THE TRUTH ABOUT ELLEN WHITE AND THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS
By: General James Green
I receive several magazines from Saturday sabbath-keepers that continually argue that the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) changed the sabbath commandment. They point out that the RCC brags about doing such a thing—replacing the observance of the seventh day of the week (Saturday) for the observance of the first day (Sunday). It is said that this replacement was based upon Church (RCC) authority, not Scripture.
In our series of teachings on this subject of “The Sabbath Question,” we have already discussed this issue about the RCC. The RCC may make all the claims she wants, but it doesn’t change the truth. Jesus fulfilled the Jewish sabbath altogether, and so the Saturday-Sunday controversy is pointless! Following Jesus, the Apostles and early Church did NOT carry on with Old Covenant sabbath-keeping but went forward as the New Testament Church in the New Covenant way; and in love of Christ and in joy for His resurrection, they observed the Lord’s Day, Sunday, as a day of fellowship, worship, and rejoicing.
So, in reality, the early Church was already worshiping on Sunday, not Saturday, before there was a Roman Catholic Church. However, the Christians’ intentions were not to make Sunday a new sabbath but to rejoice in Christ’s resurrection, and their celebration of Jesus’ resurrection was not done by an obligatory command as some kind of law but out of heartfelt joy and rejoicing for the triumph accomplished by our Lord on that day.
Some mistaken folks and certain false teachers promote the lie that Jesus did not rise from the dead on the first day of the week but rose the day before. Their claim is ridiculous in light of Scripture. Biblically, there is no doubt that Jesus arose on the first day of the week as it is recorded in Mark 16: “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week…” (v. 9). There is NO avoiding the plain declarations in the Bible that emphatically AFFIRM a Sunday resurrection. Those who say otherwise are simply trying to bring confusion and discord into the Body of Christ.
One magazine states, “…the Bible nowhere shows the first century apostles changing the seventh day Sabbath to Sunday.” Fine. We agree. The Apostles did not change the sabbath. Jesus had already done away with the Old Covenant observance, so why would His followers try to resurrect it in a different form or on a different day?
Some may ask, “Where does this sabbath question come from?” Well, certain aspects of it are centuries old, but the spread of Sabbatarianism in the last 150 years can be largely attributed to newer groups like the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church, which has claimed around 14 million members in 203 countries. In fact, many un-Scriptural ideas, in addition to the continuity of sabbath-keeping, have been passed down by Ellen G. White, the “prophetess” of the SDA Church.
Below we have cited portions of an article written by Wallace Slattery, a former Seventh-day Adventist and author of the book, Are Seventh Day Adventists False Prophets?* The portions were obtained from Christian Answers of Austin, Texas (Christian Debater Guide, Volume 3, Number 3).**
* You may order Slattery’s book from the Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., PO Box 817, Phillipsburg, NJ, 08865, USA.
** Note: Certain titles of sections have been added or adapted and endnotes have been added along with a few other minor adaptations in form.
HOW DID ADVENTISM ARISE?
ADVENTISM is a product of the great religious revivals that repeatedly swept through America, especially the “burnt-over” districts of New England and New York, in the early nineteenth century. William Miller, a God-fearing farmer and veteran of the War of 1812, became convinced through his study of the Bible that the 2,300 prophetic days of Daniel 8:14 represented 2,300 years, beginning in 457 B.C. with the decree of Artaxerxes I to rebuild Jerusalem, and continuing down to 1843 or 1844 when Christ would return to Earth. He began preaching this message in the 1820s and continued into the 1840s. His message gathered a million adherents through the Middle Atlantic and New England states. When Jesus did not come in March of 1844, as he had projected, Miller accepted the chronology espoused by S.S. Snow, a strange fellow who rode around the countryside in a long white robe, calling himself Elijah. This particular chronology, held only by the obscure Karaite Hebrew sect, showed that the 2,300 years would end on October 22, 1844.
The psychological shock of the Great Disappointment, as the “nonevent” on that night came to be called, was enormous and terrible. Many thousands of Adventist believers had stayed up all night awaiting Christ’s return—only to be grievously disappointed.
Following the Great Disappointment of 1844, Adventism remnants divided into two movements: the Open-Door Adventists, who set new dates and preached the soon-coming of Christ, and the Shut-Door movement, which maintained that probation had closed for sinners in general, that no more work for unbelievers could be carried on in the Millerite movement. Ellen Harmon, a 17-year-old girl who belonged to the latter group, taught that God had shown her in a vision that probation for the people of Earth had closed on October 22 and that Christ would come in the immediate future.
