Earthen Vessels: Biblical Cosmology, the Rebirth, and the Godhead

Where on This Flat Earth Can We Go for Sound Doctrine?

Welcome to Part Seven in a series on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and how it affects the Flat Earth community. If you’re just now jumping in, you can catch up by reading the previous posts below. Since this post builds upon these six installments, I will briefly summarize each.

Post #1: Are Flat Earthers Committing the Unpardonable Sin? | Also available as a Podcast. We discussed that eternal life is grounded in knowing the one true God and that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit leads to eternal damnation.

Post #2: The Great Disappointment and the Millerite Movement. We examined how tens of thousands gave themselves to the false prophecies of William Miller, a former Free Mason with a Freemasonic vision. He left masonry so Christians would receive his message. Many people gave up homes and livelihoods because they were sure Jesus would return on October 22, 1844. When the vision failed, a new prophet was born. 

Post #3: Was Ellen G. White a Prophet or a Free Mason? This post explored the Freemasonic ties of Ellen G. White (EGW), including her flashing high-level secret signs to win the heart of at least one highly influential Free Mason.

Post #4: The Visions and Prophecies of Ellen G. White. Here, we put Ellen G. White to the test of a prophet. EGW claimed that God had given her visions that He would return in her lifetime. Since those visions failed, according to Scripture, we must label her a false prophet.

Post #5: Jupiter, Orion, Aliens, Atonement, and Ellen G. White. In this extraordinary essay, we discovered that EGW had prophetic visions of planets inhabited by majestic, unfallen creatures. These watching worlds stood in judgment of God to see if His law was fair. We learned that EGW’s doctrine of the investigative judgment does not comport with the Bible but is a works-righteousness-based system, a cult. Plus, her planetary visions do not support Biblical Cosmology. 

Post #6 Trinity Talk Among EGW Followers and SDA Teachers. This entry examined the evolution of the doctrine of the Trinity among SDA followers from staunchly anti-Trinitarian to each man believing as he wills. The modern SDA movement leaves room for an orthodox view of the Trinity, but that is hardly the party line. And to be sure, EGW’s Trinity is not the same as the Orthodox Trinity.

The Foundational Post: Flat Earth, the Trinity, and Ancient Mysteries | Also available as a Podcast. This foundational piece explores common myths about the Trinity and shows that the ancient Church derived the teaching of the Trinity from the Bible, not paganism.

Installment #7: Earthen Vessels

Here, we will examine one splinter in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) movement with a large following in the Flat Earth community: Earthen Vessels (EV). This post has been challenging to write on several levels. And I want to express my concern that this is not a hit piece aiming to discredit this group for something they do not teach. Instead, I will give them credit for what they believe and openly teach to warn those tempted to come under their sway. EV creates high-caliber material, yet their theology is dangerously deceptive. 

If some in this group are genuine believers, I want to see them come out of this cult. And, if evil men are intentionally introducing destructive doctrines, I want them exposed. The nature of God is the fountain of eternal life. For this reason, cults always present a false version of the Almighty.

My initial encounter with Earthen Vessels was early in my Flat Earth journey.

Heliosorcery: Exposing the Occult Origins of Heliocentrism

One of the first FE documentaries I watched when investigating the Flat Earth was Heliosorcery. I loved the quality and the content of this well-researched video by Earthen Vessels. It laid a solid foundation for WHY the global elites lie about the shape of the earth. How can I not be thankful for that? I spent many hours investigating the claims made in the documentary to see if they were true. In all I examined, I could find nothing misrepresented. Like EGW’s The Great Controversy, EV appealed to the Protestant Reformation as the foundation of their work.

Later, I discovered the content creators, Earthen Vessels, were devout Ellen G. White followers. At that time, I disagreed with the SDAs on several points but sincerely thought they were a Christian church.

I was also heavily impressed with the personal testimony of Joshua Baines and how he came to accept Biblical Cosmology. I even shared his story with friends and would still encourage someone to listen today. Check it out here. Then there was The Cosmology Conflict by Chris Sparks. The author lays out the most comprehensive and biblical explanations of the “firmament” I have read. These also came from the ministry called Earthen Vessels.

