Who is God to the True Adventist

8/9/2019 Who is God to the True Adventist

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How is this to be explained if, as it does appear in the Bible, God issupposed to be the Father, one individual being? Paul in 2

Thessalonians 2:4 distinctly declares that Satan will oppose,

through false religion, * ALL[plural] that is called God or that is

worshipped. Who is called God, and is to be worshipped or

served, according to the Bible? Many fail to recognize the truth here,even though they read this passage over and over. This verse refers to

the true God, not to false gods, despite various Bible commentaries have

literally so translated this verse, simply because they recognize theinescapable, inherent or internal plural element in this verse. It is

obvious that Satan would not oppose or exalt himself above false

gods (his own inventions) since they fulfill his purpose, but clearly hehas and always will continue to be opposed to ALL that is called God

in the true and highest sense. Mrs. White sheds light on this verse in

Chapter 3 of the book Great Controversy, by relating it specifically tothe Jehovah Godhead. After quoting this verse, Mrs. White re-worded

the very same verse this way:

Compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the

man of sin foretold in prophecy OPPOSING AND EXALTING

HIMSELF AGAINST*GOD[not gods, but the proper nounGod].

-E.G. White- Great ControversySee the first page, and pages 50-51, of Chapter 3 (or the whole chapter)

of that book for confirmation of this truth. Yet notice that this versedistinctly refers to all that is called God or that is worshipped; a

*PLURAL reference. The truth here is inescapable! The Apostle Paul

knew that GOD to the Christian couldnt be known or

worshipped without an acceptance of the Father through the Son by

the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Three Persons in the Godhead.

Why? A few quotes will make you see the truth.

1. Thou shalt worship the Lord (Jehovah) thy God[the Father]andHim *only shalt thou serve- Jesus- Matthew 4:10

2. And Thomas answered and said untoHim[Jesus]*MY LORD(Jehovah) and MY GOD[O Theosmou, orthe God of me]. Jesus

said unto him, Thomas because thou hast seenME, thou hast


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believed: blessed are they that have not seen ME and yet havebelieved[do you?]

- John 20:28

And again, when HE[the Father] bringeth in the firstbegotten[Jesus]

into the world[that is, into our world at Jesus incarnation], He saith,and let all the angels of Godworship Him[Jesus, the man].

Hebrews 1:6

3. The Spirit of the Lordspake by me and*HIS[the Spirits] word

was in my tongue. The GODof Israel[the Spirit]said, the Rockof

Israel[the Spirit]spake by me...David- 2 Samuel 23:2,3

Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to theHoly Ghostthouhast not lied unto men but unto GOD[the Spirit]. Peter- Acts 5:3,4

But isnt this confusing? Are there three (3) Lord (Jehovah) God or

God of Israel? Is there more than one Person called Jehovah God?

Are there others, in addition to the Father, truly called GOD, and in

the highest sense, despite the Bible declare one God, the Father, as

recorded in Deuteronomy 6:4 and 1Corintians 8:6? Let us see how

Adventism historically saw the truth.

In 1872 Adventists declared in its Fundamental Principles that,

quote:There is One God, a personal spiritual being who is the Creator of all

thingsand is everywhere present by His Representative, the Holy

Spirit.

However, the official and inspired voice in Seventh-day Adventismsubsequently (or later) made it clear that this *singular PERSONAL

GOD exists from all eternity as a *UNITY OF CHRIST WITH

HIS FATHER. Yes, a UNITY!! Here is this amazing truth again for

you to contemplate dear reader:

***The existence of a[singular]Personal God[not personal Gods]the

UNITY OF Christ with His Father[a plurality of Persons] lies at the foundation

of all true science[and true religion]

-E.G. White- Manuscript 30, Oct. 29,1904- quoted in The Upward Look(1986),

pg. 316


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So the truth is that both Paul (1

