The global pestilence brings to view how all nations have been deceived by pharmakeia. The overwhelming force of this deception is not in the public clamour for the so-called preventive vaccine, but in the acceptance of drugs/vaccines by God’s professed people – Seventh-day Adventists.

“If Seventh-day Adventists practiced what they profess to believe, if they were sincere health reformers, they would indeed be a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men” – Ellen G White {RH May 27, 1902, Art. A, par. 1}. Health reform, in the truest sense of the word, is opposed to use of drugs. “It is the Lord’s purpose that His method of healing without drugs shall be brought into prominence in every large city through our medical institutions” – Ellen G White {GCB June 3, 1909, page 292.1}.

Babylon’s merchants and pharmakeia

Babylon is charged with the sin of deceiving all nations with her sorceries. Of Babylon it is said, “... for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived ...” (Revelation 18:23). The Greek word for “sorceries” is “pharmakeia” [far-mak-i’-ah] – and “pharmakeia” means “use or administering of drugs; poisoning;” etc. “Pharmakeia” is where we get our English word “pharmacy” – a system of administering of drugs.

Babylon’s “merchants were the great men of the earth”. In connection with the device, “pharmakeia,” by which all nations are deceived, the “merchants” include pharmaceutical lines of business that control a share of the economy. Some have the monopoly to make or sell drugs/vaccines. It was prophesied:

“In the world gigantic monopolies will be formed. Men will bind themselves together in unions that will wrap them in the folds of the enemy. A few men will combine to grasp all the means to be obtained in certain lines of business. Trades unions will be formed, and those who refuse to join these unions will be marked men” {18LtMs, Lt 26, 1903, par. 2}.

Satan is at work causing disease and pestilence; “while appearing to the children of men as a great physician who can heal all their maladies, he will bring disease ... he imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence” (Ellen G White, The Great Controversy, p 589). In turn, all nations are deceived in thinking the solution lies in using pharmakeia to cure what Satan has done (“he imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence”). Whosoever refuses to go along with this pharmakeia method is told “thou art not Caesar’s friend” (John 19:12) by those who see “themselves as patriots, who [are] seeking the nation’s salvation” {DA 541.1} – “a confederacy,” but “neither fear their fear, nor be afraid” (Isaiah 8:12).

Objectionable nature of pharmakeia

All drugs are more or less poisonous, determined by the extent to which they interfere with the body’s metabolic processes. Interference in a metabolic process in one system allows the strength of that system to be used by the metabolic system of another part of the body. In order to be of benefit, pharmaceutical drugs will borrow strength from one system of the body in order to help another. These pharmaceutical drugs interfere in the enzyme systems and metabolic pathways of cells.

“Drugs never cure disease. They only change its form and location. Nature alone is the effectual restorer, and how much better can she perform her task if left to herself! But this privilege is seldom allowed her” – Ellen G White {RH September 5, 1899, par. 4}. “The disease which the drug was given to cure may disappear, but only to reappear in a new form, such as skin diseases, ulcers, painful, diseased joints, and sometimes in a more dangerous and deadly form” – Ellen G White {HL 243.3}. Sadly, the new forms in which disease reappear are termed ‘side effects’ when they are “direct effects” of drugs.

Pharmakeia often use poisons to remove from the body poisonous impurities caused by bad choices or bad habits. “Nature, to relieve herself of poisonous impurities, makes an effort to free the system, which effort produces fevers, and what is termed disease. But even then, if those who are afflicted would assist nature in her efforts, by the use of pure, soft water, much suffering would be prevented. But many, instead of doing this, and seeking to remove the poisonous matter from the system, take a more deadly poison into the system, to remove a poison already there” – Ellen G White {4aSG 140.2}.

Apart from the toxic effects of drugs, they are generally irritating to the stomach. In any case of the repeated use of any prescription drug, there is an inflammation of the lining of the stomach. In many instances there is an irritation also of the nerves. When the stomach is inflamed, the brain tends to sympathise. Since health of the body is largely dependent upon a healthy brain, then surely directly and indirectly drugs exert an injurious effect on the body to decrease the level of good health.