You can find these and other resources here:

It saddens me that the excellent EV resources mentioned, promoting Biblical Cosmology, are put out by a group otherwise riddled with egregious doctrinal errors and a false gospel. Expressing these thoughts is troublesome, and digging into the doctrines is even more so.

I thought Earthen Vessels was on the same team and even mentioned them in praise in a FaceBook post, not understanding the depths of the delusions and demonic doctrines of EGW.

BTW — Saturday Sabbath is another growing movement in the FE community, likely due to the influence of creators like Earthen Vessels. If you are interested in me tackling this topic — let me know. ¹

How I Changed My Views of EGW, SDA, and EV

Based on my previous knowledge of Earthen Vessels, I commented on a FaceBook post that the SDAs had a significant ministry in the FE movement. The responses surprised me. One group said that the SDAs would never teach Flat Earth. Another shared that the SDA organization was a full-blown cult. At that time, I was not ready to investigate and shelved the comments on the back burner of my brain.

In the meantime, I signed up to receive newsletters from Earthen Vessels because I felt their material was well done and helpful.

Regular interactions with their writings brought the organization up for greater scrutiny. One email promoted a mini-documentary called Ellen G. White: Prophet or Pretender? I watched enough to know that Earthen Vessels esteemed EGW on the same level as the prophets of old.

At one point, the narrator said, “Yet when it comes to the seven biblical tests, it can surely be said that [Ellen White] passes every one of them.” ²

I had not previously investigated the writings of EGW to see how they held up against Scripture. However, when Earthen Vessels started teaching against the doctrine of the Trinity and the personhood of the Holy Spirit, I knew it was time to make my own investigative judgment.

Having now delved into the prophecies of Ellen G. White, I can definitively say that Earthen Vessels cherry-picks the biblical tests of a prophet and which prophecies to test. They never mention her failed predictions,³ strange advice, and hypocrisy. ⁴

Sadly, I have concluded that Earthen Vessels speaks out about FE not to draw people after Christ or truth but to draw them after EGW, false gods, and doctrines of demons. Keep reading to find out for yourself. One thing I have ALWAYS loved about truth is that you don’t have to fear it. The truth will always rise to the top like cream on raw milk. Knowing this frees me to study things I don’t like or agree with. That’s the only reason I was able to study Flat Earth. I knew if the teaching were false, it would be obvious. And if we lived on a globe, the evidence would support it. Of course, that’s not what happened. 

Concerning EV, you might ask: WHY would Earthen Vessels seek to draw men away from Christ using Flat Earth?

The Flat Earth does not save anyone. However, knowledge of the Flat Earth does prompt people to seek the Creator. But a generic or false Creator can save no one. We must know the true and living God as presented in the Bible. It’s not surprising that cults and factions seek to draw men after false gods. However, it is surprising that no Reformed Pastors are speaking out on Biblical Cosmology. If you know of one, please let me know. 

Here’s a quick reminder about controlled opposition: the only thing that matters to Satan is to get you to sin or to go to Hell.

Jesuits, Freemasons, and Cults

Remember the Jesuit’s plan?

It’s all there right in the Earthen Vessels’ documentary Heliosorcery. Here is their MO in a nutshell: Infiltrate schools, churches, pulpits, seminaries, businesses, politics, or any other position of influence and become top in the field so men look to you as a reliable source. Then, steer their hearts away from Protestantism (Christ) and to Rome (anti-Christ). All secret societies, cults, false religions, and popery have one leader in common: Satan. They all report to him. 

The secret societies and elite controllers of the world will stop at nothing to wrest the affections of the people away from Christ and establish their own kingdom. Trust no one, even those who profess Christ. Examine their fruit. Liars and deceivers lurk everywhere in this world. Simply because someone or some organization believes in Biblical Cosmology or Flat Earth does not make them one of the good guys.

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

Who Are Earthen Vessels?

Below are a dozen or so beliefs that Earthen Vessels openly hold to. You can investigate these claims for yourself by researching the footnotes. While I may only cite one source, there are likely multiple sources on their website. I will select a few of these ideas to discuss in further detail below.

