The above heading sounds illogical at first glance, but it reveals exactly the thinking of Seventh-day Adventists (abbreviation: SDA) and also of many Messianic Jews. Although they observe the Sabbath in part according to the law of the Old Testament, they elevate the first day of the week (Sunday) because they make this day the resurrection day of Jesus. Most Adventists have no knowledge of God's calendar described in Leviticus 23, they do not know the seven feasts of the Bible and instead adhere to the Pope's Gregorian calendar with its unbiblical feast days Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday. A legitimate question is: Isn't it strange that Seventh-day Adventists, of all people, are so committed to the alleged resurrection of Jesus on a Sunday, while at the same time keeping the Sabbath? Shouldn't they be promoting the biblical Sabbath? No, this is not surprising, but even very understandable, because there are 4 clear reasons why Adventists will continue to hold on to this false Sunday doctrine in the future, which are now described.
In several places in the Bible, Paul calls on us to work for unity in the faith. However, there can be no unity if people add new doctrines to the Bible, found new churches and thus isolate themselves from other Christians. This was initially the case with the founding of the Catholic Church (popes) in the first centuries after Christ, which adopted numerous Roman-pagan traditions, then from 1054 with the Orthodox Church, from 1517 with Protestantism (Luther), then from 1531 with the Anglican Church (Henry VIII), from 1870/1931 with the Jehovah's Witnesses (Charles Taze Russell), from 1874 with the Seventh-day Adventists (Ellen White) and from 1933 with the Worldwide Church of God (Herbert W. Armstrong) with the many splinter groups that have emerged since then. Later, other free-evangelical, Pentecostal, charismatic and evangelical churches were added. Satan has managed to divide Christianity as a whole and thus weaken it, so that the individual churches have avoided contact with each other, which has led to many bitter quarrels, fights, divorced marriages and broken families. All these churches have one thing in common: they place the word of men above the word of the Bible and see their church founders as supposedly "inspired by the Holy Spirit" in order to justify the changes/extensions to the Bible. For these churches, keeping the Sabbath is like a ship of safety so that they can piously twist the text of the Bible inspired by the Holy Spirit so that the statements of the respective church founders are not called into question. Yet they should all know that keeping the Sabbath did the Pharisees no good at all because, like these churches, they twisted the words of Jesus.
However, who is a true Christian? According to the Bible, this is not a member of a particular church, but the true Church of God is a spiritual organism, and only those (men and women) who have the Holy Spirit are true Christians, because the Holy Spirit and the love associated with it are the only characteristics of a Christian that distinguish them from other people:
Rom 8:9: "Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him."
The dramatic and unforgivable thing about this is that, so that Ellen White's teachings do not contradict the Bible, some Bible texts are simply reinterpreted. Thus the extra-biblical word of a woman is placed above the word of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Adventists do not agree with this statement, but admit in their argument that it is true, because they claim that in the basic Greek text God allegedly does not speak of the "first Sabbath" (Mark 16:9), but of the "first Sunday", and that the sign of the Messiah (3 days and 3 nights) allegedly refers to a different period of time, namely half of the time Jesus mentioned, with a turbo-resurrection.
The Seventh-day Adventists have also contributed to the division of Christianity, because if they would only stick to the Word of God and teach that Jesus rose from the dead on a Sabbath according to the Bible, ...
It becomes clear: If the Seventh-day Adventists were to teach the biblical resurrection of Jesus on a Sabbath, this would completely collapse the foundation and legitimacy of the entire Adventist Church, since its teachings are not only based on the Bible, but also on extra-biblical visions and revelations of its church founder Ellen White. It would also lead to a split in the church between the followers of Ellen White (Resurrection Sunday) and the followers of Jesus (Resurrection Sabbath). These are the reasons why Adventists must hold on to the pagan Sunday with all their might. The Adventists (the name is derived from the Latin adventus 'arrival') should therefore call themselves "First-day Adventists" rather than "Seventh-day Adventists".
Even if we provide them with the biblical evidence and they themselves then recognize that the Bible does indeed literally speak of the resurrection Sabbath, they flee from this truth with the words:
"Even if it should be so; it is not important on which day of the week the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, it only matters that he rose from the dead, and that is not a question necessary for salvation".
For the church leadership and the members of the Seventh-day Adventists it may not be important on which day the Lord Jesus was resurrected, but for God, for Jesus and for the evangelists this question was extremely important, which is why they referred to the day of resurrection seven times with the name "Sabbath" in the singular and plural (Bible verses). This was to prevent Christians from turning the Roman holiday (Sunday) of Jesus' murderers into a new Christian holiday; but this is exactly what happened, because for around 1600 years almost all Bibles only mentioned the Sabbath or even Saturday morning when the women came to the tomb. It was only about two centuries after the invention of printing (1440), when every Christian was increasingly able to own their own Bible and no longer had to rely on the interpretation of the priests, that the Sabbath/Saturday was increasingly replaced by the "first day of the week" (Sunday) in the new printed Bibles. This is not a conspiracy theory, but basic Christian knowledge and the many facsimiles published on these websites clearly prove this. The knowledge of the biblical resurrection Sabbath distinguishes the first Christians from the Adventists, who know neither the ancient Greek basic text of the NT nor the many old Bibles that have been correctly translated over the centuries.
And whether this is a question necessary for salvation or not, we would rather leave to the Lord Jesus, because there is a big difference between upright Christians who have been deceived and those from the church leadership who deliberately twist the statements of the Bible and seduce the children of God into a different calendar with different feasts and a different resurrection day. So it is better not to take all this lightly, because the Lord gave clear warnings (Rev 22:18-19; Deut 4:2; Prov 30:5-6; Mat 18:6-7; 1Cor 4:6; 2John 9), He tests the heart of every man, and He will soon make the difference clear to everyone.
We know very well today that the 10th of Nisan fell on a Sabbath (Shabbat ha Gadol) when the first Passover was instituted at the time of the Exodus and the 14th of Nisan fell on a Wednesday when the first Passover lamb shed its blood. The New Testament (NT) proves that the same sequence of days must have existed in the year in which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. He was thus able to fulfill the Passover sacrifice in a perfect way. He died as the last Passover lamb not only on the same calendar day (14th of Nisan), but also on the same day of the week (Wednesday) and at the same hour (3 p.m.) as the first Passover lamb shed its blood at the time of the Exodus. The first and last Passover lambs died at the same time. In doing so, Jesus completely fulfilled the symbolism of the lamb and declared all other animal sacrifices forever superfluous and abolished them. Furthermore, through his resurrection on His day, He further elevated the symbolism and significance of the Sabbath and became our eternal Sabbath rest:
If Jesus had been set apart on Palm Sunday, crucified on Good Friday and resurrected on Easter Sunday, as Adventists and some Messianic Jews/Christians claim, He could never have fulfilled the symbolism of the Passover lamb, because the first Passover lamb was set apart (10th Nisan, Sabbath) and slaughtered (14th Nisan, Wednesday) on other days of the week. The Jews and we Christians know exactly what the sequence of days was at the time of the Exodus, it is no secret and the import great Sabbath (Shabbat ha-Gadol) is recorded in every Jewish calendar. This is the reason why the Jews also have no interest in pointing to God's calendar and the years with the 14th Nisan on a Wednesday and associating Jesus with the first lamb, because that would not only mean that they no longer need a third temple and are no longer allowed to slaughter animals, but also that Jesus Christ was really the Messiah whom they denied and left to die on the cross.
Those who refer only to the Bible must come to the same conclusion, because the Bible speaks...
1. in the Greek basic text 7 times about the Sabbath (Link), which is also shown 7 times in the interlinear text:
Mt 28:1a; Mt 28:1b; Mk 16:2; Mk 16:9; Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1; Jn 20:19
2. never of the "first day of the week" and never of Sunday, Link
3. of "3 days and 3 nights", the only sign of the Messiah, Link
4. of at least one working day between the two Sabbaths at Passover, Link
5. of a preparation day that was not a Friday, Link
6. of many correct Bible translations worldwide, Link
7. of the Sabbath in the singular and plural, so that we can be sure that a Sabbath is really meant. God Himself has clearly defined the Sabbath and the week since creation so that we never confuse the two terms.
The many Adventist additions to the Bible through visions combined with the reinterpretation of Jesus' words led to further division within the Christian family. The result was a religion of fear to keep members in the church. Those who do not keep the Sabbath are supposedly lost because they would supposedly be living in rebellion against God; and those who doubt the visions of Ellen White are threatened with unforgivable sin. There is also the danger of exclusion from the church and thus isolation from friends and even family members. This fear-mongering has an effect on many Christians who do not yet know the Bible. But Jesus said:
Jn 8:31-32: "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
As can be clearly seen, there is a spiritual connection between "abiding in the Word of Jesus" and freedom, because anyone who adds anything to the Bible does not abide in the Word of the Lord and therefore cannot experience the freedom that Christians who know the ancient Greek basic text (see Interlinear and Greek Bibles) and the many correctly translated Bibles (see Old Bibles) are allowed to experience. Biblically speaking, there can only be one single resurrection day of Jesus and not several, where everyone can choose the one they like, depending on which translation they use and which church they belong to. Only the truth makes you free, but the additions, distortions and lies take you captive. Since the foundation of Adventism is not only the Bible, divisions among Christians are inevitable.
To avoid misunderstandings from the beginning: We do not judge and have absolutely nothing against people who keep the Sabbath. We ourselves try as best we can to take this day off and dedicate the time to Bible study. The Sabbath is the only day that was blessed/sanctified by God in the Bible, it has existed since creation and there is nothing that would argue in favor of introducing Sunday as a Christian day of rest. It only becomes problematic when people try to persuade Christians that supposedly only Adventists are saved and therefore only those Christians who keep the Sabbath like the Jews. What good is it if this denomination keeps the Sabbath, but at the same time twists the words of the Lord Jesus, shifts the day of Jesus' resurrection, changes the times of God and seduces Christianity into unbiblical and pagan feast days? Will the Sabbath save them in judgment before God when Jesus will show them how they have perverted His words and even preach another Sunday gospel that the Bible does not recognize? The Pharisees were not helped by the Sabbath, for they too twisted the words of the Lord and censored his disciples.
This is and remains a fact: Seventh-day Adventists devalue the Sabbath and at the same time valorize Sunday because they postpone Jesus' resurrection by one day. However, by resurrecting on His day (Sabbath), Jesus greatly enhanced the status of the Sabbath, and no one has the right to change His sign of the Messiah and His resurrection day in favor of pagan traditions just because most Christians want to avoid problems and rest along with the pagans on their own holidays according to their calendar.
