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18 - An American Reformer - The Great Controversy · Sacred Texts Archive

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Chapter eighteen. An American reformer, an upright, honest hearted farmer who had
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been led to doubt the divine authority of the scriptures, yet who sincerely desired
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to know the truth, was the man specially chosen of God to lead out
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in the proclamation of Christ's second coming. Like many other reformers, William Miller
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had an early life battled with poverty, and had thus learned the great lessons
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of energy and self denial. The members of the family from which he sprung
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were characterized by an independent, liberty loving spirit, by capability of endurance and
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ardent patriotism, traits which are also prominent in his character. His father was
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a captain in the army of the Revolution, and to the sacrifices which he
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made in the struggles and sufferings of that stormy period may be traced the straitened
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circumstances of Miller's early life. He had a sound physical constitution, and even
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in child, who gave evidence of more than ordinary intellectual strength. As he
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grew older this became more marked. His mind was active and well developed,
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and he had a keen thirst for knowledge, though he did not enjoy the
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advantages of a collegiate education. His love of study and a habit of careful
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thought and close criticism rendered him a man of sound judgment and comprehensive views.
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He possessed an irreproachable moral character and an enviable reputation, being generally esteemed for
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integrity, thrift, and benevolence. By dint of energy and application, he
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early acquired a competence, though his habits of study were still maintained. He
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filled various civil and military offices with credit, and the avenues to wealth and
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honour seemed wide open to him. His mother was a woman of sterling piety,
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and in childhood he had been subject to religious impressions. In early manhood,
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however, he was thrown into the society of deists, whose influence was
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the stronger from the fact that they were mostly good citizens and men of humane
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and benevolent disposition, living as they did in the midst of Christian institutions.
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Their characters had been to some extent molded by their surroundings. For the excellencies
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which won them respect and confidence. They were indebted to the Bible, and
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yet these good gifts were so perverted as to an exerting influence against the Word
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of God. By association with these men, Miller was led to adopt their
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sentiments. The current interpretations of scripture presented difficulties which seemed to him insurmountable.
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Yet his new belief, while setting aside the Bible, offered nothing better to
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take its place, and he remained far from satisfied. He continued to hold
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these views, however, for about twelve years, but at the age of
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thirty four, the Holy Spirit impressed his heart with a sense of his condition
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as a sinner. He found in his former belief no assurance of happiness beyond
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the grave. The future was dark and gloomy. Referring afterward to his feelings
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at this time, he said, annihilation was a cold and chilling thought,
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and accountability was sure destruction to all. The heavens were as brass over my
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head, and the earth as iron under my feet. Eternity what was it?
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And death? Why was it? The more I reasoned, the further
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I was from demonstration, the more I thought, the more scattered were my
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conclusions. I tried to stop thinking, but my thoughts would not be controlled.
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I was truly wretched, but did not understand the cause. I murmured
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and complained but knew not of whom. I knew that there was a wrong,
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but knew not how or where to find the right. I mourned,
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but without hope. In this state he continued for some months. Suddenly,
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he says, the character of a savior was vividly impressed upon my mind.
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It seemed that there might be a being so good and compassionate as to himself
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self atone for our transgressions, and thereby save us from suffering the penalty of
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sin. I immediately felt how lovely such a being must be, and imagined
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that I could cast myself into the arms of and trust in the mercy of
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such a one. But the question arose, how can it be proved that
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such a being does exist? Aside from the Bible, I found that I
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could get no evidence of the existence of such a savior, or even of
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a future state. I saw that the Bible did bring to view just such
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a savior as I needed, and I was perplexed to find how an uninspired
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book should develop principles so perfectly adapted to the wants of a fallen world.
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I was constrained to admit that the scriptures must be a revelation from God.
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They became my delight, and in Jesus I found a friend. The Savior
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became to me the chiefest among ten thousand, and the scriptures, which before
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were dark and contradictory, now became the lamp to my feet and light to
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my path. My mind became settled and satisfied. I found the Lord God
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to be a rock in the midst of the ocean of life. The Bible
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now became my chief study, and I can truly say I searched it with
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great delight. I found the half was never told me. I wondered why
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I had not seen its beauty and glory before, and marveled that I could
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have ever rejected it. I found everything revealed that my heart could desire,
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and a remedy for every disease of the soul. I lost all taste for
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other reading, and applied my heart to get wisdom from God. Miller publicly
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professed his faith in the religion which he had despised, but his infidel associates
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were not slow to bring forward all those arguments which he himself had often urged
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against the divine authority of the scriptures. He was not then prepared to answer
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them, but he reasoned that if the Bible is a revelation from God,
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it must be consistent with itself, and that as it was given for man's
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instruction, it must be adapted to his understanding. He determined to study the
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scriptures for himself and ascertain if every apparent contradiction could not be harmonized. Endeavoring
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to lay aside all preconceived opinions and dispensing with commentaries, he compared scripture with
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scripture by the aid of marginal references and the concordance. He pursued his study
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in a regular and methodical manner, Beginning with Genesis and reading verse by verse,
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He proceeded no faster than the meaning of the several passages so unfolded as
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to leave him free from all embarrassment. When he found anything obscure, it
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was his custom to compare it with every other text which seemed to have any
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reference to the matter under consideration. Every word was permitted to have its proper
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bearing upon the subject of the text, and if his view of it harmonized
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with every collateral passage, it ceased to be a difficulty. Thus, whenever
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he met with a passage hard to be understood, he found an explanation in
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some other portion of the scriptures. As he studied, with earnest prayer for
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divine enlightenment, that which had before appeared dark to his understanding was made clear.
