"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" Galatians 4:16

Corruptions of Christianity: Seventh-day Adventism Exposing the Heretical Teachings of Ellen G. White and the SDA Church This 349-page book is free to read here on our website, or available for purchase in paperback or Kindle from the Amazon Store. Click the image for more details.

Contents: Introduction Chapter 1 - The History of Adventism Chapter 2 - The Madness of Early Adventism Chapter 3 - The Heresies of Ellen G. White Chapter 4 - The False Prophecies of Ellen G. White Chapter 5 - The Plagiarism of Ellen G. White Chapter 6 - The Strange Doctrines of Ellen G. White Chapter 7 - The Hypocrisy of Ellen G. White Chapter 8 - The Dark Fruits of White and Adventism Chapter 9 - Interesting Notes and Thoughts on SDA

 


Seventh-day Adventism (SDA) is a religious organization that claims to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ in Scripture, but what distinguishes it from other religious entities is that they follow a prophetess by the name of Ellen G. White. Some readers may be intimately familiar with White, and others have never heard of her, but no matter where you fall on the spectrum of knowledge, here are some things you might not have heard about:

Did you know that Ellen G. White taught that
the blood of Jesus does NOT pay for the sins of man?

Did you know that Ellen G. White taught that
you have to work to get saving grace?

Did you know that Ellen G. White taught that
Jesus was actually Michael the Archangel?
These are just a few of the many doctrinal heresies that Ellen G. White taught, and we are going to cover all these later in this book. I wrote this book for the purpose of informing Christians of the truth behind the facade of SDA, but by the grace of God, some Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs) might read this book, and I know that (initially) they will be very offended by these statements (and even the title of this book), so for their sakes, I just want to assure them that I have full references for all the documents I quote, along with full Scripture quotations, and in most cases, you can insert the link in the references into any web browser for quotes from Ellen White to read everything she said directly from the Ellen G. White Estate's official website.

The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
-Proverbs 15:28

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
-2 Timothy 2:15

Because the word 'advent' is not a commonly used word today, and because it is not a Biblical term, many people do not know what it means, so let's begin by defining it. The word comes from the Latin words adventus and advenio, which means "to come," and in the context of Adventism, it refers to Jesus Christ's coming to this world:

advent (n): a coming; appropriately the coming of our Savior; it is intended as a season of devotion, with reference to the coming of Christ in the flesh, and his second coming to judge the world
(See 'advent', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Jan 5, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

In the view of Seventh-day Adventism (SDA), the word 'adventist' becomes somewhat deceptive because nearly every churchgoer in the world who claims to be a Christian believes that Jesus Christ came to this world, and nearly all of them, from every denomination, believe that Jesus Christ is coming back; the difference between them is frequent disputes about where, when, and how, but that is not the topic we will be covering in this book. I am simply pointing out the deceit because the word 'adventism' implies many other hidden meanings beyond the word 'advent' that most churchgoers would not agree with, and as we will learn in this book, what Adventists believe is in strong opposition to what the Bible teaches.
(Read The Beginner's Guide to Christian Rapture here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

What do Seventh-day Adventists generally claim to believe? The following is written in the "Official Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church," taken from the official website of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists, one of the highest SDA authorities:
"Seventh-day Adventists accept the Bible as their only creed and hold certain fundamental beliefs to be the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. These beliefs, as set forth here, constitute the church's understanding and expression of the teaching of Scripture."
-Seventh-day Adventist Church, "Official Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church," retrieved Apr 6, 2021, [https://www.adventist.org/beliefs]

This site goes on to list 28 fundamental beliefs, which include general statements on God the Father, Christ the Son, the Holy Ghost, the Scriptures, the creation week, salvation, and other various related topics. Most of these answers contain the standard beliefs you might see in any average church building, so what makes SDAs different?

There is one major difference, and that distinction will help us understand that most of what is written on the SDA's official website is a lie. That major difference is the doctrine of Ellen G. White.

In the list of fundamental beliefs, the SDA General Conference authors do their best to avoid using the name of Ellen G. White because, over the past 40 years, she has earned quite a bad reputation for many reasons. However, they do mention her name once, and this is from point #18:
"The Scriptures testify that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and we believe it was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White. Her writings speak with prophetic authority and provide comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction to the church."
-Seventh-day Adventist Church, "Official Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church," retrieved Apr 6, 2021, [https://www.adventist.org/beliefs]

Some readers might think that my accusation (i.e. that the SDA church is lying) was overly harsh, and yet, with only two short quotes from the SDA statement of faith, we have discovered the first lie. Did you catch it? On one hand, the SDA church stated their belief that Ellen G. White had the gift of prophecy of the Holy Spirit, which provided "guidance, instruction, and correction to the church," but on the other hand, they first told us that SDAs "accept the Bible as their ONLY creed," and since Ellen G. White is not part of the Bible (which they admit, as we will learn more about later), this demonstrates a clear contradiction.

creed (n): any system, doctrine, or formula of religious belief, as of a denomination
(See 'creed', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

If the SDAs simply believed the Bible as their foundation, then they would not need to call themselves Seventh-day Adventists. They could just call themselves what the Bible refers to as "Christians."

Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
-1 Peter 4:16

However, SDAs believe in the Bible AND the doctrines of Ellen G. White together. By the time you have finished reading this book, you will have conclusive proof that not only do they accept the writings of Ellen White as their PRIMARY creed (i.e. Ellen White is a test of faith for members of the SDA church), but also, that it is impossible to follow both, meaning that you have to choose White or the Bible, and obviously, SDAs have chosen White because she is the "pope" of Seventh-day Adventism.

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
-Jeremiah 17:5

When this passage says "maketh flesh his arm," it is not speaking of an instance, for example, in which a man might sprain his ankle, and lean on another man for his help. Such an act is not wrong in any sense, but we need to remember that this passage is speaking in the context of spiritual matters, meaning that a man is cursed (i.e. damned, afflicted, vexed, tormented, etc) for leaning upon men for spiritual help, instead of relying on the Lord God alone.

And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
-Luke 6:39

A man who injures his leg can rely on another man for help, just as a blind man can rely on another man for help, so please do not misunderstand. What SDAs are doing is relying on Ellen G. White for their spiritual help, which is the equivalent of a man hurting his leg and relying on his injured neighbor for help, and because the neighbor has also injured his leg, it means both will fall.

The only one who we can turn to for spiritual help is God the Father.

The SDA doctrine of Ellen G. White being the final authority in all matters of faith and practice is not taught to the general public because it would drive people away. This idea is not taught until after a convert has spent some time in the SDA church, and can be more carefully and slowly persuaded into accepting the idea.

In 1991, the Adventist Review released an article by Gary Patterson, who was the assistant to the president of the SDA church's North American Division at the time. In it, he stated:
(Click Image for Larger View)
"We must also evaluate the ministry of Ellen White, whose writings have become a de facto sacred text of the Seventh-day Adventist community. Our fondness for the phrase sola scriptura has placed us in a bind. A strict interpretation of the term either rules out her writings as a sacred text or obliges us to elevate her works to the level of canon—a move that would place us squarely in the camp of the cults."
-Gary B. Patterson, "Three Approaches to Sacred Texts," Adventist Review, Sept 26, 1991, p. 17, retrieved May 12, 2021, [https://documents.adventistarchives.org/Periodicals/RH/RH19910926-V168-39.pdf]

Let's break this down for those readers who may not have fully understood what Patterson just said because this is very important to understand the facade of the SDA church's claim of "sola scriptura," which means "by scripture alone." The implication is that SDAs claim the foundation of their faith and practices comes from the Bible alone, but as Patterson so aptly pointed out, the fact that Ellen White's teachings are the "de facto sacred texts" (i.e. the ultimate authority) of the SDA church means that SDAs cannot claim to believe in Scripture alone without a logical and spiritual contradiction.

de facto (adj): in fact, in reality, actually existing without lawful authority
(See 'de facto', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

In other words, what Patterson means by "de facto" is that on the surface, SDAs preach to the public that they believe in Scripture alone for the foundation of their faith. However, once behind closed doors, the truth is quite different, meaning that they preach that Ellen White's writings are the true foundation of the SDA organization, and so fundamental SDAs believe in the Bible to a certain degree, but ultimately, they also believe that the Bible must be interpreted through the visions and doctrines of Ellen White.

This means that, despite what a Seventh-day Adventist might tell you, when it comes to a choice between the Bible and White, if they want to stay in the SDA church, they must choose White. When any conflict arises between Ellen White and God's Word, SDAs default to Ellen White, and will either ignore Scripture, or try to reinterpret it in some strange way to fit the doctrines of White.

God is NOT the final authority for SDA. Ellen G. White is the final authority for SDA.

Over the years, before writing this book, I have received letters from disgruntled Adventists who did not like the fact that I indirectly exposed their false doctrines in other teachings I have done, even though it was not my intention to target SDA in those teachings. I was simply preaching the truth of God's Word, not exposing Seventh-day Adventism. However, in the natural process of teaching the truth of Scripture, the doctrines I was teaching were automatically proving false the claims of Seventh-day Adventism, and therefore, many Adventists became upset with me because I did not adhere to the doctrines of their sacred prophetess, which is more evidence that SDA has nothing to do with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
-John 8:31-32

For those readers who may not know much about Seventh-day Adventism, they claim to follow and uphold the Ten Commandments because they believe it is the duty of a servant of God to keep the Ten Commandments. One of the foundational Scriptures for a SDA is Revelation 12:17, and this verse is referred to a number of times in the aforementioned SDA General Conference statements of faith:

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
-Revelation 12:17

remnant (n): that which is left after the separation, removal or destruction of a part
(See 'remnant', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Apr 6, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

The remnant being spoken of in this passage is the church in the end days, who will be persecuted unto death. Later in this book, we will learn about the origin of the SDAs in the mid-1800s, and how they believed they were living in the final days, with maybe only a few months or years before Jesus would return, which also means that they believed they were part of that remnant.

This means that SDAs are just like any other religious cult, namely, that they believe you must belong to their organization/denomination, or you will not be one of the "remnant," and therefore, you cannot get into heaven. This denominational exclusivity is just one of many SDA heresies we will learn about in this book.
(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

If you read Revelation 12:17 carefully, you will notice that it does NOT specifically say, "those which keep the Ten Commandments of God." It simply says "the commandments of God," so if we want to understand what commandments are being referred to in this passage, then we need to go back to Scripture for a definition.

The book of Revelation was authored by the Holy Spirit through John, and if we go back to other books of John, we will find that he defines what it means to keep the commandments of God:

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
-1 John 3:21-23

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
-1 John 5:1-3

Therefore, those who are of Christ are those who love the Lord God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and in turn, love their neighbors as themselves. This is the culmination of all the law (which includes the Ten Commandments) and the prophets.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
-Matthew 22:37-40

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
-Matthew 7:12

As we can see, faith in the Word of God, loving the Lord God, and in turn, loving our neighbor, is what it means to keep the commandments. These things are not done as a means of salvation (i.e. we not saved by our works), but rather, these are done by the children of God as a result of salvation.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
-Ephesians 2:8-9

However, as we will learn more about later, Ellen G. White heavily emphasized that a servant of God must keep all the Ten Commandments, and more. She claimed this is what the "patriarchs" did, or in other words, she believed that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc, all kept the commandments. More specifically, White believed that all the Bible patriarchs kept the Sabbath day according to the Ten Commandments, but the fact is that the law was not written down until AFTER Moses came down from Sinai (because the initial tablets were broken), meaning that none of the patriarchs had the law.
(The ridiculous doctrine that Abraham kept the Sabbath day is still being taught by Adventists today; see Adventist Defense League, "Who Kept The Sabbath?" retrieved July 29, 2021, [https://adventistdefenseleague.com/2008/01/who-kept-sabbath.html]

Scripture teaches us the opposite of what Ellen White and Adventists are teaching:

The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. [i.e. the location of Mt. Sinai] The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
-Deuteronomy 5:2-4

There was a promise that God made with Abraham, and that covenant was different than the covenant that was made with the Hebrews at Mt. Sinai. Furthermore, the Bible specifically tells us that the law (i.e. the Ten Commandments), which was given 430 years later, cannot disannul the promise God made with Abraham.

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
-Galatians 3:16-18

disannul (v): to annul; to make void; to deprive of authority or force; to nullify; to abolish;
(See 'disannul', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Apr 6, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

The promise we receive in Christ is the promise Abraham received. Obviously, based on the name "Seventh-day" Adventism, SDAs focus heavily on observing the Sabbath day, but the Sabbath day is not the promise given to Abraham, as Ezekiel pointed out:

Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
-Ezekiel 20:10-12

The weekly Sabbath, as well as the other feasts, was a sign between the Hebrews and God, not a determination of salvation. It was a covenant made specifically for the Jews, not for those who are born again in Christ, justified by grace through faith.

As we will learn later in this book, White taught that all believers must observe the Sabbath day every week, or they will not be allowed entrance to the Kingdom of God. This is based on willful ignorance of the Scripture, which she learned from other heretics who influenced her into this false, works-based doctrine.

Therefore, I want to make it clear to all readers that I, my family, my ministry, and our church have no part with those who claim to follow Adventism of any kind. Those who follow, practice, and teach the tenets of Seventh-day Adventism are NOT born again in the Lord Jesus Christ, they are NOT the children of God because they reject His doctrines, they replace Christ's doctrines with the corrupt teachings of false prophets, and I must warn you that if you follow their teachings, you will end up in hell.

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
-Ephesians 5:6-7

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
-Matthew 7:13-14

In this book, we will learn the history behind the Adventist movement, we will find out more details about the corrupt people who laid the foundations for it, we will learn that Ellen White made many false prophecies and incorrect predictions, we will learn that Ellen White plagiarized most of the writings in her books, and we will learn about many of White's wild and false doctrines, some of which, despite being proven wrong, are still preached in SDA church buildings around the world, leading millions into the wide gates of hell. Although we are going to focus on Seventh-Day Adventism in particular due to its widespread popularity, the general poison of Adventism has infected the United States (and now, many countries around the world), and has spread into many forms among various denominations, including (but not limited to) Seventh-Day Adventists (and all other Seventh-Day branches and conferences), Church of God (and all other Church of God branches and conferences), Church of Christ (and all other Church of Christ branches and conferences), Church of the Blessed Hope, Church of Promise, Sabbath Rest, Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, and many more denominations with equally deceptive names.
(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
-Acts 20:29-31

I will also prove the fact that Adventists do not follow Scripture near as much as they claim, and because of that, they are not my brethren. Adventists follow after the voices of strangers, and Jesus made it very clear that such people are not His sheep.

And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
-John 10:4-7

I am not saying that a born again Christian cannot be initially deceived by the SDA church, but once a man has seen what the SDA church teaches in comparison to what Scripture teaches, he has a choice. Those who turn away from the voice of Christ to follow a stranger like Ellen G. White are not of God, and by the time you finish reading this book, you will see how far apart White was from Scripture.

Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not... He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
-John 8:43-47

These statements will likely turn away most SDAs, and they will see me as an enemy because that is what Ellen White taught them to do. However, I want to assure readers that I am not your enemy. I am only going to tell you the truth, and what you do with that information afterwards is your decision.

Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
-Galatians 4:16

If it were a simple matter of people not having access to hear the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, I would not have written this book in the first place; I would just continue to preach His Word (as I normally do) so that they could hear Him. However, when an organization comes together, claiming to be of Christ while defiling His Word with corrupt traditions and doctrines of men, I thought it necessary to publish this book to warn others of the danger.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy [a way of thinking] and vain deceit [useless lies], after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [first teachings] of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8

It is important for Christians to understand that God allows false prophets to exist for the purpose of testing His children:

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
Deuteronomy 13:1-4

We will cover more details on this in chapter four, but again, false prophets are a test that God gives us to see if we love Him, or if we love something other than Him. Therefore, it is necessary that we put prophets to the test, to make sure they are of God, and that is what we are going to do with Ellen G. White and the SDA organization.

Ellen White wrote in a letter to one of her followers:
"The [i.e. her] visions are either of God or the Devil. There is no half way position to be taken in the matter. God does not work in partnership with Satan. Those who occupy this position cannot stand there long."
-Ellen G. White, "Letter to Sister H. N. Smith," EGW Writings, p. 22, retrieved May 26, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/319.2#56]

White also wrote:
"If you are thoroughly convinced that God has not spoken by us, why not act in accordance with your faith and have no more to do with a people who are under so great a deception as this people are? If you have been moving according to the dictates of the Spirit of God you are right and we are wrong. God is either teaching His church, reproving their wrongs and strengthening their faith, or He is not. This work is of God, or it is not. God does nothing in partnership with Satan. My work for the past thirty years bears the stamp of God or the stamp of the enemy. There is no halfway work in the matter. The Testimonies are of the Spirit of God, or of the devil."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 4, p. 229, retrieved May 26, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/114.1171#1181]

This is one of the rare statements White has made that I can agree with. There is no in-between, and those who try to ride the fence on this matter are what Jesus called "lukewarm," which means they are trying to hold two contradictory positions at the same time:

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
-Revelation 3:15-16

So let us put Seventh-day Adventism and Ellen White to the Biblical test. We will begin by looking at the history of Adventism to understand the foundations of the SDA church and White's doctrine...
 


Adventism has a limited history, beginning in the mid-1800s. Though its origins were more well-known back then, today, few people know its history, namely, who founded it and why. The history of Adventism is very important when researching this subject because learning about it will quickly expose its corrupt roots, and as Jesus Christ taught us, good fruit cannot come from a tree that has corrupt roots:

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
-Matthew 7:17-18

Therefore, if someone believes a religious organization which started out in corruption can somehow become good over time, then that person does NOT believe what Jesus Christ taught. The only way to solve the problem of a corrupt spiritual entity is to get rid of it entirely and start from scratch.

To begin, we need to go back to the early 19th century and a man named William Miller, who was a farmer that served as deputy sheriff and justice of the peace in his local community, and he was a captain in the military during the War of 1812. Despite all his decoration and public service, Miller is most famously known today for forming the "Second Adventists" (later shortened to just "Adventists"), which is named for the advent of Christ, or in this context, the second coming of Christ.

In 1833, Miller began to preach his belief that Daniel 8:13-14 prophesied that Jesus Christ would return in 1844, and that people should get ready for that year.

Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
-Daniel 8:13-14

In this verse, Miller took the 2,300 days to mean 2,300 years after the Temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt in 457 B.C., and after doing the math, his equation ended with the year 1844. This presentation was impressive to foolish churchgoers that did not have understanding of Scripture, and the newly founded Adventists took drastic measures to prepare for this alleged event:
"Taking '2,300 evenings and mornings' of Daniel 8:14 to mean 2,300 years, [Miller] concluded that Christ would return sometime between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. Miller [formerly a farmer in New York] began to spend all his time lecturing. An Adventist periodical called The Signs of the Times promoted his teachings. But March 21, 1844 came and went without Christ's return. A few weeks later, however, a follower of Miller named Samuel Snow restored the hopes of the Millerites by suggesting that the real date of Christ's return would be October 22, 1844. A new fervency appeared. A number of Adventists gave up their jobs in the 'last days' and spent their time attending church meetings... When October 22 passed, the Adventists' hopes were again crushed. This came to be known as the Great Disappointment of 1844."
-Kenneth Boa, Cults, World Religions and the Occult, published by David C. Cook, 1990, p. 117, ISBN: 9780896938236

So to summarize, William Miller taught a false prophecy that Jesus was coming back sometime between 1843-1844, and this led to what is infamously known today as "The Great Disappointment of 1844," which was named after the great suffering of the people who followed Adventism in that day. It has been estimated that roughly one million people followed the teachings of Miller, believing they would be raptured away by the spring of 1844, and because of this, many people who planned on starting families put off having children, they sold their homes, farmers refused to plant crops for the season, and the effects of this were catastrophic, both physically and mentally, resulting in people checking into insane asylums, not because they questioned their beliefs, but because they believed in Miller's teaching so strongly, they thought that Jesus left them behind and they were destined for hell with no escape.
(See Jonathan M. Butler & Ronald L. Numbers, The Disappointed: Millerism and Millenarianism in the Nineteenth Century, University of Tennessee Press, 1993, p. 109, ISBN: 9780870497933)

A key point I want readers to keep in mind is that the general concept of Adventism was founded by a FALSE prophet based on FALSE teachings, and what begins with a false prophet, will only breed more false prophecies. That is what Jesus meant when He said that a corrupt tree is incapable of bringing forth good fruit:

For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
-Luke 6:43

Of course, you can imagine how nervous the Adventists became in the early months of 1844, and many of them began to have doubts that Jesus would return as Miller had told them. In order to save the movement, Samuel Snow stepped up to preach his theory that the final day of Christ's return would be later that fall, on October 22, 1844, even though his teaching was not popularized until later that summer after many had given up hope.

Snow was quite a bit more eccentric than Miller. He was a fanatic who dressed himself in long robes, claimed that he was Elijah the prophet, and then later claimed to be Jesus's "prime minister," declaring that all governments should give full power to him:
"In February 1844 he [Snow] published an article in the Midnight Cry arguing that the Old Testament festivals were types to which Christ's ministry was the antitype. [i.e. a symbol of foreshadowing] Because the seventh-month festivals, particularly the Day of Atonement (which he believed represented the Second Advent of Jesus), had not yet been fulfilled, he calculated on the basis of the Jewish Karaite [i.e. Jews who only believe in the Torah] calendar that Jesus would return on 22 October 1844. Snow preached this interpretation in several places, including New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, in the spring and early summer of 1844, but his message attracted little attention until he presented it at the Exeter, New Hampshire, camp meeting in August. Several individuals reported that it swept through the meeting like a wildfire. A few days later Snow began publishing the True Midnight Cry, which spread his views among the Millerite rank and file during the next several weeks, although leaders such as Joshua V. Himes and Miller resisted it until late September and early October. After Jesus did not physically return in October as expected, Snow accepted in early 1845 Joseph Turner's shut door theory, which argued that the judgment had begun on 22 October; the door of probation [i.e. a time of supervision of criminals] had shut, and Jesus would return when the judgment was completed. Snow soon identified himself as the prophet Elijah preparing the way for Christ's coming and began publishing the Jubilee Standard while some of his followers put out the True Day Star. In 1848 he issued A Proclamation to All People, Nations, Tongues, and Kings in which he claimed to be Jesus's prime minister and called on all political authorities to surrender power to him."
-Gary Land, Historical Dictionary of the Seventh-Day Adventists, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2005, p. 312, ISBN: 9781442241886; Land was a professor at Andrews University and a member of the Association of Seventh-Day Adventist Historians.

Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.
-Luke 20:46-47

Although many SDA authors like to paint the early Adventists as devout Christians who were earnestly seeking understanding of God's Word, the truth is a far cry from that idea. In the next chapter, we will go over information on the strange practices of Adventists, including, but not limited to, holy kissing, holy dancing, holy laughing, foot washing ceremonies (even by men to women, which is promiscuous), being "slain in the spirit," which is essentially convulsing on the floor, shouting, and "voluntary humility," which is crawling around on the floor on one's hands and knees during congregational services.

Please note something important that was said by the author because he is a Seventh-day Adventist historian, meaning that he is a dedicated SDA. He said, "After Jesus did not PHYSICALLY return," and the reason that is important is because SDAs still believe that Miller predicted the return of Jesus correctly, but he just misinterpreted what happened because everything that took place happened in heaven where no one can see it.

Although William Miller eventually admitted that he was wrong, and although he and many others departed from the movement altogether, the bonfire of end-times occultism had been lit, and though it was heavily doused by the Great Disappointment, it was still burning bright because of those who chose to put their faith in a lie. The fully dedicated fanatics split into many small fires, creating a variety of denominations, and though we will discuss some of those denominations later in this book, to simplify the matter, Adventists split into two basic camps; one group were the open-door Adventists, and the other group were the shut-door Adventists.

The open-door Adventists believe that Christ is still saving sinners, and even though Miller and Snow got the date wrong, they still believe Christ's coming is always just around the corner, so they continue to set dates for the day they think Christ will return. These groups still exist today, and they have been setting dates and getting them wrong (i.e. false prophecies) for nearly 200 years, despite the fact that the Bible clearly states that no man can know the day or hour of Christ's return:

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
-Matthew 24:36

The other group is the shut-door Adventists who believe that (as of 1844) Christ is no longer saving sinners, and He is just up in heaven going over all the books to declare His final judgment. (As if the omniscient, eternal God needs time and considerations to come up with judgments, which is laughable.) This is obviously an absurd heresy against Scripture, not only because Jesus promised that He would be with us until the end of the world (Mat 28:20), but also because there is nothing in Scripture that remotely indicates a "shut-door transitional period," so for now, keep this in mind because we will come back to it later.

Fredrick Wheeler was another disciple of the Millerite/Adventist teaching, and in 1844, Wheeler was holding a communion service at the Washington Christian Church in New Hampshire on the same day he got an out-of-town visitor named Rachael Oakes. During the ceremony, he stated, "All who confess communion with Christ in such a service as this should be ready to obey God and keep His commandments in all things," (i.e. he was telling them they were not of Christ unless they kept all the Old Testament laws; a works-based false doctrine) and when Oakes heard that, she later told Wheeler that she almost leapt out of her chair and accused him of hypocrisy because she was a Seventh-Day Baptist, and so she rebuked Wheeler for not keeping the Sabbath.
(See Jerome L. Clark, 1844: Religious Movements, Vol. 1, TEACH Services Inc, 1968, p. 70-71, ISBN: 9781572580671; See also Arthur W. Spalding, Origin and History of Seventh-Day Adventists, Vol. 1, Review and Herald Publications Association, 1961, p. 115, [University of Wisconsin - Madison])

Wheeler took Oakes' rebuke to heart, and went home to do some research. After studying the Bible on the matter, he decided to accept the Sabbath-keeping teaching, or in other words, he accepted the false works-based doctrine that Christians must observe the Sabbath or they cannot be born-again in Christ and will end up in hell.
(Read "Keeping the Sabbath is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details. I would argue that there are none among Adventists who actually keep the Sabbath as described in the Torah, meaning that there are a lot of hypocrites among them.)

As Wheeler's Sabbath-keeping doctrine began to spread, Thomas Preble (a convert to Millerism in 1842) heard Wheeler's doctrine and accepted it too. Preble ended up becoming friends with Wheeler, and Preble was the first Adventist to publish the Sabbath-keeping doctrine in print. (See image) (See Thomas M. Preble, According to the Commandment, Murray & Kimball, 1845) Preble had supposedly, later in his life, denounced this teaching, but not before he had convinced a number of others it was true; one of those he converted was named Joseph Bates, who read Preble's tract in a publication called "The Hope of Israel," printed on Feb 28, 1845, and the following year, Bates taught the Sabbath-keeping doctrine to a woman named Ellen Harmon, who also accepted it. This is extremely significant because soon after, Ellen Harmon went on to marry a man named James White, and she became Ellen G. White, the founder of the Seventh-Day Adventists.

This is how the "Seventh-Day" or "Sabbath-Day" teachings entered into the Adventist movement. Today, this has split into hundreds, if not thousands, of various denominations, some of which we will take a look at in chapter eight.

When she was nine years old, Ellen Harmon suffered an injury to her face after an angry teenage girl threw a rock at her head, which caused her face to swell up so much that it put her into a coma for three weeks. Though most of her face slowly recovered over the next two years, the injuries to her nervous system did not fully recover. Years later, Ellen claimed that she had "visions" of prophecy, despite the fact that a number of Adventist doctors later analyzed her injuries and symptoms from past documentation, and their diagnosis was that she experienced partial-complex seizures from her childhood injuries:
"In 1981, Delbert H. Hodder, an Adventist pediatrician, with a subspecialty in neurology, wrote a very controversial article in Evangelica entitled 'Visions or Partial-Complex Seizures.' The doctor concluded that what Adventists assumed to be 'visions' from God were actually partial-complex seizures that were the result of her serious head injury at the age of nine... these seizures were previously known as temporal lobe epilepsy or psychomotor epilepsy. Dr. Hodder was not alone in promoting this theory. Shortly after he published his article, an Adventist colleague, who was also a physician, reasserted the same interpretation of Ellen's head injury, in what amounted to medical reductionism. [i.e. temporal lobe epilepsy is the same as partial-complex seizures] Molleurus Couperus, a dermatologist, also believed that Ellen's 'visions' could be explained by a purely medical model in his article published in Adventist Currents entitled 'The Significance of Ellen White's Head Injury.' Adventists understandably reacted very negatively to this threatening theory, and [SDA] church leadership, including the Ellen G. White Estate [keepers of all property and documentation on Ellen White, and one of the highest authorities in Seventh-day Adventism], was quick to respond, drawing on medical and mental health experts, as well as a physician of their own, to refute these charges."
-Steven Daily, Ellen G. White: A Psychobiography, Page Publishing, 2020, ISBN: 9781647018764; See also AdventWeb, "Autobiographical Sketch of Ellen G. White," ellenwhite.info, retrieved Jan 29, 2021, [ellenwhite.info/ellen_white_life_1a.htm]

Please do not misunderstand; I have no desire to judge Ellen White's claims to prophetic visions on the basis of her medical condition alone. After all, God has the power to send His Word and understanding unto those who are lame or injured. (Psa 119:130) However, as we continue through this book, we will analyze the teachings of Ellen White, comparing what she said with Scripture so we can discern her false doctrines and prophecies, and once we have a better understanding of this subject, it will become clearer that White was having seizures due to her injuries, and she used her seizures and fainting as a cover to make money by claiming that they were "visions from God."

Along with the Sabbath teaching, White was influenced by another doctrine that came out of the Great Disappointment of 1844 by a man named Hiram Edson (while under the influence of the doctrines of Owen Crosier), and he claimed to have a prophetic vision that Jesus did not come to earth in 1844 (as it was falsely prophesied), but rather, Jesus entered into a special heavenly sanctuary for the first time and would have to do some work there. He still believed Miller's prophecy was true, but was slightly off on a few points, and this later became known as the "Sanctuary" doctrine. Edson got together with his friend, Owen Crosier (or Crozier), and a few years later, they published his vision and doctrine called "The Sanctuary" in the Day-Star Extra on Feb 7, 1846.
(See Arthur White, "O.L. Crosier Article 'The Sanctuary'," Day-Star Extra, 1846, 18-C-3, retrieved July 1, 2021, [https://www.sdadefend.com/Our%20Firm%20Foundation/Crosier-sanctuary.pdf])

As a side note for those who study the Bible, you may have noticed that the prophets of God never came along and said that a previous prophet was incorrect about a few things. The true prophets harmonized and correlated together with one another flawlessly, but that is not what we are seeing from the Millerites and Adventists.

Joseph Bates read about Edson's alleged prophetic vision in the Day-Star Extra, and after he introduced it to Ellen White, she accepted Edson's vision and doctrine, which is known today as "The Investigative Judgment." This doctrine teaches that the "divine judgment" of professing Christians has been active since 1844.

In a nutshell, the doctrine of "Investigative Judgment" teaches that once a Christian dies and goes to the judgment of God, Christ looks into the record books in the heavenly files to see if that person has kept all the Old Testament commandments of God (e.g. keeping the Sabbath, eating of meats, etc), and if they missed one, they cannot enter heaven. To put it in other words, a Seventh-Day Adventist might tell you they believe in grace through faith, and it might sound good initially, but once you get into their church buildings, they will begin to teach that your name gets in the book of life by faith, but now Jesus has to judge whether or not you kept all the Jewish commandments, and if you do not keep all of them, you are doomed to destruction and rejected from heaven. In summary, it is a works-based false doctrine that was created by Owen (O.R.L.) Crosier, Hiram Edson, and delivered by Joseph Bates unto Ellen White, who heavily emphasized the importance of this doctrine as a foundation for Seventh-day Adventists, and SDAs still believe and teach it today.
(See Ellen G. White, Counsels to Writers and Editors, Review and Herald Publications Association, 1946, p. 30-31, ISBN: 9780828011761)

All of that may have been a little complicated for the average reader, so I made a chart to help put all this information together in a simple format. Of course, there were a number of other people involved in various ways (including James White, Ellen Harmon's future husband), but this chart will provide many of the major names involved in the development of Seventh-day Adventism so we can understand the basic foundations of the movement: Some SDAs might find this difficult to accept, considering how much information the White Estate and the SDA General Conference keeps them from knowing, but I can assure you that this is all true, and I encourage SDAs to do their own research to learn the truth of the matter. Ellen White did not come up with her doctrines on her own; she was influenced by others who taught her to believe these things.

Most of the major doctrines taught to Ellen G. White and believed by SDAs today, were most often renounced and thrown out as false by the very men who originally taught them. Many famous figures who are propped up by the White Estate to have been White's closest friends and supporters ended up departing from the Adventist movement because they could no longer support the heresies. (We will cover more details on some of those people in chapter nine.)

Ultimately, Ellen White followed the false prophecies of the Millerite movement, and when those prophesied events did not come to pass, she was devastated just like the rest of the Adventists. It was the pride of her heart that kept her from being humbled to admit her wrongdoing.

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
-Proverbs 16:18

Instead, Ellen chose to believe in the prophecies anyway, despite there being no evidence for them, Scriptural or otherwise. However, to justify herself, she needed to come up with a reason to accept them or the public would think she was a lunatic, and therefore, she decided to blame the mistakes on God:
"I have seen that the 1843 chart was directed by the hand of the Lord [even though none of it came true], and that it should not be altered; that the figures were as He wanted them; that His hand was over and hid a mistake in some of the figures, so that none could see it, until His hand was removed."
-Ellen G. White, Early Writings, EGW Writings, p. 74, retrieved May 19, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/28.475#476]

If there are any SDAs who are reading this, it is VERY important that you understand what Ellen said here. She BLAMED GOD for putting in mistakes to deceive others, or in other words, she claimed that God lied to mankind, and this is a deadly serious accusation because the Bible tells us God CANNOT lie:

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
-Titus 1:2

God has told us in His Word that He cannot lie, but Ellen White claimed that He lied. So either we put our trust in God, or we put our trust into Ellen White, and I leave that to the reader to decide for yourself as you continue to read about the origins of the Adventist movement.
 


There are a variety of religious cults that teach odd and (at times) inappropriate rituals and traditions, and Adventists are no exception to this. A variety of odd practices led to arrests in some 19th century cases, and in this chapter, we will be looking at a trial that took place in Atkinson, New Hampshire.

In the 1980s, there were many people who left the Seventh-day Adventists as hidden information about Ellen G. White became more readily available. What had been previously kept secret by the White Estate was then revealed, from her plagiarism to her lies to her strange doctrines (which we will cover in later chapters), and most of those who studied to learn the truth eventually left the organization. Bruce Weaver was one of those who left the Adventists in the early 1980s, and after he left, he set out to warn others about how the evidence against Ellen G. White was ignored by the SDAs, and that she flat-out lied about many things in her personal testimonies.

For example, the SDA organization would have their followers believe that the origins of their religion consisted of quiet, level-headed churchgoers. However, the truth is quite a different story because they had a number of strange practices that were VERY similar to the wild, modern-day practices of Charismatics and Pentecostals.
(Read "Speaking in Tongues vs Charismatic Gibberish" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

In the months following the Great Disappointment of 1844, New England states were shocked at how many Millerites/Adventists remained dedicated to their religious beliefs, even though their prophets had been proven false. Among the dedicated remnant were Ellen Harmon, and her friends James White and Israel Dammon, the latter of which would be the primary defendant in the Atkinson court trial.

Bruce Weaver documented some of the practices they were involved in, one of the more notable being "holy kissing:"
"The New England populace was amused and scandalized by newspaper accounts of the promiscuous public kissing that attended the home meetings of fanatical, post-disappointment Millerites. One paper reported a Millerite meeting in Portland at which: 'Brother M stated that he had a special impression that he must kiss Sister N. Her husband being present, thought such an impression must come from the Devil - as no good impression would expose his wife to be kissed by such an 'ugly looking mug' as that brother were. So he took her away unkissed, and will probably keep her away.'"
-Bruce Weaver, Incident in Atkinson: The Arrest and Trial of Israel Dammon, 1988, retrieved Apr 9, 2021, [https://bit.ly/2QeT8T5]

The practice of "holy kissing" performed by the early Adventists was a drastic misunderstanding of Scripture. Paul refers to giving the brethren a "holy kiss," but this is an allusion (or a casual reference) to a custom, not a direct commandment to perform a particular action:

Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.
-Romans 16:16

In some countries, it is customary to greet with a kiss, while in other countries, such a thing is seen as offensive. If this action is done (i.e. in a culture in which it is customary), it should be done with "holiness," meaning that one should do it with the full intention of kindness and charity, with wishes of blessings from a pure heart, not with any lustful or malicious intent.

There are deceitful intentions in kisses that were given in Scripture; for example, when Joab kissed Amasa on the cheek, only to get close enough to stab him to death. (2Sa 20:9-10) In another example, Judas kissed Jesus on the cheek, only betray him into the hands of the enemy. (Mat 26:49-50)

We know this is not a commandment to physically kiss one another because it would violate other Scriptures, especially when it comes to men and women:

Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
-1 Corinthians 7:1-2

To avoid the temptations into the lusts of the flesh, it is good that a man would not touch a woman in his life in the sense that he would not be intimate with a woman, so he can focus his attentions on Christ alone. However, it is not wrong to marry, but once married, that intimacy should be kept between the man and the woman, and so with such things as a kiss on the cheek, we must judge ourselves in a godly manner, to make sure we are doing things with every pure intent, because God judges the heart.

To be clear, this is NOT what the Adventists were doing. Men were kissing women on the lips in these meetings, and the townsfolk where these meetings were taking place were very concerned about the promiscuity it was promoting in their town:
"One particular instance of this 'exercise' that received so much attention at the trial had more the flavor of a make-up kiss than a holy kiss. Dorinda Baker, the other visionist present, approached Joel Doore saying, 'You have refused me before.' Doore recalled Miss Baker saying that he 'had thought hard of her.' Doore became "satisfied of my error, and... we kissed each other with the holy kiss.' Loton Lambert was watching and testified that Miss Baker had said, 'that feels good.' Joel Doore remembered, 'When she kissed me, she said there was light ahead.'"
-Bruce Weaver, Incident in Atkinson: The Arrest and Trial of Israel Dammon, 1988, retrieved Apr 9, 2021, [https://bit.ly/2QeT8T5]

You will not find in Scripture any such practice taught to the New Testament church. Weaver goes on to point out the lies told by the trustees of the White Estate, in their attempt to cover up what really took place:
"There are several appendix notes in the fifth edition of Early Writings (placed there in 1963 by trustees of the Ellen G. White Estate) that are 'provided to explain expressions and situations not so well understood now...' The trustees write: 'It was the custom among the early Sabbath keeping Adventists to exchange the holy kiss at the ordinance of humility. No reference is made to obvious impropriety of exchanging the holy kiss between men and women, but there is a call for all to abstain from all appearance of evil.'"
-Bruce Weaver, Incident in Atkinson: The Arrest and Trial of Israel Dammon, 1988, retrieved Apr 9, 2021, [https://bit.ly/2QeT8T5]

As we can see, there is a contradiction between the testimony of the SDA trustees, and the testimony of people who were actually there because the White Estate said they were abstaining from the appearance of evil, but some of the men kept their wives from participating because it was making people uncomfortable. The awkwardness of the situation was coming from the promiscuous overtones of the meetings. The SDA organization does its best to cover up these early testimonies so their followers will not see that the origin of the religious organization was scandalous.

Abstain from all appearance of evil.
-1 Thessalonians 5:22

The virtue of abstaining from the appearance of fornication was not the intention of the Adventists, which is also evidenced by the reports of their foot washings, specifically that men and women were washing each other's feet. If a man were discovered to be washing the feet of his neighbor's wife in an unprofessional environment, or vice versa, it would certainly be viewed as a scandalous act even today, and yet, the early Adventists did these things out of presumed obedience to the Gospel of Jesus, as Ellen G. White wrote:
"There is no example given in the Word for brethren to wash sisters' feet; but there is an example for sisters to wash the feet of brethren. Mary washed the feet of Jesus with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head. I saw that the Lord had moved upon sisters to wash the feet of brethren and that it was according to gospel order."
-Ellen G. White, Early Writings, EGW Writings, p. 117, retrieved Apr 13, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/28.665#677]

The story of the sinful woman who washed the feet of Jesus in Luke 7 is obviously not understood by White, because its meaning has far more impact than a simple cleaning of the skin. That moment was a demonstration of the great love the servants of Christ would have, in which she showed great love and care for the one who forgave her of her many sins, but in the Adventists' case, they were performing simple foot washings without the same purpose, and furthermore, according to White's testimony, they did so because of a perceived obedience to the Scriptures, even though the Scriptures (as White confessed) have no such order.

Promiscuity is just one of the many reasons that Israel Dammon (Ellen Harmon's colleague) was arrested, he was also charged with disturbing the peace, vagrancy (which is wandering about without employment or a means of income), and for seeking donations for religious gatherings under false pretenses. In that day and in that town, such offenders were sentenced to between five and thirty days in the local jail.

The promiscuity in the Adventist meetings only added more credibility to the court's charges. One of the SDA participants testified that the so-called "impropriety of exchanging the holy kiss between men and women" was a standard practice for them:
"The subject of kissing came up repeatedly at the trial of Israel Dammon, with variations on the word (e.g. kiss, kissed, kissing) occurring at least twenty-six times. Witnesses for the accused stoutly defended the practice. James Ayer, Jr., the man in whose Atkinson home Dammon was arrested, witnessed to the court that 'it is a part of our faith to kiss each other - brothers kiss sisters and sisters kiss brothers, I think we have biblical authority for that.' Mrs. White concurred, citing 1 Thess. 5:26. [another verse with the phrase "holy kiss" in it] In fact, all of the specific instances of kissing mentioned in the Dammon trial abridgment were kisses between members of the opposite sex: Joel Doore and Dorinda Baker, Israel Dammon and Mrs. Isley Osborn, and Dammon and Mrs. George Woodbury."
-Bruce Weaver, Incident in Atkinson: The Arrest and Trial of Israel Dammon, 1988, retrieved Apr 9, 2021, [https://bit.ly/2QeT8T5]

The Adventists also defended their practice of something they called the "holy laugh." This is another practice that is very similar to the Charismatic and Pentecostal cults, in which they have lengthy, unnatural laughing sessions, and I have documented some of these demonically inspired laughing fits in my teaching exposing the unbiblical doctrines and practices of what is called "revivalism."
(Read "Revivalism: The Devil's Design" here at creationliberty.com for more details; See also "Revivals are Unbiblical," Creation Liberty Evangelism YouTube Channel, Aug 6, 2016, [https://youtu.be/vuzmuhzeGmM?t=197])

Weaver continues to document a session of "post-disappointment Millerite" fanatics that were reported in an issue of Morning Star, in April of 1845. They speak of "the spirit" causing SDAs to laugh out loud, but such a thing is not mentioned in the New Testament:
"In an August 1850 letter, Mrs. White seemed to acknowledge and affirm the holy laugh. James White had taken suddenly and seriously ill. Ellen, Sister Harris, Clarissa Bonfoey, and Ellen's sister, Sarah, who were alone with the sick man, united their prayers on his behalf: 'Sister Harris and Clarissa were set entirely free and they prayed to God with a loud voice. The spirit caused Clarissa to laugh aloud. James was healed every whit...' It seems odd that when Mrs. White wrote this story for publication, she did not mention a charismatic prayer session nor did she indicate that 'the spirit caused Clarissa to laugh aloud.'"
-Bruce Weaver, Incident in Atkinson: The Arrest and Trial of Israel Dammon, 1988, retrieved Apr 9, 2021, [https://bit.ly/2QeT8T5]

The reason Ellen White omitted the details about the laughing is because such practices were widely frowned upon in the 19th century. They did not pick up popularity until the turn of the 20th century by the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements of demonic gibberish they call "speaking in tongues" (i.e. it is not the Biblical speaking in tongues), and I cover many more details about that subject in my teaching, "Speaking in Tongues vs Charismatic Gibberish," here at creationliberty.com.

Please do not misunderstand; the act of laughing itself is not a sin, but the problem is that people often use laughter as a replacement for the godly sorrow of wrongdoing (i.e. repentance), thinking that the Holy Spirit is working through them because they have a joyful emotional high. This is another misconception from people who believe that their feelings are the equivalent of the Holy Ghost, and the Bible warns us about such people:

It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.
-Ecclesiastes 7:2-6

mirth (n): social merriment; hilarity; high excitement of pleasurable feelings in company; noisy gayety; jollity; mirth differs from joy and cheerfulness, as always implying noise
(See 'mirth', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Apr 9, 2021 [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Though I enjoy laughter as much as the next person, the fact is that laughter is often used to cover the sad truth of a matter, and millions of people are going to laugh their way down the path that leads to hell and the lake of fire. In Ecclesiastes 7:6, it speaks of tossing thorns into a fire, which creates a loud, sharp crackling sound while they burn, and the Lord God is teaching us that these religious laughter sessions are nothing but a cesspool of loud, annoying fools:

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness. The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.
-Proverbs 14:12-14

These people might feel like their pleasant emotions are of God, but the end of those ways is death. The Bible tells us the fool trusts in his own heart instead of the Word of God:

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
-Proverbs 28:26

Therefore, it is better that a man would come to the truth of God's Word in humility, and acknowledge the truth of his broken state. If he acknowledges the truth about his wretched self, and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary, the natural reaction is sorrow, not laughter:

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
-James 4:8-10

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
-2 Corinthians 7:9-10
(Read There is No Saving Grace Without Repentance here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Though the Bible teaches us that the tears of godly sorrow are the outward sign of a broken heart of repentance, that was not enough for the early Adventists. They practiced something that was known at the time as "creeping," or what they called "voluntary humility," which is to crawl around on the floor on one's hands and knees like an animal.

Weaver documented more details on this practice:
"A description of the creeping that took place at the home of Captain John Megquier in Poland, Maine, was provided by a correspondent of the Norway Advertiser: 'They seldom sit in any other position than on the bare floor... A woman, at the meeting he attended, got on her hands and knees, and crept over the floor like a child. A man, in the same position, followed her, butting her occasionally with his head. [i.e. he was pushing his head into her rear-end] Another man threw himself at full length upon his back on the bed, and presently three women crossed him with their bodies.'"
-Bruce Weaver, Incident in Atkinson: The Arrest and Trial of Israel Dammon, 1988, retrieved Apr 9, 2021, [https://bit.ly/2QeT8T5]

There is nothing wrong with people sitting on the floor, but when a man lays down on a bed, and three other women lay on top of him, it is not only strange, unnecessary, and nowhere to be found in Scripture, but it would be perceived as lewd by any decent person.

Abstain from all appearance of evil.
-1 Thessalonians 5:22

Ellen G. White claimed she never took part in any of the creeping activities and objected to the practice, but it should be noted that she never publicly objected to it either, and eye witnesses tell a different story about her participation:
"This creeping was a humiliation that - however literally biblical ('except ye become as little children' Matt 18:1-6) [this is entirely incorrect, and not what Christ was referring to; I will explain more on that in the last chapter of this book] - Ellen White, thirty years later, insisted she had not been prepared to bear:
'Duties were made by men, tests manufactured that God had never required, and which found no sanction in His Word. I state definitely I never crept when I could walk, and have ever opposed it. I was shown in vision, after I refused to accept this as a duty, that it was not a requirement of God, but the fruit of fanaticism.'
Mrs. White was reacting - although not publicly - to the remarks of Mrs. Lucinda Bodge Burdick published in an 1874 issue of The World's Crisis. Mrs. Burdick had become well acquainted with Ellen Harmon and James White when the three of them stayed together several times in 1845 at the home of Josiah Little (Burdick's uncle) in South Windham, Maine, a few miles from Harmon's parent's home in Portland. It was this 1874 statement by Burdick, published in The World's Crisis, that Mrs. White objected to so strongly:
'At the time of my first acquaintance with them [James White and Ellen Harmon] in early 1845 they were in a wild fanaticism, - used to sit on the floor instead of chairs, and creep around the floor like little children. Such freaks were considered a mark of humility.'
Although the absence of independent, contemporary evidence on this point leaves the 1874 statements of Mrs. White and Mrs. Burdick in apparently unresolvable tension, the uncommitted reader will have to give Burdick the edge because of Mrs. White's unwillingness to make a public refutation."
-Bruce Weaver, Incident in Atkinson: The Arrest and Trial of Israel Dammon, 1988, retrieved Apr 9, 2021, [https://bit.ly/2QeT8T5]; See also Ellen G. White, Letters and Manuscripts, EGW Writings, Vol. 2, 1874, par. 6, retrieved May 28, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/14052.3301001#3301012]

Like a dirty politician, Ellen G. White attempted to play both sides. She did not want to come out and publicly condemn the practices because that would harm her standing with the Adventists, but on the other hand, she did not want the public to think she was mad, so she remained silent on the matter for decades.

Instead of coming to Christ in the humility of repentance, which is tears of godly sorrow for one's wrongdoing, just as the woman in Luke 7 who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears, Adventists decided to interpret the meaning of "becoming as little children" as crawling around on the floor like toddlers. The reason a court trial took place over this matter is because these Millerites/Adventists were not just doing this in private behind closed doors, they were doing it on the streets out in public! It took White 30 years to condemn this practice, and by that point, she lied and condemned it in a cowardly and pathetic attempt to save face, thinking that no one would know what she had really believed and done, which would lead me to agree with Weaver's assessment, namely, that because White had covered up her actions, the benefit of the doubt weighs in favor of Mrs. Burdick's testimony.

During Israel Dammon's trial, the prosecution's witnesses testified of the surprisingly loud shouting going on in the Adventists meetings. Weaver also documented these accounts:
"William C. Crosby described it as 'exceedingly noisy.' 'They would at times all be talking at once, halloing [greeting one another] at the top of their voices.' In fact, he added, 'by spells it was the most noisy assembly I ever attended... I don't say Dammon shouted the loudest; I think some stronger in the lungs than he.' Dammon's shouting was not limited to the Saturday night meeting: 'Tuesday morning the prisoner having taken his seat, rose just as the Court came in, and shouted Glory to the strength of his lungs.'"
-Bruce Weaver, Incident in Atkinson: The Arrest and Trial of Israel Dammon, 1988, retrieved Apr 9, 2021, [https://bit.ly/2QeT8T5]

Paul rebuked the practice of multiple people speaking at once, or trying to speak over one another:

If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
-1 Corinthians 14:23

Let all things be done decently and in order.
-1 Corinthians 14:40

Of course, the "tongues" referred to in this passage are other known languages. This is not some mystical "heavenly language" that the Charismatics and Pentecostals commonly refer to, in which they make baby noises and think they are speaking a super-secret language only Christians can interpret with a Holy Spirit decoder ring.

Sadly, I have had some encounters with these types of people when trying to reason with them from the Scriptures. As soon as they have no answer for the Scripture put in front of them, they feel as if they are falling out of a proverbial airplaine due to their lack of understanding, so they get loud and shout "GLORY TO JESUS!!" as if the phrase were a parachute to save them from the gravitic impact known as willful ignorance.

For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
-Psalm 47:7

What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
-1 Corinthians 14:15

The Bible tells us that the servants of Christ have a meek and quiet spirit about them, which is not to say that we never raise our voices when the occasion calls for it, nor am I arguing that there is sin in a shout, but that those who worship God do so in the measure of spirit and truth, not in the measure of our auditory dominance:

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
-John 4:24

But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
-1 Peter 3:4

Was Jesus Christ meek and humble? Did He come to us with a quiet spirit, or did He come to us shouting and screaming?

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
-Matthew 11:28-30

In fact, to have a quiet spirit like that is part of loving one another because it trains us to listen and to reason with our neighbors, that they might hear the truth:

But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
-1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

The Adventists obviously did not care about these verses, or they would have reassessed their practices. For them, the Holy Spirit is the equivalent of their feelings, and I can assure readers that you will not find such a concept in Scripture because the feelings of our hearts can often be in opposition to the Holy Spirit.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
-Jeremiah 17:9

The Adventists also practiced something called "slain in the Spirit," which is still practiced by fanatic religious cults today, and it is supposedly "losing strength" and falling to the floor. Today, SDAs could not imagine Ellen G. White having participated in such madness, but according to the testimony of Isaac Wellcome, a minister of the Advent Christian Church, who attended meetings with Ellen Harmon and James White from 1843 to 1845, she was a fervent participant:
"She [Ellen Harmon] was strangely exercised in body and mind, usually talking in assemblies until nature was exhausted and then falling to the floor, unless caught by someone sitting near (we remember catching her twice to save her from falling upon the floor), remaining a considerable time in the mesmeric state, and afterwards, perhaps not until another meeting, she would relate the wonders which she claimed had been shown her in spirit..."
-Bruce Weaver, Incident in Atkinson: The Arrest and Trial of Israel Dammon, 1988, retrieved Apr 9, 2021, [https://bit.ly/2QeT8T5]

Again, there is no place in Scripture where you find this practice. Furthermore, there is no place in Scripture where God gave visions to a man in which He caused the man to fall down, and that would make sense because suddenly falling limp can be dangerous depending on where you land.

