Seventh-day Adventist Q&A
If anyone has any questions about any of the beliefs of the SDA Church, feel free to ask. A lot of other Christians want to know what we believe about Ellen G. White. I'll post about her if anyone is interested.
I am interested! (three words, just to be safe...)
"Happy Birthday to Hot Leaf Water Ess!" - Belle
I could go on for hours about Ellen G. White, but, for the sake of the reader of this post, I am only going to post a short biography and what I believe about her.
Ellen White was born Eleanor Gould Harmon in 1827 in Gorham, Maine. Soon after the birth of her and her twin sister, Elizabeth, the family moved to the city of Portland, Maine. She grew up in a Methodist home and was a normal girl for the first nine years of her life. Then, in 1836, her world changed dramatically when she was hit on the nose with a rock thrown by a jealous classmate. She stayed in a coma for three weeks before waking up to find she had a broken nose which changed her face quite a bit. doctors were able to do nothing for her, and her injury caused her not to be able to steady her hand to write or focus on a page to read. She never achieved a formal education and all hope was lost of her becoming a productive person.
In 1840, the family went to a Methodist campmeeting where they herd William Miller preach his ideas of prophecy. They accepted his ideas and became part of his followers called Millerites. He preached that the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 ended in 1844 and that Jesus would come at that time. Ellen accepted Jesus as her Savior at that campmeeting and was baptized two years later in 1842 in the ocean. The Methodist church decided shortly after the Harmons had accepted the Millerite message that it was not of Christ. The church expelled every Methodist member who would not give up these beliefs including the Harmons. After Ellen was baptized, she joined the mission work among the youth and spread the message to everyone who would listen. In 1844, obviously, Jesus did not return. Ellen later described that year as the happiest of all of her years and 1845 as the saddest of all her years because she was not with her Savior. The Millerites, who had started to be called Adventists because they preached the second advent of Christ, stayed strong and studied the Bible. They found that the prophecy meant the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, not the earthly one (see belief 24 in my post of the 28 beliefs).
In late 1844, Ellen had a vision. She saw the Advent believers on a narrow path that led to the New Jerusalem. At the gate of the city was Jesus with all of his glory. As long as the people kept their eyes on Him, they stayed on the path. At the far end of the path, she saw a much lesser light which was the Advent message. Throughout her life, she had hundreds of visions and prophetic dreams, lasting from a few minutes to several hours. Witnesses of these visions said that while in vision she would stare upward as if looking at something intently. She would sometimes walk around the room or make gestures with her hands. She would not breathe at all, but her pulse would be regular. She would receive supernatural strength. One time, at a church crowded with people, she had a vision. As she was in vision, she picked up the Bible from the pulpit which weighed 18 pounds. She held it up in the air with one hand for several hours before coming out of vision. Afterward, she could not pick up the Bible without using both hands and could not raise it in the air. By the power of God, Ellen White wrote many books containing the message that she said God wanted her to spread to the world. Remember, she never learned to read or write. Some of her visions contained scientific things which she could not understand but were completely accurate. She once described the planets of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn which she did not know of as she had never studied science. One vision in 1860, five months before the start of the Civil War, she had a vision about the war. The next day at the Adventist church in Parkville, Michigan, she shared her vision. She also said that several families in that room would lose sons, brothers, and fathers in the war. This was at the time when no one thought there would be a war. Sure enough, there was a war and several families from Parkville Adventist Church did lose sons, brothers, and fathers.
I think I have been going too long, so, in summery of the rest of her life, she accepted the Sabbath shortly after marrying James White in 1846. Her visions guided the church in its early days, but did not replaced Scripture. She always said that God wanted Christians to go to the Bible and study it. She said that her message was only to explain the Bible and to help Adventists know what it says. She died in 1915 in St. Helena, California.
Now, the church today believes that Ellen White's writings are important to study, but that Scripture should always come first. We do not hold her writings on the same level as the Bible. I have read a few of her books and have enjoyed them. I love reading her book, Desire of Ages, about the life of Christ. By the way, in her writings she constantly quotes the Bible and the pages are laced with verses from Genesis to Revelation. Many of her prophecies have been fulfilled and even some of the ones about the last days. I believe that she was a prophetess of God and that her visions were from God. I also hope that I can have such a close relationship with Jesus as she did. She was an amazing woman and I cannot wait to meet her in New Jerusalem.