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He experienced the truth of the Psalmist's words. The entrance of thy words
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giveth light, It giveth understanding unto the simple. With intense interest, he
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studied the books of Daniel and the Revelation, employing the same principles of interpretation
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as in the other scriptures, and found to his great joy that the prophetic
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symbols could be understood. He saw that the prophecies, so far as they
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had been fulfilled, had been fulfilled literally, that all the various figures,
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metaphors, parables, similitudes, et cetera, were either explained in their immediate
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connection, or the terms in which they were expressed were defined in other scriptures,
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and when thus explained, were to be literally understood. I was thus
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satisfied. He says that the Bible is a system of revealed truths, so
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clearly and simply given that the wayfaring man, though a fool, need not
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err therein link after link of the chain of truth rewarded his efforts, as
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step by step he traced down the great lines of prophecy. Angels of heaven
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were guiding his mind and opening the scriptures to his understanding. Taking the manner
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in which the prophecies had been fulfilled in the past as a criterion by which
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to judge the fulfillment of those which were still future, he became satisfied that
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the popular view of the spiritual reign of Christ a temporal millennium before the end
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of the world was not sustained by the word of God. This doctrine,
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pointing to a thousand years of righteousness and peace before the personal coming of the
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Lord, put far off the terrors of the day of God. But pleasing
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though it may be, it is contrary to the teachings of Christ and his
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apostles, who declared that the wheat and the tears are to grow together until
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the harvest the end of the world, that evil men and seducers shall wax
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worse and worse, that in the last days, perilous time shall come,
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and that the kingdom of darkness shall continue until the advent of the Lord,
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and shall be consumed with the spirit of his mouth and be destroyed with the
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brightness of his coming. The doctrine of the world's conversion in the spiritual reign
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of Christ was not held by the Apostolic Church. It was not generally accepted
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by Christians until about the beginning of the eighteenth century. Like every other error,
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its results were evil. It taught men to look far in the future
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for the coming of the Lord and prevented them from giving heed to the signs
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heralding his approach. It induced a feeling of confidence and security that was not
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well founded, and led many to neglect the preparation necessary in order to meet
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their Lord. Miller found the literal personal coming of Christ to be plainly taught
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in the scriptures. Says Paul, the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with
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a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of
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God, and the Savior declares, they shall see the Son of Man coming
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in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. For as the lightning
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cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also
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the coming of the Son of Man be. He is to be accompanied by
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all the hosts of heaven. The Son of Man shall come in his glory,
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and all the Holy angels with him, and he shall send his angels
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with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect
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At his coming, the righteous dead will be raised, and the righteous living
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will be changed. We shall not all sleep, says Paul, but we
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shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at
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the last trump For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
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incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on in
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corruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. And in his letter to
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the Thessalonians, after describing the coming of the Lord, he said, says,
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the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and
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remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
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Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.
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Not until the personal Advent of Christ can his people receive the kingdom. The
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Savior said, when the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and
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all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of
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his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall
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separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats,
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and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on
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the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand,
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Come, ye, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
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from the foundation of the world. We have seen by the scriptures just given,
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that when the Son of Man comes, the dead are raised incorruptible,
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and the living are changed by this great change. They are prepared to receive
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the Kingdom. For Paul says, flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of
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God. Neither doth corruption inherit in corruption. Man in his present state is
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mortal, corruptible, But the Kingdom of God will be incorruptible, enduring forever.
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Therefore, man in his present state cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.
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But when Jesus comes, he confers immortality upon his people, and then
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he calls them to inherit the kingdom of which they have hitherto been only heirs.
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These and other scriptures clearly proved to Miller's mind that the events which were
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generally expected to take place before the coming of Christ, such as the universal
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reign of peace and the setting up of the Kingdom of God upon the earth
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were to be subsequent to the Second Advent. Furthermore, all the signs of
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the times and the condition of the world corresponded to the prophetic description of the
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last days. He was forced to the conclusion from the study of scripture alone
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that the period allotted for the continuance of the earth in its present state was
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about to close. Another kind of evidence that vitally affected my mind, he
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says, was the chronology of the scriptures. I found that predicted events which
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had been fulfilled in the past often occurred within a given time. The one
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hundred and twenty years to the flood Genesis sixty three, the seven days that
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were to precede it with forty days of predicted reign Genesis seventy four, the
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four hundred years of the sojourn of Abraham's Seed Genesis fifteen thirteen, the three
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days of the Butler's and Baker's Dreams Genesis forty twelve through twenty the seven years
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of Pharaoh's Genesis forty one, twenty eight through fifty four, the forty years
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in the Wilderness Numbers fourteen thirty four, the three and a half years of
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famine, First King seventeen one, the seventy years captivity Jeremiah twenty five,
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eleven, Nebuchadnezzar's seven times Daniel four thirteen through sixteen, and the seven weeks
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three scool or in two weeks, and the one week making seventy weeks determined
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upon the Jews Daniel nine, twenty four or twenty seven. The events limited
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by these times were all once only a matter of prophecy, and were fulfilled
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in accordance with the predictions. When therefore he found, in his study of
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the Bible various chronological periods that, according to his understanding of them, extended
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to the second coming of Christ. He could not but regard them as the
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times before appointed, which God had revealed unto his servants the secret things,
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says Moses, belonging to the Lord, our God. But those things which
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are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever. And the Lord declares,
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by the prophet Amos, that he will do nothing but he revealeth his
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secret unto his servants. The prophets. The students of God's word may then
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confidently expect to find the most stupendous event to take place in human history,
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clearly pointed out in the Scriptures of Truth. As I I was fully convinced,
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says Miller, that all scripture given by inspiration of God is profitable,
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that it came not at any time by the will of man, but was
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written as holy men, removed by the Holy Ghost, and was written for
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our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might
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have hope. I could but regard the chronological portions of the Bible as being
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as much a portion of the Word of God, and as much entitled to
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our serious consideration, as any other portion of the Scriptures. I therefore felt
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that, in endeavoring to comprehend what God had in his mercy seem fit to
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reveal to us, I had no right to pass over the prophetic periods.
