Jesus Was Not a Refugee

To justify more illegal immigrants coming to the USA, some people are pulling the Jesus-as-a-refugee card. Claiming His flight to Egypt gave Him refugee status. Not quite.

Now in the history of the Jews, they did settle in the land of Egypt. But they were invited there when Joseph was in charge. Then what happened? Within 400 years, they were slaves. None of this would ever make one a refugee.

After leaving, they plundered the Egyptians, raided the land of Canaan, and took it over as God promised. Nothing there would even remotely be refugee status. The aliens they allowed to live there, were required to embrace the Jewish culture and be ruled by God.

But people seem to think that Joseph and Mary fleeing to Egypt made them refugees when threatened by Herod. Not quite.

They simply moved from one region of the Roman Empire to another. The area we call Egypt was completely Roman. As a side note, the Romans named the capital city, Babylon.

So in reality, Jesus was not a refugee. No more than someone who is poor in Oklahoma, going to Texas to work in the oil fields. Or someone who does not like all the taxes and regulations in California, and moving a business or family to Arizona. Perhaps even a Mormon leaving NYC for more friendly confines of Utah. Or an Adventist moving to Loma Linda. You are NOT a refugee.

Too many people today are trying to use The Bible against a certain president and make political theater. From building walls, to aliens. But the arguments crumble under the weight of reality. The wall, for example.  The Jews were commanded to build a wall around Jerusalem. Lets' stop the insanity of using The Bible for or against our political foes.

Now Jesus being rejected by the Jews is a different matter altogether.

The Seventh Day Adventist Church has as Much Babylon as Other Churches.

Look at the Adventist church. There is enough Babylon to go around. We think we have the answers. We think we are safe because we, "belong" to the true church. The church of the end. Hardly. And people had better wake up to this lie. The Adventist church is no better than any other.

Oh sure, we toss around phrases like, "more truth," "best there is," closest to perfect," "best doctrines." Complete foolishness.

No matter how short a church is, it's still short. Way short.

After the William Miller debacle, (and yes it was a major error so where is our truth?), Ellen White and others got together. They thought they were not going to start a new church. But al true believers coming out of other churches and being the one true church. It did not happen.

When people claim Ellen G. White said something about how this church will stand until the end, she could not have been talking about the Adventist church as we know it. Not anywhere close.

First of all, this church has issues. As many issues as any other church we claim is weaker than us. So where is our perfection? Just sitting in a pew of an Adventist church doesn't do anything for anybody. Get a grip on reality.

The true church at the end will be a coming out of all churches. And once and for all, being a group that is indeed the faithful church at the end.

It might sound shocking to some, but the Adventist church will not even be around at the end. It can't be. It's an organization. It owns property. It pays bills. It employs people. It is a business, like it or not. You think that somehow you will sneak around the mark of the beast and own property? Pay people to work, like doctors and nurses? Little chance of that happening. The Adventist church will not own anything. They can't. To do so would be to take the mark of the beast.

Our colleges, hospitals, boarding schools are entirely wrapped up in finances, including the government. We have turned our colleges and hospitals over to government financing.

You think you can own property and not take the mark? You think schools and hospitals can pay for goods and services without buying and selling?

We own publishing houses, camps, academies, colleges, universities, conference buildings, and more. If you think we can just keep on doing business as usual during the last days, you are a fool.

How will you get electricity? Gas? Telephone service? Do banking? Every dime any Adventist church has in a bank or any financial institution, will be lost. Gone.

With the church's infrastructure gone, and the ability to buy supplies for these businesses, the whole organization will be obliterated.

Forget about being scared of the government tracking you on a cellphone. Those who choose to not take the mark will not even have them. You can't pay the monthly service charge. The ones here at the Undercover Adventist, will simply be tossed in the river.

Forget about being safe in an Adventist church. Your membership will be meaningless.

But God's true church will indeed stand. Where will you be?

Adventist (always?) seem to fall for false prophets

From William Miller, to present day charlatans who claim they know it all, Adventist have fallen for false prophets.

You see them on youtube. You see them on the Hope Channel. You see them on 3ABN. Yes, they show up everywhere, including your local church.

Why? Why do Adventists relish falsehoods?

