Sun Worship is Invading Some Adventist Circles

“There is grave danger that the precious Adventist message will not be passed on to the next generation” (Adventist Review, March 7, 1991, p. 23, ‘San Diego Covenant’).

This is exactly what happened to ancient Israel, and this is what is happening in some Seventh-day Adventist churches around the world. Israel adopted the Babylonian practice of worshiping the sun. The worship of the sun was widely regarded in the ancient world. We can see clearly from the Bible that God did not approve of sun worship:

“And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.” Ezekiel 8:16.

This was a sunrise worship service as the chief priests bowed to the false sun god while facing east. God’s people turned their backs on the true God and to His temple as they embraced the popular rituals of their time. Sun worship was one of the first forms of false religion. That is why the Lord declared:

“Son of man, He said to me, do you see this? Is it not enough for the house of Judah to commit the abominations they are practicing here, that they must also fill the land with violence and continually provoke Me to anger?” Ezekiel 8:17.

The chief god of Babylon was Marduk the “solar calf.” [1] This was the same god worshiped by Israel, called Baal by the Canaanites. [2] The Greeks also had a solar god called Helios, who drove a chariot pulled by horses daily from east to west across the sky. [3] The Romans also embraced the same pagan sun god and called him “Sol Invictus,” and it was the Roman Emperor Constantine who brought sun worship into Christianity. [4]

Inside the Vatican there is a mosaic of the pagan sun god “Sol Invictus,” or the unconquerable sun. The pagan sun god, Sol, according to Roman mythology, was born on December 25. Sol’s name was changed to Jesus and the seventh-day Sabbath was transferred to Sunday, all thanks to Constantine. Even the Vatican today acknowledges this. Notice what they recently published:

“For Christianity the Feast of Christmas acquired its definitive form in the fourth century when it replaced the Roman Feast of the Sol invictus, the invincible sun.” [5]

In the photo above you will see a mosaic of Sol Invictus that is found inside of the Vatican. [6] Today, this pagan Roman god has been renamed Jesus. The mosaic also depicts the leaves from the grape vine of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. Now, the vines have become Christ the “true vine” (John 15:5). [7]

This ancient pagan ritual of worshipping the sun is still alive today. The “Chhath Puja” is a feast where the sun-god “Surya” is worshipped at sunrise. This ritual is still celebrated to this day in India. [8] The sun-god is worshipped through prayers as the people face east towards the rising sun. This is exactly what ancient Israel did.

Below is one of many sun temples located in India that is dedicated to the Hindu solar deity called Surya, which means “sun.” Remarkably, this Hindu solar deity is also pulled by horses across the sky just like the pagan Greek and Roman sun-gods, Helios and Sol. Worshippers visit the sun temple to pray and make offerings to the ancient pagan sun-god. [9]

Sun Worship by Modern SDA Churches

The vast majority of Christians don’t even know what the Bible says about the resurrection of Jesus. Today’s churches are getting involved in paganism. Easter sunrise services are one of the most disgraceful Christian holidays celebrated as the sun rises in the east. Can you imagine Seventh-day Adventists participating in these sunrise services? This is no different from what the men were doing in Ezekiel’s day.

We’ve bought into the lie that Jesus was resurrected at sunrise. No, that comes from paganism, because Christ did NOT rise at dawn. Notice what the Bible record actually says:

“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.” John 20:1.

The resurrection of Jesus took place long before sunrise. It is not biblical what Christians are doing today; it is pagan. Jesus rose long before the sun did. In fact, when Mary Magdalene came to the tomb of Christ, the Bible says it was still “dark.” And Jesus wasn’t there.

The real reasons Catholics and Protestants today celebrate these pagan services at sunrise by saying that Jesus rose when the sun rose is because they have already embraced the pagan custom of worshiping on the day of the sun. Sunday worship has its origin in paganism. There is no hint in the entire Bible that tells us to worship on the day of Murduk, Baal, Helios or Sol Invictus.

Tragically, most of today’s Christians, including many of our own people, have become pagan sun worshipers. Jesus said that He is Lord of the Sabbath, the seventh day (Mark 12:8). But instead of obeying Christ by keeping His Sabbath even during the days of persecution, long after the cross (Matthew 24:20), Catholics, Protestants and some Seventh-day Adventists are bowing down to worship the sun.

None of the apostles worshipped the sun. The First Century Christians did not participate in these sunrise worship services, even though the pagans of their day did. All this paganism came into the church thanks to Constantine. We as Seventh-day Adventists know this:

“That the attention of the people might be called to the Sunday, it was made a festival in honor of the resurrection of Christ. Religious services were held upon it; yet it was regarded as a day of recreation, the Sabbath being still sacredly observed” (Great Controversy, p. 52).

How did Saturday change to Sunday? It began with an effort to draw attention to Sunday. How was this accomplished? By worshiping on Sunday once a year to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. That’s what inspiration says. Is there no fear of God that we participate in this abomination of drawing attention to Sunday? We today, as Seventh-day Adventists, are repeating the same terrible tragedy that ancient Israel committed. What happened to Israel because of their wicked abominations? You know the story. Jerusalem was destroyed and the nation was taken captive.

And please don’t quote the statement that says, “The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall” (Selected Messages, Vol. 2, p. 380), because those who worship the sun are no longer “appearing to fall,” they have fallen. The faithful will never bow to the sun in worship as it rises in the east. That’s what Babylon does, not the Remnant people of God.

We began this article with a statement from 1991 in which church leaders were concerned about the future. They called it a “grave danger.” In 1991 we were warned that we were in danger of our “faith” not being passed on to the next generation. It is happening. We are there. If we were really studying our Bible, we would realize that we have been commanded to commemorate the death of Christ through baptism and His resurrection by experiencing a new life of freedom and purity. That is called the new birth.

“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4.

We honor Christ’s resurrection when we have been crucified, and when Christ lives within – not through venerating the sun as it rises in the east. We honor Christ’s resurrection by applying God’s word in our lives – not man-made traditions. We honor Christ’s resurrection when we preach His gospel to the world, including the “commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).

Error is always dangerous. When left alone it only grows and strengthens. Error can take over an entire institution – no, an entire division. Error must be met, exposed for what it is and cast out – not celebrated. Error was dangerous when Satan first introduced it into heaven, and it’s dangerous when spread and tolerated among God’s people today. And if some of our churches are still determined to defend error and teach it or celebrate it – then will the last believer of our true, historic faith please turn off the lights on your way out of those churches that are on the road to spiritual extinction.

Sources

[1] https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Marduk

[2] https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Baal

[3] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Helios-Greek-god

[4] https://mythology.net/roman/roman-gods/sol-invictus/

[5] http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20091223.html

[6] https://exhibits.stanford.edu/nash/catalog/jc983tc6708

[7] http://up.picr.de/21395388tv.pdf

[8] https://www.indianeagle.com/travelbeats/chhath-puja-worshipping-the-sun-god/

[9] https://www.templetravel.info/2013/05/sunsurya-temple-in-borsad-gujarat.html