SEVEN DAY ADVENTIST WHAT IS IT It is

SEVEN DAY ADVENTIST

WHAT IS IT? • It is a religion closely related to the Protestant denomination with a focus on the Sabbath day and Christ’s second coming.

Early Life William Miller was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1782. He was born to a veteran of the American Revolution. His family moved to Low Hampton, New York and it is there that he received his education. As a young boy, he loved to read and it ignited his interest in reading religious books. He considered himself a Baptist Christian.

Relationships, Religion & Career In 1803, He married Lucy Smith. They moved to Poultney, Vermont. He became well-liked and elected to several public offices while in Vermont. He became a Deputy Sheriff and eventually Justice of Peace. With many of his peer in Vermont being Deist, he became a Deist, and abandoned his previous Christian beliefs. His reading of Voltaire, Hume, Thomas Paine, Ethan Allen, and other Deist writers strengthened his beliefs in Deism. Soon after his marriage, the war of 1812 arose. Miller was enlisted as a lieutenant and rose to the ranks of captain. As war raged on, Miller realized he needed to set his priorities straight and began to read the Bible again. With new vigor of life and for the Bible, he began reading it intently and studying it.

Preaching His interest in religion lead to his preaching career in August 1831. He started to fill in for pastor’s absences and doing the sermon’s at his church. As a preacher Miller was convinced that the Bible had secret codes that would reveal the future. While reading Daniel chapters 8 and 9, Miller came to the conclusion that the text was saying that after 2, 300 years have passed that the Second Coming of Christ would happen. He also concluded from the writing of Ezra that the year was described as 1843. The exact verse is Ezra 7: 12, where Miller concluded that 1843 would be the year of Jesus’ return.

Millerite Movement Before he began preaching about his beliefs of Christ’s second coming, in 1832, he released 16 articles to the Vermont Telegraph about his beliefs. He received many invitations from churches and responses to his views. He made a 64 page tract about this views in 1834 called Evidence from Scripture and History of the Second Coming of Christ, about the year 1844: Exhibited in a Course of Lecture. This led to the Millerite movement. In 1840, his message was strong and ready to reach the masses. He led a national campaign and Joshua Vaughan Himes, a pastor, help spread Miller’s beliefs. He never set an exact date for the second coming of Christ, but it was around the spring of 1844. These believers of his message were known as the Millerites and the movement was known as the Millerite movement. There were about 50, 000 Millerites.

Millerite Movement When spring of 1844 passed, Miller was extremely embarrassed about his error. He publicly announced his error and did not try to create another date for Christ’s coming. However, Miller’s followers along with Samuel S. Snow believed that 1844 was the right date just the wrong month. They believed that October 22, 1844 was the date that Jesus was going to come back.

The Great Disappointment After October 22, 1844 passed, Miller was dishearten; he recorded in his memoirs that he regrets prophesizing. Not only Miller was disappointed, but so were the Millerities. They wept and were grieving over this false prophecy. The passing of the second date of the coming of Christ was known as the Great Disappointment. Other dates were set and the second coming still failed to happen. The Millerities dissolved into smaller groups and of course some turned away from the religion altogether. A majority of Millerities became Quakers.

Death Miller never prophesized again. He still believed that the second coming was near before he died. He died on December 20, 1849. He was buried in Low Hampton, New York and his home is now a National Historic landmark.

Millerite divide After the Great Disappointment, the Millerities who maintained the religion divided into three sections. The first division believed in “shut-door theology” which meant the door was shut to gaining salvation. It was popularized by Joseph Turner. The second division held the Albany conference to discuss three purposes: to strengthen the faith of the Advent, how to carry one the congregation, and to convert others to the religion. This group was lead by Joshua Vaughan Himes. The third division also known as the Sabbatarian Group believed that October 22, 1844 was the day that Daniel 8 was talking about the cleansing of the sanctuary of heaven. This was lead by Hiram Edison. The third division became what is now known as the Seventh Day Adventist.

Ellen Gould White One of the people involved in the Millerite movement was Ellen Gould Hamon. She was born on November 26, 1827; she was one of eight children in Gotham, Maine. They eventually moved to Portland where she witnessed Miller’s speeches when he preached and felt deep convictions. She was hit in the face with a stone at a young age and had medical problems the rest of her life from the injury. The injury caused her to end her education. She became saved at age 12 and started to attend Adventist meetings and believed in the Advent that she heard Miller preach about.