Maybe it's in our DNA....after all, we came out of a false prophet. Any way you slice it, Miller was a false prophet.

We won't name names, but the continuing onslaught of predictions of this, and a prophecy of that, just seem to flow forth in present day.

Maybe it's the evil of the internet. Maybe people are just not as smart as before.

Any time you hear anyone say something that you know is NOT Biblically correct, tune them out and turn them off.

Like it or not, our founding members did not have everything right. They debated lots of things. They changed on many points. They even told us to be searching, always, for more light. More truth.

But not from snake oil salesmen who peddle nonsense.

Wake up. Read. Watch what is happening in the world. If you have your head stuck in 3ABN all day and night, you will be a mess. You will hear things that are just not true.

Adventists need to wake up and smell the coffee...and pork. Get a grip on reality.

Remember that these false prophets always have a way out. They will say that God changed, or we did not do what we were supposed to do, or other such rot. As if we, as mere humans, can simply get God to do (or not do) anything. If only we had that power.

William Miller and his followers found this out the hard way. Miller never recovered and led many to give up their faith.

So false prophets will come, false prophets will go. What remains is, what will you do? Will you actually read The Bible? Will you look around you and see if things shape up the way they say?

And the last thing, is that false prophets keep coming. Some just go on deceiving more people, even after they fail.

Don't fall for it. 1844 is not a disappointment. It's a deception. A great deception.

Pray there will never be another great deception again.

The Adventist Church is a Business, and a Pastor is Just Another Career Choice.

Where all of this "unity" nonsense started, is when people who lead the church no longer considered it a calling. It is now a career choice. It is a job. And jobs are where the world starts to tell you that you need benefits, high wages, recognition, compensation, and above all....your rights!

Since when are Adventist church workers just employees? They are demanding their rights. Not Christian rights, but worldly rights.

Pastors it seems have more time off, less work hours, more pay, and it seems to have become just another job.

So if young people going into the ministry are choosing a career instead of a calling, darn straight they will want the perks of a career.

Does your pastor turn off his or her phone? Do they visit less? Do they lead church activities less? Do they seem to take more vacation time? Hmmmmm. Something behind the scenes is going on. Perhaps our pastors are now getting comp time. Or feel that if it's not a paid part of the job, then they won't do it. Perhaps they think that after 40 hours of "church" time, they cannot (shouldn't?) Work any more. After all, they are demanding what the world gets.

Some pastors even will not preach on the fifth Sabbath of the month. What other job does that? Anything special about working weekends? We at the Undercover Adventist have never heard of anyone getting the last days of the month off because they have worked their allotment of Mondays, or Tuesdays, or Wednesdays....

If you don't like the struggles that come with being a pastor....DON'T BECOME ONE! Simple! Don't become a pastor and then....

DEMAND YOUR RIGHTS!

Christians give up their "worldly" rights anyway. You are not heirs to the world so stop acting like it!

It looks as though pastors will one day demand comp time. After all, how can they spend hours on a sermon, then do many hours a week on visiting, research, counseling, teaching, leading, praying...

We can see it now. Cutting a prayer meeting short because one has already prayed a certain number of hours.

And women....please stop demanding equal rights. (Notice we did not say you don't deserve them?) Demanding this and demanding that are NOT Christian attributes. In fact, just the opposite. You are to be humble. You are to serve. You are to sacrifice. You are not of the world. So why act like the world owes you? You don't work for the world. You work for God. You do service for Jesus.

There are a lot of lay people in the church who are the backbone. They do more work than many pastors do with their whole bodies. And they don't ask for recognition. They don't demand something. They are supporting you. They are making YOUR job easier.

You look foolish when you start treating your pastoral duties as if it was a job, complete with a benefit package, vacation, union contract, etc.

We suspect pastors will start a union some day.

After all, the Adventist hospitals have had to accept unions...of course we won't comment here on the extremely high salaries of hospital leaders.... But we have no trouble debating whether EGW would accept hospital CEOs being paid millions.... We suspect she would not.

Speaking of debate...why is the debate about women being ordained never done in the light of Christ? It's always done from a world point of view: We demand our rights!

As the Adventist church gets filled more and more by young people who just make a career choice, the more demands will be made to be more like the world.

