It is common to hear many independent Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) ministries refer to a group of “nominal adventists” who will become our worst enemies when the Sunday law is enforced. Here is a youtube video that makes this incorrect assumption. A popular reference from the Spirit of Prophecy used to bolster this position is as follows.
“As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition. By uniting with the world and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and when the test is brought, they are prepared to choose the easy, popular side. Men of talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in the truth, employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls. They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren. When Sabbathkeepers are brought before the courts to answer for their faith, these apostates are the most efficient agents of Satan to misrepresent and accuse them, and by false reports and insinuations to stir up the rulers against them.” — Great Controversy, p. 608.2
It is important to recognize when and to whom this particular statement applies. Most SDA’s assume it applies to unfaithful brethren during the Sunday law but they do not realize that God’s church, the Seventh-day Adventist, must be purified before the Sunday law comes to place. Please consider the evidences presented in a prior post on this subject. Since SDA’s do not have the additional light revealed about the judgment for the living that first begins at the church (1 Pet. 4:17), they do not have a coherent view of future events in prophecy and thus tend to misapply references from the SOP regarding future events. In this instance the passage in GC 608 comes from a chapter entitled “The Final Warning” which applies to the time of the Loud Cry in which the Great Multitude in Rev. 7:9 are called out of Babylon by the 144,000. They do not recognize that the three angels messages are to be repeated (see: Early Writings, p. 277) and that there are going to be some from the world who accept it but then turn from it and become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren, in this case those comprising the Great Multitude. Bear in mind that the unfaithful in the SDA church at this time are dead because they have been subject to the slaughter of Ezekiel 9 so they could not be the ones betraying their former brethren.
Now to address who are the “nominal Adventists” spoken of in Ellen White’s writings we will list all of the non-redundant statements using the phrase. Also, an explanation from the Appendix found in copies of Early Writings which makes clear that nominal Adventists are those who in the days of Sister White accepted the teaching of the first and second angels of Rev. 14 but rejected the light of the Sabbath found in the third angels message. They never advanced to become Seventh-day Adventists but rather became part of a group better known as First-day Adventists (FDA’s). The decedents of FDA’s are recognized today as The Adventist Church and Jehovah Witnesses in particular.
Spirit of Prophecy Statements Referring to “Nominal Adventists”
At this time there was fanaticism in Maine. Some refrained wholly from labor and disfellowshiped all those who would not receive their views on this point, and some other things which they held to be religious duties. God revealed these errors to me in vision and sent me to His erring children to declare them; but many of them wholly rejected the message, and charged me with conforming to the world. On the other hand, the nominal Adventists charged me with fanaticism, and I was falsely, and by some wickedly, represented as being the leader of the fanaticism that I was actually laboring to correct. Different times were repeatedly set for the Lord to come and were urged upon the brethren; but the Lord showed me that they would all pass by, for the time of trouble must come before the coming of Christ, and that every time that was set and passed by would only weaken the faith of God’s people. For this I was charged with being with the evil servant that said in his heart, “My Lord delayeth His coming.” — Early Writings, p. 22.1
I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully. This enraged the churches and nominal Adventists, [SEE APPENDIX.] as they could not refute the Sabbath truth. And at this time God’s chosen all saw clearly that we had the truth, and they came out and endured the persecution with us. I saw the sword, famine, pestilence, and great confusion in the land. The wicked thought that we had brought the judgments upon them, and they rose up and took counsel to rid the earth of us, thinking that then the evil would be stayed.” — Early Writings, p. 33