Cor. 8:6) and Spirit of

Prophecy (Mrs. Whites

writings) instruct the Seventh-

day Adventist Church to

recognize, by the authority of

scripture compared withscripture, that our Personal

God is clearly the Father, who

has always been revealed in a

UNITY with His eternal Son,

and this Personal God is

everywhere present by His

very real and Personal

Representative, the Holy

Spirit! Adventisms leading

pioneer and writer put it this

way:

"The salvation of human beingsis a vast enterprise, that callsinto action *every attribute ofthe divine nature[i.e. theGodhead]. The Father, the Son,

and the Holy Spirit havepledged themselves to make

God's children more thanconquerors through Him thatloved them."

-E.G. White- Pacific UnionRecorder, January 5, 1905

Notice now, very carefully,

how, to Mrs. White, every

attribute ofdivine nature

equates with whom she

described as God and whom she distinctly calls the Eternal Godhead of Father Son, and Holy Spiritall three united!!

Have you been born again? Have you become a new being in Christ

Jesus? Then co-operate with the three great powers of heaven *who[all three called who] are working in your behalf. Doing this you will

reveal to the world the principles of righteousnessGod says,[notice

after this whom she means says this] "Come out from among them, and

be ye separate, . . . and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive


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you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and

daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." This is the pledge of[not one

person, but]the Father, 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 thing In order to deal

righteously with the world, as members of the royal family, children of

the heavenly King, Christians must feel their need of a power, whichcomes only from the [three] heavenly agencies that have pledged

themselves to work in man's behalf. After we have formed a union with

the 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

"When we have accepted Christ, and in the name of the Father, and of

the Son, and of the Holy Spirit havepledged ourselves to serve God, the

Father, Christ and the Holy Spiritthe three dignitaries and powers ofheavenpledge themselves that every facility shall be given to us if we

carry out our baptismal vows to come out from among them, and

be...separate."

-E.G. White, SDA Bible Commentary Vol. 6, pg. 1075

This means that for the TRUE Adventist the Three CANNOT be separated

generically or relationally, and in our worship and salvation experience!!

This means that if the true God of the Bible is to be known and worshipped,

one Person of the Godhead cannot be known without accepting and serving

the others. That is why the Christian experience of God MUSTbe through the

recognition of a TRI-UNITY (unity of a Trio of Persons) in the

Godhead.Clearly GOD is the Father, Jehovah or the I AM by name,

but is eternally and inseparably united with His Spirit and His Son, who are

also GOD in nature and authority. The Person we now know as Jesus is the

Eternal Son. He is also truly Godin the highest sense. He is THE ONLY

ONE PERFECT PHOTOGRAPH OF GOD(E. G. White,S.D.A. Bible

Commentary, Vol. 7, paragraph. 906). As a separate Person, He functions asthe Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6) and, from all eternity, is Himself also

called Jehovah or the I AM, seemingly given this name from all

eternity by the Father. Note the following Biblical truth, and supporting Spirit

of Prophecy testimony:

But unto the Son[Jesus] He [the Father]saith, Thy throne *O Godis

foreverAnd Thou *LORD[Jehovah-Ps. 102:1,25] in the beginning laid the

foundation of the earth -Hebrews 1:8,10.


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Hosea will tell you, He [Jesus] is the LORD [Jehovah] God of Hosts, The

LORD [the name Jehovah] is His memorial, Hosea 12:5

E.G. White- Desire of Ages, pg. 578-579

So it becomes clear that Jesus, by a

mysterious eternal unity with the Father,

is not just God in nature, having the trueGod identity, but is also God in equal

*AUTHORITYand function[see *John

20:28,29], even though He is not the

Fatherin Person(who is often just called

God, simply because he never became man

like Jesus). That is part of the mystery of

godliness.

