THE ORIGIN OF DENOMINATIONS
                            Lesson Sixteen

                        SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS
                                (1843)

I. IT'S BEGINNING:

        The modern day Adventist movement had its beginning with
   William Miller in 1831. In a pamphlet entitled, "Evidences from
   Scripture and History of the Second Coming of Christ about the
   year 1843, and of His Personal Reign of One Thousand Years,"
   Miller predicted that Jesus would return in 1843.  The year passed
   and Jesus did not come. Miller stated he had followed the Hebrew
   rather than the Roman chronology. He then set the date of Christ's
   return as October 22, 1844; then 1845 as the year. Each of these
   predictions resulted in the followers of Miller leaving their
   farms unattended, many selling their property in anticipation of
   the return of Christ. Other dates have been set: 1847, 1850, 1852,
   1855, 1863, 1866, 1867, 1868, 1877, et. al.

       As these dates came and went, many of Miller's disciples left
   the ranks. But there was always explanations offered, and some
   continued to embrace the principle of Adventism and follow its
   leaders. The movement has splintered into about six present-day
   denominations: "Advent Christians, Church of God, Churches of God
   in Jesus Christ, Evangelical Adventists, Life and Advent Union and
   Seventy-Day Adventists. As a rule, all these divisions now simply
   wait for the second coming of Christ without making any attempt to
   set the date thereof." (Churches of Today, Tomlinson, pg. 76.)

        "James White and Ellen G. Harmon, who became Mrs. James
   White, found a way to patch up Miller's predictions by
   transferring the fulfillment from earth (where it clearly did not
   occur) to heaven (where they could claim that it did). They and
   others championed the idea of observing the Sabbath of the Old
   Testament. Through their efforts the 'Seventh-Day Adventist
   Church' was organized. Headquarters were set up in Battle Creek,
   Michigan in 1855; in 1903 they were moved to Washington, D. C. It
   was in 1860 that the name 'Seventy-Day Adventist' was officially
   adopted." (Church Origins, Bill Crews, page 3.)

        Mrs. White claimed to have received visions and to have
   received revelations from the Lord. She wrote several letters,
   testimonies, articles and books. Her claim, "In these letters
   which I write, in the testimonies I bear, I am presenting to you
   that which the Lord has presented to me. I do not write one
   article in the paper expressing merely my ideas.  They are what
   God opened before me in vision--the precious rays of light shining
   from the throne." (Testimony No. 31, pg. 63.) She also stated, "If
   you lessen the confidence of God's people in the testimonies he
   has sent them, you are rebelling against God as certainly as were
   Kora, Dathan, and Abiram" (Testimony No. 31. pg.  62.) Mrs.  White
   claimed to have "had a dream in which she claimed she saw a halo
   around the fourth commandment which she interpreted as meaning
   that men were not keeping the sabbath and this was God's way of
   showing that it is to be kept in this age." (Workbook on Some
   Denominational Errors, Sam Binkley, Jr., pg. 31.)

        William Miller, Mrs. White and others were, and some still
   are considered prophets of God by those who follow them.

II. ITS ORGANIZATION:

        "The government is democratic and originates with the people.
   The local church, led by elders and officers, elects delegates to
   a conference which is held twice a year. The conference elects
   officers to attend the union meeting annually, which is a meeting
   of conferences from a group of states. Officers are selected for
   the divisional meeting, which is basically organized by continent
   and international organization is the General Conference.
        "The General Conference makes recommendations which filter
   down to the various levels. No congregation is bound to follow the
   recommendations but most do." (One Way, Lilla Ross, p. 85.)

III. SOME OF THE MAJOR DOCTRINES OF THE SEVENTY-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH:

   1. That two separate laws were given on Mt. Sinai; one written on
      the tables of stone pertained only to moral issues and is still
      binding today. The other was to Moses privately and related to
      ceremonial duties. These were taken away.

   2. That we are to keep the Sabbath Day as our day of worship.

   3. That the soul sleeps after death.

   4. That Ellen G. White's testimonials are as inspired as the
      Bible.

   5. They have made many predictions concerning the second Coming of
      Christ, setting specific dates which have come and gone, and
      now we may expect His coming at any time.

   6. The observance of the Lord's Supper at regular intervals is
      unimportant.

   7. They practice immersion as baptism.

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