I am no longer a Seventh-Day Adventist.
However as a former 3rd generation Seventh Day Adventist pastors’ kid I certainly haven’t forgotten all of the unscriptual things I was taught during my upbringing.
Because of my freedom in Christ I have been called upon through the Holy Spirit to start up this blog to warn Christians and Adventists about the false, deceptive and cunning teachings of Adventism. Truly a Synagogue of Satan and a church thatis being used by the father of lies to confuse and steal away the assurance of Salvation from many.
It is my prayer that through the power of the Holy Spirit I will be able to lift the veil that’s obscuring not just the vision of Adventists but the vision of Christians who are in danger of being drawn into the black hole of Adventism.
U.A.
The Undercover Adventist
Great blog. I cannot wait to hear more!
I am curious: in what way(s) does the Seventh-Day Adventist belief differ from the Holy Bible? I assumed (through ignorance) that Saturday vs. Sunday worship, along with abstinence from eating pork, presented the only significant difference? A proper comparison between the Seventh-Day Adventist belief and the Christian faith would be very helpful.
Congratulations on your surrender to Christ. I hope you will continually pray for the rock-solid faith that only God provides.
http://truthbehindreality.wordpress.com/
Todd Beal
Hello Todd,
Thanks for your question. SDA beliefs and doctrine differe substantially from that of Evangelical Christian beliefs in many ways.
By the time this blog is done you should have an exhaustive list, unless the Lord Raptures us away before I’m done.
Regardless it shocked me the vast differences between SDA and Evangelical beliefs when I first left Adventism. It does not bode well that I keep finding new issues the display further incongruities.
In Christ,
Ross
Mr. Ross Cooper,
Be very careful that you are not following after the teachings of yet another false teacher, being Chuck Smith.
He teaches a pretribulation rapture that gives another people a second chance, not mentioned in scripture — actually teaching a foreign “jesus” of the second chance.
He also teaches that Elijah is one of the two witnesses in Revelation, which is clearly ADDING to Revelation, signalling Smiths willingness to receive teh plagues mentioned in Rev 22:18.
This is unnacceptable behavior for the founder of a movement, which Smith claims is of the Holy Spirit. Right there he has blasphemed the Holy Spirit, much the same manner as did Ellen White, yet another false and damned prophetess.
Be very careful!
Why would I not believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
It’s precisely what Jesus Promises in John 14:1-3.
Go to my other blog the Biblerunner one and look at the many posts I’ve made on just that topic. John 14:1-3 and Jewish Marriage/Wedding Customs. Pay special attention to how long the Jewish wedding lasted…and how many days/years the Tribulation period is long.
We also are not destined to the wrath of God…and Jesus is part of the Trinity that make up GOD. And since He opens the very first seal…which leads to the trumpets…and to the bowls…all of the Judgments are part of the wrath of God and not just the last few as many erroneously teach.
As for Elijah being one of the two witnesses…that’s certainly possible and many evangelicals from multiple churches hold to that possibility.
They key is that I hold every teaching up to the Holy Spirit before I sign on the dotted line so to speak. And the Holy Spirit Himself has convinced me beyond any doubt in the reality of a Pretrib rapture.
“And the Holy Spirit Himself has convinced me beyond any doubt in the reality of a Pretrib rapture.”
Are you saying the Holy Spirit also approves of adding things to Revelation, in direct violation of Jesus warnings in Rev 22:18-19?
That could be construed as blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, which is the unpardonable sin.
Only if I have added something to Revelation…which I haven’t.
Revelation 6 describes the events that will be taking place during the seven-year period upon the earth known as the Great Tribulation” — Chuck Smith, What the world is coming to. (book)
Nowhere in Revelation 6 is any mention of a “seven-year period”. Chuck Smith has been caught red-handed adding TIME to Gods word. This is an extreme forbidden activity, and only shows that Smith and his followers will recieve Gods plagues. Pretty difficult to have been raptured away and get Gods plagues, too eh? Where in scripture is that written of? Smiths teachings are dangerous as well as ludicrous!
Wm Miller was involved with adding time where there was none, and look what came of that!
We don’t get God’s plagues, as part of the Bride of Christ we are not subject to God’s Wrath.
Jesus in Heaven (after taking His Bride there) opens the first seal…which in turn opens each other seal…which in turn opens the trumpets when in term opes each and every bowl/vial.
