Participants: Dr. Allan Lindsay (Host)
Series Code: KOTF
Program Code: KOTF000004
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00:59 - Seagulls cawing -
01:12 The Erie Canal was the first major waterway 01:14 built in the United States. 01:15 Opened in 1825, it crossed the state of New York 01:19 from Buffalo near Niagara Falls in the west 01:23 to Albany on the Hudson River in the east. 01:32 - Boat horn blowing - 01:38 About a half an hour's drive east of Rochester, 01:40 lies the small town of Port Gibson. 01:43 - Birds chirping - Located on the canal, 01:45 it was the once main shipping point for the area. 01:49 It was also the home of an active Methodist layman, 01:51 Hiram Edson, who in 1843, accepted the message 01:55 of the soon coming of Christ, 01:56 taught by William Miller and his associates. 02:01 With tens of thousands of others 02:03 across the United States, the Millerites at Port Gibson 02:06 waited with earnest expectation for October 22, 1844. 02:10 For on this day, they expected the Lord to come 02:13 as the fulfillment of the 2,300 day prophecy 02:17 of Daniel 8:14. 02:21 But as the clear morning light of the following day 02:23 shone upon the canal waters, these same believers 02:26 were overcome with disappointment and despair. 02:29 Just how they came to see beyond 02:31 their own misunderstanding to the clear light 02:34 of God's leading in three distinct ways 02:36 is the substance of our story. 02:52 There were many Adventist believers who gathered 02:54 at Hiram Edson's farm on October 22, 1844. 02:58 Research has established that this was his house 03:01 though rooms have been added on both sides 03:04 since the time Edson lived here. 03:09 On that cool October morning, the disappointment of Edson 03:13 and his friends became all too real. 03:15 That slips off the tongue mightily easily, young fella. 03:19 I beg your pardon, sir? 03:20 I don't think you have any idea how devastated we were. 03:25 What do you mean? 03:26 I'm telling you, we experienced the worst kind of doubt. 03:30 Some of us with more bitterness than others. 03:33 We wondered if the prophecies of Daniel were wrong? 03:37 We wondered if maybe the Bible was a fairy tale? 03:41 And some of us, even wondered 03:43 if there was still a God in Heaven? 03:46 We went to my barn back there, and we prayed, 03:51 and after re-examining our faith, 03:54 we decided that there had to be an answer to our dilemma. 03:59 And what was that? 04:00 Well, after we had eaten breakfast, 04:03 I suggested to young Owen Crosier that we visit 04:07 some of our neighbors in the area here, 04:09 and see if we could encourage them a bit. 04:11 I'm not sure if it was because of our fear 04:15 of our mocking neighbors, and anyway, we headed out 04:17 across my cornfield. 04:21 All that corn! 04:23 We'd been so sure of Christ's second coming, 04:26 that I'd left the whole crop standing in the field. 04:32 Have an ear of New York's finest? 04:34 Thank you. You're welcome. 04:35 You know, as we walked along that morning, 04:39 and I reviewed in my mind the events 04:41 of the previous 24 hours, suddenly, I stopped 04:45 and looked up into Heaven and it seems as if the heavens 04:49 opened and across my mind flashed the arrangement 04:52 of the Sanctuary. 04:53 You know, we Millerites, have been preaching the text, 04:57 Unto 2,300 days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. 05:01 And we thought that that sanctuary was this earth. 05:05 Well, later we realized that the Bible teaches that 05:10 there's a sanctuary in Heaven too, 05:13 and Christ had moved like the High Priest 05:17 on the Day of Atonement from the Holy Place 05:20 to the Most Holy Place on October 22, 1844. 05:25 Our Lord had a work to perform in Heaven 05:28 before returning to this earth. 05:31 That's where Brother Miller had made his mistake. 05:33 The Lord was good. He had heard our morning prayer. 05:39 Well, so long, young fella. So long. 05:57 In the following months, Hiram Edson and his associates 06:01 continued to study the subject of the sanctuary 06:03 and its cleansing. 