What Dake Taught vs. Biblical Truth
Dake, Finis Jennings. Dake Annotated Reference Bible. Lawrenceville, GA: Dake Bible Sales, 1963.
Dake, Finis Jennings. God’s Plan for Man. Lawrenceville, GA: Dake Publishing, 1949.
This appendix provides a comprehensive comparison between the teachings of Finis Jennings Dake and biblical orthodoxy. Each major doctrine is presented in table format, showing Dake’s actual teachings with direct quotes and citations alongside the biblical truth with supporting Scripture. The purpose is not merely to highlight differences but to demonstrate how Dake’s hyperliteral interpretation and speculative theology departed from two thousand years of orthodox Christian teaching. These comparisons reveal a pattern of error that affects virtually every major doctrine of the Christian faith, from the nature of God Himself to the practical outworking of the gospel in human relationships.
CRITICAL NOTE: The errors documented in this appendix are not minor variations in interpretation or secondary theological disputes. They represent fundamental departures from biblical Christianity that affect the very core of the faith. When reading these comparisons, notice how each error compounds others, creating a systematic theology that, while using biblical language, teaches a different gospel, presents a different God, and promotes a different understanding of humanity and salvation. The extensive use of Dake’s own words ensures that he is not being misrepresented—these are his actual teachings as found in his published works.
TABLE 1: THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY
| ASPECT | DAKE’S TEACHING (TRITHEISM) | BIBLICAL TRUTH |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Definition | Dake teaches three separate Gods:
“The doctrine of the Trinity is simply stated as one in unity, not in number. There are three separate and distinct persons, each having His own personal spirit body, personal soul, and personal spirit.” Source: Dake Bible, note on Deuteronomy 6:4, page 202 “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each and every separate person in the universe has a personal body, soul, and spirit… which are separate and distinct from all others.” Source: God’s Plan for Man, chapter “The Trinity,” page 51 |
Scripture teaches One God in three persons:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4) “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7) “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name [singular] of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19) Historic Creeds: The Athanasian Creed states: “We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.” |
| Unity vs. Separation | Dake denies essential unity:
“How many persons there are in the true deity cannot be determined by the word ‘one’… The Hebrew word for one in such Scriptures as ‘one Lord’ (Deut. 6:4-6) and ‘one God’ (Mal. 2:10) is achad, or unity, collect, be united in one, one accord.” Source: God’s Plan for Man, “Definition of Terms,” pages unnumbered “They are not three persons in one person, but three separate persons in complete unity of purpose, plan, and work.” Source: Dake Bible, note h on page 96 |
Scripture teaches essential unity:
“I and my Father are one” (John 10:30) – Greek: “hen” meaning one essence “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58) – Jesus claims the divine name “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things” (1 Corinthians 8:6) Orthodox Teaching: The three persons share one divine essence, not merely united in purpose but one in being. |
| Physical Bodies | Each person has a separate body:
“Each member of the Divine Trinity has His own personal spirit body, His own soul with all the soul feelings of other beings, and His own personal spirit with all the spirit attributes and powers that other spirits or persons have.” Source: God’s Plan for Man, page 52 “Spirit beings, including God, Himself, cannot be omnipresent in body, for their bodies are of ordinary size and must be at one place at a time.” Source: God’s Plan for Man, page 369 |
God is Spirit without physical form:
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24) “You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice” (Deuteronomy 4:12) “No man hath seen God at any time” (John 1:18) Westminster Confession: “God is a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions.” |
| Practical Implications | Results in polytheism:
“The Trinity doctrine as taught by Dake makes Christianity no different from religions with multiple gods.” |
Maintains monotheism:
“The Trinity preserves both the unity of God and the reality of three persons in eternal relationship.” |
TABLE 2: THE NATURE OF GOD’S BEING
| ASPECT | DAKE’S TEACHING (CORPOREAL GOD) | BIBLICAL TRUTH (SPIRITUAL GOD) |
|---|---|---|
| God’s Form | God has a physical body with parts:
“God has a personal spirit body… shape, image, likeness, bodily parts such as, back parts, heart, hands and fingers, mouth, lips, tongue, feet, eyes, hair, head, face, arms, loins, and other bodily parts.” Source: Dake Bible, note on Genesis 1:26, page 1 “The body of any being is the outward form or house in which his soul and spirit dwell.” Source: God’s Plan for Man, page 51 |
God is pure spirit without form:
“God is a Spirit” (John 4:24) “The King eternal, immortal, invisible” (1 Timothy 1:17) “Whom no man hath seen, nor can see” (1 Timothy 6:16) “Ye saw no manner of similitude” (Deuteronomy 4:15) Theological Truth: God is incorporeal (without body), using anthropomorphisms to help humans understand His actions. |
| Physical Description | Detailed anatomical claims:
“God’s head (Daniel 7:9), His hair (Daniel 7:9), His face (Exodus 33:20), His eyes (2 Chronicles 16:9), His ears (Psalm 34:15), His nose (Psalm 18:8), His mouth (Numbers 12:8), His lips (Job 11:5), His tongue (Isaiah 30:27)…” Source: Dake Bible notes throughout Dake interprets every anthropomorphic reference literally, creating a God with measurable physical dimensions. |
Anthropomorphisms explained:
Biblical references to God’s “eyes,” “hands,” etc. are anthropomorphisms—human characteristics used metaphorically to describe God’s actions:
“These are accommodations to human understanding, not literal descriptions.” |
| Location | God is localized in heaven:
“God is NOT omnipresent in body but in Spirit through the Holy Spirit.” Source: Dake Bible, note on Jeremiah 23:24 “The fact that God came down from heaven to earth on different occasions proves He moves from place to place and is not omnipresent in body.” Source: Dake Bible, note on Genesis 11:5 |
God is omnipresent:
“Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth?” (Jeremiah 23:24) “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (Psalm 139:7) “In him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28) |
| Theological Problems | Creates numerous contradictions:
|
Preserves divine attributes:
|
TABLE 3: GOD’S OMNIPRESENCE
| ASPECT | DAKE’S TEACHING (LIMITED PRESENCE) | BIBLICAL TRUTH (OMNIPRESENCE) |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | God is localized with delegated presence:
“God is NOT omnipresent in body but in Spirit through the Holy Spirit.” Source: Dake Bible, note on Jeremiah 23:24 “Spirit beings, including God, Himself, cannot be omnipresent in body, for their bodies are of ordinary size and must be at one place at a time, in the same way that bodies of men are always localized.” Source: God’s Plan for Man, page 369 |
God is everywhere present:
“Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?” (Jeremiah 23:23) “The heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee” (1 Kings 8:27) “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight” (Hebrews 4:13) Definition: God is fully present everywhere simultaneously, not divided or diffused, but wholly present at every point of space. |
| Movement | God must travel between locations:
“The fact that God came down from heaven to earth on different occasions proves He moves from place to place.” Source: Dake Bible, note on Genesis 11:5 “God and angels go from place to place bodily as men do.” Source: God’s Plan for Man, page 370 |
God needs no movement:
“If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there” (Psalm 139:8) When Scripture speaks of God “coming down,” it’s anthropomorphic language describing God’s special manifestation or intervention, not literal travel. |
| Knowledge Connection | God knows through the Holy Spirit’s reports:
If God the Father is localized, He depends on the Holy Spirit for knowledge of distant events. This creates a divided knowledge in the Godhead where the Father doesn’t directly know everything but receives information. “The Father’s knowledge becomes derivative rather than immediate.” |
God knows all directly:
“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3) “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13) God’s omnipresence enables direct, immediate knowledge of all things. |
| Practical Impact | Undermines confidence in prayer:
|
Assures believers of God’s presence:
“Lo, I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20) |
TABLE 4: GOD’S OMNISCIENCE AND OMNIPOTENCE
| ASPECT | DAKE’S TEACHING (LIMITED ATTRIBUTES) | BIBLICAL TRUTH (UNLIMITED ATTRIBUTES) |
|---|---|---|
| Omniscience | God discovers and learns:
Dake’s hyperliteral interpretation of passages where God “comes down to see” or “repents” suggests God discovers things and reacts to unexpected events. “And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.” Dake interprets this literally as God needing to investigate. Source: Dake Bible notes on Genesis 11:5 |
God knows all things eternally:
“Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18) “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5) “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight” (Hebrews 4:13) God never learns or discovers; He knows all things eternally. |
| Foreknowledge | Implies God may not know future perfectly:
