Participants: Dr. Allan Lindsay (Host)
Series Code: KOTF
Program Code: KOTF000003
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00:52 Lord, You know I cannot preach.
00:59 All right, if You'll open the way... 01:02 I mean, if You'll send an invitation 01:05 for me to preach, then Lord, I'll go. 01:19 Man chuckles. It isn't very likely 01:21 that anyone will ask a 49 year old farmer 01:23 to preach on the coming of the Lord. 01:27 It was a Saturday morning in August 1831, 01:30 and an unremarkable start to the most important day 01:33 in the life of the New England farmer, William Miller. 01:36 But in the space of half an hour, something happened 01:39 that was to change his whole life. 02:01 - Knocking on door - 02:05 Come? 02:08 Why nephew, what is it? 02:10 Uncle William, our minister is unable to speak 02:12 at service tomorrow. 02:13 Father sent me to ask you if you could come 02:15 and speak to us about the things 02:17 that you've been reading about in the Bible? 02:20 About the prophecies, and the second coming of Christ? 02:27 Will you come? 03:41 Like many others who have joined God's army 03:43 down through the centuries, 03:44 William Miller was a somewhat reluctant recruit. 03:47 Yet, this unpretentious farmer from New York 03:49 was to have a profound influence upon the lives of thousands 03:53 of men and women the world over. 03:56 For there went into that maple grove a farmer, 03:59 but there came out a preacher. 04:03 Miller's story, however, does not really begin 04:06 in a maple grove. 04:07 Events even in the ancient city of Rome, played a part. 04:46 The Sistine Chapel, near St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, 04:48 is famous for its history as well as for its art. 04:51 Erected by Pope Sixtus IV in 1473, 04:55 it is the place where the church Cardinals meet 04:58 to elect a new Pope. 05:04 On its walls or the ceilings can be seen these magnificent 05:07 paintings of scenes and characters 05:09 from the Old and New Testaments. 05:16 But the Sistine Chapel is also significant in another way, 05:18 for here prophecy and history have met. 05:21 Michelangelo could never have realized when he painted 05:25 the figure of Daniel on the ceiling 05:27 early in the 16th century 05:28 that one of Daniel's prophecies would be fulfilled here 05:32 less than 300 years later. 05:39 Daniel's prophecy in his seventh chapter 05:41 had revealed that the rise of the little horn power 05:44 from the fourth great empire of Rome 05:46 would be opposed by three kingdoms. 05:50 When these three kingdoms were subdued, 05:51 Daniel said that God's people would then be given 05:54 into the little horn's hand for a period of 1,260 years. 06:00 But how was this to be fulfilled? 06:05 In 533 A.D., Emperor Justinian I, 06:09 the supreme civil ruler of the time, 06:11 proclaimed that the Bishop of Rome 06:13 was to be the head of all the churches 06:15 in both the east and west of his territory. 06:19 By subjecting all spiritual authority to the Pope, 06:21 Justinian virtually gave God's people into his hand 06:25 and placed the civil sword 06:27 at the Pontiff's ultimate disposal. 06:30 But the decree could not go into effect, 06:32 so long as the third and final kingdom 06:34 opposing the Roman Bishop, 06:36 the Arian Ostrogoths, ruled Italy. 06:39 Their power was broken when Justinian's army 06:43 broke their siege of Rome in 538 A.D. 06:50 It was in this year then, 06:52 that the ancient seat of the Roman Empire 06:54 was finally preserved for the papacy 06:56 and the period of its ecclesiastical supremacy began. 07:09 1,260 years later, Napoleon's confidant 07:13 and associate, General Berthier, was ordered to march 07:16 on Rome and bring the supremacy of its church to an end. 07:19 On February 15, 1798, the new republican government 07:24 was established and the papal arms and insignia 07:27 removed from the city. 07:36 The events of history fulfilled exactly the words 07:39 of the prophecy. 