The Seventh-day Adventist Church (The Elijah to Come)
The attributes of the remnant are so clearly defined in Scripture, that it should be possible to determine who matches the criteria. It should also be noted that such a remnant should base its beliefs on the whole scriptures, which are the recorded will of God:
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV
In the light of the almost universal apostasy, which according to the Scriptures, would exist at the end of time, it is also logical that the remnant would constitute a minority in spite of its universality. There is only one movement, which meets all the criteria, and that is the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which arises on the stage of history at precisely the right time to fulfill prophecy. Only the Seventh-day Adventist Church preaches the three angels’ messages to the entire world and for this purpose, the Seventh-day Adventist church is the single most widespread Protestant denomination in the world. Moreover, the Seventh-day Adventist Church traces its roots to the unsealing of the scroll of Daniel and the great advent awakening. The movement preaches the everlasting gospel “saved by the blood of the Lamb together with obedience to His precepts”, and points to the creator of all things as the only one worthy of worship. The Church officially upholds the creation account as the only true source of origins and since God’s memorial of creation is the Seventh-day Sabbath, they endeavour to keep the Sabbath, thereby acknowledging the seal of authority of the creator.
Whilst most denominations are antinomian (believing that God’s law has been done away with), Adventism emphasizes the immutability of the law of Ten Commandments. In this regard, they emphasize that no one is justified by keeping the law:
For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest man should boast. Ephesians 2:8,9
But the keeping of the law is a consequence of being saved, and an expression of love to God.
If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15
Adventism rejects the almost universally accepted doctrine of the immortality of the soul and accepts the Biblical doctrine of the resurrection from the dead. (See chapter The Mystic Realm of Death). Above all, Adventism exalts the high-priestly ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary trusting that:
Wherefore He is able also to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25
They believe that only Christ is the mediator between God and man, and through Him the whole creation was brought into existence. (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:1-3) Moreover, the Word of God, the Bible, is regarded as the true and complete revelation of the will of God to men.
Only the Seventh-day Adventist church complies with all the attributes of God’s remnant as given in the Scriptures. Satan may counterfeit one or the other of the attributes, but he cannot counterfeit them all. The Adventist church:
Arises at the right time
Preaches the three angels’ messages
Has a worldwide distribution
Keeps the commandments of God. (Rev 12:17; 14:12; 22:14)
Has the faith of Jesus. (Rev 14:12) They have a Christ-centered religion and believe that through trust in God, the believer will obtain grace to overcome as Christ overcame. (1 John 5:4; Rev 12:11; 1 John 2:6; 3:3,7)
Has the testimony of Jesus (Rev 12:17) which is the spirit of prophecy, (Rev 19:10) (See God’s Guiding Gift)
The mission of the movement is to call a people out of apostasy and point them to the Lamb of God, and allegiance to His authority. Just as God had called Israel out of Egypt, a land of apostasy, and brought them into the wilderness, so God called the end-time Israel out of the nominal churches, and brought them into the wilderness of the people after 1844. Just as God restored the law and the Sabbath (Exodus 16:23-30; 20:1-17) to Israel of old after calling them out of Egypt, so the law and the Sabbath were restored after 1844. Likewise, as God restored to Israel of old the principles of hygiene and healthful living, (Exodus 15:26) so Adventists preach a message of healthful living believing that, as Christ saw to the physical maladies of man in His days, so the physical needs must be met in our day when presenting the gospel. No other Protestant church has such a large world-wide medical ministry as has the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
In Matthew 17:11, Jesus promises the return of Elijah to restore all things prior to the end.
...Elijah comes and will restore all things. Matthew 17:11 NIV
In verse twelve, he refers to the Elijah who had already come, but whose teaching had been rejected. This is a reference to the preaching of John the Baptist whom Jesus identifies as Elijah. (Matthew 11:14) Clearly the references to Elijah refer to the message rather than the man. The messages of the Elijah of old, John the Baptist, and of the Seventh-day Adventist church bear striking parallels. All three call the people back to obedience to God, and a worship of Him who made the heavens, the earth, and the springs of water. In addition, the messages of John and the Adventist Church is a message of preparation - to make straight the path - for the coming of the Lord. (Luke 1:17)
In 1 Kings 16:31, the story is told of the marriage of King Ahab to Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. This illicit marriage resulted in the introduction of Baal or sun-worship in Israel. (2 Kings 23:5) The result was total apostasy by the northern tribes and
And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, made for them a molten image even two calves and a graven image and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 2 Kings 17:16
Elijah’s mission was to call a people out of apostasy and to restore the unity of Israel. He personally restored the broken sacrificial altar comprised of twelve stones symbolizing the unity of Israel, the altar itself being a symbol of salvation by grace, as it is only through the blood of the Lamb that we may be saved. (Leviticus 17:11)
Just as Elijah of old was a forerunner of the impending judgments of God in ancient Israel, so end-time Elijah was to be a forerunner of the end-time judgment of God.
Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. Malachi 4:4-6 NKJV
Elijah restored the ancient landmarks of obedience to God and trust in His saving grace. Likewise the Adventist church is to restore the broken law and trust in the merits of Jesus. As Isaiah prophesied:
Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honourable, and shall honour Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 58:12-14 NKJV
The broken walls are a reference to the law of God. The paths are a reference to the ancient paths, the truths of the gospel that had been trampled in the dust by the inroads of paganism. In this end-time prophecy, the Sabbath is lifted up as the great cleaver that would cleave a people out of the world to restore a right relationship with God. The Sabbath is not to be a burden, but a delight, a day to honour God.
The three-angels’ messages immediately precede the second coming of Christ and the harvest of the world. They prepare the way for the Second Coming and call a people out of the world:
...who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Revelation 14:12
The Jewish feasts foreshadowed the events unfolding here at the end of time. The heralding of the Second Advent of Christ is the anti-type of the Feast of Trumpets, The announcement of impending judgment is the anti-type of the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles foreshadowed the final deliverance and home-going of the people of God.
by Professor Walter J. Veith Phd.