Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIWR
Program Code: IIWR000008A
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01:30 ♪[Theme music]♪
01:40 ♪[Theme music]♪ 01:49 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me. 01:50 I'm John Bradshaw from It Is Written, 01:52 and this is 500, our look at the Reformation. 01:56 We're looking back in time on the impact of the Reformation 01:59 500 years ago, 02:02 and we're looking into the future. 02:04 What is there left to be done in bringing the Reformation 02:07 to a conclusion? 02:08 In a few moments, our program, entitled 02:12 "Tell It To The World." 02:14 The Reformation has shifted to the United States, 02:17 and truth is marching on. 02:20 My special guest in this program is Dr. Jud Lake. 02:23 He's a professor of preaching and Adventist studies 02:25 at Southern Adventist University. Dr. Lake, 02:27 thanks for joining me. 02:29 >>Dr. Lake: My pleasure. 02:30 >>John: We're gonna look at a fascinating figure 02:31 in this program, "Tell It To The World." 02:33 His name, William Miller. 02:35 What kind of man was William Miller? 02:37 Dr. Lake: The answer to that, of course, 02:38 depends on what period of his life you're talking about. 02:41 Uh, as a young child, 02:42 he was very religious and, uh, very, um, 02:48 obedient to his parents. 02:49 Then as he grew into the teenage years, 02:51 he became very rebellious. 02:53 Then into adulthood, he was a very patriotic, 02:56 um, very committed to whatever cause he involved himself. 03:01 And then as he grew into adulthood, 03:03 he, he went through a period of, of nonbelief, 03:07 ugh, uh, secular years, 03:09 and then he was converted to Christ. 03:11 And during those years he was very earnest. 03:14 Uh, he tended to be moody. 03:16 Um, once he realized the truth 03:19 that Jesus was coming in his lifetime, 03:21 that thrilled his soul, 03:23 so he was full of joy over the second coming of Christ. 03:27 But as he presented his message to the multitudes 03:29 and he got criticized, 03:31 he tended to be somewhat moody about that, 03:34 and there were times where he was up and down. 03:37 But in general, 03:38 William Miller was a happy person to be around. 03:40 In fact, audiences called him Father Miller 03:44 because he showed compassion for his audiences. 03:46 >>John: It sounds like, uh, uh, uh, a human sort of a person. 03:50 Dr. Lake: Very much so. 03:51 >>John: And certainly one of the most significant figures, 03:53 a very significant figure in American religious history. 03:57 William Miller. 03:58 You can visit his home, 04:00 his adult home, the William Miller Farm. 04:03 It's in Low Hampton, New York, 04:04 about this far from the border with Vermont. 04:07 It's a beautiful place, a heritage site now, 04:11 for it was at that farm, 04:13 the William Miller Farm in New York State, 04:17 that some significant things took place. 04:20 William Miller was a man who heralded 04:23 the second coming of Jesus Christ. 04:27 Now, as we'll find out in some depth in a moment when we, 04:30 together, travel to upstate New York and other places, 04:35 William Miller wasn't always right about everything. 04:37 You'll learn some things about William Miller. 04:40 This was a man who believed that the Bible was the Word of God. 04:44 He believed the Bible should be studied, 04:46 to the extent that he studied the Bible 04:49 expecting to be able to understand the message 04:52 of the Bible for him. 04:54 To a great degree, he does, but he's not right about everything, 04:59 and he makes a couple of crucial mistakes 05:02 which ultimately prove to be our blessing. 05:05 So the William Miller story talks about a man 05:07 who was a Bible student, wasn't right about everything, 05:11 and it shows us that even when you make mistakes, 05:15 God can bring great things out of your own personal misfortune 05:20 or, uh, inaccuracy. 05:22 The William Miller Farm is a beautiful spot today, 05:24 and were you to visit it, you'd find some fascinating things. 05:27 The house is preserved much as it was in William Miller's day. 05:33 You enter into the very room in which William Miller stood 05:37 and prayed and watched and waited on October the 22nd 05:43 in 1844 as he anticipated the return of Jesus Christ. 05:49 He stood looking towards the eastern sky, 05:51 wondering if in just a moment he might see his Lord a-coming. 05:56 Now, prior to this, long before 1844, 06:03 William Miller burrowed into the Bible with an earnest desire 06:07 to understand God's message, uh, for him. 06:11 He felt a burning almost compulsion 06:14 that he ought to share the message that he felt 06:16 God had placed upon his heart. 06:19 And he did a sort of a deal with God. 06:20 He said to God, 06:22 "I'll preach the message should somebody ask me to. 06:26 I'll share my insights should an invitation come." 06:30 Moments after he had prayed that prayer, 06:32 there was a knock at the door. 06:33 And of course, the young man was there to ask 06:36 William Miller to come to his family's church 06:39 and share his insights, 06:41 indicating that even before Miller had prayed the prayer, 06:44 the messenger was on his way from his home 06:46 about 16 or so miles away. 06:48 What Miller did then was, he left the young man standing, 06:52 walked out of his house to a nearby grove of trees. 06:55 We'll take you to that grove of trees in just a moment. 06:57 For me, that grove of trees is enormously significant. 07:03 That's where William Miller prayed. 07:06 Now, it's not thought that any of the actual trees 07:08 there today were there in 1844. 07:10 They've been replaced. 07:11 The forest has been, well the grove has been replenished. 07:14 But it's there, among those silent watchers, 07:18 those silent witnesses, 07:20 that William Miller, a humble man, 07:22 a simple man, poured out his heart to God. 07:24 "Must I go? 07:25 Shall I go? 07:26 Lord, release me from this burden. 07:28 I don't want to preach." 07:31 They say, "Into the trees went a farmer, 07:36 and out came a preacher." 07:37 And William Miller's preaching was significant and influential. 07:41 Had a dramatic effect on the world. 07:44 Right near the William Miller Farm homestead 07:48 is Ascension Rock. 07:49 We'll take you to Ascension Rock in this program. 07:52 And a literal stone throw from Ascension Rock 07:55 is the William Miller Chapel, 07:56 which became and Advent Movement church. 08:00 Miller never did give up his hope 08:01 in the second coming of Jesus, 08:03 even though Jesus did not return in 1843, 08:06 when he first thought Jesus would return, 08:08 in 1844, the date calculated later, October 22, 08:13 the date presented by a man named Samuel Snow. 08:15 There's a lot to cover. 08:17 This is important. 08:18 Look at it in the overall stream of the Reformation. 08:21 God gave truth to the world. 08:23 The truth was obscured. 08:25 Out of the darkness the light shone. 08:27 The in Europe, the Reformation burned bright. 08:31 The Counter-Reformation blanketed the Reformation, 08:34 but that truth made its way from Europe to North America, 08:39 to what would become these United States, 08:42 where here God's message would be proclaimed. 08:46 It would prosper. 08:48 And ultimately from these shores, 08:51 it would be taken to the world. 08:53 In just a moment, 08:54 we go to the William Miller Farm on 500. 