Walter Veith and the Seventh Day Adventist Church
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Walter Julius Veith (born 1949) is a South African zoologist and a Seventh-day Adventist author and speaker known for his work in nutrition, creationism and Biblical exegesis. (Source: Wikipedia)
My wife and I like Dr. Walter Veith and think he’s a great teacher. We enjoy listening to his lectures on YouTube. He’s very knowledgeable about the Jesuits, the Vatican, the Popes of Rome, and their secret societies running the world. I can’t remember when I first learned of him but it was at least six years ago when I was still living in Japan. I transcribed one of his talks on this website, The Secret Behind Secret Societies.
That being said, we don’t subscribe to Dr. Veith’s SDA-specific doctrines. I don’t want to go out of my way to offend my SDA friends, but I feel compelled to write this article because I just listened to one of his talks where he makes several incorrect statements.
Here Dr. Veith says he’s reading from the Guardian news:
“Early Christians moved their ‘day of rest’ from the seventh day of the week, from Saturday to Sunday. Despite the fourth commandment mandating Saturday, ie seventh day, sabbath observance, this move was partly a way of honoring the resurrection, which happened ‘on the first day of the week’; partly about distinguishing Christianity from Judaism; and partly a way of colonising the post Roman sun-worshipping day.”
And then Dr. Veith comments. “Quite accurate as a matter of fact.” I don’t agree! Do we listen to a secular news agency more than what the Bible tells us?
For one thing, the Bible does not call Sunday a “day of rest”. It only says it’s the day when the disciples came together to break bread. They also heard Paul preach on one of those days.
1 Corinthians 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
According to the Bible, Sunday is not a day of rest, it’s a day of fellowship of believers in Christ, a time to gather, sing some hymns of worship, and listen to some good teaching and preaching of the Word of God. Many Christians also like to meet on Wednesday evenings for a worship service and or Bible study.
Do Seventh Day Adventists listen to Ellen G. White and her book, The Great Controversy more than they do to God’s Word in the Bible? It appears so. The Book of Hebrews says the believers in Christ Jesus are under a NEW Covenant! The New Covenant was first prophesied in the Book of Jeremiah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Wow! Isn’t that as clear as crystal? “A new covenant… not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.” And what Covenant is it talking about here? The Mosaic Covenant! The Covenant God made with the Children of Israel through Moses by giving him the Law! Did the children of Israel keep the Ten Commandments? Nope! The Bible says, “which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD.”
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Here you see Hebrews 8:8-9 is quoting from Jeremiah 31:31-32. Did you know that before? Neither did I until I wrote this article. It’s so wonderful to see how the New Testament explains the prophecies of the Old Testament!
Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
There is absolutely no emphasis on Sabbath day observance in the New Testament. Remember, the main accusation the Pharisees made against Jesus was breaking the Sabbath!
And how did Jesus answer that accusation?
Did you know the word “testament” is synonymous with the word “covenant”? The Book of Hebrews makes that perfectly clear.
Hebrews 9:16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
Hebrews 9:17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
Hebrews 9:18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
Hebrews 9:20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
Revelation 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
In every case the word “testament” is used in these verses, it can be substituted with the word “covenant.” The Old Testament can be called the Old Covenant and the New Testament can be called the New Covenant. What does that mean? It means SDA emphasis on keeping the Sabbath day is contrary to the Gospel of Christ and the New Covenant of grace Jesus Christ made with those who trust in Him for salvation!
Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
This is a most serious subject! I certainly don’t want to fall from grace! It’s only by the grace of God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ did for me by dying on the Roman Cross and His blood shed to wash away my sins that I am saved!
Sabbath day observance has nothing to do with salvation! In Acts chapter 15, the new Gentile believers in Christ Jesus were given four ordinances to keep, and Sabbath day observance was not one of them!
20 But that we write unto them, that they
(1) abstain from pollutions of idols,
(2) and from fornication,
(3) and from things strangled,
(4) and from blood.
James, the half-brother of Jesus said those words! According to several Bible commentaries I read about Acts chapter 15, this is the very same James who wrote the Book of James, the half-brother of Jesus!
5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
6 ¶And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
Just read the entire chapter and you will see that Peter, Paul, Barnabus and James did not agree with the Pharisees’ charge that the Gentiles be circumcised and be commanded to keep the law.
It’s so interesting and ironic that though the Book of James is claimed by the legalists and the Roman Catholic Church to teach salvation by works and obedience to the law, the very writer of the Book of James, the half-brother of Jesus, James himself, did not agree with the Pharisees that the Gentiles should be circumcised and commanded to keep the Law of Moses!
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
If you want to take off from work and rest on Saturday, that’s perfectly fine! Just please don’t do it because you think if you don’t you will lose your salvation! We are under the New Covenant, the New Testament. But does that mean it’s OK to break God’s moral laws? We won’t if we are motivated by love for God and others.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
When we first believed on Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit Who put God’s law of love is in our hearts. Loving God and our fellow man means we will keep God’s moral laws and not lie, cheat, steal, murder, or do other things selfish and unsaved people of this world do.
One of my friends doesn’t believe members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church are even saved! And I know a former SDA member who agrees with him. But maybe that’s too extreme to say. Maybe they do put all their trust only in Jesus Christ for salvation and know that it’s only through grace they are saved, but also think Sabbath day keeping is obedience to God. I hope so.