If God must “come down to see” and can “repent” of decisions, His foreknowledge is limited. Dake’s system suggests God reacts to developments rather than knowing them in advance. “This makes prophecy uncertain and providence reactive.” |
God declares the end from the beginning:
“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done” (Isaiah 46:10) “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off” (Psalm 139:2) God’s perfect foreknowledge ensures prophecy and providence. |
| Omnipotence | Physical limitations implied:
If God has a body of “ordinary size,” His power is necessarily limited. A located being cannot exercise unlimited power everywhere simultaneously. “Bodies are of ordinary size and must be at one place at a time.” Source: God’s Plan for Man, page 369 |
God’s power is unlimited:
“With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26) “Is any thing too hard for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14) “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God” (Psalm 62:11) |
| Implications | Undermines trust in God:
|
Establishes complete trust:
|
TABLE 5: RACIAL THEOLOGY
| ASPECT | DAKE’S TEACHING (SEGREGATION) | BIBLICAL TRUTH (UNITY) |
|---|---|---|
| God’s Intent | God wills racial segregation:
“God wills all races to remain segregated and in their own bounds that He has set for them.” Source: Dake Bible, “30 reasons for segregation of races,” note on Acts 17:26, NT p. 159 “God made everything to reproduce ‘after his kind.’ Kind means type and color or He would have kept them all alike to begin with.” Source: Dake Bible, reason #4 for segregation |
God created one human race:
“God that made the world… hath made of one blood all nations of men” (Acts 17:24-26) “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?” (Malachi 2:10) “So God created man in his own image… male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27) All humans descend from Adam and Eve, sharing common ancestry. |
| Interracial Marriage | Interracial marriage is sin:
“Interracial marriage is against God’s will and plan from the beginning.” “God never intended men to interbreed anymore than He meant animals to interbreed.” Source: Dake Bible, reasons #9-10 for segregation Dake equates human racial differences with animal species differences. |
Marriage restrictions are spiritual, not racial:
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14) Biblical examples of godly interracial marriages:
God judges Aaron and Miriam for criticizing Moses’ interracial marriage. |
| In Heaven | Segregation continues eternally:
“All nations will remain segregated from one another in their own parts of the earth forever.” “Even in heaven certain groups will not be allowed to worship together.” Source: Dake Bible, reasons #22-23 for segregation |
Perfect unity in heaven:
“A great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne” (Revelation 7:9) “They sung a new song… thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9) Heaven depicts unified worship, not segregation. |
| In Christ | Racial distinctions remain primary:
Dake’s teaching implies that racial identity supersedes spiritual unity in Christ. Even salvation doesn’t overcome racial boundaries in his system. “The gospel apparently cannot unite what God has segregated.” |
Christ destroys all barriers:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28) “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us” (Ephesians 2:14) “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew… but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11) |
| Gospel Impact | Gospel is limited by race:
|
Gospel transcends all boundaries:
“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15) |
TABLE 6: THE GAP THEORY AND PRE-ADAMITE RACES
| ASPECT | DAKE’S TEACHING (GAP THEORY) | BIBLICAL TRUTH (DIRECT CREATION) |
|---|---|---|
| Creation Account | Re-creation after destruction:
“We mean by ‘original creations’ the first creation of the heavens and of the Earth and all things therein. This was done ‘In the beginning’ or in the dateless past (Gen. 1:1)…” “The six days’ work of Genesis 1:3-2:25 was a restoration of the earth to a second habitable state.” Source: God’s Plan for Man, “Ages and Dispensations” section |
Original creation in six days:
“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is” (Exodus 20:11) “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1) No gap, no previous creation, no destruction-reconstruction. |
| Pre-Adamite Race | Previous human civilization:
“The creation of the pre-Adamite world included the first inhabitants of the Earth, called ‘nations’ over whom Lucifer ruled (Isa. 14:12-14), ‘man’ who built cities (Jer. 4:23-26)…” “The pre-Adamites were Earthly creatures as proved by the fact that they were drowned in the pre-Adamite flood.” Source: God’s Plan for Man, page 104 |
Adam was the first human:
“The first man Adam was made a living soul” (1 Corinthians 15:45) “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20) No humans before Adam, no pre-Adamite civilization. |
| Lucifer’s Rule | Satan ruled pre-Adamite earth:
“Lucifer was given a throne, a kingdom, and ruled the earth before Adam.” “Over this pre-Adamic world, God placed Lucifer as ruler, giving him a throne on earth and dominion over these prehistoric nations.” Source: God’s Plan for Man, pages 105-106 |
Man given dominion from beginning:
“And God said, Let us make man in our image… and let them have dominion” (Genesis 1:26) “Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands” (Psalm 8:6) Humans, not Satan, were given earth’s dominion. |
| Death Before Sin | Death existed before Adam:
The Gap Theory requires death, destruction, and fossils before Adam’s sin. Pre-Adamites lived and died before sin entered through Adam. “This contradicts the biblical teaching that death entered through sin.” |
Death entered through Adam’s sin:
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin” (Romans 5:12) “For since by man came death” (1 Corinthians 15:21) “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) |
| “Very Good” Creation | Built on destruction:
If Genesis describes re-creation after judgment, the earth was full of fossils and death when God called it “very good.” “How can a graveyard of a destroyed civilization be ‘very good’?” |
Perfect original creation:
“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31) No death, no destruction, no judgment—truly “very good.” |
TABLE 7: HUMAN NATURE AND DEIFICATION
| ASPECT | DAKE’S TEACHING (“GOD CLASS”) | BIBLICAL TRUTH (IMAGE BEARERS) |
|---|---|---|
| Human Identity | Humans are in the “God class”:
“Man is in the God class of beings.” “The only difference between God and man is that God is the Creator and has existed from all eternity, while man is created and had a beginning.” Source: God’s Plan for Man, various pages This teaching blurs the Creator-creature distinction. |
Humans are creatures, not gods:
“I have said, Ye are gods… But ye shall die like men” (Psalm 82:6-7) “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14) “All flesh is grass” (Isaiah 40:6) Clear distinction between infinite Creator and finite creatures. |
| Image of God | Physical resemblance to God:
Since Dake teaches God has a body, the image of God becomes primarily physical. Humans look like God physically. “Man was created in the physical image and likeness of God.” |
Spiritual and moral resemblance:
“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind… righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:23-24) “Being renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Colossians 3:10) Image = rationality, morality, spirituality, dominion. |
| Potential | Can become like God:
If humans are in the God class, the potential exists to develop into gods. This opens the door to “little gods” doctrine. “The difference is degree, not kind.” |
Forever distinct from God:
“Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me” (Isaiah 43:10) “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me” (Isaiah 46:9) Humans remain creatures eternally. |
| Salvation Goal | Elevation within God class:
If humans are already god-like, salvation becomes enhancement rather than transformation. The goal is higher status in the God class. |
Restoration to proper relationship:
“That they might know thee the only true God” (John 17:3) “We shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2) Salvation restores relationship, not ontology. |
TABLE 8: EXTREME DISPENSATIONALISM
| ASPECT | DAKE’S TEACHING (MULTIPLE GOSPELS) | BIBLICAL TRUTH (ONE GOSPEL) |
|---|---|---|
| Salvation Plans | Different salvation in different ages:
“There are different dispensations with different rules for salvation.” Dake’s extreme dispensationalism suggests God has different plans of salvation for different periods, undermining the consistency of grace. Source: Dake Bible, dispensational notes throughout |
One way of salvation always:
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8) “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3) “There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12) |
| Future Sacrifices | Animal sacrifices will return:
Dake teaches that animal sacrifices will resume in the millennium, suggesting Christ’s sacrifice was not final for all time. “The temple will be rebuilt and sacrifices restored.” Source: Dake Bible, notes on Ezekiel 40-48 |
Christ’s sacrifice is final:
“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12) “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14) No return to animal sacrifices needed or possible. |
| Israel vs. Church | Permanently separate programs:
Dake maintains extreme separation between Israel and the Church, with different destinies and different relationships with God. “Israel and the Church never merge.” |
One people of God:
“And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29) “He is our peace, who hath made both one” (Ephesians 2:14) Jew and Gentile united in Christ. |
TABLE 9: ANGELS, DEMONS, AND SPECULATION
| ASPECT | DAKE’S TEACHING (SPECULATION) | BIBLICAL TRUTH (RESTRAINT) |
