Adventist and RCC
Adventist and RCC
Adventist and RCC
I have found evidence of the Seventh-day Adventist church and the Roman Catholic Church
joining hands as far back as 1926. I will be going through some of the history of these instances of our
church joining hands with the RCC, which is a disgusting thing that should never have happened. First off
I will give some history of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Many may say well why in the world have
you chosen to do this? It is because we have allowed errors to come into our church and these errors
must not only be met but they must be corrected.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church had its roots in the Millerite movement of the 1830s and
1840s, during the period of the Second Great Awakening, and was officially founded in 1863. Prominent
figures in the early church included Hiram Edson, James Springer White and his wife Ellen G. White,
Joseph Bates, and J. N. Andrews. Over the ensuing decades the church expanded from its original base in
New England to become an international organization. Significant developments in the 20th century led
to its recognition as a Christian denomination. The 19th century provided ideal conditions for the
Second Great Awakening a revival movement in the United States. Religious diversity was paramount
and many minority movements were formed. Some of these movements held beliefs that would later be
adopted by the Seventh-day Adventists.
An interest in prophecy was kindled among some Protestants groups following the arrest of
Pope Pius VI in 1798 by the French General Louis Alexandre Berthier. Forerunners of the Adventist
movement believed that this event marked the end of the 1260 day prophecy from the Book of Daniel.
Certain individuals began to look at the 2300 day prophecy found in Daniel 8:14. Hans Wood, an Irish
layman reached the same conclusions as Petri; however, due to a different commencement date his
calculations pointed to 1880. Interest in prophecy also found its way into the Roman Catholic Church
when an exiled Jesuit priest by the name of Manuel de Lacunza published a manuscript calling for
renewed interest in the Second Coming of Christ. His publication created a stirring but was later
condemned by Pope Leo XII in 1824.
As a result of a pursuit for religious freedom, many revivalists had set foot in the United States,
aiming to avoid persecution.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church formed out of the movement known today as the Millerites.
In 1831, a Baptist convert, William Miller (until then a Deist), was asked by a Baptist to preach in their
church and began to preach that the Second Advent of Jesus would occur somewhere between 1843
and 1844, based on his interpretation of Daniel 8:14. A following gathered around Miller that included
many from the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and Christian Connection churches. After a number of
revisions, October 22 was considered the most probable date that the return would occur. By 1844, over
100,000 people were anticipating what Miller had dubbed as the "Blessed Hope". On October 22 many
of the believers were up late into the night watching, waiting for Christ to return and found themselves
bitterly disappointed when both sunset and midnight passed with their expectations unfulfilled. This
event later became known as the Great Disappointment.
In 1888 there was a missed opportunity in the Adventist church that should have utterly
changed the church and should have sent it into a major growth spurt that many people would refer to
as the latter rain. What should have happened in 1888 with A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner and their
message of righteousness by faith and religious liberty was that we should have followed through and
moved forward but the message was rejected by the church.[ CITATION Wik10 \l 1033 ] During the years
that followed the church decided on a hierarchical church government structure that closely matches
the papal system. Ellen White even warns of something even worse happening to our church;
“A new organization would be established. Books of a new order would be written. A system
of intellectual philosophy would be introduced.” [ CITATION Whi \l 1033 ] The problem here is that
a new organization is coming into the church and it is a very dangerous organization. Ellen White goes
on to say that;
“The Sabbath (Saturday) of course, would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it.
Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement.”[ CITATION Whi \l 1033 ]
If we are truly joining hands with the Roman Catholic Church then it will not be long until
someone in the SDA church outright says that we no longer have to worship on Saturday. As far as I am
concerned something like that should never happen but in many ways I am sure that it will happen very
soon.
In 1910 at the world missionary conference the start of the Protestant Christian ecumenical
movement commenced.[ CITATION Wik1 \l 1033 ] We as Adventist’s were a part of this unholy meeting
and still are. [ CITATION Lau \l 1033 ] Why did we even join hands with the ecumenical movement? We
have tied ourselves to a unholy thing.
