By Mark Swarbrick
The Adventist “Clear Word” Bible
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has written their own Bible. It was first published in 1994 and was called the Clear Word Bible. It is produced by the Seventh-day Adventist publishing house, the Review and Herald Publishing Association. Thus, it is unquestionably an approved text of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Similar to what the Jehovah’s Witnesses have done with their New World Translation, the SDA has modified the words of Scripture in their Clear Word Bible so that it will agree with the distinctive doctrines of Adventism. Here are some examples of where the SDA has added or subtracted from the Word of God.
Sabbath Keeping
In a real Bible, such as the New American Standard Bible, Exodus 16:30 reads “So the people rested on the seventh day.” And that is all that verse says, nothing more. All reputable versions have it that way. One can check the ESV, NIV, KJV, ASV, YLT, or any other universally recognized version and they all read the same.
Before I show how the Adventists have changed this verse, it is important to first understand a strange anomaly about the Adventist’s observance of Saturday. You see, when God told the Jewish people at Mount Sinai to keep the Sabbath, He only told them to rest and to stay inside their tents on that day. God did not command the Jews to worship on the Sabbath, only to rest. Because Adventists are sticklers for having church services on Saturday, they are often questioned concerning their holding of worship services on the Sabbath. God commanded to stay indoors and rest on the Sabbath, yet Adventists, who are zealous for keeping the Old Testament law, break this command.
Apparently, the leaders of the SDA feel the incongruity of their position. Instead of modifying their practice, they have chosen to change the Bible to fit their doctrine. So, they changed that passage of Scripture in their own Bible to read as shown below. I have highlighted in blue the portion that has been added by the SDA Church.
“So the people rested and worshiped the Lord on the seventh day as they were told to do.”
It is clear that the SDA has added to the Word of God in order to make the Bible say that God told them to have church services on Saturday, instead of just resting, as the Bible really says.
Colossians 2:16-17
Many passages of Scripture condemn both the Adventist’s vegetarianism and Sabbatarianism, but Colossians 2:16-17 is the ultimate coup de grâce for both of those false doctrines. It reads:
“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
This verse, as it reads, is a huge problem for Adventists, so in their Clear Word Bible they just change it to suit their own ideas. They have made it to say this:
“Don’t let anyone control your life by giving you a set of ceremonial rules about what to eat, what to drink and which monthly festivals or special Sabbaths to keep. All these rules about ceremonial days were given as a shadow of the reality to come and that reality is Jesus.”
Adventists believe only “ceremonial laws” were abolished. Never mind that the Bible says nothing about ceremonial law versus the entire law of Moses. This is a concoction of Ellen G White, who has arbitrarily decided which laws are classed as “ceremonial.” This is how they get around this verse and go right ahead and give plenty of rules about what to eat or not eat. Also note they have changed “Sabbath” to “special Sabbath,” which allows them to pretend the regular weekly Sabbath is still in force.
Immortality of the Soul
Adventists do not believe that man has an immortal soul. They believe when a person dies, they don’t exist anymore. But if they were good Seventh-day Adventists, and pass inspection of the Investigative Judgment, then God will resurrect them and they will exist again, or so they believe.
Of course, this is counter to what all of Christendom has always believed and is in conflict with biblical theology. Jesus taught that the soul cannot be killed:
“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
That verse is devastating to the SDA doctrine of soul sleep. The Adventist solution is to simply change the Bible. The Clear Word Bible has mutilated that verse so severely that it bears little resemblance to what our Lord said. Here is that same passage from the Clear Word Bible:
“Don’t fear that you might be killed. They may kill your body, but they cannot take away your eternal life. God is the only One who has power over eternal life and death.”
Jesus’ statement that people are “unable to kill the soul” has been obliterated because it disagrees with the Adventist doctrine which denies man has an immortal soul.
