2. Founded on Error and Deception

Dale Ratzlaff, Feature, Truth About Adventist "Truth"

The founders of Adventism were followers of William Miller who, by the dubious method of proof-texting, predicted that Christ was going to return in 1843. When He did not, the Millerites revised the date to October 22, 1844. Miller had some 15 “proofs” to back up his dates and a large chart which pictured the beasts of Daniel and Revelation along with his calculations. Of Miller’s chart, Ellen White wrote:

I have seen that the 1843 chart was directed by the hand of the Lord, and that it should not be altered; that the figures were as He wanted them.1

She also made some very bold statements about Christian pastors who did not accept Miller’s date-setting message.

I saw that God was in the proclamation of the time in 1843. It was His design to arouse the people and bring them to a testing point, where they should decide for or against the truth. Thousands were led to embrace the truth preached by William Miller.2 (emphasis added)

Many shepherds of the flock, who professed to love Jesus, said that they had no opposition to the preaching of Christ’s coming, but they objected to the definite time.3 (emphasis added)

Ministers who would not accept this saving message [note that in context, this “saving message” refers to the acceptance of a “definite time”] themselves hindered those who would have received it. The blood of souls is upon them. Preachers and people joined to oppose this message from heaven and to persecute William Miller and those who united with him in the work.4 (emphasis added)

October 22, 1844, is a pivotal date in Adventism. It is known as “the great disappointment” because Christ did not return as predicted. However, rather than admit error, Adventists re-interpreted the failed prophecy of Miller5 and taught that instead of coming to earth on that date as they had predicted, Christ entered for the first time into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary.6 They understood this to mean that the door to the first apartment, where Adventists said forgiveness was offered, was now shut. Thus Adventists taught that the “door of mercy” was shut for all the churches which rejected this new “truth” and for the whole “wicked world whom God had rejected”.

I saw that the nominal churches [those who had rejected the 1844 sanctuary message], as the Jews crucified Jesus, had crucified these messages, and therefore they have no knowledge of the move made in heaven, or of the way into the Most Holy, and they cannot be benefited by the intercession of Jesus there. Like the Jews, who offered their useless sacrifices, they offer up their useless prayers to the apartment which Jesus has left, and Satan, pleased with the deception of the professed followers of Christ, fastens them in his snare, and assumes a religious character, and leads the minds of these professed Christians to himself, and works with his power, his signs and lying wonders.7 (emphasis added)

As the years went by, however, in order to get their own children who were born after 1844 into the “shut door” of salvation, they had to re-interpret their re-interpretation of their revised prophecy of the failed prophecy. In order to pry open the “shut door of mercy” they revised their definition of “door”8 and the timing of when it was shut without ever renouncing their early errors.9

To keep the early errors upon which Adventism was founded “out of sight” they used several types of deception. For example, they have suppressed one of Ellen White’s visions because it clearly teaches a shut door of salvation after 1844.10 Her first vision is printed in the book, Early Writings. What many Adventists do not know is that part of this vision has been deleted even though the preface says,

No change has been made in any idea or sentiment of the original work, and the verbal changes have been made under the author’s own eye, and with her full approval.11

There were some Adventists12 who still had her original vision as published in A Word to the Little Flock which included the “shut door” statements. These people accused the church leaders of suppression. Adventist leader Elder G.I. Butler said such charges were “lying insinuations”.13

Here is a portion of Ellen White’s first vision as printed in A Word to the Little Flock. I have bolded the words which were left out of this vision as published in Early Writings.

Others rashly denied the light behind them, [their Millerite experience] and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light behind them went out leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled and got their eyes off the mark and lost sight of Jesus, and fell off the path down in the dark and wicked world below. It was just as impossible for them to get on the path again and go to the City, as all the wicked world which God had rejected. They fell all the way along the path one after another, until we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming.

