Facts About Hell
by Samuel M. Ohmart
Why Facts about Hell? Because there is much teaching about Hell that is not fact but dishonoring superstition, conceived in ignorance, and taught as truth by men who should know better.
IT IS A FACT:
• That the popular teaching of an eternal hell has no support in the Scriptures, as we shall show.
• that “the wages of sin is death!”— utter deprivation of being, not eternal torture.
• that fear of an eternal hell has little moral value to restrain men from sin, since millions who believe it go on living in sin.
• that fear of an eternal hell is not a necessary motive in winning men to Christ, since millions of Christians do not believe in such a hell.
• that while wholesome fear of a just penalty is a Scriptural motive to turn to God, the best motive is the appeal to reason, conscience and will — not fear.
• that the doctrine of an eternal hell is the biggest single factor in today’s infidelity.
IT IS A FACT:
• that hell is an English word chosen by the translators to render four Greek or Hebrew words, three of which mean totally different things, and not one of which means hell in the popular sense, as we shall see.
• that hell in Old English meant a covered place, a pit, or concealed, hidden, like the grave.
IT IS A FACT:
• that the Hebrew word sheol, translated hell, is also rendered pit three times, and grave thirty-one times.
• that sheol could have been rendered grave, or equivalent terms, every time, had not the translators held the mediaeval theory of eternal torment.
• that in the Revised Version the revisers restored the Hebrew sheol to the text fourteen times untranslated, thus confessing the error of the King James translation and their own ignorance of the true meaning.
IT IS A FACT:
• that the Greek word hades is rendered hell improperly ten times out of eleven in the New Testament.
• that hades signifies literally the place of the dead, never a place of punishment.
• that from the cross Christ went to hades, the state of the dead, not to a place of punishment.
• that sheol in Hebrew and hades in Greek admit of the same definition -- the place of the dead. David prophesied of Christ, “Thou wilt not leave my soul in sheol,” (Psalm 16:10) and Peter quoted it in Greek, “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hades,” i.e., in the place of the dead (Acts 2:27,31).
IT IS A FACT:
• that while the Greek word gehenna is rendered hell twelve times in the Authorized Version of the New Testament, it should not have been so translated even once.
• that gehenna never means the same as sheol and hades.
• that gehenna is the Greek way of spelling gehinnom or Valley of Hinnom (Jeremiah 7:31, 32).
• that the Valley of Hinnom was the place where by city ordinance the rubbish and refuse of Jerusalem, including the bodies of executed criminals, was consigned to be burned and so destroyed.
• that the Valley of Hinnom was thus not a place of torture but of utter destruction; that it was used by Jesus as a type of the future doom of the lost; and that it has been perverted by theologians to teach a hell of endless suffering.
• that in the Revised Version the revisers restored gehenna to the text untranslated eight times, thereby confessing the error of the King James translators in rendering it hell, as well as their ignorance of the true meaning.
IT IS A FACT:
• that tartaurus, rendered hell in 2 Peter 2:4, has not the slightest reference to a place of punishment, either present or future, but rather to a place of detention, where evil angels “are reserved unto judgment.”
IT IS A FACT:
• that of the four words—sheol, hades, gehenna, tartaurus—rendered hell, not one of them means a place of present suffering or of future eternal suffering.
IT IS A FACT:
• that if there is a present hell of punishment, the devil has never been in it.
• that we read of him being cast down from heaven upon the earth (Revelation 12:9).
• that we read of him as “the serpent” in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1,5).
• that the Bible speaks of him as “going to and fro in the earth” (Job 1:7) and “walking about as a roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8).
• that he is called “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) and “the prince of this world” (John 12:31;14:30;16:11).
• that we read of him as “the god (or ruler) of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
• but no inspired writer has ever portrayed him in hell, where theologians love to locate him. What would hell be without the devil?
IT IS A FACT:
• that if there is a present hell, none of the wicked are in it, becaused they are RESERVED unto the DAY OF JUDGMENT to be PUNISHED, and therefore they are not being punished now! (2 Peter 2:9; 2 Timothy 4:1).
• that AFTER the Judgment comes Malachi’s and Peter’s “burning day,” which is also the “lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14; Malachi 4:1; 2 Peter 3:7-12). What would hell be without sinners?
IS IT NOT A FACT,
• in view of all these facts, that the notion of an everlasting hell of fiery torments is a figment of the theological imagination, and not a Bible doctrine?
For more information, contact:
Dr. John H. Roller
5847 Brookstone Dr.
Concord, NC, USA 28027-2535
704-782-9574
johnroller@faithbiblechristian.com
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Do the Saints Go to Heaven when They Die?
Do the Saints Go to Heaven When They Die?
The Question Scripturally Considered
By Elder Cortland Matthew Keach (1887-1925)
Cortland Matthew Keach was born in Alma Center, Wisconsin. He was pastor of seven or eight Advent Christian churches in Wisconsin, a farmer-preacher and a surveyor for Jackson County for 25 years.
In 1906, he wrote the words to Hymn #377 in Hymns of Heritage & Hope – “He Purchased Life for Me” – the music was written the same year, by August E. Bloom.
Do the Saints Go to Heaven When They Die?
What a question! Does anyone doubt the doctrine?
Yes: thousands doubt it; and their number is increasing every day.
But have they any good reasons for doubting it?
Yes: many good reasons, a few of which are given below.
1. It subverts the doctrine of a future resurrection.
Paul makes the resurrection indispensable to a future life. Without it they who are “fallen asleep in Christ are perished” (1 Corinthians 15:18). How are they “perished” if they are in heaven? He adds, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (v. 19). Such an argument is void if we can have a future life without a resurrection. Hear Paul again: “If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me if the dead rise not?” (v. 32). The force of this argument is destroyed if saints go to heaven when they die. Certainly that would be “advantage” enough without any resurrection. The apostles gave great stress to the doctrine of a future resurrection, but multitudes in our day feel little or no interest in the doctrine, and some have lost sight of it altogether. No wonder! If the saints can live in glory without a resurrection, what need is there of one?
2. It ignores a future day of judgment.
If men go to heaven and hell at death, a future day of judgment would be a solemn farce. If men are consigned to their eternal destinies at death, then the decision has already been made at that time, and is already being carried into execution. This would nullify any future judgment. No tribunal ever institutes a second trial unless there is some doubt as to the justness of the first. God will never begin to execute a doubtful decision. When God decides he decides right. Neither will he execute a decision before it is rendered. When will it be rendered? The Bible’s answer is: He “shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:2). John the Revelator places “the time of the dead, that they should be judged” under the sounding of the seventh trumpet (Revelation 11:15-18). The dead are raised before they are judged (Revelation 20:12).
3. It gives the prophets and the saints their reward before the time.
Revelation 11:18 reads: “The nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great;” and John places this under the seventh trumpet (v. 15). What right have we to outrage God’s revealed plan by teaching that the saints get their reward “before the time” (1 Corinthians 4:5)? “Thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:14). “The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works” (Matthew 16:27).
4. It takes the saints to their reward instead of Christ’s bringing their reward to them.
“Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12).
5. It makes the place of reward in heaven, while the Scriptures make it on earth.
“Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth” (Proverbs 11:31). Read Psalm 37:9-11, 22, 27; Matthew 5:5; Revelation 5:10; 11:15.
6. It contradicts the biblical doctrine that the dead are unconscious.
“The dead know not anything” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). “Their love and their hatred and their envy is now perished” (v. 6). “In that very day his thoughts perish” (Psalm 146:3-4). “In death there is no remembrance of thee” (Psalm 6:5).
7. It contradicts the Bible doctrine that the dead are asleep.
“David fell on sleep” (Acts 13:36). “Some are fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:6). “Fallen asleep in Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:18). “The first fruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20). “Concerning them which are asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; I go that I may awake him out of his sleep” (John 11:11). “Many that sleep in the dust” (Daniel 12:2). “And when he had said this he fell asleep” (Acts 7:60). This sleep is broken by the resurrection. “I go that I may awake him out of his sleep” (John 11:11). “Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust” (Isaiah 26:19). “I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15). “Many of the bodies of the saints that slept arose.” The Bible is full of the sleep of the dead.
8. It makes Christ’s coming to receive his people utterly needless. Christ makes it needful.
“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3).
9. It makes death a friend and the “gate to glory.”
Paul calls death an “enemy” (1 Corinthians 15:26). Hezekiah calls it “the gate to the grave” (Isaiah 38:10). God calls the realm of death “the land of the enemy” (Jeremiah 31:16). God is going to “swallow up death in victory” (Isaiah 25:8). This will be brought to pass at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:54). If death is indeed a friend, why do good men so vigorously resent it? “You treat no other friend so ill.”
10. It is positively denied by Christ and his apostles.
Jesus says, “Where I go, thither ye cannot come” (John 7:34; 13:33,36). Yet some teach that they got there nearly as quickly as he did, and that the thief got there just as quick; and that some even got there before he did. John writes, “No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (John 3:13). This is spoken to negate someone’s doctrine. Whose is it? Not even Enoch and Elijah have gone to that heaven where God dwells. Jesus is the only man who has ever gone there, and he is more than man. He now dwells in “light which no man can approach unto” (1 Timothy 6:16).
11. It contradicts the word of God as to where men really do go at death.
God told Adam where he should go when he died: “Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). Webster says that “thou” is the pronoun used in addressing persons. “His breath goeth forth, he returneth unto his earth” (Psalm 146:3-4). “Man lieth down” (Job 14:12). “Thou takest away their breath, they die and return to their dust” (Psalm 104:29). “All go unto one place; all are of the dust and all turn to dust again” (Ecclesiastes 3:20). “There is no work, nor knowledge, nor device, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). If you will read the Scriptures carefully you will discover that the words which denote the personality are always applied to the physical man, and never to the breath or spirit of life. Hence we must conclude that the physical man is the real man, and that the spirit of life from God is that which causes him to live.
12. It sanctions Satan’s falsehood by teaching that man does not surely die.
“Man, thou shalt never die.” — R.H. Dana
“Thou shalt not surely die.” — Satan (Genesis 3:4)
Scriptures Supposed to Teach It
1. Genesis 15:15 – “Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace.” This did not mean go to heaven, for Abram’s fathers were idolaters, hence were not in heaven on any supposition. Genesis 49:29 explains this passage. It reads: “And he charged them, and said unto them, ‘I am to be gathered unto my people, bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron.’”
2. Genesis 35:18 and 1 Kings 17:21 – “Soul was departing,” “Soul came into him again.” The word translated “soul” sometimes means “life,” and as such is the attribute of “every living thing” (Job 12:10). There is nothing about “going to heaven” here. The Hebrew word nephesh (here rendered “soul”) is translated “life” and “living” about 120 times in the Old Testament scriptures.
3. 1 Samuel 28:19 – “Tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me.” This is a part of a conversation between King Saul and a certain “spirit of divination” (see 1 Chronicles 10:13), or “familiar spirit,” acting or speaking through the witch of Endor, and assuming to be the prophet Samuel. That Samuel himself was not there is evident:
First, because Samuel was dead, and “the dead know not anything.”
Second, the person seen was “like gods coming up out of the earth,” which is not a good description of a soul coming down out of heaven.
Third, he was described as “an old man with a mantle,” a poor description of an immortal soul, if such is meant.
Fourth, he said, “Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up?” Strange talk for one who has just come down from heaven, if such be true!
Fifth, Samuel could not promise heaven to wicked men, and such were Saul and his sons.
4. 2 Samuel 12:23 – “I shall go to him.” David is now in the grave with his child. Peter testifies thus: “David is not ascended into the heavens” (Acts 2:34).
5. 1 Chronicles 17:11 – “Thou must go to be with thy fathers.” Acts 13:36 explains this. “David fell on sleep and was laid with his fathers, and saw corruption.” Do saints see corruption in heaven?
6. Ecclesiastes 12:7 – “The spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” This is evidently the same spirit of which Job speaks in Job 27:3: “The spirit of God is in my nostrils.” Was Job’s immortal soul in his nostrils? Certainly not! The margin reads, “that is, the breath which God gave him” (Genesis 2:7). The breath of life is the element which causes men to live. See Job 33:4. It is not a personality, for it is found in the nostrils of beasts as well as men (Genesis 7:21-22). The word translated “spirit” also sometimes denotes a condition of the mind, but never an immortal soul, capable of living apart from the body. It sometimes means “supernatural” in contrast to the “natural” (1 Corinthians 15:44-45), and in this sense is applied to God, angels, the Holy Spirit, Christ, and the resurrected bodies of believers.