Eternal Punishment
Adventists deny that there is a Hell. There is no eternal punishment for anyone. You are either saved and go to heaven when you are resurrected, or you simply do not exist. Thus, Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Attila the Hun, and King Herod all share the same fate as anyone who rejects Adventism. Those who massacred millions receive the exact same punishment as Sunday-worshipping Christians – they are all relegated to non-existence.
Jesus clearly taught that there is a hell, a place of eternal punishment:
“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46)
Adventists simply cannot have Jesus saying this. So the Adventist Bible changes that verse to this:
“I have no choice but to end your lives, because in my kingdom everyone cares about everyone else.”
As anyone can see, that verse in the Clear Word Bible bears no resemblance whatsoever to what Jesus actually said. One wonders why anyone would not fear to be part of a church that so mutilates the Word of God.
Revelation 14:11 speaks plainly of eternal punishment:
“And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night.”
The prophet Isaiah also spoke of a place of eternal punishment where the fire is not quenched and not even the maggots die:
“Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched; and they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.” (Isaiah 66:24)
Jesus referenced this passage from Isaiah when he said:
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’” (Mark 9:43-44)
The Clear World Bible has changed the verse in Isaiah so that it does not reference eternal punishment. Here is how it reads in the Adventist Bible:
“They will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me lying outside the city. But just as worms don’t stop until they devour the dead and fire doesn’t stop until it destroys, so the fire of the Lord will destroy and consume the wicked.”
Note that the Adventists have removed the phrase “fire is not quenched” and “worm does not die.” Our Lord interpreted these phrases as referring to eternal punishment. Common sense also requires that interpretation, for if a person is annihilated and no longer exists, they would not care if the fire never goes out or if worms never die. And if the fire does not kill worms, it will certainly not annihilate people either. As is easily seen, the Adventist Bible changes the wording so that there is not even a hint of an eternal hell.
Vegetarianism
Ellen White did not want Adventists to eat meat, in spite of the fact that Jesus ate meat, both lamb and fish. Scripture repeatedly encourages the eating of meat. One such passage is Genesis 9:3, which states:
“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.”
The Clear Word Bible changes this to:
“Many of these animals will provide food for you, and from now on, you may eat meat as well as vegetables.”
Note the difference. God said “every moving thing” and the SDA has changed this to “Many of these animals,” thus limiting the animals which may be used for food.
1 Timothy 4:1-5
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”
Of course, this disagrees with Adventism, which teaches that the dietary laws given to the Jews should be obeyed. Thus, they have rewritten that passage as follows:
“Others will say that it’s wrong to marry and to eat the good things God created which we should receive with gratitude. God created everything. Nothing should be rejected which He has said we can eat, and we should do so by offering thanksgiving and praise. These foods not only have the approval of the word of God, but will also be blessed by Him through our prayers.”
Note that Scripture declares “nothing is to be rejected” but the Adventist Bible has it as “Nothing should be rejected which He has said we can eat,” which of course is something entirely different, allowing Adventists to pretend that God has forbidden certain foods.
The Trinity
One of the most serious problems with the Clear Word Bible of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is that it has seriously altered and watered-down verses that point to the deity of Christ and the Trinity. While the SDA Church claims to believe in the Deity of Christ and the Trinity, it must be pointed out that for many decades after the church’s founding, such was not the case. From its inception the SDA Church was anti-trinitarian. They held to the belief that Jesus was a created being and the Holy Spirit was an “it,” being merely the force of God.
Ellen White has never used the term “trinity” in any of her writings. Even as late as the 1940s many in the church did not believe in either the Trinity or the deity of Christ, though a slight majority did. It was not until 1957 that the SDA Church took an official stance declaring their belief in the deity of Christ and the Trinity. With such a background, the fact that their Bible has done violence to passages in support of these fundamental doctrines is very concerning. Below are just a few examples:
Genesis 1:26-27
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. So God created…”
Theologians have always maintained that “Let us make” was a reference to the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Note below how the Adventists have left the Holy Spirit out of the mix.