We ourselves know sincere Adventists who want to follow the way of God according to their conscience, but they have been put in a state of fear by their church leadership that they would supposedly be lost if they did not keep the Sabbath, and that they would supposedly commit the unforgivable sin (see below) if they criticized or even rejected the teachings of Ellen White. We want to free these Adventists from this cage of fear and lead them back to the words of Jesus and His love alone. This also includes the knowledge of the biblical fact that Jesus was resurrected on His day (Sabbath) and not on the holiday (Sunday) of His Roman murderers.
"The expression sola scriptura (Latin for 'by scripture alone') refers to a theological principle of the Reformation and Reformation theology, according to which the message of salvation is sufficiently communicated by the Bible and does not need to be supplemented by ecclesiastical traditions" (Wikipedia). The Bible is complete with the 49 scrolls and the 70 books and we do not need any more new revelations from women (Ellen White) with visions, especially not if they reinterpret or replace the Word of God. Those who defend the words of Jesus, the biblical calendar with its 7 feasts and the sign of the Messiah need not be afraid of threats from men. Many Adventists have a strong tendency towards self-righteousness, but just because they keep the Sabbath does not make them better Christians, as the example of the Pharisees shows.
What good is it when people (Adventists, Messianic Jews/Christians, Church of God...) keep the Sabbath but at the same time twist the Word of God, make Jesus a liar who supposedly did not fulfill the sign of the Messiah, when they move His resurrection day (Sabbath) to Sunday and when they dare to change the times and feasts in God's calendar to the new times of the Pope according to his Gregorian calendar (Daniel 7:25) and thus lead the children of God away from the assembly days with God? Will the Sabbath help these Christians as it helped the Pharisees?
In the following text we will prove that you need not be afraid because Ellen White spread clear false teachings. You will see that our Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected on His day, on a Sabbath morning. Our basis and foundation is solely the Word of God (the Bible) without any new additions of spirits and visions. We will also prove that Ellen White's visions were not from God, but aimed to further divide the Christian family.
Ellen Gould Harmon White (*1827; †1915; Wikipedia) was a co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA). She spent most of her life in the United States.
During her lifetime, she wrote more than 5,000 magazine articles and 40 books. Even more dramatic were her approximately 2,000 visions and dreams, in which she not only gave numerous additions to the Bible, but also made several statements that clearly contradicted the Bible. The duration of the visions ranged from less than a minute to almost 4 hours. The Seventh-day Adventists claim that these came from God, which is why they referred to this woman as a "prophetess" during her lifetime and gave her a special position within the church. She herself never contradicted this claim, but preferred to call herself a "messenger of the Lord". As many of her prophetic predictions did not come true, she limited herself to health issues in her old age.
All 49 scrolls with the 70 books of the Bible were written by men (see Structure of the Bible). Thus the Word of God is a completed and 7-fold sealed work; but Ellen White not only adds something to the Bible, she also takes something away (such as the resurrection Sabbath and the sign of the Messiah) and even teaches a different gospel. For the complete gospel of God includes not only the fact that Jesus rose from the dead, but also on which day of the week this was (Sabbath, not Sunday) and that He fulfilled the "sign of the Messiah" (3 days and 3 nights). There is no Sunday gospel:
Gal 1:8-9: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed."
In her thousands of writings, Ellen White adds many confusing additions to the NT, completely new quotations not only from the people mentioned in the Bible, such as the people of Israel, Pilate and even Jesus, but also describes what angels and demons are supposed to have said. Not only the Gospels are supplemented in terms of content, but also the Acts of the Apostles, as it contains new details about the ascension of Jesus and the events of the first Christian church. Who gives her the right to add to the word of the Lord in this way and to twist it in several places?
Anyone who studies the many writings of Ellen White will realize that she has drastically expanded the content of the Bible, for she adds large amounts of new content. How important it is to God that nothing is added to or removed from the Bible is shown by the last words of the Bible:
Rev 22:18-19: "I [Jesus] warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book."
Any questions? Despite these clear warnings from the direct mouth of God (see also Deut 4:2; Prov 30:5-6; Mt 18:6-7; 1Cor 4:6; 2Jn 9), Adventists are not afraid to add entire books to the Bible with content that comes from a woman's confused visions of spirits. All men of God were factual and wrote the Bible inspired by the Holy Spirit, but Ellen White touches the emotional level with content from visions from the spirit world, casting doubt on several of God's statements: "Did God actually say...?" (Gen 3:1).
As already mentioned, these are not just additions, but much worse, because the word of the Bible is being reinterpreted or twisted. If you want to read all of Ellen White's books and articles, it will take you many days or even weeks/months. All of this is time that you are then investing NOT in the Bible (the Word of God), but in women's stories. The fact is that Ellen White did not know the basic Greek text (see Interlinear), the calendar of God and the seven feast days of the Lord. Instead, she preferred to follow the Pope's Catholic calendar and lead her faith community to the Catholic feast days, even though Adventists are divided on this, because some celebrate these feasts (Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, Christmas...), while others do not.
As harsh as it may sound, Adventists have led millions of Christians away from the biblical calendar of God and the seven feasts of God, and they have turned a biblical Sabbath into a Catholic Easter Sunday. It is unbelievable that so few Adventists are waking up and realizing that something cannot be right here. This is the result of a lifestyle that is mainly concerned with the consumption of sermons, videos, TV programs (HOPE TV) and church literature, but not with the Word of God, the Bible. It has never been so easy to study the ancient Greek basic text of the New Testament or at least to check a few Bible passages. The free Bible program ISA3 from Scripture4All shows the Greek basic text exactly (with grammar) and if you read the whole Bible (including the OT!) often and listen to it as an MP3, you can free yourself from this Adventist fear religion with Catholic Sunday and feast day traditions.
There is a sign of the Messiah and there is a sign of Ellen White. The sign of the Messiah is "3 days and 3 nights", but the sign of Ellen White is a turbo resurrection after only half the time (1.5 days):
This illustration alone should wake up every Adventist from their Sunday dream, because the turbo resurrection contradicts numerous biblical passages that have to be laboriously reinterpreted in order for Sunday to emerge. It turns out that Ellen White supports the pope with his Good Friday and Easter Sunday tradition. Is that really what you want? A closer look reveals that Ellen White's sign is the same sign as the pope's sign. The fact that this Adventist group keeps the Sabbath is not the decisive factor for the Pope, but much more dramatic is the fact that this church has abolished the sign of the Messiah, twisted the word of the Bible and moved the day of Jesus' resurrection by one day. Thus the Sabbath was devalued to a day of preparation, while the pagan Sunday, the day of the Roman sun god Sol Invictus, was upgraded in its place. This means that pagans and Christians can rest on the same day of the week and degrade the Sabbath to a day of work and preparation for Sunday.
The Adventists have actively contributed to this development, as they have seduced Christians into the alleged Easter Sunday. As a Sabbath-keeping church, they would like to confirm worldwide that Jesus supposedly rose from the dead on a Sunday, thus enhancing the value of this day. So they need not be surprised if most Christians prefer to rest on a Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, because the Adventists themselves have contributed to the worldwide spread of this false doctrine. They have brought a heavy guilt upon themselves and live in sin, even if they keep the Sabbath, because they have not trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, but have fallen for new visions of a woman and have instead twisted the word of the Lord and rejected the sign of the Messiah with nonsensical reasoning, as is proven further down in the text.
The Messianic Jews/Christians have an even greater guilt on their conscience, for they should have known and explained to the Christians the biblical calendar from Leviticus 23, namely that approximately every third year the same sequence of days appears for the Passover as in the year of the Exodus and the year our Lord was crucified. Instead, they follow either the Catholic calendar with its Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday ("Firstfruit Sunday") and Pentecost Sunday (which they observe every year) or the inaccurate Jewish calendar invented centuries after Jesus' death by the rabbis who reject Jesus as the Messiah.
So there are two signs, namely the sign of the Messiah (3 days and 3 nights) and the sign of the Pope and Ellen White (turbo resurrection in 1.5 days). You should not take this matter too lightly, because your reasoning today also determines how you will stand before God in judgment, because he has warned all Christians:
Mt 12:37: "for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
If these words seem too harsh to you, please send us your evidence from the basic Greek text, the Vulgate and many other Bible translations and please answer the question as to why these texts speak of Jesus' resurrection "on a Sabbath" or "on a Saturday"? Biblically, there can only be one resurrection day and not four (Friday, Saturday, Sabbath, Sunday), where everyone can choose one depending on which Bible translation they have or which church they belong to (see the chapter Church Opinions). God did not cause this chaos, the theologians did.
Again and again we receive threats from Seventh-day Adventists that we have supposedly committed the unforgivable sin (the sin against the Holy Spirit) because we doubt the many ghost visions of Ellen White, who saw the crucifixion of Jesus on a Friday and his resurrection on a Sunday morning in a vision. But Seventh-day Adventists can't scare us because they believe the stories of a dead woman (Ellen White) more than the living Jesus Christ. There is a big difference between us: we do not judge and threaten with unforgivable sin, but we defend the words of the Lord Jesus; but the Adventists defend the words of a dead woman who contradicts Jesus' words. So what should we be afraid of?
Mt 12:31-32: "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."
If Adventists judge other Christians so harshly (even publicly on You Tube), then can they please answer the following questions? When have we ever blasphemed/offended against the Holy Spirit? Or should it be an unforgivable sin if we believe Jesus over a woman? Should it be a sin against the Holy Spirit if we take the words of Jesus Christ literally (not twisting them), know the calendar of God with the 7 feasts and the basic Greek text, which speaks of the Sabbath exactly 70 times in the NT and exactly 7 times in the resurrection chapter and not once about Sunday (see No Sunday)? This is supposed to be our unforgivable sin? It is the other way around, the Seventh-day Adventist leadership should think about it and question themselves, because it is they who are twisting the words of Jesus, bringing the pagan calendar among Christians and shifting the time of Jesus' resurrection back by one day. In doing so, they are enhancing the holiday of the pagans who crucified our Lord Jesus. This is not supposed to be a sin, but we are condemned so harshly and are to be lost because we believe in the sign of the Messiah and in his resurrection "early on the first Sabbath" (Mark 16:9)?
We are not writing this website because we want to be right, but to free other Christians from false teachings (those who remain silent are complicit), because we too used to believe in Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We are grateful to those who brought these errors to our attention and regret that for so long we believed pastors who defended their own church teachings but not the Word of the Lord. The love of God is humble and tests everything that is written in the Holy Scriptures. The arrogant will recognize nothing. The Adventists only embarrass themselves with these threats, because they show that they don't even know what an unforgivable sin is.
This headline sounds provocative and harsh, but it is nevertheless correct, as is now proven. Anyone who truly has the love of God and humility within them must realize that something cannot be right with the Adventist argument. As you will see, we can no longer speak of a difference of opinion here, but the Adventist argumentation is in fact a deliberate seduction of Christians into a false resurrection day, false feasts of God and the abolition of the sign of the Messiah. Some biblical passages are deliberately reinterpreted. If you disagree, please contact us with your evidence and prove that the passages marked in red below are true. We have already shown in advance that this cannot be the case.