Visions After the Great Disappointment, Ellen was seeking to know the truth and she experienced a vision. At seventeen years old, she believed God was prophesying to her. She said she saw Advent people traveling to New Jerusalem and eventually ended with Jesus coming back letting the Adventist to enter Jerusalem. In 1845, she experience a second vision known as the Bridegroom. Then she experienced a third vision about God and the Adventists. Her visions seemed to support the Adventists’ faith with promising prophecies by White describing hope for the second coming of Christ. She reportedly had other visions where she was in the presence of Jesus or angels. Altogether she had 2, 000 visions and dreams that lasted from less than a minute to four hours.

Relationship & Career When she was 23, she met James White, an Adventist preacher, and they married in 1846. They wrote a 46 page tract called Seventh-day Sabbath that was published by Joseph Bates. They were convinced that the Sabbath day was being neglected and was important to their faith. Six months after publishing her tract, she was another vision that there was a light halo around the fourth commandment and stirred up confidence in her tract and from Adventists. James continued to preach and worked in his spare time. They had a child together, but Ellen soon left to travel to send her message widely throughout the country. They both felt the need to publish works to inspire their faith. James published The Present Truth which was a paper and would contain Ellen’s prophetic views about the church and warning.

Publishing The Whites both felt the need to publish works to inspire their faith. James published The Present Truth which was a paper and would contain Ellen’s prophetic views about the church and warning. Ellen wrote a book called the Christian Experience and Views of Ellen G. White. Then she wrote a supplement, Review and Herald, Youth’s Instructor. They moved to Battle Creek and convinced the church there that her book, Testimonies for the Church, needed to be published. The Whites established the publishing work and church organization while in Battle Creek. Altogether Ellen wrote more than 5, 000 periodical articles and 40 books. She is the most translated author in literature and the most translated American author. He wrote about religion, education, social relationships, evangelism, prophecy, publishing, nutrition, and management. Her masterpiece Steps to Christ has been published into 150 different languages.

Great Controversy Vision While in a funeral service in Ohio, Ellen White received a vision in 1858. She had a vision about Christ and his angels. It was about a cosmic battle between Christ and Satan. She almost was killed according to her by Satan two days later. She published her vision in a book called Spiritual Gifts, volume 1, The Great Controversy Between Christ and His Angels and Satan and His Angels in 1858. The book was a hit and enjoyed by the Seventh Day Adventists as a view of the Earth’s History and purpose.

Health Reform Vision Ellen was given a vision of the need to diet according to God. Her vision showed the importance of taking care of your body, a diet, and nature’s remedies like exercise and fresh air. Because of Ellen’s vision in 1863, the church made a health reform and required a health education program. She published pamphlets called Health, or How to Live. The Seventh Day Adventist church eventually established a health institute in 1866. Many of Ellen’s visions were used to create the Seventh Day Adventists’ beliefs and view her as a prophet from God.

Death James White died on August 6, 1881. Ellen continued to do her work. She continued to publish again and visited Europe to promote her faith. She saw a need of Christian education in Australia. She wanted an institution for the young Seventh Day Adventists. She bought property for the Avondale School that identified what an Adventist education should look like. She cofounded the Avondale School. After that school was established she helped establish a medical work missionary program. After her missionary medical work, she began to outreach and educate Africans in 1891. Ellen fell one day and broke her hip. Her injury was devastating and she died on July 16, 1915 in her home in Elmshaven five months later; her home is now considered a historical site. She was buried next to her husband in Oak Hill Cemetery, Battle Creek, Michigan.

Seventh Day Adventist Beliefs The Seventh Day Adventists believe a variety of different things. The religion as a whole agrees on the 28 fundamentals. These 28 fundamentals include the doctrine of God, the doctrine of Humankind, the doctrine of Salvation, the doctrine of Church, the doctrine of Christian life, the doctrine of the Last Things.

Seventh Day Adventist Beliefs The Seventh Day Adventists believe a variety of different things. The religion as a whole agrees on the 28 fundamentals. These 28 fundamentals include the doctrine of God, the doctrine of Humankind, the doctrine of Salvation, the doctrine of Church, the doctrine of Christian life, the doctrine of the Last Things.

28 Fundamentals Summary The Doctrine of God 1. Holy Scriptures – are divine inspiration of the word of God. 2. Trinity or Godhead – there is one God in three persons. 3. Father – is the Creator, Source, Sustainer, and Sovereign of all creation. 4. Son – is God the eternal son Jesus through him salvation exists. 5. Holy Spirit – inspired the words of Scripture and was active during reincarnation, and redemption.

28 Fundamentals Summary The Doctrine of Humankind 6. Creation – God is the creator of all things & the Bible is creation’s history. 7. Nature of Man – Men and women are made in the image of God and have free will. They became subject to death after they sinned and their ancestors shared their fate.

