16. Tampering With the Word—Additions to Scripture

If anyone adds to them God shall add the plagues

One of the main marks of a cult is that it has an additional source of authority. In fact, many evangelical pastors believe this one mark is all that is needed to make a determination.¹ We have previously documented that for SDAs the writings of Ellen G. White remain a source of truth. Some cults, such as the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, have their own Bibles which they claim to be more accurate than other Bibles. It appears to me that at least some Adventists may be moving in this same direction. 

The new Bibles printed and sold by SDA entities

One of the things that prompted me to write this book was the discovery that the SDA community had come out with two new Bibles. This is alarming and should come to the attention of the Evangelical community.

The Study Bible

The Study Bible is a large, expensive, leather-bound King James Bible. The copyright is 1993 by Academy Enterprises, Inc., 6200 Academy Lane, Harrah, Oklahoma 73405, which is a self-supporting, conservative, Seventh-day Adventist high school. This Bible is printed by the SDA denominationally-owned and operated Review and Herald Publishing Association, Hagerstown, Maryland. I now quote from the introduction entitled “About the Study Bible.” 

Every wind of doctrine blows (Eph 4:14). Satan is working “with all power and signs and lying wonders” (1 Thess. 2:10). Deceptions are so great, that “if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matt 24:24). But God in his goodness has once again caused “the testimony of Christ” to be confirmed in his church, so that we “come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ” (1Cor 1: 6-7). His last day remnant people have had restored through the ministry of Ellen G. White, “the testimony of Jesus” which is “the spirit of prophecy” (Rev 12:17, 19:10). To combine this inspired commentary with the Scriptures themselves is the purpose of this present volume.

It is the heartfelt and earnest prayer of the publishers, that this inspired Word, with its accompanying inspired commentary, will go out into all the world and prepare a people for the great day of God. We urge God’s faithful people everywhere to diligently study the Word: “therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul” (Deut. 11:18) “bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart” (Prov. 7:3), “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Col 3:16). May a mighty army of laborers be thus raised up to finish the work—an army fitted with the character of Christ, and the message of the everlasting Gospel.

Several things should be noticed.

• The Study Bible was printed at an official, denominational press and is sold in Adventist Book Centers throughout the U. S. Therefore, it at least has the passive approval of denominational leaders.
• It is a King James Bible. The investigative judgment is dependent upon the reading of the King James Bible at Daniel 8:14. Even though SDAs must completely disregard the context of Daniel 8:14, still it is important to them to have the word “cleansed” there, for without this they are helpless to find any support for this doctrine.
• The writings of Ellen White, called the “testimony of Jesus” and the “spirit of prophecy,” are seen as part and parcel of the last-day remnant church.²
• The writings of Ellen White are called “an inspired commentary.”
• The purpose of The Study Bible is “to combine this inspired commentary with the Scriptures themselves.”
• The Study Bible has hundreds of EGW quotes and thousands of EGW references. There are two columns on each page. In one column are Bible cross references and in a second column are EGW cross references. On the lower portion of most pages there are actual quotations from Ellen White giving her “inspired commentary.”
• Of interest to our study, at Daniel 8:14 there are listed some 32 EGW references of “inspired commentary” on this central pillar of the Adventist faith.

This “combining” of Ellen White’s “inspired commentary” with Scripture raises many serious questions. Study Bibles in themselves are not necessarily bad, and there are many of them. However, I know of no other study Bible, outside of the cults, that claims the added comments to be an “inspired commentary.” This, coupled with the fact that SDAs hold the writings of EGW to be a “continuing and authoritative source of truth,” raises serious questions about the direction the SDA church is now going. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. We now turn to a second new SDA Bible.

The Clear Word Bible

The Clear Word Bible³ is copyrighted by Jack J. Blanco, Th. D., who was chair of the Religion Department of Southern Adventist University in Chattanooga, Tennessee—an educational institution owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. The Clear Word Bible is printed by the denominationally-owned Review and Herald Publishing Association and has a copyright date of 1994. It is also distributed by the Review and Herald Publishing Association. It, too, is sold in Adventist Book Centers throughout the country. The last several times I have been in an Adventist Book Center,⁴ The Clear Word Bible has been prominently displayed and/or on sale, and upon my inquiry, highly recommended. It is my understanding that at least some SDA scholars have criticized this work, but it remains in Adventist bookstores and is used by many Adventists. ^5,6

The Clear Word Bible is “a paraphrase to nurture faith and growth.” On the back cover we find this quote:

The Clear Word Bible lets the power of ancient text come through today. Notice that if an allusion needs explaining, it is explained within the text. The result of this careful paraphrasing is that youfind not only more understanding in reading the Bible, you find more joy. As the meaning of Scripture becomes more transparent, you see more of God’s grace. His love shines through even in difficult Old Testament passages. This Bible is a pleasure to read from Genesis to Revelation. The Clear Word Bible has renewed devotional lives of thousands of people. Let it renew yours.

