"The whole Bible should be given to the people just as it reads. It would be better for them not to have Bible instructions at all than to have the teaching of the Scriptures thus grossly misrepresented".
The Great Controversy, p. 521
In 1905 Mrs. White said, "THERE IS ONE STRAIGHT CHAIN OF TRUTH WITHOUT ONE HERETICAL SENTENCE IN THAT WHICH I HAVE WRITTEN".
Selected Messages, bk. 3, p. 52
"God never contradicts himself..."
Letter 329, 1905. Letter to Elder Burden.
"The Lord first established the system of sacrificial offerings with Adam after his fall, which he taught to his descendants. This system was corrupted before the flood by those who separated themselves from the faithful followers of God, and engaged in the building of the Tower of Babel."
Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, p. 301, 1864 edition
This mistake was later expunged for the 1870 edition of "Spirit of Prophecy", vol. 1, p. 266.
"God condescends to send AN ANGEL to Cain to converse with him. The angel inquires of him the reason of his anger, and informs him that if he does well, and follows the directions God has given, he will accept him and respect his offering....The angel tells Cain that it was no injustice on the part of God, or partiality shown to Abel;.... and if he would do well he would be accepted of God...."
Spiritual Gifts, vol.3, pp. 48-49 (emphasis added)
THE BIBLE SAYS that it was the Lord who spoke to Cain.
"And THE LORD SAID UNTO CAIN, why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."
Genesis 4:6,7 (emphasis added)
In Christ's Object Lessons, p. 155, Mrs. White says:
"Never can we safely put confidence in self or feel, this side of heaven, that we are secure against temptation. THOSE WHO ACCEPT THE SAVIOUR, HOWEVER SINCERE THEIR CONVERSION, SHOULD NEVER BE TAUGHT TO SAY OR TO FEEL THAT THEY ARE SAVED. This is misleading. Everyone should be taught to cherish hope and faith; but even when we give ourselves to Christ and know that He accepts us, we are not beyond the reach of temptation....Those who accept Christ, and in their first confidence say, "I am saved," are in danger of trusting to themselves....We are admonished, "Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.'
1 Cor. 10:12" (emphasis added).
"No sanctified tongue will be found uttering these words ["I am saved"] till Christ shall come, and we enter in through the gates into the city of God....As long as man is full of weakness--for of himself he cannot save his soul--he should never dare to say, "I am saved"."
Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 314
And this is the record, that GOD HATH GIVEN TO US ETERNAL LIFE, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son HATH LIFE; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; THAT YE MAY KNOW THAT YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
1 John 5:11-13 (emphasis added)
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and THOU SHALT BE SAVED, and thy house.
Acts 16:31 (emphasis added)
(See also John 6:37-47; Ephesians 2:1-7; I Corinthians 1:4-9; and Philippians 1:6)
"The sign, or seal, of God is revealed in the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, the Lord's memorial of creation"
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 117
"...Too late they see that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is the seal of the living God"
The Great Controversy, p. 640
"And you were also included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, YOU WERE MARKED in him WITH A SEAL, THE PROMISED HOLY SPIRIT, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession, to the praise of his glory"
Ephesians 1:13,14 NIV (emphasis added)
"Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is GOD, who also SEALED US and GAVE US THE SPIRIT IN OUR HEARTS as a pledge"
II Corinthians 1:21, 22 (emphasis added)
"And grieve not THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, WHEREBY YE ARE SEALED unto the day of
redemption."
Ephesians 4:30 (emphasis added)
"Now while our great High Priest IS MAKING THE ATONEMENT for us, we should
seek to become perfect in Christ"
The Great Controversy, p. 623 (emphasis added)
"...instead of coming to the earth at the termination of the 2300 days in 1844,
Christ then entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary to perform the closing
work of atonement preparatory to His coming."
The Great Controversy, p. 422 (emphasis added)
"Instead of the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 referring to the purifying of the earth, it
was now plain that it pointed to the closing work of our High Priest in heaven, THE
FINISHING OF THE ATONEMENT..."