The effect of drugs on the brain imperils salvation. Said Paul, “with my mind serve I the law of God” (Romans 7:25). Becloud this mind through drugs containing impurities that enter the brain, and the moral powers are weakened so that the sacred and common are placed upon a level. And next follows inability of mind to comprehend spiritual saving truth.

Let those who truly desire life, but who are yet on drug medication, be educated that their disease plus the drugs to cure it creates two evils in the place of removing one; as they embrace God’s method of healing, “drug medication should be worked away from as fast as possible until entirely discarded. Education should be given on proper diet, dress, and exercise” – Ellen G White {4LtMs, Lt 3, 1884, par. 4}.

Mercury-added products and pharmakeia

The Minamata Convention on Mercury 2013, in its recitals, recognises the toxicity of mercury and “its significant negative effects on human health,” and seeks to phase-out certain mercury-added products. Incredibly, when it comes to toxic thiomersal (ethyl mercury), the Treaty exempts “vaccines containing thiomersal as preservatives.” As to dental amalgam containing mercury, leaving it open, the Treaty says, “measures to be taken by a Party to phase down the use of dental amalgam shall take into account the Party’s domestic circumstances” such as “setting national objectives aiming at minimizing its use.”

Scientists deceived by pharmakeia downplay the risks, saying, thiomersal is ethyl-mercury and not as dangerous as methyl-mercury. The risks of mercury amalgams are also downplayed. We ought to reject such as “science falsely so called” (1 Timothy 6:20), for “in true science there can be nothing contrary to the teaching of the word of God, for both have the same Author” – White {8T 258.2}. The ethyl/methyl mercury distinction is not made by inspired writings:

“Mercury, calomel, and quinine have brought their amount of wretchedness, which the day of God alone will fully reveal. Preparations of mercury and calomel taken into the system ever retain their poisonous strength as long as there is a particle of it left in the system. These poisonous preparations have destroyed their millions, and left sufferers upon the earth to linger out a miserable existence. All are better off without these dangerous mixtures.

“Miserable sufferers, with disease in almost every form, misshapen by suffering, with dreadful ulcers, and pains in the bones, loss of teeth, loss of memory, and impaired sight, are to be seen almost every where. They are victims of poisonous preparations, which have been, in many cases, administered to cure some slight indisposition, which after a day or two of fasting would have disappeared without medicine. But poisonous mixtures, administered by physicians, have proved their ruin” (Ellen G White, Spiritual Gifts, volume 4a, p 139).

Mercury in silver amalgams and pharmakeia

It is well documented that mercury from silver fillings enter the body. “Mercury vapor escapes from the fillings and enters the bloodstream via absorption through the lungs and intestinal tract; Mercury vapor primarily targets the brain and central nervous system” (Hal A Huggins and Thomas E Levy, Uninformed Consent: the Hidden Dangers in Dental Care (Hampton Roads Publishing 1999) 171). “Chewing, drinking hot foods, and tooth brushing, all exacerbate the release of mercury from dental fillings” (CO Enwonwu, ‘Potential Health Hazard of Use in Mercury in Dentistry: Critical Review of the Literature’ (1987) 42 Environmental Research 257).

“Mercury poisoning from amalgam fillings has been linked to a range of neurological problems, including chronic fatigue, Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis as well as symptoms such as nervousness, irritability, lack of concentration, loss of memory and confidence, mood swings, anxiety and insomnia” (Jane Feinmann, ‘A mouthful of trouble’ (2004) The Independent, 14 December) – mercury dental silver amalgams in teeth are a mouthful of trouble indeed!

For those in the faith of Jesus Christ, the following statement is a sufficient basis for removing mercury amalgams without undue delay: “Preparations of mercury ... taken into the system ever retain their poisonous strength as long as there is a particle of it left in the system ... miserable sufferers, with disease in almost every form, misshapen by suffering, with dreadful ulcers, and pains in the bones, loss of teeth, loss of memory, and impaired sight, are to be seen almost every where” – Ellen G White {4aSG 139.2}.

