To Be Distinguished From Seventh-day Adventists

These actions were taken by the First-Day group of Adventists. This body stood in contradistinction to the group beginning to accept the seventh-day Sabbath truth and, shortly thereafter, the sanctuary light. It should be distinctly understood in this connection that this minority group of Adventists, because of accepting the true Sabbath of the Bible, and because of their better understanding of the second advent of Christ through the ministration in the heavenly sanctuary, came to be known later,AGP 249.4

and now continue to be known, as Seventh-day Adventists. They should in no way be confused with the First-day Adventists, who were in the majority at that time, and who have continued to the present day, though now in far smaller number than the Seventh-day Adventists.AGP 250.1

From the historical incidents recited above, it can be clearly seen that we are brought, amid unfavorable circumstances, to the divinely appointed hour when the true gift of prophecy was to be manifest in the remnant church that had just begun to stress “the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Its beginning was under the severe handicap of prejudice, adverse conference actions by the main body of Adventists, and popular disgust over manifestly false visions fostered by the evil one to hamper the true manifestation that had just made its appearance. This true manifestation came at the appointed hour, to bear its early testimony of counsel and warning, instruction and entreaty, to the remnant church. It was submitted to the divinely appointed tests of the word and to examination by its fruits, as we shall see.AGP 250.2

Accepted because it met every test specified by the Scriptures of truth, the spirit of prophecy was received by this Sabbath-keeping company as the third of the three great distinguishing marks disclosed in the word as identifying the true church for the last days. Its blessed influence upon the life and expansion of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the theme of the closing section of this book.AGP 250.3