Introduction

When one studies the origins of the Sabbath doctrine among Seventh-day Adventists, one cannot avoid wondering why a doctrine with strong roots in religious practice and which has been part of a long historical debate about its validity and proper day of observance, became part of its distinctive doctrines from the very beginning. Indeed, one would expect the Adventist doctrinal core to be firmly situated in an eschatological context, considering that its focus of interest is the end of time and the Second Coming of Christ. The history of the adoption of the Sabbath by this offshoot of Millerite Adventism is well known and will not be the subject of this study. Neither is the debate over the source of the doctrine of the Sabbath among Adventist, given that it has been established beyond any doubt that it is due to the influence of the Seventh Day Baptists.¹ We are interested in understanding why this doctrine was adopted in Adventism and what characteristics it acquires while doing so. The purpose of this paper will be to deepen the study of the origins of the doctrine of the Sabbath among Seventh-day Adventists, analyzing the eschatological components that it embraces in its first years. To achieve our goal we will focus on two Adventist authors, Thomas M. Preble and Joseph Bates. They published small booklets on the Sabbath from 1845 to 1849. We will briefly present these publications and analyze their content.

Thomas M. Preble’s Pamphlet

The first publication that stimulates important reactions in favor of the Sabbath among Millerite Adventists is the article by Thomas M. Preble, an Adventist pastor of Baptist background. His article about the Sabbath was published in the Hope of Israel, a Millerite periodical.² It was published again a month later as a pamphlet with the title A Tract, Showing that the Seventh Day should be Observed as the Sabbath, Instead of the First Day.³ The piece is short so what we may obtain from it is limited. In terms of its contents and arguments, it replicates the apologetic literature of the Seventh-day Baptists of the time.⁴ It is not clear who shared the Sabbath with Preble.⁵ Its content’s originality lies in the millenarian tone used in favor of Sabbath observance. We also recognize some arguments in favor of Sabbath observance that will become common in Sabbatarian Adventist literature.

Preble directs his call “to the true children of God," to whom he raises this important issue, because he believes it is imperative that they “have the truth on all subjects, and especially those connected with the immediate coming of Christ."⁶ His intended recipients are the Millerite Adventists, and Preble’s motivation to publish is his strong conviction that the Sabbath should be part of the Millerite creed. Following this line of argument, Preble reinforces his call relying on the authority of William Miller, the movement’s founder. He quotes some statements that Miller uses in his Lecture on the Typical Sabbaths and Great Jubilee in defense of the fourth commandment.⁷ This is a surprising line of argument given that Miller was never a Seventh-day observer. Even so, Preble claims to have been convinced of the importance of the Seventh-day influenced by "Brother Miller’s views of the great Sabbath, he argued that the Sabbath was a sign of the seventh thousand year of the world. And on reflection I saw that the first day could not be a sign of the seventh thousand year."⁸ Belief in the Sabbath and Millerite eschatology come together in Preble to create an important doctrinal perspective of Sabbatarian Adventism.

Adventist historian P. Gerald Damsteegt points out that “much of [Preble’s] exposition included Seventh Day Baptist arguments for Sabbath observance, such as the continuing validity of the Decalogue for Christians and the Sabbath as an everlasting sign between God and His people.”⁹ This arguments were: the Sabbath as a perpetual sign,¹⁰ the distinction between the creation Sabbath and the Jewish Sabbaths,¹¹ the establishment of the Sabbath at creation,¹² Jesus’ and the apostles’ respect for the Sabbath,¹³ the Papacy replacing the Sabbath with Sunday,¹⁴ and the prophecy of Daniel 7:25 as a prediction of this change,¹⁵ all seem to be Seventh Day Baptist arguments.¹⁶ We do not know which Seventh Day Baptist publications Preble used because he quotes none of them. But what is certain is that Preble adopted the Seventh Day Baptist perspective on the Sabbath and presents it in his pamphlet to his fellow Adventist believers.

On the other hand, Preble seems to add two original elements to his discourse: (1) he gives the Sabbath an eschatological meaning, and (2) he establishes an exclusive opposition between those who keep the Seventh-day Sabbath and the “Pope’s Sunday Keepers!! and GOD’S SABBATH BREAKERS!!!”¹⁷ We will present both elements in detail.

