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).
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?
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
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?"
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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.
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