Below you will find some quotes in red that show how Seventh-day Adventists twist the word of the Bible:
1. Ellen White and other Adventists want the resurrection of Jesus on Sunday morning
2. the biblical Sabbath is turned into a pagan Sunday
3. the biblical preparation day is turned into a Friday
4. Mk 16:9: the "first Sabbath" is turned into a "first Sunday"
5. Mt 28:1: two Sabbaths are made into one Sunday
6. John 20:19: "late on the Sabbath" is made "late on Sunday".
7. a double Sabbath is supposedly the "High Sabbath" in the Gospels
888. "3 days and 3 nights" supposedly does not mean "3 days and 3 nights"
9. "in the heart of the earth" supposedly means "on the earth"
10. the Palm Sabbath was turned into Palm Sunday
Ellen White taught that Jesus was crucified on the 14th of Nisan, which is true. But this is said to have fallen on a Friday. And then after 3 days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) Jesus is said to have been resurrected on the 16th of Nisan, the "first day of the week" (Sunday). This is wrong, because Jesus was resurrected on the 17th of Nisan. Seventh-day Adventists still refer to these extra-biblical spirit revelations today and defend them with all their might, even if they have to reinterpret the words of Jesus and the Bible to do so. Here are the sad quotes:
"The spices with which the body of Jesus was to be anointed had been prepared on the day preceding the Sabbath [=Friday]. Early in the morning of the first day of the week [=Sunday morning], the Marys, with certain other women, went to the sepulcher to proceed with the work of embalming the body of the Saviour... Christ rested in the tomb on the Sabbath day, and when holy beings of both Heaven and earth were astir on the morning of the first day of the week [sunday], he rose from the grave to renew his work of teaching his disciples. But this fact does not consecrate the first day of the week, and make it a Sabbath... On the sixth day [Friday] they had seen their Master die; upon the first day of the succeeding week [Sunday] they found themselves deprived of his body, and the stigma resting upon them of having stolen it away for the purpose of practicing a deception upon the people."
(The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, by Ellen G. White, Chapter 14; Link).
"The night of the first day of the week [sunday] had worn slowly away. The darkest hour, just before daybreak, had come. Christ was still a prisoner in His narrow tomb... The women who had stood by the cross of Christ waited and watched for the hours of the Sabbath to pass. On the first day of the week [=Sunday morning], very early, they made their way to the tomb, taking with them precious spices to anoint the Saviour's body... On the sixth day of the week [Friday] they had seen their Master die; on the first day of the next week [sunday] they found themselves deprived of His body, and they were accused of having stolen it away for the sake of deceiving the people."
Ellen White: The Desire of Ages, Chapter 81 “The Lord Is Risen ”and Chapter 82 “Why Weepest Thou?” Link
"The disciples rested on the Sabbath, sorrowing for the death of their Lord, while Jesus, the King of glory, lay in the tomb. As night drew on, soldiers were stationed to guard the Saviour’s resting place, while angels, unseen, hovered above the sacred spot. The night wore slowly away, and while it was yet dark, the watching angels knew that the time for the release of God’s dear Son, their loved Commander, had nearly come. As they were waiting with the deepest emotion the hour of His triumph, a mighty angel came flying swiftly from heaven. His face was like the lightning, and his garments white as snow. His light dispersed the darkness from his track and caused the evil angels, who had triumphantly claimed the body of Jesus, to flee in terror from his brightness and glory. One of the angelic host who had witnessed the scene of Christ’s humiliation, and was watching His resting place, joined the angel from heaven, and together they came down to the sepulcher. The earth trembled and shook as they approached, and there was a great earthquake. Terror seized the Roman guard. Where was now their power to keep the body of Jesus? They did not think of their duty or of the disciples’ stealing Him away. As the light of the angels shone around, brighter than the sun, that Roman guard fell as dead men to the ground. One of the angels laid hold of the great stone and rolled it away from the door of the sepulcher and seated himself upon it. The other entered the tomb and unbound the napkin from the head of Jesus. Then the angel from heaven, with a voice that caused the earth to quake, cried out, “Thou Son of God, Thy Father calls Thee! Come forth.” Death could hold dominion over Him no longer. Jesus arose from the dead, a triumphant conqueror. In solemn awe the angelic host gazed upon the scene. And as Jesus came forth from the sepulcher, those shining angels prostrated themselves to the earth in worship, and hailed Him with songs of victory and triumph."
(This excerpt was taken from the book Early Writings (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1882, 1945), pp. 181-184.; Link).
Who gives Ellen White the right to add so many detailed additions to the Word of God? Answer: No one. It is against the will of God and even a sin for which not only Ellen White, but also all her successors will one day have to answer to God. The "day before the Sabbath" was also not a Friday (sixth day) on which the women saw their Master die, but the Bible speaks of a preparation day before the High Sabbath, which falls on different days of the week from year to year. And the women did not "set out for the tomb early on the first day of the week [Sunday morning]", but according to the Bible it was on the seventh day of the week (Sabbath). There are Christians who defend the word of the Lord Jesus, and others who twist his words in order to smuggle pagan teachings into Christianity. The day of the Rapture will also reveal for all to see who really belongs to the spiritual church of God and who does not.
Uriah Smith (*1832; †1903) was an Adventist author, pastor, educator and theologian who is best known as the longest-serving editor of the Review and Herald (now the Adventist Review), which was published for over 50 years. He wrote:
"And this day is particularly specified as “the first day of the week.” Verses 1, 13. Here we have a plain and immovable waymark to guide us in our reckoning; the first day of the week was the third day, - a remark evidently brought in here with design to identify the fulfillment of the numerous predictions that he should rise on the third day... Let us then count back and find the beginning. If the first day of the week was the third day since these things were done, the day preceding, or Sabbath, was the second, and the day before that, or Friday, was the first."
(Uriah Smith: Day of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ, DCRC 5,1; DCRC 5,3; Link).
This shows once again that Adventists do NOT know God's calendar, the basic Greek text and the many correct translations worldwide, but are only guided by the faulty text of the King James Bible (KJV) or the Revised Bibles. Uriah Smisth is not writing the truth because he is relying on a poor man-made interpretive translation (the 1611 KJV), but the resurrection day is specifically referred to as the "Sabbath" 7 times in the singular and plural in the basic Greek text and very many correct translations:
Ellen White and other Adventists (also on HOPE-TV) want Sunday, but God, Jesus and the evangelists want the Sabbath on which the Lord rose from the dead, just as Martin Luther correctly translated. It becomes clear that both the visions and the interpretations of the Adventists cannot come from God's Spirit, but contradict Him, because the Holy Spirit inspired the evangelists to speak seven times of the "Sabbath" in the singular and plural, so that no one could get the idea that it was supposedly on the "first day of the week" (Sunday).
To avoid misunderstandings right from the start, God called the day of resurrection "Sabbath" 7 times (see Interlinear). These are 100% the same words that we encounter throughout the NT and also in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT) and non-biblical Greek literature. They are the same words with the same grammatical forms (σαββατου, σαβββατων). There is only ever mention of the Sabbath, namely 7 times, the holy number:
However, Ellen White and her Adventists instead turn the biblical Sabbath into a pagan Sunday. Since the basic ancient Greek text of the NT mentions the Sabbath exactly 70 times in the singular and plural (see Interlinear), Adventists simply claim that the same word "sabbaton" in the singular (σαββατου) and plural (σαββατων) can mean either "Sabbath" or also "week" ("first day of the week") or "Sunday", depending on the context. This statement is also repeated again and again on Hope TV, where it is constantly claimed that Jesus supposedly rose from the dead "on the first day of the week" (Sunday). Adventists have heard this so often from their church that they take it for granted. But just because a lie is repeated so often does not make it true.
This raises the question: Who actually has the right to determine what is meant when and how? When should an ancient Greek Sabbath in the singular (σαββατου) and plural (σαββατων) mean a Sabbath and when a week or a Sunday?
Many adopt the Catholic argument that the word "Sabbath" should ALWAYS mean "Sabbath", with a single exception, namely only in the resurrection chapter of the NT, where 100% the same word "Sabbath" would suddenly also mean "week" and "Sunday"?
And then another question arises: How should God have expressed it if he really meant the "Sabbath" in the singular (σαββατου) and plural (σαββατων)? This question alone shows how absurd the arguments of Adventist theologians are, because if God meant the Sabbath, He would have had to use exactly the same ancient Greek words in the NT 100% of the time. But the Adventists, in an absolutely proud/arrogant way, claim the right to determine for themselves when God would supposedly mean a Sabbath and when a week and a Sunday.
Although Seventh-day Adventists keep the Sabbath, they do not even know what the Sabbath and the week are. Both the Sabbath and the week have been clearly defined by God personally since creation. The Hebrew word "Sabbath" means "cease" or "rest", but "week" means "sevenness", i.e. a unit of seven weekdays with the Sabbath as the last and seventh day at the end. If Adventists now equate the Sabbath with a week, this would mean that we would no longer have to work at all, because the week would then mean "to rest".
The ancient Greek language was highly developed and knew the Sabbath in all grammatical forms, including the plural, which according to special language rules also meant the singular; therefore the Hebrew "day of the Sabbath" (Yom ha-Shabbat) in the genitive was translated in the Septuagint as "day of the Sabbaths" (ημερα των σαββατων) in the genitive plural and these are also the 100% same words as in the NT (see Bible passages). For those who think that God supposedly would not have been able to speak of the "first day of the week", "after the Sabbath" or "on a Sunday", the chapter "No Sunday" shows over 24 ancient Greek expressions that could have been used to describe Sunday.
The pagan peoples (such as the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans) all hated the Sabbath; it was a Jewish feast day for them. Therefore, they avoided equating their own week with this day. They always had their own words for their week. As in Hebrew, the meaning of "sevenness" (a unit of seven) has been preserved in the meaning of the word in ancient Greek (ebdomada, εβδομαδα) and Latin (hebdomada, septimada). The ancient Greek week can even be found in the Bible, as the Jews themselves translated the Old Testament (OT) from Hebrew into Greek (Septuagint, see Bible verses) 200 years before the birth of Jesus. All Greeks, all Romans and all Greek-speaking Israelites knew the corresponding Greek word for "week" centuries before the birth of Jesus and it is even part of the Old Testament Bible (especially in the book of Daniel). So if Adventist theologians today still claim that there was no corresponding Greek word for the week at the time of Jesus, which is why they were forced to speak of Sabbaths, then they are lying to the children of God. Here is the evidence. They keep the Sabbath in a self-righteous way, but at the same time they lie to and deceive the children of God.
Sevenness (week) and rest (Sabbath) did not mean the same thing in any language. All peoples have always been able to differentiate, and the Israelites were particularly precise, because it was their own holiday according to God's definition.