Weaver goes on to add:
"'Such experiences were repeated again and again,' says Arthur White [i.e. grandson of Ellen and James White], who has had the opportunity to browse for decades through tens of thousands of pages of Mrs. White's unpublished letters and manuscripts... Ellen Harmon spent a lot of time ministering prone from the floor. In Atkinson, on the evening of 15 February 1845, according to witness Loton Lambert, she lay on the floor having and telling visions for more than five hours. Jacob Mason testified that James White 'some of the time... held her head.' Later, Lucinda Burdick recalled that in the autumn of 1845 on a Sunday afternoon in South Windham, in a grove near the home of Andrew Bodge, that "suddenly, Ellen Harmon became rigidly prostrate upon the ground....Her position upon the ground seemed so uncomfortable that I placed her head in my lap and supported her thus throughout the event." Months later, in Randolph, Massachusetts, Ellen Harmon spent most of four hours 'in vision...inclined backward against the wall in the corner of the room.' Mrs. White was quoting Otis Nichols for her description of that session, except that where he described her 'talking in vision with a shrill voice.' she changed the word 'shrill' to 'clear.'"
-Bruce Weaver, Incident in Atkinson: The Arrest and Trial of Israel Dammon, 1988, retrieved Apr 9, 2021, [https://bit.ly/2QeT8T5]

Lying unconscious for hours in uncomfortable positions is strong evidence in favor of the complex-partial seizures theory of Adventist physicians that I documented in chapter one. This has also been called "temporal lobe epilepsy," which is a chronic (or long-term) nervous system disorder that causes loss of consciousness for reasons that are still unclear to medical researchers.
(See Dario J. Englot & Hal Blumenfeld, "Consciousness and epilepsy: why are complex-partial seizures complex?" National Library of Medicine, 2009, PMC2901990, DOI: 10.1016/S0079-6123(09)17711-7, retrieved Apr 14, 2021, [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19818900])

It is possible that this condition is how the religious tradition of being "slain in the Spirit" originated. If a person is given the label of a prophet and has epileptic seizures, others around that so-called "prophet" would perceive falling over unconscious and/or convulsing on the ground as being a "holy" thing that is supposedly "blessed with the Spirit of God," and therefore, those who wanted to portray themselves to be blessed by the Spirit of God (and to gain religious clout within the organization) would replicate those actions and be given praise for doing so. (That is only my theory because I do not have any proof to support that being the origin of those practices, but Ellen White's case certainly adds credibility to the idea.)

The charges brought up in court also included the claims of raising the dead which were proven to be false, and the setting of dates for the end of the world, which were also proven to be false. We will cover some of these points in later chapters. However, there was a very interesting aspect that was new to me because out of all the research I have ever done, I had never heard of a religious cult that taught people to NOT work, which is the reason for the charges of "vagrancy" I mentioned earlier.

This is the result of the dangerous practice of setting times for the return of Jesus Christ, and we will learn more about that later. If people believe they will be whisked off to heaven in a few weeks or months, then they end up selling their property for pennies on the dollar, leaving their families broke and homeless, and Weaver's investigation shed some light on the general attitude citizens had towards Adventism in that day, with the law and courts stepping in to try and protect the families who had fallen victim to the false doctrines of the Millerites:
"While some of the Millerites annoyed their fellow citizens by crawling in public places, and others disturbed their neighbors (as Noah Lunt did) with late night warnings under their windows, it was primarily the no-work teaching and practice that caused civil authorities to place fanatical Millerites under guardianship [like a parole officer] or, for brief periods, in jail. These actions were taken in the best interest of both the community and the individuals arrested. Atkinson, where Dammon was apprehended, was little more than a village. In 1850 its population numbered 895 - 474 men and 421 women. When a few individuals left their crops to rot, their cows unmilked, their chickens unfed, or failed to show up somewhere for work, the impact on the tiny community was severe. The Bangor Whig and Courier reported: 'An industrious farmer, living in Orrington [35 miles southeast of Atkinson] who has for several years, supplied customers in this city [Bangor - five miles from Orrington] with milk has recently... abandon[ed] selling milk... to... make earnest preparation for the immediate end of the world. He has not since waited upon his customers...' The Selectmen of Orrington placed several Millerites under guardianship in February 1845 and cautioned the public 'against purchasing any property, real or personal of them, as all contracts or deeds will be void on account of their incompetency to manage their affairs.' These legal actions began too late to save some Adventists from 'expos[ing] themselves and their families to the peltings of the pitiless storm of poverty.'"
-Bruce Weaver, Incident in Atkinson: The Arrest and Trial of Israel Dammon, 1988, retrieved Apr 9, 2021, [https://bit.ly/2QeT8T5]

Thanks to the grace of God, the town stepped in to prevent these brainwashed Adventists from selling their homes and abandoning their methods of sales and wages to earn a living. Some of the Adventists were so far gone, their children were left to beg for the mercy of their neighbors to have their basic needs met, and on that point, Weaver documented that some more generous families were supplying so much food for these poor people, they would buy "eight barrels of flour at a time."

I can assure readers that we are only beginning to chip away at the massive iceberg of the Adventist's false doctrines, weird practices, and outright deceptions. SDAs typically refuse to believe that Ellen G. White was involved in any of this madness, but as we are about to learn in the next chapter, her false doctrines on the basic principles of Scripture reveal that she followed a false "christ," and therefore, it is no leap of logic to believe the reports of the many eye witnesses in the Atkinson trial.
 


As we just read, the history of Adventism is rooted in false prophets, wild practices, and heretical teachers. At this point, any faithful and rational person should be skeptical of the teachings of Ellen G. White because she emerged from the corrupt Millerite movement, but before we jump to any conclusions, let's hear out some of her teachings.

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
-Acts 17:10-11

Like the Bereans, we ought to be ready to hear. However, we also need to search the Scriptures to find out if the things she taught are in line with God's established Word.

As we learned in the first chapter, there were some influential figures in Adventism (e.g. Miller, Snow, Wheeler, Crosier, Edson, etc), but the most influential figure of all is obviously Ellen G. White, as her teachings are primarily followed in Adventism today, most especially by Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs), one of the most popular forms of Adventism. SDAs regard Ellen G. White's writings as serious as the Bible itself (if not more so), and as we will find out later in this book, SDAs remove and shun any members who question her teachings.

If, by the grace of God, any SDA might be reading this book, I want to assure you that, despite what you might be taught by the SDA General Conference, it is safe to read this book, and there are no consequences to simply investigating the facts. There may be consequences from the SDA organization if you stand up for the truth once you understand it, but that is a decision you will have to make for yourself after you see all the evidence; all I ask is that you read this chapter, then do your own research, and judge for yourself what is true.

Part of the reason the SDA organization adores Ellen White is because she claimed to be a messenger of God, receiving divine revelations from His throne and inspirations directly from the Holy Ghost. In her book, Testimonies for the Church, White declared:
"You might say that this communication was only a letter. Yes, it was a letter, but prompted by the Spirit of God, to bring before your minds things that had been shown me. In these letters which I write, in the testimonies I bear, I am presenting to you that which the Lord has presented to me. I do not write one article in the paper expressing merely my own ideas. They are what God has opened before me in vision—the precious rays of light shining from the throne."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, p. 67, retrieved Mar 4, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/113.310#337]

As we can see, White declared that her epistle (i.e. letter) was written in the same way the epistles of Paul, Peter, John, and Luke were written in Scripture, with divine inspiration. She said that her writings came from "prompting" (i.e. the assistance and call to action) of the Holy Spirit, and therefore, this means that White's writings should have no error in them, and no contradictions against the Bible.

In case any reader thinks I might be overexaggerating what she said, let's read some more of her claims about her own writings:
"In ancient times God spoke to men by the mouth of prophets and apostles. In these days He speaks to them by the testimonies of His Spirit. There was never a time when God instructed His people more earnestly than He instructs them now concerning His will and the course that He would have them pursue. The Lord has seen fit to give me a view of the needs and errors of His people."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies to the Church, Vol. 5, p. 661, retrieved Mar 4, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/113.3212#3213]

What Ellen just did was make a connection between her writings and the prophets of the Old Testament, claiming that they all came from the same source. It does not take a literary genius to figure out that she is claiming to not only be a prophet of God on the same level as Daniel, Jeremiah, or Isaiah, but she also believes that her prophesying is MORE important, believing that the time she wrote these things was "more earnest" than ever before.

While reading this chapter, please keep in mind that Ellen White stated, in no uncertain terms, that the messages she wrote to the church were "the precious rays of light shining from the throne" of God, that her words were "testimonies of His Spirit" and "a view of the needs and errors of His people." This means that White has declared that her words are the words delivered to us by God Himself, and therefore, a simple test to see if she is true or false is to compare her doctrines with the doctrines of Scripture.

Much like Catholics, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses, Adventists believe that you must do works in order to be saved. Some readers may be surprised that I would say this because they have been taught by SDAs to believe in grace through faith, and although SDAs teach that on the surface, if you become a part of a SDA church building long enough, you will discover that they teach you must do work to maintain salvation, or you will be rejected from heaven.
(Read Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism, Corruptions of Christianity: Mormonism, and Corruptions of Christianity: Jehovah's Witnesses here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

With SDAs, you must be very careful to make sure they define exactly what they believe because the SDA doctrine is very subtle and deceptive. The SDA church preaches one thing to the public, while preaching something entirely different behind closed doors, and I will show you what I mean.

For example, the following quote comes from a SDA official website that defines the "true meaning" of "grace alone" in Jesus Christ:
"The basic doctrine of the Christian faith is salvation by grace alone. This doctrine represents the final renunciation of either human effort or the human claim to perfection. [i.e. flawlessness] Christ is our sole perfection, our sole righteousness. In ourselves we are never sinless... There will be no point in spiritual achievement in this life where one may rest with the certainty that he will sin no more, or that he does not stand before God as a sinner in need of divine grace and power... Salvation by grace alone means that absolute perfection and sinlessness cannot be realized here and now."
-Edward Heppenstall, "How Perfect Is 'Perfect' or Is Christian Perfection Possible?" Seventh-day Adventist Church Biblical Research Institute, retrieved Apr 1, 2021, [https://adventistbiblicalresearch.org/materials/how-perfect-is-perfect-or-is-christian-perfection-possible]

It should be noted that the SDA church uses the common error in definition as most other leavened religious organizations, taking the word 'perfect' to mean "flawlessness," however, Jesus Christ did not define the word 'perfect' in that way. The word 'perfect' in Scriptural context means acting and speaking in a way one is intended to be, meaning that we act and speak in a manner that is reflective of the good nature of our Heavenly Father (i.e. God is merciful, therefore, we should be merciful), like how a sapling is intended to be a tree that produces fruit, and therefore, the tree that produces fruit is a "perfect tree," or in other words, Christians are to live as children of their Father, not in the sense of having no sin or error, but rather, having the same traits and characteristics that He has shown to us. (i.e. graceful, kind, meek, patient, loving, peaceful, temperate, etc) If you want to learn more details about that and how to prove that Biblically, I would recommend reading a teaching I wrote called "The Biblical Understanding of Perfection" here at creationliberty.com.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
-Matthew 5:48

Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
-Luke 6:36

If we are to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect, then we should be merciful, as He is merciful. We should be patient, as He is patient. We should be kind, as He is kind. We should be understanding and reasonable, as He is understanding and reasonable. That is what it means to be spiritually perfect according to Biblical classification.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
-Galatians 5:22-23

Putting aside the fact that they use the incorrect definition of 'perfect', and ignoring the fact that they skipped over the very important doctrine of repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing, Luke 24:47, 2Co 7:10), I would typically agree with those statements, and it all seems Biblical to the average reader. However, we need to remember that SDAs follow the doctrines of Ellen G. White, and the following excerpt is from White's well-known 1858 book, The Great Controversy:
"Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil."
-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan During the Christian Dispensation, Review and Herald Publishing, 1907, p. 425, [Harvard University]

So now we have a contradiction. On one hand, the SDA church teaches that salvation is by grace alone in Christ, but on the other hand, their so-called "Spirit of Prophecy" says that salvation is by making oneself spotless WITHOUT a mediator, or in other words, WITHOUT Jesus Christ.

This will require some explanation because White refers to things not written about in Scripture, namely, a "heavenly sanctuary." It was White's doctrine and belief that there is a "Holy of Holies" inside of a "sanctuary" in heaven in which there are records of all the works of every man that has ever lived, and Jesus sits inside this "heavenly Holy of Holies" doing what the Millerites called the "Investigative Judgment."

To put this in simple terms, White taught that Jesus is sitting at his desk in a special office for a short time (how long that would be is anyone's guess), in which He is deciding whether each person has done enough good works to get into heaven, and so once again, SDAs teach the public that they can only enter heaven by the "divine grace and power" of Jesus Christ, but then privately teach White's doctrine that they have to stand before God WITHOUT divine grace and power for their help. This is a form of 'bait-and-switch' (i.e. bait them in with one doctrine, then switch it on them after they have joined), and sadly, it is one of the reasons many people get fooled into converting to the SDA organization.

What White taught is a works-based heresy, and the Bible teaches directly against that false doctrine:

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
-Romans 3:10-12

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
-Romans 3:23

Though we use terms like "good man" to refer to men who are of a higher moral standard and possess a greater sense of duty than other men, in spiritual terms, there is no such thing as a "good man" because all have fallen into the corruption of sin. The verses I quoted from Romans 3 are referring to everyone across the entire world, and it applies to all mankind throughout history, as Paul concluded a few verses later:

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
-Romans 3:19-20

This alone would be enough to throw out everything that White taught because she is directly contradicting Scripture with her false doctrines. The Bible says that a man cannot be justified (i.e. be considered good and just before God) and permitted entrance to heaven by the deeds (i.e. works) of the law, and therefore, if you stand before God without a mediator, as White teaches, you will end up in hell because no man can become good by his own works.

It should be noted that Paul wrote that "what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law," meaning that those who have been born again by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ are not judged according to their works under the law. He went on to say "that every mouth may be stopped," meaning that when mankind reads/hears the law of God, they will have no excuses because they will know they are guilty, which is what brings men to the humility of repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing), and this is precisely how people are brought to Christ according to Scripture:

But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
-Galatians 3:23-24

White taught that we must present ourselves to God in a spotless white robe of our own work, whereas the Bible says we must be presented in a spotless white robe of Christ's work. The white robes we Christians will have in heaven are not due to the work we have done, but they are GIVEN to us:

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
-Revelation 6:9-11

This is because the blessings of grace, salvation, and eternal life are gifts, not wages earned by works:

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
-Ephesians 2:5-10

We are ordained to walk in the commandments of Christ, and we are created to do good works according to His will, but we are NOT saved by those works. We are saved when we come to Jesus Christ in the humility of repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing), and by trusting in His shed blood for our souls, He saves us by the free gift of His grace, kindness, and forgiveness.

However, Ellen G. White believed and taught that the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross was NOT enough to save the souls of men. As we read earlier, she taught that they need grace "and their own diligent effort," and therefore, after comparing what she taught to Scripture, we can see the contradiction between her writings and the Bible, which means we can declare with confidence that Ellen G. White is a false teacher and false prophetess because God did not tell her the things she wrote.

In Romans, the Word of God teaches us that you can either believe that salvation is by grace, or you can believe it is by works, but you cannot believe both:

Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
-Romans 11:5-6

Those who believe you must have grace and works together not only contradict themselves, but they are trying to ride a philosophical fence. Jesus used the word 'lukewarm' to describe such people, and He said they are repulsive to Him:

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
-Revelation 3:15-16

Furthermore, White taught that once this "intercession" period ends, any person alive on earth, even those who may have come to repentance and faith in Christ, will have to stand before the Judgment Seat of God WITHOUT a mediator. This means that Jesus Christ will not speak on their behalf, and they must enter heaven by their own merits:
"When He leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor."
-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, EGW Writings, p. 614, retrieved May 25, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/132.2769#2774]

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
-1 Timothy 2:5

Without Jesus as a mediator, no man can enter heaven. It is a vile heresy to say that, first of all, Jesus would not mediate on behalf of His servants, and secondly, that mankind can earn their way into heaven by their good works apart from the grace of Christ.

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
-John 1:17

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
-Acts 15:11

If that were not already bad enough, White also taught that the blood of Jesus Christ does not pay for sin:
"The blood of Christ, while it was to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation of the law, was not to cancel the sin; it would stand on record in the sanctuary until the final atonement; so in the type the blood of the sin-offering removed the sin from the penitent, but it rested in the sanctuary until the day of atonement."
-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan, as Illustrated in the Lives of Patriarchs and Prophets, Pacific Press, 1890, p. 357, [University of Michigan]

White taught that the blood of Jesus only releases a Christian from the obligations of the law, but does not cleanse the sinner. In fact, if we just follow the line of reasoning, this means that White would have to believe that the blood of Jesus Christ would DEFILE mankind, rather than cleanse them, because if they still have sin applied to the account of their souls, then the blood of Christ would have to be corrupt as well because it did not cleanse them. Thus, SDAs are left with a choice: Either they believe in what White taught, or they believe in what God's Word teaches.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
-1 John 1:7

The Bible clearly teaches that we Christians are cleansed from all sin by the blood of Jesus Christ. This is not to say that a Christian never commits sin, but that we walk in the light of Christ, meaning that we have understanding of His Word which was given to us by the Holy Ghost, acknowledging sin, confessing it to God, and never making excuses for it.

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission [forgiveness] of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
-Romans 3:24-26

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
-Romans 5:8-9

After reading White's heresies, this passage in Romans 5 is very interesting because it says we are "NOW justified" (i.e. present tense), which means we do not have to wait for any particular event. We have our salvation now. White claims that the removal of sin must wait for a special day of atonement, but if we continue to read in Romans 5, the Bible teaches us that we who are born again in Christ (i.e. by repentance and faith), have ALREADY received the atonement:

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
-Romans 5:10-11

We RECEIVED the atonement, which is the past tense form of the word. The reason this phrase is used in past tense is because the atonement was offered and completed by Christ on the cross at Calvary, and is delivered to us immediately when we come in humility and cry out for the Lord Jesus Christ.

However, White did not believe that because she added in works as a requirement for salvation in Christ. In The Great Controversy, she wrote:
"Attended by heavenly angels, our great High Priest [i.e. Jesus Christ] enters the holy of holies, and there appears in the presence of God, to engage in the last acts of His ministration in behalf of man,—to perform the work of investigative judgment, and to make an atonement for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits."
-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ And Satan, Pacific Press Publishing, 1888, p. 267, ISBN: 9783849673949

The wording she used there was very specific to push her works-based heresies. She said that only those who were "entitled" to the atonement would receive it, and that leaves us with the obvious question: Who is entitled?

entitled (adj): having a right or legitimate claim to something
(See 'entitled', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

The grace of salvation is a gift that comes from Christ's great kindness, not a right or restitution we are due. No man has power to put the Almighty God in a position of debt, whereby He would owe us salvation because of something we did for Him.

Now, prepare yourself for what you are about to read, especially if you are a SDA because this might be hard to take in. Ellen White taught that all sin would be paid for by Satan, not by Jesus Christ, inadvertently making Satan into the savior of mankind:
"As the priest, in removing the sins from the sanctuary, confessed them upon the head of the scapegoat, so Christ will place all these sins upon Satan, the originator and instigator of sin."
-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, EGW Writings, p. 485, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/132.2168#2197]

If all sin is put onto Satan, then why do SDAs need to do works to be saved from sin? How curious that White taught on the one hand that SDAs must do a list of deeds to become spotless, while on the other hand teaching that Christ's blood does not pay for sin, and that Satan would be made a sacrifice for something that SDAs supposedly were able to cleanse themselves from.

If you are feeling confused, that is normal. Your confusion only reveals the truth:

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
-1 Corinthians 14:33

White went on to say:
"The books of record in heaven, in which the names and the deeds of men are registered, are to determine the decisions of the judgment. Says the prophet Daniel, 'The judgment was set, and the books were opened.' The revelator, describing the same scene, adds, 'Another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.'"
-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ And Satan, Pacific Press Publishing, 1888, p. 267, ISBN: 9783849673949

White was deceiving herself and others with her reference to Revelation because she inferred that men would be judged by their works when standing before the final judgment of God. Of course, that part is true, but she failed to understand that all those who were judged by their works (at the Great White Throne Judgment) would end up in hell:

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
-Revelation 20:11-15

So based on this passage, there are a series of books that are opened during this final judgment, and then there is one special book that is opened, which is the book of life. If you read this passage carefully, you will notice that the dead (i.e. those without the eternal life of Christ) were judged out of the BOOKS (i.e. plural), and that even hell belched up its prisoners to be judged according to their works.

Those who came up from hell are judged by their works, and they are cast into the lake of fire along with death and hell. They are NOT judged under the grace of Christ. Only those who have come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ will be judged by the records in the BOOK (i.e. singular) of life, and they will NOT have their eternal souls judged by their works. Ellen White did not understand this, and so she taught a false doctrine that men have to trust in their works to earn their way into heaven.

It was not that Ellen White was incapable of understanding this very simple doctrine, but she did not want to believe it. In fact, the reason she only quoted half of one verse in that passage of Revelation was not only to deceive her readers into works-based heresies, but also because she did not want to believe in hell.

In The Great Controversy, White said:
"How repugnant to every emotion of love and mercy, and even to our sense of justice, is the doctrine that the wicked dead are tormented with fire and brimstone in an eternally burning hell; that for the sins of a brief, earthly life they are to suffer torture as long as God shall live. Yet this doctrine has been widely taught, and is still embodied in many of the creeds of Christendom."
-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan During the Christian Dispensation, Pacific Press Publishing, 1888, p. 535, [Harvard University]

I can assure you that people (like Ellen White) who have such intimate access to Scripture, and yet, teach such false doctrines, know the truth in their hearts. However, they deny it with their mouths because they do not want to believe it.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
-Romans 1:18

The reason such people profess disbelief in hell is because they do not want to believe in a God that would lock the wicked in fiery torment, and the reason they do not want to believe that is because they know that if the Christian God of the Bible is real, and if His Word is true as written, then they are in serious trouble. It is the same absurdity for a man to say he does not believe in prisons because he does not believe that a judge would sentence a criminal for his crimes. So rather than believe the truth, come to repentance (i.e. godly sorrow of their wrongdoing) in humility, and trust in the grace and blood of Jesus Christ alone for their salvation, they pridefully choose a lie that makes them feel better (and that makes them feel superior to others); trusting the emotions of the heart rather than the truth of the Spirit of God.

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
-Proverbs 28:26

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
-Jeremiah 17:9

Certainly hell is a real place, otherwise, Revelation would not have mentioned it. There are many false religious institutions that preach against the existence of hell, but they only do so to their own destruction.

As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest [i.e. twist and distort], as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
-2 Peter 3:16

The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
-Psalm 9:17

Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.
-Psalm 55:15

The following verses are describing thieves and robbers who steal food and water:

Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.
-Proverbs 9:17-18

Hell, and the destruction that is in hell, are never so full that it cannot take in more souls:

Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
-Proverbs 27:20

Hell grows as it swallows up men of pride and respecters of persons, standing on pretense instead of humbling themselves before the Lord God. Those who glorify themselves shall be brought low, but the lowly of heart will be lifted up.

Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
-Isaiah 5:14

For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
-Luke 14:11

Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
-Isaiah 14:9

The Lord God has stated clearly that He casts wicked men into hell:

I made the nations to shake at the sound of his [Pharaoh's] fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.
-Ezekiel 31:16-17

The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.
-Ezekiel 32:21

When it says they lie "uncircumcised," do not misunderstand this to think that a physical circumcision is required to avoid the clutches of hell. Hell is reserved for those who are uncircumcised in their hearts (Deu 10:16, Deu 30:6), meaning that they have not humbled themselves before God in the grief and godly sorrow of repentance, and through faith in the mercy of the Son of God, been sanctified from evil.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Circumcision" & There is No Saving Grace Without Repentance here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

To argue her belief, White echoed the doctrine of a preacher and questioned his doctrine because she claimed she could find no place in the Bible where any such thing was stated:
"Another [doctor of divinity] used these words: 'While the decree of reprobation [ordainment to damnation] is eternally executing [i.e. goes on forever] on the vessels of wrath [i.e. the unsaved], the smoke of their torment will be eternally ascending in view of the vessels of mercy, who, instead of taking the part of these miserable objects, will say, Amen, Alleluia! praise ye the Lord!' Where, in the pages of God's Word, is such teaching to be found?"
-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan During the Christian Dispensation, Pacific Press Publishing, 1888, p. 535, [Harvard University]

In chapter five, we will learn that White plagiarized much of her material from other writers, and I mention this because it is no surprise to me, knowing how much she plagiarized, that she did not open the book of Revelation herself to understand it. Whoever the preacher was that she was quoting was simply paraphrasing what the Bible directly tells us:

And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
-Revelation 19:1-5

White said she could not find that taught anywhere in the Bible. That was bad enough, but White's willful blindness did not stop there because she continued on to claim that God did not teach us that He would take away the tears of sadness in heaven:
"Will the redeemed in Heaven be lost to all emotions of pity and compassion, and even to feelings of common humanity? Are these to be exchanged for the indifference of the stoic, or the cruelty of the savage?—No, no; such is not the teaching of the Book of God."
-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan During the Christian Dispensation, Pacific Press Publishing, 1888, p. 535, [Harvard University]

Again, White is teaching the polar opposite of what God has taught us:

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
-Revelation 21:3-4

God has declared that He will defeat death, hell, and tears of sorrow and pain forever. For the time being, we are in a dispensation that calls us to have mercy on our neighbors as Christ has had mercy on us, but there will come a day, after the great White Throne Judgment of God, that we will have our understanding opened, after all secrets have been revealed, and we will praise the Lord God for His wonderous deeds toward men, for His amazing grace and longsuffering, and for His justice on the wicked who rejected Christ's mercy and His humble servants.

Some readers might be thinking, "Wait a moment, if White did not believe in hell, then what does she believe God does with those who are not written in the Book of Life?" Good question. The answer is that she believed in another popular heresy that everyone who is not written in the Book of Life will simply cease to exist, as she wrote in a so-called "prophetic vision" in her book, The Story of Redemption:
"But I saw that God would not shut them up in hell to endure endless misery, neither will He take them to heaven; for to bring them into the company of the pure and holy would make them exceedingly miserable. But He will destroy them utterly and cause them to be as if they had not been; then His justice will be satisfied. He formed man out of the dust of the earth, and the disobedient and unholy will be consumed by fire and return to dust again."
-Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption, Review and Herald Publishing, 2002, p. 391, ISBN: 9780828016407

If we go back to the book of Revelation, God has told us that the torment of those in hell will go on "for ever and ever," and those in hell will "have no rest day or night."

The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
-Revelation 14:10-11

This is how we know that White is a false prophetess, and that the Holy Spirit did not speak through her, because what she teaches contradicts what Scripture tells us. If that was not bad enough, White also taught her followers that, under no circumstances, should they ever believe that they are saved:
"Those who accept the Saviour, however sincere their conversion, should never be taught to say or to feel that they are saved. This is misleading. Every one should be taught to cherish hope and faith; but even when we give ourselves to Christ and know that He accepts us, we are not beyond the reach of temptation."
-Ellen G. White, Christ's Object Lessons, EGW Writings, p. 155, retrieved Apr 16, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/15.617#640]

Again, White did not believe in the grace of God, nor did she believe in His Word:

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
-1 John 5:11-13

This is a definite statement, that we KNOW we have eternal life in Jesus Christ. We who are born again in Him KNOW without a doubt that we are saved and have eternal life, but those who follow Ellen White will never have that assurance.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
-Titus 3:5

Jesus Christ "SAVED" us. This is past tense, meaning that once we have been born again in Christ, the work of eternal life in us is finished by His cleansing blood.

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
-1 Corinthians 1:18

The Bible says that those who have come in humility at the foot of the cross to plead for the mercy of Christ shall have it, and that we "ARE SAVED." This is present tense, meaning that we have salvation now, and can declare it boldly, but that clearly contradicts White's false doctrines.

Now that we know Ellen White did not believe in salvation, Christ's grace, or in God's punishment of hell (as those things are taught in Scripture), it should be no surprise to learn that she also did not believe that Jesus is God. She wrote:
"Equal with the Father, honored and adored by the angels, in our behalf Christ humbled Himself, and came to this earth to live a life of lowliness and poverty—to be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Yet the stamp of divinity was upon His humanity. He came as a divine Teacher, to uplift human beings, to increase their physical, mental, and spiritual efficiency. There is no one who can explain the mystery of the incarnation of Christ. Yet we know that He came to this earth and lived as a man among men. The man Christ Jesus was not the Lord God Almighty, yet Christ and the Father are one. The Deity did not sink under the agonizing torture of Calvary, yet it is nonetheless true that 'God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'"
-Ellen G. White, Lift Him Up, EGW Writings, p. 235, retrieved Mar 26, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/44.1815#1817]

God is three distinct entities, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but He is one God at the same time. Some of you might think that is what White meant when she said this, but she said that Jesus was "equal with the Father," but not God Himself, which is not what Jesus said.
(Read "The Godhead vs The Trinity" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
-John 14:6-11

Philip requested Jesus to show them God the Father, and Christ's response was essentially, "I have been with you the whole time." Jesus told them that if they could not understand it, then simply believe it for the sake of the work that Jesus had done. This is why Jesus was called Emmanuel, which means "God with us."

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
-Matthew 1:23

This is also why Isaiah foretold that Jesus would be called "The everlasting Father."

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
-Isaiah 9:6

Some readers may not be convinced that Ellen White believed that Jesus is not God, but in the July, 1895 edition of the Review and Herald (a strictly SDA publication), she said:
"The Eternal Father, the unchangeable one, gave his only begotten Son, tore from his bosom Him who was made in the express image of his person, and sent him down to earth to reveal how greatly he loved mankind."
-Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, EGW Writings, July 9, 1895, par. 13, retrieved Mar 26, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/821.14323#14339]

Notice that she said that Jesus was "made in the express image of [The Eternal Father]'s person," which White intended to be a reference to Hebrews 1:3, which says that Jesus is "the express image of his person," but where the Bible says that Jesus IS, Ellen White instead says that Jesus is MADE, meaning that she believed that Jesus is a created being, and that Christ is not eternal. That is not what the Bible tells us because Scripture says that all things were created by Jesus Christ:

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
-Colossians 1:13-16

In this passage, the Bible says that Jesus has the image of God, and that is because the Son and the Father are one. However, it does NOT say that Jesus was MADE in the image of God because Jesus is the Creator.

Part of White's confusion on this matter would be the same as others' confusion when they see the word 'firstborn', and then misunderstand this to mean that Jesus was created, as to be born into existence. That is not what is contextually meant by 'firstborn' in this passage, and other Scripture helps us to define what is meant by that word when concerning Jesus Christ:

Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
-Psalm 89:27

When the Bible says that Jesus is the 'firstborn' of God, it means that Jesus is the highest authority over all the earth, which is why Paul in Colossians goes on to mention "thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers." However, Ellen White did not believe that.

In fact, in her book, Patriarchs and Prophets, she equated Jesus to Lucifer in terms of entitlement:
"The exaltation of the Son of God as equal with the Father was represented as an injustice to Lucifer, who, it was claimed, was also entitled to reverence and honor."
-Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 37, retrieved March 26, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.68#89]

The reason White believed Jesus and Lucifer equal in entitlement is because she did not believe that Jesus is God, but rather, she believed that Jesus was a created angel. In my book, Corruptions of Christianity: Jehovah's Witnesses, I wrote about the founder and false prophet of the Jehovah's Witnesses, Charles Russell, how he came out of the same Millerite movement that Ellen White came out of, and that he also taught the same thing that Ellen White taught, namely, that Jesus was Michael the Archangel, which is heresy against Scripture.
(Read Corruptions of Christianity: Jehovah's Witnesses here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

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.
-Jude 1:9

In her book, The Desire of Ages, White commented on this verse:
"Satan the tempter had claimed the body of Moses because of his sin; but Christ the Saviour brought him forth from the grave."
-Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, EGW Writings, p. 421, retrieved Mar 30, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/130.2042#2054]

Notice specifically that she believed Christ raised Moses from the dead, which is a foolish error because that is not at all what Jude was teaching. In fact, the "body of Moses" is referring to the law itself, as has been done in many other Scriptures (John 5:45, Acts 15:21, 2Co 3:15, etc), meaning that Michael was in an argument with Satan over the law of God.

After reading White's erroneous statement, we can then check her correlating teachings to discover her true doctrine. The following can be found in Early Writings and The Story of Redemption:
"Moses passed through death, but Michael came down and gave him life before his body had seen corruption. Satan tried to hold the body, claiming it as his; but Michael resurrected Moses and took him to heaven. Satan railed bitterly against God, denouncing Him as unjust in permitting his prey to be taken from him; but Christ did not rebuke His adversary, though it was through his temptation that the servant of God had fallen. He meekly referred him to His Father, saying, 'The Lord rebuke thee.'"
-Ellen G White, Early Writings, p. 164, retrieved Mar 30, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/28.865#876]; See also Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption, EGW Writings, p. 206, retrieved Mar 30, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/145.973#979]

As you can see, White used the name of Jesus and Michael interchangeably. Without a doubt, Ellen White believed that Jesus was a created angel, specifically, she believed Jesus was Michael the Archangel reincarnated, just as the Jehovah's Witnesses believe.

One of the major problems with this is that Jesus Christ is given a name which is above every name:

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus... Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
-Philippians 2:5-9

If Jesus were Michael the Archangel, then the name of Jesus would have to be above God's name, which would also mean that Michael's name would have to be above the name of God, and that is nonsensical. There is only one way to interpret that verse in consistency with the rest of Scripture: Jesus Christ is God, and that is why Jesus is given a name above every name.

Furthermore, unless Ellen White wants to call God a liar, it is impossible that Michael the Archangel could be the Son of God. In Hebrews, the Bible tells us that God has never called any angel "Son," nor has he begotten any angel:

Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
-Hebrews 1:4-5

The reason White was unable to see these contradictions between what she believed and what the Scripture teaches is because the Holy Spirit is required when interpreting the Word of God:

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
-1 Corinthians 2:14

Earlier in this chapter, I briefly covered the Biblical definition of perfection, and how White contradicts that definition by teaching the false doctrine that men must be flawless and sinless when standing before the judgement of God, or they will not see the Kingdom of God. Part of the reason for this is because, concerning the birth of Jesus Christ into this world by a virgin woman, White did NOT believe that Jesus is God, and therefore, she believed He was just a man who lived flawlessly and sinlessly, which means she believed and taught that if Jesus could do it, then mankind can do it, and that is simply a fallacy of imagination that is not based on Scripture whatsoever.

Knowing that White is a false teacher (and a false prophet, as we will learn in the next chapter), we also know that the Spirit of God was not with her, and therefore, it is no wonder she taught so many anti-biblical doctrines. One of the most common fallacies she passed on is found in the name of her religious organization, the Seventh-day Adventists, specifically her belief that those who do not observe the Sabbath are sinners who are doomed to destruction.

In another alleged "vision," Ellen White said:
"In the holiest I saw an ark; on the top and sides of it was purest gold. On each end of the ark was a lovely cherub, with its wings spread out over it. Their faces were turned toward each other, and they looked downward. Between the angels was a golden censer. Above the ark, where the angels stood, was an exceeding bright glory, that appeared like a throne where God dwelt. Jesus stood by the ark, and as the saints' prayers came up to Him, the incense in the censer would smoke, and He would offer up their prayers with the smoke of the incense to His Father. In the ark was the golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of stone which folded together like a book. Jesus opened them, and I saw the Ten Commandments written on them with the finger of God. On one table were four, and on the other six. The four on the first table shone brighter than the other six. But the fourth, the Sabbath commandment, shone above them all; for the Sabbath was set apart to be kept in honor of God's holy name. The holy Sabbath looked glorious—a halo of glory was all around it. I saw that the Sabbath commandment was not nailed to the cross. If it was, the other nine commandments were; and we are at liberty to break them all, as well as to break the fourth. I saw that God had not changed the Sabbath, for He never changes."
-Ellen G. White, Christ in His Sanctuary, EGW Writings, p. 13, retrieved Mar 31, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/12119.52#57]

Once again, this demonstrates that Ellen White did not believe the Bible. The Bible clearly tells us that the ordinances, feasts, and sabbaths were nailed to the cross:

In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
-Colossians 2:11-15

Here, we see that Jesus Christ forgave us of all sin, which Ellen White did not believe, and that He blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that needed to be performed. If there were special exceptions to this, then it leaves us with obvious questions: Why were these things not revealed to the apostles of Christ? Why would the Holy Spirit have waited 1800 years to tell the church about it?

All that the church needed was revealed to the apostles in the early days of the New Testament church, and they documented and preserved all these things for us in the Bible. These ordinances, which were the sanctification of meats, drinks, the respect of holy days, new moons, feasts, and sabbath days, are no longer necessary because they were all a shadow of things to come, meaning that they were prophetic rituals that pointed to Jesus Christ, and now that Jesus Christ has finished His work, the ordinances are no longer required.

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
-Colossians 2:16-17

As a side note, we just finished going over the fact that Ellen White believed that Jesus was an angel (specifically, Michael), and therefore, she worshipped an angel, not the Lord Jesus Christ. If we continue to read in Colossians, Paul rebuked this as well:

Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
-Colossians 2:18-19

Do not misunderstand this verse; Paul was not saying that you have reward for worshipping of angels, but rather, he is rebuking those who abandon the worship of Jesus Christ to worship angels, therefore telling us not to let men trick us out of our reward of worshiping Christ to go humble ourselves before angels instead, who have no bearing in determination of saving grace. Such people, like Ellen White, intrude into those things which they have NOT seen, being puffed up with a prideful heart, ignoring the true Head of the church by contradicting His Word.

White then argues that God never changes, which is true (Mal 3:6), but that does not mean that there was no change in the ordinances or laws of God, like the Sabbath day, because these things were made to foretell of Christ's coming to this world to save mankind. In fact, the New Testament teaches us that there was indeed a change in the law as the priesthood changed from the Levites to Melchisedec (i.e. from Aaron to Jesus Christ):

If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
-Hebrews 7:11-12

There may be some readers who object to this because they are insistent that the Sabbath day is part of an eternal covenant that God made with the house of Israel, and that can never be changed, but those who make that argument need to understand the fullness of Scripture because we Christians are under a NEW covenant, which was foretold by Jeremiah:

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
-Jeremiah 31:31-33

God created a NEW covenant, under the NEW Testament, that was not the same as the OLD covenant, under the OLD Testament, and that is exactly what happened. The question I have for every reader is this: Do you believe God when He said these things? Do you trust Him?

God said He would put His law in their hearts:

For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;
-Romans 2:14-15

And therefore, if they will humble themselves and seek Christ, they will be His children:

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
-2 Corinthians 6:17-18

From the very beginning of creation, the Lord God created a day of rest as a reminder of what would happen, that He would send a redeemer (i.e. the Lord Jesus Christ) to give us rest from our sufferings. However, because of the influence of Ellen White's false doctrines, SDAs have turned to worshipping the Sabbath day itself as a god, making the worship of that day into a false "christ," believing that a man cannot be saved if he does not observe a Saturday sabbath, and such people have abandoned Jesus Christ for the weak and beggarly elements of bondage:

Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
-Galatians 4:8-11

In truth, it does not matter what day you rest, or if you take a day of rest at all. However, like a dog returning to his vomit, Sabbath-obsessed people claim to be "free" in Christ, and yet, end up returning to their bondage:

While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
-2 Peter 2:19-22
(Read "Keeping the Sabbath is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

By making the works of observing the Sabbath day the crux of their salvation, rather than the core foundation of salvation being repentance (i.e. godly sorrow) of sins and faith in Christ, SDAs make the Word of God of no effect to the hearers:

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
-Mark 7:13

SDAs typically argue that the early Christians in the church all kept the Sabbath, but this is only what they are taught to say because not only is there no Scriptural evidence for that, there is no historical evidence for that either. In fact, the highly revered SDA scholar Mervyn Maxwell, whose writings are required reading for students in a number of SDA colleges, concluded the following:
"In our study, we discovered that the Fourth Commandment was largely disregarded by Gentile Christians even as early as the beginning of the second century [100 AD], and even in the vicinity of a so apostolic community as the church of Ephesus."
-C. Mervyn Maxwell, quoted by Wallace Slattery, "Cult of Ellen G. White #4: Biblical Refutation of Seventh-Day Adventism," CAnswersTV, Jun 14, 2011, retrieved Apr 15, 2021, [https://youtu.be/mvlqT_STljU?t=2303]; Slattery was one of Maxwell's seminary students.

Ellen White taught that all men are required by the law of God to keep the Sabbath according to the same day that God instituted it in Genesis. By simple reasoning, this would be impossible because not everyone starts the Sabbath on the same day according to their time zone.

Where does the sun set? Of course, anyone's first answer would likely be, "In the west." If you point to the western horizon as the location where the sun sets, then what about the people who live on that horizon? The sun then sets farther west for them, and then what about those who live beyond that? Just from a logical standpoint, we cannot use the International Date Line as a standard because that was created by men, not God, and furthermore, the "Sabbath" for Americans is not the same day that it is for Russians, Japanese, or Indians.

We can take that thought one step further and ask ourselves: How are Alaskans supposed to observe the Sabbath? They cannot measure sun up and sun down for many times throughout the year because they are at a far northern plain of the earth from the equator, which has a much shorter sun cycle, and so although early Christians around the Middle East may have been able to observe the Sabbath (despite a lack of commandment to do so), as time went on, Gentile Christians around the world would not be able to do so according to the commandments of Scripture, making it an impossibility unless you live in the same general location and time zone of Israel.

And in fact, that is very close to what Ellen G. White suggested in her writings:
"God rested on the seventh day, and set it apart for man to observe in honor of His creation of the heavens and the earth in six literal days. He blessed and sanctified and made holy the day of rest. When men are so careful to search and dig to see in regard to the precise period of time, we are to say, God made His Sabbath for a round world; and when the seventh day comes to us in that round world, controlled by the sun that rules the day, it is the time, in all countries and lands, to observe the Sabbath. In the countries where there is no sunset for months, and again no sunrise for months, the period of time will be calculated by records kept. But God has a world large enough, and proper and right for the human beings He has created to inhabit it, without finding homes in those lands so objectionable in very many, many ways."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Vol. 12, p. 159, retrieved Apr 15, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/70.739#740]

I was a bit surprised when I first read this quote because I had a hard time believing that she would write something so blatantly biased without covering up the heavy implications she just made. She not only called the home of many people around the world "objectionable in... many ways," and she not only told people to follow the "records kept" by men instead of God, but because she taught and believed those who do not observe the Sabbath will end up in hell, she is ultimately arguing that if you want to be a true child of God and disciple of Christ, then you need to move to a place where the sun rises and sets in a manner White preferred.

These are just a few of the many reasons why the early Christians did not observe the Sabbath, and why born again Christians still today do not concern themselves with such endless and pointless disputes. Maxwell also wrote:
"Does the lack of controversy among the early fathers indicate they all kept the Sabbath?... The four most noteworthy authors who dealt with the Sabbath in the second and early third centuries (Barnabas, Justin, Irenaeus, and Tertullian) reveals a great unanimity of attitude and respect to the literal Sabbath. To a man, they oppose it."
-C. Mervyn Maxwell, quoted by Wallace Slattery, "Cult of Ellen G. White #4: Biblical Refutation of Seventh-Day Adventism," CAnswersTV, Jun 14, 2011, retrieved Apr 15, 2021, [https://youtu.be/mvlqT_STljU?t=2384]; Slattery was one of Maxwell's seminary students.

Even according to the study of SDA professors and their standards of Sabbath keeping, the early Christian church did NOT observe the Sabbath, and therefore, the only reason that SDAs observe the Sabbath (or at least, attempt to do so) is because Ellen White told them they had to. There is no other reason, Scriptural or otherwise, for them to do so.

The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Executive Committee (of which, there is no such institution created for the church in the New Testament) held a General Conference Session in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 9, 1990, and they established a document to be the official teaching on the Sabbath day for the SDA Church. In this document, they declare that (based on the teachings of Ellen G. White) the Sabbath is a requirement for all Adventists, which lasts from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and requires members to do no work (including no cooking or cleaning, except to bathe themselves), to do nothing that would make anyone else do any work (e.g. eating at a restaurant), to refrain from all observation of secular music, radio, video, television, newspapers, books, or magazines, to wear certain appropriate attire (based on the culture of the region), to attend a SDA-approved Bible study for one hour, and to spend as much time as possible doing family activities (in nature if weather and location allow), visiting the sick, or attending a SDA-approved church building.
(See Seventh-day Adventist Church, "Sabbath Observance," General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Executive Committee, July 9, 1990, retrieved Mar 31, 2021, [https://www.adventist.org/documents/sabbath-observance])

Ironically, after listing out all these mandates, they said:
"The Sabbath is designed to provide spiritual freedom and joy for every person."
-Seventh-day Adventist Church, "Sabbath Observance," General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Executive Committee, July 9, 1990, retrieved Mar 31, 2021, [https://www.adventist.org/documents/sabbath-observance]

However, the SDA rulebook on this subject is very light considering what the Bible says about it, meaning that the SDAs who follow Ellen White do not look to Scripture for definitions of how to keep the Sabbath. The Jews who actually observe the Sabbath according to the rules of Scripture go to much greater lengths than SDAs, as this Jewish website testifies:
"It is permissible to keep food warm on a gas flame or electric burner which has been turned on before Shabbat, as long as the source of heat is covered. This is usually done by covering the stovetop with a thin sheet of aluminum referred to as a blech (Yiddish for 'tin'). It is preferable for the blech also to cover the control knobs for those burners which it covers, to prevent one from adjusting the flame on Shabbat... Food placed on the blech for Shabbat must be at least one-third or preferably one-half cooked. All salt, spices and liquid must be added before Shabbat begins."
-Chabad, "Jewish Practice - Food Preparation on Shabbat," retrieved Mar 31, 2021, [chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/95914/jewish/Food-Preparation-on-Shabbat.htm]

This is just the beginning of the rules and considerations that SDAs do not concern themselves with. For example, are SDAs using electricity in any way? Do they use heating devices that have gas or electricity on public services? They are using resources that are causing gas and electric employees to work, which is a violation of both Scriptural rules and SDA rules.

In the intense heat of the summer, do SDAs use air conditioning? Do they use microphones in their church buildings? Do they use electronic instruments? Do they use light bulbs? If so, they are causing others to work by using electricity, and therefore, they are violating the Sabbath rules.

This problem gets worse because the Bible says that those who keep the sabbath are not permitted to light a fire:

Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.
-Exodus 35:2-3

If a SDA family lights the stove or a pilot light (in a furnace or water heater), they violate the rules of the Sabbath. (On the note of a water heater, using water hooked up to a city supply makes city employees work, which also violates the rules of the Sabbath.) Furthermore, vehicles use internal combustion engines that utilize spark plugs, meaning that if they start their car, they are kindling fires, which violates the rules of the Sabbath, but they blatantly ignore these rules, as they state in their official Sabbath document:
"While Sabbath travel may be necessary for engaging in Sabbath activities, one should not allow Sabbath travel to become a secular function; therefore, preparation should be made in advance. Automobile fuel and other needs should be cared for before the Sabbath begins."
-Seventh-day Adventist Church, "Sabbath Observance," General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Executive Committee, July 9, 1990, retrieved Mar 31, 2021, [https://www.adventist.org/documents/sabbath-observance]

There are even Jewish limits for the distance a person is allowed to travel. However, the SDA organization would not want to implement rules that disallowed long-distance travel and vehicle use because it would then be impossible for many of their followers to show up at their church building on Saturdays, which would also prevent them from paying their anti-christian "tithes and offerings," and that loss of funds seems to be the hidden factor behind what the SDA organization does and does not allow.
(Read "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

For example, in the official SDA document on the Sabbath, we have already established that they discourage work. However, they do allow their SDA college radio stations to make "fund-raising appeals" on the Sabbath day, which reveals their true motivations because not only does that cause the radio hosts to do work, but if anyone pays through a bank card with an online service, they cause the employees of those financial institutions to do work, violating their own rules for the love of money.
(See Seventh-day Adventist Church, "Sabbath Observance," General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Executive Committee, July 9, 1990, retrieved Mar 31, 2021, [https://www.adventist.org/documents/sabbath-observance])

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
-1 Timothy 6:9-10

The Jewish website goes on to give more details concerning the avoidance of work on the Sabbath:
"Examples of this prohibition include: carrying in one's pocket; carrying anything in the hand; wheeling a baby carriage or shopping cart, going outside with gum or food in the mouth."
-Chabad, "Jewish Practice - Food Preparation on Shabbat," retrieved Mar 31, 2021, [chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/95914/jewish/Food-Preparation-on-Shabbat.htm]

If SDAs take their babies to church in a stroller or car seat, they have not kept the Sabbath. If they carried their bibles to a church building, they have not kept the Sabbath. If they brought food for a meal together for their church building, they have not kept the Sabbath.

The point I am making is that most SDAs do NOT keep the Sabbath, but they convince themselves that they do so they can appear "holy" in the public eye. Because they follow a false teacher in willful blindness, White has convinced SDAs that they were made for the Sabbath, but Jesus taught us:

And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
-Mark 2:27

This is the kind of bondage that Ellen White introduced to her followers, and they accepted it with a blind faith instead of a faith based on the firm evidence of Scripture. And yet, in a bizarre contradiction of doctrine, Ellen White hypocritically accused the scribes and Pharisees among the Jews of doing and teaching exactly what she was doing and teaching:
"The Jews had so perverted the law that they made it a yoke of bondage. Their meaningless requirements had become a byword among other nations. Especially was the Sabbath hedged in by all manner of senseless restrictions. It was not to them a delight, the holy of the Lord, and honorable. The scribes and Pharisees had made its observance an intolerable burden. A Jew was not allowed to kindle a fire nor even to light a candle on the Sabbath. As a consequence the people were dependent upon the Gentiles for many services which their rules forbade them to do for themselves. They did not reflect that if these acts were sinful, those who employed others to perform them were as guilty as if they had done the work themselves. They thought that salvation was restricted to the Jews, and that the condition of all others, being already hopeless, could be made no worse. But God has given no commandments which cannot be obeyed by all. His laws sanction no unreasonable or selfish restrictions."
-Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, EGW Writings, p. 204, retrieved Apr 2, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/130.907#925]

Seventh-day Adventists know that Ellen White did indeed press unreasonable restrictions, which is why they make so many exceptions and allowances that relinquish duty for the sake of convenience. If they did not make exceptions, they would lose a lot of members, which would mean a loss of income, or in other words, money is more important to them than their religious duties.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. [i.e. mammon = money]
-Matthew 6:24

Ellen White even makes a mockery of God's Word because that restriction to not "kindle a fire nor even light a candle" was God's commandment, not the commandment of the Pharisees. In the end, SDAs do not make decisions based on what the Word of God says (i.e. as disciples of Christ), but rather, they make decisions based on what Ellen G. White says (i.e. as disciples of White), and what the SDA official corporation tells them they should do.

A little research into the history of White's strict doctrine on the Sabbath tells us more. In the first chapter, we learned that White was heavily influenced by Joseph Bates, and he taught that keeping the Sabbath was the seal/mark of God, even writing a book called A Seal of the Living God, in which he said:
"Now all advent believers that have, and do, participate in the advent messages as given in Revelation 14:6-13, will love and keep this covenant with God, and especially his Holy Sabbath, in this covenant; this is a part of the 144,000 now to be sealed. The other part are those who do not yet, so well understand the advent doctrine; but are endeavoring to serve God with their whole hearts, and are willing, and will receive this covenant and Sabbath as soon as they hear it explained. These will constitute the 144,000, now to be sealed with 'a seal of the living God,' which sealing will bear them through this time of trouble."
-Joseph Bates, A Seal of the Living God, EGW Writings, p. 61, retrieved Apr 2, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/957.384#398]

For those of you who have studied my book exposing Jehovah's Witnesses, you will recognize this doctrine about the 144,000 in the book of Revelation because Jehovah's Witnesses believe that only 144,000 of them will get into heaven. Here, we see more corruption of the prophecy of Scripture on this matter, in which Bates taught that the 144,000 were going to be those who kept the Sabbath, and of course, at the time, they thought it was going to be their congregation of Adventists because, not only did they believe they were the only ones who kept the Sabbath, but due to the influence of the Millerite movement, they also believed they were living in the end days and Jesus was coming back at any moment.
(Read Corruptions of Christianity: Jehovah's Witnesses here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Knowing this, it should now be no surprise that Ellen White adopted this philosophy from Bates. This is one of the many reasons some researchers believe that Joseph Bates is the true founder of the Seventh-day Adventist movement, since she parroted much of her doctrine after Bates.