The Sabbath’s eschatological significance

Preble situates the Sabbath clearly in an eschatological context. He says: “Believing it important for us to have the truth on all subjects, and especially those connected with the immediate coming of Christ, I would present a few thoughts on the Sabbath.”¹⁸ At the end of the tract he concludes: “May the Lord give us wisdom, and help us the keep all ‘his commandments that we may have right to the tree of life.’¹⁹ Rev. xx: 14.”²⁰ Then he adds a complementary conclusion: “Yours, daily looking, and patiently waiting ‘for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God, and our Savior Jesus Christ.’”²¹ Farther down, Preble refutes “the idolatry” of Sunday keepers, concluding with a fervent appeal: “And as we have every reason to be daily looking for the Lord to come and call us to judgment, may the reader and the writer, KEEP ALL THE COMMANDS OF GOD, THAT WE MAY BE READY FOR THAT DAY. AMEN.”²²

Preble understands the Sabbath’s value when situated in an eschatological context. For a Millerite Adventist that had recently experienced the great disappointment of October 22, 1844, but still believes in the imminent return of Jesus Christ, he seems to need an explanation to his disappointed hope. Something had gone wrong, could this be the reason? In his view, failing to obey all the commandments (especially the fourth), could have delayed the Second Coming. He may have felt that God’s people (the Millerite Adventist) had to be warned of the required hallowing of the Seventh Day, in preparation for the Final Judgment.

We will see further on that Sabbatarian Adventists²³ also interest themselves in the Sabbath as a means of preparation for the Advent, judgment and entry into heaven.

The Sabbath, a sign of separation

Preble states that the Sabbath is a sign of separation. He defends his position vigorously by saying:

Thus we see Dan. vii. 25 fulfilled, the “little horn” changing “times and laws.” Therefore it appears to me that all who keep the first day of the week for ‘the Sabbath,’ are the Pope’s Sunday Keepers !! and GOD’S SABBATH BREAKERS!!!²⁴

This biblical passage is one of the few Seventh Day Baptist attempts in prophetic interpretation. It is not surprising that Preble uses it; it would expose the power behind the replacement of the Sabbath with Sunday, from the point of view of apocalyptic prophecy. Afterward, in an eschatological future all human beings will be compelled to choose between the Seventh-day and the First, God or Satan, loyalty or disloyalty, with no possible compromise. In the final segment of his Supplement, Preble declares:

This wicked world have always opposed the truth, and those who practice it, and they always will: But for one, I had rather obey God, and have his approbation here, and finally enjoy the blessings of the new earth—though all men hate me—than to have the good opinion of men here, and perish at last.²⁵

The "wicked world" will oppose the truth and hate it, hating also "those who practice it.” Undoubtedly, for Preble there would be a clear separation between good and evil. The Sabbath will be the sign of separation between them. This language, that emphasizes the division in two divergent groups, would become typical of Sabbatarian Adventists. The opposition between Sabbath and Sunday observance is present in Seventh Day Baptist literature also, but in a minor degree. For example, William H. Black, a British theologian declares: "The exclusive observance of the first day, like a Sabbath, is a public violation of God's holy commandment."²⁶ Also, Thomas B. Brown, a North American theologian says: the Sabbath "becomes the sign of separation between the worshipers of Jehovah and the pagans."²⁷

Preble observed the Sabbath during a short period; he renounced it three years later.²⁸ But his article and tract in defense of the restoration of the biblical Sabbath stimulated the interest of Millerite Adventists like Joseph Bates. Bates, in turn, was instrumental in convincing James and Ellen G. White in accepting it. From this group of leaders would emerge Sabbatarian Adventism. The eschatological emphasis and dichotomous thought would be the main features of their Sabbath doctrine.

Joseph Bates’ Publications

Joseph Bates, one of the founders of Seventh-day Adventism, plays a central role in the formation of the Adventist theology of the Sabbath. It is a fact recognized by Adventist historians. Arthur

L. White calls him "the apostle of the Sabbath truth."²⁹ LeRoy E. Froom labels him "the Sabbath herald"³⁰ and C. Mervyn Maxwell calls him "the father of the Sabbath truth among Seventh-day Adventists."³¹ Bates sponsors Sabbath observance successfully among Sabbatarian Adventists, but he also develops an authentic Adventist theology of the Sabbath by integrating it with the doctrines of the sanctuary and the Second Coming.³² Convinced of the importance of the Sabbath, Bates would publish a series of six pamphlets from 1846 to 1849. The Sabbath would be the dominant theme. We will briefly present each one of them indicating how they contribute to the development of the doctrine of the Sabbath among Sabbatarian Adventists in these formative years.

