Cults members will nearly always hide their affiliation, in order to get a foothold into meetings, etc.

In his book Answers to Objections, F. D. Nichol demonstrated how the psycho-logical defense that Adventists erected in their early days (due to falsely picking dates for Christ's return, etc.) has carried over into modern times.  He wrote:

  "When Seventh-day Adventist ministers go into a community to hold a series of lectures. they conceal, at first, their denominational connection. They thus hope to draw into the audience people who would never have come if they knew that Seventh-day Adventists were conducting the meetings.  This is a form of deception.  There is something the matter with a religious body that is afraid to identify itself as soon as it begins to carry on any activity in a community." 

So, what can we make of Seventh Day Adventists?  Although the SDA includes a number of doctrines (e.g. Sabbatarianism, conditional immorality or soul sleep, annihilation of the wicked, Investigative Judgment) that are outside the mainstream of historic Christian theology, Seventh Day Adventists (also simply known by the acronym: SDA) do accept the essential doctrines of the Christian faith.  Yet, on the other hand, they do preach a different Gospel.  To an orthodox Christian, any different Gospel than Jesus preached is a lie.  An example of false SDA teaching is Ellen White's contention that the observance of the Sabbath is the "greatest" of all the Ten Commandments.  Below you will see how this is an outright  lie which contradicts what Jesus told us Himself (which is love God & your neighbor).

Cults always deviate from what the apostles of Jesus taught.
They will always defend their lies and deviations by claiming something like what they disagree with "are only traditions of men" anyways.  Always some half truth or lie from a cultish group/church will attract and "tickle the ears" of millions of Christians who have little or no groundings or education about their Christian Faith.  BibleProbe.com thinks that if Christian Churches had done a better job of teaching their congregations gospel truths from their pulpits, there would be no un-Orthodox "splinter group" such as Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, or Seventh Day Adventists.  Were Seventh Day Adventists to reevaluate their teachings against scripture & apostolic tradition, and drop their several false Miller and White teachings, and insistence that Christians be re-shackled to the Jewish Saturday Sabbath, then SDA's could be good, fervent, mainline Christians.

SDA's would do well to remember the traditions of the Church contain a wealth of knowledge.  To snuggly brush these off as mere "traditions of men" is doing a disservice to every innocent soul being deceived by the Seventh Day Adventists.  We were warned to hold fast to our traditions.  Call these Catholic traditions, Apostolic traditions or early Church traditions.  It's all the same.  These came to us from early church Bishops and Church Fathers who were taught by the apostles, or by those who were taught by the apostles.  Scripture itself speaks to us about these traditions:

There is no special Remnant Church! 

The "Body of Christ" consists of saved Protestants, Catholics, and Messianic Jews.  The 144,000 does not refer to the number of saved Jehovah Witnesses or SDA elders.  It refers to end time Jews.  144,000 are sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel, the twelve tribes (Revelation 7, 14:1).

A cult can also be made known because they always have a contradictory book or literature (like the Book of Mormons and the Jehovah Witness re-write of the Bible) which they claim has equal or greater "weight" than the holy Bible. Seventh Day Adventists usually place Ellen White's contradictory writings in this league. Also, a cult will always claim that only they are the true Church. Early in Ellen White's writings, she called the rest of Christendom "Babylon". She said only the Seventh Day Adventists are the saved "Remnant" Church. Can you see how this works on the mind of the gullible? Jehovah Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists and Mormons and Christian Scientists can't all be right --that only they will be saved. Who wouldn't want to belong to the only true church? Millions and millions of people flood out of mainline Christian churches to be counted among these "Saints", who share one thing in common.  They all contradict Jesus, holy scripture and the teachings of the apostles of Jesus. A cult must make its followers believe that they alone are a special "remnant" people.

Most often a cult will pervert the Gospel of Jesus, which is above all, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."  Matthew 22:37-39

Regarding salvation by Faith and not by Works we know from Ephesians 2:8-10, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." And regards to Christians not being under the Old Testament Law we have  Romans 8:1-2, which explains to us:  "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."   Paul says;  "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." (Galatians 3:24-25) 
 

When one sees the holy name of "Jesus" they should immediately also see the words "freedom" and "love".  For Jesus, the loving Lord of the Sabbath set those who trust and believe in Him free!  This includes from the "legalities" of the Old Testament Law which was given to - and meant for Jews.  This also includes any requirement for tithing or Sabbath keeping.  If we tithe or honor Jesus on any special day, be it Saturday or Sunday, we should do it for the love of Jesus.  Never, because we think it is any requirement of any "Law".  Paul says;  "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." (Galatians 3:24-25)


Regarding, the Saturday Sabbath, the fact of the matter is that Sabbath-keeping was prescribed by God to the Jewish people. Search Scripture and you will not find one single sentence where God commanded any Gentile to abide by the Old Testament Commandments.  This law was never given to the Gentiles, nor was it given to the Church. The Law of Moses was nailed to the Cross (Colossians 2:14, Galatians 4:1-26; and Romans 6:14) with the Savior. Sabbath keeping was one of those "legalities" that Jesus frequently spoke out against. The priestly "system" was the other. The Jewish Sabbath was abolished at the cross where Christ "wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us" (Colossians 2:14).  Paul says;  "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." (Galatians 3:24-25)

Since the time of the Apostles, Christians have opted to honor Sunday instead of Saturday, because that's the day the Lord rose from the dead. The word "honor" is not the same as the word "must". No Christian should feel they must "Judaize" by stopping all activity on Saturday, or act like pagan Muslims who also "must" pray 5 times a day. Christians are made free, simply because what the Lord did for us "is sufficient".  We only need to repent and believe.  See: Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Colossians 2:16–17, and Revelation 1:10.

Most Christians believe Sabbath keeping is not required of the Christian — be it Saturday or Sunday, BUT with the caveat;

Paul did say; "We are to worship God every day, not just on Saturday or Sunday."

Saint Gregory the Great declares: "For us, the true Sabbath is the person of our Redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ". This is why the joy with which God, on humanity's first Sabbath, contemplates all that was created from nothing, is now expressed in the joy with which Christ, on Easter Sunday, appeared to his disciples, bringing the gift of peace and the gift of the Spirit (John 20:19-23).