Note carefully below how true Adventism sees Jesus as God:

Think of the life of MosesPaul in his

epistle to the Hebrews says, for he endured

as seeing Him who is invisible [Hebrews

11:27]. Moses had a deep sense of the

presence of GOD.He saw GOD.He was not

only looking down through the ages to a

Christ that would be revealed[God

manifested], but[in reality, and at that very

time]he saw Christ[God]in a special manner

accompanying the children of Israel in alltheir travels[1Corintians10: 1-5]. God[Christ] was real to Him and present in his

thoughts. When called upon to face dangerfor Christs[Gods] sake, he was

persevering God[Christ] was to Him a present help in every time of need.

-E.G. White-Letter 42, April 7, 1886; orin The UpwardLook(1986) pg.111.

Papal[Roman Catholic] priests pretended to convert the simple

bread and wine into the actual body and blood of*CHRIST with

blasphemous presumption, they openly claim to the power of creating*GOD[Christ], the Creator of all things

- E.G. White- Great Controversy, pgs. 59-60

Notice that Mrs. White saw Jesus as God, to the point where the words

Christ and God were interchangeable to her without any need for

clarification. Jesus was, and is God, *just like the Father!!That is


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why the Pope could assume the place of God by pretending to be,

not the Father, but another Jesus (2 Thess. 2:4), thus equating

himself with the Father. But the question is, was Jesus just God on

earth on behalf of His (unseen) Father, or in His Fathers absence, but

is not God in His Fathers presence along with Him in Heaven? Note

again what Adventists really believe:

From everlasting[Micah 5:2/Psalms 93:2] He [Jesus] was the

Mediator of the Covenant[Hebrews 7:3] was *GOD essentially and*IN THE HIGHEST[nothing higher] SENSE [existing]from *ALL

ETERNITY GOD OVER ALL[Rom. 9:5] a distinct[separate]

Person, yet one [united] with the Father.E.G. White- Review and Herald, April, 1906

The Son of God was the acknowledged *SOVEREIGN[supremeruler] of Heaven, *ONE[equal andunited] in power and

*AUTHORITY with the Father.E.G. White- Great Controversy, pg. 494

Christ ascended to Heaven [after coming to earth as God]amidst a

cloud of angels who glorified Him saying who is this King of Glory?[so He is not justPrince ofHeaven] And from thousand times ten

thousands the answer comes, the LORD[Jehovah], *HE[Jesus] IS theKing of Glory.

E.G. White- Signs of the Times, May 10, 1899 and

*Desire of Ages, pgs. 832-833

That is very clear dear reader about Jesus and the Father * BOTH being

recognized and served as God over all and as Jehovah.

The fact that Jesus was pictured as being given all things by the

Father, does not diminish, even by one iota, His equality with theFather in the office of being GOD over all, and Him being such

from *ALL eternity, whether He is in or out of the Fathers

immediate presence.No true Adventist would deny this truth!

But the next obvious question is, WHY DO ADVENTISTS ALSO

REGARD AND SERVE (EVEN PRAY TO) THE HOLY SPIRIT ASGOD?


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Here is the absolute, undeniable truth about what SDAs eventually caneto believe about the Spirit in the following references:

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 life--to live a new life. You are born unto God, and youstand under the sanction and the power ofTHE THREE HOLIEST

*BEINGS IN HEAVEN, who are able to keep you from

fallingWhen 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 me into 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,ManuscriptRelease, Vol.7, pgs. 267, 268

(Ms 95, 1906, pp. 8-12, 14-17; "Lesson from Romans 15," October

20, 1906.)

When we have accepted Christ, and in the name of the Father, and ofthe Son, and of the Holy spirit, have pledged ourselves to*SERVE[worship][1] God, the Father, [2] Christand[thirdly]*THE

HOLY SPIRIT, the Three Dignitaries[Persons of important position,

high rank or office-Oxforddictionary] and Powers of Heaven, pledge

Themselves that every facility shall be given us if we carry out

ourvowsE.G. White- Manuscript 85,1901

God is a Spirit-John 4:24

The Lord is the Spirit- 2 Cor.

