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The Beginning
William Miller, a farmer, justice of the peace, sheriff, and Baptist preacher, start to preach about the Second Coming of Christ. He had been studied the 2300-Day Prophecy found the in book of Daniel in the Bible and began to spread the word about the Second Coming. -
The Great Disappointment Day
After the studying of the prophecy, William Miller conclude that Jesus Christ would return on October 22nd 1844. However the day passed and life went on as normal. No change. Some believers lost faith, while others continued to study. Eventually they discover they misinterpret the scripture and got the event wrong. Their faith was now stronger than ever as they had developed a deeper understanding. -
The Start of the Advent Movement
Over the next 15 years, many former Millerites continued their studies of prophecy and Christ’s Second Coming to see what more they could learn. They established multiple Bible conferences that focused on studying Scripture, and identified a series of Bible truths that were forgotten or neglected since the days of the early Church. The first vital step toward organization involved a gathering on October 1, 1860. These delegates agreed upon the name Seventh-day Adventists. -
General Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventists
A few years later, in May of 1863, another meeting of delegates from even more congregations of Adventists gathered to form what is now called the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. -
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Global Spread of the Advent Movement
The first Adventist missionary was J.N. Andrews in 1874. By the end of the 1870s, Adventist membership had tripled, passing 16,000 members. By 1901 there were 75,000 members worldwide, and the Church had also established two colleges, a medical school, 12 secondary schools, 27 hospitals and 13 publishing houses. Today the Adventist Church continues to grow globally, maintaining its focus on health and wellness, community development and mission work, publishing, and education.