The Opening Heavens

Bates' first pamphlet, named The Opening Heavens, or a Connected View of the Testimony of the Prophets and Apostles, Concerning the Opening Heavens, Compared with Astronomical Observations, and of the Present and Future Location of the New Jerusalem, the Paradise of God was published in August of 1846.³³ Its long title gives a fairly accurate description of its contents. Bates upholds the reality of the "heavenly sanctuary," and in the process shows his knowledge of astronomy. He briefly discusses the Sabbath saying:

I wish here to ask a few questions on one of the greatest errors that the world ever embraced, first established by Pope Gregory, A. D. 603. I mean the changing of God's seventh day, Sabbath, (for it is sheer sophistry to call it the Jews Sabbath, as Jesus our divine Lord says "it was made for man,") to the first day of the week.³⁴

In reference to the sanctuary, he adds:

Why all this costly array in "building the Tabernacle and afterwards the Temple?" Answer, it was to put the Ark in. 2 Sam.2-7. Hear David 1 Chron. 17:2, 12. What was the Ark? A small chest in which was a precious relic; the commandments of God; his testimony to man; (see Exod. 25:10, 12) how it is guarded night and day by Cherubims. What are these commandments to us? They that keep them shall "enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. 22:14.³⁵

And he goes on to say:

Will you say then that the fourth commandment is abolished? If so, please cite us to the chapter and verse. I say it cannot be found within the lids of the bible. Will you reply by saying that the first day is the Sabbath, or that it was ever kept by Jesus or his apostles as a day set apart for religious worship; if so, where is the text? I challenge the world to produce it! If it cannot be found, why violate still this sacred command of God and reject all the light that is thrown in your pathway?³⁶

First, it seems that Bates follows Preble’s line of argument, including its eschatological tone and its implications. Second, although Bates does not explicitly establish a link between the Sabbath and the new Adventist doctrine of the sanctuary, it does so indirectly. This theme of the heavenly sanctuary, the Ark of the Covenant and the Sabbath in heaven will be a recurring theme in Bates’ and other Sabbatarian Adventist authors.

The Seventh Day Sabbath, a Perpetual Sign

In August of 1846 Bates publishes his first tract fully devoted to the doctrine of the Sabbath named: The Seventh Day Sabbath, a Perpetual Sign, From the Beginnings to the Entering into the Gates of the Holy City, According to the Commandment.³⁷ We see here three types of arguments in favor of the Sabbath. One is biblical and historical, another advocates "re-establishing the truth" and a third uses the message of the three angels of Rev 14: 6-12 to justify the importance of the Sabbath in the time of the end.

Traditional Biblical and Historical Argumentation

Much of Bates' biblical arguments restate those used by the Puritan and Baptist Seventh-day Sabbath literature. For example, on the institution of the Sabbath by God at the beginning of Earth’s history, he says: "God established the seventh day Sabbath in Paradise, […] Is it not plain that the Sabbath was instituted to commemorate the stupendous work of creation, and designed by God to be celebrated by his worshipers as a weekly Sabbath…[?]”³⁸ He also seeks to demonstrate that the Sabbath is a universal institution that was observed by the patriarchs before its proclamation at Sinai.³⁹ At the same time, he attempts to prove that the Sabbath was never abolished.⁴⁰ To reinforce this last argument he dedicates eleven pages to explain the contrast between the moral law and the ceremonial law in the Scriptures. The first would be permanent and the second, abolished on the cross.⁴¹ He then points out that Christ and the apostles confirmed the permanence of the Sabbath by their example and teaching.⁴² The last twenty-one pages of the tract point out clearly who is responsible for the replacement of the Sabbath by Sunday.⁴³ Bates believes that the "little horn" of Daniel 7:25, the Papacy, is to blame. He concludes his remarks saying: "If the [B]ible argument, and the testimony from history are to be relied on as evidence, then it is as clear as sunbeam that the seventh-day Sabbath is a perpetual sign, and is as binding upon man as it ever was."⁴⁴