1. EV is dedicated to the restoration of ancient truths. ⁵

2. Their plan includes restoring the foundational and original teachings of EGW and the SDA movement. ⁶

3. They believe the orthodox teaching of the Trinity has a pagan origin. ⁷

4. Anti-Trinitarianism is a lost pillar of the faith among EGW followers and the SDA movement. ⁸

5. The modern SDA organization has compromised by accepting the Trinity as espoused in their Fundamental Beliefs. ⁹

6. Ellen G. White’s teachings are “inspired” in the same way as the Bible. ¹⁰

7. Earthen Vessels names Ellen G. White’s writings as the “Spirit of Prophecy,” holding them equal to the Bible. ¹¹

8. The modern SDA church is no longer the true and faithful church of God, but EV is restoring that. ¹²

9. Earthen Vessels teach that Arianism is the true faith. ¹³

10. They believe Jesus is not eternal, but had a beginning. ¹⁴

11. They teach that Satan invented the Trinity doctrine to conceal God’s love of man. ¹⁵

12. They uphold the Arian teaching that “The Son has a beginning, but God has no beginning.” ¹⁶

While I cannot dig into each of these beliefs, I would like to explore a few that I find significant. One thing that stands out about Earthen Vessels is their devotion to the teachings of Ellen G. White. They name her a prophet, Inspiration itself, and the Spirit of Prophecy.

I have no problem with them calling Ellen G. White a prophet. No doubt she was. And when put to the test, we find she is a false prophet, deserving a false prophet’s reward. However, when EV elevates her teachings to the same level as Scripture — and titles them with a name that belongs to God alone — that is blasphemy.

The Spirit of Prophecy

“And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).

The Bible defines the “spirit of prophecy” as the testimony of Jesus, not the testimony of EGW. Yet, repeatedly, Earthen Vessels uses the moniker Spirit of Prophecy to describe EGW, so often so, that they have an abbreviation for the term: SOP. By so doing, they have elevated Ellen G. White to a position of godhood, adding their own third (or fourth)¹⁷ person into the Godhead.

On an interesting note: Since EGW spoke of the Third Person of the Godhead — and EV denies the personhood of the Holy Spirit — they twist Ellen G. White’s words to make it APPEAR that she did not hold any form of a Trinitarian view as the current SDA theologians maintain. See Trinity Talk Among EGW Followers and SDA Teachers for a reminder.

When addressing Ellen G. White’s statements about the Holy Spirit as the Third Person of the Godhead, Earthen Vessel leader Bill Pinto writes:

This is the third person of the Godhead [EGW wrote about]; the divine human nature of Christ. It is a distinct personality. It is a life that was unknown in heaven and earth until it was lived, perfected and glorified! It was unknown to Satan….

This is why you will never read about the third person of the Godhead before or after sin [in EGW’s writings]. This life was “manifested” to destroy sin. The word manifested means to appear, show, or make….

Dear Friends, the third person of the Godhead [EGW wrote about] is the fullness of the life Christ wrought out in His humanity. And through His Spirit, He is seeking to impart this life to His church. This life did not exist before the incarnation. Our Lord had to first live this life and be made perfect, then offer this life for our justification, before He could impart this life to us for our sanctification.

In other words, Pinto maintains that when EGW talks of the Third Person of the Godhead, she is not using Trinitarian language as the SDAs maintain. Instead, this Third Person of the Godhead is a personality created at the incarnation of Christ.

Friends, this is blasphemy.

The Bible teaches that God changes not (Malachi 3:6) and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines” (Hebrews 13:8-9).

I could stop here having said quite enough, but I want to expose more of the demonic doctrines that EV promotes.

Who Is the EV God?

I wish it were easy to nail down the false god of Earthen Vessels. Simply, we could define him as the Father and Son.

Here's a heads up FE FRIENDS — when you hear someone in the Flat Earth Community talking about God as the Father and Son or the Father/Son — know you are likely talking to someone who has come under the influence of EV and EGW. Ask them some hard questions.

