The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 1301-J, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 12."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. ©1980. All Rights Reserved.

Question

My father, he’s a Seventh Day Adventist—and I think I’ve heard you say on one of your tapes that you’ve referred to Seventh Day Adventists as our friends.  And I wonder if Ellen G. White is a false prophet?

Answer

Well, basically. I don’t want to get into too much on this because it would take a long time. Ellen G. White—let me approach it another way—yes, Ellen G. White was not a true prophet, no question about that.

Questioner

They claim her to be a prophet.

Answer (continued)

Well, some of them do. There’s probably going to be a split in the Seventh Day Adventists. I just got a letter about—it was kind of an interesting letter—They asked me to speak at their five-year Quintennial with 1200 of their pastors in their national meeting. They invited me to be the speaker. They said, "We need to hear your message." About a week later, they called up and said, we’ve changed our mind. See, but that’s OK. What that showed me was, there’s a tremendous tension. Many of them are moving away. Through the years there has been in the midst of the Seventh Day Adventist movement, a remnant of real believers, and I think those are the ones to whom I would refer. There are some who are still banking on their salvation based on their legalism, and they’re lost. But when I use the word friend—“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ear”, you know—that’s a big word. I was raised in a Seventh Day Adventist community over in Glendale, right at the foot of the hospital. In fact, all my sisters were born at the hospital. Myself, I was born Catholic at St. Vincent [laughter]. But they were all born Seventh Day Adventists, you know [laughter]. All my kids have been born in that hospital, the Adventists hospital. And, so we’ve talked to the doctors and you know, I’ve gone through these things many many times. I believe that in that group that there are many people who really know Christ, and they’re moving away, and they’re sort of debunking some of the past. And there’s a movement to come out that’s probably going to precipitate a split.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
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