do seventh day adventists worship three gods

8/9/2019 Do Seventh Day Adventists Worship Three Gods

1/14

DO SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS(S.D.A. s ) WORSHIP THREE GODS?Part 1

By Derrick Gillespie* AN END TME * (Revised) LEAFLET FOR ADVENTISTS

INTRODUCTION:

You are baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. You are raised up out of the water to live henceforth innewness of life--to live a new life. You are born unto God, and you stand under the sanction and the power of THE THREE HOLIEST *BEINGS

IN HEAVEN

, who are able to keep you from falling When I feel oppressed, and hardly know how to relate myself toward the work that God has given me to do, I just * CALL UPON THE THREE GREAT WORTHIES , and say; You know I cannot do this work in my own

strength. You must work in me, and by me and through me, sanctifying my tongue, sanctifying my spirit, sanctifying my words, and bringing meinto a position where my spirit shall be susceptible to the movings of the

Holy Spirit of God upon my mind and character. And this is the prayer that every one of us may offer.

-E.G. White, Manuscript Release , Vol.7, pgs. 267, 268 (Ms95, 1906, pp. 8-12, 14-17; "Lesson from Romans 15," October 20, 1906.)

There is a strong conviction among a group of concerned individuals within theSeventh-day Adventist Church that Adventists (S.D.A.s) believe in, teach and worshipthree Gods or three beings (or TRI-THEISM). These concerned groups of individuals(who have the democratic and God- given right to their opinion) go as far as stating thatthe S.D.A. Church has committed the greatest heresy against the Bible in teaching, whatthey call, three Gods, in contradiction (to their minds) to 1 Corinthians 8:6 whichdeclares:there is one God ,the Father.They argue that Jehovah God is an absolute unit and there is only one (1) of Him,therefore no one else is TRULY GOD as the Father, the first Person of the Godhead asoutlined in Matthew 28:19.They appeal to the perspectives of the Jews and Muslims to betheir standard of MONOTHEISM (or a belief in one God). It should be noted however that both Judaism and Islam reject Jesus as Deity (or God) or that, as Mrs. White putsit, Jesus is God essentially [not just God-like] and in the highest [nothing higher]sense as well as Jesus is truly God in the infinity [no limits] . Emphasis in brackets[ ] supplied. See S.D.A. Bible Commentary Vol. 10, pg, 287 and Manuscript 116- Dec.1905 for the above quotes from Mrs. White. Note the words of the Koran (of theMuslims) denying the divinity of Christ (as taken from several chapters and verses):

[3.59] Truly, the likeness of (Prophet) Jesuswith Allah [God] , is as the likeness of Adam, Hecreated him from dust then He said to him"Be" and he was.There is no god except Allah[3.64] 'People of the Book [Christians], let us come toa common word between us and you that wewill worship none except Allah, that we willassociate none with Him, and that none of ustake others for lords besides Allah ...'[4.171] People [Christians] of the Book, do not exaggerate

your religion. Do not say about Allah except

1


2/14

the truth. Indeed, the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, is only a Messenger (and Prophet) of Allah, and His Word, which He gave toMary, and a (created) spirit by Him. So believein Allah and His Messengers and do not say:

'Three [Trio or Trinity] .' Refrain, it is better for you. Allah isonly One God...[5.72] The unbelievers are those who say:'Allah is the Messiah [or Jesus is God], the son of Mary.' But theMessiah said: 'Children of Israel, worshipAllah, my Lord and your Lord. ' He whoassociates anything with Allah, Allah hasindeed forbidden Paradise to him, and hisabode shall be in the Fire . The harmdoersshall have no helpers.[5.73] Indeed those who say: 'Allah is the third

of Three [a Trio or Trinity] became unbelievers. There isbut One God. If they do not desist in what theysay, a painful punishment will afflict those of them that disbelieve.[5.74] Will they not turn to Allah in repentanceand ask His forgiveness? He is Forgiving,Merciful.[5.75] The Messiah, the son of Mary, was notexcept a Messenger, other Messengers hadgone before him. - The Koran

Notice that the idea of a divine Son, and three personalities in the Godhead is seen as blasphemous to the Muslim, just like the Jews who see only the Father as Sovereign, andthat He reigns alone (according to the ancient Jewish hymn)!! They would never seeJesus as Everlasting Father, and worse, as my Lord and my God . It shouldalso be noted that the Jews and Muslims both do not see the Godhead operating as anUS (Gen. 1:26/ Gen.3: 22/ Gen. 11:7/ Is. 6:8). The Jews rejected Jesus while theMuslims believe, according to their sacred Koran (scriptures), that God [Allah]cannot have a divine Son since He is an indivisible substance, or no one else can beof like substance. No one can be associated with Him, or be equal with Him. It cansafely be said that any one who rejects or belittles the nature and authority of Jesus,should not be trusted to be the standard for, or to expound on the deep things

related to, the subject of the Godhead, or Divine Nature or Essence of Jehovah.