ANOTHER WARNING: Digging into the doctrines of demons is a dark endeavor. Satan is a master deceiver. Ordinarily, I encourage people to read things for themselves to see if they are true. And I’m not going to tell you not to. However, I will warn you that as I have been reading the EV material, I have found myself sympathizing with what they teach, even agreeing with large swaths of material. Why? Because much of it sounds exactly like what I believe.

Remember, it only takes a small amount of poison to kill a person. You’ve heard the metaphor of the brownies with a tad of human feces mixed in. Are you going to eat one? Gross.

I prefer the example of a chocolate bar with a small cyanide capsule in the last bite. The chocolate looks so good that you bite from the safe end. It tastes delicious, so you keep eating. By now, you are all in. CHOCOLATE. You are ready to swallow anything and don’t notice the extra crunch in the last bite. Now, you are dead.

Thankfully, I knew there was a cyanide tablet in the EV writings. Still, it drew me in. This is the danger of investigating the doctrines of demons. I had to keep reminding myself of the whole counsel of God and the fact that EGW is a verifiably false prophet.

Here is an example of some of the challenges I faced. When examining EV’s doctrine of the new birth, Pinto writes, “The work of conversion - the work of the Holy Spirit - is a supernatural work.” ¹⁸ To add more, Pinto writes, “That work is initiated by God.” ¹⁹ And I say YES. YES, it is!

Stop. Check.

Which Holy Spirit is doing that work? And to what end? EV does not have the same answer as a true born-again believer.

Is it the Third Person of the Godhead that came into existence at Christ’s incarnation? To be sure, it is NOT the Holy Spirit of Scripture. Pinto refers to the Holy Spirit as an “it” not a person. And what is the goal of the New Birth? That answer is also provided. And on the surface, it sounds beautiful — a changed life initiated by God.

But we must ask: Changed to what? And how? We will explore that in a bit.

As a side note: If God is calling Pinto to Himself — then he too will come to the truth about God’s nature. Sadly, Pinto’s changed life is built upon a false Christ, one who was bitten by sin — even though the Bible says that He “knew no sin.”

Which is a great segue to the next section.

The Nature of Christ

Since the topic of the nature of Christ has come up in the comment section, let me address it here. The Bible teaches that humans are born dead in their trespasses and sins. Why? Because we inherit our sinful nature from our father and representative, Adam. “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).

Christ did not inherit a sinful nature from Adam. He WAS the second Adam. Mary conceived Christ by the Holy Spirit. God, not Adam, was His Father. Christ is God. While the Bible does say that Jesus was made in the “likeness of sinful flesh” (Romans 8:3), the word likeness does not mean identity or sameness. Instead, it refers to appearance, not nature. 

Strongs G3667 “ὁμοίωμα homoíōma, hom-oy'-o-mah; from G3666; a form; abstractly, resemblance:—made like to, likeness, shape, similitude.”

Christ could not be fully God if He were born dead in His trespasses and sins like those born in Adam. God held Adam responsible for the fall and promised that it would be the seed of the woman that would crush the serpent’s head. It was not Adam’s seed that would bring forth the Messiah, but the woman’s seed.

Christ’s nature was fully human through Mary. Yet, His Spirit was fully divine (sinless) in nature by the Holy Spirit. It is an impossibility for God to have a fallen, sinful nature.

Yet, Pinto’s New Birth requires Jesus to have just that. Why? In Pinto’s gospel, Jesus’ blood is the anti-venom (as he words it) for sin. Through obedience, Christ’s sinful flesh developed the antidote for sin so we could live a holy life. Christ’s blood does not atone for our sin; instead, it is the antidote so we can obey the law by choice [rebirth], including the Saturday Sabbath.

Pinto writes:

Jesus had to live a perfect life for thirty-three and a half years. Even on the cross, He could have sinned. He had to die in faith. He took sinful fallen nature to the cross, and He purified that nature. He purified that life and neutralised the poison of sin. And so He built the perfect antibody to the poison. The Lord Jesus came out of the tomb glorified. That’s why sin no longer needs to have a hold over the Christian. Sin has been defeated. The anti-venom has been made.

