Under the article "Landmarks" in The Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia (vol. 10, pp. 682, 683), mention is made of seven distinctive SDA pillars. Though similar reference does not appear under other intuitive headings such as Pillars, Waymarks, Special Points,Foundations, Pegs, Pins, or Platforms, all these terms are roughly synonymous with Landmarks. In Comprehensive Index to the Writings of Ellen G. White, vol. 2, the entry for Pillar(s) on p. 2061 is cross-referenced to Landmark, the only term among the eight named here with a corresponding entry in the Encyclopedia. Ellen White wrote on these landmarks or pillars, "Let the truths that are the foundation of our faith be kept before the people. Some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. They talk science, and the enemy comes in and gives them an abundance of science; but it is not the science of salvation. It is not the science of humility, of consecration, or of the sanctification of the spirit. We are now to understand what the pillars of our faith are,-- the truths that have made us as a people what we are, leading us on step by step." (Review and Herald, May 25, 1905) In her book Counsels to Writers and Editors, White was more descriptive. "The passing of the time in 1844 was a period of great events, opening to our astonished eyes the cleansing of the sanctuary transpiring in heaven, and having decided relation to God's people upon the earth, [also] the first and second angels' messages and the third, unfurling the banner on which was inscribed, "The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus [including Righteousness by Faith]." One of the landmarks under this message was the temple of God, seen by His truth-loving people in heaven, and the ark containing the law of God. The light of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment flashed its strong rays in the pathway of the transgressors of God's law. The nonimmortality of the wicked is an old landmark". These foundations, pillars, and landmarks are: • the Second Advent • the
sanctuary, • the
investigative judgment, • the Sabbath,
Fourth Commandment • the law of God, • the state of the dead, • the three angels' messages of Revelation, • the faith of Jesus, and • the special gift of prophecy. The foundation of Seventh-Day Adventism was being set between 1840 and 1844 and led to many of these landmarks being spread among the early believers. Seventh-Day Adventists believe they are repeating the history of the Jewish nation at Christ's first Advent. The Jews strayed so far from true doctrine that they did not recognize Him who was the very foundation of their system of worship. Their error and tradition led them to reject Christ and close their probation on the wrong side of the Great Controversy. Spiritual Israel is in a similar position now at the end of the world with many Protestant denominations drifting and forgetting the truths which they were built on. These early Adventists came to understand present truth and the Pillars prepare the church to stand through the coming end times and perform the work of restoring the true foundation given from scripture.
The faith of Jesus (Righteousness of Christ) Early Adventists understood the "faith of Jesus" as something that needed to be kept. It was descriptive of Jesus' faith that Adventists wanted to emulate. It included "the New Testament requirements, such as repentance, faith, baptism, Lord's Supper, washing the saints' feet, etc." that Jesus practiced. This position countered those in the Protestant world who considered those requirements to be the "commandments of God." By identifying them as the "faith of Jesus," Adventists distinguished and preserved the perennial imperatives of the
Ten Commandments and the Sabbath.
The Three Angels' Messages The Seventh-day Adventist Church has traditionally believed that it is the
remnant church of Bible prophecy, and that its mission is to proclaim the three angels' messages. : "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 the act of repentance and reform on earth. Every believer is called to have a personal part in this worldwide witness." :
Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church :"In accordance with God's uniform dealing with mankind, warning them of coming events that will vitally affect their destiny, He has sent forth a proclamation of the approaching return of Christ. This preparatory message is symbolized by the three angels' messages of Revelation 14, and meets its fulfillment in the great Second Advent Movement today. This has brought forth the remnant, or Seventh-day Adventist Church, keeping the
commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." :
Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual In Fundamental Belief #13: "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: "1. the arrival of the judgment hour, "2. proclaims salvation through Christ, and "3. 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 the act of repentance and reform on earth. Every believer is called to have a personal part in this worldwide witness.