Unity Sabbath Quarterly is an Adventist Shot Across the Bow

Just like we reported last year when stewardship as slipped in to up the giving, this quarter is another subtle dig into the political parts of the church.

While there's nothing wrong with the substance, maybe, on its own, but slipping it into a Sabbath School quarter, is a tad underhanded. Hmmmm. Heavy handed?

Make no mistake about it. This unity is the leaders' idea of untiy. Not yours. Not mine. Not ours. But theirs. Fall in line, or else.

Some have even started to say that we have become militant. That we are now coming up with rules and regulations that a member MUST follow or else....excommunicated. (for lack of a better word).

The people at the tower of babel were united. Apparently that was not a good thing.

Unity for unity's sake, is a farce.

So what do we think the real issue is in unity? Perhaps more than one:

Ordination of women. Get in line with U N I T Y.

Perhaps we can toss in gay marriage, 6 day creation, and other things.

You would think with the experts we have in charge, and the amount of money we pay them, that they would be able to hash out a Biblical solution.

But...no.

We can be unified on a number of things. But how about the full set of 28 fundamental beliefs? We would hazard a guess that most people have an issue with at least one point or subpoints.

Have you ever read what you swear to on a baptismal certificate..done in a church by a pastor who actually cares about such things? You raise your right hand and sweat to a lot of things. Things that have nothing to do with salvation as told in The Gospel. So we come up with rules made by men.

Except for major sin, nobody was ever told to leave the early church, or kicked out. Paul and Peter, were not in agreement. They were unified in The Gospel.

If this Sabbath quarterly will focus on the unity of The Gospel, no problem.

Buy we will predict that as you dig into it and go further...you will see what you must do and believe. and if not, you are a rebel and not unified.

No organized church, including The Seventh Day Adventist Church, has the power to set the rules of salvation. None. The very things we call out the Catholic church for....we are rapidly becoming.

No one man (or woman) has the power to set themselves up in a dictatorship of a church.

How unified are you?

Why do we read The Bible differently than Ellen G White?

For Adventists, their beliefs and Ellen G White go hand in hand. Or so it seems for many members. They can't seem to do anything without scraping up what she said about whatever is in question. However, we should always remember our first and foremost fundamental belief:

"The Holy Scriptures are the infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the authoritative revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God's acts in history."

But is that true? Do we really read The Bible as infallible and where we get our doctrines? It seems we do not. We change words. We cut out things. We talk about symbolism, other times, present truth, translations. Just about everything we can to slice and dice parts of The Bible that we do not follow. But we NEVER do that with Ellen G White. If she said it, well, it must be gospel. We must follow everything she said word for word, especially in certain books.

That is what makes us seem like a cult. We don't follow the Scriptures, we follow Mrs. White.

The Apostle Paul many times tells us how to act. He describes what women should do. What men should do. What the church should do. Paul even many times says that is what we MUST do. And yet, we just strip it away.

The Undercover Adventist believes we should read EGW no differently.

If not, we will watch things unfold in the world, and we will be left clinging to things that are not relevant, let alone coming true.

For example. Why don't we read John in Revelation the same way we read Spirit of Prophecy? We seldom take John at his word. He talks about the mark of the beast being on heads and hands. Should we leave it there? No, we don't. Maybe we should...but we don't. We try six ways from Sunday to explain it away because Ellen White said something. Perhaps, just perhaps, we need to dissect her writings with the same scalpel that we do authors in The Bible.

Maybe when Mrs. White talks about Catholics, Sunday Laws, etc., we need to look at these as if they are symbolic. False worship. There is a whole lot more to false worship than just Sunday. While you are waiting for a Sunday Law that might not actually be a true, "Sunday Law," another religion will sneak in and make you keep Friday holy.

Did you know there are countries in the world today that force people to keep Friday holy? Probably not. We are too busy relying on EGW instead of The Bible, history, and present times.

Here is a little known passage from Paul in Galatians 4

²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. ²³ But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, ²⁴ which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— ²⁵ for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— ²⁶ but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.

It seems he did talk about islam.


Right now in The United States, business are being troubled if they refuse service to gays. If you own a business, you will suffer a lot if you somehow express your beliefs in The Bible. You boycotted or sued. Schools are teaching the gay lifestyle is normal and should be accepted.