The eschatological emphasis

Bates connects his eschatological view of the Sabbath with the traditional Sabbatarian notion that God's commandments are permanent. As we mentioned before, one of his favorite texts is Revelation 22:14. Most English Bible translations of the time supported his interpretation. Bates quotes the text for the first time on the cover of his tract: "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and enter in." Bates continues: "Remember that keeping the commandments is the only safe guide through the gates into the city."⁴⁵ Later he adds: "Here, then, we prove, that the dead and living saints are the whole Israel of God, and the Covenant and Sign [the Seventh Day] is binding on them into the gates of the Holy City. Rev. xx: 14."⁴⁶ Consequently, Bates associates his understanding of the doctrine of salvation to the Sabbath and eschatology.

The restoration of truth

Another concept that Bates incorporates into his eschatology, and that deserves a separate mention, is the “restoration of truth.” The need to reestablish biblical truth in the life and belief of the Church was also a powerful motif in the formation process of Seventh-day Adventism.⁴⁷ In the preface to his work, Bates associates the "restoration of truth" to the Sabbath in the following terms:

I understand that the seventh day Sabbath is not the least one, among ALL things that are to be restored before the second advent of Jesus Christ, seeing that the Imperial and Papal power of Rome, since the day of the Apostles, have changed the seventh day Sabbath to the first day of the week!⁴⁸

The reestablishment of "all" biblical truth before the end is a theme that will reemerge often in Sabbatarian Adventist literature.

The Sabbath and the Three Angels Message of Revelation 14:6-12

Bates is probably the first Adventist writer to connect the “Three Angels Message” of Revelation 14:6-12 with the Sabbath. He does it indirectly pointing to the fact that the faithful remnant of Revelation 14:12 obeys God’s commandments, this would mean that the keep the Sabbath commandment. He says:

In the xiv ch. Rev 6-11, he saw three angels following each other in succession: first one preaching the everlasting gospel (second advent doctrine); 2d, announcing the fall of Babylon; 3d, calling God’s people out of her by showing the awful destruction that awaited all such as did not obey. He sees the separation and cries out, “Here is the patience of the Saints, here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” And this picture is so deeply impressed on his mind, that when the Savior said to him “Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me,” he seemed to understand this, saying—Blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” [Rev.] xx: 14.⁴⁹

Innovation

Bates has an innovative proposal regarding Sabbath observance. He believes Sabbath keepers should begin and the end the Sabbath rest at 6pm. Having been a seaman he thought it was important that the Sabbath have definitive hours, regardless of the hemisphere, season or particular circumstances.⁵⁰ This point of view was accepted by Sabbatarian Adventist solely on account of Bates influence and standing among them. Puritan and Baptist Sabbath keepers followed the biblical model that determines sundown as the time to begin and end the Sabbath. This peculiar practice caused some opposition and debate several years later because although it was practical, it had no biblical support.

The Seventh Day Sabbath, a Perpetual Sign, 1847 edition

In January 1847, Bates published a second revised edition of his Sabbath tract.⁵¹ Its contents are very significant they present the main features of the Adventist Sabbath doctrine. We will give a brief presentation of the new ideas Bates introduces.

The relationship between the Heavenly Sanctuary and the Sabbath

In this new edition, Bates reinforces his arguments on the relationship between the prophetic Heavenly Sanctuary and the Sabbath in the following words:

God, in a peculiar manner, to instruct his honest, confiding children, shows them spiritually under the sounding of the seventh Angel, the ark of his testament after the temple of God was opened in heaven. [Rev.] xi: 19. These are the ten commandments.⁵²

What impresses Bates’ imagination is that the vision suggests that the Ark of the Covenant has a distinguished place in God’s heavenly temple. The fact that the Ark is open would mean that the most important item in the Ark, the Commandments, is displayed openly by God to show that they would remain valid until the end of time. This could only mean that the Sabbath would also be valid until the end.⁵³

The “Mark of the Beast”

Bates develops his exposition of the Third Angel’s Message of Rev. 14:9-11. His interest is centered in the expression “the Mark of the Beast,” also found in Rev. 13:16, 17. He believes this Mark is Sunday worship:

Consult John, he knows better than we do; he has only described two companies. See [Rev.] xiv: 9-11, 12. One is keeping the commandments and faith of Jesus. The other has the mark of the beast. How? See page 45. Is it not clear that the first day of the week for the Sabbath or holy day is a mark of the beast [?]⁵⁴

It is possible that Bates was the first Adventist to designate Sunday observance as "the mark of the beast."⁵⁵

The Sabbath at the center of the conflict between God and Satan

Bates places the Sabbath at the center of the conflict between God and Satan by establishing a connection between Rev. 14: 6-13 and Rev. 12:17:

John further shows that this is a remnant […] made war with, […] for "keeping the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ." [Rev.] xii: 17. […] Why this people should be persecuted for keeping the commandments, &c., when all, even them which have the mark of the beast, profess to keep them [?] I suppose all that enrages the Devil […]; that this remnant are actually—practicing—what they believe is the testimony of God and the testimony of Jesus[…].⁵⁶

It surely will be admitted that the Devil was and is the father of all the wicked deeds of Imperial and papal Rome. It is clear then from this history that Sunday, or first day, is his Sabbath throughout Christendom […] He will be very careful therefore not to make—war—on any but those who keep God's Sabbath holy.⁵⁷

That there will yet be a mighty struggle about the restoring and keeping the seventh day Sabbath, that will test every living soul that enters the gates of the city, cannot be disputed. It is evident the Devil is making war on all such. See Rev. xii: 17.⁵⁸

The conflict between God and Satan motif would be placed at the very center of Adventist eschatology. Joseph Bates is responsible for this choice, and in the process he gives the eschatological Sabbath a prominent place. Other Adventist authors would develop more than Bates the interpretation of the apocalyptic books of Scripture. But the place Bates gave to the Sabbath in Adventist eschatology would not be challenged by anyone.

Bates was not the first commentator that explains the terms “remnant”, “persecution,” “trial” and equivalent words in Daniel and Revelation. Millerite and Seventh Day Baptist commentator had done so also. Miller, for example had said: “’The Remnant,’ is the last part of the church, […] when the true children of God ‘which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ […] will be delivered […]”⁵⁹ A Seventh Day Baptist publication says: “Admitting that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is still binding, there is no doubt that there will ever be a remnant, at least, who will consciously observe it.”⁶⁰ Therefore, these terms were familiar to Millerite Adventists and Seventh Day Baptist. However, it is Joseph Bates that situates them in the context of the Revelation of John and the Sabbath.

The Sabbath’s “restoration”

Bates returns to the restoration of the Sabbath theme. This time he quotes Acts 3:20, 21 and Isaiah 58:12 as the basis for his arguments:

Now that the keeping of the seventh day Sabbath has been made void by the working of Satan, and is to be restored as one of the—all—things spoken of by all the holy prophets since the world began, before Jesus can come, is evident. See Acts iii: 20, 21. "And they that shall be of THEE shall—build the old waste places—thou shalt rise up the foundation of many generations—, and thou shalt be called the REPAIRER—of the breach, the—RESTORER—of paths to dwell in—." Isa. 58: 12. The two following verses show that keeping or restoring the Sabbath is the special work. Jesus says, "They shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven, that—do—and—teach—the commandments." That there will yet be a mighty struggle about the restoring and keeping the seventh day Sabbath, that will test every living soul that enters the gates of the city, cannot be disputed. It is evident the Devil is making war on all such. See Rev. xii: 17. "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." Amen.⁶¹

We cannot overemphasize how important the restoration of the Sabbath theme is for Sabbatarian Adventists. It was part of their explanation why Christ had not returned on October 22, 1844. Besides the doctrine of the sanctuary, that gave soteriological and eschatological explanations to the Sabbatarian Adventists’ apologetics, the restoration of truth seemed essential to them. It was necessary that the restoration process be experienced by the “remnant,” before the Second Coming of Christ could take place.

The Sabbath as “Present Truth”

The expression “Present Truth” became among Sabbatarian Adventist a synonym of the proclamation of their doctrines. In a limited sense, it became an equivalent of the Sabbath.⁶² It also became the motto of the movement, with great success. This is probably why James S. White used it to name the first Sabbatarian Adventist periodical, the Present Truth.