The special gift of prophecy Fundamental Belief #18: "In the last days, as in biblical times, the Holy Spirit has blessed God's people with the gift of prophecy. One who demonstrated this gift was Ellen G. White, one of the founding pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist church. "The Scriptures testify that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and we believe it was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White. Her writings speak with prophetic authority and provide comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction to the church. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested. The church believes the spiritual gift of prophecy was manifested in the ministry of Ellen White, whose writings are sometimes referred to as the "Spirit of Prophecy". Two other official statements regarding the prophetic ministry of Ellen White have recently been voted at
General Conference Sessions. The June 1995 document
A Statement of Confidence in the Spirit of Prophecy states that White "did the work of a prophet, and more", and that her writings "carry divine authority, both for godly living and for doctrine"; and recommended that "as a church we seek the power of the Holy Spirit to apply to our lives more fully the inspired counsel contained in the writings of Ellen G White." The 2005 document
Resolution on the Spirit of Prophecy called upon "Seventh-day Adventists throughout the world to prayerfully study her writings, in order to understand more fully God's purpose for His remnant people", describing her writings as "theological stimulus".
The law of God's love In Fundamental Belief #19: "The great principles of God's law are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of Christ. They express God's love, will, and purposes concerning human conduct and relationships and are binding upon all people in every age. "These precepts are the basis of God's covenant with His people and the standard in God's judgment. Through the agency of the Holy Spirit they point out sin and awaken a sense of need for a Saviour. Salvation is all of grace and not of works, but its fruitage is obedience to the Commandments. This obedience develops Christian character and results in a sense of well-being. It is an evidence of our love for the Lord and our concern for our fellow men. The obedience of faith demonstrates the power of Christ to transform lives, and therefore strengthens Christian witness. Seventh-day Adventists believe that "the great principles of God's law are embodied in the Ten Commandments", and that these are "binding upon all people in every age" (Fundamental Belief no. 19). While the ceremonial and sacrificial laws of the
Old Testament were fulfilled by the death of Jesus Christ, the 10 commandments are held to remain in force for Christian believers. The words of Jesus Christ in are foundational to this conviction: :"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." Adventist believe and teach that all humanity is obliged to keep
God's Law, including the
Sabbath, and that keeping all the commandments is a moral responsibility that honors, and shows love towards God as
creator, sustainer, and redeemer.
The Sabbath The seventh-day
Sabbath, is observed from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, and Adventist hold this time as what God blessed and hallowed at Creation. Adventist point to the biblical references such as the ancient Hebrew practice of beginning a day at sundown, and the
Genesis creation narrative wherein an "evening and morning" established a day, predating the giving of the
Ten Commandments (thus the command to "remember" the Sabbath). The
seventh day of the week is recognized as
Sabbath in many languages, calendars, and doctrines, including those of
Catholic and
Orthodox churches. Adventist point out that the change of the Sabbath was part of a
Great Apostasy in the Christian faith when the
Bishop of Rome began to dominate the west and the other centers of Christianity. The Seventh-day Adventist has traditionally held that the apostate church formed and brought heathen corruption and allowed pagan idol worship and beliefs to come in under the Roman Catholic Church, which teaches other traditions over Scripture, and to rest from their work on Sunday, instead of
Sabbath as written by the finger of God in the Commandments of God, including the Scriptures.
