AN ADVENTURER S VERSION OF THE TIMELINE OF ADVENTIST HISTORY Years 1816-1818 1818-1843 What Happened An American farmer named William Miller studied the Bible and found that Jesus was going to come back to earth. There had been different signs like an earthquake in Lisbon in 1755, a day when it was dark like night for a whole day in 1780 and in 1833 there was a huge shower of falling stars in the sky, just as the Bible said there would be William Miller used the times that Daniel wrote about in the Bible to decide that Jesus was going to come back and clean the earth of sin in October 1844. Thousands of people believed him and waited for Jesus to come. The children did not go to school and the farmers did not sell their fruit, vegetables and grain to make money to feed their families because they believed that they would never need education or money again. A man called Joshua Himes also preached and wrote magazines and books to tell people 1843 In the story of the ten bridesmaids [virgins] waiting for the bridegroom in the Bible, it says that that at midnight someone shouted the bridegroom is coming and woke all the sleeping bridesmaids. This sort of shouting is also called a cry. So the message that Jesus [the bridegroom] was coming was called the Midnight Cry 1844 Jesus did not come; everyone was very, very disappointed. There was no money and the snow was about to start. Most people stopped believing that Jesus was going to come again. But a few people got out their Bibles and prayed to find out where they had gone wrong. A farmer called Hiram Edson was walking with a friend through a field full of corn plants, when he saw a vision [like a dream, but it is when you are awake. The vision was sent by God, and Hiram could not hear or see anything else until the vision was finished] The vision showed Hiram that on October 22, 1844 Jesus entered the Most Holy Place room in the Sanctuary in heaven. [The sanctuary on earth in the time of Moses was a copy of the heavenly sanctuary] Jesus was going into the Most Holy Place so that he could bring all the sins of the people on earth to God, so that they could be forgiven and wiped out. This was what had happened in October, instead of Jesus coming back again. 1845 A small group of people were told by a Ship s Captain called Joseph Bates, that the Sabbath that Jesus kept in the Bible [on Saturday] had not been changed by God to Sunday. So the small group of people joined Captain Bates in keeping the Saturday Sabbath from the Bible. Some other people including James and Ellen White did not keep the Saturday Sabbath but believed that Jesus was coming again and that he was in the Sanctuary in Heaven and would come again in the future
Years 1846-1847 1848-1849 1850-1852 What Happened James and Ellen White accepted the Saturday Sabbath and Ellen was given a special vision from God which showed that they were right. In the Bible, God sends gifts to his people and Ellen had received the gift of prophecy Through studying the Bible James and Ellen White and others in the group, discovered that you don t go straight to heaven when you die. The Bible says you go to sleep until Jesus comes again. The Sabbath keepers held a meeting and started to write and print a magazine. The company which printed the magazines they wrote was called The Review and Herald Publishing Company. The people who worked for the company were called printers James White wrote about the Three Angels who are found in the book of Revelation in the Bible. The group of Sabbath keepers found that they were part of the Third Angels message, which tells Jesus people to tell others, so that they can believe in God and be ready when he comes again. This message and many more were printed in magazines by the Review and Herald printers. There was a magazine for children and young people and the first Sabbath School pamphlets 1853- The first church school was started and the first church Pastors started 1854 1854 The first tent camp meeting was held in a big circus tent with small tents for families to stay in around it 1855-1859 The Sabbath keepers moved their homes and families and also the Review and Herald Publishing printers, printing presses and books, to a place called Battle Creek in Michigan [a state of America] they also started to give part of their money to the church. Ellen White told the church people that they should follow the Bible teaching about not eating pig s meat and other creatures that eat dead things. The Bible says that they are not good for us. 1860 The Sabbath keepers decided to name their church the Seventh Day Adventist Church 1861-1863 The Adventist church organised into a local Conference [a group of churches in the same area] and a General Conference which was all the churches meeting together. They held was is called a Session where all the churches can send one of their people [member] to one big meeting, so everyone can have a say in how the church is run] the church decides that cigarettes, coffee, tea and alcohol damage your body and teach the members to stop using them. Ellen White had a vision in 1863 which helped the church to start healthy living which few people knew about at that time