“ For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way
which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; “ Deuteronomy 31:29
In 1922 we as Adventist’s accepted worldly accreditation for our hospitals. In 1926 we changed
our policy to say this;
"recognizes those agencies that lift up Christ before men as a part of the divine plan for
evangelization of the world…”[ CITATION Gen \l 1033 ]
In 1929 we accepted worldly accreditation for our educational system which put us into the
same line as Catholics. Should we be accredited by the state and swallow the hard pill that they state
forces us to take by teaching mainly what the state wants us to teach? Should we sell ourselves short
when it comes to teaching the Bible in our schools when the state comes in and says that we can no
longer teach what we have been teaching from the Bible? Will we allow this to happen?
In 1949 the World Council of Churches was formed and one of the members is the Adventist
church. This is not the case according to the following webpage.
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/global-bodies-and-mission-
communions/wcc.html#c23067
In 1955 and 1956 two non-SDA leaders helped to trade away two vital doctrines of the Adventist
doctrine to be accepted by the fallen Babylonian churches, they were Walter Martin and Donald
Barnhouse. Martin was the director of cult apologetics for Zondervan and Donald Barnhouse was the
editor of Eternity magazine and pastor of the great evangelical church, Tenth Presbyterian Church.
Basically what happened is that Adventism got sold down the river to the evangelicals. [ CITATION Ral \l
1033 ] The two doctrines that got traded away was our belief that Jesus came in our sinful flesh and the
second was that we agreed that Christ’s work in the Most Holy Place was not vital for our salvation;
instead it was all done at the cross. This was wrong of the Adventist church to do this just to please
some external group. Ellen White prophesied that this would happen years ago.
“The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church would be
discarded. Our religion would be changed.” [ CITATION Whi1 \l 1033 ]
“Beloved,… Ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the
saints”
So why are we as Adventists allowing this to happen, why are we not out there contending for
our faith? Why are we allowing those in leadership at the Conference level to trample all over our
beliefs and to change them to be more like the Roman Catholic Church? In 1957 someone did stand up
and sent out letters to the churches to warn Adventists of what is occurring right before our eyes, that
person was M.L. Andreasen [ CITATION Wik2 \l 1033 ] As far back as 1937 Andreasen presented the
package that took the implications of the Adventist faith to what he perceived to be their logical
conclusion. His dispute with the church was over the theology of the atonement and humanity of Christ
that was expressed in the 1957 book Questions on Doctrine (QOD). Andreasen argued that the book
established a sinister change in Seventh-day Adventist theology. In his book, The Sanctuary Service,
Andreasen had pulled this all together in the closing chapter, The Final Generation. Andreasen urged
that QOD not be published, and argued extensively with church leaders to correct the ideas they
eventually placed into print. Eventually QOD was published and Andreasen went public in identifying
what he saw as problematic aspects of the book.
The church revoked his ministerial credentials in 1961, but reinstated him posthumously in
1962.
Many "historic Adventists" and advocates of Last Generation Theology regard Andreasen as a
significant figure in their theological heritage.
In the years 1962 to 1964 there was a meeting called the Vatican 2 council. One of our church
members was an observer and that was Arthur S. Maxwell the beloved author of the “Bedtime Stories”.[
CITATION Wik3 \l 1033 ] On his return from these meeting’s he called for the scrapping of the old
evangelistic sermons on the Papacy and pushed for a completely new approach. Also at these meetings
was B.B. Beach who became good friends with Lukas Vischer, the key WCC observer. The two of them,
Beach and Vischer set up the first meetings between WCC and SDAs which took place from 1969 to
1973. In 1965 Beach became the unofficial representative to the WCC and many other ecumenical
bodies. After years of meeting together near Geneva Beach and the WCC wrote a book called “So Much
in Common”. Nowhere in this book could you find our three angels message. Ellen White had predicted
that something like this would happen;
“There has been for years, in churches of the Protestant faith, a strong and growing sentiment in
favor of a union based upon common points of doctrine.”[CITATION Ell1 \l 1033 ] She also calls what is
happening in the church, “A state of religious declension (decline) similar to that in the first centuries.”
[ CITATION Whi2 \l 1033 ]
In 1968 the SDA church became a member of the key Faith and Order Commission of the WCC
just like the Roman Catholic Church. This group is not a direct member of the WCC.