THE ONLY SAFE PATH FOR ADVENTISTS:

The doctrine of God and the Godhead continuesto be the most controversial issue in the Churchtoday. The individual faith and conviction of every Christian must always be based on theBible. However, since the Bible is the subjectof various conflicting human interpretations ,the safety of the Remnant Church lies in the

confirmation of its teachings by the Spirit; or truth as confirmed by the Spirit of Prophecy in the writings of Mrs. Ellen G.White. Some trust their own intellect to understand thecomplex issues related to the Godhead or denythe reality that there are mysteries involvedwhich need special discernment or spiritualinsight (see 1Tim.3: 16/1Cor. 2: 1-16)

Some narrowly claim that since the Bibleand the Bible only should be appealed to then

there is no real place for the Spirit of Prophecy in the establishment or

2


3/14

understanding of doctrine. This is a fallacy and the reason for much disunity evidenced by the detractors in the Church on this critical issue. Sola scriptura (or the sripturesalone) obligates us to Quench not the Spirit despise not prophecyings believe the

prophets and you will prosper (see 1 Thess. 5:19,20; 2 Chron. 20:20). Thisinstruction given by the Bible itself is essential so that we be not tossed to and fro but

all come in the UNITY of the faith (Eph. 4:11-15).So therefore the Remnant Church (Rev. 12:17/Rev. 19:10/Rev.22: 8,9), identified by theSpirit of prophecy is blessed with the insights of Mrs. White on critical yetcontroversial doctrines such as the Godhead or the essence or nature of God. The writer of this leaflet is not contending that the Spirit of Prophecy writings should be thesource of doctrine but rather should be the means of confirmation of doctrines, whichwere drawn from the Bible only (Is. 8:20).

THE BLUNDER OF THE DETRACTORS:

On the Godhead issue, many of the detractors (concerned groups referred to earlier) in

the S.D.A. Church appeal to the early writings of early pioneers (J.M. Stephenson, JamesWhite, J.H. Waggoner etc.), much of which is no longer in print. While these givevaluable insights into the personal thoughts and individual perspectives of our wellrespected pioneers, the following is glaringly evident to this writer: shockingly thedetractors ignore or downplay the specific declarations and teachings of Mrs.White (the leading pioneer) on the Divine Nature of God or the Godhead. Some evenblatantly declare that the God-head is the Father only because the head of Christ is God (a clear deceptive misuse , and or misunderstanding of the one wordGodhead ). They also ignore the warning that the writings of some pioneers, of the first fifty yearsof our Church development, was a mixture of correct personal perspectives, perspectivesacquired from S.D.A. Church doctrines being developed but not fully hammered out inall points, as well as these writings contained errors (Mrs. White Manuscript 11, 1910and Selected Messages, Vol. 1, pg. 165). Therefore the only safe path is to test every

personal Biblical perspective, whether past or present, with the Spirit of Prophecywritings, which would be free from error in perspectives or misinterpretation of scripture.Mrs. White state authoritatively in years leading up to her death:

All truths are immortalized in my writings. The Lord never denies his Word. Men may set up scheme after scheme, and the

enemy will seek to seduce souls from the truth, but all who believe that the

Lord has Spoken through Sister White, and has given her a message, will be safe from the many delusions that will come in these last days (Manuscript Release, pg, 22,23).

Mr s. White further declared that we should hold fast to the pillars of truth, not one jot or tittle has changed. What is it that we are to hold to, and what is it that has not changed?Certainly not just the perspectives of other pioneers and the colleagues of Mrs. White inthe early Adventist Church, perspectives which in some respects have been expanded onand or corrected by Mrs. White, but truth as it has been confirmed and tested by theSpirit of Prophecy as the Church gradually hammered out truth.

Note carefully the following from Mrs. White:

1. we are to hold fast the principles of our DENOMINATED faith...that has been SUBSTANTIATED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD that which Holy Spirit TESTIFIED TO AS TRUTH is the solid foundation of truth.

(Special Testimonies, Series B7, page 57-58)

2. we must be refused to be drawn away from the platformof eternal truth which has STOOD THE TEST .

(Selected Messages, Bk.1, pg 199-200)

3


4/14

This presentation therefore will seek to show what Adventists really gradually hammeredout and declared as truth tested and substantiated by the special gift of the Spiritof Prophecy. This leaflet will show what Adventists really believe today, as taught bythe Bible, by using the authoritative test of doctrines: the inseparable dual test of theBible and the confirmation in the Spirit of Prophecy writings, the lesser light leading

to the greater light.

ONE GOD OR THREE GODS?

The Bible declares over and over that there is one God. Jesus, functioning in the role of aman, a servant and our pattern, called Him Father and declared to Satan Him onlyshalt thou serve. The Bible also declares over and over that only God should beworshipped . The Bible also declares that there is only one Father and that only oneGod created us (Mal. 2:10) . It immediately calls into question: How do we reconcilewith the fact that Jesus is over and over called God (John 20:28), over and over

Jesus is worshipped and served as the Creator and, to top it all off, He is called, justlike His Father, the Everlasting Father(past, present and future), and yet theBible declares one God and one Father? Also Jesus is called the one Lord, yetthe Father is also Lord, not just LORD (Jehovah).The Nature of God or the Godhead is therefore clearly a MYSTERIOUS one despitesome try to deny this fact and almost claim they fully understand The Divine Nature of Jehovah. Let us now explore what is really truth for the Seventh-day Adventist.