When honest Adventist leaders learned of some of these errors and left the church, they were usually castigated and given over to Satan.14

W.W. Prescott, an early, respected leader in Adventism, in his later years wrote:

It seems to me that we are betraying our trust and deceiving the ministers and the people. It appears to me that there is much more anxiety to prevent a possible shock than to correct error.15 (emphasis added)

Prescott also wrote the following in a letter addressed toEllen White’s son, Willie White.

It seems to me that a large responsibly rests upon those of us who know that there are serious errors in our authorized books [books written by Ellen G. White] and yet make no special effort to correct them. The people and our average ministers trust us to furnish them with reliable statements, and they use our books as sufficient authority in their sermons, but we let them go on year after year asserting things which we know to be untrue. I cannot feel this is right… the way your mother’s writings have been handled and the false impression concerning them which is still fostered among the people have brought great perplexity and trial to me. It seems to me that what amounts to deception…has been practiced in making some of her books and no serious effort has been made to disabuse the minds of the people of what was known to be their wrong view concerning her writings. But it is no use to go into these matters, I have talked with you for years about them, but it brings no change.l6 (emphasis added)

Elder J. N. Loughborough, in his book, The Great Second Adventist Movement, endeavoring to support the ministry of Ellen White, quoted Elder Joseph Bates’ early endorsement of her writings.

I believe the work [of Mrs. White] is of God, and is given to comfort and strengthen his scattered, torn and peeled people, since the closing up of our work…in October 1844.17

Do you wonder what Loughborough left out of Bates’ testimony? Just three little words but these three words confirmed the belief in the shut door of salvation that Loughborough was trying to suppress:

..since the closing up of our work for the world in October 1844.18 

The way early Adventist leaders dealt with known error seems to be the template the church has used and continues to use to this day:

• Suppress the early errors.
• Do not respond to those who point out the errors.
• Never admit to the errors.
• Cast out all who expose the errors.
• Tell Adventist members they will be deceived by Satan if they read the writings of those who point out the errors of Adventism.19

• Tell Adventist members they will lose their salvation if they reject the writings of Ellen White and leave Adventism.

It is Satan’s plan to weaken the faith of God’s people in the Testimonies [writings of Ellen White]. Next follows skepticism in regard to the vital points of our faith, the pillars of our position, then doubt as to the Holy Scriptures, and then the downward march to perdition. When the Testimonies, which were once believed are doubted and given up, Satan knows the deceived ones will not stop at this; and he redoubles his efforts till he launches them into open rebellion, which becomes incurable and ends in destruction.20

Not only did the founding Adventists organize themselves around the heresies of date-setting and false doctrines designed to cover their mistakes, but they denied the Trinity and rejected the full deity of Christ. They taught that Jesus was Michael the archangel.21 Note the following quotes from Ellen White.   

The ministry of the angel at the altar of incense [in Rev..3:8] is representative of Christ’s intercession.22

The mighty angel who instructed John [in Rev. 1:1] wasno less than the person of Christ.23

The man Christ Jesus was not the Lord God Almighty.24

To Christ had been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father.25

The above quotes reveal the Arian teachings that Jesus was not eternally divine, but was later promoted to a high position with God.

In swearing by the creator, the angel [in Rev. 10:5, 6] who is Christ, swore by himself.26

When we contrast this teaching to the words of Christ we see how serious it is to undermine the full deity of Christ.

Therefore I said to you that you will die in you sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.27

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”28

In the above texts Jesus says that unless we believe what He says about Himself, we will die in our sins. Then He says, “Before Abraham, ‘I am’, indicating that He is the eternally, self-existent One. It is no small thing to degrade the deity of Christ.