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 58 (emphasis added)
"Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the
world; but now ONCE AT THE CONSUMMATION of the ages He has been MANIFESTED TO
PUT AWAY SIN BY THE SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF"
Hebrews 9:26 (emphasis added)
"When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, "IT IS FINISHED!"
And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit"
John 19:30 (emphasis added)
"...but He, HAVING OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR ALL TIME, SAT DOWN AT THE
RIGHT HAND OF GOD"
Hebrews 10:12 (emphasis added)
"It was seen, also, that while the sin offering pointed to Christ as a sacrifice,
and the high priest represented Christ as a mediator, the scapegoat typified SATAN,
the author of sin, UPON WHOM THE SINS OF THE TRULY PENITENT WILL FINALLY BE PLACED".
The Great Controversy, p. 422 (emphasis added)
"As the priest, in removing the sins from the sanctuary, confessed them upon the head
of the scapegoat, so CHRIST WILL PLACE ALL THESE SINS UPON SATAN, the originator
and instigator of sin".
The Great Controversy, p. 485 (emphasis added)
Their sins are transferred to the originator of sin".
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 475
"...and HE HIMSELF BORE OUR SINS in His body on the cross, that we might
die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed"
I Peter 2:24 (emphasis added)
"The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "Behold, the lamb of God WHO
TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD!"
John 1:29 (emphasis added)
"Those only who through faith in Christ obey all of God's commandments WILL
REACH THE CONDITION OF SINLESSNESS in which Adam lived before his transgression".
Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol.6, p. 1118 (emphasis added)
"In order to let Jesus into our hearts, WE MUST STOP SINNING".
Signs of the Times, March 3, 1898 (emphasis added)
"To be redeemed means to CEASE FROM SIN".
Review & Herald, September 25, 1900 (emphasis added)
"If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and THE TRUTH IS
NOT IN US....IF WE SAY THAT WE HAVE NOT SINNED, WE MAKE HIM A LIAR, and His word is
not in us".
1 John 1:8,10 (emphasis added)
This doctrine is known as the Investigative Judgment. Mrs. White teaches that a believer's sins are not yet blotted out or forgiven: they are merely pardoned. She teaches that one's eternal destiny will be ultimately determined by a weighing of a believer's good works and bad works when their name comes up in the Investigative Judgment.
"All who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as
their atoning sacrifice, have had PARDON ENTERED AGAINST THEIR NAMES in the books
of heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their
characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins WILL BE BLOTTED
OUT, and they themselves will be ACCOUNTED WORTHY of eternal life".
The Great Controversy, p. 483 (emphasis added)
"Sins that have not been repented of and forsaken WILL NOT BE PARDONED AND
BLOTTED OUT of the books of record, but will stand to witness against the sinner in
the day of God".
The Great Controversy, p. 486 (emphasis added)
"The work of the investigative judgment and THE BLOTTING OUT OF SIN IS TO BE
ACCOMPLISHED before the second advent of our Lord".
The Great Controversy, p. 485 (emphasis added)
Mrs. White states that no sin was ever blotted out before October 22, 1844. "At
the time appointed for the judgment - the close of the 2300 days in 1844 - BEGAN THE
WORK OF investigation and BLOTTING OUT OF SINS"
Christ in His Sanctuary, p. 122 (emphasis added)
"The work of the investigative judgment and the blotting out of sins IS TO BE
ACCOMPLISHED before the second advent of the lord....IT IS IMPOSSIBLE THAT THE SINS
OF MEN SHOULD BE BLOTTED OUT UNTIL AFTER THE JUDGMENT at which their cases are to be
investigated....When the investigative judgment closes, Christ will come....".
The Great Controversy, p. 485 (emphasis added)
"When the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord, THEN
THE SINS OF THE REPENTANT SOUL who has received the grace of Christ and has overcome
through the blood of the Lamb, WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE RECORDS OF HEAVEN, and will
be placed upon Satan, the scapegoat, the originator of sin, and be remembered no more
against him forever".