06:05 As they thought of their own experience, 06:07 they marveled at the similarities 06:09 between their own disappointment 06:11 and that of the disciples 06:12 at the time of Jesus' crucifixion. 06:15 Eventually, Edson persuaded his friend, Crosier, to publish 06:19 their findings in an extra edition 06:21 of the Millerite journal, "The Daystar", 06:24 February 7, 1846. 06:26 - Birds singing - 06:30 - Dog barking - 06:40 But meanwhile, a second significant development 06:42 was taking place, here in Washington, New Hampshire. 06:46 Two years earlier, in 1844, a Seventh-day Baptist lady 06:50 had shared with a group of Millerite believers here 06:52 her conviction that the seventh day of the week 06:55 should be observed as the Sabbath. 06:56 - Organ playing - 07:04 The Christian observance of the seventh-day Sabbath 07:06 has persisted throughout the Christian era. 07:09 At times, it has been driven underground, but it has always 07:13 reappeared to urge its message upon the world. 07:19 From the days of the apostles, down to the 5th century, 07:22 it continued in various parts of the Roman empire. 07:25 However, as the Christian church slipped further and further 07:28 into apostasy, and adopted the idolatrous rites 07:32 and practices of sun worship, 07:33 the seventh-day Sabbath was soon discredited, 07:36 its observance suppressed and in its place, 07:39 Sunday was exalted as the day of worship. 07:46 During the Reformation of the 16th century, 07:48 Luther took his stand on the Bible 07:50 as the supreme authority for the Christian. 07:53 To Charles V, he declared, 07:56 "I do not accept the authority of Popes, and councils, 08:03 for they have contradicted each other. 08:06 My conscience is captive to the Word of God. " 08:11 This appeal to the Bible and the Bible only 08:14 was the very foundation of the Reformation. 08:26 As the Reformation continued, dialogue soon arose 08:29 within the church over the question 08:31 of Sunday and the Sabbath. 08:34 The Sabbath keepers asserted that there was no Bible support 08:37 for the observance of Sunday. 08:39 As a result, the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath 08:42 spread throughout Europe including England. 08:54 There, agitation over the Sabbath became 08:57 the center of controversy among the Puritans 08:59 throughout the 17th century. 09:01 - Bell tolling - 09:02 Influential people were involved. 09:04 Among the many who advocated 09:06 the observance of the seventh day 09:07 was a London barrister, 09:09 and a commonwealth speaker of the House of Commons. 09:17 - Congregation singing - By the mid-1660s, 09:20 there were many congregations in England 09:22 keeping the seventh day. 09:24 A member of one of them was Dr. Peter Chamberlen, 09:27 physician to three Stuart kings: 09:29 James I, Charles I and Charles II of England. 09:34 A contemporary of John Bunyan, 09:37 Chamberlen was a keen Bible student. 09:39 On his tombstone in the churchyard 09:42 at Woodham Mortimer, these words have being written: 09:46 As for his religion, he was a Christian 09:50 keeping the Commandments of God and faith of Jesus, 09:52 being baptized about the year 1648, 09:56 and keeping the seventh day for the Sabbath about 32 years. 10:03 Chamberlen was a member 10:04 of the Seventh-day Baptist Church - 10:05 a small group that had separated from the Baptist Church 10:08 in the early 1600s because of their convictions 10:12 concerning the Sabbath. 10:27 In 1664, Steven Mumford, a Seventh-day Baptist 10:31 from England, immigrated to the New World. 10:33 In 1671, he organized the first Seventh-day Baptist Church 10:38 in America at Newport, Rhode Island. 10:41 During the next 170 years, their influence spread 10:45 throughout America until, in 1843, Seventh-day Baptists 10:49 numbered about five and a half thousand. 10:52 In that year, their General Conference 10:54 voted on a most significant resolution. 10:57 That the first day of November next, be observed 11:01 by our churches as a day of fasting and prayer, 11:04 that Almighty God will arise and plead for His Holy Sabbath. 