- Seagulls cawing -
00:00:59.75\00:01:06.46
The Erie Canal was
the first major waterway
00:01:12.03\00:01:14.18
built in the United States.
00:01:14.21\00:01:15.94
Opened in 1825, it
crossed the state of New York
00:01:15.98\00:01:19.50
from Buffalo near
Niagara Falls in the west
00:01:19.53\00:01:23.24
to Albany on the
Hudson River in the east.
00:01:23.27\00:01:26.36
- Boat horn blowing -
00:01:32.86\00:01:36.02
About a half an hour's
drive east of Rochester,
00:01:38.72\00:01:40.87
lies the small
town of Port Gibson.
00:01:40.90\00:01:43.35
- Birds chirping -
Located on the canal,
00:01:43.38\00:01:45.58
it was the once main
shipping point for the area.
00:01:45.61\00:01:48.29
It was also the home of
an active Methodist layman,
00:01:49.32\00:01:51.65
Hiram Edson, who in
1843, accepted the message
00:01:51.68\00:01:55.33
of the soon coming of Christ,
00:01:55.36\00:01:56.65
taught by William
Miller and his associates.
00:01:56.68\00:01:59.37
With tens of thousands of others
00:02:01.79\00:02:03.23
across the United States,
the Millerites at Port Gibson
00:02:03.26\00:02:06.36
waited with earnest expectation
for October 22, 1844.
00:02:06.39\00:02:10.65
For on this day, they
expected the Lord to come
00:02:10.68\00:02:13.46
as the fulfillment of
the 2,300 day prophecy
00:02:13.49\00:02:17.18
of Daniel 8:14.
00:02:17.21\00:02:18.92
But as the clear morning
light of the following day
00:02:21.14\00:02:23.41
shone upon the canal
waters, these same believers
00:02:23.44\00:02:26.44
were overcome with
disappointment and despair.
00:02:26.47\00:02:28.90
Just how they came to see beyond
00:02:29.49\00:02:31.47
their own misunderstanding
to the clear light
00:02:31.50\00:02:34.17
of God's leading
in three distinct ways
00:02:34.20\00:02:36.69
is the substance of our story.
00:02:36.72\00:02:38.88
There were many
Adventist believers who gathered
00:02:52.24\00:02:54.45
at Hiram Edson's
farm on October 22, 1844.
00:02:54.48\00:02:58.66
Research has established
that this was his house
00:02:58.69\00:03:01.48
though rooms have
been added on both sides
00:03:01.51\00:03:04.06
since the time Edson lived here.
00:03:04.09\00:03:06.12
On that cool October morning,
the disappointment of Edson
00:03:09.98\00:03:13.06
and his friends
became all too real.
00:03:13.09\00:03:15.17
That slips off the tongue
mightily easily, young fella.
00:03:15.20\00:03:19.33
I beg your pardon, sir?
00:03:19.36\00:03:20.71
I don't think you have any
idea how devastated we were.
00:03:20.74\00:03:25.21
What do you mean?
00:03:25.24\00:03:26.21
I'm telling you, we experienced
the worst kind of doubt.
00:03:26.22\00:03:30.26
Some of us with more
bitterness than others.
00:03:30.34\00:03:33.73
We wondered if the
prophecies of Daniel were wrong?
00:03:33.76\00:03:37.78
We wondered if maybe
the Bible was a fairy tale?
00:03:37.81\00:03:41.82
And some of us, even wondered
00:03:41.85\00:03:43.79
if there was
still a God in Heaven?
00:03:43.82\00:03:46.31
We went to my barn
back there, and we prayed,
00:03:46.51\00:03:51.39
and after
re-examining our faith,
00:03:51.42\00:03:54.00
we decided that there had
to be an answer to our dilemma.
00:03:54.03\00:03:58.78
And what was that?
00:03:59.38\00:04:00.46
Well, after we
had eaten breakfast,
00:04:00.50\00:04:03.30
I suggested to young
Owen Crosier that we visit
00:04:03.33\00:04:07.15
some of our
neighbors in the area here,
00:04:07.18\00:04:09.31
and see if we could
encourage them a bit.
00:04:09.34\00:04:11.92
I'm not sure if it
was because of our fear
00:04:11.95\00:04:15.03
of our mocking neighbors,
and anyway, we headed out
00:04:15.06\00:04:17.87
across my cornfield.
00:04:17.90\00:04:19.64
All that corn!
00:04:21.11\00:04:23.30
We'd been so sure of
Christ's second coming,
00:04:23.72\00:04:26.48
that I'd left the whole
crop standing in the field.
00:04:26.51\00:04:30.23
Have an ear of
New York's finest?
00:04:32.85\00:04:34.45
Thank you. You're welcome.
00:04:34.48\00:04:35.96
You know, as we
walked along that morning,
00:04:35.99\00:04:39.33
and I reviewed in
my mind the events
00:04:39.36\00:04:41.90
of the previous 24
hours, suddenly, I stopped
00:04:41.93\00:04:45.54
and looked up into Heaven
and it seems as if the heavens
00:04:45.57\00:04:49.03
opened and across my
mind flashed the arrangement
00:04:49.06\00:04:52.18
of the Sanctuary.