The Apostle Paul said that each individual Christian should decide whether to observe a Sunday Sabbath, “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5).”

Those who preach the false Sabbatarianism (Saturday worship) theology don't want to hear this. But, tradition and History tell us that early Christians met in homes, usually on a Sunday and celebrated the Body and Blood of Christ with bread and wine. Also to the disdain of these modern day "jailers" who want to return Christians to the chains of the Old Testament Laws which were meant for and given only to the Jews:

Let us look then at the record. In Chapter 20:7 of Acts, it is said that at Paul's return to Troas, "Upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them. - . " This states clearly that the purpose of their gathering together was "to break bread", or observe the Lord's Supper. It is also clear that this was on the first day of the week, which had become the regular time for the meeting of Christians, and which John, in Chapter 1, verse 10 of Revelations, calls "the Lord's Day".

That the early church under the direct guidance of the inspired apostles observed the Lord's Supper on the first day of every week is the testimony of all biblical scholars and church historians of every denomination. Mosheim, in his celebrated Ecclesiastical History, volume 1,

Pages 46 and 85 says: "The first of all the Christian churches founded by the apostles was that at Jerusalem; and after the form and model of this all the others of that age were constituted. That church, however, was governed immediately by the apostles, to whom the presbyters (or elders) and the deacons, or overseers of the poor, were subject. Though the people had not withdrawn themselves from the Jewish worship, yet they held their separate meetings, in which they were instructed by the apostles and presbyters (or elders), offered up their united prayers, celebrated the sacred supper, the memorial of Jesus Christ, and the salvation he procured . . . . The Christians of this century assembled for the worship of God and for their advancement in piety on the first day of the week, the day on which Christ reassumed life; for that this day was set apart for religious worship by the apostles themselves, and that after the example of the Church at Jerusalem, it was generally observed we have unexceptional testimony."

For the first three centuries, then, the church observed the Lord's Supper each first day of the week. Testimony to this fact comes from Justin Martyr, one of the earliest church fathers. To those who were sick and unable to attend the assembly, the communion was carried to their homes. It was not till the fourth century that the church became careless and began to lose her first love.

• 90AD DIDACHE: "Christian Assembly on the Lord's Day: 1. But every Lord's day do ye gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. 2. But let no one that is at variance with his fellow come together with you, until they be reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be profaned. 3. For this is that which was spoken by the Lord: In every place and time offer to me a pure sacrifice; for I am a great King, saith the Lord, and my name is wonderful among the nations." (Didache: The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, Chapter XIV)

We know Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses changed the Lord's Gospel, but what of the Seventh Day Adventists who have built their large following partly on demanding their congregation adhere to the Saturday Sabbath simply because it appears as one of the 10 Commandments. Are the Seventh Day Adventist's simply a non-cultic denomination with some unique beliefs that differ from mainline Christianity, such as Sabbath keeping? Is there more to the Adventists?

Does Ellen White and William Miller have anything in common with the Christian Science cult leader Mary Baker Eddy? What about Joseph Smith (Mormons), Charles Taze Russell (Jehovah Witnesses), Muhammad (Islam), and L. Ron Hubbard (Scientology)? All preached a different gospel than the apostles preached. All, with the possible exception of William Miller, were uneducated people, especially in theology. Muhammad could not even read. Joseph Smith died in a gun fight, and killed two people before he was shot. Joseph acted as a Mason at the time of his death. And Charles Taze Russell was a proven liar, who claimed in a New York Court that he was an ordained pastor, well versed in Greek and Latin. But when pressed on the stand in Court, he could not read anything from the Greek alphabet. He also could show no proof of any ordination from any mainline church.  Muhammad of course raped and murdered, he married a 6 year old girl when he was in his 50's, he had 12 wives, he cringed from the sight of any cross, and he insisted on 20 percent of all booty captured from attacks on innocent caravans and settlements.  William Miller was also a Mason.  So, Let's look at the Adventist history.

Like Muhammad Islam, was Ellen White prone to self-serving "visions"?

Most Seventh-day Adventists have heard stories of how the Whites started their ministry "penniless," and how Mrs. White died "in debt." Mrs. White's writings are filled with lessons of self-denial and sacrifice. What few SDAs realize is that her early years of poverty were quickly erased as she and James amassed an enormous fortune in money, assets and real estate. Ellen White would not tolerate the suggestion of lowering the royalties on her books. At one time in her career, some brethren urged her to lower her royalties so the work could move forward. They presented to her the self-sacrificing example of Uriah Smith, who agreed to lower royalties on his book so the work could go forward. She responds with a well-timed "vision". Read more about this wealth: here

Terminology:
Seventh-day Adventists are also called Adventists and SDAs. The word Adventists is often pronounced incorrectly. The emphasis should be on the first syllable (Ad'-ven-tist).

History:

The origin of the Seventh-day Adventists can be traced to the Millerite Movement of the 19th Century. This movement was largely responsible for what has been called the Great second advent awakening. William Miller was born on February 15, 1782 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. At age 4 his family moved to rural Low Hampton, New York.

William Miller was an American Baptist preacher, Miller is credited as the founder of Adventism (heir to the Jehovah’s Witnesses).

In 1803, Miller married Lucy Smith and moved to her home town, nearby Poultney Vermont, where he took up farming. While in Poultney, Miller was elected to a number of civil offices, beginning with the office of Constable. In 1809 he was elected to the office of Deputy Sheriff and at an unknown date was elected Justice of the Peace. Miller served in the Vermont militia and was commissioned a lieutenant on July 21, 1810. By this time he had become a relatively wealthy man, owning a house, land and at least two horses.

William Miller was originally a Deist (a person who believes that God created the universe but has not been actively involved since) and a freemason. A freemason believes that good works will get one on the good side of the "Great Architect of the Universe".  They think all Religions are equal, including Islam which lies that Jesus didn't even die on a cross.  Also, Masons normally will even not allow the holy name of Jesus to be even uttered in their temples. 

