History of The Seventh Day Adventist (SDA)
What we know today as the Seventh Day Adventism church (SDA) found its roots with a minster William Miller (1782-1849) of Low Hampton, New York. In 1816, Miller converted from a deism belief system to Christianity and became a Baptist. Mr.Miller was a well educated person and an avid reader. He also was extremely dedicated to the Word of God. He sought to validate obvious biblical difficulties raised by deists of his day. Mr. Miller did not start his preaching career until he was 50 years old. In his preaching, he focused heavily on the imminent return of Christ, which was due to his study of Cruden’s Concordance. Cruden’s Concordance had a strong bias on Christ’s returning rain and when that time would come.
Miller’s preaching style and America’s culture made for the perfect storm. American was ripe for receiving his message because it was burning with deliberations on the return of Christ. With a combination of Miller’s zealous preaching style and the overall atmosphere of the American culture, Miller was able to convince many thousands that Christ would return in 1843-1844. Miller derived his thesis on when Christ would return from his study of Daniel 8:14 which states, “And he said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored." Miller, using rudimentary logic concluded that the 2300 evenings and mornings mentioned in Daniel 8:14 to represent years. Miller than preceded to count forward from the year 457 BC to predict the time of Christ’s return as the year 1844. Of course, Miller’s original predictions failed, as did his later ones too. To save face Miller adjusted his findings to conclude that Jesus would return on March 21, 1844 and then again for October 22, 1844. After Miller’s date setting failed three times, he quit trying to promote his ideas on Jesus’ return, which than lead to the bread up of the “Millerites”.
Just as Miller’s date setting failed back in 1844, we today in modern day American have seen date setting fail. Most recently with the Family Radio Network promotion of Harold Camping and his false teachings on the return of Christ. Camping just like Miller was a date setter and a date changer. Also like Miller, Camping’s followers broke up after their leader failed to produce Christ with their mystical formula. The truth is that the bible is abundantly clear when it comes to us knowing when Christ will return. The bible says remarkably clearly “No man well knows the day or the hour” of the return of Christ. It also should be pointed out never to follow anyone or any group that bases their “biblical” teachings on one or two verses of the bible. True biblical churches use the full counsel of the Word of God to teach, not just one or two verses to develop their theology.
Miller was able to save face, not like Camping, when on the following morning the day after the “Great Disappointment” of October 22,1844, a Mr. Hiram Edson claimed that he had a vision of Jesus Christ. He claimed that he saw Christ standing at the altar of heaven and concluded that Miller had been right about the time, but wrong about the place of His return. They made this claim by twisting scripture found in Hebrews 8:1-2 to make Miller’s prophecy to be not an physical return of Christ, but a heavenly moved instead.
About this time, a Mr. Joseph Bates (1792-1872), who was a retired sea captain and a convert of “Millerism” began to promote the idea of Jesus moving into the heavenly sanctuary. It is most likely that Mr. Bates heard this belief from Mr. Edson since the group had to be interlinked with fellowship among members. Mr. Bates is essential to the history of the SDA because he published a pamphlet which profoundly influenced James (1821-1881) and Ellen G. White (1827-1915).
What we know as the present day Seventh Adventist Church movement received many of its doctrines and teachings from Ellen G. White. SDA members consider Ellen G. White the modern day founder of the current movement. Mrs. White claimed to have been having great visions since childhood and in one vision claimed to see a narrow path where an angel was guiding Adventists. Interpretations of subsequent visions leaded to 1843-44 being called the hour of God’s judgment. Followers of Ellen G. White based this on the scriptures found in Revelations 14:6:11. The fall of Babylon in these verses signified to the Adventist that Sunday worship was unscriptural and sinful.
In the years to come many events have come together to give us today what we know as the Seventh Day Adventist Church such as:
As it can be clearly seen by the figures listed above, the SDA continues to grow at an alarming rate. In a world and culture were truth is an ever increasingly complex and difficult venue to find, it is no wonder why this movement continues to grow at such an alarming rate. It can be seen by the history of the Seventh Day Adventist movement that they do not base their beliefs on a biblical foundation, but instead on an extra biblical foundation. The bible tells us to believe and trust in Christ, not the teachings of Ellen G. White or any other person or leader of a “Church”, or movement.
