The doctrine of the church asd. About Adventism

10.10.2019

1. SACRED WRITINGS.
The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, transmitted in writing by divine inspiration through the holy men of God, who spoke and wrote it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Through this Word, God imparted to man the knowledge necessary for salvation. The scriptures are the unerring revelation of His will. They are a test of character, a test of experience, an authoritative statement of doctrine, and an authentic record of God's actions in the history of our world (2 Pet. 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Ps. 118:105; John 10:35; 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 4:12).

2. TRINITY.
God is One. Father, Son and Holy Spirit - the unity of three co-eternal personalities. God is immortal, omnipotent, omniscient, above all and omnipresent. His greatness is infinite and beyond human understanding, yet He is knowable through His revelations of Himself. He is forever worthy of the worship, honor and service of all creation. (Deut. 6:4; 29:29; Matt. 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:13; Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Tim. 1:17; Rev. 14:6-7 ).

3. FATHER.
God the Eternal Father is the Creator, Source, Preserver and independent Ruler of all creation. He is just, holy, merciful and kind, slow to anger, and abounding in constant love and faithfulness. The properties and powers manifested in the Son and the Holy Spirit are also a revelation of the properties and powers of the Father (Gen. 1:1; Rev. 4:11; 1 Cor. 15:28; John 3:16; 1 John 4:8; 1 Tim. 1 17; Exodus 34:6-7; John 14:9).

4. SON.
God the eternal Son became incarnate in Jesus Christ. Through Him all things were created, through Him the character of God was revealed, thanks to Him the salvation of mankind took place, and through Him the judgment of our world takes place. Being forever truly God, He also became truly man, Jesus Christ. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin Maria. He lived and endured temptations like a man, yet he was a perfect example of the righteousness and love of God. The miracles He performed were a manifestation of the power of God and evidence that He was indeed the God promised by the Messiah. He voluntarily suffered and died on the cross for our sins, taking our place. Raised from the dead, He ascended to minister for us in the heavenly sanctuary. He will come again into this world in glory for the final deliverance of His people and in order to restore everything anew (John 1:1-3; 14; 5:22; Col. 1:15-19; John 10:30; 14:9; Romans 5:18; 6:23; 2Cor 5:17-21; Luke 1:35; Phil 2:5-11; 1Cor 15:3-4; Heb 2:9- 18; 4:15; 7:25; 9:1.2; 9:28; John 14:1-3; 1 Peter 2:21; Rev. 22:20).

5. HOLY SPIRIT.
God the eternal Spirit worked with the Father and the Son in creation, incarnation, and redemption. He inspired the writers of the Bible. He filled the life of Christ on earth with necessary power. He attracts and convinces people; and those who respond to His influences, He renews and recreates in them the image of God. Sent by the Father and the Son to always be with His children, He provides the church with spiritual gifts, gives her strength in her testimony of Christ, and in harmony with the Holy Scriptures guides people into all truth (Gen. 1, 1-2; Lk. 1, 35; 2 Peter 1:21; Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:11-12; Acts 1:8; John 14:16-18.26; 15:26, 27; 16:7-13; Romans 1:1-4).

6. CREATION OF THE WORLD.
God is the Creator of everything, and in the Bible He is given the true message of His creative activity. "In six days the Lord created the heavens and the earth" and all that lives on earth, and on the seventh day of that first week he "rested." Thus He established the Sabbath as a permanent memorial to His completed creation. The first man and woman, as the crown of creation, were created in the image of God, having received power in this world and the duty to take care of it. The world, at its completion, was, as it is said: "very good", and its perfection testified to the glory of God (Gen. 1, 2; Ex. 20, 8-11; Ps. 1, 1-6; 32, 6. 9; 103; Heb. 11:3; John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-17).

7. HUMAN NATURE.
Man and woman were created in the image of God as beings endowed with individuality, power, and the freedom to think and act. The body, mind and soul of each was an indivisible unity, and although people were created as free beings, their life, breath and everything else was dependent on God. By not listening to God, our forefathers thereby rejected their dependence on Him and lost the high position that they occupied before God. The image of God in them turned out to be distorted, and they became subject to death. Their descendants will inherit this fallen nature, with the consequences that follow. They are born with weaknesses and evil tendencies. But God in Christ reconciled the world to Himself, and by His Spirit restores in penitent mortals the image of their Creator. Created for the glory of God, they are called to love Him and each other and take care of their environment (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:7; Ps. 8:4-6; Acts 17:24-28; Gen. 3; Psalm 50:3; Romans 5:12-17; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20).

8. THE GREAT CONTROL.
The great controversy between Christ and Satan on such matters as the character of God, His law and rule in the universe, began in heaven when one of the created beings, endowed with freedom of choice, in his self-exaltation became Satan, the enemy of God, and this led to the rebellion of some of the angels. Satan created a spirit of opposition to God in our world when he led Adam and Eve into sin. As a result of this sin committed by people, the image of God was distorted in humanity, the created world lost its order and was devastated during the global flood. In the sight of all creation, this world has become the arena of the struggle of the entire universe, a struggle in which the God of love will ultimately be justified. To help His people in this struggle, Christ sends the Holy Spirit and faithful angels to guide, protect and support them on the path to salvation (Rev. 12:4-9; Is. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:12-18 ; Gen. 3; Gen. 6:8; 2 Peter 3:6; Rom. 1:19-32; 5:12-21; 8:19-21; Heb. 1:4-14; 1 Corinthians 4:9).

9. LIFE, DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.
Christ's life in perfect obedience to the will of God, His suffering, death and resurrection - all this was for God the only possible means of reconciliation with people for their sins, so that everyone who accepts this reconciliation in faith could have eternal life and all creation could better understand infinite and holy love of the Creator. This perfect reconciliation justifies the justice of God's law and the goodness of His character, for in this way the judgment of our sins is obtained and our forgiveness is secured. The death of Christ is protective, redeeming, reconciling, and transforming. The Resurrection of Christ marks the triumph of God over the forces of evil, and for those who accept this reconciliation serves as evidence of their final victory over sin and death. It proclaims the Lordship of Jesus Christ, before whom every knee will bow in heaven and on earth (John 3:16; Is. 53; 2 Cor. 5:14-15; 1:9-21; Rom. 1:4; 3:25 ; 4, 25; 8, 3-4; Phil. 2, 6-11; 1 John 2, 2; 4, 10; Col. 2, 15).

10 . SALVATION IN CHRIST.
Out of infinite love and mercy, God made it so that Christ, who knew no sin, bore our sins for us, so that in Him we might be made righteous before God. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we recognize our need, confess our sinfulness, repent of our transgressions, and exercise faith in Jesus as Lord and Christ, as the One who took our place and left us an example. The faith by which we receive salvation comes to us from the divine power of His Word and is a gift of the grace of God. Through Christ we are justified and accepted by God as His sons and daughters and are delivered from the dominion of sin. Through the operation of the Spirit we are regenerated and sanctified; The Spirit renews our minds, writes on the tablets of our hearts God's law of love, and we are given the strength to live a holy life. By abiding in Him, we become participants in the divine nature and have assurance of salvation both now and at the judgment (Ps. 26:1; Is. 12:2; Jonah 2:9; John 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:17 -21; Gal. 2:19:20; 3:13; 4:4-7; Rom. 3:24-26; 4:25; 5:6-10; 8:1-4; 14-15.26 27; 10:7; 1 Corinthians 2:5; 15:3-4; 1 Timothy 1:9; 1 John 2:1-2; Eph. 2:5-10; 3:16-19; Galatians 3 26; John 3:3-8; Matt. 18:3; 1 Peter 2:21; Heb. 8:7-12).

eleven . GROWTH IN CHRIST.

By accepting death on the cross, Jesus triumphed over the forces of evil. He, having conquered evil spirits during His earthly ministry, destroyed their power and made their final death inevitable. The triumph of Jesus also secures our victory over these powers that still seek to rule over us as we walk before Him in peace, joy, and assurance in the love of God. Now the Holy Spirit dwells in us and empowers us. In constant commitment to Jesus, our Savior and Lord, we are freed from the burden of past deeds. We no longer dwell in the darkness, fear of the forces of evil, ignorance and aimlessness that accompanied our former life. Having found this new freedom in Christ, we are called to develop our character in His image, communing with Him daily in prayer, feeding on His Word, meditating on it and His Providence, giving Him praise, gathering in common worship services and participating in the implementation of the mission of the Church. When we give our love to those around us and testify of salvation in Christ, the constant presence of God through the Holy Spirit transforms every minute of our life and every act into a spiritual experience.

(Ps. 1:1-2; 22:4; 76:12-13; Col. 1:13-14; 2:6,14-15; Luke 10:17-20; Eph. 5:19-20 6:12-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Peter 2:9; 3:18; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Phil. 3:7-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Matt. 20:25-28; John 20:21; Gal. 5:22-25; Romans 8:38-39; 1 John 4:4; Heb. 10:25).

12. CHURCH.
The Church is a community of believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Like the people of God in Old Testament times, we were called out of the world and united for worship, for fellowship, for edification in the Word, for the celebration of the Lord's Supper, for the proclamation of the Gospel and the service of all mankind. The church owes its spiritual authority to Christ, who is the incarnate Word, and to the Bible, which is the written Word. The church is God's family; adopted by Him as children, its members live on the basis of the New Testament. The Church is the body of Christ, a society assembled by faith, the Head of which is Christ Himself. The church is the bride for whom Christ died to sanctify and purify her. At His solemn return, He will present it to Himself as a glorious church, a church that has preserved eternity throughout the ages, redeemed by His blood, without spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless (Gen. 12, 3; Acts 7:38; Matt. 21, 43; 16:13-20; John 20:21-22; Acts 1:8; Rom. 8:15-17; 1Cor. 12:13-27; Eph. 1:15-23; 2:12; 3, 8-11; 15; 4, 11-15).

13. THE REMAIN AND ITS MISSION.
The universal church includes all who truly believe in Christ. But in the last days, during a widespread apostasy, a remnant has been called out to keep the commandments of God and keep faith in Jesus. This remnant proclaims the coming of the hour of judgment, heralds salvation through Christ, and preaches the approach of His second coming. This proclamation is symbolically represented by three angels in Rev. 14; in time, it coincides with the work of that judgment that takes place in heaven and its result is the work of repentance and correction on earth. Each believer is called to personally participate in this universal witness (Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:18-20; 24:14; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 12:17; 14:6-12; 18:1- 4; Ephesians 5:22-27; Rev. 21:1-14).

14. UNITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST.
The Church is one body with many members who are called from every nation, tribe, language. In Christ we are a new creation. We should not be divided among ourselves by differences of gender, race, culture, education, national and social status. We are all equal in Christ, who through one Spirit bound us into one fellowship with Himself and with one another. We must serve and accept service impartially and unconditionally. Because of the revelation that the Scriptures give us about Christ, we share the same faith and hope and the same desire to serve all mankind. The source of such unity is found in the triune God, who accepted us as His children (Ps. 132:1; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Acts 17:26-27; 2 Cor. 5:16, 17; Gal. 3:27). -29; Col. 3:10-15; Eph. 4:1-6; John 17:20-23; James 2:2-9; 1 John 5:1).

15. BAPTISM.
Through the act of baptism, we confess our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and testify of our death to sin and our longing to walk in newness of life. Thus we acknowledge Christ as Lord and Savior, become His people, accepted as members of His church. Baptism is a symbol of our unity with Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, and the fact that we have received the Holy Spirit. It is done by immersion in water and is conditioned by the confession of faith in Jesus and the evidence of repentance for sin. It is preceded by instructions taught from the Holy Scriptures and acceptance by the believer of those teachings contained in these Scriptures (Matt. 3:13-16; 28:19-20; Acts 2:38; 16:30-33; 22:16; Romans 6:1-6; Galatians 3:27; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Col. 2:12-13; 1 Peter 3:21).

16. THE LORD'S SUPPER.
The Lord's Supper is participation in the acceptance of those symbols that represent the body and blood of Jesus, and it is performed as an expression of faith in Him, our Lord and Savior. In this act of fellowship, Christ is present among His people to meet and strengthen them. As we partake of the Supper, we joyfully proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes again. The preparation for the Memorial includes self-examination, repentance, and confession. The service of foot washing was instituted by the Master as a sign of renewed cleansing and as an expression of readiness to serve one another in Christ's humility, and also to promote the uniting of hearts in love. The service of the Supper is open to the participation of all believing Christians (Matt. 26:17-30; 1 Cor. 11:23-30; 10:16:17; John 6:48-63; Rev. 3:20; John 13:1 -17).

17. SPIRITUAL GIFTS AND MINISTRIES.
God in all ages bestows upon all members of His church spiritual gifts which each member must use in loving service for the common good of the church and mankind. Given by the Holy Spirit, who bestows them on each member according to His will, these gifts provide the church with all the necessary abilities and ministries for the fulfillment of God's appointed functions. According to the teaching of the Scriptures, these gifts, in meeting the needs of the church, manifest themselves in faith, healing, prophecy, preaching, teaching, government, reconciliation, comfort, and selfless charitable service to help people and encourage them. Some members are called of God and endowed with the Spirit; to perform church-recognized ministry as pastors, evangelists, apostles, and teachers, to prepare members for especially needed ministry, to promote the spiritual maturity of the church and unity in faith and the knowledge of God. When members use these spiritual gifts as guardians of the manifold grace of God, the church, protected from the destructive influences of false teachings, grows in God and is strengthened in faith and love (Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:9-11; 27 -28; Heb 4:8; 2 Cor 5:14-21; Acts 6:1-7; 1 Tim 2:1-3; 1 Peter 4:10-11; Col 2:19; Matt 25 , 31-36).

18. THE GIFT OF PROPHECY.
Prophecy is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This gift is the hallmark of the remnant church. He distinguished himself in the ministry of E. White, the messenger of the Lord, whose writings continue to be an authoritative source of truth, serving as comfort, guidance, instruction, and rebuke to the church. These writings also clearly state that the Bible is the standard by which every doctrine and every experience should be tested (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:14-21; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 12, 17; Rev. 19:10).

19. THE LAW OF GOD.
The great principles of the law of God are embodied in the ten commandments and revealed in the life of Christ. They express the love of God, His will and His intention regarding the behavior and relationships of people and are binding on all people in all ages. These commandments are the foundation of God's covenant with His people and the standard of God's judgment. Through the action of the Holy Spirit, they point out sin and arouse a sense of need for a Savior. Salvation is by grace alone, not by works, but the fruit of salvation is obedience to these commandments. Such obedience leads to the development of Christian character and brings inner contentment. It is proof of our love for the Lord and our concern for others. In that obedience, which is based on faith, the power of Christ is revealed in the transformation of life, and therefore such obedience strengthens the Christian testimony (Exod. 20, 1-17; Matt. 5, 17; Deut. 28, 1-14; Ps. 18, 7 -13; John 14:5; Rom. 8:1-4; 1 John 5:3; Matt. 22:36-40; Eph. 2:8).

20. SATURDAY.
The merciful Creator, after six days after the creation of the world, rested on the seventh day and established the Sabbath rest for all people as a monument of creation. The fourth commandment of the unchanging Law of God requires the observance of the seventh day of the Sabbath as a day of rest, worship and service in accordance with the teaching and example of Jesus Christ, Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of joyful communion with God and with each other. It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification, our faithfulness and anticipation of our eternal future life in the kingdom of God. Saturday is permanent God's sign eternal covenant between him and his people. The joyful celebration of this holy time from evening to evening, from sunset to sunset, is a solemn remembrance of God's work and redemption (Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11; 31:12-17; Luke 4, 16; Heb 4:1-11; Deut 5:12-15; Isaiah 56:5-6; 58:13-14; Lev 23:32; Mark 2:27-28).

21. TRUSTED MANAGEMENT.
God has entrusted us as stewards of time and opportunity, ability and property, and the blessings of the earth with its gifts. We are responsible to Him for the proper use of all these gifts. Our recognition of God as the Sovereign of all is expressed in our faithful service to Him and our fellowmen, and in the voluntary return of tithes and offerings for the proclaiming of the gospel and for the support and growth of His church. Such management is an advantage and is given to us by God to educate us in love and lead us to victory over selfishness and greed. The steward rejoices when other people receive blessings as a result of his faithfulness (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:15; Hagg 1:3-11; Mal. 3:8-12; Matt. 23:23; 1 Cor. 9, 9-14).

22. CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR.
We are called to be godly people whose thoughts, feelings, and actions are in accordance with the principles of heaven. To enable the Holy Spirit to recreate in us the character of our Lord, we seek only that which can produce in our lives Christian purity, health, and joy. This means that our pleasures and amusements must meet the high standard of Christian taste and beauty. Recognizing differences in cultures, we believe that our clothes should be simple, modest and neat, appropriate for those whose true beauty lies not in external ornaments, but in the imperishable beauty of a meek and calm spirit. It also means that, while recognizing our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit, we must take care of them intelligently. Along with appropriate exercise and rest, we need to eat as healthy a diet as possible, not to eat those foods that are marked in the Scriptures as unclean. Since alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and irresponsibly taken pathogens and drugs are harmful to our body, we must also abstain from them. Instead, we need to engage in activities that bring our thoughts and our whole being into obedience to Christ, who wants us to be healthy, joyful, and happy (1 John 2:6; Eph. 5:1-13; Rom. 12:12). 1 Corinthians 6:19:20 10:31 1 Timothy 2:9-10 Leviticus 11:1-47 2 Corinthians 7:1 1 Peter 3:1-4 2 Corinthians 10:5 Phillips .4.8).

23. MARRIAGE AND FAMILY.
Marriage is a divine institution that has come down to us from Eden and approved by Christ, as a lifelong union between a man and a woman for their life together and love. In a Christian marriage, partners who are mutually bound together by the unity of faith assume obligations not only to each other, but also to God. Mutual love, reverence, respect and responsibility are the basis of such relationships, which reflect the love, holiness, intimacy and unchanging relationship between Christ and His church. Concerning divorce, Christ said: "He who divorces his wife not for adultery, and marries another, commits adultery." While some family ties may not be ideal, married couples who are fully committed to each other in Christ can achieve a close relationship of love if they trust in the guidance of the Spirit and the upbringing of the church. God blesses the family and wants its members to help each other to reach full maturity. Parents are expected to raise their children in love and obedience to the Lord. The example and words of parents help children know that Christ is a tender and caring educator who desires to see all redeemed members of the family of God. The growing unity of family members is one of the hallmarks of the last three angels' message (Gen. 2:18-25; Deut. 6:5-9; John 2:1-11; Eph. 5:21-33; Matt. 5:31 32; 19:3-9; Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:1-4; Mal. 4:5.6; Mark 10:11.12; Luke 16:18; 1 Corinthians 7:10 . eleven).

24. THE MINISTRY OF CHRIST IN THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY.
There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle, which the Lord erected, and not man. There, for us, Christ performs a ministry, presenting the opportunity for believers to benefit from the merits of His atoning sacrifice, offered once on the cross for all. From the time of His ascension, He was restored by our Great High Priest, and then His intercessory ministry began. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. It consists in an investigative judgment whose function is the final removal of all sins, as was typified by the cleansing of the ancient sanctuary on the day of atonement. In that typical office, the sanctuary was cleansed by the blood of sacrificial animals, but the heavenly is cleansed by the perfect sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. The inhabitants of heaven, thanks to the investigative judgment, see who among the dead on earth has rested in Christ, and therefore it is considered worthy to take part in the first resurrection. This judgment also reveals which of the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and thanks to Him, are ready to be resettled in His eternal kingdom. At this judgment, the justice of God in the salvation of those who believe in Christ is justified. Here are determined those who, remaining faithful to God, will enter the Heavenly Kingdom. And when this ministry of Christ is completed, the time of testing allotted for people before the Second Coming will end at the same time (Heb. 1, 3; 8, 1-5; 9, 11-28; Dan. 7, 9-27; 8, 13. 14; 9:24-27; Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6; Malachi 3:1; Leviticus 16; Rev. 14:12; 22:12).

25. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.
The second coming of Christ, the blessed hope of the church, will be the majestic consummation of the gospel work. The coming of the Savior will be literal, personal, visible, and world wide. At His return, the righteous who were in a state of death will be resurrected, and together with the righteous who are left alive, will be clothed with glory and raptured up to heaven, while death befalls those who have neglected the righteousness of Christ. The almost complete fulfillment of most of the prophecies consistently revealing the history of the world, as well as the state of the world itself, testifies to the nearness of the coming of Christ. The time of this event is not open and therefore we are called to be always ready (Titus 2:13; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:8-11; 1Thes. 4:16-17; 1Cor. 15:51-54; 2 Thess 2:8; Matt 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; 2 Tim 3:1-5; Joel 3:9-16; Heb 9:28).

26. DEATH AND RESURRECTION.
The wages of sin is death, but God, who alone has immortality, grants eternal life to His redeemed ones. Until that day, death is an unconscious state for all who die. When Christ, our life, appears, the resurrected and surviving righteous, transfigured and glorified, will be raptured to meet the Lord. The second resurrection, the resurrection of the unrighteous, will take place 1000 years later (1 Tim. 6:15, 16; Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; Eccl. 9:5-6; Ps. 145:4; 1 Thess. 4 13-17; Rom. 8:35-39; John 5:28-29; Rev. 20:1-10; John 5:24).

27. THE MILLENNIUM KINGDOM AND THE END OF THE TRAGIC HISTORY OF SIN.

The millennium is the interim period between the first and second resurrections when Christ and His redeemed saints are in heaven. During that time, judgment is made on those who died without repentance for their sins. On earth, left without people inhabiting it, there will be Satan with his angels. At the end of this time, Christ will descend from heaven to earth together with the saved and the holy city will descend. Then the Second Resurrection will follow, that is, the resurrection of all who have done evil. They will share the fate of Satan and his angels in the last futile struggle with good. Thus the universe will forever be freed from sin and sinners (Rev. 20; Zech. 14:1-4; Mal. 4:1; Jer. 4:23-26; 1 Cor. 6:2; 2Peter 2:4; Ezekiel 28:28:18; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Rev. 19:17:18:21).

28. NEW EARTH.
In the new earth, which will be a place of goodness and righteousness, God will make an eternal home for the redeemed and perfect their environment for an endless life of love, joy, and increasing knowledge in His presence. Since God Himself will dwell there with His people, suffering and death will disappear forever. The great controversy will end and there will be no more sin. Everything animate and inanimate recognizes that God is love; and His dominion, built on love, will be eternal. Amen (2 Peter 3:13; Gen. 17:1-8; Is. 35; Is. 65:17-25; Matt. 5:5; Rev. 21:1-7; Rev. 22:1-5; Revelation 11:15).

A person before God is given only as a gift - grace, and only by faith in Jesus Christ (more precisely, not just in Jesus, but in His substitutionary sacrifice on the Calvary cross). Works in the doctrine of modern Adventists have a secondary, or applied, meaning and are considered only as the fruits of faith, without which, however (including without punctual observance of the holiness of the Sabbath day), salvation is not conceivable at all (Bible, Epistle of the Apostle James 2:10- 12).

About the title

The name "Seventh-day Adventist" reflects the two main doctrines of the Adventist Church:

about the manifest and visible Second Coming of Christ in glory, which is expected soon
about the holiness of the seventh day of the week: Adventists insist on observing the Sabbath as established at the creation of the world long before the era of the Old Testament (it is also mentioned in the fourth commandment of the Law of God in the Old Testament).

History of Adventism

The Adventist Church began in the early 19th century among groups of Baptists, Methodists, and other Protestants. He was also joined by individual immigrants from Catholicism.

History of Adventism in Russia

The first SDA communities in Russia arose among German colonists in 1886 in the Crimea, in the village. Berdybulat and in the Volga region. In the city of Stavropol, the first Russian community of the SDA was formed. At first, Adventists were persecuted by the authorities and the Orthodox Church, but the emphasized position of non-interference in politics facilitated their legalization in 1906 and equal rights with the Baptists. By the time of the revolution, there were already about 7 thousand of them.

In the 1920s, the geography of distribution and the number of followers of the SDA increased markedly, new communities were created, publications multiplied. In the 1920s, Russian Adventists experienced a split on the basis of their attitude towards the Soviet government, towards the state in general, and towards the problem of military service. The detached part - Adventist reformists - formed the "All-Union Church of Faithful and Free Seventh-day Adventists." Along with other religious denominations in the 30s, Adventist sectarian associations were crushed and repressed, their leaders and members were sentenced to imprisonment, exile and other types of arbitrariness, violence and discrimination. .

Only in 1945-1946. several dozen communities were re-registered, forming the All-Union Council of the ASD, which, however, was again liquidated by the authorities in 1960. Only in 1977-1979. a new revival of the church began, and in 1981 the communities in Russia united. In 1990, the Congress of the Churches of the ASD of Russia took place, which adopted the charter of the Russian Union (Union).

Faith and way of life

Seventh-day Adventists proclaim that the basis of their doctrine is exclusively Holy Scripture (the principle of "Sola Scriptura"). The SDA Church also recognizes as a doctrinal authority the works of one of the founders of its denomination, the American preacher and writer Ellen White, who is revered as her prophet and mentor. The leadership of the church has developed criteria for the conformity of certain works and new revelations in the light of their established traditions of interpreting canonical biblical texts.

Distinctive features of creed and way of life

Seventh-day Adventists consider the observance of all the commandments of the Decalogue (including the Sabbath commandment) and the presence of the "spirit of prophecy" - the gift of revelations from above, to be the main distinguishing features of their church. According to their teaching, these are the main signs of the true Church of the last days before the Second Coming of Christ (based on Rev. 12:17 and Rev. 19:10). The doctrine of the orthodox church of the SDA is also characterized by faith in the ministry of Jesus Christ in the heavenly temple (sanctuary), as well as faith in the Holy Trinity (the Trinity of God - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit), the doctrine of the complete succession of the New Testament Church from the Old Testament Israel (“the people of God ").

As in all Protestant denominations, there is no dogma about the infallibility of the church in the doctrine, and the recognition of the priesthood of all believing members of the church was inherited by Adventists from late Protestantism (Baptists, Methodists, etc.). In addition to recognizing the universal priesthood of all members of the communities, Adventists have the ordination of clergy, the highest rank at ordination is the preacher; a minister in this rank can hold an arbitrarily high or, conversely, ordinary position in the church hierarchy.

The role of E. White in the formation of dogma

The doctrines of health reform are associated with the name of Ellen White: abstinence from the use of psychoactive substances (tobacco, alcohol, as well as caffeinated drinks such as: tea, coffee and cola); it is recommended to refrain from eating pork and other "unclean food": snakes, lizards, insects, etc. (based on the commandments of the Hebrew Scriptures in order to promote a healthy lifestyle (based on Leviticus 11)). To this end, Ellen White also preached vegetarianism as an ideal to which believers should aspire.

Health, medicine

After the reforms of E. White, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is known for its “sanitary ministry”: in many countries, Adventists maintain medical centers and promote a healthy lifestyle, as well as charity (Aid and Development Agency ADRA). There are many blood donors among Seventh-day Adventists, and organized blood donation campaigns take place in some countries. In Russia and other countries, work is reported on the prevention of alcohol and tobacco addiction (especially among young people), as well as work on the education of interpersonal premarital relations among young people. Church members are opposed to abortion and divorce.

State, politics, power structures

The founders of the Adventist movement urged to be supporters of pacifism - complete abstinence from participation in wars and voluntary service in various power structures, many advocated religious freedom - the principle of separation of church from state, secular state structure and the policy of non-interference of the church in the affairs of the state and the state in the affairs of the church; this is what many of the Adventists now profess. It should be noted that at the moment, the refusal to serve in the army and law enforcement agencies among orthodox Adventists has become a “voluntary act” of the conscience of each individual member of the church. Each member of the orthodox SDA church now decides for himself what to do. Thus, in the churches of the Adventist reform movements, it is provided for voluntary contract service in the ranks armed forces ah exclusion from the lists of members of the community, and in the communities of orthodox Adventists, this is most likely not.

Discipline in the Church

Exceptions from the lists of communities are also required for divorce between believing spouses, and in cases where believers marry unbelievers from among the divorced. Exclusion from the lists of the community is provided for those who have not attended the liturgical meetings of the community for a long time (usually more than two years) and for going to work on the Sabbath day, for deviating from other faiths, moreover, such a decision is made by voting at a meeting of the community members. These legal norms for the life of the community are officially enshrined in the charter of the church and its main provisions.

The essence of the doctrine of the Investigative Court.

The verse upon which this teaching is based is Daniel 8:14. It says: “And he said to me: for two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; and then the sanctuary will be cleansed.” Many Adventists associate the words from this verse, "and then the sanctuary shall be cleansed" to Leviticus 16. It describes the cleansing of the sanctuary by the Jewish high priest on the day of atonement. Adventists also link Daniel's words to Hebrews 9, which speaks of Jesus as the Greater High Priest in heaven. One of the SDA scholars says that the basis of their reasoning is "the words of the Holy Scripture, cited in evidence." The essence of the method is this: find “a certain word, say, “sanctuary” in Dan. 8:14, same word in Lev. 16, the same word in Heb. 7, 8, 9" and conclude "that they [Bible verses] all say the same thing."

Adventists reason: the ancient Israelite priests performed a daily service in the temple sanctuary that led to the forgiveness of sins. Every year on the day of atonement, the high priest performed in the Holy of Holies (in the very internal office temple) a service that resulted in the cleansing of sins. Adventists conclude that Christ's ministry in heaven as High Priest consists of two stages. The first began with his ascension in the 1st century AD. e. and ended in 1844 with the forgiveness of sins. The second stage, "judicial", began on October 22, 1844, continues to this day and will lead to the erasure of sins. How is it achieved?

As Adventists teach, since 1844, Jesus has been investigating how all professed believers (dead first, living second) have lived or are living their lives to determine whether they deserve eternal life. This investigation is the “investigative court”. After such a judgment, the sins of people who have passed the test are erased from the relevant books. But, as Ellen White explained, the names of those who fail the test ‘will be blotted out of the book of life’. Therefore, "for each will be determined his fate: life or death." So the heavenly sanctuary was cleansed and Daniel 8:14 was fulfilled. But in their publication, the Adventists admit: “The phrase investigative judgment does not occur in the Bible.”

Organization

The SDA church is characterized by a representative-democratic (electoral-hierarchical) type of organization; all leadership positions in the church are elected.

The world organization of the SDA church consists of 13 divisions (regional organizations), the highest representative body is the General Conference (GC, also called the “world mission”), at the top of which is the General Association, which is the highest governing body headed by the president of the GC himself. Sessions of the General Conference are convened every 5 years, the last time - in 2005. It has more than 16 million adult members of the church. At the session of the General Conference, the President of the General Conference and other leading persons are elected, organizational and doctrinal issues are resolved. The current president is Jan Paulsen (Norway). The office of the General Conference is located in the United States (Maryland). General Conference sessions are most often held in cities in North America and Western Europe.

The local congregation, headed by the pastor, senior presbyter, and church council, is the smallest structure of the SDA. A meeting of members of the community is periodically held to elect deacons, presbyters, deaconesses, the secretary and treasurer of the community, the church council, as well as to resolve issues of membership in the community and elect delegates to internal church forums. General worship services are available for free visits to all comers. The rite of the Eucharist or Communion with unleavened bread and unleavened wine (grape juice), which also includes the rite of preliminary foot washing, called the "Lord's Supper", is available to everyone (the so-called open communion), however, Adventists can sometimes refuse communion to those persons who deny the Trinity of God - the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The question of the Trinity among the SDA is very important and serious.

The SDA churches in the CIS countries make up the Euro-Asian division, which in turn is divided into several unions (that is, unions of churches).

Representatives of the breakaway Adventist reform movements have also created organizations that largely repeat the organizational structures of the Adventists, but their services and meetings are in most cases secret and there is no open communion.

Number and distribution

Adventists themselves estimate the number of members of their church at 16 million people, of which Russian Federation about 60 thousand.