Firstly, it should be stated that Adventists do not teach three Gods, that is thecharge or accusation of the detractors as they interpret for themselves the Adventistteachings in light of our use of the word Trinity and our acknowledgement thatall three Persons in the baptismal formula (Matt. 28:19) are fully God, fullyseparate or distinct (not just one Person called truly God), and all have nobeginning, including Jesus the Son, begotten from the Father (see Hebrews 7:1-3/John 1:1/Is.43:10).It is certainly true that the early SDA pioneers all denounced, what some called thedark Catholic doctrine (the Trinity) of God being one substance indivisible , withthree heads or forms. The Bible clearly teaches a unity in the Godhead, butdistinct Persons. So does the Trinity. It is true they saw the Catholic Trinity as athree headed heathen monstrosity, yet Adventism today teaches One God, theFather who cannot be known, accepted, served or worshipped without the Son andSpirit being equally accepted, served or worshipped (the Three Living Persons of the Heavenly Trio , said E.G. White). Why? Because the pioneers themselves, andbefore the year 1915, changed their thinking gradually to accept basicTrinitarianism. True, it may boggle the mind but no detractor can explain awaythat reality.The true acceptance of Jehovah as God, whether by the Jew or Muslim (both monotheistswho reject the Deity of Jesus) , or whether by Christian or pagan, is a threefoldacceptance . There is no escaping this fact!

Adventists gradually established, after years of study , searching and Spiritof Prophecy confirmation , a revolutionary concept of a TRIO in the Godhead. Itshould be noted that the word Trio for the Godhead is not found in Scripture butis a coined word by Mrs. White who had visions on the Godhead in specific termsto throw greater light on hinted or implied truths in the Bible. Nowhere in the

Bible is it specifically stated that the word Godhead should relate to or cover theFather, Son and Holy Spirit. However it was so used by Mrs. White in keeping withhints in the Bible and her declared visions. Nowhere in the Bible are the Persons inthe Godhead called, together, three Holiest Beings in Heaven or Living Personsor together called Dignitaries or together called Powers Omnicient and Infiniteor together called the Highest Authorities, but they were so called by Mrs. Whitein light of the implied truths in the Word of God and her visions of the Godhead. The concept of a TRIO was also revolutionary because none of the pioneers (in

their own expressions) before her death in 1915 ever used such a word, and, also,Mrs. White declared that THE THREE LIVING PERSONS OF THEHEAVENLY TRIO, though being a distinct Father, Son and The Third Personof the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, in keeping with the truths of the Bible and self evident logic, that they must all be served UNITEDLY as ONE GREAT

4


5/14

THREEFOLD POWER (Manuscript 11,1901 and S.D.A. Bible Commentary Vol.6, pg.1075).This UNITED SERVICE (WORSHIP) was clearly stated in the following way:

When we have accepted Christ and in the NAME [SINGULAR] of the Father, and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit have pledged ourselves to SERVE [WORSHIP][1] God, the Father, [2] Christ and [3] the Holy Spirit -the Three Dignitaries [PLURAL] and Powers of Heaven-

pledge Themselves [PLURAL] that every facility shall be given us if we carry out our vows

(Manuscript 85,1901)

Was Mrs. White contradicting the Bible that only God should be SERVED(Matt. 4:10)or that no man can serve two masters(Matt. 6:24)? And how about serving threePersons unitedly? Is this a Biblical contradiction? Clearly NO! This declaration was theresult of IMPLIED truths in the Bible and Mrs. Whites special gift of insight,inspiration and visions of the true unity of the Persons in the Godhead who, thoughdistinct, are served UNITEDLY as ONE, since they are all called GOD or, as Mrs.White puts it, they are each the fullness of the Godhead. This fullness of theGodhead or Divine Nature is not the kind that Christians will be filled with on acceptingChrist through the Holy Spirit but rather it means the nature or condition of beingPowers Infinite and Omnicient(E.G. White), being Omnipotent and having the qualityof being GOD. Detractors who make this comparison should be careful of 2 Peter3: 15-18. Christians will never become God in substance, as Jesus is. Logic struggles to understand how these Three are not three Gods, but for theillustration in the Bible which shows clearly that a woman and a man (two separateor distinct beings) are seen through spiritual eyes as one flesh and one body orsimply one, though they retain their individuality (see Gen.2: 24/1Cor.6: 16). Theyare so spiritually united that a wife is the husband himself, in a representativeway (Eph.5: 28). Originally humanity was called one name Adam and is led andrepresented by the man or him, though both were included in the him, both trulyequal and both truly human (Gen.5: 1,2; 3:22-24).So likewise, there is one God, the Father, who is revealed in the Godhead unity of the distinct Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who must all be served (worshipped) nomatter your capacity, willingness or unwillingness to reconcile this requirementwith the idea of one God! No triad or pagan trinity of gods, though counterfeitingthis unity, can properly reflect the love, cooperation and harmony within theGodhead or Divine Nature of Jehovah, the one true God in the universe .