07:48 A little over 100 years earlier, an Oxford University 07:52 Doctor of Divinity had been the first to declare 07:55 that the 1,260 year prophecy would end, as he said... 07:58 "A little before the year 1800." 08:03 Soon others took the same position. 08:05 Some, like the famous clergyman, philosopher and scientist, 08:08 Joseph Priestley, even declared that France would most likely 08:12 be the instrument to accomplish it. 08:16 When the stroke finally fell upon Rome in 1798, 08:19 a chorus of voices in England, Europe and America 08:22 witnessed to the end of the 1,260 years 08:25 of Papal supremacy. 08:27 In spite of credo differences on other points of faith, 08:31 there was a remarkable unity in their basic prophetic 08:34 interpretations received from the earlier 08:37 great reformers. 08:38 They taught the four world empires of prophecy, 08:41 that the visions of Rome, the rise of the antichrist, 08:44 the day-for-a-year principle, 08:46 and the approaching judgment and Second Coming of Christ. 08:53 With their interests aroused 08:54 in such a remarkable fulfillment 08:56 of prophecy, these Bible scholars began to look 08:59 more closely at the longest of Daniel's time prophecies 09:02 described in chapter eight. 09:05 The prediction is made in verse 14. 09:07 In answer to a question asked about the time period 09:11 covered by the vision, "When was God going 09:14 to do something about the desolating power 09:16 that was treading down His century and His people?" 09:19 the answer is given, "And he said unto me, 09:23 Unto two thousand and three hundred days; 09:26 then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. " 09:31 The study of this time period had intrigued Bible students 09:34 for hundreds of years. 09:37 Jewish scholars from as early as the eighth century, 09:39 and Christian scholars from late in the 13th century 09:43 had identified the 2,300 days as representing 2,300 years. 09:49 Though many continued to study this time prophecy, 09:53 its meaning however remained a mystery. 09:56 Which is not surprising really, for in Daniel 8 09:59 the angel Gabriel told Daniel that the 2,300 day/year period 10:05 would not be fulfilled until the time of the end. 10:07 And in Daniel 12, the prophet was commanded 10:11 to seal up his book until that same time. 10:17 The meaning of the 2,300 year prophecy 10:19 was evidently not to be clearly understood 10:21 until the time of its fulfillment drew near. 10:29 It was Sir Isaac Newton, one of the most brilliant men 10:32 who ever lived, who formulated the laws of gravitation 10:35 and certain of the laws of motion... 10:38 He also discovered the secrets of light and color. 10:46 What many do not know is that Newton wrote 10:48 more words on theology than he did on science 10:51 for he was a great student of Bible prophecy. 10:53 In his book on Daniel and Revelation, 10:56 he described the significant principle 10:58 relating to prophecy and its fulfillment. 11:02 It is a principle so important that Jesus expressed it twice 11:06 to His disciples on the night before He died, 11:09 recorded in John 13 and 14. 11:11 In the 14th chapter, Jesus said... 11:14 "I have told you now before it happens, 11:16 so that when it does happen, you will believe. " 11:21 Sir Isaac Newton believed that God has designed that 11:23 people shall understand the prophecies 11:25 only when the time of their fulfillment is at hand. 11:29 And this prophetic principle is supported 11:32 by the facts of history. 11:38 When Rome was ruling the Western world, 11:39 a large group of contemporary students of prophecy 11:42 recognized the identity and fate 11:44 of the fourth prophetic empire. 11:46 When Rome was being divided, another group of expositors 11:50 wrote of their fears of the coming antichrist. 11:53 When the papal little horn had unveiled its real character 11:56 and identity, a great army of reformers in many lands 12:00 gave their witness to the fulfillment of prophecies. 12:03 ...explains the same more clearly in other places, 12:05 so that there can remain no doubt 12:07 but under such as are obstinately ignorant. 