Frederick Wheeler, Rachel Oakes & the Sabbath
Season 2 | Episode 10
Rachel Oakes was attending this church
here in Washington, New Hampshire one particular Sunday
as she was visiting her daughter Delight,
when the circuit riding preacher who came to town was Frederick Wheeler.
That particular Sunday it was communion, and as the speaker spoke,
he spoke of how we ought to be willing to follow Christ all the way;
how we need to obey God and keep His commandments.
Rachel Oakes was a woman of conviction,
and as she heard these words she decided to speak to him afterwards.
She later said that she wanted to stand up in the middle of the message
but she refrained from such a public spectacle.
[music]
'My brother, you'd do better to set that communion table back against the wall
and cover it with a white cloth
until you're willing to keep all the commandments of God [yourself]'.
You see, Rachel Oakes was a Seventh-day Baptist
and she felt strongly about this subject
and admonished Frederick Wheeler
that he ought to follow God all the way.
Wheeler later stated that her words cut deep
and they sent him straight back to the Bible
to study the subject for himself.
This was a turning point in his life,
and he was convicted on the Sabbath and saw it as binding.
[music]
This event would actually happen
before the Great Disappointment of October the 22nd 1844,
and the big issue at that time
was the imminent return of Jesus rather than the Sabbath.
This would soon change, though.
[music]
Rachael Preston lived the rest of her life in Vernon, Vermont,
in an area rich in history.
Near her home is a well-preserved Advent Christian chapel
that Joshua V. Himes dedicated in the 1860s.
Dwight L. Moody lived nearby and preached here on a few occasions
and Ira B. Sankey also sang here.
Rachel Preston did not become a Seventh-day Adventist
until just a year before her death.
She is buried here in Vernon, Vermont
and near her grave there is a fitting historic marker
that outlines her special place in history.
[music]
The town of Washington, New Hampshire has a special place in history
and whilst it might not be entirely accurate
to say it's the birthplace of the Seventh-day Adventist Church,
it is the location of the first Sabbath-keeping Millerite church
that continues as a Seventh-day Adventist church today.
[music]
Here you can walk the Sabbath Trail
that charts the history of the Sabbath
from creation to the New Earth on 31 granite stones.
The Sabbath is a beautiful truth
that God was slowly restoring back to His people bit by bit.
The Sabbath is a gift that God has given to us,
a time to take out of our busy schedules
to renew and deepen our relationship with Him.
I pray that this week you may take the time to spend with Him
on the day that God has given to us.
[music]
Frederick Wheeler moved from the Washington, New Hampshire area
and went to live in upstate New York
and lived a long life of loyal service to God,
always faithful in following Him and remaining confident in his beliefs.
At the age of 96 he wrote,
'The gospel armor I will not put off, the contest I will not yield,
until with the ransomed host I shout the final victory.
He died at the age of 99
and is buried here in West Monroe, New York.
His tombstone reads,
'He was a pioneer minister of the Seventh-day Adventists.'
[music]
Rachel Preston teaches us the importance of boldness,
but not any type of boldness;
boldness that was kind and courteous.
She didn't seek to embarrass the person she was talking to,
but approached him in a kind, courteous, and Christ-like manner.
Frederick Wheeler teaches us the importance of humble honesty.
When he saw something in his life
and it was pointed out something that wasn't right,
he changed what he did and he changed what he believed
to be in line with God's Word.
May God grant us these attributes of character
as we follow Him in our lives.