As of 2007, there were no more than 16 million adult baptized members of the church, and including all those attending church services and children, no more than 30 million people, while in 1966 there were just over 1.6 million.

SDA develop active missionary activity, have their own organizations in more than 200 countries of the world (mainly in countries with a developed Christian tradition)

Adventism in Russia

Currently, there are two Unions of Associations of Churches of the Adventist Church in Russia: the Western Russian Union of the Church of Christian Adventists of the Seventh Day, covering associations of local churches in the territory from Kaliningrad to the Urals, with a Spiritual Center in Klimovsk, Moscow Region, and the Eastern Russian Union of the Church of the Adventist Church of the Seventh Day , covering the territory from the Urals to Sakhalin, with the Spiritual Center in Novosibirsk. Within the Unions there are associations of local churches - Regional Unions (local conferences), which include several dozen communities (local churches) on a voluntary basis. The primary organization of the SDA is the local church (community of believers). Its activities are directed by the council of the church, which is chaired by a pastor or presbyter. supreme body local church - a membership meeting of the community.

The ASD Church has a higher educational institution in Russia - Zaoksky Adventist University in the village. Zaoksky, Tula region. Sabbath schools for doctrinal religious education of children and adults are organized in each community, quarterly publications with Sabbath school materials are published, which are called “lesson books” in everyday vocabulary. Moreover, brochures are published separately for Sabbath school students, separately for teachers, usually lessons for children's Sabbath school are also held in each community, materials for which are published separately.

Adventist publishing house "Source of Life", also located in the village. Zaoksky, publishes various religious literature, publishes the magazines Good News, Adventist Bulletin (quarterly), Alpha and Omega (magazine for Church pastors), Image and Likeness (youth magazine), and the Word of Reconciliation newspaper. There is a radio and television center "Voice of Hope" (Tula), whose programs are broadcast on the Central Radio and Television, and a television center in the city of Ryazan.

The church carries out an extensive charitable program with the support of the SDA World Center. Seminars on a healthy lifestyle are held with the technical, informational and material support of the Loma Linda University Medical Center (California, USA). Ryazan has its own health center, a rehabilitation clinic for children with cerebral palsy.

Personalities

Herman, Anna is a famous Polish singer.
Carson, Benjamin Solomon - world famous American neurosurgeon.
Carter, John - archaeologist, missionary, preacher.
Kellogg, John Harvey - former associate of Ellen White and James White, creator of the famous corn flakes.
Finley, Mark Arthur - professor of archeology, famous preacher.
Wyatt, Ron - anesthesiologist, original biblical archaeologist.
TAKE6 is the official website of the world-famous musical group performing Protestant music in the Acapella style (jazz, gospel, spirituals, r&b).
Bailey, Leonard is a cardiac surgeon at Loma Linda University Medical Center, California, USA.
Oparin, Alexey Anatolyevich - author of books on creationist biblical archeology and the sacred history of Christianity.
Stele, Artur Arturovich- President of the Euro-Asian Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Adventist Reformists

In addition to the orthodox SDA church, there are several other religious groups - communities and churches that have left the official SDA for one reason or another. The most numerous of them are the "International Missionary Society of the SDA of the Reformation Movement" and the "SDA of the Reformation Movement". The Reformist Adventist movement arose during World War I in Germany on the initiative of the Adventist preachers, the Spanknabe brothers.

The number of Adventist reformists (including children) is 40 thousand people. They are already active in at least 62 countries around the world. Most (30,000) Adventist Reformists live in countries former USSR: in Ukraine, Russia (in the North Caucasus, Siberia and the Far East), Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic states, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Other branches of Adventism are not so numerous. But all of them can also use orthodox Adventist materials and symbols.

Criticism

Most often, the theology of Seventh-day Adventists is criticized from historical and biblical positions by representatives of the theology of other faiths in matters of literal observance of the Sabbath, for accepting the dogma of the mortality of the soul and denying the doctrine of the eternal torment of sinners in hell. Adventists are also criticized for prohibiting the eating of certain types of animals (taken from the Old Testament law) and for introducing the doctrine of the "investigative judgment" preceding the Last Judgment - the ministry of Christ in the Holy of Holies of the heavenly sanctuary.

Some researchers believe that certain specific features of the SDA creed of that era (XIX century) could influence the formation of the theological and worldview views of Charles Taze Russell and his followers.

In addition, Orthodoxy and Catholicism criticize the SDA, like other Protestant sects, for refusing to baptize children, denying other church tradition other than the Bible, and lacking a liturgical service (denying the system of sacraments).

Notes

Links

Seventh-day Adventist Church in Russia and the CIS - official website
Official Documents, Statistics and Archives of the SDA General Conference

). Works in the doctrine of modern Adventists are considered as the fruits of faith.

A distinctive feature of Seventh-day Adventists among Protestant denominations is the doctrine of the "three angels' message" and the two phases of the ministry of Jesus Christ in the heavenly sanctuary.

About the title

The name "Seventh-day Adventist Church" reflects two main doctrines:

About the obvious and visible Second Coming of Christ in glory, which is expected "soon."
On the holiness of the seventh day of the week: Adventists insist on observing the Sabbath as established at the creation of the world long before the Law of Moses was given (it is also mentioned in the fourth commandment of the Decalogue in the Old Testament).

According to the Seventh-day Adventists, Saturday is primarily a "monument to the creation of the world", a "seal of authority" of Heavenly, God's rule, in contrast to Sunday, which is interpreted by Adventists as a symbol Catholic tradition, testifying, in their opinion, to the church's appropriation of the right to change the holidays with its authority and the power of its decisions.

History of Adventism

The origin and development of Adventism in the USA

After the “Great Disappointment” (the term used by the Adventists themselves), caused by the fact that the expected event did not happen, Miller's disciples and followers split into several directions. Further attempts to reform both the new religious movement itself and its organizational structures by the followers of William Miller marked the beginning of a number of splits. In the 1840s, the first Sabbath-keeping Adventist groups appeared.

On October 1, 1860, the name of the church "Seventh-day Adventists" was chosen. In 1861, the Battle Creek Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association and the Michigan Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church were formed. A church organization called the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists was formed at a general meeting in May 1863 in Michigan when the Michigan and six other conferences merged to form a common governing body. The adoption of the doctrines of health reform, spiritual gifts, and justification by faith is largely associated with the activities of the American writer and preacher Helen (Ellen) White (1827-1915), who is recognized by Adventists as a messenger of God with a prophetic gift, her husband James White, and also Joseph Bates , Stephen Pierce, Hiram Edson and others.

Before these reforms, the Millerites did not have a single doctrine, since there was no single centralized organization and hierarchy, and after the split that arose, they were represented by a few scattered groups, which E. White called "parties" (most Adventists of that time did not accept the observance of the Sabbath; to this The period also includes the confession by some of the disciples of W. Miller of semi-Arian, pantheistic and legalistic teachings, attempts by individual leaders to predict new dates for the Second Coming of Christ). Ellen White's reforms largely put an end to attempts to set new dates for the Coming of Christ and united the disintegrating movement into a single organized structure with a hierarchical vertical of power.

The name of Ellen White is also associated with the doctrine of health reform: abstinence from the use of psychoactive substances (opium, tobacco, alcohol, caffeinated drinks such as tea, coffee, mate, guarana, cola and some others). Do not eat pork and other "unclean food": snakes, lizards, insects, equids and other animals mentioned in the commandments of the Old Testament (Leviticus, chapter 11). E. White also preached vegetarianism as an ideal to which believers should aspire. At the same time, in many of her writings, she said that nutrition should be balanced.

Currently, Ellen White's works are stored in the Ellen White Estate Corporation (USA, Washington), which owns all the rights to publish and edit her texts and makes editorial corrections of published publications.

History of Adventism in Russia

The first communities of Seventh-day Adventists in Russia arose among the German colonists in 1886 in the Crimea, in the village. Berdybulat and in the Volga region. In the city of Stavropol, the first Russian community of Seventh-day Adventists was formed. At first, Adventists were persecuted by the authorities and the Orthodox Church, but the emphasized position of non-interference in politics facilitated their legalization. By the time of the 1917 revolution, there were already about 7 thousand of them.

In the 1920s, the geography of distribution and the number of Seventh-day Adventists noticeably increased, new communities were created, publications multiplied. In the 1920s, Russian Adventists experienced a split on the basis of their attitude towards the Soviet government, towards the state in general, and towards the problem of military service. The detached part - Adventist reformists - formed the "All-Union Church of Faithful and Free Seventh-day Adventists." Along with other religious denominations, in the 1930s Adventist associations were crushed and repressed, their leaders and members were sentenced to imprisonment, exile and other types of arbitrariness, violence and discrimination. .

Only in 1945-1946. Several dozen communities were re-registered, forming the All-Union Council of Seventh-day Adventists, which, however, in 1960, during the Khrushchev anti-religious campaign, was again liquidated by the authorities. In 1977-1979. a new revival of the organizational structures of the confession began. In 1977, with the consent of the Soviet authorities, the Republican Council was formed, headed by M.P. Kulakov, which united all the Adventist communities of the RSFSR. However, the South Russian Field Union of Seventh-day Adventists, which was persecuted by the authorities, acted on a par with it. Soviet Adventists kept in touch with fellow believers abroad. In 1977 Alf Lonet, vice president of the General Conference, visited Moscow, and in 1983 he visited Sochi, where he attended a prayer meeting and praised the observance of the rights of believers in the USSR, stating: “The new house of the religious community, which I consecrated today speaks of true freedom of conscience. In 1981 there was a merger of communities on the territory of Russia. In 1990, a congress of the Seventh-day Adventist churches in Russia took place, which adopted the charter of the Russian Union (Union).

Faith and way of life

Seventh-day Adventists proclaim the basis of the doctrine of the Holy Scriptures (the principle of "Sola Scriptura"). The Seventh-day Adventist Church also recognizes as its doctrinal authority the writings of one of the founders of its denomination, Ellen White, who is revered as God's prophet ("messenger of God").

The Seventh-day Adventist creed ("Foundation of the Faith") in Doctrine No. 18 states the following:

Original text (English)

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen. G. White. As the Lord's messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested.

Thus, Adventists believe that Ellen White's writings are an authoritative source of truth. They also emphasize that these works, in their opinion, lead to the Bible and exalt the Bible.

