COG7DAY or SDA?

The age of the two organizations is about the same — both begin in the mid-1800’s — and the history of the two is a bit entwined.

Here are the biblical teachings we have in common with Seventh-day Adventist Christians. Both of us believe that:

*The whole Bible, Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God and that salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

*That all the Ten Commandments are standards for God’s people today.

*That there is no consciousness for humans between death and resurrection.

*That Jesus Christ will soon return physically to the earth.

*That the wicked will finally be annihilated, not suffer eternal torment in hell.

The basic cause of our differences is the role and writings of Ellen G. White. Mrs. White was one of the founders of the SDA Church and is regarded by them as a true prophetess. We recognize that she taught a lot of truth, but we believe it was also mixed with much error. We consider neither Mrs. White nor her writings to be an expression of the “Spirit of Prophecy.” This is the fundamental difference between the two churches.

Beyond this basic difference, here are some particular teachings of the Church of God (Seventh Day) not approved by Seventh-day Adventists:

We reject any special significance in Bible prophecy to the year 1844. We believe the provision for salvation was completed when Jesus died, rose from the dead, and returned to heaven — not in 1844. Therefore, SDA teachings about the cleansing of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment are invalid.

We believe that the earth will be inhabited by the saints — not desolate — during the 1,000-year reign of Christ.

We believe the entombment of Christ was 3 days and 3 nights, from Wednesday evening until Sabbath evening.

We do not practice the common celebrations of Christmas and Easter.

We do not emphasize the importance of any writings other than the Bible.