Nevertheless, Adventists claim that the Sabbath was the only day of the week that had a name, which is why the Greeks had to speak of "Sabbaths" when they meant a different day of the week. This is also nonsense, because all Hebrew and Greek days of the week had their own name and were simply named according to their order, i.e. First (Sunday), Second (Monday), Third (Tuesday), Fourth (Wednesday), Fifth (Thursday) and as the sixth day was the Preparation Day (pre-Sabbath) and as the seventh day the Sabbath, which literally means cessation/rest. Just as the first Hebrew day of the week means "first day" (Yom Rishon = day first), so does the Greek "first day" (πρώτη ημέρα). Neither the Hebrews nor the Greeks ever said such complicated and illogical phases as "first/third day after the Sabbath" or "first/third day to the Sabbath".
In the ancient Greek New Testament (especially in the Acts of the Apostles), the names of the days of the week are also written out according to their numerical designations, and Tuesday is then simply called "third" or "day the third", and no Greek, Roman or Israelite ever had a problem with this, especially as modern Greek still gives most of the names of the days of the week in this way today.
An example: On Paul's journey by ship, the men had already been traveling for many days "και [and] τη [on] τριτη [the third]", when the storm raged, they threw heavy objects into the sea (Acts 27:19). No one said nonsense like "on the third day to the Sabbath" because each day of the week has its own numerical name. This is still the case today in modern Greek and also in Islam, where the days of the week are also named according to their numerical names (Proverbs). However, the pagan peoples came up with their own names for their weekdays, which were usually named after their gods or the planets. This was of course never the case in Hebrew, which is why none of these pagan weekday names are mentioned in the Greek NT.
Conclusion: In no language in the world do Sabbath and week mean the same thing, but every language in the world has always been able to clearly distinguish between the Sabbath and a week. When Adventists equate the Sabbath mentioned in the NT in the singular (σαββατου) and plural (σαββατων) with the week (εβδομαδα), it shows how little they love Jesus in reality. Equating the two words shows the work of dark forces whose aim is to steal something from the Bible (Sabbath) and replace it with something else (Sunday). If God had meant Sunday, he could have used over 24 ancient Greek idioms, as is proven in the chapter "No Sunday".
In other words, how should God have written it differently if He really meant the Sabbath (σαββατου, σαββατων)? Answer: nothing, because it is all already in the NT. We ask the Seventh-day Adventist church leaders (some of whom even claim to be "experts" in ancient Greek/Koine) to translate the following phrases from English into ancient Greek. In ancient Greek, the genitive case was frequently used, including literally in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In English, the genitive does not exist, so the translation is more difficult. But in German everything is very simple, you can translate back and forth several times and it comes out 100% the same every time:
1. "(on) the one of the Sabbaths" (plural genitive)
2. "(on) the one of the Sundays" (plural genitive)
3. "(on) the first of the Sabbaths" (plural genitive)
4. "(on) the first of the Sundays" (plural genitive)
5. "early (on) the first Sabbath" (singular genitive)
6. "early (on) the first Sunday" (singular genitive)
7. "early (on) the first day of the week" (singular genitive)
Why hasn't a single Seventh-day Adventist answered this question in decades, and why does communication with this church always stop when we ask them to translate these sentences? Why are we censored/blocked on You Tube when we ask this question? Do you know why? The answer is quite simple: if they would translate "on the one/first of the Sabbaths" ("τη μια/πρωτη των σαβββατων") and "early on the first Sabbath" ("πρωι πρωτη σαβββατου") correctly, then 100% of what would come out is what is in the NT. That would be a shock for many.
And the Adventists are even more afraid of the next question, namely: Why should these sentences suddenly mean something completely different if they are translated back into English, namely: "on the first day of the week", "on the first Sunday" and "after the Sabbath"? This would mean that the Adventists would condemn themselves before God, because it would be obvious that they are deliberately falsifying the Bible. This would no longer be an error, but a deliberate falsification of God's statements and the spreading of a different Sunday gospel that the Bible and the first Christians did not know. The Gothic Bible, the Vetus Latina, the Vulgate, the Gutenberg Bible and the many old and new Bible translations worldwide show that the New Testament can very well be translated correctly if one frees oneself from the Catholic teachings that Ellen White followed on this point.
It is no problem for us to translate these 7 expressions into other languages (see No Sunday), but the Adventists prefer to delete and block these texts under their videos on You Tube so that people do not recognize the errors in the women's stories of their church founder. Detailed explanations:
- Definition Sabbath
- Definition week
- Translations of the phrases: "on the first day of the week", "on Sunday", "after the Sabbath" etc.
- The sign of the Messiah "3 days and 3 nights"
- "μια των σαββατων"
The following are some quotes from DEFACTO, which is supported by the Adventist Media Education Network or AMEN e.V. for short. It is clear that Seventh-day Adventists do not know the basic Greek text, the many correct translations of the Bible or God's biblical calendar. The New Testament (NT) mentions a preparation day before a Sabbath several times: Mt 27:62; Mk 15:42; Lk 23:54; Jn 19:14, Jn 19:31 and Jn 19:42 (see list). But many cannot distinguish between the preparation days and the Sabbaths, which makes the following errors inevitable:
"Which Sabbath day is meant? Are the biblical accounts referring to the feast Sabbath of Unleavened Bread or the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday), which follows the weekly preparation day (Friday)? Or perhaps even both? The women came to the tomb on the "preparation day" (the evening before sunset) to see the body of Jesus. Afterwards they rested on the Sabbath in accordance with "the law" (4th commandment). When the weekly Sabbath (Saturday) had passed, the women returned to the tomb at sunrise on the first day of the week (Sunday). The previous findings already allow a clear conclusion to be drawn here: Jesus was crucified on Friday afternoon, the biblical preparation day for the weekly Sabbath... It is important to note that paraskeue is obviously always used to describe the day before the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) and not a day that precedes a feast Sabbath, which can fall on any day of the week. The term paraskeue always describes the day we call Friday. And this applies to both biblical and non-biblical usage...
The seventh-day Sabbath was the day after the crucifixion, as the women rested on this Sabbath day (Saturday) in accordance with God's fourth commandment. Therefore, the crucifixion must have taken place on a Friday. Furthermore, the consistent mention of the biblical "preparation day" in the New Testament as a day of preparation for the weekly Sabbath suggests that Jesus died on such a Friday."
Source: Nicola Taubert is a theologian and speaker. He is chairman of the organization AMEN e.V. (Adventist Media Education Network) and founder and director of the Desert Spring Institute (DSI). He currently directs the mission school EMET. Article "WHEN DID JESUS CHRIST DIE?" from July 10, 2020 in Defacto (translated from the German).
This statement is completely false and demonstrates a lack of knowledge, if any, of God's biblical calendar. Mr. Taubert equates the preparation day with Friday and claims that the ancient Greek word "paraskeue" (παρασκευή) supposedly means "always the day we call Friday". It is unbelievable that such evil false teachings are spread over the internet and that so few Adventists are aware of this deception and do not expose it according to Ephesians 5:11. We must even speak of a lie here, and we know who the father of the lie is (Jn 8:44; 1Jn 3:8) and what his goal is, namely to reinterpret the word of Jesus and divide Christianity into many groups. Mr. Taubert also writes: "When the weekly Sabbath (Saturday) had passed, the women returned to the tomb at sunrise on the first day of the week (Sunday)." This is also completely wrong, because the Bible says that the women came to the tomb after the High Sabbath (15th of Nisan) and "early on the first Sabbath" (Mark 16:9). We ourselves have never met an Adventist who knows God's calendar, so they cannot know what the term Paraskeue (preparation day) means in biblical and non-biblical literature, so here is the explanation:
In John 19:31 it is explicitly mentioned that the preparation day of the 14th Nisan was the day before the Passover (15th Nisan):
Jn 19:31: "Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.
Literally: "en gar megale he hemera ekeinou tou sabbatou", see the free bible program Scripture4All:
Since Mr. Nicola Taubert does not know God's calendar, he assumes that the 14th of Nisan in the year of the crucifixion fell on a Friday before a double Sabbath (if the annual Sabbath falls on a weekly Sabbath, Saturday), which supposedly made it the "great day/Sabbath":
"What made this day great? Why this special mention of John? It was "great" (megale) because on this day the annual feast day of the 15th Nisan coincided with a weekly Sabbath - and this therefore made this day "doubly" holy (set apart for God)" [Defacto].
This is completely wrong, because the 15th of Nisan is ALWAYS a High/Great Sabbath (double high/great), regardless of which day of the week it falls on, because it is the first of seven annual High Sabbaths on which the people had to rest according to Leviticus 23. It was a "great Sabbath" because it was a special day of assembly (moedim) with God, of which there were only 7 assembly days in the year. What made this 15th of Nisan great every year? Answer: The presence and the assembly with God made this day/Sabbath doubly great and holy, because God was personally present, regardless of which day of the week the 15th of Nisan fell. Those who came too early or too late did not gather with God. In God's calendar, the date determines the feast day, not the day of the week, because on the 14th/15th Nisan it must always be at the full moon and the middle of the month. All 7 annual Sabbaths are High Sabbaths, regardless of which day of the week they fall on, because God's holy presence makes them particularly important/great days. The day before the High Sabbath is then ALWAYS the preparation day (Paraskeuē, Παρασκευὴ; Nisan 14), regardless of which day of the week it falls on and it is rarely a Friday.
In other words: If the 15th of Nisan as a High annual Sabbath falls on a little weekly Sabbath (Saturday), then it is called a double Sabbath, but the 15th of Nisan is EVERY YEAR, so it is ALWAYS "great" (megale), even if it falls on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. It is the day of the Exodus, the great day of liberation from slavery and sin and it is the holy day of assembly (moedim) with God. This is the great holiday/Sabbath, which can fall on any day of the week, but rarely on a weekly Sabbath (Saturday).
John emphasizes in John 19:31 that the 14th of Nisan was the day before a High Sabbath (the 15th Nisan) and NOT the day (Friday) before a little weekly Sabbath (Saturday). In the year in which the Lord Jesus was crucified, the 14th of Nisan could NOT possibly have fallen on a Friday before a double Sabbath (Saturday) for the following reasons. For the same reasons, there cannot have been two consecutive Sabbaths, i.e. if the High Sabbath (15 Nisan) falls on a Friday and is then followed by the weekly Sabbath (16 Nisan):
As has been clearly shown, we can biblically refute the Seventh-day Adventists and the Messianic Jews/Christians with regard to a possible double Sabbath. There was no Good Friday before a double Sabbath in the year of Jesus' crucifixion. Many Christians know neither God's calendar nor the basic Greek text nor the many correct Bible translations and they completely misinterpret the sign of the Messiah (Mt 12:40) and turn it into a turbo resurrection. It is precisely this most important sign in the history of the universe (see below) that completely collapses the theological Sunday house of cards of Adventists and Messianic Jews/Christians. Their resurrection feast is either always identical in time to the Catholic Easter Sunday or is based on the modern Jewish feasts, but never on the biblical Passover according to Leviticus 23, which takes place at a different time. They are NOT holy convocations (moedim) with God, because they have missed the presence of God's holiness. Yet it is so simple to understand, because at the time of Jesus there was the same sequence of days as about every third year, including 2020 or 2023:
Catholic and Adventist theologians repeatedly put forward the absurd idea that the plural sabbaton (σαββατων) can supposedly also be translated as week (singular). This is impossible and shows what little knowledge many Christians have of ancient Greek, because both in the Septuagint (LXX) and in the NT, the plural sabbaton (σαββατων) is always translated as "Sabbath(s)" in the plural and even singular. Why should the 100% same word mean something different on the day of resurrection of all days, namely week or Sunday?