Ellen White herself wrote of her ministry and her labors thus:

My ministry involves much more than being a prophet. I consider myself a messenger whom the Lord has entrusted to deliver messages to His people.
Letter 55, 1905

God has given you [i.e., White herself] Testimonies to help the backslider and sinner understand his true position and great loss if he continues in sin. God has confirmed this commission in you through many visions, as to no one living today, and according to the light given to you, He makes you responsible for it.
Testimony for the Church. T. 2 p. 604-608, 1871

Distinctive features of creed and way of life

Seventh-day Adventists consider the observance of all the commandments of the Decalogue (including the commandment of the Sabbath) and the presence of the "spirit of prophecy" - the gift of revelations from above, to be the main distinguishing features of their church. According to the teaching of the Seventh Day Adventists, this is precisely the main signs of the true Church of the last days before the Second Coming of Christ (based on Rev. 12:17 and Rev. 19:10). The modern doctrine of Seventh-day Adventists is also characterized by faith in the ministry of Jesus Christ in the heavenly temple (sanctuary) and in the Holy Trinity (the Trinity of God - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit), the doctrine of the complete succession of the New Testament Church from the Old Testament Israel (“the people of God”) .

Seventh-day Adventist attitude towards the Sabbath

Seventh-day Adventists claim that by celebrating the God-blessed seventh day, they thereby recognize God as their Creator (Gen 2:1-3; Ex 20:8-11) and follow the example set by Jesus himself and the apostles (Luke 4:16). As it is written in the book of Exodus 20 chapter 8-11 verses: "8. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; 9. work six days and do all your works, 10. and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: do not do it on it no work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your maidservant, nor your livestock, nor the stranger that is in your dwellings; 11. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."

Denying the immortality of the soul

Seventh-day Adventists reject the doctrine of the immortality of the soul and eternal torment for unbelievers. They believe that the first resurrection of the dead will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ ( cm. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) for eternal life, while the rest who rejected the grace of God will be resurrected after the Millennial Kingdom ( cm. Revelation 20:4-6) for condemnation and will suffer the wages of sin - death ( Wed. Rom 6:23) will be completely destroyed by fire.

Doctrine of the Investigative Court

The verse on which Adventists base their doctrine of the Investigative Judgment is Dan. :

“And he said to me: for two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; and then the sanctuary will be cleansed.”

Many Adventists associate the words from this verse, "and then the sanctuary shall be cleansed" with . It describes the cleansing of the sanctuary by the Jewish high priest on the day of atonement. Adventists also associate Daniel's words with , which refers to Jesus as the greater High Priest in heaven. One of the Seventh-day Adventist theologians says that the basis of their reasoning is "the words of the Holy Scriptures, cited in evidence." The essence of the method is this: if certain events are described in the Bible using the same words, for example, “the cleansing of the sanctuary” in Dan. 8:14, same word/event in Lev. 16, the same word in Heb. 7, 8, 9 then an analogy is drawn between these texts (the so-called “biblical allusion”) [ ] .

Shortly after the “great disappointment”, H. Edson stated that the fulfillment of the prophecy about the sanctuary is not connected with the Second Coming of Jesus, but with the beginning of service in the second compartment of the heavenly sanctuary (cleansing both the sanctuary itself and individual believers from sin), and which must precede the Second Coming of Christ. The followers of these views refused to assign exact dates for the return of Jesus Christ to Earth and did not connect it with the prophecies about the cleansing of the sanctuary.

Later, the essence of the doctrinal ideas about the ministry of Christ from October 1844 was outlined in an article by the Adventist preacher James White, who became the husband of Ellen Harmon (White) . Daniel's prophecy of the cleansing of the sanctuary (which the Millerites associated with the second coming of Jesus) was taken as an indication that Jesus had entered upon "an investigative judgment" (Review and Herald, January 29, 1857):

And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, who had the everlasting gospel, to proclaim the gospel to those who dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people;

The doctrine of "investigative judgment" remains one of the main teachings of Seventh-day Adventists. According to their teaching, Christ entered the Holy of Holies (“second compartment”) of the heavenly Temple - Sanctuary and began a special ministry there as an intercessor (mediator) for sinners at the court.

Adventists reason: the ancient Jewish priests performed a daily service in the temple sanctuary that led to the forgiveness of sins. Every year on the day of atonement, the high priest performed in the Holy of Holies (in the innermost part of the temple) a service that led to the cleansing of sins. Adventists conclude that Christ's ministry in heaven as High Priest consists of two stages. The first began with his ascension in the first century AD. e. and ended in 1844 with the forgiveness of sins. The second stage, "judicial", began on October 22, 1844, and continues to this day. Precisely this point, Adventists believe, was not fully understood at the time by W. Miller.

According to Adventist teaching, since 1844, God has been investigating how all professed believers (first, dead, and second, living) have spent or are doing their lives, to determine whether they deserve eternal life. This investigation is the “investigative court”. After such a judgment, the sins of people who have passed the test are erased from the relevant books. But, as Ellen White explained, the names of those who fail the test 'will be blotted out of the book of life' (as evidenced primarily by the record of Daniel 7 and 8). Therefore, "for each will be determined his fate: life or death." So the heavenly sanctuary was cleansed, and the verse of Dan. 8:14 is fulfilled. But in their publication, the Adventists say: "The expression 'investigative judgment' does not occur in the Bible" [ ] .

Eschatology

Jesus Christ is the High Priest who has been in the Holy of Holies of the heavenly sanctuary since 1844. From this period began God's judgment on repentant dead sinners.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been revealed by the Holy Spirit the truths set forth in Revelation and is charged with the task of preaching the "three angels' message" (Revelation 14:6-12) throughout the world until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ as Judge, a series of worldwide decrees will be released for those who are waiting for Him to prohibit the celebration of the Sabbath as a sign for God's people, and a death decree for people who refuse to celebrate Sunday (according to Rev. 13:13-17, about the "mark of the beast" ). These events will serve as a sign for the Lord of the complete retreat of the inhabitants of the rebellious planet from the Law of God and an occasion to intercede for the remnant faithful to God.
Everything on earth will be destroyed, the rebels will perish. Satan and his fallen angels will be on earth. A period of 1000 years of God's judgment on unrepentant sinners will begin.
At the end of 1000 years, Jesus as King will descend from heaven with justified people faithful to Him from Adam to the last generation from Heavenly Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives.
For a short period, unrepentant sinners will be resurrected to bring them a guilty verdict. Then fire will descend from heaven and Satan, his fallen angels, and unrepentant sinners will be destroyed forever. The earth will be re-created by the creative power of God, and there will be no consequences or signs of rebellion and sin. Eternal peace and tranquility will come. Thus will end the great controversy between Christ and Satan. The law of God will be glorified, the character of God will be justified, and the slanderer and his followers will be destroyed forever.

Health, medicine, nutrition

After the reforms of E. White, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is known for its "sanitary ministry": in many countries, Adventists maintain medical centers and promote a healthy lifestyle. So, Loma Linda University Medical Center is known. In 1990, the world's first clinical center for proton therapy was opened at the center. Until 2003, the Proton Therapy Center (PTC) of MCULL remained the only one in the United States. Since the opening of the center, more than 12,000 patients have been treated (as of the beginning of 2008) with a total number of treatment procedures exceeding 350,000 [ ] . More patients are treated annually at the MCULL Proton Therapy Center than at any other proton therapy center in the world [ ] . The center specializes in the treatment of prostate cancer, brain cancer, as well as malignant tumors of the eye and lung. The center conducts ongoing clinical research on the use of proton therapy for the treatment of a wider range of oncological diseases (for example, work is underway to create a treatment protocol for the treatment of certain types of breast cancer [ ] . There are many blood donors among Seventh-day Adventists [ ], there are organized blood donation campaigns in some countries. The church participates in the first national donor program in Colombia. In Russia and other countries, work is reported on the prevention of alcohol and tobacco addiction (especially among young people), as well as work on the education of interpersonal premarital relations among young people. Church members are opposed to abortion and divorce.

Seventh-day Adventists adhere to Old Testament ordinances about forbidden foods. So, you can’t eat pork in any form (which you can’t even touch, since it is “unclean”, therefore the recommendation follows from here that you should not work where you need to contact it), rabbit meat, and some types of fish, such as catfish, exist a complete ban on eating the blood of any animal. It is not recommended to produce prohibited foods or participate in their sale. In addition to these vowels and complete prohibitions, for the violation of which they are expelled from church members, there is a set of recommendations for healthy eating compiled by E. White. She does not recommend eating eggs, hard cheese, drinking coffee and tea (including green tea), she advises limiting the use of spices and spices (since they act excitingly along with coffee and tea). [ ] Vegetarianism is strongly promoted in Adventism. [ ]

State, politics, power structures

The founders of the Adventist movement urged to be supporters of pacifism - complete abstinence from participation in wars and voluntary service in various power structures, many advocated religious freedom - the principle of separation of church and state, secular government and the policy of non-interference of the church in the affairs of the state and the state in the affairs of the church; this is what many of the Adventists now profess. At present, refusal to serve in the army and law enforcement agencies among orthodox Adventists has become a “voluntary matter” of the conscience of each individual member of the church. Each member of the Orthodox Seventh-day Adventist Church now decides for himself what to do. Adventist churches of the reform movements for voluntary contract service in the ranks of the armed forces provide for exclusion from the community, but this is not the case in orthodox Adventist congregations.

Discipline in Adventist Congregations

In the event that a church member systematically violates the laws of the Ten Commandments, church or public order, the church has the right to apply the following disciplinary measures to the sinner:

announcement of a public censure;
exclusion from church membership.

Announcement of public censure

A church member who has sinned may be publicly rebuked by a decision of the community, adopted by a vote at any specially convened meeting of church members. Public condemnation is appointed for a certain period: from one month to a year. At the same time, a member of the community is automatically removed from all positions that he previously held, and is deprived of the right to be an elected minister during the time the penalty is imposed on him. A member of a church who has been publicly condemned does not have the right to vote and cannot take part in general activities such as teaching Sabbath School classes, etc. During this period, he also cannot transfer his membership to another community. However, this does not deprive him of other advantages: attending Sabbath school classes, church service and the rites of the house of the Lord. Announcement of public condemnation does not provide for deprivation this person church membership in case of non-compliance with the conditions set. After the expiration of the period of public condemnation, the behavior of a member of the church who has been publicly condemned is again considered by the church council and the membership meeting. In case of positive changes in the behavior of a member of the church, his status and reputation is restored. In the event that a member of the church has not corrected his behavior, he may be expelled from the church.

Expulsion from church members

Expulsion from the community is provided for serious offenses of a member of the church, religious or moral (heresy, misbehavior, unreasonable divorce, non-observance of the Sabbath, etc.) or converted to other creeds. This decision is made by voting at a meeting of the general meeting of church members. Expulsion from the church does not deprive the excluded person of the opportunity to attend church services, to participate in the ministry of the Sabbath School. Exclusion from the community also does not mean anathematization of a person, which distinguishes Seventh-day Adventists from a number of other denominations, where not exclusion is practiced, but “excommunication”. You can read more about this in the Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual.

Worship and clergy

The local congregation, led by a pastor, senior elder, and church council, is the smallest structure of Seventh-day Adventists. A meeting of members of the community is periodically held to elect deacons, presbyters, deaconesses, the secretary and treasurer of the community, the church council, as well as to resolve issues of membership in the community and elect delegates to internal church forums. General worship services are available for free visits to all comers.