11:10 Little did they anticipate the manner or the magnitude 11:13 of the answer to their prayer. 11:18 Within months of their day of prayer, 11:20 a Seventh-day Baptist widow, Mrs. Rachel Oakes decided 11:24 to move to the little village of Washington, New Hampshire. 11:27 Her 18-year old daughter, Delight, had accepted 11:30 a position there as a school teacher. 11:36 Driving into Washington today, the marker on the roadside 11:40 states that this is the birthplace 11:42 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 11:45 What happened here to attract such a title? 11:55 This sturdy wooden church is today located 11:58 far from the town center, but once it was set 12:01 in the middle of the thriving farm community. 12:23 In 1844, Frederick Wheeler was the Methodist 12:26 circuit riding pastor of this church. 12:29 Two years earlier, after reading William Miller's books, 12:32 Wheeler began to teach the soon coming of Jesus. 12:35 The majority of his congregation here 12:38 also adopted Miller's teachings. 12:46 One Sunday morning, Wheeler was at this desk 12:49 in the Washington, New Hampshire church 12:51 conducting the communion service. 12:53 During the sermon, he encouraged the people 12:56 to be faithful in keeping all ten of God's Commandments. 12:59 Mrs. Oakes, the Seventh-day Baptist, who was attending 13:03 here for fellowship, could hardly contain herself. 13:09 When the pastor visited her soon after, 13:11 she seized her opportunity. 13:17 Reverend Wheeler! Hello, Rachel. 13:19 I'm glad to see you. Good to see you. 13:20 I've been looking forward to this. 13:21 I want to talk to you about something important. 13:23 What is the subject today? 13:25 Rachel: Come in. 13:31 Thank you, Mrs. Oakes. It's a lovely fire. 13:40 In Sunday's service, Reverend Wheeler, 13:44 you said that everyone who confesses Christ 13:47 should obey all God's commandments. 13:50 I am strongly of that opinion, sister. 13:54 Well, I'll be making it clear. 13:55 I came near standing up, right then and there 13:59 and saying something. 14:00 I sensed as such. What did you want to say? 14:03 I want to tell you that you had best put that cloth 14:07 back on the communion table, until you begin to keep 14:10 all God' Commandments yourself, including the fourth. 14:23 And so, Frederick Wheeler was introduced to the Sabbath truth. 14:26 Soon after, he kept his first Sabbath, preached a sermon on it 14:30 and, thus, became the first 14:32 Sabbath keeping Adventist minister. 14:38 Not long after The Great Disappointment, 14:40 William Farnsworth, then in his late 30s, 14:43 stood up in the Farnsworth family pew, during the service, 14:47 and declared his intention to keep the Sabbath also. 14:50 He was soon followed by his younger brother, Cyrus, 14:53 who was in his early 20s, 14:55 his own wife, and father and others. 15:00 Forced to withdraw from fellowship, 15:02 these first Sabbath keepers met in the large 15:05 Farnsworth Home, not far away. 15:08 It was not until some years later, 15:09 that they acquired eventual ownership of this church. 15:17 Adjacent to the church is the graveyard, where many 15:20 of these early Seventh-day Sabbath keepers lie buried. 15:29 This marker reveals that Cyrus Farnsworth, 15:32 later married Rachel Delight Oakes, 15:35 the schoolteacher and daughter of Mrs. Rachel Oakes. 15:41 A short time after Wheeler commenced to keep the Sabbath, 15:43 a second Millerite minister, Thomas Preble, joined him. 15:49 Preble was a Free Will Baptist who had traveled 15:52 with William Miller, 15:53 and proclaimed the soon coming of Jesus. 15:55 He became the first Sabbath keeping Adventist 15:57 to advocate the seventh-day Sabbath in printed form 16:01 in an article he published in February 1845. 16:06 Among the many who read his article, which was later 16:09 printed as a tract, was Joseph Bates, 16:12 a retired sea captain. 16:14 He was impressed with its truth. 16:16 Some years before, Bates had accepted 16:19 the teachings of William Miller. 16:20 He held key positions in the Millerite movement 16:23 and managed to weather the storm of the disappointment 16:26 of 1844, without losing his faith. 