Sometime in the 1960’s our Book and Bible Houses became purveyors of books sold by popular
apostate Protestant authors. This should never have happened; it sends a mixed message to those that
buy books from our stores, a mixed message that we are supporters of the Protestant belief system. It
also becomes a support in like kind because some of the money from the sale of those books ends up
back in Protestant hands.
“Although it is true that …the Seventh-day Adventist Church …took a distinctly anti-Roman
Catholic viewpoint …that attitude on the Church’s part was nothing more than a manifestation of
widespread anti-popery among conservative protestant denominations… and which has now been
assigned to the historical trash heap so far as the SDA Church is concerned.” [CITATION htt \l 1033 ]
In 1977 B.B Beach gave a gold medal to the pope and on this medal you can find the words of
th
the 4 commandment not written in what the Bible says but written just like they are in the Catholic
cathecism.[ CITATION cal \l 1033 ] Why in the world would we even do something like this? Giving gifts
to the Pope is the same as saying that we accept him for who he says he is and that we care about him
and what he has to say!
In 1979 our Ministry magazine went ecumenical by starting to send out the magazine to 37,000
non SDA clergy while only sending 16,000 to SDA ministers. The magazine had this to say about what
they were doing;
In 1980 we as a corporate SDA church officially incorporated into the 27 statements of belief the
worship of the Catholic concept of the Trinity. An evidence of this comes from the 2006 Sabbath School
Quarterly where it says;
“TheTriune God.”
‘There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three co-eternal
Persons.’ “In other words, Adventists—along with millions of other Christians—believe
in the triune nature of God; that is, there is one God who exists as three Persons.”
In doing this we have removed God and have placed our dependence oh human power which
without God is utterly worthless. Also in 1980 we made these statements in our 27 fundamental beliefs;
14. Unity in the Body of Christ, the “church,” is based on the belief in the Trinity.
What is the main way that you can join the WCC, well you have to do away with your belief
system and admit that there is a Trinity. We have done this exact thing, sad I think.
Nowhere in the 27 Fundamental Beliefs will you find a definition of the second angel’s message
and you will also find no identification of Babylon, her fall, and God’s call to come out of her.
Ellen White prophesied this;
“The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church would be
discarded. Our religion would be changed. The fundamental principles that have sustained the
work for the last fifty years would be accounted as error.”[ CITATION Ell2 \l 1033 ]
In the year 1981 the Seventh-day Adventist church trademarked its name and they did this using
a Catholic lawyer. [ CITATION sdr \l 1033 ] We should never have trademarked our name, are we
a business now that we have the right to do this. The money that comes into the church belongs
to God not to us. We should never have done this evil thing, it only made us all the more
worldly.
The corporate church went so far as to threaten non-SDA-sponsored church’s with a commercial
lawsuit for using the spiritual name that identifies them as standing on the firm platform of
truth, the three angel’s message. These churches were forced to remove the title SDA from their
signs, from their books and were also forced to turn over all papers that had the name SDA on
them.
In 1982 SDA’s signed the BEM document by the power of one person, Dr. Raoul Dederen.
[ CITATION cal1 \l 1033 ] The Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry document is called “A vital step
of the ecumenical process.”
In 1984 then General Conference President Neil Wilson disfellowshipped 1339 Hungarian SDA’s
for protesting the ecumenical involvement of the SDA church in Hungary.
In 1986 George Vandeman wrote a book called “What I like about the Lutherans, the Baptists,
the Methodists, the Charismatics, the Catholics , the Adventists. Preservers of Neglected Truth”
Are all of these church groups truly preservers on neglected truth or is it just one of these
groups that is a preserver? When we as Adventists lop ourselves right in amongst other groups
like this we are making a mistake that should never have been made.
In 1990 B.B. Beach introduces Joan Campbell at the Indianapolis General Conference by saying;
“I bring you the warmest of greetings from the World Council of Churches. …So as fellow
Christians, like those Pentecost people in the earliest of days, we look at one another and WE
SAY THAT WE HOLD ALL THINGS IN COMMON.”
Also at this meeting was someone by the name of A. Lee who said this;
“ …I pray God’s richest blessings on this great conference, for TRULY IT IS GOOD AND
PLEASANT TO DWELL TOGETHER IN UNITY.”
