Seventh Day Adventism Topical Video 1 / Larry Wessels, Christian Answers

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Timothy Oliver

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19 Responses to Seventh Day Adventism Topical Video 1 / Larry Wessels, Christian Answers

  1. Anthony Dente says:
    March 17, 2011 at 4:02 PM

    Hi:
    I feel so sorry for who ever is responsible for the video on Seventh Day Adventism.
    1. The SDA church teaches that no one should judge anyone outside the Adventist church that they are going to hell. Adventists believes many non Adventist will be in heaven.
    2. Adventists understand Ellen White as a prophet who is the lesser light to bring all to the greater light, the bible. She never said she was above the bible as to interpret it. God gave her the message directly, Acts 2:17.
    3. I don`t understand why Adventists are called a cult by following the bible. The bible teaches to keep the commandments, read Acts, all kept the Sabbath well after Jesus was risen. Rev. 22:14.
    4. Please follow the bible, not people who reject God and the bible. You don`t know they could be used by Satan himself!
    5. Have you ever attended a SDA church service, read books of Ellen White? You should not be judgmental ever.
    6. Study these matters on your own without someone doing it for you. Can you trust man ? What does the bible teach.
    7. Just the tip of the iceberg, let me know if you have any questions you would like cleared up.

    Anthony

    Reply
    • Timothy Oliver says:
      March 18, 2011 at 10:12 AM

      Anthony:

      I’m very familiar with the SDA church, their doctrine and history. In short:

      1) You said “You should not be judgmental ever” if that were true, why are you being judgmental to me? This is a false notion, especially in concerns to the Bible. The Bible is clear that we are to judge:

      “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24)

      “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matt. 7:5).

      “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:15-16) How do you know them? By judging their fruits, thus a “righteous judgment.”

      2) Ellen G. White was a false prophet (this has proven over and over).

      3) Time is an enemy of a false prophet and so is God.

      4) Also, see my section on “HELL.” SDA have so many false doctrines such as “soul sleep” denying eternal hell etc., etc., where does one began and end with SDA heresies?)

      5) Christ is our salvation, justification, sanctification, Sabbath, the Hope of glory etc. Turn to Jesus and be saved. Christ alone saves!

      “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” (Galatians 2:16).

      May the Lord guide you into all Truth-JESUS.

      Reply
      • Anthony Dente says:
        March 18, 2011 at 7:21 PM

        Hi everybody :

        Happy Sabbath !

        Anthony

        Reply
      • Anthony Dente says:
        March 19, 2011 at 6:04 AM

        Hi Timothy:

        To answer point #4.
        Eternal hell. Revelation 21:1 tells us of a new heaven and earth after the hell fire. The wages of sin is death… Romans 6:23. There is no death in eternal fire. Malachi 4:1 says the wicked will be burnt up, stubble. Malachi 4:3 goes further about the wicked being ashes under the soles of feet. Ezekiel 28:18 reveals Satan reduced to ashes. Finally, Jude 7 is about Sodom and Gomorrah suffering eternal hell. Eternal means destroyed forever.
        Anthony

        Reply
  2. Jonas says:
    March 28, 2011 at 1:14 PM

    Hi Anthony,

    As a former SDA, I now find some of the “standard responses” a little amusing. Ellen White is the “lesser light” leading to the “greater light”? Do you need a flashlight to find the sun?

    The observance of the Jewish Sabbath is not taught in the New Testament. Paul vehemently opposed circumcision because it signified entrance into the Old Covenant. The Sabbath was given to the Jews as part of the Old Covenant. Exodus 31:17: “It (the Sabbath) is a sign forever between me and the Israelites…” . The Ten Commandments are also part of the Old Covenant . Leviticus 4:13, “He declared His covenant to you. He commanded you to follow the Ten Commandments, which he wrote on two stone tablets.” Exodus 34:28, “He wrote down on the tablets the words of the covenant – the Ten Commandments”.

    Hebrews chapter 4 is very clear that the Sabbath given through Joshua did not give anyone rest (verse 8), but Jeshua the Messiah has given us rest through believing in Him (verse 3) and we should make every effort to enter the rest that Jesus offers (verse 11) otherwise we may enter into disobedience. The New Testament Sabbath rest is entered into daily by ceasing from one’s “works” of trying to earn salvation though keeping the old covenant law. For Christians, the Sabbath is a Person; His name is Jesus Christ.

    This is why in the New Testament the Holy Spirit is the seal of the true Christian, not the Sabbath! Real obedience comes through faith in Jesus, who sends the Spirit….who gives us the power to obey. The Old Covenant doesn’t have this power and that’s why the New Testament said that it was fading away, obsolete, etc.

    Just to use a little Adventist-style proof texing, God himself predicted that He would change the Sabbath! Daniel 2:21, “He (God) changes the times and seasons”! I guess that Daniel really doesn’t say that the Pope would change the day of the Sabbath.

