Beware of the Adventist (SDA) Cult

What do the names David Koresh, Ellen G. White and Charlie Kirk means to you and how are they associated with the Seventh Day Adventist church?

David Koresh led the Branch Davidians, a splinter sect of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, believing himself to be a messianic figure with divine revelations, particularly concerning the book of revelation, culminating in the 1993 Waco siege. He gained leadership of the group, formally known as the Davidian Seventh Day Association, after a power struggle following founder Victor Houteff and subsequent leader Lois Roden. 

Key Points about Koresh’s Denomination:

• Origin: The Branch Davidians originated from a group that branched off from the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
• Name: They are formally the Branch Davidians of the Seventh-day Adventists, also known as “The Branch” or “The Lord Our Righteousness”.
• Beliefs under Koresh: Koresh claimed to be unlocking the seven seals of Revelation, interpreting prophecies to gather the faithful for God’s kingdom.
• Authoritarianism: Under Koresh, the group developed strong cult-like traits, emphasizing communal living, separation from the world, and intense devotion to him.
• Waco Siege: Their standoff with U.S. authorities in 1993 ended tragically, with Koresh and many followers dying at their Mount Carmel compound near Waco, Texas. 

Ellen G. White

So where did the original Seventh Day Adventist sect come from?

In the 1840s, the SDA movement emerged after what they called the “Great Disappointment.” Baptist pastor William Miller had predicted that Jesus’ second advent would occur between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844. When that failed, Hiram Edson said that Jesus had returned, but not to Earth; He had returned to “the heavenly sanctuary.” Having already made so much money from gullible followers, these charlatans did not give up but created a new story and claimed that Jesus entered into the second compartment of the heavenly sanctuary for the first time on October 22, 1844, and began an investigative judgment. According to them, this judgment is the fulfillment of the second phase of Christ’s atoning work. Edson’s teaching led to the founding of SDA by Joseph Bates and James and Ellen White.

Ellen White claimed she received 2,000 visions and dreams. She published over 40 books and 5,000 articles. Much of what she published were later shown to have been plagiarized. She was a false prophet, cheat and liar.

To Adventists, Ellen G. White writing were on par with their holy scriptures. She was the cult leader of the SDA church in the mid 1800s.

Ellen G. White seemed obsessed with predicting the coming of christ and made many more false prophecies, some of which are outlined here: https://thethinkingcup.com/ellen-g-white-false-date-setting/

Some of her notable false claims:

Jesus’ Return Timeframes:

White made several statements in the mid-1800s indicating that the Second Coming of Jesus was imminent, within a “few months,” or that some people alive at a specific 1856 conference would live to see the event. Critics argue these are failed predictions, while the EGW Estate suggests they were conditional on the church’s faithfulness and readiness.

England Attacking the U.S. during the Civil War:

She predicted that England would take advantage of the American Civil War to declare war on the United States, leading to a general conflict. This never occurred.

Abolition of Slavery:

White reportedly prophesied that Christ would return before slavery was abolished in the U.S.. Slavery was abolished in 1864, and Christ did not return.

Rebuilding of “Old Jerusalem”:

In her book Early Writings, she stated that “old Jerusalem never would be built up”. Jerusalem has since been rebuilt and is a thriving city, which critics cite as a clear failure. The White Estate counters that she was referring to a specific “Age-To-Come” theological concept of ancient biblical Jerusalem’s temple being rebuilt, not the physical city itself.

Life on Jupiter and Saturn:

In one of her early visions, she described seeing people on other planets, possibly Jupiter or Saturn. Scientific exploration has since found no evidence of life on these gas giants.

Specific Individual’s Downfalls:

She made specific predictions regarding individuals who left the SDA church, such as Moses Hull, prophesying they would face divine judgment and ruin. Hull lived a long life after leaving, without the predicted consequences, according to critics

The predictions about Slavery (3rd prediction above) is telling, isn’t it?

Charlie Kirk

He was not an Adventist but a Sabbath keeper. This one characteristic made him attractive to Seventh Day Adventists leaders in the USA. This created tensions with other well-thinking Adventists. Christopher Thompson, an Adventist pastor said “Charlie Kirk is no mere conservative commentator. He is the founder of Turning Point USA, an organization that has repeatedly been accused of platforming white nationalists and advancing racially charged, anti-immigrant rhetoric. His public dismissals of structural racism and attacks on social justice movements have made him a lightning rod of controversy—and a clear symbol of division in American life. For prominent Adventist leaders to willingly stand beside him is not simply a lapse in judgment; it’s a betrayal of the church’s history, its diverse membership, and the very gospel it proclaims”.

Charlie Kirk was a far-right commentator, recently killed doing what he was known for throughout his career – making incendiary and often racist and sexist comments to large audiences.

If it was current and controversial, chances are that Kirk was talking about it. On his podcasts, and on the podcasts of friends and adversaries, and especially on college campuses, where he would go to debate students, Kirk spent much of his adult life defending and articulating a controversial worldview aligned with the extreme right. Accountable to no one but his audience, he did not shy away in his rhetoric from bigotry, intolerance, exclusion and stereotyping.

Charlie in his own words:

If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified.
– The Charlie Kirk Show, 23 January 2024

If I’m dealing with somebody in customer service who’s a moronic Black woman, I wonder is she there because of her excellence, or is she there because of affirmative action?
– The Charlie Kirk Show, 3 January 2024

If we would have said that Joy Reid and Michelle Obama and Sheila Jackson Lee and Ketanji Brown Jackson were affirmative action picks, we would have been called racists. Now they’re coming out and they’re saying it for us … You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously.
– The Charlie Kirk Show, 13 July 2023

Reject feminism. Submit to your husband, Taylor. You’re not in charge.
– Discussing news of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement on The Charlie Kirk Show, 26 August 2025

The answer is yes, the baby would be delivered.
– Responding to a question about whether he would support his 10-year-old daughter aborting a pregnancy conceived because of rape on the debate show Surrounded, published on 8 September 2024

I think it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational.
– Event organized by TPUSA Faith, the religious arm of Kirk’s conservative group Turning Point USA, on 5 April 2023

America was at its peak when we halted immigration for 40 years and we dropped our foreign-born percentage to its lowest level ever. We should be unafraid to do that.
– The Charlie Kirk Show, 22 August 2025

America has freedom of religion, of course, but we should be frank: large dedicated Islamic areas are a threat to America.
– The Charlie Kirk Show, 30 April 2025

Do I have to share any more? Show me your leaders, friends and supporters and I will tell you who you are. People beware!