Scientists – deceived by pharmakeia – continue to advocate that mercury in dental amalgam does not cause harm to humans. But studies catching up with what Ellen G White was inspired to write against mercury have long not been silent, which include the following evidence: “People with silver dental fillings are depressed significantly more than people without silver dental fillings” (RL Siblerud, J Motl, E Kienholz, ‘Psychometric evidence that mercury from silver dental fillings may be an etiological factor in depression, excessive anger, and anxiety’ (1994) 74 Psychological Reports 67-80). “Silver dental filling contains approximately 50% mercury by weight” (R Craig, Restoration of Dental Materials (St Louis, CV Mosby Co, 1985) 198-224). “The mercury leaches from the amalgam in the form of vapor and approximately 75%-80% of mercury vapor can be inhaled into the lungs, which then enters the blood stream and passes into the brain, as well as other body tissue” (L Mago, S Halbach, T Clarkson, ‘Role of Catalase in the Oxidation of Mercury Vapor’ (1978) 27 Biochemical Pharmacology 1373-1377).

Scientists found “a direct correlation between number of occlusal amalgams and mercury in the brain in post-mortem studies” (D Eggleston and M Nylander, ‘Correlation of dental amalgam with mercury in the brain tissue’ (1987) 58 Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry 704-707). A study “comparing 51 subjects without amalgams to 50 subjects with amalgams found mercury levels in urine were 201% higher in the amalgam group and hair mercury levels were 26.5% higher” (RL Siblerud, ‘A comparison of mental health of multiple sclerosis patients with silver/mercury fillings and those with fillings removed’ (1992) 70 Psychological Reports 1139-1151).

 “Eleven manic depressed persons had their amalgam fillings removed, and nine subjects with amalgams were told they were being treated, but were given a placebo. Depression and hypomania scores improved significantly, as did anxiety, anger, schizophrenia, paranoia, and many others with amalgam removal, compared to the sealant-placebo group. There was a 42% decrease in the number of physical health problems after amalgam removal compared to an 8% increase in physical symptoms in the placebo-sealant group” (Robert L Siblerud, John Motl, and Eldon Kienholz, ‘Psychometric Evidence that Dental Amalgam Mercury may be an Etiological Factor in Manic Depression’ (1998) 13(1) Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 31-41).

The warning that, “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:17) must be sufficient to seek safe removal of mercury fillings.

Toxicity of dental root canals and pharmakeia

The poisoning from root canals was documented by Dr Weston Price in his 1992 textbook in which he noted that root canals contained toxic bacterium that were the root of many diseases, and concluded that root canaled teeth had no place in the human body.

Dental root canal treatment drills out nerves, and fills the empty pulp chamber with gutta-percha. But the maze of tiny dentinal tubules remain and so do the ordinary bacteria that resides inside. Cut off from blood supply, hiding in the dead tooth where neither white blood cells nor medicines can reach, the once ordinary and friendly bacteria in dentinal tubules, mutate into highly toxic anaerobic bacteria. These highly toxic anaerobic bacteria thrive on little or no oxygen and continuously excrete toxicity from digesting dead tissue that leads to chronic infection.

Blood supply and lymphatics surrounding the dead tooth drains the toxicity into your body organs, leading to autoimmune diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, neurological diseases, heart and kidney disease – many of these may appear decades later.

As the body’s immune system does not accept dead structures as safe, it launches an autoimmune response against the dead tooth. This somewhat aberrant response may explain the origins of many autoimmune diseases, compounded by the bacterial toxins. Root canals are “pharmakeia” – poisoning! Price was right, root canals are not worth the price.

Vaccination among Seventh-day Adventists

The official statement of our Seventh-day Adventist Church on vaccination says: “we encourage responsible immunization/vaccination, and have no religious or faith-based reason not to encourage our adherents to responsibly participate in protective and preventive immunization programs. We value the health and safety of the population, which includes the maintenance of ‘herd immunity’.” (adventist.org/guidelines/immunization/).

Faithful Seventh-day Adventists employ religious exemption from vaccination based on 1 Corinthians 3:17 which affirms that our bodies are God’s temples which are not to be defiled under threat of judgment. Our Church leaders’ “Official Statement” endorsing vaccination is treachery to Him who has bought mankind with the blood of His only-begotten Son.

Deceived by pharmakeia, betraying the trust of their unsuspecting and unguarded members, our Church leaders have resorted to unauthenticated reports: “Concerning vaccination against smallpox, D. E. Robinson, one of Ellen White’s secretaries, under the date of June 12, 1931, wrote as follows concerning Mrs. White’s attitude toward vaccination: ‘You will be interested to know, however, that at a time when there was an epidemic of smallpox in the vicinity, she herself was vaccinated and urged her helpers, those connected with her, to be vaccinated. In taking this step, Sister White recognized the fact that it has been proven that vaccination either renders one immune from smallpox or greatly lightens its effects if one does come down with it. She also recognized the danger of their exposing others if they failed to take this precaution. [Signed] D. E. Robinson’ (Selected Messages, bk. 2, p. 303)” (‘Covid-19 Vaccines: Addressing Concerns, Offering Counsel’ (2020) Adventist Review, 18 December).

In light of overwhelming evidence against drugs in the writings of Ellen G White, Robinson’s report is so absurd that it refutes itself. The fact that our Church leaders are driven to such unauthenticated report to urge for vaccination, is sufficient evidence that their present clamour for vaccines has not the slightest sanction of divine inspiration. The Lord does not work in so underhanded a manner. We are told that He will do nothing without revealing His secret unto His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7), and the Lord makes known His will to the prophets in order that they may tell the people. Considering that “to leave men and women without excuse, God gives plain and pointed testimonies” {2T 454.4}, if God desired His people to be vaccinated, He would have given a plain testimony through Ellen G White. It is not the way of God to expect His people to be vaccinated on the authority of Robinson’s unauthenticated report.

Our Lord Jesus Christ who inspired Ellen White, anticipating that our Church leaders will in our time use heresy to say Sister White was vaccinated or Sister White said this or did this, which is not true, inspired Ellen White to warn us: “And now to all who have a desire for truth I would say: Do not give credence to unauthenticated reports as to what Sister White has done or said or written. If you desire to know what the Lord has revealed through her, read her published works” – Ellen White {5T 696.1}. If you ever want to know what Ellen White did about drugs/vaccines, read her own inspired writings, not Robinson’s unauthenticated report.

It is not only that the report by Robinson in 1931 could not have been authenticated by Ellen G White who died in 1915, but also it is not even plausible that instead of advocating for sanitation and isolation Ellen G White would have urged her helpers to be vaccinated for smallpox. Ellen White was familiar with the biblical principles of sanitation and isolation to eliminate infectious diseases. In Leviticus 13 to 15, God instructed Israel to use running water for cleansing infection; washing garments and burning them to get rid of infectious diseases; washing hands and bathing oneself to avoid contamination of infectious diseases; and isolating for the period one is infected with a plague (Leviticus 13-15). That it is not plausible for Ellen White to have urged souls to be vaccinated instead of sanitising and isolating, we can tell from her inspired writings, for she wrote with such a clarity on what God instructed ancient Israel:

“Not only in their religious service, but in all the affairs of daily life was observed the distinction between clean and unclean. All who came in contact with contagious or contaminating diseases were isolated from the encampment, and they were not permitted to return without thorough cleansing of both the person and the clothing. In the case of one afflicted with a contaminating disease, the direction was given: ...[Leviticus 15:4-12]. The law concerning leprosy is also an illustration of the thoroughness with which these regulations were to be enforced: ...[Leviticus 13:46-52 quoted]. So, too, if a house gave evidence of conditions that rendered it unsafe for habitation, it was destroyed. The priest was to ...[Leviticus 14:45-47]” – Ellen G White {MH 227-8}.

In spite of such divine clarity on how to deal with infectious diseases and the divine counsel against use of drugs, how many professed Adventists will be deceived by pharmakeia to be vaccinated based on our Church leaders’ “Official Statement” and also on Robinson’s report, only the day of God will reveal. But such is the force of the pharmakeia deception!

As it was at the First Advent so it will be at the Second Advent. Rabbis could not help souls to find Christ. “If Nathanael had trusted to the rabbis for guidance, he would never have found Jesus. It was by seeing and judging for himself that he became a disciple” – Ellen White {DA 140.5}. So it is today, about vaccines, those who are trusting to our church leaders, will not find the truth. Like Nathanael, let us be wise not trust to the modern rabbis for guidance.

Learn to be your own physician

A nineteenth century physician once said that “a man who treats himself has a fool for a patient” (Sir William Osler), and doctors are fond of repeating his words. But the thing is utterly untrue, unless he treats himself with drugs; and in that case it would be equally true were a regular physician treating him; for whoever allows anybody to put drugs in his body temple (1 Corinthians 6:19) is lacking in the judgement God designs that every man should have.

It is not God’s will that people should entirely and blindly put themselves in the hands of physicians. The person who does not understand the laws of life sufficiently well to be able to keep himself well, or to check any incipient disease in his own body, has failed to gain the first principles of a true education.

As a true health reformer, “I must be a learner, always, as to how to take care of this building, the body God has given me, that I may preserve it in the very best condition of health. I must eat those things which will be for my very best good physically, and I must take special care to have my clothing such as will conduce to a healthful circulation of the blood. I must not deprive myself of exercise and air. I must get all the sunlight that it is possible for me to obtain” – Ellen G White {6LtMs, Lt 35, 1890, par. 7}.

“The Lord has given some simple herbs of the field that at times are beneficial; and if every family understood how to use these herbs in case of sickness, much suffering might be prevented” – Ellen G White {12LtMs, Ms 162, 1897, par. 9}.

True remedies for healing diseases

“I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Sickness comes not causelessly, for “the curse causeless shall not come” (Proverbs 26:2). A 20 years’ study found: “People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease … People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease” (T Colin Campbell & Thomas M Campbell, The China Study 2006). So then, logically, what should we do in case of illness? “The cause which I knew not I searched out” (Job 29:16). If “the axe is laid unto the root of the trees” (Matthew 3:10), it will strike at the cause, uprooting unhealthful habits, allowing nature to rebuild the immune system using true remedies.

What are the true remedies? “Pure air, sunlight, abstemiousness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water, trust in Divine power – these are the true remedies” (EG White, Ministry of Healing, p 127).

“The use of natural remedies requires an amount of care and effort that many are not willing to give. Nature’s process of healing and upbuilding is gradual, and to the impatient it seems slow. The surrender of hurtful indulgences requires sacrifice. But in the end it will be found that nature, untrammeled, does her work wisely and well. Those who persevere in obedience to her laws will reap the reward in health of body and health of mind (ibid).

An acronym for the eight true remedies is NEWSTART (Nutrition [proper diet], Exercise, Water, Sunlight, Temperance [Abstemiousness], Air, Rest, and Trust {in Divine power}). All the eight natural remedies were given by God in the first book of the Bible. To know more, read our booklets, Nutrition in the Bible; Natural Remedies. Below is a summary of these eight true remedies (eight laws of health).

Nutrition – God said, “I have given you every herb yielding seed, . . . and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food” (Genesis 1:29). Upon leaving Eden to gain his livelihood by tilling the earth under the curse of sin, man received permission to eat also “the herb of the field” (Genesis 3:18). As “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11), and we need good blood to heal disease, we are to eat only the original food, for “grains, with fruits, nuts, and vegetables, contain all the nutritive properties necessary to make good blood” (Ellen G White, Ministry of Healing, p 316).

Sin has increased in the world and so have diseases in both man and animals. As a result of sin, “the whole creation groaneth” (Romans 8:22), “even we ourselves groan within ourselves” (Romans 8:23), and “the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings” (Romans 8:26). If God will have our full attention, we must return to plant-based diet for healthy brains. “Many who are now only half converted on the question of meat eating will go from God’s people, to walk no more with them” {RH May 27, 1902, Art. A, par. 2}.