12:12 When the 1,260 years were ending, 12:14 this too was proclaimed in both the Old and New Worlds. 12:26 But in the 19th century, the focus of interests 12:29 in different continents and many lands, 12:31 and among all denominational groups, 12:34 was the 2,300 years of Daniel 8. 12:38 And one such witness was the Baptist preacher, 12:41 who became the leader in the United States 12:44 of the great movement that emphasized 12:47 the soon coming of Jesus early in the 19th century- 12:50 William Miller. 12:51 But just what sort of a man was William Miller? 12:55 Miller was born in Massachusetts in the year 1782. 12:59 When he was four years old, his family moved 13:02 to Low Hampton, New York. 13:05 The oldest of 16 children, he was taught by his 13:08 God-fearing mother to reverence the Bible 13:11 as God's revelation to man. 13:13 At the age of 21, Miller married Lucy Smith 13:16 and he and his new wife moved nearby to her hometown 13:20 of Poultney in Vermont. 13:28 Removed from the religious influence of his mother, 13:30 Miller was attracted to the philosophy of deism 13:33 promoted by his friends. 13:35 To the deist, God is a kind of absentee landlord 13:38 who has no interest in His creation. 13:41 Consequently, prayer, the Bible or the notion of a Savior 13:45 have no meaning. 13:47 In his book, "Apology and Defense", Miller later wrote 13:51 about this experience. 13:53 "I concluded the Bible was only the work of designing men, 13:57 and I discarded it accordingly. " 14:07 But Miller possessed personal qualities 14:09 that encouraged others to have confidence in him. 14:12 He became a deputy sheriff and a lieutenant 14:14 in the Vermont State Militia. 14:16 During the American War of 1812, 14:19 he worked his way to the rank of captain 14:22 in the United States army. 14:31 It was in the summer of 1814 that he fought 14:33 in the famous Battle of Plattsburgh, 14:34 one of the deciding conflicts of the war. 14:37 The American forces were apprehensive 14:40 against the well-drilled British redcoats, 14:42 who outnumbered them three-to-one. 14:45 But their surprising victory served to raise questions 14:48 in Miller's mind 14:49 for the outcome seemed to him 14:51 like the work of a mightier power than man. 14:57 - Cows mooing - 15:03 In 1815, Miller returned to Low Hampton 15:06 and built on 200 acres this comfortable two story house 15:10 by an old maple grove. 15:13 Though he now believed in the supreme being, 15:14 he did not yet believe 15:16 God had given any written revelation. 15:21 However, convicted one day of his sinfulness, 15:25 he began to wonder how a just being 15:27 could save the violators of His laws. 15:32 Suddenly, the character of a Savior 15:34 was vividly impressed upon his mind. 15:36 He felt he could trust in the mercy of such a One. 15:40 But, did this Savior exist? 15:54 Late in 1816, in the Baptist Church 15:56 here in Hampton, 15:58 he found Jesus as a Savior and Friend 16:00 and the Bible became a delight. 16:03 But his deist friends were quick to challenge 16:06 his new faith in the Scriptures as a revelation from God. 16:14 Laying aside every book except the Bible 16:16 and Cruden's Concordance, Miller began with Genesis 1 16:20 and proceeded no faster than his understanding 16:22 of the meaning of each text would allow. 16:29 He spent two years in an intensive study of the Bible. 16:32 A task so absorbing, that he often spent whole days 16:36 and nights in his study. 16:39 And what were some of the conclusions 16:41 he had reached by 1818? 16:46 I'm fully satisfied that the Bible is its own interpreter 16:49 and it is simple enough to be understood by all. 16:54 I am also convinced that it should be read literally 16:57 unless there is clear proof 17:00 that the writer is using figurative language. 17:02 And the Old Testament prophecies? 17:05 I acknowledge there's figurative form, 17:07 but they nearly always had a literal fulfillment. 17:10 Take for instance, 17:11 the birth, the death, the resurrection of Christ. 