California is considering a law that will make it illegal to sell anything, or offer a service, if you also publish and pronounce that homo sexuality is wrong and should be stopped.

Just do a search for
AB 2942
AB 2943

Wake up and smell the abominations.

Many states have banned travel and business with anyone and any thing that disagrees with gay marriage and lifestyle.

We should begin and end with our first fundamental belief. If it is really not in The Bible, or can be inferred from The Bible, what good does it do us to defend it? We obviously can't use The Bible in these cases....and that poses a dramatic problem: Admitting that we look elsewhere for truth and doctrine.

The Seventh Day Adventist will change. Either kicking and screaming, or through The Bible in a most severe way. Luckily there are Adventist pastors who are already on board. Seeking truth. Taking heed of Ellen White's own words. She should never be preached from the pulpit. There will be more truth. More trumpets.

The Trinity: Monotheism or Polytheism?

The Adventists' second fundamental belief is as follows:

"There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three coeternal Persons. God is immortal, all-powerful, all-knowing, above all, and ever present. He is infinite and beyond human comprehension, yet known through His self-revelation. God, who is love, is forever worthy of worship, adoration, and service by the whole creation. (Gen. 1:26; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 6:8; Matt. 28:19; John 3:16 2 Cor. 1:21, 22; 13:14; Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2.)"

So, right off the bat, Adventists affirm that there is but one God. They carefully chose the word, capitalized, "Persons," to describe Jesus, The Father, and The Holy Spirit. They did not choose to describe it as three deities.

To be more exact, it is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Three coeternal Persons. It is not a God, then another God, then yet another God. They are all one God.

One reference puts it this way:
" This monotheistic emphasis does not contradict the Christian concept of the triune God or Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; rather, it affirms that there is no pantheon of various deities.
All three were at creation, thus "us" was used. But then talking about the unity of them being all one God, you only have to read The Bible to find this is reiterated.  " https://www.adventist.org/en/beliefs/god/trinity/

The First Commandment of The Ten affirms this in Genesis 20.

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before me.

The word "I" and "me" are chosen. Not us. Telling us that there is but one God.

 Malachi 2:10.
Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another By profaning the covenant of the fathers?

Ephesians 4

⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

 1 Timothy 2:5

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

If we say there are three deities, then we do not have a trinity.

The New Testament makes it clear of the unity of all three being one. Jesus says, I and my father are one. If you've seen me, you have seen the Father. Nowhere does Jesus ever say that His Father and himself are different Gods.

Only God can forgive sins. The pharisees were calling Jesus a blasphemer because he claimed to be God...NOT a God.

All three Persons work together. They are working as one God, and only one God.

Not a great choice is the word persons, as it gives the idea of three separate and distinct "beings." It is what gets people in trouble when talking about The Trinity. You cannot say they are three separate and distinct deities....because then you have no trinity. People who do not believe in the Trinity will use these words against, and perhaps convince you that there is no triune.

Adventists and some of their churches are trying to void the 2nd belief.

Will you stand?

There are numerous problems with polytheism. Not the least of which is a belief in multiple gods. Worse, multiple "gods" that are equal. The whole Gospel of Jesus falls apart. It might not seem like it on the surface, but if Jesus is not God....then what? And there lies the problem.

Are we worshiping another god? Are we following another god? What happened to God of the Old Testament? If Jesus is not God, then we would have nothing more than another made up religion following another deity. Another buddha? Another cult or sect? Is Christianity based on the true God, or more Gods? Why stop at just three? Jesus never told anyone that he was starting a new religion. He came to complete and promote the old one.

If God never changes, and is forever, then how can we possibly say Jesus is another God? What happened to the first one?

Stewardship: Adventists were duped!

So you just finished a great series on "Stewardship." You are now pumped up for the cause. Adventists are feeling recharged and ready to open their pocketbooks. Well, at least that was the goal.

Back in 2015, the good people that run the Adventist Church, decided we needed a reboot. That giving was not up to snuff, and by golly, they were bound and determined to do something about it.

They created stewardship directors for each division. Thirteen in all. They were given salary, benefits, and travel to shepherd the masses. They wanted to teach every man, woman, and child in the church about stewardship. In other words, you gotta spend money to make money.


