Adventism

As Adventists (from the Latin adventus, " arrival" ) or Millerites, followers of a Christian religious revival movement of the 19th century were called in the U.S., for the doctrine of the second advent, ie of the imminent return of Jesus Christ, at that time a played a central role.

Introduction

The Baptist preacher William Miller (1782-1849) of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, calculated on the basis of the apocalyptic times the book of Daniel and some words of Jesus in the New Testament (especially Matthew 24 ) the date of Christ's return, first for 1843, then for 22 October 1844 and finally for 22 October 1845. He found many followers in many different churches. Many had to leave their ancestral churches because of their belief in the imminent Second Coming. After the failure of this event named after him movement disintegrated into various groupings that smashing theologically different directions. After 1851 was also passed, without it, would be as announced by the Millerites came to a parousia of Christ, we took general of further concrete datings distance, but kept up well into the 20th century firmly believe Jesus will return before the last witness a large meteor shower of 1833, Miller was based on Matthew 24, had died.

When we speak today of " Adventist ", members of the Free Church of Seventh- day Adventists are mostly meant.

Today's churches and faith communities

Groupings that can be historically associated with the Millerite movement in conjunction, are:

• Of Seventh -day Adventists ( SDA ): among others, the opinion of their followers talented visionary co-founder Ellen G. White Church today with about 17 million members, founded in 1863. Your differentiator over other religious communities is primarily the attitude of the Sabbath (Saturday).
• Worldwide Church of God ( WCG ) and United Church of God. Among other things, the work of Herbert W. Armstrong attributable churches together with approximately 100,000 members, founded in 1933, the Worldwide Church of God has the mid- 1990s most of their teachings as typical special Sabbath, Jewish festivals, tithe obligation abandoned.
• Church of God on the seventh day: nichttrinitarische Community; they accepted Ellen G. White as a prophet and, therefore, not split from the Seventh- day Adventist Church.
• Bible Student movement: Charles Taze Russell founded in 1881, which developed into the Zion 's Watch Tower Tract Society, the missionary work of the now known as Jehovah's Witnesses community. Previously, he was with the Adventist Nelson Barbour Homer out the missionary magazine Herald of the Morning, which spread the doctrine of an invisible return of Christ.