Selected Messages, bk. 3, pp. 355-356 (emphasis added)
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
1 John 1:9
"...When He had made purification of sins, HE SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE
MAJESTY ON HIGH:"
Hebrews 1:3b (emphasis added)
"I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His
name's sake".
1 John 2:12
"Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him FORGIVENESS OF
SINS IS PROCLAIMED TO YOU, and through Him EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IS FREED FROM ALL
THINGS, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses."
Acts 13:38,39 (emphasis added)
"I, even I, am he who BLOTTETH OF THY TRANSGRESSIONS, and, like a cloud,
thy sins; return to me for I have redeemed thee".
Isaiah 44:22 (emphasis added)
"...but now once at the consummation of the ages HE HAS BEEN MANIFESTED TO PUT
AWAY SIN by the sacrifice of Himself"
Hebrews 9:26 (emphasis added)
THE INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT is a doctrine that has never been taught by anyone else in the history of the Church. It has no support in the Bible as has been shown by previous Scriptures. This clearly indicates that believers do not enter into judgment concerning their salvation.
But noted Adventist historian and theologian, LeRoy E. Froom states that this doctrine, not found in the Bible, is the Seventh-day Adventist church's only reason for existence:
"Indeed, if there is no actual Sanctuary in heaven, and no ministering Great High Priest serving therein; and IF THERE IS NO JUDGMENT HOUR MESSAGE to herald from God to mankind at this time, THEN WE HAVE NO JUSTIFIABLE PLACE IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD, no distinctive denominational mission and message, NO EXCUSE FOR FUNCTIONING as a separate church entity today".
Movement of Destiny, p. 542 (emphasis added)
Froom goes on to state that any deviation from this doctrine of the Investigative Judgment strikes at Adventism's very integrity.
"Consequently any weakening or denial or submerging of the Sanctuary truth is not
only a serious but a crucial matter. Any deviation or dereliction therefrom strikes at the
heart of Adventism, and challenges its very integrity".
Movement of Destiny, p. 542
"I saw that as the Jews crucified Jesus, so THE NOMINAL CHURCHES had
crucified these messages [of the Investigative Judgment], and therefore they have no
knowledge of the way into the most holy, and they cannot be benefited [sic] by the
intercession of Jesus there. Like the Jews, who offered their useless sacrifices, THEY
OFFER UP THEIR USELESS PRAYERS to the apartment which Jesus has left; and Satan,
pleased with the deception, assumes a religious character, and leads the minds of these
professed Christians to himself...".
Early Writings, p. 261 (emphasis added)
"I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me
through their word"
John 17:20
"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the
Father loves the child born of Him"
1 John 5:1
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and every one who loves
is born of God and knows God"
1 John 4:7
"By this all men will know that you are My Disciples, if you have love for one
another"
John 13:35
"I saw that God has honest children among the nominal Adventists and the fallen
churches, and before the plagues shall be poured out, MINISTERS AND PEOPLE WILL BE
CALLED OUT FROM THESE CHURCHES and will gladly receive the truth....But the light will
shine, and ALL WHO ARE HONEST WILL LEAVE THE FALLEN CHURCHES, and take their stand
with the remnant"
Early Writings, p. 261 (emphasis added)
"Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or
falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand"
Romans 14:4
"Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and
hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such
men are slaves not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and
flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting"
Romans 16:17,18
"At the time appointed for the judgment...All who have ever taken upon themselves
the name of Christ must pass its searching scrutiny. Both the living and the dead are to
be judged "out of those things which were written in the books, ACCORDING TO THEIR
WORKS".
The Great Controversy, p. 486 (emphasis added)
"In order to let Jesus into our hearts, WE MUST STOP SINNING"
Signs of the Times, March 3, 1898 (emphasis added)
We grant that Mrs. White also makes statements which sound very evangelical and affirm some kind of belief in salvation by grace. Mrs. White taught the heresy which theologians call "semi-pelagianism". It is the teaching that salvation is partly by grace and partly by works. This is the doctrine of salvation that is taught by the Roman Catholic Church.