Ellen White was born Eleanor Gould Harmon in 1827 in Gorham, Maine. Soon after the birth of her and her twin sister, Elizabeth, the family moved to the city of Portland, Maine. She grew up in a Methodist home and was a normal girl for the first nine years of her life. Then, in 1836, her world changed dramatically when she was hit on the nose with a rock thrown by a jealous classmate. She stayed in a coma for three weeks before waking up to find she had a broken nose which changed her face quite a bit. doctors were able to do nothing for her, and her injury caused her not to be able to steady her hand to write or focus on a page to read. She never achieved a formal education and all hope was lost of her becoming a productive person.
In 1840, the family went to a Methodist campmeeting where they herd William Miller preach his ideas of prophecy. They accepted his ideas and became part of his followers called Millerites. He preached that the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 ended in 1844 and that Jesus would come at that time. Ellen accepted Jesus as her Savior at that campmeeting and was baptized two years later in 1842 in the ocean. The Methodist church decided shortly after the Harmons had accepted the Millerite message that it was not of Christ. The church expelled every Methodist member who would not give up these beliefs including the Harmons. After Ellen was baptized, she joined the mission work among the youth and spread the message to everyone who would listen. In 1844, obviously, Jesus did not return. Ellen later described that year as the happiest of all of her years and 1845 as the saddest of all her years because she was not with her Savior. The Millerites, who had started to be called Adventists because they preached the second advent of Christ, stayed strong and studied the Bible. They found that the prophecy meant the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, not the earthly one (see belief 24 in my post of the 28 beliefs).
In late 1844, Ellen had a vision. She saw the Advent believers on a narrow path that led to the New Jerusalem. At the gate of the city was Jesus with all of his glory. As long as the people kept their eyes on Him, they stayed on the path. At the far end of the path, she saw a much lesser light which was the Advent message. Throughout her life, she had hundreds of visions and prophetic dreams, lasting from a few minutes to several hours. Witnesses of these visions said that while in vision she would stare upward as if looking at something intently. She would sometimes walk around the room or make gestures with her hands. She would not breathe at all, but her pulse would be regular. She would receive supernatural strength. One time, at a church crowded with people, she had a vision. As she was in vision, she picked up the Bible from the pulpit which weighed 18 pounds. She held it up in the air with one hand for several hours before coming out of vision. Afterward, she could not pick up the Bible without using both hands and could not raise it in the air. By the power of God, Ellen White wrote many books containing the message that she said God wanted her to spread to the world. Remember, she never learned to read or write. Some of her visions contained scientific things which she could not understand but were completely accurate. She once described the planets of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn which she did not know of as she had never studied science. One vision in 1860, five months before the start of the Civil War, she had a vision about the war. The next day at the Adventist church in Parkville, Michigan, she shared her vision. She also said that several families in that room would lose sons, brothers, and fathers in the war. This was at the time when no one thought there would be a war. Sure enough, there was a war and several families from Parkville Adventist Church did lose sons, brothers, and fathers.
I think I have been going too long, so, in summery of the rest of her life, she accepted the Sabbath shortly after marrying James White in 1846. Her visions guided the church in its early days, but did not replaced Scripture. She always said that God wanted Christians to go to the Bible and study it. She said that her message was only to explain the Bible and to help Adventists know what it says. She died in 1915 in St. Helena, California.
Now, the church today believes that Ellen White's writings are important to study, but that Scripture should always come first. We do not hold her writings on the same level as the Bible. I have read a few of her books and have enjoyed them. I love reading her book, Desire of Ages, about the life of Christ. By the way, in her writings she constantly quotes the Bible and the pages are laced with verses from Genesis to Revelation. Many of her prophecies have been fulfilled and even some of the ones about the last days. I believe that she was a prophetess of God and that her visions were from God. I also hope that I can have such a close relationship with Jesus as she did. She was an amazing woman and I cannot wait to meet her in New Jerusalem.
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ArnoldtheRubberDucky
- Butter Pecan
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- Joined: June 2012
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I absolutely love this post, and I commented about it on The U.S.S. Response page on my blog!sheltiez wrote:I could go on for hours about Ellen G. White, but, for the sake of the reader of this post, I am only going to post a short biography and what I believe about her.