    You quote Revelation 22:14 as a proof text for keeping the Sabbath, but there’s ZERO mention of the Sabbath in that text.

    You also say that Adventists do not judge those outside their ranks, but language of their subculture indicates the opposite. The term “non-SDA” speaks for itself. I’ve never heard a Baptist refer to the rest of the world as “non-Baptist” or a Four Square person say “non-Four Square”, etc. Further, no other mainstream Christian church identifies itself as “The Truth” as SDA’s do. I am content to identify the person of Jesus as The Truth. Further, EGW specifically said, “Satan has taken full possession of the Churches”. (Spiritual Gifts V.l,p.189-90)”. She also said the prayers of non-SDAs are an “abomination” to God. (Spiritual Gifts, V1 p.190).

    There are many other troublesome SDA beliefs. According to EGW, Jesus started out as an angel (Michael) who, later on, somehow graduated to the rank of Son of God. This is a blatant error and it cannot be defended.

    As for the precise nature of heaven and hell, I believe that there’s room for more than one view.

    Peace,
    J

    Reply
    • Anthony Dente says:
      March 29, 2011 at 1:16 PM

      Hi Jonas:

      My bible says the Sabbath was given to man not the Jews, Mark 2:27.
      Also try reading Genesis 2:1-3. God blessed and sanctified the seventh day in the garden.
      How about Acts 13:44, when almost the whole city came to hear the word of God on the Sabbath.
      Jesus kept the Sabbath, the apostles and Adventists.
      Maybe you need a flashlight after all!

      Anthony

      Reply
      • Anthony Dente says:
        March 29, 2011 at 1:42 PM

        Jonas:

        For as the new heavens and the new earth…
        … And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me, says the Lord. Isaiah 66:22,23.
        Where’s the change?
        Anthony

        Reply
        • Anthony Dente says:
          March 29, 2011 at 4:51 PM

          Jonas:

          Don`t confuse the ceremonial law with the ten commandments.
          Revelation 22:14 says “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates of the city.”
          Revelation 14:12 – Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith in Jesus!
          I was in the Spirit on the Lord`s Day… Revelation 1:10
          “Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

          New testament!

          Anthony

          Reply
    • Anthony Dente says:
      March 29, 2011 at 7:37 PM

      Jonas:

      As for Michael, read Revelation 12:7. And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought. vs. 8. but they did not prevail.. Michael is Jesus, Ellen is right.
      Also Jude 9, Michael the archangel (higher than the angels)… is called Lord.

      Anthony

      Reply
  3. Jonas says:
    April 2, 2011 at 4:31 PM

    Hi Anthony,

    You are quoting John 14:15 from the KJV, which based on poorer manuscripts than we have today, i.e., we now have older/better bible manuscripts. That is why all the new translations of John 14:15 say, “If you love me, you WILL keep my commandments”. In other words, obedience is a promise that we receive from Jesus if we love Him. The text is not a legalistic threat.

    SDAs are correct in pointing out the eternal nature of God’s law and the uniqueness of the fourth commandment. However, it’s true uniqueness is that “type met antitype”. Jesus provides the rest. Please read Hebrews 4 again.

    Romans 2:14-16 is clear that the tables of stone WERE FOR THE JEWS, and for the Gentiles the ‘law’ is written in their hearts. Simply put, Gentiles were never burdened by the Jewish Sabbath. In the days of Jesus, a Gentile could not enter the Temple, or he would be stoned. Paul made it abundantly clear that he did not want Gentiles to get circumcised, so how could they possibly keep the Sabbath with the Jews? Likewise, Romans was written to a congregation that had both Jews and Gentiles. That is why Romans 14:5-6 IS about seventh day sabbath observance. Logically, what else could he be talking about with a mixed congregation? Paul clearly is saying that Sabbath observance is no longer a binding commitment and that he viewed the Sabbath the same as one of ceremonial laws. Paul does command regular worship assemblies (Heb 10:25), but it’s not necessarily the seventh day sabbath.

    Likewise, you are not quoting the most accurate version Rev 22:14. The best and oldest manuscripts of the NT do not have the phrase “who keep His commandments”. This is further corroborated by the parallel passage in Rev 7:14. That phrase does not appear in the KJV. In any case, there is no command to keep the sabbath in revelation 22:14 in spite of the creative SDA interpretation.

    The SDA practice of “proof-texting” by jumping around the Bible is a clear case of eisegisis (reading a preconceived agenda into the text) rather than exegesis (reading the text in its own context to determine the meaning intended by the author). It’s amazing how they always find themselves mentioned in Revelation, etc. It’s the exact same thing the Jehovah’s Witnesses do. Half the bible is really about their organization. Make no mistake; any group that calls itself “the truth” is a cult. SDAs are a very mild cult, but the facts are the facts.