Of course it fell flat. Local churches and pastors were not really on board.

It was a perfect storm, really. The GC had troubles with the strong dollar, less tithe money coming in, and a few questionable business practices. Something had to be done.

We need to get people on board to start tithing!

In the Fall of 2017, the stewardship directors met and decided the faithful in the pews needed a swat on the behind to start giving.

So, a solid, three month study on stewardship was benevolently bestowed upon us.

Do you feel duped?

Now you know why the Sabbath School Quarterly had some biting things in it. Like how you cannot possibly be a good Christian unless you tithe. Maybe you are not even fully saved.

Did you feel a little shaken down? Well, now you know the rest of the story. https://news.adventist.org/en/all-news/news/go/2017-10-10/in-the-face-of-financial-challenges-the-adventist-church-refocuses-on-stewardship-and-systematic-gi/

We at the Undercover Adventist encourages people to give as freely as THEIR heart guided by God leads them to. Not to be under pressure.

Should Adventists Celebrate Easter

If by Easter, one means the death and resurrection of Jesus, most certainly we should observe and celebrate Easter. Celebrations were part of ancient Jewish life, even commanded by God. The celebration of Purim was started in the book of Esther.

Of course bunnies, eggs, chicks, and other things are not to be promoted in the church.

Easter does not really have pagan beginnings. It is called Pascha in both Greek and Latin. It is named after the month it occurs in.

Don't be caught up in the falsehoods that are generated each time during Easter. It is just a name. The name came from a book, and from the name of a month in that book. Nothing more, nothing less.

Easter is no more pagan than modern weddings. Yes modern weddings have their origin in pagan beliefs.

So you would sound quite foolish by telling people about the paganism they are doing when they celebrate Easter, as you condone wedding cakes, veils, dresses, flowers, rings, rice, and more. They all have pagan origins. In fact, many if not most, of our customs and everyday items, can be traced to paganism.

And anyone that knows this, will start schooling you on such pagan practices that you do.... as you berate them about Easter.

Easter is not about bunnies or any other such nonsense. But a person do such a thing can hardly be called pagan. The origins of those things do not exist today.

We seem to quote only half The Bible, and only things we like. Consider tattoos. We love to criticize people over those, all the while ignoring something in the same passage: Trimming your beard with round corners. Funny how we never talk about the pagan practice of rounding the edges of your beard.

Why not? Because it's not a good sound bite the way Easter is.

Easter, and Christmas, should be all about Jesus Christ. If it is, then go in peace.

Oh and one more thing. Do you use The King James version of The Bible? And hate Easter? Better get a new Bible. The word Easter is in there. Read little know Bible facts and trivia.

Being Good Stewards, Money, and the Parables of Jesus

This quarter the church is studying about being good stewards. The first thing we think about is money. We must indeed be good stewards with money. We are also being instructed to save your money, think about the future, and not waste things. We need to save and worry about retirement, kid's college, new car, etc.

But won't the Earth be destroyed, and everything in it?

Why does The Bible, Jesus, Bible Authors, and Apostles warn us to NOT think about the future? That is, our monetary future? We are not supposed to worry about such and such when we don't even know what will happen today.

Did Jesus tell us that the lily has no worries about its clothes and so should we be?

What then, does one make about the parables of Jesus about money. These parables apparently teach us about saving and investing money.

Or do they....

Jesus told parables about sheep. We readily agree the parables are NOT about sheep keeping.

Jesus tells us parables on sowing seeds. Of course this is not about farming.

He warns us about having oil in lamps. Most assuredly he is not talking about having lamps lighted.

A son returns to his father after squandering his inheritance. Family matters are not what that was about.

Whey then do we talk about the parables of money.....as if they were about money?

We cannot have it both ways. We cannot be told to worry about the future....but we must save our money just in case?

Jesus tells of a man who did just that. Saved huge amounts in his barns....and then was satisfied. But he died without ever enjoying it. No retirement for him.

Jesus' parables on money must be on something more. Just like all of His other parables.

Each and every one of these parables of money could have The Light substituted for money.

The people in these parables who hid the money were not rewarded.

