Seventh-day Adventism
The Seventh-day Adventist church is a controversial organization. With its founding prophetess, Ellen G. White, they teach that the proper day of worship is Saturday, Jesus is Michael the Archangel and that ultimately Satan will bear all of our sins, when a person dies he does not exist anymore, hell is not eternal, and more. They emphasize dietary laws and what many consider to be a legalism, especially since they teach you can lose your salvation. Some consider it a cult and others do not. Nevertheless, it is an organization that needs to be examined.
The History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Modern Seventh-Day Adventism traces its origins back to the early 1800's to Mr. William Miller (1782-1849) of Low Hampton, New York. Mr. Miller had converted from deism to Christianity in 1816 and became a Baptist. He was an avid reader, dedicated to God's Word, and sought to reconcile apparent Biblical difficulties raised by deists. He relied heavily on the Cruden's Concordance in his studies and developed a focus on the imminent return of Jesus. He began preaching at the age of 50.
The time was right. America was hot with discussions on the return of Christ. As a result, many thousands (called Millerites) accepted his idea that Jesus would return in the year covering 1843-1844. He had arrived at this date based upon a study of Daniel 8:14 which says, "And he said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored." He interpreted the 2,300 evenings and mornings to be years and counted forward from 457 BC when the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem was given (Dan. 9:24-25).1 When his initial predictions failed, he adjusted his findings to conclude that Jesus would return on March 21, 1844, and then later on October 22, 1844. After these too failed, Miller quit promoting his ideas on Jesus' return and the "Millerites" broke up.
On the morning following the "Great Disappointment" of October 22, 1844, a Mr. Hiram Edson claimed to have seen a vision. He said that he saw Jesus standing at the altar of heaven and concluded that Miller had been right about the time but wrong about the place. In other words, Jesus' return was not to earth but a move into the heavenly sanctuary as is referenced in Heb. 8:1-2.
Mr. Joseph Bates (1792-1872), a retired sea captain and a convert to "Millerism," then began to promote the idea of Jesus moving into the heavenly sanctuary. He published a pamphlet which greatly influenced James (1821-1881) and Ellen White (1827-1915). It is these three who were the driving force behind the SDA movement.
Numerous reports state that Ellen G. White (1827-1915) saw visions from an early age. Such was the case shortly after the Great Disappointment. Mrs. White claimed to see in a vision of a narrow path where an angel was guiding Adventists. Subsequent visions resulted in interpretations of the three angels in Rev. 14:6-11 as being 1843-1844 as the hour of God's judgment, the fall of Babylon signified by Adventists leaving various churches, and admonitions against Sunday worship.
1849--First paper, the Present Truth, was printed in Middletown, Conn.
1850--First issue of the Second-Advent Review and Sabbath Herald printed in
Paris, Maine.
1860--Name of Seventh-day Adventist adopted by the church.
1863--First General Conference and formation of the SDA church on May 21, 1863.
1871--First college opened which became Andrews University.
1871--J. N. Andrews sent to Switzerland as a missionary.
1885--Missionary work begun in Australia.
1915--Ellen G. White dies on July 16, at St. Helena, CA.
1941--Opening of Theological Seminary at Takoma Park.
1942--Voice of Prophecy radio show begins broadcasting coast to coast.
1950--Faith for Today TV show begins.
1955--SDA membership hits 1 million.
1986--SDA membership hits 5 million.2
Today, the SDA church is very evangelical with mission efforts worldwide, numerous publications, and many educational facilities. It claims over 8 million members worldwide and is growing rapidly with its educational, TV, Radio, and publication based outreaches.3
Church structure of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Each Church elects its own officers: elders, deacons, deaconesses, clerks, treasurers, and department leaders.
The minister of a local church is appointed by the local conference.
The local conference consists of local churches in a designated area.
Officers of the local conference are elected every three years.
Union conferences are comprised of local conference in a designated area.
Union conference officers are elected every five years.
The division is comprised of two or more union conference with officers elected every five years.
General conference encompasses all divisions with officers elected every five years.
What does Seventh-day Adventism teach?
Affirmations
The Bible is inspired and the Word of God.
Trinitarian: The Father, Son, Holy Spirit are all one God in three persons.
Jesus is God and has always existed with the Father.
The Holy Spirit is a person.
Jesus' sacrifice was vicarious.
Salvation is by grace, not works.
Jesus rose from the dead physically in His glorified body.
Jesus ascended bodily into Heaven.
Baptism is by immersion.