Salvation through commandment keeping

Bates exposition suggests that salvation requires obeying God’s commandments. This idea is already present in his first edition of The Sabbath, a Perpetual Sign. In this new edition he maintains that line of argument stating clearly: “The doing of these commandments saves the soul.”⁶³ Further on he maintains that keeping the Sabbath saves a person:

Now if we trace the Bible through in relation to the Sabbath we shall learn that the Lord's threatenings, judgments, and promises, are more than ten fold in comparison with the other nine commandments. What is the reason of this? Answer, the keeping of GOD'S SABBATH HOLY SANCTIFIES AND SAVES THE SOUL! but the keeping of one, or all the other nine without it will not.⁶⁴

We must keep the whole [all the commandments] if we would be saved; neither can we be saved by keeping the Sabbath alone. James says 'If we fail in one, we are guilty of the whole.'⁶⁵

Adventist authors, Joseph Bates being the first of them, emphasize the Sabbath’s significance as “Present Truth.” This meant that in the context of the end time, humanity will be divided in two groups, one loyal to God and the other, to his enemy the Devil. Loyalty to God would be tested by obedience to the commandments, including the fourth commandment that requires the sanctification of the Seventh-day. The emphasis in obedience and the commandments leads them a step further, to finally say that commandment keeping is required for salvation. This argument leads to a full-fledged apologetics centered in the obedience to the commandments that gave Adventism a reputation of believing in salvation by works. Although this is not so, it did lead to confusion on the role of faith and works in salvation that caused a major crisis in 1888. The resolution of this crisis finally established Adventism in the belief in Salvation through Righteousness by Faith.⁶⁶

As we will see further on, Bates published three more tracts in which the Sabbath occupies an important place. However, the two editions of The Sabbath, a Perpetual Sign present Bates’ most complete thought on the Sabbath. His ideas became the heart of the Sabbath doctrine among Sabbatarian Adventists. What was Bates’ most important contribution to the Adventist Sabbath doctrine? He places the Sabbath in a History of Salvation context. In other words, as a Millerite Adventist, Bates saw the Sabbath at the center of the historic and prophetic drama (especially Rev. 14:9-12, “the Third Angel’s Message”). This interpretation gives Adventism a leading role in the final events of world history. It would contribute to the development of their self-understanding as “the remnant” of the end time.

Second Advent Waymarks

During the Spring of 1847, Bates published an 80 page booklet with the title Second Advent Waymarks and High Heaps, or a Connected View of the Fulfillment of Prophecy by God’s Peculiar People, From the Year 1840 to 1847.⁶⁷ In this new publication Bates gives an overview of the recent historic experience of the Millerite and Sabbatarian Adventists with apologetic intentions. He defends the Millerite experience and then the Sabbatarian Adventists as the true heirs of Millerism. The last ten pages present the Sabbath doctrine. As in previous publications, Bates explains Rev. 14:12 (“here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith or testimony of Jesus”),⁶⁸ Rev. 22:14 (“Blessed are they that DO his commandments”)⁶⁹ and Rev. 11:19 (John sees the “temple of God open in heaven. And there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament”).⁷⁰ Bates implicitly makes the Sabbath a condition that will separate true believers from false believers when he affirms that God’s commandments must be observed to obtain salvation in the end time.

This is the remnant that is to be saved out of all of the great company that published the good news and glad tidings of a coming Savior. ‘Blessed are they that DO his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and enter through the gates into de city;’ [Rev.] xii: 14. Now this people are to be saved for keeping the commandments of God and the faith or testimony of Jesus.⁷¹

When Bates mentions the commandments, he actually means the Sabbath, because only the observance of the fourth commandment separates Sabbatarian Adventists from the larger group of Millerite Adventists. When it becomes a question of understanding the role of the commandments in the Christian’s life, and Adventists in particular, he says:

[There are] three parts—1st, Nominal Adventist; 2d, [Adventist] Spiritualizers; 3d, “[Those] Keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus,” One out of the three to be saved; God hears them when they call, and says, “I will say it is my people, and they shall say the Lord is my God.” The other “two parts to die.”⁷²

Here Bates separates the Millerites Adventists in three groups. The nominal are those that lost their faith in Christ or faith in the Millerite experience that led them to expect Jesus’ return in October 22, 1844. They were probably conservative Adventists. The Spiritualizers would be those who abandoned the literal understanding of the end time prophecies in favor of an allegorical or symbolic understanding. Among these were those that had extreme reactions after October 22, 1844. Finally, Bates introduces Sabbatarian Adventists; they are the only true believers keeping the commandments and the faith of Jesus. In Bates’ mind there are no doubts; the Sabbath observers would be the only ones to be saved, because they were faithful to God in all regards.