Are we supposed to hide The Gospel?

The people who took the money and made it grow were rewarded.

Are we not required to spread The Gospel?

After further review, each and every parable that Jesus told was about spreading The Good News. Not saving and investing money.

Jesus had no money. The disciples had little money. Peter and John had no money to give the lame beggar. They have him Jesus.

We should not be saving money just for the sake of saving money. We should not be investing money because Jesus told a parable on it. Just like we would not be going out and taking care of one hundred sheep.

We must use our money, whenever we can, for spreading of The Gospel. We would be foolish and very un-Biblical to say to ourselves, "I'm putting my money in stocks, bonds, CDs, and annuities because I need retirement money to live until I'm 90."

Let's look at what Jesus says:

Matthew 6:34 

³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

James 4:13-16 
 
^"13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; ¹⁴ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil."

Conclusions?

Of course we need to think about the future. If you spend your time worrying about your retirement, socking money away, and other worries, you are not listening to what The Bible says.

What if you die tomorrow? What good is your retirement savings? What good is your bank account? What good is your new car? What came of your worries and plannings?


A Biblical perspective on your future money worries, or non-worries, is what you should be concentrating on.

Are you using your money wisely to spread The Gospel, or filling your earthly storehouses?
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 >> Are you going broke paying for college?  Make it cheaper here.

Work and The Sabbath

As Adventists, you have heard that having a medical job is sacred. That somehow you can work on The Sabbath because you are a healer. Ditto with other "emergency" jobs that someone else has deemed sacred. So, why is this?

If you happen to work at a department store, and called to work on Saturday, we become militant. We tell them in no uncertain terms that they MUST get off. That they must trust God to somehow come to their rescue.

However, if you have the privilege of being a doctor, we give you a pass. Or a nurse. We tell them they are doing some sort of God's work, so that is okay.

Of course this makes us look foolish.

Oh sure, some people say to give the money you earn on Sabbath back to the church, and you are pure. But you still worked your regular job!

Working on Sabbath seems to be okay so long as you :
A) Have a medical or emergency job.
And, perhaps....
B) Give the money back to the church.

Of course this violates Sabbath keeping, does it not?

Is one job sacred over another?

This is related to tithing and faith.

If someone says they have no money left over to pay tithe after bills, then you should pay God first, and God will miraculously make up the difference.

Doctors, nurses, and others, seem to live in a parallel Sabbath universe.

They are told no such thing. They are not told to make other arrangements. They are not told to trust God with their patients. (Or their employer.) They are not told to give their employer a threat of a lawsuit if they are forced to work on Sabbath.


Of course giving back the money you earn on Sabbath opens up a whole slew of problems. If your normal week is 5 days, then is it fair to only take the money you earn on 4 days, when someone else who is "lucky," takes home 5 days pay?

Do we really, really want to talk about faith?

Why do we try and force the little guy to have so much faith, and doctors a pass?

I imagine that most (yes this is a logical statement) doctors, at least in the United States, have quite a lot of wealth. As opposed to a department store employee.

Do we not tell people that God will supply all their needs? Oh...unless you are a doctor or nurse. Then somehow your faith is irrelevant. You must be available on The Sabbath.

Jesus never charged a mite on Sabbath for healing. He never took money on this day, then gave it to the church.

Jesus said to do good on The Sabbath. He certainly did not say do any work on The Sabbath, nor did He say get paid for your good works on The Sabbath.

So the conundrum is there. And we seem to have taken sides.

To some, we tell them to be harsh on their employers and demand to not work on The Sabbath.

To others we say, work in peace. You are doing "good" work, so you are okay.

There must be some other slant. We know this.

It is NOT about flat out working or not working on The Sabbath. There is a principle there. There is a pureness of heart. Jesus told them that they took their ox out of a ditch because it was the right thing to do. Jesus did not tell them to trust God that the ox will keep until sundown.

We do not know the motives or struggles of people who are trying to keep The Sabbath.

However, it seems to us here at The Undercover Adventist, that we tell some people to struggle, and others not to.

Shouldn't we tell everyone to not struggle and live by faith? Without judgement?

Very difficult to do if we take sides and deem some jobs sacred, others not.

In the very near future, we will address more of this. Stay tuned!