The expression "day of the Sabbaths" is also well known in the Septuagint and in the NT and has always meant "a Sabbath day" (but not: "day of the sun" or "sun-day"), as is also proven by Exodus 20, where the Hebrew "remember the Sabbath day" (Yom ha-Shabbat) in the singular was translated into ancient Greek as "remember the day of the Sabbaths" in the plural (the day of the Sabbaths). But no one dares to change the 10 commandments of God and turn them into "remember the first day of the week" or "remember Sunday".
In order to avoid all these discussions and disputes in Christianity from the very beginning, God deliberately did not use the plural (σαββατων) in Mark 16:9, but the singular sabbatou (σαββατου). God (not us) is speaking precisely of this particular "first Sabbath" of the 7 Sabbaths that must be counted each year between Passover (15th of Nisan) and Pentecost (50th day) according to Leviticus 23. Nevertheless, Adventists (and some Messianic Jews/Christians such as Amir Tsarfati) turn this biblical "first Sabbath" into the pagan "first Sunday" until Pentecost:
"Further proof that Sunday is the day of resurrection is given in Mark 16:9:
Mark 16:9 Now when he [Jesus] rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
Those who advocate a Wednesday crucifixion must consequently advocate a Saturday afternoon resurrection. But the above verses, and especially Mark 16:9, completely refute this theory."
[Source: Defacto].
What kind of "further proof for Sunday" is this? So far, Seventh-day Adventists have not been able to provide a single proof for Sunday and have completely disgraced themselves. On the contrary, they publicly prove that they have little knowledge of the Word of God. For they refer to the text of the King James Bible, the Elberfeld Bible or the revised Luther Bible, but not to the inspired ancient Greek basic text of the NT, the Latin Vulgate, the original Luther Bible and the many correctly translated Bibles worldwide, also in the English language.
The Adventists list one Bible passage after another, but in the wrong context, and do not take into account that there is a difference between the ancient Greek basic text inspired by God and what theologians make of it in their various translations. Since they do not know God's calendar, they also cannot know what a "first Sabbath" is supposed to be; they only know the "first Sunday of Advent".
They say (as does the Pope) that it would not sound logical to speak "of the first Sabbath", that makes no sense to them, and that it would be more logical to say "on the first day of the week". But the singular in Mk 16:9 ("early on the first Sabbath") means nothing other than the "one/first of the Sabbaths" mentioned in the plural in the other Gospels (Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1), namely the "one/first of the [seven] Sabbaths until Pentecost". The evangelist Mark even mentions both variants in one chapter (Mk 16:2 σαββατων and Mk 16:9 σαββατου) and certainly does not mean two different days of the week on which the women came to the tomb.
The women actually came AFTER the High Sabbath of the 15th Nisan (Mk 16:1), but that was early "on the one/first of the Sabbaths" (Mk 16:2) or "early on the first Sabbath" (Mk 16:9). This is easy to understand, and that is why there are so many correct Bible translations worldwide that speak of the "first Sabbath/Saturday" or the "one/first of the Sabbaths/Saturdays" in the count of the 7 Sabbaths/Saturdays until Pentecost, but not of the "first day of the week" and not of the "first Sunday" and also not of the "one/first of the Sundays" in the count until Pentecost.
The following table shows the 7 Sabbaths in the Jewish calendar in the years in which the 14th of Nisan fell on a Wednesday. All 7 Sabbaths can be given in any Jewish and biblical calendar with Gregorian dates:
Those who recognize that the NT only ever speaks of the "Sabbath" and never of the "first day of the week", put forward a further interpretation that it could supposedly mean the "first day TO the Sabbath" (i.e. Sunday) or "second day TO the Sabbath" (i.e. Monday). This is all nonsense, because it is not like this in any language in the world and the Greek word "TO" is missing in all the basic texts, which all refer to the Sabbath morning. This complicated expression is a confused idea to distort the Bible. The ancient Greek basic text also speaks of the plural "sabbaton" (σαββατων), so it should therefore read "on the first day TO the Sabbaths" (plural), which is even more illogical. It should therefore mean "on the first day TO the weeks". And the word "to" (or "in relation to") is missing in this sentence anyway, because it says "on the one of the Sabbaths" (τη μια των σαββατων). This is logical and very easy to understand, because there are 7 Sabbaths until Pentecost, which must be counted every year and can be found in every Jewish and biblical calendar.
Just as anyone can say "on the one of the Sundays in May", they can also say "on the first Sunday in May" and no one uses such chaotic phrases as "on the first day TO Sunday we go to the movies" or "on the first day TO the weeks we go to the movies". In Israel, no one says "on the first or third day TO the Sabbath". We are in contact with Israelites and Messianic Jews in Israel, some of whom even understand ancient Greek, and they all independently confirm that such illogical language could only have been invented by Christians with a lack of Bible and language skills who want to introduce Sunday and the Bible. Each Hebrew and Greek day of the week has always had its own name and is named according to its number (position in the week), see weekday names.
Unlike most Christians, Jews know what the "first Sabbath" and the "seventh Sabbath" until Pentecost are because they can see the 7 Sabbaths in every Jewish calendar. They calculate this feast differently from Adventists and Catholics. This became particularly clear in 2023, when the biblical and Jewish calendars (see differences) fell on the same days:
Once again, an important fact is that all Hebrew days have always had their own name and Sunday in Hebrew is simply called "day first" (Yom rishon); why didn't God say that in the NT? It would be so easy? See the chapter No Sunday). And no one said "on the day first to the Sabbath/s", the Hebrew days of course beginning at sunset and not at midnight (see Day). Furthermore, the NT was not written in Hebrew, but in Greek. In the Greek NT, the word "day" (ημερα = hemera) is very often not mentioned, although it was meant, e.g:
Acts 27:19: "And on the third ["day" is missing] they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands."
So God could have simply written "on the first day the women came to the tomb" or simply "on the first the women came to the tomb" (see translation examples), everyone would have no problem with that. Ancient Greek is that easy to understand if theologians don't falsify it with new adventurous idioms and interpretations just to erase the Sabbath (in the singular and plural) from the Bible. And because it is not logical for Adventists to speak of the "first Sabbath", because they do not know God's calendar and have only heard of the 4 Sundays of Advent and the Pope's first Sunday, they cannot understand what is written in Leviticus 23:
Lev 23:15-16: "You shall count seven full weeks [literally: seven full Sabbaths] from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. 16 You shall count 50 days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord."
God (not us) commanded in Leviticus 23 that seven Sabbaths must be counted each year between Passover (15th Nisan) and Pentecost (50th day) but not 7 Sundays. If there is a "seventh Sabbath", then there must also be a "first Sabbath" and "second Sabbath".
This "first Sabbath" and "seventh Sabbath" only exist once a year, just as the Catholic "first Sunday of Advent" only exists once a year. Every child understands that. But only those who know God's biblical calendar know that there are these seven Sabbaths every year.
The 14th of Nisan very often falls on a Wednesday (about every third year), then the "first Sabbath" is always on the 17th of Nisan. This was also the case in 2020, 2020 and 2023. Mark and the other evangelists spoke of this "first Sabbath" (Mk 16:9). The emphasis on the "one" of these Sabbaths refers to this very special little weekly Sabbath, which only occurs once a year because it lies on Passover between the two High Sabbaths on the 15th and 21st of Nisan and is also the "first Sabbath" of a series/series of seven Sabbaths until Pentecost. This is why all the evangelists emphasize that it is precisely this "one" special Sabbath of the 7 Sabbaths (plural) (Mk 16:2; Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1). There are no contradictions in the Bible and every word has its meaning. It is always about the "one/first of the [seven] Sabbaths".
Many do not distinguish between cardinal and ordinal numbers and translate the Greek mia (μια, one) as first (πρωτη, prote). Although this is not literal, in this case it is completely correct in terms of content, because the day mentioned is actually the first Sabbath of the seven Sabbaths until Pentecost.
If God had meant the "first Sunday" until Pentecost, then he would have said so. No one can express himself better than Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and every Greek word in the NT has a clear meaning. There are not only the Strong numbers, but also numerous aids that make Bible study in the basic text much easier, such as the free PC program ISA3 from Scripture4All, while other programs are often too imprecise.
Since the church leadership rarely wants to listen to us and prefers to block the truth from the public and censor other Christians, perhaps a quote from other Adventists themselves will help, who already recognized and biblically proved at the time of the First World War (1914-1918) that Ellen White was wrong and that the Bible never speaks of Sunday, but always only and 7 times of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus "on a Sabbath" or "on the first Sabbath". It is a letter from three brothers and sisters to the Adventist Church, in which they prove the biblical resurrection day and warn the church. The following is the original Adventist quote (translated from German):
Title: The change in the day of Jesus' resurrection foretold in the Holy Scriptures.
Quote:
"Since the end is very near and we must be armed with all truths in order to stand in the time of trouble, but many Advent believers are in the same erroneous belief as the general Christianity that Christ was resurrected on the first day of the week, ... it is of utmost importance to be certain that the Lord Jesus did not rise on the first day of the week. According to Daniel 7:25, the little horn, which the prophet of God sees bursting forth from the ten horns in verses 7 and 8, is said to be in charge of "changing the feasts and the law". Since the little horn represents papal Rome, the change of these times, like that of the law, must also have been made by Rome...
[now to Mark 16:9:]
(Ἀναστὰς δὲ πρωῒ πρώτῃ σαββάτου)
(Anasias de proi prote Sabbtou)
" Risen but, early on the first Sabbath".
The word "Sabbath" does not mean "week". Also, regarding the time of day of that Sabbath, "early in the morning" is given. And the word "day" (ημέρα [hemera]) is missing completely. The Greek word for "week" was always "Hebdomas", "Hebdomad", "Heptad".