Ellen White was born Eleanor Gould Harmon in 1827 in Gorham, Maine. Soon after the birth of her and her twin sister, Elizabeth, the family moved to the city of Portland, Maine. She grew up in a Methodist home and was a normal girl for the first nine years of her life. Then, in 1836, her world changed dramatically when she was hit on the nose with a rock thrown by a jealous classmate. She stayed in a coma for three weeks before waking up to find she had a broken nose which changed her face quite a bit. doctors were able to do nothing for her, and her injury caused her not to be able to steady her hand to write or focus on a page to read. She never achieved a formal education and all hope was lost of her becoming a productive person.
In 1840, the family went to a Methodist campmeeting where they herd William Miller preach his ideas of prophecy. They accepted his ideas and became part of his followers called Millerites. He preached that the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 ended in 1844 and that Jesus would come at that time. Ellen accepted Jesus as her Savior at that campmeeting and was baptized two years later in 1842 in the ocean. The Methodist church decided shortly after the Harmons had accepted the Millerite message that it was not of Christ. The church expelled every Methodist member who would not give up these beliefs including the Harmons. After Ellen was baptized, she joined the mission work among the youth and spread the message to everyone who would listen. In 1844, obviously, Jesus did not return. Ellen later described that year as the happiest of all of her years and 1845 as the saddest of all her years because she was not with her Savior. The Millerites, who had started to be called Adventists because they preached the second advent of Christ, stayed strong and studied the Bible. They found that the prophecy meant the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, not the earthly one (see belief 24 in my post of the 28 beliefs).
In late 1844, Ellen had a vision. She saw the Advent believers on a narrow path that led to the New Jerusalem. At the gate of the city was Jesus with all of his glory. As long as the people kept their eyes on Him, they stayed on the path. At the far end of the path, she saw a much lesser light which was the Advent message. Throughout her life, she had hundreds of visions and prophetic dreams, lasting from a few minutes to several hours. Witnesses of these visions said that while in vision she would stare upward as if looking at something intently. She would sometimes walk around the room or make gestures with her hands. She would not breathe at all, but her pulse would be regular. She would receive supernatural strength. One time, at a church crowded with people, she had a vision. As she was in vision, she picked up the Bible from the pulpit which weighed 18 pounds. She held it up in the air with one hand for several hours before coming out of vision. Afterward, she could not pick up the Bible without using both hands and could not raise it in the air. By the power of God, Ellen White wrote many books containing the message that she said God wanted her to spread to the world. Remember, she never learned to read or write. Some of her visions contained scientific things which she could not understand but were completely accurate. She once described the planets of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn which she did not know of as she had never studied science. One vision in 1860, five months before the start of the Civil War, she had a vision about the war. The next day at the Adventist church in Parkville, Michigan, she shared her vision. She also said that several families in that room would lose sons, brothers, and fathers in the war. This was at the time when no one thought there would be a war. Sure enough, there was a war and several families from Parkville Adventist Church did lose sons, brothers, and fathers.
I think I have been going too long, so, in summery of the rest of her life, she accepted the Sabbath shortly after marrying James White in 1846. Her visions guided the church in its early days, but did not replaced Scripture. She always said that God wanted Christians to go to the Bible and study it. She said that her message was only to explain the Bible and to help Adventists know what it says. She died in 1915 in St. Helena, California.
Now, the church today believes that Ellen White's writings are important to study, but that Scripture should always come first. We do not hold her writings on the same level as the Bible. I have read a few of her books and have enjoyed them. I love reading her book, Desire of Ages, about the life of Christ. By the way, in her writings she constantly quotes the Bible and the pages are laced with verses from Genesis to Revelation. Many of her prophecies have been fulfilled and even some of the ones about the last days. I believe that she was a prophetess of God and that her visions were from God. I also hope that I can have such a close relationship with Jesus as she did. She was an amazing woman and I cannot wait to meet her in New Jerusalem.
Sir Arnold, Knight of the Order of Augustine, Debate Vampire
Mr. Yorp wrote:You don't need a degree to shovel manure.
