What are the differences between the five main Christian
Sabbath keeping groups?
These main groups consist of the Churches of God, Seventh-day
Adventist, Church of God (Seventh Day), Seventh Day Baptist, and Messianic
Judaism.
When Satan set up his counterfeit religions to lure people away
from following God his way, he created religions based on mostly lies mixed with
a little truth, and it was very successful, for most of the world has been
following after his counterfeit religions, but there has always been those who
have refused to be misled by all the lies. Satan being as clever as he is
realized that in order to snag those that weren't falling for his lies he would
have to do something different, he used mostly truth mixed with a few lies, and
again he has been successful.
That is why it is so important to read and study the Bible, so
that you can catch the errors being taught before Satan catches you. Always use
your Bible to determine whether you are being told the truth when fellowshipping
with any of these groups.
The Churches of God
The Churches of God believe in the following:
(Off shoots of the old Worldwide Church of God include but not limited to,
United Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God, Restored Church of God, Living
Church of God and many others.)
Herbert Armstrong was a founder of the Worldwide Church of God, later
splintering into the many Churches of God off shoots, and is regarded by them as
a true prophet whose writings are considered on the same level as the Bible, and
in some cases considered above the Bible.
Exact tenets vary from congregation to congregation
Denominational and church held beliefs are based upon the writings of
Herbert Armstrong.
That the seventh-day Sabbath is to be observed on Saturday.
That the whole Bible, Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God.
That salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
That all of the Ten Commandments are standards for God's people today.
That Jesus Christ will return physically to the earth.
There is no consciousness for humans between death and resurrection.
That the wicked will finally be annihilated, not suffer eternal torment in
hell.
That most old testament laws are still to be observed (Holy Days, food
laws, etc).
That the celebrations of Christmas and Easter are seen as a compromise
with pagan customs and should not be practiced.
Believe that the saints will be on the Earth during the millennium.
That the entombment of Christ was for three full days and nights, from Wednesday evening until Sabbath evening.
Do not accept the trinity.
Do not use a cross for a symbol of their religion due to it's pagan roots.
The two-horned beast represents the the false prophet "papacy" who will run
the final roman church.
Worship styletends to be very controlled, subdued, and
uncomfortable, lasting around 2 hours. Meeting locations tend to be in
unholy locations that require paying someone to work on Sabbath, they do not
own church buildings.
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Churches believe in the following:
Mrs. White was a founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and is
regarded by it's followers as a true prophetess whose writings are considered
above the Bible.
Denominational and church held beliefs are based upon the writings of
Ellen White.
That the seventh-day Sabbath is to be observed on Saturday.
That the whole Bible, Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God, but
the writings of Mrs. White are to be taken above them when contradictions
arise between them and her.
That salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
That all of the Ten Commandments are standards for God's people today.
That Jesus Christ will return, but will not physically return and touch the
earth again.
There is no consciousness for humans between death and resurrection.
That the wicked will finally be annihilated, not suffer eternal torment in
hell.
That laws other than the Ten Commandments are no longer required, though they
still observe the food laws.
That it is ok to observe Christmas and Easter.
Do not believe that the saints will be on the Earth during the millennium.
That the entombment of Christ was from Friday evening until Sunday
morning.
Accept the trinity.
Use a cross for a symbol of their religion.
Teach that the USA is the two-horned Beast of the Earth.
Worship style tends to be comfortable and based after the
traditional style that most people are familiar with, lasting around 1 hour.
Some own their own church buildings, while others rent space.
Church of God Seventh Day
The Church of God Seventh Day began in the mid-1800's as outgrowths of
the William Miller Adventist movement.
The Church of God (Seventh Day) believe in the following:
Exact tenets vary from congregation to congregation
That the seventh-day Sabbath is to be observed on Saturday.
That the whole Bible, Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God.
That salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
That all of the Ten Commandments are standards for God's people today.
That Jesus Christ will return physically to the earth.
There is no consciousness for humans between death and resurrection.
That the wicked will finally be annihilated, not suffer eternal torment in
hell.
That laws other than the Ten Commandments are no longer required, but they
still observe the food laws.
That the celebrations of Christmas and Easter are seen as a compromise
with pagan customs and should not be practiced.
That the entombment of Christ was for three full days and nights, from Wednesday evening until Sabbath evening.
Worship style tends to be comfortable and based after the
traditional style that most people are familiar with, lasting around 1 hour.
Some own their own church buildings, while others rent space.
Seventh Day Baptist
The Seventh Day Baptists believe in the following:
Exact tenets vary from congregation to congregation
That the seventh-day Sabbath is to be observed on Saturday.
That the whole Bible, Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God.
That salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
That all of the Ten Commandments are standards for God's people today.
That Jesus Christ will soon return physically to the earth.
That laws other than the Ten Commandments are no longer required.
That it is ok to observe Christmas.
That the entombment of Christ was from Friday evening until Sunday
morning.
Does not have denominational or even church held beliefs, instead leaving
specific beliefs such as the state of the dead and many others to the
individuals.
Worship style tends to be comfortable and based after the
traditional style that most people are familiar with, lasting around 1 hour.
Some own their own church buildings, while others rent space.
Messianic Judaism
Messianic Judaism believe in the following: (A Messianic Jew is a person who was either born Jewish, or converted
to Judaism, and who acknowledges both in Christ and his Jewishness.)
Exact tenets vary from congregation to congregation
That the seventh-day Sabbath is to be observed on Saturday.
That the whole Bible, Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God.
That salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
That all of the Ten Commandments are standards for God's people today.
That Jesus Christ will soon return physically to the earth.
There is no consciousness for humans between death and resurrection.
That the wicked will finally be annihilated, not suffer eternal torment in
hell.
That most old testament laws are still to be observed (Holy Days, food
laws, etc).
That the celebrations of Christmas and Easter are seen as a compromise
with pagan customs and should not be practiced.
The New Testament is considered to be divinely inspired, but not
universally so.
Main focus is on teaching and the keeping of accepted Jewish
roots/traditions (man made).
Worship style tends to be comfortable and up beat. The length of
the service varies from group to group. Some own their own church buildings,
while others rent space.
This is the fundamental difference between the churches.
Websites:
Churches of God (a sampling of some of the many
out their)