00:04:52.21\00:04:53.31
You know, we Millerites,
have been preaching the text,
00:04:53.53\00:04:57.46
Unto 2,300 days, then
shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
00:04:57.49\00:05:01.93
And we thought that that
sanctuary was this earth.
00:05:01.96\00:05:05.46
Well, later we realized
that the Bible teaches that
00:05:05.49\00:05:10.69
there's a
sanctuary in Heaven too,
00:05:10.72\00:05:12.68
and Christ had
moved like the High Priest
00:05:13.59\00:05:17.84
on the Day of
Atonement from the Holy Place
00:05:17.87\00:05:20.27
to the Most Holy
Place on October 22, 1844.
00:05:20.30\00:05:25.48
Our Lord had a work
to perform in Heaven
00:05:25.51\00:05:28.24
before returning to this earth.
00:05:28.27\00:05:30.94
That's where Brother
Miller had made his mistake.
00:05:31.28\00:05:33.94
The Lord was good. He
had heard our morning prayer.
00:05:33.97\00:05:39.52
Well, so long,
young fella. So long.
00:05:39.56\00:05:44.65
In the following months,
Hiram Edson and his associates
00:05:57.92\00:06:01.48
continued to study the
subject of the sanctuary
00:06:01.51\00:06:03.80
and its cleansing.
00:06:03.83\00:06:04.91
As they thought of
their own experience,
00:06:05.51\00:06:06.97
they marveled
at the similarities
00:06:07.00\00:06:09.62
between their own disappointment
00:06:09.65\00:06:11.02
and that of the disciples
00:06:11.05\00:06:12.65
at the time of
Jesus' crucifixion.
00:06:12.68\00:06:15.02
Eventually, Edson persuaded
his friend, Crosier, to publish
00:06:15.87\00:06:19.40
their findings
in an extra edition
00:06:19.43\00:06:21.71
of the Millerite
journal, "The Daystar",
00:06:21.74\00:06:23.98
February 7, 1846.
00:06:24.01\00:06:26.63
- Birds singing -
00:06:26.66\00:06:29.27
- Dog barking -
00:06:30.67\00:06:34.64
But meanwhile, a
second significant development
00:06:40.34\00:06:42.76
was taking place, here in
Washington, New Hampshire.
00:06:42.79\00:06:45.89
Two years earlier, in
1844, a Seventh-day Baptist lady
00:06:46.50\00:06:50.15
had shared with a group
of Millerite believers here
00:06:50.18\00:06:52.42
her conviction that
the seventh day of the week
00:06:52.45\00:06:54.97
should be
observed as the Sabbath.
00:06:55.00\00:06:56.83
- Organ playing -
00:06:56.86\00:06:59.77
The Christian observance
of the seventh-day Sabbath
00:07:04.51\00:07:06.67
has persisted
throughout the Christian era.
00:07:06.70\00:07:08.96
At times, it has been driven
underground, but it has always
00:07:09.89\00:07:13.17
reappeared to urge its
message upon the world.
00:07:13.20\00:07:15.98
From the days of the apostles,
down to the 5th century,
00:07:19.83\00:07:22.13
it continued in various
parts of the Roman empire.
00:07:22.16\00:07:25.61
However, as the Christian church
slipped further and further
00:07:25.64\00:07:28.94
into apostasy, and
adopted the idolatrous rites
00:07:28.97\00:07:32.09
and practices of sun worship,
00:07:32.12\00:07:33.74
the seventh-day
Sabbath was soon discredited,
00:07:33.77\00:07:36.49
its observance
suppressed and in its place,
00:07:36.52\00:07:39.85
Sunday was exalted
as the day of worship.
00:07:39.88\00:07:42.74
During the
Reformation of the 16th century,
00:07:46.36\00:07:48.70
Luther took his
stand on the Bible
00:07:48.73\00:07:50.89
as the supreme
authority for the Christian.
00:07:50.92\00:07:53.45
To Charles V, he declared,
00:07:53.48\00:07:56.08
"I do not accept the authority
of Popes, and councils,
00:07:56.11\00:08:03.33
for they have
contradicted each other.
00:08:03.36\00:08:05.31
My conscience is
captive to the Word of God. "
00:08:06.76\00:08:11.68
This appeal to the
Bible and the Bible only
00:08:11.71\00:08:14.74
was the very
foundation of the Reformation.
00:08:14.77\00:08:17.68
As the Reformation
continued, dialogue soon arose
00:08:26.53\00:08:29.38
within the
church over the question
00:08:29.41\00:08:31.22
of Sunday and the Sabbath.
00:08:31.25\00:08:33.23
The Sabbath keepers asserted
that there was no Bible support
00:08:34.35\00:08:37.03
for the observance of Sunday.
00:08:37.06\00:08:38.60
As a result, the observance
of the seventh-day Sabbath
00:08:39.35\00:08:42.01
spread throughout
Europe including England.