Christ had to take part of our same flesh and blood. He had to take part of our same sinful nature, that same poison which was killing the people of Israel. He had to partake of it in order to develop the resistance against it. ²⁰

Can you see the inversion?

The Bible teaches that Christ came to do what we could not do: keep the law. We do not develop a resistance to sin. Christ’s righteous life is imputed to us by faith. If Christ had a sinful nature, He could not impute His righteousness to us — for He would have been declared a sinner in Adam (whether He sinned or not). Yet, it is also true that if Christ didn’t have a human nature, He could not impute His righteousness to us as well

Christ did not just develop a resistance against sin: He undeservedly took our sins upon Himself at the cross so that we would not have to pay the penalty that we deserved: Death.

What About Obedience?

The Holy Spirit dwells in us and empowers us to obey the law, yes. Yet, in this life, it is impossible to do that perfectly. We sin continually in thought, word, and deed. Can you perfectly love your neighbor as yourself? Is it possible to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength continually?

What about when that hammer comes down on your thumb?

The Apostle John writes":

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us

1 John 1:8-10

Confession of sin is an ongoing work for Christians. “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16).

James also warns: “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:1-2).

Pinto teaches that sin and repentance should not be normal in a believer’s life. And he even ties this to the sinful nature of Christ.

Essentially, this is how the church perceives the conversion process. It’s determined by the things one does. Here, an individual still sins occasionally and then repents. What’s more, he or she is taught to believe that that’s normal. The whole theology in the church propounds this point. That’s why the nature of Christ is the most controversial subject in the church today. If Christ’s nature was in any way different to your own, then you can only be expected to sin and repent. Your only duty is to do your best. ²¹

Let me clarify this a bit. Pinto says here that if Jesus did not have a sinful nature like us, our only duty would be to do our best. He completely misses the gospel.

“But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6).

Even our best efforts are not good enough for God. He demands perfection. That’s WHY we need Christ’s perfection accounted to us — especially when we sin and fall short of His glory. Christ kept the law perfectly for us, took our sins upon Himself at the cross, paid the debt we owe, and now counts us as righteous by faith. This FREES us to obey God’s law without the fear of condemnation. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! (Romans 6:1-2). We must also remember God’s discipline as a loving Father (Hebrews 12:6).

Because Christ did not have a sinful nature, He could do what we could not: obey the law perfectly, a requirement for Heaven. When we trust in Christ’s righteousness, God accounts it to us so that God sees us as perfectly righteous and accepted. What riches! What glory!

And what a perversion of the gospel that EV wraps in a package of light tainted with dung and cyanide.

Is Jesus Eternal?

Pinto’s Jesus also has a beginning.

In the Earthen Vessel video, What Did Arius Really Believe?, the narrator favorably quotes and identifies with Arius when he wrote, “…we are persecuted because we have said the Son has a beginning, but God has no beginning….That is why we are persecuted. You know the rest.”

If the Son of God has a beginning and God does not, then the Son is NOT God — at least not Almighty God who changes not. Rather, Jesus is a creation of the Father and must be a lesser god much like the Jehovah’s Witness Jesus, though EV would deny this. Essentially, EV, in seeking to restore ancient truths, is reconstructing an age-old heresy called Arianism.

We would be well-warned not to be deceived by EV’s craftiness or put up with their false Jesus.

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

2 Corinthians 11:3-4

Let’s not make the mistake of putting up with a false gospel and a false Christ.

Now, I will narrow in on the three persons of the Godhead, starting with the First and Second.

The Father and Son

EV upholds EGW’s teaching that the Father has a physical form. They also believe that Jesus was born of His Father, though they maintain He was not created. Jesus inherited His divinity from His Father as humans inherit their humanity from their parents. When Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, He gave up His god nature and took on a sinful nature instead. While EV claims that Jesus is God, they openly admit that He is not co-eternal with the Father. How could God ever not exist? Their Jesus at one time did not exist. He is not the Everlasting Father of Isaiah 9:6-7, the Great I Am of the burning bush, nor the “I Am” in the gospel of John. 

Moreover, EV charges Trinitarians of polytheism because we maintain that Jesus is eternal.

