Lord, You know I cannot preach.
00:00:52.00\00:00:54.66
All right, if
You'll open the way...
00:00:59.92\00:01:02.52
I mean, if You'll
send an invitation
00:01:02.55\00:01:05.08
for me to preach,
then Lord, I'll go.
00:01:05.11\00:01:08.25
Man chuckles. It
isn't very likely
00:01:19.74\00:01:21.13
that anyone will
ask a 49 year old farmer
00:01:21.16\00:01:23.44
to preach on the
coming of the Lord.
00:01:23.47\00:01:25.62
It was a Saturday
morning in August 1831,
00:01:27.58\00:01:30.53
and an unremarkable
start to the most important day
00:01:30.56\00:01:33.92
in the life of the New
England farmer, William Miller.
00:01:33.95\00:01:36.43
But in the space of half
an hour, something happened
00:01:36.48\00:01:39.95
that was to
change his whole life.
00:01:39.98\00:01:41.91
- Knocking on door -
00:02:01.90\00:02:03.34
Come?
00:02:05.25\00:02:06.49
Why nephew, what is it?
00:02:08.83\00:02:10.05
Uncle William, our
minister is unable to speak
00:02:10.08\00:02:12.52
at service tomorrow.
00:02:12.55\00:02:13.52
Father sent me to
ask you if you could come
00:02:13.70\00:02:15.90
and speak to us about the things
00:02:15.94\00:02:16.91
that you've been
reading about in the Bible?
00:02:16.92\00:02:18.39
About the prophecies, and
the second coming of Christ?
00:02:20.74\00:02:22.93
Will you come?
00:02:27.76\00:02:28.73
Like many others who
have joined God's army
00:03:41.47\00:03:43.26
down through the centuries,
00:03:43.29\00:03:44.26
William Miller was a
somewhat reluctant recruit.
00:03:44.27\00:03:47.11
Yet, this unpretentious
farmer from New York
00:03:47.47\00:03:49.89
was to have a profound influence
upon the lives of thousands
00:03:49.92\00:03:53.71
of men and women the world over.
00:03:53.74\00:03:56.09
For there went into
that maple grove a farmer,
00:03:56.12\00:03:59.27
but there came out a preacher.
00:03:59.30\00:04:01.68
Miller's story,
however, does not really begin
00:04:03.43\00:04:06.24
in a maple grove.
00:04:06.27\00:04:07.36
Events even in the ancient
city of Rome, played a part.
00:04:07.39\00:04:11.54
The Sistine Chapel, near
St. Peter's Basilica in Rome,
00:04:46.08\00:04:48.66
is famous for its
history as well as for its art.
00:04:48.69\00:04:51.68
Erected by Pope
Sixtus IV in 1473,
00:04:51.71\00:04:55.58
it is the place where
the church Cardinals meet
00:04:55.61\00:04:58.34
to elect a new Pope.
00:04:58.37\00:05:00.21
On its walls or the ceilings
can be seen these magnificent
00:05:04.04\00:05:07.33
paintings of
scenes and characters
00:05:07.36\00:05:09.30
from the Old and New Testaments.
00:05:09.33\00:05:11.09
But the Sistine Chapel is
also significant in another way,
00:05:16.52\00:05:18.94
for here prophecy
and history have met.
00:05:18.97\00:05:21.71
Michelangelo could never
have realized when he painted
00:05:21.74\00:05:25.32
the figure of
Daniel on the ceiling
00:05:25.35\00:05:27.52
early in the 16th century
00:05:27.55\00:05:28.93
that one of Daniel's prophecies
would be fulfilled here
00:05:28.96\00:05:32.21
less than 300 years later.
00:05:32.24\00:05:34.83
Daniel's prophecy
in his seventh chapter
00:05:39.67\00:05:41.59
had revealed that the
rise of the little horn power
00:05:41.62\00:05:44.54
from the fourth
great empire of Rome
00:05:44.57\00:05:46.79
would be opposed
by three kingdoms.
00:05:46.82\00:05:49.01
When these three
kingdoms were subdued,
00:05:50.02\00:05:51.76
Daniel said that God's
people would then be given
00:05:51.79\00:05:54.40
into the little horn's hand
for a period of 1,260 years.
00:05:54.43\00:05:59.17
But how was
this to be fulfilled?
00:06:00.44\00:06:01.99
In 533 A.D.,
Emperor Justinian I,
00:06:05.24\00:06:08.99
the supreme civil
ruler of the time,
00:06:09.02\00:06:11.27
proclaimed that
the Bishop of Rome
00:06:11.30\00:06:13.54
was to be the head
of all the churches
00:06:13.57\00:06:15.38
in both the east and
west of his territory.
00:06:15.41\00:06:18.35
By subjecting all
spiritual authority to the Pope,
00:06:19.20\00:06:21.71
Justinian virtually gave
God's people into his hand
00:06:21.74\00:06:25.42
and placed the civil sword
00:06:25.45\00:06:27.71
at the Pontiff's
ultimate disposal.