00:08:42.04\00:08:45.30
There, agitation
over the Sabbath became
00:08:54.88\00:08:56.98
the center of
controversy among the Puritans
00:08:57.01\00:08:59.13
throughout the 17th century.
00:08:59.16\00:09:01.69
- Bell tolling -
00:09:01.72\00:09:02.69
Influential
people were involved.
00:09:02.70\00:09:04.14
Among the many who advocated
00:09:04.18\00:09:06.01
the observance
of the seventh day
00:09:06.04\00:09:07.66
was a London barrister,
00:09:07.69\00:09:09.30
and a commonwealth
speaker of the House of Commons.
00:09:09.33\00:09:13.12
- Congregation
singing - By the mid-1660s,
00:09:17.31\00:09:20.85
there were many
congregations in England
00:09:20.88\00:09:22.92
keeping the seventh day.
00:09:22.95\00:09:24.42
A member of one of them
was Dr. Peter Chamberlen,
00:09:24.45\00:09:27.16
physician to three Stuart kings:
00:09:27.19\00:09:29.57
James I, Charles I
and Charles II of England.
00:09:29.60\00:09:34.87
A contemporary of John Bunyan,
00:09:34.95\00:09:37.09
Chamberlen was a
keen Bible student.
00:09:37.12\00:09:39.85
On his tombstone
in the churchyard
00:09:39.88\00:09:42.66
at Woodham Mortimer,
these words have being written:
00:09:42.69\00:09:46.07
As for his
religion, he was a Christian
00:09:46.10\00:09:49.98
keeping the Commandments
of God and faith of Jesus,
00:09:50.01\00:09:52.90
being baptized
about the year 1648,
00:09:52.93\00:09:56.51
and keeping the seventh day
for the Sabbath about 32 years.
00:09:56.54\00:10:01.46
Chamberlen was a member
00:10:03.08\00:10:04.12
of the
Seventh-day Baptist Church -
00:10:04.15\00:10:05.80
a small group that had separated
from the Baptist Church
00:10:05.83\00:10:08.81
in the early 1600s
because of their convictions
00:10:08.84\00:10:12.03
concerning the Sabbath.
00:10:12.06\00:10:13.20
In 1664, Steven
Mumford, a Seventh-day Baptist
00:10:27.35\00:10:31.06
from England,
immigrated to the New World.
00:10:31.09\00:10:33.84
In 1671, he organized the
first Seventh-day Baptist Church
00:10:33.87\00:10:38.34
in America at
Newport, Rhode Island.
00:10:38.37\00:10:41.18
During the next 170
years, their influence spread
00:10:41.21\00:10:45.25
throughout America until,
in 1843, Seventh-day Baptists
00:10:45.28\00:10:49.11
numbered about five
and a half thousand.
00:10:49.14\00:10:51.52
In that year,
their General Conference
00:10:52.49\00:10:54.42
voted on a most
significant resolution.
00:10:54.45\00:10:57.18
That the first day of
November next, be observed
00:10:57.21\00:11:01.04
by our churches as a
day of fasting and prayer,
00:11:01.07\00:11:04.55
that Almighty God will arise
and plead for His Holy Sabbath.
00:11:04.58\00:11:09.39
Little did they anticipate
the manner or the magnitude
00:11:10.18\00:11:13.65
of the answer to their prayer.
00:11:13.68\00:11:15.41
Within months of
their day of prayer,
00:11:18.62\00:11:20.23
a Seventh-day Baptist
widow, Mrs. Rachel Oakes decided
00:11:20.26\00:11:24.30
to move to the little village
of Washington, New Hampshire.
00:11:24.33\00:11:27.23
Her 18-year old
daughter, Delight, had accepted
00:11:27.26\00:11:30.16
a position there
as a school teacher.
00:11:30.19\00:11:32.56
Driving into Washington today,
the marker on the roadside
00:11:36.84\00:11:40.31
states that this
is the birthplace
00:11:40.34\00:11:42.10
of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:11:42.13\00:11:44.12
What happened here
to attract such a title?
00:11:45.01\00:11:47.57
This sturdy wooden
church is today located
00:11:55.33\00:11:58.02
far from the town
center, but once it was set
00:11:58.05\00:12:01.29
in the middle of the
thriving farm community.
00:12:01.32\00:12:03.48
In 1844, Frederick
Wheeler was the Methodist
00:12:23.22\00:12:26.26
circuit riding
pastor of this church.
00:12:26.29\00:12:28.71
Two years earlier, after
reading William Miller's books,
00:12:29.34\00:12:32.08
Wheeler began to teach
the soon coming of Jesus.
00:12:32.11\00:12:35.56
The majority of
his congregation here
00:12:35.59\00:12:38.16
also adopted Miller's teachings.
00:12:38.19\00:12:40.44
One Sunday morning,
Wheeler was at this desk
00:12:46.41\00:12:49.11
in the Washington,
New Hampshire church
00:12:49.14\00:12:50.98
conducting the
communion service.
00:12:51.01\00:12:52.99
During the sermon,
he encouraged the people
00:12:53.30\00:12:56.10
to be faithful in keeping
all ten of God's Commandments.