Early Adventists also saw the Trinity as an erroneous doctrine.29 Adventist leader R.F. Cottrell wrote in 1869:

But to hold the doctrine of the trinity is not so much an evidence of evil intention as of intoxication from that wine of which all nations have drunk. The fact that this was one of the leading doctrines, if not the very chief, upon which the bishop of Rome was exalted to the popedom, does not say much in its favor.30

Although in her later writings Ellen White did endorse a “trinity”, it was not the orthodox Christian doctrine she taught.31,32 The church did not have a Trinitarian statement of belief until 1946 and today, while its Fundamental Belief No. 2 sounds correct, the church has never renounced EGW’s explanation of the Trinity as “the three Dignitaries of heaven”. Within Adventism is a growing resurgence of overt Arianism.

Further, the church continues to refuse to resolve the question of whether Jesus had the nature of pre- or post-fall Adam. Adventism’s fatal flaw is that it did not grow from the root of the apostolic church. Rather, it grew from the heresy of Arianism. That foundation which was not built on Christ allowed the church to embrace a modern prophetess and unbiblical doctrines that obscure the gospel of grace.

 Endnotes

  1. Early Writings, p. 74.
  2. Ibid., p. 232
  3. Ibid., p. 234.
  4. Ibid., p. 234.
  5. Miller did admit to the error and did not support the “shut door” Adventists who re-interpreted his prophecy.
  6. Chapter 6 will have more information on these events. See Ratzlaff, Cultic Doctrine for a full description of these events.
  7. Early Writings, p. 261.
  8. The “door” went from Mt. 25:10 to Rev. 3:8. See Cultic Doctrine, the chapter, “The Swinging Door”.
  9. For a more in-depth discussion and documentation of these events see, Cultic Doctrine, the chapters, “Truth Changes Again” and “The Swinging Door”.
  10. Cultic Doctrine, p. 129, 130; D. M Canright, The Life of Mrs. E.G. White, p. 149, 150 (original paging) p. 86, 87 (reprint paging; Published by Grant Shurtliff, Sterling Press, Salt Lake City, UT, 1998).
  11. Preface to Early Writings, p. 3
  12. Elder A. C. Long, See The Life of Mrs. E.G. White, p. 147 (original paging), p. 85 (reprint paging).
  13. Ibid.
  14. Ibid., See also Cultic Doctrine, p. 186f.
  15. Gilbert M. Valentine, The Shaping of Adventism, (Berrien Springs, MI, Andrews University Press, 1992) p. 215-229.
  16. Ibid, See also, Ford, Daniel 8:14, The Day of Atonement and The Investigative Judgment, (Euangelioin Press, P.O. box 1264, Casselberry, FL), p. 370.
  17. See The Life of Mrs. E. G. White, p. 163-165 (original) p. 94 (re-printed). 
  18. Ibid.
  19. See Daniel 8:14, p. 44 for a number of illustrations.
  20. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, p. 211.
  21. Christ resurrected Moses, and took him to Heaven. This enraged Satan, and he accused the Son of God of invading his dominion by robbing the grave of his lawful prey. Jude says of the resurrection of Moses, “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.” Ellen G. White, Redemption, Vol. 2, p 24, See also, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 3, p. 220; Review & Herald, 1874-03-03; 1886-03-23.
  22. Ellen G. White, Manuscript 15, 1897.
  23. Ellen G. White, Manuscript 59, 1900.
  24. Ellen G. White, Manuscript 150; SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, p. 1129, 1903.
  25. Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 8, p. 268, 1904.
  26. Ellen G. White, SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p, 798, 1905.
  27. John 8:24.
  28. John 5:58.
  29. See Colleen Tinker & Jeremy Graham, “Discovering the Adventist Jesus”, Proclamation!, Volume 8, Issue 3, May and June, 2007.
  30. R.F. Cottrell, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 07-06-1869, Vol.6, No. 24, p. 185.
  31. Journal of the Adventist Theological Society (JATS), Spring 2006, “The Quest for a Biblical Trinity: Ellen White’s ‘heavenly Trio’ Compared to the Traditional Doctrine,” by Dr. Jerry Moon, Andrews University Theological Seminary.
  32. http://news.adventist.org/data/2007/09/1192296336/index.html.en
Dale Ratzlaff
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