White said:
"Now is the time to lay up treasure in heaven, and to set our hearts in order, ready for the time of trouble. Those only who have clean hands and a pure heart will stand that trying time. Now is the time for the law of God to be in our minds (foreheads), and written in our hearts. The Lord has shown me the danger of letting our minds be filled with worldly thoughts and cares. I saw that some minds were led away from present truth and a love of the holy Bible, by reading other exciting books; and others were filled with perplexity and care for what they shall eat, drink and wear. I saw some, looking too far off for the coming of the Lord. Time has continued on a few years longer than they expected, therefore they think it may continue a few years more, and in this way their minds are being led from present truth, out after the world. In these things I saw great danger; for if the mind is filled with other things, present truth is shut out, and there is no place in our foreheads for the seal of the living God. This seal is the Sabbath. I saw that the time for Jesus to be in the most holy place was nearly finished, and that time can last but a very little longer; and what leisure time we have should be spent in searching the Bible, which is to judge us in the last day."
-Ellen G. White, "To Those who are receiving the seal of the living God," EGW Writings, Jan 31, 1849, par. 11, retrieved Apr 2, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/509.1#15]

White claimed that the "seal" of a Christian is whether or not they observe the Sabbath, and whether or not they do so from Friday evening to Saturday evening. However, the Bible teaches us something different:

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
-Ephesians 1:13-14

Again, White taught that the seal of the Living God was the Sabbath day, but God taught us that His seal is the promise of the Holy Ghost, and it is given to us on the day we are saved through repentance (i.e. godly sorrow of wrongdoing) and faith in Jesus Christ. White also taught that the seal of God was to come in the future, but the Bible teaches us that the work has already been done in us (i.e. past tense):

Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
-2 Corinthians 1:21-22

Not only did White preach falsely about God's sealing of his born again elect, White also gave false prophecy on this matter because she predicted the world was going to end in a few years from the time she wrote this (in the 1800s), and we will cover more details on White's false prophecies in the next chapter, but for this context, we can see that she believed that the "seal" (or mark) of God was found in those who kept the Sabbath. In case the above quote (from 1849) was not enough evidence for some readers because that was early on in her writings, White wrote the same thing 50 years later:
"The Sabbath Is the Issue in the Final Conflict—The Sabbath is the great test question. It is the line of demarkation between the loyal and true and the disloyal and transgressor. This Sabbath God has enjoined, and those who claim to be commandment keepers, who believe that they are now under the proclamation of the third angel's message, will see the important part the Sabbath of the fourth commandment holds in that message. It is the seal of the living God. They will not lessen the claims of the Sabbath to suit their business of convenience."
-Ellen G. White, "Every Human Being Will Be Either in Christ's Army or Satan's Army," EGW Writings, MSS 34, 1897, par. 11, retrieved Apr 2, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/100.2569#2574]

It should be noted that, even though White said that some Adventists were looking too far off, and not acknowledging Christ's coming at any moment, half a century later, she never bothered to admit she was wrong. Again, we will cover more details on White's failed prophecies in the next chapter. That being said, White is putting emphasis on the Sabbath being the main issue of final conflict in the last days, and not on the Lord Jesus Christ, or even the conflict against the Son of Perdition who will persecute the saints unto death in the final days.

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
-Revelation 20:4

White's works-based heresy was simplified as such: Those who keep the Sabbath are saved and go to heaven, and those who do not keep the Sabbath are part of Satan's army and will be destroyed in the final judgment. It was not just "keeping the Sabbath" either, because all of White's followers are required to keep the Sabbath specifically from Friday night to Saturday night as the Jews did, and according to her, all those who do not observe that time are followers of the Catholic popes:
"I saw that God had not changed the Sabbath, for He never changes. But the pope had changed it from the seventh to the first day of the week; for he was to change times and laws."
-Ellen G. White, Early Writings, EGW Writings, p. 32, retrieved Apr 2, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/28.294#297]

To this day, SDAs follow White's doctrine, and consider "Sunday Sabbath-keeping" a Satanic corruption of true religion. Of course, we Christians (who take Christ's doctrines seriously) know that it makes no difference, but to make matters worse, even SDA scholars have found these claims to be false.

In 1997, Samuele Bacchiocchi, a dedicated SDA scholar and well-known among SDA theologians, who studied at Gregorian Pontifical University, pointed to the historical record of sun cults, and their attempted fusion between paganism and Christian doctrine. His research found that such fusions were similar to how the Catholic Church led the way for December 25th to be celebrated as the birth of Christ (when it really is not), but the Sunday Sabbath-keeping tradition was not started by the Catholic Church. When he was addressed on the fact that he was contradicting Ellen White's teaching, he said:
"I differ from Ellen White, for example, on the origin of Sunday. She teaches that in the first centuries all Christians observed the Sabbath and it was largely through the efforts of Constantine that Sunday-keeping was adopted by many Christians in the fourth century. My research shows otherwise."
-Samuele Bacchiocchi, quoted by Edward L. Smither, Rethinking Constantine: History, Theology, and Legacy, ISD LLC, 2014, p. 113, ISBN: 9780227902721; See also Christmas: Rejecting Jesus here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

However, facts are not enough for many SDAs because they are only willing to accept evidence if it aligns with the teachings of Ellen White, and they would find it easier to accuse Bacchiocchi of being a Jesuit spy than to consider that White could be wrong. Once again, this demonstrates their dedication to White, instead of a dedication to Jesus Christ and the truth.

One of the common themes in Seventh-day Adventism is to say that the Ten Commandments are made for everyone, and therefore, they conclude that the Sabbath is supposed to be observed by everyone. That is why White made "prophecies" about everyone in the world having to choose which day of the week they would observe as the Sabbath. However, it is interesting to note that, for millennia, Jewish scholars have argued that non-Jews are not permitted to observe the Sabbath:
"There are several reasons given by the commentaries as to why a non-Jew may not observe Shabbos [i.e. the Sabbath]:
- A Gift to the Jews
The Midrash compares this matter to a king and queen who are sitting and talking privately and a stranger comes between them and disturbs them. This person would deserve to be punished severely. Similarly, the Shabbos is a private gift that G-d shared with the Jewish people. Therefore, a gentile who comes between the Jewish people and G-d by trying to take this gift for himself is worthy of death. Shabbos is an exclusive gift to the Jewish people as the verse (Exodus 31:17) says, 'Between Me and the children of Israel it is forever a sign.'
- Akin to Adultery
Similarly, the Zohar (Parshat Pinchas pg. 450) [part of the Kabbalah] says that the relationship between the Jewish people and the Shabbos is like that of a groom and a bride and thus a gentile observing the Shabbos is akin to adultery.
- Making Their Own Religion
The Rambam [famous rabbi] writes (Laws of Melachim 10:9), 'A gentile who rests even on a weekday, observing that day as a Sabbath, is worthy of death. Needless to say, he is deserving of that punishment if he creates a festival for himself. The general principle governing these matters is that they are not allowed to originate a new religion or create mitzvot for themselves based on their own decisions. They may either become righteous converts and accept all the mitzvot or observe their (seven Noahide) statutes without adding or detracting from them.' The Rambam seems to be saying that the reason for a gentile not being allowed to observe Shabbos is that it can be viewed as if he is making up his own religion. Certainly, this applies if the gentile makes his day of rest on another day of the week.
- Can Be Mistaken for a Jew
In a similar vein, the Me'iri writes that if a gentile observes Shabbos, Jewish people may mistake him for a Jew and may learn from his (otherwise) idolatrous practices.
- Time to Sin
The Mishnah [Jewish oral traditions] (Avot 4:2) says that it is good to study Torah as well as to work since laboring in both will make one too busy to sin. As such, on Shabbos when a Jew may not work, he must occupy himself with Torah study so that he not be tempted to sin. Non-Jews, however, are prohibited from studying Torah. So if they refrain from working on any day of the week, the free time they have can lead them to commit sins since they don't have the Torah to temper their evil impulses (Divrei Shaul on the Torah by Rabbi Yosef Sha'ul HaLevi Natanzohn)."
-Rabbi Aryeh Citron, "Why Can't a Gentile Keep Shabbos," ColLive, Nov 1, 2019, [https://collive.com/why-cant-a-gentile-keep-shabbos]

My argument would simply be that it is unnecessary for a Christian to observe "Shabbos" (i.e. the Sabbath) because it was never commanded for us in the New Covenant, and I certainly do not accept the writings and traditions of Jewish rabbis and the corrupt Kabbalah (i.e. Jewish mysticism) as a source of spiritual truth. However, it should be noted that even the Jews taught that the Gentiles are not permitted to keep the Sabbath for the various reasons we just read, and this only demonstrates White's ignorance of these things.

Sabbath School Net, a Seventh-day Adventist Bible study group, states clearly that Ellen G. White's writings teach that everything in teaching and experiences must be tested against the Holy Scriptures. If only they would actually apply that belief by testing White against the Scriptures, they would leave the SDA organization after discovering her very serious heresies that war against Christ:
"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. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested."
-Sabbath School Net, "Gift of Prophecy - Seventh-day Adventist Fundamental Belief 18," retrieved Apr 1, 2021, [https://ssnet.org/about-us/fundamental-beliefs-seventh-day-adventists/gift-of-prophecy-fundamental-belief]

As we end this chapter, let's once again read the testimony of Ellen G. White:
"In ancient times God spoke to men by the mouth of prophets and apostles. In these days He speaks to them by the testimonies of His Spirit. There was never a time when God instructed His people more earnestly than He instructs them now concerning His will and the course that He would have them pursue. The Lord has seen fit to give me a view of the needs and errors of His people."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies to the Church, Vol. 5, p. 661, retrieved Mar 4, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/113.3212#3213]

Earlier, I requested readers to keep in mind that Ellen White stated, in no uncertain terms, that the messages she wrote to the church were "the precious rays of light shining from the throne" of God, that her words were "testimonies of His Spirit," and "a view of the needs and errors of His people." And yet, we have discovered that Ellen White did not understand the basic doctrines of Jesus, she did not know who Jesus is, and she repeatedly contradicted the Word of God, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was a false teacher who has now led millions astray.

For those faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ in His Word, this should be more than enough evidence to depart from White and the SDAs completely, but for those who need more convincing, let's continue on to analyze the prophetic claims of Ellen G. White...
 


Seventh-Day Adventists worship Ellen G. White, and I do not make this statement lightly, nor without merit because many former SDAs have been excommunicated and shunned for simply questioning White's teachings and prophecies, which is not unlike other religious cults, who do the same for questioning the prophets and leadership of their false religions. (e.g. Catholics, Muslims, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.) This demonstrates the SDA church's opposition against liberty, understanding, and criticism, where people can freely do research and investigate matters openly, and instead replacing it with deceit and coercion to keep their followers from hearing the whole truth, that they might maintain their numbers.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
-Galatians 5:1

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
-2 Corinthians 3:17

So readers can fully understand my meaning, let's look at a definition:

worship (v): to adore; to pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and veneration
(See 'worship', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved March 4, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

SDAs offer up supreme respect and veneration to White, and part of the reason for doing that is because she told her followers that if they question her, they are rebelling against God:
"If you seek to turn aside the counsel of God to suit yourselves, if you lessen the confidence of God's people in the testimonies He has sent them, you are rebelling against God as certainly as were Korah, Dathan, and Abiram."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies to the Church, Vol. 5, p. 66, retrieved Mar 4, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/113.3212#3213]

Sadly, this is no different than how many Jews ended up worshiping the prophets instead of God. The only differences were that the prophets of Scripture were consistent in their doctrines, and they never told the Jews that they were rebelling against God if they dared to question them.

She also warned her followers not to rise up against her. She declared that if they rejected her, they were blind, self-deceived, and that the Spirit of Jesus Christ would not dwell in them:
"Those who are reproved by the Spirit of God should not rise up against the humble instrument. It is God, and not an erring mortal, who has spoken to save them from ruin. Those who despise the warning will be left in blindness to become self-deceived. But those who heed it, and zealously go about the work of separating their sins from them in order to have the needed graces, will be opening the door of their hearts that the dear Saviour may come in and dwell with them. This class you will ever find in perfect harmony with the testimony of the Spirit of God."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies to the Church, Vol. 3, p. 257, retrieved Mar 4, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/119.1175#1179]

SDAs are dedicated to pushing the idea that Ellen G. White was God's prophetess because she made the claim that angels of God gave her visions. SDA pastor William Branson said:
"Seventh Day Adventists believe that this gift of the Spirit was early manifested among them through the work and writings of Mrs. White. They believe that just as in past ages God raised up prophets... He raised up Mrs. White and bestowed upon her the gift of prophecy."
-William H. Branson, In Defense of the Faith: the Truth about Seventh-day Adventists, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1933, p. 33, [University of Michigan]

SDA pastor Stanley Harris demonstrated his worship (i.e. great veneration) of White when he said:
"And yet, my dear friends, she [White] did one of the greatest works that I have ever known since John the Revelator. She's to me one of the greatest prophets that have ever lived. Why? Because she had the same gift that Daniel had."
-Stanley Harris, "Greatest Prophet Since John," God's Last Call, Cassette Tape #811

In 1978, the SDA's Sabbath School-Quarterly teacher's edition declared that White's writings are flawless in the same manner as Scripture:
"The Bible and the writings of Ellen White are inerrant."
-Sabbath School-Quarterly, Teacher's Edition, Feb 11, 1978, p. 112

Raymond Cottrell was an editor for the Review and Herald Publishing Association (i.e. a SDA publishing company), and a senior associate editor of The SDA Bible Commentary. Cottrell preached in Takoma Park, Maryland in 1973, and he said that the Word of God and Ellen White's writings were equal in authority:
"The Bible speaks to all of the world; the writings of Ellen White were addressed primarily to the remnant church. Herein lies the only significant difference between them. The person who listens to both with an open mind will hear the same Voice speaking through both, with equal authority. Human elements can be pointed out in both, but to the person who chooses to listen attentively to the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to the Church today God's message comes, clearly and distinctly, through all of the human static, attested by a plain, 'thus saith the Lord' and pointing out the way in which God would have His people walk today."
-Raymond Cottrell, quoted by Herbert E. Douglass, What Ellen White Has Meant to Me, Ellen G. White Estate Inc, 2018, p. 60; NOTE: According to this book, Cottrell was "a specialist in Roman Catholic studies, he participated in Vatican II, International Conference on Theological Issues of Vatican II, and Ecumenical Consultations with the World Council of Churches."

We can not only see the worship of Ellen G. White in these statements, but we can also see that prominent leaders in the SDA organization have declared that her writings are the same as Scripture in both inspiration and content. In case any Christians might speak with a SDA who would argue against that fact, you can quote to them the Ellen G. White Estate's official website, in which they quote from the 1982 Adventist Review, stating their beliefs about White's inspiration and authority:
"We do not believe that the quality or degree of inspiration in the writings of Ellen White is different from that of Scripture."
-Ellen G. White Estate, "The Seventh-day Adventist Church's Understanding of Ellen White's Authority," Dec 23, 1982, retrieved Apr 1, 2021, [https://whiteestate.org/legacy/issues-scripsda-html]

Obviously, they believe that White's writings are the same as Scripture, but ironically, the next lines goes on to say:
"We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White are an addition to the canon of Sacred Scripture."
-Ellen G. White Estate, "The Seventh-day Adventist Church's Understanding of Ellen White's Authority," Dec 23, 1982, retrieved Apr 1, 2021, [https://whiteestate.org/legacy/issues-scripsda-html]

It is fascinating to consider how often the zealous followers of false religions proclaim that their prophet brings messages directly from God to the people for the last days, but none of them ever add their writings to the end of the Bible (either after the book of Jude or after the book of Revelation). If both the Bible and the words of their "prophet" are the Word of God, then they should be in one collective book, so why do they refrain from adding another book to the end of the Bible and naming it after the prophet who spoke those things?

The answer is quite simple: They are afraid to do that, which demonstrates how unfaithful they really are to their prophet. They are afraid of the Bible's warnings at the end of Revelation, and they are afraid the masses would not readily accept them if they added to God's Word, so instead of just being bold and faithful to add God's alleged words from their so-called "prophet" into the Bible, they simply say the two are "equal in authority" because that leaves them with a back door they may cowardly escape through on the day their prophet is proven to be false.
(Read Corruptions of Christianity: Mormonism, and Corruptions of Christianity: Jehovah's Witnesses here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
-Revelation 22:18-19

If they really believed that their "prophets" were delivering God's Word, they would have no fear to add that to Scripture. They fear because, deep down in their hearts and minds, they know their "prophets" are false.

Robert Olson was chairman of the Department of Religion at Pacific Union College (i.e. a SDA university), and was a pastor in the Northern California Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists. He said that Ellen White's writings were of the same nature and influence as the writings of Paul in Scripture:
"I believe that both Ellen G. White and the apostle Paul were true prophets who wrote under the influence of the Spirit of God. My reason for believing in the inspiration of the one is identical with my reason for believing in the inspiration of the other. In both cases the Holy Spirit addresses me through their writings and persuades me of their divine origin... In fact, the writings of Ellen White bear many resemblances to those of the Bible prophets."
-Robert W. Olson, quoted by Herbert E. Douglass, What Ellen White Has Meant to Me, Ellen G. White Estate Inc, 2018, p. 165-166

The Ellen G. White Estate, which is the publisher of her book, The Great Controversy, stated that White's prophecies were more precise than any other existing record:
"[W]e believe she [White] has been empowered by a divine illumination to speak of some past events which have thus been brought to her attention, with greater minuteness [precision] than is set forth in any existing records, and to read the future with more than human foresight. Those who know what it is to hold communion with our Heavenly Father, will, we think, as they read these pages, feel constrained to believe that the writer has drawn from the heavenly fountain,"
-Publisher's Preface, The Great Controversy, Ellen G. White Estate Inc, 2017, p. b, retrieved Mar 5, 2021, [egwwritings-a.akamaihd.net/pdf/en_GC88.pdf]

It is clear that SDAs believe that White was not only a true prophetess of God, but that she was the GREATEST of all the prophets, and so it should now be clear to readers that these people worship Ellen White. I know SDAs will not like me saying that because it does not sound favorable to them, but at the very least, they have to admit that they uphold White's writings on the same level as the Holy Scriptures. However, I want to assure readers that there is no need to fear SDAs nor Ellen White because, as we will learn in this chapter, she was a false prophetess, and God has already spoken on the matter:

But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. [i.e. The Israeli government was supposed to hold a public execution of that false prophet.] And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
-Deuteronomy 18:20-22

This means that a woman who claims herself to be a prophetess and speaks presumptuously does not fear God as she might claim:

presumptuous (adj): proceeding from excess of confidence, arrogant, insolent, unduly confident, irreverent with respect to sacred things
(See 'presumptuous', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved March 4, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

We have no need to fear the words of a false prophetess, and we have already learned from White's corrupt doctrines that she is a false teacher. It is widely understood that the Christian God of the Bible has a hatred of false prophets, but I want to warn SDAs (if by the grace of God any of them might read this) that the punishment God issues to false prophets is the SAME punishment He issues to those who FOLLOW false prophets.

The fourteenth chapter of Ezekiel is contextually speaking about false prophets, and it says:

And they [i.e. false prophets] shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;
-Ezekiel 14:10

When a man says he is a prophet of God, we should approach his doctrine with at least some amount of skepticism because it is our job to discern the good from the evil. (Heb 5:14) He should not be automatically believed simply because he claims to be a prophet, but rather, if he gives a prophetic foretelling of future events, we should analyze what he believes and says, comparing it with Scripture and the timeline of events, to determine the truth of the matter.

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
-1 John 4:1

Before we begin to analyze Ellen G. White's prophecies, I want readers to understand that the Bible warned us that there would be many false prophets and false teachers that would arise:

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many [not few] shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
-2 Peter 2:1-3

This means they will take advantage of you for the money involved, knowing that they leech money off of those who have been deceived into believing their edicts (i.e. laws and proclamations). The Word of God has taught us that the damnation of God and destruction of their souls lingers over them daily.

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
-Acts 20:28-31

Paul spent years warning the church that wolves would come into the church to draw away disciples unto false doctrines. We are commanded to be watchful, and to expose the unfruitful works of darkness, which is the purpose of this book.

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
-Ephesians 5:8-11

reprove (v): to censure; to charge with a fault, to convince of a fault, or to make it manifest
(See 'reprove', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved March 9, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

To begin, let's go back to the days of the Civil War of the United States, which was the war between the northern and southern states. Ellen White was in her mid-thirties when the war began in 1861, and she wrote a prophecy about it that she claimed was delivered to her by God's angels:
"Said the angel: 'Hear, O heavens, the cry of the oppressed, and reward the oppressors double according to their deeds.' This nation [the United States] will yet be humbled into the dust. England is studying whether it is best to take advantage of the present weak condition of our nation, and venture to make war upon her. She is weighing the matter, and trying to sound other nations. She fears, if she should commence war abroad, that she would be weak at home, and that other nations would take advantage of her weakness. Other nations are making quiet yet active preparations for war, and are hoping that England will make war with our nation, for then they would improve the opportunity to be revenged on her for the advantage she has taken of them in the past and the injustice done them. A portion of the queen's subjects are waiting a favorable opportunity to break their yoke; but if England thinks it will pay, she will not hesitate a moment to improve her opportunities to exercise her power and humble our nation. When England does declare war, all nations will have an interest of their own to serve, and there will be general war, general confusion. England is acquainted with the diversity of feeling among those who are seeking to quell the rebellion. She well knows the perplexed condition of our Government; she has looked with astonishment at the prosecution of this war—the slow, inefficient moves, the inactivity of our armies, and the ruinous expenses of our nation. The weakness of our Government is fully open before other nations, and they now conclude that it is because it was not a monarchial government, and they admire their own government, and look down, some with pity, others with contempt, upon our nation, which they have regarded as the most powerful upon the globe. Had our nation remained united it would have had strength, but divided it must fall."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, p. 259, retrieved Mar 5, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/116.1251#1274]

There are three things that were very clearly predicted in White's prophecy:

England would declare war on the United States during the Civil War. During the division between the northern and southern states, the United States would fall to England's attack. The United States would be "humbled into the dust," and would "fall," which contextually means the United States as we knew it in the 1800s would cease to exist as a nation because they would have been overrun by a foreign military invasion.

Of course, it does not take a college degree in U.S. history to know that none of that happened. During the Civil War, the Union feared European countries getting involved in backing the Confederacy because they were the largest exporter of cotton in the world at that time, and for such reasons, the British allowed the Confederacy to build a couple of warships in their docks (for which, after the war ended, the British made peace by paying millions of dollars in restitution to the Union for damage done by those two ships during the war), but in the end, Britain and France officially remained neutral throughout the conflict, and no war was ever declared on the U.S.
(See Holly Godbey, "The Response From Overseas To The American Civil War," War History Online, Nov 3, 2016, retrieved Mar 5, 2021, [warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/foreign-response-american-civil-war.html])

Dudley Canright was a friend and close associate of James and Ellen White for over two decades, and he served as a pastor in the SDA church for 22 years before departing and denouncing it as a false religion. In his book, Life of Ellen White (originally published in 1919), he gives more details about why Ellen made predictions about the Civil War:
"The Civil War of 1861-65 placed Seventh-day Adventists in a trying position. They could not engage in war and keep the Sabbath. The draft threatened them. Now, what? I was one of them, twenty years old — the right age to go to war. So I remember it all distinctly. Something had to be done. We hoped Mrs. White would have a revelation. And she did have — several of them, covering thirty pages of printed matter in Volume 1 of 'Testimonies for the Church.' At the time, we read these revelations with great anxiety, hoping for light ahead. We were disappointed. They simply told just what everybody already knew, reflecting the sentiments of those opposed to the Government and the war. It was a forced attempt to say something when she had nothing to tell. Read in the light of today, it is seen to be mere guess work, mostly wrong. She says, 'It was necessary that something be said' ('Testimonies,' Vol. I, p. 356). It was all directed to us, a little handful of about ten thousand, half women, none of any influence in the Government or in the war. Bible prophets went directly to the king and told him how to conduct the war, and what the end would be. Our prophet had no such message."
-Dudley M. Canright, Life of Ellen White, Lulu Enterprises Inc, 2005, p. 132-133, ISBN: 9781411640269

So Ellen's true motivation was to answer the growing concerns of her followers, namely, that they could not maintain their Sabbath-keeping regulations and fight in the war at the same time. She made up those predictions based on the fears of rumors that were spreading around the U.S. in that day. However, during the Civil War, England never declared war on the United States, England never attacked the United States, and the United States is still standing today, which means that Ellen G. White did NOT receive that prophecy from God's angels, which also means that Ellen G. White is a FALSE prophet.

I will go on to provide more examples of White's false prophecies in this chapter, but I want to pause and explain to readers that this information is all anyone should need to denounce everything that Ellen G. White has taught because it only takes one instance of being wrong to be a false prophet. God's true prophets were NEVER wrong in their predictions, and so if one piece of a prophecy is wrong, then it is a lie, and it cannot be from God because God cannot lie.

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
-Titus 1:2

SDAs attempt to mislead people into thinking that White is a true prophetess of God by claiming that her prophecies were "conditional," or in other words, they would only come true if certain conditions were met. The problem with a "conditional prophecy" is that it can never be proven false because no matter what happens, the prophet can claim that the right conditions were not met, which means there was no point in giving the prophecy in the first place.

For example, let's say Ellen made a prophecy that James (her husband) was going to eat a ham sandwich tomorrow, but the next day, it turns out that he ate beef stir fry. Of course, that would prove Ellen is a false prophet; however, under the SDA's "conditional" argument, they would simply twist the truth to say that James intended to eat a ham sandwich, except they were out of ham and bread, so he switched to beef and vegetables.

The prophecy was about James eating a ham sandwich, not beef stir fry, which would make Ellen a false prophet, but by putting in a contingency for whether or not they have ham and bread, it actually makes the prophecy completely useless. Let's break this down:

Under normal circumstances, we cannot know for sure what James will eat tomorrow. When Ellen says that James will eat a ham sandwich tomorrow, we are now filled with knowledge and expectation about what James will eat tomorrow. If Ellen says that the ham sandwich prophecy is contingent upon certain conditions, then we are back to square one, meaning that we STILL cannot know for sure what James will eat tomorrow.

The example SDAs typically bring up is Nineveh, in which God sent His prophet, Jonah, to tell them they would be destroyed; however, they humbled themselves in repentance, and God had mercy on them. (Jonah 3) They claim this is conditional, and so without proper context and understanding, they believe if they put White's false prophecies into this "conditional" category, they will have an insurance policy that will prevent her from being proven wrong.

Are the prophecies that Jesus Christ would come to save mankind conditional? No. Are the prophecies in Daniel about world governments conditional? No. Are the prophecies of Revelation concerning God's judgment conditional? No.

When Jeremiah told the Jews that they were to lay down their arms and surrender to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, was that conditional? No. Jonah was sent to preach unto Nineveh, and warn them about the punishment that would come from their evil deeds if they did not repent, but Jeremiah was sent to the Jews to tell them that God had already decided their punishment during the Babylonian siege, and the prophecy was sure.

And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
-Jonah 3:1-2

God gave Jeremiah the prophecy for Zedekiah, the king of Jerusalem, to tell him he had to surrender, and gave him an option; if he surrendered, he and his household would live, but if he did not, he and his house would die.

Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.
-Jeremiah 38:17-18

That is what a conditional statement from God looks like, but that is NOT what Ellen White predicted concerning the U.S. Civil War. The examples I provided are all certain prophecies of what would happen because they are definite statements that can be proven wrong if they do not come to pass, and White made those same type of statements when she said, "When England does declare war," and "divided it [the U.S.] must fall," proving that she is a false prophetess.

Joseph foretold to Pharaoh that there would be seven years of plentiful harvests, and then afterwards, there would be seven years of famine, and it happened. (Gen 41:25-32) Isaiah foretold the coming of Cyrus the Great, and even revealed his name, two hundred years before he was born, and it happened. (Isa 44:28) Jeremiah foretold the fall of the Babylonian Empire, including details about what would occur during its demise, and it happened. (Jer 51) Ellen G. White foretold that the United States would fall due to invasion by the British Empire, and it did NOT happen.

Again, the Bible makes it very clear that we are not to follow false prophets like Ellen G. White, and the Lord God has said that He allows these false prophets to spread their doctrine as a test to whether we will choose to serve God or men:

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
Deuteronomy 13:1-4

The Lord God allows false prophets to speak in order to test you. Who will you serve?

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
-Joshua 24:15

The "conditional" argument is only a prideful excuse SDAs use so they will not have to humble themselves and confess their sins and errors. Remember in the last chapter, we went over the details about the works-based false doctrines of the SDAs, and therefore, they believe that if they sin, they will have their names blotted out of the book of life, which means they do not want to admit that they sin, nor that they placed their faith into something other than Jesus Christ, so they will not be found out.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
-1 John 1:8-10

If SDAs would simply come to trust in Jesus Christ alone with the humility of repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of their wrongdoing, they could be born again in Him, and if they would come out from among the wicked religious institutions (like the SDA church, which does not trust in the Christian God of the Bible) to be separate from them, they would be received by God as His children:

Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
-Acts 8:22

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
-Acts 17:30
(Read There is No Saving Grace Without Repentance here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
-1 Peter 1:23

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
-2 Corinthians 6:14-18
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Sanctification" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Based on what I have read from Ellen White, and the testimonies of those around her, it was very common for her to claim that she "misunderstood" something. In other words, she would claim an angel gave her a vision of a future event, then when that future event did not come to pass, she would claim she "misunderstood" the angel, and would then predict something different to cover up her lies.

Lucinda Burdick (aforementioned in chapter two) met Ellen White in the early months of 1845 and befriended her. She describes what things were like earlier on in White's organization, and how some of her failed prophecies were swept under the rug by the Adventists:
"She pretended God showed her things which did not come to pass. At one time she saw that the Lord would come the second time in June 1845. The prophecy was discussed in all the churches, and in a little 'shut-door paper' published in Portland, Me. During the summer, after June passed, I heard a friend ask her how she accounted for the vision? She replied that 'they told her in the language of Canaan, and she did not understand the language; that it was the next September that the Lord was coming, and the second growth of grass instead of the first in June.' September passed, and many more have passed since, and we have not seen the Lord yet. It soon became evident to all candid persons, that many things must have been 'told her in the language of Canaan,' or some other which she did not understand, as there were repeated failures. I could mention many which I knew of myself. Once, when on their way to the eastern part of Maine, she saw that they would have great trouble with the wicked, be put in prison, etc. This they told in the churches as they passed through. When they came back, they said they had a glorious time. Friends asked if they had seen any trouble with the wicked, or prisons? They replied, 'None at all.' People in all the churches soon began to get their eyes open, and came out decidedly against her visions; and, just as soon as they did so, she used to see them 'with spots on their garments,' as she expressed it. I was personally acquainted with several ministers, whom she saw landed in the kingdom with 'Oh! such brilliant crowns, FULL of stars.' As soon as they took a stand against the visions, she saw them 'doomed, damned, and lost for ever, without hope.'"
-Lucinda Burdick, quoted by Miles Grant, The True Sabbath: Which Day Shall We Keep? An Examination of Mrs. Ellen White's Vision, Advent Christian Publication Society, 1874

For those of you who have studied the doctrines and history of false religions, you may have noticed a very familiar pattern in what you just read. The leader praises those who follow them, condemns those who question them, and anytime the leader errs, it was always someone else's fault; not their own.

The particular danger in White's reaction is that she was essentially blaming God for getting the prophecy wrong! According to White, if the angels had not spoken to her in the Canaanite language, then she would have been more accurate in her prophecy, which is blaming God for not being clear enough with her.

Furthermore, the Bible clearly tells us that only God the Father knows the timing in which Christ will return:

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
-Matthew 24:36

Again, Ellen White claimed that angels gave her these visions. Even though I am fully convinced White is simply a liar, if we give her the benefit of the doubt and believe her story that angels told her when Jesus was returning, then we know with certainty they must have been fallen angels (i.e. devils), and that she trusted in their lies instead of the words of Jesus Christ, because Jesus told us that angels are not privy to that information.

Some of the most infamous false prophecies that Ellen White ever gave were those she made about the "Shut Door" doctrine, which I briefly mentioned in chapter one. As readers might recall, William Miller had not understood the meaning of Daniel 8, and interpreted it to mean that the return of Jesus Christ and the end of the world would come in 1844, resulting in the "Great Disappointment" of 1844 when nothing happened, which had put hundreds of thousands of people into poverty or worse because they had not done any work on their businesses and farms, and had sold their homes to prepare for the supposed return of Christ.

Afterwards, Samuel Snow and some others introduced new doctrine to try and maintain the followers of the Adventist movement. They said that Jesus may not have returned in 1844, but He instead entered into the "Most Holy Place" in heaven in 1844, and this was based on the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:

Then shall the kingdom of heaven [i.e. Christ's church] be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried [waited], they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
-Matthew 25:1-13

The proper interpretation of this doctrine is that there are false converts among the church. All of Christ's parables are rooted in a contextual understanding about false converts in the church because that is what the parable of the sower is about, and Jesus told us that if we do not understand the parable of the sower, then we will not understand any of the parables He taught.
(Read "Jesus Said There Are Many False Converts" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. [i.e. the parable of the sower] And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
-Mark 4:10-13

However, Snow and the other Adventists who followed him, decided that there was a "midnight cry" that happened in 1844, and that "midnight" represented half of a year, so he predicted the date of Christ's return to be October 22, 1844. Snow taught that after October 22, Christ would "shut the door," cutting them off from the bridegroom, meaning that only those who stayed faithful to Snow's prophecies and the Adventist/Millerite movement would be saved, and no other person could be saved afterwards.

This was a very slick move by Snow because, in short, he preyed on the fears and laziness of his cultic followers. It would be attractive to lazy people because they would have no reason to continue to do work (neither physical labor nor preaching in evangelism) and they could just live on the donations of Adventist converts, and it would make fearful people subject to the religious organization because they would think they had to believe everything Snow taught, no matter how ridiculous it seemed, otherwise, they could not be saved.

At that time, not all the Adventists agreed on this doctrine because many did not like the idea that no one else could be saved after October 22, so there was a split between the "Shut Door" Adventists, and the "Open Door" Adventists, who believed that more could be saved after the fraudulent 1844 prophecies. Eventually, the Seventh-day Adventist Church would develop from the Shut Door Adventists, and some of the crazy rituals I covered in chapter two were "tests" for the faithfulness of those who supposedly "kept the Sabbath" and were faithful to the "shut door."

Let's go through a list of the major names we learned about in chapter one to see what they believed about the Shut Door doctrine. Remember, these people believed that NO ONE could be saved after 1844.

William Miller wrote a letter to Joshua Himes in November of 1844, in which he said:
"We have done our work in warning sinners, and in trying to awaken a formal church. God, in his providence, has shut the door; we can only stir one another up to be patient; and be diligent to make our calling and election sure."
-William Miller, quoted by James White, Life Incidents: In Connection with the Great Advent Movement as Illustrated by the Three Angels of Revelation XIV, Steam Press of the Seventh-day Adventists Publication Association, 1868, p. 187, [Harvard University]

However, by the summer of 1845, Miller not only renounced the Shut Door doctrine, but all the other false prophecies and doctrines that he had given concerning Adventism:
"I have no confidence in any of the new theories that have grown out of that movement, viz., that Christ then came as the Bridegroom, that the door of mercy was closed, that there is no salvation for sinners, that the seventh trumpet then sounded, or that it was a fulfillment of prophecy in any sense."
-William Miller, quoted by Joshua V. Himes, Second Advent Library, Issues 1-5, 1847, p. 28, [Harvard University]

This is important because William Miller's doctrine is the true, hidden foundation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and even he renounced the doctrines he taught. Remember, Ellen Harmon (i.e. Ellen G. White) was a member of the Millerite movement, and her close colleagues taught her the doctrines she preached.

For example, James White, the man Ellen Harmon married, believed and taught the Shut Door, and published his writing in The Day-Star in the fall of 1845:
"[T]he fall of Babylon commenced in the spring of '43 when the churches all around, began to fall into a cold state, and was complete on the 7th month '44, when the last faint ray of hope was taken up from a wicked world and church."
-James White, Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist Message and Mission, EGW Writings, p. 147, retrieved Apr 21, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/949.721#722]

The SDA organization has attempted to cover up the Shut Door doctrine out of embarrassment, not wanting their members to know their true origins. In this effort, they also attempted to claim that James White's "fall of Babylon" comments had nothing to do with the Shut Door doctrine, but the following year, James released his book, A Word to the 'Little Flock', in which he clarified what he meant:
"From the ascension to the shutting of the door, October, 1844, Jesus stood with widespread arms of love and mercy; ready to receive, and plead the cause of every sinner, who would come to God by him. On the 10th day of the 7th month, 1844, He passed into the Holy of Holies, where he has since been a merciful 'high priest over the house of God.'... I think the following is a prophecy which has been fulfilling since October, 1844... 'And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor.'"
-James White, A Word to the 'Little Flock', 1847, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2000, p. 2, ISBN: 9780828012423

In other words, James White believed that Jesus was ready and willing to save all those who came to Him for mercy until October, 1844. After that time, James White no longer believed that anyone was being saved, and he and his colleagues instead spent their time trying to figure out who had been saved before that time.

Joseph Bates, who we learned in chapter one was a close friend of Ellen Harmon, also strongly upheld the Shut Door doctrine:
"I believe the work is of God, and is given to comfort and strengthen his 'scattered,' 'torn,' and 'pealed people,' since the closing up of our work for the world in October, 1844."
-Joseph Bates, quoted by James White, A Word to the 'Little Flock', 1847, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2000, p. 21, ISBN: 9780828012423

In case you might think that was vague, and by "the work," Bates might have been referring to something else, let's look at another publication he wrote that clarifies what he meant:
"Here his work ceased; Ministering and Mediating for the whole world forever; and he like his pattern in the type, entered the Most Holy Place, bearing upon his breast plate of Judgment the twelve tribes of the House of Israel. For further proof, see the parable of the ten virgins: (Matthew 25:1-12,) most strikingly and peculiarly fulfilled from the Spring to the Fall of 1844... We were disappointed in our, then explained, expectation. Jesus did not come to this earth then, but the Bridegroom did come, thus fulfilling the parable, and they that were ready went in with him to the Marriage and the DOOR was shut."
-Joseph Bates, An Explanation of the Typical and Anti-typical Sanctuary by the Scriptures, EGW Writings, p. 133, retrieved Apr 21, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/974.83#91] & [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/974.92#93]

I do not believe Bates could have been more clear that he firmly believed in the Shut Door doctrine. As we covered in chapter one, Bates often brought these teachings to Ellen White, she would swallow them whole, and then regurgitate them back to the Adventists as a so-called "vision" from God. (And she took credit for the work, as we will find out in the next chapter.)

As I said earlier, the Shut Door doctrine is an embarrassment to the SDA organization, and they insist that Ellen White never taught that doctrine. However, the truth is that they hide the fact that she did teach that doctrine, and then later flip-flopped to the Open Door doctrine when it was convenient for her to do so.

In The Spirit of Prophecy, White said:
"After the passing of the time of expectation, in 1844, Adventists still believed the Saviour's coming to be very near; they held that they had reached an important crisis, and that the work of Christ as man's intercessor before God, had ceased. Having given the warning of the Judgment near, they felt that their work for the world was done, and they lost their burden of soul for the salvation of sinners, while the bold and blasphemous scoffing of the ungodly seemed to them another evidence that the Spirit of God had been withdrawn from the rejecters of his mercy. All this confirmed them in the belief that probation had ended, or, as they then expressed it, 'the door of mercy was shut.'"
-Ellen G. White, The Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 4, EGW Writings, p. 268, retrieved Apr 21, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/140.1060#1062]

As I have mentioned before, SDAs refer to Ellen G. White as the "Spirit of Prophecy," which is said to be directly from the Holy Ghost. Therefore, we have no choice but to conclude that their "Spirit of Prophecy" taught the anti-Biblical Shut Door doctrine.

If any SDAs are reading this, they might have a very difficult time believing or processing this information because this is not what they were taught by the SDA organization. In fact, most of you probably never knew anything about this, and are still somewhat skeptical, but the "Spirit of Prophecy" both confirmed and rejected the Shut Door doctrine.

The following is a letter that Ellen White wrote to Joseph Bates, dated July 13, 1847. In the letter, White describes her first vision in December of 1844, and another vision she had in February of 1845, and confirms her testimony that the "Spirit of Prophecy" declared not just to her, but to everyone, the Shut Door prophecy:
"Sister Durben knew what the power of the Lord was, for she had felt it many times; and a short time after I fell she was struck down, and fell to the floor, crying to God to have mercy on her. When I came out of vision, my ears were saluted with Sister Durben's singing and shouting with a loud voice. Most of them received the vision, and were settled upon the shut door."
-Ellen G. White, Letter to Joseph Bates, July 13, 1847, quoted by Robert W. Olsen, "The 'Shut Door' Documents," Ellen G. White Estate, Apr 11, 1982, retrieved Apr 21, 2021, [https://whiteestate.org/legacy/issues-shutdoor-html]

Later, Ellen White wrote:
"For a time after the disappointment in 1844, I did hold, in common with the advent body, that the door of mercy was then forever closed to the world. This position was taken before my first vision was given me. It was the light given me of God that corrected our error, and enabled us to see the true position."
-Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Book 1, EGW Writings, p. 63, retrieved Apr 21, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/98.327#356]

The reason I put emphasis on White's words about God correcting their error is because SDAs should understand that this is DEVASTATING to their religious beliefs that Ellen White was a prophetess of God. According to Ellen White, the Holy Spirit told her in a vision that the Shut Door was true, then later, she claims the Holy Spirit told her in a vision that the Shut Door was false, and because we know the Holy Ghost is not a liar, then we can safely conclude that Ellen White is the liar.

If you read her writings, White goes on to try and reinterpret the Shut Door doctrine in a different way to save face, claiming that it took her many years to see what the "vision" meant. This is nothing more than an excuse to deny the truth. Either we believe that the Holy Ghost (i.e. God) lies to us, deceives us, and leads his prophets (along with everyone else who hears them) to believe in something that is not true, or we believe that the Holy Ghost was not with Ellen White; there is no other option at this point.

If Ellen White truly had a vision from God, then God would have clearly pointed out to her that what the Adventists were teaching was error. White went on to preach the same Shut Door vision for another six years before she changed her tune, and it should be noted that it did not differ in any sense from the Shut Door doctrine that the Adventists were teaching at the time, meaning that White was following the wind of doctrine around, parroting whatever she was told.

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
-Ephesians 4:14

Some of the members of the SDAs pointed out these inconsistencies, and White tried to cover it up in a letter she wrote to J.N. Loughborough, dated August 24, 1874:
"I hereby testify in the fear of God that the charges of Miles Grant, of Mrs. Burdick, and others published in the Crisis are not true. The statements in reference to my course in forty-four are false. With my brethren and sisters, after the time passed in forty-four I did believe no more sinners would be converted. But I never had a vision that no more sinners would be converted. And am clear and free to state no one has ever heard me say or has read from my pen statements which will justify them in the charges they have made against me upon this point. It was on my first journey east to relate my visions that the precious light in regard to the heavenly sanctuary was opened before me and I was shown the open and shut door. We believed that the Lord was soon to come in the clouds of heaven. I was shown that there was a great work to be done in the world for those who had not had the light and rejected it. Our brethren could not understand this with our faith in the immediate appearing of Christ. Some accused me of saying that my Lord delayeth His coming, especially the fanatical ones. I saw that in '44 God had opened a door and no man could shut it, and shut a door and no man could open it. Those who rejected the light which was brought to the world by the message of the second angel went into darkness, and how great was that darkness. I never have stated or written that the world was doomed or damned. I never have under any circumstances used this language to any one, however sinful. I have ever had messages of reproof for those who used these harsh expressions."
-Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Book 1, EGW Writings, p. 74, retrieved Apr 21, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/98.446]

As I have pointed out many times in this book, Ellen G. White was a liar and a hypocrite, and we can see more evidence of this if we go back to her Early Writings:
"I saw the Father rise from the throne, and in a flaming chariot go into the holy of holies within the veil, and sit down. Then Jesus rose up from the throne, and the most of those who were bowed down arose with Him. I did not see one ray of light pass from Jesus to the careless multitude after He arose, and they were left in perfect darkness."
-Ellen G. White, Early Writings, EGW Writings, p. 55, retrieved Apr 21, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/28.389#393]

So she first said that she "did not see one ray of light pass from Jesus to the careless multitude... and they were left in perfect darkness," but then turned around later and said that she had never "written that the world was doomed or damned." Unless Ellen White believed that people are saved by remaining in darkness without the light of Christ, which would completely contradict Scripture, then we have to conclude that she is a liar who contradicts herself because she is not a prophetess of God.

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
-John 8:12

I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
-John 12:46

In 1849, White wrote a letter to Leonard and Elvira Hastings about the Shut Door and her visions:
"I saw Brother Stowell [Lewis B. Stowell] of Paris [Maine] was wavering upon the shut door. I felt that I must visit them. Although it was fifty miles [80 kilometers] off and very bad going, I believed God would strengthen me to perform the journey. We went and found they needed strengthening. There had not been a meeting in the place for above two years. We spent one week with them. Our meetings were very interesting. They were hungry for present truth. We had free, powerful meetings with them. God gave me two visions while there, much to the comfort and strength of the brethren and sisters. Brother Stowell was established in the shut door and all the present truth he had doubted... I will now write you the vision God gave me on the Sabbath, the 24th of March. We had a glorious meeting. I was taken off in vision. I saw the commandments of God and shut door could not be separated... My accompanying angel bade me look for the travail of souls for sinners as used to be. I looked but could not see it for the time for their salvation is past. Dear Brother and Sister, I have now written the vision God gave me. I am tired sitting so long. Our position looks very clear. We know we have the truth, the midnight cry is behind us, the door was shut in 1844 and Jesus is soon to step out from between God and man."
-Ellen G. White, The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts, Vol. 1, EGW Writings, p. 164-168, retrieved Apr 22, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/12667.813#820]

But Ellen White told us she never spoke or wrote any such thing. Then who are we supposed to believe? Do we believe the writings of Ellen White or the writings of Ellen White? Either Ellen White was wrong, or Ellen White was wrong, but the one thing we can know for certain is that Ellen White was wrong.

White taught the same doctrines in her Camden vision in 1851, which SDAs insist is fake because it is devastating to their organization, proving that her so-called "visions" were false, but I will address its authenticity in a moment. She clearly stated that sympathy must be withdrawn from the world because they cannot be saved (i.e. the Shut Door doctrine):
"Then I saw that Jesus prayed for his enemies; but that should not cause us or lead us to pray for the wicked world, whom God had rejected—when he prayed for his enemies, there was hope for them, and they could be benefitted and saved by his prayers, and also after he was a mediator in the outer apartment for the whole world; but now his spirit and sympathy were withdrawn from the world; and our sympathy must be with Jesus, and must be withdrawn from the ungodly. I saw that God loved his people—and in answer to prayers, would send rain upon the just and the unjust—I saw that now, in this time, that he watered the earth and caused the sun to shine for the saints and the wicked by our prayers, by our Father sending rain upon the unjust, while he sent it upon the just. I saw that the wicked could not be benefitted by our prayers now—and although he sent it upon the unjust, yet their day was coming. Then I saw that scripture did not mean the wicked whom God had rejected that we must love, but he meant our neighbors in the household, and did not extend beyond the household; yet I saw that we should not do the wicked around us any injustice; —But, our neighbors whom we were to love, were those who loved god and were serving him."
-Ellen G. White, "The Camden Vision - 1851," quoted by Robert K. Sanders, Truth or Fables, retrieved Apr 22, 2021, [http://www.truthorfables.com/Camden_Vision.htm]

Anyone who studies the Bible should be able to clearly see why this is a great embarrassment to the SDA organization, and why they insist it is fake. White essentially told her listeners that they should not follow the example that Jesus Christ set for Christians, in that we Christians are to pray for our enemies and do good unto them, but rather, they should all follow her instructions, limiting "our neighbors" to only those who were Adventists.

I follow the Lord Jesus Christ in what He instructed. Therefore, I pray that the Lord God would give as much mercy on SDAs as He has given me, and that despite the fact that many of them have made me their enemy, I pray that they would be blessed in their households to have all the needs of their families met.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
-Romans 12:18-21

What White did not understand is that Jesus directly addressed her false doctrine because some of the Jews tried the same tricks on Him:

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
-Luke 10:27-29

This is exactly what Ellen White did. She attempted to redefine the term 'neighbor' to only mean a select few that favored her position, but Jesus answered this:

And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
-Luke 10:30-37

Again, Ellen White said, "I saw that scripture did not mean the wicked whom God had rejected that we must love, but he meant our neighbors in the household, and did not extend beyond the household; yet I saw that we should not do the wicked around us any injustice." In the example, Jesus used a Samaritan because the Jews generally did not like the Samaritans, but the Samaritan showed mercy, love, and kindness on the injured man, even though he did not know him, but it was the priests and Levites (i.e. those who claimed to be the holy men of God) who ignored the man.

Ellen White is no different than those priests and Levites who ignored the man, believing herself to be a spiritual superior over them. She is no different than the selfish publicans (i.e. the tax collectors) in that day, and that is because she had no understanding of the Gospel of Christ.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
-Matthew 5:44-46

If White's words were not recorded by her fellows, but rather, by her critics, then it would make sense why this message was hidden, and that, if it was recorded by White's critics, it was only to warn others of her false doctrines. However, one of the reasons we can know this Camden vision is authentic, and why I do believe it was recorded by White's followers, is because Uriah Smith, the founder and editor-in-chief of the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald (i.e. a name well-respected among SDAs), and James White, the president of the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association, published an article in the June 19th, 1866 edition which quoted some of the same excerpts from Ellen White's Camden vision:
(Click Image for Larger View)
"Now what are the representations of the visions in relation to this time? Do they teach a more exclusive shut door than Scripture facts and testimonies which we have presented? In their teachings we find such expressions as these: I saw that Jesus finished his mediation in the holy place in 1844.—He has gone into the most holy, where the faith of Israel now reaches. His spirit and sympathy are now withdrawn from the world, and our sympathy should be with him.—The wicked could not be benefited by our prayers now.—The wicked world whom God had rejected.—It seemed the whole world was taken in the snare; that there could not be one left, [referring to Spiritualism]. The time for their salvation is past. These few expressions are all, or at least are the very strongest, in relation to what is called the shut door, that are claimed to have been given through any vision, either published or unpublished."
-Uriah Smith, "The Visions---Objections Answered," Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 28, No. 3, p. 18, Battle Creek, Michigan, June 19, 1866, retrieved Apr 22, 2021, [https://documents.adventistarchives.org/Periodicals/RH/RH18660619-V28-03.pdf]

This shows us that not only did Uriah Smith have a copy of White's visions in Camden, he also thought they were authentic. The fact that he published the Camden visions in the Review and Herald also means that he believed that the SDA church would benefit from it, and that they would find it to be authentic as well.

Furthermore, John Andrews, a famous SDA minister and author whose name was given to the famous SDA college, Andrews University, wrote a strong recommendation for Smith's article in the Review and Herald a few weeks later: (Click Image for Larger View)
"The series of articles on this subject by Bro. Smith, are well worthy of the attentive perusal of the readers of the Review. I ask those who have not read them, to take time and read them with care, and those who have read them hastily, to give them further attention."
(See John N. Andrews, "Answers to the Objections Against the Visions," Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 28, No. 11, p. 88, Battle Creek, Michigan, Aug 14, 1866, retrieved Apr 22, 2021, [https://documents.adventistarchives.org/Periodicals/RH/RH18660814-V28-11.pdf])

Certain phrases that White uses in the Camden visions match word-for-word the phrases she used in her other visions, which provides more evidence that it is authentic. In this passage of her Early Writings, White talks about her first vision:
"While praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell on me, and I seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world. I turned to look for the advent people in the world, but could not find them—when a voice said to me, 'Look again, and look a little higher.' At this I raised my eyes and saw a straight and narrow path, cast up high above the world. On this path the advent people were traveling to the city, which was at the farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the first end of the path, which an angel told me was the midnight cry. This light shone all along the path, and gave light for their feet so they might not stumble. And if they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the city, they were safe. But soon some grew weary, and they said the city was a great way off, and they expected to have entered it before. Then Jesus would encourage them by raising His glorious right arm, and from His arm came a glorious light which waved over the advent band, and they shouted, Hallelujah! Others rashly denied the light behind them, 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 into the dark and wicked world below. It was just as impossible for them [those that gave up their faith in the '44 movement] 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."
-Ellen G. White, Early Writings, Book 1, EGW Writings, p. 63, retrieved Apr 21, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/98.327#350]

When I first found this, I discovered a note by the White Estate claiming that the last couple of sentences in that quote were "said to be in the original work," but they were not found in her Early Writings. That statement confused me. How can the sentences be there, but not be there? If it is not there, why include it at all? It turns out, Ellen White was the one who censored those last two sentences because they exposed her, but they were preserved in James White's book, A Word to the 'Little Flock', because he was quoting directly from Ellen's letters, and that leaves us with an interesting question: If these were truly visions from the Holy Ghost, why does Ellen think she has the authority to censor God's Word?
(See James S. White, A Word to the 'Little Flock', Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2000, p. 27, ISBN: 9780828012423)

And just to clarify the matter for any current or former SDAs who might be reading this book, White's first and second vision (in December and February), were both about confirming the Shut Door doctrine, as we can see from her own words:
"Brother Bates, you write in a letter to James something about the Bridegroom's coming, as stated in the first published visions. By the letter you would like to know whether I had light on the Bridegroom's coming before I saw it in vision. I can readily answer, No. The Lord showed me the travel of the Advent band and Midnight Cry in December, but He did not show me the Bridegroom's coming until February following."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, Vol. 5, EGW Writings, p. 95, retrieved Apr 22, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/56.424#427]

This shows us that she was a false prophetess from the start, and some of the more keen Adventists began to pick up on this discrepancy and challenged her on this matter, so White dealt with it by providing an excuse and a reinterpretation. She attempted to get the SDAs to believe that what they held to be true at that time (in the late 19th century) was the same thing they believed in 1844:
"It is claimed that these expressions prove the shut-door doctrine, and that this is the reason for their omission in later editions. But in fact they teach only that which has been and is still held by us as a people, as I shall show." [This is where she went on to reinterpret the Shut Door doctrine to save face.]
-Ellen G. White, quoted by Francis D. Nichols, Ellen G. White and Her Critics, EGW Writings, p. 589, retrieved Apr 22, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/756.4287#4309]

This is simply not true because White DEFENDED the Shut Door doctrine that was previously taught by Miller and Snow. After 1844, people began to return to their original belief that the coming of Jesus Christ was an event that would happen in the future, and once again, James White's testimony about the events contradicts what Ellen White said:
"When she received her first vision, Dec. 1844, she and all the band in Portland, Maine, (where her parents then resided) had given up the midnight-cry, and shut door, as being in the past. [i.e. they accepted that it was false] It was then that the Lord shew her in vision, the error into which she and the band in Portland had fallen. She then related her vision to the band, and about sixty confessed their error, and acknowledged their 7th month experience to be the work of God."
James S. White, quoted in The 'Shut Door' Documents, EGW Writings, p. 22, retrieved Apr 22, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/1998.144#182]

The false prophecies surrounding the Great Disappointment were dying due to their own failings, but it was Ellen White who attempted to keep them alive. Why would it be such a difficult thing for Ellen White to just come out and tell everyone that she made a mistake? Because she claimed she was the "Spirit of Prophecy," and that the Holy Ghost worked through her as a prophetess of God, meaning that, if she made a mistake, it would prove she was a false prophetess, which would result in not only many upset former followers, but she would not be able to sell her books; thus, she knew it was profitable to keep up appearances.

