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Seventh-day Adventism Another Gospel
AUTHOR: Berry, Harold J.
PUBLISHED ON: April 24, 2003
DOC SOURCE: CCN

                           Seventh-day Adventism
                              Another Gospel

                                    by
                              HAROLD J. BERRY
                        Grace College of the Bible
                              Omaha, Nebraska

   Copyright by The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc.  All rights
                                 reserved.

William Miller, a Baptist minister, was a zealous Bible student who yearned
for the return of the Lord.  As he studied the Scriptures he interpreted
Daniel 8:14 to mean that Christ was to return sometime between March 21,
1843, and March 21, 1844.  Thousands who had accepted his teaching waited
eagerly during this time for the return of the Lord, but they saw no
evidence of His return.  A new date–October 22, 1844–was set by some, but
again the date passed without the appearance of the Saviour.

Disheartened, William Miller declared that he and his followers had been
wrong.  Before he died in 1849, he said, “We expected the personal coming
of Christ at that time; and now to contend that we were not mistaken is
dishonest.  We should never be ashamed frankly to confess our errors.  I
have no confidence in any of the theories that grew out of the movement”
(“History of the Advent Message,” p. 412).

Ellen G. White–who with her husband, Elder James White, was a part of the
date-setting movement in 1843 and 1844–became the prophetess of the
Seventh-day Adventist movement. (The name, Seventh-day Adventists, is
derived from the cult’s observing Saturday as the day of rest and also from
the cult’s emphasis on the advent of Christ.) Her writings are considered
to be “inspired-counsel” on the Scriptures.  The leaders of the movement do
not teach that Ellen G. White was inspired in the same sense as the authors
of the Scriptures, yet for all practical purposes the difference lies only
in the terms they use to describe her writings.  With few exceptions, the
Seventh-day Adventists follow Mrs. White’s teachings with as much
preciseness as they follow the teachings of the Bible.

It has been said that the Seventh-day Adventists have changed their beliefs
from what Ellen G. White originally taught.  But her book, “The Great
Controversy,” which sets forth many of her strange beliefs, is still
referred to by the Seventh-day Adventists as “one of our standard books”
(“Questions on Doctrine,” p. 421).
             

                          Investigative Judgment

A basic doctrine of the Seventh-day Adventists is the teaching that Christ,
as part of His atoning work, has been conducting an “investigative
judgment” in the heavenly sanctuary since 1844.  This doctrine was
formulated after Christ failed to return, as had been predicted, on October
22, 1844.  The next day, it suddenly occurred to one of the group–Hiram
Edson–“that instead of our High Priest ‘coming out’ of the Most Holy of
the heavenly sanctuary to come to this earth on the tenth day of the
seventh month, at the end of the 2300 days, he for the first time ‘entered’
on that day the second apartment of that sanctuary and that he had a work
to perform in the Most Holy before coming to this earth” (“Life and
Experience” by Hiram Edson as cited in “The Prophetic Faith of Our
Fathers,” Vol. IV, p. 881, by Le Roy Edwin Froom).

That Christ’s investigative judgment in the heavenly sanctuary is
considered to be a part of His atoning work in Adventist doctrine is seen
from such statements as “Now, while our great High Priest is making the
atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ” (“The Great
Controversy”).  To claim that Christ is presently doing something to
complete His work of redemption is to disregard the words He uttered from
the cross: “It is finished” (John 19:30).  The Greek tense employed in this
verse indicates something that had been completed and remained so.  A
literal translation is “It has been finished.” Also, Hebrews 10:12 clearly
indicates that the atoning work of Christ has been completed: “But this
man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the
right hand of God.” Christ finished His work of redemption on the cross,
and nothing needs to be added to it.

In “The Great Controversy,” Ellen G. White explains the investigative
judgment that Christ is supposedly conducting at this time: “As the books
of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on
Jesus come in review before God…. When any have sins remaining upon the
books of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their names will be blotted
out of the book of life, and the record of their good deeds will be erased
from the book of God’s remembrance…. All who have truly repented of sin,
and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have
had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as they have
become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are
found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out,
and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life”
(p. 483).

It is scriptural to state that a person must place his faith in Christ for
the forgiveness of his sin, but it is not scriptural to say that anyone who
has sins they have not repented of will have their names blotted out of the
Book of Life.  Jesus Christ completely paid the penalty for sin–past,
present and future–and He has said that anyone who believes on Him “shall
not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John
5:24).  If, after receiving Christ as Saviour, one commits a sin, he is not
in danger of having his name blotted out of the Book of Life if he does not
repent of it.  Confession of sin after salvation is necessary to maintain
fellowship with the Father but not to retain salvation–the salvation
question has already been settled.