7. Matthew 10:28 – “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul.” We cannot destroy the principle of life, even though we can kill the man. The principle of life, here called “soul,” is no more the man than the life of the beast is a spirit beast. When the word “soul” is used to denote a person, it means the whole person, not a part of him. God can destroy both life and body in gehenna, hence from the “second death” there can be no resurrection. The original Greek word here rendered “soul” is rendered “life” and “lives” about forty times in the New Testament. It is rendered “soul” 59 times, and is also translated “mind,” “us,” “you” and “heart,” and is twice applied to the beasts that perish.
8. Matthew 17:1-9 – “There appeared unto them Moses and Elias.” Verse 9 affirms that this is a vision, and a vision is not a reality. Read Acts 12:9. The vision foreshadowed the glory and majesty of Christ at his coming. See 2 Peter 1:16-18. There is nothing about “going to heaven” here. If indeed this was a real manifestation, and not a supernatural vision, then we must conclude that since Elias (Elijah) was translated and never died, he must have been there bodily if at all, and if he was there bodily, so was Moses, and so Moses must have been temporarily resurrected for the occasion. See Jude 9.
9. Luke 16:19-31 – The rich man and Lazarus. This is not a literal history, but a parable, as the best commentators agree, and a parable cannot prove any doctrine in the face of direct testimony to the contrary. It is one of those cases where inanimate objects are personified and represented as occupying conditions and performing work which would be impossible in a literal sense. In this manner trees and other inanimate things are made to walk, talk and perform other impossible acts. Read Judges 9:9-16 as an example. Space forbids a full exposition here, but a few thoughts may be suggested. The “rich man” has been regarded as representing the Jewish priesthood, which indeed was “clothed in fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.” The poor man (Lazarus) represents those social and moral outcasts of Israel, who were excluded from the temple worship and were regarded as fitting associates for the Gentile “dogs,” as they were called. Jesus was censured for receiving and eating with this same class of Jews (see Luke 15). Christ responds by a series of parables, of which this is one. The parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son represent the return to the favor of God of “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The parable of the unjust steward hinted the collapse of the Jewish priesthood and their attempt to retain their position by fraud. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus represents – by the figure of death and burial – the total collapse of the Jewish priesthood, while the poor man undergoes a figurative death unto sin and is received into the very bosom of the Abrahamic covenant. The subsequent wailings of the Jewish priesthood, while rejecting Christ, yet pleading for mercy, or rather hoping for recognition through their relation to Abraham, while they are separated from the Abrahamic covenant by the gulf of unbelief, is fitly represented in the language of the parable, and this same gulf of unbelief places them beyond the reach of those who would otherwise help them and becomes an insuperable barrier to the rest of the Jewish family, who having “Moses and the prophets,” hear them not.
10. Luke 23:43 – Christ’s promise to the thief on the cross is thought to prove that saints go immediately to heaven at death. It is usually quoted thus: “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” The Curetonian Syriac, the oldest known version of the New Testament, renders the passage thus: “Verily I say unto thee today, thou shalt be with me in Eden’s garden;’ making it mean as if he had said, “I give you a present assurance – now, today – that when I shall come into my kingdom, you shall be with me in paradise.” This makes it harmonize with the thief’s request, which was to be remembered when he should come (return) into his kingdom, not when he went away to receive it (Luke 19:12). Later translations place the comma after “today,” which of course changes the meaning. We like the old punctuation the best, as it makes the passage harmonize with the uniform teaching of the word of God. Put the comma after “today” and all is plain. Punctuation is a modern invention, and is not inspired. Webster says, “The ancients were unacquainted with punctuation; they wrote without any distinction of members, periods or words.” Hence it is our duty to punctuate the scriptures according to their true sense and harmony. A very learned author, M. Grant, lays down this rule: “When the verb in the sentence is in the indicative mode, present tense, first person singular, the adverb qualifies the verb it follows.” This rule makes the adverb “today” qualify the verb “say;” and hence requires the comma after “today,” as in the Curetonian Syriac. The word “today” is here used for emphasis, and when thus used is a term of assurance, and is well illustrated in Deuteronomy 28:1,15; 30:18,19; 32:46. That the common understanding of this text is erroneous is evident from the following considerations:
First, Christ did not go to heaven that day, but three days afterward said: “I am not yet ascended” (John 20:17).
Second, if Christ went to heaven that day, then he must have “come again,” in order to be here on the morning of the third day, which would put his second coming in the past. The Bible puts it in the future (Hebrews 9:28).
Third, his soul came from hades at his resurrection and not from heaven (Acts 2:31).
11. Philippians 1:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:8 – Paul’s desire “to depart and be with Christ” was not a desire for death, but for immediate translation to the presence of Christ. True, to die was “gain,” for he was going to magnify Christ in his body, whether by life or death. If he lived this would be the fruit of his labor; but if he died a martyr for Christ he would thus magnify him in his death. In either case he would gain eternal life. See Matthew 10:39. As between a life of anxious toil and labor on the one hand, and death as a martyr on the other, Paul had no choice. “I am in a strait betwixt two,” he said; “what I shall choose I wot not.” What Paul did choose was neither life in this present world, nor death, but something far better than either, viz., “to depart and be with Christ.” He so yearned for the present of Christ, that if possible he would at once be translated to his presence, but he knew that his desire could not be granted (v. 25). It was more needful for the church that he “abide” (remain) with them (v. 24), yet he was “willing rather to be absent from” them and by translation “to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8 – “Absent from the body,” that is, from the church, for the church in this present world is “the body of Christ” (Romans 12:4,5; Ephesians 1:22,23; Colossians 1:18, etc.). It is sometimes objected that the church is not meant in 2 Corinthians 5:7-8, because when Christ comes again to raise the dead Paul will be at home in the church and present with the Lord too. The answer is twofold:
First, the church militant is called the body of Christ, while the church triumphant never is.
Second, the logic of this argument is fatal to the position that the physical body is meant, for when Jesus comes and raises the dead, Paul will be at home in his body and present with the Lord too – a condition positively denied in the words “while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.” If we understand the “body” to be the church militant, all is plain.
12. 2 Corinthians 5:1 – “If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” To suppose that “our earthly house” here means our physical bodies involves many absurdities. We will notice a few:
First, our “earthly house” is contrasted with one “not made with hands,” which implies that the earthly house is made by the art of man, which is not true of our physical bodies.
Second, if the physical body is meant, then we have other bodies in heaven awaiting our arrival there, which would make heaven a storehouse of soulless bodies. Who is willing to swallow that idea?
Third, our house “not made with hands” is “eternal.” What will God do with the eternal bodies of those who backslide and never get to heaven to occupy them?
Fourth, when this mortal is raised and puts on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:42-54), what will we do with the extra body? Won’t we have one body too many?
Fifth, if we get an eternal body at death, what need is there of a resurrection? Will we need two eternal bodies to make us happy?
Let us now consider what Paul really meant. This is not the only place where Paul has spoken of these things. In Hebrews 9:11, while contrasting the old covenant and its service with the new, he says: “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, but a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands.” We pause to ask, what does Paul mean by the phrase, “not made with hands”? Does he mean anything? Yes, let him explain: “By a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building.” There can be no doubt that Paul refers to the temple at Jerusalem when he speaks of “this building” in contrast to the one “not made with hands,” which temple answered to the former tabernacle reared in the wilderness. Hear Paul again: “Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands” (Hebrews 9:24). So we see that Paul means something by the words “not made with hands,” and that he uses the expression to distinguish between God-made things and man-made things. Paul was a Jew, and hence could speak of the temple at Jerusalem – so soon to be destroyed – as “our earthly house of this tabernacle,” which he in Hebrews calls “this building,” and a “worldly (earthly) sanctuary.” It was soon to be dissolved (taken down), but what of that? We have a “more perfect tabernacle” wherein Christ has entered for us, and where we may enter by him, and as we have been clothed with the benefits of the earthly tabernacle, we may be more completely clothed with the heavenly tabernacle in the reception of greater blessings, even life and immortality. When the new Jerusalem comes down (Revelation 21), “the tabernacle of God” will be with men and we shall then be fully invested with “our house which is from heaven.” Thus mortality will have been “swallowed up of life;” and then “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying.” *
13. Revelation 6:9-11 – The souls under the altar. We inquire: First, who are they? They are the souls (persons) of those who were beheaded for Christ in the great papal persecution. “Soul” often means “person” (Leviticus 17:12,15).
Second, where were they seen? Not in heaven, but on earth – “under the altar.”
Third, what was their cry? It was a prayer for vengeance, as they lay weltering in their blood. Divine vengeance was called for. Their cry was like that of Abel. God said to Cain, “The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth to me out of the ground” (Genesis 4:10).
Fourth, what were the white robes? They were “the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:8). The white robes are “given” to them, implying imputed righteousness. Thus were they committed to the earth, in humble trust, to “rest” until earth’s persecutions are past; when they will “awake to eternal life” (Daniel 12:2).
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voices of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
“Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
Published by the Western Advent Christian Publications Association, Mendota, Illinois.
Reprinted by the Advent Christian General Conference of American, Inc., Charlotte, N.C., 2004.
For more information, contact:
Dr. John H. Roller
5847 Brookstone Dr.
Concord, NC, USA 28027-2535
704-782-9574
johnroller@faithbiblechristian.com
The Question Scripturally Considered
By Elder Cortland Matthew Keach (1887-1925)
Cortland Matthew Keach was born in Alma Center, Wisconsin. He was pastor of seven or eight Advent Christian churches in Wisconsin, a farmer-preacher and a surveyor for Jackson County for 25 years.
In 1906, he wrote the words to Hymn #377 in Hymns of Heritage & Hope – “He Purchased Life for Me” – the music was written the same year, by August E. Bloom.
Do the Saints Go to Heaven When They Die?
What a question! Does anyone doubt the doctrine?
Yes: thousands doubt it; and their number is increasing every day.
But have they any good reasons for doubting it?
Yes: many good reasons, a few of which are given below.
1. It subverts the doctrine of a future resurrection.
Paul makes the resurrection indispensable to a future life. Without it they who are “fallen asleep in Christ are perished” (1 Corinthians 15:18). How are they “perished” if they are in heaven? He adds, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (v. 19). Such an argument is void if we can have a future life without a resurrection. Hear Paul again: “If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me if the dead rise not?” (v. 32). The force of this argument is destroyed if saints go to heaven when they die. Certainly that would be “advantage” enough without any resurrection. The apostles gave great stress to the doctrine of a future resurrection, but multitudes in our day feel little or no interest in the doctrine, and some have lost sight of it altogether. No wonder! If the saints can live in glory without a resurrection, what need is there of one?
2. It ignores a future day of judgment.
If men go to heaven and hell at death, a future day of judgment would be a solemn farce. If men are consigned to their eternal destinies at death, then the decision has already been made at that time, and is already being carried into execution. This would nullify any future judgment. No tribunal ever institutes a second trial unless there is some doubt as to the justness of the first. God will never begin to execute a doubtful decision. When God decides he decides right. Neither will he execute a decision before it is rendered. When will it be rendered? The Bible’s answer is: He “shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:2). John the Revelator places “the time of the dead, that they should be judged” under the sounding of the seventh trumpet (Revelation 11:15-18). The dead are raised before they are judged (Revelation 20:12).
3. It gives the prophets and the saints their reward before the time.
Revelation 11:18 reads: “The nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great;” and John places this under the seventh trumpet (v. 15). What right have we to outrage God’s revealed plan by teaching that the saints get their reward “before the time” (1 Corinthians 4:5)? “Thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:14). “The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works” (Matthew 16:27).
4. It takes the saints to their reward instead of Christ’s bringing their reward to them.
“Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12).
5. It makes the place of reward in heaven, while the Scriptures make it on earth.
“Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth” (Proverbs 11:31). Read Psalm 37:9-11, 22, 27; Matthew 5:5; Revelation 5:10; 11:15.
6. It contradicts the biblical doctrine that the dead are unconscious.
“The dead know not anything” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). “Their love and their hatred and their envy is now perished” (v. 6). “In that very day his thoughts perish” (Psalm 146:3-4). “In death there is no remembrance of thee” (Psalm 6:5).