The moment one believes in the trinity, and its term ‘god the son’, they must acknowledge that they believe in two gods. Why? Because the trinitarian denies that ‘god the son’ had a beginning. They teach that he is divine and has always existed. Therefore, by being unrelated to the Father, he bears his own separate divinity. This makes two divinities, or two gods! This objection cannot be answered. ²²

The irony of this statement is twofold. First, it creates a straw man argument by saying that the Father and Son are unrelated in the Trinitarian view. What? In the orthodox view, the Father and Son are so related that they are ONE God. Second, if this objection cannot be answered by the Trinitarian, how can the Father/Son dichotomy answer the claim? Indeed, Trinitarians do have an answer. It is the Arians who do not.

But there is more.

Pinto writes, “To make matters worse, the trinitarian then believes in god the Spirit; a third divine co-eternal person. This leaves us with three individual god beings. This is a polytheistic religion. It is truly another gospel.”

This leads us to discuss the Third Person of the Godhead.

The EV Holy Spirit

We’ve mentioned previously that EV’s Third Person of the Godhead is a person created at Christ’s incarnation. Yet, they also believe in the Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, and Spirit of God (interchangeably) — who is not a person — but a thing.

It is difficult for me to put into words what this thing is. It is not the Third Person of the Godhead, for that was created at Christ’s incarnation. And it is not a person at all.

Pinto writes, “Ultimately, the Holy Spirit is the breath, presence, mind, right hand of power (Divinity), and eyes of the Lord.”

Yet, he also describes the Holy Spirit (HS) in a way that is closely aligned with the way a Trinitarian would speak of Him. Yet, EV’s HS is not a Him, but an it. And certainly not part of the Godhead, nor God — yet divine-ish. Maybe.

Here is Pinto’s conclusion of the Divine Spirit:

In summary, we may conclude the following.

1. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9).

2. God sends forth “the Spirit of his Son into your hearts”.

3. It’s not somebody else (Galatians 4:6).

4. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of the Father (Mark 13:11, Matthew 10:19-20).

5. The Holy Spirit that inspired the prophets is the Spirit of Christ (2 Peter 1:21, 1 Peter 1:10-11).

6. The Holy Spirit comes direct from Christ. It’s His very breath, character, and life (John 20:22).

To be sure, there are echoes here of the Trinitarian God, for the orthodox Trinitarian says that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. And the Three are so closely aligned that they are One God. So a Trinitarian can rightly say that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of God. This is also why the Son can be called the Everlasting Father and Jesus can say if we have seen Him, we have seen the Father. Yet, Jesus is not the Father and the Holy Spirit is not the Son.

Pinto provides a helpful analogy to explain their Spirit of God and why they identify it as a thing and not a living being.

Pinto writes:

Certainly, the word “of ” is possessive. The Spirit belongs to God. It’s not somebody else. Notice the following passage from the book of Daniel.

“And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.” Daniel 2:1

One wouldn’t read the phrase “his spirit was troubled”, and think that somebody else was troubled. It was Nebuchadnezzar’s mind that was troubled!

The EV Spirit of God is akin to a power or force, a thought or an idea. It is like God’s mind.

I wonder when the Spirit came to Mary so she could conceive the Savior of mankind, was it merely the mind of God come upon her or perhaps the mind of Christ? When Jesus saw the Spirit of God descending upon Him like a dove — was that Christ’s mind or the Father’s? If the HS is merely the mind of Christ or God, why did Jesus say that when the Spirit of Truth would come, He would remind the disciples of all things Jesus taught? Was not Jesus’ mind with the disciples even then? And when Christ commissioned the church to baptize in the NAME of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — wouldn’t it be superfluous to add the Holy Spirit?

I am getting ahead of myself. We will discuss the person and nature of the Holy Spirit in the next installment.

For now, here are some thoughts to consider.