The literal, visible return of Jesus.
Jesus will return to set up a millennial kingdom. They are Premillennial.
Literal six-day creation, not long periods.
Denials
Denies the doctrine of predestination.
Denies baptism by sprinkling.
Denies infant baptism.
Denies the immortality of the soul.
Denies the eternality of Hell fire.
Denies any use of alcohol (as a drink) or tobacco.
Aberrant
Our sins will ultimately be placed on Satan.1
Jesus is Michael the Archangel.2
Worship must be done on Saturday (the Sabbath).
On October 22, 1844 Jesus entered the second and last phase of his atoning work.
Investigative Judgment - the fate of all people will be decided based upon this event in the future.
The dead do not exist anymore - soul sleep.
The wicked are annihilated.
Ellen G. White, the "founder" of Seventh Day Adventism, was a messenger from God gifted with the spirit of prophecy.
There is a sanctuary in Heaven where Jesus carries out His mediatorial work.
Does the Bible allow Christians to worship on Sunday?
In the Old Testament, God stated, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you," (Exodus 20:8-10, NASB). It was the custom of the Jews to come together on the Sabbath, which is Saturday, cease work, and worship God. Jesus went to the synagogue on Saturday to teach (Matt. 12:9, John 18:20) as did the apostle Paul (Acts 17:2, 18:4). So, if in the Old Testament we are commanded to keep the Sabbath and in the New Testament we see Jews, Jesus, and the apostles doing the same thing, then why do we worship on Sunday?
First of all, of the 10 commandments listed in Exodus 20:1-17, only 9 of them were restated in the New Testament (Six in Matt. 19:18, murder, adultery, stealing, false witness, honor parents, and worshiping God, Rom. 13:9, coveting. Worshiping God properly covers the first three commandments). The one that was not reaffirmed was the one about the Sabbath. Instead, Jesus said that He is the Lord of the Sabbath (Matt. 12:8).
In creation, God rested on the seventh day. But, since God is all-powerful, He doesn’t get tired. He doesn’t need to take a break and rest. So, why does it say that He rested? The reason is simple: Mark 2:27 says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." In other words, God established the Sabbath as a rest for His people not because He needed a break but because we are mortal and need a time of rest--of focus on God. In this, our spirits and bodies are both renewed.
The OT system of Law required keeping the Sabbath as part of the overall moral, legal, and sacrificial system by which the Jewish people satisfied God’s requirements for behavior, government, and forgiveness of sins. The Sabbath was part of the Law in that sense. In order to "remain" in favor with God, you had to also keep the Sabbath. If it was not kept, then the person was in sin and would often be punished (Ezek. 18:4, Rom. 6:23, Deut. 13:1-9, Num. 35:31, Lev. 20:2, etc.).
But with Jesus’ atonement, we no longer are required to keep the Law as a means for our justification. The requirements of the Law were fulfilled in Christ. We now have rest from the Law. We now have "Sabbath continually.
Are we free to worship on Sunday?
Within the New Testament is ample evidence that the seventh day Sabbath is no longer a requirement.
"One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God," (Rom. 14:5-6).
The entire section of Rom. 14:1-12 is worth careful study. The instructions here are that individuals must be convinced in their own minds about which day they observe for the Lord. If the seventh day Sabbath were a requirement, then the choice would not be man's but God’s. To me, this verse is sufficient to answer the question beyond doubt. Furthermore,
"Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day--17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ," (Col. 2:16-17).
Notice the time sequence mentioned in Col. 2:16-17 above. A festival is yearly. A new moon is monthly. A Sabbath is weekly. No one is to judge regarding this. The Sabbath is defined as a shadow. The reality is Jesus. Jesus is our Sabbath. So, if someone is judging you because you worship on the Sabbath, they are wrong. Likewise, if you regard Sunday above Saturday (Rom. 14:5-6), all you need to do is be convinced in your own mind that that is alright.
Is there any evidence in the NT that Christians met on Sunday?
"And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to depart the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight," (Acts 20:7).
The first day of the week is Sunday, and this is the day the people gathered. This passage can easily be seen as the church meeting on Sunday though it does not necessitate it. It has two important church functions within it: breaking bread (communion) and a message (preaching/teaching). Additionally, Luke included the Roman system as well as the Jewish system of counting days. The Jewish system was sundown to sundown. But Luke also used the Roman system: midnight to midnight (Luke 11:5, Acts 16:25, 20:7, 27:27). This is a subtle point that shows the Jewish Sabbath system was not exclusively used by Luke.