28 Fundamentals The Doctrine of Salvation 8. Great Controversy – All humanity is now involved with a great controversy between Christ and Satan regarding the character of God, his law, and His sovereignty over the universe. 9. Life, Death, and Resurrection – Christ was perfect and he have his life as the atonement for human’s sin. 10. Experience of Salvation – Christ gave his life and Christians can experience salivation through his death. Jesus delivered them from sin. 11. Growing in Christ – Walk with Jesus and do not live in darkness, fear of evil powers, ignorance, and meaningless of our former life. Meditate on his word, sing praises, gather for worship, and participate in the Church’s mission.

28 Fundamentals The Doctrine of the Church 12. Church – The church is a community of believers who confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. 13. Remnant and Its Mission – The universal church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ, in the last days, a time of widespread apostasy, a remnant has been called out to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 14. Unity in the Body of Christ – The church is one body with many members called from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 15. Baptism – By Baptism we confess our faith in the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and testify of our death to sin and of our purpose to walk in the newness of life.

28 Fundamentals The Doctrine of the Church (continued) 16. Lord’s Supper – The Lord’s Supper is a participation in the emblems of the body and blood of Jesus as an expression of faith in Him, our Lord and Savior. 17. Spiritual Gifts and Ministries – God bestows upon all members of His church in every age spiritual gifts which each member is to employ in loving ministry for the common good of the church and of humanity. 18. The Gift of Prophecy – the Holy Spirit gives the gift of prophecy and was a key mark of the first church with Ellen White’s prophecies.

28 Fundamentals The Doctrine of the Christian Life 19. Law of God – The 10 commandments are the laws of God and are shown in Christ’s life. 20. Sabbath – The beneficent Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The Sabbath must be upheld and requires the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. 21. Stewardship – We are all God’s stewards entrusted by him with time and opportunities, abilities and possessions, and the blessings of the earth and its resources.

28 Fundamentals The Doctrine of the Christian Life (continued) 22. Christian Behavior – We are called to be a godly people who think, feel, and act in harmony with the principles of heave. We must involve ourselves only with things that produce Christlike purity, health, and joy in our lives. 23. Marriage and the Family – Marriage was divinely established in Eden and affirmed by Jesus to be a lifelong union between a man and a woman in loving companionship. A Christian marriage is to God and our spouse and should only be shared between people of a common faith.

28 Fundamentals The Doctrine of Last Things 24. Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary – There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle which the Lord set up and not man. 25. Second Coming of Christ – The second coming of Christ is the blessed hope of the church, the grand climax of the gospel. The time of the event has not been revealed, and we must be ready at all times. 26. Death and Resurrection – The wages of sing is death. Death is an unconscious state for all people and the righteous dead will be resurrected when Christ returns.

28 Fundamentals The Doctrine of Last Things (continued) 27. Millennium and the End of Sin – The millennium is the thousandyear reign of Christ with His saints in heaven between the first and second resurrections. The wicked will be judged during this time, and the world will be desolate. The righteous dead will be resurrected. Satan and his angels will be destroyed. 28. New Earth – On the new earth, in which righteousness dwells, God will provide an eternal home for the redeemed and a perfect environment for everlasting life, love, joy, and learning in his presence. God will dwell among his people and death and suffering will not exist anymore.

Beliefs Seventh Day Adventist are closely related to the Protestant religion with the exception of their not all of the 28 fundamentals and these three areas: 1. Seventh Day Adventists believe in that the second coming of Christ is imminent and there will be a second coming followed by a false second coming where Satan pretends to be Jesus. 2. Seventh Day Adventists believe in the prophecies of Ellen White. They follow her idea of Spirit of Prophecy where the Holy Spirit prophecies to people and did to Ellen White. 3. Seventh Day Adventists believe that the dead are asleep and unconscious after they die. The righteous will be resurrected by Jesus and dwell on the new Earth. Seventh Day Adventists doe not believe in hell and that the evil will be destroyed in the end of time.

Practices • Seventh Day Adventist observe a 24 hour sunset to sunset Sabbath commencing Friday evening. • Their church services are evangelical formatted sermons. • They do adult baptisms and infants are dedicated to God. • They practice communion four times a year. • Their missionary outreach is to help both unbelievers and believers. • They do not eat pork, unclean meat, or shellfish as stated in Leviticus. The church recommends vegetarianism. • They do not smoke or drink alcohol.

