Are Seventh-Day Adventists Christian?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a cult in this way:

…"a small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous."

Based on this definition, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (SDA) could rightly be classified as a cult. However, it’s important to recognize that many sincere, God-fearing Christians may still be caught within the confusion and error of the organization’s false teachings. While SDA call themselves Christian, the organization professes unbiblical and harmful doctrines and beliefs outside the mainstream of orthodox Christianity. The belief system of SDA depend solely upon prophets and prophetess’ raised up during the 19th century.

Their movement originated in 1836 with William Miller (1782-1849), a self-proclaimed  false prophet testifying to know that the second coming of Christ would happen in 1843. When this prediction proved false, many left the movement in a period called “The Great Disappointment.” Given this man’s obvious fraud, we might assume his followers would abandon him quickly since he failed the basic biblical test for the office of prophet: 

Deut. 18:22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid
of him.

 

But as Jesus predicted and Peter repeated:

Matt. 24:11 “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.

2Pet. 2:1  But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 

Though these circumstances should have put an end to this movement, Adventism continued. After his death, Miller's followers took to calling themselves “Adventists,” referring to their anticipation for the second appearing of Christ. 

In response to Miller’s false prediction, known as the Great Disappointment, those within the group began to seek clarity on what event had actually occurred since their leader falsely proclaimed to know the date of the second coming of Jesus. During this time, Hiram Edson and O.R.L. Crozier met at Edson’s farm to pray for wisdom and understanding. As they walked through a cornfield after praying, Edson reportedly received a vision, that the sanctuary to be cleansed was in heaven, not on earth. This moment marked the beginning of what would become the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment, a distinctive teaching of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, first developed in 1844.

Investigative Judgement Defined: 

Today, Christ, our High Priest, is in the Most Holy Place, where the Investigative Judgment is taking place. Did you know that the Bible mentions judgment more than 1,000 times? Judgment is a concept seen throughout Scripture, but the Investigative Judgment is special. As stated in our Fundamental Belief #24, the Investigative Judgment “reveals to heavenly intelligences who among the dead are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom.”  (Quote from SDA website) 

Investigative Judgement: Involves an endtime review of heaven’s records. It focuses specifically on human beings who at some point in their lives have accepted God’s offer of salvation. It is commonplace to say that the investigative judgment establishes the identity of the redeemed. The endtime review of each life’s record determines whether a person’s sins have been entirely repented of. And when the review is complete, Christ will know whom to save when he returns. (Quote from an SDA thesis)

Not only is the Adventist doctrine of Investigative Judgment unsupported by scripture- it is contrary to scripture.

First, Jesus is omniscient, so He always knows the state of every human heart in all history at every moment, so He needs no time to accomplish such a work:

John 2:24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men,
John 2:25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.
 

Secondly, the Bible says that the repentance that leads to salvation is a gift from God, not a work of man. As we read in several places, including:

Acts 11:17  “Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
Acts 11:18  When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” 

We cannot stand in the way of God’s salvation, neither through disobedience or by any other means. 
 

2Cor. 7:9  I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. 
2Cor. 7:10  For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 

The work of bringing repentance unto salvation is one "granted" us by "the will of God," scripture teaches. Therefore, it is nonsensical to suggest Jesus is tarrying while He "inspects" hearts on earth to learn who has sufficiently repented. Jesus doesn't need to undertake such an inspection since Jesus Himself is the Author and Perfector of our faith, including granting us repentance as He chooses.

Christ is not delaying because He is investigating hearts. In fact, Christ is not delaying at all:

2Pet. 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
 

The Bible says plainly that the specific timing of Christ's return will always be unknowable by any human being, because the timing of His return is entirely dependent on the Father's will, as Jesus says:

Matt. 24:36  “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
Matt. 24:37  “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.

When the time appointed by the Father arrives, Jesus will return and not a moment sooner nor later. Therefore, William Miller's prediction of a return in 1843 was nothing more than a false claim by a false prophet, and the Adventists invention of the doctrine of Investigative Judgment was an attempt to cover up Miller's error with still more lies, through special visions. 

