Mind-Boggling Apocalyptic Doctrine
I just recently discovered your ministry through a youtube video from CAnswers of Mr. Ratzlaff sharing his testimony. I could have cried. I am a saved woman, and I started dating a Seventh-day day Adventist man last year. Even though I had some misgivings about the religion, I really love this man and decided to at least show him I’m open to learning more. I’ve attended services with him at various Adventist churches. Most of them were pretty mellow, and I didn’t have big DANGER alarms going off in my head (yet).
Then, last month, he took me to hear Doug Bachelor of Amazing Facts. The sermon preached by Bachelor was about the abomination of desolation, and that’s when I started realizing that the Adventist religion might actually be a cult. I grabbed a bunch of the free literature available at the venue and read it at home. This was additionally disconcerting for me. Then my boyfriend brought me to a few evening sessions of an Adventist evangelistic effort called “Babylon in America”—which is actually still going on (seemingly without end; it’s mind-boggling how much apocalyptic doctrine the Adventists have. There have already been weeks of this series.)
At the end of one of the nights I attended, the pastor had everyone stand up if they vowed to no longer drink from the “wine of Babylon”. I was the only person in the crowd who stayed seated. Afterwards, I asked the pastor some questions, including if he would say that sleeping with a prostitute was on the same level sin-wise for him as eating bacon. He said they are one and the same—they both do harm to the body and disobey God’s commands. I was speechless.
I have been waiting for a marriage proposal from my boyfriend, and now I see why he has cold feet despite loving me. I have some insight into how he sees me as a regular Protestant, and even sadder, how he sees himself with this false gospel. I showed him Pastor Ratzlaff’s testimony on youtube, and he vowed to do his own research. I know that I can only tell him so much, and that ultimately it’s the Holy Spirit who will reach him, not me dropping “knowledge bombs” on him based on stuff I watch and read. To me, the gospel is pretty simple, but the adventists seem to complicate everything so much. I get the sense that my boyfriend is exhausted, emotionally and spiritually.
If you have any advice or resources to direct me towards, I would be much obliged. Thank you so much for what you do.
—VIA EMAIL
Response: Thank you so much for writing! Praise God He led you to see Pastor Ratzlaff on CAnswers! Your growing realization about Adventism is exactly right. It does not teach the biblical gospel, and it is properly seen as a cult. God will not waste this experience; your involvement in Adventism will be something He will use in your life. Many Christians (as you know) do not understand the true nature of the religion. The Lord has saved you from a marriage that would have been very painful.
We absolutely have resources for you!
Although we are not currently publishing a printed version of Proclamation! magazine, all our back issues are online here: http://www.lifeassuranceministries.org.
We have also added your name to our weekly Proclamation! email updates. You may need to add the email address LifeAssuranceMinistries@gmail.com to your contacts in order for the email not to be directed toward your Spam folder. These emails will arrive every Friday. Archived articles are available at ProclamationMagazine.com.
You might also enjoy our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/FormerAdventist/featured
Also, you might like to subscribe to our podcasts here; many say these help them unpack the Adventism hidden in the recesses of their minds: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/former-adventist/id1482887969
In fact, I highly recommend that you begin listening to the podcasts; they really give an inside view of the Adventist worldview and show how Scripture corrects it.
Need Resources Identifying the Adventist Jesus
I was blessed to have been raised in an evangelical church and home environment (thanks to my mom who came out of Adventism). However, my grandmother and most of my family are multi-generational Adventists. My mom and I will be visiting my grandmother for Thanksgiving. We have talked with her multiple times over the years about the essentials of Christianity (salvation by grace through faith, Jesus’ completed work for our salvation, the Trinity, and so forth), however, we have never been able to break through her Adventist beliefs. She does not want to question or think deeply about why she believes what she believes. We feel a massive burden to talk to her again. We just want her to know the true Jesus. We loved listening to the recent FAF podcast about the true Jesus.
I wanted to ask, can you point me in the right direction of more resources discussing the true Jesus vs. the Adventist Jesus?
—VIA EMAIL
Response: Thank you for writing! I’m so glad the podcasts are helpful!
Just know that only the Lord can break through your grandmother’s Adventism. It is a tightly-sealed system which has confused its members about the very words of Scripture. God is the One who causes chinks to appear in that Adventist armor.
That being said, I will share some links that may be helpful to you:
Articles:
Video:
I hope these help!
Lost Identity
I am a Former Adventist. I am having a very hard time in my life trying to find myself again.
—VIA MESSENGER
Response: Thank you for writing. I understand what you are saying. We really do lose our identities when we trust Jesus and follow Him only. Yet He never drops us. He brings us support and Scripture and people who are also His born-again children. Do you receive our weekly Proclamation! email magazine? If not, I think you would find it very encouraging. Besides the weekly articles, you will find links to our YouTube channel and to our Former Adventist Podcast. If you would like to receive it, please email us at proclamation@gmail.com. We will add your email to our list, and I think you will find it encouraging. Please feel free to email us at that same address anytime.
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