(The words "first Sabbath" are also not intended to indicate a specific day of sweet bread [=unleavened bread]; the first had already passed. Of the days of sweet bread, only the feasts - the first and last days - were holy. Exodus 23:7,8: Work was allowed on the intermediate days from the 16th to 20th of Nisan [note: except on the weekly Sabbath between the High Sabbaths of the 15th and 21st of Nisan]. These days are never called "Sabbaths" in the Holy Scriptures. Sabbath means rest. Only because the 16th of Nisan fell on a seventh-day Sabbath in the year of Jesus' resurrection is it called a "Sabbath" in Scripture.) ...
If Jesus' resurrection had taken place on the first day of the week, the first day of the week would also have been mentioned in the Gospels. But not one of the four evangelists mentions this day. Elsewhere, where a specific day of a number of days is mentioned, it is explicitly stated (Mark 14:12): "Καὶ τῇ πρώτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν ἀζύμων":
(Καὶ τῇ πρώτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν ἀζύμων)
(Kai te prote Hemera toon Ugumoon)
"And on the first day of the unleavened" etc...
According to the Scriptures, Christ was not resurrected on the first day of the week, but on a Sabbath day... The Lord has revealed the truth about the resurrection day of Jesus in our day because the end is near. If the first day of the week [Sunday] is mentioned in Sister White's writings, it is because Sister White considered the paschal preparation day of the Jews to be the Friday preceding the seventh-day Sabbath, and the feast Sabbath [Nisan 15] was confused with the seventh-day Sabbath... God does not leave any of His children who experience the "hour of temptation" in the dark about this truth. All who have the privilege of belonging to the 144,000 will be allowed to recognize before the close of probation that the resurrection of Jesus took place on a Sabbath day, and will not agree with the doctrine of the Sunday celebration, as Satan, when he appears as a personified Christ, will make them believe. Rather, they will know that the Sabbath is even more glorious because it was precisely on this day that our Savior's completed work of redemption was accepted by his Father and redemption was sealed."
[Source: Die Veränderung des Auferstehungstages Jesu in der Heiligen Schrift vorausgesagt, 1914-1918]
As already said, these are words from Adventists (not from us), and every Adventist should be aware that he must answer to God for every change in the Word of God (the Bible), every word he writes/speaks and every Sunday and calendar seduction he commits against the children of God. Even Adventists recognized and documented more than 100 years ago that Ellen White was wrong. But many keep the Sabbath, but cowardly support the pope and his postponement of God's feast days and turn the sign of the Messiah into a sign of the pope with his postponement of the resurrection day from the "first Sabbath" (see Mk 16:9) to the "first day of the week" (Sunday). Will the Sabbath save the Adventists in the judgment before God in the same way that the Sabbath will save the Pharisees, who also twisted Jesus' words?
A well-known SDA teacher is Walter Veith (*1949), who has published numerous videos and writings and defends the teachings of the seer Ellen White. He too is not interested in the correct translation of the ancient Greek basic text (see Interlinear) and the many correct translations of the Bible worldwide (see Old Bibles), because if the Bible really spoke of the resurrection of Jesus "on a Sabbath" or on the "first Sabbath" (Mark 16:9) of the 7 Sabbaths until Pentecost (50th day), then it would be obvious to all Christians that the spirit visions of Ellen White did not come from God, but from another spirit. This is the reason why Adventists block questions or comments on You Tube instead of refuting them, so that the clear errors of this church are not exposed. In doing so, they write their own judgment, because they twist the words of the Bible, block the followers of Jesus and believe the women's stories of Ellen White more than the living Jesus.
Anyone who disagrees is welcome to contact us; but we have known for many years that the Adventists only make insults and threats because for decades NOBODY has been able to refute us biblically and to translate the 7 phrases mentioned above under point 2. If one day Christian content is banned under the rule of the Antichrist, then Adventists need not complain because they are even worse for having censored and blocked their own Christian brothers and sisters instead of humbly examining everything as God commands. Isn't it amazing that Christians of all people are the quickest to censor and block others? In this way they show that they are no different from the world and the media. Would Adventists also have censored and blocked Jesus and the evangelists because they literally report the resurrection of the Lord "on a/first Sabbath" in the New Testament (Mt 28:1; Mk 16:2; Mk 16:9; Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1; Jn 20:19)?
And if the Seventh-day Adventists still want to argue, we can end these discussions very quickly. Because they only have to answer one question: How would you translate "early of the first Sabbath" (singular genitive) into ancient Greek? And all Adventist theologians run away from this question because they would have to use the same words as in the NT. There is no other possibility. Furthermore, Luther correctly translated John 20:19 as "on the evening of the same Sabbath", when the disciples were gathered in the house and Jesus appeared to them. It was not "on the evening of the same Sunday" and also not "on the evening of the same first day of the week", as the original Luther Bible has proclaimed for more than 500 years.
In Mt 28:1 the Sabbath appears twice in the plural (σαββατων), which is completely normal according to special linguistic rules in the ancient Greek language (cf. Septuagint) and has always meant both the plural (Sabbaths) and the singular (Sabbath). Therefore, almost all Bibles in the world translate the first Sabbath (σαββατων) in Mt 28:1a as "Sabbath", but only a few words further on they turn the 100% identical word "σαββατων" into either "the first day of the week" or "after the Sabbath" or "on a Sunday". What kind of logic is that? In the process, 5 words are added to the Bible that are NOT found in ANY basic text in Mt 28:1, namely:
- "first" (πρωτη, prote instead of "one", μια, mia)
- "day" (ημερα, hemera)
- "week" (εβδομαδα, ebdomada)
- "Sunday" (Hλίου ημέρα or ημέρα Ήλιου)
- "after (μετα, meta) the Sabbath"
A 100% identical word σαββατων should therefore have different meanings in one and the same sentence and mean several days of the week (Sabbath, Saturday, week, Sunday), so that according to theologians and Bible translators there are supposedly many different interpretations:
- on a Sabbath
- on a Saturday
- on a Sunday
- on the one of the Sabbaths
- on the one of the Saturdays
- on the one of the Sundays
- on the first Sabbath
- on the first Sunday
- on the first day of the week
- after the Sabbath
Now comes the important question: Who has the authority and who dares to say what God meant in Mt 28:1? And who has the right to determine what God did not mean in the 100% identical word? Answer: There is no such ecclesiastical authority, but the Word of God was written for all people and every single word in the Bible has its clear meaning, especially a word that has already been defined by God since creation and then adopted in all other languages of the world.
It is clear that the Adventists, Messianic Jews/Christians and other churches are deliberately trying to deceive the children of God, because one word has never had so many different meanings in any language and never will. Every language in the world has always been able to differentiate between Sabbath, Saturday, week and Sunday. The Greek words for "day", "after", "week" and "Sunday" are missing in Mt 28:1.
In addition, a distinction must be made between the cardinal numbers (one, two, three...) and the ordinal numbers (= order: first, second, third...) and these must not be lumped together.
Since the Sabbath (σαββατων) appears in the plural (but a week has only one Sabbath), an alleged translation of the Sabbath as a week should therefore be "weeks" (plural):
"on the evening of the weeks, when it began to get light on one of the weeks..." or
"after the weeks, when it began to get light on the one of the weeks..."
In order to avoid all these long discussions from the outset, Matthew expresses himself very precisely and describes the period between the dark phase (οψε, evening, darkness) and the just becoming light (morning, daylight) on the one Sabbath, the same Sabbath. His statement is therefore in line with the other evangelists, who all speak of the women coming to the tomb on the morning of a Sabbath and this was the "one/first of the [seven] Sabbaths" (Mk 16:2; Mk 16:9; Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1; Jn 20:19), which must be counted every year between Passover and Pentecost. What is difficult to understand about this? Seventh-day Adventists see it differently and dare to turn the biblical Sabbath (σαββατων), which is mentioned twice in Mt 28:1, once into a Sabbath and then into a pagan "first day of the week (εβδομαδα)" (Sunday, ημέρα Ήλιου), although there have always been ancient Greek words for it. But all this is ignored, quote:
"Greenfield and Bagster both define “ ‘opse sabbaton,’ after the close of the Sabbath. Matthew 28:1.” Another word in the sentence confirms the view that it applies to a time when the Sabbath was past. That word is “epiphōskousē,” from “epiphōskō,” translated, “as it began to dawn.” The root of this word is “phōs,” which means “light.” The light of the sun and the light of the day, is, of course, the leading idea contained in the word. The verb epiphōskō,” signifies the transition from darkness to daylight. It applies, primarily, therefore, to the morning... But Mark [Mk 16:1] says directly: - “And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.” Source: Uriah Smith: Day of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ, DCRC 13,8; DCRC 17, and 18,1; 19,1-2; Link.
Uriah Smith is very much mistaken, because when it gets light in the morning, the Sabbath is not over, but it is exactly the middle of a Sabbath day. Even if Adventists translate the evening (οψε) mentioned in Mt 28:1 as "after" (μετα, meta) or was over/past (διαγενομενου, diaginomenou), this is not literal, but the content is completely correct, because the women came to the tomb after the High annual Sabbath (15th of Nisan), namely on the little weekly Sabbath (17th of Nisan), which is the "first Sabbath" in the count of the 7 Sabbaths until Pentecost. In Mk 16:1 and then later in Mk 16:2,9 the evangelist speaks of TWO different Sabbaths, but if Christians do not want to know God's calendar, then they should not be surprised if they do not know that there is not just one, but even three Sabbaths in a Passover week and therefore also three preparation days. You can find detailed information on this under:
- Mt 28,1
- Difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers in Mt 28,1
- "Day of the Sabbaths was replaced to the Day of the sun"
Some say that the plural "sabbaton" (σαββατων) means "week" (εβδομάδα, ebdomada) if it is preceded by mia (μια, one/a) or prote (πρωτη, first). This is also wrong, because Sabbath does not mean week (εβδομάδα, sevenness, 7 days) in any language, regardless of whether it is preceded by "on one/first" (see week). You can say "on the one/first of the Sabbaths" or "on the third of the Sabbaths" in any language, because there are always 7 weekly Sabbaths between Passover and Pentecost, with the "seventh Sabbath" being the last weekly Sabbath in this series. Where there is a "seventh Sabbath", there must also be a "first Sabbath". Although it is possible to translate "after three Sabbaths" as "after three weeks" (which is not literally correct, but correct in terms of content), as was done in the Septuagint in some cases, there are completely different expressions for the "first" or "third day of the week" (see No Sunday). Furthermore, sabbaton in Mt 28:1 is twice in the plural (σαββατων), so it should read "on the one/first of the weeks", because a week has only one Sabbath.