When this did not materialize, Hiram Edson, a leader in the Shut Door movement, got an impression that the October 22 experience merely marked a transfer of Christ’s heavenly mission from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary, where Jesus then began the “final atonement” for sinners. This belief was adopted by the young sect, which now commenced active mission work in the world for the first time.
About this time (the later 1840s to the early 1850s) the doctrine of keeping the seventh day (Saturday) holy came into the church. Joseph Bates, an Adventist former sea captain with Seventh-day Baptist ties, convinced the believers that the Jewish Sabbath was still obligatory for Christians. When the doctrine was confirmed in a vision by Ellen Harmon White (now married to James White), it was officially adopted. This short, dynamic woman would be the pillar of fire and driving wind of Adventism for the next 65 years.
One of the twin girls born in Gorham, Maine, Ellen Harmon White, or Ellen G. White, as she is commonly known, led a normal active childhood until she was hit in the left forehead by a stone thrown by a spiteful schoolmate. The blow nearly killed her, and undoubtedly left her badly brain damaged. Unable to continue her formal schooling, she stayed home as an invalid.
In January of 1845, three months after the Great Disappointment, she had her first vision, which confirmed the Shut-Door teaching to the other believers. From this moment her career as a “Messenger” from God was born. For the rest of her life she and her husband, James, worked to establish the Adventist Church. Often she had visions concerning various questions facing the little group. Later in life her visions seemed to fade away, being replaced by 3 a.m. visits from angels, who told her what to write. Even so, I’m convinced that Sister White never actually originated a new belief by means of a vision. Rather, after a question had been thoroughly discussed and a decision tentatively arrived at, she had a vision “confirming” what the Church leaders had already begun to accept.
The group was incorporated in 1861 as the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Throughout the late nineteenth century the Whites gave leadership to the sect, which had its headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan. After James White’s death in 1881, Sister White continued to be the elder stateswoman and counselor to the movement for many more years. She died in 1915 at the age of 87, highly honored by her church, but never having seen the coming of Christ she had so long predicted.
Shortly after the turn of the century the Church voted to move its headquarters to Washington DC., where it is still based today. The next decades were occupied peacefully with building schools, missions, and medical works throughout the world and in preaching the Adventist message worldwide.
Adventism has many doctrines that set it apart from orthodox Christianity:1
1. The Sabbath.—Seventh-day Adventism grounds its membership from the cradle to the grave in the “scriptural obligation” to keep the Jewish Sabbath. Adventists believe that from Friday sundown until Saturday sundown they must do nothing more than is absolutely necessary to carry on life, with the exception of religious observances [like going to church or ministry work; also, medical services are allowed].
2. An emphasis on Old Covenant dietary laws and on vegetarianism.—Adventism teaches that the Old Covenant dietary laws of Leviticus 11 still apply to everyone. Thus pork, scaleless fish, shellfish, birds other than fowl, reptiles, and most mammals are forbidden foods. Adventism also emphasizes vegetarianism, believing that meat is becoming more unacceptable for food as time progresses. Any intake of alcohol is forbidden, along with smoking and of course, illegal drugs. Coffee and tea are also heavily frowned upon. [See the section below on “Adventists and Healthful Living.”]
3. The atonement and the sanctuary.—Where Christianity has always taught that the atonement for our sins was completed at the cross, Adventism teaches that it is an ongoing event. “We dissent,” Adventism says, “from the view that the atonement was made upon the cross as is generally held.” This view is maintained in order to accommodate the SDA doctrine that Christ entered the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary in 1844, having ministered only in the Holy Place from the time of his ascent into heaven. This is the only unique SDA doctrine, as all other doctrines are shared by various other sects and cults.
4. Redemption.—Adventism is divided into right and left wings regarding salvation. The left wing believes that salvation comes from acceptance of Christ alone, although it does hold that the “fruits of the Spirit” include Sabbath-keeping, dietary-law observance, and so forth. The right wing veers away from justification by faith and focuses on a twisted form of perfectionism, which makes justification something earned instead of received.
