August 7, 2023 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Ted Wilson (TW): Greetings, friends. As we have been going through the book, The Great Controversy, we have seen how, down through the ages, God has worked through various people in bringing His truth to a world in need.
Most recently, we have looked at the life of William Miller and how God led him, through a careful study of Bible prophecy, to the conclusion that Jesus would be coming very soon–in fact, that He would come in the year 1844.
This conclusion was based on the time prophecies found in the book of Daniel, specifically Daniel 8:14, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” As we saw previously, according to the Bible, a prophetic day equals one literal year. This amazing 2,300-day prophecy is the longest time prophecy in the Bible, stretching all the way from 457 B.C. down to the year 1844 A.D.
Nancy Wilson (NW): Embedded within this long time period is the shorter 70-week prophecy that precisely pinpoints the baptism, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Given the precise fulfillment of this prophecy, we can rest assured that the remaining part of the 2,300-day prophecy is also accurate.
Clearly, however, Jesus did not come in 1844. So, was there some misunderstanding that William Miller had when he, and others, proclaimed that Jesus would return in 1844?
TW: In this week’s chapter of The Great Controversy, titled “Light Through Darkness,” we read, “The work of God in the earth presents, from age to age, a striking similarity in every great reformation or religious movement. The principles of God’s dealing with men are ever the same. The important movements of the present have their parallel in those of the past, and the experience of the church in former ages has lessons of great value for our own time” (The Great Controversy, p. 343).
NW: In times past, even God’s prophets did not fully comprehend the meaning of the messages they were bidden to share. Daniel himself did not fully understand the prophecies given him. At the end of Daniel 8, we read, “And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it” (vs. 27). Then again, at the end of the book, in Chapter 12, Daniel sees two heavenly beings, one on either side of a river. One asks, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?” (vs. 6), and the other answers, “It shall be for a time, times, and half a time . . .” (vs. 7).
Daniel says, in verse 8, “Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, ‘My Lord, what shall be the end of these things?’ And he said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end'” (vs. 9).
TW: In the New Testament, we see the disciples being sent out by Jesus Himself with the message, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand . . .” (Mark 1:15). The message was true, and yet they misunderstood its meaning. From their earliest childhood, they were taught that when the Messiah would come, He would restore the kingdom to Israel—the Romans would be overthrown, and once again, a king would sit on David’s throne. Because of this ingrained concept, the disciples could not understand the meaning of Christ’s words when He warned them of His upcoming sufferings and death.
NW: In The Great Controversy, we read: “Not infrequently the minds of the people, and even of God’s servants, are so blinded by human opinions, the traditions and false teaching of men, that they are able only partially to grasp the great things which He has revealed in His word” (p. 345).
It was only after the shattering of their preconceived ideas as they watched Christ die on the cross and the agonizing hours afterward when their minds were shrouded in uncertainty and doubt that they were ready to accept the truth.
TW: As Christ walked with the disciples to Emmaus on that resurrection day, He did not at first reveal Himself to them. Instead, He carefully led them through the Scriptures, showing in the prophecies what the true mission of the Messiah was, and how that mission was fulfilled. He led them to base their faith and belief on the prophetic word, rather than on personal experience alone.
NW: Those of the early Advent movement in 1844 went through a similar experience. As they reviewed the prophecies of Daniel, they saw the fulfillment of the 70-week prophecy through the Messiah. They correctly ascertained that the 2,300-day prophecy began in 457 B.C. and would end in the year 1844 A.D.
Their mistake was in assuming what the “cleansing of the sanctuary” meant. Just as the early disciples accepted the popular teaching that the Messiah would set up an earthly kingdom, the Advent believers accepted the popular teaching of the time that “the sanctuary” referred to the earth. Surely then, the reference to the “cleansing of the sanctuary,” must mean that Christ would come and cleanse the earth with fire.
TW: And just as the disciples suffered bitter disappointment, followed by great joy, so did the early Advent believers. Delving deep into prophecy once again following the Great Disappointment of October 22, 1844, their study was richly rewarded as heaven was opened to their gaze and they saw the true meaning of what the sanctuary was all about.
As we continue our journey through The Great Controversy, we too will understand what Jesus is doing for us today through His work in the heavenly sanctuary. Let us pray that our eyes will be open to discover the meaning of these prophecies for us in this our time.
I invite you to pray with us just now.
Father in Heaven, we thank you so much for the way in which you reveal to believers the wonderful aspects of your soon coming. Thank you for the prophecies that help us to understand fully what it means to be living in the end of time just before the Lord’s Second Coming. Now, Lord, give us clear perceptions as we continue to study your Word and understand our mission in helping others to be prepared for Christ’s soon. Coming. We thank you for the grace of the Lord, for His love, and we thank you that you have promised that you will return to take us home. Now, give us encouragement in all that we do as we look to the future, recognizing that the prophecies of the Bible are accurate and sure, in Jesus name we ask it. Amen.