Introduction

The emergence of the Sabbatarian Adventists cannot be separated from the Millerite movement. Since the Millerites believed in the imminent second coming of Jesus, thus, this group was an eschatological movement.¹ The Sabbatarian Adventists came to existence after a Great Disappointment among the Millerites.² As the Sabbatarian Adventists believed in the accurate calculation of the Millerites that the end of the prophecy about 2300 days in Dan 8:14 was October 22, 1844, they differed in the nature of the event. They understood that on that time Jesus Christ, as a high priest, was moving from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. To this understanding, the Sabbatarian Adventists still retained some heritage of the Millerites.³

The Sabbatarian Adventists called their theological package or message to the world as Present Truth. James White defined the Present Truth as “present duty, and the right position for us who are about to witness the time of trouble, such as never was.”⁴ However, it was not an original term by the Sabbatarian Adventists. The Millerites used this word to describe their message about the immediate coming of Jesus Christ.⁵ After the Great Disappointment, this expression was used by ex-Millerites to refer to the bridegroom concept.⁶ In this historical background of the term, the Sabbatarian Adventists developed their own theological concept about the Present Truth.

The Present Truth in Sabbatarian Adventist Theology

As J. White aforementioned that the Present Truth related to the eschatological “time of trouble” meant that this motive might permeate in each doctrine. Since the beginning the eschatological motive in the Present Truth was held by the Sabbatarian Adventist pioneers.⁷ They believed that the Present Truth related to the end-time events. A pioneer stated that the Present Truth is a “Bible truth—the truth for the last days.”⁸

The Sabbatarian Adventists called the Present Truth as “essential truth” for “the present time”⁹ or “meat in due season.”¹⁰ It meant that the message was right in time to meet the need of the world.¹¹ The pioneers considered the Present Truth was not for the past time but it should be consistent with the past truth.¹² They believed the Present Truth consisted a collection of truth in which it had a dynamic understanding in nature.¹³ It also related to other doctrines.¹⁴ It had a benefit to “feed, strengthen and unite the flock of Jesus.”¹⁵ For the Sabbatarian Adventists, the Present Truth comprised of distinctive truth and lifestyle of the group.¹⁶ Since the Present Truth embraces several doctrines, this paper purposes to see the eschatological motive of each truth in the Sabbatarian Adventists theology.

Unlike the Millerites, the Sabbatarian Adventists during their fledgling period developed their Present Truth not just on the doctrine of the Second Coming¹⁷ but also about Sabbath, sanctuary, state of the dead, some prophecies on end-time events, the commandment of God and faith of Jesus, third angel message, and message to Laodicea.¹⁸ This shows how much the Sabbatarian Adventists broadened their idea of the Present Truth than their predecessor.

Second Coming

The Sabbatarian Adventists called the Second Coming doctrine as one truth in the Present Truth.¹⁹ Unlike the Millerites who believed in the Second Coming of Jesus at the end of 2300 days prophecy, the Sabbatarian Adventists proposed the unknown date of the Second Coming and it would be preceded by the signs of times.

J. White wrote that the Second Coming would occur after the signs of the times happen. He listed eleven signs of the times before the Second Coming takes place. This event would be at the end of the world. That is why, for J. White, proclaiming the signs of the times is very important to prepare all the people to this event.²⁰ While it did not happen yet, proclaiming the Second Coming “will not only give meat to the household, but they will give it in due season. They will preach the present truth. Their last work, before the return of their Master, will be to proclaim his coming, and to teach the necessary preparation.”²¹ To this doctrine, H. S. Gurney commented, “We shall never lose sight of present truth; it is our life to have a saving knowledge of that truth which reveals a coming Saviour.”²²

Thus, for the Sabbatarian Adventists, the Second Coming is an eschaton event that will transpire after a serial of the signs of the times. The proclamation of this important event accompanied with the signs of the times which preceding it is a message that should be declared to the world so that they could be ready for it.

