Seventh-Day Adventists
The world was predicted to end in 1844 with the Second Coming of Christ, by William Miller, a New England Baptist itinerant preacher. Miller's followers condemned all the churches of the day as apostate and "Babylon," and warned Christians to come out of them. A great many did, and the "Adventist movement was born and grew rapidly (Melton, J. Gordon, Encyclopedia of American Religions, Vol. 2, pp. 21-22).
His teaching based on an erroneous interpretation of Dan. 8:13-14, equating the 2,300 days with 2,300 years. He also taught that the door would be shut a few days prior for anyone to be saved. This teaching was based on the parable of the ten virgins in Matt. 25:10. Christ did not appear in 1844. After this "Great Disappointment," one "little flock" which still insisted the date of their original predictions had been correct decided the event marked by 1844, rather than the Second Coming, was the entrance of Christ into the Holy of Holies in the Heavenly Sanctuary, where He began the "Investigative Judgment." This doctrine was received and endorsed by Ellen G. White (Ibid., p. 680).
From 1844 to 1851 the group taught the "shut door" doctrine, based on Jesus' parable of the ten virgins. Anyone who had not accepted the Adventist message by the time Jesus entered the Holy of Holies was to be shut out permanently, as were the five foolish virgins. Cut off from the Bridegroom, they could not join the Adventists or have any hope of eternal life. Ellen White not only approved and taught this doctrine, her first vision experience was largely responsible for its being received by the Adventist group (Brinsmead, Robert, D., Judged by the Gospel: A Review of Adventism, pp. 130-33).
By 1846 the group adopted the Seventh-day Baptists' view that the Saturday Sabbath must be observed by Christians. A highly elevated form of this doctrine, together with the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment, became the hallmarks of Seventh-day Adventism. In 1850 James and Ellen White began publishing a magazine, the Review & Herald, to disseminate Adventist and Sabbatarian doctrines. This helped many of the remaining "Millerites" to coalesce into a distinctive body which adopted the name of Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1860, and formally incorporated in 1863, with approximately 3,500 members in 125 congregations (Encyclopedia of American Religion, Vol. 2, p. 681).
Ellen White never held official title as the head of the church, but was one of its founders and acknowledged spiritual leader. She rather disingenuously declined to claim the title of "prophet," calling herself a "messenger" instead (Damsteegt, P.G., et. al., Seventh-day Adventists Believe. . ., p. 224). But she claimed to have the "spirit of prophecy," and that her messages were direct from God for the guidance and instruction of the church. With her knowledge and consent others called her a prophet, and even "the Spirit of Prophecy" (Barnett, Maurice, Ellen G. White & Inspiration, pp. 5-17). Having only a third grade education, Ellen White said for years she was unable to read, bolstering the claim that her beautiful prose was inspired by God. However, it has been discovered that she not only ready but plagiarized other Christian authors through virtually all her writings. The sad facts of this matter have been thoroughly and indisputably established in several books. (e.g., see; Rea, Walter, The White Lie; and, Judged by the Gospel, pp. 361-383). Ellen White dies in 1915 at age eighty-eight.
". . .Christ made it clear that He required baptism of those who wished to become part of his church, His spiritual kingdom." "In baptism believers enter into the passion experience of our Lord." ". . .[B]aptism also marks [a] person's entrance into Christ's spiritual kingdom. . .it unites the new believer to Christ. . .Through baptism the Lord adds the new disciples to the body of believers - His body, the church. . .then they are members of God's family" (SDA's Believe. . ., pp. 182, 184, 187).
". . .[T]he divine institution of the Sabbath is to be restored. . .The delivering of this message will precipitate a conflict that will involve the whole world. The central issue will be obedience to God's law and the observance of the Sabbath… Those who reject it will eventually receive the mark of the beast" (Ibid., pp. 262-63). In one of her most revered works, Ellen White wrote that Sabbath observance would be the "line of distinction" in the "final test" that will separate God's end-time people who "receive the seal of God" and are saved, from those who "receive the mark of the beast" (The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan, p. 605).
Describing a supposed vision direct from God, Ellen White wrote, "I saw that the Holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers" (Early Writings, p. 33; emphasis added). She also wrote of some Adventists failing to understand that "Sabbath. . .observance was of sufficient importance to draw a line between the people of God and unbelievers" (Ibid., p. 85).
"In 1844. . .[Christ] entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgement which is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin. . .It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. This judgement vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom" (SDA's Believe. . ., p. 312; emphasis added).
". . .[O]ur High Priest enters the holy of holies [in 1844]. . .to perform the work of investigative judgement and to make an atonement for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits. . .Every man's work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. . .The law of God is the standard by which the characters and the lives of men will be tested in the judgement. . .As the books of record are opened in the judgement, the lives of all those who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. . .Names are accepted, names rejected. . .as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life. . .Jesus does not excuse their sins, but shows their penitence and faith, and, claiming for them forgiveness, He lifts His wounded hands before the Father. . .Sins that have not been repented of and forsaken will not be pardoned and blotted out of the books of record, but will stand to witness against the sinner. . .[Christ] had kept His Father's commandments, and there was no sin in Him. . .this is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble" (Great Controversy, pp. 480, 482-84, 486, 623).
According to Ellen White one must believe this doctrine to be saved. "Those who would share the benefits of the Savior's mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God. . .The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgement should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position [in the Holy of Holies] and work [investigative judgement] of their great High Priest. Otherwise it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this time or to occupy the position which God designs for them to fill. Every individual has a soul to save or to lose. Each has a case pending at the bar of God. . .All who have received the light on these subjects are to bear testimony of the great truths which God has committed to them. The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ's work in behalf of men. . .It is of the utmost importance that all should thoroughly investigate these subjects. . .The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon a cross. By His death He began that work which after his resurrection He ascended to complete in Heaven" (Ibid., pp. 488-89; emphasis added).
One must keep certain parts of the Law.
The third distinctive doctrine of Adventism is "That the Spirit of prophecy, or the prophetic gift, is one of the gifts of the Spirit promised to the church in the last days, and that that gift was manifested to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church n the work and writings of Ellen G. White." Questions and Doctrine p. 25.
At one of their Annual meetings (c. April 1980) they affirmed Mrs. White to be "inspired in the same sense as were the Bible prophets…as the Lord’s messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth."