In common Seventh-day Adventist theology, the (end-time) remnant is identified with the Seventh-day Adventist church. This is not a claim that Adventists are the only one who will be saved, but that they have been specially entrusted by God with a message for the end times. This assertion is implied in the 13th fundamental teaching of the church, "Remnant and Its Mission". The interpretation is based primarily upon Revelation 12:17, which states: The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA), colloquially referred to as the Adventists, is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination that grew out of the prophetic Millerite movement in the United States during the middle part of the 19th century. ... It has been suggested that Christian theological controversy be merged into this article or section. ... The 28 Fundamentals are a core set of theological beliefs held by the Seventh-day Adventist church. ...

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." (King James Version) This page is about the version of the Bible; for the Harvey Danger album, see King James Version (album). ...

The New International Version and other modern Bible translations often use "rest" in place of "remnant", yielding "...rest of her offspring..." or similar. The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Christian Bible which is the most popular of the modern translations of the Bible made in the twentieth century. ... For other uses, see Bible (disambiguation). ...

Fundamental Beliefs

Though the Adventist church is not explicitly identified as the remnant in the church's 13th fundamental teaching, it is implied and considered a mainstream teaching.

"13. Remnant and Its Mission: The universal church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ, but in the last days, a time of widespread apostasy, a remnant has been called out to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This remnant announces the arrival of the judgment hour, proclaims salvation through Christ, and heralds the approach of His second advent. This proclamation is symbolized by the three angels of Revelation 14; it coincides with the work of judgment in heaven and results in a work of repentance and reform on earth. Every believer is called to have a personal part in this worldwide witness. (Rev. 12:17; 14:6-12; 18:1-4; 2 Cor. 5:10; Jude 3, 14; 1 Peter 1:16-19; 2 Peter 3:10-14; Rev. 21:1-14.)" ^[1]

Another fundamental teaching mentions the remnant church:

"18. The Gift of Prophecy: One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen. G. White . As the Lord's messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested. (Joel 2:28, 29; Acts 2:14-21; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 12:17; 19:10.)" ^[1]

Supporting arguments

Two of the identifying marks of the remnant listed in Revelation 12:17 are that they "keep the commandments of God" and have the "testimony of Jesus". It is suggested that the commandments of God refer to the Ten Commandments, which only Adventists keep (especially the fourth commandments regarding the Sabbath). Also according to Revelation 19:10, "...the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy" (NIV). The Spirit of prophecy refers to Ellen White. These two tests in particular identify the Adventist church as the end-time remnant church. This 1768 parchment (612x502 mm) by Jekuthiel Sofer emulated 1675 Decalogue at the Esnoga synagogue of Amsterdam The Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, are a list of religious and moral imperatives which, according to religious tradition, were written by God and given to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of... This artyicle concerns the Sabbath in Christianity. ... Ellen Gould Harmon White (November 26, 1827 - July 16, 1915) was co-founder of Seventh-day Adventism. ...

For a detailed defense of the doctrine, and for a survey of Adventist positions, see "The Remnant and the Adventist Church"[1] by Ángel Manuel Rodríguez of the Biblical Research Institute of Seventh-day Adventists.

Criticism of the doctrine

Adventist criticism

The Adventist journals Spectrum[2] and Adventist Today[3] commonly publish articles and letters which deny this doctrine, instead claiming that the remnant is much wider than the Adventist church.

Adventist Steve Daily has criticized the doctrine in his book.

External criticism

Naturally non-Adventists disagree with this identification.

Walter Martin. This article or section needs to be wikified. ...