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Summary
- Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists are two separate churches: Adventists grew from the Millerites of the 1840s, and the Witnesses’ founder was drawn back to the Bible by an Adventist preacher around 1870.
- The deepest difference is God: Adventists believe in the Trinity and that Jesus is “Forever truly God,” while Witnesses teach that Jesus is not Almighty God.
- Adventists keep the Saturday Sabbath from sunset to sunset, while Witnesses believe Christians are not required to keep a weekly sabbath.
- Both teach that the dead are unconscious until the resurrection and that the lost are destroyed, not tormented forever.
- Adventists accept blood transfusions, while Witnesses still refuse whole blood, though since September 2026 each Witness decides about the main blood components.
- At the end of 2025 the Adventist Church reported 24,372,139 members, and Jehovah’s Witnesses reported 9,205,326 publishers in their 2025 service year.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations from the King James Version: Exodus 20:8–10; Matthew 6:10; 24:42; Romans 14:5; Colossians 2:16; Revelation 22:20. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/King-James-Version-KJV-Bible/
- “What We Believe: the 28 Fundamental Beliefs,” Seventh-day Adventist Church, adventist.org (beliefs 2, 4, 5, 18, 20, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28). https://www.adventist.org/beliefs/
- “Belief 26: Death and Resurrection,” Seventh-day Adventist Church, adventist.org. https://adventist.org/beliefs/official/death-and-resurrection
- “A Historic Look at the Seventh-day Adventist Church,” adventist.org. https://adventist.org/identity/history
- “Press release: Adventists support World Blood Donor Day on June 14,” Adventist News Network, 2014. https://adventist.news/news/press-release-adventists-support-world-blood-donor-day-on-june-14
- “Seventh-day Adventist World Church Statistics: Summary of Statistics as of December 31, 2025,” General Conference Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research. https://documents.adventistarchives.org/Statistics/Other/SDAWorldChurchStatsSummary2025.pdf
- “Do Seventh-day Adventists Celebrate Christmas?” Ask an Adventist Friend. https://www.askanadventistfriend.com/adventist-culture/do-adventists-celebrate-christmas/
- “What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?” Frequently Asked Questions, jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/
- “Is God a Trinity?” and “What Is the Holy Spirit?” Bible Questions Answered, jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/trinity/; https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/what-is-the-holy-spirit/
- “Must Christians Keep the Sabbath?” Bible Questions Answered, jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/christian-sabbath/
- “What Happens When You Die?” and “Is Hell Real?” jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/when-you-die/; https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/is-hell-real/
- “Jehovah’s Witnesses: Each Witness Now Decides Whether to Accept or Donate Main Blood Components,” news release, Warwick, New York, September 18, 2026, jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/global-communications/country/global-news/Jehovahs-Witnesses-Each-Witness-Now-Decides-Whether-to-Accept-or-Donate-Main-Blood-Components/
- “Is Drinking Alcohol a Sin?” Bible Questions Answered, jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/is-drinking-a-sin/
- “Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Certain Holidays?” and “Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays?” jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jw-celebrate-holidays/; https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/birthdays/
- “Why Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Maintain Political Neutrality?” and “Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Go to War?” jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/political-neutrality/; https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/why-dont-jw-go-to-war/
- “The Role of the Faithful and Discreet Slave,” lesson 54, Enjoy Life Forever!, jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/enjoy-life-forever/section-4/lesson-54/
- “Who Was the Founder of Jehovah’s Witnesses?” and “Why Are We Called Jehovah’s Witnesses?” jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/founder/; https://www.jw.org/en/library/brochures/jehovahs-will/why-called-jehovahs-witnesses/
- 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, history of the United States work, Watchtower Online Library. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/301975002
- “Noteworthy Events in the Modern-day History of Jehovah’s Witnesses,” Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom (1993), jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/Jehovahs-Witnesses-Proclaimers-of-Gods-Kingdom/Noteworthy-Events-in-the-Modern-day-History-of-Jehovahs-Witnesses/
- “How Many of Jehovah’s Witnesses Are There Worldwide?” jw.org (2025 report). https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/how-many-jw/
- Deena Bartel-Wagner, “World Service Organization highlights non-combatancy position,” Adventist News Network, quoting the position voted at the 1954 General Conference Session and reaffirmed at the 1972 Annual Council. https://adventist.news/news/world-service-organization-highlights-non-combatancy-position
- “Questions From Readers” (Mark 7:19), The Watchtower, July 1, 1978, p. 31. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1978490
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