After two years of private Bible study, Miller converted to Christianity and became a Baptist lay leader. "It was here (Poultney, Vermont) that Mr Miller became a member of the Masonic fraternity, in which his perseverance, if nothing else, was manifested; for he advanced to the highest degree which the lodges then in the country, or in that region, could confer." (Memoirs of William Miller, Sylvester Bliss, p. 21-22).  Little is known of Miller's Masonic ties other than this statement by his biographer Sylvester Bliss.  He was convinced that the Bible contained coded information about the end of the world and the Second Coming of Jesus. He also realized that he had an obligation to teach his findings to others. In 1831, he started to preach; the next year, he wrote articles about his findings. In 1833, he published a pamphlet on end-time prophecy. In 1836, his book Evidences from Scripture and History of the Second Coming of Christ about the Year 1843 was published.

One of the key texts that he interpreted was in the Book of Daniel: Daniel heard two angels talking; one asked how long it will take until the destruction of the Temple is avenged and it is restored to its rightful state. The other replied in Daniel 8:14

"And he said onto me, unto 2,300 days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." Miller falsely taught that this referred to the purging of the earth by fire at the Second Coming of Jesus. When actually it is a prophecy that already came true, about the desecration of the Jewish Temple by the Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanies, but Adventist founder Miller falsely taught that it was an end times prophecy. In 168 B.C. Antiochus Epiphanes dared to occupy Jerusalem, enter the Holy of Holies, desecrate the sanctuary by offering unclean animals (swine) upon the alter of burnt-offerings, pollute the whole building by sprinkling it with water in which flesh had been boiled, dedicated the Temple itself to Jupiter Olympus, and erected the statue of that deity and plundered the temple treasures.

Miller believed that the 2,300 days were each of one year duration and that the interval started in 457 B.C. He concluded that the cleansing of the temple (i.e. the Second Coming) would occur sometime between two spring equinoxes: March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. He found other methods of calculating the end time which also seemed to point to the year 1843 A.D.

Miller wrote:  "I believe the time can be known by all who desire to understand and to be ready for his coming.  And I am fully convinced that some time between March 21st, 1843 and March 21st, 1844, according to the Jewish method of computation of time, Christ will come and bring all his saints with him; and that then he will reward every man as his work shall be."

In his conferences on the Advent, Miller wrote: "I was thus brought to the solemn conclusion, that in about 25 years from that time 1818 all the affairs of our present state would be wound up.” His final prediction settled on 1844.

In common with all other predictions of the Second Coming, the end didn't happen on cue. Thousands of followers had given away their possessions in anticipation of the big day. But then one of Miller's followers realized that his calculations had been off by one year, because he neglected to count the BC to AD rollover. So he revised the date to October 22 and tried again.

Date picking is a contradiction in extreme -against the teachings of Jesus.  Jesus said, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Matthew 24:36; also 24:42 and 44;25:13).  Jesus rebuked his apostles about date picking when He said; "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own  power (Acts 1:7).  Yet this did not deter William Miller and his Adventist associates. Sadly, William Miller was just one of many to jump on this "band wagon" heralding Christ's return during the 1843-44 period because of their interpretation of the 2300 day period (Daniel 8:14) back to the year 457 B.C.  Many "scholar's" in both Europe and America were during this same period espousing Miller's belief before him.

Samuel Snow, a follower of Miller, then interpreted the "tarrying time" referred to in Habakkuk 2:3 as equal to 7 months and 10 days, delaying the end time to October 22, 1844. That prophecy also did not come to pass. Upwards of 100,000 Millerites had expected to finally meet Jesus.  Many of them dressed in white robes and climbed up on roofs and hilltops. But the chosen night came and went. The milestone would come to be known as the Great Disappointment of 1844.  Many believers left the movement in what has become known as "The Great Disappointment".

Miller himself gradually withdrew from the leadership of the group and died in 1849. His followers called themselves Adventists; the group was often referred to as Millerites by others. The disillusioned remnants of his church splintered over doctrinal differences. This fragmentation ultimately gave rise to a variety of denominations, including the Jehovah Witnesses and the Seventh-Day Adventists.

New hope: On October 25, 1844, following the "Great Disappointment," Hiram Edson a devout Adventist and follower of William Miller,  cut through a cornfield on his way home, with his friend O.R.L. Crosier.  In deep meditation, suddenly Hiram Edson stopped.  He suddenly received a great spiritual revelation.

Doctor Froom tells us that Hiram suddenly realized that there were two phases to Christ's ministry in the heaven of heavens.  Hiram believed "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 2,300 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." Reference: The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers 

So miraculously, down and out Hiram Edson solved the riddle of why the Millerites were so disappointed after Christ did not return in 1844.

William Miller denied the Seventh-day Sabbath. This all seems to have been a concoction of Ellen White.

The theology of William Miller differed from the Seventh-day Adventist theology on three distinct points: He denied the Seventh-day Sabbath; the doctrine of the sleep of the soul; and the final utter destruction of the wicked--all doctrines held by the Seventh-day Adventist denominations.  Also, Miller never embraced the "sanctuary" and "investigative judgment" theories which the Seventh-day Adventists developed.  After the date-picking for Christ's return failed, William Miller died shortly after a broken and disillusioned man.  Regardless of his false prophesizing, William Miller an honest and forthright man.  

Millerites unite with their own peculiar dogmas:

Following the failed prophecy which resulted in the "Great Disappointment" of 1844, three segments of Millerites eventually united to form the Seventh-day Adventists.  These were a group headed by Hiram Edson from western New York.  These brought Hiram's doctrine of the "sanctuary".  The second group was headed by Joseph Bates, a retired  sea captain from Fairhaven, Massachusetts; who had a following located mostly in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.  It was his group that injected observance of the Seventh-day Sabbath into Seventh-day Adventism.  The third group came from Maine.  They injected the idea that Seventh-day Adventists were specially selected as the "remnant".  This group of Millerites from Maine emphasized "the Spirit of prophecy".  They accepted the interpretations and "visions" of Ellen G. Harmon (later Ellen White) of Portland, Maine.
 

One of Miller's printed pamphlets greatly influenced a young teenage Methodist girl from Maine named Ellen Harmon (later known by her married name Ellen White).  During the early 1840s, the Harmon family attended Adventist meetings. The Adventist church was a Christian denomination that believed that the coming of Christ, or advent, was imminent. The Harmons were especially taken with the views of William Miller who predicted Christ's return on October 22, 1844. The conflict between the Methodist and Millerite beliefs resulted in the Harmon family's removal from the Methodist Church in 1843.