As in other Protestant denominations, there is no dogma about the infallibility of the church and its primates in the Adventist creed, but the priesthood of all believers is recognized. In addition to recognizing the universal priesthood of all members of the communities, Adventists have ordained clergymen; the highest rank at ordination is a preacher; a minister in this rank can hold an arbitrarily high or, conversely, ordinary position in the church hierarchy.

Church rites

Just as Jesus Christ was baptized, Seventh-day Adventists perform baptism by full immersion in water of people of conscious age. The ceremony is preceded by a study of the Bible with a mentor, signing, and then a public confession of faith. First of all, Seventh-day Adventists introduce a person to the meaning of faith; he turns to Jesus Christ, who brings about a change in his life. Finally, a person chooses Him as their Lord, testifying to this by the act of baptism.

In the rite of communion, which is called the "Lord's Supper" and is celebrated with unleavened bread and "unleavened wine" (grape juice), the preliminary washing of the feet is also included. Communion in SDA communities is open to all believing Christians. The service of the Holy Supper takes place once a quarter.

Organization

The SDA church is characterized by a representative (electoral-hierarchical) type of organization; all leadership positions in the church are elected.

The worldwide organization of the Adventist Church has over 16 million adult church members. It consists of 13 divisions (regional organizations), the highest representative body is the General Conference (GC, also called the “world mission”), at the top of which is the General Association, which is the highest governing body headed by the president of the GC himself. Sessions of the General Conference are convened every 5 years, the last time - in 2015. At the session of the General Conference, the President of the General Conference and other leading persons are elected, organizational and doctrinal issues are resolved. Since June 2010, Ted N. C. Wilson has been President. The office of the General Conference is located in the United States (Maryland). General Conference sessions are most often held in cities in North America and Western Europe.

List of divisions

Seventh-day Adventist Church in the CIS

The SDA churches in the CIS countries make up the Euro-Asian division, which in turn is divided into several unions(unions of churches).

Ukrainian union

The Ukrainian Union unites 9 conferences:

Bukovina centered in Chernivtsi, which includes the communities of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil and Chernivtsi regions;
Eastern centered in Donetsk, including the communities of Donetsk and Lugansk regions;
East Dnieper centered in the Dnieper, including the communities of Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye and Kharkiv regions;
Dnieper with the center in Cherkasy, including the communities of Kirovograd, Cherkasy and Poltava regions;
Western with a center in Lviv, including the communities of Lviv, Volyn, Rivne, Transcarpathian regions;
Kiev with the center in Kiev, including the urban communities of Kiev;
Podolskaya with the center in Vinnitsa, including the communities of Vinnitsa, Zhytomyr and Khmelnytsky regions;
Central with a center in Kiev, uniting the communities of Kiev, Sumy and Chernihiv regions;
South with a center in Nikolaev, uniting the communities of Odessa, Nikolaev, Kherson regions.

And in Kazakhstan:

Kazakh centered in Talgar, Almaty Oblast, Republic of Kazakhstan

Representatives of the breakaway Adventist reform movements have also created organizations that largely repeat the organizational structures of the main branch of Adventists, but their liturgical meetings in most cases are not public and take place without open communion. [ ]

Number and distribution

As of 2015, there are 19,126,438 Adventists in the world, of which in the countries of the former Soviet Union(excluding the Baltic countries) 113,367 people, in the Russian Federation 38,034 people. The largest number of Adventists in the territory of the former Soviet Union is in Ukraine - 48,738 people, which is approximately 43% of the total number of Adventists in the territory of the former USSR.

Adventism in Russia

Currently, there are two unions of associations of SDA churches in Russia: the Western Russian Union of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, covering associations of local churches in the territory from Kaliningrad to the Urals, with a spiritual center in Klimovsk, Moscow Region, and the East Russian Union of the SDA Church, covering the territory from the Urals to Sakhalin, with a spiritual center in Novosibirsk. [ ] [ ]

Within the unions there are associations of local churches - regional unions (local conferences), which include several dozen communities (local churches) on a voluntary basis. The primary organization of the SDA is the local church (community of believers). Its activities are directed by the council of the church, which is chaired by a pastor or presbyter. The supreme body of the local church is the membership meeting of the community.

The ASD Church has a higher educational institution in Russia - Zaoksky Adventist University in the village. Zaoksky, Tula region. Sabbath schools for doctrinal religious education of children and adults are organized in each community, quarterly publications with Sabbath school materials are published, which are called “lesson books” in everyday vocabulary. Brochures are published separately for Sabbath School students and separately for teachers (manuals for teachers differ from those for students only in the presence of materials for additional study at the end of each lesson). Usually in each community there are also lessons for children's Sabbath school (in some communities also for youth), materials for which are published separately.

Adventist publishing house "Source of Life", also located in the village. Zaoksky, publishes various religious literature, publishes the magazines Good News, Adventist Bulletin (quarterly), Alpha and Omega (magazine for Church pastors), Image and Likeness (youth magazine), and the Word of Reconciliation newspaper. There is a radio and television center "Voice of Hope" (Tula), the programs of which are broadcast on the Central Radio and Television, and a television center in the city of Ryazan. [ ]

The Local Church of the ASD “Waiting” in the city of Yoshkar-Ola of the Republic of Mari El is the founder of the children's magazine “Wonderful Pages” and the missionary newspaper “The Hidden Treasure”, the circulation of which from May 2000 to August 2010 increased from 1000 copies. up to 1,500,000 copies The newspaper is printed in various cities of Russia (since June 2010 - in 22 cities) with donations from members of local churches and is distributed free of charge. One main issue of the newspaper of spiritual content and one thematic issue "Keys to Health" are published monthly.

Adventists carry out an extensive charitable program with the support of the SDA World Center. Seminars on a healthy lifestyle are held with the technical, informational and material support of the medical center of the Loma Linda University Medical Center (California, USA). Ryazan has its own health center, a rehabilitation clinic for children with cerebral palsy.

Adventism in Japan

Seventh-day Adventists in Japan are part of the Worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church and belong to the North Asia-Pacific Division.

Seventh Day Adventists

The most active sect among Adventists who expect the imminent coming of Christ. Seventh-day Adventists believe that He will appear when people fulfill the commandment to rest on the Sabbath day.

When people talk about the birth of Christianity, they also mention the reasons why people accepted it. One of the most important factors is the desire of early Christians to take revenge on their oppressors as soon as possible, to personally observe the Day of Judgment. Gradually the pathos of expectation disappeared. But from time to time there were people who could not come to terms with the fact that they could not be participants and observers of the great things to come. This desire of believers - to see the Messiah - was used by the founders of Adventism.

William Miller (1782-1849) is considered to be the founder of Adventism. It was his predictions of the date of the return of Christ that aroused the interest of representatives of various faiths and contributed to the widespread addiction to "prophetic predictions" in the middle of the century before last.

Miller was born in 1782 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He was the eldest of 16 children and received a very modest education, consisting of several classes of a comprehensive school. At about the age of 30, Miller, studying the Bible to find the date of the appearance of the messiah, came to the conclusion that only the day and hour of the Second Coming, but not the year, were hidden from people and angels. Studying the prophetic verses in detail, he looked for information that pointed to this event. Miller's reasoning was based mainly on the book of the prophet Daniel. Taking the 2,300 days mentioned there as 2,300 years, and making a series of complex calculations, Miller determined that the advent would take place in 1843.

In 1831, he delivered an ardent sermon in which he named this date. In order to carry his revelation to the masses, William Miller took advantage of the post of presbyter of the Baptist church. Since 1833, his teaching has found a wide response in the hearts of believers not only in America, but also in Europe. Supporters of Miller's ideas began to be called Adventists (from Latin aeuenShv - advent). In the dissemination of Adventist ideas, Miller was helped by the pastor of the Boston church Himes. It was at his suggestion that the first articles about Adventism were published in influential publications in Boston and New York.

However, as you know, in 1843 the Appearance of the Savior did not take place. Then the founder of Adventism named a new date - 1844. This time the exact date (March 21) and the place were known - a mountain in the state of New York. The followers of the "prophet" in white robes stood under this mountain all day in vain. Some of them announced that, probably, there was a mistake - the return of Christ should be expected on October 22, 1844. And again, nothing.

The events of 1844 were called among the Adventists - "The Great Disappointment." It seemed that Miller's sect would cease to exist. But the situation turned out to be more complicated. The sectarians did not want to part with their theory. As early as the next year, 1845, in the cradle of Adventism - Boston - a general conference was convened in order to decide "how to live on." The timing of the Second Coming began to be adjusted more drastically. Now few people wanted to goof off and set the date for the great event in such a way that it would not take place too soon. As Khoja Nasreddin said: "In 20 years, either I, or the donkey, or the emir will die." In the same year, 1845, the Adventists were expelled from the bosom of the Baptist church, whose leaders found a significant difference in views with the new sectarians.

Many participants in the movement had new "visions". X. Edson, for example, believed that Christ was late because he entered the heavenly sanctuary on the way to earth - to make a “judgment of research” on the names in the Book of Life in order to determine who is worthy of being resurrected from the dead on the first resurrection, and who is “ enraptured in the clouds."

Based on various calculations, the Adventists promulgated the first date of the Advent - in 1914, and then in 1932-1933. The latest prediction was 1995.

Miller's followers split into many organizations after the leader's death, each with its own view of the advent problem, but with the problem always put at the forefront. This is how Evangelical Adventists, Next Age Adventists, and Christian church advent." In the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Seventh-day Adventists gained more and more influence. The founder of this branch was the "seer" Ellen White.

Twin sisters Helena and Elizabeth Harmon were born in 1827 to a Methodist family. Already in childhood, from a leaflet accidentally found, Elena learned about the coming Second Coming, and the expectation of the imminent death of the world horrified her. (Elena was prone to nervous disorders. Her nerves "refused to obey her even in the simplest activities, such as reading and writing. Her hands shook so violently that she was unable to control them ... and often she was overcome by dizziness.")

In 1840, Ellen Harmon heard Miller's sermon in Portland, which made an indelible impression on her. At the same time, she began to have dreams in which Jesus consoled her. The year 1843 arrived, the time when Miller's followers waited for the return of Christ. The Harmon family's enthusiasm for Miller's views, as well as infrequent attendance at church services, angered the Methodist community and the Harmons' subsequent excommunication. This turn of events brought Elena even closer to the Adventists.

The "Great Disappointment" made a deep impression on her. However, the “prophetress” was saved from depression thanks to her dreams and visions, which convinced her of the truth of Adventism. At the same time, Mrs. White (Elena married in 1846) formulated a doctrine that was more adapted to reality than the theories of her co-religionists. She did not pay much attention to calculating the exact date of the Appearance of Christ. The prophetess argued that the advent did not happen because Christians forgot one of the commandments - to honor the Sabbath (seventh, according to the Bible) day. Sunday, they say, has been revered since the time of the first Popes (Protestants generally have an extremely negative attitude towards pontiffs), who perverted the original teaching.

The Sabbath revelations placed Helen in opposition to the bulk of Miller's followers. For several years, the small group who believed her visions were called "Subbotniks and Adventists". closed door". But she received strong support from James White, an unordained preacher, leader of the early Adventist movement, and her husband. He was at that time the editor of the Review and Herald and advertised his wife's visions with might and main. Soon, with the help of James, Elena seized almost unlimited power in the movement.

In 1855 the Whites decided to move their headquarters to Battle Creek, Michigan, and in 1863 the Seventh-day Adventist Society was officially registered after a conference attended by several thousand people. For the material support of the movement since 1858 among the supporters of E. White practiced tithing (a contribution to the general fund of the Seventh-day Adventists). For 20 years, the number of followers of the movement has increased to 20 thousand.

In the second half of the 19th century, relatively few Seventh-day Adventists were repeatedly persecuted by more influential organizations and authorities in different states for insufficient reverence for Sunday. (The laws of various North American states still retain a lot of prejudices from earlier times. At that time, many prescriptions that are ridiculous for a modern person carried a very definite semantic load.) However, the energetic treatment of members of Congress by Adventists made it possible to stop these conflicts.

Ellen White, after the death of her husband in 1885, organized the activities of the sect in Europe for two years, and from 1891 to 1900. was engaged in the creation of the structure of the organization in Australia. At the same time, using her unlimited influence, she reconciled the doctrinal differences that arose in various groups of Adventists. The appearance of competing prophetesses, with whom they had to wage an ideological struggle, also belongs to the same period.

Ellen White died in 1915.

From time to time, members of the sect tried to challenge the prophetic gift of the leader of the movement, but constantly lost in the struggle with the leadership. One of the last serious skirmishes occurred already in the 70s of the last century. The most poignant book came from the pen of Seventh-day Adventist clergyman Walter Rea and was called "White Lie" , the title of the book could read "White Lies"). Rea's work gave examples of direct borrowing from other people's works, which Helen passed off as her own prophecies. Rea accused the soothsayer of having "virtually everything copied or borrowed" in her 53 writings. However, the top leadership of the organization rose to the defense of the founder of the sect. President Neil Wilson declared that "the thoughts of a prophet may be divinely inspired, though borrowed." At the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in 1980, Mrs. White was confirmed in her prophetic standing. Her books were recognized as "an authoritative source of truth." Hundreds of Adventist theologians who disagreed with this statement were expelled from the society they were trying to reform.

At present, the General Conference is at the head of the Society. It consists of delegates from local conferences. The organization is divided into 12 so-called. divisions (associations of believers from several states), which include unions, associations, meetings, managed by "elders" (presbyters) and deacons. (Both elders and deacons are elected by the community.) Russia is a member of the Euro-Asian division of this church.

The leadership of the church moved from Battle Creek to Washington in 1903, and in 1989 moved from the capital to Silver Spring, Maryland, where it remains to this day.

The financial basis of the community's activities, in addition to tithing, is also the sale of literature. In 1963 the community's books and magazines were published in 228 languages. Now it is already 600. Along with this, Adventists spread their teaching through radio and television programs, as well as correspondence Bible courses. The movement operates in approximately 200 countries around the world. Adventism is spreading fastest in Southern Europe, Korea and Africa. Recently, as a result of active missionary work, many new communities have joined the sect in Latin America, the Caribbean and African countries located in the Sahara region. By the end of the 20th century, there were about 10 million Seventh-day Adventists.

The General Conference also oversees the activities of numerous educational and medical institutions established by Adventists. The first sanatorium-type medical institution was established as early as 1866 in Battle Creek (originally it was called the Health Reform Institute).

Around the world, the movement maintains about 150 hospitals and sanatoriums and more than 250 clinics and dispensaries. One of the major medical and missionary programs led by Seventh-day Adventists was, for example, the establishment of a floating clinic on the Amazon River.

However, the missionary program of the Adventists is by its nature not only a humanitarian focus. Its main focus is preaching in order to fulfill the plan to attract new members to the organization. A worldwide campaign under the slogan "A Thousand Souls a Day for a Thousand Days" was proclaimed in 1982 by Adventist leader Neil Wilson in the article "Harvesting Time".

Seventh-day Adventists support the principle of separation of church and state and insist on the religious freedom of all people.

Sectarians recognize the Bible, but along with it, the works of Ellen White are also revered. The holy books for Adventists are: "Key to the Holy Scriptures", "Test All Things", "Hope of the World", "Inheritance of the Saints", etc. Seventh-day Adventists believe in the eternal pre-existence of Christ as the second hypostasis of God; unconditionally recognize the dogmas about his birth from the Virgin, his sinless life on earth, about his vicarious (for people) and redemptive death. They also recognize his bodily resurrection, ascension, heavenly ministry as a great high priest, and await his final return.

Adventists are opposed to alcohol, tobacco, drugs and stimulants. Pork is considered grave sin. These prohibitions are based on one of Mrs. White's revelations.

From the very beginning of her activity, she devoted a lot of time to health issues. During her missionary travels, Ellen White lectured on diet, sobriety, and health care. These questions were of great interest to the American public of the day, and it was with her temperance lectures that she drew the largest crowds in the 1860s and 1870s. Later, a theological justification was brought under dietary prohibitions, the essence of which was the recognition of the body as the Temple of the Holy Spirit (or the “Vessel of God”) and, accordingly, the need to protect it from harmful and defiling substances. The movement to improve the health of people (primarily the Adventists themselves) is called "health reform" by White's followers.

The organization is accepted through baptism, and the baptism of children is rejected. Adult novices are given preliminary instructions and sermons, and before the ceremony they make a vow to the assembly that they "left the service of Satan and became members of the Royal Family, Children of the King of Heaven." After this, baptism takes place by complete immersion in water. The so-called Supper is celebrated every three months. It is performed on unleavened bread and non-alcoholic wine. Before this event, the washing of the feet takes place. Men wash the feet of men, women - women. After supper, a brotherly kiss follows.

Adventist communities are notable for their pronounced isolation. As a rule, they enter into marriages only among themselves. Prayer meetings are usually held on Saturday mornings and Wednesday and Friday evenings. Divine services consist of reading and interpreting the Bible, prayers, sermons, singing (accompanied by a piano, organ, tape recorder) spiritual songs from the collection "Psalms of Zion", published back in 1927, as well as from the "Bible Hour". Once a year, usually on the last Saturday of September, the only annual holiday is celebrated - Harvest Day.

The core of the Adventist teaching is a detailed analysis of the eschatological passages of Holy Scripture, mainly the book of the prophet Daniel and the Revelation of John ("Apocalypse"). In their opinion, the expected Second Coming of Christ to earth will not be the beginning of the Judgment and the end of the world. Christ will appear a second time only to establish the millennial kingdom of the saints. It will begin with the resurrection of the dead righteous - this is the so-called "first resurrection" - who, together with the living righteous, will reign in heaven for the next thousand years. Dead sinners will remain unresurrected in their graves all this time. And living sinners will be thrown into a dungeon (ditch) for all this time. The works of human hands on earth will be destroyed. Then Christ will come a third time, resurrect the wicked, release Satan, and destroy them all with fire in battle. The remaining righteous will enjoy earthly joys in a renewed world.

In connection with such ideas, Adventists reject the traditional Christian doctrine of hell and heaven. The soul does not die after death, but it does not travel in the afterlife either. She seems to fall into a dream, waiting for the Second Coming.

It is believed that it was from the Adventists that the Jehovah's Witnesses borrowed the theory of the Second Coming.

In the early 20th century, a group called the Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement broke away from the Seventh-day Adventists. It was inspired by Pastor L.R. Conradi (1856-1939). The reformists believed that Adventists should not serve in the military. They called the old Adventists apostates, and called themselves "the true remnant of the people of God." In 1951, the reformist sect also split into two parts. Moreover, the process of disintegration was accompanied by the division of common property through the courts.

The leadership of reformist organizations has almost unlimited power, education for ordinary members is considered an unnecessary luxury: in Central America, for example, sect leaders ordered children to stop attending even elementary school - under the pretext that education could interfere with "spiritual" life. This was explained, of course, by the proximity of the end of time. In other countries, students from Reform Adventist families are prohibited from participating in school and sports activities. Members of the reform movement are not allowed to read anything other than the recommended literature. Those who left the movement are considered apostates, contact with them is prohibited. Reform Adventists have a system of petty taboos. It is believed, for example, that on Saturday it is a sin to shave and watch TV. This sect preaches vegetarianism (as a necessary condition for salvation) and strict observance of bodily cleanliness. If a person enters into a second marriage, he is excommunicated from the church.

Unlike orthodox Adventists, who recognize the Holy Trinity, Reformists do not accept this doctrine. They believe that Christ was a created being and, while living on earth, had no divinity.

The attitude of this sect towards existing confessions is extremely hostile. According to their teaching, "in 1844 an angel proclaimed the fall of all existing churches," except, of course, the Reformists. God, from the point of view of this Adventist movement, is a formidable tyrant, ready to destroy anyone who goes beyond the prescriptions of the leadership. Only a few will be saved: only 144,000 will be redeemed, the rest "are subject to destruction."

The first seeds of Adventist teaching penetrated into Russia in the second half of the 19th century through printed literature, which was sent from America by Mennonite settlers converted to Adventism to their relatives living on the outskirts of Russia: on the banks of the Dnieper, in the Crimea, the Volga region and the Caucasus. The first Adventist community was formed by Luis Konradi (reformist leader) in 1886 in the town of Berdebulat in the Crimea. It consisted mainly of German colonists.

The first Russian community was organized in 1890 in Stavropol with the active participation of the former deacon of the Orthodox Church Feofil Babienko, who was exiled to the Caucasus for the “Society of Bible Devotees” he created near Kiev. With the proclamation of religious freedom on April 17, 1905, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Russia was recognized by the tsarist government as legitimate and official.

After 1917, the activities of Adventists in Russia noticeably intensified. The magazines "Blagovestnik", "Voice of Truth" were published. In 1926 and 1927 Together with the Baptist Church, Adventists published Bibles in large and pocket formats in state publishing houses in Leningrad and Kiev. Sectarians organized agricultural communes, opened a clinic near Saratov, and carried out active missionary work.

The repressions of the 1930s did not bypass the members of the SDA church. As an accusation, common labels of "agents of Germany and the United States" were hung on members of the sects. The situation changed little in the 1950s and 1960s when many Adventist prayer houses were closed. In 1960, the All-Union Council of Seventh-day Adventists, created after the war, was dissolved.