The seven years is the final week of years left over from Daniels Prophecy, when Christ was crucified it left one week left, one week of years…or seven years for future fulfilment.
These are the 7 years of the Tribulation.
These are also the 7 years that the Church will be in Heaven at the Father’s House between the Rapture and when we return in Christ’s wake to setp up His never ending kingdom to reign.
If Gary Inrig teaches the pretrib rapture, he could well be teaching a “jesus” that Paul never preached.
I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached
13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. 2 Corinthians 11
Once again your argument is invalid in that the Holy Spirit is the one teaching us through the writings of Paul.
And not only that but Paul was givine his messages and understanding directly from the Risen Jesus from the Throne Room of Heaven if you will.
Pauls Jesus is the same as Jesus from the Gospels simply because Jesus is God, the Father is God and the Holy Spirit is God.
Paul just gets his deeper message from a more direct revelation of the word in that he gets it directly from the Risen and Ressurected Jesus from Heaven.
“One of the two witnesses is Elijah. The identity of the other witness is a mystery. It is probably Moses or Enoch or, perhaps, Zerubbabel. God spoke to Zerubbabel concerning the relationship of the olive trees and the two candlesticks. It could even be John the Baptist. However, these identities are just suggestions. You can put your own theory in here if you desire.” — Chuck Smith, What The World is Comint To.
Here Smith give you permission to be disobedient on our own with his “You can put your own theory in here if you desire.” statement. After all, he has done all that and more. He claims one of the two witness is Elijah. Revelation says nothing of the sort! The Holy Spirit tells the redeemed to do no such thing!
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.
19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. Revelation 22
Do you think Jesus will follow through in this warning of punishment?
Of course He will.
However many people speculate about who these two witnesses are going to be, the Bible is designed to jumpstart these kinds of discussions.
It must be remembered in all of this that if you are a member of the Bride of Christ we’ll be finding out the answer from Heaven as we’ll be living with our Lord and Savior in the Father’s House .
You admitted to be fooled by Adventism.
Can you admit to being fooled by Chuck Smith and his minions?
Not at all.
No one has fooled me, I was simply a fool to not leave Adventism sooner for freedom and rest in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Is this pretrib rapture teaching really of God when it promotes an alien Jesus that Paul never preached, or influences one to do the very things in Revelation that earn loss of life and the plagues, mentioned in Rev 22:18-19?
Really? Is this disobedient pretrib doctrine really from God?
Wow!
Please reconsider, especially since you have admitted to being fooled by time-scammers before (Wm. Miller and his minions)
Absolutely the Pre-Trib Rapture is from God.
There are an awful lot of places in the Bible that provide evidence for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
Jesus Himself introduces the Pre-Tribulation Rapture in John 14:1-3.
And since it’s the Holy Spirit, one third of the Trinity, aka God speaking through Paul in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 ( just as He (the Holy Spirit) is speaking through every other word and doctrine in the Bible)- I think God knows exactly what he’s talking about.
Do you agree with Smith when he says:
“Because we cannot understand how the spiritual laws operate, we often fail to use them.”? (from “The Gospel According To Grace)
Isn’t Smith really describing himself and his followers? Is the Spirit really leading this “movement”?
Are you letting Smith speak for you? He says you “cannot understand how the spiritual laws operate”!
In our human and finite minds we can’t truly understand how the spiritual laws operate any more than we can be full in our understanding of how the Holy Spirit fills, seals, indwells, and regenerates our Spirit.
It seems that Chuck is simply stating that our human understanding of Heavenly things will be incomplete until we are in Heavenly places and I totally agree with that.
“I often find myself agreeing with Satan and becoming alienated from God.” — Chuck Smith, The Gospel According To Grace
Should this be a red flag for a true Christian?
How do we know Smith was not merely “agreeing with Satan” when he encourages people to add any sort of theory to the book of Revelation?
I cannot comment on that until I see it in context. That said Ellen G. White was supposedly ministered to by and Angel of Light…and in the Bible it warns us that Satan can disguize himself as an angel of light.
Once again anyone can take a line out of context and form an opinion based on it…and that is where the danger begins.
“As for Elijah being one of the two witnesses…that’s certainly possible and many evangelicals from multiple churches hold to that possibility.”