Ellen joined  with other Adventists, including Joseph Bates, and her husband James White to form a small group of Baptist, Methodist, Congregational and Presbyterian believers in Washington, NH. The church was formally organized as the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In December 1844, two months after this "Great Disappointment" the 17 year old Ellen White said she had a vision which showed Adventist believers ushered into heaven. In 1863 Ellen said she believed that the 1844 prediction was correct, but that it referred to the start of an Investigative Judgment. This is a time when Christ will judge the dead and the living on earth for righteousness. She predicted that this would soon be followed by the second coming of Jesus. Late in her career, the church voted her the credentials of an ordained minister. However, she was never actually ordained. Ellen White has always been acknowledged as the spiritual leader of the Seventh Day Adventists.


More false teachings / more contradictions of Jesus:

This "Investigative Judgment" and Adventist teachings that the atonement of Christ was not finished at crucifixion is yet another false teaching of the Adventist Church. First off, the Lord Himself said; "it is finished". Neither Adventist teaching is biblical. According to Ellen White, her doctrine of "Investigative Judgment" MUST be believed in order for one to be saved. In a nutshell, this says; "Sins that have not been repented of and forsaken will not be pardoned and blotted out of the books of record, but will stand to witness against the sinner."

Hebrews 8:12, Romans and 1 John contradicts this Seventh Day Adventists false teaching. In Hebrews 8:12 we read; "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."

Also, Romans 8:1-2 says; "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

1 John 1:7 says; " But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

 

Victor Houteff joined the Seventh Day Adventist church in 1919. His beliefs deviated from main-line SDA church doctrine. This became obvious when he wrote his book The Shepherd's Rod in which he outlined errors that he found within the Seventh Day Adventist church. He left the church and formed a new sect in 1929 called the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists. This group split further and eventually led to the organization of the the Students of the Seven Seals, popularly known as the Branch Davidians. In 1993, after a long standoff with the FBI, the Branch Davidian's compound burned down with major loss of life.

The Church Now:
 

Dr. John Kellog, founder of "Kellogg's" and a major supplier of breakfast cereals was a well known member of the Seventh Day Adventist church.

The Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church has always taken a special interest in health concerns. They promote plans to help people quit smoking and consuming alcohol. They have played a major role in health research into the dangers of smoking and of diets rich in cholesterol and fats. They sponsor cooking classes, heart disease teams, narcotics education outreaches and disaster teams. There are 155 SDA hospitals and 276 clinics, dispensaries, etc. in the world. Many congregations have a Dorcas Society which provide food and supplies to the needy. They currently operate 92 post-secondary institutions, almost 1000 secondary schools and over 4000 elementary schools and kindergartens.

The SDA church is a strong supporter of the principle of separation of church and state. They also promote religious liberty, and publish a periodical called Liberty.

As of mid-2000, the Church has about 11 million baptized members, worldwide, who are "of age" and on the "official" roles. The total number of members and adherents is perhaps double that. They have a growth rate of about 11% per year. "Adventists can now be found in 205 of the 229 countries and areas of the world recognized by the United Nations, with 91.6% of membership living outside of North America."

 

By the middle of 2004, the total world church membership reached 13,663,497. The Adventist News Network reports that: "Six of the church's 13 world regions -- Inter-America, South America, East-Central Africa, Southern Africa-Indian Ocean, Southern Asia Pacific and North America -- have memberships of more than 1 million each. The church regions with the largest membership are: Inter-America, with 2.5 million; South America, with 2.3 million; and East-Central Africa with, 2.1 million." Part of the amazing growth of the Seventh Day Adventist church is due to the fact that they have always been on the "cutting edge" of evangelism. They began a radio program known as "The Voice of Prophecy" in 1929. "It is Written" was their 1956 color television program. And in 1965, the radio program "Amazing Facts" was launched. It went to television in 1987. In 1993, the gifted speaker Doug Batchelor took over "Amazing Facts". Probably 100 million homes are exposed to this program.

Beliefs:
Seventh-day Adventists follow most of the beliefs of conventional conservative Christianity: creation, the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, original sin; the virgin birth; the divinity of Christ; the nature of the Trinity; belief in Satan as a rebellious created being; the inerrancy of Scriptures as they were originally written; the resurrection of Jesus, and salvation by the atonement of Christ, etc. However, they differ on a number of other beliefs:

Writings of Ellen White: Ellen White is recognized by the SDA church as having received the gift of prophecy. The written works by Ellen White , "are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction." 21 This produced some conflict within the Church when research in the 1980's showed that she had borrowed heavily from contemporary writers.

False teachings and half truths are the signs of a "cult".

Ellen White claimed that observance of the Sabbath is the "greatest" of all the Ten Commandments:

"The pope has changed the day of rest from the seventh to the first day. He has thought to change the very commandment that was given to cause man to remember his Creator. He has thought to change the greatest commandment in the Decalogue and thus make himself equal with God..." (Early Writings, p. 65).

In this statement Ellen White directly contradicts Jesus. When He was asked to identify the greatest commandment, Jesus said: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38).

Ellen White believed so strongly in the necessity of Sabbath-keeping that she asserted that only Sabbath-keepers would be able to resist taking the Mark of the Beast in the end times. She truly believed and taught that Sabbath-keeping is a condition of salvation: "I saw that the holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers." (Early Writings, pp. 32-33).

This law was never given to the Gentiles, nor was it given to the Church. The Law of Moses was nailed to the Cross (Colossians 2:14). The death of Jesus inaugurated a New Covenant - a covenant written on the heart (Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 9:15). In His teaching, Jesus emphasized nine of the Ten Commandments and expanded them in scope to apply to our thoughts as well as our actions (Matthew 5-7). He never commanded the Church to observe the Sabbath.

Our calling as Christians is much higher than that of the Old Testament saints. We are living under the New Covenant which is a better one.

Under the Old Covenant a clear manifestation of God's blessing upon the lives of His people was material prosperity. Some examples of this are Job, Abraham, Solomon, and others. In this dispensation of grace under the New Covenant it is more blessed to give away your wealth and even be content with food and clothing if that is your lot. Under the Old Dispensation it was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but in this dispensation if we are struck on one cheek we are to turn the other also. If we are forced to go a mile, we should go two. If our coat is taken away we are not to forbid the taking of our cloak also.