A Vindication of the Seventh-day Sabbath

In January 1848 Bates published a book of 113 pages with the title: A Vindication of the Seventh-day Sabbath, and the Commandments of God: with a Further History of God’s Peculiar People, from 1847 to 1848.⁷³ Bates clearly states the purpose of the book in the first pages.⁷⁴ According to him, his writings had caused a certain commotion.⁷⁵ A group of Adventists adopted Sabbath observance and other opposed it.⁷⁶ In this book he wants to answer the questions that had come up and justify his positions on the Sabbath.

As in previous publications, Bates establishes biblical arguments in favor de the Sabbath: its origins at Creation; the reformation of the Sabbath in Nehemiah’s time as an example of what the right observation of the Sabbath should be; the Sabbath as a sign and perpetual covenant, etc. On the question of Sabbath practice, he still supports 6pm as the time to begin and end the Sabbath.⁷⁷

This small book has other interesting points: it recommends the reading of a Seventh Day Baptist tract.⁷⁸ It seems clear that Bates uses Seventh Day Baptist literature to strengthen his arguments in favor of the Seventh-day. He encourages other Sabbatarian Adventist to do the same. Secondly, he stimulates his brothers and sisters in the faith to pay attention to “the simple and biblical vision of Ellen G. Harmon, now White.”⁷⁹ James and Ellen G. White had accepted the Sabbath under Joseph Bates’ influence, and Bates had accepted Ellen G. White’s visions, as divine revelation.

Thirdly, Bates explains the symbolism of the “seal of God” of Rev. 7, which is placed in God’s servant’s forehead.⁸⁰ He believes this symbolism stands for Christian character development. He also associates this process to the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary.

[…] this simultaneous sealing of the 144,000 will show such clear development of Christian character in their lives and shining foreheads (or faces) that it will be clearly understood that Jesus has redeemed them from all iniquity, by purifying “unto himself a peculiar people, ZEALOUS OF GOOD WORKS.” This sealing process, then, I understand to be going on with the little flock, progressing in accordance with the last eight years’ peculiar labor in their experience, and will be completed and approbated by God in the agonizing time of Daniel’s and Jacob’s trouble, […] then the atonement will be finished, the Sanctuary cleansed.

The Little Flock of prophecy is another metaphor that would point to the Sabbatarian Adventist movement.

A Seal of the Living God

The last important book written by Bates was published in January 1849. Its title, A Seal of the Living God, a Hundred Forty-four Thousand of the Servants of God Being Sealed, in 1849⁸¹ This small book of 72 pages reveals the doctrinal consensus that the Sabbatarian Adventist were reaching. 1848 had been the Bible Conferences year, also known as the Sabbath Bible Conferences. They were a series of seven biblical meetings in which Joseph Bates, James and Ellen G. White and others taught the new biblical interpretations of Sabbatarian Adventists to other Adventists interested in them. The last meeting was set aside for doctrinal study and development by the leaders. According to Adventist historian C. Mervyn Maxwell, it was an opportunity for research and discovery, thanks to a vision of Ellen G. White, which gave new light showing that the seal of God (Rev. 7:1-3) was the Sabbath.⁸²

From the title of the book and Bates’ declarations, one can see that the main theme is “the Seal of the Living God” of Rev. 7 and the Seventh-day.⁸³ The Sabbath would be the seal, since “it is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever.”⁸⁴ All the saved will possess the Seal of the Living God. Adventists, keep the Seventh-day Sabbath! This seems to be the calling from the book. Also, the Seventh-day is associated with the doctrine of the “Shut Door,” both considered “Present Truth.”⁸⁵ Bates says, for example “The shut door and Sabbath, then, are the two prominent marks by which they [the Sabbatarian Adventists] are known.”⁸⁶