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The prophecy which seemed most clearly to reveal the time of the Second Advent was
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that of Daniel eight fourteen unto two thousand and three hundred days. Then shall
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the sanctuary be cleansed. Following his rule of making scripture its own interpreter,
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Miller learned that a day in symbolic prophecy represents a year he saw that the
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peers of twenty three hundred prophetic days or literal years would extend far beyond the
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close of the Jewish dispensation. Hence it could not refer to the sanctuary of
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that dispensation. Miller accepted the generally received view that in the Christian age,
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the earth is the sanctuary, and he therefore understood that the cleansing of the
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sanctuary foretold in Daniel eight fourteen represented the purification of the earth by fire at
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the second coming of Christ. If then the correct starting point could be found
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for the twenty three hundred days, he concluded that the time of the Second
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Advent could be readily ascertained. Thus would be revealed the time of that great
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consummation, the time when the present state, with all its pride and power,
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pomp and vanity, wickedness and oppression, would come to an end,
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when the curse would be removed from off the earth, death be destroyed,
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reward be given to the servants of God, the prophets and saints, and
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them who fear His name, and those be destroyed that destroy the earth.
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With a new and deeper earnestness. Miller continued the examination of the prophecies,
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whole nights as well as days, being devoted to the study of what now
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appeared of such stupendous importance and all absorbing interest. In the eighth chapter of
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Daniel, he could find no clue to the starting point of the twenty three
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hundred days. The Angel Gabriel, though commanded to make Daniel understand the vision,
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gave him only a partial explanation, as the terrible persecution to befall the
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church was unfolded to the prophet's vision. Physical strength gave way. He could
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endure no more, and the Angel loved him for a time. Daniel fainted
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and with six certain days. And I was astonished at the vision, he
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says, but none understood it. Yet God had bidden his messenger make this
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man to understand the vision. That commission must be fulfilled in obedience to it.
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The Angel some time afterward returned to Daniel, saying, I am now
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come forth to give these skill and understanding. Therefore, understand the matter and
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consider the vision. There was one important point in the vision of chapter eight
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which had been left unexplained, namely that relating to time, the period of
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the twenty three hundred days. Therefore, the Angel in resuming his explanation,
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dwells chiefly upon the subject of time. Seventy weeks are determined upon my people
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and upon my holy city. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth
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of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, and too, Messiah the
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Prince, shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks the street shall be
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built again, and the wall even in troublous times. And after threescore and
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two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself. And he
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shall confirm the covenant with many for one week, and in the midst of
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the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. The Angel
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had been sent to Daniel for the express purpose of explaining to him him the
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point which he had failed to understand in the vision of the eighth chapter,
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the statement relative to time. Onto two thousand and three hundred days, then
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shall the sanctuary be cleansed. After bidding Daniel understand the matter and consider the
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vision. The very first words of the Angel are seventy weeks are determined upon
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thy people and upon thy holy city. The word here translated determined literally signifies
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cut off. Seventy weeks representing four hundred ninety years, are declared by the
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Angel to be cut off, as specially pertaining to the Jews. But from
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what were they cut off? As the twenty three hundred days was the only
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period of time mentioned in chapter eight, it must be the period from which
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the seventy weeks were cut off. The seventy weeks must therefore be a part
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of the twenty three hundred days, and the two periods must begin together.
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The seventy weeks were declared by the Angel to date from the going forth of
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the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem. If the date of this commandment could
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be found, then the starting point for the great period of the twenty three
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hundred days would be ascertained. In the seventh chapter of Ezra, the decree
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is found in its completest form. It was issued by Artaxerxes, King of
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Persia b c. Four fifty seven, But in Ezra six fourteen the House
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of the Lord at Jerusalem is said to have been built according to the commandment
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margin decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes, King of Persia. These three
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kings, in originating, reaffirming and completing the decree brought it to the perfection
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required by the prophecy to mark the beginning of the twenty three hundred years.
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Taking b c. Four fifty seven the time when the decree was completed as
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the date of the commandment, every specification of the prophecy concerning the seventy weeks
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was seen to have been fulfilled. From the going forth of the commandment to
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restore and to build Jerusalem. Unto Messiah, the prince shall be seven weeks
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and threescore and two weeks, namely sixty nine weeks or four hundred eighty three
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years. The decree of Artaxerxes went into effect in the autumn of b c.
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Four fifty seven. From this date, four hundred eighty three years extend
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to the autumn of eight twenty seven. At that time this prophecy was fulfilled.