5. The Divine Mission of Ellen G. White as the Messenger of God.—Here again Adventism seems to divide itself into right and left wings. The right wing relies heavily upon Mrs. White while the left wing is more ambivalent concerning Mrs. White. Nowadays one of the left wing’s favorite lines seems to be, “Oh, we don’t need her writings to justify our stand as Adventists anyway.” They recognize her mistakes. It seems that the left wing would like to see her quietly fade away and stop being an embarrassment to the Church.
Belief in Mrs. White’s divine inspiration is part of the 1980 Dallas Statement of Beliefs, but its application is left to the believer. Most Adventists today unquestioningly accept her in principle but “pick and choose” which of her dictates they will obey or ignore.
6. Prophecy.—Adventism, because of its origins, emphasizes an interpretation of prophecy developed during the nineteenth century. Usually its evangelistic meetings are billed as: “Prophetic Seminars,” which then lead into other Adventist doctrines. The evangelists are normally not introduced as Seventh-day Adventist ministers, but merely as “ministers of the gospel,” and the seminars are usually held in some building other than an Adventist church for the first few meetings, a nifty little piece of deception in itself.
According to the Adventist prophetic schema, each prophetic “day” mentioned in the Bible, especially in the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation, stands for a year of chronological time. Thus Adventism teaches that the 2,300-day prophecy of Daniel 8:14 extends from 457 B.C., when the Persian ruler Artaxerxes ordered that Jerusalem be fully rebuilt, to 1844 when Christ entered the Most Holy Place to investigate the saints and offer “final” atonement.
Serious Errors
The most serious error ever taught by White was the “Shut Door” error, promulgated from 1844 to around 1851, in which she declared that God had shown her in vision that probation for the world had closed on October 22, 1844. [That means no one could accept Christ and get saved during that time.]
Finally, in the White Estate’s book, “One Hundred and One Questions About Ellen White and the sanctuary,” the White Estate admitted:
“Ellen misinterpreted this vision. She correctly understood that the day of salvation for the latter two groups [those who had either rejected or eventually left the Millerites] was past. For them the door was shut……But she incorrectly concluded that no one could accept Christ after October 22, that only the little flock remaining in the household of faith would be saved, and that everyone else would be lost.”
The Bible vs. Ellen White’s Heresies
A. Was Christ Michael the archangel?
The Bible says NO: “Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me…” (Daniel 10:13). Moreover, “even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” (Jude 9). Notice that the Bible describes Michael as an archangel, or a chief heavenly prince, as such he is an angel, a created being, only one among other archangels, a lesser being than a member of the Godhead. [Jesus, on the other hand, referred to Himself as God (John 8:58), is called God (John 1:1), said He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), said He should be honored the same as the Father (John 5:23), and is distinguished from angels (Hebrews 1), not to mention a plethora of other FACTS that validate Him as God the Son.]
Ellen White said yes: “Michael, or Christ, with the angels that buried Moses, came down from Heaven, after he had remained in the grave a short time, and resurrected him, and took him to heaven” (E. White, “Spiritual Gifts”, 4a:58). Likewise, “the words of the angel, ‘I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God,’ show that he holds a position of high honor in the heavenly courts. When he came with a message to Daniel, he said, ‘There is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael (Christ) your prince’” (E. White, “The Desire of Ages,” p. 99).
The average lifelong SDA will be dumbfounded to learn that orthodox Christianity does not accept that Michael is Christ. This SDA doctrine is [vehemently] denied by Christianity.
B. Does God require trespass and sin offerings today?
The Bible says NO: “But when this priest [Christ] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins…” (Hebrews 10:12); therefore, “there is no longer any sacrifice for sin” (Hebrews 10:18).
Ellen White said yes: “The best you can do is to bring a trespass offering to the altar of the Lord, and he will accept and pardon you” (E. White, “Testimonies,” 5:339).
C. Does Christ’s blood cancel sin?
The Bible says YES: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins…” (Ephesians 1:7). Likewise, “Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy though his own blood” (Hebrews 13:12).
Ellen White said no: “The blood of Christ, while it was to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation of the law, was not to cancel sin….It will stand in the sanctuary until the final atonement” (E. White, “Patriarchs and Prophets, “ pg. 357).
D. Was Christ’s atonement completed at the cross?
The Bible says YES: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement” (Romans 5:10-11, KJV).
Ellen White said no: “Now while our Great High Priest is making the final atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ” (E. White, “The Great Controversy,” pg. 623).