Mr. Cooper,
Just because everyone else is getting their names removed from the book of life, and getting the plagues mentioned in Rev 22:18-19, Is that sufficient for you to do it as well?
Didn’t your folks ever ask you: “If everyone else is jumping off a cliff, are you going to do it too” — when you ever said to them that “everybody is doing it”
Since I’ve been walking the the Spirit I’ve not been led to another conclusion than that it is likely Elijah will be one of the two witnesses.
However such a thing being incorrect will not affect my Salvation. My Salvation is sure in that I have been reborn from Heaven or Born Again. It is God that filled and sealed me with His Holy Spirit and I can’t mess that up.
“Calvary Chapel is a work that was begun by the Spirit. Every new and great movement of God is born of the Spirit.” — Chuck Smith
Is Smiths utter disobedience to scripture an example of this movement being “born of the Spirit”? Is he not here blaspheming the Holy Spirit?
It is only by the Holy Spirit that you are reborn by the the Spirit. Your Spirit that has been dead in you is rekindled by the Holy Spirit. Therefore if you are walking in the Spirit what is begun through you will have been born under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
That said I do not go to Calvary Chapel however the Holy Spirit leads my Spirit to understand that they are indeed walking in the Spirit.
Mr. Cooper,
Have you taken this passage into account, as you wend your way to adding to Revelation?
Matthew 24:21
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
How does Pretrib rapture teachings take this into account?
Why were these people not taken out of the world, like you postulate will happen at the “rapture”?
Did you miss the part about “nor ever shall be” ??
You see, those who cannot stay in the teachings/doctrines of Jesus do not have God.
Those who ADD to Jesus teachings in Revelation, DO NOT HAVE GOD!
Need proof?
Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work. 2 John 9-11
This well describes the false teacher Chuck Smith, as he gets his subjects to add to Revelation, just like he has done, for the sake of selling his books.
He is really no falser a teacher than Ellen G. White.
This Great Tribulation occours after Christ takes His Church out of the Earth.
Remember He promised to take His Bride to His Father’s House where he had made a place for them.
In 1st Thessalonians Chapter One it says the following: 9 For they themselves report about us what kind of reception (P) we had from you: how you turned (Q) to God from idols (R) to serve the living (S) and true (T) God, 10 and to wait (U) for His Son (V) from heaven, whom He raised from the dead (W) —Jesus, who rescues us (X) from the coming wrath. (Y)
In other words Christ is coming for His Church to take them to Heaven…or else how would he return with His saints, the bride made perfect and dressed in white following Him out of Heaven on horses.
Pretrib teachers claim that the ‘great tribulation’ is the whole of Revelation 6.
Nothing in Revelation identifies chapter 6 as such!
Hence, pretribbers like Smith are caught adding ideas to Revelation that do not belong there.
Jesus has warned you folks about adding and taking away from Revelation. Why are you not able to obey Him?
Is it because you run ahead, not staying in His teachings, proving you do not have God? There is scripture that describes wicked teachers such as Smith that go around deceiving “sheep”:
Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work. 2 John 9-11
Why are you not able to stay within the teaching of Jesus at Revelation 22:18?
Is it because you really do not have God? That is what 2 John says!
Those who do not have God also do not have the Holy Spirit, although I admit there is a type of “spirit” at work, it is not from God when a doctrine violates the Saviors warning.
I guess you cannot force yourself to obey Jesus, can you?
Are you looking forward to your part in the plagues mentioned in Revelation 22:18?
You think Jesus is kidding around?
If I were not a Christian, but investigating as to whether I should follow that route, I would ask Ross to lead me to Christ. His patient and kind, yet authoritatively informed replies, come across the page as spoken only by one who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Linda, I have read the conversation here with much dismay.
Antagonism and guilt-tactics never win an argument. In fact, they whip it into a frenzy, begging someone to become your attacker. Try stepping back for awhile and read your Bible in the comfort of God’s presence, asking the Holy Spirit to guide your heart and mind.
“Jesus Himself introduces the Pre-Tribulation Rapture in John 14:1-3.”
I looked it up. It says zilch about pretribulation or timing.
Mr. Ross, you claim God knows what He is talking about. I am sure even a Mormon would agree with you. However, God says in Revelation 22:18 not to add to Revelation.