16:52 Hearing of the company of Sabbath keepers 16:54 in Washington, he journeyed there, 16:56 but, on the way, he met with Frederick Wheeler 16:58 on his Hillsboro Farm. 17:01 - Knocking on door - 17:08 They studied the Bible together throughout the night. 17:18 Next morning, they both went to Washington 17:21 to Cyrus Farnsworth's home. 17:46 Here at the Farnsworth home in 1845, 17:49 after further study with Wheeler and Farnsworth, 17:52 Bates made his decision about the Sabbath. 18:10 Returning home, Bates was crossing the bridge 18:13 between Fairhaven and New Bedford, Massachusetts. 18:16 Only the approaches to the bridge remain today. 18:20 On the bridge, Bates met an old friend, 18:23 James Madison Monroe Hall, who asked him a question. 18:27 What's the news, Captain Bates? 18:29 The news is that the seventh-day 18:31 is the Sabbath of the Lord our God. 18:37 And Bates devoted the remainder of his life 18:40 to proclaiming that news. 18:44 In August of 1846, Bates published his own tracts, 18:47 "The Seventh-day Sabbath: A Perpetual Sign. " 18:50 Its contents pointed to a spiritual heritage 18:53 received not only from the Seventh-day Baptists, 18:55 but also from the English Puritans and others before them. 18:59 It contained, as well, an important new idea 19:02 that heralded the prophetic significance 19:05 of the developing Seventh-day Adventist Church. 19:09 - Seagulls cawing - 19:13 After Bates had began to keep the Sabbath, 19:15 he noticed something that the Millerites had overlooked. 19:18 They had seen their movement as the fulfillment 19:21 of the First and Second Angels' messages of Revelation 14, 19:24 which were to be proclaimed 19:26 prior to the Second Coming of Jesus. 19:28 But there was also a Third Angel's message. 19:31 Bates noted that Revelation 14:12 describes 19:37 the people, who are preaching these messages, as those 19:40 who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 19:45 This confirmed in his mind the importance 19:47 of keeping the commandments. 19:50 It seemed to him that the time had come 19:52 for a people who had proclaimed the First and Second Angels' 19:55 messages, to recognize the third message 19:58 and to keep the commandments of God 20:00 and the Sabbath the fourth command enjoined. 20:05 Earlier in 1846, Bates received a copy of "The Daystar Extra," 20:09 which explained Hiram Edson's insights 20:11 into the Heavenly Sanctuary 20:13 and Christ's ministry in the Most Holy Place. 20:17 He began to correspond with Edson 20:19 and accepted his invitation to a conference 20:22 to be held in Port Gibson later that year. 20:25 There, Edson shared his insights into the sanctuary. 20:28 But Bates, too, had something to share. 20:33 As Bates outlined his reasons 20:35 for keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, 20:37 Edson jumped to his feet and declared, 20:39 "That is light and truth. 20:41 The seventh-day is the Sabbath 20:43 and I am with you to keep it. " 20:46 And keep it, he did till the day of his death. 20:58 But, in his conversation with the Port Gibson leaders, 21:00 Bates also began to see a connection 21:02 between the Sabbath and Christ's ministry 21:05 in the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary. 21:12 - Sounds of Christ writhing in pain - 21:19 Jesus was at the center of both teachings. 21:23 In one, He was the all sufficient sacrifice 21:26 as God's Lamb, as well as High Priest 21:29 ministering the blood and cleansing the sanctuary. 21:31 - Thunderclap - 21:32 In the other, He was the creator of the world, 21:35 and giver of true rest. 21:38 The 1846 conference was the first public expression 21:42 of such a connection. 21:50 At this conference, Bates listened with great interest 21:53 to Edson's ideas about the Heavenly Sanctuary. 21:58 He knew the Bible taught that the Ark of the Covenant 22:00 was located in the sanctuary's second apartment 22:03 and that inside the ark were the Ten Commandments. 22:06 With great interest therefore, he read Revelation 11:18 22:10 which speaks of the final days of earth's history, 22:13 when the nations would be angry and the time had come 22:16 for the world's last judgment. 