00:06:27.74\00:06:30.11
But the decree
could not go into effect,
00:06:30.14\00:06:32.49
so long as the
third and final kingdom
00:06:32.52\00:06:34.81
opposing the Roman Bishop,
00:06:34.84\00:06:36.14
the Arian
Ostrogoths, ruled Italy.
00:06:36.17\00:06:39.84
Their power was
broken when Justinian's army
00:06:39.87\00:06:43.42
broke their siege
of Rome in 538 A.D.
00:06:43.45\00:06:47.84
It was in this year then,
00:06:50.00\00:06:52.32
that the ancient
seat of the Roman Empire
00:06:52.35\00:06:54.46
was finally
preserved for the papacy
00:06:54.49\00:06:56.81
and the period of its
ecclesiastical supremacy began.
00:06:56.84\00:07:00.75
1,260 years later,
Napoleon's confidant
00:07:09.65\00:07:13.17
and associate, General
Berthier, was ordered to march
00:07:13.20\00:07:16.27
on Rome and bring the supremacy
of its church to an end.
00:07:16.30\00:07:19.51
On February 15, 1798,
the new republican government
00:07:19.65\00:07:24.37
was established and
the papal arms and insignia
00:07:24.40\00:07:27.09
removed from the city.
00:07:27.12\00:07:29.39
The events of history
fulfilled exactly the words
00:07:36.73\00:07:39.92
of the prophecy.
00:07:39.95\00:07:41.11
A little over 100 years
earlier, an Oxford University
00:07:48.00\00:07:52.00
Doctor of Divinity had
been the first to declare
00:07:52.03\00:07:55.07
that the 1,260 year prophecy
would end, as he said...
00:07:55.10\00:07:58.92
"A little before the year 1800."
00:07:58.95\00:08:02.04
Soon others took
the same position.
00:08:03.17\00:08:05.18
Some, like the famous clergyman,
philosopher and scientist,
00:08:05.21\00:08:08.88
Joseph Priestley, even declared
that France would most likely
00:08:08.91\00:08:12.60
be the
instrument to accomplish it.
00:08:12.63\00:08:14.56
When the stroke
finally fell upon Rome in 1798,
00:08:16.05\00:08:19.23
a chorus of voices in
England, Europe and America
00:08:19.26\00:08:22.25
witnessed to the
end of the 1,260 years
00:08:22.28\00:08:25.79
of Papal supremacy.
00:08:25.82\00:08:27.30
In spite of credo differences
on other points of faith,
00:08:27.55\00:08:31.21
there was a remarkable
unity in their basic prophetic
00:08:31.24\00:08:34.54
interpretations
received from the earlier
00:08:34.57\00:08:37.09
great reformers.
00:08:37.12\00:08:38.50
They taught the four
world empires of prophecy,
00:08:38.53\00:08:41.54
that the visions of Rome,
the rise of the antichrist,
00:08:41.57\00:08:44.78
the day-for-a-year principle,
00:08:44.81\00:08:46.80
and the approaching judgment
and Second Coming of Christ.
00:08:46.83\00:08:49.92
With their interests aroused
00:08:53.19\00:08:54.37
in such a remarkable fulfillment
00:08:54.40\00:08:56.18
of prophecy, these
Bible scholars began to look
00:08:56.21\00:08:59.02
more closely at the longest
of Daniel's time prophecies
00:08:59.05\00:09:02.18
described in chapter eight.
00:09:02.21\00:09:03.94
The prediction
is made in verse 14.
00:09:05.53\00:09:07.72
In answer to a question
asked about the time period
00:09:07.75\00:09:11.41
covered by the
vision, "When was God going
00:09:11.44\00:09:14.01
to do something
about the desolating power
00:09:14.04\00:09:16.39
that was treading down
His century and His people?"
00:09:16.42\00:09:19.67
the answer is given,
"And he said unto me,
00:09:19.75\00:09:23.16
Unto two thousand
and three hundred days;
00:09:23.19\00:09:26.02
then shall the
sanctuary be cleansed. "
00:09:26.05\00:09:28.65
The study of this time period
had intrigued Bible students
00:09:31.27\00:09:34.47
for hundreds of years.
00:09:34.50\00:09:35.69
Jewish scholars from as
early as the eighth century,
00:09:37.14\00:09:39.95
and Christian scholars
from late in the 13th century
00:09:39.98\00:09:43.19
had identified the 2,300 days
as representing 2,300 years.
00:09:43.22\00:09:49.58
Though many continued to
study this time prophecy,
00:09:49.72\00:09:52.97
its meaning
however remained a mystery.
00:09:53.00\00:09:55.72
Which is not surprising
really, for in Daniel 8
00:09:56.33\00:09:59.78
the angel Gabriel told Daniel
that the 2,300 day/year period
00:09:59.81\00:10:05.23
would not be fulfilled
until the time of the end.
00:10:05.26\00:10:07.91
And in Daniel 12,
the prophet was commanded
00:10:07.94\00:10:11.44
to seal up his book
until that same time.