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The word Messiah signifies the anointed one. In the autumn of eight twenty
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seven, Christ was baptized by John and received the anointing of the Spirit.
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The apostle Peter testifies that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and
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with power, and the Savior himself declared the Spirit of the Lord is upon
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me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor.
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After his baptism, he went into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom
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of God and saying, the time is fulfilled, and he shall confirm the
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covenant with many for one week. The week here brought to view as the
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last one of the seventy It is the last seven years of the period allotted
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especially to the Jews. During this time, extending from eighty twenty seven to
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eighty thirty four, Christ at first in person and afterward by his disciples,
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extended the Gospel invitation, especially to the Jews. As the apostles went forth
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with the good tidings of the Kingdom. The Saviour's direction was, go not
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into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans,
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enter ye not, but go rather to the lost sheep of the House of
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Israel. In the midst of the week. He shall cause the sacrifice and
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the oblation to cease. In eighty thirty one, three and a half years
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after his baptism, our Lord was crucified with the great sacrifice offered upon cavalry.
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Ended that system of offerings which for four thousand years had pointed forward to
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the Lamb of God type had met Anti type, and all the sacrifices and
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oblations of the ceremonial system were there to cease. The seventy weeks or four
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hundred ninety years, especially allotted to the Jews ended, as we have seen
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in eighty thirty four. At that time, through the action of the Jewish
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Sanhedrin, the nation sealed its rejection of the Gospel by the martyrdom of Stephen
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and the persecution of the followers of Christ. Then the message of salvation,
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no longer restricted to the chosen people, was given to the world. The
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disciples, forced by persecution to flee from Jerusalem, went everywhere preaching the word.
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Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them.
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Peter, divinely guided, opened the Gospel to the centurion of Cesarea, the
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god fearing Cornelius, and the ardent Paul, one to the faith of Christ
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was commissioned to carry the glad tidings far hence unto the Gentiles. Thus far
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every specification of the prophecies is strikingly fulfilled, and the beginning of the seventy
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weeks is fixed beyond question at b C. Four fifty seven and their expiration
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in eighty thirty four. From this data, there is no difficulty in finding
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the termination of the twenty three hundred days the seventy weeks, four hundred ninety
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days having been cut off from the twenty three hundred, there were eighteen hundred
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ten days remaining. After the end of four hundred ninety days, the eighteen
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hundred ten days were still to be fulfilled. From eighty thirty four, eighteen
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hundred ten years extend to eighteen forty four. Consequently, the twenty three hundred
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days of Daniel eight fourteen terminate in eighteen forty four. At the expiration of
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this great prophetic period, upon the testimony of the Angel of God, the
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sanctuary shall be cleansed. Thus, the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary,
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which was almost universally believed to take place at the Second Advent, was
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definitely pointed out. Miller and his associates at first believed that the twenty three
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hundred days would terminate in the spring of eighteen forty four, whereas the prophecy
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points to the autumn of that year. The misapprehension of this point brought disappointment
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and perplexity to those who had fixed upon the earlier day as the time of
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the Lord's coming. But this did not in the least effect the strength of
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the argument showing that the twenty three hundred days terminated in the year eighteen forty
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four, and that the great event represented by the cleansing of the sanctuary must
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then take place. Entering upon the study of the scriptures, as he had
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done in order to prove that they were a revelation from God, Miller had
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not at the outset the slightest expectation of reaching the conclusion at which he had
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now arrived. He himself could hardly credit the results of his investigation, but
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the scripture evidence was too clear and forcible to be set aside. He had
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devoted two years to the study of the Bible, when in eighteen eighteen he
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reached the solemn conviction that in about twenty five years Christ would appear for the
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redemption of his people. I need not speak, says Miller, of the
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jib joy that filled my heart in view of the delightful prospect, nor of
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the ardent longings of my soul for a participation in the joys of the Redeemed.
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The Bible was now to me a new book. It was indeed a
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feast of reason. All that was dark, mystical, or obscure to me
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in its teachings had been dissipated from my mind before the clear light that now
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dawned from its sacred pages. And oh how bright and glorious the truth appeared.
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All the contradictions and inconsistencies I had before found in the Word were gone,
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And although there were many portions of which I was not satisfied, I
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had a full understanding. Yet so much light had emanated from it to the
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illumination of my before darkened mind that I felt a delight in studying the Scripture,
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which I had not before supposed could be derived from its teachings. With
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the solemn conviction that such momentous events were predicted in the scriptures to be fulfilled
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in so short a space of time, The question came home to me with
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mighty power regarding my duty to the world in view of the evidence that had
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affected my own mind. He could not but feel that it was his duty
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to impart to others the light which he had received. He expected to encounter
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opposition from the ungodly, but was confident that all Christians would rejoice in the
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hope of meeting the Savior whom they professed to love. His only fear was
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that, in their great joy at the prospect of glorious deliverance so soon to
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be consummated, many would receive the doctrine without sufficiently examining the scriptures in demonstration
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of its truth. He therefore hesitated to present it, lest he should be
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in error and be the means of misleading others. He was thus led to
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review the evidences in support of the conclusions at which he had arrived, and
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to consider carefully every difficulty which presented itself to his mind. He found that
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objections vanished before the light of God's word, as missed before the rays of
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the sun. Five years spent thus left him fully convinced of the correctness of
27:56
his position. And now the duty of making known to others what he believed
28:02
to be so clearly taught in the scriptures urged itself a new force upon him.
