Jehovah’s Witness vs Seventh-Day Adventists: How are they different?

Recently, a member of our online forum said that all his life, he thought Seventh-Day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses were the same.

Surprisingly, many members were not aware of the key differences that make each of the denominations unique. Having explored the two denominations in Theology School, I was able to clear the confusion.

I decided to write this article for everyone else who needs to know the key differences between the two groups.

So, let’s talk about Jehovah’s Witnesses vs Seventh-Day Adventists.

Join me in this article as I write about the similarities between Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventists. I will also discuss how the two denominations think about each other.

Read on to find out more.

What’s the Difference between Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventists?

Parameter	Seventh Day Adventist	Jehovah Witness
Jesus Christ	They believe that Jesus is a divine and powerful son of God	They believe that Jesus is not divine; he is a created entity. They say that Jesus was God’s first creation, hence the highest. However, He is not as powerful as God.
The Holy Trinity	They believe in the Holy Trinity	They do not believe in the Holy Trinity
Salvation	They believe that faith and obeying the word of God is a requirement for salvation.	They believe that one can receive salvation through faith in God and good works.
Health and diet	They have strict restrictions on diet because they protect their health	They do not have any restrictions on diet. However, they reject blood transfusion.
Evangelism	They evangelize through testimonies, outreach ministries, and preaching. They respect everyone’s choice of worship.	They are known for door-to-door evangelism.
Worshipping day	They worship on Saturdays	They worship on Sundays
Death and Resurrection	They believe in the ceasing of existence after death. They also believe in two types of Resurrection: the Resurrection of the redeemed that will occur when Christ comes and the Resurrection of the unfaithful that will happen 1000 years after the first Resurrection.	They believe that once a person dies, their soul dies and should await the Resurrection. They believe that not all dead people will resurrect after Christ comes because some are in Gehenna. Also, they believe that only 144000 will go to heaven after Resurrection, and the rest of the resurrected soul will remain on earth, a paradise.

Differences in the beliefs between Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventists

Death and Resurrection

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that once a person dies, their soul dies too, but they have a chance to be resurrected when Jesus comes .

However, they believe that Resurrection will not happen for all people because others are in Gehenna and will stay there for eternity.

Those who are dead and are in Gehenna are said to be unworthy of Resurrection. They also believe that 144000 will be resurrected into heaven, and the rest of the resurrected people will remain on earth, a paradise.

On the other hand, the Seventh Day Adventists believe in two types of Resurrection. First, they believe that once a person dies, they cease to exist until Christ comes to resurrect the redeemed people and go with them to heaven.

The second Resurrection, as they believe, will happen after 1000 years. They believe that this Resurrection will happen for those who lead unfaithful lives on earth.

Salvation

Jehovah’s Witnesses preach that for a person to acquire salvation, they must have faith in Jesus Christ and participate in good works.

They believe that a specific group from their church will go to heaven; the rest of the saved people will remain on earth, which will be a paradise.

On the other hand, the Seventh Day Adventists preach that faith in Jesus Christ and obeying the word of God is necessary for salvation.

They insist that salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned by doing good works.

Jesus Christ

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus is separate from God, and God created Him as his first creation and the highest of all creations.

They do not believe in the divine nature of Jesus Christ and say that Jesus is not as powerful as God. According to them, Jesus is, therefore, a separate being from God.

On the other hand, Seventh-Day Adventists believe that Jesus is divine. They believe that God exists in three forms: father, son, and the Holy Spirit; Jesus is the son who is fully human and fully divine.

The Trinity

The Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in the Holy Trinity. On the other hand, Seventh-Day Adventists believe in the Holy Trinity.

They believe in the existence of one God in three forms: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

What are the similarities between Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventists?

In both denominations, they believe that believing in immortality is a sinful belief. They both believe that once a person dies, the soul, too, dies.

After a person dies, they cease to exist forever until the day Christ will meet them.

They both say that Christianity is the only true religion that should be practised by people who want to be saved. They also both meet and worship through prayer, singing, and Bible study.

Also, they both baptize by immersion.

Lastly, they both believe in promoting love for everybody around them, in their church and outside. For these reasons, they are both against wars and choose to be pacifists in the case of violence.

What do Jehovah’s Witnesses think about Seventh-Day Adventists?

The Jehovah’s Witnesses respect the Seventh-Day Adventists but also think that their belief in the Holy Trinity is not Biblical.

They argue that SDAs came up with the word Trinity, which is not in the Bible. They explain that since the beginning, God used human language to communicate with Humans; therefore, if there is no Trinity in his holy word, then the Trinity is something that is made up.

However, they are friendly to one another even though they disagree theologically.

What do Seventh-Day Adventists think of Jehovah’s Witnesses?

The Seventh-day Adventists call Jehovah’s Witnesses friends and respect their beliefs. However, they still disagree with certain aspects of their theology.

They specifically think that the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not follow the Bible doctrine to the fullest, especially when it comes to the Holy Trinity and the definition of Christ.

Therefore, they think that some of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ teachings are misleading.

Which one is more popular between Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventists?

Seventh-Day Adventists are more popular because they have more population worldwide than Jehovah’s Witnesses.

There are approximately 22 million Seventh-day Adventist members in almost 200 countries. On the other hand, there are only approximately 8.6 million Jehovah’s Witness members worldwide, according to 2022 data.