00:10:11.47\00:10:15.22
The meaning of the
2,300 year prophecy
00:10:17.13\00:10:19.23
was evidently not to
be clearly understood
00:10:19.26\00:10:21.79
until the time of its
fulfillment drew near.
00:10:21.82\00:10:25.15
It was Sir Isaac Newton,
one of the most brilliant men
00:10:29.67\00:10:32.46
who ever lived, who formulated
the laws of gravitation
00:10:32.49\00:10:35.85
and certain of
the laws of motion...
00:10:35.88\00:10:37.84
He also discovered the
secrets of light and color.
00:10:38.75\00:10:41.96
What many do not
know is that Newton wrote
00:10:46.29\00:10:48.36
more words on
theology than he did on science
00:10:48.39\00:10:50.97
for he was a great
student of Bible prophecy.
00:10:51.00\00:10:53.64
In his book on
Daniel and Revelation,
00:10:53.94\00:10:56.42
he described the
significant principle
00:10:56.45\00:10:58.53
relating to
prophecy and its fulfillment.
00:10:58.56\00:11:01.66
It is a principle so important
that Jesus expressed it twice
00:11:02.81\00:11:05.98
to His disciples on
the night before He died,
00:11:06.01\00:11:09.01
recorded in John 13 and 14.
00:11:09.28\00:11:11.62
In the 14th
chapter, Jesus said...
00:11:11.65\00:11:14.17
"I have told you
now before it happens,
00:11:14.20\00:11:16.91
so that when it does
happen, you will believe. "
00:11:16.94\00:11:20.31
Sir Isaac Newton believed
that God has designed that
00:11:21.24\00:11:23.82
people shall
understand the prophecies
00:11:23.85\00:11:25.60
only when the time of
their fulfillment is at hand.
00:11:25.63\00:11:29.21
And this prophetic
principle is supported
00:11:29.24\00:11:32.16
by the facts of history.
00:11:32.19\00:11:33.47
When Rome was
ruling the Western world,
00:11:38.11\00:11:39.90
a large group of contemporary
students of prophecy
00:11:39.93\00:11:42.88
recognized the identity and fate
00:11:42.91\00:11:44.69
of the fourth prophetic empire.
00:11:44.72\00:11:46.00
When Rome was being divided,
another group of expositors
00:11:46.46\00:11:50.11
wrote of their fears
of the coming antichrist.
00:11:50.14\00:11:52.31
When the papal little horn
had unveiled its real character
00:11:53.26\00:11:56.48
and identity, a great
army of reformers in many lands
00:11:56.51\00:12:00.06
gave their witness to the
fulfillment of prophecies.
00:12:00.09\00:12:03.27
...explains the same
more clearly in other places,
00:12:03.30\00:12:05.63
so that there
can remain no doubt
00:12:05.66\00:12:07.66
but under such as
are obstinately ignorant.
00:12:07.69\00:12:11.41
When the 1,260
years were ending,
00:12:12.17\00:12:14.82
this too was proclaimed in
both the Old and New Worlds.
00:12:14.85\00:12:19.22
But in the 19th
century, the focus of interests
00:12:26.87\00:12:29.34
in different
continents and many lands,
00:12:29.37\00:12:31.81
and among all
denominational groups,
00:12:31.84\00:12:34.01
was the 2,300 years of Daniel 8.
00:12:34.04\00:12:37.26
And one such witness
was the Baptist preacher,
00:12:38.32\00:12:41.80
who became the
leader in the United States
00:12:41.83\00:12:44.45
of the great
movement that emphasized
00:12:44.48\00:12:47.01
the soon coming of Jesus
early in the 19th century-
00:12:47.04\00:12:50.23
William Miller.
00:12:50.26\00:12:51.85
But just what sort of
a man was William Miller?
00:12:51.88\00:12:54.95
Miller was born in
Massachusetts in the year 1782.
00:12:55.98\00:12:59.51
When he was four
years old, his family moved
00:12:59.54\00:13:02.53
to Low Hampton, New York.
00:13:02.56\00:13:04.61
The oldest of 16
children, he was taught by his
00:13:05.56\00:13:08.51
God-fearing mother
to reverence the Bible
00:13:08.54\00:13:11.14
as God's revelation to man.
00:13:11.17\00:13:13.03
At the age of 21,
Miller married Lucy Smith
00:13:13.06\00:13:16.92
and he and his new wife
moved nearby to her hometown
00:13:16.95\00:13:20.68
of Poultney in Vermont.
00:13:20.71\00:13:22.34
Removed from the religious
influence of his mother,
00:13:28.69\00:13:30.85
Miller was attracted
to the philosophy of deism
00:13:30.88\00:13:33.67
promoted by his friends.
00:13:33.70\00:13:35.07
To the deist, God is a
kind of absentee landlord
00:13:35.10\00:13:38.93
who has no
interest in His creation.