17:15 These were literal events, but their prophecies 17:18 were framed in symbolic language. 17:20 And it is the same today. 17:24 The signs of the times 17:25 and the present condition of the world 17:28 match up with the prophetic description 17:31 of the last days. 17:33 I am convinced that the world has reached the limits 17:38 of its allotted time. 17:41 Jesus Christ is about to return in all His glory. 17:49 Miller's conclusion was an interesting one 17:51 for it ran contrary to the predominate idea 17:54 of the Second Coming held by most 17:56 of the Protestant churches of his day. 17:58 They had taught that the millennium, 18:00 or period of a 1,000 years described in Revelation 20, 18:04 would be ushered in by a world conversion. 18:07 This would lead to a millennial reign 18:10 of peace and righteousness on the earth. 18:12 The Second Coming of Christ would then occur at the end 18:16 of the 1,000 years. 18:19 While some thought that they recognized 18:21 the signs of the millennium was about to commence 18:23 in the early 1800's. 18:24 Miller, on the other hand, was convinced 18:27 that Christ's coming was imminent 18:29 and would occur at the beginning of the thousand years. 18:34 I am certain that we've been wrong about all this. 18:36 Just listen to Daniel 8:14... "Unto 2,300 days, 18:42 then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. " 18:45 The following chapter indicates that the 2,300 years 18:49 begin with the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem 18:52 in 457 B.C., which means, they end in 1843. 18:57 The Bible seems to teach that the sanctuary means the earth. 19:05 Its cleansing, must be the cleansing by fire 19:09 at the Second Coming of Christ. 19:13 Which means, in about 25 years, the world will end 19:19 and Jesus will come. 19:26 In fact, Miller spent the next 13 years examining 19:29 and re-examining the arguments for and against his beliefs. 19:32 And all the time, the conviction grew that he had 19:36 a personal duty to tell the world of his conclusions. 19:40 When his years of research had finally removed all doubt, 19:43 fear of public speaking took its place... 19:52 until that troubled Saturday in the maple grove 19:54 in August 1831. 20:04 Miller accompanied his nephew, Irving Guilford 20:06 to the Guilford home in Dresden. 20:08 In deference to Miller's lack of confidence, 20:11 his relatives invited the neighbors to their home 20:14 rather than to the little Baptist church that Sunday. 20:17 And the text of his sermon, Daniel chapter 7 explained 20:22 just as the great reformers had explained it before him, 20:25 but with the added fulfillment of the 1,260 years in 1798. 20:33 It was John Knox's preaching from Daniel 7, in 1547 20:37 that launched the Reformation in Scotland. 20:40 But now, William Miller goes one step further. 20:43 He adds an explanation of chapters 8 and 9 of Daniel 20:47 to launch the Great Advent Movement in the New World. 21:04 When Miller returned home, invitations for him to speak 21:07 began to come from places near and far. 21:12 His second series of meetings was held 21:14 in this stately Baptist meeting house 21:16 in Poultney, his old home town. 21:19 Miller could never have dreamed that, within 15 years, 21:22 his influence would extend from Low Hampton 21:25 right across the world. 21:40 Though Miller had come to his conclusions 21:42 from his own study of the Scriptures, 21:44 his views were, by no means, unique to him. 21:47 Even before he published this book of his lectures 21:50 in 1836, there were some 75 others scattered across 21:54 four continents who anticipated his major findings. 21:58 Despite their different cultural and denominational backgrounds, 22:02 they were all in the essential agreement, 22:04 concerning the 2,300 years being fulfilled 22:08 during the 1840s. 22:10 And so, the warning of the coming judgment 22:13 and the soon coming of Jesus was given in the Old World 22:16 as well as in the New. 22:17 - "Jesus is Coming Again" playing - 22:23 In Great Britain alone, 22:24 more than 1,000 ministers preached it. 22:26 In Sweden, where preaching contrary 22:28 to the established church was illegal, 22:31 young children proclaimed the soon advent of Christ. 