Adventist Questions (and accusations) From Other Denominations

Adventists have long been accused of many things.

How do you answer false accusations about Adventist beliefs?

First of all, be ready. If you have not already, you will be questioned. And probably in a hostile way. Be prepared to not get hostile in return.

Three major issues for Adventists

Ellen G. White. Many members of other denominations think that whatever this woman  said, did, published, or otherwise construed, is the basis of our salvation. It is not. And it never has been. We can blame this big one on ourselves. We have done a poor job of promoting our message and truths. If the first thing out of your mouth when evangelizing is Ellen White, you won't win many friends.

You must first be firm that our salvation is based on Jesus and The Bible. After that, you can begin to attempt to turn the conversation around. Ask them what authors they like. Have they read books by Rick Warren, like The Purpose Driven Life? Do they know and read Max Lucado? Does their pastor quote other authors? Do they like books such as The Prayer of Jabez? They now must fully admit that there are "modern day" prophets. There are authors, books, and literature that Christians can feel is inspired, and a way to expand and learn Biblical principles. (Yes, we know that Ellen White is not the same comparison here. That's not the point.) The point is to get them to think of good Christian books that they have read...love, and follow. Hand them a copy of Steps to Christ. Ask them to read it. Get them to actually read something she wrote as a Christian author. A logical, reasoning Christian cannot help but get the idea that perhaps, just perhaps, Ellen G. White has written some good things. They might even be inspired to read The Great Controversy.

The Sabbath. You will be accused of being a legalist because you preach The Sabbath. Again, if The Sabbath is the first thing out of your mouth, where was Jesus? Some other denominations just get the idea that we say you cannot be saved without The Sabbath. When answering such accusations, don't start with the 10 Commandments. You are doomed to lose. You must do this via the backdoor.

Offer up tithing. Is tithing Biblical and encouraged by God? Well,....yes. How about if you saw a twenty dollar bill that dropped out of a stranger's pocket. Would you pick it up and put it in yours? Well,....no. Would God want you to steal? Um...no. How about getting kids to obey their parents. Do you think it is Biblical that children should honor their parents? Yeah....sure. Politely tell them that you look at The Bible as a whole, and know that God said something special about The Sabbath. If we try and do other things that won't save us, but because it is pleasing to God, why would we not do all things pleasing? End it with getting them to rethink it. Pray about it. Don't tell them they are sinners for going to church on Sunday. You will lose every time. You don't even need a long, Biblical, seminary student-type study on this to turn minds. Remember, you are talking on their level in regard to the accusations. You should not be shoving The Sabbath down their throats with a jackhammer.


Vegetarian? Yup! Somehow they have the idea that you must be a vegetarian to be saved. We have muddled this up big time. Again, it is really the same dialogue you had with The Sabbath above. What does God want for us? The best? The worst? Is your body a temple? Can we smoke, get drunk, do drugs? (Even they will admit that smoking, drinking, is not great for your body, nor pleasing to God.) So then, why wouldn't you want to do good things with your body? Is it Biblical to take care of your body? Of course it is! What diet concerns should we have? The health message is one that many will actually take to. Many churches are promoting healthy lives. Many health organizations are promoting eating less and less red meat. Again, it is all about The Bible and God wanting us to live well...and be good stewards with our bodies. They cannot argue with that. Adventists sadly have been ever maligned with Veggie Links. Is that what defines you as an Adventist?


We cannot, and should not, tell people they are sinners that will burn in Hell for not believing Ellen White, not keeping The Sabbath, and eating meat. That is between them and God. We are doers of The Word, not condemners with The Word. It is a journey. If you are bent on arguing these issues for the sake of arguing, forget it. Your ministry will probably fail.

Once you take these issues off the table, their ammunition against you has ran out. You are saved by Jesus and Jesus alone. The Bible is the end all to end all on all issues.

Why would a true Christian NOT want to live the life that pleases God as much as humanly possible? And that is reason Seventh Day Adventists believe and worship as they do.

We here at the Undercover Adventist believe that the more you get people to attend an Adventist church, the more they will realize that there is nothing scary or cultish about being an Adventist. Adventist churches are an amazing place to learn Biblical truth. Let's all promote it!