Appendix E: Truth vs. Counterfeit

A note on this appendix: This framework presents doctrinal contrasts through a historicist lens, representing traditional Protestant and Adventist theology. Readers from other traditions may disagree on specific points (such as the state of the dead or intercession) while still finding value in the Sabbath evidence presented in the main chapters. The core argument about the seventh-day Sabbath (Chapters 1-9) does not depend on accepting every position outlined here.

Seven doctrines where Scripture draws a bright line between God's seal and the beast's mark.

The last conflict is not a vague struggle between good and evil; it is a contest over worship and obedience.¹ Daniel 7; Revelation 12-14: prophetic overview of the seal/mark controversy. For each pillar truth God has given, Satan offers a substitute that appears plausible yet redirects loyalty away from the Creator. Recognizing the counterfeit keeps the conscience anchored to the Word.

1. Authority

Truth: Scripture alone is the infallible rule of faith. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God... that the man of God may be perfect" (2 Timothy 3:16-17); "To the law and to the testimony" (Isaiah 8:20).

Counterfeit: Human tradition or magisterial decree stands above or beside Scripture. Jesus rebuked worship "teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Mark 7:7).

2. Object of Worship

Truth: Worship the Creator who made heaven and earth: memorialized by the seventh-day Sabbath (Genesis 2:1-3; Revelation 14:7).

Counterfeit: Veneration of images, saints, or church-invented holy days: especially Sunday, claimed as a mark of ecclesiastical authority (Exodus 20:4-6; Daniel 7:25).

3. Law and Grace

Truth: Grace upholds the law; faith establishes obedience (Romans 3:31; Revelation 14:12).

Counterfeit: Grace is portrayed as license; the commandments are optional or alterable (Matthew 5:17-19).

4. The Sign of Allegiance

Truth: The seventh-day Sabbath is the sign that God sanctifies His people (Ezekiel 20:12; Exodus 31:13).

Counterfeit: Sunday sacredness, adopted by tradition, becomes the mark of human authority enforced by civil power (Revelation 13:16-17).

5. State of the Dead

Truth: Death is an unconscious sleep until the resurrection (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16).

Counterfeit: Souls are immortal, conscious in death, and able to communicate with the living: reviving the serpent's lie, "Ye shall not surely die" (Genesis 3:4).

6. Intercession

Truth: Christ alone mediates between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:14-16).

Counterfeit: Priests, saints, or Mary are invoked as co-mediators, diverting trust from the living High Priest (Hebrews 7:25).

7. Judgment and Reward

Truth: Judgment is conducted in heaven (Dan 7; Revelation 14:7); Christ returns with the reward "to give every man according as his work shall be" (Revelation 22:12).

Counterfeit: Earthly tribunals claim authority to absolve sin; indulgences and penances circumvent obedience (Daniel 7:26-27).

Why did God create an elaborate sanctuary system to teach these truths? The sanctuary was not decorative religious theater. It was the minimum teaching tool for abstract truth:

Verbal teaching alone was too abstract. People forget what they only hear.
Without a pattern, the Messiah would be unrecognizable. Israel needed to see substitution before they could recognize the Substitute.
Without visible judgment, God's justice would seem arbitrary. The Day of Atonement answered Satan's accusations before they were made.

Humans learn through action, not just words. The sanctuary provided a visual system: daily sacrifices teaching that sin has a cost, the high priest's work teaching that intercession exists, and the Day of Atonement teaching that judgment is inevitable but restorative. Every element was necessary. None was excess. "Which are a shadow of things to come" (Colossians 2:17).

Holding the Line

The battle narrows to allegiance. God seals those who "keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." The beast marks those who substitute human authority and tradition for the Word. Study each doctrine; refuse the counterfeit; cling to the Lamb.² Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, chapters "God's Law Immutable" and "The Final Warning." See also Appendices D-G for historical admissions and witnesses.