I saw that God has honest children among the nominal Adventists and the fallen churches, and before the plagues shall be poured out, ministers and people will be called out from these churches and will gladly receive the truth. Satan knows this; and before the loud cry of the third angel is given, he raises an excitement in these religious bodies, that those who have rejected the truth may think that God is with them. He hopes to deceive the honest and lead them to think that God is still working for the churches. But the light will shine, and all who are honest will leave the fallen churches, and take their stand with the remnant.” — Early Writings, p 261.1
We had good meetings in Portland, and a good hearing–never better anywhere. The house was well filled in the afternoon. The nominal Adventists let me in their hall to speak. The hall was literally packed. We had excellent attention. I had perfect liberty in speaking to the people. I walked one mile and back three times a day, and then visiting my sisters and cousins wore me. . . . Rest we must have. But we look forward to the time when “we’ll lay our heavy burdens down, there’s resting by and by.”–Letter 25, 1868 , pp. 2, 3. (To “Dear Children Edson and Willie,” December 2, 1868.)” — Manuscript Releases, Vol. 4, p. 38.2 [Notice that by 1868 the Seventh-day Adventist Church was an organized body and Sister White meet with nominal Adventists in their own meeting halls, not in SDA churches]
I saw the nominal church and nominal Adventists, like Judas, would betray us to the Catholics to obtain their influence to come against the truth. The saints then will be an obscure people, little known to the Catholics; but the churches and nominal Adventists who know of our faith and customs (for they hated us on account of the Sabbath, for they could not refute it) will betray the saints and report them to the Catholics as those who disregard the institutions of the people; that is, that they keep the Sabbath and disregard Sunday.” — Spaulding Magan Coll. p. 1.5
Appendix, Early Writings, p. 299 PAGE 33: NOMINAL ADVENTISTS.–THOSE WHO UNITED IN SOUNDING THE FIRST AND SECOND ANGELS’ MESSAGES BUT WHO REJECTED THE THIRD ANGEL’S MESSAGE WITH ITS SABBATH TRUTH, BUT NONETHELESS CONTINUED TO ESPOUSE THE ADVENT HOPE, ARE REFERRED TO BY MRS. WHITE AS THE “NOMINAL ADVENTISTS,” OR THOSE WHO “REJECT THE PRESENT TRUTH” (PAGE 69), ALSO “DIFFERENT PARTIES OF PROFESSED ADVENT BELIEVERS” (PAGE 124). IN OUR EARLY LITERATURE THESE PEOPLE WERE ALSO REFERRED TO AS “FIRST-DAY ADVENTISTS.”
A LARGE NUMBER OF CHRISTIANS WERE DISAPPOINTED IN THE AUTUMN OF 1844 WHEN CHRIST DID NOT COME AS THEY EXPECTED. THE ADVENTISTS DIVIDED INTO SEVERAL GROUPS, THE SURVIVORS OF WHICH TODAY COMPRISE THE ADVENT CHRISTIAN CHURCH, A SMALL BODY, AND THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS.
ONLY A FEW AMONG THE ADVENTISTS MAINTAINED THEIR CONFIDENCE IN THE FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY IN 1844, BUT THOSE WHO DID STEPPED FORWARD INTO THE THIRD ANGEL’S MESSAGE WITH ITS SEVENTH-DAY SABBATH. OF THE EXPERIENCE AT THAT CRITICAL PERIOD ELLEN WHITE LATER WROTE:
Had Adventists, after the great disappointment in 1844, held fast their faith, and followed on unitedly in the opening providence of God, receiving the message of the third angel and in the power of the Holy Spirit proclaiming it to the world, they would have seen the salvation of God, the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts, the work would have been completed, and Christ would have come ere this to receive His people to their reward.
But in the period of doubt and uncertainty that followed the disappointment, many of the advent believers yielded their faith. Dissensions and divisions came in. The majority opposed with voice and pen the few who, following in the providence of God, received the Sabbath reform and began to proclaim the third angel’s message. Many who should have devoted their time and talents to the one purpose of sounding warning to the world, were absorbed in opposing the Sabbath truth, and in turn, the labor of its advocates was necessarily spent in answering these opponents and defending the truth. Thus the work was hindered, and the world was left in darkness. Had the whole Adventist body united upon the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, how widely different would have been our history!” — Selected Messages, Vol. 1, p. 68.2
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