E. Did Jesus die to bring us salvation?
The Bible says YES: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him…..Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Romans 5:8,9,11).
Ellen White said no: “Christ gave his life that man should have another trial. He did not die on the cross to abolish the law of God, but to secure for man a second probation” (E. White, “Testimony to Ministers,” pg. 134).
F. Were sins blotted out at Calvary?
The Bible says YES: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them” (II Corinthians 5:18,19). Likewise, “now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:21,22).
Ellen White said no: “The work of the investigative judgment and the blotting out of sin is to be accomplished before the second advent of our Lord” (“Review and Herald,” Aug. 28, 1894). “At the time appointed for the judgment—the close of the 2300 days in 1844—began the work of investigation and blotting out of sins” (E. White, “The Great Controversy,” pg. 458).
G. Can Christians say they are saved?
The Bible says YES: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us…” (Ephesians 1:7,8). Furthermore, “God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4,5).
Ellen White said no: “Those who accept the Savior, however sincere, should never be taught to say or to feel that they are saved” (E. White, “Christ in His Sanctuary,“ pg. 122).
SUMMARY
Sister White contradicts the Bible in some of the most basic doctrines and teachings. Adventists may argue that some of these contradictions are minor…[but] besides these “minor” doctrines, her major doctrines directly contradict both the letter and spirit of the Scriptures.
WHAT IS ADVENTISM’S GOSPEL?
Ellen White is the chief cause of this confusion because of her extreme legalism and her contradictory writings. On the one hand she writes: “Christ gave his life that man should have another trial. He did not die on the cross to abolish the law of God, but to secure for man a second probation [or opportunity to prove himself by good behavior]” (E. White, “Testimonies to Ministers,“ pg. 134). But on the other hand she wrote these beautiful gospel statements: “We must not trust in our own merits at all, but in the merits of Jesus of Nazareth” (Ibid, Mar. 11, 1890). “The thought that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, not because of any merit on our part, but as a free gift from God, is a precious thought” (“Gospel Workers,” pg. 161).
You can imagine the confusion caused among Adventists when they compare such “Spirit of Prophecy” statements! This sad state of affairs must be attributed directly to Mrs. White’s own confused statements. Is it not interesting that Adventism, which claims to have the truth of God while calling other churches “Babylon” (confusion), cannot even agree on something so basic [like salvation]?
WHAT IS THE BIBLE’S GOSPEL?
First, the gospel is about Christ (Romans 1:3); it is as simple as that! [Constantly focusing on end-time prophecies and teaching (un-Biblical) doctrines about the state of the dead, doing any kind of sabbatizing, and teaching that we are still bound to Old Covenant dietary laws is not the preaching of the gospel.] The gospel means the good news of Christ’s victory. He fought our battle with the enemies of mankind and won (Colossians 2:15). In a sense the gospel is a past event; it describes Christ’s victory on the cross.
Second, the gospel is a work God did for mankind; it is never dependent on what a person can do for God. As Paul says in Romans 5:6-10: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…….God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us……if when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved though his life!” The Bible specifically states that justification is by the grace of Christ’s sacrifice alone (Galatians 3:1-5,10-14; Romans 11:6). God’s law demands…total obedience (Galatians 3:10); God will destroy all lawbreakers (Romans 4:15; 7:10); all have sinned and fall short of God’s law [Romans 3:23]. [Thus all are under God’s wrath apart from Christ.] Only Christ has [flawlessly; sinlessly] lived up to God’s standard (Hebrews 10:5-10), and thus He [alone] fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17,18). Furthermore, Jesus became our high priest, offering atonement for us in heaven (Hebrews 9:7-14, 24-28). We [born-again Christians] are thus justified in God’s sight. Adventism does not comprehend this grace.
Adventism has inherent problems with the gospel. [The New Testament reveals the freedom we have in Christ, which comes by grace through faith, and that means our salvation is something we receive, not something we achieve. Moreover, our freedom is not freedom to sin but freedom to serve Christ and overcome sin. Paul and the other New Testament writers made this very clear.] I challenge my SDA reader to study Paul’s epistles in themselves, apart from the context of Ellen White’s writings—the two cannot be reconciled.
Adventism teaches the Trinity (at least after 1890), the all-sufficiency of the atonement of Christ (in its own way), and the power of the Golden Rule. [However, as we have seen, Adventism teaches many serious heresies and puts upon its followers unwarranted burdens, like Sabbath-keeping, which true New Testament Christians are not meant to bear.]
