Seventh-day Adventism continued of God in Jesus Christ and Life and Advent Union, the largest of which is the Seventh-day Adventists. William Miller lived six years longer, dying Dec. 10, 1849, a broken man. Before he died he made this statement concerning Adventism: "W e expected the second coming of Christ at that time and now to contend that we were not mistaken is dishonest. I have no confidence in any of the new theories that grew out of the movement” ( Advent Message, pp. 410, 412). These "new theories” that Miller referred, to were a whole new brood of heresies which are tenets of the Sev enth-day Adventists today — annihilation of the wicked, soul sleep, Satan as sin-bearer, sabbath worship and of course date-setting and the sanctuary theory. Nevertheless, the harm that Miller had started could not be undone. The movement lived on through his followers, uneducated, but very strong-minded people: Elders Bates, Holt, Rhodes, Edson, Andrews and the very influential Elder James White and his neurotic, fanatical, dictatorial wife, Mrs. Ellen G. White, who after his death became the prophetess for the movement. The Whites were married very young in 1846 and were part of the date-setting move ment of 1843, ’44. Although not learned at all, they really took over the movement in 1846, and they ruled it with an iron hand. Mrs. White was given to "visions” which she wrote in her Testimonies. She made claims to having been "caught up into heaven” and to having "seen things.” Her writings are considered by the Adventists to be "divine revelations.” In them are found their teachings of the Jewish sabbath, soul sleep, foot washing, tithing, a radical health diet, the annihilation of the wicked. Actually at one time Mrs. White insisted upon a peculiar kind of dress which she claimed she was told to impose upon the women “ in a vision”— a kind of forerunner of the slacks of the present day—but it caused so much contention in homes that it had to be abandoned. Present-day Adventists never refer to the "pant-dress” ! It has sometimes been claimed that the Whites did not sanction Miller’s original predictions. Nothing could be more false. Elder White wrote: "W e hold that the great movement of the Second Advent question, which commenced with the writings and public lectures of William Miller, has been, in its leading features, in fulfillment of prophecy. Consistently with this view, we also hold that in the provi dence of God, Mr. Miller was raised up to do a specific work” (Life of Miller, p. 6 ). ^ ^ he work that the old farmer did was to so dis credit and bring shame upon the true teaching of the premillennial return o f the Lord that Bible J L . teachers had great difficulty in interesting people in prophetic matters for some time. However, in His great mercy God never leaves Himself without a faithful wit ness. Shortly after the Adventist debacle, God raised up men like Dr. Scofield, Dr. Pettingill, Dr. Gaebelein, Dr. Simpson, Dr. Torrey and a host of other sound premil- lennialists whom He used to bring back true prophetic teaching into the church without the fanaticism, date-setting and heresy that followed in the wake of old William Miller. Mrs. White made this startling statement about Miller’s mistake in setting the date for 1843: “ I have seen that the 1843 chart was directed by the hand of the Lord, and that it should not be altered; that the figures were as He wanted them; that His hand was over and hid a mistake in some
of the figures” ( Early Writings, p. 64). That was nothing but blasphemy— to blame God for Miller’s erroneous cal culation. Here are some of Mr. and Mrs. White’s additional state ments in regard to Miller’s predictions; these are for 1843: "I saw that God was in the proclamation of the time of 1843” ( Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 1, p. 133). "I found myself happy in the faith that Christ would come about the year 1843” ( Life Incidents, p. 72). "With carefulness and trembling we approached the time when our Saviour was expected to appear” ( Testi monies, Vol. 1, p. 56). And now for 1844: "I stated my conviction that Christ would come on the tenth day o f the seventh Jewish month of that year (1844 )” (Life Incidents, pp. 166, 167). "It is a well-known fact that many were expecting the Lord to come in the seventh month, 1844. That Christ would then come we firmly believed” (A Word to the Little Flock, p. 22). "Our hopes now centered on the coming of the Lord in 1844” (Testimonies, Vol. 1, p. 53). Mrs. White said of the churches who would not accept Miller: "As the churches refused to receive the first angel’s message [Mill er’s work], they rejected the light from heaven and fell forever from the favor of God” (Early Writings, p. 101). Seventh-day Adventism and its Books— Not "th e " Book What characterizes all o f the other cults I have dis cussed is typical o f Seventh-day Adventism as well. It does not hold that the Bible is the only revelation o f God. It brings its books. Christian Science comes with Mrs. Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures; Jehovah’s Witnesses bring the writings of Russell and Rutherford; Mormonism brings the writings of Joseph Smith and the book of Mormon. Seventh-day Adventism presents the visions of Mrs. Ellen G. White which were entitled Testimonies, and her other books including The Great Controversy —about ten volumes in all. These the Ad ventists claim to be as fully inspired as anything David, Daniel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul or Peter ever wrote. Consequently, according to Adventism, if you want the full revelation of God, you must add these books to the Scriptures. Do not take my word for this. Here are some quotations to show you how audacious were her pretensions: "It is God, and not an erring mortal, that has spoken” (Testimony, Vol. 3, p. 257). She is not referring to the book of Romans, or Revelation, but to her own writings! "If you lessen the confidence of God’s people in the Testimonies, He has sent them, you are rebelling as cer tainly against God as did Korah and Dathan and Abiram” (Testimony No. 31, p. 362). Does not this remind you of Russell’s statement about his books, that without them, you would go into darkness, even if you had the Bible ? And does not this statement recall Mrs. Eddy’s placing her book— in the same binding even— side by side with the Scriptures? "Rule No. 1 is this: We will not neglect the study o f the Bible, and the Testimony” (Adventist Review, July 2, 1889). But she goes farther. Self-appointed prophets and prophetesses are inclined to do this. They get carried away by their own Satan-inspired claims. She stated that not only
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TH E KING 'S BUSINESS
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