The remnant of Revelation 12 is the movement of Adventist believers to whom the testimony of Jesus was given—but there are other proofs of the remnant's identity as well.
The attributes of God's remnant, as given in Scripture, are listed below. As we can see, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the only organism to satisfy all the requirements:
The Seventh-day Adventist Church traces its roots to the great Advent awakening in the 1800s. When the 1260-year period of papal dominion ended in 1798, the prophetic time of the end began.
Adventism arose at the right time in prophetic history. Daniel 12:4 says that the prophecies of Daniel would be uncovered when the time of the end began:
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased
The Adventists were the ones to rediscover and uncover Daniel's prophecies, and this happened in the early 1800s, right when the time of the end began.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been preaching the Three Angels' Messages to the world since the 1800s.
In Revelation 18, John hears the Three Angels Messages repeated in a loud cry that is the last call to return to God before the final judgment day. Those who remain faithful to God through the trials of the end times will receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit—prophesied in Joel as the latter rain—and will speak this loud cry of the Three Angels' Messages with power in the last days.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is the single most widespread Protestant denomination in the world. Scripture tells us that once the Gospel has reached every nation, the end will come:
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:24, see also Revelation 14:6-7).
While most denominations are antinomian, Adventism emphasizes the permanent nature of the law of Ten Commandments. In this regard, they emphasize that no one is justified by keeping the law, "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Keeping the law is a consequence of being saved, and an expression of love to God:
If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).
Seventh-day Adventists practice the seventh-day Sabbath in keeping with the Sabbath Commandment in Scripture. Most denominations keep Sunday—a practice not supported in the Bible.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has a Christ-centered religion. Adventists believe that through trust in God, the believer will obtain grace to overcome as Christ did (1 John 5:4; Revelation 12:11; 1 John 2:6; 3:3,7).
Adventism rejects the almost universally-accepted doctrine of the immortality of the soul and accepts the Biblical doctrine of the resurrection from the dead. Above all, Adventism exalts the high-priestly ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, trusting that He is at work:
Wherefore He is able also to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).
Adventists believe that only Christ is the mediator between God and humanity, and through Him the whole creation was brought into existence (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:1-3). Moreover, the Bible is regarded as the true and complete revelation of the will of God to us.
What is the testimony of Jesus? Revelation 19:10 explains that "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." The spirit of prophecy was restored in the 1800s to help Advent believers unravel the truth. This was done through the prophetic speaking and writing of Ellen White.
Find out what the Old Testament story of Elijah has to teach us about the role of the remnant in our next article