There is only one God and that is not Michael Bent...

I was born again and if this guy is God I am Jesus!

takomaguy, this is the type of offshoots that the SDA church and your church's prophet (Ellen G. White), who is regarded as an extra-Biblical 'authoritative source of authority for truth' produces. I was raised in an SDA home and was an SDA pastor. It may not reflect on official beliefs or fundamental beliefs directly, but it is a definite by-product of your prophets extensive writings (17 times more volumous that the Bible!). Of course you're going to get people like Travesser and David Koresh that take extra-Biblical apocalyptic writings like that to their natural extreme.

Stick to the true Gospel found in Scripture alone without the jaded influence of personal prophets.

I'm SDA and havae been all my life. I am currently 39 years of age and I can assure you that Michael Travesser has nothing in common with the teachings of SDA. No where in the Bible does God talk about the things Michael talks about. This is just unfortunately a man that got caught up in his own glory and falsehood to the point of believing he is Jesus. For those who do study the word of God, it clear when Jesus himself stated:Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (16) You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? (17) Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. (1 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. (19) Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20) Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:15-20. We should pray for these people and hope that their eyes will be opened to see the truth.

As a Seventh-day Adventist, I feel it is important to recognize where our beliefs are similar and where they are different from this cult, and how they both relate to what the Bible teaches.

Regarding Babylon in the Bible, SDAs have long recognized the Bible prophesied a "falling away" from the faith once given. As all Protestant churches once recognized, we identify this system with the papacy (Roman Catholicism), at the same time affirming that there are many true Christians among Catholics. To the extent that any church follows non-Biblical doctrines espoused by Catholicism, that church would also be part of Babylon. Yet, God loves the people of the world. The Bible says "come out of her, my people" (Revelation 18:4)

Is the SDA church Babylon? According to the historical Protestant view, Babylon represented the corruption of the church through the Dark ages. But, and I say this in all meekness, any church who forgets history and rejoins Babylon should consider if the question applies to them.

Regarding Michael the Archangel, read "The Divine Christ in the Old Testament" (http://www.pickle-publishing.com/papers/michael.htm) for a Biblical view of things. In the Bible Michael is easily identified with Christ, but Christ is also clearly God. He did not "become" the Son of God. Christ is not a created being, whereas the angels were created (though in a sense, Christ was a "messenger" to the human race -- which is what "angelos" means in Greek).

A more critical error of this cult is the claim that the repentant sinner will be free from sin. The reason this is so critical is that God does want His people to be free from sin, through the power of His spirit. However, the Bible also makes it clear that this is an ongoing process and that we should never claim perfection. For my Bible study on this read "God's Laundry Soap" . It's important that we realize what God wants to achieve in our lives so that we be ready when He does return. Jesus made that very clear as anyone who's read the gospels can attest.

While it is true that some early SDA leaders were arian (non-Trinitarian), it's not true that arianism was at the root of the church. We firmly reject that, as the Bible makes it clear that Jesus is fully God and fully man. In point of fact, the immaculate conception of Mary and other non-Biblical doctrines lead in the direction of making Jesus God, but not fully human as we are. And this cult's view makes Jesus not fully God-- or rather, teaches that "you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5), making humans equal to Jesus and bringing Him down to our level of sin. The fact that Jesus is both fully man and fully God is importantly related to the fact that God wants to cleanse us from Sin-- through a living connection with Him, in the same way that Jesus was connected to God (and lived a sinless life).

By contrast, the "Jesus/Michael" of this cult lives in sin and calls it holiness.

Regarding the change of the day of worship, it's no secret that the Pope himself claims to have the right to change the day of worship, and that the change by the church is a mark of the authority of Catholicism. That was the crux of the argument against Protestantism at the Council of Trent. See "Why the Protestant Reformation Failed":

Regarding extra-Biblical prophets, all prophecy must be tested by the Bible, and there are so many areas in which this cult has failed to do that, it's scary. It's true, all that is important for Salvation is in the Bible, and sticking to it is safe. The guidance our church has received from the ministry of Ellen G. White has helped to keep the church focused on the Bible, contrary to what many critics believe.

Knowing that the devil is out to deceive, if possible "the very elect" (Matthew 24:24), it's not surprising that there would be prophetic-minded offshoots proclaiming perversions of truth. Before you reject the truth, "study to show yourself approved unto God" (2 Timothy 2:15) to see what the Bible has to say. And "Don't quench the Spirit. Don't despise prophesying. Test everything; hold fast that which is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21)