One reason EV may reduce the Holy Spirit to the mere mind of God is because they also deny that humans have an immaterial spirit. EV holds that Human beings are merely flesh with the ability to think. When we die, EV believes we return to dust until the resurrection. At that time, if we have faithfully kept the commandments, and Christ has blotted out all our unconfessed sins (that could be problematic for an organization that doesn’t see the need for repentance) — God will resurrect the dead either fit for life or death. The fleshly bodies of the damned will burn up in the Lake of Fire and their existence will be snuffed out, and they will simply return to dust once again. ²³ [This seems a bit redundant.] Those who remain will have been found worthy to be saved.

Is this what the Bible teaches?

This leads me to revisit what it means to be born again.

Revisiting the EV New Birth

There is another connection between the EV Spirit being merely the mind of the Father and the Son and the belief that humans do not have an immaterial spirit. Human existence is strictly material in the EV worldview. Humans do not have a spirit. Rather, they are only a soul — which would be defined as a breathing, thinking lump of clay (an Earthen Vessel).

Likewise, in their doctrine, the Spirit of God is not spiritual in the sense that we consider a spirit — “it” is merely a force, a mind.

How does this affect the new birth?

When a follower of Earthen Vessels is converted, or born again by their gospel, it simply means they have a changed mind. In the past, they obeyed the law out of obligation, now they obey the law out of love. There is no rebirth of the spirit because there is no spirit.

EV also denies the idea of original sin, thinking babies are not born sinners, but mere “probationers” on earth. Yet, orthodox Christian [biblical] doctrine teaches that Adam was the only man (save Christ) who entered the world without a sinful nature. Since the fall, all of Adam’s progeny inherit a sinful nature, are born spiritually dead, and need God’s saving grace to give them life.

Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Romans 5:18-19

We sin because we are sinners by nature, children of wrath. This is what it means to be “in Adam.” We are also sinners because we sin. But which comes first: the sin or the sinner?

The sinner comes first. We are born into that condition. That’s why we sin.

David testifies of this in Psalm 51:5: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” David is not calling his mother a harlot; he is acknowledging the wretched state of being born in Adam. Had Adam not sinned, humans would not inherit his fallen nature. Adam did sin. And thus we are conceived with a death sentence upon us. Our only hope is to receive Christ’s sinless nature through faith.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live” (John 5:25).

We must be born again, given a new nature, and made alive by the person of the Holy Spirit.

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

This is not merely a change of mind. To be sure our minds will change. Yet, it involves so much more. It is a complete rebirth, an undoing of Adam, and a spiritual resurrection from the dead.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,  in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:1-10

Salvation is an ACT of God’s grace in our life that we receive by faith alone. At the moment we are reborn, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, He seals us, and guarantees our salvation. We don’t earn it. It is a gift and a promise that we will inherit eternal life.

• “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).

• “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 4:30).

God’s Spirit resides in us. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Temples do not house minds — they house God.

What Now?

Allow me to conclude with a few reminders so we do not fall prey to false teachings.

1. EGW prophesied the Lord would return in her lifetime and the prophecy failed, making her a false prophet.

2. Earthen Vessels maintains that EGW is a faithful prophet — this alone ought to mark them as heretics. May they repent.

3. By naming EGW’s writings as the Spirit of Prophecy — they blaspheme God and the testimony of Jesus.

4. Bill Pinto, in speaking against the doctrine of the Trinity while upholding EGW, has very likely blasphemed the Holy Spirit (only God knows if he has committed the unpardonable), creating a Third Person of the Godhead that came into existence at Christ’s incarnation. [God changes not!]

5. EV, Pinto, and the gang openly admit to holding to the heresy of Arianism.

6. The whole bunch falsely ascribes to the Father a body and to Jesus a sinful, fallen nature.

7. They invert the gospel, minimize sin by claiming we can live without the need for repentance, and destroy the doctrines of atonement, propitiation, and imputation.

Earthen Vessels is an organization that needs to be marked and called to repentance. Faithful believers must warn people in the FE Community of their heresies so they do not lead more people into damnation, serving and worshiping a god made in the image of man.

I’d like to end by sharing an exhortation from (my) Pastor, Jason Garwood:

True worship, as Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman, is worship "in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). …Our worship must be grounded in the revealed truth of who God is as He has shown Himself in His Word. We cannot worship God according to our own imaginations, desires, or preferences. Rather, we must worship Him as He is—the Holy One of Israel, the Triune God, who is worthy of all honor, praise, and glory. God's truth is not negotiable, and our worship must align with the reality of His character, as revealed in Scripture. Worshiping in truth means not only sincerity but accuracy. It means offering reverence, awe, and obedience to the God who is altogether righteous, just, and good.