There are those who say that we are not under the ceremonial law, but under the moral law of the Old Testament. Again, we have a higher calling under the Covenant of Grace. Under the Old Covenant a married person was guilty of adultery by committing the physical act. Under the New, a married person is guilty of adultery simply by lusting in his or her heart, without even having committed the physical act. Under the Old Covenant murder was forbidden, but under the New whosoever even hates his brother is a murderer (1 Jn. 3:15).

Read more on the Ten Commandments by Messianic Jewish Pastor Harry Bethel in: "The Ten Commandments are NOT for Christians", We Have A Higher Calling.

Quietly, Seventh Day Adventists share the Jehovah Witness lie that Jesus is Michael the Archangel.

Immortality:
The Seventh Day Adventists deny the concept of "innate immortality". They believe that a person is not naturally immortal. When a person dies, they remain unconscious until they are resurrected. Eternal life is a gift which God gives only to righteous Christians; the rest will be ultimately annihilated. Thus, they do not believe that a person goes to heaven or hell immediately upon death.

Jesus' return: The second coming of Christ is imminent. Believers should be ready at all times to be removed from earth to be with God in heaven; others will be destroyed by Christ. Righteous Christians who had previously died will be resurrected at that time and taken to heaven. For the following 1000 years, only Satan and his angels will be living on earth. A second resurrection will occur at the end of that period. The righteous will then return to a cleansed earth, and establish the New Jerusalem. The unrighteous who died before the Second Coming will be resurrected and be consumed by fire and by God, along with Satan and his angels. The universe will then be free of sin and sinners. Hell exists as a lake of fire where the unrighteous are "burned up, utterly destroyed, and cease forever to exist". Hell does not exist as a place of eternal torment.

Practices:
The practice of Adventism varies greatly from congregation to congregation. Some are more conservative; others more liberal. This is seen in their degree of emphasis on the writings of Ellen White, their customary clothing styles, their order of service, choice of music, etc.

Sabbath: Perhaps their most obvious practice which differentiates them from most other Christian churches is that they follow observe Saturday as their weekly Sabbath (from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset). Their religious education classes are called Sabbath Schools, not Sunday Schools. They often give a "Happy Sabbath" greeting when they meet.

The earliest Christian movement, the Jewish Christians centered in Jerusalem, followed the Jewish Saturday Sabbath. This was changed by the Church Council of Laodicea circa 364 CE, which ordered that future religious observances were to be conducted on Sunday. The Seventh Day Baptist church in the 17th century reverted to the practice of the primitive Christian church and adopted Saturday for religious services. The SDA followed suit.

Saturday worship has caused some employers to discriminate against those SDA members who feel that they cannot work on Saturday. On the other hand, other companies have found that an employee who is willing to work every Sunday can be an asset.

The operative word from Jesus regarding baptism is "MUST".  Jesus told us we must be baptized by both Water and the Holy Spirit.

Baptism into the Seventh Day Adventist church is done by full immersion after the age of accountability. It is preceded by instruction, a personal acceptance of the Scriptures, repentance of sins and confession of sins. Seventh Day Adventists say this is essential. SDA's have ignored almost 2000 years of apostolic tradition here. SDA's will claim that this is tradition of men. Of course they feel this relieves them of reality. Reality and tradition merge as one when the apostles teach one thing, and their followers teach the same way--as they have done for almost 2 millennium.

From the beginning of New Testament Christianity at the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 2: 38-39) to our time, unbroken and uninterrupted; the church has baptized babies. Entire households (Jewish, proselytes and Gentiles) were baptized by Christ’s original 12 Apostles (I Corinthians 1: 16; Acts 11: 14, 16: 15, 33, 18: 8) and that practice has continued with each generation.  Jesus told us that we MUST be baptized with both water and the Holy Spirit. 

SDA parents, take your infants and solemnly baptize them in a sink, in case your child should perish before reaching any "age of accountability".  Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Should your child reach an age of accountability, they can then decide for their selves to receive a second SDA baptism.

The heretical Seventh Day Adventist ideas about infant baptism are not new.  Read about the Anabaptist movement in Europe during the early 1500's, here.

Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

John 3:5
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

In Mark 16:16 Jesus says, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

Read more about Baptism and some false things some denominations say about it: here

The Early Church

Polycarp (69-155), a disciple of the Apostle John, was baptized as an infant. This enabled him to say at his martyrdom. "Eighty and six years have I served the Lord Christ" (Martyrdom of Polycarp 9: 3). Justin Martyr (100 - 166) of the next generation states about the year 150, "Many, both men and women, who have been Christ’s disciples since childhood, remain pure at the age of sixty or seventy years" (Apology 1: 15). Further, in his Dialog with Trypho the Jew, Justin Martyr states that Baptism is the circumcision of the New Testament.

Irenaeus (130 - 200), some 35 years later in 185, writes in Against Heresies II 22: 4 that Jesus "came to save all through means of Himself - all, I say, who through him are born again to God - infants and children, boys and youth, and old men."

Church Councils and Apologists

Similar expressions are found in succeeding generations by Origen (185 - 254) and Cyprian (215 - 258) who reflect the consensus voiced at the Council of Carthage in 254. The 66 bishops said: "We ought not hinder any person from Baptism and the grace of God..... especially infants. . . those newly born." Preceding this council, Origen wrote in his Commentary on Romans 5: 9: "For this also it was that the church had from the Apostles a tradition to give baptism even to infants. For they to whom the divine mysteries were committed knew that there is in all persons a natural pollution of sin which must be done away by water and the Spirit."


Diet:
Members are expected to abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and every other "soul-defiling habit".

They were once also expected to abstain from caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, cola drinks etc. The church has since removed this from the baptismal vows, although they still recommend that policy. They have interpreted the Old Testament dietary laws as prohibiting the eating of some foods. The church recommends avoiding red meat. Many SDA member are vegetarians who supplement their diet with eggs and milk.

Dress:
Dress codes differ greatly among individual congregations. Some churches expect members to dress simply; others have no dress codes at all.

Entertainment:
Members are encouraged to watch uplifting entertainment. Some conservative congregations suggest that members should "shun all questionable worldly amusements such as the theater and dance". However, most Adventists differ little from the typical American in this area.

Inter-faith marriages are discouraged. This includes marriage to non-SDA Christians.

