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The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Evangelical Christian Denomination which, as its name suggests, is most well known for its teaching that Saturday , the seventh day of the week, is the Sabbath . The denomination, which was officially established in 1863, grew out of the Millerite movement in the United States during the middle part of the 19th Century . Seventh-day Adventists are also known for their teachings regarding diet and health, the state of the dead and the heavenly sanctuary. The church grew rapidly, developing publishing houses aimed at utilising the print medium to spread the Gospel message. In 1874 , the organisation sent its first overseas missionary, J. N. Andrews to Switzerland , and in the same year founded its first higher education institution, Battle Creek College, which is now known as Andrews University . ORIGINS See Also: History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church was born out of the Millerite Movement of the 1840s, which was one of the last waves of revivalism and is known as the would occur "about the year 1843." The Millerite movement culminated with the "seventh month movement", which taught that the "priestly ministry of Christ" would culminate with the cleansing of the earth, pinpointing the second coming of Christ on or before October 22, 1844. When He did not come, this became known as "the Great Disappointment ." A small number of Millerites believed that their calculations were correct, but that their understanding of the sanctuary being cleansed was wrong, and they began to teach that something else happened in 1844. Their of sin and faith in Christ , are entitled to the benefits of Atonement " after which Jesus will return to earth. According to the church's teaching, the return of Christ may occur very soon, though they are determined to never set dates for His coming in accordance with the book of Matthew which says, "no one knows the day or the hour" (24:36). At about the same time that the followers of the movement were studying the sanctuary, the question of the biblical day of rest and worship was raised. The foremost proponent of Sabbath-keeping among early Adventists was retired sea captain Joseph Bates . Bates was introduced to the Sabbath doctrine by a tract written by a Millerite preacher named Thomas M. Preble who in turn had been influenced by a young Seventh Day Baptist lady by the name of Rachel Oakes Preston . This message was gradually accepted and formed the topic of the first edition of the church publication, The Present Truth which appeared in July 1849. While initially it was believed that the "sabbath" started at 6 pm, by 1855 it was generally accepted that the "sabbath" begins at sunset. For about 20 years, the Adventist movement consisted of a loosely knit group of people who adhered to this message. Among its greatest supporters were James White , Ellen G. White and Joseph Bates. After intense discussions a formally organized church called the Seventh-day Adventist Church was established in Battle Creek , Michigan , in May 1863 , with a membership of 3,500. Through the Evangelistic efforts of its ministers and laity and the guidance of Ellen G. White, the church quickly grew and established a presence beyond North America during the late 1800s . In 1903 , the denominational headquarters were moved from Battle Creek to temporary quarters in Washington D.C. and soon thereafter established in nearby Takoma Park , Maryland ). In 1989 , the headquarters was moved again, this time to Silver Spring , Maryland. DOCTRINE Seventh-day Adventist doctrine is based on the Anabaptist Protestant tradition. The Protestant doctrine of the "priesthood of all believers" is so central to the thinking of Seventh-day Adventists that members have always been encouraged to study the Bible to discover truth for themselves guided of the Holy Spirit. This may explain their reluctance to establish a creed. Adventist doctrine resembles mainstream orthodox Trinitarian Protestant theology, with some notable exceptions. Sabbath |
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