What is the “Shut door” doctrine and what was its importance in Sabbatarian Adventism? The answer to this question still causes a debate among Adventist historians, not on the doctrine itself but on the question if Ellen G. White’s supported the doctrine or not.⁸⁷ For the needs of this research we will simply say that this doctrine was a Millerite interpretation of the events of October 22, 1844, that was quickly abandoned by more conservative groups. Using the imagery of the Parable of the Nuptials of Matt. 25, and the delay of the bridegroom, when he did come at the expected time, all those who did not enter the nuptials with him were left out. Millerites interpreted the parable as a metaphor of their experience. All Christians who had rejected William Miller’s message were considered fallen from God’s grace and represented in the parable by those who were left out of the Nuptials. Sabbatarian Adventist’s were part of the Millerites that persevered in the belief that the Millerite experience of October 22 was still valid. As a result, Sabbatarian Adventists did no proselytism outside Adventist circles for twelve year, considering that their task was completed. They believed they only had to be patient and wait, encouraging one another, because Christ was at the door. This interpretation was abandoned gradually for a more positive attitude toward missions in general. The new position was labeled by Adventist apologetics the doctrine of the “Open Door.” This explanation was related to the doctrine of the sanctuary. It was believed that on October 22, 1844 Christ had opened an access to the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary for all, by his intercession before the Father. This meant that the Church should widen her proclamation of the Gospel to the entire world. The Sabbath acquires an important place in this period before the Second Coming, it is considered more than ever a test of loyalty to God.⁸⁸

In line with his previous books, Bates repeats in his Seal of the Living God the ideas of the “reestablishment of the Sabbath,” according to Is. 58:12-14,⁸⁹ the theology of the sanctuary,⁹⁰ and sanctification “by the observance of his [God’s] Sabbath.”⁹¹

Conclusion

Early Sabbatarian Adventists understood the Sabbath in the context of the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation. This is their main contribution to the doctrine of the Sabbath; it situates the Sabbath in a present and future context, integrating it to their eschatology. It gives the Sabbath a relevance and strength it never had in Seventh Day Baptist apologetics.

Preble and Bates were the first to develop the Adventist doctrine of the Sabbath. We can synthetize Preble’s and Bates’ contribution into two main themes. They help answer the question: Why was the Sabbath adopted by a group of Nineteenth Century Adventists? It also helps understand the Adventist doctrine of the Sabbath’s unique elements.

The eschatological meaning of the Sabbath

Preble and Bates’ defense of Sabbath observance adds an eschatological imperative to the restoration of the Biblical Sabbath in Christian practice. According to them, it would be necessary as part of the return to all truth, a requirement for God’s people before his Second Coming. It is a reestablishment process that will take place in the time of the end, according to prophecy. It is also a condition in the preparation for heaven process, making it “present truth.”

The Sabbath as a sign of separation

Preble’s and Bates’ writings have a strong eschatological tone; for them Sabbath observance creates a dichotomy that will separate Christians in two groups: those that keep the Seventh-day and those that keep the First-day. Sabbath observance will identify God’s faithful remnant. It is God’s seal that will be opposed by the Mark of the Beast, the sign that identifies those in rebellion against God. It will be at the center of the historic/prophetic drama being played out in the final events of Earth’s history.

Were there excesses in the way Preble and Bates presented the Sabbath doctrine? There certainly were. One of them is the apologetic and opposing tone of their presentation which favors religious exclusivism. This was probably not their intention, but it is a potential result when the dichotomy between Sabbath and Sunday becomes the main emphasis. A second excess is Bates’ tendency to understand salvation through obedience to God’s commandments. This is a characteristic that will be part of Adventist soteriology during the Nineteenth Century. For over forty years, most Adventists believe and teach that Christ’s sacrifice is necessary to take away a repentant sinner’s sins committed before conversion. But after conversion and baptism, each Christian would be responsible in assuring their salvation through perfect obedience to God’s Law. This understanding will result in an extraordinary crisis in the 1880’s. As a result, Adventism rediscovered Righteousness by faith, but not without strong opposition.

Regarding the virtues of the Adventist doctrine of the Sabbath we can highlight two important ones: first, it makes Sabbath observance very significant in an End Time context. Secondly, it transforms the Sabbath into an essential element of Adventist identity, on an equal footing with the Advent hope.

An unaccomplished task in the 1850s is the need of developing an authentic theology of the Sabbath that would benefit Christian life, the life of the Church and it’s Mission. This will be done during the 20th Century.