7. It contradicts the Bible doctrine that the dead are asleep.
“David fell on sleep” (Acts 13:36). “Some are fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:6). “Fallen asleep in Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:18). “The first fruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20). “Concerning them which are asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; I go that I may awake him out of his sleep” (John 11:11). “Many that sleep in the dust” (Daniel 12:2). “And when he had said this he fell asleep” (Acts 7:60). This sleep is broken by the resurrection. “I go that I may awake him out of his sleep” (John 11:11). “Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust” (Isaiah 26:19). “I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15). “Many of the bodies of the saints that slept arose.” The Bible is full of the sleep of the dead.
8. It makes Christ’s coming to receive his people utterly needless. Christ makes it needful.
“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3).
9. It makes death a friend and the “gate to glory.”
Paul calls death an “enemy” (1 Corinthians 15:26). Hezekiah calls it “the gate to the grave” (Isaiah 38:10). God calls the realm of death “the land of the enemy” (Jeremiah 31:16). God is going to “swallow up death in victory” (Isaiah 25:8). This will be brought to pass at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:54). If death is indeed a friend, why do good men so vigorously resent it? “You treat no other friend so ill.”
10. It is positively denied by Christ and his apostles.
Jesus says, “Where I go, thither ye cannot come” (John 7:34; 13:33,36). Yet some teach that they got there nearly as quickly as he did, and that the thief got there just as quick; and that some even got there before he did. John writes, “No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (John 3:13). This is spoken to negate someone’s doctrine. Whose is it? Not even Enoch and Elijah have gone to that heaven where God dwells. Jesus is the only man who has ever gone there, and he is more than man. He now dwells in “light which no man can approach unto” (1 Timothy 6:16).
11. It contradicts the word of God as to where men really do go at death.
God told Adam where he should go when he died: “Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). Webster says that “thou” is the pronoun used in addressing persons. “His breath goeth forth, he returneth unto his earth” (Psalm 146:3-4). “Man lieth down” (Job 14:12). “Thou takest away their breath, they die and return to their dust” (Psalm 104:29). “All go unto one place; all are of the dust and all turn to dust again” (Ecclesiastes 3:20). “There is no work, nor knowledge, nor device, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). If you will read the Scriptures carefully you will discover that the words which denote the personality are always applied to the physical man, and never to the breath or spirit of life. Hence we must conclude that the physical man is the real man, and that the spirit of life from God is that which causes him to live.
12. It sanctions Satan’s falsehood by teaching that man does not surely die.
“Man, thou shalt never die.” — R.H. Dana
“Thou shalt not surely die.” — Satan (Genesis 3:4)
Scriptures Supposed to Teach It
1. Genesis 15:15 – “Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace.” This did not mean go to heaven, for Abram’s fathers were idolaters, hence were not in heaven on any supposition. Genesis 49:29 explains this passage. It reads: “And he charged them, and said unto them, ‘I am to be gathered unto my people, bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron.’”
2. Genesis 35:18 and 1 Kings 17:21 – “Soul was departing,” “Soul came into him again.” The word translated “soul” sometimes means “life,” and as such is the attribute of “every living thing” (Job 12:10). There is nothing about “going to heaven” here. The Hebrew word nephesh (here rendered “soul”) is translated “life” and “living” about 120 times in the Old Testament scriptures.
3. 1 Samuel 28:19 – “Tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me.” This is a part of a conversation between King Saul and a certain “spirit of divination” (see 1 Chronicles 10:13), or “familiar spirit,” acting or speaking through the witch of Endor, and assuming to be the prophet Samuel. That Samuel himself was not there is evident:
First, because Samuel was dead, and “the dead know not anything.”
Second, the person seen was “like gods coming up out of the earth,” which is not a good description of a soul coming down out of heaven.
Third, he was described as “an old man with a mantle,” a poor description of an immortal soul, if such is meant.
Fourth, he said, “Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up?” Strange talk for one who has just come down from heaven, if such be true!
Fifth, Samuel could not promise heaven to wicked men, and such were Saul and his sons.
4. 2 Samuel 12:23 – “I shall go to him.” David is now in the grave with his child. Peter testifies thus: “David is not ascended into the heavens” (Acts 2:34).
5. 1 Chronicles 17:11 – “Thou must go to be with thy fathers.” Acts 13:36 explains this. “David fell on sleep and was laid with his fathers, and saw corruption.” Do saints see corruption in heaven?
6. Ecclesiastes 12:7 – “The spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” This is evidently the same spirit of which Job speaks in Job 27:3: “The spirit of God is in my nostrils.” Was Job’s immortal soul in his nostrils? Certainly not! The margin reads, “that is, the breath which God gave him” (Genesis 2:7). The breath of life is the element which causes men to live. See Job 33:4. It is not a personality, for it is found in the nostrils of beasts as well as men (Genesis 7:21-22). The word translated “spirit” also sometimes denotes a condition of the mind, but never an immortal soul, capable of living apart from the body. It sometimes means “supernatural” in contrast to the “natural” (1 Corinthians 15:44-45), and in this sense is applied to God, angels, the Holy Spirit, Christ, and the resurrected bodies of believers.
7. Matthew 10:28 – “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul.” We cannot destroy the principle of life, even though we can kill the man. The principle of life, here called “soul,” is no more the man than the life of the beast is a spirit beast. When the word “soul” is used to denote a person, it means the whole person, not a part of him. God can destroy both life and body in gehenna, hence from the “second death” there can be no resurrection. The original Greek word here rendered “soul” is rendered “life” and “lives” about forty times in the New Testament. It is rendered “soul” 59 times, and is also translated “mind,” “us,” “you” and “heart,” and is twice applied to the beasts that perish.
8. Matthew 17:1-9 – “There appeared unto them Moses and Elias.” Verse 9 affirms that this is a vision, and a vision is not a reality. Read Acts 12:9. The vision foreshadowed the glory and majesty of Christ at his coming. See 2 Peter 1:16-18. There is nothing about “going to heaven” here. If indeed this was a real manifestation, and not a supernatural vision, then we must conclude that since Elias (Elijah) was translated and never died, he must have been there bodily if at all, and if he was there bodily, so was Moses, and so Moses must have been temporarily resurrected for the occasion. See Jude 9.
9. Luke 16:19-31 – The rich man and Lazarus. This is not a literal history, but a parable, as the best commentators agree, and a parable cannot prove any doctrine in the face of direct testimony to the contrary. It is one of those cases where inanimate objects are personified and represented as occupying conditions and performing work which would be impossible in a literal sense. In this manner trees and other inanimate things are made to walk, talk and perform other impossible acts. Read Judges 9:9-16 as an example. Space forbids a full exposition here, but a few thoughts may be suggested. The “rich man” has been regarded as representing the Jewish priesthood, which indeed was “clothed in fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.” The poor man (Lazarus) represents those social and moral outcasts of Israel, who were excluded from the temple worship and were regarded as fitting associates for the Gentile “dogs,” as they were called. Jesus was censured for receiving and eating with this same class of Jews (see Luke 15). Christ responds by a series of parables, of which this is one. The parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son represent the return to the favor of God of “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The parable of the unjust steward hinted the collapse of the Jewish priesthood and their attempt to retain their position by fraud. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus represents – by the figure of death and burial – the total collapse of the Jewish priesthood, while the poor man undergoes a figurative death unto sin and is received into the very bosom of the Abrahamic covenant. The subsequent wailings of the Jewish priesthood, while rejecting Christ, yet pleading for mercy, or rather hoping for recognition through their relation to Abraham, while they are separated from the Abrahamic covenant by the gulf of unbelief, is fitly represented in the language of the parable, and this same gulf of unbelief places them beyond the reach of those who would otherwise help them and becomes an insuperable barrier to the rest of the Jewish family, who having “Moses and the prophets,” hear them not.
10. Luke 23:43 – Christ’s promise to the thief on the cross is thought to prove that saints go immediately to heaven at death. It is usually quoted thus: “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” The Curetonian Syriac, the oldest known version of the New Testament, renders the passage thus: “Verily I say unto thee today, thou shalt be with me in Eden’s garden;’ making it mean as if he had said, “I give you a present assurance – now, today – that when I shall come into my kingdom, you shall be with me in paradise.” This makes it harmonize with the thief’s request, which was to be remembered when he should come (return) into his kingdom, not when he went away to receive it (Luke 19:12). Later translations place the comma after “today,” which of course changes the meaning. We like the old punctuation the best, as it makes the passage harmonize with the uniform teaching of the word of God. Put the comma after “today” and all is plain. Punctuation is a modern invention, and is not inspired. Webster says, “The ancients were unacquainted with punctuation; they wrote without any distinction of members, periods or words.” Hence it is our duty to punctuate the scriptures according to their true sense and harmony. A very learned author, M. Grant, lays down this rule: “When the verb in the sentence is in the indicative mode, present tense, first person singular, the adverb qualifies the verb it follows.” This rule makes the adverb “today” qualify the verb “say;” and hence requires the comma after “today,” as in the Curetonian Syriac. The word “today” is here used for emphasis, and when thus used is a term of assurance, and is well illustrated in Deuteronomy 28:1,15; 30:18,19; 32:46. That the common understanding of this text is erroneous is evident from the following considerations:
First, Christ did not go to heaven that day, but three days afterward said: “I am not yet ascended” (John 20:17).
Second, if Christ went to heaven that day, then he must have “come again,” in order to be here on the morning of the third day, which would put his second coming in the past. The Bible puts it in the future (Hebrews 9:28).
Third, his soul came from hades at his resurrection and not from heaven (Acts 2:31).
11. Philippians 1:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:8 – Paul’s desire “to depart and be with Christ” was not a desire for death, but for immediate translation to the presence of Christ. True, to die was “gain,” for he was going to magnify Christ in his body, whether by life or death. If he lived this would be the fruit of his labor; but if he died a martyr for Christ he would thus magnify him in his death. In either case he would gain eternal life. See Matthew 10:39. As between a life of anxious toil and labor on the one hand, and death as a martyr on the other, Paul had no choice. “I am in a strait betwixt two,” he said; “what I shall choose I wot not.” What Paul did choose was neither life in this present world, nor death, but something far better than either, viz., “to depart and be with Christ.” He so yearned for the present of Christ, that if possible he would at once be translated to his presence, but he knew that his desire could not be granted (v. 25). It was more needful for the church that he “abide” (remain) with them (v. 24), yet he was “willing rather to be absent from” them and by translation “to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8 – “Absent from the body,” that is, from the church, for the church in this present world is “the body of Christ” (Romans 12:4,5; Ephesians 1:22,23; Colossians 1:18, etc.). It is sometimes objected that the church is not meant in 2 Corinthians 5:7-8, because when Christ comes again to raise the dead Paul will be at home in the church and present with the Lord too. The answer is twofold:
First, the church militant is called the body of Christ, while the church triumphant never is.
Second, the logic of this argument is fatal to the position that the physical body is meant, for when Jesus comes and raises the dead, Paul will be at home in his body and present with the Lord too – a condition positively denied in the words “while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.” If we understand the “body” to be the church militant, all is plain.
12. 2 Corinthians 5:1 – “If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” To suppose that “our earthly house” here means our physical bodies involves many absurdities. We will notice a few:
First, our “earthly house” is contrasted with one “not made with hands,” which implies that the earthly house is made by the art of man, which is not true of our physical bodies.
Second, if the physical body is meant, then we have other bodies in heaven awaiting our arrival there, which would make heaven a storehouse of soulless bodies. Who is willing to swallow that idea?
Third, our house “not made with hands” is “eternal.” What will God do with the eternal bodies of those who backslide and never get to heaven to occupy them?
Fourth, when this mortal is raised and puts on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:42-54), what will we do with the extra body? Won’t we have one body too many?
Fifth, if we get an eternal body at death, what need is there of a resurrection? Will we need two eternal bodies to make us happy?
