The term “Advent Movement” refers to one of three historical eras.
Beginning in Europe in the late 18th century and the early decades of the 19th century, the “Advent Movement” became internationally known. Many people of varying views and in many countries were expecting the return of Jesus Christ, also known as the advent.
The writers and preachers emphasizing the “soon” return of Jesus were well-known leaders in most every Protestant denomination. For example, more than 400 preachers of the second advent were in the British Isles. In the Catholic church, Manuel de Lacunza, a priest born in Chile, witnessed throughout South America. Joseph Wolff, a converted Jew, recognized for his intellectual brilliance, soon was acclaimed as the “missionary to the world” as he penetrated Mohammedan and pagan lands.
The second use of the term “Advent Movement” occurred in the early 1840s, describing the Millerite movement, especially between 1840 and 1844 in the United States.
The third use is most frequently embraced when describing the rise and expansion of the Seventh-day Adventist Church throughout the world. The phrase is often used as short-hand for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It sums up the compelling focus for the church’s reason for existing.