Early Opponents Ridiculed Adventists

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

Early Opponents Ridiculed Adventists Today's Text: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Romans 8:35 The Message:      Instead of arguments from the Scriptures, the opponents of the Advent faith chose to employ ridicule and scoffing. The careless and ungodly, emboldened by the position of religious teachers, resorted to opprobrious epithets, to base and blasphemous witticisms, in their efforts to heap contumely upon William Miller and his work. The gray-headed man who had left a comfortable home to travel at his own expense from city to city, from town to village, toiling unceasingly to bear to the world the solemn warning of the judgment near, was sneeringly denounced as a fanatic, a liar, a speculating knave.      Time, means, and talents were employed in misrepresenting and maligning Adventists, in exciting prejudice against them, and holding them up to public contempt. Ministers occupied themselves in gathering up damaging reports, absurd and malicious fabrications, and dealing them out from the pulpit. Earnest were the efforts put forth to draw away the minds of the people from the subject of the Second Advent. But in seeking to crush out Adventism, the popular ministry undermined faith in the Word of God. It was made to appear a sin, something of which people should be ashamed, to study the prophecies that relate to the coming of Christ and the end of the world. This teaching made some infidels, and many took license to walk after their own ungodly lusts. Then the authors of the evil charged it all upon Adventists.      The Wesleys encountered similar accusations from the ease-loving, godless ministers who were constantly intercepting their labors and seeking to destroy their influence. They were pronounced uncharitable, and accused of pride and vanity, because they did not pay homage to the popular teachers of their time. They were accused of skepticism, of disorderly practices, and of contempt of authority. John Wesley fearlessly threw back these charges upon those who framed them, showing that they themselves were responsible for the very evils of which they accused the Methodists. In a similar manner may the charges against Adventism be refuted. The great controversy between truth and error has been carried forward from century to century since the fall of man. God and angels, and those united with them, have been inviting, urging people to repentance and holiness and heaven; while Satan and his angels, and human agents inspired by them, have been opposing every effort to benefit and save the fallen race.-The Spirit of Prophecy 4:218-220. *Note: I have added in the parts that were left out by the compilers for what ever reason, that the true sentiment of the author may be seen. Commentary: My friend, our early church pioneers were derided and ridiculed for their belief that Jesus was coming on a particular date.  Later when the event that they had looked and preached about did not come, the majority of those who professed to be followers of the advent movement, left the movement and charged them as being fanatics and persecuted them. Today, out of the great disappointment of the advent movement has come the Seventh-day Adventist Church.  The church pioneers, who were once derided and ridiculed by the protestant churches, have now become an accepted Christian church.  The one thing that had kept the Adventist church from being accepted as a Christian church was their belief in the One true God.  When the prophet of God was still alive, the trinity was rejected and the church remained pure.  But once the prophet of God and the church pioneers were laid to rest, the trinity began to make progress within the body of believers and after only a couple of generations, the church apostatized and embraced the trinity.  The once pure church of Philadelphia has now become the church of Laodicea, whos spiritual condition is "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Revelation 3:17). The church today has the outward appearance of being righteous, but by embracing the triune god of Babylon, it has separated itself from God and is being led by the spirit of Satan.  This is evident by the position of Christ to the Laodicean church.  He is on the outside seeking to gain entrance to the hearts of His people.  Since He is not living within the hearts of His people, they are being led by the spirit of another.  Thus all the abominations that have been accepted by the church today; spiritual formation, contemplative prayer, women's ordination, the acceptance of homosexuality within the body of believers, and Sunday services, are a result of the acceptance of the trinity. Those who bring to light the message about the One true God, opening before the people their true condition before God, are ridiculed, derided, and chased away from the church.  The people do not want to hear that they are truly in the Laodicean condition.  Like the Jews in the time of Christ, they close their ears to the truth that they may believe a lie. My friend, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the time of the latter rain, will be poured out upon all, but only those who have accepted the truth about God and His Son, will be ready to receive it.  Those who persistently refuse to hear the straight truth from the Word of God, will grieve away the Spirit of Christ, never to return. My prayer for us all is that we turn away from the false doctrine of the trinity unto the One true God through His Son Jesus Christ before it is too late. God bless, Video of the Week The Law of Life - David Clayton A sermon from the 2018 Roan Mountain Camp Meeting