Let us now consider what Paul really meant. This is not the only place where Paul has spoken of these things. In Hebrews 9:11, while contrasting the old covenant and its service with the new, he says: “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, but a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands.” We pause to ask, what does Paul mean by the phrase, “not made with hands”? Does he mean anything? Yes, let him explain: “By a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building.” There can be no doubt that Paul refers to the temple at Jerusalem when he speaks of “this building” in contrast to the one “not made with hands,” which temple answered to the former tabernacle reared in the wilderness. Hear Paul again: “Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands” (Hebrews 9:24). So we see that Paul means something by the words “not made with hands,” and that he uses the expression to distinguish between God-made things and man-made things. Paul was a Jew, and hence could speak of the temple at Jerusalem – so soon to be destroyed – as “our earthly house of this tabernacle,” which he in Hebrews calls “this building,” and a “worldly (earthly) sanctuary.” It was soon to be dissolved (taken down), but what of that? We have a “more perfect tabernacle” wherein Christ has entered for us, and where we may enter by him, and as we have been clothed with the benefits of the earthly tabernacle, we may be more completely clothed with the heavenly tabernacle in the reception of greater blessings, even life and immortality. When the new Jerusalem comes down (Revelation 21), “the tabernacle of God” will be with men and we shall then be fully invested with “our house which is from heaven.” Thus mortality will have been “swallowed up of life;” and then “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying.” *
13. Revelation 6:9-11 – The souls under the altar. We inquire: First, who are they? They are the souls (persons) of those who were beheaded for Christ in the great papal persecution. “Soul” often means “person” (Leviticus 17:12,15).
Second, where were they seen? Not in heaven, but on earth – “under the altar.”
Third, what was their cry? It was a prayer for vengeance, as they lay weltering in their blood. Divine vengeance was called for. Their cry was like that of Abel. God said to Cain, “The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth to me out of the ground” (Genesis 4:10).
Fourth, what were the white robes? They were “the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:8). The white robes are “given” to them, implying imputed righteousness. Thus were they committed to the earth, in humble trust, to “rest” until earth’s persecutions are past; when they will “awake to eternal life” (Daniel 12:2).
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voices of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
“Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
Published by the Western Advent Christian Publications Association, Mendota, Illinois.
Reprinted by the Advent Christian General Conference of American, Inc., Charlotte, N.C., 2004.
For more information, contact:
Dr. John H. Roller
5847 Brookstone Dr.
Concord, NC, USA 28027-2535
704-782-9574
johnroller@faithbiblechristian.com
A Brief Explanation of AC Doctrine
A Brief Explanation of Advent Christian Doctrine
By Rev. Mary E. Roller
Advent Christians believe that everyone who dies goes to the grave – not to heaven or to hell as in the traditional understanding. The dead are unconscious from the moment they die until the moment of the Resurrection. When Jesus comes, the dead will be raised, and that’s when judgment will take place. The unsaved will be thrown into the lake of fire, where they will be burned up and cease to exist. Satan and his angels and the false prophet will also go to this lake of fire. Some Advent Christians believe that these evil beings will burn forever, but others believe that God will eventually completely destroy them also.
Advent Christians believe that people are NOT naturally immortal. We are mortal by nature. God will give believers in Christ eternal life; we do not have it apart from Jesus. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you read the words that are there, this verse says that believers will have eternal life. It is clear that unbelievers will perish, and that only believers will have everlasting life. That’s what Advent Christians believe.
Now for a bit more explanation along with a few Bible verses to back it up:
The Hebrew word for the grave (the pit, the place of the dead) is “Sheol,” and the Greek word is “Hades.” Sometimes that word is mistranslated as “hell.” The word “Sheol” is used in Psalm 30:3, which says, “O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the GRAVE: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the PIT.” Hebrew poetry often repeats the same thought in different words. You can see there that the word “grave” and the word “pit” are referring to the same thing.
No one remembers anything in the grave – they don't even remember God. Psalm 6:5 says, “For in DEATH there is no remembrance of thee: in the GRAVE who shall give thee thanks?” As Ecclesiastes 9:5 says, “For the living know that they shall die: but the DEAD KNOW NOT ANYTHING, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.”
This unconscious state of the dead is referred to as “sleep” in the New Testament in verses such as 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, which reads, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all SLEEP, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed; for the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the MORTAL with immortality.” This verse is talking about believers – some who are alive and some who are “asleep” (dead). Notice that it says we have to put on immortality. We don’t have it apart from Christ.
Final judgment in the Lake of Fire (Gehenna) is referred to in Revelation 20:11-15, which says, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” The word “Hades” means the grave. People are raised and then judged. Notice that this is a place of death and not eternal torment.
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is DEATH [not eternal torment]; but the gift of God is eternal LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
By Rev. Mary E. Roller
Advent Christians believe that everyone who dies goes to the grave – not to heaven or to hell as in the traditional understanding. The dead are unconscious from the moment they die until the moment of the Resurrection. When Jesus comes, the dead will be raised, and that’s when judgment will take place. The unsaved will be thrown into the lake of fire, where they will be burned up and cease to exist. Satan and his angels and the false prophet will also go to this lake of fire. Some Advent Christians believe that these evil beings will burn forever, but others believe that God will eventually completely destroy them also.
Advent Christians believe that people are NOT naturally immortal. We are mortal by nature. God will give believers in Christ eternal life; we do not have it apart from Jesus. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you read the words that are there, this verse says that believers will have eternal life. It is clear that unbelievers will perish, and that only believers will have everlasting life. That’s what Advent Christians believe.
Now for a bit more explanation along with a few Bible verses to back it up:
The Hebrew word for the grave (the pit, the place of the dead) is “Sheol,” and the Greek word is “Hades.” Sometimes that word is mistranslated as “hell.” The word “Sheol” is used in Psalm 30:3, which says, “O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the GRAVE: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the PIT.” Hebrew poetry often repeats the same thought in different words. You can see there that the word “grave” and the word “pit” are referring to the same thing.
No one remembers anything in the grave – they don't even remember God. Psalm 6:5 says, “For in DEATH there is no remembrance of thee: in the GRAVE who shall give thee thanks?” As Ecclesiastes 9:5 says, “For the living know that they shall die: but the DEAD KNOW NOT ANYTHING, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.”
This unconscious state of the dead is referred to as “sleep” in the New Testament in verses such as 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, which reads, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all SLEEP, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed; for the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the MORTAL with immortality.” This verse is talking about believers – some who are alive and some who are “asleep” (dead). Notice that it says we have to put on immortality. We don’t have it apart from Christ.
Final judgment in the Lake of Fire (Gehenna) is referred to in Revelation 20:11-15, which says, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” The word “Hades” means the grave. People are raised and then judged. Notice that this is a place of death and not eternal torment.
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is DEATH [not eternal torment]; but the gift of God is eternal LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
This We Believe (Declaration of Principles of the AC Church)
This We Believe
The Declaration of Principles of the Advent Christian Church
What happened in the northeastern United States between 1831 and 1844 is more unbelievable than fiction. During this brief period, the message of the imminent personal Advent of Christ shook America and Canada and permanently changed the doctrinal teaching of evangelical churches.
The movement began with the urgent voice of William Miller, a Baptist farmer from the frontier of eastern New York State, and rose into a tidal wave of traveling preachers and lecturers who flooded North America’s countryside and greatest cities (Montreal, Boston, New York, Newark, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Washington, and Baltimore) until over a million people looked to the heavens for Christ’s coming. This Advent Awakening gave birth to several denominations in the years that followed, and the Advent Christian denomination was one.
How the Declaration of Principles developed
Advent Christians have every reason to be proud of the dedication, commitment, sincerity, and fervor of these early American Adventists. This remains true even though at several points we may disagree with what they taught. Those faithful servants of Christ changed the way Christians think about Christ’s return so that Bible-believing Americans and Canadians look for the Lord’s coming in the near future.
And yet, when the Advent Christians organized in 1860, their doctrines included more than the message of Christ’s return, for their study of Scripture had led them to other truths. They shared many of these with Christian denominations in general, but they had developed some out of their own examination of the Bible and contemplation of the Lord’s return.
The distinctive teachings of the denomination tended to cluster around the doctrine of the Second Advent, and to fall into the area of theology which theologians call “eschatology” (Greek for “study of the last things”). Yet, when we Advent Christians today are asked to set forth what we believe, we desire to make clear both where we hold doctrines in common with other Christian bodies and where our views may differ.
Advent Christians do this by means of our Declaration of Principles. The earlier Adventists had prepared a statement of their views at Albany, New York, in 1845, to “declare to the world that the Scriptures teach among others, the following [ten] Important Truths.” Yet, it was not until 1881 that Advent Christians formed their own distinctive Declaration of Principles, developed at Worcester, Massachusetts, and ratified at conventions held that year in Worcester and in Foreston, Illinois.
In January, 1900, at Boston, the denomination unanimously adopted a more concise Declaration of Principles consisting of ten articles which summarized the views commonly held among Advent Christians. This declaration has remained the same except for occasional amendments, the most recent being a strengthening of the statement on Scripture (1964) and an expansion of our position on war (1972).
What is a Declaration of Principles?
One of the privileges possessed by Advent Christians is freedom of conscience to study and follow the teachings of Scripture. We are not a denomination in a narrow sectarian sense, and it is important to recognize this as we study and develop the doctrines expressed in the Advent Christian Declaration of Principles.
There is the temptation to view the Declaration of Principles as a creed, a doctrinal statement to which total conformity is required at every point. E.P. Woodward, who served as chairman of the committee which prepared the 1900 Declaration, warned against yielding to this temptation when he wrote:
Do not forget that this is not a creed. It is simply a statement of what the denomination, as a whole, believes. It is never used as a “Shibboleth” which must be repeated before one can enter an Advent Christian church. “Christian character” is our only test of church fellowship, and members are frequently received who do not assent to all the points in this “Declaration.” The truth is trusted to commend itself to those who are not perfectly familiar with it, thus securing a more essential unity than by requiring assent to a “creed.”
While strict doctrinal standards have been set for those in the ministry and teaching positions, Advent Christians have granted to one another the freedom and responsibility of believing, studying, and following the Scriptures. Clearly the editor of the World’s Crisis was correct in reporting that our principles are “not rigidly binding rules to which every Advent Christian must give consent in order to remain a member. They are merely descriptive of what most Advent Christians believed at the time when they were formulated.”
If the Advent Christian Declaration of Principles is not a creed to which all must subscribe in every detail, neither is it exhaustive and comprehensive of all points commonly believed by Advent Christians. Some theological creeds (the Westminster Confession of Faith is an excellent example) provide comprehensive and exhaustively detailed presentations of the total teaching of denominations. Our Declaration of Principles speaks, rather, in broad and general terms about Scripture, God, and salvation. Its more precise and explicit statements and details relate to the more distinctive and unique denominational positions. Still, even on these positions which characterize the denomination, the document addresses the central and broadly held views without going into all details one might expect.
Part of the breadth of statement derives from the brevity of the Declaration of Principles since it only contains some 750 words. Granted that brevity, not much space can be allotted to details. Again, it was intended only as a statement of our “principles” and, therefore, rightly concentrates on positions which are both central and distinctive of Advent Christians. Since members of our denomination recognize a fundamental loyalty to Scripture (“No creed but the Bible” was an early watchword), they have extended to one another freedom of interpretation so long as one is appealing to the written word for doctrine. Most Advent Christians of the past and present agree on the principles declared in this brief document, while still allowing one another freedom of conscience on the details.
