Seventh-Day Adventism

History

An itinerant Baptist preacher, by the name of William Miller (1782-1849) would be credited for the birth of the SDA movement.

Miller believed that Christ would return on 21 March 1843. So sure was he in this belief, that his motivation drove him to start a revival, which swept across N. America, S. America, Africa and Asia. As a result of this drive, 50,000 new converts were added to the Adventists (Your Friends the Adventists, by A.S. Maxwell, p. 85.) However, after one year had elapsed and still with no sign of Christ’s return, members became twitchy; dates were recalculated; another year elapsed and, by this stage, two years after Miller’s initial pronouncement of the Lord’s return of 21 March 1843, many of Millers supporters simply left this group. Miller would go on to acknowledge his error but would never be officially inaugurated into Adventism and died a broken man (The truth about Seven Day Adventism, by Walter Martin, pgs. 29-30.)

With what could have been a disaster for the Adventists actually produced three breakaway groups. Anthony A. Hoekema wrote in The Four Major Cults, pg. 98, the following:

“The group headed by Hiram Edson in western New York State which emphasized the doctrine of the heavenly sanctuary; the group in Washington, New Hampshire, which along with Joseph Bates, advocated the observance of the seventh day; and the group around Portland, Maine, which held that Ellen G. White was a true prophetess, whose visions and works were to be followed by Adventists.”

With such a wonderful endorsement and vote of confidence in Ellen White, the prophetess (she would from this moment on be known as) became the Pope of Seventh Day Adventism. And for this new religion to take off, signs and visions would be called for from her faithful followers, and many of them would come – over 2,000 dreams and visions. She would go on to write over 100,000 manuscript pages on topics such as health, education, family, Bible history and practical Christian living. Ellen would travel the globe as an ambassador for the Adventists.

Many Adventists to this day believe her writings were inspired, and should be on par with the prophets, Samuel, Jeremiah and John the Baptist (The Advent Review & Herald, 4 October 1928.)

Ellen White the woman

(1827-1915) …She was born into a devout Methodist Episcopal Church. However, at the age of nine, she was involved in a serious accident that she said, affected her whole life. Ellen would also go on to explain her accident:

“In company with my twin sister and one of our schoolmates, I was crossing a common in the city of Portland, Maine, when a girl of about thirteen years of age followed us, threatening to strike us…. We were running towards home but the girl was following us rapidly, with a stone in her hand. I turned to see how far she was behind me, and as I turned, the stone hit me on my nose. A blinding, stunning sensation overpowered me and I fell senseless. When consciousness again returned, I found myself in a merchant’s store; my garments covered with the blood streaming from my nose, and a large stream of blood on the floor. A kind stranger offered to take me home in his carriage. I knew not how weak I was, and told him I should greatly soil his carriage with my blood, and that I could walk home. I had walked but a few steps when I grew dizzy and faint. My twin sister and my schoolmate carried me home. I have no recollection of anything for some time after the accident. My mother says that I noticed nothing, but lay in a stupid state for three weeks…. As I aroused to consciousness, it seemed to me that I had been asleep. I was not aware of the accident, and knew not of the cause of my sickness….I was shocked at the change in my appearance. Every feature of my face seemed changed….The bones of my nose proved to be broken” (Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, 1860.)

When her father finally reached his daughters bedside, he at first didn’t recognise her.

There can be no doubt that a knock to the head as fatal as this could have killed her.

However, Ellen was so very fortunate, but may as some doctors now believe, suffered brain damage; hence her erratic amount of writings and visions.

Ellen White the wife and mother

On 30 August 1846 she would marry an itinerant preacher, James White (1821-1881.)

On 26 August 1847 Henry her son was born. By 1860 the White’s had four sons.

However, her youngest son Herbert lived only a few months. To this day Ellen’s grandson Arthur is head of the White estate.

James white, like his wife, doubted the Trinity and the Deity of Christ (The Day-Star, 21 January 1846, pg.1.)

Ellen White the “prophetess”

“At the conference a very solemn vision was given me. I saw that some of those present would be food for worms, some subjects for the seven last plagues, and some would be translated to heaven at the second coming of Christ, without seeing death” (Spiritual Gifts, volume 2, pg. 208. Also Life Sketches of James White and Ellen G. White, 1880 edition, pg. 321.)

“What we have seen and heard of the pestilence, is but the beginning of what we shall see and hear. Soon the dead and dying will be all around us. I saw that some will be so hardened, as to even make sport of the judgements of God. Then the slain of the Lord will be from one end of the earth, to the other; they will not be lamented, gathered, nor buried; but their ill saviour will come up from the face of the whole earth. Those only who have the seal of the living God, will be sheltered from the storm of wrath, that will soon fall on the heads of those who have rejected the truth” (The Present Truth, 1st September 1849, paragraph 10 Article Title: Dear Brethren and Sisters.)