It should be noted that highly respected SDAs in high positions of authority within the organization, such as F.D. Nickol (chairman of the Ellen G. White Estate board of trustees) and Arthur White (Ellen's grandson), kept these facts hidden from SDA members for many years. To this day, there is still a strong effort to keep certain details of Ellen White's work hidden because it would cause an outcry of objections, and likely, a mass exodus from the SDA church, but despite their efforts, there are Christians working to get this information out to SDAs that they might come to repentance (i.e. godly sorrow of their sins) and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ so that they can be saved by God's grace alone.

Before we move on to the next chapter, I want readers to understand that false prophets are quite common today, just as they were in the days of Ellen G. White. Let's briefly look at a few of those to get an idea:

Emmanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) wrote thirty volumes of books after he claimed that God opened up his sight into the spiritual world, and gave him special abilities to speak with angels and spirits. He was communing with familiar spirits (which is strictly condemned by God, Lev 19:31), even believing that he communicated with the spirit of Moses directly, and his false doctrines continue to influence many people, even today, including, but not limited to, Mehmet Oz (the leader behind Rick Warren's health-and-wellness Daniel Plan), Helen Keller, Carl Jung (a student of Sigmund Freud who participated in séances), and Bill Wilson (co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous). (Read "Wolves in Costume: Rick Warren" here at creationliberty.com for more details; Also read Psychology: Hoodwinked by the Devil for more details on Carl Jung.) Ann Lee (1736-1784) was the founder of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, or more commonly known as the "Shakers," which was the nick-name given to them based on their convulsive dancing and Satanic gibberish (which they claim is "speaking in tongues"). Lee taught her followers that they were to live communally and distance themselves from the outside world (which defies the teachings of Scripture), preaching that God had a special covenant with them so long as they remained celibate (i.e. not allowed to marry or have sexual relations with a spouse, which also defies the teachings of Scripture, 1Ti 4:1-5), and there are still surviving members living in the United States today who are seeking the fulfillment of her false utopian visions. (Read "Speaking in Tongues vs Charismatic Gibberish" here at creationliberty.com for more details.) Joanna Southcott (1750-1814) joined the Methodists in 1790, and two years later, claimed she was a prophetess of God, eventually becoming the leader of 100,000 followers, and just like Ellen White, she made money selling her books and pamphlets, and convinced everyone that they needed to observe the Jewish Sabbath. In the last year of her life (i.e. 64-years-old, and with no husband at the time) she claimed to have had a vision that she was going to give birth to the true messiah she called "Shiloh" (based on Gen 49:10), she claimed that 20 physicians confirmed she was pregnant, and although the birth was to take place in July of 1814, she did not give birth to a child (because there was no child), she was dead by December, and the autopsy showed that she had dropsy (i.e. water-based swelling of the skin) which caused her stomach to swell and gave a false impression she was pregnant. (Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" & "Keeping the Sabbath is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details.) Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) lived in almost the exact same time frame and almost the exact same number of years as Ellen White, but Eddy's Christian Science cult was far more popular than Seventh-day Adventism in the 19th century. Whereas White put a materialistic spin on the principles of Scripture, Eddy went to a different extreme. Eddy believed there was no personal God and that He did not answer prayers, nor did she believe in angels, devils, sin, evil, or hell, and furthermore, she did not believe that Jesus was divine and was raised from the dead. (1Co 15:12-19) Like SDAs, Christian Scientists still exist today, and like SDAs with White, Christian Scientists believe that Mary Baker Eddy was the true prophetess of the end days. (See Christian Science Official Website, retrieved Mar 11, 2021, [https://www.christianscience.com])

There are many more false teachers and false prophets that lived during this time period, and they all gathered a very substantial following. The point I am making here is that Seventh-Day Adventists believe they are significant and have a true prophetess, but they quickly ignore the fact that there were hundreds of religious cults in early America that believed the same things about their particular prophets, they all had certain similarities in their behavior and doctrines, and a number of them still exist today because their organizations do their best to hide the whole truth about the prophets they follow.
(To learn more about some of these examples, see Corruptions of Christianity: Mormonism to learn about the false prophet Joseph Smith, Corruptions of Christianity: Jehovah's Witnesses to learn about the false prophet Charles Russell, and "Revivalism: The Devil's Design," all of which are available here at creationliberty.com.)

This is exactly what the Holy Spirit had Paul warn us about, and he spent years warning the church that these people would come. Not only would they arise, but they would arise from WITHIN, which is why they are so deceptive and fool so many people:

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
-Acts 20:28-31

However, there is one thing I believe makes Ellen G. White stand out among all the rest, and that was her tendency to plagiarize materials from other authors, while telling her followers that her writings were given to her directly by God.
 


To preface this chapter, we need to learn a little history. In 1866, the SDA church founded the Battle Creek Sanitarium, which later became a world-famous health resort that combined a hospital and health spa into one institution, and from 1876 to 1943, it was operated under the management of a highly respected physician at the time named John Harvey Kellogg, an inventor who held a number of medical patents, but most readers might recognize his name for one of his more famous inventions, the breakfast cereal Kellogg's Corn Flakes.

As I just stated, Battle Creek Sanitarium was a SDA institution, but Kellogg (the head physician at Battle Creek) did not accept all of Ellen G. White's writings as fact, and had written documents stating such things. In 1904, this began to cause some friction among SDA congregations because if a well-known researcher and inventor like Kellogg (who had helped many people in his hospital) refused to acknowledge scientific and medical statements from White, that would make White's prophecies appear to be false. By 1905, concerns and doubts were beginning to flood White's SDA movement, and so to counter this, White sent out a letter to the facility and requested them to send her any of their concerns so she could answer them.

Before we read this letter, I want to make it known that the official SDA website that documents the writings of Ellen G. White only quotes a small portion of the letter. I will go over reasons for this in a moment, but I want readers to understand that the Ellen G. White Estate (i.e. her family, and others who have been put in charge of protecting her writings) have covered up many things she said and did so for the purpose of painting her in a more positive light.
(See EGW Writings, "Ellen G. White: The Later Elmshaven Years: 1905-1915 (vol. 6)," p. 90, retrieved Mar 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/667.699]; See also EGW Writings, "Ellen White: Woman of Vision," p. 492, retrieved Mar 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/665.4725])

Eventually, the controversy among SDAs grew to a point where Ellen believed that she would have to address the growing concerns of her followers, so she wrote a letter requesting the objections from a variety of prominent men, including Kellogg:
"To Those Who Are Perplexed Regarding the Testimonies Relating to the Medical Missionary Work:
Recently in the visions of the night I stood in a large company of people. There were present Dr. Kellogg, Elders Jones, Tenny, and Taylor, Dr. Paulson, Elder Sadler, Judge Arthur, and many of their associates. I was directed by the Lord to request them and any others who have perplexities and grievous things in their minds regarding the testimonies that I have borne, to specify what their objections and criticisms are. The Lord will help me answer these objections, and to make plain that which seems to be intricate. Let those who are troubled now place upon paper a statement of the difficulties that perplex their minds, and let us see if we cannot throw some light upon the matter that will relieve their perplexities... Let it all be written out, and submitted to those who desire to remove the perplexities. I ask that the leaders in the medical work at Battle Creek, and those who have been associated with them in gathering together criticisms and objections to the testimonies that I have borne, shall open to me the things that they have been opening to others. They should certainly do this, if they are loyal to the directions God has given."
-Ellen G. White, quoted by Martin Gardner, Urantia: The Great Cult Mystery, 2008, p. 257-258, ISBN: 9781615922451; See also Robert K. Sanders, "A Response to an Urgent Testimony," Truth or Fables, retrieved Mar 11, 2021, [truthorfables.com/A_Response_to_Urgent_Testimony.htm]

Most leaders of corrupt religious cults do not open up Q&A (Question and Answer) sessions for people to think for themselves in rational debate. The reason for this is because, if someone with understanding begins to pose questions, the corrupt religious leader will quickly be found out, so most often, the leader ignores the arguments and disregards the naysayers, but I believe White did not have any other method to deal with the rising doubts of her followers.

Please notice that Ellen White stated in her letter that she had received this instruction in a vision from God. She also stated clearly that she was directed by God to read their concerns, and that God had allegedly told her that He would help her answer all of them.

Several of the men named in the letter wrote a letter back to White to express their concerns about various topics. One of the physicians, Charles Stewart, wrote a request to answer his concerns, then he wrote an additional two letters over the course of the next five months because he did not hear back from White, even though he did receive notice that his letters had been received and signed for.

After waiting 15 months for a response, in June of 1906, Ellen White answered her critics with another supposed vision from God, but it was not what she had promised them:
"For many months I have been troubled as I have seen that some of our brethren whom God has used in His cause are now perplexed over the scientific theology which has come in to lead men away from a true faith in God. Sabbath night, a week ago, after I had been prayerfully studying over these things, I had a vision, in which I was speaking before a large company, where many questions were asked concerning my work and writings. I was directed by a messenger from heaven not to take the burden of picking up and answering all the sayings and doubts that are being put in many minds. 'Stand as the messenger of God anywhere in any place,' I was bidden, 'and bear the testimony I shall give you. Be free. Bear the testimonies that the Lord has for you to bear in reproof, in rebuke, in the work of encouraging and lifting up the soul; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.'"
-Ellen G. White, "Hold Fast the Beginning of Your Confidence," June 3, 1906, The Paulson and Kress Collections of Ellen G. White Letters, Lulu.com, ISBN: 9781304011497

So in 1905, White was supposedly given a vision and instruction from God that she was to receive the critiques of these men and answer them, but then in 1906, she was supposedly given a vision and instruction from God that she was not to answer the critiques of these men. Furthermore, she goes on to quote from Matthew 28:20, which clearly states that she should go teach the things she has been commanded, but then when she failed to teach what she was (allegedly) commanded for the Battle Creek physicians, once again, she blamed that failure on God. At this point, we can only conclude that either God is a liar, or Ellen White is a liar, and I am most thoroughly inclined to believe the latter of the two.

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
-Titus 1:2

The reason Ellen White did not respond to three letters sent to her by Charles Stewart is because he brought up charges of plagiarism, which was also one of Kellogg's many complaints. In the next chapter, we will cover some of the very strange statements Ellen White made on the topics of science and medicine, but in this chapter, we are going to focus primarily on her plagiarism.

To the dismay of many SDAs, today, it is an indisputable fact that Ellen White plagiarized a great deal of her writings. She not only plagiarized the writings, but even the images, and other parts of her books, like the table of contents. Just so we are clear on the matter, plagiarists are thieves and liars, not prophets of God.

plagiarism (v): an act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author
(See 'plagiarism', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

The Lord God has declared in His Word that He hates self-proclaimed prophets that steal words from others, and He is against them, meaning that He rejects and resists them:

Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.
-Jeremiah 23:30-32

So that no reader is confused about Ellen White's position on the God-inspired claim she makes about her writings, she wrote the following in a letter she sent to Walter Harper in December of 1904:
"Sister Hall has just read me your letter to her. I am glad that you are having success in selling my books; for thus you are giving to the world the light that God has given me. These books contain clear, straight, unalterable truth and they should certainly be appreciated. The instruction they contain is not of human production."
-Ellen G. White, letter to Walter Harper, St. Helena, CA, Dec 26, 1904, retrieved Mar 18, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/10576.1#7]

Ellen White declared that her writings contained no "human production."

To demonstrate Ellen White's lies and plagiarism, let's take a look at excerpts from her 1883 book, Sketches from the Life of Paul, and compare them to excerpts from William J. Conybeare [cone-ee-beer] and John S. Howson's 1852 book, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul. Just to clarify, Conybeare and Howson's book was written 31 years before White wrote her book, even though she claimed that her writings were her own and were given to her directly from God.

Please keep in mind that the page numbers may vary depending on which edition or publisher you are reading:

ELLEN WHITE Sketches from the Life of Paul CONYBEARE & HOWSON The Life and Epistles of St. Paul Page 92: "The judges sat in the open air, upon seats hewn out in the rock, on a platform which was ascended by a flight of stone steps from the valley below" Page 289: "The judges sat in the open air, upon seats hewn out in the rock, on a platform which was ascended by a flight of stone steps immediately from the Agora"

(See Ellen G. White, Sketches from the Life of Paul, EGW Writings, retrieved Mar 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/101.365]; See also William J. Conybeare & John S. Howson, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, originally published 1852, Longmans, Green and Company, 1893, [University of Michigan])

You can see that, in some cases, White copies these authors word-for-word. There are many more instances of literary theft found in White's Sketches from the Life of Paul:

ELLEN WHITE Sketches from the Life of Paul CONYBEARE & HOWSON The Life and Epistles of St. Paul Page 142: "An extensive and profitable business had grown up at Ephesus from the manufacture and sale of these shrines and images" Page 424: "From the expressions used by Luke, it is evident that an extensive and lucrative trade grew up at Ephesus from the manufacture and sale of these shrines"

(See Ellen G. White, Sketches from the Life of Paul, EGW Writings, retrieved Mar 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/101.620]; See also William J. Conybeare & John S. Howson, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, originally published 1852, Longmans, Green and Company, 1893, [University of Michigan])

ELLEN WHITE Sketches from the Life of Paul CONYBEARE & HOWSON The Life and Epistles of St. Paul Page 216: "Only their reverence for the temple saved the apostle from being torn in pieces on the spot. With violent blows and shouts of vindictive triumph, they dragged him from the sacred enclosure" Page 577: "It was only their reverence for the Holy Place which preserved him from being torn to pieces on the spot. They hurried him out of the sacred enclosure and assailed him with violent blows"

(See Ellen G. White, Sketches from the Life of Paul, EGW Writings, retrieved Mar 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/101.942]; See also William J. Conybeare & John S. Howson, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, originally published 1852, Longmans, Green and Company, 1893, [University of Michigan])

ELLEN WHITE Sketches from the Life of Paul CONYBEARE & HOWSON The Life and Epistles of St. Paul Page 219-220: "In their excitement they flung off their garments, as they had done years before at the martyrdom of Stephen, and threw dust into the air with frantic violence. This fresh outbreak threw the Roman captain into great perplexity. He had not understood Paul's Hebrew address, and concluded from the general excitement that his prisoner must be guilty of some great crime. The loud demands of the people that Paul be delivered into their hands made the commander tremble. He ordered him to be immediately taken unto the barracks and examined by scourging, that he might be forced to confess his guilt." Page 588: "In their rage and impatience they tossed off their outer garments (as on that other occasion, when the garments were laid at the feet of Saul himself), and threw up dust into the air with frantic violence. This commotion threw Lysias into new perplexity. He had not been able to understand the Apostle's Hebrew speech: and, when he saw its results, he concluded that his prisoner must be guilty of some enormous crime. He ordered him therefore to be taken immediately from the stairs into the barracks; and to be examined by torture, in order to elicit a confession of his guilt."

(See Ellen G. White, Sketches from the Life of Paul, EGW Writings, retrieved Mar 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/101.942#963]; See also William J. Conybeare & John S. Howson, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, originally published 1852, Longmans, Green and Company, 1893, [University of Michigan])

The martyrdom of Stephen (in White's document) and the tossing of garments at the feet of Saul (in Conybeare's document) is the same event (Acts 7:58-59), which shows the context of the plagiarism. However, it was reworded by the efforts of SDA editors who White hired to paraphrase her works as much as possible to cover up the theft.

Miss Marian Davis was a well-known assistant and editor for Ellen White, and according to the testimony of Dudley Canright (i.e. who was an aforementioned former SDA pastor for over two decades before leaving the religious movement altogether), Davis was heard in her office moaning in frustration at all the plagiarism she saw:
"Miss Marian Davis, the literary worker who had the most to do of any one in the preparation of Mrs. White's books, was one day heard moaning in her room. Going in, another worker inquired the cause of her trouble. Miss Davis replied: 'I wish I could die! I wish I could die!'
'Why, what is the matter?' asked the other.
'Oh' Miss Davis said, 'this terrible plagiarism!'
It is said that before her death Miss Davis was greatly troubled over the connection she had had with Mrs. White's plagiarism, three thousand dollars was spent on the revision of her book, Great Controversy, chiefly to relieve it of some of its most glaring plagiarisms. The revision began to be demanded by some of her own people who had become aware of the facts."
-Dudley M. Canright, Life of Ellen White, Lulu Enterprises Inc, 2005, p. 113, ISBN: 9781411640269

While I was editing this book, I found a few typos in my own writing because I hand-typed these quotes from digital books. When correcting my typos, I later went back to double check the originals, but I was able to initially and accurately correct some of the more confusing typos by simply comparing the two documents together, which demonstrates how absurdly identical they are in composition, further proving White's gross plagiarism.

ELLEN WHITE Sketches from the Life of Paul CONYBEARE & HOWSON The Life and Epistles of St. Paul Page 284: "Among the disciples who ministered to Paul at Rome was Onesimus, a fugitive slave from the city of Colosse. He belonged to a Christian named Philemon, a member of the Colossian church. But he had robbed his master and fled to Rome." Page 687: "But of all the disciples now ministering to St. Paul at Rome, none has for us a greater interest than the fugitive Asiatic slave Onesimus. He belonged to a Christian name Philemon, a member of the Colossian Church. But he had robbed his master, and fled from Colossæ, and at last found his way to Rome."

(See Ellen G. White, Sketches from the Life of Paul, EGW Writings, retrieved Mar 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/101.1233#1250]; See also William J. Conybeare & John S. Howson, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, originally published 1852, Longmans, Green and Company, 1893, [University of Michigan])

Of course, every now and again, people write sentences in like manner to someone else to a varying degree. It is rare, but it does happen sometimes, and that is understandable. However, the context and content are very specific in these instances. Coincidence does not explain away the frequency that Ellen White's writings matched those of Conybeare and Howson, and it would be absurd to believe that more than one of her books should match the same authors without fraud involved, but many SDAs continue to believe in White's "divine inspiration" while mountains of evidence for plagiarism gets ignored.

The plagiarism continues in White's book, The Voice in Speech and Song:

ELLEN WHITE The Voice in Speech and Song CONYBEARE & HOWSON The Life and Epistles of St. Paul Page 373: "Had his oration been a direct attack upon their gods, and the great men of the city who were before him, he would have been in danger of meeting the fate of Socrates" Page 292: "Had he begun by attacking the national gods in the midst of their sanctuaries, and with the Areopagites on the seats near him, he would have been in almost as great danger as Socrates before him"

(See Ellen G. White, The Voice in Speech and Song, EGW Writings, retrieved Mar 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/148.1600]; See also William J. Conybeare & John S. Howson, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, originally published 1852, Longmans, Green and Company, 1893, [University of Michigan])

The plagiarism was so bad that, according to Canright's testimony, the publishers of Conybeare and Howson sent White a cease-and-desist letter:
"So plainly and fully was Mrs. White's book copied from the older book, that the publishers of Conybeare and Howson's work threatened prosecution if her work was not suppressed. Hence it was withdrawn from sale, and for many years has not been listed among her books. Did any prophet of old have to suppress one of his books because he had stolen so much of the matter in it from some other writer?"
-Dudley M. Canright, Life of Ellen White, Lulu Enterprises Inc, 2005, p. 108, ISBN: 9781411640269

Many SDAs have created websites claiming that this was debunked, but the problem is they never address the argument that is being made. SDAs will use what is called a "strawman argument," which means they make up a false claim that is not true, then "debunk" the false claim, and make everyone believe they won the argument.

For example, SDAs often claim that their opponents are arguing that Ellen White plagiarized EVERYTHING she wrote in its entirety. That is not true, and that is not the claim that I am making, nor is it the claim that other opponents of Ellen White are making, based on the research I have done; rather, I (and others) are making the argument that Ellen White plagiarized anywhere from 50-80% of her books, depending on the title.

In another example, SDAs often claim that their opponents are arguing that Ellen White was issued a lawsuit from a publishing company. That is not true, and that is not the claim that I am making, nor is that what Canright said in his testimony; rather, I am making the argument that White was THREATENED with a lawsuit if she did not retract one of her books, and she did remove one of her books from publication for a number of years until it could be edited, or enough time passed where she thought she could get away with it again. (i.e. A full-blown court trial would have exposed her, so she backed down.)

One SDA website I read said that this idea was debunked because Conybeare and Howson were from England, and that it would have been impossible to sue someone in the United States. That is simply willful ignorance or a lie because anyone around the world can file a lawsuit against any U.S. citizen in a U.S. court of law, and all they have to do is hire a lawyer to start the paperwork.

What is even worse is how many SDA websites I have seen claiming that Ellen White's plagiarism was acceptable back in the 1800s because there was no federal law against stealing someone else's work at that time. SDAs should be embarrassed and ashamed for using such a ridiculous argument because, if they truly adhere to that philosophy, then that would mean the only reason SDAs do not steal and commit many other crimes against their neighbors is because there are laws against it.

For true, born again Christians, there does not need to be a law for us to do the right thing. We do not refrain from stealing from our neighbors just because there is a law against it, but rather, we do not want to bring harm and suffering to someone else by our actions, and so we deal charitably with our neighbors, keeping the commandments of Christ by loving our neighbors as we already love ourselves.

The real problem is that Ellen White was a hypocrite, and she refused to treat others the way she wanted to be treated:

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
-Matthew 7:12

Even in the Bible, authors make reference to the work of others by name. When Luke quoted from David, he made reference to his work:

For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
-Acts 2:25

When Daniel wrote down his prophecies, he gave Jeremiah due credit for his work:

In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
-Daniel 9:2

Of course, these were all the works of the Holy Spirit through these men, but even Jesus Christ (who is God) provided references to the author:

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
-Matthew 24:15

The Lord God has seen fit that the rewards of work should go to the laborer, not to the thief. I have had my work stolen a number of times as well, so I understand the frustration of such things, and though we Christians suffer being defrauded from time to time, we are commanded not to defraud others:

Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
-Mark 10:19

Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
-1 Corinthians 6:8

defraud (v): to deprive of right, either by obtaining something by deception or artifice, or by taking something wrongfully without the knowledge or consent of the owner; to cheat; to withhold wrongfully from another what is due to him
(See 'defraud', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved March 12, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Ellen White obviously had no problem defrauding others. If she were truly a prophetess of God, she would not have done such things, or at the very least, she would have repented (i.e. had grief and godly sorrow) of her wrongdoing.

Many more instances of plagiarism can be seen in White's famous (or rather, infamous) book, The Great Controversy, with stolen content from a variety of authors without any references, which was done by White on purpose to mislead readers into believing that she received these messages from angels of God. One of the authors she stole from was James Wylie, in his book History of the Waldenses:

ELLEN WHITE The Great Controversy JAMES A. WYLIE History of the Waldenses Page 77: "This bull called upon all members of the church to join the crusade against the heretics. As an incentive to engage in this cruel work, it 'absolved from all ecclesiastical pains and penalties, general and particular; it released all who joined the crusade from any oaths they might have taken; it legitimatized their title to any property which they might have illegally acquired, and promised remission of all their sins to such as should kill any heretic. It annulled all contracts made in favor of the Vaudois, ordered their domestics to abandon them, forbade all persons to give them any aid whatever, and empowered all persons to take possession of their property.'" Page 32: "The bull invited all Catholics to take up the cross against the heretics; and to stimulate them in this pious work it 'absolved from all ecclesiastical pains and penalties, general and particular; it released all who joined the crusade from any oaths they might have taken; it legitimatized their title to any property they might have illegally acquired; and promised remission of all their sins to such as should kill any heretic. It annulled all contracts made in favor of Vaudois, ordered their domestics to abandon them, forbade all persons to give them any aid whatever, and empowered all persons to take possession of their property.'"

(See Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, EGW Writings, retrieved Mar 12, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/fr/book/133.267#340]; See also James A. Wylie, History of the Waldenses, originally published 1888, TEACH Services, 2001, p. 32, ISBN: 9781572581852)

For those of you paying close attention, you might have noticed that Wylie's book was originally published in 1888, while White's book was originally published 1858. Of course, it would be impossible for someone to plagiarize something that had not been written yet, but what readers need to consider is that The Great Controversy has had many editions and rewrites.

The fact that The Great Controversy needed to be rewritten and edited is already condemning enough because Ellen claimed this was all given to her directly from God. (Why did she think she was God's editor-in-chief?) Whereas the writings of Scripture are somewhat concise, all of White's writings put together are approximately 17 times longer than the Bible. The 1858 edition was 219 pages, the 1870 edition was 414 pages (and was later renamed Patriarchs and Prophets), the 1877 edition was a "second" Great Controversy that was 396 pages, the 1878 edition was a "third" Great Controversy that was 392 pages, the 1884 edition was 506 pages (and added illustrations, which we will cover later), and the 1888 edition was 704 pages; not to mention the 1911, 1926, 1927, 1950, 1954, 1957, and 1980 editions.

Thus, White was reading new books as they were coming out and copying sections from them as she was inspired, not by God, but by the works of men who she stole from. White changes around a few of the words here and there, but for the most part, she lazily copies the text word-for-word, as she did from Jean D'Aubigne and Henry White's book, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century:

ELLEN WHITE The Great Controversy J. D'AUBIGNE & H. WHITE History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century Page 107-108: "In the gloom of his dungeon he foresaw the triumph of the true faith. Returning in his dreams to the chapel at Prague where he had preached the gospel, he saw the pope and his bishops effacing the pictures of Christ which he had painted on its walls. He was deeply troubled at the sight; but the next day his grief was changed to joy, as he beheld many artists come to replace the figures in greater numbers and brighter colors. Their work ended, the painters exclaimed to the crowd gathered eagerly about them, 'Now let the popes and bishops come! They shall never efface them more!' Said the reformer, as he related his dream, 'I am certain that the image of Christ will never be effaced. They have wished to destroy it, but it will be imprinted anew on the hearts of men by much better preachers than myself.'" Page 93: "One night the holy martyr saw in imagination, from the depths of his dungeon, the pictures of Christ that he had had painted on the walls of his oratory, effaced by the pope and his bishops. This vision distressed him: but on the next day he saw many painters occupied in restoring these figures in greater number and in brighter colours. As soon as their task was ended, the painters, who were surrounded by an immense crowd, exclaimed: 'Now let the popes and bishops come! they shall never efface them more!'... 'I am no dreamer,' replied Huss, 'but I maintain this for certain, that the image of Christ will never be effaced. They have wished to destroy it, but it shall be painted afresh in all hearts by much better preachers than myself.'"

(See Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan During the Christian Dispensation, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1907, p. 107-108, [Harvard University]; See also Jean H.M. D'Aubigné & Henry White, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, Oliver and Boyd, 1846, p. 93, [The British Library])

Ellen stole from the works of famous Scottish poets Robert Pollok and James Thomson:

ELLEN WHITE The Great Controversy J. THOMSON & R. POLLOK Containing the Seasons and The Course of Time Page 651: "The cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the redeemed through all eternity." Page 199: "Redemption is the science and the song of all eternity."

(See Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan During the Christian Dispensation, Pacific Press Publishing Company, 1888, p. 651, [Harvard University]; See also James Thomson & Robert Pollok, Thomson and Pollok: Containing the Seasons and The Course of Time, Philips & Sampson, 1854, p. 199, [Pennsylvania State University])

There are many more instances beyond this, just for The Great Controversy alone. After reading these many instances, we have to wonder if Mrs. White ever had an original thought of her own.

The following instance of plagiarism is split up between two different documents. White used the first half of an excerpt from Larkin Coles' Philosophy of Health in her Unpublished Testimonies from Aug 5th, 1896, and then used the other half of the excerpt in the second volume of Testimonies for the Church:

ELLEN WHITE LARKIN B. COLES Healthful Living; Page 21:"The laws governing the physical nature are as truly divine in their origin and character as the law of the ten commandments." Testimonies for the Church; Page 70: "It is just as much sin to violate the laws of our being as to break one of the Ten Commandments,." Page 8: "The laws which govern our constitutions are divine: and to their violation there is affixed a penalty, which must sooner or later be met. And it is as truly a sin to violate one of these laws, as it is to violate one of the ten commandments."

(See Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 2, EGW Writings, p. 70, retrieved Mar 12, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/120.277#292]; See also Ellen G. White, Healthful Living, (also found in Unpublished Testimonies, Aug 5, 1896), EGW Writings, p. 21, retrieved Mar 12, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/388.109#119]; See also Larkin B. Coles, Philosophy of Health: Natural Principles of Health and Cure, Ticknor, Reed & Fields, 1855, p. 8, [University of California])

An interesting side note is that Larkin Coles authored a number of books on health reform, which was a popular movement among Adventists in the 1800s. Coles was an associate of William Miller, which means that Ellen White was copying materials from other Adventists, claiming that her writings were from God and that she had written these things herself from the alleged "visions" she was given.

Horace Mann served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Massachusetts Senate, and the Massachusetts Board of Education in the early 1800s, working much of his life to help Americans in his state gain access to schools so everyone could read and write. (He was the brother-in-law of Nathaniel Hawthorne, a well-known American novelist.) Mann's literary works are still studied in American schools today, but few people know that Ellen White stole from him as well:

ELLEN WHITE Testimonies for the Church HORACE MANN Life and Works of Horace Mann Page 29: "Man came from the hand of God perfect in every faculty of mind and body; in perfect soundness, therefore in perfect health. It took more than two thousand years of indulgence of appetite and lustful passions to create such a state of things in the human organism as would lessen vital force." Page 335-336: "Man came from the hand of God so perfect in his bodily organs, so defiant of cold and heat, of drought and humidity, so surcharged with vital force, that it took more than two thousand years of the combined abominations of appetite and ignorance—it took successive ages of outrageous excess and debauchery, to drain off his electric energies and make him even accessible to disease;"

(See Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 4, p. 29, retrieved June 2, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/114.135#143]; See also Horace Mann, Life and Works of Horace Mann, Lee and Shepard, 1891, p. 335-336, [University of Michigan])

White also stole a lot of material from Daniel March's book Night Scenes in the Bible:

ELLEN WHITE Selected Messages DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 27: "If you refuse to believe until every shadow of uncertainty and every possibility of doubt is removed, you will never believe. The doubt that demands perfect knowledge will never yield to faith. Faith rests upon evidence, not demonstration. The Lord requires us to obey the voice of duty, when there are other voices all around us urging us to pursue an opposite course. It requires earnest attention from us to distinguish the voice which speaks from God." Page 201-202: "We must not defer our obedience till every shadow of uncertainty and every possibility of mistake is removed. The doubt that demands perfect knowledge will never yield to faith, for faith rests upon probability, not demonstration. There is no scientific ground of faith, simply because what has become science is taken out of the sphere of faith. We must obey the voice of duty when there are many other voices crying against it, and it requires earnest heed to distinguish the one which speaks for God."

(See Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Book 1, EGW Writings, retrieved Mar 18, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/98.88#113]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 201-202, [University of Chicago])

White's Patriarchs and Prophets (i.e. one of the versions of The Great Controversy) copies various passages from March's book:

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 156: "Fairest among the cities of the Jordan Valley was Sodom, set in a plain which was 'as the garden of the Lord' in its fertility and beauty. Here the luxuriant vegetation of the tropics flourished. Here was the home of the palm tree, the olive, and the vine; and flowers shed their fragrance throughout the year. Rich harvests clothed the fields, and flocks and herds covered the encircling hills. Art and commerce contributed to enrich the proud city of the plain. The treasures of the East adorned her palaces, and the caravans of the desert brought their stores of precious things to supply her marts of trade. With little thought or labor, every want of life could be supplied, and the whole year seemed one round of festivity. The profusion reigning everywhere gave birth to luxury and pride." Page 29-30: "The plains surrounding the city are like the garden of the Lord in fertility. The most indolent culture secures an abundance for the supply of every want. The distant hills are covered with flocks. The merchants of the East bring their treasures from afar. The camels and dromedaries of the desert lay down their burdens at her gates. And the fair city in the vale [i.e. valley] of Siddim revels in the profusion of everything that nature and art can produce. The chief men display the luxury and the pride of princes. The common people make a holiday of the whole year. The multitude look as if they were strangers equally to want and to work."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 156, retrieved Mar 19, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.632#633]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 29-30, [University of Chicago])

The plagiarism is blatantly obvious, but perhaps some readers might still want to believe these are just a few coincidences. From a literary standpoint, that is mathematically impossible. I would encourage you to keep reading because to further prove the point, the following excerpts are a continuation of the same pages, so pay attention to the page numbers of White's book as we carefully march through her minefield of plagiarism:

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 156: "Idleness and riches make the heart hard that has never been oppressed by want or burdened by sorrow. The love of pleasure was fostered by wealth and leisure, and the people gave themselves up to sensual indulgence... There is nothing more desired among men than riches and leisure, and yet these gave birth to the sins that brought destruction upon the cities of the plain. Their useless, idle life made them a prey to Satan's temptations, and they defaced the image of God, and became satanic rather than divine. Idleness is the greatest curse that can fall upon man, for vice and crime follow in its train. It enfeebles the mind, perverts the understanding, and debases the soul." Page 30: "Idleness and riches stimulate the appetite for pleasure, and they go to every excess in indulgence. They have everything that the sensual can desire, and their only study is to find new ways of gratifying the coarsest and basest passion. According to the testimony of One who knew all history, they eat and drink, they buy and sell, they plant and build, and their whole thought and effort and desire is given to a life of the senses, denying God and debasing the soul."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 156, retrieved Mar 19, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.632#633]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 30, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 157: "Evening fell upon a scene of loveliness and security. A landscape of unrivaled beauty was bathed in the rays of the declining sun. The coolness of eventide had called forth the inhabitants of the city, and the pleasure-seeking throngs were passing to and fro, intent upon the enjoyment of the hour." Page 28-29: "The idle multitude are coming and going to gather the gossip of the day and enjoy the cool wind that comes up from the lake outside of the walls. The sun has gone down behind the western hills, and the brief twilight lingers as if both to go, like a purple fringe on the dusky garments of the coming night."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 157, retrieved Mar 19, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.632#640]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 28-29, [University of Chicago])

With each example, we can see the curtain on the facade being drawn back. White's editors must have had to work overtime to restructure sentences in the best way they could to paraphrase her stolen work, but they could not erase the obvious similarities.

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 158: "In the twilight two strangers drew near to the city gate. They were apparently travelers coming in to tarry for the night. None could discern in those humble wayfarers the mighty heralds of divine judgment, and little dreamed the gay, careless multitude that in their treatment of these heavenly messengers that very night they would reach the climax of the guilt which doomed their proud city. But there was one man who manifested kindly attention toward the strangers and invited them to his home. Lot did not know their true character, but politeness and hospitality were habitual with him; they were a part of his religion—lessons that he had learned from the example of Abraham." Page 31: "Two strangers are seen approaching the city. The softened radiance of the evening light shows nothing unusual in their appearance. They seem to be only common travelers coming down from the hill-country, and turning in for shelter by night, that they may rise up early in the morning and go on their journey. God's mightiest messengers of mercy and of wrath often come in a very common garb. We must give earnest heed and keep ourselves upon the watch, or the angels of blessing and of deliverance will come and pass by us unawares, and we shall not receive their help. There was but one man at the gate of Sodom sufficiently attentive to notice the strangers and invite them to his own house. He did not know who they were, nor did he suspect the awful errand upon which they came."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 158, retrieved Mar 19, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.632#643]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 31, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 158: "Faithfulness or neglect in what are apparently the smallest duties may open the door for life's richest blessings or its greatest calamities." Page 31: "Fidelity [i.e. faithfulness] in the most common and homely duties of life opens the door of the house for the greatest of heaven's blessings to come in."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 158, retrieved Mar 19, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.632#644]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 31, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 158: "He was sitting at the gate as the travelers approached, and upon observing them, he rose from his place to meet them, and bowing courteously, said, 'Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night.'" Page 32: "They hoot and jeer [see quote below] at the venerable patriarch when he rises up from his seat in the gate to meet the travelers, and bows himself with his face to the ground, and says with Eastern courtesy, 'Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night.'"

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 158, retrieved Mar 19, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.632#645]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 32, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 159: "...before they had retired for the night, a lawless crowd gathered about the house. It was an immense company, youth and aged men alike inflamed by the vilest passions. The strangers had been making inquiry in regard to the character of the city, and Lot had warned them not to venture out of his door that night, when the hooting and jeers of the mob were heard, demanding that the men be brought out to them... That last night was marked by no greater sins than many others before it; but mercy, so long slighted, had at last ceased its pleading. The inhabitants of Sodom had passed the limits of divine forbearance—'the hidden boundary between God's patience and His wrath.' The fires of His vengeance were about to be kindled in the vale of Siddim." Page 32-33: "The hour of rest has not come before a crowd gathers in the streets and besets the house where the strangers have gone to repose. They become more clamorous, with infamous outcries and rude assault, as night wears on... For when the angels of mercy go back to Him that sent them, it may be that they will kindle behind them the fires of wrath... They were nor more riotous or dissolute on the last night than they had been many nights before. But there is a point beyond which the Divine forbearance cannot go. And they had reached that point when they clamored against Lot, and would have beaten him down in the streets for protecting his angel-guests. When blindness fell upon them, and they wearied themselves to find the door, they had already passed. 'The hidden boundary between God's patience and his wrath.'"

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 159, retrieved Mar 19, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.632#648]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 32-33, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 160: "Lot went out to warn his children. He repeated the words of the angels, 'Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city.' But he seemed to them as one that mocked." Page 33-34: "He makes his way to their houses through the blinded rabble in the streets and gives the warning. But he seems to them as one that mocked."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 160, retrieved Mar 19, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.632#650]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 33-34, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 147: "At the time of receiving this command, Abraham had reached the age of a hundred and twenty years. He was regarded as an old man, even in his generation. In his earlier years he had been strong to endure hardship and to brave danger, but now the ardor of his youth had passed away. One in the vigor of manhood may with courage meet difficulties and afflictions that would cause his heart to fail later in life, when his feet are faltering toward the grave. But God had reserved His last, most trying test for Abraham until the burden of years was heavy upon him, and he longed for rest from anxiety and toil." Page 45-46: "Abraham was an hundred and twenty years old when he received the strange and startling command... He already passed for an aged man, even upon the longer average of human life in his time. His heart had lost much of the fervid and hopeful feeling youth... It is easy to face the storm while the heart is fresh and full of hope, and we can rise up from every disappointment strong in the purpose and promise to reap the fruits of success and repose in after years. But it is very hard for an old man to find that the sorest trial is reserved for the last, when the burden of age is heavy upon his shoulders and the fire of youth is dim in his eye."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 147, retrieved Mar 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.584#596]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 45-46, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 147: "The patriarch was dwelling at Beersheba, surrounded by prosperity and honor. He was very rich, and was honored as a mighty prince by the rulers of the land. Thousands of sheep and cattle covered the plains that spread out beyond his encampment. On every side were the tents of his retainers, the home of hundreds of faithful servants. The son of promise had grown up to manhood by his side." Page 46-47: "His quiet home in Beersheba had been sought as a place of rest... There he had gathered round him a great household, even hundreds of servants and herdsmen, and thousands of camels, and sheep, and goats, and cattle. His flocks and tents covered all the grassy plains between the deserts of Arabia and the hills and mountains of Judea. There Abraham had become very rich in silver and gold, and he was already greatest among all the men of the East. And there was fulfilled unto him the Divine promise in the gift of Isaac, the son of his hopes and heart."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 147, retrieved Mar 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.584#597]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 46-47, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 148: "In the obedience of faith, Abraham had forsaken his native country—had turned away from the graves of his fathers and the home of his kindred. He had wandered as a stranger in the land of his inheritance. He had waited long for the birth of the promised heir. At the command of God he had sent away his son Ishmael. And now, when the child so long desired was entering upon manhood, and the patriarch seemed able to discern the fruition of his hopes, a trial greater than all others was before him." Page 47: "He had left father and mother, kindred and country, at the Divine command. He had lived a pilgrim and a stranger in the land not his own. He had clung to the Divine promise, when, to all human judgment its fulfillment seemed a contradiction and an impossibility. He had borne all the bitterness of a father's grief in sending forth Ishmael to wander in the wilderness. And, after all these trials of faith and submission, could there be in store yet another and greater to wring his aged heart when he was least able to bear it?"

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 148, retrieved Mar 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.584#600]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 47, [University of Chicago])

Some readers may not consider those few words to be of significance, and indeed, if this was the only instance of suspected copying in White's book, we could easily throw it out as coincidence. However, we are following White's book page-by-page and showing the instances of the same adjectives and phrases, used in the same context, talking about the same story, in the same order, and I would remind readers that this is AFTER her editors did work to hide her plagiarism, which leaves us wondering: How much more overt was the plagiarism in White's original draft?

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 148: "The loss of such a son by accident or disease would have been heart rending to the fond father;" Page 47: "It would have been enough to break an old man's heart to lose such a son by the ordinary course of sickness and death."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 148, retrieved Mar 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.584#601]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 47, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 148: "Satan was at hand to suggest that he must be deceived, for the divine law commands, 'Thou shalt not kill,' and God would not require what He had once forbidden. Going outside his tent, Abraham looked up to the calm brightness of the unclouded heavens, and recalled the promise made nearly fifty years before, that his seed should be innumerable as the stars. If this promise was to be fulfilled through Isaac, how could he be put to death?... Returning to his tent, he went to the place where Isaac lay sleeping the deep, untroubled sleep of youth and innocence. For a moment the father looked upon the dear face of his son, then turned tremblingly away." Page 49-50: "As he passes silently from the inner to the outer apartment of the tent, and looks upon the calm face of his sleeping son, he feels for the moment as if the blood of the dreadful sacrifice were already upon his hands. He shudders... He steps forth silently into the open air and looks up... Above him the clear blue dome of Arabian skies is all ablaze with the fiery hosts of stars... 'Look now toward the heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them; so shall thy seed be'... And now has that same voice commanded to slay his only son?"

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 148, retrieved Mar 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.584#602]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 49-50, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 151: "While his son and the young men were sleeping, he spent the night in prayer, still hoping that some heavenly messenger might come to say that the trial was enough, that the youth might return unharmed to his mother. But no relief came to his tortured soul." Page 56: "All night long he waits, if peradventure that voice which gave the terrible command will speak again and tell him that his faith has been sufficiently tried—his son may live. But no such message comes."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 151, retrieved Mar 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.584#610]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 56, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 152: "He could have escaped his doom, had he chosen to do so; the grief-stricken old man, exhausted with the struggle of those three terrible days, could not have opposed the will of the vigorous youth." Page 58: "For he is a full-grown man, twenty-five years of age, and he can easily resist or escape the hand of his father, who has a hundred more years upon his shoulders."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 152, retrieved Mar 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.584#615]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 58, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 154: "The agony which he endured during the dark days of that fearful trial was permitted that he might understand from his own experience something of the greatness of the sacrifice made by the infinite God for man's redemption. No other test could have caused Abraham such torture of soul as did the offering of his son. God gave His Son to a death of agony and shame. The angels who witnessed the humiliation and soul anguish of the Son of God were not permitted to interpose, as in the case of Isaac." Page 61: "All the sorrows that wrung the heart of Abraham during the three days of his dark and dreadful trial were imposed on him to help us understand how real, how deep, how unutterable was the self-denial of the infinite God in giving His own Son to death for our salvation. No trial, no mental torture could possibly have been greater to Abraham than that which he bore in obeying the command to sacrifice his son. God actually surrendered His well-beloved Son to the slow and dreadful agony of crucifixion... Legions of angels were in waiting, but were not permitted to interpose for His relief."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 154, retrieved Mar 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.584#625]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 61, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 195: "Though Jacob had left Padan-aram in obedience to the divine direction... Again the Lord granted Jacob a token of the divine care. As he traveled southward from Mount Gilead, two hosts of heavenly angels seemed to encompass him behind and before, advancing with his company, as if for their protection. Jacob remembered the vision at Bethel so long before, and his burdened heart grew lighter at this evidence that the divine messengers who had brought him hope and courage at his flight from Canaan were to be the guardians of his return." Page 87-88: "Jacob had left Padan-aram and started upon his return to his native country in obedience to a Divine command... he had received a strange and startling assurance of the Divine protection. While his flocks were moving slowly, like fleecy clouds, along the grassy hill-sides and over the wild pasture-lands, Jacob lifted up his eyes and saw in open day, as if encamped in the air, two hosts of angels encompassing him behind and before and moving with him for his protection. He remembered the vision of Bethel, and he rejoiced that the heavenly guardians who cheered him on his departure twenty years before were ready to welcome him on his return."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 195, retrieved Mar 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.813#814]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 87-88, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 283: "The Hebrews were encamped beside the sea, whose waters presented a seemingly impassable barrier before them, while on the south a rugged mountain obstructed their further progress. Suddenly they beheld in the distance the flashing armor and moving chariots betokening the advance guard of a great army. As the force drew nearer, the hosts of Egypt were seen in full pursuit. Terror filled the hearts of Israel." Page 129-131: "As the sun goes down, we find them encamping for the night on the second plain, walled in by ranges of mountains right and left, and with the sea in front... they see the flashing armor and the tossing plumes of the terrible chariots of Pharaoh. The advancing host is commanded by the proud and impious king himself. It is composed of the pride and power of Egypt... against an unarmed and panic-stricken mob."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 283, retrieved Mar 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.1225#1239]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 129-131, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 284: "...their wailings and lamentations were loud and deep... the cloudy column rose majestically into the heavens, passed over the Israelites, and descended between them and the armies of Egypt. A wall of darkness interposed between the pursued and their pursuers. The Egyptians could no longer discern the camp of the Hebrews, and were forced to halt. But as the darkness of night deepened, the wall of cloud became a great light to the Hebrews, flooding the entire encampment with the radiance of day." Page 135: "...the wail of distracted myriads rises louder than the roar of the sea, this awful cloud lifts majestically into the air, passes over the heads of the Hebrew host, and settles down upon the earth between them and their pursuers, so as to hide the one from the other. There it stands, as darkness comes on, unmoved by the strong wind blowing from the sea, black as midnight to the Egyptians, and yet sending forth a cheering and glorious light over all the host of the Hebrews..."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 284, retrieved Mar 24, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/de/book/84.1225#1243]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 135, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 287: "The mysterious cloud changed to a pillar of fire before their astonished eyes. The thunders pealed and the lightnings flashed." Page 137: "... the awful cloud is suddenly changed to the Egyptians. It becomes a column of fire as high as heaven, shooting forth lightnings and shaking the earth with mighty thunders."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 287, retrieved Mar 24, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/de/book/84.1225#1251]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 137, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 290: "Yet the voice of God speaks clearly, 'Go forward.' We should obey this command, even though our eyes cannot penetrate the darkness," Page 142: "'Go forward' is the watchword of progress for the world and of salvation for the soul. Obedience to that command makes all the difference between success and failure,"

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 290, retrieved Mar 24, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/de/book/84.1225#1267]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 142, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 675: "It was on this plain that Gideon, with three hundred men, had put to flight the hosts of Midian. But the spirit that inspired Israel's deliverer was widely different from that which now stirred the heart of the king. Gideon went forth strong in faith in the mighty God of Jacob; but Saul felt himself to be alone and defenseless, because God had forsaken him." Page 150-152: "On the same bare, bleak and jagged ridge where Saul was encamped, Gideon had hidden his three hundred men... With three hundred thousand warriors entrenched around him upon heights that the chariots and horses of the Philistines could not climb, Saul felt himself to be defenceless and alone, because God had forsaken him."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 675, retrieved Mar 24, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.3169#3170]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 150-152, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 679: "Disguised as he was, Saul's lofty stature and kingly port declared that he was no common soldier. The woman suspected that her visitor was Saul, and his rich gifts strengthened her suspicions." Page 154: "Her suspicions are doubtless awakened as to the character of the intruders, both by the value of the present offered, and by the fact, generally known, that there was but one man in all the land of such gigantic and kingly stature as now stands before her."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 679, retrieved Mar 24, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.3169#3182]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 154, [University of Chicago])

ELLEN WHITE Patriarchs and Prophets DANIEL MARCH Night Scenes in the Bible Page 681: "Saul was faint with weariness and fasting; he was terrified and conscience-stricken. As the fearful prediction fell upon his ear, his form swayed like an oak before the tempest, and he fell prostrate to the earth... The king of Israel lay before her like one dead." Page 158: "Hungry, weary, terrified, conscience-smitten, he lay like one dead, with the full length of his giant frame prostrate upon the ground."

(See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 681, retrieved Mar 24, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.3169#3192]; See also Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, Zeigler & McCurdy, 1869, p. 158, [University of Chicago])

It appears that Ellen White was a great admirer of the works of Daniel March because she stole from more than one of his books:

ELLEN WHITE Testimonies for the Church DANIEL MARCH Walks and Homes of Jesus Page 374: "It will do you good, and our ministers generally, to frequently review the closing scenes in the life of our Redeemer. Here, beset with temptations as He was, we may all learn lessons of the utmost importance to us. It would be well to spend a thoughtful hour each day reviewing the life of Christ from the manger to Calvary. We should take it point by point and let the imagination vividly grasp each scene, especially the closing ones of His earthly life. By thus contemplating His teachings and sufferings, and the infinite sacrifice made by Him for the redemption of the race," Page 313: "Nevertheless it will do us all good, frequently and solemnly to review the closing scenes in the Saviour's earthly life. Amid all the material and worldly passions, by which we are beset and tempted, we shall learn many salutary lessons, by going back in memory, and spending a thoughtful hour, in the endeavor to strengthen our faith and quicken our love at the foot of the cross. What then are the lessons which the divine Passion, the infinite sacrifice, the true and redemptive Cross of Christ is fitted to teach?"

(See Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, EGW Writings, p. 374, retrieved Mar 24, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/114.1866#1880]; See also Daniel March, Walks and Homes of Jesus, Presbyterian Publication Committee, 1866, p. 313, [Harvard University])

ELLEN WHITE The Great Controversy DANIEL MARCH Walks and Homes of Jesus Page 651: "With our finite comprehension we may consider most earnestly the shame and the glory, the life and the death, the justice and the mercy, that meet in the cross;" Page 318: "We must consider more earnestly the shame and the glory, the life and the death, the justice and the mercy that so meet and harmonize in the cross,"

(See Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, EGW Writings, p. 651, retrieved Mar 24, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/132.2868#2939]; See also Daniel March, Walks and Homes of Jesus, Presbyterian Publication Committee, 1866, p. 318, [Harvard University])

ELLEN WHITE Sons and Daughters of God DANIEL MARCH Our Father's House Page 323: "In her endeavors to reach her home, the eagle is often beaten down by the tempest to the narrow defiles of the mountains. The clouds, in black, angry masses sweep between her and the sunny heights where she secures her nest. For a while she seems bewildered, and dashes this way and that, beating her strong wings as if to sweep back the dense clouds. She awakens the doves of the mountains with her wild cry in her vain endeavors to find a way out of her prison. At last she dashes upward into the blackness, and gives a shrill scream of triumph as she emerges, a moment later, in the calm sunshine above. The darkness and tempest are all below her, and the light of heaven is shining about her. She reaches her loved home in the lofty crag, and is satisfied. It was through darkness that she reached the light. It cost her an effort to do this, but she is rewarded in gaining the object which she sought. " Page 254: "The eagle of the Alps is sometimes beaten down by the tempest into the narrow defiles of the mountains. The clouds in black and angry masses sweep between the mighty bird and the sunny heights where she builds her nest and basks in the full day. For a while she dashes to and fro, buffeting the storm with her strong wings and waking the echoes of the mountains with her wild cry, vainly endeavoring to find some way out of her dark and high-walled prison. At length she dashes upward with a scream of triumph into the midst of the black clouds, and in a moment she is above them in the calm sunshine, with the darkness and the tempest all beneath, the light of heaven shining in full blaze upon her conquering pinions, and her loved home on the lofty crag in full sight waiting to receive her. It is through the darkness that she rushes into the light. It is by a mighty effort to ascend that she leaves the clouds and the storms of earth beneath."

