About the church
Historically Christ’s remnant people remained faithful to Him and His commandments. Since the Protestant Reformation there has been a rapid imparting of present truth to God’s children. With each new biblically proven doctrine, came a call to acceptance. The faithful ones heard God’s voice and went where He lead. For example, the Anabaptists in Europe during the 16th century returned to the biblical belief that baptism is a voluntary decision made to publicly acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. In spite of persecution they turned away from the universally accepted method of infant baptism.
Based on the prophecy of the Three Angels Messages written in Revelation 14, The Lord called out a faithful group called the Seventh-Day Adventists during the 1800’s. They believed in the soon return of Jesus Christ. In respect to the will of God they obeyed Him by keeping His Ten Commandments, including the Fourth Commandment which directs us to keep the seventh day holy. “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12
God tested the faithfulness of the Seventh-Day Adventists during 1914 just as the First World War began. The German and other European Adventist Conferences chose to ignore God’s sixth and the forth commandments by encouraging the church members to take up arms to kill and by accepting transgressing the Sabbath (Saturday) – the Seventh-Day during the war. Unfortunately this transgressing of the will of God was accepted by the majority of Adventists worldwide including the worldwide Adventist headquarters; not only during World War One but also during World War Two and continues on today.
A number of faithful Adventist members (around 2%) at the time of the First World War were concerned with the decision taken by the local and worldwide headquarters. They decided to uphold the Law of God by not taking up arms. This decision to maintain spiritual integrity resulted in members being disfellowshipped from the church even though they remained faithful to the will of God and they did not depart from the original Adventist beliefs.
The disfellowshipped members founded the International Missionary Society Seventh Day Adventist Church – Reform Movement, a global church community with churches in many countries. By God’s grace this Church remains committed to the original principles by following Christ and His commandments in thought, word and deed in the prophesied last days bringing the spirit of Reformation.