Inside the jacket cover we read:

Every text is phrased to make its original meaning as plain as possible to a modern reader.

Several things need to be noticed before we turn to the actual text of this “Bible.”

• It is produced by the chair of the Religion Department of an SDA denominationally -wned school.
• It is published and distributed by official denominational entities.
• It has been advertised in several SDA periodicals, including their Adult Sabbath School Lessons.
• It is stated that in this “Bible,” ancient texts “come to light” or are given their true meaning.
• It is said to be a “careful paraphrasing.”
• It claims to make the meaning of Scripture “more transparent.”
• In this “Bible” God’s “love shines through even in difficult Old Testament passages.”
• It claims to be “phrased to make its original meaning as plain as possible.”
• The Clear Word is now advertised on the Review and Herald web site⁷ which lists over a dozen different versions or bindings, including Clear Word of Kids and The Easy English Clear Word.
• The title, The Clear Word Bible, communicates that it is a trustworthy work.

Now, I lay out before the evangelical community one of the things that should help answer the question, “Is the SDA church a cult?” Apparently, reasoning like the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, someone, or some group, within the SDA church said, “If the Bible does not support the investigative judgment at Daniel 8:14, let’s change the Bible so it will.” On the next page in two columns is Daniel 8:12-14—the “central pillar” of the Adventist faith. The column on the left is from The New American Standard Bible. The column on the right is from TheClear Word Bible.  Please note the unwarranted additions to the text which read into this “Bible” the SDA teachings of the investigative judgment.

It was when I read this that I felt impelled to write this book. What was the motive behind inserting into the text that which is not there? Could it have been to make the SDA reader think that the investigative judgment is biblical? Why would one who holds a doctorate in theology and knows the original languages want to do this? The additions to the text have no basis whatever in the original text even if they are in quotes as if from an angel. Is this really “phrased to make its original meaning as plain as possible”? Could this be another result of investigative judgment ethics? Could this be the byproduct of holding Ellen G. White as an “inspired commentary” to the Bible? Could this be a predictable end when the writings of Ellen White are included in the term, “the Bible only”?⁸

I first came in contact with The Clear Word Bible when I was asked by two members of the Sedona Christian Fellowship, where I was pastoring to accompany them to a Bible study. This Bible study was requested by a retired Adventist doctor and his wife. During our discussion the Adventists brought out The Clear Word Bible, introducing it as one of the best translations and stating that it made truth very clear and understandable. They were using it as a basis for doctrinal study. When I read this portion of Daniel, I was dumbfounded.

My eyes were opened to the errors of Adventism when I gave serious study to the investigative judgment and found it wanting. Now the average SDA lay person, who trusts in SDA “scholarship” and the “integrity” of Bibles published in an SDA publishing house and sold in Adventist Book Centers, will believe that Daniel 8:14 is a valid basis for the investigative judgment. Is this any different from the Jehovah’s Witnesses translating John in such a way that the divinity of Christ is compromised to fit their theology? Is this any different from the Mormons translating their own Bible with the additions and/or corrections of Joseph Smith to fit their teachings?

Years ago, G.A. Irwin, President of the General Conference of SDAs, wrote that the writings of EGW were,

…the only infallible interpreter of Bible principles.⁹

Apparently, this idea is not yet dead in the Adventist church.

Dr. Verle Streifling, former SDA pastor, has written twenty-two pages documenting the omissions, changes, or additions in The Clear Word Bible that effect doctrinal teaching. These include distortions in the creation account; distortions which undermine the full deity of Christ; distortions which present Jesus as an angelic being; distortions made to support SDA sanctuary theology; distortions about the nature of man and man’s condition in death; distortions which mandate old covenant practices for new covenant Christians, especially the seventh-day Sabbath, food laws and distortions regarding the doctrine of hell.¹⁰

Additional information on The Clear Word may be found in a recent edition of Proclamation!¹¹

Which direction is the SDA church going?

At the General Conference session held in 1980 changes were made to the Fundamental Beliefs of SDAs. Of interest to us at this point are the statements on “Scripture” and “The Gift of Prophecy.” In each of the following pairs I have emphasized the important differences in wording.