Divorce:
The Adventist World Session in 2000 modified the grounds under which a divorce is permissible. They became: adultery/fornication, abandonment by an unbelieving spouse, or physical violence. Adultery/fornication includes incest, child sexual abuse, or homosexual behavior. However, abandonment by a believing spouse would not be grounds for divorce. (A believing spouse means a fellow SDA member; Roman Catholics, other Protestants, etc. are considered unbelievers.) 20 In practice, members who have terminated an unworkable marriage are not shunned or harassed in any way.

Remarriage:
Remarriage is only allowed if one's spouse is guilty of adultery/fornication.

Evolution: The SDA church has been quite active in the promotion of Creation Science in opposition to the theory of evolution. The Geoscience Research Institute at Loma Linda University (a SDA institution) publishes a semi-annual periodical Origins which promotes Creation Science
Education: Higher education is highly respected within the church. The rate of college graduates in SDA membership is about twice the US national average.


Church Controversies:

The role of women:
In common with many conservative Christian churches, the question of ordination of women is actively debated within the SDA church. The special role of the SDA founder, Ellen White, is proof that women are able to contribute to church life. However, although they have been allowed to be ordained as elders for many years, none are eligible as pastors. This decision was based largely on the text of 1 Corinthians 14:34-37 when St. Paul presented as a command of God that women should keep quiet in church, and remain subordinate. In 1 Timothy 2:12A, he said that no woman was to teach or have authority over a man; she is to remain silent. As in other denominations, the debate concentrates on whether: These were commands for the first century church, or for all eras

These were commands for the Mediterranean region, or for all cultures.
Whether these passages were written by St. Paul or were forgeries written by others and attributed to Paul.

The North American Division (NAD) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church proposed to the 1995 General Conference in Utrecht, Netherlands that each World Division be allowed to decide independently whether to ordain women to the pastorate. The proposal was defeated by a vote of 1481 to 673. A few NAD congregations went ahead and ordained women pastors in spite of the decision.

Homosexuality:
The church's stand is that the Bible consistently condemns homosexuality as a sin. Gay candidates are not permitted to be ordained as pastors.

Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International is an organization "devoted to the spiritual, emotional, social and physical well-being of current and former Seventh-day Adventists who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered." Their group is completely independent of the SDA church. It was founded in 1976 and has over 1000 members: gays, lesbians, their parents, friends and supporters. They believe that:

God loves and accepts gays and lesbians as they are.

Ellen White's writings do not "parallel any of the Bible Texts which are often used to condemn homosexuals."

According to Seventh Day Adventists, The Bible does not "condemn, or even mention homosexuality as a sexual orientation."

We need to ask the SDA what do they make of these taken from the King James Bible:

Leviticus 18:22
'You shall not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Leviticus 20:13 says,
"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."

Deuteronomy 23:17:
There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.

Romans 1:26-27 (Pauline epistle):
"For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the women, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet."

2 Peter 2:4-6
“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eight person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an en-sample unto those that after should live ungodly;”

Jude 7 depicts the activity as "gross immorality" and going after "strange flesh." Peter wrote that Lot was "vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked," and "by what he saw and heard...and Lot felt his righteous soul vexed from day to day with their unlawful deeds." These people were "chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government....." (2 Peter 2:7-10)

Jude 6 speaks of the angels "which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation," he then adds, "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire," (Jude 7).

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God..

sexual orientation is unchangeable.

In 1987 the Seventh-day Adventist Church filed legal action in a federal district court in California, in an attempt to stop SDA Kinship International from using "Seventh-day Adventist" in their name. The church lost their lawsuit, which was never appealed.

Cult Status:
Several prominent theologians, including ex-members of the Seventh-day Adventists, have stated in the past that the SDA church is a cult. In doing this, they do not imply that the church is a mind control cult or a doomsday cult, but simply that some of their beliefs deviate from those of traditional, conservative Christianity. Some attackers have quoted isolated writings of some members of the church and incorrectly asserted that the thoughts represented official church doctrine. Some of the criticisms include: That the writings of Mrs. White are considered on a par with those of the Bible: inspired by God and infallible.

That the SDA church bases some of its doctrine on the writings of Mrs. White.

That the atonement of Christ was not finished at crucifixion.

SDA False claims against Catholics:

Catholic Priest, Reverend M. James Divis, S.T.L., writes: "Recently we received an 80-page booklet entitled 'What's Behind The New World Order?' It can be traced back to the writings of Ellen G. White, foundress of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. According to this booklet, the Catholic Church is behind the New World Order. The booklet claims that this is true, since the Church is the beast of Revelation (Rev. 17). It attempts to prove this claim by exposing the 'marks of the beast.' Due to limited space, only one charge will be considered. This is a common charge used against the Catholic Church."

BibleProbe.com comment: This is a "bum rap" that seems to be perpetrated against Catholics by the Seventh Day Adventists.  Many Christians, especially Catholics, do use statues as "visual aids" when praying.  But, even Catholics do not pray to the plaster or wood as Seventh Day Adventists claim.  They are are thinking beyond this statue to God, Mary and the Saints.  Also, if the SDA do not believe in intercessory prayer, perhaps they can explain, the Apostle Paul asking for the churches to pray for him.

Reverend Divis writes: "No one is allowed by the Catholic Church to pray to images since they have no ears to hear or power to help us. The Catholic Church allows for the veneration (respect) of images as long as the honor is directed towards Christ and His saints." 

Catholic Reverend M. James Divis writes:

And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. ... Numbers 21:8-9

Read more on this by Reverend Divis (approved by his Bishop), here

SDA CLAIM THE POPE IS THE ANTICHRIST  of 1260 days (years):

The Seventh Day Adventists claim that the Papacy is the antichrist of revelation is also very suspect and unproven.  The SDA claim that the Catholic Church, from 538 AD to 1798 AD (when Napoleon ended it) was in fact the antichrist that Daniel prophesized about.  They falsely claim that before 538 A.D. the papacy was not relevant.  Yet, "The development of the 'supremacy of the papacy' began long before 538. In his book on The History of the Christian Church--which has served for many years as the standard text book for church history classes--Williston Walker devotes chapter 6 to the 'Growth of the Papacy' during the fourth and fifth centuries. He points out that during this period there were influential popes like Damasus (366-384), Innocent I (402-417), and Leo I, called 'the Great' (440-461), who greatly advanced both the spiritual and temporal power of the papacy.