00:13:38.96\00:13:40.94
Consequently, prayer, the
Bible or the notion of a Savior
00:13:41.08\00:13:45.59
have no meaning.
00:13:45.62\00:13:47.09
In his book, "Apology and
Defense", Miller later wrote
00:13:47.12\00:13:51.16
about this experience.
00:13:51.19\00:13:52.59
"I concluded the Bible was
only the work of designing men,
00:13:53.92\00:13:57.42
and I discarded
it accordingly. "
00:13:57.45\00:13:59.89
But Miller
possessed personal qualities
00:14:07.59\00:14:09.03
that encouraged others
to have confidence in him.
00:14:09.06\00:14:11.76
He became a deputy
sheriff and a lieutenant
00:14:12.31\00:14:14.87
in the Vermont State Militia.
00:14:14.90\00:14:16.52
During the American War of 1812,
00:14:16.55\00:14:19.57
he worked his way
to the rank of captain
00:14:19.60\00:14:22.05
in the United States army.
00:14:22.08\00:14:23.80
It was in the summer
of 1814 that he fought
00:14:31.02\00:14:33.16
in the famous
Battle of Plattsburgh,
00:14:33.19\00:14:34.73
one of the deciding
conflicts of the war.
00:14:34.76\00:14:37.82
The American
forces were apprehensive
00:14:37.95\00:14:40.48
against the
well-drilled British redcoats,
00:14:40.51\00:14:42.71
who outnumbered
them three-to-one.
00:14:42.74\00:14:44.77
But their surprising victory
served to raise questions
00:14:45.39\00:14:48.79
in Miller's mind
00:14:48.82\00:14:49.79
for the outcome seemed to him
00:14:49.82\00:14:51.83
like the work of a
mightier power than man.
00:14:51.86\00:14:55.00
- Cows mooing -
00:14:57.21\00:15:01.60
In 1815, Miller
returned to Low Hampton
00:15:03.61\00:15:06.02
and built on 200 acres
this comfortable two story house
00:15:06.05\00:15:10.03
by an old maple grove.
00:15:10.06\00:15:11.81
Though he now
believed in the supreme being,
00:15:13.09\00:15:14.88
he did not yet believe
00:15:14.91\00:15:16.58
God had given any
written revelation.
00:15:16.61\00:15:18.75
However, convicted
one day of his sinfulness,
00:15:21.84\00:15:25.03
he began to
wonder how a just being
00:15:25.06\00:15:27.66
could save the
violators of His laws.
00:15:27.69\00:15:30.40
Suddenly, the
character of a Savior
00:15:32.00\00:15:34.09
was vividly
impressed upon his mind.
00:15:34.12\00:15:36.35
He felt he could trust
in the mercy of such a One.
00:15:36.52\00:15:39.50
But, did this Savior exist?
00:15:40.57\00:15:42.70
Late in 1816, in
the Baptist Church
00:15:54.64\00:15:56.94
here in Hampton,
00:15:56.98\00:15:57.97
he found Jesus as
a Savior and Friend
00:15:58.00\00:16:00.52
and the Bible became a delight.
00:16:00.55\00:16:02.94
But his deist friends
were quick to challenge
00:16:03.39\00:16:06.11
his new faith in the Scriptures
as a revelation from God.
00:16:06.14\00:16:10.10
Laying aside every
book except the Bible
00:16:14.70\00:16:16.87
and Cruden's Concordance,
Miller began with Genesis 1
00:16:16.90\00:16:19.98
and proceeded no
faster than his understanding
00:16:20.01\00:16:22.81
of the meaning of
each text would allow.
00:16:22.84\00:16:24.97
He spent two years in an
intensive study of the Bible.
00:16:29.53\00:16:32.58
A task so absorbing,
that he often spent whole days
00:16:32.71\00:16:36.00
and nights in his study.
00:16:36.03\00:16:37.73
And what were
some of the conclusions
00:16:39.50\00:16:41.13
he had reached by 1818?
00:16:41.16\00:16:42.93
I'm fully satisfied that
the Bible is its own interpreter
00:16:46.99\00:16:49.79
and it is simple enough
to be understood by all.
00:16:49.82\00:16:52.88
I am also convinced that
it should be read literally
00:16:54.71\00:16:57.30
unless there is clear proof
00:16:57.33\00:17:00.23
that the writer is
using figurative language.
00:17:00.26\00:17:02.79
And the Old
Testament prophecies?
00:17:02.87\00:17:05.11
I acknowledge
there's figurative form,
00:17:05.14\00:17:07.58
but they nearly always
had a literal fulfillment.
00:17:07.61\00:17:10.14
Take for instance,
00:17:10.28\00:17:11.83
the birth, the death,
the resurrection of Christ.
00:17:11.86\00:17:14.54
These were literal
events, but their prophecies
00:17:15.10\00:17:18.13
were framed in
symbolic language.
00:17:18.16\00:17:20.30
And it is the same today.