(See Ellen G. White, Sons and Daughters of God, EGW Writings, p. 323, retrieved Mar 24, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/102.2210#2214]; See also Daniel March, Our Father's House,: Or, The Unwritten Word, Zeigler, McCurdy, 1869, p. 254, [New York Public Library])

Although some readers might believe this is a lot of plagiarism, please keep in mind that I am only providing a very short list of examples where White stole literary works from other authors. I do not have enough room in this chapter alone to provide all the examples, as it would potentially take volumes of books to uncover all of her theft.

White also stole materials from people who were close to her. She had no regard for even her closest of supporters when it came to taking what she wanted:
"In 1909, at the last General Conference of her people that Mrs. White ever attended, a glaring illustration of her plagiarism was discovered. A certain minister was asked to read one morning before a large audience a selection from a collection of her unpublished testimonies. As he read it, he recognized it as his own production. Without quotes or credit of any kind, Mrs. White had taken it bodily from a communication which he had sent her some years before, and appropriated it as her own. This man, who from childhood had been taught to believe in her inspiration, was dumbfounded, and began to investigate her claims for himself. To his surprise, he soon found them groundless."
-Dudley M. Canright, Life of Ellen White, Lulu Enterprises Inc, 2005, p. 112, ISBN: 9781411640269

I can only hope and pray that other SDAs might follow the example of that minister, and do the research for themselves. If they will look into more details about the origin of her allegedly "divine" works, they will find the truth; there is nothing sinister or deceptive in such a reasonable approach.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
-Isaiah 1:18

In order to protect herself from SDAs who might investigate her writings, White declared unto her followers that those who would look for plagiarism in her work (and/or expose it to others) were doing the works of the devil:
"I have my work to do, to meet the misconceptions of those who suppose themselves able to say what is testimony from God and what is human production. If those who have done this work continue in this course, satanic agencies will choose for them... [sic] Those who have helped souls to feel at liberty to specify what is of God in the Testimonies and what are the uninspired words of Sister White, will find that they were helping the devil in his work of deception."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, EGW Writings, p. 63, retrieved Mar 18, 2021,[https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/57.228#310]

Of course, such an accusation would be applied to me and this book as well, but that is no surprise. I could not count the number of times I have been accused of being "of the devil" or "working for the devil" because I have exposed the unfruitful works of darkness surrounding a so-called "minister" or "prophet" of God.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
-Ephesians 5:11

White made her false statements in spite of the fact that Ephesians goes on to tell us that those who expose the darkness are shedding light, not spreading the message of the devil:

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
-Ephesians 5:13

The accusation of "doing the works of the devil" is a common tactic used by false teachers who get exposed for their lies and hypocrisies. Even Jesus Christ Himself was accused of doing the works of the devil by hypocritical preachers after He had cast out devils:

Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
-Matthew 12:22-24

For any of you who might be a SDA (or former SDA), and you expose the unfruitful works of darkness within the SDA organization, you will also be accused of the same things. If you come to the Lord Jesus Christ and stand on the truth of His Word, then do not be afraid, and be of good cheer, knowing that Jesus promised we would receive such accusations:

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
-Matthew 5:11-12

Ellen White's hypocrisy knows no bounds because she not only plagiarized the works of many other authors without crediting them for their work, she also demanded that others credit her if they quoted from her plagiarized books. Dudley Canright documented a letter written to White from Chicago author David Paulson on Jan 30, 1905 to ask permission to use excerpts from her writings in his magazine The Life-Boat, and in February, he received a response from her son, William C. White, stating the following:
"Mother [Ellen] instructs me to say to you that you may be free to select from her writings short articles for The Life-boat. Or you may make extracts from these MSS, [manuscripts] and from similar writings, in your articles, in each case giving the proper credit."
-William C. White, quoted by Dudley M. Canright, Life of Ellen White, Lulu Enterprises Inc, 2005, p. 113, ISBN: 9781411640269

Some readers might be thinking that this is just about as hypocritical as one can get, but I assure you, Ellen White reaches new heights of hypocrisy never before seen. In an almost unbelievably self-deluded manner, White had the nerve to instruct her followers that they were NOT to copy the works of other authors:
"Do your own work—The subjects which many of our ministers present before the people are not half as connected and as clear and strong in argument as they should be. They profess to be teachers of the Word, but they sadly neglect to search the Scriptures for themselves. They are content to use the arguments which are prepared in pamphlets and books, and which others have labored earnestly to search out; but they are not willing to tax their minds to study them out for themselves. In order to make full proof of their ministry, those who open the Word of God to others should search the Scriptures diligently. They should not be content to use other men's thoughts, but should dig for truth as for hid treasures. While it is perfectly right to gather ideas from other minds, they should not be satisfied to take those ideas and repeat them in a poll-parrot manner. Make these ideas your own, brethren; frame the arguments yourselves, from your own study and research. Do not borrow the productions of other men's brains and pens, and recite them as a lesson; but make the most of the talents, the brain power, that God has given you."
-Ellen G. White, Pastoral Ministry, EGW Writings, retrieved Mar 25, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/83.922#931]; See also Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, Apr 6, 1886, retrieved Mar 25, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/821.7196#7207]

And yet, Ellen White did not just "borrow" the thoughts, words, and doctrines of other authors; she also "borrowed" the very sketches they drew: (See James A. Wylie, History of the Waldenses, TEACH Services Inc, 2001, p. 21, ISBN: 9781572581852; See also Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy: 500th Year Protestant Reformation Edition, 1911 Version, Harvestime Books, 2017, p. 32, ISBN: 9781629131726)

Those who have overseen the Ellen G. White Estate do not like the word 'plagiarism' because it makes Ellen White seem like a liar and thief. Instead, they prefer to use the phrase 'literary borrowing', as Ronald Graybill (13-year Associate Director for the White Estate) confessed:
"These borrowings occurred not only in the historical sections of The Great Controversy but also in its prophetic sections. They appear throughout the Conflict of the Ages and in the Testimonies for the Church as well as other Ellen White books. They occur in letters and specific testimonies to individuals. They appear in descriptions of the content of specific visions given to Mrs. White. It would be unwise at this point to assert that there is any particular book written by Mrs. White or any type of writing from her pen in which literary borrowing [i.e. plagiarism] will not be found... In cases where we have Mrs. White's handwritten draft of something she borrowed, this handwritten draft is usually closer to the literary source than is the published version which followed. This difference should generally be attributed to the work of Ellen White's literary assistants in editing her material for publication--a work that she approved... Many of the beautifully expressed thoughts, that is, many of the literary gems found in Mrs. White's writings were borrowed from other authors. This fact, together with the knowledge that her writings were polished by literary assistants, leads us to avoid the suggestion that the literary beauty of her writings is an evidence of her divine inspiration."
-Ronald Graybill, "Ellen G. White's Work - An Update," taken from the transcript of a taped recording, Nov 15, 1981, quoted by Dirk Anderson, "2009 SDA Sabbath School Quarterly - Prophetic Gift," retrieved Mar 18, 2021, [nonsda.org/egw/ssq2009/lesson6.htm]; See also Walter Rea, "The Paraphrasing Prophet," 2005, retrieved Mar 18, 2021, [nonsda.org/egw/egw89.shtml]

Ellen White did not "borrow" anything because borrowing requires acknowledgment of the owner. She STOLE the literary works, used them for her own gain, and lied to everyone about it.

The difference between 'borrowing' and 'theft' is permission from the owner.

What Graybill said was that when he looked over Ellen White's original, handwritten drafts, many portions of them were plagiarized almost WORD-FOR-WORD from another author's works. Ellen hired editors to work on her letters and books, to change some words and reorder other words to try and hide the literary theft, and the important point to take away from this is that the leadership of the Ellen G. White Estate know about this, but hide it from their followers.
Donald McAdams, a SDA professor at Andrews University and the president of Southwestern Adventist College, analyzed the writings of Ellen White in comparison to other authors:
"What did the evidence prove? ... the historical portions of The Great Controversy that I have examined are selective abridgements and adaptations of historians. Ellen White was not just borrowing paragraphs here and there that she ran across in her reading, but in fact following the historians page after page, leaving out much material, but using their sequence, some of their ideas, and often their words. In the examples I have examined, I have found no historical fact in her text that is not in their texts. [i.e. White had no ideas or research of her own.] The hand-written manuscript on John Huss [i.e. stolen from the aforementioned J. D'Aubigne & H. White's History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century] follows the historian so closely that it does not even seem to have gone through an intermediary stage, but rather, from the historian's printed page to Mrs. White's manuscript, including historical errors and moral exhortations."
-Donald R. McAdams, "Shifting Views of Inspiration: Ellen G. White Studies in the 1970s," Spectrum, 1980, p. 34, retrieved May 25, 2021, [https://bit.ly/3flot0C]

Whereas Ellen told us that we should not "borrow the productions of other men's brains and pens, and recite them as a lesson," but upon analysis, in comparison with other authors she repeated "in a poll-parrot manner," McAdams said there was "no historical fact in her text that is not in their texts." This means that, even though Ellen told everyone else that "they should not be content to use other men's thoughts," she was more than content to do so.

White's plagiarism was so bad, she even copied down the ERRORS of the authors! That is the evidential nail in the coffin because not only does she follow these authors word-for-word in their personal and specific moral encouragements, but then does not bother to correct the historical errors because she did not understand the material she was writing down. (i.e. White did not bother to "study and research," like she told everyone else to do.)

In summary, the only reason that White's writings differ at all from the original source material is because her editors changed it as much as they could to avoid suspicion. More often than not, she simply copied down what other men wrote word-for-word, and even though a director of the Ellen G. White Estate says that SDAs should avoid preaching "literary beauty" as an argument for divine inspiration and promotion of White, young and foolish SDAs continue to do so without understanding the true foundation of her writings.

Warren Johns of the Ellen G. White Estate said:
"Evidence for literary borrowing can be substantiated in virtually all nine volumes of the Testimonies for the Church, in her Review and Herald and Signs of the Times articles, and in all of the books published during her lifetime. The only exception may be Early Writings. At this time I am not aware of any significant literary borrowing in that work, but it would not be surprising if it should come to light."
-Warren Johns, Ellen G. White, Literary Dependence, and Science, p. 2, quoted by Dirk Anderson, "2009 SDA Sabbath School Quarterly - Prophetic Gift," retrieved Mar 18, 2021, [nonsda.org/egw/ssq2009/lesson6.htm]

These men do not want to use the word 'plagiarism' for the same reason a thief would not like to use the phrase 'bank robber' to describe himself. Relabeling Ellen G. White a "literary borrower" makes as much sense as relabeling a thief as a "financial borrower," or relabeling a liar as a "fact checker."

These examples I have provided in this chapter only reflect an insignificantly tiny fraction of the overwhelming flood of plagiarism that can be found in Ellen White's writings. I believe the examples I gave are more than enough to prove the point, but if any SDA might be reading this book and want to research more, I will give you a few points you can look into:

Nearly everything in White's "Health Reform Vision" was stolen from the works of James C. Jackson, and I will mention him again in the next chapter. Many of White's articles that were published in the Review and Herald were ghostwritten by Fanny Bolton, who was part of Ellen's staff. (i.e. A ghostwriter is someone hired to write literary works and credit them to another author.) White's Desire of Ages was ghostwritten by Marion Davis, and the two of them copied from a variety of other authors to compile that book. Most of the Conflict of the Ages, which includes Patriarchs and Prophets, The Story of Prophets and Kings, The Desire of Ages, Acts of the Apostles, and The Great Controversy were copied from other authors.

Of course, in the eyes of SDAs, The Great Controversy is a holy, sacred book, and they get very defensive about it, but even Robert Olsen, who was the director of the Ellen G. White Estate from 1978 to 1990, and a hardcore defender of White's writings, made the following statement:
"There was no question in Ellen G. White's mind about the overall inspiration of The Great Controversy, although possibly 50 percent or more of the material in the book was drawn from other sources."
-Robert Olson, "Ellen G. White's use of Historical Sources in The Great Controversy", Adventist Review, 161, February 23, 1984, p. 3-5

That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
-1 Thessalonians 4:6-7

Ellen's husband James tried to defend her by saying that it was impossible for her to have learned all these things, and therefore the knowledge had to come from God. However, for a thief, that is the beauty of plagiarism because you do not have to learn anything to copy down the work of someone else:
"Does unbelief suggest that what she writes in her personal testimonies has been learned from others? We inquire, What time has she had to learn all these facts? and who for a moment can regard her as a Christian woman, if she gives her ear to gossip, then writes it out as a vision from God? And where is the person of superior natural and acquired abilities who could listen to the description of one, two, or three thousand cases, all differing, and then write them out without getting them confused, laying the whole work liable to a thousand contradictions? If Mrs. W. has gathered the facts from a human mind in a single case, she has in thousands of cases, and God has not shown her these things which she has written in these personal testimonies."
-James S. White, Life Sketches, EGW Writings, p. 328, retrieved May 20, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/1463.1400#1488]

Jim, I could not have said it better myself. If Ellen did it in one case, then it is safe to assume that she has done it in hundreds, if not thousands of cases, and we have already seen MUCH more than one instance of her crimes in this chapter, so that leaves us no choice but to conclude that "God has not shown her these things."

It also appears that Ellen White had a bit of a violent side to her, especially if anyone close to her (who could potentially expose her) made any comments about her literary theft. John Kellogg (a physician who will be mentioned again in the next chapter) wrote a letter in 1936 that spoke of one of Fannie Bolton's last interactions with Ellen White shortly after Ellen had given a speech at the Woman's Christian Temperance Union conference:
"Fanny Bolton was with her at that time. A year or two later she returned to Battle Creek. She left Mrs. White who incorporated in one of her books something she had herself written and without giving her credit. She said Mrs. White was in the habit of doing this, copying from various other books [i.e. plagiarism], so that she and Mary Ann Davis had to go over the material and transpose sentences and change paragraphs and in other wise endeavor to hide the piracy. She spoke to Mrs. White about it and objected to having her own manuscript used without credit. Mrs. White was very angry and slapped her face. She mentioned the circumstance to one of the preachers and was forthwith dismissed from Mrs. White's employ and came back to America."
-John H. Kellogg, Letter to E.S. Ballenger, Jan 9, 1936, retrieved May 11, 2021, [http://www.truthorfables.com/JH_Kellogg_to_Ballenger_Jan1936.htm]

But Ellen White told us her writings were "precious rays of light shining from the throne" of God, and trained her followers to ignore anyone who says otherwise. Whether SDAs want to believe it or not, this makes her a liar, a thief, and a bully, not a prophetess of God.

Many times, I have read SDAs claim that people should read the words of Ellen White because they are so poetically beautiful, but they should be ashamed and embarrassed because Ellen White never came up with those words on her own. She stole the hard work of other men, claimed it was the work of the Holy Spirit, and then profited from it, but it is somewhat comical to note that, for those reasons, she ended up teaching some very wild, nonsensical doctrines, or in other words, as James White so eloquently put it, giving "her ear to gossip, then writ[ing] it out as a vision from God."
 


Ellen G. White taught many odd and confusing doctrines that the general public does not know about. These are often hidden from SDA members because, if they were exposed, it would clearly demonstrate that White was not a prophetess of God, and it would cause Adventists to lose confidence in her other teachings.

Seeds of Love is a SDA ministry, and they advertise White's book, The Great Controversy. Under "About the Author," they make the claim that White had accurate insight into the medical and nutritional fields:
"ELLEN G. WHITE (1827-1915) was the author of 55 volumes translated internationally into 100 languages with close to 20,000,000 copies in circulation. She is considered to have been inspired by God. Many of her prophecies about world events and the modern-day condition of man have already been dramatically fulfilled. Her insights into the fields of medicine and nutrition are being progressively substantiated by scientific research. Her words have lifted mankind and have helped bring the truths of Christianity to uncounted millions the world over."
-Seeds of Love Ministries, "About the Author," retrieved Mar 5, 2021, [seedsoflove.uk/the-great-controversy]

In this chapter, we will discover this statement to be completely false. Even if it were true, we just learned in the last chapter that White's words were not her own, so any "help" that may have been provided to SDAs could not be credited to her.

However, the opposite is true, namely, that White was very wrong about a lot of things. In fact, as you read through this chapter, based on what we know today, you may find her predictions about science and medicine to be sad, embarrassing, and in some cases, quite comical.

The Doctrine of Earthquakes and Volcanoes

White taught what she believed to be the cause of volcanoes and earthquakes:
"The action of the water upon the lime adds fury to the intense heat, and causes earthquakes, volcanoes, and fiery issues. As the fire and water come in contact with ledges of rock and ore, there are heavy explosions underground, which sound like muffled thunder. The air is hot and suffocating. Volcanic eruptions follow; and these often failing to give sufficient vent to the heated elements, the earth itself is convulsed, the ground heaves and swells like the waves of the sea, great fissures appear, and sometimes cities, villages, and burning mountains are swallowed up."
-Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 108, retrieved Apr 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.399#417]

The idea White was presenting was that there were rivers of oil and water that would both come in contact with lime at the same time, which would cause fire. According to White, the explosions that would come from this fire caused earthquakes and volcanoes, but today, we know that earthquakes and volcanoes are most often caused by movement of the earth's tectonic plates.

She also said:
"The coal and oil frequently ignite and burn beneath the surface of the earth."
-Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, EGW Writings, p. 108, retrieved Apr 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/84.399#417]

Despite the fact that Ellen taught coal and oil "FREQUENTLY burn beneath the surface of the earth," the fact is that there is no oxygen for them to burn, so that is simply not true. Fire can only start when it has oxygen and something mixed with it that will burn. If what White said was true, then we would have a serious problem of natural gas wells causing massive explosions of nuclear proportions beneath the earth's surface every time we ignite a pilot light.

Perhaps, at the time, Ellen may have been able to fool a few people who did not have much understanding about geology, but these things are much more commonly understood today. This quote is from a science website that explains basic geology to young students:
"There are three main reasons why a volcano might erupt:
1. Giant pieces of the Earth's crust called tectonic plates are moving all the time. Sometimes as two tectonic plates move away from each other, magma can rise up through the gap between them.
2. Sometimes eruptions can be caused by tectonic plates moving towards each other too. As the two plates crash together one of them can be forced downwards into the Earth's interior. The heat and pressure that this creates can cause magma to rise up and erupt.
3. Hot spots inside the Earth can heat magma up so that it becomes less dense and starts to rise up through cracks in the crust."
-Twinkl, "Why Do Volcanoes Erupt?," retrieved Apr 23, 2021, [https://bit.ly/3vhQ3AS]

If a tectonic plate drops into liquid magma, the liquid will rapidly rise, just like dropping an ice cube into a glass of water. Magma generates extreme levels of heat, and as things heat up, they expand, and if the liquid has nowhere to go, it will go to the path of least resistance, through weak spots in the earth's crust, kind of like a covered, boiling pot of chili will overflow out of the pan if the cover is not taken off so the chili can cool down.

Earthquakes take place in a similar manner, only there is typically no magma involved. Earthquakes are large-scale vibrations caused by the movement and pressure build-up of tectonic plates.

Putting limestone into water will create hydrated lime (or "slaked" lime), which is also known as calcium hydroxide. (CaO + H₂O = Ca(OH)₂ + heat) This mixture will heat up water, and can even boil it. However, adding in oil will only make it oily calcium hydroxide. The only explosion this might create would be a water geyser (if that is even possible), which is a sudden discharge of water and steam, but it would only happen under extreme pressure, it would be nowhere near as hot as a volcano, and it would not be recurring like a volcano because the limestone would eventually be exhausted.

How Ellen White came up with this, or why she wrote it in the first place, is anyone's guess. I did see some indication in my research that she had plagiarized this from other pamphlets on geology, but I could not find enough credible information to verify it. However, that being said, it would not be a stretch of the imagination to presume that she did steal someone else's work when writing about earthquakes and volcanoes, because when someone has plagiarized as much as Ellen White did, it is safe to assume she stole this concept as well; only to her own demise because it makes no sense.

The Racist Doctrine of Amalgamation

White taught that there was a half-man and half-animal breed which resulted from the sin of bestiality, and she claimed that was the primary sin which led to punishing mankind with the worldwide flood in the days of Noah:
"But if there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation [mixing together] of man and beast [i.e. through breeding] which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere. God purposed to destroy by a flood that powerful, long-lived race that had corrupted their ways before him."
-Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, Review and Herald Publishing, Vol. 3, p. 64, ISBN: 9780828012317; See also EGW Writings, retrieved Apr 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/106.244#259]

A few pages later, White goes on to say:
"Every species of animal which God had created were preserved in the ark. The confused species which God did not create, which were the result of amalgamation, were destroyed by the Flood. Since the Flood there has been amalgamation of man and beast, as may be seen in the almost endless varieties of species of animals, and in certain races of men."
-Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, Review and Herald Publishing, Vol. 3, p. 75, ISBN: 9780828012317; See also EGW Writings, retrieved Apr 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/106.261#301]

In summary, White taught that, before the worldwide flood, men and women had sexual intercourse with animals, which produced man/animal hybrids, and this caused great confusion in the world. I would agree with the premise that, if such a thing were possible, it would cause a lot of confusion, but it is not physically possible, and that is because God created genetic boundaries between the different kinds of creatures on the earth.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
-Genesis 1:11

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
-Genesis 1:21

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
-Genesis 1:24

I wrote an article on my website that covers the subject of the Biblical word 'kind' and what it means. This was originally meant as a response to evolutionists who argued that the word 'kind' is vague and undefined, and therefore, they believe it is unscientific, even though it is well-defined, and furthermore, the religious guru they worship, Charles Darwin, used the term many times in his book, The Origin of Species. There are limitations to breeding between kinds of plants or animals, in that they can only bring forth offspring after their kind, just like mankind can only mate and procreate with mankind, but such a ridiculous concept (e.g. anything can become anything given enough time) is the philosophy (i.e. way of thinking) that evolutionists adopt, and it strays far from Biblical understanding and rational thinking.
(Read "What is a Biblical Kind?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)


Simply put, if a woman has sexual intercourse with a horse and is inseminated by the creature, she will not get pregnant and give birth to a centaur (i.e. a fictional, pagan creature that is half man and half horse). If such a thing were possible, why do we not see it happening today? Although it is an abomination in the sight of God for a man to have sex with beasts (Lev 18:23), there are many people who have done it over the past few thousand years, so why do we not see any hybrid, half-animal people walking down the street today?

However, it is important to understand that White's meaning was not really focused on animals, but rather, it was focused on what she considered to be animals, or in other words, she intended the word 'amalgamation' to extend to any dark-skinned peoples. (e.g. blacks, natives, Indians, etc) Again, I will repeat the words from her book, Spiritual Gifts, Volume 3, on page 75: "Since the Flood there has been amalgamation of man and beast, as may be seen in the almost endless varieties of species of animals, and in certain races of men."

There were many SDA authors who leaped to White's defense after these statements became more widespread public knowledge because, obviously, it is not Biblical to have a racist prophet of God. In fact, there was so much controversy over White's statement on amalgamations, these statements were removed from some later editions of her published works.

The fact that these statements were removed only fueled more controversy, especially within the SDA organization, because (as we have already established in earlier chapters), Ellen G. White is considered the "Spirit of Prophecy," and her words are claimed to be "precious light from the throne" of God. At the beginning of Spiritual Gifts, Volume 3, she wrote:
"In presenting this, my third little volume, to the public, I am comforted with the conviction that the Lord has made me his humble instrument in shedding some rays of precious light upon the past."
-Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, EGW Writings, Vol. 3, p. 3, retrieved Apr 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/106.7#8]

If that were the case, why would SDA publishers think themselves worthy to be God's editor, or in other words, why would they dare to censor God's prophet? Ellen White's son, William White, was questioned about this, and to avoid being held accountable for censoring the so-called "Spirit of Prophecy," he blamed it on his mother:
"Regarding the two paragraphs which are to be found in Spiritual Gifts and also in the Spirit of Prophecy regarding amalgamation and the reason they were left out of the later books, and the question as to who took the responsibility of leaving them out, I can speak with perfect clearness and assurance. They were left out by Ellen G. White. No one connected with her work had any authority over such a question, and I never heard of anyone offering to her counsel regarding this matter. In all questions of this kind, you may set it down as a certainty that Sister White was responsible for leaving out or adding to matters of this sort in the later editions of our books."
-William C. White, Selected Messages, Review and Herald, Vol. 3, 2006, p. 452, ISBN: 9780828019934

However, that only shifts the blame; it does not solve the problem. Why would anyone censor God's Word? If a prophetess of God were to deliver the words that came from God, but later, she censored specific passages to hide God's Word, would that not make her an enemy of God (and the people) because she has hidden His Word from the public? Does that not demonstrate that she has a foundation of fear, rather than faith, in her heart?

Furthermore, would censoring God's Word have consequences? According to Scripture, yes, there are consequences to removing God's Word from the manner in which He presented it to mankind, and any woman who would dare to edit the Word of the Living God is not only a false prophetess, but she is in danger of hellfire because she presumed to know more than the Lord.

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
-Revelation 22:19

As I said before, SDAs take offense to the statement that Ellen White was a racist, but it is true. For example, Ellen White made the following statement in a talk she gave to a church of black folks in March of 1901:
"You are the children of God. He has adopted you, and He desires you to form characters here that will give you entrance into the heavenly family. Remembering this, you will be able to bear the trials which you meet here. In heaven there will be no color line; for all will be as white as Christ himself. Let us thank God that we can be members of the royal family."
-Ellen G. White, The Gospel Herald, EGW Writings, Mar 16, 1901, par. 20, retrieved Apr 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/503.228#250]

Please do not confuse what she said with what the Bible teaches us because Scripture does teach us that we will be given white robes on the Day of Judgment, and that God will make our sins as white as snow:

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
-Isaiah 1:18

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
-Revelation 7:13-14

This is NOT what Ellen White was referring to because she was telling an audience of black-skinned people that they would one day "be as white as Christ himself." This not only indicates that she believed that Jesus had white skin (which is absurd for geographical and genealogical reasons that would indicate that he was tan as the Arabs are), but also that for all of the black folks in that church to be pure as Jesus Christ, their black skin had to become white, which is both nonsensical and racist.

White went on to comment about the "color line," which is the alleged "differences" between people of lighter and darker skin. Of course, we know that there is no difference between them, other than the color of skin, but that is not what Ellen believed. She taught that not only was there a class and rank difference between people of various skin colors, but that no one should waste any time to argue or raise questions about it:
"We are to avoid entering into contention over the problem of the color line. If this question is much agitated, difficulties will arise that will consume much precious time to adjust. We cannot lay down a definite line to be followed in dealing with this subject... It is Satan's plan to call minds to the study of the color line. If his suggestions are heeded, there will be diversity of opinion and great confusion. No one is capable of clearly defining the proper position of the colored people. Men may advance theories, but I assure you that it will not do for us to follow human theories. So far as possible the color line question should be allowed to rest."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 9, p. 213, retrieved Apr 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/115.1192#1196]

In Ellen White's view, it does not matter what is right by God, it only matters what is socially convenient for her. God forbid any of those Adventists ever had to suffer real tribulation because when the second such persecution would arise, they would be offended and depart.

But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon [quickly] with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
-Matthew 13:20-21

Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
-Acts 14:22

That is why Ellen White had no interest in laying her life down for someone else. She would rather all those Adventists, most especially those with black skin, lay down their lives to adhere to her ideals.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
-John 15:13

If you thought that the "color line" issue was just a political point that Ellen wanted to avoid, but that she was not racist, then you have not fully understood what she meant by what she said. Let's look at some more comments Ellen White made in her teachings:
"Let colored laborers do what they can to keep abreast, working earnestly for their own people. I thank God that among the colored believers there are men of talent who can work efficiently for their own people, presenting the truth in clear lines. There are many colored people of precious talent who will be converted to the truth if our colored ministers are wise in devising ways of training teachers for the schools and other laborers for the field."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 9, p. 214, retrieved Apr 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/115.1192#1200]

The reason White differentiates between the people in general versus "their own people," is because she is segregating a class of blacks versus whites. I would not make a statement like that because I follow the Biblical principle that God made of one blood all nations of men, meaning that no matter what shade our skin is, we are all the same kind.

And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
-Acts 17:26

Ellen White did not believe in that same Biblical principle, which is why she used phrases like, "their own people," rather than saying something like, "we should all work earnestly to provide for our families." Furthermore, why are "colored ministers" the only people who can reach "colored people?" Why would white ministers be the only ones to reach white people? The Word of God never puts such ridiculous restrictions on Christians.

We can see more evidence of White's racist views in the next paragraph, as she continues to say:
"The colored people should not urge that they be placed on an equality with white people. The relation of the two races has been a matter hard to deal with, and I fear that it will ever remain a most perplexing problem. So far as possible, everything that would stir up the race prejudice of the white people should be avoided. There is danger of closing the door so that our white laborers will not be able to work in some places in the South."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 9, p. 214, retrieved Apr 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/115.1192#1200]

Please do not misunderstand; I believe that it is good and Biblical to avoid fighting, taking steps to evade anything which would cause a man to war against us, if at all possible, so that we can live peaceably with our neighbors.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
-Romans 12:18

However, notice that it says "if it be possible," meaning that if a wicked neighbor wants to raise issue with people of different skin colors worshipping together in fellowship, then that man is the disturber of the peace, not the born again elect. The church should be the primary place in this world that should be completely unbiased concerning skin color, and all those who serve God should be humble, thinking themselves lesser than others:

Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
-Philippians 2:3

There is no such thing as a "race" of men. There are different skin colors, but not different "races." When we look at cows, we see black, brown, and white cows, but we do not see different "races" of cows. The words White chose to use clearly show her racial prejudice, no matter how "peaceful" she may have attempted to portray herself.

I have read some SDAs arguments that defend White by claiming that is just the attitude that everyone had back then, but that is a lie. That might have been the attitude of many people, or even a majority, but not everyone.

Furthermore, just because someone is raised to think or speak a certain way, does not automatically make it right. A true prophet of God follows the Lord, and does not compromise with the traditions of men.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy [a way of thinking] and vain deceit [useless lies], after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [first teachings] of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8

Ellen White followed the rudiments (i.e. fundamental teachings) of the world, not the principal teachings of Christ, and the argument of her speaking in a manner that might have been culturally acceptable, because her parents might have raised her that way, is no excuse. After all, I am sure Ellen's parents did not raise her to be a thief and a liar, and yet, she chose to steal from other authors anyway and lie about it, demonstrating her ability to depart from her parents' teachings and cultural norms when the opportunity suited her.

She continued to teach that no one should make any effort to ensure dark-skinned peoples enjoyed the same rights that everyone else had, and she instructed them to not do or say anything that would help dark-skinned people in society so the "work of God" could continue:
"I know that if we attempt to meet the ideas and preferences of some of the colored people, we shall find our way blocked completely. The work of proclaiming the truth for this time is not to be hindered by an effort to adjust the position of the Negro race. Should we attempt to do this we should find that barriers like mountains would be raised to hinder the work that God desires to have done. If we move quietly and judiciously, laboring in the way that God has marked out, both white and colored people will be benefited by our labors."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 9, p. 214, retrieved Apr 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/115.1192#1202]

On the contrary, standing up for what is right when we see wrongdoing happen is what gives us opportunity to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost. That is why we use the law of God to point out the sins of men, so they would hear it, come to conviction of their sin, repent (i.e. have grief and godly sorrow of their sins), and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved.

After this point, Ellen went on to say that they should "work as if there is no prejudice," but that completely contradicts everything else she just said. She not only created the segregation with her words, but then told them to ALLOW the prejudice to continue for the sake of God, which is completely hypocritical, as well as nonsensical.

Not only did she build a wall of segregation in that speech, but a few pages earlier, she also instructed the SDAs to be segregated whenever it was requested of them in any town:
"Where demanded by custom or where greater efficiency is to be gained, let the white believers and the colored believers assemble in separate places of worship."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 9, p. 208, retrieved Apr 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/115.1142#1167]

Furthermore, she stated clearly that, if God called a black man to a pastoral or eldership ministry, he was to ignore God's calling because he has black skin:
"Opportunities are continually presenting themselves in the Southern States, and many wise, Christian colored men will be called to the work. But for several reasons white men must be chosen as leaders."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 9, p. 202, retrieved Apr 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/115.1118#1134]

Ellen White also believed in an unscriptural concept that people of different skin colors should not marry:
"But there is an objection to the marriage of the white race with the black. All should consider that they have no right to entail upon their offspring that which will place them at a disadvantage; they have no right to give them as a birthright a condition which would subject them to a life of humiliation. The children of these mixed marriages have a feeling of bitterness toward the parents who have given them this lifelong inheritance. For this reason, if there were no other, there should be no intermarriage between the white and the colored race."
-Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, EGW Writings, Book 2, p. 343, retrieved Apr 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/99.2092#2095]

To summarize this statement, Ellen believed that whites and blacks should not marry because blacks are disadvantaged. She believed that the life of a black person was humiliating. She believed children born of a marriage between a white and black person were bitter against their parents for ever being born. Of course, Ellen has no Scriptural evidence of this, but rather, she simply claims that this is the message that came from God's angels, despite the fact that it contradicts Scripture.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
-Galatians 3:28-29

Notice that, at the end of that last quote, White said, "for this reason, if there were no other," or in other words, she was saying that for this reason only, but that there are other reasons she has for whites and blacks not marrying. In one of her letters, Ellen wrote to a friend to answer a question:
"In reply to inquiries regarding the advisability [suggested restrictions] of intermarriage between Christian young people of the white and black races, I will say that in my earlier experience this question was brought before me, and the light given me of the Lord was that this step should not be taken; for it is sure to create controversy and confusion. I have always had the same counsel to give. No encouragement to marriages of this character should be given among our people. Let the colored brother enter into marriage with a colored sister who is worthy, one who loves God, and keeps His commandments. Let the white sister who contemplates uniting in marriage with the colored brother refuse to take this step, for the Lord is not leading in this direction. Time is too precious to be lost in controversy that will arise over this matter. Let not questions of this kind be permitted to call our ministers from their work. The taking of such a step will create confusion and hindrance. It will not be for the advancement of the work or for the glory of God."
-Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, EGW Writings, Book 2, p. 344, retrieved Apr 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/99.2098#2100]

Here again, we see Ellen claiming that various skin colors marrying will cause confusion. Remember what she said earlier about amalgamation? Let's look at what Ellen White wrote one more time:
"But if there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation [mixing together] of man and beast [i.e. through breeding] which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere. God purposed to destroy by a flood that powerful, long-lived race that had corrupted their ways before him."
-Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, Review and Herald Publishing, Vol. 3, p. 64, ISBN: 9780828012317; See also EGW Writings, retrieved Apr 23, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/106.244#259]

When Ellen G. White taught that amalgamation was the primary cause of the worldwide flood in the days of Noah, she meant the marrying and breeding between people of different skin colors. She believed that is what caused the confusion, and that those of darker skin colors than her own were brute beasts "which defaced the image of God" because, as we read earlier, she believed Jesus was white-skinned.

Indeed, Ellen G. White was a racist, and I do not say these things to make some political point. Politics and cultures do not concern me. The reason I bring these things up is to show people how uncharitable and biased Ellen White really was in her ideology, which is more evidence that she was a false convert and a false prophetess.

It is a Sin to be Sick

When I first saw this quote, I did not think it was real, but it turns out, it is very real. Ellen White really did make these statements in an issue of The Health Reformer in August of 1866:
"It is a sin to be sick, for all sickness is the result of transgression. Many are suffering in consequence of the transgression of their parents. They cannot be censured for their parents' sin; but it is nevertheless their duty to ascertain wherein their parents violated the laws of their being, which has entailed upon their offspring so miserable an inheritance; and wherein their parents' habits were wrong, they should change their course, and place themselves by correct habits in a better relation to health."
-Ellen G. White, Counsels on Health, EGW Writings, Section 2, p. 37, retrieved Apr 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/20.178#181]

Please do not misunderstand; it is a fact of common knowledge that the sins of the parents can affect the health of a child. For example, a woman can drink alcohol during pregnancy and permanently injure her baby. However, White is claiming that ALL sickness is due to sin, which is simply not the case.

In fact, this statement from White contradicts what Jesus told us:

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
-John 9:1-3

The reason that man was made blind was for the purpose of Jesus Christ coming to heal him on that day. This shows us that God may have many reasons for a man being lame or sick, and that if someone is sick, it does not automatically mean it was because of sin, once again proving that Ellen G. White was a false teacher and a false prophetess.

However, this brings up an interesting question because, as we read earlier, Ellen White was quite sickly herself, falling victim to epileptic seizures. Does this mean that Ellen G. White was a frequent sinner?

In Health Living, Ellen also commented:
"We should first find out if the sick one has been withholding tithes or has made trouble in the church."
-Ellen G. White, Healthful Living, EGW Writings, p. 237, retrieved Apr 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/388.1754#1765]

This is very similar to the kind of preaching we hear from the false "prosperity" pastors, in which they claim that if someone is sick or any bad thing befalls them, it is automatically due to them not giving the church building enough money, despite the fact that there is no New Testament mandate to tithe, nor did the apostles set any such example for the church. This gets really interesting when we consider that I have never heard of any SDA pastor who upholds White's commandments on this matter, and so that leaves us with another interesting question: When a pastor refuses to question the sick on these matters, are they denying Ellen G. White's authority as a prophetess? (Food for thought.)
(Read "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

The Tower of Babel Was Pre-Flood

Here, we see the "Spirit of Prophecy" present a version of history that is contradictory to Scripture:
"The Lord first established the system of sacrificial offerings with Adam after his fall, which he taught to his descendants. This system was corrupted before the flood by those who separated themselves from the faithful followers of God, and engaged in the building of the tower of Babel. They sacrificed to gods of their own [making] instead of the God of Heaven."
Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, EGW Writings, Vol. 3, p. 301, retrieved Apr 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/106.1007#1169]

Statements like this make me wonder if Ellen White really studied the Bible very much at all. It seems to me like she may have only listened to preachers or read commentaries on it, but did not do much research into Scripture herself because the Bible makes it very clear that Babel was POST-flood:

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.
-Genesis 10:1

And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.
-Genesis 10:6

And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
-Genesis 10:8

And the beginning of his [Nimrod's] kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
-Genesis 10:10

I know of Ellen's excuses: The angel did not speak to her in the right language. The angel forgot to mention it. The angel told her but she forgot what the angel said and she messed it up. These are not much different from the traditional joke of a student lying to a teacher in order to save himself from punishment by saying, "Sorry Teacher, the dog ate my homework." Oddly enough, we only hear such excuses from Ellen White, but we do not find those mistakes or excuses coming from God's prophets in Scripture.

Jesus Pleaded With God For The Salvation Plan

This is a really strange doctrine coming from Ellen White because it teaches that Jesus came up with a plan to save mankind AFTER the creation and the fall of man, and that Jesus had to go to the Father and plead with Him to allow Jesus to do it:
"The whole family of Adam must die. I saw the lovely Jesus, and beheld an expression of sympathy and sorrow upon his countenance. Soon I saw him approach the exceeding bright light which enshrouded the Father. Said my accompanying angel, He is in close converse with his Father. The anxiety of the angels seemed to be intense while Jesus was communing with his Father. Three times he was shut in by the glorious light about the Father, and the third time he came from the Father, his person could be seen. His countenance was calm, free from all perplexity and trouble, and shone with benevolence and loveliness, such as words cannot express. He then made known to the angelic host that a way of escape had been made for lost man. He told them that he had been pleading with his Father, and had offered to give his life a ransom, and take the sentence of death upon himself, that through him man might find pardon. That through the merits of his blood, and obedience to the law of God, they could have the favor of God, and be brought into the beautiful garden, and eat of the fruit of the tree of life."
-Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, EGW Writings, Vol. 1, p. 22, retrieved Apr 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/104.86#87]

White continues to say that "his Father had accepted the plan" (p. 25), that "Jesus bid the heavenly host be reconciled to the plan that his Father accepted" (p. 25), and that "It was even a struggle with the God of heaven, whether to let guilty man perish, or to give his beloved Son to die for them." (p. 26) All of this is a lie because God the Father (who is one with Jesus Christ) purposed in Himself to do this for mankind BEFORE the world began, according to his own good pleasure:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
-Ephesians 1:3-5
(Read "Predestination vs Free Will" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
-Ephesians 1:9

According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
-Ephesians 3:11

Ellen would have us believe that God wanted all mankind to perish, but Jesus had to go make a special plea with Him not to destroy us. To me, that is blasphemous (i.e. a devilish insult to the character and omniscience of God) because my Lord God is kind, patient, and graceful beyond any of our understandings, and it was the collective plan of the eternal Godhead (i.e. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together as one) before the world began which has saved us because He is not willing that ANY should perish, but that all should come to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing).
(Read "The Godhead vs The Trinity" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
-2 Peter 3:9
(Read There is No Saving Grace Without Repentance here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Jesus Did Miracles Through Angels

Ellen White taught that God did not do the miracles, but rather, he gave power to angels to give power to Christ to do the miracles:
"The angels of God are ever moving up and down from earth to Heaven, and from Heaven to earth. All the miracles of Christ performed for the afflicted and suffering were, by the power of God, through the ministration of angels. Christ condescended to take humanity, and thus he unites his interests with the fallen sons and daughters of Adam here below, while his divinity grasps the throne of God. And thus Christ opens the communication of man with God, and God with man. All the blessings from God to man are through the ministration of holy angels."
Ellen G. White, The Spirit of Prophecy, EGW Writings, Vol. 2, p. 67, retrieved Apr 28, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/143.221#255]

And yet, that is not what Jesus told us:

Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
-John 14:10

I am not sure why she insisted on this doctrine either, although it could have something to do with the fact that she believed the heresy that Michael the Archangel was Jesus Christ, as we covered in chapter three. If that is the case, it would make more sense why she taught this heresy, because she would be trying to justify her false belief that Jesus is not God.

Only One Herod Instead of Two

Ellen White was under the impression that the Herod who was reigning at the same time as Christ's trial and the Herod who executed James were one and the same:
"Herod's heart grew still harder, and when he heard that Jesus had arisen, he was not much troubled. He took the life of James; and when he saw that this pleased the Jews, he took Peter also, intending to put him to death. But God had a work for Peter to do, and sent his angel and delivered him. Herod was visited with judgment. God smote him in the sight of a great multitude as he was exalting himself before them, and he died a horrible death."
-Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, EGW Writings, Vol. 1, p. 71, retrieved Apr 28, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/104.254#276]

Herod Antipas was the Herod that reigned during Christ's trial and execution. His reign was from 4 BC to 39 AD, and he was responsible for the execution of John the Baptist:

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.
-Matthew 14:1-3

It was Herod Agrippa who killed James and imprisoned Peter. His reign was from 41 AD to 44 AD.

Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
-Acts 12:1-4

Of course, making a mistake like this is not a problem, and I was also confused about this for matter for many years after I got saved. That is understandable. However, what I did NOT do (and what is NOT understandable) is then tell everyone that an angel gave me a vision to proclaim a false narrative of events, declare myself to be the "Spirit of Prophecy," and then document those things in a book which I would go on to sell for profit, and yet, White did exactly that, so therefore, we can only conclude that either White was a true prophetess and God made a mistake, or Ellen White is a false prophetess and a liar, and again, I am heavily inclined to believe the latter.

Masturbation Causes Retardation and Deformation

I know what some readers might be thinking: "She did not really teach that did she?" She certainly did, and she claimed she was given visions from God concerning these things.

To understand this, we have to closely analyze the phrases Ellen White used in that day. The word 'masturbate' has been around since the 17th century (mostly around France), but did not become common Western English use until the 20th century. In the 19th century, White used phrases like "self-abuse" and "solitary vice" and "self-indulgence," which are used in the sense of private immoral lewdness. (e.g. sorcery/drugs, sexual offenses, or any other such thing done in secret, behind closed doors)
"My Sisters, my apology for addressing you on this subject is, I am a mother, and feel alarmed for those children and youth who by solitary vice are ruining themselves for this world, and for that which is to come. Let us closely inquire into this subject from the physical, mental and moral points of view."
-Ellen G. White, An Appeal to Mothers, EGW Writings, p. 5, retrieved Apr 28, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/6.14#15]

A few pages later she goes on to say the following, and please take notice of the phrases she uses, like "presented before me" and "were shown me," which means that she claimed these were all visions given to her from the throne of God:
"The state of our world was presented before me, and my attention was especially called to the youth of our time. Everywhere I looked, I saw imbecility, dwarfed forms, crippled limbs, misshapen heads, and deformity of every description. Sins and crimes, and the violation of nature's laws, were shown me as the causes of this accumulation of human woe and suffering. I saw such degradation and vile practices, such defiance of God, and I heard such words of blasphemy, that my soul sickened. From what was shown me, a large share of the youth now living are worthless. Corrupt habits are wasting their energies, and bringing upon them loathsome and complicated diseases."
-Ellen G. White, An Appeal to Mothers, EGW Writings, p. 17, retrieved Apr 28, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/6.14#63]

So here, we can see that White claimed that young men and women who masturbated caused themselves to become imbecilic (retarded in body or mind), dwarfed, crippled, develop deformed heads (and other various deformities), and complex diseases. It is interesting to note that Ellen White herself had a complex illness that caused her epileptic seizures, so should we conclude that she was a chronic masturbator?

White said that God would issue strict punishments on those who masturbated during their years of puberty:
"I have been shown that children who practice self-indulgence previous to puberty, or the period of merging into manhood and womanhood, must pay the penalty of nature's violated laws at that critical period."
-Ellen G. White, An Appeal to Mothers, EGW Writings, p. 18, retrieved Apr 28, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/6.14#66]

Of course, there are no scientific or medical studies to back up her claims, although I have seen numerous SDA websites claim that there are. In every case I have seen from SDA websites, they either do not reference to the "studies" they claim were conducted, or the study they point to is covering a minor behavioral aspect that is not anywhere close to what Ellen White prophesied.

If what Ellen White said was true, then we should be seeing studies that show a direct connection between Alzheimer's disease and masturbation, or Parkinson's disease and masturbation, or autism and masturbation. We should also see medical studies from physical therapy departments warning young men and women not to masturbate, or they would be made feeble for life, and yet, we do not see such studies.

Please do not misunderstand; I am not defending masturbation in this section, but rather, I am exposing Ellen G. White as a fraud. Whether masturbation is right or wrong is NOT the moral question, otherwise, the Bible would have covered the matter thoroughly (i.e. you will not find that subject specifically listed out in Scripture); but rather, the real question is this: What are the thoughts of your heart when you do any activity?

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
-2 Corinthians 10:5

If you have ever masturbated, what were the thoughts of your heart? If we consider the matter and judge ourselves, then we are all guilty of simply thinking thoughts that are not in obedience to Christ.

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
-Matthew 5:28

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
-1 Corinthians 11:31
(Read "Unbiblical Cop-Outs: 'Don't Judge Me!'" here at creationliberty.com for more detail.)

Is it lawful to put your finger up your nose? Is it wrong to bite your fingernails? These questions are meaningless, but what is meaningful is the thoughts of the heart when doing or saying anything; that all thoughts should be brought into obedience unto Christ, and if they are not, then the actions done and the words spoken from the corruptions of the heart automatically condemn that person.

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
-Matthew 15:18

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
-Jeremiah 17:9

However, like many false teachers, White went many steps further, and she continued to say that masturbation causes early deaths in young men and women:
"Many sink into an early grave, while others have sufficient force of constitution to pass this ordeal. If the practice is continued from the ages of fifteen and upward, nature will protest against the abuse she has suffered, and continues to suffer, and will make them pay the penalty for the transgression of her laws, especially from the ages of thirty to forty-five, by numerous pains in the system, and various diseases, such as affection of the liver and lungs, neuralgia, rheumatism, affection of the spine, diseased kidneys, and cancerous humors. Some of nature's fine machinery gives way, leaving a heavier task for the remaining to perform, which disorders nature's fine arrangement, and there is often a sudden breaking down of the constitution, and death is the result."
-Ellen G. White, An Appeal to Mothers, EGW Writings, p. 18, retrieved Apr 28, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/6.14#67]

In the 19th century, between the ages of 30-45, people would often see certain health problems arise, which could be due to a variety of things. In fact, it would be difficult to find a man or woman today that has not suffered any medical infirmity by the time they are age 45, which is simply a natural part of aging; however, Ellen White claimed that masturbation was the true hidden cause. (I confess, I had trouble writing that sentence without laughing.)

A man with phthisis (tie-sis), which involves atrophy on a certain body part, most often used in reference to a non-functioning eye, wrote to Ellen and James White, asking them for prayer over his condition, and not only did Ellen White claim an angel showed her a vision that it was caused by masturbation, they also refused to pray for the man after that because he was a sinner:
"That night we bowed in prayer and presented his case before the Lord. We entreated that we might know the will of God concerning him. All we desired was that God might be glorified. Would the Lord have us pray for this afflicted man? We left the burden with the Lord and retired to rest. In a dream the case of that man was clearly presented. His course from his childhood up was shown, and that if we should pray the Lord would not hear us; for he regarded iniquity in his heart. The next morning the man came for us to pray for him. We took him aside and told him we were sorry to be compelled to refuse his request. I related my dream, which he acknowledged was true. He had practiced self-abuse from his boyhood up, and he had continued the practice during his married life, but said he would try to break himself of it."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 2, p. 350, retrieved Apr 28, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/120.1512#1530]

Assuming this story is even true (because White has been well-known to stretch the truth when it benefits her), it demonstrates her uncharitable nature. In short, she did not care about that man's infirmity, nor had any desire to pray for God's mercy on him, because she claimed that his illness was due to masturbation:
"I saw that the family of Brother G need a great work done for them. H and I have gone to great lengths in this crime of self-abuse; especially is this true of H, who has gone so far in the practice of this sin that his intellect is affected, his eye-sight is weakened, and disease is fastening itself upon him. Satan has almost full control of this poor boy's mind, but his parents are not awake to see the evil and its results."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 2, p. 404, retrieved Apr 28, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/120.1697#1753]

This brings up some interesting questions that, as far as I know, are not answered by Ellen White; the first question being: Why is it that sexual stimulation of oneself causes disease, but the same sexual stimulation with one's spouse does not cause disease? Of course, SDAs might claim that God punishes men with those diseases, but that is not what Ellen White claims because she specifically said that they got the disease as a direct result of "self-indulgence." (i.e. It was not a spiritual condemnation, but a normal, physical result, like getting pneumonia from being in a wet, cold environment.)

If it were true that God was issuing diseases out to those who masturbated, why does He not issue the same diseases onto those parents who do not act as masturbation police? Furthermore, why would diseases only be issued to those who directly performed the act, instead of presuming that God may have given the disease to the child of the masturbating parents or grandparents?

It should also be noted that Ellen White is claiming that certain diseases which have a KNOWN causation are instead caused by masturbation. For example, the term "cancerous humors" is an older way of saying "cancer," and cancer is a vitamin deficiency, not an epidemic as is often claimed in the news media, despite the fact that modern medical institutions foolishly poison their patients with dangerous radiation. However, the point is that you may have noticed that physicians do not treat their cancer patients by handcuffing them.
(Cancer is not the epidemic that modern medical establishments claim it to be. It is simply a vitamin B17 deficiency. Read "The Cure for Cancer" here at creationliberty.com for more detail.)

Some readers might be wondering why she was targeting masturbation so fervently, and my answer to that would be plagiarism once again. Just like in the case of her absurd teachings on earthquakes and volcanoes, I believe Ellen White took this doctrine from other authors.

Since the 16th century, there have been a variety of authors that claimed masturbation caused various illnesses and deformities, and yet, none of them with medical proof. For example, a Dutch theologian distributed a pamphlet called "The Heinous Sin of Self-Pollution" in London in 1716:
"A pamphlet first distributed in London in 1716, and attributed to Dutch theologian Dr Balthasar Bekker, remained compulsory reading for schoolboys and their masters throughout the eighteenth century. It was titled, in full, Onania [i.e. another word for masturbation], or, The Heinous Sin of Self-Pollution, And All It's Frightful Consequences, in Both Sexes, Considered: With Spiritual and Physical Advice To Those Who Have Already Injured Themselves By This Abominable Practice. With many boys having to share beds, the concern was that they would 'pollute' each other and that masturbation, mutual or otherwise, would 'weaken the boy and ruin the man'."
-David Rutland & Emma Ellis, Resolution: Two Brothers, A Nation in Crisis, A World at War, Head of Zeus LTD, 2017, ISBN: 9781784979904

Having been a young man myself, I can assure readers that young boys do not come up with such lewd things on their own. However, what will spur them to experiment with such things is when they are given detailed knowledge of them, such as in a pamphlet telling them not to do it.

For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.
-Romans 16:19

What is worse is lying to people about these matters because, when they get older and realize they have been lied to, it will only turn them unto those wicked things even more. It is very easy for the devil to draw people into lustful curiosity if he can get them to believe that God (or those claiming to represent God) has lied to them, which is precisely what he did with Eve. (Gen 3:1-3) Young people tend to revolt against things if they discover they have been deceived by them (as opposed to determining if it was simply the fault of an individual who lied to them), and therefore, pamphlets like this will move them away from the Word of God rather than towards it.

