Ellen G. White was the founder/leader of the early Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Because she believed strongly in “remembering the Sabbath Day to keep it holy,” she renounced the Roman Catholic Church for conducting “worship services” on Sunday. She reportedly had many “visions” from the Lord and in one of them she “saw that the Sabbath commandment was not nailed to the cross.” She goes on to say “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.” These statements are found in many of her writings, including “Early Writings of Ellen G. White, page 32”; “A Word to the Little Flock, page 100”; and “A Vision, page 3.” She taught that in a coming day the Pope will be the Antichrist who will make everyone take the “Mark of the Beast,” which, according to Mrs. White, is a “Commandment by the Pope to all men and women to worship God on Sunday.”

We take issue with her teaching on the Sabbath, for even though we believe the Sabbath has NOT been changed to Sunday (which is the FIRST day of the week), we believe Scripture teaches us to gather to worship God the Father and the Lord Jesus on the “first day of the week.” Acts 20:7 declares, “Now on the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, when the disciples came together to break, Paul….spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” This was the practice of the early church and it continues to be the practice of most Christians today. For the Jew the “seventh day” of the week was their day of worship, but for the Christian the “first day” of the week (the day that our blessed Lord Jesus rose victoriously from the tomb…see Matthew 28:1-6) is the day we are gathered together to worship.

We also disagree with the Mrs. White’s view on the Pope being the Antichrist, for Scripture is quite clear that the Antichrist, who will profess to be Israel’s Messiah, will be a Jew and not a Gentile leader. The Lord Jesus said in John 5:43, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.” The Jews would NEVER receive a Gentile as their Messiah. He will indeed be a Jew. This is prophesied in Daniel 11:36-37, “Then the king (Messiah) shall do according to his own will: he will exalt and magnify himself above every god…He shall regard neither the God OF HIS FATHERS nor the desire of women.” The expression “God of his fathers” refers clearly to “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” as we see in Exodus 3:15, “Moreover God said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: The LORD God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.”

Before we close, I would caution any who desire to follow the teachings of Ellen G. White, for not only was she in error concerning the Sabbath and the Pope, but she was in serious error by teaching that:

*Satan is the “scapegoat” and will bear believers’ sins (The Great Controversy, pages 422 & 485)

*Jesus was none other than “Michael, the archangel” (Clear Word Bible)

*Jesus inherited a fallen, sinful nature when He was born (Bible Readings for the Home Circle, page 115)

*When someone dies their “soul sleeps” until the Day of Resurrection

*Hell is NOT “everlasting punishment” but the “annihilation of the whole person”

We could list other false teachings by Mrs. White (and her followers who also wrote books and pamphlets on these same subjects), but I believe enough has been stated to warn us to heed the exhortation in 2nd John 9-11, “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive them into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”

It should be said that there may indeed be Seventh Day Adventists who do NOT follow the soul-destroying doctrines of Mrs. White (doctrines that deny the Person and Work of Christ), for I have met those who do believe Jesus is the Son of God who became a perfect, sinless Man who then went to the cross to bear the sins of all who would believe on Him. Yet they continue in this sect and still hold to their doctrine of “keeping the Sabbath” and other doctrines that don’t deny the truth of the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  (345.1)  (DO)