A faith-plus-works type of salvation is revealed in Mrs. White’s words: 
“As they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their
characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will
be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal
life.”  According to the Scriptures, character does not determine one’s
salvation; rather, one’s salvation determines his character.  It is not
until a person receives Jesus Christ as Saviour and becomes a “new
creature” (II Cor. 5:17) that he can have a character that pleases God. 
Such a person is Christ’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good
works” (Eph. 2:10).  But there cannot be good works that please God until a
person has salvation by receiving Christ as Saviour.

The Scriptures speak of individuals being judged, but the time of these
judgments is in the future, not the present.  Those who know Jesus Christ
as Saviour will someday “appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that
every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he
hath done, whether it be good or bad” (II Cor. 5:10).  However, this is a
judgment to determine rewards, not salvation.  Only those who have
salvation will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ.  All who do not
have salvation will appear before the Great White Throne to have their
works evaluated and then will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-
15).

                           Satan–The Sin-Bearer

Not only do the Seventh-day Adventists teach that sin is not fully atoned
for as yet but they also teach that Satan has a part in the bearing of our
sins.

Writing in “The Great Controversy” about the sin offering and the scapegoat
of Leviticus 16, Ellen G. White says, “As the priest, in removing the sins
from the sanctuary, confessed them upon the head of the scapegoat, so
Christ will place all these sins upon Satan, the originator and instigator
of sin….Satan, bearing the guilt of all the sins which he has caused
God’s people to commit….will at last suffer the full penalty of sin in
the fires that shall destroy all the wicked” (p. 485).

Mrs. White taught that as the priest symbolically took the sins from the
people and placed them on the scapegoat in Leviticus 16, so also Christ’s
death removed the sins from the people and He will later place them on
Satan.  The Scriptures teach that Christ bore the full penalty of our sins
because He became the propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins and for the
sins of the whole world (I John 2:2).  Those who refuse to receive Christ
as their sin-bearer will suffer everlasting punishment because of their
rejection of Him (Luke 13:5; John 3:18,19; Matt. 25:46).  Speaking of
Christ, Isaiah 53:6,12 states: “The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of
us all….He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors.”

In His agonizing hours on the cross, Christ was actually “made . . . to be
sin for us” (II Cor. 5:21).  Since all our sins were placed on Him, we were
able to be delivered from all condemnation by receiving Him as our Saviour. 
Christ did not die to take these sins from us in order to place them on
another; He died to suffer the full condemnation for our sins.  Satan will
be judged for his own sin, but Christ “bare our sins in his own body on the
tree” (I Pet. 2:24).

        
                        Annihilation of the Wicked

The Seventh-day Adventists are also firm believers in the annihilation of
the wicked–that the wicked will cease to exist and not suffer everlasting
punishment.  Much of the weight of their teaching is placed upon the
beliefs that, as a God of love, God would not permit anyone to suffer for
eternity and that eternal existence is promised only to the Christian.

It is true that God is a God of love–the Scriptures abound with verses
that give us this truth (John 3:16; 1 John 4:7-10; etc.). It is for this
very reason that God provided His Son to bear the penalty for our sin so we
would not have to suffer condemnation.  God has made provision for every
person’s salvation, but if a person rejects what Christ has accomplished in
his behalf, then he will be punished for his own sin.
        

God’s Word clearly reveals that unbelievers will experience everlasting
punishment: “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the
righteous into life eternal” (Matt. 25:46).  No distinction can be made in
this verse between “everlasting” and “eternal” for they are only different
translations of the same Greek word.  If the “everlasting punishment” of
this verse is to be denied, then logically one must deny the “life eternal”
that it proclaims.

Revelation 19:20-20:10 reveals that the wicked do not cease to exist.  The
two individuals who will deceive many during the Great Tribulation are
characterized as a beast and false prophet.  They will be cast into the
lake of fire before Christ begins his 1000-year rule on earth.  At the end
of this 1000 years Satan will also be cast into the lake of fire and the
beast and false prophet will still be there even after a thousand years-
they will not cease to exist.

        
                                Soul-Sleep

Seventh-day Adventists also teach the doctrine of soul-sleep the belief
that there is not conscious existence from the time of death until the
resurrection from the dead.  They teach that no believer, while living,
really has eternal life-for such a quality of life will not be given to him
until he is raised from the grave.  However, God’s Word declares the
possibility of present assurance of salvation (John 5:24; Rom. 10:9; I John
5:11-13).

The Adventists base their teaching of the unconsciousness of the dead on
such a statement as “the dead know not anything” (Eccl. 9:5).  It must be
remembered that the Book of Ecclesiastes was written from man’s viewpoint,
not from God’s.  The writer even says, “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity”
(1:2).  This book has been included in the canon of Scripture to reveal
the hopelessness of life unless it is dedicated to God.  Ecclesiastes 9:5
shows that as far as natural man is concerned the grave is the end.  But
the Scriptures reveal that this natural view is not correct because
judgment occurs after death (Heb. 9:27).

