Statements of the SDA church

SDA president declares abortion acceptable to "control population"

“Though we walk the fence, Adventists lean toward abortion rather than against it. Because we realize we are confronted by big problems of hunger and overpopulation, we do not oppose family planning and appropriate endeavors to control population .” – SDA President Neal C. Wilson. (One online source)

SDA Church uses Catholic term "Eucharist" to describe communion bread

• "The purpose of this essay is primarily to show how Seventh-day Adventist understanding of the eucharist or the Lord's supper...[and] to highlight Adventist understanding and practice of the eucharist... "In preparation for the celebration of the eucharist Seventh-day Adventists practice the washing of feet..." Churches Respond to Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry, vol 2, p 341-343, 1985. (This is the SDA churchs' official response to the ecumenical meeting they were a part of at the Faith and Order Conference of the World Council of Churches of January, 1982 in Lima, Peru).
• --The Eucharist is also called the "central celebration of the Christian church" (Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry, vol 2, p 341). (Notice they captilize the "Eucharist" in the same way Rome does to depict a "living presence" within the bread.)
• --The church also states; "On occasion Seventh-day Adventists refer to the eucharist as a sacrament" (Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry, vol 2, p 342).
• --The church also state that SDA's are "conscious of the sacredness of the celebration of the eucharist" (Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry, vol 2, p 342). (Here they use the Catholic term "celebration" when speakign of the eucharist. The term "celebration" was also used by Rome when they would kill Christians.)
• "And we could go on if space permitted--to mention the WCC's... accentuation of the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist. All of these emphases fit into the ambit of the three angels' messages." Adventist Review, May 2, 1991, p 10.

WHY IS THE EUCHARIST A BAD THING? Click here to find out

SDA Church's opinion of the Antichrist today

• "...if he was taught that the Pope is the anti-christ, I think that would be a misunderstanding. I don't feel that's what we as a church believe.... ...[the anti-christ], that's not a person. That's not an individual..." (Kenneth Cox, representing the SDA church on WTGL TV interview, February 8, 1993.)
• "Although it is true that there was a period in the life of the Seventh-day Adventist Church when the denomination took a distinctly anti-Roman Catholic viewpoint...that attitude on the church's part was nothing more than a manifestation of widespread anti-popery among conservative protestant denominations in the early part of this century and the latter part of the last, and which has now been consigned to the historical trash heap so far as the Seventh-day Adventist church is concerned." Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (US Government) vs Pacif Press Publishing Association (SDA Church), Civ #74-2025 CBR, Reply Brief for Defendants, p 4.
• "...our work is not to denounce the Roman Catholic Church." Pacific Union Recorder, February 18, 1985, p 4.

According to the Seventh Day Adventist church, the Antichrist is now:

• "former christians" (Signs of the Times, September, 1990, p 25).
• "a mind-set" (Signs of the Times, September, 1990, p 26).
• those who teach "false doctrine qualify" (Adventist Review, October 27, 1983, p 7).
• those who "draw us away from our commitment to Christ" (Signs of the Times, September, 1990, p 26).
• those who "deny that Jesus is the Christ or the Messiah" (Signs of the Times, September, 1990, p 25). (In other words, even the Devil and all his evil angels cannot be anti-christ now... (Matthew 8:29, Mark 1;24, Luke 4:34)

WHO IS ANTICHRIST ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE? Click here to find out

SDA Church's opinion of who the lamb like beast is

• "an idol-making power" (Adventist Review, October 15, 1992, p 10).
• "the antispirit" (Adventist Review, September 7, 1989, p 22-23).

WHAT DOES THE WORD OF GOD SAY ABOUT SUNDAY? Click here to find out

WHO IS THE LAMB LIKE BEAST ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE? Click here to find out

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SDA Church's opinion of what the mark of the beast is

• "The Mark of the Beast principle is that man can... do something that will get him to heaven and make him acceptable to God." Marked, p 88.
• "The Mark of the Beast involves... salvation by works." The Return of Elijah, p 73.
• "...the Mark of the Beast, which is salvation by works of self-righteousness." Marked, p 38.
• "...the Sabbath...[is] God's sign of obedience.... But we must beware! Anyone whose focus is on the Sabbath... who looks at his Sabbathkeeping as the ground of his salvation...is a candidate for the mark of the beast ." Adventist Review, September 7, 1989, p 26.
• "Ellen White...[writing about the Sunday laws] told the people do not go contrary to civil authority." Kenneth Cox, representing the SDA church on WTGL TV interview, February 8, 1993.