Consequently, the Adventist's core doctrine of Investigative Judgment, upon which the church was founded and from which the church gets its very name, is a false teaching. More importantly, it leads to a false Gospel since it implies a works requirement to be saved. If men must do sufficient repentance in order to obtain Christ's atonement,  as their Investigative Judgement says, then men would be required to accomplish a work to be saved. 

Later, the Adventist church recognized another so-called prophet, Ellen White, who claimed to receive "visions" and who the church believed spoke for God, despite the Bible’s teaching that no new revelation will come after the canon of scripture closed.

A closed canon affirms that any additional religious texts claimed to be divinely inspired either by a prophet or prophetess must be rejected as inauthentic. Works such as the Book of Mormon, the Quran, the Vedas, The Great Controversy, and the Catechism are human writings, not the result of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and therefore do not hold the authority of Scripture. As scripture clearly states, humanity is not to add anything to the Holy Scriptures, and use them as “new revelation:”

Prov. 30:5 Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
Prov. 30:6 Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

REV. 22:18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;
REV. 22:19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Because Miller, White and others in the church invented new, unbiblical concepts of life after death, including the notion that the dead enter a period of soul sleep, where they know nothing, we must assume them to be self-promoting, false prophets. Further, SDA also teach that no Hell exists and that the wicked merely cease to exist at the end of time. Each of these beliefs contradicts the clear teaching of scripture. 

Instead the Bible explicitly teaches that for humanity, death is often called “sleep.” This is not because we are unaware or unconscious, but because it is a temporary state. Sleep is a picture of what happens to the body, not the soul. When someone dies, their body appears at rest, which is why scripture uses the word “sleep” as a metaphor:

John 11:11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
John 11:12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.”
John 11:13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
John 11:14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

1 Thes. 4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
1 Thes. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.. But the soul does not sleep.

As soon as our physical life ends, the soul goes immediately to a different place. For believers, this means being in the presence of the Lord as 2 Corinthians 5 and Philippians 1 state:

2 Cor. 5:6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—
2 Cor. 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight—
2 Cor. 5:8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

Phil. 1:23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
Phil. 1:24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.

For unbelievers, it means separation from God and conscious suffering in Hades as Luke describes:

Luke 16:22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
Luke 16:23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Until the final resurrection, both heaven “paradise” and hell “Hades” are temporary places:

Heaven : Paradise

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

2 Cor. 12:4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Hell : Hades

Rev. 1:18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Rev. 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
Rev. 20:14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

We can draw from these scriptures that Heaven and Hell are not places of sleep.

Furthermore, Luke 16, Jesus tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man—both are fully awake and aware after death. Abraham speaks, the rich man feels pain, and Lazarus is comforted:

Luke 16:19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
Luke 16:20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,
Luke 16:21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Luke 16:22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
Luke 16:23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 16:24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’
Luke 16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.
Luke 16:26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
Luke 16:27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house,
Luke 16:28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’
Luke 16:29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’
Luke 16:30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
Luke 16:31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

Similarly, Moses and Elijah appeared alive and speaking with Jesus at the transfiguration:

Matt. 17:4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Luke 9:31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

They weren’t resting instead they were talking about Jesus’ coming death in Jerusalem.

In Revelation 6, John sees the souls of martyrs in heaven crying out to God for justice. They are given white robes and told to wait a little longer. These souls are not sleeping; they are praying, speaking, and fully aware:

Rev. 6:9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.
Rev. 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
Rev. 6:11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

Because Scripture shows that we continue to exist and remain conscious after death, with clear examples of interaction beyond the grave, the death of the body is described as “sleep” only in a temporary, physical sense. The soul, however, remains fully alive and aware until the resurrection.

Moreover, when Christ returns, in the sky, at the rapture the sleeping bodies of believers will be awakened and be transformed into glorious, eternal bodies:

1 Cor. 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—
1 Cor. 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  1 Cor. 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

The righteous will dwell forever in the New Heaven and New Earth found in Revelation 21:

Rev. 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

In contrast, those who rejected God will face judgment in the lake of fire, their eternal resting place:

Rev. 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
Rev. 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
Rev. 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
Rev. 20:14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev. 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

When scripture uses the term “sleep” to describe death, it does so metaphorically—much like we might say someone has “passed away” today. It does not imply a state of unconsciousness after death. Moreover, the idea of “soul sleep,” as new revelation by Ellen White and embraced by groups, is a false teaching. Scripture consistently presents the soul as conscious after death, awaiting the resurrection. Additionally, we can conclude from scripture that there is in fact a Hell.