The following images are from a pamphlet without a title, given the name Le Livre Sans Title, or "The Book Without a Title," and it was republished in 1844 (the same year as the Great Disappointment) under the title, "The Fatal Consequences of Masturbation." In this pamphlet, a young man with a bright future ended up a hunchback with horrible stomach problems, dimmed eyes, crippled legs, insomnia, rotting teeth that were falling out of his mouth, he also coughed up blood, went bald, was unable to keep food down because he was constantly vomiting blood, boils of puss formed all over the skin of his body, he burned with a fiery fever, was unable to move his arms, aged rapidly, and died at the age of 17:
This same doctrine was being taught by James C. Jackson (aforementioned in the last chapter), who ran a sanitarium which Ellen White had visited for treatments. (Despite the fact that one would not need a sanitarium if they did not sin, according to White's own doctrines.) This is where White originally learned this doctrine, she plagiarized the material from Jackson, and without a doubt it is an absurd teaching which is clearly false. It is shameful that there exist SDA websites that insist Ellen White was proven correct on these subjects, and such authors should be embarrassed, but all I can do is try my best to reason with people by giving them the truth, and hope that they will hear.

Old Jerusalem Would Never Be Rebuilt

Ellen White taught that it was pointless to evangelize to the Jews, especially in Jerusalem, and that the Old City of Jerusalem (about a 1-square-kilometer of walled area in the city) would never be rebuilt:
"Then I was pointed to some who are in the great error of believing that it is their duty to go to Old Jerusalem, and think they have a work to do there before the Lord comes. Such a view is calculated to take the mind and interest from the present work of the Lord, under the message of the third angel; for those who think that they are yet to go to Jerusalem will have their minds there, and their means will be withheld from the cause of present truth to get themselves and others there. I saw that such a mission would accomplish no real good, that it would take a long while to make a very few of the Jews believe even in the first advent of Christ, much more to believe in His second advent. I saw that Satan had greatly deceived some in this thing and that souls all around them in this land could be helped by them and led to keep the commandments of God, but they were leaving them to perish. I also saw that Old Jerusalem never would be built up; and that Satan was doing his utmost to lead the minds of the children of the Lord into these things now, in the gathering time, to keep them from throwing their whole interest into the present work of the Lord, and to cause them to neglect the necessary preparation for the day of the Lord."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 1, p. 131, retrieved Apr 29, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/116.669#672]

First of all, Jesus never instructed us to stop evangelistic works to the Jews at any time. Rather, Jesus told us that evangelism should begin at Jerusalem, as it spread around the world:

And that repentance [i.e. grief and godly sorrow] and remission [i.e. forgiveness by grace through faith] of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
-Luke 24:47

Secondly, it turns out that the Old City of Jerusalem was rebuilt after Israel became a full nation again, and today, it has a population of around 36,000 people, with a variety of active businesses. In fact, it is a very popular tourist attraction in Israel because of its historic significance, and travel is made easy because of its restored roads.
(See Traveling Israel, "The Old City of Jerusalem," retrieved May 19, 2021, [https://www.travelingisrael.com/old-city-jerusalem])

White and many of her followers died long before Israel became a nation again in 1948, and so they never had a chance to see her prophecies proven wrong. However, Old Jerusalem stands as a testimony against a false prophetess, bearing witness to Seventh-day Adventists that they should come to repentance of their sins, and turn away from heretics like Ellen White to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some Adventists Should Be 200 Years Old

This could also be listed under the chapter of false prophecies. Ellen White claimed that an angel gave her a message that some Adventists who were present at a conference on that day would be alive at the second coming of Jesus Christ:
"Why is it so hard to lead a self-denying, humble life? Because professed Christians are not dead to the world. It is easy living after we are dead. But many are longing for the leeks and onions of Egypt. They have a disposition to dress and act as much like the world as possible and yet go to heaven. Such climb up some other way. They do not enter through the strait gate and narrow way. I was shown the company present at the Conference. Said the angel: 'Some food for worms, [Sister Clarissa M. Bonfoey, who fell asleep in Jesus only three days after this vision was given, was present in usual health, and was deeply impressed that she was one who would go into the grave, and stated her convictions to others.] some subjects of the seven last plagues, some will be alive and remain upon the earth to be translated at the coming of Jesus.'"
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 1, p. 131, retrieved Apr 29, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/116.669#672]

This is obviously based on the false Millerite prophecies that Jesus was coming back at any moment. However, because she spoke without understanding, she claimed that it was "truth" from the throne of God that there would be some Adventists in that meeting who would be alive to see the second coming of Jesus Christ, which means that, if Adventists truly believed what Ellen taught, and they want to prove that she was a real prophetess of God, they should be searching the world for Adventists that are nearly 200 years old.

Piano Tuning Makes You Insane

Do not take my word for it. Seek a second opinion from "Doctor" White:
"My brother, you are a sick man. You need different employment. You are engaged in a business that is exceedingly trying to the nervous system. If you could take up some work less trying, if you could get a piece of ground and for a year work out-of-doors, away from all the perplexities of business, it might save your brain and your soul. It is not wise, merely because you can make money readily, to continue in the work of tuning pianos, if this affects your nervous system. In many cases I have advised out-of-door work for piano tuners, telling them that unless they changed their business, they would have to deal with insanity. We are made up of nerves and senses, as well as conscience and affections. All parts of the living machinery are to be wisely cared for and considerately treated. The Lord has respect for the body as well as the soul."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Vol. 3, p. 351-352, retrieve Apr 29, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/69.1645#1888]

This would be like saying that plumbers go crazy because they spend so much time working under sinks. Not only is that idea itself crazy, but she said that she had advised MANY piano tuners with the same diagnosis; namely, they were crazy because they tuned pianos. I felt like I needed to add something else here, but the absurdity of her statement has left me at a loss for words, therefore, I am writing this useless sentence.

Enoch Takes Vacations on Saturn

James White testified the following:
"At our conference in Topsham, Maine, last November, Ellen had a vision of the handiworks of God. She was guided to the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and I think one more. After she came out of vision, she could give a clear description of their moons, et cetera."
-James White, A Word to the 'Little Flock', 1847, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2000, p. 2, ISBN: 9780828012423; See also Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Early Years: 1827-1862, EGW Writings, Vol. 1, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/668.862#878]

Ellen White claimed that she was taken in a vision to various planets, and then gave descriptions of what she claimed to see. She said that one of the planets she was on had seven moons, and so the Adventists around her concluded she had seen Saturn because, at the time, scientists had counted seven moons surrounding Saturn.

"Mrs. White, while in vision, began to talk about the stars, giving a glowing description of rosy-tinted belts which she saw across the surface of some planet, and added, 'I see four moons.' 'Oh,' said Elder Bates, 'she is viewing Jupiter!' Then having made motions as though traveling through space, she began giving a description of belts and rings in their ever-varying beauty, and said, 'I see seven moons.' Elder Bates exclaimed, 'She is describing Saturn.' Next came the description of Uranus, with its six moons; then a wonderful description of the 'opening heavens,' with its glory, calling it an opening into a region more enlightened. Elder Bates said that her description far surpassed any account of the opening heavens he had ever read from any author.
-Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Early Years: 1827-1862, EGW Writings, Vol. 1, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/668.862#866]

Of course, Ellen White did not claim she had a vision of those specific planets, but she did not bother to correct anyone either. She wanted them to believe she had seen a planet like Saturn, likely because she had read a science journal at the time about Saturn having seven moons, but it was later discovered that Saturn has at least 82 confirmed moons. Therefore, SDAs at the time proclaimed that Ellen White was a great prophetess who had been shown a spiritual vision of other planets, but once the evidence did not match what she said, they back-tracked and said that she never actually specified which planets she allegedly saw.

Nonetheless, SDAs at the time believed she had been given a vision of Saturn, but she did not argue or suggest otherwise, and even went on to say that Enoch used this planet as a vacation spot:
"Then I was taken to a world which had seven moons. There I saw good old Enoch, who had been translated. On his right arm he bore a glorious palm, and on each leaf was written 'Victory.' Around his head was a dazzling white wreath, and leaves on the wreath, and in the middle of each leaf was written 'Purity,' and around the wreath were stones of various colors, that shone brighter than the stars, and cast a reflection upon the letters and magnified them. On the back part of his head was a bow that confined the wreath, and upon the bow was written 'Holiness.' Above the wreath was a lovely crown that shone brighter than the sun. I asked him if this was the place he was taken to from the earth. He said, 'It is not; the city is my home, and I have come to visit this place.' He moved about the place as if perfectly at home. I begged of my attending angel to let me remain in that place. I could not bear the thought of coming back to this dark world again."
-Ellen G. White, Early Writings, EGW Writings, p. 39, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/28.319#322]

White also said she visited inhabitants on other planets who were not angels or the saints of God. Indeed, Ellen White claimed there were aliens on other planets:
"The Lord has given me a view of other worlds. Wings were given me, and an angel attended me from the city to a place that was bright and glorious. The grass of the place was living green, and the birds there warbled a sweet song. The inhabitants of the place were of all sizes; they were noble, majestic, and lovely. They bore the express image of Jesus, and their countenances beamed with holy joy, expressive of the freedom and happiness of the place. I asked one of them why they were so much more lovely than those on the earth. The reply was, 'We have lived in strict obedience to the commandments of God, and have not fallen by disobedience, like those on the earth.' Then I saw two trees, one looked much like the tree of life in the city. The fruit of both looked beautiful, but of one they could not eat. They had power to eat of both, but were forbidden to eat of one. Then my attending angel said to me, 'None in this place have tasted of the forbidden tree; but if they should eat, they would fall.'"
-Ellen G. White, Early Writings, EGW Writings, p. 39, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/28.319#322]

Once again, Ellen White has contradicted Scripture to make God into a liar. If mankind, with the image of God, is inhabiting other planets, created apart from Adam and Eve, then why does the Bible say that Eve is the "mother of all living?"

And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
-Genesis 3:20

Eve cannot be "the mother of all living" if there are others alive who were not a descendant from her womb. There is nothing in Scripture which says any man has been taken to another planet to repopulate, nor would that make sense because, according to Ellen's so-called "vision," the alien race had not sinned, and therefore, could not be descendants of fallen mankind.

If there ever comes a time in which there are alien beings who claim themselves to be from another planet, we Christians can know for certain that they are devils in disguise.

An Upset Stomach Causes Unbelief in Christ

I had a hard time believing this existed when I read it the first time. I triple-checked — it is real. This was a letter White wrote in December of 1908:
"Deranged stomachs have made infidels. You can be a preacher of righteousness in this respect. The greatness of the work that may be accomplished in the lines of health reform has not been comprehended or appreciated. There is religion in the making of good bread. I hope you will consider these things, and realize that your work is of consequence."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Vol. 14, p. 342, retrieved Apr 29, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/58.1718#1735]

infidel (n): one who disbelieves the inspiration of the Scriptures, and the divine origin of christianity
(See 'infidel', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Apr 29, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

You heard it from White first: To practice pure religion, we must become bakers so we do not become unbelievers through upset stomachs. Where did she find that in Scripture?

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
-James 1:27

The Reform Dress

Before the Civil War (1861-1865), there were some fanatical Adventist women who were advocating that women of faith should wear dresses that were cut off at shin height, and trousers (or pants) should be worn under the dresses. Here are some old photos of what it looked like:
Of course, female readers will likely see why many women objected to these monstrosities. In my opinion, if you make the dress out of many colors, put some make-up on, and a big red nose, there would not be much difference between the Reform Dress and a clown costume.

At first, Ellen White taught that God condemns such an outfit:
"I saw that God's order has been reversed, and His special directions disregarded, by those who adopt the American costume. I was referred to Deuteronomy 22:5: 'The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.' God would not have His people adopt the so-called reform dress. It is immodest apparel, wholly unfitted for the modest, humble followers of Christ."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 1, p. 421, retrieved May 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/116.1941#1991]

Her rejection of the reform dress was very clear, and she used God as her authority for saying so. Later in her book, she said:
"Christians should not take pains to make themselves a gazing-stock by dressing differently from the world."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 1, p. 458, retrieved May 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/116.2141#2158]

In the fall of 1864, James and Ellen White spent time in a health reform facility in New York, and one of the female physicians was wearing a modified version of the Reform Dress that Ellen had condemned a few years earlier. Ellen and James liked this style of outfit, so Ellen started to wear it herself, and then ("coincidentally") she began to have "visions" that told the SDA church that all faithful women should wear this type of outfit:
"God would now have His people adopt the reform dress, not only to distinguish them from the world as His 'peculiar people,' but because a reform in dress is essential to physical and mental health."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 1, p. 524, retrieved May 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/116.2416#2431]

This is polar opposite to the doctrine she had previously taught. At first, she said that God would not want His people distinguished from the world, and then said that God wanted His people distinguished from the world. This is an obvious contradiction, but it is a contradiction Ellen blamed on God.

White then created paper patterns of the Reform Dress and told her followers that she would be handing them out as she visited various communities of Adventists:
"I shall have patterns prepared to take with me as we travel, ready to hand to our sisters whom we shall meet, or to send by mail to all who may order them. Our address will be given in the Review. Those who adopt the short dress should manifest taste in the selection of colors. Those who are unable to buy new cloth must do the best they can to exercise taste and ingenuity in fixing over old garments, making them new again. Be particular to have the pants and dress of the same color and material, or you will appear fantastic. Old garments may be cut after a correct pattern and arranged tastefully, and appear like new. I beg of you, sisters, not to form your patterns after your own particular ideas. While there are correct patterns and good tastes, there are also incorrect patterns and bad tastes."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 1, p. 522, retrieved May 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/116.2416#2423]

At this point, I would like to quote from Dudley Canright again because he and his wife lived through this "Reform Dress" phase of Ellen White's design, and her so-called "vision" about these outfits made her a lot of money that the SDA General Conference does not readily tell everyone about:
"Mrs. White had patterns of the dress, coat, and pants cut out of paper. These she advertised in the Review [and Herald], took with her wherever she went, and sold for one dollar each! She thus pocketed quite a nice sum of easy money. She strongly urged that these paper patterns of hers be obtained by all... The only correct pattern was hers, the one she advertised in the church paper, carried with her everywhere she went, made out of cheap paper, and handed out to the sisters at only one dollar each! I was there, and that one dollar was the price. Many a poor sister who could ill afford it paid the dollar, and put on the pants. I was married at Battle Creek in 1867, to a young sister of nineteen. It was at the height of this short-dress craze. Of course, as a minister's wife, she reluctantly put on the dress and wore it for eight years. So I know all about it. It was a shameful thing, and brought ridicule everywhere. On the street, people would stop and gaze at her and mock. I have seen troops of boys follow her, making fun, till she would stop into a store to hide from them. We were both ashamed of it; but God's prophet said it was his will, and we must bear the cross!"
-Dudley M. Canright, The Life of Ellen White, Lulu Enterprises Inc, 2005, p. 104, ISBN: 9781411640269

And that is essentially what Ellen White stated, namely, that it was the burden of Adventists to bear the cost and duty of whatever she told them under threat of punishment from God:
"None need fear that I shall make dress reform one of my principal subjects as we travel from place to place. Those who have heard me upon this matter will have to act upon the light that has already been given. I have done my duty; I have borne my testimony, and those who have heard me and read that which I have written must now bear the responsibility of receiving or rejecting the light given. If they choose to venture to be forgetful hearers, and not doers of the work, they run their own risk and will be accountable to God for the course they pursue."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 1, p. 523, retrieved May 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/116.2416#2427]

Despite the fact that Ellen first told them they should not wear the Reform Dress, and then later told them they would suffer God's wrath if they did not wear the Reform Dress, she conceded to majority opinion in the end by creating a slightly modified version that still did not go over well with the SDA women:
"If all our sisters would adopt a simple, unadorned dress of modest length, the uniformity thus established would be far more pleasing to God, and would exert a more salutary influence on the world, than the diversity presented four years ago. As our sisters would not generally accept the reform dress as it should be worn, another, less objectionable style is now presented... Will my sisters accept this style of dress and refuse to imitate the fashions that are devised by Satan and continually changing?"
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 4, p. 640, retrieved May 27, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/114.3108#3172]

Ladies, what Ellen White just stated was that if you are not wearing the Reform Dress, you are wearing an outfit that was designed by Satan. It does not matter what you are wearing right now, no matter how modest it might be, because according to Ellen White, it had to be fashioned by the Devil.

So what happened to the Reform Dress? It was abandoned and forgotten, and even Ellen White stopped wearing it after a time.

What was Ellen White's response to first condemning it, then commanding it, then ignoring it? Nothing. I am not kidding. She said NOTHING, after a few years, the Reform Dress slipped quietly away into the obscurity from which it came.

However, the Reform Dress fiasco did teach us one thing: Ellen White was easily influenced by others, and used "visions from God" as a way to make a quick dollar.

Coffee and Tea Leads to Gossip

As hard as it is becoming to take this woman seriously, let's look at her argument:
"When these tea and coffee users meet together for social entertainment, the effects of their pernicious habit are manifest. All partake freely of the favorite beverages, and as the stimulating influence is felt, their tongues are loosened, and they begin the wicked work of talking against others. Their words are not few or well chosen. The tidbits of gossip are passed around, too often the poison of scandal as well. These thoughtless gossipers forget that they have a witness. An unseen Watcher is writing their words in the books of heaven. All these unkind criticisms, these exaggerated reports, these envious feelings, expressed under the excitement of the cup of tea, Jesus registers as against Himself. 'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.'"
-Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, EGW Writings, p. 423, retrieved Apr 29, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/384.3512#3538]

If you continue reading, White later compares tea and coffee to opium and tobacco, and claims they are "rapidly extinguishing the spark of vitality still left in the race." If only mankind knew that tea and coffee were blotting their names out of the Lamb's book of life, despite the fact that no such thing is found in Scripture.

Angels Need a Gold Card to Enter Heaven

Ellen White taught that angelic emissaries have special golden paperwork to regain entrance into heaven:
"There is perfect order and harmony in the Holy City. All the angels that are commissioned to visit the earth hold a golden card, which they present to the angels at the gates of the city as they pass in and out."
-Ellen G. White, Early Writings, EGW Writings, p. 39, retrieved Apr 29, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/28.319#321]

Are we to believe that God's omniscience is so limited that He would not be able to discern who is entering heaven unless they have a VIP card? What happens if a devil steals that gold card and sneaks in? Speculation on the matter is pointless because White either made these things up on her own, or she stole them from the works of some other author.

Angels Guard William Miller's Corpse Dust

William Miller, whose philosophy and doctrine became the foundation for Seventh-day Adventism, renounced his beliefs after The Great Disappointment of 1844. This greatly upset those who were hanging on to a thread of hope that the false prophecies would come true, and so White made this comment:
"God suffered him to fall under the power of Satan, the dominion of death, and hid him in the grave from those who were constantly drawing him from the truth. Moses erred as he was about to enter the Promised Land. So also, I saw that William Miller erred as he was soon to enter the heavenly Canaan, in suffering his influence to go against the truth. Others led him to this; others must account for it. But angels watch the precious dust of this servant of God, and he will come forth at the sound of the last trump."
-Ellen G. White, Early Writings, EGW Writings, p. 258, retrieved Apr 29, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/28.1254#1272]

So instead of guarding the gates of heaven, or sending messages, or protecting the saints, or fighting against the demonic spiritual forces, God sent angels to stare at dust. However useless that might sound, I would contend that angels staring at some dust is more useful than the collection of White's writings.

Wet Nurses Cause Bad Babies

Obviously, there is no scientific or medical proof for such an absurd idea, but let's look at White's teaching on the matter:
"A stranger performs the duties of the mother, and gives from her breast the food to sustain life. Nor is this all. She also imparts her temper and her temperament to the nursing child. The child's life is linked to hers. If the hireling is a coarse type of woman, passionate and unreasonable; if she is not careful in her morals, the nursling will be, in all probability, of the same or similar type. The same coarse quality of blood, coursing in the veins of the hireling nurse, is in that of the child."
-Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, EGW Writings, p. 226-227, retrieved Apr 29, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/384.1739#1756]

This leaves us with many interesting questions, such as: Why is a child unaffected by the temperament of the birth mother's milk? If parents adopt a newborn baby, and the baby is breastfed by that woman, does it fall under the same rules as a wet nurse? If an adult were to drink the milk of an intemperate woman, would that adult suddenly lose his/her ability to control their emotions? This seems far too complicated for me, but SDAs can be reassured that "Doctor" White is here to help.

Wearing a Wig Makes You Sin

Ellen published her alleged "angelic visions" in the The Health Reformer in October of 1871:
"The artificial hair and pads covering the base of the brain [i.e. a wig] heat and excite the spinal nerves centering in the brain. The head should ever be kept cool. The heat caused by these artificial coverings induces the blood to the brain. The action of the blood upon the lower or animal organs of the brain, causes unnatural activity, tends to recklessness in morals, and the mind and heart are in danger of being corrupted."
-Ellen G. White, Healthful Living, EGW Writings, p. 185, retrieved Apr 30, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/388.1304#1349]

The first question I had when reading this was: Why would natural hair not do the same thing? The only thing I can conclude is that, if what Ellen White said here is true, then she must have worn a wig her entire life.

---

These are just some of the odd things that were taught by Ellen G. White, and this is the result of a woman who not only lied for her own gain, but stole the works of other people. She put on a fake appearance, while she was inwardly corrupt, and her hypocrisy was so great, I had to create an entire chapter dedicated solely to it.
 


The hypocrisy of Ellen G. White and Seventh-day Adventism is astounding. They have created many double-standards, or in other words, they have created "rules for thee, but not for me," meaning that Ellen White gave SDAs commandments that she did not have to follow, which is the typical attitude of false prophets, giving themselves special privileges that no one else is afforded.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
-Matthew 23:25

extortion (n): the act or practice of wresting any thing from a person by force, duress, menaces, authority, or by any undue exercise of power
excess (n): any indulgence of appetite, passion or exertion, beyond the rules of God's word, or beyond any rule of propriety
(See 'extortion' & 'excess', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved May 5, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Meanwhile, even though SDAs insist that they must follow the doctrines of Ellen G. White, there are many doctrines they do not follow. This is what is known as an "arbitrary standard," meaning that an Adventist cannot simply read the teachings of Ellen G. White and follow them; they must also abide by the interpretations and allowances of the SDA General Conference, but even the SDA General Conference does not agree among themselves on what should be done, so they violate many of White's absurd doctrines.

Ellen White said:
"If I write one thing and act another, I am a hypocrite." -Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Vol. 19, p. 31, retrieved May 14, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/60.152#159]

Let's test that.

Idolatry of Photography

White taught her followers that photographs are idolatry:
"During the night I was sorely distressed. A great burden rested upon me. I had been pleading with God to work in behalf of His people. My attention was called to the money which they have invested in photographs. I was taken from house to house, through the homes of our people, and as I went from room to room, my Instructor said, 'Behold the idols which have accumulated!'"
-Ellen G. White, The Review and Herald, EGW Writings, Sept 10, 1901, par 1, retrieved May 5, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/821.20813#20817]

I find it interesting that her attention was not first called to the photographs themselves, because, if what she said was true, the idolatry should be the main point of contention. Instead, her attention was called to the MONEY spent on those photographs because, after all, if they spend their money on photos of their families, they will have less money to buy Ellen White's products.

Idolatry is certainly an issue still facing a lot of church buildings, and most of it not only goes ignored, but praised and encouraged by churchgoers. This includes things like the cross symbol, the so-called "Jesus fish," the triquetra, and many other such things used to represent "Christianity" and/or the "Godhead" (i.e. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
(Read "Christian Symbols Are Not Christian" & "The Biblical Understanding of Idolatry" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

And yet, the Bible tells us we should not use such things as a representation of Him and His Word:

Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
-Acts 17:29

Though men have created many idolatrous paintings, sculptures, and other images, it does not mean that everything that is sculpted or painted is automatically idolatry. In fact, God instructed the Jews to create sculpted images for certain purposes:

And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
-Numbers 21:8-9

However, when it comes to spiritual things, we should not be making images of such things without the express guidance and commandments of God, otherwise, we will end up giving false impressions of spiritual things through our ignorance. However, this does not mean anyone is sinning by having a photo of a loved one, and to teach such a thing is not only unbiblical, but is somewhat cruel in the sense that a false teacher would, for example, make a soldier feel guilty for having a photo of his wife and/or children to look upon when he is lonely on the battlefield.

Ellen White continued to say:
"This making and exchanging photographs is a species of idolatry. Satan is doing all he can to eclipse heaven from our view. Let us not help him by making picture-idols. We need to reach a higher standard than these human faces suggest. The Lord says, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me.'"
-Ellen G. White, The Review and Herald, EGW Writings, Sept 10, 1901, par 4, retrieved May 5, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/821.20813#20820]

White also taught the following to the youth of her day:
"After going from home to home, and seeing the many photographs, I was instructed to warn our people against this evil. This much we can do for God. We can put these picture-idols out of sight. They have no power for good, but interpose between God and the soul."
-Ellen G. White, Messages to Young People, EGW Writings, p. 318, retrieved May 5, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/76.1635#1636]

In the name of God, she commanded that SDAs remove photographs from their homes:
"As I visit the homes of our people and our schools, I see that all the available space on tables, what-nots, and mantelpieces is filled up with photographs. On the right hand and on the left are seen the pictures of human faces. God desires this order of things to be changed. Were Christ on earth, He would say, 'Take these things hence.' I have been instructed that these pictures are as so many idols, taking up the time and thought which should be sacredly devoted to God."
-Ellen G. White, Messages to Young People, EGW Writings, p. 318, retrieved May 5, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/76.1635#1636]

To summarize, Ellen declared that photographs were "a species of idolatry" that was being used by Satan to distract us from heavenly things, and that she was instructed by God to "warn our people against this evil." She also expressed how disturbed she was to see photographs in peoples' homes, and claimed that God told her that they should not have those photographs in their homes.

As indicated by the title of this chapter, Ellen G. White was a hypocrite because she kept photographs of her family and her travels. In the following letter to James White, Ellen asked her husband his opinion about what sizes she should have portraits made:
"I do not think I shall ever get a picture to equal the one Dunham has made for me. He says I had better have the large one put on a small card. What do you think of this plan?"
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Letter #17, 1876, p. 77, retrieved May 5, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/52.389#397]

The following week, she wrote:
"Dunham gave me one dozen of these last pictures of yours. Shall I send them to you? What do you think of them? I told him I did not like them. They did not look natural, but you can use them. If so, let me know."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Letter #21, 1876, p. 77, retrieved May 5, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/52.389#398]

She also wrote to her son and said:
"If you have Father's pictures, please bring them. I want to show them. My pocket album I left at Healdsburg."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Letter #15, 1882, p. 77, retrieved May 5, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/52.389#400]

If White's hypocrisy has not been surprising to you yet, it gets worse. She goes on to rebuke those who teach that photographs are idolatry. I am not kidding; read it for yourself:
"It is a difficult matter for men and women to draw the line in the matter of picture-making. Some have made a raid against pictures, daguerreotypes [da-gayr-oh-taips, early photography process], and pictures of every kind. Everything must be burned up, they say, urging that the making of all pictures is prohibited by the second commandment; that they are an idol. An idol is anything that human beings love and trust in instead of loving and trusting in the Lord their Maker. Whatever earthly thing men desire and trust in as having power to help them and do them good, leads them away from God, and is to them an idol. Whatever divides the affections, or takes away from the soul the supreme love of God, or interposes to prevent unlimited confidence and entire trust in God, assumes the character and takes the form of an idol in the soul temple... Well, Addie [Walling], I would be pleased to have you get your picture taken and write to May [Walling] to do the same. I will settle the bills. I want to see the faces of my children once more."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, p. 78-79, retrieved May 5, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/52.389#402]

So on one hand, Ellen White taught that photographs were idolatry because, she claimed, the Lord showed this to her in a vision and taught her that photographs were leading people away from God, but on the other hand, she taught that photographs are not idolatry because they do not lead people away from God. Which Ellen White are we supposed to believe? This either makes her a liar, or a hypocrite, so SDAs can pick whichever one they think makes her sound better, but I would say both.

Ellen not only had many pictures of her family, but as we just read, she carried a "pocket album" with her to see her family whenever she wanted, and to perhaps show them to other people if she so desired. It did not stop there either; Ellen White owned MANY photo albums, as she had photos taken during her travels around the country and the world:
"That in view of Brother and Sister White departing soon for America, after a stay of nine years in Australasia, we hereby express our appreciation of their active and earnest efforts to establish the work in this country, our thankfulness for the success which has attended their labors, and wish them the rich blessing of God, and a safe and pleasant voyage homeward. Two autograph albums had been prepared, one for Ellen White and one for the W. C. White family. Both were beautifully bound, and each contained original drawings, photographs, and messages from churches and from individuals expressing appreciation, friendship, and love."
-Australian SDA Union Conference Council, Ellen G. White: The Australian Years: 1891-1900, EGW Writings, Vol. 4, p. 458, retrieved May 6, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/670.3616#3619]

It makes no difference what excuses SDAs might want to make for Ellen White, the fact is that she has never, at any point, admitted that she prophesied falsely. That is the only thing that can restore her credibility, and she never said that because she knew that would destroy her reputation, and no one would buy what she was selling anymore. (i.e. The truth is not always financially profitable.)

The following is Arthur White's (i.e. Ellen's grandson's) testimony about what is contained in those albums:
"The brown-toned photographs help to tell the story of the work in Australia. There is the electro-hydropathic institute in Adelaide. There are pictures of neat little churches Ellen White had visited and in which she had made investments to help the companies of believers who needed meetinghouses. There are portraits of friends, and scenes from her Sunnyside home. One page was reserved for pictures of their watchdog, Tiglath-Pileser, at Sunnyside."
-Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Early Elmshaven Years: 1900-1905, EGW Writings, Vol. 5, p. 19, retrieved May 6, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/675.73#88]

However, Ellen did not tell anyone she was doing these things so she would not be caught in her lie, and she only recanted after she finally got caught:
"In the vision given me in Rochester, December 25, 1865, I was shown that picture-taking had been carried to too great lengths by Sabbath-keeping Adventists; and that much means had been spent in multiplying copies which was worse than lost. This means should have been invested in the cause of God. I was shown that we had done wrong in expending means in picture-taking. We acknowledge our error. We deeply regret that we ever consented to sit for our pictures. For years I would not consent to have our pictures taken, though solicited so to do. How many times I have wished we had remained steadfast. But all we can do now is to confess our wrong and ask God to forgive us, and entreat the forgiveness of our brethren and sisters."
-Ellen G. White, The Review and Herald, EGW Writings, Mar 26, 1867, par. 1-2, retrieved May 5, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/821.2000720#724]

Please note the references for these letters. You will notice that the letters written to James and William White (i.e. her husband and son) were written between 1876-1882, and the Australian notes were from the turn of the 20th century, but the letter of her alleged "repentance" was in 1867, and that should tell you everything you need to know about Ellen G. White. (i.e. "Rules for thee, but not for me.")

You may have also noticed that, in the 1867 letter, she only acknowledged her so-called "error," which she would later argue was not an error, and then later flip-flop again. She NEVER said she would get rid of her photographs, which means she was a closet idolater according to her own definitions.

But Ellen's hypocrisy does not stop there because she went on to blame SDAs for causing the controversy:
"Two serious problems plagued this important church: a lax spirit in regard to Sabbath observance [because the heavy-handed rules were becoming too much to bear], and fanatical criticism over matters of minor importance. In place of the true test of loyalty, the church members had manufactured tests of their own on dress and photographic pictures. Interpreting the second commandment to apply even to photographs, some had burned pictures of their friends. Thus a spirit of criticism, fault-finding, and dissension had come in, which had been a great injury to the church. And the impression was given to unbelievers that Sabbath-keeping Adventists were a set of fanatics and extremists, and that their peculiar faith rendered them unkind, uncourteous, and really unchristian in character."
-Ellen G. White, Ellen G. White in Europe 1885-1887, EGW Writings, p. 119-120, retrieved May 5, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/669.784#785]

White said that the "fanatical criticism" about "photographs" being a violation of "the second commandment" was "of their own" making. How she had the audacity to lay such a burden on others, knowing that she taught everyone that it came to her in a vision from God, I have no idea, but what I do know is that she was a deceptive, manipulative, and brute woman.

But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
-2 Peter 2:12

brute (adj): senseless, irrational
(See 'brute', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved May 5, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

The first quotations I provided from White on this subject, in which she gave her alleged visions from God, were made in 1901. And yet, by 1912, she left all her photographs to her sons:
"My household furniture, dishes, carpets, pictures, photographs, and clothing, I give and bequeath in equal parts to my sons, James Edson White and William C. White."
-Ellen G. White, Ellen G. White and Her Critics, EGW Writings, p. 678, retrieved May 5, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/756.5082#5142]

If photographs were idolatry, then why did she encourage her family to commit idolatry by leaving her idols to them? If photographs were not idolatry, then why did she lie and tell SDAs that God said they were?

It should also be noted that the Ellen G. White Estate has doctored the photos of Ellen to give her a more pleasing appearance. Ellen White was known to have a pug nose, which is a nose that is more flattened and points upward, revealing the nostrils to a greater degree, which is often seen as a defect and unpleasant to the eyes.
Whether or not someone has a physical defect of any kind has no bearing on my analysis of their doctrine, so please do not misunderstand why I am pointing this out. The reason it is important to note the doctored photos is because Ellen White said that the focus on "human faces" makes them "idols," and as I have already shown in the Biblical context of having photographs, that is simply not true; however, when the SDA organization starts to doctor photos to make Ellen more pleasing to the eye, and they do this to make the so-called "Spirit of Prophecy" look more pleasant to the viewer, now they are beginning to cross the line into idolatry, and that should be no big surprise because, as we have already seen, SDAs worship Ellen White.

And even some prominent SDAs objected to the doctoring of White's photos:

"W. A. Colcord, Secretary of the SDA General Conference around 1891, vigorously protested at the publishing of these pictures, and in letters to Pastor E. S. Ballenger said that Mrs. White had a pug nose with the bridge broken down almost even with the face. In a further Feb. 29, 1928 letter to Ballenger, Colcord wrote: 'I am glad to see you getting after W. C. White and sheeting some things home to him. No doubt he was the one who had his mother's picture doctored up to represent her having a beautiful long, straight nose—the one used as front piece to Gilberts' book, Divine Predictions Fulfilled. That book starts out with a misrepresentation regarding Mrs. White—a misrepresentation which covers up the deformity caused by an all but fatal blow in childhood which later brought on her epilepsy and fits mistaken for visions. And the preface to that book credits W. C. White with having assisted greatly in its production. For many years he has figured in these misrepresentations and defenses of his mother.'" -Robert K. Sanders, "'Picture-idols' According to Ellen G. White," Truth or Fables, retrieved May 6, 2021, [http://www.truthorfables.com/EGW_Picture_Idols.htm]

If you look at all these photographs and images, you will see that White's nose keeps changing in each one, and yet, even these SDA officials were missing the major elephant in the room, namely, that White said that using those photographs in the first place was sin, which makes them hypocrites because they are not following the doctrines of Ellen G. White, even though they tell every other SDA that they must adhere to her teachings. After White had condemned photos as idolatry (while trying to blame the idea on SDAs), the SDA organization went on to ignore White's doctrines and use many photos: (See Ellen G. White Estate, "Learn About Ellen G. White," EGW Writings, retrieved May 6, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/about])

The following image was taken from one of the Ellen G. White Estate's official websites (ellenwhite.org), and not only are they using many images, but they also use an image of "Jesus," which is not really an image of Jesus, but rather, it is the corrupt and false Catholic version of a long-haired, hippie "Jesus," which should not be used:
(See Ellen G. White Estate, ellenwhite.org, retrieved May 6, 2021, [https://ellenwhite.org]; See also Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism & "Hair Length in the Bible" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

If there is any SDA that, by the grace of God, might be reading this book, what I want you to take away from this is the hypocrisy of Ellen G. White. She demanded flawlessness from her followers, teaching that if any sin was found in them, they would not enter God's kingdom, and so based on the evidence and her own words, we would have to conclude that Ellen G. White did not enter God's kingdom when she died because she was an idolater by her own definition.

Contradictory Eating Habits

The "rules for thee, but not for me" is once again demonstrated in White's dietary doctrines. Before we cover specific examples, let's make sure we understand that White taught, in no uncertain terms, that her doctrine was given to her straight from the throne of God, and that those who deny her doctrines are liars:
"Those who are reproved by the Spirit of God should not rise up against the humble instrument. It is God, and not an erring mortal, who has spoken to save them from ruin. Those who despise the warning will be left in blindness to become self-deceived."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 3, p. 257, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/119.1175#1179]

"[T]hose who do not accept the light God has given on health reform, who subsist on the flesh of dead animals, who use narcotics and stimulants, cannot represent the truth to others."
-Ellen G. White, Letters and Manuscripts, EGW Writings, Vol. 14, 1899, Letter #36, par. 9, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/14064.5068001#5068015]

To summarize, Ellen White believed and taught that what she said and wrote were the words of God who had spoken to mankind. She also believed that anyone who ate meat (i.e. those who "subsist on the flesh of dead animals") was guilty of deception and lying because they "cannot represent the truth to others," and anyone who questions these things is supposedly questioning God Himself.

Here is one of the mandates that Ellen White issued that all who want to "represent the truth" must follow:
"Is it not time that all should aim to dispense with flesh foods [i.e. meat]? How can those who are seeking to become pure, refined, and holy, that they may have the companionship of heavenly angels, continue to use as food anything that has so harmful an effect on soul and body? How can they take the life of God's creatures that they may consume the flesh as a luxury? Let them, rather, return to the wholesome and delicious food given to man in the beginning, and themselves practice, and teach their children to practice, mercy toward the dumb creatures that God has made and has placed under our dominion."
-Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, EGW Writings, p. 380, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/384.3093#3155]

Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
-Matthew 15:11

What Ellen just did was try to reason to SDAs that they all must become vegetarians to please God. According to this statement, anyone who ingests meat cannot be pure, nor can they have companionship with angels (which also means SDAs could not have fellowship with Jesus Christ because Ellen believed that Jesus was Michael the Archangel), and furthermore, they are harming not just their own bodies, but their souls as well.

Of course, my first question is: Where is any of this listed out in Scripture? Answer: It is not listed out in Scripture, and in fact, Scripture contradicts this because it is God who gave permission to eat animals.

And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
-Genesis 9:2-4

The Lord said that all meat was good for us to eat, but He told us to respect the blood and not consume it with the meat because it is the life of the flesh (Lev 17:11), and this was upheld by the elders and apostles in the early church:

But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
-Acts 15:20

For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
-Acts 15:28-29

However, Ellen White is ADDING more burdens to this list, and by 1869, she had dedicated herself to leading by example:
"I have not changed my course a particle since I adopted the health reform. I have not taken one step back since the light from heaven upon this subject first shone upon my pathway. I broke away from everything at once,—from meat and butter, and from three meals,—and that while engaged in exhaustive brain labor, writing from early morning till sundown. I came down to two meals a day without changing my labor."
-Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, EGW Writings, p. 483, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/384.4001#4031]

Ellen had publicly denounced meat and butter a few years before 1869, and here, she is claiming that she has been consistent in her service to God on this matter. Ignoring the fact that God ate butter with Abraham (Gen 18:8) White took it upon herself to be a dedicated leader among all the SDAs, showing herself to be a shining example, until it was discovered to be a lie to support her fake appearance.

In 1873, four years later, White wrote about her trip to Colorado:
"Another beautiful day has come. The sun shines so pleasantly, but no relief comes to us. Our provisions have been very low for some days. Many of our supplies have gone—no butter, no sauce of any kind, no corn meal or graham flour. We have a little fine flour and that is all. We expected supplies three days ago certainly, but none has come. Willie went to the lake for water. We heard his gun and found he had shot two ducks. This is really a blessing, for we need something to live upon."
-Ellen G. White, Letters and Manuscripts, EGW Writings, Vol. 2, 1873, par. 6, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/14052.3672001#3672017]

Ellen said that they had run out of butter, and she ate duck meat. Of course, it might seem confusing to SDAs why Ellen White forgot to mention that meat and butter should not be consumed UNLESS you are running low on provisions.

However, as Ellen so eloquently stated, SDAs should not question her teachings, or they are guilty of questioning God. What I would say SDAs can know for certain is that God did not make Ellen White a hypocrite; she did that all by herself.

It should also be noted that, for a vegetarian, it is not a simple thing to just eat meat whenever it suits him/her to do so. Vegetarians who have been eating that way for a long time often need time to transition back onto meat, and so for Ellen White to just consume duck meat without a second thought, or even a comment asking for God's forgiveness for doing so, demonstrates that she was a regular meat-eater behind the scenes (and was consuming butter as well), while expecting SDAs not to eat any of those things (likely to save them money so they would have more money to spend on her books).

For SDAs who think it was just a one-time event, keep reading because, during the Colorado trip, she also ate deer meat in a stew:
"Brother Glover left the camp today to go for supplies. We are getting short of provisions. We got him the best we could for his meals on the way. He was to send Mr. Walling immediately and to get our mail. A young man from Nova Scotia had come in from hunting. He had a quarter of deer. He had traveled 20 miles with this deer upon his back. The remainder of the deer he had left hung up in the woods. He saw six elk but did not try to shoot them as he knew he could not carry them out. He gave us a small piece of the meat, which we made into broth. Willie shot a duck which came in a time of need, for our supplies were rapidly diminishing."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, 1873, Vol. 14, p. 353, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/58.1790#1792]

Ellen drank beef broth, which violated her vegetarian commandments:
"I remained on deck until dark, and then went into the cabin, where the pitching of the boat made me very sick. This was on Monday, and I was unable to sit up from that time until Thursday morning, taking but once during that time a little beef tea [i.e. beef broth] and cracker."
-Ellen G. White, The Signs of the Times, EGW Writings, 1878, par. 3, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/820.1072#1077]

Many years later, after being addressed on this obvious contradiction, White said:
"I at once cut meat out of my bill of fare. After that I was at times placed where I was compelled to eat a little meat."
-Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, EGW Writings, p. 487, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/384.4001#4065]

White had no problem breaking the so-called "commandments" from the "throne of God" whenever she felt like it. Remember, White said that anyone who did these things could not represent the truth, and so if SDAs want to be consistent in their beliefs as followers of Ellen White, they must come to the conclusion that White did not represent the truth, which is one of the major points I am making in this book.

For any SDAs that might have thought Ellen only ate meat when it was absolutely necessary for her to do so, or that she had no other choice (which is clearly not true), it should be noted that she also ate venison when she celebrated Christmas:
"I suppose you will be interested to know how we spent Christmas... Christmas morning we all took breakfast together—James Cornell; Florence and Clara, their two girls; Brother and Sister Moore and their three children; Sister Bahler and Etta, a girl living with them; and Sister Daniells, our cook, Father, and myself. We had a quarter of venison cooked, and stuffing. It was as tender as a chicken. We all enjoyed it very much. There is plenty of venison in market."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Vol. 14, p. 318, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/58.1592#1596]

First of all, it is amazing to me that Ellen White claimed there were great offenses of idolatry in looking at a photograph, but then she seemed to be completely oblivious to the massive amount of idolatry involved in the pagan ritual of Christmas. I wrote a book called Christmas: Rejecting Jesus to demonstrate how every aspect of the Christmas celebration is rooted in paganism, sun god and moon goddess worship of witchcraft, and that the holiday is a Catholic/pagan hybrid invention that has nothing to do with Jesus Christ, so I would encourage readers to check out that free-to-read book here at creationliberty.com for more details.

Secondly, this proves that Ellen White was not eating meat out of any necessity, but rather, she made the decision to eat the venison because it was enjoyable to her taste. Once again, this proves that she was not the vegetarian she claimed to be, but also, that she was "controlled by taste, not by principle," as she condemned others:
"Those who digress [turn aside] occasionally to gratify the taste in eating a fattened turkey or other flesh meats, pervert their appetites, and are not the ones to judge the benefits of the system of health reform. They are controlled by taste, not by principle."
-Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, EGW Writings, p. 399, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/384.3093#3359]

White also said that those who would feast on meat to satisfy themselves on the taste (which she did at her Christmas celebration), lack stability, and are "deficient" of Christianity in their lives because they ignore their consciences:
"A wonderful indifference has been manifested upon this important subject by those right at the heart of the work. The lack of stability in regard to the principles of health reform is a true index of their character and their spiritual strength. They are deficient in thoroughness in their Christian experience. Conscience is not regarded."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 2, p. 487, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/120.1914#2112]

It seems Ellen ignored her conscience when it came to chicken, one of her favorite foods:
"Thursday morning we arose from our berths refreshed with sleep. At eight o'clock we took a portion of the pressed chicken furnished us by the matron of the Sanitarium, put the same in a two-quart pail and placed it on the stove and thus we had good hot chicken broth. The morning was very cold and this hot dish was very palatable."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Vol. 11, p. 142, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/54.577#719]

Later in the same letter, she went on to talk about the food they packed before boarding a train, and that although there was some difficulty concerning the luggage, she was not worried because they had plenty of delicious chicken. which they had received from the matron of the sanitarium:
"The agent said he must punch my tickets or baggage would not be sent; the conductor said I must not get my tickets punched until the telegraph should notify us the trunks were on the way. But the agent said he was mistaken, so my tickets are punched. We have plenty of room, good food and plenty of it. Sister McComber scalded up the chicken. Will scald the meat tomorrow morning."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Vol. 11, p. 147, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/54.577#740]

In this particular instance, White was visiting a sanitarium, and when advising other SDAs on this journey, she hypocritically instructed them to prepare vegetarian foods ahead of time. This was not a situation in which White had never been on this trip and had to eat chicken because she had no other choice, but rather, she had taken this journey 15 times before:
"We have crossed the plains fifteen times, and we would recommend to those contemplating such a journey strict temperance in all things. Take your lunch-baskets with you, well filled with fruits and plainly cooked bread. Eat at regular hours, and nothing between meals; and whenever the train stops for any length of time improve the opportunity by taking a brisk walk in the open air. By so doing, the journey will not only be more enjoyable, but far more beneficial healthwise."
-Ellen G. White, Good Health, EGW Writings, Nov 1, 1880, par. 19, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/440.101#123]

This is all taking place two decades after she condemned the eating of meat. The following is a letter Ellen wrote to her daughter-in-law, Mary, asking her to send her some fish and oysters because the last ones she had were bitter:
"Mary, if you can get me a good box of herrings, fresh ones, please do so. These last ones that Willie got are bitter and old. If you can buy cans, say, half a dozen cans, of good tomatoes, please do so. We shall need them. If you can get a few cans of good oysters, get them."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Release, EGW Writings, No. 852, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/50.2#14]

And again, Ellen White's hypocrisy is showing because, according to her own visions, the eating of oysters is condemned:
"For a time he [a hypothetical college student] resists every inducement to yield to temptation; but as he observes that those who profess to be Christians seem to enjoy the company of this irreligious class, his purposes and high resolves begin to waver. He enjoys the lively sallies [passions] and jovial spirit of these youth, and he is almost imperceptibly [without the perception of the sense] drawn more and more into their company. His stronghold seems to be giving way; his hitherto brave heart is growing weak. He is invited to accompany them for a walk, and they lead him to a saloon. Oysters or other refreshments are called for, and he is ashamed to draw away and refuse the treat. Having once overstepped the bounds, he goes again and again. A glass of beer is thought to be unobjectionable, and he accepts it; but still, with all, there are sharp twinges of conscience."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 4, p. 435, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/114.2139#2162]

Essentially, Ellen White just absurdly described oysters as a gateway drug into alcoholism. If you read her entire article, she goes on to describe how the taste of oysters will eventually lead college youth down a path of drinking, gambling, destroying the homes of their parents, and would ultimately make such young men "slaves to Satan." However, despite all this alleged "demonic" seafood influence, she freely enjoyed her mollusk snacks without shame of the burdens she placed on others.

In chapter five, I briefly mentioned Fannie Bolton, who was a friend of Ellen White that was converted to Seventh-day Adventism in 1885, and was hired onto Ellen's personal staff to be her editor. In correlation with Ellen's request to her daughter-in-law to get her fresh oysters, Fannie testified that Ellen loved eating oysters:
"That at the railway depot Sr. [or Senior, referring to Ellen] White was not with her party, so Eld. [George B.] Starr [a member of the party] hunted around till he found her behind a screen in the restaurant very gratified in eating big white raw oysters with vinegar, pepper and salt. I was overwhelmed with this inconsistency and dumb with horror. Elder Starr hurried me out and made all sorts of excuses and justifications of Sr. White's action; yet I kept thinking in my heart, 'What does it mean? What has God said? How does she dare eat these abominations?'"
-Fannie Bolton, quoted by Roger W. Coon, Ellen White and Vegetarianism: Did She Practice what She Preached? Pacific Press, 1986, p. 5, ISBN: 9780816306725

To demonstrate how deceptive the SDA organization is, they attempted to answer Bolton's claims by first publishing a statement by William White that her testimony was not true, and then also published a statement from George B. Starr saying that Fannie publicly stated that she lied about the whole thing and repented of it, even though there is no documentation of Fannie's statement to that effect. In short, William White said that his friend said that she said—that is called 'hearsay', which is not legitimate evidence.

hearsay (n): unverified, unofficial information gained or acquired from another and not part of one's direct knowledge:
(See 'hearsay', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

They cannot quote directly from Fannie Bolton because they do not have the evidence, but I can quote directly from Ellen White because I have the evidence. In short, William said that his friend said that Fannie said—again, that is not legitimate evidence, but it is a trick that SDA organizations utilize when it suits their purposes.

This is a prime example of the 'fox guarding the hen house' (i.e. those who stand to gain from deception are put in charge of the information) because, first of all, Fannie's accusation exposed George Starr as a fraud who was covering for Ellen's fraud, and secondly, her testimony puts a hindrance on the financial gains of William White, who inherited his mother's estate. So while Bolton stood to gain nothing but ridicule for her testimony, the very men who claimed Fannie was a liar also happen to be men who will gain power, popularity, and a paycheck if SDAs can be persuaded she was not telling the truth.
(See EGW Writings, Ellen White and Vegetarianism, p. 6, retrieved May 7, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/708.9#18])

John Kellogg, the personal physician of Ellen White aforementioned in chapter six, wrote in January of 1936, testifying of Ellen White's enjoyment of meat. This is a lengthy quote, but worth the read for those of you who want to fully understand White's hypocrisy because, in my opinion, it surpasses the hypocrisy of many other religious cultists I have written about:
"Mrs. White ate meat and plenty of it. The next day after she arrived in America on her return from Scandinavia. I took dinner with her at the house of a mutual friend near New Bedford, Massachusetts. A large baked fish occupied the center of the table. Mrs. White ate freely of it as did all the rest with the exception of the hostess and myself. From this circumstance I think Mrs. White began the use of meat during the several years she spent abroad, chiefly In Switzerland and Scandinavia. She visited the Sanitarium frequently during the years that intervened before she went to Australia. When there she always called for meat and usually fried chicken. Dr. H. F. Rand was then the cook at the Sanitarium and had became an ardent vegetarian and he on more than one occasion said to me, 'It goes very hard on me to have to prepare fried chicken for Mrs. White.' In those days we had a liberal table at the Sanitarium where we served meat to friends of patients who insisted on having it, although we did not prescribe it for patients.
At the annual meetings of the [Seventh-day Adventist] General Conference, which were always held in Battle Creek, we used to give the Conference a banquet. Most of the members were members of the Sanitarium constituency. We thought we owed them that courtesy. At these banquets they expected us to serve meat.
In those days practically all Seventh-Day Adventist ministers ate meat. They knew that Mrs. White ate it and with not more than two or three exceptions they all ate chicken or mutton stew that was usually served them.
On the day of Elder [James] White's funeral, his brother, who attended the funeral, and his two sons, J. E. [James Jr.] and W. C. [William], took dinner at the Sanitarium. They ate the liberal table and both ate meat within an hour after their father was buried.
After Mrs. White return [sic] from Scandinavia she visited many camp meetings at some of which I was present. She was then in the habit of eating meat and the fact must have been generally known. I heard J. E. on one occasion, standing in front of his mother's tent, call out to a meat-wagon that visited the grounds regularly and was just leaving, 'Say, hello there! Have you any fresh fish?' 'No' was his reply. Have you got any: fresh chicken?' Again the answer was 'No,' and J. E. bawled out in a very loud voice, 'Mother wants some chicken. You had better get some quick.'
It was always lay suspicion that he was the one who was hankering for the chicken and that Mrs. White ate it also and that it was then her habit.
I am surprised that Elder Star [sic] should state that Mrs. White did not eat meat in Australia. He must have been acquainted with the fact that she ate it regularly. She was eating meat when she went there and continued to eat it for several years until she got rheumatism so bad she was not able to walk and had to be wheeled about and sat in a chair while she talked.
After a while she gave up the use of meat and wrote me about it. She said that one of her addresses on Christian temperance was attended by a Catholic woman who was president of the W. C. T. U. [Woman's Christian Temperance Union] and happened to be a vegetarian.
After the lecture she called on Mrs. White and thanked her for the lecture and remarked, 'Of course you do not eat meat, Mrs. White.' Mrs. White replied she did sometimes, where at the lady dropped upon her knees and with tears streaming down her face besought Mrs. White never again to allow a morsel of meat to pass her lips. Said Mrs. White in her letter to me, 'I thought it was about time me [sic] to begin my own teaching.' So she said, 'I have stopped the use of meat myself, but I still serve it to my workers.'...
I do not remember the name of any minister who was advised by Mrs. White to eat meat, but I do remember clearly that she did advise some persons to eat meat.
The fact is many people were injured by the practice of what they called health reform in those days which was not soundly based. The principal fault was in discarding butter which eliminated vitamin A and lowered the vital resistance and I think led to tuberculosis in many cases. Many people were doubtless suffering from the lack of fat especially fat containing vitamin A as does butter fat and also tallow and suet. [pronounced sue-et; beef fat]
When George I. Butler was in the presidential chair of the S. D. A. denomination meat was freely used and served in the provisions stands at all the camp meetings. There had been a universal backsliding on health reform. The backsliding probably saved a good many lives, for the people were suffering for lack of vitamins, not because they did not use meat, but because they did not use butter.
With reference to Fanny Bolton's story about Mrs. White eating oysters, Fanny told me that the first time she met Mrs. White was in Chicago in a restaurant. She had been informed that Mrs. White was eating her dinner at a certain restaurant and went there and found she was eating stewed oysters...
When I visited the Grand Rapids camp grounds, one of the first [SDA] camp meetings held, I found in the provision stand conspicuously displayed whole codfish, large slabs of halibut, smoked herring, dried beef and Bologna sausage. I found some of the same things at all the camp meetings I visited.
After a few years I succeeded in getting these things cleared out. On one occasion in order to clean up the provision stand I paid what the whole stock of meat, strong cheese and some detestable bakery stuff cost, which was fifteen dollars, and ordered it thrown into the river. I was assured that this would be done, but learned afterwards that it was put away and after the camp meeting was Over [sic] was divided up among the preachers of the Conference. This was in Indiana. I received information concerning its disposal from Elder Covert who was President of the Conference.
The health reform that was taught in those days was badly mixed with error and it probably did more harm than good and it is a shame to lay the responsibility on the Almighty."
-John H. Kellogg, Letter to E.S. Ballenger, Jan 9, 1936, retrieved May 11, 2021, [http://www.truthorfables.com/JH_Kellogg_to_Ballenger_Jan1936.htm]

Please do not misunderstand, Kellogg himself was not a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ either because, in the letter, he made it clear that he did not want his name associated with the controversy. He was refusing to come forward and publicly reprove the unfruitful works of darkness to maintain friendships and clients among the SDAs, despite the fact that it might have helped many people since his name carried weight among Adventists in general.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
-Ephesians 5:11

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season [i.e. when it is convenient, and when it is not convenient]; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
-2 Timothy 4:1-2

Putting his cowardice aside for the time being, Kellogg's statements can be verified not only by other eye witnesses, but also by Ellen White herself. When he wrote that Ellen had said, "I thought it was about time me [sic] to begin my own teaching" after a Catholic woman pleaded with her, this is verified by her writings:
"But when the selfishness of taking the lives of animals to gratify a perverted taste was presented to me by a Catholic woman, kneeling at my feet, I felt ashamed and distressed. I saw it in a new light, and I said, I will no longer patronize the butchers. I will not have the flesh of corpses on my table."
-Ellen G. White, Letters and Manuscripts, EGW Writings, Vol. 11, 1896, par. 5, retrieved May 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/14061.5174001#5174011]

This provides us with two very important pieces of information; the first being that Ellen White was, by her own admission, violating the rules she set forth in her so-called "visions." The second thing it tells us is that Ellen White had no conviction from the Spirit of God on this matter, but rather, her conviction had to come from men.