00:17:20.33\00:17:23.19
The signs of the times
00:17:24.50\00:17:25.71
and the present
condition of the world
00:17:25.74\00:17:27.77
match up with the
prophetic description
00:17:28.48\00:17:31.00
of the last days.
00:17:31.03\00:17:32.37
I am convinced that the
world has reached the limits
00:17:33.78\00:17:38.72
of its allotted time.
00:17:38.75\00:17:40.27
Jesus Christ is about
to return in all His glory.
00:17:41.05\00:17:45.54
Miller's conclusion
was an interesting one
00:17:49.76\00:17:51.92
for it ran contrary
to the predominate idea
00:17:51.95\00:17:54.66
of the Second
Coming held by most
00:17:54.69\00:17:56.55
of the Protestant
churches of his day.
00:17:56.58\00:17:58.73
They had taught
that the millennium,
00:17:58.78\00:18:00.96
or period of a 1,000 years
described in Revelation 20,
00:18:00.99\00:18:04.72
would be ushered in
by a world conversion.
00:18:04.75\00:18:07.90
This would lead
to a millennial reign
00:18:07.93\00:18:10.10
of peace and
righteousness on the earth.
00:18:10.13\00:18:12.61
The Second Coming of Christ
would then occur at the end
00:18:12.67\00:18:16.71
of the 1,000 years.
00:18:16.74\00:18:18.15
While some thought
that they recognized
00:18:19.11\00:18:21.68
the signs of the
millennium was about to commence
00:18:21.71\00:18:23.68
in the early 1800's.
00:18:23.71\00:18:24.93
Miller, on the
other hand, was convinced
00:18:24.96\00:18:27.87
that Christ's
coming was imminent
00:18:27.90\00:18:29.83
and would occur at the
beginning of the thousand years.
00:18:29.86\00:18:33.14
I am certain that we've
been wrong about all this.
00:18:34.40\00:18:36.92
Just listen to Daniel
8:14... "Unto 2,300 days,
00:18:36.95\00:18:42.76
then shall the
sanctuary be cleansed. "
00:18:42.79\00:18:45.39
The following chapter
indicates that the 2,300 years
00:18:45.42\00:18:49.19
begin with the decree to
restore and rebuild Jerusalem
00:18:49.22\00:18:52.09
in 457 B.C., which
means, they end in 1843.
00:18:52.12\00:18:57.41
The Bible seems to teach that
the sanctuary means the earth.
00:18:57.44\00:19:04.33
Its cleansing, must
be the cleansing by fire
00:19:05.15\00:19:09.16
at the Second Coming of Christ.
00:19:09.19\00:19:11.16
Which means, in about 25
years, the world will end
00:19:13.64\00:19:19.62
and Jesus will come.
00:19:19.65\00:19:22.46
In fact, Miller spent
the next 13 years examining
00:19:26.07\00:19:29.40
and re-examining the arguments
for and against his beliefs.
00:19:29.43\00:19:32.90
And all the time, the
conviction grew that he had
00:19:32.93\00:19:36.34
a personal duty to tell
the world of his conclusions.
00:19:36.37\00:19:39.47
When his years of research
had finally removed all doubt,
00:19:40.99\00:19:43.68
fear of public
speaking took its place...
00:19:43.71\00:19:46.84
until that troubled
Saturday in the maple grove
00:19:52.21\00:19:54.88
in August 1831.
00:19:54.91\00:19:56.81
Miller accompanied his
nephew, Irving Guilford
00:20:04.50\00:20:06.67
to the Guilford home in Dresden.
00:20:06.70\00:20:08.50
In deference to
Miller's lack of confidence,
00:20:08.70\00:20:11.14
his relatives invited
the neighbors to their home
00:20:11.17\00:20:13.98
rather than to the little
Baptist church that Sunday.
00:20:14.01\00:20:17.12
And the text of his sermon,
Daniel chapter 7 explained
00:20:17.15\00:20:22.20
just as the great reformers
had explained it before him,
00:20:22.23\00:20:25.35
but with the added fulfillment
of the 1,260 years in 1798.
00:20:25.38\00:20:30.46
It was John Knox's
preaching from Daniel 7, in 1547
00:20:33.05\00:20:37.68
that launched the
Reformation in Scotland.
00:20:37.71\00:20:39.76
But now, William
Miller goes one step further.
00:20:40.29\00:20:42.98
He adds an explanation of
chapters 8 and 9 of Daniel
00:20:43.80\00:20:47.33
to launch the Great Advent
Movement in the New World.
00:20:47.36\00:20:50.86
When Miller returned home,
invitations for him to speak
00:21:04.47\00:21:07.54
began to come from
places near and far.
00:21:07.57\00:21:10.17
His second series
of meetings was held
00:21:12.09\00:21:14.20
in this stately
Baptist meeting house
00:21:14.23\00:21:16.31
in Poultney, his old home town.
00:21:16.35\00:21:18.92
Miller could never have
dreamed that, within 15 years,
00:21:19.21\00:21:22.71
his influence would
extend from Low Hampton
00:21:22.75\00:21:25.79
right across the world.