Sanctuary

The other doctrine in the Present Truth is sanctuary.²³ The Sabbatarian Adventists differed with the Millerites in understanding the term “cleansing of the sanctuary.” While the Millerites believed the cleansing of the sanctuary meant as Jesus’s second coming,²⁴ the keepers of the Seventh-day Sabbath thought that this event related to the moving of Christ from holy place to the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary. In this last phase of Jesus ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, Jesus is working the salvation for His people until before the Second Coming.²⁵

The work of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary since 1844 is to apply the benefit of the atonement that he had made on the cross to those who counted as the righteous. For the Sabbatarian Adventists, the cleansing of the sanctuary is the last work of Jesus Christ as a high priest in heavenly sanctuary then “the last trump will soon awake the sleeping multitude, that no man can number” and at this first resurrection together “with the living that are changed, be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.”²⁶ Thus, the cleansing of the sanctuary happens nearly at the Second Coming. It has obviously an eschatological motive in the Sabbatarian Adventist theology.

The cleansing of the sanctuary has a close connection with the work of the atonement of Jesus for the blotting out of sins. The Sabbatarian Adventists closely related this two concept.²⁷ This work of atonement also has an eschatological motive. Joseph Bates wrote that “the cleansing of the sanctuary, which blots out their [righteous] sins, and purifies them to enter into the holy city.”²⁸ J. White agreed with the idea that atonement for the blotting out of sins related to the end time. “When Jesus has finished his work of atonement, in the Holy of Holies, he will lay off his priestly attire, and put on his most kingly robes and crown, to ride forth, and manifest his kingly power, in ruling the nations, and dashing them in pieces.”²⁹ At this time, the Lord, Jesus Christ will raise “the just, to everlasting life.”³⁰ These events relate the atonement of the blotting out of sins in the heavenly sanctuary with the last day events before the Second Coming.

Another event which relates the sanctuary and the end-time is the pre-advent investigative judgment. The Sabbatarian Adventists believed that the pre-advent judgment will be ended before the first resurrection takes place in which it will happen at the end time. J. White stated that the righteous and the wicked “will be judged before they are raised from the dead. The investigative judgment of the house, or church, of God will take place before the first resurrection.”³¹ Elon Everts promulgated the same idea that “judgment must be passed upon all who share in eternal life at the coming of Christ, before he comes, and during the existence of the last generation on earth.”³² He continued, “there is no time for judgment of the saints after the second appearing of Christ; for he comes to reward his saints with eternal life at the sounding of the last trump.”³³ For the Sabbatarian Adventist, the pre-advent investigative judgment connects directly to eschatological event since it relates to determine the eternal destiny of each person.

Thus, the three integrated-works of Jesus Christ (the cleansing of the sanctuary, atonement for the blotting out of sins, and pre-advent investigative judgment) in the heavenly sanctuary, for the pioneers, had an eschatological fulfillment. This means that the Sabbatarian Adventists thought the work of Jesus in the most holy place will continue until the closing of the ages.

Sabbath

Since the nascent of the Sabbatarian Adventists, the doctrine of Sabbath was part of the Present Truth.³⁴ They connected the Sabbath to eschatological events. First, they linked with the seal of God in Rev 7 which would be contradictory with the mark of the beast in Rev 14. Second, Sabbath will be still observed in the new world.

The Sabbatarian Adventists believed that the seal of God at the end time would be the Sabbath and it would be contrary with the mark of the beast. Hiram Edson clearly wrote that “the seal of the living God is contained in that precept which alone points out himself. That precept is none other than the fourth commandment of the ten.”³⁵ If Edson believed that the Sabbath pointed out to the seal of God in Rev 7, he referred the mark of the beast as the seal of the little horn that is Sunday in Rev 14.³⁶ The same idea was expressed by Uriah Smith. He argued that the sign and the seal are the same thing based on Rom 4:11.³⁷ He concluded, “A false Sabbath is the mark of the beast, and a true one the seal of the living God.”³⁸ It meant the seal of God is “to keep holy the true Sabbath, the seventh day” and the mark of the beast is “the observance of the human institution of Sunday.”³⁹ Other Sabbatarian Adventists agreed to this idea.⁴⁰ Since the seal of God and the mark of the beast will happen close to the end time of human history, for Sabbatarian Adventist, Sabbath would become an eschatological issue.

