Glossary of Adventist Terms
What's missing?
In my manuscript, Greatly Disappointed: a journey from Spirit and Truth, I chronicle the deconstruction of my lifelong Seventh-day Adventist faith. In telling this narrative, various terms come up that have specific “Adventist” meanings. To assist the reader and enjoy myself a bit, I’ve attached a Glossary of Adventist Terms in the back end of the book for the non-indoctrinated.
However, for the indoctrinated, what is this list missing?
1844 – The year Adventists believe Christ entered the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary to begin the Investigative Judgment.
Adventism – A Christian denomination that developed out of the Millerite movement of the 1840s, distinguished by Saturday Sabbath observance, health teachings, and distinctive end-time beliefs.
Adventist – A member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Babylon – A prophetic symbol in Revelation interpreted by Adventists as false or apostate religious systems, especially Catholicism and Protestant churches that reject the Sabbath.
Backsliding – A term for drifting away from Adventist belief or practice.
Beast (Revelation) – A prophetic symbol interpreted as oppressive powers. Adventists identify the first beast (Revelation 13) with the Papacy, and the second beast with the United States enforcing Sunday worship.
Calendars – Systems of reckoning time that affect biblical prophecy interpretation. Adventists typically work from the Jewish calendar for Old Testament prophecy, the Julian calendar for Roman-era dates, and acknowledge the Gregorian calendar used today, while applying the day-year principle to align prophetic periods with history.
Camp Meeting – An outdoor religious gathering, usually held annually, for preaching, worship, and fellowship.
Close of Probation – The moment when, according to Adventist teaching, salvation will no longer be available and humanity’s eternal destiny is fixed.
Conference – A regional administrative unit of the Adventist Church.
Daniel and Revelation – Biblical books emphasized in Adventist prophetic interpretation.
Day-Year Principle – A prophetic method of interpretation in which a prophetic “day” equals a literal year (e.g., 1,260 days = 1,260 years).
Decree of 457 B.C. – The decree of Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem (Ezra 7), used by Adventists as the starting point for the prophecy of Daniel 8:14.
Dietary Reform – See Health Message.
Ellen G. White (EGW) – Co-founder of the Adventist Church, regarded as a prophet. Her writings are collectively known as the Spirit of Prophecy.
Everlasting Gospel – The message of Revelation 14:6, interpreted by Adventists as the good news of salvation combined with a call to worship the Creator and keep His commandments, proclaimed especially through the Three Angels’ Messages.
Evangelistic Series – A public campaign of preaching, often focused on prophecy, aimed at gaining converts.
General Conference (GC) – The worldwide administrative headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, located in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Health Message – Adventist teachings on diet and lifestyle, including vegetarianism, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, and emphasis on exercise and natural remedies.
Historicist Interpretation – The prophetic method used by Adventists, in which biblical prophecies are seen as unfolding progressively through history.
Image to the Beast – In Revelation 13, interpreted by Adventists as apostate Protestantism in America enforcing religious conformity through Sunday laws.
Investigative Judgment – A unique Adventist doctrine teaching that in 1844 Christ began reviewing the lives of believers in heaven to determine their eligibility for salvation.
Lamb-like Beast – The second beast of Revelation 13, interpreted by Adventists as the United States, which will eventually repudiate its principles of liberty and enforce Sunday worship.
Last Generation Theology – A teaching that the final generation of believers must achieve sinless perfection before Christ’s return.
Little Horn – A prophetic symbol in Daniel, interpreted by Adventists as representing the Papacy.
Mark of the Beast – In Adventist interpretation, a symbol of enforced Sunday worship in opposition to the Seventh-day Sabbath.
Midnight Cry – A term from the Millerite movement referring to the 1844 preaching that Christ would soon return.
Millerite Movement – The 19th-century revival led by William Miller, which predicted Christ’s return in 1844 and gave rise to Adventism.
Papacy – In Adventist prophecy, the system of the Roman Catholic Church and its leadership, especially the Pope, identified with the Little Horn of Daniel 7 and the first beast of Revelation 13.
Pathfinders – A church-sponsored youth organization similar to Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, focused on outdoor skills, religious study, and service.
Potluck – A shared meal, often held after Sabbath services, and a common social practice in Adventist churches.
Prophecy Seminar – A series of presentations interpreting biblical prophecy, often used for evangelism.
Remnant – A term Adventists apply to themselves, signifying the faithful group that preserves God’s commandments and truth at the end of time.
Sabbath – Observed from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset as a day of rest and worship. Central to Adventist practice.
Sanctuary Doctrine – The teaching that Christ ministers in a heavenly sanctuary in two phases: the Holy Place until 1844, and the Most Holy Place thereafter.
Second Coming – The anticipated return of Christ to earth, considered imminent and central to Adventist belief.
Sealing – The spiritual preparation of believers before the Close of Probation, marking them as God’s faithful in the final crisis.
Seventh-day Adventist Church – The formal denomination established in 1863, now a global Christian body.
Sister White – Informal Adventist nickname for Ellen G. White.
Spirit of Prophecy – A phrase used both for Ellen G. White’s writings and for the prophetic gift itself.
Sunday Law – A future law, according to Adventist teaching, that will enforce Sunday worship and trigger persecution of Sabbath-keepers.
Three Angels’ Messages – A distinctive Adventist interpretation of Revelation 14:6–12, seen as the church’s mission to warn the world before Christ’s return.
Time of Trouble – A final period of persecution before Christ’s return, when believers must rely on God alone for survival.
Truth – A common Adventist shorthand for their faith itself, often used to describe Adventism as the full and correct understanding of the Bible.
United States (Prophecy) – Identified by Adventists as the Lamb-like Beast of Revelation 13, symbolizing a nation that begins with freedom but later enforces religious laws, especially Sunday observance.
Vegetarianism – A lifestyle promoted by Adventism’s health teachings; Adventists are statistically one of the longest-lived groups in the world.
Worldly – A term used to describe practices, styles, or lifestyles viewed as inconsistent with Adventist standards.