Perhaps the Seventh-Day Adventists are best known for their view of the Bible's teaching on Sabbath. The Bible teaches that faith in Christ is the fulfillment of our Sabbath rest requirement. Adventists maintain and promote that Christians must return to observing a literal sabbath day rest on Saturday, which is the Sabbath day for Jews under the Law of Moses. Therefore, the second part of the church's name (i.e., Seventh-Day) is also rooted in a false teaching, based on legalism and not freedom.

The Adventists promote other unbiblical and legalistic requirements for their followers, including abstaining from pork and certain other restrictions found in the Levitical Law given to Israel. All of these practices are unnecessary for the New Testament believer, and harmful to our Christian liberty, which Paul calls our "prize" in Colossians:

Col. 2:16  Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day — 
Col. 2:17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. 
Col. 2:18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 
Col. 2:19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. 
Col. 2:20  If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 
Col. 2:21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 
Col. 2:22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use) — in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? 
Col. 2:23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. 

The SDA teachings concerning living under the Law of Moses are an attempt to reinstitute a lifestyle of law-keeping as part of their works-based Gospel, despite the Bible’s clear teaching that the New Testament believer is not bound to keep the Law of Moses. 

When Christians, or any group, mistakenly believe they must keep the Law, or even just the Ten Commandments, they inevitably fall short. This failure only underscores the true purpose of the Law: not to make us righteous, but to reveal our sin and our need for a Savior.

James quotes from the Ten Commandments to mock those who try to follow the Law. He isn’t reinforcing the value of follow the Law; he’s illustrating the senselessness of following the Law piecemeal, trying to keep one law while simultaneously violating another. 

Notice James’ tone of sarcasm and rebuke:

James 2:9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 
James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 
James 2:11 For He who said, “ DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the  law. 
James 2:12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by  the law of liberty. 

Notice James demonstrates the futility of keeping the Law partially. He calls obeying one of the commandments while violating another commandment “partiality.” In other words, keeping some of the Law is useless and foolishness, for it accomplishes nothing. When Christians endeavor to keep the Law, they are merely serving their own egos and fleshly pride, taking satisfaction in trying sanctify themselves by their own works, which is not possible. The Bible says that we are sanctified by the work of the Spirit in our heart as we walk in faith, not by following laws written on stone. 

In summary, the origins, doctrines, and governing practices of the Adventist movement reveal significant departures from biblical Christianity. Its foundation rests not on the clear teaching of Scripture, but on the 19th-century claims of a man and woman who presented themselves as God’s prophets, with a divine writing. With unbiblical teachings, legalistic demands, and a reliance on extra-biblical revelation, the movement cannot be considered orthodox. These factors, among others, lead us to conclude that it was founded on false prophecy and promotes views inconsistent with the Word of God.

Although there may be genuine Christians within the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, many are being led astray on essential doctrines concerning salvation, eternity, and the Christian life. For this reason, we strongly urge any believer involved in Adventism to turn away from the false teachings established by its founders, in accordance with Scripture’s clear warnings:

Rom.16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
Rom.16:18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

2John 1:10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him;
2John 1:11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

Moreover, we encourage anyone attending an SDA church to consider fellowship elsewhere, preferably in a church founded on biblical truth rather than “new” visions and Bible concepts. Nowhere in the Bible does it mention that the Seventh Day Adventist are the “true” or “right” religion, as they will claim.

Finally, it's no coincidence that Adventism was founded at about the same time in history and in the same place as three other false churches with similar distorted teaching: Mormonism, Christian Science, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. This pattern suggests that Satan was at work at one time to establish these false churches in an effort to confuse and mislead new believers during the Great Awakening period of North American Christianity. Together, these four false religions continue to deceive many today.

If you or someone you know is involved in Adventism, we encourage you to pray, open the scriptures together, and gently share the truth. Use this opportunity to lovingly minister with clarity and grace.

For a more in-depth exposé of Adventist heresy compared to orthodox biblical doctrines, we encourage you to visit the website Life Assurance Ministries, a blog written by a Christian who was formerly a member of the Adventist religion and put it to the test against scripture.