00:12:56.13\00:12:59.35
Mrs. Oakes, the Seventh-day
Baptist, who was attending
00:12:59.83\00:13:03.71
here for fellowship,
could hardly contain herself.
00:13:03.74\00:13:06.52
When the pastor
visited her soon after,
00:13:09.85\00:13:11.89
she seized her opportunity.
00:13:11.92\00:13:14.19
Reverend Wheeler! Hello, Rachel.
00:13:17.30\00:13:19.02
I'm glad to see
you. Good to see you.
00:13:19.05\00:13:20.38
I've been
looking forward to this.
00:13:20.41\00:13:21.86
I want to talk to you
about something important.
00:13:21.89\00:13:23.90
What is the subject today?
00:13:23.93\00:13:25.88
Rachel: Come in.
00:13:25.91\00:13:27.36
Thank you, Mrs.
Oakes. It's a lovely fire.
00:13:31.22\00:13:34.66
In Sunday's
service, Reverend Wheeler,
00:13:40.90\00:13:43.66
you said that
everyone who confesses Christ
00:13:44.25\00:13:46.48
should obey all
God's commandments.
00:13:47.66\00:13:49.98
I am strongly of
that opinion, sister.
00:13:50.20\00:13:52.91
Well, I'll be making it clear.
00:13:54.20\00:13:55.94
I came near standing
up, right then and there
00:13:55.97\00:13:59.13
and saying something.
00:13:59.16\00:14:00.48
I sensed as such.
What did you want to say?
00:14:00.52\00:14:03.18
I want to tell you that
you had best put that cloth
00:14:03.81\00:14:07.37
back on the communion
table, until you begin to keep
00:14:07.40\00:14:10.53
all God' Commandments
yourself, including the fourth.
00:14:10.56\00:14:14.84
And so, Frederick Wheeler was
introduced to the Sabbath truth.
00:14:23.74\00:14:26.74
Soon after, he kept his first
Sabbath, preached a sermon on it
00:14:26.77\00:14:30.77
and, thus, became the first
00:14:30.80\00:14:32.56
Sabbath keeping
Adventist minister.
00:14:32.59\00:14:34.69
Not long after The
Great Disappointment,
00:14:38.94\00:14:40.50
William Farnsworth,
then in his late 30s,
00:14:40.53\00:14:43.48
stood up in the Farnsworth
family pew, during the service,
00:14:43.51\00:14:47.22
and declared his intention
to keep the Sabbath also.
00:14:47.25\00:14:50.74
He was soon followed by
his younger brother, Cyrus,
00:14:50.77\00:14:53.93
who was in his early 20s,
00:14:53.96\00:14:55.61
his own wife, and
father and others.
00:14:55.64\00:14:58.59
Forced to
withdraw from fellowship,
00:15:00.26\00:15:02.69
these first Sabbath
keepers met in the large
00:15:02.94\00:15:05.15
Farnsworth Home, not far away.
00:15:05.18\00:15:07.32
It was not until
some years later,
00:15:08.13\00:15:09.59
that they acquired eventual
ownership of this church.
00:15:09.62\00:15:12.74
Adjacent to the church
is the graveyard, where many
00:15:17.23\00:15:20.26
of these early Seventh-day
Sabbath keepers lie buried.
00:15:20.29\00:15:22.96
This marker reveals
that Cyrus Farnsworth,
00:15:29.91\00:15:32.79
later married
Rachel Delight Oakes,
00:15:32.82\00:15:35.59
the schoolteacher and
daughter of Mrs. Rachel Oakes.
00:15:35.62\00:15:39.25
A short time after Wheeler
commenced to keep the Sabbath,
00:15:41.26\00:15:43.81
a second Millerite minister,
Thomas Preble, joined him.
00:15:43.84\00:15:47.86
Preble was a Free Will
Baptist who had traveled
00:15:49.24\00:15:52.06
with William Miller,
00:15:52.09\00:15:53.06
and proclaimed the
soon coming of Jesus.
00:15:53.07\00:15:55.36
He became the first
Sabbath keeping Adventist
00:15:55.39\00:15:57.95
to advocate the seventh-day
Sabbath in printed form
00:15:57.98\00:16:01.61
in an article he
published in February 1845.
00:16:01.64\00:16:05.06
Among the many who read
his article, which was later
00:16:06.43\00:16:09.44
printed as a
tract, was Joseph Bates,
00:16:09.47\00:16:12.25
a retired sea captain.
00:16:12.28\00:16:13.99
He was impressed with its truth.
00:16:14.12\00:16:16.23
Some years
before, Bates had accepted
00:16:16.61\00:16:19.24
the teachings of William Miller.
00:16:19.27\00:16:20.95
He held key positions
in the Millerite movement
00:16:20.98\00:16:23.75
and managed to weather the
storm of the disappointment
00:16:23.78\00:16:26.58
of 1844, without
losing his faith.
00:16:26.61\00:16:29.53
Hearing of the
company of Sabbath keepers
00:16:52.23\00:16:54.41
in Washington,
he journeyed there,
00:16:54.44\00:16:56.47
but, on the way, he
met with Frederick Wheeler
00:16:56.50\00:16:58.57
on his Hillsboro Farm.