The Sabbatarian Adventists believed that the observance of Sabbath will be continued in the new heavens and earth. J. White, the editor of Review and Herald, answered an objector of Sabbath based on Col 2:17. He stated, “But the seventh-day Sabbath is not a shadow: for it is to be observed as long as the New Heavens and the New Earth remain.”⁴¹ H. Edson agreed with J. White. He wrote, “But the Sabbath will never cease so long as the new heavens and new earth remain.”⁴² U. Smith believed that the seventh-day Sabbath still be observed until the creation of new heavens and earth.⁴³ John N. Andrews argued that this Sabbath embraces the “WHOLE HEAVEN” including the new earth.⁴⁴ This thought based on Isa 65:22-23. The observance of Sabbath in the new heavens and earth indicates the eschatological observance of the God’s holy day.

Third Angel’s Message

The Sabbatarian Adventists understood the third angel’s message in Rev 14:9-12 as Present Truth.⁴⁵ This message is a warning to the world to not worship the beast and its image including the mark of its name. Since the seal of God and the mark of the beast as aforementioned is related to eschatological event, the warning to not worship and accept the mark also connects with this end-time occasion.

The pioneers believed that the third angel’s message was a warning for the end-time people. J. Bates considered the third angel’s message would be lasting until before the Second Coming.⁴⁶ The warning of this message, according to Moses Hull, included to tell the world about the last seven plagues or the wrath of God if they worship the beast and its mark.⁴⁷ J. White commented about this message that “the great truths of the third angel of Rev. XIV, will manifest the 144,000, who are to be ‘redeemed from among men,’ and changed to immortality at the coming of Christ.”⁴⁸ He suggested that the third angel’s message related to an important warning for all people who would be as the faithful. This message would continue until the close of probation.

The Sabbatarian Adventists also associated the third angel’s message with the “loud cry” in Rev. 18 that would happen at the end time.⁴⁹ The connection between the third angel’s message in Rev 14 and the “loud cry” in Rev 18, according to J. White, is that they “will manifest the 144,000, who are to be ‘redeemed from among men,’ and changed to immortality at the coming of Christ.⁵⁰ These evidences show the eschatological motive behind the third angel’s message.

The Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus

The other truth that the Sabbatarian Adventists called as Present Truth was the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.⁵¹ This two doctrines related to the eschatological idea since the commandments and faith of Jesus are important teachings for the end-time people.

The Sabbatarian Adventists believed that the commandments of God would protect them from the deception of the evil spirit and the mark of the beast at the last days. They held that those who disobeyed the commandments of God at the end-time would seek the spirit of the dead “to find out matters and things.” However, “if thou will enter into life keep the commandments” that would guide the believers to “get the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name.”⁵² J. N. Andrews stated the similar idea. “It is because the commandments of God will be vindicated, and the unscriptural character of the Sunday-Sabbath exposed, that the two-horned beast will require all to receive the mark”⁵³ For this reason Stockbridge Howland wrote, “Pray for us, that we may have grace to help us to walk in the way of God’s commandments that we may have life, immortality and eternal life.”⁵⁴ The pioneers saw the important of the God’s commandments for preparing the important events at the end-time.

The concept of the “faith of Jesus” among the Sabbatarian Adventists was also linked with eschatological events. J. White realized this connection as he penned, “the faith of Jesus embraces the sufferings, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, also his priesthood in the True Tabernacle above, including his work of cleansing the Sanctuary since the termination of the 2,300 days, and his coming the second time in glory to reign in judgment.”⁵⁵ J. White understood the idea about “faith of Jesus” included Jesus’s second coming. Another pioneer expressed the similar idea. According to U. Smith among the doctrine “faith of Jesus” were the understanding about the second coming of Jesus, “the signs of his coming,” “the great doctrine of the resurrection of the body,” and the “day of judgment.”⁵⁶ This showed that the Sabbatarian Adventists extended the “faith of Jesus” to all teaching of Jesus including the signs of the end-time and the eschaton.