The pre-1980 statement on Scripture reads as follows:

1. That the Holy Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament were given by inspiration of God, contained an all-sufficient revelation of His will to men, and are the only unerring rule of faith and practice.¹²

The changed, 1980 statement reads as follows:

1. The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, are the written Word of God, given by divine inspiration through holy men of God who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. In this Word, God has committed to man the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are the infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the authoritative revealer of doctrines and the trustworthy record of God’s acts in history.¹³

It will immediately be seen that in the revised statement they left out the words “all sufficient” and “only.” Why would they do this? The answer comes when we compare the two statements on the Gift of Prophecy which are numbered differently in the two statements. The first statement below is the pre-1980 statement; the second is the revised one.

19. That God has placed in His church the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as enumerated in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. That these gifts operate in harmony with the divine principles of the Bible and are given “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (Eph.4:12). That the gift of the Spirit of prophecy is one of the identifying marks of the remnant church (1 Cor. 1:5-7; 12:1-28; Rev. 12:17; 19:10; Amos 3:7; Hosea 12:10, 13) They recognize that this gift was manifested in the life and ministry of Ellen G. White.¹⁴

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 comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested.¹⁵

It can be seen that in 1980 the SDA church moved away from Scripture as the all sufficient and the only unerring rule of faith and practice and accepted the writings of Ellen G. White as a continuing and authoritative source of truth. It should be noted that this change occurred when the doctrine of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary and the investigative judgment was being questioned. 

Where is the SDA church now moving in its theology? In a recent article in the Review and Herald Jan Paulson, President of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, made it very clear that the church would continue to teach all twenty-seven of its Fundamental Beliefs. He also reinforced the exclusivity of SDAs by saying:

…We believe that being Seventh-day Adventists has a direct bearing on our salvation; that while a believer can be saved as a Catholic, I would risk my whole spiritual life and salvation were I to leave what I am now and join any other community.¹⁶

Chapter Summary

1. The stated purpose of The Study Bible is to combine the “inspired commentary” of the writings of Ellen G. White with the Scriptures themselves.
2. The Clear Word Bible, which alleges “to make its original meaning as plain as possible,” has unwarranted additions to the text at Daniel 8:12-14, making it appear that the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary and the investigative judgment is a biblical doctrine.
3. An early General Conference president stated that the writings of Ellen G. White were “the only infallible interpreter of Bible principles.”
4. In 1980 the SDA denomination moved away from Scripture as the all sufficient and the only unerring rule of faith and practice, and included the writings of Ellen G. White as “a continuing and authoritative source of truth.” However, it also states (in theory) that the Bible is to be the ultimatetest of all prophetic writings. 
5. SDAs continue to support all twenty-eight of their “Fundamental Beliefs” and hold to the exclusiveness of the SDA church.

Endnotes

1. From conversations with a number of evangelical pastors.
2. See Sabbath in Christ, pp. 372 ff. where this is evaluated in depth.
3. Now titled, The Clear Word.
4. August 1995 to February 1996.
5. In January 1996, when visiting an SDA church service, The Clear Word Bible was used for the Scripture reading in the worship service.
6. In the fall of 2008 I received a phone call from a person in Canada who had an SDA pastor come to his home to study the Bible. The pastor on the second visit brought The Clear Word for their doctrinal Bible study introducing it as an excellent translation.
7. http://www.reviewandherald.org/ Then in the search box, put in “The Clear Word.” It currently (March 21,2009) lists over a dozen different versions or bindings.
8. “When we claim to stand on the Bible and the Bible alone, we bind ourselves to receive, unequivocally and fully, all that the Bible teaches…. We do not, then discard, but obey, the Bible by endorsing the visions [of E.G. White].” Uriah Smith [renowned, early Adventist leader and contemporary of Ellen White], Review and Herald, Jan. 13, 1886, as quoted in Ministry, Oct., 1980, p. 54.
9. G. A. Irwin, The Mark of the Beast, p. 1, as printed in Canright, The Life of Mrs. E. G. White, p. 35.
10. www.LifeAssuranceMinistries.com/art.html
11. www.LifeAssuranceMinistries.org, January/February 2009.
12. Seventh-Day Adventist Church Manual, 1976, p. 32.
13. Ibid., 1990, p. 23.
14. Ibid., 1976. p. 37.
15. Ibid.,1990, p. 28.
16. Jan Paulson, “The Theological Landscape” No. 4, “The Idea of Remnant” printed in the Adventist Review, (Review and Herald Publishing Association, Hagerstown, MD, (2002). 

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Dale Ratzlaff

Dale Ratzlaff (1936–2024), is the founder of Life Assurance Ministries and Proclamation! Magazine. He served as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor for 13 years, seven at Monterey Bay Academy where he taught Bible. He and his wife Carolyn left the Adventist church in 1981 when he realized he could no longer teach the investigative judgment with a clear conscience. He has authored several books on Adventism that are available through his website, SabbathInChrist.com.

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