The investigative judgment and the sanctuary service The
investigative judgment is a unique Seventh-day Adventist doctrine, which asserts that the divine judgment of professed Christians has been in progress since 1844. It is intimately related to the
history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and was described by the church's prophet and pioneer
Ellen G. White as one of the pillars of Adventist belief. It is a major component of the broader Adventist understanding of the "
heavenly sanctuary", and the two are sometimes spoken of interchangeably. Ellen White noted: The scripture which above all others had been both the foundation and the central pillar of the advent faith was the declaration: "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." Daniel 8:14. (The Great Controversy, p. 409)
The state of the dead (and the Millennium) Adventist believe that scripture reveals that the eternal God is immortal (1 Tim. 1:17). He is uncreated, self-existent, and has no beginning and no end. In fact, He "alone has immortality" (1 Tim. 6:16) "The Scriptures nowhere describe immortality as a quality or state that man—or his 'soul' or 'spirit'—possesses inherently. The terms usually rendered 'soul' and 'spirit' ... in the Bible occur more than 1,600 times, but never in association with the words 'immortal' or 'immortality'". Adventist hold that scripture shows that human beings are mortal. Scripture compares their lives with "a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). They are "but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again" (Ps. 78-39). Man "'comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does not continue'" (Job 14:2). Adventists teach that the resurrection of the righteous will take place at the second coming of
Jesus, while the resurrection of the wicked will occur after the millennium of . They reject the traditional doctrine of
hell as a state of everlasting conscious torment, believing instead that the wicked will be permanently destroyed after the millennium. The
theological term for this teaching is
Annihilationism. The Adventist views about death and hell reflect an underlying belief in: (a) conditional immortality (or conditionalism), as opposed to the
immortality of the
soul; and (b) the
holistic (or monistic)
Christian anthropology or nature of
human beings, as opposed to
bipartite or
tripartite views. Adventist believe the Bible clearly teaches what the "spirit" that returns to God at death is. The body without the spirit ["breath,"] is dead." James 2:26. "The spirit of God ["the breath which God gave him,"] is in my nostrils." Job 27:3. They hold that the spirit that returns to God at death is the breath of life. Nowhere in all of God's book does the "spirit" have any life, wisdom, or feeling after a person dies. It is the "breath of life" and nothing more.
Overview Shared Protestant doctrines which Seventh-day Adventists have are the central doctrines of
Protestant Christianity: the
Trinity, the
incarnation, the
virgin birth, the
substitutionary atonement,
justification by faith,
creation, the
second coming, the
resurrection of the dead, and
last judgment. In
Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine (1957), four authors outlined the core doctrines that they share with Protestant Christianity. :"
In Common With Conservative Christians and the Historic Protestant Creeds, We Believe— :1. That God is the Sovereign Creator, upholder, and ruler of the universe, and that He is eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. :2. That the Godhead, the
Trinity, comprises God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. :3. That the Scriptures are the inspired revelation of God to men; and that the Bible is the sole rule of faith and practice. :4. That Jesus Christ is very God, and that He has existed with the Father from all eternity. :5. That the Holy Spirit is a personal being, sharing the attributes of deity with the Father and the Son. :6. That Christ, the Word of God, became
incarnate through the miraculous conception and the
virgin birth; and that He lived an absolutely sinless life here on earth. :7. That the
vicarious, atoning death of Jesus Christ, once for all, is all-sufficient for the redemption of a lost race. :8. That Jesus Christ arose literally and bodily from the grave. :9. That He ascended literally and bodily into heaven. :10. That He now serves as our advocate in priestly ministry and mediation before the Father. :11. That He will return in a premillennial, personal, imminent second advent. :12. That man was
created sinless, but by his subsequent fall entered a state of alienation and depravity. :13. That salvation through Christ is by grace alone, through faith in His blood. :14. That entrance upon the new life in Christ is by regeneration, or the new birth. :15. That man is
justified by faith. :16. That man is sanctified by the indwelling Christ through the Holy Spirit. :17. That man will be glorified at the
resurrection or translation of the saints, when the
Lord returns. :18. That there will be a
judgment of all men. :19. That the gospel is to be preached as a witness to all the world." All of these doctrines, with the exception of item 11 (regarding the
premillennial return of Christ), are widely held amongst conservative or
evangelical Protestants. (Different Protestant groups hold varying views on the millennium.) In addition to holding many standard Protestant positions, the SDA's have embraced the Three Angels messages, which are associated with a number of doctrinal Pillars. This remarkable paradigm has changed the eschatological platform for the modern Protestant church. Which is why all denominations today embrace the pre-millennial and literal Second Coming of Christ instead of a thousand years of peace and prosperity that was taught back in the early 19th century. ==Ellen White on the Pillars==