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Seventh Day Adventists

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Do they fall under the same description as a cult?
What are its key dogmas?
How does it contradict historic Christianity?

Originators: William Miller, Hiram Edson, Joseph Bates, Ellen G. White. Roots in the “great second advent awakening” during the 1800’s, Millerite movement of the 1840’s. Miller predicted Christ’s return in 1844. Edson said that Christ had just passed from the Holy of Holies to the Holy Place., “the heavenly sactuary and investigative judgment.”
Ellen G. White. Considered a prophet. Claimed to have had infallible visions from God pertaining to various issues concerning the future, especially concerning health issues.

Particular Distinctives:
1. Roots in the Millerite movement

2. Believes that the Church went apostate after the death of the last Apostle. (LDS and JW teach the same thing).

3. Seventh day rest observance not Sunday. But do not observe any other Jewish Feasts, laws or customs.

4. Progressive revelation or the “spirit of prophecy.” Believe that Ellen G. White had the "spirit of prophecy" and adhere to her teachings.

5. Considered themselves to be a special “remnant people,” or the 144,000, ordained to revive certain neglected truths.

6. Soul sleep. The soul is immaterial and not eternal. God gave the soul, but Adam and Eve gave the sinful body. Annihilation of the soul.

7. Predicted the return of Jesus in 1844, and 1848 but He obviously didn’t come so they taught that Jesus had come closer into the Holy of Holies and instituted the "investigative judgment."

8. Strong teachings on end-time prophecy, they hold “prophecy seminars”.

9. Teach from a “Historicist” view and that the Book of Revelation describes 7 historical periods of time. For more information on the Historicist View click here Historicist 7 Periods Adventist stand

10. The Pope is going to be the antichrist and Rome is the Whore of Babylon of Revelation.

11. Emphasize vegetarianism, almost kosher, and healthcare.

12. No link to Protestant Reformation, or historical Christianity.

Similarities:

Trinitarian.
Emphasis on teaching from the Bible.
Return of Jesus.
Baptismal formula.
Communion.

Writings:

Seventh Day Adventists Believe; A Biblical Exposition of 27 Fundamental Doctrines.

We take issue with some of their doctrinal stands taken from their Statements of "Fundamental Beliefs" numbers 18, 20, 24, 26, 27 Beliefs

18. The Gift of Prophecy:
One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. 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. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested. (Joel 2:28, 29; Acts 2:14-21; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 12:17; 19:10.)

20. The Sabbath:
The beneficent Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and 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 as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God and one another. 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. Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening, sunset to sunset, is a celebration of God's creative and redemptive acts. (Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11; Luke 4:16; Isa. 56:5, 6; 58:13, 14; Matt. 12:1-12; Ex. 31:13-17; Eze. 20:12, 20; Deut. 5:12-15; Heb. 4:1-11; Lev. 23:32; Mark 1:32.)

24. Christ's Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary:
There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle which the Lord set up and not man. In it Christ ministers on our behalf, making available to believers the benefits of His atoning sacrifice offered once for all on the cross. He 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. In that typical service the sanctuary was cleansed with the blood of animal sacrifices, but the heavenly things are purified with the perfect sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. The investigative judgment reveals to heavenly intelligences who among the dead are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. This judgment vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom. The completion of this ministry of Christ will mark the close of human probation before the Second Advent. (Heb. 8:1-5; 4:14-16; 9:11-28; 10:19-22; 1:3; 2:16, 17; Dan. 7:9-27; 8:13, 14; 9:24-27; Num. 14:34; Eze. 4:6; Lev. 16; Rev. 14:6, 7; 20:12; 14:12; 22:12.)

26. Death and Resurrection:
The wages of sin is death. But God, who alone is immortal, will grant eternal life to His redeemed. Until that day death is an unconscious state (soul sleep) for all people. When Christ, who is our life, appears, the resurrected righteous and the living righteous will be glorified and caught up to meet their Lord. The second resurrection, the resurrection of the unrighteous, will take place a thousand years later. (Rom. 6:23; 1 Tim. 6:15, 16; Eccl. 9:5, 6; Ps. 146:3, 4; John 11:11-14; Col. 3:4; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; John 5:28, 29; Rev. 20:1-10.)

27. The Millennium and the End of Sin:
The millennium is the thousand-year reign of Christ with His saints in heaven between the first and second resurrections. During this time the wicked dead will be judged; the earth will be utterly desolate, without living human inhabitants, but occupied by Satan and his angels. At its close Christ with His saints and the Holy City will descend from heaven to earth. The unrighteous dead will then be resurrected, and with Satan and his angels will surround the city; but fire from God will consume them and cleanse the earth. The universe will thus be freed of sin and sinners forever. (Rev. 20; 1 Cor. 6:2, 3; Jer. 4:23-26; Rev. 21:1-5; Mal. 4:1; Eze. 28:18, 19.)

Definition of Terms

The largest Adventist church. Ellen G. White, who claimed to have “the spirit of prophecy,” was an important early leader of the movement and taught a number of distinctive SDA doctrines, including the Investigative Judgment and Sabbatarianism. While the church’s official theology now appears to be generally in the tradition of evangelical Christianity, certain SDA claims and unique doctrines continue to raise questions. These doctrines include the SDA belief that Sunday worship will result in the “Mark of the Beast,” imbalanced teachings on keeping the commandments (baptism, Sabbath observance) that often implies a kind of salvation by works, the “Remnant Church” doctrine that implies that the SDA is or will be God’s only true church, and the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment.

Investigative Judgment: One of the unique doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that make the place of that church within evangelical Christianity questionable. First taught in Adventism by Hiram Edson, F.B. Hahn, and O.R.L. Crosier, it was accepted as “present truth” by those who would later become known as Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs) after it was confirmed and taught in visions received by Ellen G. White. The doctrine teaches that in the Holy of Holies in the Heavenly Sanctuary Christ is now conducting an investigation into the lives of all who have ever professed belief in Christ. He is judging all their works, by the standard of God’s Law. All those whose lives fail to measure up to the standard of the Law are rejected and condemned as not having true faith. Those whose lives meet that standard and thus manifest the perfect character and righteousness of Christ are recognized as having true faith, and so their sins are “blotted out.” SDAs say, “This judgment vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom.” Evangelicals believe, and the Bible teaches (Rom. 3:21–26), that God’s justice in saving sinners who trust Jesus to save them is vindicated by the blood of Jesus—His death in their place, in their behalf.

The above information was gathered from Watchman

For more information on their doctrines and Ellen G. White click on the links below:

Profile

White

EGW

There is a reform movement in the SDA church. For more information click here Reform Interview Desmond Ford desford.org

Another similar organization is the "United Church of God" Website. Look at their view of heaven.

Links of Interest

Official Website

Other Teachings

Doctrine

Ex-SDA