Overview

Joseph Bates was an avid student of the stars. As a well-traveled sea captain, he had gazed at them from many remote places in the world. After becoming a Christian, Bates studied astronomy in conjunction with the Bible, eventually publishing The Opening Heavens. In this tract, Bates reasoned that the biblical references to heaven being opened (John 1:51, Rev. 19:11) and to the New Jerusalem descending were referring to events that would occur in one location in the sky, the middle star of Orion's sword. Bates quoted astronomer Christiaan Huygens, who in 1656 had described the opening in the sky through which a brighter region was visible. For Bates, the region beyond must be the heaven of heavens streaming forth God's glory. Bates had read astronomer James Ferguson's descriptions of cloudy stars and how the most remarkable of all the cloudy stars is in Orion's sword, containing an opening into deeper space. He was convinced Huygens' opening was the gateway to heaven. Later, Bates watched Ellen White in vision traveling to other planets and beyond. At this time, Bates was not sure that the visions of Mrs. White were from God, though he was sure she was a good and faithful Christian who believed what she told. But as he listened to her describe a gap in the sky of great beauty, framed by four stars appearing like gates with bright glory shining through, Bates became very excited. She is giving a more wonderful description than any astronomer ever dreamed of, he exclaimed. Hearing Ellen's glorious description of the gap, Bates was convinced that her visions were from God. Ellen's vision of the opening was decisive in bringing Bates firmly into the Advent movement.

Full Product Details

9781611045550

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Joseph Bates (1792-1872) was an American seaman and revivalist minister. The son of a Revolutionary War soldier, Bates was born in Rochester, Massachusetts. In 1807, Bates sailed as a cabin boy on the new ship commanded by Elias Terry, called the Fanny to London via New York City. This was the commencement of Bates sailing career. He was later forced into servitude for the British navy and spent time as a prisoner during the War of 1812. After his release he continued his career eventually becoming captain of a ship. During one of his voyages he read a copy of the Bible that his wife packed for him. He experienced conversion and became involved in a variety of reforms including helping to found an early temperance society. Bates became disturbed by the way the sailors (regardless of their religion) were forced to go to Anglican services; later in life he became adamant that the separation of church and state should be upheld. He also was a strong supporter of abolition. In his everyday life as a sailor he noticed the intemperance of the sailors and the resulting side effects. Many of these problems came from poor rations but many more were the result of overindulgence by the men. He became one of the champions of health reform; abstaining from all alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine, even becoming a vegetarian. In 1839 he accepted the teachings of William Miller that Jesus was coming soon. After October 22, 1844, like many other Millerites, Bates sought meaning out of the Great Disappointment. During the spring of 1845 Bates accepted the seventh-day Sabbath after reading a pamphlet by T. M. Preble. Bates soon became known as the apostle of the Sabbath and wrote several booklets on the topic. One of the first, published in 1846, was entitled The Seventh Day Sabbath, a Perpetual Sign. One of Bates' most significant contributions was his ability to connect theologically the Sabbath with a unique understanding of the heavenly sanctuary. This apocalyptic understanding of theology would become known as the Great Controversy theme. Joseph Bates was a strong believer in the prophetic gift, which he believed was manifested in visions received by the young Ellen G. White. He worked actively with James and Ellen White in organizing what became known as the Sabbath and Sanctuary Conferences. During the 1850s Bates supported the development of more formal church organization that culminated in 1863 with the formation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available