Forming The Movement

It is wonderful to trace the hand of God’s providence in the bringing forth of the movement, its message, and its people. To give the threefold message, it was necessary that its heralds should primarily understand three great truths brought to view in Revelation 14:SPIAM 25.2

1. The commandments of God and the Sabbath truth.SPIAM 25.3

2. The meaning of the judgment hour. And, as shown in Revelation 12,SPIAM 25.4

3. The remnant church of the prophecy was to have the gift of the Spirit of prophecy.SPIAM 25.5

No one man, no one group, was left to frame a movement to fulfill these specifications. The providence of God put the movement together as the hour of God’s judgment came in 1844. Here are three steps in the process:SPIAM 25.6

1. In 1844, in New Hampshire, in old New England, a group of devoted advent believers saw the truth of the commandments of God. They understood that church tradition had lawlessly perverted the fourth commandment; and in March, 1844, the first members of this group began to keep the seventh-day Sabbath of the commandments.SPIAM 25.7

2. In the same year, in October, 1844, the true light on the heavenly sanctuary and its relation to the judgment hour began to come to a little group of advent believers in the western part of the State of New York.SPIAM 25.8

Erelong representatives of those keeping the Sabbath came in contact with those having light as to the judgment work, the cleansing of the sanctuary. As the two groups exchanged light on Bible truths, here was the beginning of a movement standing for the commandments of God and holding the Bible truths required for proclaiming intelligently the message, “The hour of His judgment is come.”SPIAM 26.1

3. Yet further, in the year 1844—that fateful year of prophecy—in eastern New England, in the State of Maine, there was a group of advent believers among whom was manifested the gift of the Spirit of prophecy. The agent of this gift was called to service in 1844. Later those associated with this gift came in contact with the Bible teaching already referred to,—the truths of the Sabbath and of the heavenly sanctuary and the judgment hour. Thus was formed the nucleus of the definite advent movement of the prophecy. We see the various special factors all having their roots in 1844. And from that day to this, the people of the prophecy have been hastening on toward all nations with the gospel message of preparation to meet the Lord.SPIAM 26.2