00:16:58.60\00:17:00.07
- Knocking on door -
00:17:01.26\00:17:03.69
They studied the Bible
together throughout the night.
00:17:08.32\00:17:10.41
Next morning, they
both went to Washington
00:17:18.66\00:17:21.41
to Cyrus Farnsworth's home.
00:17:21.44\00:17:23.41
Here at the
Farnsworth home in 1845,
00:17:46.86\00:17:49.49
after further study
with Wheeler and Farnsworth,
00:17:49.52\00:17:52.40
Bates made his
decision about the Sabbath.
00:17:52.43\00:17:54.82
Returning home, Bates
was crossing the bridge
00:18:10.70\00:18:13.14
between Fairhaven and
New Bedford, Massachusetts.
00:18:13.17\00:18:16.05
Only the approaches to
the bridge remain today.
00:18:16.78\00:18:19.09
On the bridge,
Bates met an old friend,
00:18:20.98\00:18:23.51
James Madison Monroe
Hall, who asked him a question.
00:18:23.54\00:18:27.10
What's the news, Captain Bates?
00:18:27.18\00:18:29.27
The news is that the seventh-day
00:18:29.33\00:18:31.71
is the Sabbath
of the Lord our God.
00:18:31.74\00:18:33.61
And Bates devoted
the remainder of his life
00:18:37.91\00:18:40.06
to proclaiming that news.
00:18:40.09\00:18:41.67
In August of 1846, Bates
published his own tracts,
00:18:44.12\00:18:47.41
"The Seventh-day
Sabbath: A Perpetual Sign. "
00:18:47.44\00:18:50.01
Its contents pointed
to a spiritual heritage
00:18:50.19\00:18:53.23
received not only from
the Seventh-day Baptists,
00:18:53.26\00:18:55.89
but also from the English
Puritans and others before them.
00:18:55.92\00:18:59.75
It contained, as
well, an important new idea
00:18:59.78\00:19:02.74
that heralded the
prophetic significance
00:19:02.77\00:19:05.10
of the developing
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:19:05.13\00:19:07.48
- Seagulls cawing -
00:19:09.40\00:19:11.43
After Bates had
began to keep the Sabbath,
00:19:13.21\00:19:15.23
he noticed something that
the Millerites had overlooked.
00:19:15.26\00:19:18.08
They had seen their
movement as the fulfillment
00:19:18.11\00:19:21.29
of the First and Second Angels'
messages of Revelation 14,
00:19:21.32\00:19:24.61
which were to be proclaimed
00:19:24.64\00:19:26.38
prior to the
Second Coming of Jesus.
00:19:26.41\00:19:28.52
But there was also a
Third Angel's message.
00:19:28.55\00:19:31.78
Bates noted that
Revelation 14:12 describes
00:19:31.81\00:19:37.39
the people, who are preaching
these messages, as those
00:19:37.42\00:19:40.36
who keep the commandments
of God and the faith of Jesus.
00:19:40.39\00:19:44.21
This confirmed in
his mind the importance
00:19:45.12\00:19:47.78
of keeping the commandments.
00:19:47.81\00:19:49.50
It seemed to him
that the time had come
00:19:50.44\00:19:52.40
for a people who had proclaimed
the First and Second Angels'
00:19:52.43\00:19:55.77
messages, to
recognize the third message
00:19:55.80\00:19:58.47
and to keep the
commandments of God
00:19:58.50\00:20:00.94
and the Sabbath the
fourth command enjoined.
00:20:00.97\00:20:04.21
Earlier in 1846, Bates received
a copy of "The Daystar Extra,"
00:20:05.36\00:20:09.51
which explained
Hiram Edson's insights
00:20:09.54\00:20:11.95
into the Heavenly Sanctuary
00:20:11.98\00:20:13.44
and Christ's ministry
in the Most Holy Place.
00:20:13.47\00:20:16.40
He began to
correspond with Edson
00:20:17.64\00:20:19.43
and accepted his
invitation to a conference
00:20:19.46\00:20:22.11
to be held in Port
Gibson later that year.
00:20:22.14\00:20:24.93
There, Edson shared his
insights into the sanctuary.
00:20:25.16\00:20:28.65
But Bates, too,
had something to share.
00:20:28.82\00:20:31.50
As Bates outlined his reasons
00:20:33.95\00:20:35.81
for keeping the
seventh-day Sabbath,
00:20:35.84\00:20:37.40
Edson jumped to
his feet and declared,
00:20:37.43\00:20:39.77
"That is light and truth.
00:20:39.80\00:20:41.45
The seventh-day is the Sabbath
00:20:41.48\00:20:43.73
and I am with you to keep it. "
00:20:43.76\00:20:45.72
And keep it, he did
till the day of his death.
00:20:46.06\00:20:48.71
But, in his conversation
with the Port Gibson leaders,
00:20:58.25\00:21:00.45
Bates also began
to see a connection
00:21:00.48\00:21:02.94
between the Sabbath
and Christ's ministry
00:21:02.97\00:21:05.73
in the Most Holy Place
of the Heavenly Sanctuary.
