Seventh-day Adventists still hold that they are the true, remnant church depicted in Revelation 12. Fundamental Belief No. 13 entitled, “Remnant and Its Mission” reads as follows:
The universal church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ, but in the last days, a time of widespread apostasy, a remnant has been called out to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This remnant announces the arrival of the judgment hour, proclaims salvation through Christ, and heralds the approach of His second advent. This proclamation is symbolized by the three angels of Revelation 14; it coincides with the work of judgment in heaven and results in a work of repentance and reform on earth. Every believer is called to have a personal part in this worldwide witness.
This statement is carefully worded so that it excludes from “the remnant” all but Seventh-day Adventists. No other church holds the 1844 investigative judgment hour message of SDAs. This is their unique “contribution” to Christian theology.1
All churches that worship on Sunday are a part of the “widespread apostasy,” “Babylon” or the “daughters of Babylon”. So even as SDAs acknowledge that God has His children in all churches, they add, “but through the remnant church He proclaims a message that is to restore His true worship by calling His people out of the apostasy and preparing them for Christ’s return.”2 A Christian, then, is not prepared for Christ’s return unless he has joined “the remnant”, the Seventh-day Adventist church.
This one doctrine mandates the raiding of other churches. SDAs feel called not only to reach non-Christians, but to convert Christians to the “truths” of Adventism. Thus, their Revelation Seminars and other evangelistic programs are structured to get people—even believing evangelicals—to make a decision to join the “remnant church”. Those who do are said to have finally “come into the truth.”3
One can immediately see how difficult it is for informed evangelicals to work with Adventists. It is also difficult, even deceptive, for Adventists to honestly work with evangelicals.
Traditionally, Adventists have supported their claim to be the remnant church of Bible prophecy by linking their two “proof texts” of Revelation 12:17 and 19:10.
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 12:17).
From this text they seek to “prove” that the rest (remnant, KJV) have two identification marks: (1) they keep “the commandments of God” and (2) they have the “testimony of Jesus.” The commandments are interpreted to be the Ten Commandments, including the fourth commandment of the seventh-day Sabbath.
The second identification of the remnant, Adventists say, is “the testimony of Jesus.” To explain what this means, they immediately jump to Rev. 19:10 where they read,
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
From this verse they define the testimony of Jesus as the spirit of prophecy. So, they say, the remnant church will keep the seventh-day Sabbath and have the “spirit of prophecy”. According to the Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists, No. 18,
One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White. As the Lord’s messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction…(emphasis added)
Here, right in their doctrinal statement, SDAs list the prophetic ministry of Ellen White as “an identifying mark of the remnant church.”
The SDA claim to be the remnant church of Bible prophecy rests, then, upon their Sabbath keeping and their acceptance of Ellen White as “the spirit of prophecy.”
Adventists fail to observe that in the writings of John, the Greek word, entole, and translated “commandment” in Revelation 12:17, is never used for the old covenant, Ten Commandment, law. Rather John always refers to old covenant law by the Greek word, nomos, translated, “law.”4 Thus, their claim that the Sabbath commandment is in view here is without warrant.
Adventists’ use of Rev. 19:10 puts EGW in the place of Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ, however, and not Ellen White, is the spirit and theme of all prophecy. Note how the following Bible translations have captured this thought.
Those who bear testimony to Jesus are inspired like the prophets (The New English Bible).
For the truth revealed by Jesus is the inspiration of all prophecy (Weymouth).
For the testimony of Jesus is what inspires prophecy (Goodspeed).
It is the truth concerning Jesus which inspires all prophecy (Knox).
The purpose of all prophecy and of all I have shown you is to tell about Jesus (Living Bible).
For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus. (New Living Translation).
Jesus is the theme and spirit of all prophecy. This text has nothing to do with Ellen White. Jesus said,
You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me (John 5:39).
It is very clear that Adventists misuse both Revelation 12:17 and 19:10 in their claim to be the true, remnant church of Bible prophecy.
Endnotes
- See Cultic Doctrine and Daniel 8:14 for a thorough evaluation of this unbiblical, anti-gospel doctrine.
- P.G. Damsteegt, et al., Seventh-day Adventists Believe… A Biblical Exposition of 28 Fundamental Doctrines, (Washington D.C.: Ministerial Association, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2005) p. 197.
- ”Come into the truth” is a term frequently used by SDAs when speaking of other “Christians” who have accepted the teachings of Adventism.
- See Ratzlaff, Sabbath in Christ, p. 374-376, (LAM Publications, LLC) for a thorough discussion of this topic and a complete listing of entole and nomos in the writings of John.
- 3. Remnant Church of Bible Prophecy - June 25, 2026
- 2. Founded on Error and Deception - June 18, 2026
- 1. Ellen White, a Source of Truth - June 11, 2026