22:37 In the United States, Miller's message was heard 22:39 in the leading cities of the nation. 22:42 The Lord is Coming! His arrival is imminent. 22:46 Are you ready to meet Him? 22:48 Ministers of many denominations, 22:50 convinced by the truth of Miller's message, 22:53 joined him in its proclamation. 22:55 Contemporary estimates of their numbers 22:57 ran from 700 to 2,000. 23:00 ...Christ's Second Coming, and we've also seen... 23:03 General Conferences were organized 23:05 in the form of great public rallies. 23:06 Camp meetings were conducted. 23:08 One hundred and twenty-five of them between 1842 and 1844, 23:13 for the total attendance estimated to be 23:15 half a million people. 23:18 The printing press had an even a greater effect 23:21 than did public evangelism. 23:24 By May 1844, it was claimed that five million copies 23:28 of Second Advent papers had been circulated. 23:35 The Millerite preachers were alert to every available means 23:38 of making their message clear and plain. 23:46 This chart, with its pictures and figures, 23:49 clearly focused on the climatic year of 1843 23:52 when the Lord was expected to come. 23:54 People laughing and jeering. 24:04 Not everyone took these preachers seriously. 24:06 A legislator introduced a bill to postpone 24:09 the end of the world till 1860. 24:11 Another offered reserved seats on an escape balloon for $200. 24:18 Miller, himself, had always been reluctant 24:19 to set an exact date. 24:21 However, as 1843 approached, he was pressed 24:24 to be more specific. 24:27 Because the Jewish sacred year began in the spring, 24:32 the 2,300th year from the spring of 457 B.C. will be 24:37 between the spring of 1843 and the spring of 1844. 24:44 But the spring of 1844 passed and Christ did not return. 24:51 Turning to the Scriptures for a solution to their problem, 24:54 the Millerites came across the parable of one of the 10 virgins 24:57 in Matthew chapter 25. And in verse 5, 25:00 they read the phrase, "While the bridegroom tarried. " 25:04 Evidently, there was to be a tarrying time. 25:06 And so, they waited until August 1844 25:10 when a remarkable development occurred. 25:16 At the Exeter camp meeting in New Hampshire, 25:18 a Millerite preacher, Samuel Snow, 25:21 electrified his audience. 25:23 He pointed out first that, according to Ezra 7, 25:25 the decree to rebuild Jerusalem 25:27 that commenced the 2,300 years did not begin 25:31 until the autumn of 457 B.C. 25:35 Therefore, the 2,300 years would have to end 25:38 in the autumn, not the spring. 25:40 But on what day in the autumn? 25:42 From his study of the Jewish spring and autumn feasts 25:46 in the book of Leviticus, 25:47 Snow concluded that Jesus would appear on the tenth day 25:51 of the seventh month. 25:52 - People saying "Amen" - 25:53 ...the very best evidence indicates that the tenth day 25:58 of the seventh Jewish month 25:59 will occur on October 22 in 1844. 26:06 There, when in less than three months, 26:09 the bridegroom will be here to take His waiting bride. 26:14 Is it not time for us to hear the cry at midnight, 26:17 "Behold, the bridegroom cometh! Go ye out to meet Him. " 26:21 - People saying "Alleluia", "Amen", 26:22 "Praise the Lord" - 26:24 The hills of New England soon rang with the Midnight Cry. 26:28 Miller, himself was among the last to accept the date, 26:31 but he and the other leaders 26:33 felt to remain silent any longer seemed to be 26:36 in opposition to the work of the Holy Spirit. 26:40 - Birds chirping - 26:47 As the days counted down, many were baptized. 26:50 Believers closed their stores, gave up their jobs, 26:54 confessed their faults and spent hours in prayer. 26:57 Finally, the overworked printing presses 27:00 stopped running. 27:01 The great tent was packed away for the last time, 27:04 and the leaders returned to their homes 27:05 to be with their families. 