The concept of Godhead Trio was established in the late 1800s (after 1888) andthe early 1900s, not the first fifty years (1844-1894) of Adventism. Detractors withinthe Church mislead the public to believe that the S.D.A. Church is today teaching abrand of Trinitarianism called Tri-theism. A Recognition of this blundering of thedetractors (by the writer of this leaflet) was the prime reason for the publishing of thisarticle.This has been Part 1 of a series of two articles on this issue: DO ADVENTISTSWORSHIP THREE GODS? The continuation of this article will give more incisive

points from Mrs. White to show how they clearly stumble and fall over the awesomemystery of the Divine Nature of Jehovah or the Godhead of Father (Mal.2: 10), the Son(John 1:1/ Is.9: 6/Is.43: 10) and the separate and Third Person(Living Person) of theGodhead, the Holy Spirit (Is.48: 16/2 Sam.23: 2,3/Ez.8: 1-5/Acts 5:3,4/Acts 13:2).

FOR MORE CALL:(876) 539-4734 or 963-1847or write: DERRICK GILLESPIE

MUNRO COLLEGE P.O.ST ELIZABETH

JAMAICA W.I.

5


6/14

SEE PART 2 ON NEXT PAGE

Do Seventh-day AdventistsWORSHIP THREE GODS? Part 2By Derrick Gillespie

AN END TIME LEAFLET FOR ADVENTISTS

INTRODUCTION:

In the first leaflet, Part 1, it was clearly established that the Seventh-day AdventistChurch has both the Biblical authority, and Spirit of Prophecy confirmation, to believeand teach that the worship of Jehovah is a threefold service. No Jew, Muslim, paganor Christian, accepting the gospel, can properly serve Jehovah without anacceptance and worship of the Son, who is God in the infinity, or without anacceptance of and service given to the Holy Spirit, who is called God and aLiving Person, a Being even, the Third Person of the Godhead . It was clearlyestablished that though the Bible declares over and over that there is one God, theFather, no detractor can deny that Mrs. White agrees that the Bible clearly teachesthat more than one Person in the Godhead is called truly God or God in thehighest sense or God in the infinity. No detractor can deny that more than onePerson in the Godhead is called Father or the Everlasting Father , even thoughJesus, in His humility as a Man, never claimed any of these things for Himself (see Phill. 2:6-8). No detractor can deny that both man and angels properly givemore than one Person in the Godhead worship, as Creator (not Creators) of theentire universe. No detractor can deny that the Spirit of Prophecy clearly instructs theRemnant Church that all Three in the Godhead should be SERVED or worshipped,despite the fact that only God, or any one having the right to the capital noun titleGOD should receive such service (Matt.4: 10/ Rev.22: 8,9/Acts 10:25,26). Nodetractor can deny that the Father is distinct from the Son, and that the Holy Spirit

is called the THIRD Person [Living Person] of the Eternal Godhead.

THE FAILURE OF LOGIC:It must be recognized that many of the detractors accept that all Three are God,

and all Three are called Persons but, they contend, only the Father is truly God. Jesusis not Everlasting(past, present and future) in the absolute, but in a limited sense, sinceHe is, they contend, the Begotten of God (see Heb. 7: 3). Jesus is God in nature, butis not equal in authority to the Father, they also contend (He is therefore not God in thehighest sense). The Holy Spirit is not a Third and separate Person or Being.Therefore, to them, Person and Being mean different things, while the word Thirdis not exclusive or separate from First, but is an extension of it. The dictionary

meanings of Person and Third, and Trio are therefore made spurious and of non-effect by them. It should be noted, however, that every dictionary gives the word

6


7/14

Person the same meaning as Being. Mrs. White, who this writer trusts over anyBiblical commentary, always spoke of the Third PERSON of the Godhead, butNEVER the Third Personality of the Godhead, since the word personality(expression) does have a different meaning from the word Person. Notice howHeb. 1:3 (in various translations) gives the words Person and Being the same

meaning; a passage Mrs. White herself used in talking about the Person, orBeing, of the Father. Clearly she was not using the third person style of language, because this would not explain her reference to the Trio. All these pointswill be closely explored further in this article. Just read on!

In the last article it was admitted that logic would fail to understand how therewere not, so called, three Gods to be worshipped in the Godhead, but for thecommon illustration of one bodyone flesh (but separate individuals) in thespiritual union of a male and a female, the complete nature of Man. Notice, ONEBODY, not just one in mind, purpose, and action. Logically, they are separateindividuals entirely, not one body literally, but are so spiritually united that thewife is the husband himself(Eph.5: 28). Separate individuals they are, but so

united that only one pronoun HIM is needed to cover BOTH in Gen. 3:22-24 .Compare the same illustration used in 1 Cor. 12:4-6, with the rest of the chapter.So what about the unity in the Godhead? Logic, it must be recognized is not