00:21:05.76\00:21:08.08
- Sounds of
Christ writhing in pain -
00:21:12.15\00:21:17.52
Jesus was at the
center of both teachings.
00:21:19.98\00:21:22.64
In one, He was the
all sufficient sacrifice
00:21:23.28\00:21:26.15
as God's Lamb, as
well as High Priest
00:21:26.18\00:21:28.97
ministering the blood
and cleansing the sanctuary.
00:21:29.00\00:21:31.74
- Thunderclap -
00:21:31.77\00:21:32.74
In the other, He was
the creator of the world,
00:21:32.75\00:21:35.18
and giver of true rest.
00:21:35.21\00:21:37.37
The 1846 conference was
the first public expression
00:21:38.61\00:21:42.32
of such a connection.
00:21:42.35\00:21:43.72
At this conference, Bates
listened with great interest
00:21:50.35\00:21:53.06
to Edson's ideas about
the Heavenly Sanctuary.
00:21:53.09\00:21:55.78
He knew the Bible taught
that the Ark of the Covenant
00:21:58.32\00:22:00.81
was located in the
sanctuary's second apartment
00:22:00.84\00:22:03.58
and that inside the ark
were the Ten Commandments.
00:22:03.61\00:22:06.59
With great interest therefore,
he read Revelation 11:18
00:22:06.73\00:22:10.84
which speaks of the
final days of earth's history,
00:22:10.87\00:22:13.75
when the nations would be
angry and the time had come
00:22:13.78\00:22:16.77
for the world's last judgment.
00:22:16.80\00:22:18.63
But, then, in the
next verse he read,
00:22:18.88\00:22:21.32
that at the same
time, the Temple of God
00:22:21.35\00:22:23.68
or the Heavenly
Sanctuary, was to be opened
00:22:23.71\00:22:25.81
and there was seen in His temple
00:22:25.84\00:22:28.26
the Ark of His Testament.
00:22:28.29\00:22:30.18
Bates reasoned that if Jesus'
ministry in the Most Holy Place
00:22:33.08\00:22:36.67
was now the focus of attention,
00:22:36.70\00:22:38.25
then the ark, its law,
and the seventh-day Sabbath
00:22:38.28\00:22:42.04
that law commanded
also assumed new importance.
00:22:42.07\00:22:45.22
The fulfillment of
the 2,300 year prophecy
00:22:46.06\00:22:48.82
in 1844, had
therefore drawn attention
00:22:48.85\00:22:51.67
to the Heavenly Sanctuary
in a way never seen before.
00:22:51.70\00:22:55.31
As a result,
two special emphases
00:22:55.93\00:22:58.47
concerning Jesus emerged.
00:22:58.50\00:23:00.18
First, He was now
engaged in His final work
00:23:02.30\00:23:05.06
as our High Priest in
the Most Holy Ministry
00:23:05.09\00:23:07.60
of that sanctuary.
00:23:07.63\00:23:08.90
Second, He was
Lord of the Sabbath day,
00:23:08.93\00:23:12.23
and had both commanded the
seventh-day to be kept Holy
00:23:12.26\00:23:15.65
and observed it
Himself as our divine example.
00:23:15.68\00:23:18.97
But there was to be a
third distinguishing sign
00:23:20.94\00:23:23.67
associated with God's
great final proclamation
00:23:23.70\00:23:26.14
of the gospel.
00:23:26.17\00:23:27.14
It too was to come from
Jesus, for in Revelation 12:17
00:23:27.71\00:23:31.81
it is identified as
the testimony of Jesus.
00:23:31.87\00:23:34.63
Just what does this mean?
00:23:34.66\00:23:36.48
In Revelation 12,
John describes the woman
00:23:41.58\00:23:44.59
clothed with the Sun,
representing the church.
00:23:44.62\00:23:47.12
- Woman
screaming in labor pain -
00:23:47.15\00:23:48.37
He sees her waiting
for the birth of Jesus
00:23:48.40\00:23:50.37
then persecuted and
lead away into the wilderness
00:23:50.40\00:23:53.22
where God protects her
for a period of 1,260 years.
00:23:53.25\00:23:58.23
Verse 17 then says,
The dragon was enraged
00:23:58.26\00:24:02.10
at the woman and went
off to make war against
00:24:02.13\00:24:05.05
the rest of her offspring,
who obey God's Commandments
00:24:05.08\00:24:08.13
and hold to the
testimony of Jesus.
00:24:08.16\00:24:11.21
A comparison between
Revelation 19:10 and 22:8
00:24:14.74\00:24:18.54
reveals that the
testimony of Jesus,
00:24:18.57\00:24:20.68
declared to be the
Spirit of Prophecy,
00:24:20.71\00:24:23.49
operates through the prophets.
00:24:23.52\00:24:25.31
Those individuals He has chosen
00:24:25.49\00:24:27.82
to speak His
testimony to His people.
00:24:27.85\00:24:30.85
The Old Testament
prophet, Joel records...