28:07
When I was about my business, he said, it was continually ringing
28:11
in my ears. Go and tell the world of their danger. This text
28:15
was constantly occurring to me when I say unto the wicked, O, wicked
28:18
man, thou shalt surely die if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked
28:22
from his way. That wicked man shall die in his iniquity. But his
28:26
blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked
28:32
of his way to turn from it, if he do not turn from his
28:34
way, he shall die in his iniquity. But thou hast delivered thy soul.
28:38
I felt that if the wicked could be effectually warned, multitudes of them
28:42
would repent, and that if they were not warned, their blood might be
28:45
required at my hand. He began to present his views in private as he
28:51
had opportunity, praying that some minister might feel their force and devote himself to
28:55
their promulgation. But he could not banish the conviction that he had a personal
29:00
duty to perform in giving the warning. The words were ever recurring to his
29:04
mind, Go and tell it to the world their blood, while I require
29:07
at thy hand. For nine years he waited, the burden still pressing upon
29:12
his soul, until in eighteen thirty one he for the first time publicly gave
29:17
the reasons of his faith as Elisha was called from following his oxen in the
29:22
field to receive the mantle of consecration to the prophetic office. So was William
29:26
Miller called to leave his plow and open to the people the mysteries of the
29:30
Kingdom of God. With trembling, he entered upon his work, leading his
29:36
hearers down step by step through the prophetic periods to the second appearing of Christ.
29:41
With every effort he gained strength and courage as he saw the widespread interest
29:45
excited by his words. It was only at the solicitation of his brethren,
29:49
in whose words he heard the call of God, that Miller consented to present
29:53
his views in public. He was now fifty years of age, unaccustomed to
29:59
public speaking, and burdened with a sense of unfitness for the work before him.
30:03
But from the first his labors were blessed in a remarkable manner to the
30:07
salvation of souls. His first lecture was followed by a religious awakening in which
30:12
thirteen entire families, with the exception of two persons, were converted. He
30:18
was immediately urged to speak in other places, and in nearly every place his
30:22
labor resulted in a revival of the work of God, Sinners were converted,
30:27
Christians were roused to greater consecration, and deists and infidels were led to acknowledge
30:33
the truth of the Bible and the Christian religion. The testimony of those among
30:37
whom he labored was a class of minds are reached by him, not within
30:41
the influence of other men. His preaching was calculated to arouse the public mind
30:48
to the great things of religion, and to check the growing worldliness and sensuality
30:52
of the age. In nearly every town there were scores and some hundreds converted
30:57
as the result of his preaching. In many places, Protestant churches of nearly
31:03
all denominations were thrown open to him, and the invitations to labor usually came
31:07
from the ministers of the several congregations. It was his invariable rule not to
31:12
labor in any place to which he had not been invited. Yet he soon
31:15
found himself unable to comply with half the requests that poured in upon him.
31:21
Many who did not accept his views as to the exact time of the Second
31:25
Advent were convinced of the certainty and nearness of Christ's coming, and their need
31:29
of preparation. In some of the large cities, his work produced a marked
31:33
impression. Liquor dealers abandoned the traffic and turned their shops into meeting rooms.
31:40
Gambling dens were broken up. Infidels, deists, universalists, and even the
31:44
most abandoned profligates were reformed, some of whom had not entered a house of
31:48
worship for years. Prayer meetings were established by the various denominations in different quarters
31:55
at almost every hour, business men assembling at midday for prayer and praise.
32:00
There was no extravagant excitement, but an almost universal solemnity on the minds of
32:05
the people. His work, like that of the early reformers, tended rather
32:09
to convince the understanding and arouse the conscience, than merely to excite the emotions.
32:16
In eighteen thirty three, Miller received a license to preach from the Baptist
32:20
Church, of which he was a member. A large number of the ministers
32:24
of his denomination also approved his work, and it was with their formal sanction
32:29
that he continued his labors. He traveled and preached unceasingly, though his personal
32:35
labors were confined principally to the New England and Middle States. For several years
32:40
his expenses were met wholly from his own private purse, and he never afterward
32:45
received enough to meet the expense of travel to the places where he was invited.
32:50
Thus, his public labors, so far from being a pecuniary benefit,
32:53
were a heavy tax upon his property, which gradually diminished. During this period
32:58
of his life. He was the father of a large family, but as
33:01
they were all frugal and industrious, his farm sufficed for their maintenance as well
33:06
as his own. In eighteen thirty three, two years after Miller began to
33:10
present in public the evidences of Christ's soon coming, the last of the signs
33:15
appeared which were promised by the Saviorist tokens of his Second Advent, said Jesus,
33:21
the stars shall fall from heaven and John and the revelation declared, as
33:25
he beheld in vision the scenes that should herald the day of God. The
33:29
stars of heaven fell into the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her
33:32
untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind. This prophecy received a
33:37
striking and impressive fulfillment in the Great Meteoric Shower of November thirteenth, eighteen thirty
33:43
three. That was the most extensive and wonderful display of falling stars which has
33:49
ever been recorded, the whole firmament over all the United States being then for
33:53
hours in fiery collotion. No celestial phenomenon has ever occurred in this countree since
34:00
its first settlement, which was viewed with such intense admiration by one class in
34:05
the community, or with so much dread and alarm by another. Its sublimity
34:09
and awful beauty still linger in many minds. Never did rain fall much thicker
34:14
than the meteors fell toward the earth east, west, north and south.