If the Sabbath was mandatory, why the use of the non-Jewish system?
"Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. 2On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come," (1 Cor. 16:1-2).
Notice here that Paul is directing the churches to meet on the first day of each week and put money aside. It would seem that this is tithing. So, the instructed time for the church to meet is Sunday, the first day of the week, and it is that day the Galatians were to set money aside collections. Is this an official worship day set up by the church? You decide. Does this verse apply to Christians today? It most certainly does.
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11saying, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea," (Revelation 1:10-11).
The New Bible Dictionary says regarding the term, ‘The Lord’s Day,’ in Rev. 1:10: "This is the first extant occurrence in Christian literature of "te kuriake hemera." The adjectival construction suggests that it was a formal designation of the church’s worship day. As such, it certainly appears early in the 2nd century," (Ignatius, Epistle to the Magnesians, 1. 67).
In many churches today, the term, "The Lord’s Day," is used to designate Sunday, the same as it was in the second century.
I hope this is evidence enough to show you that the Bible does not require that we worship on Saturday. If anything, we have the freedom (Rom. 14:1-12) to worship on the day that we believe we should. And, no one should judge us regarding the day we keep. We are free in Christ and not under law, (Rom. 6:14).
Conclusion
The Seventh Day Adventists have every right to worship on the Sabbath, and they should if they are convinced that is the right thing to do. However, if any member of any church were to require a person to worship on the Sabbath as a sign of "true" Christianity or "true" redemption, then that is wrong. According to Rom. 14:1-12, we are free.
Additionally, Sunday is the day that the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. The Jewish people who had rejected Jesus continued to worship on Saturday, the Sabbath. But it was the Christians who celebrated Jesus' resurrection, and this was most probably the driving force to gather on the first day of the week.
Scriptures dealing with the first day of the week.
The Seventh-day Adventists do not believe that there is any Scriptural support for worship on Sunday. Though there is no explicit NT statement authenticating Sunday worship, there are plenty of verses dealing with Sunday, the first day of the week, as being special--a day of breaking bread and of gathering collections.
Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week (Matt. 28:1-7, Mark 16:2, 9, Luke 24:1, John 20:1).
Jesus appeared to the disciples on the first day of the week (John 20:19).
Jesus appeared inside the room to the eleven disciples eight days after the first day of the week. The Jewish way of measuring days meant that it was again Sunday
(John 20:26).
The Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, the first day of the week (Lev. 23:16, Acts 2:1).
The first sermon was preached by Peter on the first day of the week (Acts 2:14).
Three thousand converts joined the church on the first day of the week (Acts 2:41).
The three thousand were baptized on the first day of the week (Acts 2:41).
The Christians assembled broke bread on the first day of the week.
The Christians also heard a message from Paul on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). Note: the reference is until midnight which is not the Jewish method of measuring days but the Roman system.
Paul instructed the churches to put aside contributions on the first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:2).
Jesus gave the apostle John the vision of Revelation on the first day of the week
Does CARM recommend the Seventh-day Adventist Church?
No, CARM does not recommend attending the Seventh-day Adventist church. There are too many problems within Seventh-day Adventistism to recommend it as a safe church. Though there are Seventh-day Adventist groups that are within orthodoxy, there are too many of them that are not.
One of the problems with Seventh-day Adventism is Saturday worship. They are certainly free to worship on Saturday. That is not unbiblical. However, the problem is when any Seventh-day Adventist group asserts that the proper day of worship is Saturday, not Sunday. The early church practiced worship on Sunday, and the Scriptures mention the church gathering on Sunday, the same day Jesus rose:
The Christians also heard a message from Paul on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).
Note: the reference is until midnight which is not the Jewish method of measuring days but the Roman system.
Paul instructed the churches to put aside contributions on the first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:2).
Furthermore, Romans 14:1-12 speaks of our freedom in Christ, particularly our freedom to worship on any day we choose.
CARM cannot recommend any church which would openly deny the Biblical doctrine of predestination (in contradiction to Eph. 1:1-11), deny the doctrine of the immortality of the soul (in contradiction to Luke 16:19-31, Matt. 25:46), and deny eternal Hellfire (in contradiction to Rev. 14:11). Nor can we recommend a church that affirms that Jesus is Michael the Archangel,1 and that the wicked are annihilated (in contradiction to Luke 16:19-31, Matt. 25:46).