00:21:25.82\00:21:27.66
Though Miller had
come to his conclusions
00:21:40.65\00:21:42.53
from his own
study of the Scriptures,
00:21:42.56\00:21:44.37
his views were, by
no means, unique to him.
00:21:44.41\00:21:47.33
Even before he published
this book of his lectures
00:21:47.36\00:21:50.83
in 1836, there were some
75 others scattered across
00:21:50.86\00:21:54.30
four continents who
anticipated his major findings.
00:21:54.33\00:21:57.79
Despite their different cultural
and denominational backgrounds,
00:21:58.02\00:22:02.63
they were all in
the essential agreement,
00:22:02.66\00:22:04.81
concerning the 2,300
years being fulfilled
00:22:04.84\00:22:08.33
during the 1840s.
00:22:08.37\00:22:10.49
And so, the warning
of the coming judgment
00:22:10.52\00:22:13.09
and the soon coming of
Jesus was given in the Old World
00:22:13.12\00:22:16.19
as well as in the New.
00:22:16.23\00:22:17.87
- "Jesus is
Coming Again" playing -
00:22:17.98\00:22:22.68
In Great Britain alone,
00:22:23.09\00:22:24.06
more than 1,000
ministers preached it.
00:22:24.07\00:22:26.56
In Sweden, where
preaching contrary
00:22:26.59\00:22:28.83
to the established
church was illegal,
00:22:28.86\00:22:31.04
young children proclaimed
the soon advent of Christ.
00:22:31.08\00:22:34.51
In the United States,
Miller's message was heard
00:22:37.38\00:22:39.94
in the leading
cities of the nation.
00:22:39.98\00:22:41.79
The Lord is Coming!
His arrival is imminent.
00:22:42.75\00:22:46.34
Are you ready to meet Him?
00:22:46.37\00:22:48.10
Ministers of many denominations,
00:22:48.27\00:22:50.42
convinced by the
truth of Miller's message,
00:22:50.46\00:22:53.04
joined him in its proclamation.
00:22:53.08\00:22:55.20
Contemporary
estimates of their numbers
00:22:55.23\00:22:57.44
ran from 700 to 2,000.
00:22:57.48\00:23:00.18
...Christ's Second
Coming, and we've also seen...
00:23:00.21\00:23:03.03
General
Conferences were organized
00:23:03.07\00:23:04.97
in the form of
great public rallies.
00:23:05.01\00:23:06.88
Camp meetings were conducted.
00:23:06.91\00:23:08.65
One hundred and twenty-five
of them between 1842 and 1844,
00:23:08.69\00:23:13.00
for the total
attendance estimated to be
00:23:13.04\00:23:15.57
half a million people.
00:23:15.61\00:23:16.89
The printing press had
an even a greater effect
00:23:18.95\00:23:21.52
than did public evangelism.
00:23:21.55\00:23:23.32
By May 1844, it was
claimed that five million copies
00:23:24.38\00:23:28.01
of Second Advent
papers had been circulated.
00:23:28.05\00:23:30.53
The Millerite preachers were
alert to every available means
00:23:35.57\00:23:38.27
of making their
message clear and plain.
00:23:38.30\00:23:40.79
This chart, with its
pictures and figures,
00:23:46.84\00:23:49.44
clearly focused on
the climatic year of 1843
00:23:49.48\00:23:52.05
when the Lord
was expected to come.
00:23:52.09\00:23:53.93
People laughing and jeering.
00:23:54.22\00:24:00.56
Not everyone took
these preachers seriously.
00:24:04.06\00:24:06.36
A legislator
introduced a bill to postpone
00:24:06.39\00:24:09.64
the end of the world till 1860.
00:24:09.67\00:24:11.86
Another offered reserved seats
on an escape balloon for $200.
00:24:11.89\00:24:16.79
Miller, himself, had
always been reluctant
00:24:18.17\00:24:19.96
to set an exact date.
00:24:19.99\00:24:21.52
However, as 1843
approached, he was pressed
00:24:21.55\00:24:24.96
to be more specific.
00:24:24.99\00:24:26.55
Because the Jewish
sacred year began in the spring,
00:24:27.40\00:24:32.42
the 2,300th year from the
spring of 457 B.C. will be
00:24:32.45\00:24:37.44
between the spring of
1843 and the spring of 1844.
00:24:37.48\00:24:42.71
But the spring of 1844 passed
and Christ did not return.
00:24:44.52\00:24:49.16
Turning to the Scriptures
for a solution to their problem,
00:24:51.03\00:24:54.03
the Millerites came across the
parable of one of the 10 virgins
00:24:54.06\00:24:57.03
in Matthew chapter
25. And in verse 5,
00:24:57.06\00:25:00.59
they read the phrase,
"While the bridegroom tarried. "
00:25:00.62\00:25:03.70
Evidently, there was
to be a tarrying time.
00:25:04.69\00:25:06.70
And so, they
waited until August 1844
00:25:06.73\00:25:10.21
when a remarkable
development occurred.