“as an observer and official guest representing the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian
Unity. He is here to give greetings on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church.” Strangely enough
this comment got applause.
“I convey to you the greetings and prayerful best wishes from the …Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity, and from the archbishop of Indianapolis, promising and assuring
you that PRAYERS ARE BEING OFFERED WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY FOR THE BLESSED SUCCESS
OF THIS GENERAL CONFERENCE. …For it is the desire of the Savior Himself that His disciples
MIGHT ALL BE ONE so that the world may believe.
On May 2, 1991 in the Adventist Review, Roy Adams, Editor, declared this;
“The WCC's... accentuation of the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist fits into the ambit of the three
angels' messages." I wonder how in the world he figured that one out. How in the world can the
Eucharist fit into the ambit of the three angels message, I really do not see how when the
Eucharist is a satanic ritual that the Catholic Church has expanded on and made even worse. The
church goes so far as to say , “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our
Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained."
(italics in original, CCC, p. 346, #1374) How in the world can the body of Christ be contained in a
small piece of bread, is that what Jesus meant when He said “do this in remembrance of me” I
personally think not, because in Catholic churches it is the Eucharist that seems to get the praise
and not Jesus.
In 1995 we changed our logo and totally removed all association with the depiction of the three
angel’s message. Also at the meeting of the General Conference for the year 1995 the Vatican
flag was marched into the area signifying that some member is from the Vatican. Who is it? Or
are we a fraternal church in the new order?
One of our leaders Samuel Bacchiochi graduated from the same Gregorian University that the
current pope taught at. There seems to be some major disagreement on whether or not this is
the truth though.
In 1996 the Porter SDA hospital merged with the Catholic hospital in Denver Colorado.
In 1997 Bert B. Beach representing the SDA church meets with ten other churches at WCC, to
make agreement for all churches to celebrate Easter on a specific Sunday. "The churches need
to address …the recovery of the meaning of Sunday.” [ CITATION Wor \l 1033 ]
During the years 1994 to 1998 we started a dialogue with the Lutheran church. Representing the
SDA church was Bert Beach (co-chair of the meetings), Neils-Erik Andreasen, John Graz, Johan
Heinz, William Johnsson, Pardon Mwansa, Aulikki Nabkola, Jan Paulsen, Jonathan Pauline,
George Reid, Angel Rodriguez, and William Shea. Colin Standish had this to say about these
meetings;
“Faithful SDA’s were alarmed by the dialogue with the World Lutheran Federation when it
became known that the same WLF was dialoguing with the Vatican on precisely the same topic
of justification by faith.”
In 1998 we reached an agreement with the Lutheran Church System that Obedience to the Law
of God was not necessary for salvation. In 1999 the Lutherans signed an agreement with the
Papacy on Justification by faith. Agreement had already been made on the Trinity.
In 1999 Gunnar Stålsett, who is General Sec. of the Lutheran World Federation is also president
of the SDA International Religious Liberty Association.
In 1999 the President of Walla Walla College had this to say in court;
Does the word ‘church’s’ in the phrase ‘church’s unique mission to the world’ mean
and refer to the SDA Church?
In 1999 the SDA church welcomes the pope to St. Louis. Pastor B.T. Rice said this;
“The ecumenical community has accepted the invitation to come together this evening with
your holiness.” Pastor Rice went so far as to pray with the pope!
In 1999 there was an agreement between the Polish SDA and the Catholic church that said this;
“The SDA Church …in its teaching and service, cultivates the most important principles of
Catholic faith, especially the belief in the Blessed Trinity.” “We would like to thank the Superior
Authorities of both Churches…. We are also especially grateful to the Only One God in the
Blessed Trinity for the privilege of a brotherly dialogue and common Christian prayer for the gift
of unity in Christ.”
In 2000 the Toronto General Conference B.B. Beach introduced John Radano, a member of the
Pontifical Council For Promoting Christian Unity.