The Clear Word Bible
by Matt Slick
The Clear Word Bible is a paraphrase, not a translation. A paraphrase is a loose adaptation of the Biblical text designed to help clarify what the original says. The proper intention of any Biblical paraphrase should be to remain faithful to the text and to expand it--not alter it--and certainly not to contradict the original words. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible, known as the Clear Word Bible, violates the Biblical text by severely altering it in many places as it restates Scripture in line with SDA bias.
In fact, the bias is so heavy that I would not recommend the Clear Word Bible to anyone. The SDA doctrines of annihilationism, soul sleep, Jesus being Michael the Archangel, seventh-day Sabbath worship, etc., all govern how the Biblical text is to be understood instead of letting the Biblical text guide the paraphrase. This Bible is dangerous and faulty. I recommend that you steer clear of it.
Let's take a look at a few examples of the profound bias.
| New American Standard Bible | Clear Word Bible | Comment | |
| Exodus 16:30 | So the people rested on the seventh day. | So the people rested and worshiped the Lord on the seventh day as they were told to do. | Notice how worship, which hints at church practices on their Saturday Sabbath, is added to their Bible. This is quite an addition. |
| Isaiah 66:24 | “Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched; and they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.” | “They will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me lying outside the city. But just as worms don’t stop until they devour the dead and fire doesn’t stop until it destroys, so the fire of the Lord will destroy and consume the wicked.” | The meaning of the text is changed to say the opposite of the original: from the fire not stopping to the fire will stop. |
| Matt. 10:28 | “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. | Don’t fear that you might be killed. They may kill your body, but they cannot take away your eternal life. God is the only One who has power over eternal life and death. | The original text separates the body and the soul, but this distinction is removed in the CWB. |
| Matt. 25:46 | “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” | I have no choice but to end your lives, because in my kingdom everyone cares about everyone else.’” | This verse is so severely altered that it bears very little resemblance to the original. |
| Eph. 1:4-5 | just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, | Before this world was created, God determined that all who believed on His Son should be saved, and that we should be holy and blameless in His sight. 5 Because of His love, God decided to secure our destiny by adopting us as His children through Jesus Christ, according to His good pleasure and will. | In the original, God does the choosing regarding salvation. But in the CWB, God's choice to save is based on his apparent foreknowledge of their choices. This is heretical since it means God looks in the future to learn and then makes choices based upon people's choices rather than His own and independent sovereign will to predestine. |
Is the Clear Word Bible a good paraphrase? Obviously not. The Seventh-day Adventist Church should withdraw support for this bad paraphrase, and they should remove it from their shelves. The fact they have not seen clear to do so tells us that they are more interested in promoting their doctrine than keeping true to Scripture. I know that is a serious accusation, but it is one that I am confident is true.
Introduction to the Seventh-day Adventist Clear Word Bible
by Matt Slick
The Clear Word Bible, published by Review and Herald® Publishing Association and authored by Jack J. Blanco, is a paraphrase, not a translation. For the purposes of its examination, I have used the 2003 edition that I purchased in the Pacific Press Publishing Association bookstore in Nampa, Idaho. The Pacific Press website (pacificpress.org) says . . .
"The Pacific Press® Publishing Association, established in 1874, is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Its sole purpose is to uplift Jesus Christ incommunicating biblical teachings, health principles, and family values--in many languages--through various types of printed materials, video products, and recordings of Christian music. The Pacific Press® perceives itself primarily as a spiritual enterprise. This perception governs the selection of personnel as well as of all materials published, including advertisements."1
Since the intent is to communicate Biblical teachings, is owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and sells the Clear Word Bible, I can only conclude that the SDA church approves of the CWB.
The CWB is a very loose paraphrase
A paraphrase is an expanded adaptation of the Biblical text designed to help clarify what the original says. The proper intention of any Biblical paraphrase should be to remain faithful to the text and to expand on it, not alter it, and certainly not to contradict the original meaning. The preface to the Clear Word Bible says, "The Clear Word is not a translation, but a devotional paraphrase of Scripture expanded for clarity . . . It should not be considered a study Bible." The same preface mentions paraphrases such as "Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Taylor’s The Living Bible, and Peterson’s The Message." "Each translation or paraphrase has proved beneficial in its own way to bring readers a clearer understanding of God’s magnificent gift to a fallen race . . . A writer’s own understanding of a Biblical text will surface in a paraphrase, but it also occurs in translations written by a group of scholars. However, every attempt has been made to allow the Bible to interpret itself." [emphasis added]
This is interesting and problematic since in many places the CWB does not allow the Bible to interpret itself but in fact drastically alters the original verses when they don't fit SDA theology. Is it a good paraphrase? I would say no.