Such Scriptures as Luke 16:22-30; II Corinthians 5:1-8 and Philippians
1:23,24 show there is a consciousness after death for both believers and
unbelievers.  First Thessalonians 4:14 also reveals that the Christian goes
to be with Christ at death.  When Christ comes to rapture the Church, He
will bring with Him the believers who have died so they may receive their
bodies from the grave.

                              Sabbath-Keeping

When most people think of the Seventh-day Adventists, they usually think
first of the Adventists’ worship on the seventh day of the week–from which
practice the group gets part of its name.  The Adventists normally make
more of an issue of this doctrine than any other.  Our greatest concern is
not that they desire to worship on a different day but that they make the
keeping of this day, as well as the keeping of other laws, a criterion of a
person’s relationship with the Lord–even as to his salvation.

In a letter in “Present Truth” James White wrote: “The keeping of the
fourth commandment is all-important present truth; but this alone, will not
save any one.  We must keep all ten of the commandments, and strictly
follow all the directions of the New Testament, and have living active
faith in Jesus.  Those who would be found ready to enter the saints’ rest,
at the appearing of Christ, must live wholly, WHOLLY for Jesus now” (cited
in “The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers” by Le Roy Froom).

In their literature the reader will find it stressed over and over that the
Adventists believe salvation to be by faith in Christ.  However, to this
belief in Christ they add their works of the Law.  This is the same error
for which Paul condemned the Galatians.  Seventh-day Adventism is 20th-
century Galatianism, and the Book of Galatians needs to be studied
carefully to see the proper relationship of the Law to salvation.  Paul
condemned those who were teaching a gospel of faith plus works (Gal. 1:18).

Salvation cannot be by both faith and works.  Ephesians 2:8,9 makes this
clear.  Romans 11:6 shows it is impossible for anything to be obtained by
both faith and works because one excludes the other.  The Word of God
teaches that salvation can be obtained only by faith in Christ apart from
the works of the Law (Rom. 3:21-24).  A person produces good works because
he has everlasting life, not in order to obtain it.

If a person does not keep the seventh day of the week holy, then it is
obvious to the Adventists that he is not deserving of everlasting life.  In
fact they believe this so strongly that they believe “Sunday-keeping” will
be the mark of the beast during the Great Tribulation.  The Seventh-day
Adventists accept the statement of Ellen G. White: “Sunday-keeping is not
yet the mark of the beast, and will not be until the decree goes forth
causing men to worship this idol sabbath.  The time will come when this day
will be the test, but that time has not come yet” (“The Great Controversy”
as quoted in “Questions on Doctrine,” p. 184).

The Sabbath was given as a token of the covenant between God and Israel
(Ex. 31:16,17).  Sabbath keeping has never been commanded of the Gentiles,
and with the setting aside of Israel came also the setting aside of God’s
token with them the Sabbath.

The New Testament teaches that for the Body of Christ, the Church, the
special days of the Old Testament were only a type of things to come. 
Therefore, believers are not to let anyone judge them “in respect of an
holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days” (Col. 2:16,17).  The
Old Testament rest of the Sabbath Day was only a picture of the rest that
one enters when he places his faith in Christ and ceases from his own works
(Heb. 4:9-12).

In commemoration of the day upon which Christ rose from the grave, the New
Testament Christians met for worship on the first day of the week (Acts
20:6,7).  Paul also instructed the Corinthian Christians to set aside their
offerings on the first day of the week for the work of the Lord (I Cor.
16:2).  These practices were not performed in order to merit salvation. 
They were performed because the individuals knew Christ as their Saviour,
and they wanted to fellowship together in the things of the Lord.  It was
also their purpose to use offerings to help other Christians and to take
the gospel to those who had not yet received Christ as Saviour.

The distinctive doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are not
normally presented on their radio and television programs.  Many people
listen to the radio program “The Voice of Prophecy” and view the telecast
“Faith for Today” without realizing these are Seventh-day Adventist
programs.  After one begins to receive their literature he becomes aware of
the differences between their teaching and that of the Word of God.

Christians should know what books are published by the Seventh-day
Adventist Church.  When in doubt, a person should check who the publisher
of the book is.  Three of the major publishing houses for Seventh-day
Adventist literature are Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain
View, California; Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington,
D.C.; and Southern Publishing Association, Nashville, Tennessee.

Certain evangelical leaders have endorsed the Seventh-day Adventists as
“fellow evangelicals.” But their teaching about the investigative judgment
and Satan’s part in the bearing of sin is sufficient to show that the
Seventh-day Adventist gospel is different than the gospel taught by the
Scriptures.  Because of their deviation from the Scriptures, the Seventh-
day Adventists cannot be called evangelicals.  This does not mean that
every person in the Seventh-day Adventist movement is unsaved.  Any person
who trusts Christ alone for salvation has eternal life, regardless of his
religious affiliation.  However, it is regrettable that most of those in
this movement are blind to the Galatianism which their church teaches and
which has never been renounced by its leaders.

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