27:09 - Wind chimes ringing - 27:36 October is autumn in New England. 27:38 Just beyond this maple grove, where Miller had wrestled 27:41 with God, is a large outcrop of limestone. 27:45 It is known today as Ascension Rock. 27:49 Here Miller's friends assembled on Tuesday 27:51 October 22, and looking toward the east, they prayerfully 27:55 waited for Jesus to come. 28:06 Across the country, tens of thousands of Adventists, 28:08 as the followers of Miller were now called, 28:11 met in churches, tents and private homes. 28:26 - Clock tick-tock sounds - 28:43 - The sounds of wind blowing - 29:28 - Grandfather clock chiming - 29:55 But Jesus did not come. 29:57 What had begun as a day of sweet expectation, 30:00 ended in the bitter blackness of disappointment. 30:08 In the days and weeks that followed, 30:11 humiliation, confusion and doubt 30:14 threatened to engulf them. 30:15 Inevitably, the forward momentum of the Advent 30:18 movement was abruptly stopped. 30:20 Some gave up. 30:22 Had William Miller completely mislead them? 30:29 Miller, himself, never gave up his faith 30:31 in the soon coming of Jesus. 30:33 Four years after the disappointment, 30:35 he built this little chapel on his farm 30:37 behind Ascension Rock. 30:39 And the group of believers, who continued to share 30:42 Miller's hope, met here with him and his family. 30:53 Miller had been right in teaching 30:56 that Jesus was coming again. 30:58 The New Testament alone refers to this more than 300 times. 31:02 And he was right in telling people 31:03 to get ready for Jesus' coming. 31:05 After all, Jesus, Peter, Paul, John and thousands of Christians 31:11 down through the ages had said the same. 31:22 Miller had been right in focusing more upon Jesus 31:25 than upon any specific date. 31:28 And he was right in declaring that the 2,300 days 31:31 stand for 2,300 years. 31:34 For in stating this day-for-a-year principle, 31:37 he aligned himself with many eminent Bible scholars 31:41 and students of the previous 2,000 years. 31:44 And in proclaiming that the 2,300 years 31:47 would extend to the 1840s, 31:49 Miller was only one of thousands of contemporary 31:52 Bible students, who believed the same. 31:55 So what went wrong? 32:13 In many ways, it was the same mistake 32:15 that the disciples made, when they thought 32:17 that the prophecies foretold Christ's coming as a King. 32:27 It was not the mistake of an irrational prank 32:30 or the mad reckonings of a fanatical firebrand, 32:32 but rather, it was the honest misunderstanding 32:35 of the meaning of the Old Testament phrase, 32:37 "the cleansing of the sanctuary. " 32:43 But why did God allow the man 32:45 He so obviously called for a purpose 32:46 to make such a major mistake? 32:51 We may never know the complete answer 32:54 to this question. 32:56 But remember, at that time, most Christians believed 32:59 in a world conversion with Jesus coming 33:02 a thousand years later. 33:04 Perhaps God, in His love, was sending a message 33:07 to the world in such a startling manner 33:09 to warn of increasing evil and trouble 33:12 preceding the imminent return of His Son 33:14 before the thousand years. 33:17 Miller was right about his reckoning 33:19 of Daniel's 2,300 year prophecy. 33:22 Something was to happen at the end of the 2,300 years- 33:25 the cleansing of the sanctuary. 33:27 Such an event demanded the widest publicity 33:30 and the greatest possible attention. 33:33 But what this event was and to what great work 33:36 it pointed was for others to discover. 33:53 Miller died only five years after the Great Disappointment 33:56 of October 22, 1844. 34:01 Just before he died, Miller penned this unfinished letter. 34:05 Dear Brother, I cannot refrain 34:08 from writing a word or two 34:11 although I cannot see. All is well. 34:14 The Bridegroom is coming. No mistake. 34:18 The King must come. 34:20 Lift up your head. Be of good cheer. 34:24 Be not faithless, but believing. 34:28 We shall soon see Him 34:30 for whom we have looked and waited. |
Revised 2014-12-17