WHAT DOES THE WORD OF GOD SAY ABOUT SUNDAY? Click here to find out

WHAT IS THE MARK OF THE BEAST ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE? Click here to find out

Pro-Sunday statements of the SDA Church

• "In the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga, Sabbath and Sunday keepers observe the same day of rest." Record, January 30, 1988, p 6, Article titled: "Why Tongan SDAs Worship on Sunday", with subtitle: "Tonga’s Common Day of Worship".
• "ON SUNDAY, MAY 19, our oldest church in New Zealand, Ponsonby, has been chosen as the venue for a nationwide televised church service--one of only six such services in NZ in 1985. This will be the occasion of Pastor Neal Wilson’s visit, and plans for the music and youth scripture reading are under way--not to mention working bees on the church!" Record, April 13, 1985, p 16.
• "...Adventist support [was being given] to those in opposition to the proposed repeal of the British Sunday trading laws....
• "[Then during an interview] Elder Arthur was asked whether any of the [SDA] field leaders he had consulted had been opposed to sending the letters. His answer was no, there had been no opposition, all reaction received was positive." Prism, May, 1986, p 6, 12. (Prism is the paper of Newbold SDA College in England.)
• "...the phrase ‘the Lord’s day’ in Revelation 1:10....More attention should be given to the possibility that the phrase refers to an annual resurrection celebration." The Sabbath in Scripture and History, p 127, published by the Review and Herald Publishing Association in 1982.
• "Bob Hunter, pastor of the Stone Mountain, Georgia, [SDA] church, delivered the Easter message at the sunrise service atop Georgia’s Stone Mountain. The Service was attended by some 4,000 people and was covered by three of the local Atlanta television stations. The service was videotaped and aired on Stone Mountain church’s television program, ‘Discovery.’" Southern Tidings, August, 1985, p 19.
• "Good Adventist news for Easter--For the first time in denominational history a television network--CBS--will broadcast an Easter Sunday service from a SDA church. The program, ‘Festival of Hope,’ will originate from the Camarillo Adventist Church in California. The speaker will be Elder Roger Bothwell, pastor of the College Church at Pacific Union College. WCBS, New York City, will carry the service this Sunday [April 22] at 11 a.m (8 a.m. Camarillo time) as will CBS affiliates in Roanoke, Boston, Tampa, Bismark, Minot, Madison, Williston, Cincinnati, Champaign, San Antonio, Columbus, Huntsville, St. Louis, La Crosse and Tuscaloosa. Some 20 other affiliated stations will carry the program on a delayed basis. Unfortunately, the CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C., WDVM, will not carry the program." General Conference Weekly Press Relations Newsletter, Spring, 1984. (See also Adventist Review, March 29, 1984, p 31.)
• "72nd annual Easter Sunrise Service at the Hollywood Bowl." This Sunday Sunrise Service was "televised internationally by the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and was carried by the Armed Forces Radio and Television Network" (Pacific Union Recorder, July 20, 1992, p 16).
• "What Do Seventh-day Adventists Believe? Hear pastor/evangelist Jere Webb present a fresh look at ‘The Truth.’ Subjects include...‘Christ centered reasons for Sunday worship’..." Pacific Union Recorder, June 4, 1990, p 27.
• "All busy people yearn for a day of rest. God Himself gave His permission, a command even, for a day to allow the soul and spirit to be refreshed. This is God’s gift to us. He will take care of us physically and spiritually if we follow His plan. Our systems need the replenishment. Sunday is a special day for this worship and refreshment.... "Thoreau said, if you want to destroy the Christian faith, first take away Sunday. He was right; it’s a holy day, for those who know Jesus Christ as Saviour it cannot be a holiday. For those of you who have gathered around the cross and have been saved and washed clean by His blood, it is a sacrilege to do anything else on that day except to celebrate what God has done. "If we abuse Sunday, we’re going to destroy something beautiful that God has given. No Sunday means no church; no church means no worship; no worship means no religion; no religion means no morality; no morality means no society; no society means no government; no government means anarchy. That s the choice before us." Confessions of a Nomad: What We Learned in Sinai’s Shadow, page 86 and 120, by Carolyn and William Self, copyrighted by the SDA Ministerial Association and published by the Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1998.
• Click here for a growing list of SDA churches embracing Sunday as Sabbath