Kellogg also mentioned the issue of butter, and gave a correct health analysis about butter (i.e. there are healthy fats that come from natural butter made from the milk of organically-raised cows or other herd animals), but SDAs avoided butter because of another "vision" from Ellen White. Ellen declared that the "light [of] the Lord" told her that SDAs should not consume butter, else they "neglect the great salvation dearly purchased for you," while hypocritically accusing them of not having control over their appetites:
"We feel very anxious for you. We are desirous that you should form a good, Christian character, and be approved of God. We hope that new scenes will not interest and engross your mind so that you will neglect the great salvation dearly purchased for you by the Son of God. We hope you will show true principle [even though you are] now away from us. We have in diet been strict to follow the light the Lord has given us. You are acquainted with that light, and we trust you will have the fear of the Lord continually before you and will respect the light He has given and be no less strict than we have been. I have feared for you as I have marked how little control you have had over your appetite and your desires. I have mourned in secret over it, and have prayed the Lord to enlighten your mind and quicken your conscience that it might be sensitive and tender, susceptible to the influence of the Spirit. We have advised you not to eat butter or meat. We have not had it on our table... All this you need to do now to discipline yourself. Have fixed principles. Represent the health reform. All know that we do not put butter on our table. If they see you, our son, eat the things we have condemned, you weaken our influence and lower yourself in their estimation."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Vol. 14, p. 312, retrieved May 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/58.1560#1565]

That letter was written to her son in 1869, and in 1870, she stated the same thing:
"I have enough simple, healthful food ready to satisfy hunger and nourish the system. If any want more than this they are at liberty to find it elsewhere. No butter or flesh-meats of any kind come on my table."
-Ellen G. White, Testimony for the Church, EGW Writings, No. 18, p. 194, retrieved May 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/13786.479#715]

Again, this was all based on the false teachings of the "health reform" movement at the time. In 1872, Ellen repeated these things:
"We know that a free use of these things is positively injurious to health, and, in many cases, we think that if they were not used at all, a much better state of health would be enjoyed. But at present our burden is not upon these things. The people are so far behind that we see it is all they can bear to have us draw the line upon their injurious indulgences and stimulating narcotics. We bear positive testimony against tobacco, spirituous liquors, snuff, tea, coffee, flesh meats, butter, spices, rich cakes, mince pies, a large amount of salt, and all exciting substances used as articles of food."
-Ellen G. White, Testimony for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 3, p. 21, retrieved May 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/119.33#93]

If you continue to read her article, she goes on to tell everyone not to make these things known to people in general, otherwise, they will find it too much of a burden to convert to Seventh-day Adventism. That is why she said, "at present, our burden is not upon these things," because the more unbiblical, senseless burdens she added to the list of required duties of SDAs, the less attractive the religious cult would be to listeners, which would also hurt her book sales.

Ellen wrote to her son, William, in 1874:
"Your father and I have dropped milk, cream, butter, sugar, and meat entirely since we came to California."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Vol. 14, p. 322, retrieved May 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/58.1619#1622]

To summarize, Ellen White stated that butter (along with milk and cream) was a health hazard, she "ENTIRELY" dropped its use, all SDAs should get rid of it for the sake of Jesus Christ, and that all these things were revelations that came to her in a vision from God. However, in 1895, Ellen wrote:
"We use the cream from the milk of the cows which we feed ourselves. We purchase butter for cooking purposes from dairies where the cows are in healthy condition, and have good pasture."
-Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, EGW Writings, 1895, p. 488, retrieved May 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/384.4001#4078]

Here, we find another example of extreme hypocrisy and deception. This was obviously a point of contention for SDAs who caught Ellen White in her lies, and so by 1901, she gave instructions that contradicted her original vision:
"But I wish to say that when the time comes that it is no longer safe to use milk, cream, butter, and eggs, God will reveal this. No extremes in health reform are to be advocated. The question of using milk and butter and eggs will work out its own problem. At present we have no burden on this line. Let your moderation be known unto all men."
-Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, EGW Writings, 1901, p. 206, retrieved May 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/384.1556#1641]

Ellen White had already stated that the vision she had about butter came from God, but now is saying, "when the time comes... God will reveal this." Did she expect us to believe that the visions of God are not Him revealing a matter to us? Why was it such a problem for SDAs in years past, but suddenly, now it is not a problem?

Two years later, she flip-flopped again:
"I eat but two meals a day, and still follow the light given me thirty-five years ago. I use no meat. As for myself, I have settled the butter question. I do not use it."
-Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, EGW Writings, 1901, p. 206, retrieved May 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/384.1556#1641]

We already know that is a lie based on her own testimony, and we now know that she is flip-flopping back and forth on the matter. Now that we know this, it should be no surprise to learn that the hardcore, disciplined Ellen G. White, who completely dropped the use of butter, was using it again the following year, as former SDA preacher Edward Ballenger (the recipient of the lengthy letter by John Kellogg) testified in an edition of The Gathering Call in June of 1944:
"Mrs. White did not follow her own testimonies. She ate butter at my table 32 years after giving this definite instruction..."
-Edward S. Ballenger, quoted by Max Chugg & Dirk Anderson, "Oysters and Herrings: Did Mrs. White Practice what She Preached on Diet?" retrieved May 11, 2021, [https://nonsda.org/egw/contra6.shtml]

Arthur Daniells was a well-known SDA administrator and preacher because he was one of the longest-serving presidents of the SDA General Conference. In a conference hearing, concerning the charges of plagiarism (specifically around those concerning health reform) which were becoming more known to the public every year, he said:
"We will not meet those difficulties by resorting to a false claim. We could meet them, just for today, by saying, 'Brethren, I believe in the verbal inspiration of the Testimonies; I believe in the infallibility of the one through whom they came, and everything that is written there I will take and I will stand on that against all comers.' If we did that, I would just take everything from A to Z, exactly as it was written [i.e. the same as we do with the Holy Scriptures], without making any explanations to anyone; and I would not eat butter or salt or eggs if I believed that the Lord gave the words in those Testimonies to Sister White for the whole body of people in this world. But I do not believe it... I have eaten pounds of butter at her [Ellen White's] table myself, and dozens of eggs. I could not explain that in her own family if I believed that she believed those were the Lord's own words to the world. But there are people who believe that and do not eat eggs or butter. I do not know that they use salt. I know plenty of people in the early days did not use salt, and it was in our church. I am sure that many children suffered from it."
-Arthur G. Daniells, quoted by Ronald L. Numbers, Prophetess of Health: A Study of Ellen G. White, retrieved May 11, 2021, [https://bit.ly/3tE9Yc7]

Ellen White condemned butter, milk, and many other ingredients which are of no consequence to eat in moderation, but then served them to her guests, and partook in them as well. However, it did not stop there because she went on to condemn more food in a letter written to "Brother O," White claimed she was given a vision in which she was shown the following:
"Disease has been transmitted to your offspring, and the free use of flesh meats has increased the difficulty. The eating of pork has aroused and strengthened a most deadly humor which was in the system. Your offspring are robbed of vitality before they are born. You have not added to virtue knowledge, and your children have not been taught how to preserve themselves in the best condition of health. Never should one morsel of swine's flesh be placed upon your table."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 2, p. 93, retrieved May 6, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/120.390#392]

Of course, a SDA might argue that this was specifically meant for this family, but why would God declare pig meat was bad for "Brother O," and not for the rest of the SDA church? If pork should never be on the table of that family for health reasons, then why should it be on the table of other families for health reasons?

White also wrote to the Curtis family to give them her alleged "vision" from the Lord:
"If God requires His people to abstain from swine's flesh, He will convict them on the matter. He is just as willing to show His honest children their duty, as to show their duty to individuals upon whom He has not laid the burden of His work. If it is the duty of the church to abstain from swine's flesh, God will discover it to more than two or three. He will teach His church their duty."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 1, p. 206, retrieved May 6, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/116.1026#1036]

The first quote we read said that pork should NEVER be eaten, but the second quote we read seems to question IF it is the duty of the church, and IF abstaining from pork is a requirement. So why would White be teetering back and forth on this issue?

Perhaps the reason is because her husband really liked eating pork. This may have been the reason he made a Biblical argument in defense of eating it:
"Some of our good brethren have added 'swine's flesh' to the catalogue of things forbidden by the Holy Ghost, when the apostles and elders assembled at Jerusalem. But we feel called upon to protest against such a course, as being contrary to the plain teaching of the holy scriptures. Shall we lay a greater burden on the disciples than seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and the holy apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ? God forbid. Their decision, being right, settled the question with them, and was a cause of rejoicing among the churches, and it should forever settle the question with us."
-James S. White, The Advent Review, and Sabbath Herald, EGW Writings, Vol. 5, p. 140, retrieved May 6, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/1643.4775#4869]

Despite all the deception and heresies coming from the White family, at the very least, this is a correct analysis of Scripture. If the apostles in the early days after Christ, who really did speak under the influence of the Holy Ghost, did not lay that burden on the church at that time, then it should not be laid on us today either.

In fact, Paul was very clear that such matters were of one's own conviction, not by the law:

Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
-Romans 14:1-4

Thus, Paul had concluded that those who ate all things, and those who did not, were all acceptable with God. The only people who were not acceptable with God were those who, like Ellen White, forced the matter on other people; we are not to receive those who would bring in disputes to cause doubt.

However, it is important to discern whether or not James White ate pork because there was no commandment preventing it (i.e. living in liberty of Christ), or if he favored this doctrine because he liked pork. Sadly, I doubt we will ever know for sure, but based on my research, I would highly suspect the latter, which is more hypocrisy.

Knowing that James White freely ate pork, it should confound SDAs why he never contracted leprosy. Ellen White said:
"God prohibited the Hebrews the use of swine's flesh because it was hurtful. It would fill the system with humors, and in that warm climate often produced leprosy. Its influence upon the system in that climate was far more injurious than in a colder climate. But God never designed the swine to be eaten under any circumstances."
-Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, EGW Writings, Vol. 4a, p. 124, retrieved May 6, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/107.552#572]

She also said that eating pork causes scrofula (i.e. a condition in which the bacteria that typically causes tuberculosis inside the lungs are manifested outside the lungs on the skin), among other diseases:
"God did not prohibit the Hebrews from eating swine's flesh merely to show His authority, but because it was not a proper article of food for man. It would fill the system with scrofula, and especially in that warm climate produced leprosy, and disease of various kinds."
-Ellen G. White, Counsels for the Church, EGW Writings, p. 230, retrieved May 6, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/19.1769#1773]

James White should have been sick unto death for most of his life, and yet, none of these diseases seemed to affect him, despite the fact that he ate pork. My wife and I occasionally have pork, and miraculously, we have never contracted any of those diseases, which leaves us with only one of two conclusions: Either God lied, or Ellen G. White lied.

Ellen included these so-called "visions" in her health books, but readers might be interested to learn that leprosy is spread almost exclusively through mankind, being contracted via the respiratory system, not the digestive system. Furthermore, pigs cannot contract leprosy, which destroys any notion that people can get leprosy from eating pork. According to the University of Florida, the only known animal that can contract leprosy is the armadillo:
"Leprosy is spread between humans via respiratory droplets. In the southeast United States, contact with armadillos and armadillo habitat is a source of infections."
-Shannon P. Moore & Samantha M. Wisely, "Facts About Wildlife Diseases: Leprosy," IFAS Extension, University of Florida, retrieved May 6, 2021, [https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/uw408]

If leprosy was caused by eating pork, then how did some Jews (who were very strict on not eating pork of any variety) contract it? Moreover, if leprosy was caused by eating pork, then the cure for leprosy would be to stop eating pork, but not only is that laughable in the face of the most basic medical evidence, there has been no hint of an indication that such a thing would work over the past 3,000 years since the disease was first known.

After seeing so many instances in which Ellen White ate the very things she condemned eating, it is not a stretch of the imagination nor a leap of logic to believe that she ate pork in secret as well. Aforementioned former SDA preacher Dudley Canright, who was also a friend of the White family, testified that:
"She [Ellen White] forbade the eating of meat, and said, 'Can we possibly have confidence in minsters who, at tables where flesh is served, join with others in eating it?' (Lake Union Herald, Oct. 4, 1911), and yet secretly she herself ate meat more or less most of her life."
-Dudley M. Canright, The Life of Ellen White, Lulu Enterprises Inc, 2005, p. 166, ISBN: 9781411640269

Canright also testified that he witnessed James AND Ellen both eating ham together at their dining room table in their own house. SDAs attempt to explain this away by stating that Canright met the Whites and saw them do this before Ellen's so-called "vision" about meats, but that is an assumption on their part because Canright did not say when he saw them do this, and it needs to be understood that, according to his testimony, he made accusations of hypocrisy, which indicates he was testifying that they were eating pork AFTER she wrote down her vision, not beforehand.

With Fannie Bolton's testimony combined with that of Dudley Canright, John Kellogg, Edward Ballenger, and Arthur Daniells, we now have a number of very credible witnesses who all testify that Ellen White was an avid lover of meat (among many other foods she condemned), and obviously a hypocrite. She lays burdens on the shoulders of SDAs, while she secretly does whatever pleases her flesh.

For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
-Matthew 23:4

This topic is still hotly debated in the SDA church, and though they somewhat condemn certain meats, they still allow the eating of all meats by certain SDA members. What struck me as very odd was the fact that there is a debate at all because if Ellen G. White is the so-called "Spirit of Prophecy" who brings "light from the throne," then why do some SDAs ignore Ellen's words to follow her husband's words on the eating of meats, and furthermore, why does the SDA organization allow that?

Therefore, I have to conclude that the hypocrisy does not end with Ellen White. The SDA church in general continues the hypocrisy, neither understanding Scripture, nor being consistent in their false teachings.

Despite these many evidences against Ellen G. White, she insisted that she was not a hypocrite. After finding countless cases of hypocrisy in White during my research, it was a bit surprising to me to see that she had written such a blatant and obvious lie:
"I do not preach one thing and practice another. I do not present to my hearers rules of life for them to follow while I make an exception in my own case."
-Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, EGW Writings, Book 2, p. 302, retrieved May 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/99.1816#1831]

If you thought that was bad, she goes one step further to describe her own hypocrisy in detail, while believing she was not guilty of it:
"Above all things, we should not with our pens advocate positions that we do not put to a practical test in our own families, upon our own tables. This is a dissimulation, a species of hypocrisy."
-Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, EGW Writings, p. 468, retrieved May 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/384.3816#3908]

Ellen's statement is correct because one should practice what one preaches. However, she did not practice what she preached, and with hypocrisy on top of hypocrisy, told others that they should practice what they preach, when she did not even practice what she preached about what she preached.

It should be noted that Ellen White condemned herself to be "unfit" to be God's messenger:
"Why do some of our ministering brethren manifest so little interest in health reform? It is because instruction on temperance in all things is opposed to their practice of self-indulgence. In some places this has been the great stumbling block in the way of our bringing the people to investigate and practice and teach health reform. No man should be set apart as a teacher of the people while his own teaching or example contradicts the testimony God has given His servants to bear in regard to diet, for this will bring confusion. His disregard of health reform unfits him to stand as the Lord's messenger."
-Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, EGW Writings, p. 453, retrieved May 11, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/384.3667#3785]

Therefore, by her own doctrine, Ellen G. White was unfit to be the Lord's messenger. The name of Ellen G. White should go down in history as a prime example of what a hypocrite and a pharisaical spirit looks like, but her writings are being defended by an organization that is fleecing a deceived flock who are willingly blinded by the unscriptural works-based doctrines of a heretic.

Idolatry of Jewelry

Ellen White condemned the use of gems, gold, and precious stones being used as jewelry or any other such display of beauty:
"The Lord God of heaven calls upon men to put away their idols, to cut off every extravagant desire, to indulge in nothing that is simply for display and parade, and to study economy in purchasing garments and furniture. Do not expend one dollar of God's money in purchasing needless articles. Your money means the salvation of souls. Then let it not be spent for gems, for gold, or precious stones."
-Ellen G. White, Letters and Manuscripts, EGW Writings, Vol. 10, 1895, par. 23, retrieved May 14, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/14060.4868001#4868029]

Of course, I believe and teach that we should be wise with our spending, and be charitable in our hearts and minds, which is what the Bible teaches us. However, Ellen's statements bring up a lot of contradictions, which is why the Bible never directly condemned the ownership or purchase of gold or precious gems.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Charity" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

First, let's take a look at Scripture on the matter of wearing jewelry, which is more an issue for women than it is for men, since women more highly value their physical appearance:

In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
-1 Timothy 2:9-10

There are many religious cults that have taken this to mean that jewelry is a sin; Ellen G. White and the SDAs among them. These verses are not telling us that it is a sin to own a piece of jewelry, or even to wear a piece of jewelry, but rather, our focus should be washing and making beautiful the inward heart, with charitable works, which is pleasing in the sight of God.

If wearing jewelry was a sin, then Abraham would not have given jewelry to his daughter-in-law, and to her mother, for them to wear.

And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
-Genesis 24:47

And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth. And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
-Genesis 24:52-53

There are occasions in which women wear jewelry, and other occasions where they do not because we need to dress appropriately for places we go and the things we do. Paul, in First Timothy, was explaining to the church that it was not an appropriate thing for women to dress themselves lavishly when gathered together for worship and study with the church, as a harlot might do in an immodest manner, making themselves beautiful on the outside, while ignoring the inward washing of the heart and spirit.

modest (n): properly, restrained by a sense of propriety; hence, not forward or bold; not presumptuous or arrogant; not boastful; not loose; not lewd
(See 'modest', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved May 18, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

When this definition says that a modest person should be "restrained by a sense of propriety," it means that we ought to consider that we (i.e. the church) belong to Christ as His property, in the same way that the wife belongs to her husband and is his property. (In the physical sense, the husband belongs to the wife as well, as Scripture indicates in 1Co 7:4, but since the man is head of the household - Eph 5:23 - this is used as a spiritual analogy between Christ and the church.) Therefore, one should dress for the occasion, meaning that if a woman is coming together with the church for study of God's word, she should dress modestly.

However, Ellen White issued much stricter mandates on this matter:
"Some of the young are so eager for display that they are even willing to give up the Christian name if they can only follow out their inclination for vanity of dress and love of pleasure. Self-denial in dress is a part of our Christian duty. To dress plainly, abstaining from display of jewelry and ornaments of every kind, is in keeping with our faith."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 3, p. 366, retrieved May 18, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/119.1678#1697]

This was taken from chapter 32 of Ellen White's Testimonies for the Church, in which she began by saying that these commandments were given to her by God as "testimonies of warning for you." There is no doubt that she completely condemned jewelry of any kind, and she continued to say:
"I have marked with pain your religious declension [backsliding from Christ] and your disposition to trim and ornament your apparel. Some have been so unfortunate as to come into possession of gold chains or pins, or both, and have shown bad taste in exhibiting them, making them conspicuous [easy to see] to attract attention."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 3, p. 366, retrieved May 18, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/119.1678#1698]

Perhaps I am simply pointing out the glaringly obvious, but the purpose of jewelry is to be seen. However, the debate about whether or not a SDA should hide their jewelry should not have been a debate at all if they had simply paid attention to the fact that Ellen White already stated that no one should purchase or own such things.

And yet, as we have already seen many times in this chapter alone, Ellen White was a total hypocrite on this matter because she frequently wore jewelry. Herbert Douglass is an author and dedicated SDA, and in his book, Messenger of the Lord, he documented the research of SDA professor Horace Shaw, who interviewed 366 people who had seen and heard Ellen G. White speak:
"In 1957-1959, Horace Shaw, long-time professor of speech at Emmanuel Missionary College (Andrews University), developed a list of 366 people who had heard Ellen White speak. He asked them to recall her platform manner, whether the event was public or private, what impressed them most, and what they remembered about her message... Twenty-nine referred to her dress material, describing it as 'black velvet or silk,' 'two-piece garment,' 'dress did not seem to adorn her, she seemed to adorn the dress.' As an accent to the black, Mrs. White often wore white cuffs and collar. Other accessories mentioned were a 'gold watch chain' with a 'silver watch in her pocket, and a simple brooch.'"
-Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord: The Prophetic Ministry of Ellen G. White, Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1998, Ch. 12, ISBN: 9780816316571

Perhaps SDAs want to excuse this away by saying that the watches had a function and perhaps were not considered jewelry, but the problem with that theory is that Ellen White also specifically condemned gold watches and gold chains. The following is a rebuke White gave against an Adventist lady who was found wearing a gold ring:
"In answer, the lady displayed a gold ring on her finger, given her by an unbeliever, and said she thought it no harm to wear such ornaments. 'We are not so particular [individual],' said she, 'as formerly. Our people have been over-scrupulous in their opinions upon the subject of dress. The ladies of this institution wear gold watches and gold chains, and dress like other people. It is not good policy to be singular in our dress; for we cannot exert so much influence.' We inquire, Is this in accordance with the teachings of Christ? Are we to follow the word of God or the customs of the world?"
-Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, EGW Writings, Book 3, p. 247, retrieved May 18, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/100.1468#1475]

According to this passage, we clearly see that White taught that those who would wear an ornament such as a gold watch or gold chain are not following the teachings of Christ in God's Word, and are instead following the customs of the world. Now, ignoring the fact that Ellen White condemned photographs as idolatry (as we learned earlier in this chapter), which would make this photograph itself a contradiction of her doctrine, on top of the fact that she is standing next to another photo on the table in front of her (which would be idolatry within idolatry, according to her teachings), this photograph of Ellen was taken of her standing next to her twin sister Elizabeth. This photograph was taken 15 years after White first declared that jewelry was idolatry. As you can see in the photo, she is wearing a brooch (i.e. jewelry), and has a gold chain attached to a pocket watch, which matches the eye witness testimonies.

There are many SDAs who will deny that White wore expensive jewelry, and they are free to believe whatever they want, but White admitted that she wore the very fancy clothes and jewelry that she condemned:
"Sister Kerr took me into her parlor bedroom, and opened a box of ruches [A strip of lace, net, ribbon, or the like, used in place of a collar or cuff.] for the neck, and desired me to accept the entire box. Her husband is a merchant in Honolulu, and though not a believer, he is a very liberal man. She also presented me with three yards and a half of silk, costing three dollars a yard with which I was to make a sack. [A short coat or jacket fitting somewhat loosely.] I saw that she was very desirous that I should have this, and I could not refuse without greatly disappointing her. It was beautiful silk left from a dress which she had. She also gave me a silk scarf, and a ten dollar pin, composed of white stones, very plain and serviceable. I thought I could not accept this, but she looked so sorry, that I finally did take it, and have worn it ever since, for it is handy and becoming, while it is not showy at all."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Vol. 8, p. 449, retrieved May 18, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/52.2218#2219]

Just to clarify, Ellen White believed that to wear such fancy and expensive clothing was a sin against Christ, and yet, she was more concerned about pleasing her friend than pleasing Jesus Christ, which does not fit the description of a prophet of God. White confessed that she wore the expensive silk scarf and pin (which attaches to the outside of a garment to "attract attention"), and just so readers can understand this better, a $10 pin back in 1891 would be the equivalent of a $300 pin in 2021.
(See CPI Inflation Calculator, "Value of $10 from 1891 to 2021," retrieved May 18, 2021, [https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1891?amount=10])

When it came to gifts for herself, Ellen White seemed to have a change in philosophy because she taught the SDA youth that it was wrong to spend so much money on vanity:
"God calls upon the young to deny themselves of needless ornaments and articles of dress, even if they cost but a few dimes, and place the amount in the charity box. He also calls upon those of mature age to stop when they are examining a gold watch or chain, or some expensive article of furniture, and ask themselves the question: Would it be right to expend so large an amount for that which we could do without or when a cheaper article would serve our purpose just as well? By denying yourselves and lifting the cross for Jesus, who for your sakes became poor, you can do much toward relieving the suffering of the poor among us; and by thus imitating the example of your Lord and Master, you will receive His approval and blessing."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 4, p. 511, retrieved May 18, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/114.2502#2517]

Why did Ellen White not rebuke her friend and tell her to give all that to the poor in charity? The difference was that Ellen was on the receiving end of the gifts. Even if we are to believe White's testimony that she only accepted those things to appease her friend, why did she continue to wear those items in hypocrisy?

"The ornamentation of the person with jewels and luxurious things is a species of idolatry. This needless display reveals a love for those things which are supposed to place a value upon the person. It gives evidence to the world of a heart destitute of the inward adornment. Expensive dress and adornments of jewelry give an incorrect representation of the truth that should always be represented as of the highest value."
-Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Vol. 6, p. 449, retrieved May 18, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/52.2218#2219]

This is blatant hypocrisy, and the SDA organization knows this, which is why they have doctored photographs, meaning that they have released faked images of photographs taken of Ellen G. White to cover up her hypocrisy. For example, the following photograph (i.e. idolatry according to White) is a photo of Ellen White next to her granddaughter Ella Robinson, and you can see that the original photo (left) has been changed by the SDA church in the photo they published (right) in the book, Ellen G. White: The Later Elmshaven Years:

(See Ellen G. White: The Later Elmshaven Years: 1905-1915, EGW Writings, Vol. 6, retrieved May 18, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/667.2])

The White Estate and the SDA General Conference have taken great pains to cover up the truth about Ellen White's hypocrisy, even though the fact that she sat to have her photo taken should be enough to see the contradiction. By doctoring photos, they have attempted to change history itself, hiding the truth from unsuspecting Adventists, in order to protect their prestige and income.

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
-Romans 16:17-18

When Scripture says that they serve "their own belly," it means they say and do whatever is necessary for them to protect their paychecks so they can feed themselves. As we close this chapter, let's read Ellen's words one more time: "If I write one thing and act another, I am a hypocrite." -Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, EGW Writings, Vol. 19, p. 31, retrieved May 14, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/60.152#159]

This is likely the only true prophetic statement that Ellen G. White ever made.
 


At this point, readers should be able to clearly see that Seventh-day Adventism really started with William Miller and the Millerite movement that brought about the Great Disappointment of 1844, a movement that was filled to the brim with false prophets, false teachers, and those who sought after such heretics. Ellen G. White was a follower of that Millerite movement, and she was heavily influenced by prominent Millerite figures, who all ignored the fact that even William Miller himself later recanted of his false prophecies and the Adventist movement.

However, little did Miller realize that, despite his denunciation of the movement, the damage had already been done, and the corrupt seeds he left behind would continue to grow. These seeds grew into massive trees of heretics that grew into many infamous religious cults that still exist to this day, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists, etc, and now we are going to learn the long-term consequences of what happens when false prophecy goes unchecked.
(Read "Corruptions of Christianity: Jehovah's Witnesses" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

The Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) name was officially incorporated in 1863, and after 53 years of scamming churchgoers, Ellen G. White died in July of 1915. About five years later, in 1920, a couple named Victor and Florence Houteff left the Orthodox Church of Bulgaria to join the Seventh-day Adventist church, and in 1929, they moved to California, where Victor began to teach a variation of the SDA doctrine without the approval of the SDA corporation. Victor claimed to be the spirit of Elijah (a common claim of false prophets), which helped gain him a following of SDAs, and after he was excommunicated for usurping the authority of the official SDA organization, Victor published his doctrine in a book called The Shepherd's Rod, and the Houteffs would later be known as the founders of the "Shepherd's Rod Adventists." (See Victor T. Houteff, The Shepherd's Rod, Universal Publications Association, 1945)

There are many branches of Adventism that we could follow to prove how corrupt this movement has always been, but let's follow this single thread to see how far it goes. Perhaps you have never heard of the Shepherd's Rod Adventists, but by the time you finish reading this chapter, you will likely be surprised to discover that you may be quite familiar with the end of this story, and you do not even realize it yet.

Before we continue, it is important to note that Ellen White proclaimed that the spirit of Elijah would return before the second coming of Jesus Christ:
"The prophet Malachi declares, 'Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of children to their fathers.' Here the prophet describes the character of the work. Those who are to prepare the way for the second coming of Christ are represented by faithful Elijah, as John came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for his first advent."
-Ellen G. White, Testimony for the Church, EGW Writings, No. 21, p. 89, retrieved Apr 30, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/12793.238#327]

Once again, White was incorrect because she did not understand the Scriptures:

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
-Malachi 4:5-6

Many people have mistakenly taken this to mean the final day of the Lord, in which He will pour out his wrath upon the earth (Rev 8), which is also an idea of the Jewish people, in which they believe Elijah himself will come back from heaven. However, Malachi 4 was speaking of John the Baptist. Jesus Christ is referred to as David in many instances, but He was not David himself; rather, He was the line of David, as John the Baptist was in a spiritual line of prophets that preceded the coming of Jesus Christ.

Christ Himself explained it to us very clearly. For those who have eyes to see, let them read this, and understand that Seventh-day Adventism is a scam organization that is deceiving millions:

Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias [Elijah], which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
-Matthew 11:11-15

In short, this prophecy was about John the Baptist and Christ's first coming. However, Adventists (and many other religious cults) have taken this to mean that this would happen before Christ's second coming, despite the fact that Christ never mentioned anything about that when He spoke of the signs of the season before His return. (Mat 24)
(Read "The Beginner's Guide to Christian Rapture" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

So now that we understand the SDAs' misunderstanding of Scripture, and what Ellen G. White told them, then the logical conclusion is quite simple: If someone in the SDA church predicts the return of Jesus Christ, then they have to demonstrate the sign of the spirit of Elijah to precede Him. Therefore, those who predicate a return date for Jesus Christ typically claim to be the spirit of Elijah to precede Christ's second advent, and this is why we have seen, and will continue to see, so many Adventists claiming to be the spirit of Elijah.

By 1935, Victor Houteff had moved his base of operations to Mt. Carmel, Texas, which was a bit more secluded in that day, allowing him to preach his message without a lot of opposition, especially from dedicated followers of Ellen G. White, who would have declared the Shepherd's Rod Adventists to be heretics. Houteff continued to teach for the next 20 years, preaching the same message, namely, that Jesus was about to come back at any moment and the millennial kingdom was just around the corner, but in 1955, Victor (i.e. the so-called "spirit of Elijah") died, and nothing happened.

Dedicated followers of the Shepherd's Rod would likely have been distraught and confused, and his wife Florence would have been left without a means to provide for herself, so she decided to pick up the "Shepherd's Rod" and keep the movement going as its new leader. When Florence took over, the organization was rebranded as the "Davidian Seventh-day Adventists" (a crafty title that took advantage of the SDA brand), and she proclaimed that the end of the world was coming and that the new age of Christ's millennial kingdom would begin four years later, on April 22, 1959.
(See George D. Chryssides, Exploring New Religions, A&C Black, 2001, p. 50, ISBN: 9780826459596)

The new false prophecy gained some traction, and nearly a thousand families sold their homes and moved to Mt. Carmel to await the return of Jesus Christ, and sadly, they followed the same pattern as their Adventist forefathers, refusing to work, and putting a great burden on the community and local charities to provide. Of course, the April 22, 1959 date came and went, and when nothing happened, most of the Davidian followers left.

The few followers that remained moved to New Mt. Carmel, which was about 10 miles (16km) outside of Waco, Texas, and among them arose new leadership in Benjamin and Lois Roden. Benjamin declared that the Houteffs had the wrong date, that the end was actually coming in 1960, and that the Lord had set him to be the leader of the organization.

As expected, Roden claimed that he was the spirit of Elijah, but he also went one step further by crowning himself king over the small community of Davidians, as was declared in their religious charter:
"Accordingly, Roden was crowned king at a specially devised coronation ceremony at Mount Carmel, and assumed absolute authority over the community - an authority which was also embedded in the group's constitution."
-George D. Chryssides, Exploring New Religions, A&C Black, 2001, p. 51, ISBN: 9780826459596

At this point, the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists were a small, rag tag group of leftovers from failed prophecies without much money, resources, or hope, and so new leadership was welcomed with open arms. Benjamin Roden renamed the organization the Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists (to distinguish it from another group that decided to keep the Davidian name), and to his credit, he realized the hypocritical problems with the SDA church I mentioned earlier in this book about the Sabbath, namely, that SDAs do not keep the strict Sabbath commandments of the Old Testament, but sadly, he had no understanding of Scripture (just like SDAs), so he reinstituted the rituals, feasts, and laws as a list of required beliefs and duties for all Branch Davidians.

Despite the fact that nothing happened in 1960, Benjamin managed to keep the movement growing, and after his death in 1978, he left the religious leadership in the hands of his wife, Lois, who would continue to lead the organization until 1983. In 1981, a young man named Vernon Howell joined the Branch Davidians after he was kicked out of the SDA church due to his preaching of sexually explicit sermons.
(See Christopher Partridge, Encyclopedia of New Religions, Lion, 2004, p. 79, ISBN: 9780745950730)

The following author gives a bit more detail that will give us some insight into the madness of Howell, and his desire to justify his sexual perversions:
"Howell decided to seek his fortune at the Mount Carmel Center, under Lois Roden's leadership. He secured employment there as a vehicle mechanic, and was given responsibility for other maintenance jobs. Around this time there was controversy between Lois and George (i.e. her son) regarding the leadership of the Waco community, and Howell decided he would stake a claim for leadership himself. He did this by claiming divine instruction to have a sexual relationship with Lois. His claim was based on a verse in Isaiah:"
-George D. Chryssides, Exploring New Religions, A&C Black, 2001, p. 52, ISBN: 9780826459596

And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.
-Isaiah 8:3

"The name 'Maher-shalal-hash-baz' means 'a remnant shall return': the notion that a small number of people would remain faithful to God was later applied by Adventists (and subsequently, the Jehovah's Witnesses), to refer to those who remained faithful during the Great Tribulation. [i.e. referring to a doctrine of a Great Tribulation period towards the end before Jesus comes back, but no such period is mentioned in Scripture] Howell later claimed that Lois Roden became pregnant as a consequence, but no baby was ever produced. The claim seems unlikely, since Lois was 69 at the time... Unsurprisingly, when George Roden discovered Howell's sexual relationship with his mother, he was furious."
-George D. Chryssides, Exploring New Religions, A&C Black, 2001, p. 52, ISBN: 9780826459596

After a short time, the Branch Davidians also became offended by Howell's sexual references in his preaching, and Lois's son, George Roden, referred to Vernon as the "Masturbating Messiah." After Howell was finally disfellowshipped by the Branch Davidians, he moved in with the almost 70-year-old Lois Roden because he was in a sexual relationship with her, and that move sparked George to pull a gun on Howell and force him to leave.
(See Marc Breault & Martin King, Inside the Cult, Penguin Books, 1993, p. 57, ISBN: 9780451180292)

After this encounter at Lois's home, Howell declared that George was the Antichrist. Howell then moved on to marry 14-year-old Rachel Jones, who was the daughter of Perry Jones, the chief assistant of Benjamin Roden, in what seemed to be some power grab to "breed" himself into a lineage of religious authority.

Howell departed and lived in Israel for one year, while George attempted to lead the Branch Davidians, but he was not a skilled leader, and the Branch Davidians were beginning to fade away. However, because Ellen G. White had foretold that another prophet would arise after her, the Branch Davidians were looking for a new messiah, and so Howell returned to them after having a "revelation" and changing his name to David Koresh. (i.e. 'David' based on King David, and 'Koresh' is a variation of the name of Cyrus the Great)

This name might be familiar to more readers because David Koresh (aka Vernon Howell) set up his base of operations in Waco, Texas, which ended in the infamous Waco Siege. In 1993, ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) agents assaulted Howell's compound over the suspected harboring of illegal firearms, and the siege lasted 51 days against 68 adults and 21 children. All except nine people died during the siege, Howell being one of the victims.
(See Kenneth G. Newport, The Branch Davidians of Waco: The History and Beliefs of an Apocalyptic Sect, OUP Oxford, 2006, p. 1, ISBN: 9780199245741)

The reason I say he was a "victim" is because the entire siege was nefarious on the part of the ATF and the Clinton administration at the time. I do not want to dive too deep into this topic because it is not the purpose of this book, but it is important to note that even though God does use the wicked to punish the wicked (i.e. the murderous Clinton administration being used to punish a sex-fueled, corrupt religious cult), the Branch Davidians were used as a sacrifice to push the gun control agenda of Clinton's communist ideology.

To briefly summarize, Howell managed to fund his Branch Davidian compound by LEGALLY selling weapons, meaning that he and some of his members had licenses to sell firearms, and did so according to Texas law. They were making a living doing this, just like any other merchant in America would do. The ATF was investigating Howell's compound, but could not find any wrongdoing, so they fabricated evidence, meaning that they made things up because they had no facts, and even Janet Reno, Clinton's attorney general at the time, lied about Koresh and claimed she had evidence that the Branch Davidians were beating babies, even though other Department of Justice staff contradicted her statement, and to this day, she has never presented the evidence of her claims to the American people. Based on nothing but speculation, the ATF convinced a judge to issue an UNLAWFUL warrant, and instead of knocking on the front door to serve the warrant, they opened fire on the compound.

Before the siege began, Koresh got news that the ATF were on their way, and so he contacted the agent in charge (Davy Aguilera), offering him free access, without a warrant necessary, to fully inspect the entire compound. Koresh offered to open his doors to them so they could look at whatever they wanted, and bring out all the paperwork to prove they were operating legally and peacefully, but the agent refused the invitation and attacked the compound anyway.

The ATF struck first by opening fire on the dogs around the compound, killing them, and when Koresh heard this, he stepped out of the front door with his hands up, unarmed, but they immediately shot at him to kill him. They only managed to shoot his hand, but the bullets that went past him shot another Davidian member in the head, who happened to be standing behind Koresh in the doorway, and it was at that point, they went into full lockdown because they knew the ATF was there to kill everyone.

Wayne Martin, one of the Branch Davidians, called 911 emergency services, pleading with them to call off the ATF agents because there were women and children inside. If any readers ever get a chance to listen to that recording, you can hear the panic in his voice, and you can hear gun shots in the background that were coming from ATF agents outside.
(See "WACO 911 Phone Call," Non Mirage Truth Vision, retrieved May 13, 2021, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsjSpxirr28])

As a side note, if you might be wondering why the local Sheriff did not get involved, that is because the Sheriff's office could not get in contact with the ATF. They tried to put a stop to the violence, but the ATF cut off all their communications once the violence began, and after four ATF agents had been killed from the return fire of the Branch Davidians defending themselves, there was no stopping the war because dead federal agents means that the jurisdiction got handed over to Clinton's corrupt FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and the Sheriff's department lost control.

In the end, the video evidence shows that the ATF set the building on fire, which resulted in the deaths of almost all the Branch Davidians inside. Janet Reno's justification for this was to tell the American people that the Branch Davidians all committed suicide, which we know is not true based on the video, audio, and investigative journalism.

In short, what Koresh and the Davidians were doing was wrong and evil from a religious standpoint, but what the ATF and the Clinton administration did to the Davidians was also wrong and evil because the Branch Davidians were not breaking any laws. We have a First Amendment which protects our freedom of religion, and a Second Amendment that protects our right to keep and bear firearms. The U.S. government had NO authority to forcefully breach that compound, it was an abominable violation of the U.S. Constitution, and the criminals who mercilessly murdered all these men, women, and children (as of 2021) have still not been held accountable for their actions.

Nonetheless, God saw fit for the deaths of these people, otherwise, He would have shielded them from that raid, and as much as I am sad for the entire situation, we have to accept the fact that the Branch Davidians were operating a sex-fueled religious cult. It was so corrupt that Koresh had commanded that he was the only male in the compound that was allowed to have sex with any of the women (i.e. fornication and adultery), and if those people had not foolishly followed after false prophets, they would never have gotten into that situation in the first place.


(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Sanctification" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
-Matthew 7:18

For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
-2 Peter 2:18-22

Despite all the murder and many crimes of the ATF, the FBI arrested the few Branch Davidians that were still alive, and one of those was Renos Avraam, who claimed to be the successor of David Koresh, or what he called the "Chosen Vessel of the Remaining Bride." Avraam started a new split off of the Branch Davidians that he called the Hidden Manna Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, or just "Hidden Manna" for short. After the Waco Siege, Avraam was sentenced to 10 years for voluntary manslaughter and 30 years for various weapons violations. Avraam prophesied Koresh would return in 1999, which obviously did not happen, and with good behavior, he was released from prison in 2006.
(See Mattias Gardell, Gods of the Blood: The Pagan Revival and White Separatism, Duke University Press, 2003, p. 353, ISBN: 9780822330714)

Avraam's Hidden Manna still exist today, although they are relatively hard to find since they are very secretive about the authorship of their articles and the domains of their websites. In the late 90s, Avraam and the Hidden Manna Branch Davidians purchased and used the domains "sevenseals.com" and "branchdavidian.com," although when checking whois.com for registrar information, the identity of the owners is concealed by privacy companies. The end of the world predictions continued into the Hidden Manna, and Avraam's last predicted date for the end was March 14, 2014.
(They also owned seventrumpets.com and davidkoresh.com from the late 90s until today, but recently, the domains seem to be abandoned; See "Seven Seals Revelation" from Internet Archives Wayback Machine, Feb 12, 1998, retrieved Nov 3, 2018, [web.archive.org/web/19980212122413/http://davidkoresh.com:80]; See also "Seven Trumpets" from Internet Archives Wayback Machine, Mar 3, 2000, retrieved Nov 3, 2018, [web.archive.org/web/20000303003557/http://www.seventrumpets.com:80])

Another Branch Davidian follower named Ron Cole believed that Koresh did not complete his duties as a messenger, and it was now up to Cole to complete his mission. Cole authored a book called Sinister Twilight, in which he told the story of the Waco Siege from the Branch Davidian side. Cole founded the First Colorado Light Infantry Militia and the North American Liberation Army, and in 1997, he and his fellow religious cult members ended up in prison for possession of illegal firearms and explosives. (See John R. Cashman, Emergency Response to Chemical and Biological Agents, CRC Press, 2002, p. 253, ISBN: 9781420048445)

As a side note, Cole had contact with Timothy McVeigh before the Oklahoma City (OKC) Bombing in 1995. The OKC Bombing was another political hit that was orchestrated by the Clinton administration (i.e. thermite was placed in the basement of the building to sheer off the concrete pillars, while the media spread the absurdity that a small truck bomb across the yard was able to do more damage than was physically possible from that distance), and McVeigh was used as the patsy for the attack.

The most well-known faction of the remaining Branch Davidians is the group involving a man named Clive Doyle. Doyle met Koresh in 1981, and has been a follower of him ever since, so much that he even allowed his own teenage daughter to have sex with Koresh back in the early 90s before she died during the Waco Siege. In an interview with Doyle on the 20th anniversary after the Siege, Doyle said he still believed that Koresh would return, he still believed the sexual intercourse his daughter had with Koresh and all the other women of the Waco compound was decreed by God, and he still believed he is experiencing the end times, as do all the other Branch Davidians in their organization, which still operates to this day.
(See Carol Kuruvilla, "Waco survivor awaits Branch Davidian leader David Koresh's resurrection," New York Daily News, Mar 25, 2014, retrieved June 16, 2017, [nydailynews.com/news/national/waco-survivor-waiting-david-koresh-resurrection-article-1.1734205])

It was impossible for William Miller and the early Adventists to see the long-term results of something so simple as predicting the return of Jesus Christ, but now that we have a perspective of two centuries of corruption that sprung out of the roots of Millerism, it is much easier to see why doing such things is so dangerous. This is also why Jesus gave us enough information to stay away from such people:

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
-Matthew 24:36

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
-Romans 16:17-18

This is why God took the matter so seriously in the Old Testament, ordering the Jewish government to execute false prophets. (Deut 18:20) Please do not misunderstand; this is not any commandment for Christians because we have no authority to punish criminals, which is a job left up to the government of the nation we live in. (Rom 13:3) We are only commanded to preach Christ through His doctrine of repentance and remission of sins (Luke 24:44-47), and to love our neighbor as ourselves in charity. (Mat 7:12) The commandments for the Israeli government to punish false prophets was to prevent this very thing from happening to the Jewish people, even though they ended up doing many similar corrupt things.

The Bible teaches us Christians that we are supposed to be sanctified (i.e. set apart) from leaven (i.e. corruption through false doctrine) and the wickedness of the world. We need to trust in the Lord God that He has many good reasons for the things He commands us, and so we ought to take the matter of false prophets very seriously, just as God takes it seriously, because if given enough time, those false prophets can be deadly.

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
-Galatians 5:9

The following list contains the names of religious cults that have branched out of the Millerite movement. If you have been born again in Jesus Christ, please briefly read over these because you will likely recognize some of the names, and you may have seen some of these church buildings in your area. We ought to sanctify ourselves away from these organizations and from these people if they will not acknowledge the truth of their origins and repent of their false prophecies and beliefs.

BRANCHES OF THE MILLERITE/ADVENTIST TREE

Christadelphians (1846)	The Messenger Party (1853)
American Millennial Association (1858)	Seventh-Day Adventist Church (1860)
Advent Christian Association (1860)	Church of Jesus Christ (1862)
Church of Christ (1863)	Church of God (1867)
Sabbath Adventist Conference (1874)	Zion's Watch Tower and Tract Society (1881)
7th Day Church of God (1884)	Church of God General Conference (1884)
Church of the Blessed Hope (1888)	New Covenant Fellowship (1909)
New Covenant Believers (1909)	Laymen's Home Missionary Movement (1918)
Pastoral Bible Institute (1918)	Stand Fast Bible Students (1918)
Elijah Voice Society (1923)	True and Free Seventh-Day Adventists (1924)
Seventh-Day Adventist Reform Movement (1925)	Servants of Yah (1925)
Christian Millennial Fellowship (1928)	Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists (1930)
Dawn Bible Students (1931)	Jehovah's Witnesses (1931)
Radio Church of God (1934)	Worldwide Church of God (1934)
Watchers of the Morning (1936)	Assembly of YHVH (1939)
Assembly of Yahweh (1943)	United Seventh-Day Brethren (1947)
Sabbath Rest Advent Church (1954)	Laodiceans Home Missionary Movement (1955)
Epiphany Bible Students (1956)	Branch Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists (1959)
Assemblies of Yahweh (1969)	Yahweh's Assembly in Messiah (1980)
Eternal Gospel Church (1992)	Hidden Manna (1993)
Yahweh's Assembly in Yahshua (2007)	And much more...

This list contains only a handful of the hundreds, if not thousands, of various branches of Millerism/Adventism developed over nearly 200 years. The original concept that the early Millerites developed was non-organizational, which means they did not believe in having a core network organization; it was for this reason that they became well-known for publishing magazines and having conferences, because that was the only way for their followers to link into a somewhat central belief.

Each branch would start their own conferences and publish their own magazines and newsletters, but while many died out because they believed in a non-evangelistic approach, others prospered because they took a marketing approach, selling their books and other materials. These groups would often split because a small portion of the denomination believed something slightly different (sometimes doctrinally, sometimes prophetically), so they would go start their own denomination. Some denominations failed, and the leftover members would split into two or three more groups, and one among those branches would become more popular, which is why you might recognize some names more than others on the list, depending on your location, but rest assured, they all have a connection to one another that started with Millerism and the Adventists, and there have been so many variations over the past two centuries, it is nearly impossible to keep track of them all.
(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

However, there is one thing all these have in common: To them, the Gospel of Jesus is NOT the blood sacrifice of the Lamb of God for the payment of sin, even though they might tell you that initially so you will not outright reject them. To these religious cultists, the "gospel" is the belief that Jesus is coming back at any moment, and this is why so many of these cults today keep preaching the false doctrine of pre-tribulation rapture.
(Read "The Beginner's Guide to Christian Rapture" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Paul, very clearly, rebuked all of them in 2 Thessalonians 2:

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
-2 Thessalonians 2:1

In context, this is referring to the faithful elect of Christ being raptured together at His second coming.

That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
-2 Thessalonians 2:2

The Church at Thessalonica believed that Christ's return was "at hand," meaning that it was just around the corner, and could happen at any moment. They believed that He would return within months or years at most, just as the Millerites and Seventh-day Adventists have believed. Paul told the Thessalonian church not to get excited or worried that Christ's return was imminent.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
-2 Thessalonians 2:3-5

The Bible does not tell us that there would be hundreds of years for people to flock into Adventism, and then join the Seventh-day Adventists, who now boast of having nearly 22 million members worldwide (as of 2021). The Bible says there would be a falling away, meaning that a large number of those who claim to be of Christ will show their true colors, meaning they were never of Christ in the first place because they had no root. (Luke 8:13, Mat 7:23)
(Read "Revivalism: The Devil's Design" & There is No Saving Grace Without Repentance here at creationliberty.com for more details; See also "Seventh-day Adventist World Church Statistics 2020," Seventh-day Adventist Church retrieved May 13, 2021, [https://www.adventist.org/statistics/seventh-day-adventist-world-church-statistics-2020/])

They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
-Luke 8:13

There is not going to be some great revival, but rather, there is going to be a great falling away, meaning that those who believe in revivalism in the last days are those who follow the doctrines of men instead of the doctrines of Christ. According to Jesus Christ, there will be many such people in the last days, who think they will justify themselves before Christ by how many weeks they attended a church building, how much tithe they gave, or by how many passionate songs they sang at a tent revival.
(Read Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell, Christian Music: For the Love of Money, "Revivalism: The Devil's Design," and "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
-Matthew 7:21-23

The son of perdition is the final antichrist, and the final antichrist sitting in Solomon's temple declaring himself to be the Messiah is not going to happen until a time close to the end. Only when that event happens will we know that the day of Christ is at hand, and we have not seen those events unfold yet. All the "pre-trib" followers out there have their hopes in a false prophecy, and just like the Millerites/Adventists, many protect it with vicious hatred, condemning people like me as "fake Christians" because, as I said earlier, they believe the "gospel" is that Christ will return at any moment, so when I reject their "gospel," in their eyes, they believe I am rejecting Christ.