    Ellen White, the plagiarist false prophet, is in no position to tell “all” what to do, unless she is your god.

    “Patriarchs and Prophets” was stolen from “The Bible History, Old Testament”
    by Alfred Edersheim. You can read the original text here: http://philologos.org/__eb-bhot/vol_I/contents.htm Did God tell her to steal it?

    Sincerely,
    J

    Reply
  4. Jonas says:
    April 2, 2011 at 4:36 PM

    This is taken from John MacArthur, and it states the orthodox Christian view of the Sabbath very elquently:

    Is the Sabbath Binding on Christians Today?

    by John MacArthur

    It is believed that the Old Testament regulations governing Sabbath observances are ceremonial, not moral, aspects of the law. As such, they are no longer in force, but have passed away along with the sacrificial system, the Levitical priesthood, and all other aspects of Moses’ law that prefigured Christ. Here are the reasons we hold this view.

    1. In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul explicitly refers to the Sabbath as a shadow of Christ, which is no longer binding since the substance (Christ) has come. It is quite clear in those verses that the weekly Sabbath is in view. The phrase “a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day” refers to the annual, monthly, and weekly holy days of the Jewish calendar (cf. 1 Chronicles 23:31; 2 Chronicles 2:4, 31:3; Ezekiel 45:17; Hosea 2:11). If Paul were referring to special ceremonial dates of rest in that passage, why would he have used the word “Sabbath?” He had already mentioned the ceremonial dates when he spoke of festivals and new moons.

    2. The Sabbath was the sign to Israel of the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 31:16-17; Ezekiel 20:12; Nehemiah 9:14). Since we are now under the New Covenant (Hebrews 8), we are no longer required to observe the sign of the Mosaic Covenant.

    3. The New Testament never commands Christians to observe the Sabbath.

    4. In our only glimpse of an early church worship service in the New Testament, the church met on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).

    5. Nowhere in the Old Testament are the Gentile nations commanded to observe the Sabbath or condemned for failing to do so. That is certainly strange if Sabbath observance were meant to be an eternal moral principle.

    6. There is no evidence in the Bible of anyone keeping the Sabbath before the time of Moses, nor are there any commands in the Bible to keep the Sabbath before the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai.

    7. When the Apostles met at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15), they did not impose Sabbath keeping on the Gentile believers.

    8. The apostle Paul warned the Gentiles about many different sins in his epistles, but breaking the Sabbath was never one of them.

    9. In Galatians 4:10-11, Paul rebukes the Galatians for thinking God expected them to observe special days (including the Sabbath).

    10. In Romans 14:5, Paul forbids those who observe the Sabbath (these were no doubt Jewish believers) to condemn those who do not (Gentile believers).

    11. The early church fathers, from Ignatius to Augustine, taught that the Old Testament Sabbath had been abolished and that the first day of the week (Sunday) was the day when Christians should meet for worship (contrary to the claim of many seventh-day Sabbatarians who claim that Sunday worship was not instituted until the fourth century).

    12. Sunday has not replaced Saturday as the Sabbath. Rather the Lord’s Day is a time when believers gather to commemorate His resurrection, which occurred on the first day of the week. Every day to the believer is one of Sabbath rest, since we have ceased from our spiritual labor and are resting in the salvation of the Lord (Hebrews 4:9-11).

    Reply
  5. Timothy Oliver says:
    April 2, 2011 at 9:09 PM

    Anthony, you should study the book of Galatians and Romans, below is a little taste:

    Galatians 3:10 ¶ For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

    Reply
  6. Greg Cox says:
    November 18, 2014 at 3:39 PM

    Why would anyone follow a single word Wessels spouts. His website is filled with error (total support for the Apocrypha, anti-KJV, direct supportive quotes from catholic sources, as well as a very edited christian history section which entirely omits the catholic created bloodbath of the dark ages). Here is a quote from him from a documentary about video gaming:Quote From Larry Wessels – leader of Christian Answers – (on YouTube CAnswers)
    from: http://www.theescapist.com/evmrr/ubergoober.htm

    “The biggest gasp would have to be the interview with former gamer Larry Wessels from Christian Answers, in which he explains the evils and spiritual dangers of gaming by giving examples of his own perverted playing style, all of it delivered in his gawky, chuckling manner:

    “Over time, it starts to take effect in the sense that you become obsessed with always needing more. Uh, okay, we had a, we had a… we raped the princess over here in this palace, but uh, that’s not good enough, a month later let’s spice it up, now they’re going to capture a caravan on a highway, and there’s fifty virgin women. And, uh, instead of just one woman over here, let’s move it up to fifty. And then let’s start talking about all the stuff we can do to each one of ’em, and then what we’re going to do to them afterwards…”

    You will know them by their fruits, and apparently Larry’s are rotten.

    Reply

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