08:57 We'll be right back. 08:59 ♪[Music]♪ 09:05 It's undoubtedly the world's great superpower, 09:07 the United States of America. 09:09 But what of it's role in earth's last days? 09:12 Does Bible prophecy speak of the United States of America? 09:17 Find out by receiving our free gift, 09:19 The United States in Bible Prophecy. 09:21 Call us on 800-253-3000, 09:24 or visit us online at itiswritten.com. 09:28 Or you can write to the address on your screen. 09:30 I'd like you to receive our free offer, 09:32 The United States in Bible Prophecy. 09:35 And thank you for remembering that It Is Written 09:38 exists due to the gracious support of people like you. 09:42 It's your kindness that makes it possible for It Is Written 09:45 to share Jesus and the Word of God with the world. 09:48 You can send your tax-deductible gift 09:50 to the address on your screen, 09:52 or you can support It Is Written through our website, 09:54 itiswritten.com. 09:57 Thanks for your generous support. 09:59 Our number is 800-253-3000, 10:02 and our web address is itiswritten.com. 10:05 ♪[Music]♪ 10:18 With the arrival of the pilgrims here on the shores 10:21 of what would become known as the United States of America, 10:23 the focus of the Protestant Reformation 10:26 and its call for a return to the Bible 10:28 as the Christian's supreme authority began to shift 10:31 from the Old World to the New. 10:34 Thousands braved the often treacherous journey across the 10:37 Atlantic Ocean during the 17th and 18th centuries 10:40 in search of a refuge for freedom. 10:43 In Europe, even in England, 10:45 the pendulum of power swung back and forth 10:48 for decades between those who wanted to protect 10:51 religious freedom and those who wanted to curtail it. 10:55 More and more, 10:56 it was recognized that a new country with a new philosophy 11:01 of government would be needed as a haven 11:04 for those wishing to hold and share their faith 11:07 in accord with the dictates of conscience. 11:09 ♪[Music and horses galloping]♪ 11:14 With America's achievement of independence 11:16 from Great Britain in 1783, 11:19 a series of events opened the way for an even clearer 11:22 understanding of the Bible, 11:24 and in particular Bible prophecy. 11:28 The French Revolution, which began in 1789, 11:31 saw the people of France rise up against not only the monarchy, 11:35 but also the Church. 11:39 There was an attempt to overthrow the Bible 11:42 and Christianity altogether. 11:43 The cry of the revolutionaries was, 11:46 "Crush the wretch." 11:48 And the wretch that they were referring to was Jesus. 11:54 The Bible had been rejected, neglected, ignored so long. 11:58 The principles of the Protestant Reformation 12:01 had been rejected by a church 12:04 that was unwilling to be reformed. 12:06 France's brief experiment with atheism, 12:11 instead of getting rid of the Bible 12:13 or the message of Christianity, 12:15 led more people than ever before to be interested in God's Word. 12:19 In the early years of the 19th century, 12:22 Bible societies sprang up around the world. 12:25 Interest spread in the prophecies 12:27 of Daniel and Revelation. 12:29 The way would be open for yet another reformer, 12:31 this one from the United States, 12:34 to call the attention of the world to the Word of God. 12:37 That man was William Miller. 12:40 He was born in 1782, 12:43 the same year as Martin Van Buren, 12:45 who would become the eighth President of the United States. 12:48 When Miller was born in Pittsfield 12:50 in western Massachusetts, 12:52 the Revolutionary War was in full swing. 12:55 George Washington became the nation's first President, 12:58 just days before William Miller's seventh birthday. 13:02 Like so many other reformers, 13:04 poverty and hardship shaped his character. 13:07 His father had served as a captain in the Continental Army 13:10 during the American Revolution. 13:12 Many of his father's struggles and trials 13:14 made a big impression on young William. 13:17 His mother was a woman of integrity 13:19 with deep religious convictions. 13:21 Miller was a strong young man, and he was intelligent. 13:26 He wasn't able to attend college, 13:27 pretty typical for people of his era, 13:29 but he did enjoy books and he learned a lot 13:31 from his own studies. 13:33 He was raised a Baptist, 13:35 but in his early 20s he began to read the writings 13:38 of Thomas Paine and Voltaire and Ethan Allen, 13:41 and he became a deist. 13:44 He believed in God, 13:46 but he didn't believe that God intervened directly 13:50 in the lives of human beings. 13:52 But that view would be challenged. 13:55 While serving in the military, 13:56 a bomb exploded just two feet from where he was standing. 14:00 Three of his men were injured. 14:02 One was killed. 14:04 But Miller miraculously escaped unscathed. 14:07 After that, the improbable victory over the British, 14:11 and Miller began to wonder whether or not 14:13 God had something to do with that. 14:16 After his time in the military, 14:18 William Miller moved here to this farm 14:20 near the Adirondack Mountains, 14:21 just outside of Whitehall in eastern New York, 14:25 close to the border with Vermont. 14:28 Farm life wasn't easy in the early 1800s. 14:31 There was no mechanized farm equipment, 14:33 no central heat in the home. 14:35 William and his wife Lucy and their five children 14:39 would have to survive off what the farm produced. 14:43 And back at home, 14:45 Miller opened the Bible for the first time in his life 14:49 to learn for himself what the Scriptures actually taught. 14:53 It wasn't long before he met Jesus. 14:56 Later, he wrote of this experience, 14:59 "I saw that the Bible did bring to view 15:01 such a Savior as I needed, 15:04 and I was perplexed to find how an uninspired book 15:08 should develop principles so perfectly 15:11 adapted to the wants of a fallen world. 15:14 I was constrained to admit that the Scriptures 15:17 must be a revelation from God. 15:20 They became my delight, and in Jesus, 15:24 I found a friend. 15:26 I lost all taste for other reading and applied my 15:30 heart to get wisdom from God." 15:33 The more he read and studied the Bible, 15:35 the more fascinating it became to him. 15:37 Now, he was an independent thinker, 15:40 William Miller, and he rejected a number of the commonly 15:43 held beliefs of his day. 15:45 He didn't believe that the whole world 15:47 would be converted to Christ, 15:49 nor did he believe there'd be 1,000 years of peace on earth. 15:52 Miller believed that the return of Jesus 15:54 would be personal and literal, 15:57 and that God would not set up his kingdom on Earth 16:00 until after Christ's return. 16:03 He came to the conclusion that all of Scripture 16:05 should be considered before reaching a conclusion 16:08 about any Bible teaching. 16:10 As the Apostle Paul wrote, 16:12 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, 16:15 and is profitable for doctrine, 16:17 for reproof, 16:17 for correction, 16:19 for instruction in righteousness," 16:21 2 Timothy 3:16. 16:24 He believed the Bible to be truly the Word of God, 16:27 not just a collection of personal religious opinions. 16:30 "Knowing this first, 16:32 that no prophecy of the Scripture 16:34 is of any private interpretation, 16:36 for prophecy never came by the will of man, 16:41 but holy men of God spoke as they were 16:43 moved by the Holy Spirit." 16:46 Miller believed that the Bible 16:47 was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and therefore, 16:50 comparing one passage of the Bible with another 16:53 would lead you to a correct understanding. 16:57 It was these principles for interpreting the Bible 16:59 that led William Miller to shake up the world, 17:02 especially when it came to Bible prophecy. 17:05 Miller believed that by 17:06 carefully studying the prophetic symbols in the Bible, 17:09 he could arrive at a correct understanding 17:11 of what those symbols represented. 17:13 I'll be right back with more. 17:15 ♪[Music]♪ 17:22 It's undoubtedly the world's great superpower, 17:24 the United States of America. 17:26 But what of it's role in Earth's last days? 17:29 Does Bible prophecy speak of the United States of America? 17:34 Find out by receiving our free gift, 17:36 The United States in Bible Prophecy. 17:38 Call us on 800-253-3000, 17:41 or visit us online at itiswritten.com. 17:45 Or you can write to the address on your screen. 17:47 I'd like you to receive our free offer, 17:49 The United States in Bible Prophecy. 17:53 Thanks for joining me on It Is Written. 17:55 William Miller was a Baptist farmer who studied his Bible, 17:59 and he arrived at conclusions that shook up 18:02 the United States of America. 18:04 As he read the Bible, 18:06 he was tempted to ignore the time periods 18:09 found in Bible prophecy. 18:10 But the more he read, the more convicted he became 18:13 that these were periods that he really needed to understand. 18:17 And the one to which his mind kept returning 18:20 was Daniel 8, verse 14, which says, 18:23 "Unto 2,300 days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." 18:29 As he tried to understand this verse, 18:30 Miller followed the principle that the Bible 18:33 is to be its own interpreter. 18:34 He'd discovered from a reading elsewhere in the Bible 18:38 that a day in Bible prophecy represents a year. 18:43 He found that in Numbers 14, verse 34, 18:45 Ezekiel 4:6, and other places. 18:48 And when he went over to Daniel chapter 9 18:50 and he read the 70 weeks prophecy 18:53 that references Jesus' first coming, 18:56 Miller was amazed by what he found. 18:59 Here's that prophecy. 19:01 "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people 19:03 and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression 19:07 and to make an end of sins, 19:08 and to make reconciliation for iniquity, 19:11 and to bring in everlasting righteousness, 19:13 and to seal up the vision and prophecy, 19:16 and to anoint the Most Holy. 19:18 Know, therefore, and understand that from the going forth 19:21 of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, 19:24 unto Messiah the Prince, 19:26 shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks. 19:30 The streets shall be built again, and the wall, 19:32 even in troublous times. 19:34 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, 19:40 but not for himself. 19:42 And the people of the prince that shall come 19:44 shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, 19:46 and the end thereof shall be with a flood, 19:49 and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 19:53 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week, 19:57 and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice 20:00 and the oblation to cease, 20:02 and for the overspreading of abominations 20:04 he shall make it desolate, 20:06 even until the consummation, 20:07 and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." 20:12 Now, that's quite a passage, 20:14 and Miller was determined to get to the bottom of it. 20:18 Consider what the passage contains: 20:19 a time period allotted to Israel, 70 weeks, 20:23 a commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, 20:27 the coming of Messiah the Prince. 20:29 That's Jesus, his first coming. 20:32 Messiah being cut off or executed, 20:36 a covenant being confirmed for a week, 20:39 the end of sacrifice and offering, and more. 20:43 The popular theory in Miller's day 20:45 was that the sanctuary referenced in Daniel 8:14 20:49 represented the Earth, 20:51 so Miller decided that the cleansing of the sanctuary 20:54 would be when the earth was cleansed by fire 20:57 when Jesus returned. 20:59 And then there was this time period, 2,300 days. 21:05 Using the principle of prophetic interpretation 21:07 that taught that a day represents a year in prophecy, 21:11 Miller considered these 2,300 days to be 2,300 years. 21:18 The decree that provided the starting point for this prophecy 21:22 Miller found in Ezra chapter 7, 21:25 the decree issued by the Medo-Persian king Artaxerxes, 21:29 permitting Israel to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem 21:32 and reorder society there. 21:35 Knowing this, 21:37 it wouldn't be hard for Miller to work out the particulars 21:40 of this prophecy. 21:41 So here's what Miller discovered. 21:44 The decree was issued in the year 457 BC. 21:48 Add 2,300 years to that, and you get to the year 1843. 21:54 Miller was thrilled. 21:57 He'd figured out that Jesus was going to return to the Earth 22:01 in just 25 years. 22:03 Miller wrote, "I was thus brought to the solemn conclusion 22:08 that in about 25 years from that time, 1818, 22:12 all the affairs of our present state would be wound up." 22:16 The farmer, the former military man, 22:19 had made an astonishing discovery. 22:21 Jesus was coming back to the earth, and he knew when. 22:27 He described the experience in these words. 22:29 "I need not speak of the joy that filled my heart 22:32 in view of the delightful prospect, 22:35 nor of the ardent longings of my soul 22:38 for a participation in the joys of the redeemed. 22:42 The Bible was now to me a new book. 22:44 It was indeed a feast of reason. 22:48 All that was dark, mystical, or obscure to me in its teachings 22:53 had been dissipated in my mind before the clear light 22:57 that now dawned from its sacred pages, 23:00 and oh, how bright and glorious the truth appeared." 23:05 And then came the conviction that he should tell others 23:08 what he'd learned. 23:09 An inner voice seemed to drive him 23:12 to go and tell it to the world. 23:15 He shared his views in private studies 23:17 and in conversations with others, 23:18 but he wasn't in any hurry at all to make them known publicly. 23:22 After all, he was no public speaker. 23:25 He was 50 years old and had no formal theological training. 23:29 For nine years, he resisted the commission 23:32 that God was pressing upon his heart. 23:36 Finally, he put God to the test. 23:38 He told God in prayer that if he received an invitation to speak, 23:44 he would take this as Heaven's sign 23:46 that he was to share his findings. 23:49 As it happened, 23:51 an invitation was on its way to him at that very moment. 23:55 A young man had traveled 16 miles to the Miller farm 23:58 with a message from his father in Dresden, New York. 24:02 There wouldn't be any preaching in their church the next day. 24:04 Instead, they wanted William Miller to talk to the people 24:09 on the subject of the second coming of Jesus. 24:12 Miller was shocked and angry 24:16 that he'd made that promise to God, 24:18 but he didn't give the boy an answer. 24:20 Instead, he left his house and he came here 24:24 to this very grove of trees, 24:26 where he spent about an hour talking with God, 24:28 trying to get out of the commitment that he just made. 24:31 But Miller couldn't break his covenant. 24:33 Instead, he went back to the house, 24:36 where the boy was still waiting. 24:37 And they later journeyed together to Dresden, 24:40 a journey which took them about an hour, 24:43 which means the boy had left his home to come 24:47 and invite Miller to speak before Miller 24:50 had made his pledge to God. 24:54 It was later said that Miller came into the woods a farmer, 24:57 and he went out a preacher. 25:00 That presentation was so well received, 25:03 he was asked to stay in Dresden and preach throughout the week. 25:07 When he returned home, 25:09 there was a letter inviting him to speak in 25:10 Poultney, Vermont. 25:12 And so it went. 25:14 Over the next 13 years, William Miller would average almost 25:17 270 speaking appointments a year. 25:22 While the common people received Miller's message 25:24 enthusiastically, 25:26 the popular religious leaders weren't impressed at all. 25:30 Most of what they wrote, preached, 25:31 or published about Miller's message was negative. 25:35 In fact, the time came when 25:37 many who accepted the teachings of Miller and his associates 25:41 would be thrown out of many of the mainline churches. 25:45 But like Martin Luther and other reformers, 25:47 William Miller simply challenged his critics 25:49 to show him his error from the Bible. 25:52 The thing was, when people listened to what Miller said 25:55 and they looked into the Bible, 25:57 everything seemed to add up. 25:59 It appeared that Miller was right. 26:01 The 2,300 days were definitely 2,300 years. 26:05 Miller had made that clear. 26:06 The decree, Ezra chapter 7 made that clear, 457 BC. 26:13 After that, simply a question of math. 26:16 Daniel 8:14 had said, 26:17 "Unto 2,300 days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." 26:22 What else could it mean? 26:24 Jesus was coming back, and he was coming back in 1843. 26:30 Except for one small thing. 26:33 I'll be right back with more. 26:35 ♪[Music]♪ 26:43 >>Announcer:: In Matthew 4:4, the Word of God says, 26:45 "It is written, 26:46 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 26:48 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 26:52 Every Word is a one-minute Bible-based daily devotional 26:56 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw 26:57 and designed especially for busy people like you. 27:01 Look for Every Word on selected networks, 27:04 or watch it online everyday on our website, 27:06 itiswritten.com. 27:08 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 27:10 Watch Every Word. 27:12 You'll be glad you did. 27:17 ♪[Music]♪ 27:22 >>John: Abbott and Costello, 27:24 Jordan and Pippen, 27:25 Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright, 27:27 Simon and Garfunkel. 27:29 Now, pardon my somewhat trivial examples here, 27:31 but the point is one that you know well. 27:32 Often, someone is prominent or achieves in large part 27:36 because of the help of another person. 27:38 The Protestant Reformation was the most significant religious 27:40 and you could say political event 27:41 of the last thousand years. 27:43 And while we think of Martin Luther 27:45 as the architect of the Reformation, 27:47 Luther likely wouldn't have been Luther 27:48 without Philipp Melanchthon. 27:50 Melanchthon was a giant intellect, a theologian, 27:53 and he collaborated with Luther. 27:54 He made Luther better, 27:56 like Aaron and Hur holding up Moses' hands. 27:59 Exodus 17, verse 12 says, 28:01 "And Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, 28:03 the one on the one side, the other on the other side." 28:06 Whose hands can you hold up today? 28:08 God might be looking to 28:09 you to bring out the best in someone else. 28:12 I'm John Bradshaw from It Is Written. 28:13 Let's live today by every word. 28:17 Thanks for joining me on It Is Written. 28:20 William Miller, 28:21 a Baptist farmer from a small town in New York State, 28:24 had discovered an amazing message in the Bible. 28:28 His careful study of God's Word had proven 28:31 that Jesus was coming back to the earth in 1843. 28:37 But as you know, 28:38 Jesus didn't come back in 1843. 28:42 Well, after that massive disappointment, 28:44 somebody figured out why. 28:47 You see, they'd forgotten that there was no year zero. 28:51 If you start at minus-five and you count to plus-five, 28:54 that's a difference of 10. 28:56 But if you start at 5 BC and you go to 5 AD, 29:00 that's a difference of nine because there's no year zero. 29:06 You go from 1 BC to 1 AD. 29:10 Of course! Jesus wasn't coming back in 1843. 29:15 He was coming back in 1844. 29:18 Miller's followers were called Millerites and Adventists 29:22 because of their belief in the imminent advent of Jesus. 29:26 By the summer of 1844, 29:28 this Advent movement built to its climax. 29:31 In August, a man by the name of Samuel Snow 29:34 addressed a Millerite gathering and showed from his study 29:38 of Scripture and the ancient Jewish Day of Atonement 29:41 that the 10th day of the seventh month, 29:44 the annual Day of Atonement, 29:46 would fall in 1844 on the 22nd of October. 29:52 This prediction gave even stronger momentum 29:54 to the movement. 29:56 The preachers continued to preach, 29:57 and literature explaining the prophecies of the Bible 30:00 and the time periods in question were circulated far and wide. 30:05 One of the prominent leaders of the movement, 30:07 Charles Fitch, died of pneumonia 30:10 after baptizing believers in the Ohio River. 30:13 Even though the weather was severely cold, 30:14 he refused to turn anyone away. 30:17 He died just 10 days before Jesus was expected to return, 30:21 but his family didn't mourn. 30:24 They believed that they'd be seeing him again, 30:26 that his body would come up out of the grave 30:28 in just a few more days. 30:31 At last, the appointed day arrived. 30:34 Some believers left their crops unharvested. 30:37 One shop owner in Philadelphia 30:39 left a sign in his window that said, 30:41 "This shop is closed in honor of the King of Kings, 30:45 who will appear the 22nd of October. 30:48 Get ready, friends, to crown Him Lord of all." 30:52 But as the day got longer, 30:54 these faithful believers 30:55 realized that Jesus might not return. 30:59 When midnight arrived, 31:01 the disappointment of the Millerites was intense. 31:05 The prophecy found in Revelation chapter 10 was fulfilled. 31:09 "And I went to the angel and said to him, 31:12 'Give me the little book.' 31:14 And he said to me, 'Take and eat it, 31:16 and it will make your stomach bitter, 31:19 but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.' 31:22 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, 31:26 and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, 31:29 but when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter," 31:33 Revelation 10:9 and 10. 31:36 Descendants of people who lived here at the time 31:39 say that some Millerite believers gathered right here, 31:42 on what today is known as Ascension Rock, 31:45 and waited here for Jesus to come. 31:49 If that's true, their journey home that night 31:52 would have been very difficult. 31:55 Imagine believing that you were going to farewell 31:57 your friends and neighbors. 31:59 You'd never see them again, many of whom had ridiculed you 32:02 for believing that Jesus was gonna come back. 32:05 Now you'd have to face them. 32:07 They'd mock you again 32:07 because you are here on this earth at all. 32:11 Imagine believing that you are gonna go to heaven, 32:14 and then discovering that heaven would have to wait. 32:18 And of course, all of this begs some difficult questions. 32:24 So how could William Miller, a faithful Baptist preacher, 32:27 possibly get it so wrong? 32:29 After all, the Bible says that no one knows 32:31 the day or the hour of Jesus' return. 32:33 Well, it's good to remember that William Miller himself 32:36 never set a date, 32:37 but one of his followers did circle a day on the calendar. 32:42 Well, keep this in mind. 32:44 Even Jesus' followers sometimes made mistakes. 32:47 Jesus told them as plainly as he could that he was going to die, 32:50 and they just couldn't understand what he was saying. 32:53 When Jesus died, their hopes died with them. 32:57 But out of that brutal disappointment, 32:59 Jesus brought great things, 33:01 and he brought good things out of the Millerites' 33:03 disappointment too. 33:05 If Miller could be so wrong about something so basic, 33:09 didn't that make him a deceiver, a false Messiah? 33:13 Well, no, no more than the followers of Jesus 33:17 were false prophets. 33:19 Miller was just wrong about a key point. 33:23 Could Miller's error 33:24 have jeopardized the faith of his followers? 33:27 Well, that's possible, 33:28 but this is a reminder to us, that a person's faith 33:31 must be individual, personal, based on the Bible, 33:36 and not on the say-so of another human being. 33:39 God achieved some great things through William Miller. 33:42 Thousands of people were directed 33:44 to the study of the Bible, 33:45 in particular the Bible's teaching 33:48 about the second coming of Jesus. 33:49 The second coming was a neglected teaching 33:52 in Christianity, 33:53 and Miller shone a spotlight on the Bible's teaching 33:56 that Jesus was indeed soon to return to this earth. 34:00 Today, that teaching is widely believed. 34:03 Few in Christianity are not Adventists. 34:06 Most Christians today believe in the advent of Jesus, 34:09 and many believe it will happen soon. 34:12 For that, William Miller is largely to credit. 34:16 Revelation 10, which speaks of the bitter disappointment, 34:19 goes on to say, 34:21 "Thou must prophecy again before many peoples 34:25 and nations and tongues and kings," Revelation 10, verse 11. 34:30 And since Miller's time, 34:32 the church has been prophesying again. 34:36 The news has gone to the world that Jesus is coming back soon, 34:39 that everybody can be ready for that day 34:42 through faith in Jesus Christ, 34:44 and that the Bible is the rule of faith 34:47 and practice for all believers. 34:50 William Miller continued to preach, 34:52 he continued to believe, 34:54 and he continued to trust in God. 34:56 He died in 1849 at the age of 67, 35:01 and he's buried right here. 35:05 Soon the Protestant Reformation will be completed. 35:08 Soon the words of Jesus will be fulfilled, 35:10 those words spoken in Matthew 24, verse 14, when Jesus said, 35:15 "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached 35:17 in all the world for a witness to all nations, 35:21 and then shall the end come." 35:22 ♪[Music]♪ 35:29 I'm John Bradshaw from It Is Written, 35:32 inviting you to join me for 500, 35:35 nine programs produced by It Is Written, 35:38 taking you deep into the Reformation. 35:41 This is the 500th anniversary 35:43 of the beginning of the Reformation, 35:45 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses 35:48 to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. 35:50 We'll take you to Wittenberg and to Belgium, 35:53 to England, 35:53 to Ireland, 35:55 to Rome, 35:56 to the Vatican City, 35:57 and introduce you to the people who created the Reformation, 36:00 who pushed the Reformation forward. 36:02 We'll take you to sites all throughout Europe 36:04 where the Reformers lived and in some cases died. 36:07 We'll bring you back to the United States 36:09 and take you to a little farm in upstate New York, 36:12 and show you how God spread the Reformation here. 36:15 Don't miss 500. 36:17 You can own the 500 series on DVD. 36:20 Call us on 888-664-5573, 36:24 or visit us online at itiswritten.shop. 36:31 Welcome back to 500. 36:33 I'm John Bradshaw from It Is Written. 36:36 We've seen Tell It to the World, the William Miller Story, 36:39 his contribution to the forward momentum of Bible truth 36:43 in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ. 36:46 Someone who knows a little bit about the William Miller story 36:49 is Dr. Jud Lake. 36:50 He's a professor of preaching and Adventist studies at 36:53 Southern Adventist University. 36:55 Dr. Lake, again, thanks for joining me. 36:57 Who was William Miller? 36:58 Introduce us to this man? 36:59 What was he, was he really like? 37:02 >>Dr. Lake: He's most known as a revivalist in the 19th century 37:06 before the Civil War, 37:07 uh, in the, during the Civil, 37:08 pre-Civil War years, I should say. 37:10 And, uh, he spawned a major movement 37:13 called the Millerite movement 37:14 that focused on the soon return of Jesus, 37:17 and he's most known for that. 37:18 >>John: What was, 37:20 what was the world of William Miller like? 37:22 He was preaching, you know, back there in the 1840s, 1830s. 37:29 What was life like then? 37:30 >>Dr. Lake: Mm-hmm. 37:31 >>John: Much different to today. 37:33 >>Dr. Lake: That was a period in American history. 37:35 It was, you could say it was about 30, 37:39 40 years from the Revolution, 37:40 and about another 30 years to the Civil War. 37:44 And Americans had just finished the War of 1812, 37:48 and they were now a part of the family of nations. 37:52 And that set the tone for those, what we call antebellum years, 37:56 the years before the war. 37:58 And it was a time where the common man was able 38:01 to make his own decisions and decide for himself. 38:04 Uh, Andrew Jackson was the President during the 1830s, 38:08 and historians call that a Jacksonian period, 38:12 where the focus was on the common man. 38:14 And Miller was pretty much a Jacksonian man 38:16 because his whole focus was on what the individual can do, 38:21 and that became important in his preaching. 38:24 So it was a period of great optimism in America. 38:27 >>John: Miller's spiritual journey, it, 38:31 it didn't really travel in a straight line, 38:34 and he got into something called deism. 38:36 So can you unpack that for us a little bit? 38:38 >>Dr. Lake: Yes, and that was pretty much a part of, uh, 38:40 of, uh, America in that era, 38:42 that deism is a movement that flourished out of 38:45 the French Revolution in the 18th century 38:48 and spilled over into the 19th century into America. 38:51 And a lot of Americans were getting into deism. 38:53 And shortly after William Miller got married in 1803, 38:58 moved to Poultney, New York. 39:00 And he had a religious upbringing, 39:02 but he'd been struggling with spiritual issues. 39:05 And some friends put into his hands 39:10 the philosophical writings of, of Voltaire and Hume 39:14 and Thomas Paine, these well-known deists. 39:18 And these guys were what we would call hard deists, 39:21 particularly Thomas Paine, that there is a supreme being, 39:26 but there's, he has no interaction with human beings, 39:30 and he left the earth to run on its own. 39:31 And reason was most important for them, 39:34 so there was no personal revelation in the Bible. 39:36 There was no personal Savior. 39:37 And Miller began to read this material, 39:39 and it seemed to fit his state of mind, 39:42 struggling with his Christian upbringing. 39:44 And he pretty much swallowed it and became a deist, 39:48 and remained so for about 12 years. 39:51 And there are different versions of deism. 39:52 You've got warm deism and cold deism. 39:55 Thomas Paine, some of the originators then of it, 39:58 were cold deists. 39:59 But Miller, he was more of a warm deist. 40:02 He could not reject the idea that there's an afterlife, 40:06 whereas cold deists do. 40:08 And he also believed that God 40:09 was more involved with human affairs. 40:11 >>John: And he served in the military. 40:13 >>Dr. Lake: Yes, he rose to the rank of captain, 40:16 uh, in the military. 40:18 And at the Battle of Plattsburgh, 40:20 in the concluding battle to the War of 1812, 40:23 where the British came to the Americans at Lake Champlain 40:27 in overwhelming force, it did appear, 40:29 it appeared that the Americans had no chance. 40:32 And Miller describes that. 40:33 Let me read to you what he said about that. 40:36 He's describing, uh, that, that battle. 40:38 And he says, "At the commencement of the battle, 40:40 we looked upon our own defeat as almost certain, 40:43 and yet we were victorious. 40:45 So surprising a result against such odds 40:48 did seem to me like the work of a mightier power than man." 40:53 So again, as I said, he was a warm deist. 40:56 He's acknowledging that, 40:58 that God does intervene in the affairs of humans. 41:02 And Miller even had shells explode right next to him. 41:05 >>John: Almost killed. 41:07 >>Dr. Lake: And his friends die. 41:08 >>Dr. Lake: But not touch him. 41:09 And he thought, "Is there some providence for my life? 41:12 Is the divine being actually intervening in this situation?" 41:17 So his experience in the war caused him 41:21 to question his deism. 41:23 >>John: Somehow he segues from deism to faith in God. 41:30 How'd he make that leap? 41:32 >>Dr. Lake: He was already transitioning away from deism. 41:36 The war finished. 41:37 He continued to ponder that, that final battle. 41:40 And he moved to Low Hampton, New York with his family. 41:43 He had children. 41:45 And during that period, 41:46 he continued to wrestle with some of these things. 41:48 It became a time, uh, when you read his memoirs, 41:50 of a great personal spiritual struggle. 41:53 He vacillated between warm Christianity 41:57 or hot Christianity and warm deism, back and forth. 42:00 And let me read to you another statement he made 42:05 that is most interesting. 42:07 This depicts the struggle in the man's mind. 42:12 "Annihilation was a cold and chilling thought, 42:15 and accountability was sure destruction to all. 42:18 The heavens were as brass over my head, 42:20 and the earth is iron under my feet. 42:23 Eternity, what was it? 42:25 And death, why was it?" 42:27 Now, deists were really into reason and using the mind, 42:31 and in this next paragraph you can see the struggle 42:35 in his mind as he's going back and forth with reason 42:37 regarding Christian faith and deism. 42:41 "The more I reasoned, 42:42 the further I was from demonstration. 42:44 The more I thought, 42:45 the more scattered were my conclusions. 42:47 I tried to stop thinking, 42:48 but my thoughts would not be controlled." 42:51 Here's a man struggling. 42:52 >>John: Yeah, for sure. 42:53 >>Dr. Lake: "I was truly wretched and did not 42:55 understand that cause. 42:56 I murmured and complained, but knew not of whom. 42:59 I knew that there was a wrong, 43:01 but knew not how or where to find the right. 43:04 I mourned, but without hope." 43:07 Now, during this time he was attending church. 43:10 >>John: Without hope. 43:11 >>Dr. Lake: Without hope. 43:12 >>John: Interesting. 43:13 >>Dr. Lake: He wasn't a Christian, 43:14 wasn't a full believer, 43:15 but he was attending, and this made his mother happy. 43:17 He would sit in church, 43:18 and he complained to his mother about some of the deacons 43:24 who read the sermons when the pastor was absent. 43:27 They murdered the King's English, so to speak. 43:29 And he was quite articulate, and, uh, he's mentioned, 43:32 "You know, if I could read the sermon, 43:34 I could do a good job." 43:35 >>John: And interesting too, the sermon was a read affair. 43:38 >>Dr. Lake: Yes. 43:39 In this case, the pastors had several churches, 43:40 and when they traveled away, 43:42 they had the deacons read printed sermons. 43:44 And so because of his mother's influence, 43:47 Miller got trapped into reading sermons, 43:50 and so he did that for a while. 43:51 Now, that brings us to 1816. 43:55 They had a, uh, celebration of the Battle of Plattsburgh, 43:58 and then that next Sunday, of course, 44:00 Miller was involved in that as captain. 44:02 And the next Sunday he was in church, 44:05 and he was asked to read the sermon. 44:07 The sermon was about parental duties. 44:10 "Train up a child in the way that he will go, 44:11 and when he's old he will not depart from it." 44:13 It was based on that verse in Proverbs. 44:14 And Miller had young children, 44:19 and he was reading through this sermon, 44:21 and conviction overwhelmed him and he broke down and wept. 44:26 He wept so hard, he couldn't finish the sermon. 44:29 Of course, the congregation was sympathetic, and, uh, 44:33 that was a turning point that did something in his heart. 44:36 >>John: Somehow, the Holy Spirit was speaking to him. 44:38 >>Dr. Lake: As he thought about his children, 44:40 and he thought about God and his deistic ideas, 44:43 they didn't seem to work right. 44:46 And so he writes, 44:47 and I've got to share this with you in his own words. 44:49 "Suddenly," he says, 44:52 "the character of a Savior was vividly impressed upon my mind. 44:56 It seemed that there might be a being so good and compassionate 45:00 as to himself atone for our transgressions, 45:03 and thereby save us from suffering the penalty of sin. 45:06 I immediately felt how lovely such a being must be, 45:09 and imagined that I could cast myself into the arms of, 45:12 and trust in the mercy of, such a one." 45:14 So he's processing this. 45:15 He realizes, "There is a Savior. 45:17 This is wonderful." 45:18 But then his deistic ideas kick back in. 45:21 And so he writes, "But the question arose, 45:25 how can it be proved that such a being does exist? 45:28 Aside from the Bible, 45:30 I found I could get no evidence 45:31 of the existence of such a Savior, 45:33 or even of a future state. 45:35 I felt that to believe in such a Savior 45:38 without evidence would be visionary and extreme." 45:41 So again, he's, he's going back and forth 45:43 with his past deism and the idea of a Savior. 45:47 And then he says, "I saw that the Bible..." 45:51 So evidently he's going back and forth, 45:53 and then he concludes, "I saw that the Bible 45:55 did bring to view just such a Savior as I needed, 45:59 and I was perplexed to find how an uninspired book 46:02 should develop principles so perfectly adapted 46:04 to the wants of a fallen world." 46:06 And so he's describing for us that reasoning process 46:10 after this emotional experience in the sermon. 46:13 And then finally he comes to the resolution. 46:17 He says, "I was constrained to admit that the Scriptures 46:21 must be a revelation from God. 46:23 They became my delight, 46:25 and in Jesus, I found a friend." 46:29 William Miller became a friend of Jesus Christ. 46:32 >>John: I think that's really important too, 46:33 because when we think about William Miller's 46:36 great contribution to theological thought, 46:39 the 2,300 days, I understand that was God's contribution 46:43 through Daniel, 46:44 but Miller really brought that to the forefront. 46:46 It's possible to think of Miller as a mathematician or as, 46:50 uh, an academic, but he didn't think about it that way at all. 46:53 His relationship to God was that as, of a, 46:55 of a friend with a friend. 46:56 That's really significant. 46:58 >>Dr. Lake: In fact, um, during his years of preaching, 47:02 once he began preaching in 1831 47:04 and up through the '30s and '40s, 47:06 Miller was very methodical in going through the prophecies 47:11 and the calculations, 47:12 but he always sought to bring people to Jesus. 47:15 And it's been rightly said, I think, 47:18 and concluded by researchers that William Miller 47:21 brought more people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ 47:24 than he did to a knowledge of his calculations. 47:26 >>John: Uh, that's interesting and very significant. 47:29 Now, this might be rather difficult for you to answer 47:31 because I don't think you were there, 47:33 and neither was I. 47:33 I don't know anyone who was. 47:34 But you're a teacher of preaching. 47:37 So why do, why do you imagine you, 47:39 you've studied Miller, his messages, 47:41 the results of his preaching. 47:43 What kind of preacher was William Miller, 47:45 do you think? 47:46 I don't mean was he good or bad. 47:47 He was obviously very effective. 47:49 Was he an animated speaker? 47:51 Did he stand dead still with a solemn look on his face? 47:55 How did he relate to congregations, 47:56 as far as you know, and what was his preaching method 47:59 or his preaching style? 48:01 >>Dr. Lake: Based on testimonies of people who heard him preach, 48:04 he, he was a, a loud, boisterous type of preacher, 48:09 but he was straightforward 48:10 and his sermons convicted people to the core. 48:13 He gave such overwhelming evidence for his conclusions. 48:18 His research was evident. 48:20 He would just have the Bible and expound. 48:22 But there were times where he got really feisty and powerful. 48:26 Now, this is a vivid description of the second coming, 48:29 the heartthrob of William Miller. 48:33 "Soon, very soon, God will arise in his anger, 48:35 and the vine of the earth will be reaped. 48:38 See, see, the angel with his sharp sickle 48:40 is about to take the field. 48:41 Se yonder trembling victim fall before his pestilential breath. 48:45 High and low, rich and poor, 48:46 trembling and falling before the appalling grave, 48:49 the dreadful cholera. 48:50 Hark! 48:51 Hear those dreadful bellowings of the angry nations. 48:53 It is the presage or horrid and terrific war. 48:56 Look! Look again!" 48:57 See what he's doing. 48:58 He's painting the picture. 48:59 He's alarming his audience and setting them up for the hope. 49:03 "Look! 49:04 Look again! 49:05 See crowns and kings and kingdoms tumbling to the dust. 49:07 See lords and nobles, 49:08 captains and mighty men, 49:10 all arming for the bloody demon fight. 49:12 See the carnivorous fowls fly screaming through the air. 49:14 See! 49:15 See these signs! 49:16 Behold, the heavens grow black with clouds." 49:18 See, he's reaching the climax. 49:19 "The sun has veiled himself. 49:21 The moon, pale and stricken, hangs in mid-air. 49:24 The hell descends. 49:25 The seven thunders utter their loud voice. 49:27 The lightnings send their vivid gleams 49:29 of sulfurous flame abroad. 49:31 And the great city of the nations falls 49:32 to rise no more forever and ever. 49:34 At this dread moment, look! 49:36 Look! 49:37 Oh, look and see!" 49:38 And now he comes to the highlight, 49:40 to the grand consummation of the appearance of Christ. 49:43 "At this dread moment, look! 49:45 What means that ray of light? 49:47 The clouds have burst asunder. 49:48 The heavens appear. 49:49 The great white throne is in sight. 49:52 Amazement fills the universe with awe. 49:53 He comes! He comes! 49:55 Behold, the Savior comes! 49:57 Lift up your heads, ye saints. 49:58 He comes! He comes! He comes!" 50:01 So while Miller could be very logical and methodical, 50:04 he was also emotional. 50:05 >>John: Magnificent. 50:06 You can imagine how stirring that had to have been. 50:09 Back with more from 500, 50:11 the William Miller story, 50:12 and Dr. Jud Lake in just a moment. 50:14 ♪[Music]♪ 50:21 I'm John Bradshaw from It Is Written, 50:23 inviting you to join me for 500, 50:27 nine programs produced by It Is Written, 50:29 taking you deep into the Reformation. 50:32 This is the 500th anniversary 50:35 of the beginning of the Reformation, 50:37 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses 50:39 to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. 50:42 We'll take you to Wittenberg and to Belgium, 50:44 to England, 50:45 to Ireland, 50:47 to Rome, 50:47 to the Vatican City, 50:49 and introduce you to the people who created the Reformation, 50:52 who pushed the Reformation forward. 50:54 We'll take you to sites all throughout Europe 50:56 where the Reformers lived and in some cases died. 50:58 We'll bring you back to the United States 51:00 and take you to a little farm in upstate New York, 51:03 and show you how God spread the Reformation here. 51:06 Don't miss 500. 51:08 You can own the 500 series on DVD. 51:11 Call us on 888-664-5573, 51:16 or visit us online at itiswritten.shop. 51:27 Today I'd like to ask you to help It Is Written 51:29 open the eyes of the blind. 51:31 India has more blind people than any country on earth, 51:34 but simple cataract surgery can make the difference 51:37 between seeing and not seeing for many people. 51:41 Eyes for India 51:42 is a project that's providing cataract surgery 51:44 for people in desperate need of the gift of sight. 51:47 Please help today. 51:48 Call 800-253-3000, 51:52 or write to P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401, 51:58 or visit itiswritten.com. 52:02 It's undoubtedly the world's great superpower, 52:04 the United States of America. 52:06 But what of it's role in earth's last days? 52:09 Does Bible prophecy speak of the United States of America? 52:14 Find out by receiving our free gift, 52:16 "The United States in Bible Prophecy." 52:18 Call us on 800-253-3000, 52:21 or visit us online at itiswritten.com. 52:24 Or you can write to the address on your screen. 52:27 I'd like you to receive our free offer, 52:29 "The United States in Bible Prophecy." 52:32 And thank you for remembering that It Is Written 52:34 exists due to the gracious support of people like you. 52:39 It's your kindness that makes it possible for It Is Written 52:41 to share Jesus and the Word of God with the world. 52:45 You can send your tax-deductible gift 52:47 to the address on your screen, 52:49 or you can support It Is Written through our website, 52:51 itiswritten.com. 52:54 Thanks for your generous support. 52:55 Our number is 800-253-3000, 52:58 and our web address is itiswritten.com. 53:02 Welcome back to 500. 53:04 I'm John Bradshaw from It Is Written. 53:06 My guest is Dr. Jud Lake, professor at 53:09 Southern Adventist University. 53:10 We've been discussing William Miller, Dr. Lake. 53:13 He was a reformer, really, wasn't he? 53:15 Not in the classical sense, like Luther. 