always the proper tool to use to understand the things of God, since who by searchingcan find out God (Job 11:7-9)? For instance, logically, John should not call Jesus myLord and MY God(John 20:28), if he understood that there is no other Personwho should be his God but Jehovah above, as Ex. 20:3 demands clearly. Logically,Mrs. White should see Jesus dying as both Man and Deity (God), since He wasone Man, with two natures blended. However, she defied logic, and the views of the other pioneers of her time, and declared, quote, it was His human naturethat died. Deity did not sink and die, that would have been impossible. Who bysearching can find out God? See Letter 240, Sept.3, 1904. It is clear these twowriters had more spiritual insight than logic will ever be able to grapple with.Placing science and logic above the things of God is the blunder of many .Detractors today in the S.D.A. Church are dismissing even the mysteries of God(1Tim 3:16), acknowledged by the S.D.A. Church, as, what they call, the Churchs excuse to support its, so called, indefensible and apostate teachings about theGodhead. They continue to ask: How can you insult our logic and reason in trying tolead us to accept that only the HUMAN part of Jesus died, or that one God relates to aunity of Three distinct Persons? How can Three Persons be one Father and one Creator?That, I humbly submit is the root of the problem for many who are sincere in declaringthe Bible and the Bible only, but fail to see its mysteries, as they study its pages. Sothe only safety of the Remnant Church lies in the confirming its teachings, by the Spiritof Prophecy insights, NOT by the views of learned men. Let the pen of insight andinspiration continue to speak in this article, despite the protestations and appeal to logicon the part of others.

HOW CAN THREE BE CALLED HIM?

Logic and common experience teaches that only one person is called HIM. Sohow can Adventists logically refer to the Three in the Godhead as a united Him orHe and at the same time contend that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct?Are they regarded as one Creator? The answer is not found in science or logic but can

be discerned only through spiritual eyes. Allow Spirit of Prophecy to speak, emphasisin brackets [ ] supplied where necessary:

The existence of a personal God , the UNITY of Christ with His Father, lies at the foundation of all TRUE SCIENCE .

(Ms. 30,Oct. 29,1904 E.G. White)As Gods servants proclaim these things Satan steps up to some whohave itching minds and presents His scientific problems . Men will betempted to place science above God. But who by searching can find out God? Christ is one with the Fatherbut the unity does not destroy the

Personality of either.(Ms. 58,May 19, 1905 E.G. White)

The physical creation testifies of God [the Father] and Jesus Christ [the God-Man] as the great CREATOR [singular] of all things. All

7


8/14

things were made by HIM [not Them] ; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life (John 1:1-3)

(Ms. 117,Sept. 21,1898- A Personal God)

"God says

, [notice after this whom the writer means says this] "Come

out from among them, and be ye separate, . . . and touch not theunclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you,and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." [Now notice carefully] This is the pledge of [not one person, but] theFather, the Son, and the Holy Spirit [i.e. the *pledge to receive and be"a Father" to you] ; made to you if you will keep your baptismal vow,and touch not the unclean thingAfter we have formed a union withthe great THREEFOLD POWER [singular; collective], we shall regard our duty toward the members of God's family with a sacred awe.

-E.G. White, Signs of the Times, June 19, 1901

Turn these three quotations any which way, the following are very clear about Mrs.Whites understanding about God:

Just like the Bible (Gen. 1:26/Gen.3: 22/Gen. 11:7 and Is.6:8), Mrs. Whitealways presents one God, a Personal God , as a UNITY , not just the Fathertalking to His Son, as in let us make man. There is often this US in the Bible, oron occasions, a Christ [Messiah-Man] and Father, UNITED, or alwaysmentioned together (1 Cor. 8:6). She even made it clear that true science wouldrespect this UNITY of Persons when the Personal God of the Bible is beingconsidered . This is far from what a Muslim, a monotheist who declares one singlesolitary God Person, called Allah, would even be willing to consider. Notice how shecalls them collectively CREATOR ( singular), not Creators. Notice also that inquoting John 1:1-3 she uses the one passage to call both Father and Son HIM [notThem] , despite she knew that they are distinct Persons, and despite the passagewas originally about CHRIST ALONE . This use of him is similar to the him inGen.3: 22-24, showing the spiritual unity of Humans (male and female).

Notice also that she was aware of the challenge that Gods people would face toovercome those encumbered by logic and science. The writer of this articlechallenges any detractor to supply any other issue that Mrs. White was addressing,if it was not the question of how can one God be in UNITY, when she referred tothe scientific problems presented by those with itching minds. What reallywould be the scientific problem for some in teaching a unity in the Godhead?

The question is also, did Mrs. White teach a Duo of Beings in the Godhead or a TRIO of PERSONS[same meaning as Beings, see dictionary]?

Did Mrs. White ever consider the Holy Spirit when she wanted to outline the essence

of the Christians God? Is He ever considered a part of this UNITY? Read on. THE ESSENCE OF GOD IS THE GODHEAD

The word Godhead means the nature or essence of God or thatwhich qualifies a Being as God or Deity. Nature here means that which make anythingwhat it is. See your dictionary for essence and nature(in context of course).Firstly it should be recognized that the question of the essence of God was at the heartof the Trinity controversy in the various Church Councils, such as the Council of

Nicea, the Council of Constantinople, and the Council of Chalcedon. It was therecognition that all Three in the Godhead are recognized by the Bible as God, and are

properly called Persons, that forced them to recognize the essence of one divinity

8


9/14

as three Personalities in one Godhead, to preserve the idea of one God in Deut 6:4. Itwas this reality that was denounced by most of the early Adventist pioneers, not most of the later ones (after 1888).