To avoid any misunderstandings, Mark does not speak of the plural (σαβββατων) in Mark 16:9, but of the singular (σαβββατου). Nevertheless, Adventists also dare to translate this one Sabbath in the singular as "week". This means that no Greek or Israelite could ever have said "on the first Sabbath" or "on the third Sabbath", because consequently it would always have to be "on the first day of the week" or "on the third day of the week". All this is not only illogical, but shows how stubbornly the Word of God is twisted just to turn a biblical Sabbath into a pagan Sunday. You should not take the warnings of the Lord Jesus Christ too lightly, because eternal life is at stake:
Mt 12:37: "for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
The Bible passage in John 20:19 is very easy to translate. John speaks of Jesus appearing to the disciples on the evening of the same Sabbath when they were gathered in the house for fear of the Jews. Yet Seventh-day Adventists make this Sabbath a Sunday. It is inconceivable that they keep the Sabbath but want Jesus to appear to the disciples not on a Sabbath but on a Sunday, namely on the weekly holiday of the Roman murderers of Jesus. In doing so, they enhance this pagan day and give it special honor as the alleged day of Jesus' resurrection and appearance, while at the same time degrading the Sabbath. Martin Luther translated correctly:
"Now on the evening of the same Sabbath, when the disciples were gathered together..."
(Am Abend aber desselben Sabbats, als die Jünger versammelt waren...)
Many other Bibles have been translated correctly, many of which are Catholic. They speak of a Sabbath or even a Saturday evening. So the Catholics knew centuries before the founding of the Seventh-day Adventist Church what the Adventists still do not know today. The following are only examples from the English language (for a list, see John 20:19):
WSaxon 990: Ða hit wæs æuën on anon þæra reste-daga & ða dure wæron belocene...
[translated: As it was evening on one of the Rest-day & the doors ware locked...]
WSaxon 1175: Þa wæs æfen, on an þare reste-daye & þa duren wæren be-lokene…
[translated: As it was evening on one of the Rest-day & the doors ware locked...]
Wycliffe 1382: Therfore whanne it was euentid in that dai, oon of the sabatis, and the yatis weren schit...
COVRD 1535: The same Sabbath at euen whā þe disciples were gathered…
HollxB 1538: Whan it was now late on the same first daye of the sabbat, and the dores were shut...
Great-B 1539: The same daye at nyght: which was the first daye of the Sabothes, when the dores were shut…
COVRD 1553: The same Sabbath at euen, whan the disciples were gathered…
Bishops 1568: The same day at nyght, whiche was the first day of the Sabbothes, when the doores were shut…
Douay-R 1582: Therefors when it was late that day, the first of the Sabboth, and the doores were shut…
YLT 1862: It being, therefore, evening, on that day, the first of the sabbaths, and the...
SLT 1876: Then it being evening, in that one day of the sabbaths, and the doors shut...
WAS 1904: When, therefore, it was evening, on that day, the first day of sabbaths; and, when, through fear...
CLNT 1962: It being, then, the evening of that day, one of the sabbaths, and the doors having been locked...
KIT-W 1985: Being therefore of evening to the day that the one (day) of sabbaths, and of the doors…
LITV 1985: Then it being evening on that day, the first of the sabbaths, and the doors having been locked…
ERRB 1992: So the same day at evening, being the first of the shabbaths, when the portals...
ECB 1994: So the same day at evening, being the first of the shabbaths, the portals where the disciples...
MKJV 1998: Then the same day at evening, being the first of the sabbaths, when the doors were shut...
JB2000: Then the same day at evening, being the first of the sabbaths, when the doors were shut...
ABP 2003: It being then late in that day, in the day one of the Sabbaths, and the doors being locked...
KJ3 2005: Then it being evening on that day, the first of the sabbaths, and the doors having been locked...
MYLT 2005: It being, consequently, evening, on that day, the first of the sabbaths, and the doors...
COLR-E 2007: So when it was evening on that day, the one of the Shabbats, and when the doors were shut…
KataB 2007: while being consequently late, the day that the one the sabbaths and the doors having-been-SHUT…
ANT 2009: being so [one] late [in] the day that [on] the one [one] [of] breaks (weekly) and the doors having…
CPDV 2009: Then, when it was late on the same day, on the first of the Sabbaths, and the doors were closed…
FNT 2009: Being therefore evening on the first day of the Sabbaths, and the doors having been closed…
JMNT 2009: Then, it being late in that day (evening on that day)- on one of the sabbaths - and the doors...
Scr4All 2010: OF-BEING THEN evening to-THE DAY that THE ONE OF-THE SABBATHS AND OF-THE DOORS...
MISB 2011: When therefore it was later, on that day, the first of the sabbaths, and when the doors were shut…
DTE 2011: Hence, being evening in that the day, the one day of the sabbath terms, and the doors having been shut…
ToY 2012: On the evening of the First of the Sabbaths, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors…
GNM 2017: When therefore it was later, on that day, the FIRST OF THE SABBATHS, and when the doors were shut...
Seventh-day Adventists make no distinction between the many little weekly Sabbaths and the 7 High/Great annual Sabbaths in God's calendar, which are special days of assembly (moedim) with God. They claim that a double Sabbath is a "great Sabbath". And this is correct, because if an annual Sabbath falls on a weekly Sabbath, then this Sabbath is a double Sabbath and of course also a "great Sabbath" (=High Sabbath). What Adventists do not say, however, is that an annual Sabbath, regardless of which day of the week it falls on, is ALWAYS a "Great/High Sabbath", even if it does not fall on a Saturday (Sabbath). Therefore, the 15th of Nisan is always a High/Great Sabbath, regardless of whether it falls on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday. The presence of God on this day makes it a great day. This has already been explained in more detail under point 3 in relation to the preparation day (see above).
This point is particularly important. Jesus, whose numerical value of His name is 888 (symbolizing love and eternity), is the living Word of God. No one in the whole universe can express himself better than Him. When he speaks of "3 days and 3 nights" in connection with the sign of the Messiah, He means it. As this is the most important sign in the history of the universe, Jesus expressed himself very clearly so that all people, including children, could understand it. Seventh-day Adventists see it differently. They say that Jesus supposedly only meant this symbolically and instead rose from the dead after only 1.5 days in the grave (heart of the earth). Jesus would therefore not have meant the time in the grave, but also the time in which He was exposed alive to people on earth. So it is not about a period of time IN the earth (IN the heart of the earth, IN the tomb), but about both, namely 1.5 days ON the earth (on the heart of the earth) and another 1.5 days IN the earth (in the heart of the earth).
"In the past, there have been various theories among Christians as to when Jesus Christ died. One of these is the theory that Jesus died on Wednesday, as otherwise he could not have lain in the tomb for "three days and three nights" according to biblical findings... Proponents of the "Wednesday theory" see the "three days and three nights" in Mt 12:40 as a literal reference to a period of literally 72 hours, since, according to them, there are not three days and three nights from Good Friday to Easter Sunday... These passages [Luke 24:1,7,21,46] make it clear that on the "first day of the week" (Sunday) (v. 1), the two angels at the tomb say that Jesus would have to rise on the "third day" (v. 7)... Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, the first day of the week, which was the third day since his crucifixion, death and burial (Luke 24:21).
Now the test:
Sunday was the third day, the day of resurrection.
Saturday (Sabbath) was the second day when Christ rested in the tomb.
Friday (preparation day) was the first day, the day of the crucifixion.
Jesus was crucified on Friday and died at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. His resurrection took place sometime between Saturday after sunset and sunrise on Sunday morning.
There is absolutely no way to date the crucifixion back to Wednesday so that it is consistent with Scripture.
A Wednesday crucifixion is clearly impossible!"
[Source: Nicola Taubert is a theologian and speaker. He is chairman of the media education organization AMEN e.V. (Adventist Media Education Network) and founder and director of the Desert Spring Institute (DSI). He currently directs the mission school EMET. Article "WHEN DID JESUS CHRIST DIE?" from July 10, 2020 in Defacto],
The statements of Adventist Nicola Taubert can only be classified as "satire", but by no means as serious Bible study. Surely Adventists should have learned arithmetic at school? Between Friday evening and Sunday morning, where are the "3 days and 3 nights"? Jesus Christ of all people, the Word of God, is apparently not able to express himself clearly, but we need a Mr. Taubert who abolishes the words of Jesus or twists them in such a way that they do not mean what Jesus meant. But it is even worse than satire, because it is nothing other than a deception of Christianity. Reason: In order to avoid all the discussions we have here on this long website right from the start, Jesus gave the entire visible and invisible world a clear sign that officially and for all eternity legitimizes him as the Messiah (the anointed of God):
Mt 12:38-40: "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him [Jesus], saying, 'Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.' 39 But he answered them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth [literally Gr. kardia = in the heart; Strong No. 2588; "in the heart of the earth 3 days and 3 nights"]..'"
Question: How should Jesus have expressed it differently in the ancient Greek language if he really meant "3 days and 3 nights"? Answer: There is no other option! No Adventist and no Messianic Jew/Christian has the right to twist the words of Jesus just because he wants to follow the Catholic calendar and have a Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday every year.
Adventists ignore the most important sign in the history of the universe. Jesus did not speak of 72 hours, nor of a turbo resurrection after only 1.5 days, as is clear from the following illustration, which shows the sign of the Messiah (3 days and 3 nights), but not the sign of Ellen White (1.5 days). Thus the 3 days and 3 nights are counted, as is the case in God's calendar about every third year, including 2023:
If you hear again from Adventists that Jesus supposedly meant the "3 days and 3 nights" only symbolically, then please let them explain to you how Jesus should have expressed it if He did not mean it symbolically, but really meant "3 days and 3 nights"? What is symbolic about it? Should He have meant "NOT 3 days and 3 nights" instead, but a turbo surprise resurrection halfway through, where He erases his own sign to legitimize Himself as the Messiah?
The disciples of Jesus, the Israelites, Pilate and the Roman soldiers did not know Ellen White, born in 1827, who could tell them what Jesus supposedly meant and what He did not mean. They heard it from the Lord Jesus himself, and what He said is extremely clear and unmistakable. Every child can understand that. It doesn't have to be 72 hours, but at least there must be portions of "3 days and 3 nights". We will be judged before God according to whether we have defended the sign of the Messiah or falsified it and thus deceived other Christians into another sign of Ellen White and the pope. Once again: How should Jesus have expressed it if he meant not just 3 days, but exactly "3 days and 3 nights", as with Jonah, who was also exactly "3 days and 3 nights" in the belly of the fish (sea monster)?
Another terrible Seventh-day Adventist argument is that they interpret the "3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth" (Mt 12,38-40) to supposedly refer not to the time IN the earth (in the grave), but ON the earth, i.e. the time when Jesus was alive and exposed to the power of evil men and would have been in the grave for that short time. Unfortunately, this interpretation is not a joke, because several Adventists have actually written this theory in their books. On the one hand they say that Jesus only meant it symbolically and then again that it was not symbolic and he really meant "3 days and 3 nights", but not only IN the earth, but also ON the earth among men. This raises the question: How could Pilate, the Roman soldiers, the Israelites and the women know when this time began and when it ended? How were they to know when the counting would begin and when it would end? And how should Jesus have said it if he really meant "in the heart of the earth", i.e. in the grave, just as Jonah was not on the fish but "in the belly of the fish (whale)"?