And that’s the Spirit we are going to look at in the next installment: What Does the Bible Teach About the Holy Spirit? Is He an It, a Force, or a Person? And Why Does It Matter? (Available 11/18/24)

Call to Action: Do you know of a faithful teacher of God’s Word who is Reformed, Hopeful in their eschatology, and holds to Biblical Cosmology? We need such a one to rise and speak the truth so that people have a gospel anchor in these times of trouble.

Prayer: Lord, please raise faithful ministers of Your Word, who have wisdom and discernment and faithfully declare Your Law-word over all creation, including HOW You created this realm we call Earth.

I am so thankful to be done digging into the doctrines of demons and look forward to talking about the pure Word.

1. You can email me by replying to this post, sending me a message, or emailing me at FlatOutHope@gmail.com

2. Earthen Vessels: Ellen G. White: Prophet or Pretender?

3. One failed prophecy is enough to discount a person as a false prophet. Read about that here. However, if you can find the right places to research, you can find more failed predictions of the false prophetess.

4. Here is a list of things you can study on your own: 1) What parental advice did EGW give to prevent children from masturbating? 2) What advice did EGW give for how women should dress through the years? Be sure to research the unusual pattern that she required women to wear and the exorbitant rate that she sold it in her day. 3) What foods did she forbid from eating, yet was caught eating herself? Be sure to include oysters in your search. Here is another place you can check out some wild EGW quotes: https://www.nonsda.org/egw/critich.shtml

5. https://www.earthenvessels.org.au

6. The Ship That’s Going Through — A Message for Seventh-day Adventists

7. Ibid.

8. Ibid.

9. Ibid. “Most of the founders of Seventh-day Adventism would not be able to join the church today if they had to subscribe to the denomination's Fundamental Beliefs. More specifically, most would not be able to agree to belief number 2, which deals with the doctrine of the Trinity.” See also Post #6 Trinity Talk Among EGW Followers and SDA Teachers.

10. In the Earthen Vessel video The Ship That’s Going Through — A Message for Seventh-day Adventists, the speaker calls Ellen G. White Inspiration. “Remember what Inspiration said, ‘Our religion would be changed.’”

11. In the Earthen Vessel video The Ship That’s Going Through — A Message for Seventh-day Adventists, the speaker calls Ellen G. White The Spirit of Prophecy. “The Spirit of Prophecy implores us, ‘As a people we are to stand firm on the platform of eternal truth that has withstood test and trial. We are to hold to the sure pillars of our faith. The principles of truth that God has revealed to us are our only true foundation.’”

12. The Ship That’s Going Through — A Message for Seventh-day Adventists

13. What Did Arius Really Believe?

14. Ibid.

15. Ibid.

16. In the Earthen Vessel video, What Did Arius Really Believe?, the narrator favorably quotes Arius as saying, “…we are persecuted because we have said the Son has a beginning, but God has no beginning….That is why we are persecuted. You know the rest.” If the Son has a beginning and God does not, then the Son is NOT God.

17. The doctrine of God in the EV camp is a tad confusing. There is God the eternal father, Jesus the begotten Son who is not eternal, the Holy Spirit which is not God but rather the mind of the Father and the Son, an “it” or thing, then there is the Third Person of the Godhead, a created person that came into existence at Christ’s incarnation. So if we bring EGW into the Godhead, since her testimony is likened unto the testimony of Jesus and called the “Spirit of Prophecy” — then there are four persons. For full disclosure, the SDA and EV groups do not consider EGW as a god. Yet, they do regard her testimony as authoritative as God’s Word.

18. Pinto, Bill. Behold the Serpent and Live

19. Ibid.

20. Ibid.

21. Ibid.

22. Pinto, Bill. Another Jesus, Another Gospel.

23. https://www.earthenvessels.org.au/state-of-the-dead