"So in the great day of final atonement and investigative judgment the only cases considered are those of the professed people of God. The judgment of the wicked is a distinct and separate work, and takes place at a later period.
"THE BOOKS OF RECORD IN HEAVEN, in which the names and the deeds of men are registered, ARE TO DETERMINE THE DECISIONS OF THE JUDGMENT. Says the prophet Daniel: "The judgment was set, and the books were opened."
"A BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE" is written before God, in which are recorded THE GOOD DEEDS of "them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name." Malachi 3:16. Their words of faith, their acts of love, are registered in heaven....In the book of God's remembrance every deed of righteousness is immortalized. There every temptation resisted, every evil overcome, every word of tender pity expressed, is faithfully chronicled. And every act of sacrifice, every suffering and sorrow endured for Christ's sake, is recorded....THERE IS A RECORD ALSO OF THE SINS OF MEN.
"Every man's work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Opposite each name in the books of heaven is entered with terrible exactness every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every secret sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven- sent warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its far-reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording angel.
"The law of God is the standard by which the characters and the lives of men will be tested in the judgment.
"Those who in the judgment are "accounted WORTHY" will have a
part in the resurrection of the just....The righteous dead will not be raised until after
the judgment at which they are accounted WORTHY of "the resurrection of
life."
The Great Controversy, pp. 480-482 (emphasis added)
On April 9, 1893, Mrs. White wrote a letter to A.T. Jones to correct his teaching that salvation was by grace through faith plus nothing:
"...In my dream you were presenting the subject of faith and the imputed
righteousness of Christ by faith. You repeated several times that works amounted to
nothing, that there were no conditions....I decided to write to you. You state this matter
too strongly. THERE ARE CONDITIONS TO OUR RECEIVING JUSTIFICATION and
sanctification, and the righteousness of Christ. I know your meaning, but you leave a
wrong impression upon many minds. While good works will not save even one soul, yet IT
IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR EVEN ONE SOUL TO BE SAVED WITHOUT GOOD WORKS"
Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 377 (emphasis added)
"The judgment is to set [sic], the books are to be opened, and WE ARE TO BE JUDGED
ACCORDING TO OUR DEEDS"
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 100 (emphasis added)
"All your good works cannot save you; but IT IS NEVERTHELESS IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO
BE SAVED WITHOUT GOOD WORKS"
Selected Messages, bk. 3, p. 147 (emphasis added)
"For BY GRACE you HAVE BEEN SAVED through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God; NOT AS A RESULT OF WORKS, that no one should
boast"
Ephesians 2:8,9 (emphasis added)
"HE SAVED US, NOT ON THE BASIS OF DEEDS WHICH WE HAVE DONE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS,
but according to His mercy...that being JUSTIFIED BY HIS GRACE we might be made
heirs according to the hope of eternal life"
Titus 3:5,7 (emphasis added)
"...being JUSTIFIED AS A GIFT BY HIS GRACE through the redemption which is in
Christ Jesus;"
Romans 3:24 (emphasis added)
"For we maintain that a MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH APART FROM WORKS of the
Law"
Romans 3:28 (emphasis added)
"Every case has been decided FOR LIFE OR DEATH. While Jesus had been
ministering in the sanctuary, the judgment had been going on for the righteous dead, and
then for the righteous living"
Early Writings, p. 280 (emphasis added)
"So in the great day of final atonement and investigative judgment THE ONLY
CASES CONSIDERED ARE THOSE OF THE PROFESSED PEOPLE OF GOD"
The Great Controversy, p. 480 (emphasis added)
"As the books of record are opened in the judgment, THE LIVES OF ALL WHO HAVE
BELIEVED ON JESUS COME IN REVIEW BEFORE GOD. Beginning with those who first lived upon
the earth....Every name is mentioned, every case closely investigated. Names are accepted,
names rejected. When any have sins remaining upon the books of record, unrepented of and
unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of life, and the record of their
good deeds will be erased from the book of God's remembrance."