—Dr. David A. Dean
The Declaration of Principles
I. We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, being in its entirety a revelation given to man under divine inspiration and providence; that its historic statements are correct, and that it is the only divine and infallible standard of faith and practice. (Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15-16; John 17:17)
II. We believe, as revealed in the Bible:
a. In one God, our Father, eternal, and infinite in his wisdom, love and power, the Creator of all things, “in whom we live, and move, and have our being.” (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 40:28)
b. And in Jesus Christ, our Lord, the only begotten Son of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; who came into our world to seek and to save that which was lost; who died for our sins, who was raised bodily from the dead for our justification; who ascended into heaven as our High Priest and Mediator, and who will come again in the end of this age, to judge the living and the dead, and to reign forever and ever. (1 Timothy 3:16)
c. And in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, sent from God to convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, whereby we are sanctified and sealed unto the day of redemption. (John 14:16, 26; John 16:7-11; Ephesians 1:13-14)
III. We believe that man was created for immortality, but that through sin he forfeited his divine birthright; that because of sin, death entered into the world, and passed upon all men; and that only through faith in Jesus Christ, the divinely ordained Life-giver, can men become “partakers of the divine nature,” and live forever. (2 Timothy 1:10; Romans 2:7; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 51-54)
IV. We believe that death is a condition of unconsciousness to all persons, righteous and wicked; a condition that will remain unchanged until the resurrection at Christ’s Second Coming, at which time the righteous will receive everlasting life while the wicked will be “punished with everlasting destruction;” suffering complete extinction of being. (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Job 14:14; John 5:28-29; Matthew 10:28)
V. We believe that salvation is free to all those who, in this life and in this age, accept it on the conditions imposed, which conditions are simple and inflexible, namely, turning from sin, repentance toward God, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and a life of consecration to the service of God; thus excluding all hope of a future probation, or of universal salvation. (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:1-2; Luke 13:22-30)
VI. We believe that Jesus Christ, according to his promise, will come again to this earth, even “in like manner” as he went into heaven—personally, visibly and gloriously—to reign here forever; and that this coming is the hope of the church, inasmuch as upon that coming depend the resurrection and reward of the righteous, the abolition of sin and its consequences, and the renewal of the earth—now marred by sin—to become the eternal home of the redeemed, after which event the earth will be forever free from sin and death. (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 22:12-13)
VII. We believe that Bible prophecy has indicated the approximate time of Christ’s return; and comparing its testimony with the signs of our times, we are confident that he is near, “even at the doors,” and we believe that the great duty of the hour is the proclamation of this soon-coming redemption, the defense of Bible authority, inspiration and truth, and the salvation of lost men. (2 Peter 1:19-21; Matthew 24:42-45; Revelation 22:17)
VIII. We believe the church of Christ is an institution of divine origin, which includes all true Christians, of whatever name; but that local church organizations should be independent of outside control, congregational in government, and subject to no dictation of priest, bishop or pope—although true fellowship and unity of action should exist between all such organizations. (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 4:11-16)
IX. We believe that the only ordinances of the church of Christ are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; immersion being the only true baptism. (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
X. We believe that the first day of the week, as the day set apart by the early church in commemoration of Christ’s resurrection, should be observed as the Christian Sabbath, and used as a day of rest and religious worship. (Psalm 118:22-24; Luke 24:1-12; 1 Corinthians 16:2)
XI. We believe that war is contrary to the spirit and teachings of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ; that it is contrary to the spirit of true brotherhood, and that our influence should be used against it. We believe the Bible also teaches that properly constituted government is ordained of God and is a divine instrument for man’s welfare and protection. When an Advent Christian decides on the basis of Scripture and conscience, either to bear arms or to submit to penalties imposed for his refusal to do so, local Advent Christian congregations should extend continued fellowship and nurture. (Romans 13:1-7; Matthew 15:15-22)
Dr. David A. Dean was Berkshire Professor for Advent Christian Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. He is now retired and lives in Dowling Park, Fla. The introduction by Dr. Dean is excerpted from Resurrection: His and Ours © 1977 by the Advent Christian General Conference of America. Additional copies of the Declaration of Principles are available from:
Venture Bookstore
Advent Christian General Conference
PO Box 690848
Charlotte, NC 28227-7015
(704)545-6161
FAX (704)573-0712
tpressley@acgc.us
For more information, contact:
Dr. John H. Roller
5847 Brookstone Dr.
Concord, NC, USA 28027-2535
704-782-9574
johnroller@faithbiblechristian.com
The Declaration of Principles of the Advent Christian Church
What happened in the northeastern United States between 1831 and 1844 is more unbelievable than fiction. During this brief period, the message of the imminent personal Advent of Christ shook America and Canada and permanently changed the doctrinal teaching of evangelical churches.
The movement began with the urgent voice of William Miller, a Baptist farmer from the frontier of eastern New York State, and rose into a tidal wave of traveling preachers and lecturers who flooded North America’s countryside and greatest cities (Montreal, Boston, New York, Newark, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Washington, and Baltimore) until over a million people looked to the heavens for Christ’s coming. This Advent Awakening gave birth to several denominations in the years that followed, and the Advent Christian denomination was one.
How the Declaration of Principles developed
Advent Christians have every reason to be proud of the dedication, commitment, sincerity, and fervor of these early American Adventists. This remains true even though at several points we may disagree with what they taught. Those faithful servants of Christ changed the way Christians think about Christ’s return so that Bible-believing Americans and Canadians look for the Lord’s coming in the near future.
And yet, when the Advent Christians organized in 1860, their doctrines included more than the message of Christ’s return, for their study of Scripture had led them to other truths. They shared many of these with Christian denominations in general, but they had developed some out of their own examination of the Bible and contemplation of the Lord’s return.
The distinctive teachings of the denomination tended to cluster around the doctrine of the Second Advent, and to fall into the area of theology which theologians call “eschatology” (Greek for “study of the last things”). Yet, when we Advent Christians today are asked to set forth what we believe, we desire to make clear both where we hold doctrines in common with other Christian bodies and where our views may differ.
Advent Christians do this by means of our Declaration of Principles. The earlier Adventists had prepared a statement of their views at Albany, New York, in 1845, to “declare to the world that the Scriptures teach among others, the following [ten] Important Truths.” Yet, it was not until 1881 that Advent Christians formed their own distinctive Declaration of Principles, developed at Worcester, Massachusetts, and ratified at conventions held that year in Worcester and in Foreston, Illinois.
In January, 1900, at Boston, the denomination unanimously adopted a more concise Declaration of Principles consisting of ten articles which summarized the views commonly held among Advent Christians. This declaration has remained the same except for occasional amendments, the most recent being a strengthening of the statement on Scripture (1964) and an expansion of our position on war (1972).
What is a Declaration of Principles?
One of the privileges possessed by Advent Christians is freedom of conscience to study and follow the teachings of Scripture. We are not a denomination in a narrow sectarian sense, and it is important to recognize this as we study and develop the doctrines expressed in the Advent Christian Declaration of Principles.
There is the temptation to view the Declaration of Principles as a creed, a doctrinal statement to which total conformity is required at every point. E.P. Woodward, who served as chairman of the committee which prepared the 1900 Declaration, warned against yielding to this temptation when he wrote:
Do not forget that this is not a creed. It is simply a statement of what the denomination, as a whole, believes. It is never used as a “Shibboleth” which must be repeated before one can enter an Advent Christian church. “Christian character” is our only test of church fellowship, and members are frequently received who do not assent to all the points in this “Declaration.” The truth is trusted to commend itself to those who are not perfectly familiar with it, thus securing a more essential unity than by requiring assent to a “creed.”
While strict doctrinal standards have been set for those in the ministry and teaching positions, Advent Christians have granted to one another the freedom and responsibility of believing, studying, and following the Scriptures. Clearly the editor of the World’s Crisis was correct in reporting that our principles are “not rigidly binding rules to which every Advent Christian must give consent in order to remain a member. They are merely descriptive of what most Advent Christians believed at the time when they were formulated.”
If the Advent Christian Declaration of Principles is not a creed to which all must subscribe in every detail, neither is it exhaustive and comprehensive of all points commonly believed by Advent Christians. Some theological creeds (the Westminster Confession of Faith is an excellent example) provide comprehensive and exhaustively detailed presentations of the total teaching of denominations. Our Declaration of Principles speaks, rather, in broad and general terms about Scripture, God, and salvation. Its more precise and explicit statements and details relate to the more distinctive and unique denominational positions. Still, even on these positions which characterize the denomination, the document addresses the central and broadly held views without going into all details one might expect.
Part of the breadth of statement derives from the brevity of the Declaration of Principles since it only contains some 750 words. Granted that brevity, not much space can be allotted to details. Again, it was intended only as a statement of our “principles” and, therefore, rightly concentrates on positions which are both central and distinctive of Advent Christians. Since members of our denomination recognize a fundamental loyalty to Scripture (“No creed but the Bible” was an early watchword), they have extended to one another freedom of interpretation so long as one is appealing to the written word for doctrine. Most Advent Christians of the past and present agree on the principles declared in this brief document, while still allowing one another freedom of conscience on the details.
—Dr. David A. Dean
The Declaration of Principles
I. We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, being in its entirety a revelation given to man under divine inspiration and providence; that its historic statements are correct, and that it is the only divine and infallible standard of faith and practice. (Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15-16; John 17:17)
II. We believe, as revealed in the Bible:
a. In one God, our Father, eternal, and infinite in his wisdom, love and power, the Creator of all things, “in whom we live, and move, and have our being.” (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 40:28)
b. And in Jesus Christ, our Lord, the only begotten Son of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; who came into our world to seek and to save that which was lost; who died for our sins, who was raised bodily from the dead for our justification; who ascended into heaven as our High Priest and Mediator, and who will come again in the end of this age, to judge the living and the dead, and to reign forever and ever. (1 Timothy 3:16)
c. And in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, sent from God to convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, whereby we are sanctified and sealed unto the day of redemption. (John 14:16, 26; John 16:7-11; Ephesians 1:13-14)
III. We believe that man was created for immortality, but that through sin he forfeited his divine birthright; that because of sin, death entered into the world, and passed upon all men; and that only through faith in Jesus Christ, the divinely ordained Life-giver, can men become “partakers of the divine nature,” and live forever. (2 Timothy 1:10; Romans 2:7; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 51-54)
IV. We believe that death is a condition of unconsciousness to all persons, righteous and wicked; a condition that will remain unchanged until the resurrection at Christ’s Second Coming, at which time the righteous will receive everlasting life while the wicked will be “punished with everlasting destruction;” suffering complete extinction of being. (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Job 14:14; John 5:28-29; Matthew 10:28)
V. We believe that salvation is free to all those who, in this life and in this age, accept it on the conditions imposed, which conditions are simple and inflexible, namely, turning from sin, repentance toward God, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and a life of consecration to the service of God; thus excluding all hope of a future probation, or of universal salvation. (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:1-2; Luke 13:22-30)
VI. We believe that Jesus Christ, according to his promise, will come again to this earth, even “in like manner” as he went into heaven—personally, visibly and gloriously—to reign here forever; and that this coming is the hope of the church, inasmuch as upon that coming depend the resurrection and reward of the righteous, the abolition of sin and its consequences, and the renewal of the earth—now marred by sin—to become the eternal home of the redeemed, after which event the earth will be forever free from sin and death. (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 22:12-13)
VII. We believe that Bible prophecy has indicated the approximate time of Christ’s return; and comparing its testimony with the signs of our times, we are confident that he is near, “even at the doors,” and we believe that the great duty of the hour is the proclamation of this soon-coming redemption, the defense of Bible authority, inspiration and truth, and the salvation of lost men. (2 Peter 1:19-21; Matthew 24:42-45; Revelation 22:17)
VIII. We believe the church of Christ is an institution of divine origin, which includes all true Christians, of whatever name; but that local church organizations should be independent of outside control, congregational in government, and subject to no dictation of priest, bishop or pope—although true fellowship and unity of action should exist between all such organizations. (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 4:11-16)
IX. We believe that the only ordinances of the church of Christ are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; immersion being the only true baptism. (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
X. We believe that the first day of the week, as the day set apart by the early church in commemoration of Christ’s resurrection, should be observed as the Christian Sabbath, and used as a day of rest and religious worship. (Psalm 118:22-24; Luke 24:1-12; 1 Corinthians 16:2)
XI. We believe that war is contrary to the spirit and teachings of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ; that it is contrary to the spirit of true brotherhood, and that our influence should be used against it. We believe the Bible also teaches that properly constituted government is ordained of God and is a divine instrument for man’s welfare and protection. When an Advent Christian decides on the basis of Scripture and conscience, either to bear arms or to submit to penalties imposed for his refusal to do so, local Advent Christian congregations should extend continued fellowship and nurture. (Romans 13:1-7; Matthew 15:15-22)
Dr. David A. Dean was Berkshire Professor for Advent Christian Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. He is now retired and lives in Dowling Park, Fla. The introduction by Dr. Dean is excerpted from Resurrection: His and Ours © 1977 by the Advent Christian General Conference of America. Additional copies of the Declaration of Principles are available from:
Venture Bookstore
Advent Christian General Conference
PO Box 690848
Charlotte, NC 28227-7015
(704)545-6161
FAX (704)573-0712
tpressley@acgc.us
For more information, contact:
Dr. John H. Roller
5847 Brookstone Dr.
Concord, NC, USA 28027-2535
704-782-9574
johnroller@faithbiblechristian.com
History and Teachings of the AC Church
HISTORY AND TEACHINGS OF THE ADVENT CHRISTIAN CHURCH
By Lee E. Baker, D.D.