00:24:30.92\00:24:33.94
And afterward, I will pour
out My Spirit on all people;
00:24:33.97\00:24:37.85
Your sons and
daughters will prophesy,
00:24:37.88\00:24:40.65
Your old men will dream dreams,
00:24:40.68\00:24:43.06
Your young men will see visions.
00:24:43.09\00:24:45.48
Even on my
servants, both men and women,
00:24:45.84\00:24:48.86
I will pour out My
Spirit in those days.
00:24:48.89\00:24:52.12
The context of these
verses points to their ultimate
00:24:53.31\00:24:56.29
fulfillment in the
days before the coming
00:24:56.32\00:24:58.55
of the great and
dreadful day of the Lord.
00:24:58.58\00:25:01.09
The 19th century revealed
several impressive fulfillments
00:25:02.59\00:25:05.58
of this prediction.
00:25:05.61\00:25:07.11
In the late 1830s, a
young American black, who was
00:25:18.48\00:25:22.53
converted at the age of 17,
00:25:22.56\00:25:24.17
moved here to
Boston, Massachusetts
00:25:24.20\00:25:26.57
to prepare for
the gospel ministry.
00:25:26.60\00:25:28.97
His name was William Foy.
00:25:29.11\00:25:31.60
During 1842, Foy
received two impressive visions.
00:25:34.86\00:25:38.93
He later published a description
00:25:39.55\00:25:41.24
in a pamphlet entitled
00:25:41.27\00:25:42.81
"The Christian
Experience of William E. Foy
00:25:42.84\00:25:45.61
Together with the
Two Visions He Received
00:25:45.64\00:25:48.04
in the Months of
January and February 1842."
00:25:48.07\00:25:51.69
On Tuesday
evening, January 18, 1842,
00:26:01.21\00:26:04.24
23-year old Foy was meeting
with a group of Christians
00:26:04.27\00:26:07.66
for prayer and Bible study,
here in Beacon Hill, Boston.
00:26:07.69\00:26:11.19
During the meeting,
00:26:11.27\00:26:12.91
he experienced the
first of four visions.
00:26:12.94\00:26:15.49
It lasted for
two and a half hours,
00:26:15.67\00:26:17.82
during which a Doctor
Cummings examined him,
00:26:17.85\00:26:20.84
and could find - and I quote -
00:26:20.87\00:26:22.91
"No appearance of life,
except around the heart. "
00:26:22.94\00:26:26.37
- Preacher preaching -
In his vision, Foy witnessed
00:26:26.41\00:26:28.90
the rewards
given to the righteous
00:26:28.93\00:26:30.55
at the Second Coming
00:26:30.58\00:26:31.55
and was shown the
matchless beauty of Heaven.
00:26:31.56\00:26:34.53
He was hesitant to
share his visions, for he knew
00:26:34.57\00:26:37.51
the prejudice against blacks.
00:26:37.54\00:26:38.96
But less than three weeks later,
00:26:39.17\00:26:41.18
he was given another vision
00:26:41.21\00:26:42.33
while meeting in
a crowded church.
00:26:42.36\00:26:44.09
This vision, lasting
twelve and a half hours,
00:26:44.12\00:26:47.98
revealed the scenes of
the great judgment day.
00:26:48.01\00:26:50.95
...it is with deep
regret that I must now
00:26:50.98\00:26:53.58
pass judgment upon your life.
00:26:53.61\00:26:55.74
As a child, you were
fortunate to have the benefit
00:26:55.84\00:26:58.64
of God-fearing
and loving parents.
00:26:58.67\00:27:00.66
As the scenes passed before him,
00:27:00.84\00:27:02.84
he saw that neither profession,
politics, nor status can save -
00:27:02.87\00:27:07.61
only a relationship with Christ.
00:27:07.64\00:27:09.87
In fact, if notice had
been taken of his vision
00:27:10.35\00:27:13.50
concerning the
pre-Advent judgment,
00:27:13.53\00:27:15.22
perhaps the Great
Disappointment two years later,
00:27:15.25\00:27:18.35
may have been softened,
if not avoided all together.
00:27:18.38\00:27:22.27
Foy was told to relate
to others what he had seen.
00:27:28.49\00:27:31.54
And during the
months that followed,
00:27:31.57\00:27:33.33
he preached extensively,
creating a sensation
00:27:33.36\00:27:36.45
wherever he went.
00:27:36.48\00:27:37.53
Vast crowds heard him
tell of what he had seen
00:27:37.92\00:27:41.03
of the Heavenly world, and
the need to prepare for it.
00:27:41.06\00:27:44.23
It appears that two more
visions were given to him
00:27:45.10\00:27:47.98
including one revealing
three steps to the Heavenly City
00:27:48.01\00:27:52.35
which he did not understand.
00:27:52.38\00:27:54.77
For nation shall
rise against nation,
00:27:54.80\00:27:56.83
and kingdom against kingdom,
00:27:56.86\00:27:58.61
and there shall be
famines, pestilences...
00:27:58.64\00:28:01.46
No more visions
were given to William Foy
00:28:01.59\00:28:03.92
after the disappointment.
00:28:03.95\00:28:05.32
However, he maintained his hope
00:28:05.60\00:28:07.84
in the Second Coming of Christ.