WHAT DOES THE WORD OF GOD SAY ABOUT SUNDAY? Click here to find out

Anti-Sabbath statements of the SDA Church

• "Seventh-day Adventists do not rely upon their Sabbathkeeping as a means of salvation or of winning merit before God. We are saved by grace alone." Questions on Doctrines, p 153, by Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1957..
• "If we consider Sabbath keeping a requirement for salvation, we have turned the commandment on its head. We are not entering into God’s rest at all. Rather, we are depending on ourselves and our works." We Still Believe, p 64.
• "If you don’t worship on the Sabbath, are you going to hell? No!" SDA Evangelist Kenneth Cox representing the SDA church on "Central Florida Live" TV talk show, hosted by George Crossley, Central Florida TV station WTGL, channel 52, February 8, 1993.
• "...the Sabbath is the seal of our love and allegiance to a loving heavenly Father." Adventist Review, May 5, 1994, p 18.
• "The truth about God’s day of rest and the truth about rest from our own efforts to overcome [sin] are closely related.... "But I invite you today to enter into God’s rest, to cease from your own works in trying to obey and overcome and be victorious ." To Know God, p 100, by Morris L. Venden, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1983.
• "While the Sabbath commandment has a distinct practical value, the specific day, in and of itself, doesn’t. Thus...keeping any other day could ‘work’..." A Pause For Peace: What God’s Gift of the Sabbath Can Mean for You, p 114, by Clifford Goldstein, published by the Pacific Press Publishing Association in 1992.
• "God is glad for us to go to church both days [Saturday and Sunday]. He wants us to worship Him both days....Anybody who takes a whole day out of every week to spend with God will have more of God’s power in his life, and God can do more through him and in him." Signs of the Times, March, 1990, p 22-23.

WHAT DOES THE WORD OF GOD SAY ABOUT THE SABBATH? Click here to find out

SDA leaders claim the church saves like Roman Catholicism

• “Many times pastors have compared the church to an ark of safety, and I believe it is.... The church is a place to preserve our lives...” Adventist Review, August 7, 1986, p 23.
• “Like the ark, the church will help save God's people...” Adventist Review, August 9, 1984, p 18.
• “Christ's statement is 'that the gates of hell shall not prevail against' the church.... Let us stay with the ship. The church...is going through and will surely drop anchor on the 'sea of glass' because a 'Divine hand is on the wheel'--the hand of Christ.” Adventist Review, July 28, 1983, p 5.
• “The local (SDA) church becomes the 'port of entry' to the kingdom of God.” Adventist Review, October 1, 1992, p 23.
• “Your walk with God has a great deal to do with your desire to come back to church....As you return, seek Him. He has promised that you will find Him....You won't drop out again as long as you continue to grow in Him.” Adventist Review, November 2, 1989, p 27.
• “There is some relationship between salvation and church membership.” Adventist Review, August 9, 1984, p 18.
• “I appeal to all who are outside the fold [of the SDA church] just now.... If you are not here, He [Christ] misses you....The Father owns the house. Return to Him. For every good love story should have a happy ending.” Adventist Review, November 2, 1989, p 8.
• “...when we backslide from the church, we also backslide from God.” Adventist Review, June 2, 1988, p 9.

What does the Spirit of Prophecy say?

• Jesus is the city of refuge (Patriarchs and Prophets, p 516-517; Christ’s Object Lessons, p 158; Sons and Daughters of God, p 79);
• Jesus is the place for the weary to find rest in (Isaiah 28:12; Sons and Daughters of God, p 298; Desire of Ages, p 328-332; Testimonies, vol 5, p 410; vol 2, p 562-563);
• Jesus – the truth – is the ark of safety (Testimonies, vol 5, p 279; Evangelism, p 397; Medical Ministry, p 317; Review and Herald, vol 2, p 102);
• Jesus is the shelter from the storm and tempest soon to come (Testimonies to Ministers, p 182; Great Controversy, p 654)! No church – including the true church – is the city of refuge or the ark of safety for any of God’s true people! We must be hid in Jesus and Him only, not in any group or any church! Jesus is our only hope!

WANT AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT WHAT THE WORD OF GOD SAYS ABOUT SALVATION? Click here to find out

MISC

• "We've got to PROTECT that name ["Seventh-day Adventist"], because we are giving a false impression to the world...And this church/state business; be a little careful how you use that, because that is not in scripture: separation of Church and State. That is a particular North American philosophy. It exists no where else in the world." Neal C. Wilson [Former Seventh Day Adventist General Conference President regarding the trademark], P.U.C. Sanctuary, June 18, 1988.

What does Jesus Christ say?

• Matthew 22:21, "They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."

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