The Advent Christian denomination was organized in 1860 and is one of the groups that comprise the Christian Church. Like other communions, it maintains its own publishing, educational and foreign mission enterprises. Its local, state, and provincial conference organizations in the United States and Canada, along with its several institutions, are associated together as the Advent Christian General Conference of America, the denominational headquarters being maintained at Charlotte, N.C.
Those of Like Precious Faith (2 Peter 1:1)
The Advent Christian movement traces its origins to a notable revival that took place 175 years ago in the eastern United States, especially in New York State. The powerful motivation behind this revival was a rediscovery of the biblical doctrine of the personal return of Christ to this earth to establish the everlasting kingdom of God.
The person through whom the Spirit moved in this momentous revival was a self-educated man of keen intellect and oratorical powers, a patriotic and honored citizen of Hampton, New York named William Miller. Giving up his earlier deism, he accepted the Bible as the word of God, became a Christian, and subsequently a Baptist minister. Through a comparison of history with biblical prediction, his faith in the prophecies concerning the Second Advent of Christ sent him forth on a crusade that resulted in the conversion of hundreds of infidels and skeptics and in turning thousands to a belief in the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But the basis of the Advent Christian fellowship (of which Mr. Miller never became a part) was not only his doctrine of the Lord’s return; with it was coupled another fundamental and related teaching respecting the mortality of man. This latter doctrine was introduced into Adventism by George Storrs, Charles F. Hudson, and other contemporaries. The association of these two doctrines made for clarity in the efforts of the Adventual fathers to understand the mercy, grace, and justice of God as simply stated in the golden text of the Bible, John 3:16.
The founding fathers disclaimed any intent to form a separate denominational communion. Finding themselves cut off, however, by persecution and excommunication from the churches of their choices when their witness was repudiated, their common need for Christian fellowship and service caused them to form local groups which eventually became associated together in one united body. To this new entity they eventually gave the name Advent Christian, thus uniting their belief in the blessed hope of the Lord’s return and the mortality of man with their profession of Christian discipleship.
Advent Christians believe that the Holy Scriptures are an inspired, authoritative revelation of God to men. They believe that this revelation throws revealing light upon the mystery of origins, the march of history, the nature of man, his future and the destiny of the earth. They believe that the Bible sets forth the truth concerning God and his grace toward men as manifested by Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit, that these are powerful agents of the grace of God in preparing the way for faith and in molding human character after the one perfect example and that they afford divine comfort to those who put their trust in God. They believe that the Holy Scriptures should be taken literally when possible and that no basic Christian teaching should be founded upon isolated parabolic or symbolic passages, but that all doctrines should be defined in the light of and in harmony with plain literal statements of the Word.
The Faith Once Delivered to the Saints (Jude 3)
Although Advent Christian believers do not set forth a well-defined creed, because they declare that the Bible is their only rule of faith and conduct, yet they do have a “Declaration of Principles” which is available in printed form. The first ten points in the declaration were the result of earnest reflection and careful collaboration on the part of the early Adventual fathers and were adopted by the vote of the Advent Christian General Conference at Boston on January 25, 1900. An eleventh point was subsequently added.
Advent Christians profess to hold in its purity “the faith which was once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Advent Christians assent to the Apostles’ Creed, but they reject the incorporation into Christian thought of the Platonic doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul and of all other dogmas not taught in the Bible.
The Things Most Surely Believed (Luke 1:1)
Included among the specific beliefs of Advent Christians are –
That man is unconscious until the resurrection.
Psalm 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:5,10; John 11:11-14;
1 Corinthians 15:18,20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13.
That immortality is conditional on faith in Jesus Christ.
John 3:16; Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:16-22.
That Christ will return to the earth personally and visibly.
Acts 1:4-11; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; Philippians 3:20,21; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.
That the divinely ordained ordinances are baptism (by immersion) and the Lord’s
Supper.
Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
That the first day of the week is a day for worship in commemoration of Christ’s
triumph over death.
Mark 16:1-9; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.
That the earth made new will be the home of the saints.
Daniel 7:27; Matthew 5:5; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 5:9-10.
Advent Christians believe that man is completely mortal and subject to death, which, they understand from both the Bible and science, is the cessation of all the life processes, including consciousness (Ecclesiastes 9:5); that man is a candidate for immortality by the grace and providence of God, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, though not the present possessor of it; that the sheol (hell) of the Old Testament and the hades (hell) of the New Testament indicate the place of all the dead where there is neither conscious felicity nor suffering; and that death is “the last enemy that shall be destroyed”(1Corinthians 15:26). They believe that man is as completely within the power of God as is any part of his creation. For them, death is the final curtain on the play of life unless there is to be a resurrection from the dead. This solves for them the otherwise perplexing problems respecting the intermediate state of death and the “second death” (Revelation 20:14). With the inspired Peter, they understand that “David is not ascended into the heavens” (Acts 2:34), and with the apostle Paul, they believe that “if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: …our preaching…vain… Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished” (1 Corinthians 15:13,14,18).
Death does not end all, however; for, with Paul, they believe that “there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust “(Acts 24:15). Christ himself said, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29). The triumph of their Lord over death is, for them, both a pledge and a pattern of the resurrection of the just. He who now has all power in heaven and on earth has the “keys of hell (hades) and of death” (Revelation 1:18), and he can save them from both hades and gehenna unto everlasting life.
The final conferment of rewards or punishments, Advent Christians believe, is to be reserved until the establishment of the divine tribunal at the second advent of Christ, when he shall sit upon the throne of his judgment. God is just, as well as merciful, so every man must finally stand at the judgment seat of Christ. The wages of sin is death; and “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished” (Proverbs 11:21). For them, there will be neither evasion of the divine tribunal nor any miscarriage of divine justice. The men of Sodom will be there, as well as any who may have escaped human justice in this world. The righteous sentence will be either, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”; or, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:34,41). The gehenna fires, which have evidently not as yet been kindled, will utterly destroy, completely purging the realm. Jesus assured men that God has power to “destroy both soul and body in hell” (gehenna, Matthew 10:28). After the fires of the last day have consumed the evil, there are to be “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).
Advent Christians set their affections upon the kingdom of God, long promised and clearly previewed in both Old and New Testaments. They are mindful of the present important phase of the kingdom, which was preached by John the Baptist and was illustrated frequently in the parables of Jesus. They also anticipate that ultimate phase, when “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
In accord with their Lord’s instructions, they earnestly pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). They believe that when the Gospel is adequately proclaimed and spiritually apprehended many will earnestly join in the request of the penitent thief, “Lord, remember me, when thou comest into thy kingdom.” They accept the conditions of entrance as set forth by Jesus to his disciples when he said, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3), and to Nicodemus when he told him, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven”(John 3:5). They endeavor to foster such Christian virtues as will assure them an abundant entrance into the “kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11).
Members of this denomination believe that “the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Psalm 37:11); that men may become the children of Abraham by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:29); that they may become joint-heirs with Christ of the world – a world at rest from sin and war and death; that although God’s heaven seems to be closed toward men, the renovated earth will become the paradise of God; that the New Jerusalem shall come from heaven as earth’s capital city; that, although “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him,” yet he “hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
Thus, Advent Christians ascribe to Christ his due preeminence as the author of eternal salvation, who has brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel, being assured that “He that hath the Son hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:12). For them the earthly ministry of the Son of God was an earnest of the coming kingdom when “all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord” (Numbers 14:21).
For more information, contact:
Dr. John H. Roller
5847 Brookstone Dr.
Concord, NC, USA 28027-2535
704-782-9574
johnroller@faithbiblechristian.com
By Lee E. Baker, D.D.
The Advent Christian denomination was organized in 1860 and is one of the groups that comprise the Christian Church. Like other communions, it maintains its own publishing, educational and foreign mission enterprises. Its local, state, and provincial conference organizations in the United States and Canada, along with its several institutions, are associated together as the Advent Christian General Conference of America, the denominational headquarters being maintained at Charlotte, N.C.
Those of Like Precious Faith (2 Peter 1:1)
The Advent Christian movement traces its origins to a notable revival that took place 175 years ago in the eastern United States, especially in New York State. The powerful motivation behind this revival was a rediscovery of the biblical doctrine of the personal return of Christ to this earth to establish the everlasting kingdom of God.
The person through whom the Spirit moved in this momentous revival was a self-educated man of keen intellect and oratorical powers, a patriotic and honored citizen of Hampton, New York named William Miller. Giving up his earlier deism, he accepted the Bible as the word of God, became a Christian, and subsequently a Baptist minister. Through a comparison of history with biblical prediction, his faith in the prophecies concerning the Second Advent of Christ sent him forth on a crusade that resulted in the conversion of hundreds of infidels and skeptics and in turning thousands to a belief in the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But the basis of the Advent Christian fellowship (of which Mr. Miller never became a part) was not only his doctrine of the Lord’s return; with it was coupled another fundamental and related teaching respecting the mortality of man. This latter doctrine was introduced into Adventism by George Storrs, Charles F. Hudson, and other contemporaries. The association of these two doctrines made for clarity in the efforts of the Adventual fathers to understand the mercy, grace, and justice of God as simply stated in the golden text of the Bible, John 3:16.
The founding fathers disclaimed any intent to form a separate denominational communion. Finding themselves cut off, however, by persecution and excommunication from the churches of their choices when their witness was repudiated, their common need for Christian fellowship and service caused them to form local groups which eventually became associated together in one united body. To this new entity they eventually gave the name Advent Christian, thus uniting their belief in the blessed hope of the Lord’s return and the mortality of man with their profession of Christian discipleship.
Advent Christians believe that the Holy Scriptures are an inspired, authoritative revelation of God to men. They believe that this revelation throws revealing light upon the mystery of origins, the march of history, the nature of man, his future and the destiny of the earth. They believe that the Bible sets forth the truth concerning God and his grace toward men as manifested by Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit, that these are powerful agents of the grace of God in preparing the way for faith and in molding human character after the one perfect example and that they afford divine comfort to those who put their trust in God. They believe that the Holy Scriptures should be taken literally when possible and that no basic Christian teaching should be founded upon isolated parabolic or symbolic passages, but that all doctrines should be defined in the light of and in harmony with plain literal statements of the Word.
The Faith Once Delivered to the Saints (Jude 3)
Although Advent Christian believers do not set forth a well-defined creed, because they declare that the Bible is their only rule of faith and conduct, yet they do have a “Declaration of Principles” which is available in printed form. The first ten points in the declaration were the result of earnest reflection and careful collaboration on the part of the early Adventual fathers and were adopted by the vote of the Advent Christian General Conference at Boston on January 25, 1900. An eleventh point was subsequently added.
Advent Christians profess to hold in its purity “the faith which was once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Advent Christians assent to the Apostles’ Creed, but they reject the incorporation into Christian thought of the Platonic doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul and of all other dogmas not taught in the Bible.
The Things Most Surely Believed (Luke 1:1)
Included among the specific beliefs of Advent Christians are –
That man is unconscious until the resurrection.
Psalm 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:5,10; John 11:11-14;
1 Corinthians 15:18,20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13.
That immortality is conditional on faith in Jesus Christ.
John 3:16; Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:16-22.
That Christ will return to the earth personally and visibly.
Acts 1:4-11; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; Philippians 3:20,21; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.
That the divinely ordained ordinances are baptism (by immersion) and the Lord’s
Supper.
Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
That the first day of the week is a day for worship in commemoration of Christ’s
triumph over death.
Mark 16:1-9; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.
That the earth made new will be the home of the saints.
Daniel 7:27; Matthew 5:5; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 5:9-10.
Advent Christians believe that man is completely mortal and subject to death, which, they understand from both the Bible and science, is the cessation of all the life processes, including consciousness (Ecclesiastes 9:5); that man is a candidate for immortality by the grace and providence of God, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, though not the present possessor of it; that the sheol (hell) of the Old Testament and the hades (hell) of the New Testament indicate the place of all the dead where there is neither conscious felicity nor suffering; and that death is “the last enemy that shall be destroyed”(1Corinthians 15:26). They believe that man is as completely within the power of God as is any part of his creation. For them, death is the final curtain on the play of life unless there is to be a resurrection from the dead. This solves for them the otherwise perplexing problems respecting the intermediate state of death and the “second death” (Revelation 20:14). With the inspired Peter, they understand that “David is not ascended into the heavens” (Acts 2:34), and with the apostle Paul, they believe that “if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: …our preaching…vain… Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished” (1 Corinthians 15:13,14,18).
