Discovering the New Covenant by Greg Taylor - exAdventist Outreach

DISCOVERING THE NEW COVENANT
dissenters over the years, and many key SDA theologians
privately admit their doubts about its biblical validity, the
church still proclaims this doctrine as one of its doctrinal
pillars and part of its 27 fundamental beliefs. It is considered
to be a test of fellowship. Most of their distinctive doctrines
developed out of this core teaching.
The doctrine of “soul sleep,” while also taught by some
other Christians, is also considered a test of fellowship by
Adventists. This doctrine teaches that when a person dies,
the soul sleeps in the grave until Jesus comes. It does not go
to heaven or hell directly at death, but sleeps until the resurrection.
Adventists do not believe that the soul is immortal.
They also do not believe that Hell will be an eternal place of
punishment. They believe in a hell fire that has a beginning
at the conclusion of the millennium and will last a matter of
hours or days, rather than for eternity. This conditional
immortality concept is not unique to SDAs. There are other
Christians who are “conditionalist,” but I know of none that
make it a test of fellowship in their church or a dividing issue
with other Christians.
Adventists are also noted for their early leader and cofounder,
Ellen G. White (EGW). They believe that she was a
prophet of God. Her prophetic gift is considered by
Adventists to be one of the marks of their legitimacy from a
biblical perspective. They teach that the “remnant church”
spoken of in Revelation 12:17 refers to God’s true last day
church. They conclude from this verse that the last day
church will be a commandment-keeping people (including
the fourth commandment to keep Saturday, the seventh-day,
as the Sabbath). It will have the “testimony of Jesus,” which
they link with Revelation 19:10, which reads, “For the testimony
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Therefore, they
believe that because they keep the seventh-day Sabbath,
Saturday, and they have a prophet, they are God’s one and
only “true church,” or the “remnant church” of the last days.
Ellen White’s writings, (over 100,000 pages) are
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