00:25:10.25\00:25:13.70
At the Exeter camp
meeting in New Hampshire,
00:25:16.66\00:25:18.71
a Millerite
preacher, Samuel Snow,
00:25:18.75\00:25:21.08
electrified his audience.
00:25:21.12\00:25:22.40
He pointed out first
that, according to Ezra 7,
00:25:23.20\00:25:25.96
the decree to rebuild Jerusalem
00:25:25.99\00:25:27.77
that commenced the
2,300 years did not begin
00:25:27.80\00:25:31.95
until the autumn of 457 B.C.
00:25:31.98\00:25:34.77
Therefore, the 2,300
years would have to end
00:25:35.68\00:25:38.22
in the autumn, not the spring.
00:25:38.26\00:25:40.26
But on what day in the autumn?
00:25:40.40\00:25:42.65
From his study of the
Jewish spring and autumn feasts
00:25:42.68\00:25:46.04
in the book of Leviticus,
00:25:46.07\00:25:47.22
Snow concluded that Jesus
would appear on the tenth day
00:25:47.25\00:25:51.31
of the seventh month.
00:25:51.35\00:25:52.39
- People saying "Amen" -
00:25:52.43\00:25:53.41
...the very best evidence
indicates that the tenth day
00:25:53.44\00:25:58.15
of the seventh Jewish month
00:25:58.19\00:25:59.62
will occur on
October 22 in 1844.
00:25:59.65\00:26:03.92
There, when in
less than three months,
00:26:06.86\00:26:09.74
the bridegroom will be
here to take His waiting bride.
00:26:09.78\00:26:13.62
Is it not time for us to
hear the cry at midnight,
00:26:14.81\00:26:17.64
"Behold, the bridegroom
cometh! Go ye out to meet Him. "
00:26:17.68\00:26:21.18
- People saying
"Alleluia", "Amen",
00:26:21.22\00:26:22.84
"Praise the Lord" -
00:26:22.88\00:26:23.85
The hills of New England
soon rang with the Midnight Cry.
00:26:24.49\00:26:28.01
Miller, himself was among
the last to accept the date,
00:26:28.04\00:26:31.85
but he and the other leaders
00:26:31.88\00:26:33.90
felt to remain silent
any longer seemed to be
00:26:33.94\00:26:36.37
in opposition to the
work of the Holy Spirit.
00:26:36.40\00:26:38.79
- Birds chirping -
00:26:40.56\00:26:45.26
As the days counted
down, many were baptized.
00:26:47.71\00:26:50.40
Believers closed their
stores, gave up their jobs,
00:26:50.44\00:26:53.98
confessed their faults
and spent hours in prayer.
00:26:54.02\00:26:57.53
Finally, the
overworked printing presses
00:26:57.86\00:27:00.34
stopped running.
00:27:00.38\00:27:01.35
The great tent was
packed away for the last time,
00:27:01.46\00:27:03.96
and the leaders
returned to their homes
00:27:04.00\00:27:05.85
to be with their families.
00:27:05.88\00:27:07.41
- Wind chimes ringing -
00:27:09.23\00:27:15.21
October is
autumn in New England.
00:27:36.48\00:27:38.27
Just beyond this maple
grove, where Miller had wrestled
00:27:38.30\00:27:41.83
with God, is a large
outcrop of limestone.
00:27:41.87\00:27:44.63
It is known today
as Ascension Rock.
00:27:45.65\00:27:47.65
Here Miller's
friends assembled on Tuesday
00:27:49.21\00:27:51.37
October 22, and looking toward
the east, they prayerfully
00:27:51.40\00:27:55.23
waited for Jesus to come.
00:27:55.27\00:27:56.93
Across the country, tens
of thousands of Adventists,
00:28:06.03\00:28:08.34
as the followers of
Miller were now called,
00:28:08.37\00:28:11.19
met in churches,
tents and private homes.
00:28:11.22\00:28:14.01
- Clock tick-tock sounds -
00:28:26.39\00:28:28.64
- The sounds of wind blowing -
00:28:43.06\00:28:46.87
- Grandfather clock chiming -
00:29:28.36\00:29:33.20
But Jesus did not come.
00:29:55.37\00:29:57.04
What had begun as a
day of sweet expectation,
00:29:57.07\00:30:00.63
ended in the bitter
blackness of disappointment.
00:30:00.66\00:30:04.19
In the days and
weeks that followed,
00:30:08.97\00:30:11.64
humiliation, confusion and doubt
00:30:11.67\00:30:14.31
threatened to engulf them.
00:30:14.35\00:30:15.67
Inevitably, the
forward momentum of the Advent
00:30:15.80\00:30:18.76
movement was abruptly stopped.
00:30:18.79\00:30:20.54
Some gave up.
00:30:20.57\00:30:22.36
Had William Miller
completely mislead them?
00:30:22.39\00:30:25.92
Miller, himself,
never gave up his faith
00:30:29.03\00:30:31.17
in the soon coming of Jesus.