Death does not end all, however; for, with Paul, they believe that “there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust “(Acts 24:15). Christ himself said, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29). The triumph of their Lord over death is, for them, both a pledge and a pattern of the resurrection of the just. He who now has all power in heaven and on earth has the “keys of hell (hades) and of death” (Revelation 1:18), and he can save them from both hades and gehenna unto everlasting life.
The final conferment of rewards or punishments, Advent Christians believe, is to be reserved until the establishment of the divine tribunal at the second advent of Christ, when he shall sit upon the throne of his judgment. God is just, as well as merciful, so every man must finally stand at the judgment seat of Christ. The wages of sin is death; and “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished” (Proverbs 11:21). For them, there will be neither evasion of the divine tribunal nor any miscarriage of divine justice. The men of Sodom will be there, as well as any who may have escaped human justice in this world. The righteous sentence will be either, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”; or, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:34,41). The gehenna fires, which have evidently not as yet been kindled, will utterly destroy, completely purging the realm. Jesus assured men that God has power to “destroy both soul and body in hell” (gehenna, Matthew 10:28). After the fires of the last day have consumed the evil, there are to be “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).
Advent Christians set their affections upon the kingdom of God, long promised and clearly previewed in both Old and New Testaments. They are mindful of the present important phase of the kingdom, which was preached by John the Baptist and was illustrated frequently in the parables of Jesus. They also anticipate that ultimate phase, when “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
In accord with their Lord’s instructions, they earnestly pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). They believe that when the Gospel is adequately proclaimed and spiritually apprehended many will earnestly join in the request of the penitent thief, “Lord, remember me, when thou comest into thy kingdom.” They accept the conditions of entrance as set forth by Jesus to his disciples when he said, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3), and to Nicodemus when he told him, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven”(John 3:5). They endeavor to foster such Christian virtues as will assure them an abundant entrance into the “kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11).
Members of this denomination believe that “the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Psalm 37:11); that men may become the children of Abraham by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:29); that they may become joint-heirs with Christ of the world – a world at rest from sin and war and death; that although God’s heaven seems to be closed toward men, the renovated earth will become the paradise of God; that the New Jerusalem shall come from heaven as earth’s capital city; that, although “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him,” yet he “hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
Thus, Advent Christians ascribe to Christ his due preeminence as the author of eternal salvation, who has brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel, being assured that “He that hath the Son hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:12). For them the earthly ministry of the Son of God was an earnest of the coming kingdom when “all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord” (Numbers 14:21).
For more information, contact:
Dr. John H. Roller
5847 Brookstone Dr.
Concord, NC, USA 28027-2535
704-782-9574
johnroller@faithbiblechristian.com
Like Love, the AC Church Is Many Things
Like Love, The Advent Christian Church Is Many Things
By Rev. J. Howard Shaw
Like love, the Advent Christian Church is many things. It is a vital religious movement. It is an affirmation of the biblical view of man and his redemption. It is an expression of mainstream evangelical Christianity. It is a body of Christians expressing faith through action. It is a system of congregationally representative government. It is an opportunity for growth in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Let us briefly explain each of these definitions.
This church is a vital movement which sprang out of the “Adventual Awakening” of the 1830s and 1840s. To a generation of Christians which had largely ceased to think of the second coming of Christ as either an imminent or a literal event, one William Miller began to proclaim a message from prophecy which strikingly echoed the “midnight cry” of the Parable of the Virgins: “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye forth to meet Him.” Other able Bible expositors took up this proclamation and amplified it through pulpit and printed page. Soon, hundreds of thousands of Christians were “looking for that Blessed Hope” and bearing witness to it in changed lives. The Advent Christian Church, as such, emerged from this body of awakened Christians who were called “Adventists.”
The Church Represents a Recovery of the Biblical View of Redemption
As an affirmation of the biblical view of man and redemption, the Advent Christian Church represents a recovery of the biblical perspective on redemption, in which the second coming of Christ is seen as the “Blessed Hope.” At the time when this church emerged, church theology generally was permeated with the non-biblical concept of the “soul” as an immaterial entity possessing immortality. The logical consequence of this was that death, instead of resurrection, was regarded as the gateway to a future life, and heaven, instead of the new earth, was regarded as the abode of the redeemed. The return of Christ, under such a view, is really not essential for the completion of the redemption of man. But Adventists were impelled to search the Scriptures to discover why the second advent of Christ is an integral part of the plan and process of redemption. Many of these rediscovered the biblical position that man, rather than possessing a soul which can never die, is a soul and as a result of sin does die. They saw that man as a conscious, living soul was created and exists only as a bodily being inbreathed with the God-given breath or spirit of life (Genesis 2:7, Ecclesiastes 12:7; 9:5,10). They saw the biblical perspective reflected in the question of Job, “If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:4). Job makes it very clear, in the context, that when a man dies he is really dead and wholly dead, unlike a tree which may die and yet retain a vestige of life. The reign of death, which is in the world as a consequence of sin, can be overcome only by resurrection – a living again.
Immortality is “Conditional”
While redemption is a present reality in terms of the forgiveness of sins and as a new and living way, its completion awaits the return of the redeemer, when the dead shall be raised incorruptible and mortals shall put on immortality. The Advent Christian Church embodies this basic biblical message in its teaching, viewing death as a state of unconsciousness and a future life possible only through a bodily resurrection. It believes that immortality is “conditional,” that is, it will be bestowed only upon those who have received Jesus as Savior.
As an expression of mainstream evangelical Christianity, this church cherishes and teaches the great doctrines of Scripture. It is founded upon the authority of the Bible as the word of God. It exalts and worships the God of the Bible: God the Father, revealed in Jesus Christ, the Son, and indwelling believers through the Holy Spirit. It preaches salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ: salvation as a personal experience of regeneration through the Holy Spirit, issuing in transformation of character and growth in Christ-likeness until we are finally like him when we see him as he is.
Advent Christians observe Sunday, the Lord’s day, as their day of worship, and reject that legalism which would impose Old Covenant distinctions and requirements upon those who are no longer under law but under grace. They believe that the function of the law of Moses in relation to man’s redemption was to reveal the depth of human spiritual and moral sickness and to show man that no system of “works” or self-effort can set him right with God, but only the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Church at Work in the World
The Advent Christian Church is a body of Christians at work in the world. In fulfillment of Christ’s “Great Commission,” they endeavor to make disciples unto him in all the world: through evangelistic activity in the local church and its community, through a program of home missions in the United States and Canada, and through missionary enterprise around the globe. Such ministries are at work in the major cities of Memphis, Tennessee; Chicago, Illinois; Jacksonville, Florida; Los Angeles, California; Providence, Rhode Island; Charlotte, North Carolina; San Francisco, California; and others. They maintain exciting missionary work in Croatia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Japan, Liberia, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa, and many other countries. As a result of their missionary work in mainland China for over 50 years prior to 1948, churches then planted continue to this day to bear fruit for Christ.
Two colleges express concern of Advent Christians for Christian higher education: Aurora University of Aurora, Illinois, an accredited college of liberal arts and sciences; and Berkshire Christian College of Haverhill, Massachusetts, a member of the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges. Three institutional homes express the concern of the church for the care of human needs. The Advent Christian Village in Dowling Park, Florida maintains a three-fold ministry, providing a home-like environment for children and young people, affording gracious retirement living for the aging, and offering nursing care for the sick and infirm. Vernon Advent Christian Home in Vernon, Vermont ministers to the aging through a retirement home and to the afflicted through nursing home care. Meetinghouse Village in Kittery, Maine is an extension of the ministry of Vernon Home.
Congregational in Government
Important also to the wholeness of the work of the church are well-organized programs of Christian education, youth work, men’s work, and women’s work. The use of the printed page has always been an important part of the witness of this people, and the Advent Christian General Conference Department of Communications continues to make wide use of this medium to proclaim the Gospel and minister to the growth of Christians.
The Advent Christian Church is essentially congregational in government, the local church being self-governing. In order to realize the ideal of fellowship and unity of action with the larger body of believers, the local congregations, in mutual love, conduct important aspects of their church life through a system of representative assemblies. Local churches have direct delegate representation in state or area “conferences” and in regional “associations.” The conferences (and, in some cases, the regional associations) exercise jurisdiction in the ordaining and licensing of ministers. The conferences and regional associations define unifying goals, afford assistance and counsel to local congregations, and conduct programs of evangelism and church extension within their respective areas. At the general denominational level, the “General Conference” brings together delegates from conferences and regions. This delegate body adopts policies and programs for the denomination as a whole. Its boards and cooperating societies carry out the programs of service to the cause of Christ described earlier. These several programs are viewed as parts of one whole program and are supported through a unified financial system in which there is freedom to express specialized interest or concern.
Opportunity for Growth in Understanding
Finally, the Advent Christian Church is an opportunity for growth in understanding and applying the knowledge of Jesus Christ. No claim to infallibility or perfection is made by the church for itself or its members –only for its Lord and his word. We are not the only church, but only an organized expression of the total Church, which is universal. The posture of our church is that of utter confidence in the message we proclaim, but humble teachableness in applying that message to the changing needs and conditions of a complex world. We would ever be open to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches,” whether it be a word of rebuke for our failure to rightly and fully apply the love of Christ in all areas of human relations, or a word of command disclosing a fresh vision and saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
In terms of the goal of our Christian calling, Advent Christians would say, “We have not arrived, but we press forward in a pilgrim way.” This is a good way, for the Lord is in our midst. As we proclaim his message of love, hope, and salvation, he confirms it with signs and wonders in the lives of those who believe. As we accept responsibility and endeavor to do his work, he gives us power and resources for the tasks. To all who need the sustaining fellowship of people who love the Savior, who cherish the biblical hope, and who aspire to faithful and fruitful service, our hearts are open. In the words of Moses to Hobab of old, “We are journeying to the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you;’ come with us and we will do you good.”
Originally written by Dr. J. Howard Shaw
Executive Secretary, 1958-1975
Advent Christian General Conference
Updated July 28, 2006 by Dr. John H. Roller
Publications Coordinator, 2006-2007
Advent Christian General Conference
For more information, contact:
Dr. John H. Roller
5847 Brookstone Dr.
Concord, NC, USA 28027-2535
704-782-9574
johnroller@faithbiblechristian.com
By Rev. J. Howard Shaw
Like love, the Advent Christian Church is many things. It is a vital religious movement. It is an affirmation of the biblical view of man and his redemption. It is an expression of mainstream evangelical Christianity. It is a body of Christians expressing faith through action. It is a system of congregationally representative government. It is an opportunity for growth in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Let us briefly explain each of these definitions.
This church is a vital movement which sprang out of the “Adventual Awakening” of the 1830s and 1840s. To a generation of Christians which had largely ceased to think of the second coming of Christ as either an imminent or a literal event, one William Miller began to proclaim a message from prophecy which strikingly echoed the “midnight cry” of the Parable of the Virgins: “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye forth to meet Him.” Other able Bible expositors took up this proclamation and amplified it through pulpit and printed page. Soon, hundreds of thousands of Christians were “looking for that Blessed Hope” and bearing witness to it in changed lives. The Advent Christian Church, as such, emerged from this body of awakened Christians who were called “Adventists.”
The Church Represents a Recovery of the Biblical View of Redemption
As an affirmation of the biblical view of man and redemption, the Advent Christian Church represents a recovery of the biblical perspective on redemption, in which the second coming of Christ is seen as the “Blessed Hope.” At the time when this church emerged, church theology generally was permeated with the non-biblical concept of the “soul” as an immaterial entity possessing immortality. The logical consequence of this was that death, instead of resurrection, was regarded as the gateway to a future life, and heaven, instead of the new earth, was regarded as the abode of the redeemed. The return of Christ, under such a view, is really not essential for the completion of the redemption of man. But Adventists were impelled to search the Scriptures to discover why the second advent of Christ is an integral part of the plan and process of redemption. Many of these rediscovered the biblical position that man, rather than possessing a soul which can never die, is a soul and as a result of sin does die. They saw that man as a conscious, living soul was created and exists only as a bodily being inbreathed with the God-given breath or spirit of life (Genesis 2:7, Ecclesiastes 12:7; 9:5,10). They saw the biblical perspective reflected in the question of Job, “If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:4). Job makes it very clear, in the context, that when a man dies he is really dead and wholly dead, unlike a tree which may die and yet retain a vestige of life. The reign of death, which is in the world as a consequence of sin, can be overcome only by resurrection – a living again.