34:17
It was the same. In a word, the whole heaven seemed in motion.
34:23
The display, as described in Professor Silliman's journal, was seen all over
34:29
North America from two o'clock until broad daylight, the sky being perfectly serene and
34:34
cloudless. An incessant play of dazzlingly brilliant luminosities was kept up in the whole
34:39
heavens. No language, indeed, can come up to the splendor of that
34:44
magnificent display. No one who did not witness it can form an adequate conception
34:50
of its glory. It seemed as if the whole starry heavens had congregated at
34:54
one point near the zenith, and were simultaneously shooting forth with the velocity of
34:59
lightning, to every part of the horizon, And yet they were not exhausted.
35:04
Thousands swiftly followed in the tracks of thousands, as if created for the
35:07
occasion. A more correct picture of a fig tree casting its figs when blown
35:12
by a mighty wind, it was not possible to behold. In the New
35:15
York Journal of Commerce of November fourteenth, eighteen thirty three, appeared a long
35:21
article regarding this wonderful phenomenon, containing this statement, no philosopher or scholar has
35:27
told or recorded an event, I suppose, like that of yesterday morning.
35:30
A prophet eighteen hundred years ago foretold it exactly if we will be at the
35:35
trouble of understanding stars falling to mean falling stars in the only sense in which
35:39
it is possible to be literally true. Thus was displayed the last of those
35:45
signs of his coming concerning which Jesus bade his disciples. When ye shall see
35:50
all these things, know that it is near even at the doors. After
35:54
these signs, John beheld as the great event next impending the heavens departing as
35:59
a scroll, while the earthquaked, mountains and islands removed out of their places,
36:05
and the wicked and terror sought to flee from the presence of the Son
36:07
of Man. Many who witnessed the falling of the stars looked upon it as
36:12
a herald of the coming judgment, an awful type, a sure forerunner,
36:16
a merciful sign of that great and dreadful day. Thus the attention of the
36:21
people was directed to the fulfillment of prophecy, and many were led to give
36:24
heed to the warning of the Second Advent. In the year eighteen forty,
36:30
another remarkable fulfillment of prophecy excited widespread interest. Two years before, Josiah Lytch,
36:37
one of the leading ministers preaching the Second Advent, published an exposition of
36:42
Revelation nine, predicting the fall of the Ottoman Empire. According to his calculations,
36:46
this power was to be overthrown in eighty eighteen forty, some time in
36:51
the month of August, and only a few days previous to its accomplishment.
36:54
He wrote, allowing the first period one hundred fifty years to have been exact
37:00
xactly fulfilled before diacosis ascended the throne by permission of the Turks, and that
37:05
the three hundred ninety one years fifteen days commenced at the close of the first
37:09
period, it will end on the eleventh of August eighteen forty, when the
37:14
Ottoman power in Constantinople may be expected to be broken. And this I believe
37:20
will be found to be the case. At the very time specified, Turkey,
37:24
through her ambassadors, accepted the protection of the Allied powers of Europe,
37:29
and thus placed herself under the control of Christian nations. The event exactly fulfilled
37:35
the prediction. When it became known, multitudes were convinced of the correctness of
37:39
the principles of prophetic interpretation adopted by Miller and his associates, and a wonderful
37:45
impetus was given to the Advent movement. Men of learning and position united with
37:51
Miller both in preaching and publishing his views, and from eighteen forty to eighteen
37:55
forty four the work rapidly extended. William Miller possessed strong mental powers, disciplined
38:02
by thought and study, and he added to these the wisdom of Heaven by
38:06
connecting himself with the source of wisdom. He was a man of sterling Worth
38:12
who could not but command respect and esteem wherever integrity of character and moral excellence
38:16
were valued. Uniting true kindness of heart with Christian humility and the power of
38:22
self control. He was attentive and affable to all ready to listen to the
38:27
opinions of others, and to weigh their arguments without passion or excitement. He
38:32
tested all theories and doctrines by the Word of God, and his sound reasoning
38:37
and thorough knowledge of the scriptures enabled him to refute error and expose falsehood.
38:43
Yet he did not prosecute his work without bitter opposition. As with earlier reformers.
38:49
The truths which he presented were not received with favor by popular religious teachers,
38:54
as these could not maintain their position by the scriptures. They were driven
38:59
to resort to the sea payings and doctrines of men, to the traditions of
39:01
the fathers. But the word of God was the only testimony accepted by the
39:07
preachers of the Advent. Truth the Bible, and the Bible only was their
39:10
watchword. The lack of scripture argument on the part of their opponents was supplied
39:15
by ridicule and scoffing. Time means and talents were employed in maligning those whose
39:22
only offense was that they looked with joy for the return of their Lord and
39:25
were striving to live holy lives and to exhort others to prepare for his appearing.