"For example, the last Pope mentioned, Leo I, known as 'Leo the Great,' greatly increased the political prestige of the papacy by threatening with hell fire Attila the Hun, when he was approaching Rome in 451 with his terrifying soldiers. Attila obeyed the Pope and withdrew beyond the Danube. Later Pope Leo secured concessions from the Vandals when they took Rome in 452. He is called 'Leo the Great' for advancing and consolidating the power of the papacy.

In his newsletter Seventh Day Adventist Dr. Bacchiochi points out that the supremacy of the papacy was actually established centuries prior to 538 A.D.:

Dr. Bacchoicchi goes on to point out that the papacy did not achieve temporal sovereignty until 756 when the pope acquired the territories of Central Italy. The papacy controlled these territories until 1870 when the king of Sardinia took over the papal territories.

Dr. Bacchoichi has shown that the 538 date corresponds to no significant event in history and that the supremacy of the Papacy actually began centuries earlier. Now, what about the ending date of the 1260-day prophecy? Was the papacy abolished in 1798? On page 579 of the 1888 Great Controversy Ellen White writes:

"The infliction of the deadly wound points to the abolition of the papacy in 1798."

"The infliction of the deadly wound points to the downfall of the papacy in 1798."

While 1798 is a day of some significance for the papacy, it certainly does not indicate the "abolition" or even the "downfall" of the papacy. When Pope Pius VI was taken prisoner by the French General Berthier, the papacy suffered humiliation, but it would be a gross exaggeration to describe this event as the "downfall" of the papacy.  

In his newsletter Dr. Bacchiocchi explains what happened after the pope was captured in 1798:

"The imprisonment of Pope Paul VI was condemned by Russia and Austria. Both nations decided to join forces to restore the Pope to his Pontifical throne in Rome. When the French government was confronted with this new coalition and with popular uprisings, it decided to transfer the Pope to Valence, in France, where he died 40 days later, on August 29, 1799.

ANOTHER SDA ERROR - The Origin of Sunday Worship

On pages 52-53 of The Great Controversy Mrs. Ellen White wrote:

"In the first centuries the true Sabbath had been kept by all Christians. They were jealous for the honor of God, and believing that His law is immutable, they zealously guarded the sacredness of its precepts."

Dr. Bacchiocchi writes in his newsletter:

"What is problematic is the impression many people get from EGW's statements that the Sabbath was observed 'by all Christians . . . in the first centuries' until 'the early part of the fourth century [when] the emperor Constantine issued a decree making Sunday a public holiday.' (pp. 52-53) ...

"The earliest documents mentioning Sunday worship go back to Barnabas in 135 and Justin Martyr in 150. Thus, it is evident that Sunday worship was already established by the middle of the second century. This means that to be historically accurate the term 'centuries' should be changed to the singular 'century'."

SDA ERROR - The Change of Sabbath to Sunday

Yet another inaccuracy is found in chapter 25 of The Great Controversy. Ellen White claims that the change of the Sabbath to Sunday was accomplished by the Pope with the "power of the state":

"It was on behalf of Sunday that popery first asserted its arrogant claims; and its first resort to the power of the state was to compel the observance of Sunday as 'the Lord's Day.'" (page 447)

"Royal edicts, general councils, and church ordinances sustained by secular power were the steps by which the pagan festival [day of the Sun] attained its position of honor in the Christian world." (page 574)

"Both statements just cited are inaccurate, because the secular power of the state did not influence or compel Christians to adopt Sunday during the second and third centuries. At that time the Roman emperors were rather hostile toward Christianity. They were more interested to suppress Christianity than to support church leaders in their promotion of Sunday worship. The bishop of Rome could not have resorted to 'the power of the state to compel the observance of Sunday as the Lord's Day.' Eventually, beginning with the fourth century, some Roman emperors actively supported the agenda of the church, but this was long after the establishment of Sunday observance.

"In my dissertation FROM SABBATH TO SUNDAY I have shown that the Bishop of Rome did indeed pioneer the change in the day of worship, but he did it without the help of the Roman government. What precipitated the need to change the Sabbath to Sunday, was the anti-Jewish and anti-Sabbath legislation promulgated in 135 by the Emperor Hadrian.

"After suppressing the Second Jewish revolt, known as the Barkokoba revolt (132-135), which caused many casualties, the Emperor Hadrian decided to deal with the Jewish problem in a radical way by suppressing the Jewish religion. Hitler was determined to liquidate the Jews as a people and Hadrian was committed to suppress Judaism as a religion. To accomplish this objective Hadrian outlawed in 135 the Jewish religion in general and Sabbathkeeping in particular.

"It was at this critical moment that the Bishop of Rome took the initiative to change the Sabbath to Sunday in order to show to the Roman government the Christians' separation from the Jews and their identification with the cycles of the Roman society. But, at this time the Bishop of Rome could not call upon 'the power of the state to compel the observance of Sunday as the Lord's Day,' because in the eyes of the Romans Christianity was still a suspect religion to be suppressed, rather than to be supported."

SDA ERROR - Sabbath Condemned by Ecumenical Councils

Mrs. White wrote in The Great Controversy of "vast councils" that supposedly attempted to "press down" the Sabbath in order to exalt Sunday in its place. She writes:

"Vast councils were held from time to time, in which the dignitaries of the church were convened from all the world. In nearly every council the Sabbath which God had instituted was pressed down a little lower, while the Sunday was correspondently exalted." (page 53)

"The problem is with the second part of the statement which speaks of the Sabbath as being 'pressed down a little lower' in almost every general council. In all my reading of the seven ecumenical councils, I have not found a reference to the Sabbath/Sunday question being debated in such councils. Presumably the reason is that Sunday observance was no longer a debated question--it had become widely accepted by Christians."

APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION:

Apostolic Succession:

As a boy (around 120 A.D.) Irenaeus listened to the sermons of the great bishop and martyr, Polycarp of Smyrna, who was regarded as a disciple of the apostles themselves.