The following links show the prejudicial treatment the Biblical text is given in favor of Seventh-day Adventist theology.
Please note that I have underlined words and phrases in the analysis for easier comparison. I have used the NASB (New American Standard Bible) as a comparison text since it is intended to be as literal a translation as possible from the Hebrew and Greek.
Finally, I have a question. If the SDA theology is so biblical, then why does the CWB drastically alter so many of the Biblical texts?
The Clear Word Bible and Annihilationism
by Matt Slick
The Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches that when a person dies, he ceases to exist but that he is resurrected with his body. The righteous live forever, and the wicked are judged and destroyed. In other words, the wicked cease to exist. Their position is based on SDA theology rather than Scripture. As you will see below, the Clear Word Bible has drastically altered the reading of the Biblical texts that do not support the SDA perspective and modified them so as to represent their theology.
| New American Standard Bible | Clear Word Bible | Comment | |
| Isaiah 66:24 | “Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die andtheir fire will not be quenched; and they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.” | “They will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me lying outside the city. But just as worms don’t stop until they devour the dead and fire doesn’t stop until it destroys, so the fire of the Lord will destroy and consume the wicked.” | The meaning of the text is changed to say the opposite of the original: from the fire not stopping to the fire will stop. |
| Matt. 25:41 | “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; | Then He will say to those on His left, ‘You can’t be given a home in my Father’s kingdom, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. Leave my presence. You will perish in the same fire which will destroy the devil and his angels." | The verse is changed to suit their theology that people (and fallen angels) will be destroyed and will not be punished forever. |
| Matt. 25:46 | “These will go away intoeternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” | I have no choice but to end your lives, because in my kingdom everyone cares about everyone else.’” | This verse is so severly altered that it bears very little resemblance to the original. |
| Luke 16:19-31 | 19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. 20 And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores . . . 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house . . . 31 “But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” | 19 Then He said to the Pharisees, “You keep telling people the story you put togetherabout a rich man who dressed in fine clothes and lived luxuriously. 20 In your story, there is also a poor man called Lazarus who had open sores all over his body. Every day he sat outside the rich man’s gate begging. 27 Then, according to your story, the rich man said, ‘I beg you, Father Abraham, if no one can come down here to help me, then please send Lazarus to my father’s house. 31 Then your story ends by Abraham saying, ‘If your brothers are not willing to listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen to anyone, even if he rose from the dead.’ So you see, you yourselves teach people that they should listen to the Scriptures and that what they do in this life will affect them in the next one." | The CWB inserted words to designate that it was not Jesus' teaching about consciousness after death of the body (which would contradict SDA theology). So, they inserted words that are not in the original text and have changed the meaning of the text. |
| Rev. 14:11 | “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” | The fire of God’s judgment will not rest untilthose who worship the sea beast and the animal and have the mark of its name are totally destroyed.” | The CWB version shows that the punishment will end but the original says it will not. |
| Rev. 19:20 | "And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone." | But the sea beast and the animal turned false prophet were taken prisoner. This is the false prophet who had worked miracles to deceive people and had forced them to worship the sea beast and to receive its mark. Both of them were engulfed by a lake of fire and destroyed. | The original does not say that the beast and the false prophet were destroyed, but the CWB says they are. Again, they phrased it in a way that is not consistent with the original. |
| Rev. 20:10 | And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. | And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and consumed together with the sea beast, the land animal, and all the wicked. Their destruction will be forever and ever. | The SDA doctrine of annihilation is written into their paraphrase, thereby changing the meaning of the original. |
The Clear Word Bible, Jesus, and Michael the Archangel
by Matt Slick
The Seventh-day Adventists teach that Jesus and Michael the Archangel are one and the same. However, some people mistakenly think that the SDA are teaching that Jesus is a created angel and, therefore, not truly divine. But that is not the Seventh-day Adventist position. Instead, they are saying that the Old Testament manifestation of Michael the Archangel was actually the pre-incarnate Christ and that he is not created. They are incorrect in their comparison, but in it they are not denying the deity of Christ.