“An old friend with whom we’ve been in contact for many years, who
attended the session in Utrecht five years ago, representing the Roman Catholic Church"
[CITATION Gen1 \l 1033 ]
In the year 2000 at the Baptist World Congress the BWA president welcomed the Congress by
saying this;
“…As ecumenical observers from the Anglican, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic,
and other churches look on. “
“A train of cars was shown me, going with the speed of lightning. The angel bade me look
carefully. I fixed my eyes upon the train. It seemed that the whole world was on board, that
there could not be one left. “ [ CITATION Ell3 \l 1033 ]
In 2003 former SDA President Jan Paulsen brought goodwill messages to the Lutheran World
Fellowship Assembly and affirmed the SDA commitment to ecumenical cooperation.
In 2004 the SDA church started a dialogue with the Salvation Army. After 25 years of informal
contacts, the SDA Church system and The Salvation Army system have a theological dialogue.
“We felt very comfortable with each other from the start, as part of the same
extended family.” John Graz
After two meetings a third one was proposed in 2007 and the Salvation Army News had this to
say;
“Possible topic could be …the place of their individual churches within the universal Church.”
At the 2005 St. Louis General Conference religious leaders praised Adventist values by saying
this;
"I am thankful for the values we share together.” Robert J. Hermann, Auxiliary Bishop of St.
Louis.
Also in 2005 the church came out with new baptismal vows and number 2 of these vows says
this;
“Do you accept the teachings of the Bible as expressed in the Statement of Fundamental Beliefs
of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and do you pledge by God's grace to live your life in
harmony with these teachings? “ Agreeing to this totally takes away the power of God and puts
more power into the hands of man!
“I cannot imagine that a man in Asia, or a farmer in Africa will care one iota whether Christ had
the nature of man before the fall or after the fall.”
Autumn Council.
In November 2007 the global Christian forum met and the SDA’s said this about the meeting.
SDA’s “discussed how best to promote dialogue and cooperation on issues of Christian unity and
common witness to the world.” John Graz and William Johnsson were two SDA leaders who
were in attendance.
2010 marks the centennial of the Edinburgh conference. From 2-6 June 2010, a commonly
owned celebration and conference took place in Edinburgh. WCC Commission on World Mission
and Evangelism decided to be fully involved in this common experience of “wider ecumenism”.
Our own Jon Dybdahl was part of the planning process for this meeting. The conference
organizers had this to say about their plans;
“The memory of the 1910 Conference brings people together and opens up new perspectives on
mission today with the following intended outcomes: Networks will be mobilized and alliances
formed so as to develop greater strategic collaboration and greater synergy in fulfilling the
mission mandate.”
Epilogue:
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God. “
I think that we have reached that time and in many ways we are long past that time.
Judgment must begin within our church and a true reformation must begin in each person’s
home, put away our books of entertainment, put away all symbols of evil, put away everything
that distracts from God and begin to study the Bible and Ellen White. Dig deep into the truth
and become a people of the book yet again.
In the Great Controversy on page 608 Ellen White’s inspired pen says this;
“As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel's
message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position
and join the ranks of the opposition. By uniting with the world and partaking of its spirit, they
have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and when the test is brought, they are
prepared to choose the easy, popular side. Men of talent and pleasing address, who once
rejoiced in the truth, employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls. They become the most
bitter enemies of their former brethren.”
"Where are the watchmen that ought to be standing on the walls of Zion? Are they
asleep?” [ CITATION Ell \l 1033 ]? She also has this to say;
"There is as great difference in our faith and that of nominal professors as the heavens
are higher than the earth.”[ CITATION Ell4 \l 1033 ]
In the Review and Herald on May 15, 1958, Raymond Cottrell had this to say;
"Were Seventh-day Adventists to yield their distinctive teachings in order to win and
wear the robe of theological respectability, they would doubtless be accepted by other Christian
bodies, but in so doing they would be traitor to the truths that have made them a people... They
would no longer be Seventh-day Adventists."
Where are our watchmen? Why are they not standing on the walls proclaiming the truth
and defending the truth? Why are we still sitting in our comfortable pews doing nothing
allowing the pastors and leaders of the truth to spoon-feed us lies? This has to stop, we must
rise up and fight against this injustice in the church, we need to get back to being a people of the
book as we were once called years ago and not a people of what our leaders want us to think
and believe. What are you going to do to change this this coming week? I would encourage each
one of us to live by Romans 12:1;
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."