I read what you wrote on your blog and it made me feel so good about my biography of her. If you want to know where to find out more about her or her books just send me a private message. The SDA Church operates a website that has all of her writings and there is a TV show about her life and the early Advent church called Keepers of the Flame.
That was a great biography! Thank you for that history!
"Happy Birthday to Hot Leaf Water Ess!" - Belle
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ArnoldtheRubberDucky
- Butter Pecan
- Posts: 2912
- Joined: June 2012
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Cool! I might just take you up on that pm offer. And yes, a main point of The U.S.S. Response is for people's great topics and posts to be recognized and commented.sheltiez wrote:I read what you wrote on your blog and it made me feel so good about my biography of her. If you want to know where to find out more about her or her books just send me a private message. The SDA Church operates a website that has all of her writings and there is a TV show about her life and the early Advent church called Keepers of the Flame.
Sir Arnold, Knight of the Order of Augustine, Debate Vampire
Mr. Yorp wrote:You don't need a degree to shovel manure.
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Eleventh Doctor
- Chocolate Bacon Drizzle
- Posts: 4769
- Joined: February 2013
Can you explain the doctrine of Investigative judgment?
Can you talk about your holistic approach to living especially as it relates to diet?
Do you confess any Creeds?
Do you practice infant or believer baptism?
Could a Catholic or Mormon take communion at your church?
Can you talk about your holistic approach to living especially as it relates to diet?
Do you confess any Creeds?
Do you practice infant or believer baptism?
Could a Catholic or Mormon take communion at your church?
King of The Lands of Rhetoric, Lord Ruler of the Debate Vampires, and Duke of Quebec
"It's particularly ignorant to assume malicious or ignorant intentions behind an opinion with which one disagrees." ~Connie
"It's particularly ignorant to assume malicious or ignorant intentions behind an opinion with which one disagrees." ~Connie
Sheltiez is no longer here. He vanished suddenly.
"Happy Birthday to Hot Leaf Water Ess!" - Belle
Yeah, I did disappear for a while. I got so busy with school and my part-time job as well as extracurricular stuff that I completely forgot about the SS!
Ok, so, the investigative judgment. Now, first I must say that I have met Adventists who do not believe it and some that completely twist it around, but I'm going to try to stick with the official church position on the doctrine and my personal belief. In Daniel 8, verses 13-14, we find a 2300-day prophecy. Now I won't go into al of that, but basically the prophecy ended in 1844. We know that there is a sanctuary in Heaven, a Temple of God like the one that was in Jerusalem. Jesus is our High Priest and when he ascended to Heaven he entered into the Holy Place to minister as our High Priest. In 1844, He entered the Most Holy Place to minister as the high priest had here on earth on the Day of Atonement. Basically, He is sorting through all the people. Once and for all there will be God's Remnant and the unforgiven sinners. He gives each person who is still an unbeliever chances to hear the Gospel. If they still reject him, that is their final decision and they have no more chances. When this work is finished, and every person on the earth has heard the Word of the Lord and made their decision, Jesus will come for His people. Here are some verses to look at: Heb. 8:1-5; 4:14-16; 9:11-28; 10:19-22; 1:3; 2:16, 17; Dan. 7:9-27; 8:13, 14; 9:24-27; Num. 14:34; Eze. 4:6; Lev. 16; Rev. 14:6, 7; 20:12; 14:12; 22:12
Ah, yes, the health message. This all goes back to our belief that Ellen White was a prophetess. I have already talked about her last year when I was on here. We believe that her writings are the inspired words of God. She had a vision in which God showed her how harmful the lifestyle Christians were living was. Man was not made to eat flesh, but to eat plants. God did not extend this privilege to man unto he demanded it and broke it unceasingly. (Study Genesis) Meat is very harmful and dangerous. It causes disease and sickness and takes years off of a person's life. (Modern science has proved this and that vegetarians naturally live longer) Also part of this message was that smoking caused disease to the lungs and that exercise was needed. Finally, a person should open the house and let fresh air and light into the room. Stale air causes blood problems and carries diseases in it. Light is needed to cause the body to function.
Not all Adventists take part in this (or course, not all take Ellen White seriously either. Some think she was not a prophetess at all). There are some Adventists who eat meat, smoke, and drink alcohol (which was part of the health message too). Some of my family members are like this. But ALL Adventists, and I mean ALL, at least only eat clean meats. You will never catch an Adventist eating pork or seafood.