Immortality is “Conditional”
While redemption is a present reality in terms of the forgiveness of sins and as a new and living way, its completion awaits the return of the redeemer, when the dead shall be raised incorruptible and mortals shall put on immortality. The Advent Christian Church embodies this basic biblical message in its teaching, viewing death as a state of unconsciousness and a future life possible only through a bodily resurrection. It believes that immortality is “conditional,” that is, it will be bestowed only upon those who have received Jesus as Savior.
As an expression of mainstream evangelical Christianity, this church cherishes and teaches the great doctrines of Scripture. It is founded upon the authority of the Bible as the word of God. It exalts and worships the God of the Bible: God the Father, revealed in Jesus Christ, the Son, and indwelling believers through the Holy Spirit. It preaches salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ: salvation as a personal experience of regeneration through the Holy Spirit, issuing in transformation of character and growth in Christ-likeness until we are finally like him when we see him as he is.
Advent Christians observe Sunday, the Lord’s day, as their day of worship, and reject that legalism which would impose Old Covenant distinctions and requirements upon those who are no longer under law but under grace. They believe that the function of the law of Moses in relation to man’s redemption was to reveal the depth of human spiritual and moral sickness and to show man that no system of “works” or self-effort can set him right with God, but only the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Church at Work in the World
The Advent Christian Church is a body of Christians at work in the world. In fulfillment of Christ’s “Great Commission,” they endeavor to make disciples unto him in all the world: through evangelistic activity in the local church and its community, through a program of home missions in the United States and Canada, and through missionary enterprise around the globe. Such ministries are at work in the major cities of Memphis, Tennessee; Chicago, Illinois; Jacksonville, Florida; Los Angeles, California; Providence, Rhode Island; Charlotte, North Carolina; San Francisco, California; and others. They maintain exciting missionary work in Croatia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Japan, Liberia, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa, and many other countries. As a result of their missionary work in mainland China for over 50 years prior to 1948, churches then planted continue to this day to bear fruit for Christ.
Two colleges express concern of Advent Christians for Christian higher education: Aurora University of Aurora, Illinois, an accredited college of liberal arts and sciences; and Berkshire Christian College of Haverhill, Massachusetts, a member of the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges. Three institutional homes express the concern of the church for the care of human needs. The Advent Christian Village in Dowling Park, Florida maintains a three-fold ministry, providing a home-like environment for children and young people, affording gracious retirement living for the aging, and offering nursing care for the sick and infirm. Vernon Advent Christian Home in Vernon, Vermont ministers to the aging through a retirement home and to the afflicted through nursing home care. Meetinghouse Village in Kittery, Maine is an extension of the ministry of Vernon Home.
Congregational in Government
Important also to the wholeness of the work of the church are well-organized programs of Christian education, youth work, men’s work, and women’s work. The use of the printed page has always been an important part of the witness of this people, and the Advent Christian General Conference Department of Communications continues to make wide use of this medium to proclaim the Gospel and minister to the growth of Christians.
The Advent Christian Church is essentially congregational in government, the local church being self-governing. In order to realize the ideal of fellowship and unity of action with the larger body of believers, the local congregations, in mutual love, conduct important aspects of their church life through a system of representative assemblies. Local churches have direct delegate representation in state or area “conferences” and in regional “associations.” The conferences (and, in some cases, the regional associations) exercise jurisdiction in the ordaining and licensing of ministers. The conferences and regional associations define unifying goals, afford assistance and counsel to local congregations, and conduct programs of evangelism and church extension within their respective areas. At the general denominational level, the “General Conference” brings together delegates from conferences and regions. This delegate body adopts policies and programs for the denomination as a whole. Its boards and cooperating societies carry out the programs of service to the cause of Christ described earlier. These several programs are viewed as parts of one whole program and are supported through a unified financial system in which there is freedom to express specialized interest or concern.
Opportunity for Growth in Understanding
Finally, the Advent Christian Church is an opportunity for growth in understanding and applying the knowledge of Jesus Christ. No claim to infallibility or perfection is made by the church for itself or its members –only for its Lord and his word. We are not the only church, but only an organized expression of the total Church, which is universal. The posture of our church is that of utter confidence in the message we proclaim, but humble teachableness in applying that message to the changing needs and conditions of a complex world. We would ever be open to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches,” whether it be a word of rebuke for our failure to rightly and fully apply the love of Christ in all areas of human relations, or a word of command disclosing a fresh vision and saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
In terms of the goal of our Christian calling, Advent Christians would say, “We have not arrived, but we press forward in a pilgrim way.” This is a good way, for the Lord is in our midst. As we proclaim his message of love, hope, and salvation, he confirms it with signs and wonders in the lives of those who believe. As we accept responsibility and endeavor to do his work, he gives us power and resources for the tasks. To all who need the sustaining fellowship of people who love the Savior, who cherish the biblical hope, and who aspire to faithful and fruitful service, our hearts are open. In the words of Moses to Hobab of old, “We are journeying to the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you;’ come with us and we will do you good.”
Originally written by Dr. J. Howard Shaw
Executive Secretary, 1958-1975
Advent Christian General Conference
Updated July 28, 2006 by Dr. John H. Roller
Publications Coordinator, 2006-2007
Advent Christian General Conference
For more information, contact:
Dr. John H. Roller
5847 Brookstone Dr.
Concord, NC, USA 28027-2535
704-782-9574
johnroller@faithbiblechristian.com
Introducing... the Advent Christian Church
Introducing... the Advent Christian Church
by Norval S. Richardson
Origin
The United States of the early nineteenth century was marked by phenomenal growth. It was a period of expansion westward as new land was constantly being claimed for the young nation. Industrialization was coming into its own, and the cities began to thrive. The birth rate was high and immigration brought many thousands to these shores, rapidly increasing the population of the country.
The period was also marked by the quickened interest in the study of the Bible by clergy and laity alike. It was in the 1830s that a man by the name of William Miller began to preach the soon return of Jesus Christ to the earth. His convictions were the result of serious study of Bible prophecy. He believed the event would take place about 1843 or 1844. He toured New England, New York State and adjacent areas lecturing on the prophecies of the Bible and urging people to prepare for the Day of the Lord by repenting. Many responded and began an earnest study of the Bible on these matters. One historian estimates that more than a million people became believers in the near return of Christ. When one considers that the population of the United States was about 17,000,000 at the time, the “Advent” movement was something of religious and social significance.
When the date of Miller’s expectation passed, there were many who abandoned the hope of Christ’s coming. A far greater number, however, were convinced that, while Mr. Miller had been mistaken as to the time, he was unquestionably correct in holding to the certainty and the nearness of the Advent. Miller himself acknowledged his error but until his death believed Christ’s coming to be “near at hand”.
Those who held to the doctrine of the Lord’s coming soon felt the need for close fellowship through conferences and campmeetings. In many places persecution arose that drove many to band themselves together into local churches. It was a natural development that there would be conferences of churches leading to a denominational structure. The first organized local churches appeared about 1844 or 1845. By 1860 they were scattered over New England and the Mid-West with several in other regions.
The Advent Christian General Conference of America came into being in 1861. Doctrinally it was founded on the twin biblical teachings of the return of Christ and that eternal life is obtained only by faith in him. Its “Declaration of Principles” was adopted in January 1900. This is not a “creed” but a statement of the general teachings of the Church.
Christians First
Along with the vast majority of Christian people, Advent Christians believe in one God and in his divine son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. With most other Christians, we believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God, and we believe in the divine origin if the Church. We believe in the ordinances of the church and practice the observance of the Lord’s Supper and baptism. Immersion is the only form of baptism administered in this church. We believe that Sunday is the day for Christian worship in commemoration of the Master’s victory over death. Our church covenants usually read that we take the Bible as our only rule of faith and conduct and that we make Christian character the only test of fellowship and communion.
We Are Different
We have mentioned that the message of our Lord’s return was the first reason for the calling out of a new denomination more than a century ago. Continued Bible study led many leaders in the Advent movement to see the biblical truth that immortality is a gift of God rather than a natural possession and that this gift is bestowed at the resurrection of the dead when Christ returns to earth (1 Corinthians 15:13,18). Thus it was seen that at death man “falls asleep” to remain in a state of unconsciousness (Ecclesiastes 9:5) until the day of his coming when “all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28,29). As our Lord Jesus Christ is Judge, Life-giver, and King, the fate of the finally unrepentant is death, ultimate and eternal.
The Advent Christian Church is conservative and evangelical. It maintains programs of higher education and homes for the orphaned and aged. It sends and supports missionaries in many parts of the world. It seeks, in humility, to declare the whole counsel of God and to urge people everywhere to repent “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
For more information, contact:
Dr. John H. Roller
5847 Brookstone Dr.
Concord, NC, USA 28027-2535
704-782-9574
johnroller@faithbiblechristian.com
by Norval S. Richardson
Origin
The United States of the early nineteenth century was marked by phenomenal growth. It was a period of expansion westward as new land was constantly being claimed for the young nation. Industrialization was coming into its own, and the cities began to thrive. The birth rate was high and immigration brought many thousands to these shores, rapidly increasing the population of the country.
The period was also marked by the quickened interest in the study of the Bible by clergy and laity alike. It was in the 1830s that a man by the name of William Miller began to preach the soon return of Jesus Christ to the earth. His convictions were the result of serious study of Bible prophecy. He believed the event would take place about 1843 or 1844. He toured New England, New York State and adjacent areas lecturing on the prophecies of the Bible and urging people to prepare for the Day of the Lord by repenting. Many responded and began an earnest study of the Bible on these matters. One historian estimates that more than a million people became believers in the near return of Christ. When one considers that the population of the United States was about 17,000,000 at the time, the “Advent” movement was something of religious and social significance.
When the date of Miller’s expectation passed, there were many who abandoned the hope of Christ’s coming. A far greater number, however, were convinced that, while Mr. Miller had been mistaken as to the time, he was unquestionably correct in holding to the certainty and the nearness of the Advent. Miller himself acknowledged his error but until his death believed Christ’s coming to be “near at hand”.
Those who held to the doctrine of the Lord’s coming soon felt the need for close fellowship through conferences and campmeetings. In many places persecution arose that drove many to band themselves together into local churches. It was a natural development that there would be conferences of churches leading to a denominational structure. The first organized local churches appeared about 1844 or 1845. By 1860 they were scattered over New England and the Mid-West with several in other regions.
The Advent Christian General Conference of America came into being in 1861. Doctrinally it was founded on the twin biblical teachings of the return of Christ and that eternal life is obtained only by faith in him. Its “Declaration of Principles” was adopted in January 1900. This is not a “creed” but a statement of the general teachings of the Church.
Christians First
Along with the vast majority of Christian people, Advent Christians believe in one God and in his divine son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. With most other Christians, we believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God, and we believe in the divine origin if the Church. We believe in the ordinances of the church and practice the observance of the Lord’s Supper and baptism. Immersion is the only form of baptism administered in this church. We believe that Sunday is the day for Christian worship in commemoration of the Master’s victory over death. Our church covenants usually read that we take the Bible as our only rule of faith and conduct and that we make Christian character the only test of fellowship and communion.
We Are Different
We have mentioned that the message of our Lord’s return was the first reason for the calling out of a new denomination more than a century ago. Continued Bible study led many leaders in the Advent movement to see the biblical truth that immortality is a gift of God rather than a natural possession and that this gift is bestowed at the resurrection of the dead when Christ returns to earth (1 Corinthians 15:13,18). Thus it was seen that at death man “falls asleep” to remain in a state of unconsciousness (Ecclesiastes 9:5) until the day of his coming when “all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28,29). As our Lord Jesus Christ is Judge, Life-giver, and King, the fate of the finally unrepentant is death, ultimate and eternal.
The Advent Christian Church is conservative and evangelical. It maintains programs of higher education and homes for the orphaned and aged. It sends and supports missionaries in many parts of the world. It seeks, in humility, to declare the whole counsel of God and to urge people everywhere to repent “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
For more information, contact:
Dr. John H. Roller
5847 Brookstone Dr.
Concord, NC, USA 28027-2535
704-782-9574
johnroller@faithbiblechristian.com
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