| New American Standard Bible | Clear Word Bible | Comment | |
| John 8:58 | Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” | Jesus answered, “Because I existed before Abraham was born.” | This is problematic because the Greek ego eimi literally says, "I am." The Jews wanted to kill Jesus for saying these words because it was so reflective of Exodus 3:14where God says His name is "I am" (see later in John 10:30-33 for confirmation of this). The SDA affirm the deity of Christ, but changing this is quite odd and is more in line with the Jehovah's Witness version than the Biblical one. |
| John 10:30 | “I and the Father are one.” | You see, my Father and I are so close, we’re one. | This is a bad rendition because Jesus' oneness with God is not based on closeness but on His nature. He is by nature both human and divine. This is called the Hypostatic Union. |
| 1 Thess. 4:16 | For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. | When Christ descends from heaven as the Archangel, He will give a shout like a trumpet, which is God’s call to the dead, and those who died in Christ will rise first. | The Seventh-day Adventist theology comes shining through in this alteration, which is more commentary than anything else. The SDA church teaches that Jesus is Michael the Archangel, hence, changing the meaning of the text to make it fit their theology. This is not good. Let the Bible speak for itself. |
| Jude 9 | But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” | In contrast to these ungodly men is the Lord Jesus, also called Michael the Archangel, for He is over the entire angelic host. When He was challenged by Satan about His intentions to resurrect Moses, He didn’t come at Satan with a blistering attack, nor did He condemn him with mockery. He simply said, “God rebuke you for claiming Moses’ body.” | This is another example of the Seventh-day Adventist theology governing the paraphrase. Biblically speaking, Jesus is not Michael the Archangel. They are separate, and this combining of them is an error that is reflected in this modification of the text. |
| Rev. 12:7 | And there was war in heaven,Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, | This controversy between God and the dragon began years ago in heaven. God’s Son Michael and the loyal angels fought against the dragon and his angels. | Notice again how the theology that Jesus and Michael the Archangel are one and the same comes out in this verse. That is not what it is saying. |
The Clear Word Bible and the Sabbath
by Matt Slick
The Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches that the Saturday Sabbath is to be kept today and that it is the proper day in which Church services are to be held, not on Sunday.
| New American Standard Bible | Clear Word Bible | Comment | |
| Exodus 16:5 | “On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” | On the sixth day they should gather twice as much as on the other days so as to have enough for the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, the day I set aside for worship and rest.” | They insert their interpretation about the Sabbath and add a lot of extra words. |
| Exodus 16:30 | So the people rested on the seventh day. | So the people rested and worshiped the Lord on the seventh day as they were told to do. | Notice how worship, which hints at church practices on their Saturday Sabbath, is added to their Bible. This is quite an addition. |
| Acts 20:7 | On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. | After sundown on Saturday night, the believers got together for a fellowship meal and to say good-bye to Paul. That evening he spoke to them until midnight, after which he hoped to get a few hours sleep before leaving early Sunday morning. | Instead of the text speaking about Sunday as being the day they gathered together to break bread and hear Paul speak, the CWB changed to "Saturday night." This implies that it happened on the Sabbath rather than Sunday. |
| Rom. 14:5 | One person regardsone day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. | The same thing applies toreligious festivals. One person thinks he has to keep every Jewish festival, while another thinks those days are no different from other days. About nonessentials like these, everyone needs to make up his own mind. | The CWB significantly alters this important text since the original contradicts their Sabbath ideas. Nothing in the context is about festivals (which are yearly). "Every day" includes the Sabbath which, according to the original, the significance of is left up to the individual--in contradiction to SDA theology. |
| Col. 2:16 | Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. | Don’t let anyone control your life by giving you a set of ceremonial rules about what to eat, what to drink and which monthly festivals or special sabbaths to keep. | Notice the progression in the original. A festival is yearly. A new moon is monthly. The Sabbath is weekly. Yet the CWB changes it to "special sabbaths." This is so the SDA can keep their view of their 7th day Sabbath. |
The Clear Word Bible and Salvation
by Matt Slick
The Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches salvation by grace through faith, apart from works. This is very good. However, it also promotes a man-centered, decisional-salvation. It maintains a heavy emphasis upon the sinner's free will, and this human-centered theology is heavily reflected in its altered paraphrase.
