The Bible warns repeatedly against the dangers of God’s people being influenced by, and uniting with, the world. These warnings form a significant portion of the prophetic message given to Israel in the Old Testament, and to the Christian church in the New Testament.

• “And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?” (Judges 2:2).

• “Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid” (Isaiah 8:12).

• “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:14, 17, 18).

What example did Jesus give in His earthly life regarding involvement in worldly politics and policy? His testimony was consistent with the counsel contained elsewhere in Scripture. When standing in front of the Roman governor Pilate, for example, Jesus made it clear this His kingdom was not built on human strength or politics.

• “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36).

The “fighting” Jesus referred to includes physical force as well as other forms of aggression, manipulation, influence, and control such as politics, intrigue, subterfuge, propaganda, and numerous types of psychological warfare. All these are off limits to the Christian because they were rejected by Jesus Christ. In their place, Jesus said that His kingdom would be built on truth.

• “Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (John 18:37).

Christ’s refusal to engage in human politics and policy was revealed when a man approached Him and asked that Christ render a judgment on a civil dispute between the man and his brother. Rather than get involved, Jesus distanced Himself from all such questions.

• “And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?” (Luke 12:13, 14).

The Christian church has been slow to accept and learn the lessons Jesus tried so clearly to teach. Throughout history it has repeatedly resorted to politics, force, confederacy with the world, and similar means to “grow the kingdom of God.” These efforts have consistently and inevitably resulted in compromise of truth, denial of Biblical religious liberty, and oppression against those that oppose such unbiblical actions and attempt to warn the Church of the danger that it is placing itself in by engaging in such practices.

Seventh-day Adventists recognize the writings of Ellen White as an authentic manifestation of the prophetic gift. Their Fundamental Belief 18, voted by delegates from around the world in General Conference session, upholds these writings as authoritative and as a legitimate source of correction in doctrinal and ecclesiastical matters. The full text of Fundamental Belief 18 is reproduced below.

18. The Gift of Prophecy¹

As an “authoritative” voice of “guidance, instruction, and correction to the church,” Ellen White repeatedly warned the church against entering in to confederacies with the world and with worldly institutions. A few of these many warnings include the statements below.

• “There is to be no change in the general features of our work. It is to stand as clear and distinct as prophecy has made it. We are to enter into no confederacy with the world, supposing that by so doing we could accomplish more. If any stand in the way, to hinder the advancement of the work in the lines that God has appointed, they will displease God. No line of truth that has made the Seventh-day Adventist people what they are is to be weakened. We have the old landmarks of truth, experience, and duty, and we are to stand firmly in defense of our principles, in full view of the world” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 17).

• “The work of God is to be carried on without outward display. In establishing institutions, we are never to compete with the institutions of the world in size or splendor. We are to enter into no confederacy with those who do not love or fear God. Those who have not the light of present truth, who are unable to endure the seeing of Him who is invisible, are surrounded by spiritual darkness that is as the darkness of midnight” (Counsels on Health, p. 300).

• “Every device that the prince of darkness can suggest will be employed to induce God’s servants to form a confederacy with the agents of Satan. Repeated solicitations will come to call them from duty; but, like Nehemiah, they should steadfastly reply, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down” (Prophets and Kings, p. 659).

What is a confederacy, and why did God warn the church so urgently through the writings of Ellen White to avoid confederacy between the church and the world? Below is a definition of “confederacy” from Encyclopedia Brittanica:

“Confederations are voluntary associations of independent states that, to secure some common purpose, agree to certain limitations on their freedom of action and establish some joint machinery of consultation or deliberation.”²

According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, a confederacy is a voluntary league or association that places limitations on the participants’ freedom of action. These limitations, many focused on control of freedom of speech and Biblical religious liberty, are clearly revealed in numerous Official Statements published by the General Conference that support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related UN documents.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines a confederacy as “a league, or covenant; a contract between two or more persons, bodies of men or states, combined in support of each other” and “in law, a combination of two or more persons to commit an unlawful act.”³ Based on numerous Official Statements, quadrennial reports, and other documents published by the General Conference, it is clear that the General Conference’s confederacy with the United Nations has indeed brought it into support of the United Nations’ goals and objectives, as is required by the UN rules governing NGOs that are in consultative status with it. Through the writings of Ellen White, God explicitly warned the remnant church against forming confederacies with the world to avoid the compromise of truth and liberty of conscience that has now taken place.

Ellen White likewise warned the church against becoming involved in politics:

• “God calls to His people, saying, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate.” He asks that the love which He has shown for them may be reciprocated and revealed by willing obedience to His commandments. His children are to separate themselves from politics, from any alliance with unbelievers. They are not to link their interests with the interests of the world. Now and ever we are to stand as a distinct and peculiar people, free from all worldly policy, unembarrassed by confederacy with those who have not wisdom to discern the claims of God so plainly set forth in His law” (Letter 110, 1902. {MM 329.1}).

• …True Christian influence, exerted for the accomplishment of the work God has appointed, is a precious agency, and it must not be united with politics, or bound up in a confederacy with unbelievers. God is to be the center of attraction. Every mind that is worked by the Holy Spirit will be satisfied with Him” (Fundamentals of Education, p. 483).

Again, the warnings are clear. The Church is not to become involved in politics, worldly policy, or “any alliance with unbelievers.” Clearly, the United Nations is a political organization, something that is freely admitted by Encyclopedia Brittanica and by the United States Congress.