22:18 But, then, in the next verse he read, 22:21 that at the same time, the Temple of God 22:23 or the Heavenly Sanctuary, was to be opened 22:25 and there was seen in His temple 22:28 the Ark of His Testament. 22:33 Bates reasoned that if Jesus' ministry in the Most Holy Place 22:36 was now the focus of attention, 22:38 then the ark, its law, and the seventh-day Sabbath 22:42 that law commanded also assumed new importance. 22:46 The fulfillment of the 2,300 year prophecy 22:48 in 1844, had therefore drawn attention 22:51 to the Heavenly Sanctuary in a way never seen before. 22:55 As a result, two special emphases 22:58 concerning Jesus emerged. 23:02 First, He was now engaged in His final work 23:05 as our High Priest in the Most Holy Ministry 23:07 of that sanctuary. 23:08 Second, He was Lord of the Sabbath day, 23:12 and had both commanded the seventh-day to be kept Holy 23:15 and observed it Himself as our divine example. 23:20 But there was to be a third distinguishing sign 23:23 associated with God's great final proclamation 23:26 of the gospel. 23:27 It too was to come from Jesus, for in Revelation 12:17 23:31 it is identified as the testimony of Jesus. 23:34 Just what does this mean? 23:41 In Revelation 12, John describes the woman 23:44 clothed with the Sun, representing the church. 23:47 - Woman screaming in labor pain - 23:48 He sees her waiting for the birth of Jesus 23:50 then persecuted and lead away into the wilderness 23:53 where God protects her for a period of 1,260 years. 23:58 Verse 17 then says, The dragon was enraged 24:02 at the woman and went off to make war against 24:05 the rest of her offspring, who obey God's Commandments 24:08 and hold to the testimony of Jesus. 24:14 A comparison between Revelation 19:10 and 22:8 24:18 reveals that the testimony of Jesus, 24:20 declared to be the Spirit of Prophecy, 24:23 operates through the prophets. 24:25 Those individuals He has chosen 24:27 to speak His testimony to His people. 24:30 The Old Testament prophet, Joel records... 24:33 And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people; 24:37 Your sons and daughters will prophesy, 24:40 Your old men will dream dreams, 24:43 Your young men will see visions. 24:45 Even on my servants, both men and women, 24:48 I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 24:53 The context of these verses points to their ultimate 24:56 fulfillment in the days before the coming 24:58 of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 25:02 The 19th century revealed several impressive fulfillments 25:05 of this prediction. 25:18 In the late 1830s, a young American black, who was 25:22 converted at the age of 17, 25:24 moved here to Boston, Massachusetts 25:26 to prepare for the gospel ministry. 25:29 His name was William Foy. 25:34 During 1842, Foy received two impressive visions. 25:39 He later published a description 25:41 in a pamphlet entitled 25:42 "The Christian Experience of William E. Foy 25:45 Together with the Two Visions He Received 25:48 in the Months of January and February 1842." 26:01 On Tuesday evening, January 18, 1842, 26:04 23-year old Foy was meeting with a group of Christians 26:07 for prayer and Bible study, here in Beacon Hill, Boston. 26:11 During the meeting, 26:12 he experienced the first of four visions. 26:15 It lasted for two and a half hours, 26:17 during which a Doctor Cummings examined him, 26:20 and could find - and I quote - 26:22 "No appearance of life, except around the heart. " 26:26 - Preacher preaching - In his vision, Foy witnessed 26:28 the rewards given to the righteous 26:30 at the Second Coming 26:31 and was shown the matchless beauty of Heaven. 26:34 He was hesitant to share his visions, for he knew 26:37 the prejudice against blacks. 26:39 But less than three weeks later, 26:41 he was given another vision 26:42 while meeting in a crowded church. 26:44 This vision, lasting twelve and a half hours, 26:48 revealed the scenes of the great judgment day. 26:50 ...it is with deep regret that I must now 26:53 pass judgment upon your life. 26:55 As a child, you were fortunate to have the benefit 26:58 of God-fearing and loving parents. 