Wouldn’t you think that someone like Smith who adds to Revelation is actually a false teacher?
Did you learn NOTHING on your way out of Adventism?
Do you not know how to spot a false teacher?
Look what 2 Peter 2 says about false teachers!
John 14:1-3 certainly do mention timing.
He is coming to take us to His Father’s House.
He is using an analogy of the Jewish Wedding.
In that in very small part the Son leaves the Bride after making a covenant with her by paying for her…in this case jesus paid with His blood.
Then the Son returns to His Father’s House…in this case that is in Heaven.
He then comes back in secret at an unannounced time for the Bride, and CALLS HER TO HIM.
Since He promised to take us to His Father’s House…and we are not destined to the Wrath of God, He must take us to His Fathers House BEFORE the Tribulation period.
The Tribulation Period lasts 7 years. (The 70th Week of Years mentioned in Daniels Prophecy of the 70 weeks of years).
We will be in Heaven for 7 Years.
Then we come WITH CHRIST at the Battle of Armageddon and He sets up His Kingdom where we will reign with Him which will last forever.
Therefore in John 14:1-3 He has to be describing the Rapture of His Bride the Church to Heaven BEFORE the Tribulation.
“No one has fooled me, I was simply a fool to not leave Adventism sooner for freedom and rest in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Don’t you think Art and Theresa Beam would say the same thing because they cannot detect they are decieved? (They went into Roman Catholic after SDA)
Don’t you think Mormons who become SDA can use the same line and keep a straight face?
Of course they can.
You have been fooled if you accept false teachers who violate Jesus explicit warnings.
They cannot stay within His doctrines, therefore they do not have God. 2John 9-11 — LOOK IT UP.
I am not in any falsehood or a place of confusion or inability to understand- I was led by the Holy Spirit which is in me out of Adventism and He leads me daily still.
“However many people speculate about who these two witnesses are going to be, the Bible is designed to jumpstart these kinds of discussions.”
Where in scripture are we admonished to speculate?
I have better authority for you:
learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” 1 Corinthians 4
Why go beyond what is written? Is it some lust in you making you commit these heresies with Smith?
Why would you knowingly violate the last warnings given in Revelation 22:18-19?
If you thinjk Jesus is kidding around, you are in for an eternity of rude suprise. You have been warned.
The Bible is open to discussion, after all what is Bible Study if not discussion. And what are sermons and weeknight teachings if not to promote discussion.
The Christian church would not be around today without discussion. I never said one lick about speculation, although discussion and speculation about possibilities go hand in hand.
Without speculation we would not have a great many of the Bible Commentaries that we currently have…or Books on Bible Study or individual Bible books.
Wher would we be as a Christians without discussion and/or speculation.
There would probably not be a surviving CHristian Church.
Where you are errant is that the Bible also says not to go beyond what is written.
It says not to add.
It says not to subtract.
If you find that you cannot live within these laws of the Spirit, then you are not being obedient,, and you do not love the Jesus of scripture, but rather one of your own imaginary fabrication.
Such is the lot of those who are caught up in cults that cannot help adding to scripture.
Ellen White, Joe Smith, Charles Russell and Chuck Smith are but a few examples of such false teachers.
The law of the Spirit, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is what leads me…not to mention Chuck Smith and other believers in our walk of truth. We are not adding or subtracting to the Bible, what we are doing if following the lead of the Holy Spirit.
Where would Christians be without speculation?
Are you serious?
You might as well join yourself to the JW crowd, they say the same thing! And they are truely servants of satan.
It appears that you cannot follow the law of the Spirit and “not go beyond what is written”.
You do not seem to be born again, nor have spiritual discernment.
What else can explain your wilful disobedience to Jesus words?
I cannot think of anyting.
All humans speculate, that includes Christians. If we were unable to speculate we would be automatons. God designed us with the ability to choose, discern and even speculate. I’d imagine the disciples themselves were constantly speculating since it’s part of human nature.
To speculate is fine and natural, where it crosses the line is when you go against the Spirit and then make some statement that cannot be backedup with solid Biblical exegesis and thorough Theological study.
I’m sorry if it seems I am not born again, if you knew me and who I once was you would not even be asking that question or thinking along those lines.
My honest and Spirit filled query is to wonder if you are saved. And I hope and pray that you are, regaurdless you will be in my prayers.