My duty to God is to tell Adventists the truth of Christ's gospel of repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing) and faith in the shed blood of Jesus for the remission (i.e. forgiveness) of sins, and despite their hatred of me for exposing their worldly false gods and prophets, I wish them well in health, and pray for plentiful blessings on their households to provide for their families.

Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
-1 Peter 3:9

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
-3 John 1:2

As a final note, I want readers to understand that the Seventh-day Adventist church is the sister of the Jehovah's Witnesses, as they both were born out of the same mother of Millerism around the same time. In the mid 1800s, while Ellen White was building up the SDAs, a Millerite named Nelson Barbour formed a partnership with a Millerite named Charles Russell (founder and prophet of the Jehovah's Witnesses), and they collaborated together to form the beginning of the Watch Tower Society, which is the flagship of the Jehovah's Witnesses to this day.
(Read "Corruptions of Christianity: Jehovah's Witnesses" here at creationliberty.com for more detail.)

The reason all these organizations are corrupt is because they all came from the same corrupt root of the same corrupt tree:

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
-Luke 3:8-9

Again, Ellen White had predicted another prophet would come after her (i.e. after she died, despite the fact that she initially believed she would see the second coming of Jesus Christ), and there are many SDAs who still believe her today. Though this prophet does not exist because Ellen White was a false prophetess, many SDAs still look for this prophet to appear, and because of this, many of them will be led astray when the son of perdition appears, who will claim to be the prophesied messiah of many of these false religions.

Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
-Matthew 24:26-28

 


This final chapter consists of various fascinating discoveries I made during my time researching Seventh-day Adventism and Ellen G. White, a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and some problems I have seen with the testimonies of former SDAs. Please understand that if I were to expose every deceptive word or action of Ellen White and the SDA church, I would be forced to write many volumes of books that would fill many library shelves. There is more heresy, false prophecy, plagiarism, lies, and hypocrisy from Ellen White than any one author could handle on their own, and so all I can do is say that, if this book has not been enough evidence to convince you of the deceptions of Ellen White and the SDA church, then I would encourage you to continue doing your own research, that you would be fully persuaded of the truth in your own mind.

Current and former SDAs who are (or were) deeply involved in the organization, are keenly aware that any studying of documentation which leads to questioning the writings of Ellen G. White, the White Estate, or the SDA General Conference, is not only frowned upon in the SDA church, but can lead to expulsion and shunning. This can be devastating for SDAs since many of those who grew up in the organization are employed by other SDAs, have mostly SDA family members, and have mostly SDA friends, and therefore, to be expelled from the SDA church is like a bullet to the heart because, depending on how deeply connected they are to the SDA organization, following the Lord Jesus Christ could mean losing everything.

However, if by the grace of God any current SDA might be reading this book, I want to encourage you with the words of Jesus Christ:

And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
-Matthew 19:28-29

There is nothing that is lost that cannot be restored by the Lord Jesus Christ, and eternal life is infinitely more valuable than family, friends, or a job. Leaving behind Ellen White to follow Jesus Christ is a tough move for someone in the SDA church, but you are not alone in your struggle, and you will find the eternal security of salvation in Christ on the other side.

In my opinion, the greatest difficulty in getting SDAs to see the truth of the matter is getting past the wall of censorship that prevents them from seeing the deception of Ellen G. White. The following image is a screenshot of a document (dated July 13, 1981) sent out by the Seventh-day Adventist Church to various conference workers, and this letter was intended to be confidential, but was leaked by insiders to warn the public because it was a SDA Conference mandate that prohibited the hearing or reading of critiques against Ellen G. White:
(Click Image for Larger View)
"VOTED - that a Conference Tapes & Screening Committee be appointed to screen tapes and literature that has not been promoted or compiled by the regular denominational sources before such material can be distributed within the Conference with its blessing."
(Document provided by former SDA scholar Walter Rea, republished by The John Ankerberg Show, "Seventh Day Adventism: at the Crossroads," 88denver99, retrieved Apr 16, 2021, [https://youtu.be/RnO8BfYqbbg?t=3299])

Of course, it is not unreasonable that an organization paying for a conference would prohibit unapproved documentation, but the documentation they were worrying about at the time was coming from some of their own members who disagreed with the wild doctrines of Ellen G. White. To have their own SDA leaders telling churchgoers that Ellen White was not correct in everything she said and did was a threat to the organization's profits by those attempting to reform the SDA church.

Later, the document stated:
"Should it be brought to the attention of the conference committee that any worker has questionable tapes in his or her possession which are circulated among other workers & members, the committee would view this in a serious light & would no doubt take suitable action."
(Document provided by former SDA scholar Walter Rea, republished by The John Ankerberg Show, "Seventh Day Adventism: at the Crossroads," 88denver99, retrieved Apr 16, 2021, [https://youtu.be/RnO8BfYqbbg?t=3299])

Any materials that were considered (by the vague, unwritten rules of the Conference) to contain any objection to the writings of Ellen G. White were handled by the SDA General Conference as if they were dangerous narcotics. Even the mere discussion of White being in error was a threat to the organization, which not only shows how unfaithful they are to her doctrines, but also how vulnerable she is in light of the truth, and therefore, the SDA General Conference conspired in secret to punish anyone who simply had such materials in their possession, even if that person had never read or listened to them.

For my ministry and our church, I encourage readers to look at other peoples' materials carefully. Do not misunderstand; I warn everyone of false teachers and corrupt organizations, teaching that they should sanctify themselves (i.e. set themselves apart from them), but the reason I put full references in this book is so that you would go look up the sources for yourself and judge what is true and what is not, and that is because I trust in the Holy Spirit of God to guide Christians to the truth of a matter; I do not believe that I am some religious guru that is required for all people to understand the truth, but the SDA General Conference disagrees, and the Ellen G. White Estate does not believe in that same liberty because they have paychecks to protect.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
-1 Timothy 6:9-10

If any Seventh-day Adventist may be reading this, I hope you can see that the organization you follow is using the same censorship strategies that exist in most other religious cults around the world, including Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam, and Catholicism, just to name a few. If Ellen White really told us the truth, then we should be free to investigate that information as far as it will take us, and if the information is true, then we will arrive at that same conclusion, no matter how much scrutiny it falls under, but the SDA organization takes every precaution to PREVENT their followers from hearing sound objections because they know the teachings and philosophy of Ellen White are as flimsy as a house of cards, so they must be carefully guarded.
(Read Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism, Corruptions of Christianity: Mormonism, Corruptions of Christianity: Jehovah's Witnesses, and Islam: Religion of Terror here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Facts have no need to censor opposition. The truth can stand on its own merit.

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
-2 Corinthians 3:17

One of the ways the SDA church has censored the truth is by changing the Bible itself. Just as the Jehovah's Witnesses uphold The New World Translation to change Scripture's interpretation to their liking, most SDA members uphold The Clear Word Bible with the same purpose.
(See Jack Blanco, The Clear Word, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2007, ISBN: 9780974889474)

In 1994, Jack Blanco, chairman of the Southern College of SDAs in Tennessee, introduced The Clear Word with the same intention as every other corrupt watered-down version, claiming that this version provided more contemporary language to help people have an easier time reading the Bible. (After all, most of these authors and higher "scholars" believe that we Christians are too stupid to study the Bible on our own. 1Co 1:26-29) Because Blanco had made alterations to Scripture that helped to support the false doctrines of the Millerites and Ellen G. White, The Clear Word picked up momentum among SDA groups, and it got so popular that about ten years later, in 2005, a children's edition was developed, called The Clear Word for Kids to help indoctrinate the next generation.
(Read Why Christians Should Study The King James Bible here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

It should be noted that Blanco never claimed that this was a Bible version, but rather, it was a "paraphrasing" of Scripture, meaning that he was writing out the Bible in his own words. There is a very good reason that we Christians QUOTE Scripture (as you have seen me do in this book) instead of paraphrasing it, and that is because paraphrasing often inserts the author's personal opinions and biases into the text, which influences readers to adopt ideas that were not in the original meaning. There is a newer trend of "paraphrasing" God's Word, not only in books, but also from the mouths of preachers because they are typically lazy and lacking understanding, so instead of quoting it directly, they attempt to influence their audiences with their own ideology and philosophy while falsely calling it a "Bible teaching."

Evil often infiltrates under the disguise of convenience.

Robert Folkenberg served as president of the SDA church from 1990-1999, and he warned SDAs that the use of The Clear Word for Bible studies was not a good idea:
"Out of his personal devotional life and study of the Scriptures Dr. Jack Blanco, chairman of the religion department at Southern College of Seventh-day Adventists in Tennessee, produced his own paraphrase of the New Testament. He undertook this project at his own initiative and was not commissioned to do so by any committee or administrator of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Though it was printed by the Review and Herald Publishing Association the issue of officially endorsing it has never come up in any church council. As such, it represents the effort of an individual Seventh-day Adventist to make the Scriptures more readable for himself and for those who choose to read it. As a paraphrase it is appropriate for ones [sic] personal devotional study. For detailed doctrinal Bible study the serious student will choose to use a more literal translation of the original languages. The Seventh-day Adventist Church does not limit the various meaningful avenues through which its members study the Scriptures and we would hope that Dr. Blanco's significant personal effort would contribute to this purpose as well. Those who read it prayerfully should receive a blessing from it, just as they do from other paraphrases of the Bible. This [Clear Word] Bible should in no way be considered an official Seventh-day Adventist Bible, nor did Dr. Blanco intend for it to be considered as such."
-Robert S. Folkenberg, "Endorsement by Pastor Robert Folkenberg," SDA.net, retrieved May 19, 2021, [http://www.sdanet.org/atissue/clearword/folkenberg_endorsment.htm]

There are a few points of contention I have with Folkenberg's statement. The first is his comment that the SDA church never "officially endorsed" the book, but it should be noted that Review and Herald Publishing is the official publishing company of the SDA church, and so the fact that they published it means that they endorsed it, despite Folkenberg's literary sleight-of-hand.

The second point of contention is Jack Blanco's intent, which Folkenberg claims was never to create a new Bible version. And yet, Blanco's original publication of the book was entitled "The Clear Word BIBLE," meaning that he either deceived people by calling it a "Bible," or he intended it to be read as a Bible.

The third point of contention is, despite Folkenberg's warning, SDAs frequently use The Clear Word for the study of Scripture. The same year it was published by the Review and Herald, David Newman, the editor of Ministry Magazine (owned and operated by the SDA General Conference) wrote a letter of concern about how often The Clear Word was being used as a textbook to teach Scripture, and about the fact that it was not really a "paraphrase" of Scripture at all:
"Dr. Jack Blanco, chair of the religion department at Southern College and the author of the Clear Word Bible is trying to make the Bible clearer which is most commendable. He has done an outstanding job except for the problems I cite below. He makes it clear in the first paragraph of his Preface that 'This is not a new translation but a paraphrase of the Scriptures. It is not intended for in-depth study or for public reading in churches.' Unfortunately most people do not read prefaces so this very important information will be lost. Already I am hearing reports of it being used in the pulpit and as a textbook in teaching religion. Second, the author misunderstands the meaning of the word 'paraphrase.' A paraphrase is not a loose rendering of someone elses' [sic] words with added commentary. A paraphrase whether you use the dictionary definition or the definition used in active listening simply means restating the words of another in your own words without adding to or subtracting from the original meaning. A cursory examination of the Clear Word Bible reveals the prolific addition of many ideas not found in Scripture."
-J. David Newman, "A letter from David Newman, Editor of Ministry magazine," SDA.net, 1994, retrieved May 19, 2021, [http://www.sdanet.org/atissue/clearword/reservations.htm]

One of Newman's biggest problems is that he does not understand that he is just as duped into the false doctrines of Ellen White as all the other SDA members, so because of that, he has no understanding that, whether or not The Clear Word was meant for Bible study, and even though it contains false claims and suggestive opinions, SDAs will typically have no problem using it. Why? Because they have already put their faith into Ellen G. White, and she is the distinguished queen of adding "addition[s] of many ideas not found in Scripture," and so SDAs will typically have no problem with other authors who do the same thing, so long as it supports their belief of corrupt SDA principles in which they (sadly) put all their hope.

If Seventh-day Adventists truly followed Scripture, then they would have no interest in turning to some other man's interpretations of it. If they truly followed Jesus Christ, they would draw close to His Word, and not be led astray by the ramblings of false teachers.

And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
-John 10:4-5

Just as Jews in that day could not understand these parables because they were blinded by their pride and works-doctrines, so too are the SDAs blinded for the same reasons.

This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
-John 10:6

And the final point of contention is that The Clear Word is not just the New Testament. Blanco rewrote the entire Bible as a commentary to preach the doctrines of Ellen White, and even structured it in the same way the King James Bible is structured, as Newman went on to point out:
"Thirdly, where Scripture is ambiguous the author removes the ambiguities. One is left not having to make hardly any interpretations for him or herself. The author has done it for you... Fourthly, the author has intertwined so much of Ellen White into his commentary that the general effect has been to canonize Ellen White. The author adds to Scripture in Genesis 2:25 by following Ellen White and saying that Adam and Eve were clothed with a garment of light. Daniel 8:14 is now clear that the judgment began after 2300 prophetic years. Fifthly, the title chosen for this work is most unfortunate. This is not a Bible. It is a personal commentary on Scripture but it is not the Bible. Yet the title clearly identifies it as a Bible. It is really a specialized commentary on the Bible. Sixthly, while the author says it is a paraphrase, the format inside is not that of a paraphrase, but that of the King James Bible. While most modern versions format by paragraph this 'Bible' is formatted verse by verse so that it clearly looks like a traditional bible."
-J. David Newman, "A letter from David Newman, Editor of Ministry magazine," SDA.net, 1994, retrieved May 19, 2021, [http://www.sdanet.org/atissue/clearword/reservations.htm]

If you recall, in chapter three, we read direct quotes from Ellen White in which she declared that her writings were "prompted by the Spirit of God" and that God had opened to her in visions "the precious rays of light shining from the throne." Furthermore, in chapter four, we read Ellen White tell us that if we ignore or deny the things she taught in her "visions," then we are "rebelling against God." There is no reason why such knowledge (if it were true) would not be canon because those would be the direct commandments and doctrines of God.

canon (n): a law, or rule of doctrine or discipline; a decision of matters in religion
(See 'canon', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved May 20, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Here is a quote from an article published by the Review and Herald (also called The Adventist Review):
"The Bible is an infallible guide, but it needs to be infallibly interpreted to avoid confusion and division... When will the people of God cease trusting their own wisdom? When will they come to the place where they will cease to measure, construe, and interpret, by their own reason, what God says to them through His appointed channel? [i.e. Ellen G. White] When we come to the place where we place no trust in man nor in the wisdom of men, but unquestionably accept of and act upon what God says through this gift [i.e. Ellen G. White], then will the spirit of prophecy, as set before us in the Bible and as witnessed in the present manifestations of this gift [i.e. Ellen G. White] be confirmed among us and become, in fact, the counselor, guide, and final court of appeal among God's people."
-Roderick S. Owen, "The Source of Final Appeal," The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 148, No. 22, June 3, 1971, retrieved May 20, 2021, [https://documents.adventistarchives.org/Periodicals/RH/RH19710603-V148-22.pdf]

As we can see, the SDA church's true position is clear: Ellen White is to be accepted without question. For SDAs, she is a test of faith, meaning that, for them, Ellen G. White is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice, without specifically mentioning all the various errors that they ignore and other doctrines she instituted which they do not follow (i.e. photographs, the reform dress, jewelry, meats, etc).

This should be no surprise for readers who remember chapter four, when we read the various highly revered SDA leaders who declared that White's writings were their supreme guide. We read how a SDA school said that White's writings were "inerrant" (i.e. without error), how a SDA pastor taught that White was "one of the greatest prophets that [has] ever lived," and how the editor of the Review and Herald said that White's writings and the Bible were to be taken "with equal authority."

Just from what we have learned in this book, we know that the SDA upholds Ellen White's writings as canon. However, I will quote their belief directly from D.A. Delafield, an elder of the SDA church and trustee of the White Estate, concerning whether or not Ellen White's doctrine is canon for SDAs:
"Insofar as Ellen White's role in the church is concerned, whether pastoral or canonical, I think we must here give pause and rethink the acceptance with ease of Desmond Ford's proposition. [Ford taught that White's role was educational, not infallible as a prophet of God, and as a result, he was fired and excommunicated for it.] Shall we accept the view that a Seventh-day Adventist theologian is more dependable than a Seventh-day Adventist prophet? I highly respect many of our Seventh-day Adventist theologians. I have sat at their feet and been taught by them. I admire and respect them highly. I would like to remind you, however, that you can search the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and you will not find a single text marking out theologians as having the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures indicate however, that prophets have a gift of the Holy Spirit. Ellen White had that gift and she was canonical insofar as doctrinal interpretation is concerned."
-D.A. Delafield, Letter to P.C. Drewer, June 24, 1981; See also Walter T. Rea, The White Lie, M&R Publications, 1982, p. 96, ISBN: 9780960742400; See also Walter Martin, "Seventh Day Adventism: Who Is Telling the Truth? - Program 3," The John Ankerberg Show, 1985, retrieved May 20, 2021, [https://jashow.org/articles/seventh-day-adventism-who-is-telling-the-truth-program-3] or [https://youtu.be/g8trO-Qz5Po?t=3395]

Therefore, even though Newman attempted to gently usher SDA members away from relying on The Clear Word (i.e. the Bible mixed with Ellen White's doctrines), members of the SDA church are simply following the canon of Ellen White (as they are taught to do), and so any document that supports her, they will also support. It is flat-out stupid for SDA leadership to expect SDAs to follow Scripture, when they have taught them to bow first and foremost to Ellen G. White, and therefore, SDA members have made The Clear Word the unofficial bible version of the Seventh-day Adventist movement because they worship at the feet of their false prophetess, as many of them have been taught to do for most of their lives.

Aside from the scrambling of words due to Blanco's alleged "paraphrasing," hundreds of words have been added to Scripture in The Clear Word. As Newman pointed out, one of the examples of Blanco's adding to the Word of God is found in his rendering of Daniel 8:14.

And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
-Daniel 8:14

Here is what Blanco wrote for that passage: "He answered, 'After two thousand, three hundred prophetic days (which represent actual years), God will restore the truth about the heavenly Sanctuary to its rightful place. Then the process of judgment will begin of which the yearly cleansing of the earthly Sanctuary was a type, and God will vindicate His people.'"
-Jack Blanco, Clear Word Bible-OE, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1994, p. 894, ISBN: 9780970011152

As you can see, the plain reading of the text in the Bible has been almost entirely rewritten by Blanco to indoctrinate his readers into the false doctrines of Ellen G. White and the Millerite movement. It is obvious that the intent here is not meant to help readers more clearly understand the text of Scripture, but rather, Blanco has changed and added to God's Word to help support Millerism/Adventism, an action that has dire consequences.

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
-Revelation 22:18-19

This is only one of many methods Seventh-day Adventists use to manipulate others into converting to the insane ideas of Ellen G. White. Just like other religious cults, SDAs have tricks they use in which they spend a lot more time and money trying to gain denominational converts (i.e. getting churchgoers to attend SDA church buildings), rather than leading the lost to Jesus Christ.

One of the ways they do this is by hosting "prophecy seminars" and making them open to the general public, but not telling the general public who is hosting the event. These events are often advertised by radio, social media, and by elaborate flyers handed out to unsuspecting churchgoers:
If you ever find one of these brochures, look carefully on the inside because there is some key information you will not find. First, they will not tell you who is sponsoring the event, or if they do, it will be the name of an obscure, unknown person, but keep in mind, these events cost a lot of money, and not only is someone paying the bills, but that someone has an agenda, looking for some return on their investment.

Second, the brochure will advertise two weeks of scheduled seminars, but only half of them are displayed in the brochure. This is because they have half of the event open to the public, while the other half is held under private invitation to a local SDA church building, and will only be revealed to participants after a few days of attendance.

Third, the brochure gives details about the prophetic subject matter of the first week, but says nothing about the second week because this is bait-and-switch. In other words, they are baiting people into hearing about end times events during the first week, using scare tactics to put their audience into a state of fear, then attempting to recruit them into the SDA organization during the second week.

Jesus Christ never had to trick people into listening to Him.

I want Christians to understand that the truth does not need fancy gimmicks. You do not need music, light shows, or flashy presentations to just preach the truth of Christ, but you do need those things if you are going to distract people enough to manipulate them.

There are a variety of SDA organizations out there with deceptive names that do not come out and tell people directly that they are Seventh-day Adventist owned and operated. Organizations like Voice of Prophecy radio, Faith for Today television, It Is Written bible study guides, The Quiet Hour ministries, and Amazing Facts media, just to name a few.

The SDA organizations have also released many books under false pretenses, and the major point of warning should be to parents because there are many books for children that are in various public places that are SDA authored. They have produced many bright and visually appealing books for children, and have worked tirelessly to get them into libraries and waiting rooms of medical facilities. Most of the time, the way to tell if it is a creation of the SDAs is to check the publisher on the inside cover; if it is produced by anything with the word "Advent" or specifically, Pacific Press Publishing, it is a work of propaganda by the SDA church.

The reason they operate in such a manipulative way is because the SDA General Conference, through the preaching of the insanity of Ellen G. White, has given them a bad name over the past century, and many people roll their eyes to hear a SDA preach to them as much as they roll their eyes to hear a Mormon or Jehovah's Witness. Therefore, they find their best approach a deceptive approach, and Satan would agree with that.

Please do not misunderstand; Ellen G. White will not ever be preached in most of these books, videos, and seminars produced by the SDA church. They know that mentioning her name is likely to shut down any further conversation, and so they bait people in by talking about Jesus Christ and grace through faith so that they seem like a Christian organization, only to switch things on them once they convert them into the SDA church.

Most people are unaware that SDAs have vows that they take when getting baptized, which is not Biblical in any sense. There is no place in Scripture where we are taught to swear vows or oaths to be baptized, and Jesus actually taught against that idea:

Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
-Matthew 5:33-37
(Read "God Does Not Justify Lies" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

If you declare that you have come to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of your sin and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ (i.e. His death, burial, and resurrection), having His shed blood as the payment for your sin, that is enough. Your "yes" or "no" is sufficient; there is no need to take vows.

Nonetheless, the SDA church requires these vows to be taken:
"1. Do you believe there is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three coeternal Persons?"
-Baptismal Vows, Chestnut Hill SDA Church, retrieved May 21, 2021, [https://www.chestnuthillsda.org/about/baptismal-vows-]

This is almost comical when we remember back to chapter three in this book. We learned that Ellen White believed that Jesus was a created being, and that she did not believe in Christ's eternal divinity:
"The Eternal Father, the unchangeable one, gave his only begotten Son, tore from his bosom Him who was made in the express image of his person, and sent him down to earth to reveal how greatly he loved mankind."
-Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, EGW Writings, July 9, 1895, par. 13, retrieved Mar 26, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/821.14323#14339]

Also in chapter three, we learned that White believed Jesus was actually Michael the archangel, just like the Jehovah's Witnesses teach. The distinguishing feature between Seventh-day Adventism and other denominational religions who claim to be Christian is the teachings of Ellen G. White, and therefore, it is an extraordinary hypocrisy that even though Ellen White did not believe these things, new converts are required to swear oaths unto them.

The list continues:
"2. Do you accept the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary as the atoning sacrifice for your sins and believe that by God's grace through faith in His shed blood you are saved from sin and its penalty?"
-Baptismal Vows, Chestnut Hill SDA Church, retrieved May 21, 2021, [https://www.chestnuthillsda.org/about/baptismal-vows-]

Again, the hypocrisy is almost beyond belief because, as we learned in chapter three, Ellen White did not believe that the blood of Christ paid for the sins of men. She taught that SDAs needed to work their way into heaven through their own efforts to make their robes spotless:
"Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil."
-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan During the Christian Dispensation, Review and Herald Publishing, 1907, p. 425, [Harvard University]

Also in chapter three, we learned that Ellen White did not believe that any person could confidently say they are saved, and no one should be taught to say that:
"Those who accept the Saviour, however sincere their conversion, should never be taught to say or to feel that they are saved. This is misleading. Every one should be taught to cherish hope and faith; but even when we give ourselves to Christ and know that He accepts us, we are not beyond the reach of temptation."
-Ellen G. White, Christ's Object Lessons, EGW Writings, p. 155, retrieved Apr 16, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/15.617#640]

So either the SDA church has to confess that they do not follow the "Spirit of Prophecy," or they have to confess that they are misleading their converts. If they would be honest, it is both.

Of course, all of the vows taken in the SDA baptism are hypocritical, but it would take a lot of time to go over many of them, and we have already covered those topics in previous chapters. To save time, I am only going to quote a few of them:
"5. Do you believe that the Bible is God's inspired Word, the only rule of faith and practice for the Christian? Do you covenant to spend time regularly in prayer and Bible study?"
-Baptismal Vows, Chestnut Hill SDA Church, retrieved May 21, 2021, [https://www.chestnuthillsda.org/about/baptismal-vows-]

Again, we see more deception. As we learned earlier in this book, SDAs are taught to accept Ellen White's writings with EQUAL AUTHORITY as the Scripture, and so claiming that Scripture is their only rule of faith is a lie.

"6. Do you accept the Ten Commandments as a transcript of the character of God and a revelation of His will? Is it your purpose by the power of the indwelling Christ to keep this law, including the fourth commandment, which requires the observance of the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath of the Lord and the memorial of Creation?"
-Baptismal Vows, Chestnut Hill SDA Church, retrieved May 21, 2021, [https://www.chestnuthillsda.org/about/baptismal-vows-]

They are requiring new converts to swear oaths unto things that Jesus never taught. The commandments of the New Testament are to love God and our neighbors as ourselves.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
-Matthew 22:37-40

Again, Jesus Christ FULFILLED the Ten Commandments, and He gave us this commandment as the fulfillment of all commandments. Furthermore, Noah never kept the Ten Commandments because he never received them (i.e. God had not given them yet), but the Bible says he lived perfectly:

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
-Genesis 6:9

How is that possible? The Bible does not define 'perfection' as "flawlessness." If any readers want to learn more about that, I have a teaching called "The Biblical Understanding of Perfection," which you can find here at creationliberty.com, and that will give you plenty of Scripture on that subject.

"8. Do you accept the biblical teaching of spiritual gifts and believe that the gift of prophecy is one of the identifying marks of the remnant church?"
-Baptismal Vows, Chestnut Hill SDA Church, retrieved May 21, 2021, [https://www.chestnuthillsda.org/about/baptismal-vows-]

This vow is a trap because what they do not tell the new convert is that the "gift of prophecy" is Ellen G. White. They are secretly making them swear oaths unto Ellen White without them knowing that is what they are doing, and therefore, they will be expected not to question Ellen White's doctrines, or else they will be excommunicated.

"13. Do you accept and believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the remnant church of Bible prophecy and that people of every nation, race, and language are invited and accepted into its fellowship? Do you desire to be a member of this local congregation of the world Church?"
-Baptismal Vows, Chestnut Hill SDA Church, retrieved May 21, 2021, [https://www.chestnuthillsda.org/about/baptismal-vows-]

If you have a conversation with a SDA, most of the time, they will not tell you that they believe that Seventh-day Adventism is the only true religion in the world. They take vows that swear to uphold the belief that Seventh-day Adventism is the church for the world, and that no one else outside of it can be saved, which is a major warning sign of a religious cult.

Some SDAs will argue that they offer "alternative" vows if people do not wish to take the traditional ones. That still does not excuse the fact that they are taking unbiblical baptismal vows, and furthermore, the "alternative" vows still force converts to swear fealty to the Seventh-day Adventist denomination:
"3. Do you desire to be baptized as a public expression of your belief in Jesus Christ, to be accepted into the fellowship of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and to support the Church and its mission as a faithful steward by your personal influence, tithes and offerings, and a life of service?"
-Baptismal Vows, Chestnut Hill SDA Church, retrieved May 21, 2021, [https://www.chestnuthillsda.org/about/baptismal-vows-]

Where in the Bible did Jesus (or his apostles) ever teach that Christians had to swear vows unto a denomination? Why is "public expression of your belief in Jesus Christ" only fulfilled by service and unbiblical tithes to the SDA church?
(Read "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Furthermore, denominations themselves are rebuked in the New Testament because it is segregation of the church. If any readers would like to learn more about that, I have a teaching called "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com that will provide a lot more details on the history of denominations, and that Paul firmly rebuked them in Scripture.

Part of the reason for these oaths is to give the SDA organization a reason to kick people out of their church without having to address the specific details of doctrine when they find out the truth about Ellen White. In other words, the oath is an insurance policy allowing them to discreetly remove people who they find to be a threat to their organization.

It is not common knowledge among SDAs that many of its early prominent influencers renounced Seventh-day Adventism and Ellen G. White later in their lives after they discovered how many false doctrines she advocated and how many false prophecies she gave.

Joseph Turner taught Ellen White the "heavenly sanctuary" doctrine, but he departed from this teaching, and from the Millerite movement, in the 1840s. Owen Crosier was approved by Ellen White when she declared that he had the "true light" concerning the sanctuary doctrine, but he renounced it in the 1840s and left the movement. (See Ellen G. White, Early Writings, EGW Writings, p. 2, retrieved May 14, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/28.98#100]) Israel Dammon was a friend to Ellen (Harmon) White, and opened up his home to her while she gave her visions, but he departed from the Adventists in the 1840s. Gilbert Cranmer was the founder of the Church of God (Seventh Day) based on the doctrines of White's SDA movement, and he renounced his false beliefs and left the movement in the 1860s, despite the fact that his followers carried it on, and it still exists today. The only difference between the Church of God and SDA is that SDAs believe White was the infallible "Spirit of Prophecy," whereas the Church of God followers consider her to be only partially correct in her visions, mixed with some error. Benjamin Snook (President of the Iowa SDA Conference) and William Brinkerhoff (Secretary of the Iowa SDA Conference) both left White's movement in the early 1860s, and published a short book called The Visions of E.G. White Not of God in 1866, declaring White to be a false prophetess. (See Benjamin F. Snook & William H. Brinkerhoff, The Visions of E. G. White Not of God, quoted by Robert K. Sanders, retrieved May 14, 2021, [https://bit.ly/3tOvZoE]) Daniel Canright (aforementioned) was a close friend of the White family and a member of the SDA General Conference Committee, but he departed from the movement in the 1880s, and wrote a book called The Life of Mrs. E.G. White in 1919, exposing the lies and crimes of Ellen White. Alonzo Jones became a prominent member of the SDA General Conference Committee in the 1880s, and was praised by Ellen White as having received the light of God's Word. He had a large impact on the theology of Seventh-day Adventism, but he renounced the SDA beliefs in the early 1900s. Ellet Waggoner also worked closely with Alonzo Jones on the doctrines of the SDA church that are still in use today, and was praised the same by Ellen White for his theological work. He renounced the SDA doctrines and left with Jones in the early 1900s. (See Ellen G. White, Faith and Works, EGW Writings, p. 13, retrieved May 21, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/31.2#20]) John Kellogg (aforementioned founder of the Kellogg brand) was highly praised and respected by Ellen White for his work as her personal physician, and as a leading authority among SDAs concerning health reform, but he renounced the SDA doctrines and left the movement in the early 1900s, but was not "disfellowshipped" from the SDA church until 1907 because he was a prominent figure in the SDA movement. Albion Ballenger became a SDA evangelist in England in 1885, and gained a lot of prominence among the SDA church, but he began to preach liberty in Christ, and that the "Investigative Judgment" theology was false, and after Ellen White rebuked him, he left (and was simultaneously kicked out of) the SDA church in the early 1900s.

These men did not come out unscathed because, as is typical with most religious cults, when a member leaves the organization and exposes the inward workings of it, that is a threat to their businesses. Remember, the SDA church owns schools and hospitals, which bring in many millions of dollars every year, and if their religious hierarchy was exposed as a scam, then they would lose a lot of money; therefore, they will protect their organization at all costs.

For example, John Kellogg made public statements that argued against the wild doctrines of Ellen White, and he departed from the SDA movement at the turn of the 20th century, even though he continued to fellowship with SDAs and serve them as needed. Ellen White had a problem with this because the Battle Creek Sanitarium that he owned and operated was a big money-maker for White and the SDA church, and the organization had invested a lot of money into it.

Ellen contacted Kellogg and asked him to relinquish ownership of the facility to the SDA church, but he refused. Soon after, with very convenient timing, the Battle Creek Sanitarium was completely burned to the ground in February of 1902, and I will leave it up to readers to decide how they think that happened because we can only speculate without hard evidence, but please note that this incident was a very profitable political gain for Ellen White because all she would have to do is say that God judged Kellogg, and her blind followers would fear her all the more.
What is also very convenient is that, to this day, the SDA church claims that all this happened because God judged the unrighteous, over the fact that Ellen White wanted the Sanitarium relocated to a different area, and Kellogg would not comply. The SDA General Conference created a full-length PowerPoint presentation in which they said that the fire happened because Kellogg and his board "failed to seek Ellen White's support," and depending on why you believe the fire was started, I would agree with that.

As I stated in the introduction, many of the people in Seventh-day Adventism have all their friends, family, and jobs within SDA culture. To question Ellen G. White is not just to question the false perception of the so-called "Spirit of Prophecy," but SDAs know that they risk losing everything.

For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
-Matthew 10:35-39

And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
-Matthew 19:28-30

Do you love your life more than you love the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you cling to your family and friends more than the Messiah? Jesus said if that is the case, then you are not worthy of Him.

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
-John 12:25

I have read and listened to a number of testimonies of former SDAs who left the organization, and I have found a very common theme among most of them. They treat this matter as if they were simply a part of the wrong church building, and after they came out of SDA, they lived a more fulfilling life; they attempt to place their former dedication to Ellen White in the same metaphorical manner of slipping on a banana peel and accidentally getting fooled, while trying to convince SDAs to depart because their lives will be better.

To be clear, SDAs are not Christians in any sense, and so for someone to claim that they were born again Christians while being in the Adventist cult for decades is not only unbiblical folly, but it preaches a false doctrine that there is no repentance (i.e. godly sorrow) necessary for wrongdoing. Very rarely do I read or hear a sound testimony of Christ's gospel coming from a former SDA.

However, let's look at an example of a sound testimony from a former Adventist who was deceived into joining the SDA church, in which she was fooled by a SDA who told her (i.e. lied to her, or spoke in willful blindness) that she did not have to believe in the doctrines of Ellen White to be a Seventh-day Adventist. Little did she know at the time that belief in Ellen White's doctrines is a test of faith for SDAs. After spending many years involved in missionary work for the SDA church, this woman began to investigate the claims of White and compare them to Scripture:
"My husband came home from the University of Iowa one afternoon to find me seated at the bar in our kitchen, sobbing. He asked me what was wrong, and I looked up at him and said, 'What have I done? What have I done?' He asked what I meant, and I told him I felt I had left my first love. The Holy Spirit, through God's Word, revealed Jesus Christ to me, and I left Him for this? This is not Christian doctrine. This doctrine is NOT from God."
-Anonymous Woman, quoted by Jesus Truth, "EX Seventh-day Adventist Testimonies! Set Free from this Cult!" May 15, 2019, retrieved May 26, 2021, [https://youtu.be/a9V3TQkb74s?t=644]

As I listened to this woman's testimony, I could tell that she did not understand a number of things about the doctrines of Jesus Christ, but her understanding of all those matters is irrelevant because she had godly sorrow of her wrongdoing (i.e. repentance), and with faith in Jesus Christ, asked God to forgive her of her sins. That is all that is required of us to gain the grace of eternal life, and to be regenerated and born again by the Holy Spirit, and all the other knowledge of Scripture will come with time and study.

This woman shared these things with her husband (i.e. many of the same things that I have written about in this book), and he sat down to go over the details himself. Soon after facing the devastation of the truth, he and his wife left the SDA church, and in every testimony I have seen, what led to people leaving the SDA organization was studying Ellen White and comparing her teachings to Scripture.

I would like to add one more quote from this woman because she states in a very fine way the reasons for her telling SDAs the truth, even when they hate us for it, and it is the same reasons that I had for writing this book:
"I want to make perfectly clear that it is because I love them, and because we love them, it is not acceptable, and it will never be acceptable, to sit quietly by, and say nothing."
-Anonymous Woman, quoted by Jesus Truth, "EX Seventh-day Adventist Testimonies! Set Free from this Cult!" May 15, 2019, retrieved May 26, 2021, [https://youtu.be/a9V3TQkb74s?t=870]

There is nothing more loving than to tell someone the truth, even if it makes them upset. Love is not a warm, gooey feeling inside, but rather, love is a selfless sacrifice, and that is what the Scripture means when it says that God loved the world:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
-John 3:16

Therefore, because God so loved us by His great sacrifice through Jesus Christ our Lord, we also sacrifice that we might tell others the truth of His Word. I have already faced a number of Adventists who had many nasty things to say when I told them the truth about Ellen White, but I did it for their sakes, because I care about their souls.

Jesus taught us to expect this kind of response when we tell people the truth about Scripture:

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
-Matthew 5:10-16

Bringing someone out of the SDA church is irrelevant. Please do not misunderstand because I do want people to come out of the lies of the SDA church and away from their false, deceiving prophets; however, what is infinitely more important is to bring SDAs to repentance (i.e. godly sorrow of wrongdoing) and faith in the true Jesus Christ of the Bible, and then we do not have to convert them away from the SDA church because that will happen in its own time through the workings of the Holy Ghost.

The reason there is such great difficulty in persuading a SDA of his sin is because Ellen White taught that they must be sinless to get into heaven, and made it clear to her followers that any person who has sinned cannot be saved:
"If we are disobedient, our characters are out of harmony with God's moral rule of government, and it is stating a falsehood to say, 'I am saved.' No one is saved who is a transgressor of the law of God, which is the foundation of his government in heaven and in earth."
-Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, EGW Writings, Book 1, p. 314, retrieved May 25, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/98.1826#1846]

Ellen White did not say this because she slipped on a proverbial banana peel and accidentally fell into false doctrine, but rather, she fell into a trap. The trap she fell into was made by God in His Word, and He taught us that He designed His Word like this to expose false prophets like Ellen White.

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
-Isaiah 28:9-10

In other words, the Word of God is not organized with color codes and bullet points, and is purposefully designed in a way that the fullness of a doctrine can only be understood if all the pieces are aligned, and most often, those doctrines are located throughout various books in the Bible. We are to read God's Word "precept upon precept," meaning that we take each commandment in correlation with other commandments, "line upon line" meaning that we need to read it in its context, and "here a little and there a little," meaning that we need to compare Scripture with Scripture and correlate them together. The reason God set it up this way was so that men who would read and attempt to understand God's Word would never be able to fully understand it, thereby, they would teach false doctrines, and we would be able to spot the counterfeit teacher more easily.

That is why Isaiah went on to say that false teachers would "fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken:"

But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
-Isaiah 28:13

Ellen White fell for God's trap, and for those of us who have been given repentance and faith in Him, He has protected us (i.e. the poor and needy) with His Word by the power of the Holy Spirit, from those (e.g. Ellen White) who puff themselves up in their pride and arrogance against us:

For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.
-Psalm 12:5-8

When a vile person such as Ellen White is exalted so highly in the SDA church, we can know for certain that there are many wicked people walking among them. That is why we Christians preach the truth of God's Word to them, that they might be saved.

As I stated earlier in this book, a follower of Jesus Christ only listens to the voice of the Shepherd, and does not follow after the voice of strangers:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
-John 10:1-5

I am fully aware that Seventh-day Adventists believe they are hearing the voice of the Shepherd, but just as the Jews in that day, they do not understand because they follow the voice of Ellen G. White, not Jesus Christ.

This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
-John 10:6

He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
-John 8:47

So many churchgoers make the mistake of believing that SDAs are Christians, but that they are just in the wrong religious organization. This is a fallacious and dangerous philosophy (i.e. way of thinking) because it will prevent people from hearing the true gospel of Jesus Christ. If one believes he is born again when he is not, and others keep giving him confirmation without understanding, then he will not hear the truth and continue in a lie. I am not saying that a born again Christian may not get fooled into following the SDA church for a time, but those who look to Scripture first and foremost, who listen to the voice of the Shepherd, will not stay in it for long because upon comparing the doctrines of Ellen White to the Scripture, born again Christians will depart.

For example, former SDA pastor Dan Snyder gave this testimony:
"Several years ago, I knew, without a doubt... that God was calling me to leave the Adventist faith and ministry. One month later, I received a call to pastor at an evangelical church. The last three years have been the most spiritually rewarding of my 31 years as a Christian. I am part of the family of God that truly upholds the Bible as the sole authority of both faith and practice."
-Dan Snyder, "Heresies Within Seventh-day Adventism," Jeremiah Films, reuploaded by KeeperOfGodsWord, Feb 24, 2015, retrieved May 27, 2021, [https://youtu.be/CVYPb6PyZSI?t=2649]

So for 28 years, this man believed in a false gospel that teaches that Jesus is not divine (and is instead Michael the Archangel), and that Christ's blood does not save men from their sins. He also believed that his works would help him gain entrance to heaven, and he swore unbiblical baptismal oaths unto the SDA church in all these matters. These are false doctrines that directly contradict the foundational Gospel of Jesus Christ, and yet, he thinks he was born again the entire time.

What I would ask readers to ponder are the following questions:

Why did Snyder consider himself to be a Christian for 28 years, but then not consider himself to be "part of the family of God" for 28 years? The Bible says that all born again Christians are part of the family of God, so why was he an exception? If Snyder was a born again Christian for 28 years as a member of the SDA church, does that mean that all the other SDAs (who have not left the SDA church) are born again Christians too? If SDAs are born again Christians, then why is Snyder pleading with them to leave the SDA church? Or rather, what is wrong with staying in it if they are saved anyway?

The reason a lot of this does not make sense is because of the false doctrine that if a man says "Jesus is Lord," he is automatically a saved Christian. That is a common doctrine that is based in serious Scriptural error. Just because a man says that he believes on Jesus Christ, that does not mean that man is a child of God.

And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
-Galatians 2:4

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
-Matthew 7:13-14

Instead of coming to the humility of repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of his wrongdoing (i.e. a gift from God), which is what a true born again Christian will do, Snyder just casually says he felt a call to leave (whatever that is supposed to mean). Once he switched church buildings, he felt it was more rewarding, and this message is exactly what has corrupted so many modern-day church buildings because churchgoers often look to what is rewarding according to their own standards (i.e. what makes them feel good according to the emotions of the heart), instead of looking at the core foundations of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, all the while, they deceive others by claiming with their mouths to follow Jesus.

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
-Matthew 15:8

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
-Jeremiah 17:9

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
-Proverbs 28:26

Churchgoers often treat SDAs as "brethren," when Seventh-day Adventism is not much different from many other cultic religions like Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses, which came out of the same roots and era, and teach many of the same heresies. Most SDAs have never come to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of their sins. Ellen White taught them that they have to be sinless in order to get to heaven, and so for a SDA to confess that he has sin means that he cannot get to heaven, so instead, he hides it away, and often, ends up looking down his nose at others who confess their sin.

The Lord God has been very clear on this matter for us:

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
-1 John 1:8-10

The Bible tells us how men are converted and born again in Christ:

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
-Galatians 3:22-25

Here is how it works: The Bible provides the law to mankind, which proves to them they are guilty of wrongdoing, and that they deserve eternal punishment for their sin. Inwardly, this sin kills us, in that it makes us aware of our own wretchedness and corruption.

For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
-Romans 7:9-11

This is why people typically do not want to hear about their sin because the knowledge of sin provides evidence (through our conscience) that we are hopelessly lost to death and destruction. This brings a man to tears of godly sorrow of his wrongdoing, in which he finally understands and acknowledges his wretched state.

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
-Romans 7:23-24

There is no work that can be done to eliminate this guilt of sin. Trying to follow the law is vanity because it can never be 100% accomplished.

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
-Romans 3:10-12

Once a man has come to that state of godly sorrow, it is God who has given him repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of his sin, so that he can now acknowledge the truth with understanding.

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
-2 Timothy 2:25

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word [i.e. the Bible, not Ellen G. White], and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
-Matthew 13:23

This is a very simple doctrine that few churchgoers understand because most religious organizations do not teach this. They only teach that if you say you believe in Jesus, you will go to heaven. However, this is why Jesus said we must come to Him as little children, meaning that we are humbled as a child would be humbled when coming to his father in tears of his wrongdoing.

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
-Matthew 18:3

Those who come to repentance, with the tears of godly sorrow, are the ones who have heard the Word of God and understood it. Then, all a man needs to do is put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He shed his blood, died on the cross, rose from the dead, and is alive at the right hand of God the Father making continual intercession for us, and that man will be saved and completely justified before God the Father, not by the man's own works, but by the grace of God.

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
-Romans 5:1

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
-Romans 5:9

How can a SDA be saved when he cannot even confess his own wrongdoing? How can a SDA be saved when he believes in White's false doctrine of "grace plus works," hopelessly putting faith into his own ability to make his robes spotless? How can a SDA be saved when he trusts in a false "christ" that Ellen White taught, whose blood does not pay for the sins of man?

Most churchgoers today do not understand the concept of a false convert, but Jesus taught a great deal on that subject. In fact, all of Christ's parables were based on false converts, and if any reader would like to learn more about that, I highly recommend reading an article here at creationliberty.com called "Jesus Said There Are Many False Converts."

Therefore, through this book, my intention is to convert SDAs to the Lord Jesus Christ because, in most cases, they are not saved. They have not come to repentance for the remission of sins, and therefore, I want to teach them the truth that they might have salvation in Jesus Christ, and to know for certain they are going to heaven to be together forever with the Lord.

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
-Luke 24:46-47

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
-1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

As I finish this book, I thought it important to go back to the basic foundation that demonstrates Ellen G. White to be an antichrist, meaning that she was against what Christ taught, and what He did on the cross. Let's look at some basics of Scripture, which is the milk of the Word, or in other words, these are principal teachings that new Christians learn early in their studies:

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
-1 John 5:12

These things were written by the authors through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, that we can KNOW for certain that we have eternal life through Jesus Christ:

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
-1 John 5:13

Jesus Christ is the way, truth, and life:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
-John 14:6

This is NOT what Ellen G. White preached. Read for yourself:
"We are never to rest in a satisfied condition, and cease to make advancement, saying, 'I am saved.' When this idea is entertained, the motives for watchfulness, for prayers, for earnest endeavor to press onward to higher attainments, cease to exist. No sanctified tongue will be found uttering these words till Christ shall come, and we enter in through the gates into the city of God. Then, with the utmost propriety, we may give glory to God and to the Lamb for eternal deliverance. As long as man is full of weakness—for of himself he cannot save his soul—he should never dare to say, 'I am saved.'"
-Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, EGW Writings, Book 1, p. 314, retrieved May 25, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/98.1826#1846]

No man can be saved by his own efforts; only through faith in Christ can a man be saved:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
-Ephesians 2:8-9

Perhaps you noticed that White said that a man "of himself he cannot save his soul," and you may have thought that she is in agreement with the Scripture on this matter, but if you thought that, you misunderstood what she meant by that statement, and how it contradicts what she was teaching. Remember, Ellen taught that you must make your robes spotless by your own efforts:
"Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil."
-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, EGW Writings, p. 425, retrieved May 25, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/132.1918#1927]

White believed in grace plus works, which is not the grace of Christ that is taught in Scripture because grace and works cannot both be the payment for sin because the concepts and definitions of those words contradict each other:

And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
-Romans 11:6

Therefore, when White says that a man "of himself he cannot save his soul," she is making reference to God being the savior of souls, but in order to get God to save your soul, you have to do a lot of works, which is a doctrinal sleight-of-hand trick to get you to think that she taught grace through faith in Christ, when she actually taught the exact opposite. In short, what White taught is HERESY; there is no better way to say it.

heresy (n): a fundamental error in religion, or an error of opinion respecting some fundamental doctrine of religion; an untenable or unsound doctrine
(See 'heresy', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved May 25, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

If any SDA might be reading this, and you think to yourself that I am wrong in my assessment of White's doctrine, and that she taught that belief in Christ was sufficient for the payment of sins, then you have not read her writings carefully enough:
"Those who are teaching this doctrine today have much to say in regard to faith and the righteousness of Christ; but they pervert the truth, and make it serve the cause of error. They declare that we have only to believe on Jesus Christ, and that faith is all-sufficient; that the righteousness of Christ is to be the sinner's credentials; that this imputed righteousness fulfils the law for us, and that we are under no obligation to obey the law of God. This class claim that Christ came to save sinners, and that he has saved them. 'I am saved,' they will repeat over and over again. But are they saved while transgressing the law of Jehovah?—No; for the garments of Christ's righteousness are not a cloak for iniquity. Such teaching is a gross deception, and Christ becomes to these persons a stumbling-block as he did to the Jews,—to the Jews because they would not receive him as their personal Saviour; to these professed believers in Christ, because they separate Christ and the Law, and regard faith as a substitute for obedience. They separate the Father and the Son, the Saviour of the world. Virtually they teach, both by precept and example, that Christ, by his death, saves men in their transgressions."
-Ellen G. White, The Signs of the Times, EGW Writings, 1897, par. 7, retrieved May 25, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/820.14048#14057]

Ellen White taught that Christ does NOT save sinners. Even though she made some other contradictory statements, the point is exactly that, namely, that she made contradictory statements, meaning that she is speaking in a double-minded manner, which also means she is lying because when a man contradicts himself in doctrine, it means he is lying somewhere.

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
-James 1:8

What is the doctrine of salvation according to Jesus Christ? Did Jesus teach us that you must worship on a particular day of the week to be saved? That is what White and the SDA church have taught, but that is not what Jesus taught. Did Jesus teach us that you must believe in an 1844 prophesy to be saved? That is what White and the SDA church have taught, but that is not what Jesus taught.

Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
-Acts 16:29-31

Ellen White believed in a false "christ." She preached a false "jesus," and after analyzing her doctrines, it is clear to see that she taught the doctrine of an antichrist, while convincing many people that she was preaching the Jesus Christ of Scripture, and that is why we need to be vigilant and watchful of such deception.

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
-1 John 2:18

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
-1 John 4:1-3

White taught that a Christian is not saved if they have committed even one sin, and she demanded the impossibility of flawlessness from mankind, despite the fact that she hypocritically violated her own teachings and sinned often. Based on Scripture, I know that Ellen White was not a saved Christian (i.e. she is in hell now), but if we look at just her teachings alone, we know that she did not make it to heaven because she did not present herself spotless to God in judgment.

For SDAs, please understand that Jesus Christ does not lay such a heavy burden on you, but you must come to Him in godly sorrow of your sins (i.e. repentance) and trust in Jesus Christ ALONE (i.e. not your own works) for your salvation. Jesus then promised that his burden is light:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
-Matthew 11:28-30

Do not misunderstand; the gift of grace is not a license to sin, but sin does not remove a born again child of God away from his/her Savior.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
-Romans 6:1-2

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-Romans 8:37-39

It is because of the rejection of this very simple doctrine of repentance and faith in Christ that millions of Seventh-day Adventists are going to hell. Not just SDAs, but millions of churchgoers all around the world who claim to be Christians are also going to hell, and I would highly recommend a short book I wrote on that subject called Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell which is free to read on our website at creationliberty.com.

If you put your trust into Jesus Christ alone, He will give you liberty to be free from the bondage of the law. This is not to use our liberty as a license to sin, but to serve God in charity of the Holy Spirit, which is the fulfillment of the law.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Charity" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
-2 Corinthians 3:17

For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
-1 Peter 2:15-16

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
-Galatians 5:13

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
-Galatians 5:1

For SDAs, I want you to understand that this is not a matter of just swapping out which church building you attend. This is a matter of right versus wrong, and good versus evil, and even Ellen White said that you cannot ride the fence on this matter:
"The visions are either of God or the Devil. There is no half way position to be taken in the matter. God does not work in partnership with Satan. Those who occupy this position cannot stand there long."
-Ellen G. White, "Letter to Sister H. N. Smith," EGW Writings, p. 22, retrieved May 26, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/319.2#56]

White also wrote:
"If you are thoroughly convinced that God has not spoken by us, why not act in accordance with your faith and have no more to do with a people who are under so great a deception as this people are? If you have been moving according to the dictates of the Spirit of God you are right and we are wrong. God is either teaching His church, reproving their wrongs and strengthening their faith, or He is not. This work is of God, or it is not. God does nothing in partnership with Satan. My work for the past thirty years bears the stamp of God or the stamp of the enemy. There is no halfway work in the matter. The Testimonies are of the Spirit of God, or of the devil."
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, EGW Writings, Vol. 4, p. 229, retrieved May 26, 2021, [https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/114.1171#1181]

After reading this book and processing all the evidence therein, a man would have to lie to claim that Ellen White's testimonies are from the Spirit of God. It is time to make a choice about who you serve.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
-Joshua 24:15

If this book has been helpful to you, please share it with someone else that might read it, that as many as possible might come to understand the doctrine of repentance and remission of sins, and be converted unto true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is my hope that as many as possible might be saved by God's understanding, and that every reader might be blessed by God with His knowledge and mercies.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
-Proverbs 9:10

If you would like to learn more about false converts and why so many churchgoers (who claim to be Christians) are going to end up in hell without Christ, please visit the following links: Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell


There is No Saving Grace Without Repentance

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