“The human family was presented before me, enfeebled. Every generation has been growing weaker, and disease of every form visits the human race. Thousands of poor mortals are dragging out a miserable existence. Some with deformed, sickly bodies, shattered nerves, and gloomy minds. Satan’s power upon the human family increases. If the Lord should not soon come and destroy his power, the earth would soon be depopulated” (Spiritual Gifts, volume 4B, pg. 94, and Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 22 April 1862, paragraph 3.)

A pastors wife, Lucinda Burdick, claims to have been present when Ellen would once again make a prophecy that would never come to pass: “During the year 1845 I met Miss Ellen G. Harmon several times at my uncle’s house in South Windham, Me. The first of these meetings was in the month of May, when I heard her declare that God had revealed to her that Jesus Christ would return to this earth in June, the next month” (L. Burdick letter.)

Once again, Lucinda Burdick: “During the haying season I again met her in company with James White at the same place, and heard my uncle ask her about the failure of the Lord to appear in June according to her visions. She replied that she had been told in the language of Canaan which she did not understand; but that she had since come to understand that Christ would return in September, at the second growth of grass instead of the first” (L. Burdick letter.)

Facts and figures

Every 32 seconds of each day, they baptise a new convert – 2,600 people every day throughout the globe.

As of 2001, the Adventists were 12 million strong that’s more than the Mormons and the Jehovah Witness.

Their headquarters are in Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.

In 1999, they collected $1.6 billion via contributions, donations, and tithing.

They employ nearly 166,000, not including their 13,815 ordained ministers worldwide.

They claim to be working in 725 languages and over 1,000 dialects.

They have a large investment in publishing and education – they operate 56 publishing houses and support 549 medical units (696 including 117 nursing homes and retirement centres and 30 orphanages); and 5,846 primary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities (with total enrolment of over a million students.)

Adventist World Radio broadcasts 1,000 hours per week in more than 40 languages from 18 transmitters in 7 international locations, and have almost 13 million students enrolled in its more than 110,000 “Sabbath Schools” (11/2001, S.D.A. Internet website)

(The Adventists publishes two of their own bible “translations.”)

We also discovered from one of their own publications, the following figures and breakdown, for Southern Asia, in 1997:

Unions Churches Membership Population

Bangladesh 69 10,906 122,200,000

Central Philippine 926 161,20015,259,860

East Indonesia 505 78,511 23,106,330

Myanmar 172 19,290 46,800,000

North Philippine 1,197 214,390 38,490,960

South Philippine 1,423 339,242 19,649,180

Southeast Asia 271 58,087 176,340,000

West Indonesia 531 82,412 181,193,670

Guam-Micronesia Mission 17 3,077 476,000

SDA Church in Sri Lanka 13 3,020 18,700,000

Totals June 30, 1997 5,124 970,135 642,216,000

Source: Studies on Revelation and Inspiration, 1999, pg. 220.

Criminal Activites

Walter Martin shares with his reader, information about this sect, and some of their alleged criminal activity:

“…There has been a number of Adventist leaders and pastors who have been removed from their positions because of supposed or proven improper financial activities, including misappropriations of funds. On the United States federal government level, the IRS, SEC, FBI, and Justice Department have all initiated investigations, and some Seventh-day Adventist conference administrators may even face trial for fraud.” (The Kingdom of the Cults, 2003, pg. 536.)

Beliefs

Red = Adventists

Black = Traditional Christianity

“The Lord has shown me that Satan was once an honoured angel in heaven, next to Jesus Christ” (E. G. White’s, Vision Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 1 pg. 17.)

In Mic. 5:2 we read the following: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.“

This prophetic verse speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ, and clearly it states that the Messiah is eternal. Angels were created by God. Therefore, Jesus cannot be in the same league as angels.

This heretical teaching is identical to what the Jehovah Witnesses teach, and by advocating this blasphemous belief, Jesus is downgraded to the person of an angel.

That Christ will have to move into the second apartment in the heavenly tabernacle to perform further work, prior to His Second Coming. This is just what the Roman Catholic Church believes a grave and heretical doctrine.

Hebrews 7:26: “Forsuch an high priestbecameus, who is holy,harmless,undefiled,separatefromsinners,andmade higher than the heavens;27Whoneedethnotdaily, as those high priests, to offer upsacrifice,firstfor his ownsins, and then for the people’s:forthis he didonce, when he offered uphimself….But this man, after he had offeredonesacrificeforsinsforever, sat downon the right hand of God” (10:12.)

The writer of Hebrews, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, clearly affirms that Christ offered one sacrifice for sins: the Father accepted this. Never again would this be needed (1 Pet. 3:18.)