|---|---|---|
| Spirit Bodies | All spirits have physical bodies:
“Angels and all other kinds of spirits have also been seen with the natural eyes of men.” “Spirit beings have spirit bodies which are not mortal and fleshly like the bodies of men.” Source: God’s Plan for Man, page 369 |
Spirits are incorporeal:
“Are they not all ministering spirits” (Hebrews 1:14) “A spirit hath not flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39) Angels can appear in physical form but are essentially spiritual beings. |
| Reproduction | Angels can reproduce:
Dake teaches that the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 were angels who reproduced with human women, creating giants. “The sons of God (angels) took wives of the daughters of men.” Source: Dake Bible, notes on Genesis 6 |
Angels don’t marry or reproduce:
“For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven” (Matthew 22:30) “Sons of God” in Genesis 6 refers to the godly line of Seth, not angels. |
| Demon Kingdoms | Elaborate territorial hierarchies:
Dake creates detailed charts of demonic hierarchies and territorial assignments with little biblical support. “Each nation has its ruling demon prince.” |
Limited biblical information:
“We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers” (Ephesians 6:12) Scripture gives general categories, not detailed organizational charts. |
| Speculation Level | Elaborate details beyond Scripture:
|
Restraint where Scripture is silent:
“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us” (Deuteronomy 29:29) We should not speculate beyond what is written. |
TABLE 10: INTERPRETIVE METHOD
| ASPECT | DAKE’S APPROACH (HYPERLITERALISM) | BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS (PROPER INTERPRETATION) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Principle | Everything must be literal unless impossible:
“He had to make a decision either to believe that God was intelligent enough to express Himself in human language as men do… or, that God gave His revelation in terms different from those used by men, to deliberately confuse them.” Source: Dake’s Revelation Expounded, Introduction Dake creates a false dichotomy: either hyperliteral or God is deceiving us. |
Interpret according to genre and context:
Scripture contains various literary genres: historical narrative, poetry, prophecy, parable, apocalyptic, epistles. Each must be interpreted according to its nature. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine” (2 Timothy 3:16) God uses various forms of communication, all truthful in their intended sense. |
| Anthropomorphisms | Interprets as literal physical descriptions:
“God has hands, feet, eyes, mouth, etc. These are not figures of speech but literal descriptions.” Every mention of God’s “hand” or “eye” becomes proof of physical body parts. Source: Dake Bible notes throughout |
Recognizes figurative language:
Anthropomorphisms are human characteristics attributed to God to help us understand His actions:
Scripture itself says God has “no form” (Deuteronomy 4:15) |
| Hebrew/Greek Words | Selective and misleading use:
Dake cites Hebrew and Greek when it supports his view but ignores scholarly consensus. Example: “echad” (one) in Hebrew. “The Hebrew word for one… is achad, or unity, collect, be united in one.” He redefines “one” to mean “unity of multiple beings.” |
Careful linguistic analysis:
“Echad” can mean composite unity but context determines meaning. In “the LORD is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4), it emphasizes God’s uniqueness and unity of being. Proper interpretation considers:
|
| Silence of Scripture | Fills with speculation:
Where Scripture is silent, Dake creates elaborate theories:
“Scripture doesn’t say it DIDN’T happen…” |
Respects biblical boundaries:
“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us” (Deuteronomy 29:29) “That thou mightest know the certainty of those things” (Luke 1:4) We affirm what Scripture teaches, remain silent where it’s silent. |
| Proof Texting | Strings verses without context:
Dake lists dozens of unrelated verses to “prove” his points, ignoring context, genre, and intended meaning. Example: Using Jeremiah 4 (future judgment) to prove pre-Adamite destruction. |
Contextual interpretation:
Every verse must be understood in:
|
| Result | Creates new doctrine from misinterpretation:
Dake’s method produces:
“The Bible means what it says” becomes “The Bible means what Dake says.” |
Discovers biblical truth faithfully:
Proper hermeneutics yields:
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) |
SUMMARY ANALYSIS
The Pattern of Error
This comprehensive comparison reveals a consistent pattern in Dake’s theology: hyperliteral interpretation combined with speculative additions. When Scripture uses anthropomorphic language about God, Dake interprets it literally, giving God a physical body. When Scripture is silent about details, Dake fills the gaps with elaborate speculation about pre-Adamite races, angelic hierarchies, and cosmic prehistory.