“But this was not the end of His work for that day. Next He said to His Son, “Now let us make…”
John 8:58
“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’”
Jesus is quoting the name of God from Exodus 3:14: “I Am.” Jesus was not only claiming preexistence in reference to Abraham but was also claiming the title of Almighty God. Note below how the Adventist Bible erases this very important declaration of our Lord.
“Jesus answered, ‘Because I existed before Abraham was born.’”
John 14:8,11
“Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ Jesus said to him…‘Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.’”
This discourse between Philp and Jesus is one of the most prominent and well-known passages that establishes the deity of Christ. Now how the Adventist Clear Word Bible totally alters it so that the “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” statement is entirely removed.
“Philip spoke up, ‘Lord, give us just one glimpse of the Father before you go and we’ll be satisfied.’ Jesus said…Believe me when I tell you that the Father would do everything I have done if He were here.’”
Jude 9
“But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’”
The Clear Word Bible mutilates this verse so viciously that it is unrecognizable.
“In contrast to these ungodly men is the Lord Jesus, also called Michael the Archangel, for He is over the entire angelic host. When He was challenged by Satan about His intentions to resurrect Moses, He didn’t come at Satan with a blistering attack, nor did He condemn him with mockery. He simply said, ‘God rebuke you for claiming Moses’ body.’”
The problems with that verse from the Clear Word Bible are manifold. First of all, Jesus is not an angel. He is not a created being. He is the eternal God. He is not Michael the Archangel. This is a blatant attack upon the deity of Christ.
Note this: The real Bible has Michael the archangel saying, “The Lord rebuke you,” but the Clear Word Bible has Jesus saying “God rebuke you.” But Jesus is God, so He would not say “God rebuke you.”
Furthermore, there is no reason to believe that Moses was resurrected. His appearance on the Mount of Transfiguration goes against the Adventist doctrine of soul sleep, so they just imagine he was resurrected, with no biblical support whatsoever.
Conclusion
The SDA Church has taken a lot of heat for writing their own Bible. Like other cults such as Jehovah’s Witness and the Mormons, they have their own set of Sciptures beside the Bible. They have Ellen White’s supposedly “inspired” and “inerrant” writings, called “The Testimonies,” and in addition, the Clear Word Bible, which is a blatant attack upon the Word of God, with passages altered to make them conform to Ellen White’s teachings.
Adventist excuses abound as they defend the abomination called the Clear Word Bible. They claim it is not their official Bible, that they do not use in service. It is true they don’t use it in service, as they would not want visitors to be tipped off to their alteration of God’s Word. Nevertheless, they cannot escape their culpability. It is published by the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association, an official arm of the SDA Church. They own it. They are responsible for its production and its false teachings, and their people use it.
Another justification they use is to claim the cover does not say “Bible.” They say it is a paraphrase. I have two things to say in answer to that. First of all, it did say “Bible” on the cover when it was first published. It was only changed after Christians began exposing the perversions within it. Even to this day, it is called a Bible on the Table of Contents page.
Secondly, even a paraphrase is supposed to accurately convey the precise meaning of the text using simple modern language. A good paraphrase does not alter the meaning to force the text to agree with Ellen White’s strange teachings, as the Clear Word Bible obviously does. Adventists would do well to heed our Lord’s rebuke: “But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman…who calls herself a prophetess.” (Revelation 2:20). Clearly, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has added to the Word of God, a very serious offense, as God’s Holy Word declares:
“Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.” (Proverbs 30:6)
If you enjoyed this article you would like the author’s comprehensive book on Adventism. Available in Kindle eBook, Paperback, and Audiobook. Only $2.99 on Amazon. Click HERE to purchase. 175 pages of documented facts. Learn about:
- False predictions of Ellen White
- The Investigative Judgment
- Soul Sleep
- Sabbatarianism
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