53:17 He wasn't, wasn't fighting the same fights as Zwingli 53:20 or Calvin or Farel, certainly. 53:23 But this was a man who took the religious thought of the day, 53:25 turned it upside down, and urged Christianity forward. 53:30 >>Dr. Lake: Yes. 53:31 Everybody thought that Christ was coming after the Millennium, 53:33 so there was no sense of urgency, 53:34 but Miller turned that around and was counterculture and said, 53:38 "No, Jesus is coming now. He's coming before the Millennium." 53:42 But Miller, yes, he was a reformer, 53:44 countercultural in his ideas. 53:47 But what I find interesting, John, 53:49 is that there are some parallels of William Miller's message 53:52 with the Protestant Reformers. 53:54 >>John: Let's look at that. 53:54 >>Dr. Lake: First of all, 53:56 I find four connections, four parallels. 53:59 First of all, Miller taught the Bible. 54:03 That connects with the battle cry of the Reformation, 54:06 sola scriptura. 54:07 >>John: Sure. 54:08 >>Dr. Lake: Secondly, another parallel I see is the, uh, 54:12 a major theme in the Reformation, 54:13 the, the Latin sola fide, faith alone, faith alone in Christ. 54:18 Salvation comes through Jesus alone. 54:21 Miller, as you remember from his conversion, he said, 54:25 "In Jesus, I found a friend." 54:26 >>John: I found a friend. 54:27 >>Dr. Lake: He, while he talked about the prophecies, 54:29 he talked about Jesus, 54:30 and he believed that salvation came by knowing Christ alone. 54:35 You have this parallel with the, 54:36 uh, the Reformation emphasis on Scripture 54:39 and the emphasis on Christ. 54:41 But also, there's something else very interesting. 54:43 You remember the priesthood of believers? 54:45 >>John: Sure. 54:45 >>Dr. Lake: In the Reformation. 54:46 >>Dr. Lake: Well, Miller believed his message 54:49 was for the common man. 54:51 He sai- uh, uh, he said, "I have no vision." 54:53 This is not coming from a vision. 54:56 He says everybody can decide for themselves. 55:00 So he presented a clear message, and he told people, 55:03 "You go and study this out for yourself." 55:05 That was his belief, 55:07 and people could come to their own conclusions. 55:09 That's a reflection of the priesthood of believers. 55:12 >>John: Sure. 55:13 >>Dr. Lake: That you don't have to go to a prophet 55:14 or to a priest or even trust in the clergy. 55:17 You can study the Bible for yourself 55:19 and come to your own conclusions about what God is telling you. 55:21 >>John: Amen. 55:22 >>Dr. Lake: Miller believed that they would 55:24 come to his conclusions because it was so reasonable, 55:26 so logical. 55:27 And finally, a, a, a strong connection with the Reformation 55:31 is Miller's historicism. 55:33 You know the Protestant Reformers, 55:35 namely Luther and Calvin, 55:38 they approached the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation from, 55:41 from a perspective of historicism. 55:43 That's the, the method of interpretation 55:45 of the historic Christian Church, 55:47 that the prophetic prophecies began the day of the prophet, 55:50 and as history unfolded the prophecies were fulfilled. 55:54 Not all in the future like futurism, 55:56 or in the past like preterism, 55:58 but what I like to call present prophecy. 56:01 It was fulfilled down through history. 56:04 And Miller taught the same thing. 56:05 The Reformers, Luther and Calvin, 56:08 understood the Beast's power of Daniel and Revelation 56:11 to be fulfilled in the papacy. 56:13 Well, William Miller taught the same thing. 56:15 So there you have a clear connection with the method 56:18 of interpretation in the Reformers. 56:21 So in these ways, I see, uh, 56:24 some parallels in William Miller, 56:26 his message, to the Reformation. 56:28 >>John: He was certainly carrying forward 56:29 the legacy of the Reformation. 56:31 >>Dr. Lake: Without question. 56:31 >>John: One final question. 56:33 William Miller's legacy to us today. 56:36 What, what's the legacy? 56:37 What does he leave for us Christians down here 56:39 in the end of time? 56:40 >>Dr. Lake: Well, I think first of all, um, 56:42 spiritually speaking, 56:43 he leaves us the legacy of the premillennial return 56:47 of Christ and urgency. 56:49 That's what I get from Miller is urgency, 56:52 that Christ is coming soon. 56:54 And tangibly speaking, um, 56:57 the right after the disappointment, 57:00 you had fragmentation of the Millerites, 57:03 but there was one particular group that didn't really gain 57:06 visibility until several years later. 57:09 And this group eventually adopted ideas 57:11 such as the Sabbath and sleep in death, 57:15 and they pulled together a unique doctrinal package. 57:17 And for a while they, 57:18 they understood themselves as Sabbatarian Adventists. 57:23 In 1848 to 1850, 57:25 they held a series of conferences on the Sabbath. 57:28 They called them Sabbath conferences, 57:30 and that's where they hammered out their doctrinal package. 57:33 And these were the pioneers of the 57:35 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 57:36 And then during the 1850s, they focused on organization, 57:40 pulling their ideas together, 57:41 more advanced doctrinal understanding. 57:43 By the time you get to the Civil War, in fact, 57:45 right in the middle of the Civil War between the battle, 57:47 two big battles of Chancellorsville in 1863 57:50 and Gettysburg, 57:52 the Sabbatarian Adventists 57:54 established the General Conference 57:55 of Seventh-day Adventists. 57:56 Well, that group has continued to grow, 57:58 and now here in 2017, 58:00 by the time we get to 2020, 58:04 Seventh-day Adventism will probably surpass 58:06 the mark of 20 million members. 58:08 We continue to preach the soon, imminent return of Jesus Christ. 58:14 Seventh-day Adventists place a lot of emphasis on Miller. 58:18 We are his legacy. 58:19 >>John: Dr. Jud Lake, thank you so very much. 58:22 It's been outstanding. 58:23 >>Dr. Lake: My pleasure. 58:24 >>John: I appreciate it greatly. 58:26 And thank you for joining us. 58:26 We have one more program in 500. 58:28 That's program number nine, finishing the Reformation. 58:32 My guest in that program will be Elder Ted Wilson. 58:35 I hope you won't miss it. 58:37 Let's pray together before we conclude. 58:38 Let's pray now. 58:39 Our Father in heaven, 58:42 we stand on the shoulders of those men and women 58:44 of great faith who have come before us. 58:46 We're like relay runners who take the baton 58:48 from the runner who ran before. 58:50 And I pray that as we possess the faith 58:54 once delivered to the saints, 58:55 that it would burn in our hearts, 58:56 brightly in our lives, 58:58 that we'd be so enthusiastic about your word, 59:00 so in love with your Son, 59:02 our Savior Jesus, 59:03 that we would want to see Him shared with everybody. 59:07 Give us grace to be about your business. 59:09 And Lord, 59:10 let us carry forward the torch of the Reformation 59:13 to Earth's remotest bounds, 59:15 lifting up the Bible, faith in Jesus Christ, 59:19 that soon we can see Jesus return to take us home. 59:23 We thank you, 59:24 we praise you, 59:24 and we pray in Jesus' name, 59:26 Amen. 59:28 Looking forward to seeing you again next time. 59:30 So glad you've joined us this time. 59:33 Until then, remember, 59:34 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 59:37 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 59:41 ♪[Theme music]♪ |
Revised 2017-10-27