The errors documented above are not isolated mistakes but form an interconnected system of false teaching. Each error reinforces others:
- God having a body → leads to → Three separate Gods
- Three separate Gods → leads to → Limited omnipresence
- Limited omnipresence → leads to → Limited omniscience
- Humans in “God class” → leads to → “Little gods” potential
- Gap Theory → leads to → Multiple human races
- Multiple races → leads to → Racial segregation theology
This systematic departure from biblical truth affects every major doctrine of the Christian faith. It presents a different God (three bodied beings rather than one spiritual Being), a different humanity (gods in embryo rather than creatures), a different creation (re-creation after destruction rather than original creation), and a different gospel (limited by racial and dispensational boundaries rather than universal in scope).
The Biblical Alternative
Against Dake’s complex system of error stands the simple, profound truth of Scripture:
- One God: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4)
- Pure Spirit: “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24)
- Omnipresent: “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” (Jeremiah 23:24)
- One Human Race: “He hath made of one blood all nations” (Acts 17:26)
- Unity in Christ: “Ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28)
- One Gospel: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5)
Biblical Christianity doesn’t need elaborate theories, complex dispensational schemes, or speculative prehistories. The truth revealed in Scripture is sufficient for faith and practice. Where Scripture speaks clearly, we affirm confidently. Where Scripture is silent, we remain content with mystery rather than filling gaps with speculation.
The Danger of Dake’s Influence
The comparisons in this appendix demonstrate why Dake’s teachings are not merely alternative interpretations but dangerous departures from biblical Christianity. When someone accepts Dake’s teaching that God has a body, they’ve taken the first step toward:
- Denying God’s infinity and spirituality
- Accepting tritheism (three Gods) instead of the Trinity
- Limiting God’s attributes (omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence)
- Blurring the Creator-creature distinction
- Opening the door to racist theology
- Undermining the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice
- Creating confusion about the nature of salvation
These are not minor errors that can be overlooked in the interest of unity. They strike at the heart of the Christian faith, affecting our understanding of God, humanity, salvation, and eternity. The extensive documentation of Dake’s own words in these tables ensures that he is not being misrepresented—these are his actual teachings, and they stand condemned by Scripture itself.
The Call to Biblical Fidelity
This appendix serves as both warning and invitation:
A WARNING to those who have unknowingly absorbed Dake’s errors through his study Bible or other materials. The side-by-side comparisons above demonstrate conclusively that his teachings contradict biblical Christianity at fundamental levels. No amount of proof-texting or elaborate theorizing can overcome the clear teaching of Scripture about God’s nature, human identity, and gospel unity.
AN INVITATION to return to or remain in biblical orthodoxy. The historic Christian faith, grounded in Scripture and confirmed by centuries of careful theological reflection, provides solid ground for faith and practice. We don’t need Dake’s speculations about pre-Adamite races or his physical God with bodily parts. We have the truth: one God, eternally existing in three persons, infinite, spiritual, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, who created all humanity from one blood and offers salvation to all through Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION
The tables presented in this appendix provide irrefutable documentation of Finis Dake’s departure from biblical Christianity. Using his own words from his published works, we have demonstrated that his teachings constitute not minor variations in interpretation but fundamental heresies that affect every major doctrine of the faith. From his tritheistic view of the Trinity to his racist theology of segregation, from his physical God to his speculative pre-Adamite races, Dake’s system represents a different religion wearing Christian vocabulary.
The purpose of this detailed comparison is not to attack a man who died decades ago but to protect living believers from dead errors that continue to circulate through his publications. Every copy of the Dake Bible sold, every website that promotes his teachings, every pastor who quotes his notes uncritically, continues to spread these dangerous departures from biblical truth.
May this appendix serve as a resource for pastors, teachers, and believers who need clear documentation of Dake’s errors. May it help those trapped in his system to see the contrast between his speculation and Scripture’s revelation. Most importantly, may it drive us all back to the Bible itself, read carefully, interpreted properly, and applied faithfully.
The choice before us is clear: Dake’s elaborate system of error or the simple profundity of biblical truth. Three physical Gods or one spiritual God. Multiple human races requiring segregation or one human family united in Christ. Speculation about prehistoric worlds or confidence in God’s revealed Word. The contrast could not be starker, the stakes could not be higher, and the need for discernment could not be greater.
Stand firm in biblical truth.
Reject speculative error.
Trust God’s sufficient Word.
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