A SECOND LOOK AT
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM
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There are now two distinct camps in Adventism. The split became apparent in the late 1970s when pastors of many years' standing began to question their prophetess, Ellen G. White. They began to question her peculiar doctrines which could not be supported fully by the Scriptures. Many were disillusioned by the revelation of her plagiarism, which was very extensive, and documented in the book, "The White Lie" by former SDA pastor, Walter Rea.
The hundreds of pastors who questioned Ellen White as an absolute authority and discovered the cover-up by the White Estate, soon found themselves on the outside, still trying to bring about reform from that disadvantaged position. Two camps quickly formed, those loyal to Ellen White, and those determined to be loyal to the Bible above all else.
Those loyal to Ellen White published such statements as those contained in the "Ministry" Magazine of October, 1981. Ron Graybill, who was then assistant secretary of the Ellen G. White Estate, made this statement on page 8, "
"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." end quote.
Graybill, however, went on to state that..."we dare not use Ellen White as the final arbiter in matters of doctrine". In later years, he resigned his position.
The Seventh-Day Adventist church "felt the heat", and formed councils to look into Ellen White's peculiar doctrines. They have spent months in discussion, published endless papers, but have not corrected Ellen White's views. Therefore, since an adequate time period has passed for these issues to be corrected by the church, we must again take a look at Adventism as it stands today and decide, Christian or Cult?
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SOME SDA DOCTRINES ARE ORTHODOX
Let us begin by saying that SDA's quite orthodox on a number of doctrines. Each person baptized as a SDA receives a " Certificate of Profession of Faith". Each person being baptized must sign a thirteen-point statement entitled "My Commitment". As we read the first five points, the document appears perfectly, fundamentally, Christian.
However, by point six, we find the deviations beginning. Point six reads, "I accept the Ten Commandments as still binding upon Christians, and it is my purpose by the power of the indwelling Christ, to keep this law, including the fourth commandment, which requires the observance of the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath of the Lord." Point eight has the convert believing, "that the gift of prophecy is one of the identifying marks of the remnant church". Point thirteen identifies the Seventh-Day Adventist Church as the "remnant church of Bible Prophecy."
These doctrines are the teachings of Ellen G. White. As the convert peruses his baptismal booklet under the heading "Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-Day Adventists", the peculiarities of Adventism become apparent. Under heading 17, "The Gift of Prophecy", we find this statement "This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White. As the Lord's messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church, comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction."
Under heading 19, "The Sabbath" we are told that (God)..."instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation". The fourth commandment of God's unchangeable law requires the observance of this seventh-day sabbath...It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste of our eternal future in God's Kingdom. The Sabbath is God's perpetual sign of His eternal covenant between Him and His people."
Heading 23 becomes even more of a deviation. Entitled, "Christ's Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary", it contains this information, "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."
Other headings cover such subjects as diet, a view of death as an unconscious state, and foot-washing. We can see from this quick review just what it is that makes Adventism different from orthodox Christianity. How important are these deviations --important enough to call Seventh-Day Adventism a cult?
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THE SEVENTH-DAY SABBATH
Seventh-Day Adventists strive to keep "THE LAW" of the Old Testament. They place emphasis on the ten commandments as "the Law", when in fact the ten commandments form only a small part of the entire Law. Saturday Sabbath-keeping is greatly stressed as a requirement for salvation in this extremely legalistic group.
SDA's have a habit of thinking "Ten Commandments" or "Sabbath" every time the Bible mentions "The Law". This is not correct. The word "Law" occurs over 400 times in Scripture, and refers to the entire Law, comprising ceremonial feasts, special days, sacrifices, dietary restrictions, cleansings etc. The term never applies solely to either the ten commandments or the Sabbath alone.
Realistically speaking, no Seventh-Day Adventist REALLY keeps "The Law". Where are their blood sacrifices? Do they heat their houses on Saturday? They are all Law-breakers if they carefully and honestly examine their lives in light of the entire Law. The Bible makes no distinction regarding the Law, that some parts are "ceremonial" as the SDA's claim, a claim designed to avoid truly keeping the Law in its entirety.
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THE LAW WAS FOR THE NATION OF ISRAEL ONLY
Regarding the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:2 states, "I am the the Lord your God, who BROUGHT YOU OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, out of the house of slavery".
The ten commandments were obviously given to those who had been brought out of the land of Egypt. This would limit the ten commandments to God's chosen people, the Israelites, the Jews.
Deuteronomy 5:3 shows that the Law was binding on those Israelites or Jews alive in MOSES' day. "The LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all those of us alive here today." Therefore, no covenant was made to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc. as claimed by SDA's.
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SABBATH-KEEPING
Seventh-Day Adventists make the Saturday Sabbath of extreme importance in their plan of salvation. Yet it is not Christians, and Deuteronomy 5:15 applies it only to the Jews "And you shall remember that YOU WERE A SLAVE IN THE LAND OF EGYPT and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; THEREFORE the LORD your God commanded you to OBSERVE THE SABBATH DAY.
Notice that the Sabbath was a special covenant for those people delivered from bondage in Egypt. (see also Ezekiel 20:10-12; Exodus 31:12-18; Exodus 16:29; Nehemia 9:13, 14.)
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