Today, Adventists have come almost full circle to recognize the Divinity orDeity of all Three Persons in the Godhead, seeing them as a distinct TRIO or

Three Distinct Persons in a Unity (the literal meaning of trinus or trinity).They are distinct Persons, but united as the GREAT THREEFOLD POWER orAUTHORITY, said E.G. White. This properly reflects the ECHOD (Hebrew) orcompound UNITY [oneness] of Jehovahs family name in Deut. 6:4, not just theYACHEED( Hebrew) or idea of the ASBSOLUTE UNIT, as in the NUMBER ONE . Clearly more than one Person in the Godhead has the name LORD.Did Mrs. White support the idea that the essence of God is simply the Father, the 1 st

Person of the Godhead, the absolute Godhead, full stop? Or did she see the essence of God in the way modern Adventism teaches it a unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?Let the pen of inspiration answer:

The great teacher [Jesus] held in his hand the entire map of truth

The question of THE ESSENCE OF GOD was a subject on which Hemaintained a wise reserve , for their entanglements and specifications would bring in science [logic] which could not be dwelt upon without confusion. Inregard to God and in regard to His personality, the Lord Jesus saidhe that has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9)

(Ms. 45,May 14, 1904, That They All May Be One -E.G.White)

The writer of this article purposefully paused the quotation to have you the reader recognize the following critical considerations before reading the full quote: 1. Notice the heading under which Mrs. White dealt with the essence of

God. The presentation was entitled THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE . This isvery illuminating. Jesus maintained a wise reserve on the complex issue of theUNITY of the Godhead to keep His disciples united as ONE flock.

2.Notice that she refers AGAIN to the science and specification problemsthat many, married to logic, would seek to resolve, so Jesus, she said, maintained a wisereserve. If the matter was not complex, but simple, if the matter had no mystery thisreserve would not be necessary on the part of Jesus.

3. Jesus was able to say he that has seen me has seen the Father not justbecause He is God essentially and in the highest sense, like the Father, but alsobecause of the spiritual UNITY that exist between the Father and Son, where Jesuswould be rightly called the Everlasting Father (Is, 9:6/ Heb. 7:3), along with His

Father, even while a Man on earth .

Now that those critical points have been made let us now go back to the SAMEmanuscript to see if Mrs. White equated the essence of God with a UNITY of onlyTwo (2), a Duo, or with Three, a Trio, as modern Adventism claims.

MRS. WHITE DECLARED :

In the place of devoting your powers to theorizin g, Christ has given you a work to do. His commission is, Go throughout the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the NAME

[a singular noun of unity] of the Father, and of the Son , and of the Holy Ghost [Matt. 28:19]. Before the disciples shall compass the threshold, there is to be the Imprint of the sacred name , baptizing the believers in the name of theThreefold Powers in the Heavenly world [A Real Place].

The work of salvation is not a small matter, but so vast that the Highest Authorities are taken hold of The Eternal Godhead - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost - IS [not ARE] involved

(Ms. 45,May 14,1904-That They All May Be One-E. White)

The Godhead [not just God, the Father ] was stirred with pity for the

race and the Father ,the Son and the Holy Spirit gave Themselves

9


10/14

[in the courts of Heaven] to the working out of the plan of redemption (Counsels on Health, pg. 222, 1899 E.G. White)

Now, if the Godhead, or the Divine Nature of God (literal meaning of Godhead),were simply the First Person of the Godhead, the Father, then the writings of the Spirit

of Prophecy, which this writer trusts over any Biblical commentary, would show this,over and over. That, however, is not the case. Over and over Mrs. White equated theessence of the Personality of God to the UNITY among, not just the Father andSon, but also the Holy Spirit.Careful note should be made of the fact that immediately after referring to thequestion of the essence of God and His personality she dealt with the EternalGodhead, then she outlines the symbolism in the baptismal formula, the sacredNAME [not names] and shows the united action of the Father, Son and Spirit, not justin the life of the Christian, but also (in other writings) in the Heavenly courts, wherethe plan of redemption was worked out in the Divine Council of the Godhead. It is alsoremarkable how Mrs. White was careful to show the UNITY of the Godhead by saying

the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost IS involved instead of using AREinvolved in Ms. 45, 1904.It is logical, where logic may be utilized, that if the Father is the absolute Godhead(E.G. White- 7 Bible Comm., pg. 914) then Jesus, being everything that the Father is,must be equal to this as well, since as E.J. Waggoner (a pioneer) puts it, if He [Jesus]lacked one iota of being Equal to God [the Father] He could not be our Saviour, while

bringing us to the Father. It is also logical to recognize that since God is Spirit, thenevery time God is referred to, then His Spirit, the Third Person of the Godhead,who represents both Father and Son, not as two Spirits, but one Spirit(Eph. 4:4),must of necessity be considered (see Is. 48:16). God is eternal, so therefore the Spiritmust be eternal also (Heb.9: 14), and He is always described as a part of theEternal Godhead(E.G.W).