39:30
Earnest were the efforts put forth to draw away the minds of the people
39:34
from the subject of the Second Advent. It was made to appear a sin,
39:38
something of which men should be ashamed to study the prophecies which relate to
39:43
the coming of Christ and the end of the world. Thus the popular ministry
39:47
undermined faith in the word of God. Their teaching made men infidels, and
39:52
many took license to walk after their own ungodly lusts. Then the authors of
39:58
the evil charged at all upon acadists, while drawing crowded houses of intelligent and
40:04
attentive hearers. Miller's name was seldom mentioned by the religious press, except by
40:08
way of ridicule or denunciation. The careless and ungodly, emboldened by the position
40:15
of religious teachers, resorted to opprobrious epithets, to base and blasphemous witticisms in
40:21
their efforts to heap contumly upon him and his work. The gray headed man
40:25
who had left a comfortable home, to travel at his own expense, from
40:29
city to city, from town to town, toiling unceasingly, to bear to
40:32
the world the solemn warning of the judgment near was sneeringly denounced as a fanatic,
40:37
a liar, a speculating knave. The ridicule, falsehood and abuse heaped
40:44
upon him called forth indignant remonstrance, even from the secular press. To treat
40:49
a subject of such overwhelming majesty and fearful consequences with lightness and ribaltry was declared
40:54
by worldly men to be not merely to sport with the feelings of its propagators
40:59
in adonayates, but to make a jest of the day of judgment, to
41:02
scoff at the deity himself and contemn the terrors of his judgment. Bar the
41:08
instigator of all evil, sought not only to counteract the effect of the advent
41:13
message, but to destroy the messenger himself. Miller made a practical application of
41:17
scripture truth to the hearts of his hearers, reproving their sins and disturbing their
41:22
self satisfaction, and his plain and cutting words aroused their enmity. The opposition
41:29
manifested by church members towards his message emboldened the baser classes to go to greater
41:34
lengths, and enemies plotted to take his life as he should leave the place
41:37
of meeting. But Holy Angels were in the throng, and one of these,
41:43
in the form of a man, took the arm of the servant of
41:45
the Lord and led him in safety from the angry mob. His work was
41:50
not yet done, and Satan and his emissaries were disappointed in their purpose.
41:55
Despite all opposition, the interest in the Advent movement had continued to encour Greece.
42:00
From scores and hundreds, the congregations had grown to as many thousands.
42:07
Large accessions had been made to the various churches. But after a time the
42:10
spirit of opposition was manifested even against these converts, and the churches began to
42:15
take disciplinary steps with those who had embraced Miller's views. This action called forth
42:22
a response from his pen in an address to Christians of all denominations, urging
42:27
that if his doctrines were false, he should be shown his error from the
42:30
scriptures. What have we believed? He said, that we have not been
42:34
commanded to believe by the word of God, which you yourselves allow us the
42:37
rule and only rule of our faith and practice. What have we done that
42:43
we should call down such virulent denunciations against us from pulpit and press, and
42:47
give you just cause to exclude us adventists from your churches and fellowship. If
42:52
we are wrong. Pray show us wherein consists we are wrong. Show us
42:57
from the word of God that we are in error. We have had rich
43:00
to cule enough that can never convince us that we are in the wrong.
43:02
The word of God alone can change our views. Our conclusions have been formed
43:08
deliberately and prayerfully, as we have seen the evidence in the scriptures from age
43:14
to age, the warnings which God has sent to the world by his servants
43:17
have been received with like incredulity and unbelief. When the iniquity of the Antediluvians
43:23
moved him to bring a flood of waters upon the earth, he first made
43:28
known to them his purpose, that they might have opportunity to turn from their
43:31
evil ways for a hundred and twenty years was sounded in their ears, the
43:37
warning to repent lest the wrath of God be manifested in their destruction. But
43:43
the message seemed to them an idle tale, and they believed it not.
43:46
Emboldened in their wickedness, they mocked the messenger of God, made light of
43:51
his entreaties, and even accused him of presumption. How dare one man stand
43:54
up against all the great men of the earth. If Noah's message are true?
44:00
Why did not all the world see it and believe it? One man's
44:02
assertion against the wisdom of thousands. They would not credit the warning, nor
44:07
would they seek shelter in the ark Scoffers pointed to the things of nature,
44:13
to the unvarying succession of the seasons, to the blue skies that had never
44:16
poured out rain, to the green fields refreshed by the soft dews of night,
44:21
and they cried out, doth not he speak parables? In contempt?
44:25
They declared the preacher of righteousness to be a wild enthusiast, And they went
44:30
on more eager in their pursuit of pleasure, more intent upon their evil ways
44:35
than ever before. But their unbelief did not hinder the predicted event. God
44:40
bore long with their wickedness, giving them ample opportunity for repentance. But at
44:45
the appointed time his judgments were visited upon the rejectors of his mercy. Christ
44:52
declares that there will exist similar unbelief concerning his second coming. As the people
44:58
of Noah's day knew not until the blood came and took them all away,
45:01
So in the words of our Savior, shall also the coming of the Son
45:05
of Man be When the professed people of God are uniting with the world,
45:09
living as they live, and joining with them in forbidden pleasure, when the
45:14
luxury of the world becomes the luxury of the church, when the marriage bells
45:17
are chiming, and all are looking forward to many years of worldly prosperity.
