WINDS OF CHANGE IN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM
The winds of change have been blowing in the Seventh-day Adventist Church for over five decades, with increased velocity in recent years, all in the wrong direction.
Writing about the first great apostasy, Ellen G. White stated:
What was the origin of the great apostasy? How did the church first depart from the simplicity of the gospel?—By conforming to the practices of paganism, to facilitate the acceptance of Christianity by the heathen. The apostle Paul declared, even in his day, “The mystery of iniquity doth already work.” [2 Thessalonians 2:7.] During the lives of the apostles the church remained comparatively pure. “But toward the latter end of the second century most of the churches assumed a new form, the first simplicity disappeared; and insensibly, as the old disciples retired to their graves, their children, along with new converts ... came forward and new-modeled the cause.” [Robinson, in History of Baptism.] (Great Controversy, Pp.384-385)
She wrote about another great apostasy - in the Seventh-day Adventist Church!:
One thing it is certain is soon to be realized,—the great apostasy, which is developing and increasing and waxing stronger, and will continue to do so until the Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout. We are to hold fast the first principles of our denominated faith, and go forward from strength to increased faith. The New York Indicator, February 7, 1906.
Another statement by Mrs. White outlined a process of apostasy which has been fulfilled to the letter:
The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the supposition that a great reformation was to take place among Seventh-day Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith, and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation to take place, what would result? The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church, would be discarded. Our religion would be changed. The fundamental principles that have sustained the work for the last fifty years would be accounted as error. A new organization would be established. Books of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced. The founders of this system would go into the cities, and do a wonderful work. The Sabbath of course, would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it. Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement. The leaders would teach that virtue is better than vice, but God being removed, they would place their dependence on human power, which, without God, is worthless. Their foundation would be built on the sand, and storm and tempest would sweep away the structure.
Who has authority to begin such a movement? We have our Bibles. We have our experience, attested to by the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit. We have a truth that admits of no compromise. Shall we not repudiate everything that is not in harmony with this truth?
I hesitated and delayed about the sending out of that which the Spirit of the Lord impelled me to write. I did not want to be compelled to present the misleading influence of these sophistries. But in the providence of God, the errors that have been coming in must be met.
An Iceberg! “Meet It” (Selected Messages, Book 1, Pp. 204-205)
Ellen G. White also wrote this statement:
And because the Spirit is to come, not to praise men or to build up their erroneous theories, but to reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment, many turn away from it. They are not willing to be deprived of the garments of their own self-righteousness. They are not willing to exchange their own righteousness, which is unrighteousness, for the righteousness of Christ, which is pure, unadulterated truth. (Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, P. 65)
All of these statements have a bearing on the spiritual condition of the contemporary Seventh-day Adventist Church. This is borne out by the astonishing news reports and articles that appear regularly in the official church paper, the Adventist Review:-
With the enormous media coverage about Seventh-day Adventists occasioned by the public comments of Donald Trump and Ben Carson this week, Adventists in North America find themselves in a unique position. While delighted with positive news coverage about a handful of distinctive beliefs (read more here) and the benefits of a healthy Adventist lifestyle, many Adventists have realized that this movement needs to be known for more than these.
None of us can know for certain what God’s purposes are in allowing public attention on this movement at this moment, but we can be certain that He ultimately wants this faith community to be known and embraced for more than longevity and our impressive healthcare system.
This moment could be Adventism’s “breakthrough” moment—if we are prepared to seize the opportunity.
I’d like to propose that our unique understanding of the Great Controversy—specifically the story of the sacrifice of Christ at the heart of the “everlasting gospel”—is the reality for which we really should be known. . .
This good news is offered to all who respond to His love today—Seventh-day Adventists and Presbyterians, Methodists and Roman Catholics, Buddhists and Hindus—well, you get the picture.
At a moment when our culture is decidedly curious about Seventh-day Adventists, shouldn’t we be known for candidly describing the reality of the human condition—and the amazing reality of Christ’s reconciling love? Shouldn’t this be a “distinctive” for which we are also famous?
Is the preaching of Jesus Christ's reconciling love really the uniqueness of Seventh-day Adventism? Is this the only denomination professing to proclaim the reconciling love of Jesus. Is the Roman Catholic Church not prominent in teaching universal love, regardless of differences between denominations and religions; which nevertheless are all opposed to the God of heaven and His Truth?
Ellen G. White stated in crystal clear terms the primary mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which sets it apart from all other Christian denominations:
In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. . . . They have been given a work of the most solemn import--the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels' messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.
The most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals have been given to us to proclaim to the world. The proclamation of these truths is to be our work. The world is to be warned, and God's people are to be true to the trust committed to them (9T 19). . .
The third angel's message must do its work of separating from the churches a people who will take their stand on the platform of eternal truth." It is a "life-and-death message (6T 61).
The Lord has been pleased to give His people the third angel's message as a testing message to bear to the world. John beholds a people distinct and separate from the world, who refuse to worship the beast or his image, who bear God's sign, keeping holy His Sabbath-the seventh day. . . . Of them the apostle writes, 'Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus' [Rev. 14:12] (Ev 233; underscored emphasis added)
What more can be said to reveal the depth of apostasy that has destroyed the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church! Ben Carson is bad news for true Seventh-day Adventism - period! He is giving aid and comfort to the enemies of the Three Angels' Messages, and his presence in the spotlight increases the difficulty that already exists for those whose purpose is to propagate Truth, pure and unadulterated. What are non-Adventists to think about Seventh-day Adventism as represented by Ben Carson AND the contemporary corporate body? Are they more likely to believe the Adventist leadership and their loyal followers, or those who try to explain the true Seventh-day Adventist movement? These faithful Seventh-day Adventists were once referred to by the leadership as a "lunatic fringe." Those who comprise this "lunatic fringe" are the true representatives of the unique Seventh-day Adventist message and the Gospel of Adventism.