The Great Controversy, p. 483 (emphasis added)
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, HAS
ETERNAL LIFE, and DOES NOT COME INTO JUDGMENT, but has passed out of death into
life"
John 5:24 (emphasis added)
"HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM IS NOT JUDGED; he who does not believe has been
judged already; because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God"
John 3:18 (emphasis added)
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"
Romans 8:1
"THE BLOOD OF CHRIST, while it was to release the repentant sinner from the
condemnation of the law, WAS NOT TO CANCEL SIN....It will stand in the sanctuary
until the final atonement"
Patriarch and Prophets, p. 357 (emphasis added)
THE BIBLE SAYS
"In Him WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR TRESPASSES, according to the riches of His grace"
Ephesians 1:7 (emphasis added)
"...THE BLOOD OF JESUS HIS SON CLEANSES US FROM ALL SIN"
1 JOHN 1:7B (emphasis added)
"Much more then, HAVING NOW BEEN JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him"
Romans 5:9 (emphasis added)
"Therefore Jesus also, that He might SANCTIFY THE PEOPLE THROUGH HIS OWN BLOOD, suffered outside the gate"
Hebrews 13:12 (emphasis added)
"The plan of salvation was designed to redeem the fallen race, to give them ANOTHER
TRIAL"
Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 250 (emphasis added)
THE BIBLE SAYS
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to A LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, TO OBTAIN AN INHERITANCE WHICH IS IMPERISHABLE, and undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for YOU, WHO ARE PROTECTED BY THE POWER OF GOD through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice.... obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls"
1 Peter 1:3-6a,9 (emphasis added)
"And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom WE HAVE NOW RECEIVED THE RECONCILIATION"
Romans 5:11 (emphasis added)
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you WILL PERFECT IT until the day of Christ Jesus"
Philippians 1:6 (emphasis added)
"O my brethren, will you grieve the Holy Spirit, and cause it to depart?"
Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 126.
[The Holy Spirit is a member of the Trinity, not usually referred to as "it" by Christians.]
"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, THAT HE MAY BE
WITH YOU FOREVER; that is the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because
it does not behold Him or know Him: but you know Him; because HE ABIDES WITH YOU,
and will be in you"
John 14:16,17 (emphasis added)
"Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease
in the sanctuary above are TO STAND IN THE SIGHT OF A HOLY GOD WITHOUT A MEDIATOR"
The Great Controversy, p. 425 (emphasis added)
"WHEN JESUS CEASES TO PLEAD FOR MAN, the cases of all are forever decided.
This is the time of reckoning with His servants"
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 191 (emphasis added)
"Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him,
since HE ALWAYS LIVES TO MAKE INTERCESSION FOR THEM"
Hebrews 7:25 (emphasis added)
"...I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, even to the end of the age"
Matthew 28:20 (emphasis added)
"...He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, nor will I ever
forsake you"
Hebrews 13:5b (emphasis added)
"Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour
of Jesus' coming"
Early Writings, p. 15
"I have not the slightest knowledge as to the time spoken by the voice of God. I
heard the hour proclaimed, but had no remembrance of that hour after I came out of
vision"
Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 76
"The voice of God is heard from Heaven, declaring the day and hour of Jesus' coming,
and delivering the everlasting covenant to His people"
The Great Controversy, p. 640
"Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of
Jesus' coming. The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the
voice...."
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 59
"BUT OF THAT DAY AND HOUR NO ONE KNOWS, not even the angels of heaven, nor
the Son, but the Father alone"
Matthew 24:36 (emphasis added) [See also Mark 13:32]
"He said to them, "IT IS NOT FOR YOU TO KNOW TIMES or epochs which the
Father has fixed by His own authority"
Acts 1:7 (emphasis added)
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