A return to a plant-based diet is indispensable! But “as this reform restricts the lustful appetite, many will shrink. They have other gods before the Lord. Their taste, their appetite, is their god; and when the axe is laid at the root of the tree, and these who have indulged their depraved appetites at the expense of health are touched, and their sin pointed out, and their idols shown them, they do not wish to be convinced, and some will cling to hurtful things which they love, although God’s voice should speak directly to them, to put away those health-destroying indulgences. They seem joined to their idols, and God will soon say to His angels, Let them alone” (Ellen G White, Testimony 11, p 41); {T11 41.1}.

“Gluttony has been the prevailing sin of this age. Lustful appetite has made slaves of men and women, and has beclouded their intellects and stupefied their moral sensibilities to such a degree that the sacred, elevated, truths of God’s word have not been appreciated. The lower propensities have ruled men and women” {T11 41.2}. “In order for the people of God to be fitted for translation, they must know themselves. They must understand in regard to their own physical frames, that they can, with the psalmist, exclaim, ‘I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.’ They should ever have the appetite in subjection to the moral and intellectual organs. The body should be servant to the mind, and not the mind to the body” {T11 42.1}.

Exercise – “The Lord God put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15) – “Morning exercise, walking in the free, invigorating air of heaven, or cultivating flowers, small fruits, and vegetables, is the surest safeguard against colds, coughs, congestion of the brain, inflammation of the liver, the kidneys, and the lungs, and a hundred other diseases” (Ellen G White, Healthful Living, pp 176-177). “Exercise will aid in the work of digestion. Take a walk after a meal; but no violent exercise after a full meal ... Moderate exercise every day will impart strength to the muscles, which without exercise become flabby and enfeebled” (Ellen G White, Testimonies, volume 2, pp 530-530).

Water – “And a river went out of Eden and watered the garden” (Genesis 2:10) – pure water and no other drinks are helpful. “Water is the best liquid possible to cleanse the tissues ... Drink some, a little time before or after a meal” (White, Healthful Living, p 226). Drink at least 1 ounce [0.028 litre or 28 millilitres] of water daily for every 2 pounds [1 kilogram] that you weigh. Do not drink at a meal. Stop all sinful drinks indulgence. “Tea and coffee drinking is a sin” (White, Counsels on Diet, p 425).

Sunlight – “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day” (Genesis 1:16) – the sun is the great healing agency; exposures to sunlight, avoiding sunburn, benefits our bodies, for “sunshine, the beautiful surroundings of nature ... these are God’s means for restoring the sick to health” (Ellen G White, Testimonies, volume 7, p 85).

Temperance – “Out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is ... good for food” (Genesis 2:9) – “True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with everything harmful and to use judiciously that which is healthful” (Ellen G White, Review and Herald, 5 September 1899).

Air – “And God called the firmament Heaven” (Genesis 1:8) – Strong’s Hebrew 7549: An expanse, the firmament, visible arch of the sky. It is in this space or expanse that we find fresh air. “The stomach, liver, lungs and brain are suffering for want of deep, full inspirations of air which would electrify the blood and impart to it a bright, lively color, and which alone can keep it pure, and give tone and vigor to every part of the living machinery” (Ellen G White, Testimonies, volume 2, pp 67-68).

Rest – “He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made” (Genesis 2:2) – we need daily rest and weekly rest. Digestive system need rest to fight disease. “After disposing of one meal, the digestive organs need rest. At least five or six hours should intervene between the meals, and most persons who give the plan a trial, will find that two meals a day are better than three” {MH 304.1}.

Trust – “And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man” (Genesis 2:22) – Adam slept in full trust in God, it is in this trust God pierced his side and formed a suitable companion for him – the same God sustains life. “Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy, cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest” (Ellen G White, Steps to Christ, p 100).

Healing without using medication drugs

“God’s servants should not administer medicines which they know will leave behind injurious effects upon the system, even if they do relieve present suffering” – Ellen G White {4aSG 139.3}. “Every student should understand how to take such care of himself as to preserve the best possible condition of health, resisting feebleness and disease; and if from any cause disease does come, or accidents occur, he should know how to meet ordinary emergencies without calling upon a physician, and taking his poisonous drugs” – Ellen G White {FE 426.3}.