Miller’s preaching style and America’s culture made for the perfect storm. American was ripe for receiving his message because it was burning with deliberations on the return of Christ. With a combination of Miller’s zealous preaching style and the overall atmosphere of the American culture, Miller was able to convince many thousands that Christ would return in 1843-1844. Miller derived his thesis on when Christ would return from his study of Daniel 8:14 which states, “And he said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored." Miller, using rudimentary logic concluded that the 2300 evenings and mornings mentioned in Daniel 8:14 to represent years. Miller than preceded to count forward from the year 457 BC to predict the time of Christ’s return as the year 1844. Of course, Miller’s original predictions failed, as did his later ones too. To save face Miller adjusted his findings to conclude that Jesus would return on March 21, 1844 and then again for October 22, 1844. After Miller’s date setting failed three times, he quit trying to promote his ideas on Jesus’ return, which than lead to the bread up of the “Millerites”.
Just as Miller’s date setting failed back in 1844, we today in modern day American have seen date setting fail. Most recently with the Family Radio Network promotion of Harold Camping and his false teachings on the return of Christ. Camping just like Miller was a date setter and a date changer. Also like Miller, Camping’s followers broke up after their leader failed to produce Christ with their mystical formula. The truth is that the bible is abundantly clear when it comes to us knowing when Christ will return. The bible says remarkably clearly “No man well knows the day or the hour” of the return of Christ. It also should be pointed out never to follow anyone or any group that bases their “biblical” teachings on one or two verses of the bible. True biblical churches use the full counsel of the Word of God to teach, not just one or two verses to develop their theology.
Miller was able to save face, not like Camping, when on the following morning the day after the “Great Disappointment” of October 22,1844, a Mr. Hiram Edson claimed that he had a vision of Jesus Christ. He claimed that he saw Christ standing at the altar of heaven and concluded that Miller had been right about the time, but wrong about the place of His return. They made this claim by twisting scripture found in Hebrews 8:1-2 to make Miller’s prophecy to be not an physical return of Christ, but a heavenly moved instead.
About this time, a Mr. Joseph Bates (1792-1872), who was a retired sea captain and a convert of “Millerism” began to promote the idea of Jesus moving into the heavenly sanctuary. It is most likely that Mr. Bates heard this belief from Mr. Edson since the group had to be interlinked with fellowship among members. Mr. Bates is essential to the history of the SDA because he published a pamphlet which profoundly influenced James (1821-1881) and Ellen G. White (1827-1915).
What we know as the present day Seventh Adventist Church movement received many of its doctrines and teachings from Ellen G. White. SDA members consider Ellen G. White the modern day founder of the current movement. Mrs. White claimed to have been having great visions since childhood and in one vision claimed to see a narrow path where an angel was guiding Adventists. Interpretations of subsequent visions leaded to 1843-44 being called the hour of God’s judgment. Followers of Ellen G. White based this on the scriptures found in Revelations 14:6:11. The fall of Babylon in these verses signified to the Adventist that Sunday worship was unscriptural and sinful.
In the years to come many events have come together to give us today what we know as the Seventh Day Adventist Church such as:
- 1849- First paper, The Present Truth, was printed in Middletown, Conn.
- 1860- Name of Seventh-day Adventist adopted by its followers.
- 1863- 1st General Conference of SDA held on May 21.
- 1871 – Andrews University opens
- 1915 - Ellen G. White dies on July 16, at St. Helena, CA.
- 1941 - Opening of Theological Seminary at Takoma Park.
- 1942 - Voice of Prophecy radio show begins broadcasting coast to coast.
- 1955 - SDA membership hits 1 million.
- 1986 - SDA membership hits 5 million
- 2010- SDA membership hits 16 million.
As it can be clearly seen by the figures listed above, the SDA continues to grow at an alarming rate. In a world and culture were truth is an ever increasingly complex and difficult venue to find, it is no wonder why this movement continues to grow at such an alarming rate. It can be seen by the history of the Seventh Day Adventist movement that they do not base their beliefs on a biblical foundation, but instead on an extra biblical foundation. The bible tells us to believe and trust in Christ, not the teachings of Ellen G. White or any other person or leader of a “Church”, or movement.