00:30:31.21\00:30:32.72
Four years after
the disappointment,
00:30:33.53\00:30:35.66
he built this
little chapel on his farm
00:30:35.69\00:30:37.79
behind Ascension Rock.
00:30:37.82\00:30:39.18
And the group of believers,
who continued to share
00:30:39.24\00:30:42.24
Miller's hope, met here
with him and his family.
00:30:42.28\00:30:45.25
Miller had been
right in teaching
00:30:53.59\00:30:56.51
that Jesus was coming again.
00:30:56.54\00:30:57.96
The New Testament alone refers
to this more than 300 times.
00:30:58.22\00:31:01.98
And he was right
in telling people
00:31:02.02\00:31:03.82
to get ready for Jesus' coming.
00:31:03.85\00:31:05.62
After all, Jesus, Peter, Paul,
John and thousands of Christians
00:31:05.92\00:31:11.71
down through the
ages had said the same.
00:31:11.75\00:31:14.17
Miller had been right
in focusing more upon Jesus
00:31:22.98\00:31:25.66
than upon any specific date.
00:31:25.69\00:31:27.50
And he was right in
declaring that the 2,300 days
00:31:28.29\00:31:31.46
stand for 2,300 years.
00:31:31.49\00:31:34.28
For in stating this
day-for-a-year principle,
00:31:34.33\00:31:37.22
he aligned himself with
many eminent Bible scholars
00:31:37.26\00:31:41.44
and students of the
previous 2,000 years.
00:31:41.48\00:31:44.56
And in proclaiming
that the 2,300 years
00:31:44.59\00:31:47.64
would extend to the 1840s,
00:31:47.67\00:31:49.72
Miller was only one of
thousands of contemporary
00:31:49.76\00:31:52.85
Bible students,
who believed the same.
00:31:52.88\00:31:55.31
So what went wrong?
00:31:55.80\00:31:57.84
In many ways, it
was the same mistake
00:32:13.40\00:32:15.25
that the disciples
made, when they thought
00:32:15.29\00:32:17.11
that the prophecies foretold
Christ's coming as a King.
00:32:17.15\00:32:20.04
It was not the
mistake of an irrational prank
00:32:27.60\00:32:30.01
or the mad reckonings
of a fanatical firebrand,
00:32:30.05\00:32:32.61
but rather, it was the
honest misunderstanding
00:32:32.65\00:32:34.98
of the meaning of
the Old Testament phrase,
00:32:35.01\00:32:37.30
"the cleansing
of the sanctuary. "
00:32:37.34\00:32:39.74
But why did God allow the man
00:32:43.14\00:32:45.00
He so obviously
called for a purpose
00:32:45.03\00:32:46.94
to make such a major mistake?
00:32:46.98\00:32:49.41
We may never know
the complete answer
00:32:51.60\00:32:54.25
to this question.
00:32:54.29\00:32:55.38
But remember, at that
time, most Christians believed
00:32:56.35\00:32:59.36
in a world
conversion with Jesus coming
00:32:59.39\00:33:02.06
a thousand years later.
00:33:02.10\00:33:03.33
Perhaps God, in His
love, was sending a message
00:33:04.56\00:33:07.03
to the world in
such a startling manner
00:33:07.06\00:33:09.45
to warn of
increasing evil and trouble
00:33:09.48\00:33:12.11
preceding the
imminent return of His Son
00:33:12.15\00:33:14.74
before the thousand years.
00:33:14.77\00:33:16.50
Miller was right
about his reckoning
00:33:17.31\00:33:19.43
of Daniel's 2,300 year prophecy.
00:33:19.46\00:33:21.55
Something was to happen at
the end of the 2,300 years-
00:33:22.20\00:33:25.36
the cleansing of the sanctuary.
00:33:25.39\00:33:27.41
Such an event
demanded the widest publicity
00:33:27.55\00:33:30.51
and the greatest
possible attention.
00:33:30.54\00:33:32.45
But what this event
was and to what great work
00:33:33.80\00:33:36.63
it pointed was for
others to discover.
00:33:36.66\00:33:39.45
Miller died only five years
after the Great Disappointment
00:33:53.42\00:33:56.32
of October 22, 1844.
00:33:56.35\00:33:58.87
Just before he died, Miller
penned this unfinished letter.
00:34:01.56\00:34:05.29
Dear Brother, I cannot refrain
00:34:05.32\00:34:07.96
from writing a word or two
00:34:08.00\00:34:10.61
although I
cannot see. All is well.
00:34:11.14\00:34:13.96
The Bridegroom is
coming. No mistake.
00:34:14.94\00:34:18.10
The King must come.
00:34:18.13\00:34:20.35
Lift up your
head. Be of good cheer.
00:34:20.39\00:34:24.32
Be not faithless, but believing.
00:34:24.36\00:34:28.26
We shall soon see Him
00:34:28.30\00:34:30.32
for whom we have
looked and waited.
00:34:30.35\00:34:33.36