Paul’s inspired denunciation of those [ancient] Hebrews [who deceived the Galatians] applies equally to Adventists today. Adventism shouts “Come out of Babylon!” to members of other churches, [while] Adventism itself is utterly confused as to what constitutes the basis of the Christian message—the gospel. Thus Adventism itself is part of Babylon!
Adventists need to come into the sunshine of the pure gospel, and experience new life given freely in Christ.
COMPARISONS2
SDA/White—You must keep the Ten Commandments and other ordinances (to pass probation and investigative judgment teachings) to have a chance or opportunity for salvation.
THE BIBLE—Ephesians 2:15 declares, “by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances that in Himself He might make the two into one, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.” See also Romans 2, 7, 8; Colossians 2; Hebrews 8-10; Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 4:9-11. Christians are saved by the grace of God through faith in Christ, not by their works of righteousness and keeping commandments (see Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-10). A person cannot “work” their way into heaven (see Romans 10:4; 3:24-31; II Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9; James 2:10).
SDA/White—You must especially keep the seventh-day Sabbath (the so-called “seal of God”), which means church services must be held on Saturdays.
THE BIBLE—Sabbath-keeping, a ceremonial Mosaic law, passed away with the Old Covenant. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is the “seal of God” to the believer. II Corinthians 1:21-22 says, “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.“ See also Ephesians 1:13-14 compared with Ephesians 4:30.
SDA/White—If your church worships on Sunday then it has the “mark of the beast.”
THE BIBLE—Since Sabbath-keeping no longer remains, the issue of worshiping on Sunday is really not an issue of Sabbath-keeping (Hebrews 4, Colossians 2:16-17, and others). That fact alone dispels the SDA viewpoint which is based upon an exaggerated un-Biblical perspective of Sabbath-keeping. As far as regular worship is concerned, in the days of the Old Covenant, the Jews had times of worship on Sunday; and since the beginning of the New Covenant, Christians have worshiped on every day, including Sunday, which, in fact, is specially referred to as the “Lord’s Day” because of His resurrection, not to mention that the “Pentecost Outpouring” itself was on Sunday (Acts 2).
SDA/White—You must obey Old Covenant dietary laws.
THE BIBLE—Christians are under the New Covenant, not the Old Covenant. Therefore, Christians are now under New Covenant directions for living and eating. Romans 14:14-15 says, “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt…Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.” See also Colossians 2:16.3
SDA/White—The SDA believes in general “soul sleep” for all and annihilation of the wicked. They believe the dead are unconscious and inactive in the grave until resurrection. Resurrected wicked will be annihilated into non-existence after judgment day.
THE BIBLE—II Corinthians 5:8 says, “to be absent from the body is to be at home [or present] with the Lord.“ See also John 11:26, Ephesians 2:1-5, Philippians 2:1-5, and Revelation 6:9-11. As for the wicked, Revelation 14:9-11 says, “…he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angles…the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, they have no rest day and night…“ See also Matthew 25:41-46; 5:22, 29-30; Revelation 20:10, 14-15; II Thessalonians 1:9; II Peter 2:4-9; Luke 12:47-48; Mark 14:21. Damnation, Hell, and the Lake of Fire are realities (Revelation l9:20).
ADDITIONAL INTERESTING FACTS
According to well-documented research, 50% or more of The Great Controversy was copied from various sources, which means it was not uniquely and divinely inspired as is believed. Also, Walter Rea has amassed inescapable evidence that much of Mrs. White’s work was compiled by secretaries and family members (reference: W. Rea, “The White Lie,” pp. 199, 203; M&R Pub., Box 2056, Turlock, CA, 95381).
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ENDNOTES:
1 Numbers 4, 5, and 6 have been adapted.
2 The following was adapted from a chart made by Wallace Slattery.
3 Though we are not under the Old Covenant, we must remember that the Old Testament Scriptures still teach us by allegory, principle, etc. (cf. II Timothy 3:16-17). That means the Old Covenant dietary laws, along with all the rest of the Old Covenant laws, are not absolutely useless to us.
“The Sabbath Question” Continued:
Many members of the SDA church are just poor deceived dupes who lift up Mrs. White as a true prophetess of God without realizing that she was just a liar and a false prophetess who was used by the Devil. Adventists claim that they are the only ones who meet the so-called requirements for the remnant Church, based mainly upon a misinterpretation of Revelation 12:17; but Biblically, Adventists don’t even meet the most basic requirements to be called true Christians. We need to pray that more of these Sabbatarians get genuinely saved and come to a real knowledge of the truth.