Ethical views • Abortion is allowed in their religion if there is a medical conditions like mother mortality, medical dilemmas, severe congenital defects to the fetus, or pregnancy from rape or incest. • Against active euthanasia, but allow withdrawal of medical support to allow death to occur. • Birth control is only permissible when a married couple uses it. • They are against human cloning. • Homosexuality is forbidden. Marriage is between a man and a women and that is all. Homosexuality is accepted as a good reason for a marriage to end in divorce.

Today • Seventh Day Adventist have 7, 804 pre-schools, primary and secondary schools, colleges, universities, medical schools in 145 countries. They employ about 66, 000 teachers and have 1, 673, 580 students. • The church runs a youth department for 10 – 16 year olds called the Pathfinders; they are similar to the boy scouts. • Adventist Health system is the largest not-for-profit, Protestant, multiinstitutional healthcare system in the United States. It provides compassionate care in 17 hospitals in 130 countries. • There is a Adventist Development and Relief Agency International(ADRA) they are involved in 118 countries throughout the world.

Today • There are 68, 225 Adventist churches. • There are 16, 307, 880 church memberships worldwide. • There are 213, 267 active employees. • Number of languages used in Adventist Publications and work: 901. • There are 167 Adventist hospitals and sanitariums. • There are 132 Adventist retirement homes. • There are 351 Adventist clinics and dispensaries. • There are 42 Adventist orphanages and children's homes.

Today In the world of health, Adventists live the longest as a whole of any religious population. The average Adventist lives until they are 88 years old. This may be due to their vegetarian encouraged diet, and the fact that they refrain from smoking and drinking.

Quiz 1. Who unofficially founded what eventually became known as the Seventh Day Adventist? A. James White B. Ellen White C. William Miller. D. Lucy Miller

Quiz 2. What theology did Miller believe in before the War of 1812 and becoming a preacher? A. Deontology B. Catholicism C. Atheism D. Deism-

Quiz 3. What book(s) of the Bible did Miller prophesize the second coming of Christ? A. Daniel. B. Leviticus C. Micah D. Ezra-

Quiz 4. What year did Miller prophesize that the second coming would happen? A. 1843 B. 1844 C. 1846 D. 1915

Quiz 5. What did the church call the event when the second coming did not take place on the second prophesized date? A. The Great Awakening B. The Great Gatsby C. The Great Disappointment. D. The Great Vision

Quiz 6. How many divisions did the Millerites split into? A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5

Quiz 7. If the Millerities did not split into the three division, which religion did a majority of Millerities become? A. Quakers. B. Catholics C. Protestants D. Jehovah’s Witnesses

Quiz 8. What was the name of the woman who had visions of prophecy? - Ellen Gould White or Ellen Hamon

Quiz 9. True or False Ellen White’s visions important to the foundation of the Seventh Day Adventist church. A. True. B. False

Quiz 10. What was not one of Ellen White’s visions A. The fourth commandment halo B. Great Controversy C. Health reform D. Bridgeroom E. All of the Above F. None of the Above

Quiz 11. How many visions did Elle White have? -2000

Quiz 12. There are _____ fundamental Adventist beliefs. A. 21 B. 28 C. 38 D. 10

Quiz 13. Which one is not one of the fundamental belief doctrines? A. Doctrine of Humankind B. Doctrine of Salvation C. Doctrine of Last Things D. Doctrine of Satan & Sin E. All of the Above F. None of the Above

Quiz 14. What demonization is closely related to the Seventh Day Adventist? A. Catholic B. Baptist C. Protestant D. Buddhist

Quiz 15. True or False. Seventh Day Adventists believe in hell. A. True B. False -

Quiz 16. True or False. Seventh Day Adventists believe in hell. A. True B. False -

Quiz 17. What do the Adventists not eat? A. Shellfish B. Pork C. Bacon D. Unclean meat E. All of the Above F. None of the Above

Quiz 18. True or False. Adventists abstain from smoking and drinking soda. A. True B. False -

Quiz 19. Adventists are prominent in their mission work on education and medical work. A. True B. False

Quiz 20. How long does the average Adventist live? A. 26 B. 38 C. 75 D. 88 -

By: The Institute For Biblical & Scientific Studies

Resources http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ellen_G. _White http: //www. whiteestate. org/about/egwbio. asp#vision http: //universitypress. andrews. edu/content/Memoirs%20 Excerpt. pdf http: //www. andrews. edu/library/car/Miller. William. Collection. pdf http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/William_Miller_(preacher) http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Millerism http: //www. adventist. org/world-church/facts-and-figures/index. html http: //www. adventist. org/beliefs/fundamental/index. html http: //www. adventist. org/beliefs/ http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Seventh-day_Adventist_Church http: //www. religionfacts. com/christianity/denominations/seventh_day _adventist. htm