Only in 1977-1979. a new organizational revival of the church began, and in 1981 the communities in Russia united.

In 1990, at the 55th World Congress of the General Conference of the Adventist Church in Indianapolis (USA), the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the USSR was given the status of a world branch (division) of the World Church. MP Kulakov became the first president of this department. The branch consisted of five unions: Russian, Ukrainian, Moldavian, Baltic and Southern.

The Russian Union of Associations was reorganized on July 14, 1994. Two unions (unions) were created on the territory of the country - East Russian and West Russian.

As of January 1, 2003, more than 600 Seventh-day Adventist organizations were registered in Russia, including one educational institution - the Theological Academy in the village of Zaoksky, Tula Region. Adventist health centers have been established in several cities. There are about 90,000 Seventh-day Adventists in the country. Approximately 5,000 represent the reformist branch of the sect.

The Adventist publishing house "Source of Life", also located in Zaoksky, publishes various religious literature: the magazines "Adventist Bulletin", "Good News", "Alpha and Omega" and "Theological Bulletin" (a magazine for the pastors of the Church), "Let's become friends" ( youth magazine), the newspapers Slovo reconciliation and Now time. There is a radio and television center "Voice of Hope" (Tula), whose programs are broadcast on the Central Radio and Television, and television centers in Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod.

916 Adventist religious communities, 9 periodicals, 3 educational institutions of this church are registered in Ukraine.

Recently, sixty Australian Adventist schools decided to declare themselves a Harry Potter-free zone.

According to leaders of Adventist education in the region, JK Rowling's books can encourage children to engage in the occult.

Students are allowed to read books about the young wizard, but only in their free time from school. So if you want to feel a spiritual connection with the students in Australia, read Rowling on Saturday. Perhaps young Adventists at this time will allow themselves to relax with a book.

We have already discussed what sects are and how dangerous they are for people. In the framework of this article, we will consider the issue of sects from the other side. In particular, let's see if the Seventh-day Adventists are a sect or not?

Most Orthodox believers, or people who consider themselves as such, think that "any" other movements are definitely sects. What can we say about Adventists, who, lately, have been actively discussed in the media, and the question is asked: is Seventh-day Adventists a sect or not? Here we will try to find the answer, but first we will find out who the Adventists are and where they came from.

History of Adventism

Adventism appeared in early XIX century in the United States as a result of the Great Religious Awakening, when many Bible scholars around the world spoke of the nearness of the Second Coming of Christ, which Christians are waiting for.

The history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the USA dates back to the sermons of Baptist William Miller, who calculated the date of the Second Coming - October 22, 1844. His followers began to sell their possessions and wait for the great event. On the appointed date, nothing happened, and disappointed believers departed from this teaching.

However, in 1844, one of Miller’s followers, Ellen Harmon White, had a vision that something did happen that year—Jesus Christ entered the “Holy of Holies” of the Heavenly Temple as the High Priest who judges the affairs of God’s people. That is, the so-called phase of the “Investigative Court” has begun.

Since that time, the formation of the teachings of Adventists, led by Ellen White and her husband James, began. It was based on the interpretation of the Bible and the visions of Helen, which are considered divine revelation. Soon the name was chosen for the new movement, Adventists (from lat. Adventus- Advent) of the seventh day (Old Testament Sabbath).

At present, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has about 20 million members worldwide. The denomination has more than 120 universities and colleges, about 6000 primary schools and 1800 medium.

In addition, the Adventist Relief and Development Agency (ADRA), according to the UN Secretary General, is the largest supplier of clothing for the low-income and victims of various disasters.

In addition, Adventists own a whole network of medical institutions, publishing houses, food industry companies, radio and television centers, stations through which they carry out their activities.

Adventists in Russia

Where did Adventists come from in Russia? The first Adventists in Russia appeared in 1886 in the Crimea and the Volga region. They were German colonists. In 1890, a Russian community of Adventists was formed in Stavropol.

Initially, believers were persecuted by the authorities and the Orthodox Church, but their peaceful nature of life and non-interference in politics reduced the persecution to zero. In 1906, the official recognition of the Seventh-day Adventist Church was published by the tsarist government and sent to all provinces of the empire.

During the Soviet era, along with other religious denominations, Adventists were subjected to repression, their leaders and members were sentenced to imprisonment, exile and other types of discrimination.

Only in 1977-1979. the revival of the organizational structures of the confession began, and 1981 was marked by the unification of the Adventist communities in Russia. In 1990, at the Congress of the Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Russia, the charter of the Russian Union (Union) was adopted.

What do Adventists believe?

In general, the teachings of Seventh-day Adventists differ little from. However, it has a number of features that will make it possible to understand how Adventists differ from the entire Protestant world:

The only and indisputable creed of the Adventists is the Bible. It is worth noting that they regard the messages received in visions by Ellen White as "divine revelation", which is subject to the authority of the Holy Scriptures.
All of God's Law, the Ten Commandments, are unchanging and must be fully obeyed (including the fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath).
Adventists expect the imminent Second Coming of Christ. In 1844, Christ entered the Heavenly Sanctuary and began to cleanse it, after which He will come to earth. This event will put an end to evil on earth and establish the Kingdom of truth and goodness.
Adventists deny evolution, they believe that the entire Universe was created by the Creator, the Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
A person does not have immortality in himself, therefore, with his death, physical and spiritual life ceases. Consciousness and immortality, according to the Gospel, a believing person will gain only after the resurrection from the dead at the Second Coming of Christ.
A person should protect his spiritual and physical health by refraining from bad habits, alcohol, smoking, drugs, etc. Likewise, Adventists do not eat pork according to the universal clean food law.
The mission of Adventists is to preach the gospel to all nations and thereby hasten the coming of Christ. The preamble to the Church's published creed states that the Seventh-day Adventist Church remains open to new light and greater understanding of the Bible.

Sect or not Seventh-day Adventists ?

In previous publications, we named a number of signs of a sect that distinguish it from the rest. Let's check the Seventh-day Adventist Church for compliance with the signs of a sect:

The presence of an outstanding charismatic leader who is blindly obeyed. Well, you could say that Ellen White was that leader. Adventists believed and still believe in her revelations, considering their origin, along with the Bible, to be divine. But, as we have already said, the writings of E. White, in their opinion, do not claim the place of Holy Scripture, but only clarify the teaching, which is based on the Bible.
Lack of dissent and critical thinking among followers. Adventists have a problem with this. As much as they would like to have unanimity in their ranks, they fail to achieve it. Reform Adventists, Serovites, Links - how many times has there been a split in the church due to inconsistency of views! However, the Church proclaims the value of the freedom of choice of each person: believe as you like, but if not according to our doctrines, you will not be able to be a member. Although no one is forbidden to attend worship services.
Consciousness control and regulation of all aspects of human life (isolation from the outside world, a ban on meetings with family, reading books, watching TV). Of course, they can influence their members by recommending a certain way of life to them. However, in the Adventist communities, no one isolates anyone from society and does not prohibit doing certain things. A person is free to choose how to live, although his choice, which does not correspond to the teachings of the Adventists, the community will react “according to the Charter”: censure or expulsion from members. Everything has its consequences.
the use of group psychotechnics, hypnosis, the use of psychotropic substances. As a result, the personality is deformed under intense psychological influence. They don't own that in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Substances are forbidden to use according to the teachings, and little is known about psychotechnics here. Many who come to their service, on the contrary, will say that everything passes without fireworks and spectacles - somehow even boring.
The presence of a rigid authoritarian structure, cruelty in the treatment of people. The authoritarian structure exists. The world organization is divided into divisions, unions, conferences and local communities. Despite this, the local Adventist community is vested with the highest authority in decision-making. Cruelty in the treatment of people, of course, no. As we wrote above, no one is forcing anyone to act one way or another, but there are certain reactions to a person’s choice.
Using ordinary members to commit crimes (mass suicides, terrorist attacks). This is not observed. The Seventh-day Adventist Church and its members preach active citizenship and obedience to the laws of the state.
Deception of ordinary members by default, concealment of information. This information is not available. Adventist organizational structures operate transparently and communicate their decisions to local communities. Reporting activities for certain periods of time are also practiced.
intensive campaigning methods to attract new followers. In this, Adventists try to keep up with other denominations. Fortunately, the television centers and publishing houses available to the organization are a good help in such a matter.
inconstancy of the criteria of truth, the possibility of changing the dogma depending on external circumstances. From the founding of the Adventist Church to this day, their core beliefs have remained virtually unchanged. Since the doctrine of Seventh-day Adventists is based on the Bible, it is not easy to adjust it to external circumstances(for example, under the threat of Soviet repression).
The fragility of existence (on average, one and a half generations, while the leader and his close circle are alive). How old is Adventism? If you count from 1844, in 2016 he will be 172 years old. Of course, this cannot be compared with, but 172 years is not one and a half generations of people, and Adventists in Russia are no exception. By the way, 101 years have passed since the death of Ellen White in 1915, and the denomination still exists.
Frequent funding from abroad through various foundations; creation of financial dependence on the organization. Well, Adventists have funding from abroad. However, it is aimed at supporting any projects. In the Church of Seventh-day Adventist Christians, the current activities of the church are supported by the funds of the parishioners: tithes and voluntary donations. Part of the collected funds remains in the local general, the rest goes to the General Conference, where it is distributed to the needs of any territory.

It must be said that this article was not written in order to lure readers or convince them of our rightness. However, you can see that there are practically no signs of a sect in Adventism, and that small part of them that is confirmed is also found in other churches and denominations (we spoke about their sectarian past in previous publications).

When discussing whether Seventh-day Adventists are a sect or not, we should probably not be superstitious and reject everything new and unknown. Who sincerely seeks God, "his" church and his true faith, he will find what he really needs.

The doctrine of the church asd. About Adventism

About the title

History of Adventism

History of Adventism in Russia

Faith and way of life

Distinctive features of creed and way of life

The role of E. White in the formation of dogma

Health, medicine

State, politics, power structures

Discipline in the Church

The essence of the doctrine of the Investigative Court.

Organization

Number and distribution

Adventism in Russia

Personalities

Adventist Reformists

Criticism

see also

Notes

Links

About the title

History of Adventism

The origin and development of Adventism in the USA

History of Adventism in Russia

Faith and way of life

Distinctive features of creed and way of life

Seventh-day Adventist attitude towards the Sabbath

Denying the immortality of the soul

Doctrine of the Investigative Court

Eschatology

Health, medicine, nutrition

State, politics, power structures

Discipline in Adventist Congregations

Worship and clergy

Church rites

Organization

List of divisions

Seventh-day Adventist Church in the CIS

Ukrainian union

Number and distribution

Adventism in Russia

Adventism in Japan

History of Adventism

Adventists in Russia

What do Adventists believe?

Sect or not Seventh-day Adventists ?