00:28:07.87\00:28:09.54
He continued as an
esteemed and beloved preacher
00:28:09.66\00:28:12.57
in small rural communities,
00:28:12.60\00:28:14.80
finally settling in
East Sullivan, Maine.
00:28:14.83\00:28:17.60
And this gospel of the kingdom
00:28:17.71\00:28:19.04
shall be preached
into all the world
00:28:19.07\00:28:21.52
for a witness
unto all nations...
00:28:21.55\00:28:24.10
There he died in November 1893
00:28:24.83\00:28:27.74
and was buried here in
the Birch Tree Cemetery.
00:28:27.77\00:28:31.06
Shortly before the
Great Disappointment,
00:28:44.96\00:28:46.78
God placed a prophetic
gift on another - Hazen Foss -
00:28:46.81\00:28:51.51
who lived in Poland, Maine.
00:28:51.54\00:28:53.60
He was 25 years old,
well educated, a good speaker
00:28:54.37\00:28:58.17
and a believer in
the soon coming of Jesus.
00:28:58.20\00:29:00.96
In his first vision,
he was shown the journey
00:29:02.50\00:29:05.01
of the Advent
people to the City of God.
00:29:05.04\00:29:07.05
It corroborated with Foy's
visions and included a view
00:29:07.19\00:29:11.69
of three steps
00:29:11.72\00:29:12.90
by which God's people
approach the Holy City.
00:29:12.93\00:29:15.19
After the disappointment,
he was told to relate
00:29:15.72\00:29:18.91
what he had seen.
00:29:18.94\00:29:19.91
Fearing
opposition, Foss refused.
00:29:20.49\00:29:23.45
In a second vision, he
was again urged to share
00:29:25.55\00:29:27.93
what he had seen.
00:29:27.96\00:29:28.99
But still, he refused.
00:29:29.31\00:29:31.42
A third vision
followed in which he was told
00:29:31.56\00:29:34.69
that he was
released and that the burden
00:29:34.72\00:29:37.33
would be laid upon one
of the weakest of the weak
00:29:37.36\00:29:39.43
who would do the Lord's bidding.
00:29:39.46\00:29:41.79
- Church bell tolling -
00:29:41.95\00:29:48.85
A few weeks later,
Foss stood outside the door
00:29:51.40\00:29:54.30
of a little chapel,
listening to a miraculous story.
00:29:54.33\00:29:57.71
He was urged to
come into the meeting,
00:29:58.51\00:30:00.43
but he refused.
00:30:00.46\00:30:01.87
...the manna, almonds,
figs, pomegranates and grapes,
00:30:02.09\00:30:07.95
and the other fruits.
00:30:07.98\00:30:09.15
I asked Jesus to
let me eat of them.
00:30:09.18\00:30:11.80
He said, "Not now. "
00:30:11.83\00:30:13.46
Those that eat of this fruit
00:30:13.49\00:30:15.77
return to earth no more.
00:30:15.80\00:30:17.84
You must go back
and relate to others
00:30:18.95\00:30:21.64
what I have revealed to you.
00:30:21.67\00:30:23.41
Then the angel
bore me gently down...
00:30:24.36\00:30:26.60
What he heard was an
account of the vision
00:30:27.21\00:30:29.24
almost identical
to the one given him.
00:30:29.27\00:30:32.14
Who was it that
Foss saw that night?
00:30:35.40\00:30:37.98
Her name was Ellen
Harmon, a 17 year old girl
00:30:39.99\00:30:43.43
so ravaged by tuberculosis,
it threatened to take her life.
00:30:43.46\00:30:46.90
She could barely speak
in a whisper and was often
00:30:47.18\00:30:50.51
wakened from sleep by coughing
and bleeding in her lungs.
00:30:50.54\00:30:53.45
Yet God took this
weakest of the weak,
00:30:54.93\00:30:57.39
and called her to
give the testimony of Jesus
00:30:57.42\00:31:00.03
to His people.
00:31:00.06\00:31:01.03
And powered by God's Spirit,
she was to bear that testimony
00:31:01.28\00:31:04.94
for the next 70 years.
00:31:04.97\00:31:06.50
The explanation
of the sanctuary,
00:31:11.46\00:31:12.91
the seventh-day Sabbath truth,
00:31:12.94\00:31:15.07
and a modern manifestation
of the Spirit of Prophecy -
00:31:15.10\00:31:17.95
These three key
revelations helped lead many
00:31:17.98\00:31:21.68
through the
disappointment of 1844.
00:31:21.71\00:31:23.86
And it was the last
of these in the person
00:31:24.48\00:31:26.32
of Mrs. Ellen Gould White,
who was to continue to act
00:31:26.35\00:31:29.46
as a compass for this
fledgling group of believers
00:31:29.49\00:31:31.97
well into the 20th century.
00:31:32.00\00:31:33.86
It is to her story we turn next.
00:31:33.89\00:31:37.00
Captioning made
possible by 3ABN viewers
00:31:42.33\00:31:44.78
and supporters.
00:31:44.81\00:31:47.12