“The physician who depends upon drug medication in his practice, shows that he does not understand the delicate machinery of the human organism. He is introducing into the system a seed that will never lose its destroying properties throughout the lifetime. I tell you this because I dare not withheld it. Christ paid too much for man’s redemption to have his body so ruthlessly treated as it has been by drug medication.” “Years ago the Lord revealed to me that institutions should be established for treating the sick without drugs. Man is God’s property, and the ruin that has been made of the living habitation, the suffering caused by the seeds of death sown in the human system are an offense to God” (White, Medical Ministry, p 229).

“Those who make a practice of taking drugs sin against their intelligence and endanger their whole afterlife. There are herbs that are harmless, the use of which will tide over many apparently serious difficulties. But if all would seek to become intelligent in regard to their bodily necessities, sickness would be rare instead of common. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” {12LtMs, Ms 86, 1897}.

“A practice that is laying the foundation of a vast amount of disease and of even more serious evils is the free use of poisonous drugs. When attacked by disease, many will not take the trouble to search out the cause of their illness. Their chief anxiety is to rid themselves of pain and inconvenience. So they resort to patent nostrums, of whose real properties they know little, or they apply to a physician for some remedy to counteract the result of their misdoing, but with no thought of making a change in their unhealthful habits. If immediate benefit is not realized, another medicine is tried, and then another.

“People need to be taught that drugs do not cure disease. It is true that they sometimes afford present relief, and the patient appears to recover as the result of their use; this is because nature has sufficient vital force to expel the poison and to correct the conditions that caused the disease. Health is recovered in spite of the drug. But in most cases the drug only changes the form and location of the disease. Often the effect of the poison seems to be overcome for a time, but the results remain in the system and work great harm at some later period” (Ellen G White, Ministry of Healing, p 126).

“By the use of poisonous drugs, many bring upon themselves lifelong illness, and many lives are lost that might be saved by the use of natural methods of healing” (ibid, p 126). “Let physicians teach the people that restorative power is not in drugs, but in nature. Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health. In case of sickness, the cause should be ascertained. Unhealthful conditions should be changed, wrong habits corrected. Then nature is to be assisted in her effort to expel impurities and to re-establish right conditions in the system” (ibid 127).

Hospitals and physicians have their place – they can test for parasites, and diagnose disease. You can then use true remedies to cure the disease in line with God’s healing method. But it was for this that God said “that institutions should be established for treating the sick without drugs” {MM 229.3}.

No healing except by faith in the Word

“The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). This means that we are to eat, drink, sleep, move, and have our being, by faith. Everything that goes to make up life, is to be done by faith. We are to live by faith. All the difference between the Christian and the sinner is that one lives in the right way, and the other lives in a perverted way; one has perfect life, the other has only partial life, in fact, has not real life at all. “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:12).

The life of faith has to do with our flesh, our body. We read: “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Again: “If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans 8:13).

Living by faith is to keep passions and appetites subdued, as in Paul’s analogy: athletes run for “a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so ... I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that, by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

Our bodies are temples of God, and as such the life of Christ is to be manifested in our mortal flesh. This means health: “My son, attend to My words; incline thine ear to My sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:20-22).

But living by faith does not by any means signify that using natural true remedies is inconsistent with healing by the Word. Far from it. Everything that is a means of conveying life is the agent of the Word. Christ is the Personification of the Word, and “in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28), yet we live by eating and drinking and breathing.

Concluding remarks

The sum of the whole matter is this: Life cannot come from anything but life. It is not only senseless, but wicked, to put death into the system, expecting to get life from it. By plant-based nutrition, judicious exercise, pure water, sunlight, temperance in all things including proper clothing, fresh air, rest, and with all and above all, trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, God conveys His life to us. By these means we live in the faith of Him who gives life. But by substituting drugs for them, we take eternal death to ourselves.

“Those who make a practice of taking drugs sin against their intelligence and endanger their whole afterlife” {20MR 1.8}. “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:17).