The passage by Irenaeus (Adv. haereses, III, iii, 3) reads:
"The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy. To him succeeded Anacletus; and after him, in the third place from the apostles, Clement was allotted the bishopric. This man, as he had seen the blessed apostles, and had been conversant with them, might be said to have the preaching of the apostles still echoing [in his ears], and their traditions before his eyes.

Popes of the Catholic Church:

Peter
Linus
Anacletus
Clement I
Evaristus
Alexander I
Sixtus I
Telesphorus
Hyginus
Pius I
Anicetus
Soter
Eleuterus
Victor I
Zephyrinus
Callixtus I
Urban I
Pontian
Anterus
Fabian
Cornelius
Lucius I
Stephen I
Sixtus II
Dionysius
Felix I
Eutychian
Caius
Marcellinus
Marcellus I
Eusebius
Miltiades
Sylvester I
Mark
Julius I
Liberius
Damasus I
Siricius
Anastasius I
Innocent I
Zosimus
Boniface I
Celestine I
Sixtus III
Leo I
Hilarius
Simplicius
Felix III
Gelasius I
Anastasius II
Symmachus
Hormisdas
John I
Felix IV
Boniface II
John II
Agapetus I
Silverius
Vigilius
Pelagius I
John III
Benedict I
Pelagius II
Gregory I
Sabinian
Boniface III
Boniface IV
Adeodatus I
Boniface V
Honorius I
Severinus
John IV
Theodore I
Martin I
Eugene I
Vitalian
Adeodatus II
Donus
Agatho
Leo II
Benedict II
John V
Conon
Sergius I
John VI
John VII
Sisinnius
Constantine
Gregory II
Gregory III
Zachary
Stephen II
Paul I
Stephen III
Adrian I
Leo III
Stephen IV
Paschal I
Eugene II
Valentine
Gregory IV
Sergius II
Leo IV
Benedict III
Nicholas I
Adrian II
John VIII
Marinus I
Adrian III
Stephen V
Formosus
Boniface VI
Stephen VI
Romanus
Theodore II
John IX
Benedict IV
Leo V
Sergius III
Anastasius III
Lando
John X
Leo VI
Stephen VII
John XI
Leo VII
Stephen VIII
Marinus II
Agapetus II
John XII
Leo VIII
Benedict V
John XIII
Benedict VI
Benedict VII
John XIV
John XV
Gregory V
Sylvester II
John XVII
John XVIII
Sergius IV
Benedict VIII
John XIX
Benedict IX
Sylvester III
Benedict IX
Gregory VI
Clement II
Benedict IX
Damasus II
Leo IX
Victor II
Stephen IX
Nicholas II
Alexander II
Gregory VII
Victor III
Urban II
Paschal II
Gelasius II
Callixtus II
Honorius II
Innocent II
Celestine II
Lucius II
Eugene III
Anastasius IV
Adrian IV
Alexander III
Lucius III
Urban III
Gregory VIII
Clement III
Celestine III
Innocent III
Honorius III
Gregory IX
Celestine IV
Innocent IV
Alexander IV
Urban IV
Clement IV
Gregory X
Innocent V
Adrian V
John XXI
Nicholas III
Martin IV
Honorius IV
Nicholas IV
Celestine V
Boniface VIII
Benedict XI
Clement V
John XXII
Benedict XII
Clement VI
Innocent VI
Urban V
Gregory XI
Urban VI
Boniface IX
Innocent VII
Gregory XII
Martin V
Eugene IV
Nicholas V
Callixtus III
Pius II
Paul II
Sixtus IV
Innocent VIII
Alexander VI
Pius III
Julius II
Leo X
Adrian VI
Clement VII
Paul III
Julius III
Marcellus II
Paul IV
Pius IV
Pius V
Gregory XIII
Sixtus V
Urban VII
Gregory XIV
Innocent IX
Clement VIII
Leo XI
Paul V
Gregory XV
Urban VIII
Innocent X
Alexander VII
Clement IX
Clement X
Innocent XI
Alexander VIII
Innocent XII
Clement XI
Innocent XIII
Benedict XIII
Clement XII
Benedict XIV
Clement XIII
Clement XIV
Pius VI
Pius VII
Leo XII
Pius VIII
Gregory XVI
Pius IX
Leo XIII
Pius X
Benedict XV
Pius XI
Pius XII
John XXIII
Paul VI
John Paul I
John Paul II
Currently: Benedict XVI

IMPORTANCE OF THE EUCHARIST:
Jesus was adamant and He even repeated it twice. Even after his Apostles "grumbled" over this hard saying (must eat His body & drink His blood)--He stuck to it. The first Eucharist which took place there, established the New Covenant. "Do this in remembrance of me" is the stated wish of our Lord. There is nothing symbolic to it. In carrying out Christ's commandment, being fully conscious of the great significance of the Eucharist, the Apostles performed that Mystery. It was the gift of the Eucharist that united and equalized ALL the early Christians -- be they lords, slaves, rich or poor.

The word 'Eucharist' means to give thanks. Jesus designed and deliberately instituted this sacred rite that was to be practiced by the Christian community "till He comes again."
 

Read more about taking the Body & Blood of Christ here

Read more on the Seventh Day Adventists in this Lamplighter article here: http://www.bibleprobe.com/Adventist-Lamplighter.pdf

For even more info on Seventh Day Adventists, visit:  http://www.exadventist.com/

RECOMMENDED BOOK

The Kingdom of the Cults
by Dr Walter Martin, Ravi Zacharias (Editor) hardcover, 704 pages

The authoritative reference work on major cult systems for nearly forty years. Working closely together, Ravi Zacharias and Managing Editors Jill and Kevin Rische (daughter of Dr. Martin) have updated and augmented the work with new material. This book will continue as a crucial tool in countercult ministry and in evangelism for years to come. Among cults and religions included are: Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science, Mormonism, New Age Cults, the Unification Church, Baha’i Faith, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, New Age, Spiritism, to Seventh-day Adventism, Unitarianism, and much more.

Martin provides a meaty analysis of all the major groups. He also outlines primary lines of thought within Protestant perspectives, and Roman Catholicism.

Beyond specific groups, there is plenty of coverage of the general critical analysis on topics like mind control, apocalyptic cults, the impact of cults on the mission field, Eastern religions, and language and psychological issues.

See at Amazon.com, here

See our other recommended books for Christians and Jews here