ADVENTISTS AND HEALTHFUL LIVING
We need to be careful that we don’t “throw out the baby with the bath water,” as the old saying goes. The SDAs teach many false doctrines, but they do make a few good points about health, for example, that are worth consideration. SDAs promote eating healthfully in addition to other good heath practices (at least in word), and scientific studies have shown that SDAs who do practice good health, live longer as a result. Dr. Jan W. Kuzma, director of research at the Loma Linda University School of Public Health, published a study in 1989 on the longer life expectancy of SDAs. Her study was just one of many studies which have been conducted around the world that show the benefit of good health practices.
Personally, I see nothing wrong with eating right. We here at ACMTC are vegans (no meat or animal products) and we definitely have had better health since we began to deny ourselves of certain foods. Bad eating habits can literally kill you. In fact, it would do the Christians some good to police their bad eating habits. But we do not preach veganism as the Gospel or a requisite to enter Heaven.
Ellen White may have preached a health message, but strong evidence shows that she did not follow her own advice. Wallace Slattery stated, “It will shock most Adventists to learn that sister White held herself above the health rules she imposed so strictly on her followers. Although she spoke emphatically against milk, butter, and eggs, we have her own granddaughter’s declaration that these items were commonly available on her table. It has been documented by the White Estate that she continued to enjoy fish, chicken, and beef while ordering her followers to eschew these items. More importantly, she seems to have maintained an appetite for oysters (unclean to the Adventists)” (Are Seventh-Day Adventists False Prophets?, pp. 37-38).
As I said, I see no wrong in denying ourselves certain foods and drinks (of course, we must notconsume drugs, or smoke, and so on). But if one teaches the denial of self, one must “practice what one preaches.” I know most church folks laugh at the idea of policing their bad eating habits. Well, I see no glory in multitudes of professed Christians who are sick and dying of gluttony and related sicknesses and diseases.
Our denial of certain foods is for health reasons, but also for economical reasons. The money we would spend on certain foods that the body does not need, we put into mission expenses. As a community, we save money that would normally be wasted on the lust of appetite or “habit hunger.”
SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH
BACK to the Jewish sabbath question. The Holy Spirit was poured out on Sunday, not on the Jewish Saturday sabbath. The John Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (Vol. 2, p. 1306) states, “Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Church. Since Christ’s resurrection falls on Sunday, Pentecost also fell on the first day of the week—the day on which Christians worshiped and CONTINUE to worship.”
Sunday is a special day for the Christians. It is not wicked to worship or hold meetings on Sunday. Sunday is not the weekly sabbath, but it is the Lord’s Day, and we have the freedom to joyfully celebrate our Lord’s resurrection which took place on that day.
This whole continuance of the Jewish Saturday sabbath is not Scriptural, to say the least. Like most of Ellen White’s doctrines, her promotion of sabbath-keeping is un-Christian! Friends, God did away with the Old Covenant Jewish sabbath. The weekly sabbath was for the Jews ONLY. It is foolish to carry on with an observance that was done away with centuries ago. It is religious REBELLION!Sabbath-keeping is simply not a part of the New Covenant.
Modern Pharisees like the SDAs are pushing false doctrine. This weekly Saturday sabbath-keeping is a yoke of bondage that the Lord Jesus never intended His people to bear! Notably, the Apostles considered it a contradiction to salvation to RETURN to any fulfilled aspect of the Old Covenant Jewish Law. Furthermore, the Apostolic Council held in the first century (Acts 15) determined that there was no continuity of Jewish laws like circumcision and sabbath-keeping. Shall we usurp Christ and the Apostles and continue in sabbath-keeping?
Charles H. Spurgeon stated, “I am no preacher of the old legal Sabbath. I am a preacher of the gospel. The Sabbath of the Jew is to him a task; the Lord’s Day (New Testament Sunday) of the Christian, the first day of the week, is to him a joy, a day of rest, of peace, and of thanksgiving” (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. 7, p. 580).
I’ll close here for now. Remember, the Lord’s Day is the Christians’ privilege and is supposed to be a day of worship, joy, rest in Christ, peace, and thanksgiving. It is not a task! Amen.