THE
RECENT PROMISES
ORIGIN
Concerning the promises recently made by some of the leaders that they were drastically revising their doctrinal stand, repudiating many of their former errors, we would call your attention to the last paragraph of the foregoing quotation: Today everything has changed for Seventh-day Adventists except their doctrinal beliefs, which are more firmly established than ever. From this it will be seen that there has been no change whatsoever concerning the errors on which this denomi nation is based and founded, although some of the leaders had given solemn assurance this would be done. IT WAS MADE HOPEFUL I was at first greatly encouraged and made hopeful by the promise and the assurance that they had drastically revised and altered their doctrinal position to conform with evangelical Christianity. In the fall of 1955 I was contacted by high official leaders of the S.D.A. church, with one of whom I carried on an extensive correspond ence. Other prominent evangelical leaders, editors of magazines, seminary professors and Bible School officials were likewise contacted and given the absolute assurance that the S.D.A.’s would soon issue a new book on Doctrine, repudiating many of their distinctive, objectionable doc trines. With great anticipation I awaited the publishing of this new S.D.A. book, reserving my judgment and try ing to forget my prejudices until I had personally seen the revisions and changes, which had been solemnly promised by these leaders. However, other evangelical leaders did not wait for the publication of the volume, but rushed into print with a defense of Seventh-day Adventism based upon nothing more than the PROMISES of these spokes men for the S.D.A.’s. The right hand of fellowship was therefore extended to them in good faith. I quote now from the magazine in which the endorsement of the S.D.A.’s was made, which stated that: . . . the adventists were strenuously denying certain doctrinal positions which had previously been attrib uted to them. . . . they repudiated absolutely the thought that Sabbath-keeping was a basis for salvation. (Eternity, Sept. 1956). Concerning the doctrine of the cleansing of the sanc tuary and the investigative judgment, it was stated in the same issue that this doctrine would be “ totally repudi ated.” Concerning past statements by Adventists, we were told that they had given “ a totally distorted picture of the beliefs and teachings of the S.D.A. church of today. A ll this has made it desirable and necessary for us to declare our position afresh” (Eternity, Nov. 1956). Referring to an editor of a fundamentalist paper (The Sunday School Times) who had refused to accept the promises of the S.D.A. leaders, Eternity magazine said, “ within a few weeks he will in all honor have to make a public retraction” (Eternity, March 1957). All of this was two years ago, and no public retraction of any kind by The Sunday School Times has been called for; nor has one been necessary, for when the new book by the S.D.A.’s appeared, it proved to be only another clever bit of deception. The result has been deep, pro-
Rather than using our own words to give you the origin of the Seventh-day Adventist movement, we quote here from one of their own official papers, “ These Times,” published by Southern Publishing Association, Nashville, Tenn. On pages 12 and 16, under the date of July 1958, we read: Adventist history actually goes back to the early 1840’s when a former army officer named William Miller, who had become a Baptist minister, began preaching that the end of the world would come in 1844. Soon hundreds of other clergymen, from nearly every denomination, were preaching the same doc trine. . . . Finally, the date was set for Christ to return. He did mot appear. The Scriptures were restudied, and an error in timing was discovered. Another date was set. Even non-Millerite scholars of the Bible agreed that the mathematics of prophecy was right this time, though they did not agree with Miller as to the event pointed to. Again Christ failed to appear. The “ Second Disappointment,” as the Miller fol lowers called it, was a little too much; the great movement began to dissolve. Soon it amounted to dozens of small groups, each with its own interpreta tion. Among Miller’s followers were a few who did not doubt the genuineness of the religious experience they had just passed through, but who still had one important question unanswered: Just when would Christ come, if not in 1844? Following the Second Disappointment they re examined the Scriptures and noted that Jesus Him self had said, “ Of that day and hour knoweth no man.” Further study of the Bible convinced them that the time set by Miller was correct, but that the event was wrong. The Biblical prophecies pointed to a movement with a distinct latter-day message, rather than to a specific time for the return of Christ. . . . A NEW CHURCH IN 1863 Shortly thereafter the same group became con vinced that Saturday was the Sabbath. On meeting rebuff and opposition for their beliefs from the organized churches, the Sabbathkeeping Adventists gradually drew closer together until they had formed a new church body in 1863. They called themselves Seventh-day Adventists. From that 1863 meeting (May 21) came an organization known as the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. It was composed of delegates from six states and represented a membership of 3,500. . . . Today everything has changed for Seventh-day Adventists except their doctrinal beliefs, which are more firmly established than ever. From this history of Seventh-day Adventism given by one of its own leaders in its official publication “ These Times,” it will be seen that the entire movement started as a comedy of errors, and was founded and based upon mistaken interpretations which were at first admitted, and yet today are used as the basis for some of their peculiar beliefs.
29
OCTOBER, 1959
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