Let's look at some Adventist arguments according to which "in the heart of the earth" would supposedly not mean "in the grave", but also "on the grave" or more precisely "near the grave", namely "under the dominion of sinful men" or "under the reign of darkness", as Adventists have repeatedly propagated in their writings for over 100 years:
"In all these scriptures it will be noticed that his being given over “into the hands of men,” “the hands of the Gentiles,” and “the hands of sinners,” is made equally prominent with the other events; and the trial and condemnation and crucifixion are inseparably connected with the resurrection, as coming within the three days. During all this time he was “in the heart of the earth” - that is, under the dominion of sinful men. This idea corresponds much better with the case of Jonah. He was in the stomach of the fish, under the control of a living monster, not buried in dead earth; so Christ was under the domination of living men and devils. He was no more in the heart of the earth when in the grave, than he was when hanging upon the cross; no more in the heart of the earth when in the tomb, than he was when the mob had secured actual control over him, after his betrayal by Judas... When Christ said to the chief priests and captains of the temple, who had come out to take him, “This is your hour and the power of Darkness” (Luke 22:52,53), he set apart a peculiar period in his experience during which he was in the hands of men. This was the time when he was “in the heart of the earth.” It began with his betrayal, at the beginning of the sixth day [Friday], and ended with the resurrection on the morning of the first day of the week [Sunday]."
Uriah Smith: Day of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ, DCRC 13,8; DCRC 14,2; Link, Link2]
These words are deeply shocking. How can Adventists twist the word of the Lord Jesus so brutally just to defend the extra-biblical and new visions of a woman? The "power of darkness" and "under the dominion of sinful men" is interpreted as being "in the heart of the earth". What kind of sign is that supposed to be? Jonah was certainly under the dominion of a living monster, but it was also IN the belly of the sea monster (fish, whale), i.e. in a closed place to which no fish, no other animals and no humans had access. Jonah was "3 days and 3 nights" in a place that was sealed off from the outside world. That is why Jesus made this comparison with Jonah, so that people would know exactly what he meant and what he did not mean.
Other Adventists such as Ellet Waggoner (The Present Truth, 1902) and James White (The Present Truth, December 1849) also spread this terrible heresy:
"Thus, Jesus was in the heart of the earth, or controlled and held by the powers of earth and hell, from the time that he was betrayed into the hands of sinners, until he arose from the dead, in triumph and victory. Jesus was as much in the heart of the earth when before Pilate, and on the cross, as he was while in Joseph's tomb. With this view, all the Scripture testimony will harmonize. To some this may look like spiritualism; but let such give us a better view; that will harmonize all the Scripture testimony, and we will take it."
(James White: The Present Truth, December 1849; Link].
Yes, it is indeed spiritualism, and it only agrees with the statements of Ellen White and her church, which abolished the sign of the Messiah, but it does not harmonize at all with the Bible (the Word of God). Once again the question: Was Jonah also 1.5 days ON the fish (whale) and the remaining 1.5 days IN the fish/whale? The Bible does NOT speak of "ON the heart of the earth" or "ON the surface of the earth", but "IN the heart of the earth", i.e. in a closed place. Jonah was not "ON the belly/heart of the whale" and also not "ON the surface of the whale", but "IN the whale", a place closed off from the outside world:
Mt 12,40: "For just as Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights IN the belly of the great fish [literally: IN the body cavity of the sea monster], so will the Son of Man be 3 days and 3 nights IN the heart of the earth [literally: "kardia = in the heart" (Strong no. 2588), i.e. "IN the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights]".
Our Lord Jesus Christ says that Jonah was not on the fish, nor on the heart, nor in the belly of the fish, but IN the body cave 3 days and 3 nights. And so our Lord Jesus Christ was not on the earth, but IN the burial cave. Three days and three nights each in the body cave and the burial cave. But all these many arguments miss the point for Sunday Adventists. Instead of "Seventh-day Adventists", they should rather call themselves "First-day Adventists" or "Sunday Adventists", whose Jonah takes a cruise on the fish for 1.5 days just to turn a Sabbath into a Sunday.
Jonah 2:1-7: "Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ 5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head 6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple."
Various translations speak of the "womb of the underworld", just as Luther speaks of the "womb of the earth" in Mt 12:38-40. It also refers to "the deepest depths of the earth" and "there you brought my life out of the pit". A pit is not a place for a court meeting with many people on earth, but a place separated from people, a grave. The Pharisees were not together with Jesus in the tomb for days, but they took Jesus to the tomb or crypt for "3 days and 3 nights". It is therefore about a state "in the deepest parts of the earth" and "not on earth". The German standard translation speaks of "in the belly of the fish" and "from within the fish", "from the body of the underworld", from the "heart of the seas" and "you brought me up alive from the grave."
In order to avoid exactly these discussions with the Adventists, God says that Jonah was in the body of the fish (sea monster) and at the same time uses the words "Sheol" (Strong's no. 7586) in the OT and "Hades" (Strong's no. 86) in the NT. It literally refers to the abode of the dead, which is called Sheol in Hebrew and Hades in Greek. Sheol occurs 66 times in the OT and Hades 10 times in the NT (Mt 11:23; 16:18; Lk 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; Rev 1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14):
Question: How long were Jonah and Jesus in Sheol/Hades? Answer: The context of the information in the OT and NT shows that both Jonah and Jesus were in the heart (grave, Sheol, Hades) for "3 days and 3 nights", not just a shortened turbo time phase of only 1.5 days. The Bible interprets itself, and any humble Christian can see that we are being lied to by Adventists with their adventurous interpretations.
The Israelites are well aware that the first Passover lamb was separated from the flock and brought to the people on the 10th of Nisan at the time of the Exodus and that this day fell on a Sabbath (Saturday) that year. This is why they give special honor to this weekly Sabbath before Passover and call it the High Sabbath (see Shabbat ha-Gadol) to this day. In every Jewish calendar, this single weekly Sabbath is entered as the "Great Sabbath" of the year. Of course, this must not be confused with the 7 great annual Sabbaths, the seven great High Sabbaths. We've never met an Adventist who knew this, and when we explain it, they think it's a weird sectarian doctrine because they've never heard it before. But it should be absolute basic Christian knowledge. Instead, every year they commemorate the Catholic feasts of Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday, holidays that didn't even exist at the time of the Exodus and in the year of Jesus' crucifixion.
Why is this topic so extremely important? Because it proves that the 14th of Nisan fell on a Wednesday at the time of the Exodus and the 15th Nisan (High Sabbath) fell on a Thursday. Conversely, this means that Jesus could only have completely fulfilled the Passover sacrifice and the law if he died on the same calendar day (14th of Nisan), on the same day of the week (Wednesday) and at the same time (3 pm) when the first Passover lamb shed its blood. And the same happened in the year of the crucifixion of Jesus, who thus became the last Passover lamb and through his resurrection on the Sabbath became our eternal Sabbath rest.
See the chapter: Shabbat ha Gadol on Nisan 10.
The fact that someone keeps the Sabbath says nothing about them, because the Pharisees also kept the Sabbath and they will not be in the kingdom of God. It is much more important to see what Ellen White made of the words of Jesus Christ and whether she defended or twisted/reinterpreted His word to change the feast times of the Bible, the sign of the Messiah and the day of resurrection. When a prophet of God speaks, he does not make statements that contradict the other words of the Bible as Mrs. Ellen White did. In the quotes above it was shown how many Bible passages Adventists have to reinterpret to make the Sabbath a Sunday. No prophet of God would ever do that. The extremely many additions to the Bible are also a terrible presumption. Adventists don't even know the Bible, but instead study thousands of writings by a woman. If they had rather invested this time in the Word of God and the calendar of God, they would not have fallen for the deception of spiritual visions. A different spirit is at work here.
Ellen White herself said:
"God does nothing in partnership with Satan. My work ... bears the stamp of God or the stamp of the enemy. There is no halfway work in the matter. The Testimonies are of the Spirit of God, or of the devil.”
Instead of Jesus, the woman Ellen White was exalted and she was even called "inerrant", see Wikipedia:
"However, from the 1920s to the 1960s, something like a "fabulous world of Ellen White" prevailed in the free church. According to Adventist church historian George Raymond Knight (*1941), this glorified "Ellen White wonderland" had to do with a clear shift in the thinking of the church leadership towards fundamentalist positions after her death: "She was not only the authority on exegesis and theology, but also flawless, inerrant, 100 years ahead of her time, of impeccable character, and in the eyes of most Adventists, verbally inspired." Wikipedia
Wikipedia (translated)
How can we know and be sure if Ellen White was a prophetess sent by God or if her messages were "of the devil" as she herself asks? Everyone can find the answer for themselves, let us seriously reflect, the Holy Spirit exposes the errors and lies:
Judge for yourself whether these points and changes to the Bible just mentioned are from the Spirit of God or from the devil. We know the answer.
Pagan festivals under a Christian veil and the Sabbath churches don't recognize this deception? How much time do they spend studying the Word of God on the Sabbath that they have fallen into this Roman Catholic trap? How many of the 7 biblical feast days of God (which are all assemblies with God/Jesus) does this church recognize? Or does it prefer to gather with the Pope, whom it itself regards as the "Antichrist" in various writings and videos? Isn't it all obvious what is going on here in the spiritual realm and what goals are being pursued, namely to lead the children of God away from times with God? Quote:
"Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, however, have been celebrated in many Adventist churches for some time, but services on Easter Sunday are generally not" (Anthrowiki-at).
The more a person studies the teachings of Seventh-day Adventists, the more they realize how confusing this religion is. The Sabbath and health issues are seen as the main features, but otherwise this church has such dramatically false teachings that it's amazing that so many Christians have fallen for it. But that's what happens when you only watch church literature, videos and HOPE.TV programs (where people interpret the Bible according to church doctrine) and don't spend much time with the Word of God (the entire Bible in the OT and NT) yourself.
As can be clearly seen, Seventh-day Adventists and many Messianic Jews/Christians are on a path that is against God's calendar, against God's feast days and against God's resurrection day. Therefore, they can only threaten unforgivable sin to insecure Christians, but they have no facts and put themselves in danger. They also do not want to translate the above 7 formulations (see point 2) from English into ancient Greek, because otherwise their deception would be exposed.
Jesus called us to freedom and love and this also includes unity in faith in global Christianity. Do you want to work with us on this unity or would you rather divide and seduce the children of God to celebrate the Pope's feast days according to his own calendar based on the visions of a woman? Who do you believe more (Jesus or Ellen White) and which calendar with which resurrection day do you follow?
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil"
(1Thess 5:21-22)
"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them"
(Epheser 5:11)