Adventist Teaching: Themselves
Biblical Teaching: All of God’s people in all ages
The Adventist Church arrives at the conclusion that they are the remnant of Revelation (as well as the 144,000 of Revelation 7:4) because of Revelation 12:17—claiming that the word “commandments” refers to the 10 Commandments and that they are the only ones upholding all ten. They also point to the phrase “the testimony of Jesus” and link this with Revelation 19:10 which says the “spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus”. They insert into “spirit of prophecy” the supposed prophetic gifting of Ellen G. White and say the testimony of Jesus is wherever Jesus is speaking. Thus, because he spoke through Ellen White, they bear the marks of the last day remnant who has the “spirit of prophecy” and “the testimony of Jesus”.
There are many problems with this, but the primary ones are definitions. The “spirit of prophecy” is the Holy Spirit himself. All born again believers are indwelt by Him and have the spirit of prophecy, not only people who manifest the gift of prophecy like the SDA Church tries to claim of Ellen G. White. “The testimony of Jesus” is the Gospel. Again, something else all born again believers possess.
The whole of the Christian Church possesses both the spirit of prophecy and the testimony of Jesus. Revelation was written to a first-century audience, long before the Seventh-Day Adventist Church was around, and this passage has had application to every generation of believers from the time it was written.
The remnant in view are simply all believers at all times who are attached to Jesus Christ by faith whom the Devil wages war against—he has been doing this in all ages as this text has application from the 1st century through to today. The Devil hates believers. All believers. Not just those professing to be Christian that go to church on Saturday’s.