Also, no one can logicallyworship the Father andSon, a necessaryrequirement for salvation(salvific), withoutworshipping His Spirit,whether you believe He is aPerson, a Being or aThird Person. Semanticsis hardly the issue at stake,but SERVING God is. Itwas Mrs. White who statedthat we should SERVEFather, Son and HolySpirit, UNITEDLY. If thisis not the TRUE requirementin serving Jehovah, then theprophet (E.G. White) is afraud, and the AdventistChurch is simply a band of deluded post-Milleritistswho really believe in, andworship, Three Gods.However, those who believeBible truth recognize thatthis is NOT the case. Let usnow consider why Tri-theismis out of the question, whenconsidering the Godhead or ESSENCE of Jehovah. THESTUMBLING STONEFOR DETRACTORS

10


11/14

Detractors believe that Adventists serve three Gods because they feel Jesus is God ina limited sense , not in the highest sense . They feel Jesus is Eternal and Everlastingin the limited sense , as He is the Son of God and could not the same age (eternal) as theFather. They see three Gods in Adventism today because they contend that the HolySpirit is simply a manifestation of the Father, separate from His physical spirit body

on the throne in Heaven, and, while the Holy Spirit, who is often called IT, is God, aPerson, He is not a Third or separate Being. They are willing to accept that a GodheadTrio exists, but INSIST that they simply represent the mode of operation of God, butthey are not three, co-eternal, co-equal, distinct Persons (Beings), who are theessence of Jehovah. All these objections are based simply upon their unwillingness tonot limit the things of God by resorting to logic. Let us now look at a few probingquestions, then draw on a few quotes from Mrs. White, and compare her insights withScripture, in response to these honest objections of the detractors.

First of all, if Jesus, the Divine offspring of God the Father in Heaven, was just Everlasting in the limited sense, what would Hebrews 7:1-3 really be sayingthat Jesus had practically, like Melchizedek, no beginning of days nor end of life,

but is FOREVER? Melchizedek, a mere mortal man, was just a symbol of Jesus,so there is no written record of his beginning of days or end of life, so that hecould properly reflect the Eternal Divine nature of Jesus who is the I AM , theEverlasting and, in death, only His human nature died . And remember Hedied briefly, not forever, thus His life had no end.Proverbs 8:22-31 is a passage, which shows the eternal nature of Jesus as a Son broughtforth from everlasting, and yet He is properly called, over and over, the I AM byMrs. White. She declared:

He existed from ALL ETERNITY A DISTINCT PERSON [or Being] with [not in but with] the Father

He was with God [the Father] from ALL ETERNITY There NEVER was a TIME when He was NOT in close FELLOWSHIP WITH the Father Now if the words ALL ETERNITY mean anything to honestand sincere seekers of truth then it should clearly show that Jesus is just simplyeternal, though logic seeks to reconcile with His title of Sonship. He was a distinctPerson (or Being) FOR ALL ETERNITY. THIS EXCLUDES THE IDEA OFLIMITED ETERNITY IN JESUS PRE-EXISTENCE. And for those who justcannot see Mrs. Whites plain use of English, now here consider :

Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the

midst of them (Matt.18:20). Where Christ is even among the humble few,this is Christs church, for the presence of the High and Holy One WHO INHABITETH ETERNITY [Is. 57:15] can alone constitute a church

Proverbs 8:22-31 should not be forced therefore to contradict both the rest of theBible and the testimony, as Is. 8:20 warns, since it is a metaphorical passage, inmany respects, which represents Jesus as a Her or female (Prov. 8:1). It makesHim a child (in some translations) observing the Father creating , not being theCreator (creative Agent) Himself, as John 1:1-3 shows, but a child playing ascreation was done before His eyes. This passage is clearly giving a picture of Jesusbeing declared created, brought forth or set up, as the Son of God, though He

always existed despite being the Fathers begotten Son. He definitely was *notcreated, like those of Creation . How is this to be understood?

THE BOSOM A PLACE OF FELLOWSHIP, NOT BIRTH

For Jesus to FELLOWSHIP for all eternity with the Father (according toMrs. White) it means He must be separate to fellowship, since the meaning of fellowship suggests two or more persons, distinct.Jesus was, after His begetting in Heaven, also begotten on earth as a Man (2 Sam.7:12-14/Acts 2:30) as he stepped down FROM THE BOSOM OF THE FATHER, saidMrs. White. Since the bosom is a symbol of fellowship , and not birth , this further

STRENGTHENS the point that He always WAS(Jn.1: 1), fellowshipping with theEternal Godhead. Also, since there cant LOGICALLY be two Persons called the

11


12/14

First and the Last, except in the case where, as an athlete would recognize, therewould be a TIE between the Son and the Father, therefore BOTH are called theFIRST and the Last in time, simply because they are co-eternal (see Rev.22: 12,13 / Rev. 2:8) . On the point of the Eternity of the Spirit, not much need to be said for obvious reasons (John 4:24/Heb.9: 14).

In the above quotes it should be recognized that Mrs. White spoke of Jesus in the sameway as the Father, He is THE HIGH AND HOLY ONE, WHO INHABITETHETERNITY . It may however be reasonable to ask if this was just a chance statement.The evidence is to the contrary. Consider the true import of the following quotes:

As the veil which conceals Christs glory from our view is drawn asidethe Saviour is shown to be in His high and holy place , not in solitudecareless and indifferent to our needs, but surrounded by thousands and thousands of holy angels The Saviour is in communication withevery part of His vast dominion . He stoops from His throne tolisten to the cries of His Children

-Ms. 94,Sept. 23, 1904-E.G. WhiteWho is our King ? He who is called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty

GOD , the EVERLASTING FATHER . He our Saviour and King . The namesOf His children are written in His book of Life Christ ascended to Heaven amidst a cloud of angels who glorified Him,

Saying who is this King of Glory? And from thousands times tenThousands the answer comes , the LORD [Jehovah] He is the KING

OF GLORY (Ms.3, March 1, 1903)

That should settle the issue as to the UNITY of Jesus with the Father, who is not justSon and Prince, but, AT THE SAME TIME, also Father and King of the entireuniverse, along with His Father. The Father is NOW His God, simply because Hewas the only Person in the Godhead who became Man, and he was made in allthings like his brethren (Heb. 2:11-14). They are both our God simply because theyare our UNITED Creator, Father and Divine King.

