Simply writing today’s date brings to mind the significant history of God’s people in this “time of the end” in which we now live (cf. Dan. 12:4).
The story of October 22, 1844, is the story of a sincere group of faithful Christian people who were deeply impressed with the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation, and especially with the prophecy of Daniel 8:14, “Unto 2300 days [years in prophetic symbolism], then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
They had learned several important truths:
(a) Daniel’s “time of the end” had begun at the end of the 1260 years of papal oppression, 538-1798 (12:4; 7:23-25).
(b) The rise of the thirteen colonies that became the United States of America had pinpointed the sad history of those more than a millennia of persecution history in Europe. Those Bible students were very close to that history.
(c) Many undeniable wonders had marked the beginning of this “time of the end,” such as the “increase of knowledge “ and the rather sudden end of persecution.
(d) A phenomenal interest in Bible prophecy had mysteriously developed; in all lands and all cultures this interest in the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation had evolved suddenly.
(e) Part of that interest was pinpointed in the rise of the United States as the lamblike “beast” of Revelation 13:11.
(f) For those whose hearts were open to the gospel, this was all delightful “good news.”
(g) It was naturally assumed that Daniel’s “cleansing of the sanctuary” meant the return of Jesus in answer to His promise, “I will come again” (John 14:1-3).
(h) This conviction of the “cleansing of the sanctuary” captured the confidence of devout Christians of different denominations; William Miller’s Spirit-directed preaching had impacted thousands of sincere Christians of nearly all churches.
(i) The precise date October 22 was arrived at by the careful study of the Jewish sources.
(j) Their mistake was not in the time, but in identifying the event.
(k) Almost immediately that mistake was rectified, and October 22, 1844, became the icon date for the teachings of Seventh-day Adventists.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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