That the soul sleeps upon death soul sleep. Hell is replaced with total annihilation (White, The Great Controversy, pg. 477- 478.)

Upon death, the sinner will either enter heaven or hell. Scripture is abundantly clear on this (Daniel 12:2; Matt. 3:12; 25:46; Mark 9:44-49; Luke 16:23, 24; 2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 14:10, 11; 20:10). Therefore God’s perfect justice is accomplished (Ps. 76:10), and the unrepentant sinner is solely to blame for his eternal abode (Deut. 32:3-5.)

That the Jewish Sabbath [Saturday] must be kept by Christians (Messenger to the Remnant, pg. 34.)

The apostolic Church meet on Sunday’s, the first day of the Jewish week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2.)

The Church fathers in their writings affirm this continued throughout the following centuries.

That all believers should be vegetarians (Ellen G. White, pg. 17.)

All dietary laws are abolished in the New Testament (Acts 10:9-15.)

Ellen would call on her dead husband [necromancy] (Letter 17, 1881.)

Communicating with the dead is strictly prohibited in Scripture (Lev. 19:31; 20:27; Deut. 18:11 & 1 Sam. 28:3.)

Conclusion

I must ask myself this simple and honest question: why do people remain committed to false prophets such as Ellen White, Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland? We are warned numerous times in Scripture not to listen to such people, and if they lead God’s children away from Him, than death was inevitable for such a prophet.

Ellen white was a brain-damaged woman. Elders in her church should have treated her with sympathy, but never allowed her to have a position of authority. Sadly, however, this they did not.

I remember debating with a charismatic Christian about whether the gifts of the Holy Spirit were for today, and he told me that God needed to tell us what to do. I responded that as Christians we know too much. For example, we know that Jesus is the only Saviour of the world and has paid for our sins; we know that we are to evangelise the world; we know that He is with us for ever; we know He’s returning for us soon; we know that He will judge the living and the dead etc, etc, etc. So with all this knowledge, I wondered what else he wished to know?

No real satisfactory answer was given from him. I said to him in conclusion, that the reason why so many charismatics wish to know what to do is because they don’t bother to read the Bible.

That Book has all the answers that any genuine child of God would ever wish to know.

The point I am trying to make is that some people want to feel important. They read the great Biblical stories of how God instructed prophets like Moses to lead His people to the Promised Land, or how Paul was commissioned to build upon the foundation of Jesus’ church, and they too want that type of commission – who wouldn’t’? However, if He needs to continue speaking with us and giving us fresh revelation, then the New Testament writers, under the Holy Spirit’s infallible command, failed to equip us with all that we need, and this, we know, is not true(1 Cor. 1:6-8; Eph.1: 3; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17 & Jude 3.)

Last comments

On a recent trip to Israel, I found myself debating theology with an American Adventist (whose name I cannot recall), whilst on board a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. I have since regretted that this occurred where it did, but at the time it was rather intense and neither of us were really listening to one another. What struck me was how people are quick to defend their fallible leaders, past or present even when credible and independent evidence is produced to expose their flaws (many times this happens) and yet rarely willing to defend Jesus and His honor.

People forget that Jesus died for us and loved us before we loved Him. No self-proclaimed prophet can or ever will save you.

Stand up for Jesus, not mortal and fallible man.

What is Seventh-day Adventism, and what do Seventh-day Adventists believe?…There seem to be different “degrees” of Seventh-day Adventism. Some Seventh-day Adventists believe identically to orthodox Christians, other than believing that worship should be held on Saturday and that the Saturday Sabbath should still be observed. If these are the only differences, then, yes, a person could be a Seventh-day Adventist and still be a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.……However, some Seventh-day Adventists believe in much more than a Saturday Sabbath / worship day. Seventh-day Adventists have been known to believe in:

1. The annihilation of the wicked instead of an eternal hell,

2. That believers who die enter a state of soul sleep

3. That a person must observe the Saturday Sabbath in order to be saved.

Other problems with some Seventh-day Adventists are belief in Ellen G. White, the founder of Seventh-day Adventism, as a true prophet of God, even though many of her “prophecies” failed to come true, and that Jesus entered a second phase of His redemptive work on October 22, 1844, as “prophesied” by Hiram Edson.……So, what is Seventh-day Adventism, and what do Seventh-day Adventists believe? Should a Christian attend a Seventh-day Adventist church? Due to the potential doctrinal issues mentioned above, we would strongly encourage believers to not get involved in Seventh-day Adventism. Yes, a person can be an advocate of Seventh-day Adventism and still be a believer. At the same time, there are enough potential issues to make attending a Seventh-day Adventist church questionable at best.