IS THE SPIRIT A THIRD BEING IN THE GODHEAD?

Nothing much need to be said about the Holy Spirit on this matter, simply becauseTHE LORD IS THE SPIRIT, as 2 Cor. 3:17,18 declares, meaning that anywhereGod is described the Spirit is automatically being described , as part of the Greatthreefold Power. He is however shown separately BEFORE the throne (Rev. 1:4),or as an Individual Being with His own personal form (Ez.8: 1-5), even while Heproceedeth from the Father. As the Father and Sons Representative He is calledThe Hand of The LORD, symbolizing God in action, since the hand is the symbolof action . The question is, if Jesus is the arm of the Lord (Is. 53:1), and still yet Heis a distinct Person, why should the rules change for the Holy Spirit (See Is 48:16)?Detractors who insist that the Holy Spirit is the Father manifested, withoutmentioning Jesus, should also note that Mrs. White declared that 2 Cor. 3:17, 18SPECIFICALLY refers to Jesus Christ being manifested (Manuscript 26, Sept.11, 1889). The third Person manifests the qualities of the other two DivinePersons. In closing it should be recognized that though the Holy Spirit is called ITby both Mrs. White and the Bible, this is just contextual, just like Jesus being calledIT by John in 1 John 1:1-3, in the context of being called the Eternal Life. Also,Jesus Himself appeared in inanimate or impersonal forms, such as cloud, fire,burning bush, and lamb, so therefore whenever the Holy Spirit is presented inemblems and symbols, such as dove, fire, oil, wind, that is hardly an argument todiscredit His Person since the Spirit Himself refers to Himself as ME and I(see Acts 13:2-4). Also, Jesus Himself calls the Spirit He, Him and Whom.

And what of the following modern-day testimony given under the Spiritsinspiration?

You are baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy

Ghost. You are raised up out of the water to live henceforth in newness of

12


13/14

life--to live a new life. You are born unto God, and you stand under the sanction and the power of THE THREE HOLIEST *BEINGS IN HEAVEN , who are able to keep you from falling When I feel oppressed,and hardly know how to relate myself toward the work that God has givenme to do, I just * CALL UPON THE THREE GREAT WORTHIES , and

say; You know I cannot do this work in my own strength. You must work in me, and by me and through me, sanctifying my tongue, sanctifying my

spirit, sanctifying my words, and bringing me into a position where my spirit shall be susceptible to the movings of the Holy Spirit of God uponmy mind and character. And this is the prayer that every one of us mayoffer. -E.G. White, Manuscript Release , Vol.7, pgs. 267, 268 (Ms 95, 1906, pp. 8-12, 14-17; "Lesson from Romans 15," October 20, 1906.)

CRITICAL CLOSING CONSIDERATIONS

For those who are students of logic here are a few choice points to ponder about the Godhead:

1.If the Father was united with only the Son, in a DUO, it wouldcertainly be easy for Jesus to say baptize in the NAME of the Father andSon, and retain the concept of the Godhead. So why is there such a stress onthe Three or the Trio of Persons, Living Persons, both by the Bible andMrs. White, who never uses the word Duo? And why did the earlyChristians baptize in the name of Jesus, to show the representative nature of one Person in the Godhead, sufficiently representing the others.

2. If the essence of God was simply The Father, and not the Father UNITED with others in the Godhead, why has Mrs. White striven to be so

pointed and clear on this matter, in introducing (in her words), the Three,the Trio, or Threefold UNITY, every time she is stressing a PersonalGod or the Personality of God?

3. If the nature of the Holy Spirit was simply to be explained (as

some detractors state) as a manifestation of the Fathers Person, what aboutthe manifestation of the Sons Person? Also, if the Holy Spirits nature is

just a manifestation why would Mrs. White state that His nature is amystery and cannot be explained but suggests we should just accept thatHe is the Third Living Person of the Eternal Godhead, a HolyDignitary, a Power Infinite and Omniscient, and one of the HighestAuthorities in the Heavenly World, who is as much a person as God is aPerson? Isnt it strange to describe a non-entity, a simple manifestationin such a way? Notice she did not say He is the Person, God, but is aPerson. Was she confused in her language?

4. If only God, the Father was to be SERVED, why would Mrs.White seem to complicate matters by stating that all Three should beSERVED, and directed prayer to all three, including the Holy Spirit?And is this a contradiction of Matt. 4:10? It is clear Mrs. White has itabsolutely right, the answer lies in the UNITY: One God, the Fatherunited always with the Son and the Spirit- The Eternal Godhead.

13


14/14

14

do seventh day adventists worship three gods

Documents