4: Vicarius Filii Dei is NOT an official position of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

When I studied Vicarius Filii Dei, I always assumed that this teaching was held exclusively by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Because of my belief in the exclusivity of this teaching, I assumed that this interpretation was formed by the Adventist Church. And because I believed this teaching was formed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, I took any suggestions that Vicarius Filii Dei was incorrect as a threat to my faith. This is why some who are reading this article may feel threatened. 

However, once I studied for myself and not through the lens of other popular SDA teachers, I realized that Vicarius Filii Dei did not even originate with the SDA Church.

According to Leroy Froom’s book The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers vol.2 p. 606, the idea of correlating 666 to Vicarius Filii Dei originated in the 17th century by a Protestant Christian author named Andreas Helwig. Andreas noted that this phrase was a title used by the Pope and made the connection to Revelation 13:18.

It appears that some of our Adventist pioneers picked up on this teaching and unofficially adopted it as a common interpretation of 666.

So even though this interpretation is typically heard at our Daniel and Revelation seminars, Vicarius Filii Dei did not originate with the Adventist Church, nor is it an official position of the denomination.

Though many of our core doctrines did not originate with us, the point is that those beliefs were officially adopted as doctrines and teachings of the SDA Church. Vicarius Filii Dei is NOT an official position of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It’s a traditional position…which is why I am comfortable informing you that it no longer belongs as part of our teachings.