“Another supranational political system that does not precisely fit any of the conventional classifications of such systems is the United Nations, a voluntary association of most of the world’s nation-states.”⁴

“UN organizations are composed of or funded by governments, making them inherently political bodies that often reflect the competing foreign policy and domestic priorities of their various members.”⁵

By engaging in worldly policy and politics through participation and association with the United Nations, the General Conference has ignored the clear warnings contained in the Spirit of Prophecy. It has disregarded the expressed will of the world church to regard Ellen White’s writings as authoritative and corrective. It has made the warnings against engagement in confederacy and politics of “none effect,” something that Ellen White predicted would take place shortly before Jesus Christ’s second coming. Consider these sobering warnings from the pen of inspiration.

The book Testimonies for the Church, volume 6, contains a powerful inspired warning from Ellen White regarding the specific dangers and temptations that the Church will face immediately prior to the introduction and enforcement of the mark of the beast.

• “The light we have received upon the third angel’s message is the true light. The mark of the beast is exactly what it has been proclaimed to be. Not all in regard to this matter is yet understood, nor will it be understood until the unrolling of the scroll; but a most solemn work is to be accomplished in our world. The Lord’s command to His servants is: “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” Isaiah 58:1 (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p 17, par. 1).

This paragraph includes two important statements. First, at the time Ellen White wrote this statement, not all was understood about the mark of the beast. Since she is very explicit in numerous writings regarding the foundational issue of the mark of the beast (enforced Sunday sacredness), her enigmatic statement must refer to the means and methods through which the mark will be introduced and enforced. Second, Ellen White makes it clear that the duty of God’s servants in the time leading up to the mark of the beast is to “cry aloud, spare not…and show My people their transgression.” This paragraph does not provide any insight into what manner of transgression God’s people are to be warned about, but the next one does. Ellen White continues with these words:

• “There is to be no change in the general features of our work. It is to stand as clear and distinct as prophecy has made it. We are to enter into no confederacy with the world, supposing that by so doing we could accomplish more. If any stand in the way, to hinder the advancement of the work in the lines that God has appointed, they will displease God. No line of truth that has made the Seventh-day Adventist people what they are is to be weakened. We have the old landmarks of truth, experience, and duty, and we are to stand firmly in defense of our principles, in full view of the world” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 17, par. 2).

Ellen White reveals two prevailing sins among God’s people in the time immediately leading up to the enforcement of the mark of the beast. The first sin will involve confederacy with the world, excused under the assumption “that by so doing we could accomplish more.” This is the exact rationale given by Church leaders for continued association with the United Nations.

The second sin Ellen White points out is a result of the first error, and that is weakening the lines of truth that have made the Seventh-day Adventist people what we are. The material on this website provides substantial evidence for all who are willing to see that the General Conference’s long-term association with the United Nations has resulted in a denial of Biblical religious liberty for Seventh-day Adventists around the world and a weakening of many truths that define us as a people.

God warned His people over a century ago about the particular dangers we would face as the mark of the beast approaches. We stand without excuse for the errors that we allow to continue in this regard.

At the height of his power, King Solomon turned away from God and united with the world through the seductive influence of his many foreign wives. His failures, and the reason for them, are recorded in Scripture for our instruction and warning. The Spirit of Prophecy reveals that Solomon’s fall was preceded by a decision to ignore God’s clear warnings.

• “But in forming an alliance with a heathen nation, and sealing the compact by marriage with an idolatrous princess, Solomon rashly disregarded the wise provision that God had made for maintaining the purity of His people. The hope that his Egyptian wife might be converted was but a feeble excuse for the sin.”
• “For a time God in His compassionate mercy overruled this terrible mistake; and the king, by a wise course, could have checked at least in a large measure the evil forces that his imprudence had set in operation. But Solomon had begun to lose sight of the Source of his power and glory. As inclination gained the ascendancy over reason, self-confidence increased, and he sought to carry out the Lord’s purpose in his own way” (Prophets and Kings, p. 53, 54).

God had clearly forbidden intermarriage between Israel and the surrounding nations (see Deuteronomy 7:1-4). Yet, as Solomon ignored God’s warning, he justified his disobedience with the claim that his marriages to foreign wives were actually an act of missionary service. He soothed his conscience with the vain hope that God’s truth would be promoted through his disobedience.

• “[Solomon] reasoned that political and commercial alliances with the surrounding nations would bring these nations to a knowledge of the true God; and he entered into unholy alliance with nation after nation. Often these alliances were sealed by marriages with heathen princesses. The commands of Jehovah were set aside for the customs of surrounding peoples” (Prophets and Kings, p. 53, 54).

• “Solomon flattered himself that his wisdom and the power of his example would lead his wives from idolatry to the worship of the true God, and also that the alliances thus formed would draw the nations round about into close touch with Israel. Vain hope! Solomon’s mistake in regarding himself as strong enough to resist the influence of heathen associates was fatal. And fatal, too, the deception that led him to hope that notwithstanding a disregard of God’s law on his part, others might be led to revere and obey its sacred precepts” (Prophets and Kings, p. 53, 54).

Solomon’s sad history records the true effects of his stubborn disobedience to God’s commands. Rather than influence the surrounding nations, he and the kingdom of Israel were led into idolatry. Rather than convert his wives to the worship of Jehovah, Solomon participated in the most degrading acts of demon worship. Rather than secure the future of Israel as a mighty kingdom, the nation was divided in two at the beginning of his son Rehoboam’s reign. While Solomon himself eventually confessed his sin and returned to God as an old man, many in Israel who were led into idolatry through his example never escaped the sin into which the king had plunged his nation.

• “Solomon had disregarded the instruction that God had given to serve as a barrier against apostasy, and now he gave himself up to the worship of the false gods. “It came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites” 1 Kings 11:4, 5 (Prophets and Kings, p. 56).

1. https://adventist.org/beliefs#belief-18
2. https://www.britannica.com/topic/political-system/Confederations-and-federations
3. https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/confederacy
4. https://www.britannica.com/topic/political-system/Confederations-and-federations
5. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R47715