¤[Theme music]¤
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¤[Theme music]¤
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¤[Music]¤
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With the arrival of the
pilgrims here on the shores
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of what would become known
as the United States of America,
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the focus of the
Protestant Reformation
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and its call for a
return to the Bible
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as the Christian's
supreme authority began to shift
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from the Old World to the New.
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Thousands braved the often
treacherous journey across the
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Atlantic Ocean during
the 17th and 18th centuries
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in search of a
refuge for freedom.
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In Europe, even in England,
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the pendulum of
power swung back and forth
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for decades between
those who wanted to protect
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religious freedom and
those who wanted to curtail it.
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More and more,
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it was recognized that a new
country with a new philosophy
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of government would
be needed as a haven
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for those wishing to
hold and share their faith
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in accord with the
dictates of conscience.
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¤[Music and horses galloping]¤
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With America's
achievement of independence
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from Great Britain in 1783,
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a series of events opened
the way for an even clearer
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understanding of the Bible,
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and in
particular Bible prophecy.
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The French
Revolution, which began in 1789,
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saw the people of France rise up
against not only the monarchy,
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but also the Church.
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There was an attempt
to overthrow the Bible
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and Christianity altogether.
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The cry of the
revolutionaries was,
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"Crush the wretch."
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And the wretch that they
were referring to was Jesus.
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The Bible had been rejected,
neglected, ignored so long.
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The principles of the
Protestant Reformation
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had been rejected by a church
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that was
unwilling to be reformed.
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France's brief
experiment with atheism,
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instead of
getting rid of the Bible
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or the message of Christianity,
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led more people than ever before
to be interested in God's Word.
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In the early years
of the 19th century,
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Bible societies
sprang up around the world.
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Interest spread
in the prophecies
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of Daniel and Revelation.
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The way would be open
for yet another reformer,
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this one from the United States,
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to call the attention of
the world to the Word of God.
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That man was William Miller.
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He was born in 1782,
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the same year as
Martin Van Buren,
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who would become the eighth
President of the United States.
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When Miller was
born in Pittsfield
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in western Massachusetts,
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the Revolutionary
War was in full swing.
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George Washington became
the nation's first President,
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just days before William
Miller's seventh birthday.
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Like so many other reformers,
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poverty and hardship
shaped his character.
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His father had served as a
captain in the Continental Army
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during the American Revolution.
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Many of his
father's struggles and trials
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made a big
impression on young William.
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His mother was a
woman of integrity
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with deep religious convictions.
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Miller was a strong young
man, and he was intelligent.
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He wasn't able
to attend college,
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pretty typical
for people of his era,
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but he did enjoy
books and he learned a lot
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from his own studies.
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He was raised a Baptist,
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but in his early 20s he
began to read the writings
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of Thomas Paine and
Voltaire and Ethan Allen,
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and he became a deist.
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He believed in God,
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but he didn't believe
that God intervened directly
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in the lives of human beings.
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But that view
would be challenged.
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While serving in the military,
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a bomb exploded just two
feet from where he was standing.
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Three of his men were injured.
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One was killed.
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But Miller
miraculously escaped unscathed.
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After that, the improbable
victory over the British,
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and Miller began to
wonder whether or not
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God had
something to do with that.
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After his time in the military,
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William Miller
moved here to this farm
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near the Adirondack Mountains,
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just outside of
Whitehall in eastern New York,
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close to the
border with Vermont.
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Farm life wasn't
easy in the early 1800s.
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There was no
mechanized farm equipment,
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no central heat in the home.
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William and his wife
Lucy and their five children
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would have to survive
off what the farm produced.
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And back at home,
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Miller opened the Bible
for the first time in his life
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to learn for himself what
the Scriptures actually taught.
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It wasn't long
before he met Jesus.
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Later, he wrote
of this experience,
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"I saw that the
Bible did bring to view
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such a Savior as I needed,
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and I was perplexed to
find how an uninspired book
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should develop
principles so perfectly
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adapted to the
wants of a fallen world.
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I was constrained to
admit that the Scriptures
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must be a revelation from God.
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They became my
delight, and in Jesus,
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I found a friend.
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I lost all taste for
other reading and applied my
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heart to get wisdom from God."
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The more he read
and studied the Bible,
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the more
fascinating it became to him.
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Now, he was an
independent thinker,
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William Miller, and he rejected
a number of the commonly
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held beliefs of his day.
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He didn't believe
that the whole world
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would be converted to Christ,
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nor did he believe there'd be
1,000 years of peace on earth.
00:07:32.95\00:07:36.55
Miller believed
that the return of Jesus
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would be personal and literal,
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and that God would not
set up his kingdom on Earth
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until after Christ's return.
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He came to the
conclusion that all of Scripture
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should be considered
before reaching a conclusion
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about any Bible teaching.
00:07:51.93\00:07:54.14
As the Apostle Paul wrote,
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"All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God,
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and is profitable for doctrine,
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for reproof,
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for correction,
00:08:01.71\00:08:03.58
for instruction
in righteousness,"
00:08:03.61\00:08:05.21
2 Timothy 3:16.
00:08:05.25\00:08:08.28
He believed the Bible to
be truly the Word of God,
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not just a collection of
personal religious opinions.
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"Knowing this first,
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that no
prophecy of the Scripture
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is of any
private interpretation,
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for prophecy never
came by the will of man,
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but holy men of
God spoke as they were
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moved by the Holy Spirit."
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Miller believed that the Bible
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was inspired by the
Holy Spirit, and therefore,
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comparing one passage
of the Bible with another
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would lead you to a
correct understanding.
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It was these principles
for interpreting the Bible
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that led William
Miller to shake up the world,
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especially when it
came to Bible prophecy.
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Miller believed that by
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carefully studying the
prophetic symbols in the Bible,
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he could arrive at a
correct understanding
00:08:53.26\00:08:55.36
of what those
symbols represented.
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I'll be right back with more.
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¤[Music]¤
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It's undoubtedly the
world's great superpower,
00:09:06.24\00:09:08.58
the United States of America.
00:09:08.61\00:09:10.68
But what of it's
role in Earth's last days?
00:09:10.71\00:09:13.58
Does Bible prophecy speak of
the United States of America?
00:09:13.62\00:09:18.19
Find out by
receiving our free gift,
00:09:18.22\00:09:20.22
The United States
in Bible Prophecy.
00:09:20.26\00:09:22.36
Call us on 800-253-3000,
00:09:22.39\00:09:25.29
or visit us online
at itiswritten.com.
00:09:25.33\00:09:28.96
Or you can write to
the address on your screen.
00:09:29.00\00:09:31.10
I'd like you to
receive our free offer,
00:09:31.13\00:09:33.27
The United States
in Bible Prophecy.
00:09:33.30\00:09:35.94
Thanks for joining
me on It Is Written.
00:09:37.01\00:09:38.91
William Miller was a Baptist
farmer who studied his Bible,
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and he arrived at
conclusions that shook up
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the United States of America.
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As he read the Bible,
00:09:48.48\00:09:49.75
he was tempted to
ignore the time periods
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found in Bible prophecy.
00:09:52.79\00:09:54.26
But the more he read,
the more convicted he became
00:09:54.29\00:09:57.66
that these were periods that
he really needed to understand.
00:09:57.69\00:10:01.40
And the one to which
his mind kept returning
00:10:01.43\00:10:03.87
was Daniel 8,
verse 14, which says,
00:10:03.90\00:10:07.30
"Unto 2,300 days, then shall
the sanctuary be cleansed."
00:10:07.34\00:10:12.67
As he tried to
understand this verse,
00:10:12.71\00:10:14.54
Miller followed the
principle that the Bible
00:10:14.58\00:10:17.05
is to be its own interpreter.
00:10:17.08\00:10:18.51
He'd discovered from a
reading elsewhere in the Bible
00:10:18.55\00:10:21.75
that a day in Bible
prophecy represents a year.
00:10:21.78\00:10:26.99
He found that in
Numbers 14, verse 34,
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Ezekiel 4:6, and other places.
00:10:29.26\00:10:32.49
And when he went
over to Daniel chapter 9
00:10:32.53\00:10:34.56
and he read the
70 weeks prophecy
00:10:34.60\00:10:37.00
that references
Jesus' first coming,
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Miller was
amazed by what he found.
00:10:40.14\00:10:43.30
Here's that prophecy.
00:10:43.34\00:10:44.64
"Seventy weeks are
determined upon thy people
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and upon thy holy city,
to finish the transgression
00:10:46.68\00:10:50.61
and to make an end of sins,
00:10:50.65\00:10:52.28
and to make
reconciliation for iniquity,
00:10:52.31\00:10:54.85
and to bring in
everlasting righteousness,
00:10:54.88\00:10:57.39
and to seal up the
vision and prophecy,
00:10:57.42\00:10:59.89
and to anoint the Most Holy.
00:10:59.92\00:11:02.22
Know, therefore, and understand
that from the going forth
00:11:02.26\00:11:04.93
of the commandment to
restore and to build Jerusalem,
00:11:04.96\00:11:08.53
unto Messiah the Prince,
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shall be seven weeks and
threescore and two weeks.
00:11:10.37\00:11:13.90
The streets shall be
built again, and the wall,
00:11:13.94\00:11:16.44
even in troublous times.
00:11:16.47\00:11:17.91
And after threescore and two
weeks shall Messiah be cut off,
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but not for himself.
00:11:23.95\00:11:25.85
And the people of the
prince that shall come
00:11:25.88\00:11:27.95
shall destroy the
city and the sanctuary,
00:11:27.98\00:11:30.15
and the end thereof
shall be with a flood,
00:11:30.19\00:11:32.89
and unto the end of the
war desolations are determined.
00:11:32.92\00:11:37.59
And he shall confirm the
covenant with many for one week,
00:11:37.63\00:11:41.26
and in the midst of the week
he shall cause the sacrifice
00:11:41.30\00:11:44.00
and the oblation to cease,
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and for the
overspreading of abominations
00:11:46.27\00:11:48.24
he shall make it desolate,
00:11:48.27\00:11:49.77
even until the consummation,
00:11:49.80\00:11:51.21
and that determined shall
be poured upon the desolate."
00:11:51.24\00:11:55.98
Now, that's quite a passage,
00:11:56.01\00:11:57.75
and Miller was determined
to get to the bottom of it.
00:11:57.78\00:12:01.95
Consider what
the passage contains:
00:12:01.98\00:12:03.55
a time period
allotted to Israel, 70 weeks,
00:12:03.59\00:12:07.69
a commandment to
restore and rebuild Jerusalem,
00:12:07.72\00:12:11.06
the coming of
Messiah the Prince.
00:12:11.09\00:12:13.26
That's Jesus, his first coming.
00:12:13.29\00:12:16.50
Messiah being
cut off or executed,
00:12:16.53\00:12:19.90
a covenant being
confirmed for a week,
00:12:19.93\00:12:23.27
the end of sacrifice
and offering, and more.
00:12:23.30\00:12:27.31
The popular
theory in Miller's day
00:12:27.34\00:12:29.28
was that the sanctuary
referenced in Daniel 8:14
00:12:29.31\00:12:32.95
represented the Earth,
00:12:32.98\00:12:35.75
so Miller decided that
the cleansing of the sanctuary
00:12:35.78\00:12:38.62
would be when the
earth was cleansed by fire
00:12:38.65\00:12:41.79
when Jesus returned.
00:12:41.82\00:12:43.46
And then there was this
time period, 2,300 days.
00:12:43.49\00:12:49.13
Using the principle of
prophetic interpretation
00:12:49.16\00:12:51.63
that taught that a day
represents a year in prophecy,
00:12:51.67\00:12:55.57
Miller considered these
2,300 days to be 2,300 years.
00:12:55.60\00:13:02.61
The decree that provided the
starting point for this prophecy
00:13:02.64\00:13:06.01
Miller found in Ezra chapter 7,
00:13:06.05\00:13:09.18
the decree issued by the
Medo-Persian king Artaxerxes,
00:13:09.22\00:13:13.12
permitting Israel to
rebuild the temple in Jerusalem
00:13:13.15\00:13:16.32
and reorder society there.
00:13:16.36\00:13:19.36
Knowing this,
00:13:19.39\00:13:21.13
it wouldn't be hard for Miller
to work out the particulars
00:13:21.16\00:13:23.90
of this prophecy.
00:13:23.93\00:13:25.70
So here's what
Miller discovered.
00:13:25.73\00:13:28.07
The decree was
issued in the year 457 BC.
00:13:28.10\00:13:32.11
Add 2,300 years to that,
and you get to the year 1843.
00:13:32.14\00:13:38.48
Miller was thrilled.
00:13:38.51\00:13:41.12
He'd figured out that Jesus
was going to return to the Earth
00:13:41.15\00:13:45.09
in just 25 years.
00:13:45.12\00:13:47.52
Miller wrote, "I was thus
brought to the solemn conclusion
00:13:47.56\00:13:52.13
that in about 25
years from that time, 1818,
00:13:52.16\00:13:55.96
all the affairs of our present
state would be wound up."
00:13:56.00\00:14:00.20
The farmer, the
former military man,
00:14:00.24\00:14:03.47
had made an
astonishing discovery.
00:14:03.51\00:14:05.64
Jesus was coming back to
the earth, and he knew when.
00:14:05.67\00:14:11.01
He described the
experience in these words.
00:14:11.05\00:14:13.72
"I need not speak of
the joy that filled my heart
00:14:13.75\00:14:16.72
in view of the
delightful prospect,
00:14:16.75\00:14:19.52
nor of the ardent
longings of my soul
00:14:19.55\00:14:22.59
for a participation in
the joys of the redeemed.
00:14:22.62\00:14:26.13
The Bible was
now to me a new book.
00:14:26.16\00:14:28.73
It was indeed a feast of reason.
00:14:28.76\00:14:32.00
All that was dark, mystical, or
obscure to me in its teachings
00:14:32.03\00:14:37.71
had been dissipated in my
mind before the clear light
00:14:37.74\00:14:41.04
that now dawned
from its sacred pages,
00:14:41.08\00:14:44.38
and oh, how bright and
glorious the truth appeared."
00:14:44.41\00:14:48.72
And then came the conviction
that he should tell others
00:14:48.75\00:14:51.82
what he'd learned.
00:14:51.85\00:14:53.42
An inner voice
seemed to drive him
00:14:53.46\00:14:55.72
to go and tell it to the world.
00:14:55.76\00:14:58.83
He shared his
views in private studies
00:14:58.86\00:15:00.80
and in
conversations with others,
00:15:00.83\00:15:02.40
but he wasn't in any hurry at
all to make them known publicly.
00:15:02.43\00:15:06.20
After all, he was
no public speaker.
00:15:06.23\00:15:09.17
He was 50 years old and had
no formal theological training.
00:15:09.20\00:15:13.24
For nine years, he
resisted the commission
00:15:13.27\00:15:16.68
that God was
pressing upon his heart.
00:15:16.71\00:15:19.21
Finally, he put God to the test.
00:15:19.95\00:15:22.58
He told God in prayer that if he
received an invitation to speak,
00:15:22.62\00:15:28.02
he would take
this as Heaven's sign
00:15:28.06\00:15:30.29
that he was to
share his findings.
00:15:30.33\00:15:33.73
As it happened,
00:15:33.76\00:15:35.06
an invitation was on its
way to him at that very moment.
00:15:35.10\00:15:38.87
A young man had traveled
16 miles to the Miller farm
00:15:38.90\00:15:42.44
with a message from his
father in Dresden, New York.
00:15:42.47\00:15:46.11
There wouldn't be any preaching
in their church the next day.
00:15:46.14\00:15:48.58
Instead, they wanted William
Miller to talk to the people
00:15:48.61\00:15:53.15
on the subject of the
second coming of Jesus.
00:15:53.18\00:15:56.48
Miller was shocked and angry
00:15:56.52\00:15:59.92
that he'd made
that promise to God,
00:15:59.95\00:16:02.72
but he didn't
give the boy an answer.
00:16:02.76\00:16:04.29
Instead, he left his
house and he came here
00:16:04.33\00:16:07.86
to this very grove of trees,
00:16:07.93\00:16:09.80
where he spent about
an hour talking with God,
00:16:09.83\00:16:12.33
trying to get out of the
commitment that he just made.
00:16:12.37\00:16:15.67
But Miller
couldn't break his covenant.
00:16:15.70\00:16:17.64
Instead, he went
back to the house,
00:16:17.67\00:16:20.41
where the boy was still waiting.
00:16:20.44\00:16:21.74
And they later
journeyed together to Dresden,
00:16:21.78\00:16:24.68
a journey which
took them about an hour,
00:16:24.71\00:16:27.35
which means the boy
had left his home to come
00:16:27.38\00:16:31.35
and invite Miller
to speak before Miller
00:16:31.39\00:16:33.92
had made his pledge to God.
00:16:33.96\00:16:38.23
It was later said that Miller
came into the woods a farmer,
00:16:38.26\00:16:41.43
and he went out a preacher.
00:16:41.46\00:16:44.43
That presentation
was so well received,
00:16:44.47\00:16:46.80
he was asked to stay in Dresden
and preach throughout the week.
00:16:46.84\00:16:51.14
When he returned home,
00:16:51.17\00:16:52.71
there was a letter
inviting him to speak in
00:16:52.74\00:16:54.51
Poultney, Vermont.
00:16:54.54\00:16:56.48
And so it went.
00:16:56.51\00:16:57.88
Over the next 13 years, William
Miller would average almost
00:16:57.91\00:17:01.78
270 speaking
appointments a year.
00:17:01.82\00:17:05.92
While the common people
received Miller's message
00:17:05.95\00:17:08.29
enthusiastically,
00:17:08.32\00:17:10.09
the popular religious leaders
weren't impressed at all.
00:17:10.13\00:17:13.93
Most of what
they wrote, preached,
00:17:13.96\00:17:15.70
or published about
Miller's message was negative.
00:17:15.73\00:17:19.50
In fact, the time came when
00:17:19.53\00:17:21.50
many who accepted the teachings
of Miller and his associates
00:17:21.54\00:17:25.44
would be thrown out of
many of the mainline churches.
00:17:25.47\00:17:29.28
But like Martin
Luther and other reformers,
00:17:29.31\00:17:31.25
William Miller simply
challenged his critics
00:17:31.28\00:17:33.65
to show him his
error from the Bible.
00:17:33.68\00:17:36.42
The thing was, when people
listened to what Miller said
00:17:36.45\00:17:39.45
and they looked into the Bible,
00:17:39.49\00:17:41.39
everything seemed to add up.
00:17:41.42\00:17:42.96
It appeared that
Miller was right.
00:17:42.99\00:17:44.93
The 2,300 days were
definitely 2,300 years.
00:17:44.96\00:17:48.73
Miller had made that clear.
00:17:48.76\00:17:50.53
The decree, Ezra chapter
7 made that clear, 457 BC.
00:17:50.57\00:17:56.87
After that, simply
a question of math.
00:17:56.91\00:17:59.94
Daniel 8:14 had said,
00:18:00.04\00:18:01.44
"Unto 2,300 days, then shall
the sanctuary be cleansed."
00:18:01.48\00:18:06.48
What else could it mean?
00:18:06.51\00:18:08.05
Jesus was coming back, and
he was coming back in 1843.
00:18:08.08\00:18:14.76
Except for one small thing.
00:18:14.79\00:18:17.33
I'll be right back with more.
00:18:17.36\00:18:18.83
¤[Music]¤
00:18:18.86\00:18:24.03
>>Announcer:: In Matthew
4:4, the Word of God says,
00:18:27.10\00:18:29.50
"It is written,
00:18:29.54\00:18:30.57
'Man shall not
live by bread alone,
00:18:30.61\00:18:32.44
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:18:32.47\00:18:36.58
Every Word is a one-minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:18:36.61\00:18:39.81
presented by
Pastor John Bradshaw
00:18:39.85\00:18:41.62
and designed especially
for busy people like you.
00:18:41.65\00:18:45.19
Look for Every Word
on selected networks,
00:18:45.22\00:18:48.39
or watch it online
everyday on our website,
00:18:48.42\00:18:49.92
itiswritten.com.
00:18:49.96\00:18:52.26
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:18:52.29\00:18:54.40
Watch Every Word.
00:18:54.46\00:18:55.80
You'll be glad you did.
00:18:55.83\00:19:00.27
¤[Music]¤
00:19:00.84\00:19:06.27
>>John: Abbott and Costello,
00:19:06.31\00:19:08.01
Jordan and Pippen,
00:19:08.04\00:19:09.48
Wilbur Wright
and Orville Wright,
00:19:09.51\00:19:11.31
Simon and Garfunkel.
00:19:11.35\00:19:13.01
Now, pardon my
somewhat trivial examples here,
00:19:13.05\00:19:15.02
but the point is
one that you know well.
00:19:15.05\00:19:16.69
Often, someone is prominent
or achieves in large part
00:19:16.72\00:19:19.95
because of the
help of another person.
00:19:19.99\00:19:21.96
The Protestant Reformation was
the most significant religious
00:19:21.99\00:19:24.43
and you could
say political event
00:19:24.46\00:19:25.79
of the last thousand years.
00:19:25.83\00:19:27.66
And while we
think of Martin Luther
00:19:27.73\00:19:29.00
as the architect
of the Reformation,
00:19:29.03\00:19:31.07
Luther likely
wouldn't have been Luther
00:19:31.10\00:19:32.57
without Philipp Melanchthon.
00:19:32.60\00:19:34.64
Melanchthon was a giant
intellect, a theologian,
00:19:34.67\00:19:36.87
and he collaborated with Luther.
00:19:36.91\00:19:38.67
He made Luther better,
00:19:38.71\00:19:40.44
like Aaron and Hur
holding up Moses' hands.
00:19:40.48\00:19:42.98
Exodus 17, verse 12 says,
00:19:43.01\00:19:45.01
"And Aaron and Hur
stayed up his hands,
00:19:45.05\00:19:47.38
the one on the one side,
the other on the other side."
00:19:47.42\00:19:50.15
Whose hands can
you hold up today?
00:19:50.19\00:19:52.19
God might be looking to
00:19:52.22\00:19:53.32
you to bring out the
best in someone else.
00:19:53.36\00:19:55.99
I'm John Bradshaw
from It Is Written.
00:19:56.02\00:19:57.66
Let's live today by every word.
00:19:57.69\00:19:59.69
Thanks for joining
me on It Is Written.
00:20:01.30\00:20:03.87
William Miller,
00:20:03.90\00:20:05.10
a Baptist farmer from a
small town in New York State,
00:20:05.13\00:20:07.80
had discovered an
amazing message in the Bible.
00:20:07.84\00:20:11.74
His careful study of
God's Word had proven
00:20:11.77\00:20:15.48
that Jesus was coming
back to the earth in 1843.
00:20:15.51\00:20:20.72
But as you know,
00:20:20.75\00:20:22.25
Jesus didn't come back in 1843.
00:20:22.28\00:20:25.95
Well, after that
massive disappointment,
00:20:25.99\00:20:28.59
somebody figured out why.
00:20:28.62\00:20:31.09
You see, they'd forgotten
that there was no year zero.
00:20:31.13\00:20:34.96
If you start at minus-five
and you count to plus-five,
00:20:35.00\00:20:37.87
that's a difference of 10.
00:20:37.90\00:20:40.40
But if you start at 5
BC and you go to 5 AD,
00:20:40.44\00:20:44.37
that's a difference of nine
because there's no year zero.
00:20:44.41\00:20:49.78
You go from 1 BC to 1 AD.
00:20:49.81\00:20:53.75
Of course! Jesus
wasn't coming back in 1843.
00:20:53.78\00:20:59.05
He was coming back in 1844.
00:20:59.09\00:21:02.32
Miller's followers were
called Millerites and Adventists
00:21:02.36\00:21:06.46
because of their belief in
the imminent advent of Jesus.
00:21:06.49\00:21:09.80
By the summer of 1844,
00:21:09.83\00:21:11.73
this Advent
movement built to its climax.
00:21:11.77\00:21:15.17
In August, a man by
the name of Samuel Snow
00:21:15.20\00:21:18.47
addressed a Millerite gathering
and showed from his study
00:21:18.51\00:21:22.04
of Scripture and the
ancient Jewish Day of Atonement
00:21:22.08\00:21:25.45
that the 10th day
of the seventh month,
00:21:25.48\00:21:27.78
the annual Day of Atonement,
00:21:27.82\00:21:30.05
would fall in 1844
on the 22nd of October.
00:21:30.09\00:21:36.12
This prediction gave
even stronger momentum
00:21:36.16\00:21:38.56
to the movement.
00:21:38.59\00:21:39.76
The preachers
continued to preach,
00:21:39.79\00:21:41.63
and literature explaining
the prophecies of the Bible
00:21:41.66\00:21:44.60
and the time periods in question
were circulated far and wide.
00:21:44.63\00:21:49.24
One of the prominent
leaders of the movement,
00:21:49.27\00:21:51.07
Charles Fitch, died of pneumonia
00:21:51.11\00:21:53.98
after baptizing
believers in the Ohio River.
00:21:54.01\00:21:56.75
Even though the
weather was severely cold,
00:21:56.78\00:21:58.65
he refused to turn anyone away.
00:21:58.68\00:22:01.65
He died just 10 days before
Jesus was expected to return,
00:22:01.68\00:22:05.45
but his family didn't mourn.
00:22:05.49\00:22:07.96
They believed that
they'd be seeing him again,
00:22:07.99\00:22:10.29
that his body would
come up out of the grave
00:22:10.33\00:22:12.76
in just a few more days.
00:22:12.79\00:22:15.23
At last, the
appointed day arrived.
00:22:15.26\00:22:18.10
Some believers left
their crops unharvested.
00:22:18.13\00:22:21.50
One shop owner in Philadelphia
00:22:21.54\00:22:23.24
left a sign in
his window that said,
00:22:23.27\00:22:25.74
"This shop is closed in
honor of the King of Kings,
00:22:25.77\00:22:29.41
who will appear
the 22nd of October.
00:22:29.44\00:22:32.08
Get ready, friends, to
crown Him Lord of all."
00:22:32.11\00:22:36.52
But as the day got longer,
00:22:36.55\00:22:38.52
these faithful believers
00:22:38.55\00:22:39.75
realized that
Jesus might not return.
00:22:39.79\00:22:43.43
When midnight arrived,
00:22:43.46\00:22:45.06
the disappointment of
the Millerites was intense.
00:22:45.09\00:22:49.23
The prophecy found in Revelation
chapter 10 was fulfilled.
00:22:49.26\00:22:53.23
"And I went to the
angel and said to him,
00:22:53.27\00:22:55.80
'Give me the little book.'
00:22:55.84\00:22:57.67
And he said to
me, 'Take and eat it,
00:22:57.71\00:23:00.58
and it will make
your stomach bitter,
00:23:00.61\00:23:02.88
but it will be as sweet
as honey in your mouth.'
00:23:02.91\00:23:06.15
And I took the little book out
of the angel's hand and ate it,
00:23:06.18\00:23:10.12
and it was as sweet
as honey in my mouth,
00:23:10.15\00:23:12.89
but when I had eaten it,
my stomach became bitter,"
00:23:12.92\00:23:17.39
Revelation 10:9 and 10.
00:23:17.43\00:23:20.63
Descendants of people
who lived here at the time
00:23:20.66\00:23:23.20
say that some Millerite
believers gathered right here,
00:23:23.23\00:23:26.74
on what today is
known as Ascension Rock,
00:23:26.77\00:23:29.74
and waited here
for Jesus to come.
00:23:29.77\00:23:32.87
If that's true, their
journey home that night
00:23:32.91\00:23:35.94
would have been very difficult.
00:23:35.98\00:23:39.68
Imagine believing that
you were going to farewell
00:23:39.71\00:23:41.55
your friends and neighbors.
00:23:41.58\00:23:42.88
You'd never see them again,
many of whom had ridiculed you
00:23:42.92\00:23:45.99
for believing that
Jesus was gonna come back.
00:23:46.02\00:23:48.79
Now you'd have to face them.
00:23:48.82\00:23:50.73
They'd mock you again
00:23:50.76\00:23:51.66
because you are here
on this earth at all.
00:23:51.69\00:23:55.03
Imagine believing that
you are gonna go to heaven,
00:23:55.06\00:23:57.87
and then discovering that
heaven would have to wait.
00:23:57.90\00:24:02.30
And of course, all of this
begs some difficult questions.
00:24:02.34\00:24:08.01
So how could William Miller,
a faithful Baptist preacher,
00:24:08.04\00:24:10.95
possibly get it so wrong?
00:24:10.98\00:24:13.08
After all, the Bible
says that no one knows
00:24:13.11\00:24:15.25
the day or the
hour of Jesus' return.
00:24:15.28\00:24:17.22
Well, it's good to remember
that William Miller himself
00:24:17.25\00:24:20.22
never set a date,
00:24:20.26\00:24:21.46
but one of his followers did
circle a day on the calendar.
00:24:21.49\00:24:26.23
Well, keep this in mind.
00:24:26.26\00:24:28.36
Even Jesus' followers
sometimes made mistakes.
00:24:28.40\00:24:31.63
Jesus told them as plainly as he
could that he was going to die,
00:24:31.67\00:24:34.60
and they just couldn't
understand what he was saying.
00:24:34.64\00:24:37.57
When Jesus died,
their hopes died with them.
00:24:37.61\00:24:41.64
But out of that
brutal disappointment,
00:24:41.68\00:24:43.55
Jesus brought great things,
00:24:43.58\00:24:44.88
and he brought good
things out of the Millerites'
00:24:44.91\00:24:47.35
disappointment too.
00:24:47.38\00:24:49.12
If Miller could be so
wrong about something so basic,
00:24:49.15\00:24:52.82
didn't that make him a
deceiver, a false Messiah?
00:24:52.85\00:24:57.29
Well, no, no more
than the followers of Jesus
00:24:57.33\00:25:00.76
were false prophets.
00:25:00.80\00:25:02.86
Miller was just
wrong about a key point.
00:25:02.90\00:25:07.37
Could Miller's error
00:25:07.40\00:25:08.44
have jeopardized the
faith of his followers?
00:25:08.47\00:25:11.51
Well, that's possible,
00:25:11.54\00:25:12.64
but this is a reminder
to us, that a person's faith
00:25:12.67\00:25:15.14
must be individual,
personal, based on the Bible,
00:25:15.18\00:25:20.05
and not on the say-so
of another human being.
00:25:20.08\00:25:22.88
God achieved some great
things through William Miller.
00:25:22.92\00:25:26.65
Thousands of
people were directed
00:25:26.69\00:25:28.29
to the study of the Bible,
00:25:28.32\00:25:29.39
in particular
the Bible's teaching
00:25:29.42\00:25:32.03
about the
second coming of Jesus.
00:25:32.06\00:25:33.70
The second coming
was a neglected teaching
00:25:33.73\00:25:36.33
in Christianity,
00:25:36.36\00:25:37.70
and Miller shone a spotlight
on the Bible's teaching
00:25:37.73\00:25:40.47
that Jesus was indeed
soon to return to this earth.
00:25:40.50\00:25:44.24
Today, that
teaching is widely believed.
00:25:44.27\00:25:46.78
Few in
Christianity are not Adventists.
00:25:46.81\00:25:50.08
Most Christians today
believe in the advent of Jesus,
00:25:50.11\00:25:53.48
and many believe
it will happen soon.
00:25:53.52\00:25:56.18
For that, William
Miller is largely to credit.
00:25:56.22\00:26:00.46
Revelation 10, which speaks
of the bitter disappointment,
00:26:00.49\00:26:03.09
goes on to say,
00:26:03.12\00:26:05.13
"Thou must prophecy
again before many peoples
00:26:05.16\00:26:09.20
and nations and tongues and
kings," Revelation 10, verse 11.
00:26:09.23\00:26:14.17
And since Miller's time,
00:26:14.20\00:26:16.77
the church has
been prophesying again.
00:26:16.81\00:26:20.04
The news has gone to the world
that Jesus is coming back soon,
00:26:20.08\00:26:23.78
that everybody can
be ready for that day
00:26:23.81\00:26:26.11
through faith in Jesus Christ,
00:26:26.15\00:26:28.68
and that the Bible
is the rule of faith
00:26:28.72\00:26:31.15
and practice for all believers.
00:26:31.19\00:26:34.32
William Miller
continued to preach,
00:26:34.36\00:26:36.73
he continued to believe,
00:26:36.76\00:26:37.86
and he
continued to trust in God.
00:26:37.89\00:26:40.50
He died in 1849
at the age of 67,
00:26:40.53\00:26:44.77
and he's buried right here.
00:26:44.80\00:26:49.07
Soon the Protestant
Reformation will be completed.
00:26:49.10\00:26:52.41
Soon the words of
Jesus will be fulfilled,
00:26:52.44\00:26:54.38
those words spoken in Matthew
24, verse 14, when Jesus said,
00:26:54.41\00:26:58.91
"This gospel of the
kingdom shall be preached
00:26:58.95\00:27:00.48
in all the world for a
witness to all nations,
00:27:00.52\00:27:04.45
and then shall the end come."
00:27:04.49\00:27:06.55
¤[Music]¤
00:27:06.59\00:27:11.76
I'm John Bradshaw
from It Is Written,
00:27:13.29\00:27:15.50
inviting you to join me for 500,
00:27:15.53\00:27:19.20
nine programs
produced by It Is Written,
00:27:19.23\00:27:21.47
taking you deep
into the Reformation.
00:27:21.50\00:27:24.47
This is the 500th anniversary
00:27:24.51\00:27:27.08
of the beginning
of the Reformation,
00:27:27.11\00:27:28.74
when Martin Luther
nailed his 95 Theses
00:27:28.78\00:27:31.21
to the door of the Castle
Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
00:27:31.25\00:27:34.08
We'll take you to
Wittenberg and to Belgium,
00:27:34.12\00:27:36.52
to England,
00:27:36.55\00:27:37.35
to Ireland,
00:27:37.39\00:27:38.79
to Rome,
00:27:38.82\00:27:39.52
to the Vatican City,
00:27:39.55\00:27:40.86
and introduce you to the people
who created the Reformation,
00:27:40.89\00:27:43.93
who pushed the
Reformation forward.
00:27:43.96\00:27:45.79
We'll take you to
sites all throughout Europe
00:27:45.83\00:27:47.86
where the Reformers
lived and in some cases died.
00:27:47.86\00:27:50.63
We'll bring you
back to the United States
00:27:50.67\00:27:52.23
and take you to a little
farm in upstate New York,
00:27:52.27\00:27:55.20
and show you how God
spread the Reformation here.
00:27:55.24\00:27:58.14
Don't miss 500.
00:27:58.17\00:28:00.38
You can own the
500 series on DVD.
00:28:00.41\00:28:03.45
Call us on 888-664-5573,
00:28:03.48\00:28:08.15
or visit us online
at itiswritten.shop.
00:28:08.18\00:28:12.92
>>John: Lets pray together.
00:28:14.19\00:28:16.02
Our Father in Heaven,
00:28:16.06\00:28:16.86
we thank You in
the name of Jesus.
00:28:16.89\00:28:18.93
That You've raised up
men and women of faith
00:28:18.96\00:28:20.83
to inspire us,
00:28:20.86\00:28:22.00
to guide us,
00:28:22.03\00:28:23.53
to urge us forward.
00:28:23.57\00:28:25.80
We thank You that in
spite of the failings of some,
00:28:25.83\00:28:28.07
in spite of their
foibles or mistakes,
00:28:28.10\00:28:30.01
You still work.
00:28:30.04\00:28:32.31
We thanl You that You
raised up William Miller
00:28:32.34\00:28:34.21
to call us to the great truth
that Jesus is coming again soon.
00:28:34.24\00:28:40.72
Grant that we would be ready for
that day through faith in Jesus.
00:28:40.75\00:28:44.52
Live Your life in us,
fill us with Your Holy Spirit,
00:28:44.55\00:28:48.39
And let our lives be
filled with the joy of knowing,
00:28:48.42\00:28:50.96
that one day soon, we
will be with You forever.
00:28:50.99\00:28:55.66
We pray with John
who wrote Revelation,
00:28:55.70\00:28:57.70
When he said, "Even
so come Lord Jesus."
00:28:57.73\00:29:02.57
And we pray in Jesus' name,
00:29:02.60\00:29:05.27
Amen.
00:29:05.31\00:29:07.14
Thanks so much for joining me.
00:29:07.18\00:29:08.24
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:29:08.28\00:29:10.38
Until then, remember,
00:29:10.41\00:29:12.48
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:29:12.51\00:29:16.99
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:29:17.02\00:29:21.92
¤[Theme music]¤
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