27:00 As the scenes passed before him, 27:02 he saw that neither profession, politics, nor status can save - 27:07 only a relationship with Christ. 27:10 In fact, if notice had been taken of his vision 27:13 concerning the pre-Advent judgment, 27:15 perhaps the Great Disappointment two years later, 27:18 may have been softened, if not avoided all together. 27:28 Foy was told to relate to others what he had seen. 27:31 And during the months that followed, 27:33 he preached extensively, creating a sensation 27:36 wherever he went. 27:37 Vast crowds heard him tell of what he had seen 27:41 of the Heavenly world, and the need to prepare for it. 27:45 It appears that two more visions were given to him 27:48 including one revealing three steps to the Heavenly City 27:52 which he did not understand. 27:54 For nation shall rise against nation, 27:56 and kingdom against kingdom, 27:58 and there shall be famines, pestilences... 28:01 No more visions were given to William Foy 28:03 after the disappointment. 28:05 However, he maintained his hope 28:07 in the Second Coming of Christ. 28:09 He continued as an esteemed and beloved preacher 28:12 in small rural communities, 28:14 finally settling in East Sullivan, Maine. 28:17 And this gospel of the kingdom 28:19 shall be preached into all the world 28:21 for a witness unto all nations... 28:24 There he died in November 1893 28:27 and was buried here in the Birch Tree Cemetery. 28:44 Shortly before the Great Disappointment, 28:46 God placed a prophetic gift on another - Hazen Foss - 28:51 who lived in Poland, Maine. 28:54 He was 25 years old, well educated, a good speaker 28:58 and a believer in the soon coming of Jesus. 29:02 In his first vision, he was shown the journey 29:05 of the Advent people to the City of God. 29:07 It corroborated with Foy's visions and included a view 29:11 of three steps 29:12 by which God's people approach the Holy City. 29:15 After the disappointment, he was told to relate 29:18 what he had seen. 29:20 Fearing opposition, Foss refused. 29:25 In a second vision, he was again urged to share 29:27 what he had seen. 29:29 But still, he refused. 29:31 A third vision followed in which he was told 29:34 that he was released and that the burden 29:37 would be laid upon one of the weakest of the weak 29:39 who would do the Lord's bidding. 29:41 - Church bell tolling - 29:51 A few weeks later, Foss stood outside the door 29:54 of a little chapel, listening to a miraculous story. 29:58 He was urged to come into the meeting, 30:00 but he refused. 30:02 ...the manna, almonds, figs, pomegranates and grapes, 30:07 and the other fruits. 30:09 I asked Jesus to let me eat of them. 30:11 He said, "Not now. " 30:13 Those that eat of this fruit 30:15 return to earth no more. 30:18 You must go back and relate to others 30:21 what I have revealed to you. 30:24 Then the angel bore me gently down... 30:27 What he heard was an account of the vision 30:29 almost identical to the one given him. 30:35 Who was it that Foss saw that night? 30:39 Her name was Ellen Harmon, a 17 year old girl 30:43 so ravaged by tuberculosis, it threatened to take her life. 30:47 She could barely speak in a whisper and was often 30:50 wakened from sleep by coughing and bleeding in her lungs. 30:54 Yet God took this weakest of the weak, 30:57 and called her to give the testimony of Jesus 31:00 to His people. 31:01 And powered by God's Spirit, she was to bear that testimony 31:04 for the next 70 years. 31:11 The explanation of the sanctuary, 31:12 the seventh-day Sabbath truth, 31:15 and a modern manifestation of the Spirit of Prophecy - 31:17 These three key revelations helped lead many 31:21 through the disappointment of 1844. 31:24 And it was the last of these in the person 31:26 of Mrs. Ellen Gould White, who was to continue to act 31:29 as a compass for this fledgling group of believers 31:32 well into the 20th century. 31:33 It is to her story we turn next. 31:42 Captioning made possible by 3ABN viewers 31:44 and supporters. |
Revised 2014-12-17