Among the pioneers, they connected both the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus with the eschatological incident. George W. Holt expressed this idea as he wrote, “Those that sleep in Jesus will come forth with glorified bodies, the living that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, will be changed and caught up with them to meet the Lord.”⁵⁷ These two doctrines, for Holt, were important to prepare the people of God to meet their Lord.

Message to Laodicean

Message to Laodicean in Rev 3, for the Sabbatarian Adventists, was the Present Truth.⁵⁸ Initially, they believed that this message referred to ex-Millerites who rejected the truth. Later on, since they understood that messages to the seven churches in Rev 2 and 3 were applied for all Christians throughout the centuries, this message particularly denoted to them.⁵⁹

The development idea about who was included as Laodicea Church could be seen in the writings of the pioneers. J. Bates, in 1850, assumed the Laodicean were “to any other class of believers on earth” who joined “the nominal church” or “nominal adventist” and rejected the calculation of 2,300 days ended at 1844. The lukewarm church “must exist before Jesus comes.”⁶⁰ Several years later, J. White interpreted the Laodicea Church as those who professed as Sabbath keepers and this congregation needed to repent. He defined that “the nominal churches, and the nominal Adventist” were becoming cold but the lukewarm church is those “who profess the Third Angel's Message.”⁶¹ Thus, for J. White in 1856, the lukewarm condition referred to the Sabbatarian Adventist. This shifting idea about Laodicea could be seen in the writing of Ellen G. White. She, initially, understood the Laodicea church as condition which was happening among the first-day Adventists.

“Many who profess to be looking for the speedy coming of Christ, are becoming conformed to this world, and seek more earnestly the applause of those around them, than the approbation of God. They are cold and formal, like the nominal church, that they but a short time since separated from. The words addressed to the Laodicean Church, describe their present condition perfectly.”⁶²

E. White and J. Bates were aware that this condition has been prophesied and the fulfillment would happen before the Second Coming. However, after the redefinition of J. White, E. White referred the term “Laodicea” to the seventh-day Sabbath keepers. In 1857, she stated, “The message to the Laodicean church affects every way, in every sense and every where [sic]. The church here is rising. God is working for us. We feel the necessity of working with energy. This message to the church calls for more than common efforts, on our own part.”⁶³ In the same year, she wrote, “I saw that this call to the Laodicean church will affect souls. A becoming zeal is called for by God on our part. We must repent, throw away our whole feelings, feel our destitution, buy gold that we may be rich, eye salve that we may see, white raiment that we may be clothed.”⁶⁴ Thus, by 1856, the Sabbatarian Adventists saw the message to Laodicean church was addressed to them as the God’s end-time people.

Ellen G. White, a co-founder of Seventh-day Adventist Church, since 1857 addressed the Laodicean message to this group. She penned, “The church must arise. They do not half heed the message to the Laodicean church. There are those in the church who love this world better than they love Jesus. They love their treasures here better than they love heaven or eternal life, and with their earthly treasure they will perish. The True Witness now speaks to a lukewarm church.”⁶⁵ In another occasion, she wrote, “The Laodicean message loses its influence too soon. It must affect the church. The counsel of the True Witness is not heeded. The church does not zealously repent.”⁶⁶

Thus, for Sabbatarian Adventists, the lukewarm condition is happening in the church who is preparing the Second Coming of Jesus. Laodicean message is for the end-time church so that they become aware about the danger of the lukewarmness. Thus, this message is to warn the seventh-day Sabbath keepers to not stay in this condition so that they are ready for the coming Jesus and doing their mission.

Prophecy about the End-Time

Several prophecies about the end-time events, for the Sabbatarian Adventists, related to the Present Truth.⁶⁷ Generally, they discussed about end-time events which preceding the Second Coming such as the rise of the second beast and mark of the beast, sealing time, Jacob’s trouble and 7 last plagues. They understood these prophecies was important to warn the world about the Second Coming.

