

My name is Glenn Moore and this is my brief story. When I was growing up in the south, only 50 miles south of Abilene, Texas, I felt the leading of “the Lord” into a different path than others. I was baptized into the Baptist faith, but my questions regarding the true teachings of Scripture fell on deaf ears. At a young age I began to venture out to hear other ministers, especially those of the Seventh-day Adventist faith. While I did not immediately join, at the age of 20 I finally decided that it was important to keep the Sabbath. That spiritual awakening took place in the summer of 1980, after witnessing an auto accident in the Dallas area. I stopped my frequent drinking and soon after began attending the local SDA church. Within a few months I joined their fellowship. Just before my baptism, the SDA minister publicly announced to the members that he had studied all the doctrines of the church with me—and I knew he was simply lying!! From the beginning, my faith was being tested and I sensed I was being taught how to deceive and be deceived. Their heavy reliance upon Ellen White’s writings, while all the while claiming to base their beliefs on Scripture only, is about the most contradictory claim that I have ever heard! Even while I tried to believe it (as it is a fundamental doctrine), my mind kept taking me back to the words of Martin Luther: “Scripture, and Scripture alone. . .” It is this thought which, primarily, kept me from becoming 100% devoted to the Adventist belief system. As I progressed through the Adventist system, I was told that if I wanted to have a deeper experience with “the Lord” I would need to attend one of their universities and study to become a minister. I did this, and in time I found myself preparing to become an Adventist pastor. But my continual questions and my unauthorized studies placed me at odds with various members, pastors, and church administrators, over the 3 years that I attended one of their premiere colleges in the south. Once I made a presentation in speech class where I posed the question: “Is Ellen White really the ‘Spirit of Prophecy?’” My answer was simply “no!” Actually, I wasn’t condemning Ellen White as much as I was trying to bring people to the realization that the TRUE “spirit of prophecy” is simply the “Spirit of Yahweh,” and that it is technically incorrect to refer to Ellen White HERSELF as that “Spirit of Prophecy” —even if she was, as I believed at the time, a prophet. However, the response from the students was one of utter shock, and one of them got up from his seat and began to yell at me from the top of his lungs, while he was slowly creeping toward me yelling out “You are wrong! I believe in Ellen White! Your message is false!” My explanation did not seem to appease him, but soon order was restored and the threat of bodily harm to myself had abated. I never graduated from college, as my financial situation took a downward turn, and it is just as well that I did not finish. I was privately told by a minister at the college that I probably would not make a good minister, since the “conference doesn’t want people who are creative or who are always asking questions.” I had many things to “unlearn” since then. I knew an Adventist locally who was also affiliated with the House of Yahweh, and he would always try to interject his beliefs at the local Adventist church. Because he was elderly and seemed to be so confused, I never felt he was much of a threat—and I dismissed the truth concerning Yahweh’s name (at the time) stating, “name simply means character.” As we now know, that is only part of the truth. After a few years in the Adventist faith, I drifted into other “fringe” movements within Adventism—such as “historic Adventists,” or other groups who claim to be connected with the SDA’s. I think it was Yahweh Who, providentially, gradually lead me out of the SDA faith. For a few years I did well financially, and was working in Dallas (computer work), but this eventually fell apart and in 2001 I lost my job and my car broke down in a small town outside of Ft. Worth. The car broke down in the same college town that I had studied to be a minister. I began to share an apartment with another Adventist locally, and providentially a friend of his took us on a Sabbath afternoon to the home of someone he knew. On the welcome mat it said “Shalom” and the man making the presentation was talking about the “Torah” and mentioned often the name of “Yahweh.” My first thought was “Are they Jewish?” My friend and I quietly listened, but then he spoke up and said: “I don’t believe in the law of Moses, that was done away with!” Of course, the speaker responded by asking if he had any Scripture to back that up with. Of course, he could give no answer except the typical “thus saith Ellen White” pat answer! Later, I spoke up and said “We don’t believe in the law of Moses, but if you can show us something from the 10 commandments I would be willing to hear you.” Amazingly, he accepted my challenge and began to give a detailed explanation of how the whole world has been violating the 3rd commandment by ignoring, replacing, and dishonoring the name of Yahweh! Soon afterward the friend I had come with told the speaker it was time for him to leave, and motioned to me to come with him. I told him to continue on home and that I would stay longer to hear the rest of his message. He left, I stayed, and from that day my life would not be the same. It was a struggle, but somehow Yahweh opened my eyes for the first time to realize that He actually desires for us to call upon Him by His true name!! And all the Adventists around me tried to tell me it was fanaticism to believe that, but when I tried to simply show them in the Bible the clear commands to call upon the name of “Yahweh” they turned away in disgust, claiming that I was “confused!” Soon after this experience I read the Scriptures in a totally new light, and I openly began to call upon the name of Yahweh and Yahshua, keep the feasts, and study the Torah with the intention of learning Yahweh’s will and keeping ALL of HIS “commandments, statutes and ordinances.” As a “former” long time member of the SDA church, I feel a true burden to help those who are still trapped in that system to come out and find true freedom. Since I was a member for 20 years, and have now turned away from that faith, I am in a unique position to be a witness to them to point them away from the many errors of that system (such errors as the prophetic significance of 1844, Ellen White as a last day prophet, and the necessity of an investigative judgment). If you are an Adventist and feel that my previous statement pointing out the three major errors of Adventism are made without evidence, please be aware that I and others have already written extensively regarding those issues. While there are many other people who have also come out of Adventism, I am among a small group who continue to believe in and keep the Sabbath, clean and unclean prohibitions, and belief in the law. Not all that the Adventists teach is error, and this is something that requires special discernment to discover. Currently I do not hold membership in any organization. I do extensive research regarding Scripture, and much of that research can be found on my website at www.itsaboutthattime.net. It is a way for me to contribute to the work of Yahweh as I seek to "give glory to the name of Yahweh." I visit Sabbath observing congregations from time to time and hear them speaking of "the Lord" and wonder why they are blind to Yahweh's true name. Then I consider my own situation and remember that at one time I was also "blind" to this truth!! Yahweh tells us what we must begin to do: "I will declare Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You. (Psalm 22:22) For seven years now I have been visiting others of like faith, who call upon the name of Yahweh. I am attending feasts whenever and wherever I can, and continuing with my study and research. I like to do research, writing, graphic design and web design. I so long to belong to a true "community" of believers, but so far I feel that such is beyond my grasp. It is my belief that such is possible, but we must all be willing to submit to the guidance of the Spirit of Yahweh as He (Yahweh) seeks to restore us into true unity and fellowship with Him. Without the truth being lived out in our lives it is really impossible to be a true “community.” The Messiah is that living Torah, who came not to “destroy the Torah” (Matthew 5) but to magnify it and make it honorable—and so show by His example that obedience to Yahweh’s Torah (i.e., the law of Moses) does not put an extra burden upon us (as some teach) but actually brings us true freedom. W. Glenn Moore glenn_moore44@yahoo.com |