| New American Standard Bible | Clear Word Bible | Comment | |
| John 6:28-29 | Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” | They asked, “What should we do to have a part in God’s kingdom?” 29 Jesus said, “The first thing to do is to believe in the One whom God has sent.” | Instead of our believing being God's work, the CWB changes it to be completely up to man. |
| Acts 13:48 | When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. | When the Gentile converts heard that, they were glad and praised God. They shared this good news with other Gentiles and when they realized that they could have eternal life, they also believed. | The order is reversed. In the original, God's appointing to salvation comes first, our belief follows (that is what it says!). In the CWB, the unbelievers' belief follows their own realization of salvation. |
| Rom. 9:22-23 | What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, | Whether God chooses to show His power or His mercy, He isn’t obligated to get our consent before He does so. Can’t God choose to demonstrate His infinite patience with those who are fit to be destroyed? 23 Can’t He choose to reveal His abundant mercy to those who love Him and prepare them in advance to share His glory? Isn’t that His right? | This passage has been the source of much interpretational controversy within Christianity. Nevertheless, the CWB softens the words significantly. |
| Eph. 1:4-5 | 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, | Before this world was created,God determined that all who believed on His Son should be saved, and that we should be holy and blameless in His sight. 5 Because of His love,God decided to secure our destiny by adopting us as His children through Jesus Christ, according to His good pleasure and will. | In the original, God does the choosing regarding salvation. But in the CWB, God's choice to save is based on His apparent foreknowledge of their choices. This is heretical since it means God looks in the future to learn and then make choices based upon people's choices, rather than His own and independent sovereign will to predestine. |
| Phil. 1:29 | For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, | This experience you’re going through will strengthen your faith. Not only has God given you an opportunity to believe on Christ, but now He’s giving you a chance to suffer for Him which will test your love. | Instead of God being the one who grants faith in us, the CWB changes the emphasis to man. |
| 2 Thess. 2:13 | But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, becauseGod has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. | But we thank God for you, my brothers, because you are beloved of the Lord and are among the firstfruits of the gospel in Macedonia. You were drawn to the Lord by the Holy Spirit and you accepted the truth as soon as you heard it. | The CWB's version is a bad misrepresentation of the verse. Obviously, it is significantly altered based on SDA theology and reveals a very man-centered ideology. |
The Clear Word Bible and the Soul
by Matt Slick
The Seventh-day Adventist Church denies that the soul continues to exist after death. They say that the soul is not separate from the body, so when the body dies, the soul ceases to exist and will be revived later in a future judgment where the righteous have eternal life but the wicked are destroyed and have no existence. But that is not what the Bible teaches.
| New American Standard Bible | Clear Word Bible | Comment | |
| Gen. 35:18 | It came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. | But Rachel didn’t survive the birth, and as she was dying, she named her baby Benoni, which means Son of My Sorrow, but Jacob renamed the baby Benjamin, meaning Son of My Right Hand. | It is obvious that the Seventh-day Adventist influence has governed the Clear Word Bible paraphrase. Instead of accurately expanding on what the Bible actually says, SDA theology dominates the Scripture. |
| Matt. 10:28 | “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." | Don’t fear that you might be killed. They may kill your body, but they cannot take away your eternal life. God is the only One who has power over eternal life and death. | The original text separates the body and the soul, but this distinction is removed in the CWB. |
| Matt. 22:32 | ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,' He is not the God of the dead but of the living.'" | He said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ In other words, He is not the God of death, but the God of life. He not only gives it, but extends it. Sarah is a case in point. She was too old to have a child, but by God’s power she did.” | Again, the CWB drastically alters the text and changes it to agree with his theology. Instead of submitting to God's Word, it submits God's Word to its theology. |
| Matt. 27:50 | And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. | Suddenly Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “It is finished!” and bowed His head and died. | Another alteration to fit SDA theology. The original implies the separation of the spirit from the body, which the SDA denies. |
| Mark 12:27 | “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.” | What was God telling Moses? He was telling him that He was the One who activated Sarah’s dead womb, giving through Abraham life to Isaac who, in turn, gave life to Jacob. Therefore, God is not the end of life but the Giver of life! So your idea that there is no life after death is wrong.” | How can the CWB seriously offer such a terrible "paraphrase"? It is commentary that is completely inaccurate. The original context is about the resurrection, not God activating Sarah's womb. This is a highly prejudiced interpretation of a verse that does not agree with SDA theology. |
| Luke 8:55 | And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat. | Immediately, life returned to her body. She opened her eyes, sat up and looked around. Then Jesus asked the parents to give her something to eat. | Notice the blatant alteration of the text in favor of SDA theology. Instead of the spirit of the girl returning, the CWB changes it to "life." The original contradicts SDA theology. |