3:17,18

The Spirit of the Lord[is]The God

of Israel[and]the Rock of Israel2 Samuel 23:2,3

To lie to the Holy Ghost? Thou


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haslied to GOD-Acts 5:3,4,9Thou shalt worship [only] the Lord thy God[who is the Spirit] and

Him *only shalt thou *SERVE[worship] -Matthew 4:10

Now *if the Holy Spirit is not to be SERVEDMrs. White was in

serious error. But clearly she is not, since the Bible, as shown in the

foregoing, supported her, as is similarly the case with the modern

Adventist. The foregoing references, among others, clearly show why

Mrs. White could make such an amazing statement, and even

exemplified prayer directed to Him along with the Father and the Son;

the three holiest beings in Heaven. The Holy Spirit is God,

seemingly even pictured literally as the Father Himself!!Notice

carefully however that the Holy Spirit is mentionedseparately and

specifically by her to be worthy of service, due only to all that is

called God, or that is worshipped (2 Thessalonians 2:4) in the Godhead.She even made it absolutely clear that the Spirit is separate from Christ

Himself, though he effectively personifies Christ (and the Father):

The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, in Christ's name. Hepersonifies[represent] Christ, yetis a distinct personalityManuscript

Release,Vol. 20

Thats plain and doesnt beat around the bush. The Spirit is the thirdbeing of the three holiestbeings of heaven. Plain and simple!! The

words three and beings CANNOT be explained away or watered

down, as some on the fringes of Adventism often seek to do!! The HolySpirit is not God the Father or Christ themselves literally in personage,

but is their Representative (as used so often by Mrs. White). He is a

third Godhead being and operates as if the other two themselves arepresent. And the word Representative speaks rather eloquently in this

regard. Much more will be said on the Holy Spirit later in this

presentation. But in conclusion here, it must be reiterated that:

OUR PERSONAL GOD IS THE FATHER*IN UNITY

WITH HIS ETERNAL SON, AND IS EVERYWHERE

PRESENT BY THE REPRESENTATION OF THE

THIRD PERSON OF THE GODHEAD, THE VERY


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REAL AND PERSONAL HOLY SPIRIT, WHO MUST

ALSO BE SERVED AS GOD!Put another way, the Three Persons are called GOD, not gods,

because the One true God the Father is, by His very nature, revealed in and

worshipped through His Eternal Son, and is present everywhere and served

through His Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Godhead.The idea of

gods in the Godhead is one of Satans first lies told on earth. This lie,

recorded distinctly in Genesis 3:5,and illuminated in E.G. Whites, Great

Controversy, pgs. 532-533, is one which he told because he knew that more

than one Person in the Godhead is properly called GOD(Gen. 3:22), but

also knowing that a misunderstanding of*the

unity is what would cause us to falsely see Them

either as separate gods or worse, as a

monstrous three headed individual being. This

lie (counterfeit) is found in almost all ancient

religions of the world, simply because, by hisknowledge of the real truth, Satan was able to

plant the seed of misunderstanding.

Why is there such a coincidence of divine

threes in counterfeit religions? Evidently it was

by Satans influence (himself knowing the truth about the true Godhead) that

these ancient pagan religions unwittingly recognized that truly there is a

plurality of persons in the Godhead, but unfortunately the persons are either

seen as gods, or Godis seen as a personal being (personality) with three

forms!

No Christian should therefore seek to promote these pagan lies, or on the

other hand go to the other extreme of unwittingly opposing all that is called

God (2 Thessalonians 2:4), in the Persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

simply because they cannot understand how, when the Three are spiritually

united in the Godhead, 1x1x1 =1(one) God, and not 1+1+1=3(three) gods. But

in the same way Christ has many members yet this does not produce several

Christs or several true Churches, so too is the Godhead with three

members and yet there remains one God and one Godhead!!

Who is God to the True Adventist

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