The Spirit never tells His children to speculate, or go beyond what is written.
However, the spirit responsible for Adventism and all the other cults including Calvary chapel DOES encourage speculation, even adding to Revelatio,
And that spirit is the devil, sir.
Until you can follow Christ at Revelation 22:18-19, you are merely leading others astray with any former-SDA influence you might have (writing magazine articles?)
Christ will find you to be a non-Christ follower, won’t He? All He needs to do is see if you teach demonic things that cross His last warning in scripture.
That is the problem with teaching a foreign Jesus, as Calvary Chapel does. It merely indicates they are also teaching a foreign gospel (the one where you can walk away from salvation after being born again). 2 Corinthians identifies such people as actually being servants of satan.
I exhort you to reconsider anything pretrib-rapture, for it came from satan.
Ordinarily I wouldn’t be this blunt but you are coming very close to doing something that can’t be taken back.
By implying that the Pre-Tribulation rapture is of the Devil not of God…you are basically calling the Holy Spirit a liar…and the Holy Spirit is God.
If you look at the prime example of the Rapture passage in 1st Thessalonians Chapter 4 you’ll notice that the writer, Paul, places himself as one of those who would be alive at the Lord’s Coming with the spirits of those who have died in Christ.
Verse 15: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming (T) will certainly have no advantage over [k] those who have fallen asleep.
Verse 17: Then (Y) we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds (Z) to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord.
Paul himself taught an imminent catching up or gathering together of the church, he wrote as if he expected to be alive when Christ came for His church, and these words that he wrote came rirectly from the following person:
First part of Verse 15: For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord:
This phrase is the New Testament version of the phrase used in the Old Testament when Prophets relayed the words of God to the people.
1st Samuel 2:27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, (AW) “This is what the LORD says:
If such a revelation came from the Lord himself who is God, and the Holy Spirit who is God made sure all the words were recorded accurately, and in John 14:1-3 Jesus who is God told His disciples that He would come to earth to take us to His Father’s House.
And in Revelation this same Jesus brings us back from Heaven Leading a charge on white horses to put an end to the Battle of Armageddon I can hardly discount the truth of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
It is exactly what the Holy Spirit has revealed and convinced me of, and to deny a truth revealed by the Holy SPirit is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
I pray that you rethink your position.
And just what spirit is it that gets the Rapturists to add to the book of Revelation?
Ross, would that be the Holy Ghost, or the Devil?
Does the Holy Ghost really set up people to get their names removed from the Book of Life, and receive the plagues? Revelation 22:18-19
It is you who has done something that can’t be taken back.
We are not adding to the book of Revelation, the Rapture is quite cleaerly right there in the text.
Also the Bible says that His Coming will be like a thief in the night, the only time this is possible is if it happens prior to the Tribulation period. The 70th Week of Daniel. After that the time of Tribulation will be filled with so much noise (not to mention God’s Wrath) that you could scarcely miss any kind of coming after it were to begin.
The same stands with the Bible saying that it would be like the times of Noah when Christ returns…the times of Noah from the discription that follows sounds like NOW…the Purpose of the Tribulation is for the Salvation of the Jewish Nation and the Judgment of those that Dwell on the Earth.
The Church is promised by God the Holy Spirit in the Book of Thessalonians that we are not destined for the Wrath of God. Jesus is God, and who opens the 7 Sealed Book of Revelation…Jesus.
In John 14 1-3 Jesus Promises that He will return and call us to Himself so that we can always be with the Lord. In the same prophecy He tells us that He will be taking us to His Father’s House. (For the Bema Judgment, Marriage of the Lamb)- since that’s where He’s making a place for us.
Since we’re not destined for the Wrath of God and Jesus who is God has promised to take us to His Father’s House…He must take us to the Father’s House before he opens the First of the Seal Seals on the 7 Sealed Scroll.
That is turn puts is in Heaven before the 7 Year Tribulation.
Jesus is not going to Beat up His Bride for 7 Years…He took God’s Wrath for His Bride on the Cross.
My question to you is why do so many who call themselves Christians want to Go through the Tribulation?
In the Tribulation there is no protection for those who come to Christ…in fact many many innumerable are martyred for their beliefs.
Christ promised to take us home before His wrath would fall, don’t deny the Blessed Hope of the Bible.