| Luke 23:43 | And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” | Jesus turned His head toward him and said, “I promise you today, when I return with the glory of my Father, I will take you home with me to paradise.” | The original implies that there is life after death and that the Spirit continues without the body. But since this contradicts SDA theology, they use the same argument the Jehovah's Witnesses do by saying that Jesus was saying, "I promise you today . . . " |
| 2 Cor. 5:8 | We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. | That’s what faith is all about. We long to lay aside our bodies, to leave this present world, and to be at home with the Lord. | The CWB omits the clear teaching of Scripture, "to be absent from the body and to be home with the Lord." This contradicts SDA theology, so the verse is altered accordingly. |
| Phil. 1:23 | But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; | So I’ve been wrestling with mixed emotions. On one hand,I would prefer to be sentenced to death and in the next moment of consciousness see Christ, which would be much better than staying here in this old world. | The original implies that Paul wants to die and go be with Christ. That cannot happen from the SDA point of view, so their theology replaces the actual text. |
| James 2:26 | For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. | As a person’s body is useless without breath, so our statements of faith are meaningless without action. | The original implies that a person's spirit is separate from his body. But since this does not agree with Seventh-day Adventist theology, it is changed to "a person's body is useless without breath." |
| Rev. 6:9 | When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; | As the Lamb revealed the events of the fifth seal, I looked and saw a sacrificial altar, and under it were the bodies of those who had died for the Lord. They had faithfully proclaimed God’s word and had been killed because of their faith. | This blatant alteration is clear. The word, "souls," which the Bible implies as separate from the body, is replaced with the word "bodies" in order to make it agree with SDA theology. |
| Rev. 20:4 | Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. | The scene changed, and I saw thrones in heaven, and those who sat on them were given authority to judge the wicked.I saw those who had been beheaded because of their faithfulness to Jesus and the word of God. I also saw those who had not worshiped the sea beast or the land animal and had not received the mark on their foreheads or on their hands. They all lived and reigned | The word "souls" is omitted entirely, changing the focus of the verse. Instead of the focus on the souls OF those, it is simply "those." Again, this is altered to suit SDA theology. |
The
Clear Word Bible and Miscellaneous Verses
by Matt Slick
Here is a list of different verses that are not under any particular theme.
| New American Standard Bible | Clear Word Bible | Comment | |
| Psalm 5:5 | The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes.You hate all who do iniquity. | Pride is offensive to you andyou recoil at the sight of wickedness. | Here an apparent preference to show God as being loving to all has overshadowed the actuality of what the text actually says. |
| Psalm 11:5 | The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, andthe one who loves violence His soul hates. | The Lord tests the faith of the righteous. He despises the arrogance of the wicked and their love of violence because of the pain and hurt it brings on others. | Here the text is altered so that God does not hate an individual but hates the sin of the individual. This is a common statement made by people who want God to only be a God of love and so lessen His justice, holiness, and judgment upon the sinner. |
| Daniel 8:14 | He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored.” | 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.” | This verse is well-known among Seventh-day Adventists, and you can clearly see that it is changed to suit their theological leanings. It is unfortunate that such changes are made in this "paraphrase," especially since it does not reflect the original text. |
| John 6:65 | And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.” | He continued, “No one can believe in me unless he first responds to the love of my Father, who will then enable him.” | The obvious man-centered theology of the Seventh-day Adventist church comes through loud and clear. Instead of God being the Sovereign Lord who grants that we come to Christ, the Clear Word Bible paraphrase changes the entire meaning of the text so that coming to Christ is completely in the hands of the sinner and his sinful free will instead of what Christ actually said. |
| Rom. 9:13 | Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” | That’s what God wants us to understand when in the Scriptures He says, “I have chosen Jacob, the younger one, not Esau, the older one.” | This specific verse is not simply about God choosing Jacob over Esau. The verse clearly tells us that God clearly hated Esau. Such truths do not fit into a lot of people's theology, and obviously it does not fit into the Seventh-day Adventist framework either. But the verse still says what it says, and the CWB should reflect what it says, not what SDA theology wants it to say. |
| 1 Tim. 2:12-13 | But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13 For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. | I do not allow a woman to lord over a man the false claim that a woman was created first as the pagans teach. 13 Adam was created first and then Eve, not the other way around. Woman was molded from a rib taken from man’s side, made to be equal with him, not to exercise authority over him. | This verse is important because it deals with the authority structure of the church and how women are not to be in teaching authority positions over men. Since Ellen G. White was a woman who founded the Seventh-day Adventist movement and was in a teaching authority, this verse must be altered, and it is, drastically. It is so badly paraphrased that it clearly violates the original teaching. |
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