The pioneers of the church considered the last day events that have been prophesied in the Bible were important lessons to prepare the world to meet the Lord. J. M. Stephenson accepted the Present Truth while he read a letter from J. H. Waggoner. One of the doctrines that Waggoner wrote was about the rise of the second beast in the Rev 13 and the mark of the beast. He realized that this message was an important message that the world should be aware of.⁶⁸ J. Bates penned about the sealing message should be proclaimed by the church. He stated about spreading the urgency of the sealing message that “it is positively clear, and certain, that it is to be done by the church here, and that the word and spirit is to lead into the truth.”⁶⁹ The Sabbatarian Adventists also wrote about events related to the third angel’s message such as time of trouble for the righteous at the end-time⁷⁰ and the wrath of the Lord for the wicked at the last days.⁷¹ Thus, for the Adventist pioneers, the prophesies of the end-time events were significant messages to the world and this Present Truth proclaims the urgency of the Second Coming of the Lord.

State of the Dead

The last Present Truth accepted during this period (1844-1863) was the doctrine of the state of the dead. The Sabbatarian Adventists included this belief as the Present Truth because it’s important to against modern spiritualism.⁷² The rise of modern spiritualism in 1848 was an impetus events for the pioneers to study more about this topic.⁷³

State of the dead related to eschatological events because its connections to the Second Coming and three angels’ messages. T. H. Dunn penned that “the doctrine of man’s complete mortality, the resurrection of the righteous to immortality at the second appearing of Jesus”⁷⁴ are closely related. Frederick Wheeler, the first Adventist minister who kept the truth about Sabbath, stated that the state of the dead linked to “eternal life in the resurrection morn”⁷⁵ because at Jesus’s coming He will “give immortality to all his saints.”⁷⁶ J. White linked the state of the dead to three angels’ messages through the idea that the people of God should go out from Babylon. He wrote, “We shall contend that the sin of necromancy, now abroad in the land, rests upon Babylon.—She is accountable for it; for this one point of popular theology, found in all her creeds, that all men have immortality, and that the dead have knowledge, is the very basis of Spiritualism.”⁷⁷ He proceeded, “Thus we see that one of the great leading doctrines found in all the creeds of Babylon forms the basis of Spiritualism. It has opened a wide door for Satan to come in and deceive the world.”⁷⁸ If J. White connected state of the dead to the second message, J. N. Andrews related it to the third message. He understood that since the state of the dead believed in the dead know nothing, this doctrine is against eternal torment and purgatory system.⁷⁹ He also emphasized that the third angel’s message is “the latest message of mercy” and this directly connected to the “state of the dead.”⁸⁰ Andrews believed that these two doctrines were closely interrelated.

For the Sabbatarian Adventists, state of the dead related to eschatological events in which this doctrine played a significant role as a safeguard against spiritualism. One of the important issues in the three angels’s messages is a deceptive of Satan about the immortality of the soul. The dead know nothing and they will receive their reward at the Second Coming together with the warning of the three angels’s message to come out from Babylon and rejected the idea of immortality of the soul as compatible of the teaching of the beast and its image were making the state of the dead as relevant teaching for the end-time.

Conclusion

The Sabbatarian Adventists had a theological package contained important messages to the world for preparing the Second Coming. They called this package of messages as Present Truth. They extended a heritage of Millerites, which limited the Present Truth only to the Second Coming doctrine, to some other doctrines related to eschatological events. These doctrines such as Second Coming, sanctuary, Sabbath, third angel message, commandment of God and faith of Jesus, message to Laodicean, prophecies about the end-time and state of the dead are messages in the Present Truth that had eschatological connections. Thus, the Seventh-day Adventists Church which later on as a continuation of Sabbatarian Adventists has a strong root about eschatology since the nascent of this movement. As this denomination claims that they are the end-time people for preparing the world for the Second Coming of Jesus, this is a valid assertion since their theology reflected it since the beginning.