We do not confess any creeds. I actually did not even know what a creed was until I came on here.
We practice baptism by immersion, as do all other Protestants as far as I know. I was baptized seven months ago, so I should know they put you all the way under!
I guess if they wanted to, but they are the last people I would expect in an Adventist church. My grandparents (who were Catholic) refused to go into an Adventist church.
Thanks for the questions. I hope my answers are sufficient. The Investigative Judgment is such a hard issue to explain to someone. I've had my entire life to understand it, but most Christians have never even heard of anything like it before.
Ok, so, the investigative judgment. Now, first I must say that I have met Adventists who do not believe it and some that completely twist it around, but I'm going to try to stick with the official church position on the doctrine and my personal belief. In Daniel 8, verses 13-14, we find a 2300-day prophecy. Now I won't go into al of that, but basically the prophecy ended in 1844. We know that there is a sanctuary in Heaven, a Temple of God like the one that was in Jerusalem. Jesus is our High Priest and when he ascended to Heaven he entered into the Holy Place to minister as our High Priest. In 1844, He entered the Most Holy Place to minister as the high priest had here on earth on the Day of Atonement. Basically, He is sorting through all the people. Once and for all there will be God's Remnant and the unforgiven sinners. He gives each person who is still an unbeliever chances to hear the Gospel. If they still reject him, that is their final decision and they have no more chances. When this work is finished, and every person on the earth has heard the Word of the Lord and made their decision, Jesus will come for His people. Here are some verses to look at: Heb. 8:1-5; 4:14-16; 9:11-28; 10:19-22; 1:3; 2:16, 17; Dan. 7:9-27; 8:13, 14; 9:24-27; Num. 14:34; Eze. 4:6; Lev. 16; Rev. 14:6, 7; 20:12; 14:12; 22:12
Ah, yes, the health message. This all goes back to our belief that Ellen White was a prophetess. I have already talked about her last year when I was on here. We believe that her writings are the inspired words of God. She had a vision in which God showed her how harmful the lifestyle Christians were living was. Man was not made to eat flesh, but to eat plants. God did not extend this privilege to man unto he demanded it and broke it unceasingly. (Study Genesis) Meat is very harmful and dangerous. It causes disease and sickness and takes years off of a person's life. (Modern science has proved this and that vegetarians naturally live longer) Also part of this message was that smoking caused disease to the lungs and that exercise was needed. Finally, a person should open the house and let fresh air and light into the room. Stale air causes blood problems and carries diseases in it. Light is needed to cause the body to function.
Not all Adventists take part in this (or course, not all take Ellen White seriously either. Some think she was not a prophetess at all). There are some Adventists who eat meat, smoke, and drink alcohol (which was part of the health message too). Some of my family members are like this. But ALL Adventists, and I mean ALL, at least only eat clean meats. You will never catch an Adventist eating pork or seafood.
We do not confess any creeds. I actually did not even know what a creed was until I came on here.
We practice baptism by immersion, as do all other Protestants as far as I know. I was baptized seven months ago, so I should know they put you all the way under!
I guess if they wanted to, but they are the last people I would expect in an Adventist church. My grandparents (who were Catholic) refused to go into an Adventist church.
Thanks for the questions. I hope my answers are sufficient. The Investigative Judgment is such a hard issue to explain to someone. I've had my entire life to understand it, but most Christians have never even heard of anything like it before.
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John Henry
- Peach Cobbler
- Posts: 1430
- Joined: June 2014
Does the SDA actually believe that keeping the Sabbath saves your soul?! I find no such thing in Scripture - Even the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, or Gnostic Literature teaches that doctrine.
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Eleventh Doctor
- Chocolate Bacon Drizzle
- Posts: 4769
- Joined: February 2013
Why don't you let him answer the question?
King of The Lands of Rhetoric, Lord Ruler of the Debate Vampires, and Duke of Quebec
"It's particularly ignorant to assume malicious or ignorant intentions behind an opinion with which one disagrees." ~Connie
"It's particularly ignorant to assume malicious or ignorant intentions behind an opinion with which one disagrees." ~Connie