1864 In America there was a war between the people in the North of the country and the people in the South of the country, it was called The American Civil War Seventh Day Adventist men and boys did not want to shoot anyone, so they helped other soldiers who were sick or wounded. This means that when there is a war Adventists can work in hospitals or other places to look after soldiers or other people needing help 1866 The Seventh Day Adventist Church started their first hospital to help people, there were lots of sick people in America and they needed to learn how to be healthy. The first health magazine was printed and sold 1868 The very first Seventh Day Adventist camp meeting was held and Church workers went right across America to tell people about Jesus coming again 1869 The first Seventh Day Adventist Missionary Society [group of people working together] started to plan how to go from America to the rest of the world. and the Publishing house printed lots of little magazines called tracts to give out to people 1872 The first Seventh Day Adventist school opened in Battle Creek. It is for teenagers and is later called a College 1880 Missionaries had travelled to several countries and the 15,000 members of the Seventh Day Adventist church used 7 different languages 1874-1875 1876-1877 The Review and Herald Publishing Company printers started a magazine called The Signs of the Times This magazine is still printed today and it is called the Signs Across the other side of America a new publishing company was started, called the Pacific Press Publishing Company lots of story books today are printed by Pacific Press More Missionaries leave America for other countries and the Signs of the Times magazine is written in other languages 1878 The first Sabbath School offerings are collected for the Missionaries and their work 1879 The first Youth society is started to spread the message of Jesus return to young people 1880-1881 The first Literature Evangelist [Church member selling books] began to sell Seventh Day Adventist books to people so they could learn about heath and about Jesus 1883 The first Nurses training started at the hospital in Battle Creek
1885 Missionaries came to Australia and held meetings in big tents and halls. The first Seventh Day Adventists in Australia were baptised 1886-1889 1890-1896 Missionaries travelled to more and more countries, Churches started in lots of places and the number of people who became Seventh Day Adventists was growing all the time. A Religious Liberty Association [group of people working together] started to make sure that all people had freedom to worship God how and when they wished. In 1888 a big meeting was held, the members learnt that they did not need to do good things to earn God s love. Going to heaven was a free gift to everyone who believed in Jesus and that he died so that we could live forever. Those people who believed would want to do good things for others because that is what Jesus did. There were Missionaries in many countries, lots of countries now had churches organised into conferences with schools and hospitals. Ellen White visited Australia and lived in Melbourne and Sydney. The first Youth Society was started in Australia and some houses were used to help sick people [Health Work] The Missionary boat Pitcairn started work in the Pacific Islands 1897 Avondale College opens in Cooranbong New South Wales, Australia. 1898-1901 More Missionaries were sent out and more people learnt about the Seventh Day Adventist church. The church leaders decided to start Hospitals and schools for people all over the world 1902 A big fire in Battle Creek burned down the Hospital and the Review and Herald Publishing Company buildings. By the next year the Hospital and Publishing Company and the people that worked there had moved to Washington, another state of America, Many church members also moved there 1903 The Sydney Sanatarium at Wahroonga opened, it is now known as the Sydney Adventist Hospital 1904-1908 1911-1914 Many more people from the countries of the world joined the Seventh Day Adventist Church. The Missionary Volunteers [MV] clubs started for Youth The Seventh Day Adventist Church starts meeting in Palestine [Israel] the land of the Bible. World War I started and finished in 1918 many Seventh-Day-Adventists soldiers served in the medical units helping soldiers and other people
1915 Ellen White died in her home in America. She had been a leader of the Seventh Day Adventist Church for most of her life 1916-1921 More programs for children were introduced. The first children s leader also started working at the General Conference building in Washington. 1922 A Church called the Dime Tabernacle was burnt down. This church was built by members donating a dime [10c] to building it, because the church members were poor. 1923- The last one of the pioneers [first members]of the Church died 1924 1926 The first Seventh Day Adventist radio broadcast was made. It became known as The Voice of Prophecy program. Adventist Radio is now heard all over the world 1930 The first Pre-JMV [Adventurer] classes started 1931- A Missionary boat worked on the Amazon River in South America 1932 1937 The first training college for Ministers opened 1938-1946 First Pathfinder club. World War II started in 1939 and finished in 1946 many Seventh- Day-Adventists soldiers served in the medical units helping soldiers and other people. 1950 First Seventh Day Adventist television program Faith for Today 1959 World membership of the Seventh Day Adventist Church reaches 1 million 1966 The first local church Adventurer Club starts in Connecticut [an American state] 1989 Adventurer clubs go worldwide References: Church Heritage Manual Anticipating the Advent A brief history of Seventh-day Adventists George R. Knight