45:22
Then suddenly, as the lightning flashes from the heavens, will come the end
45:27
of their bright visions and delusive hopes. As God sent his servant to warn
45:31
the world of the coming flood, so he sent chosen messengers to make known
45:36
the nearness of the final judgment. And as Noah's contemporaries laughed to scorn the
45:40
predictions of the preacher of righteousness, So and Miller's day, many even of
45:45
the professed people of God scoffed at the words of warning. And why were
45:51
the doctrine and preaching of Christ's second coming so unwelcome to the churches? While
45:55
to the wicked. The advent of the Lord brings woe and desolation to the
45:59
right wold, as it is fraught with joy and hope. This great truth
46:02
had been the consolation of God's faithful ones through all the ages. Why had
46:07
it become, like its author, a stone of stumbling and a rock of
46:10
offense to his professed people. It was our Lord himself who promised his disciples,
46:16
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again
46:20
and receive you. Unto myself. It was the compassionate Savior, who,
46:24
anticipating the loneliness and sorrow of his followers, commissioned angels to comfort them with
46:30
the assurance that he would come again in person, even as he went into
46:32
heaven. As the disciples stood gazing intently upward to catch the last glimpse of
46:38
him whom they loved, their attention was arrested by the words, ye,
46:43
men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven. This same Jesus
46:47
which has taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner
46:51
as ye have seen him go into heaven. Hope was kindled afresh by the
46:55
angel's message. The disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually
47:00
in the temple praising and blessing God. They were not rejoicing because Jesus had
47:07
been separated from them and they were left to struggle with the trials and temptations
47:10
of the world, but because of the Angel's assurance that he would come again.
47:16
The proclamation of Christ's coming should now be as one made by the angels
47:21
to the shepherds of Bethlehem, good tidings of great joy. Those who really
47:25
love the Savior cannot but hail with gladness the announcement founded upon the word of
47:30
God, that he in whom their hopes of eternal life are centered, is
47:34
coming again, not to be insulted, despised, and rejected as at his
47:37
first advent, but in power and glory to redeem his people. It is
47:43
those who do not love the Savior that desire him to remain away. And
47:46
there can be no more conclusive evidence that the churches have departed from God than
47:52
the irritation and animosity excited by this heaven sent message. Those who accepted the
47:58
Advent doctrine were roused the necessity of repentance and humiliation before God. Many had
48:04
long been halting between Christ and the world. Now they felt that it was
48:07
time to take a stand. The things of eternity assumed to them an unwonted
48:13
reality. Heaven was brought near, and they felt themselves guilty before God.
48:17
Christians were quickened to new spiritual life. They were made to feel that time
48:22
was short, that what they had to do for their fellow men must be
48:25
done quickly. Earth receded, Eternity seemed to open before them, and the
48:30
soul, with all that pertains to its immortal weal or woe, was felt
48:35
to eclipse every temporal object. The spirit of God rested upon them and gave
48:40
power to their earnest appeals to their brethren, as well as to sinners to
48:45
prepare for the day of God. The silent testimony of their daily life was
48:49
a constant rebuke to formal and unconsecrated church members. These did not wish to
48:53
be disturbed in their pursuit of pleasure, their devotion to money making, and
48:59
their ambition for war worldly honor. Hence the enmity and opposition excited against the
49:04
advent faith and those who proclaimed it as the arguments from the prophetic periods were
49:09
found to be impregnable opposers endeavored to discourage investigation of the subject by teaching that
49:15
the prophecies were sealed. Thus, Protestants followed in the steps of Romanists,
49:22
while the papal church withholds the Bible from the people. Protestant churches claimed that
49:27
an important part of the sacred Word, and that the part which brings to
49:30
view truths specially applicable to our time, could not be understood. Ministers and
49:37
people declared that the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation were incomprehensible mysteries. But
49:43
Christ directed his disciples to the words of the prophet Daniel concerning events to take
49:47
place in their time, and said, whoso readeth, let him understand.
49:52
And the assertion that the Revelation is a mystery not to be understood is contradicted
49:57
by the very title of the Book of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto
50:02
him to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. Blessed
50:07
is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy,
50:12
and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand,
50:16
says the prophet. Blessed is he that readeth. There are those who
50:21
will not read. The blessing is not for them, and they that hear.
50:24
There are some also who refuse to hear anything concerning the prophecies. The
50:29
blessing is not for this class, and keep those things which are written therein.
50:34
Many refuse to heed the warnings and instructions contained in the Revelation. None
50:38
of these can claim the blessing promised. All who ridicule the subjects of the
50:44
prophecy and mock at the symbols here solemnly given. All who refuse to reform
50:47
their lives and prepare for the coming of the Son of Man will be unblessed.
50:52
In view of the testimony of inspiration, how dare men teach that the
50:57
Revelation is a mystery beyond the reach of hearth and understanding? It is a
51:01
mystery revealed a book opened. The study of the Revelation directs the mind to
51:07
the prophecies of Daniel, and both present most important instruction given of God to
51:12
men concerning events to take place at the close of this world's history. Two
51:17
john were open scenes of deep and thrilling interest in the experience of the church.
51:22
He saw the position dangers, conflicts, and final deliverance of the people
51:27
of God. He records the closing messages, which are to ripen the harvest
51:31
of the earth, either as sheaves for the heavenly garner or as faggots for
51:36
the fires of destruction. Subjects of vast importance were revealed to him, especially
51:42
for the Last Church, that those who should turn from error to truth might
51:45
be instructed concerning the perils and conflicts before them. None need be in darkness
51:52
in regard to what is coming upon the earth. Why then, this widespread
51:55
ignorance concerning an important part of Holy writ, Why this general reluctance to investigate
52:01
its teachings. It is the result of a studied effort of the Prince of
52:06
Darkness to conceal from men that which reveals his deceptions. For this reason,
52:12
Christ the Revelator, foreseeing the warfare that would be waged against the study of
52:16
the Revelation, pronounced a blessing upon all who should read, hear, and
52:21
observe the words of the Prophecy. End of Chapter eighteen