Musings About An Adventist Antichrist

In the above link, I’ve sketched an outline of what an Adventist antichrist would be like based on Scripture and the writings of Ellen G. White. The outline highlights and follows a key statement by Ellen White to the effect that the prophecy of Daniel 11:31-36 will be repeated. You may recall that Daniel 11:31 is an attack on the sanctuary.

I made this statement in the link:

We are to look for a power that removes Christ’s substitutionary atonement, justification by faith, Christ’s High Priestly intercession and gives us in its place, spiritualistic sophistries akin to pantheism.

Wow, that sounds like A. Graham Maxwell. So the purpose of this thread is clearly defined. We will investigate the evidence that Graham Maxwell has indeed taken away all the things prefigured in the daily sacrifice of Daniel 11:31.

All threads should stay on the specified topic. I propose for this thread that we not focus on what Maxwell has substituted in the place of Biblical atonement. For the discussion thread on Maxwell’s pantheism, click here.

One trend I have seen locally among those who have taken this view of death (that God does not destroy) is a definite departure from their usually strong stand on proving everything from the Bible.

In particular a very conservative segment of Adventists in my region have taken hold on this idea and they freely admit that they can't really explain how they know it to be true. I have presented to them quite clear texts which indicate God does in fact eventually bring sin to an end.

For instance I asked one of them what the following text meant:

2TH 1:5 All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

They were quite unable to show how this text did NOT say God would not only kill but PUNISH the wicked. Yet they said that they had come to understand it differently even though that is clearly what it said. In other words, these very same people who talked of their Sunday keeping friends and their inability to refute the Sabbath from the Bible were now saying that the clear words of the Bible didn't matter, because it was clear to them through other reasoning that their view was true.

Some friends of these Adventists actually went all the way to universalism. That CERTAINLY does away with the atonement and any need for a judgement, the sanctuary etc. It is the next logical step. God wouldn't harm anyone, so he doesn't judge. This is so far out of line with what the Bible says it can't be expressed.

Indeed this is a rather troubling heresy because of the tendency of its adherents to completely abandon the need for reasonable biblical evidence for their view. Once you refuse to prove one point from the Bible it is much easier to do it again, and again.

tall73 wrote:In particular a very conservative segment of Adventists in my region have taken hold on this idea and they freely admit that they can't really explain how they know it to be true.

I remember a discussion of the phenomena with Gary McLarty in Loma Linda. Why are ultraconservative Adventists so tolerant of Graham Maxwell's theology? I wish I could remember Dr McLarty's exact response. In effect, both camps are united in their rejection of imputed righteousness. Whenever Adventists reject what's central, they could then only unite with the senseless.

This is a fulfillment of prophecy. A. Graham Maxwell is fulfilling Daniel 11:32. "By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant."

tall73 wrote:Indeed this is a rather troubling heresy because of the tendency of its adherents to completely abandon the need for reasonable biblical evidence for their view. Once you refuse to prove one point from the Bible it is much easier to do it again, and again.

Tall, I'm troubled by the mildness of your words. Are you implying that Maxwell's doctrine, now widely hissing and biting at loyal Seventh-day Adventists, is only a "troubling heresy"? Don't you see a high likelihood of a coming persecution from Maxwell's army of followers, based on Daniel 11:30-33?

In the case of these particular Adventists I suspect it might have something to do with the fact that several members of their family are not in the church and they wish not to be too harsh with them. In their mind they want to soften the wrath of God. But who knows if this is a widespread element in the curious mixture of conservatism and this idea of God not destroying.


As to my wording, perhaps it is just a difference of opinion but I use that phrase as fairly strong language. I am not troubled by the thought of persecution (not saying I relish the thought) because we are promised it will happen by Jesus himself. I am troubled for these people who I care about.
In most every regard these are sincere Christians. But they have been deluded on this point and I am indeed troubled by the thought of how they might go astray because of it.

tall73 wrote:But they have been deluded on this point and I am indeed troubled by the thought of how they might go astray because of it.

Souls are being separated from light and reason and forever bound to a doctrine of satanic origin but you don't think that there is cause for immediate and decisive action because all these deceived people are in the Seventh-day Adventist church?