8.

Putting it All Together
There are 207 New Testament verses found in 19 out of the 27 New Testament books, disproving the false doctrine of eternal security, more than half of which (52%) are the very words of our Lord Jesus Himself found in the gospels. Put differently, seventy percent of the New Testament books, including seven out of the eight writers of the New Testament, contain one or more verses disproving the once-saved-always-saved heresy. This does not include countless Old Testament verses that we could also cite to disprove it.

Attribution Notice: All Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Special thanks to my wife Jennifer, and my sons Christopher and Joseph, for their help  in compiling these verses together with me.

Author's note: This article is part of the series called The False Gospel of Eternal Security. If you would like to become a disciple, consider enrolling in our Doulos Training School. You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.