William Miller was a 19th century Baptist pastor who adopted some dispensational mixed with historical views concerning prophetic books of the Bible and he begin to reason from Daniel 8:14 that Christ would return shortly. After doing some research using modern calendar, Miller concluded that the times of the Gentiles (Romans 11:25) was complete and that Jesus would return in 1844. Another Bible teacher who believed Miller’s views was named Samuel Snow begin to teach that, based on his studies from the Jewish calendar, that Jesus would return on October 22, 1844.
The Millerites (as they became known) begin to go around the United States preaching that Jesus was coming soon and that He would return on October 22, 1844. Newspapers begin to report on the religious affections that were taking place as the date neared. People sold their homes, quit their jobs, stopped farming their fields, and most begin to fast and pray as the date neared.
October 22, 1844 came. The Millerites (including their leader, William Miller) gathered in their churches to pray and worship as they waited for the Lord Jesus Christ to appear. The sun came up and the sun went down. Nothing happened. The day passed without Jesus returning.
October 23, 1844 saw newspapers proclaiming that Miller and his followers were wrong about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Many followers of Miller were very troubled. They faced embarrassment of selling all they had and devoting themselves to their belief that Jesus was coming back and when He didn’t return, Miller’s followers were left without answers. One Millerite said,
“I waited all Tuesday [October 22] and dear Jesus did not come;– I waited all the forenoon of Wednesday, and was well in body as I ever was, but after 12 o’clock I began to feel faint, and before dark I needed someone to help me up to my chamber, as my natural strength was leaving me very fast, and I lay prostrate for 2 days without any pain– sick with disappointment.”
After October 22nd, many of Miller’s followers faced intense persecution. Their churches were burned. Miller wrote about people scoffing from people with people coming up to him asking him why he hadn’t gone up yet. Miller himself died in 1849 still looking for Jesus to come soon.
What took place after October 22, 1844 is interesting to note. First, some begin to make claims that Jesus was still near and that He would return in 1845. Then 1846. Second, others said that they must do something to help Jesus come back such as praying or fasting or worshiping. Some said that Jesus was essentially sitting on the clouds of glory about to come back once the Church was in the right spirit. Third, some begin to search the Scriptures and came up with another view that became the standard view of the Millerites.
This became known as the Investigative Judgment. According to Seventh-Day Adventist teachings who came out of the Millerite following, Jesus did come back on October 22, 1844! Miller was 100% correct! But Miller was wrong to assume that Jesus came back physically. Instead, the SDA’s teach that on October 22, 1844 a new ministry of Jesus begin where He entered into the holy of holies basing their views on passages such as Daniel 7:9-10; 1 Peter 4:17; and Revelation 20:12.
I disagree with the SDA over this issue but this is not primarily my point. My point is that October 22, 1844 passed without Jesus returning and May 21, 2011 will pass without Jesus returning. I believe that much of the texts used by modern dispensationalists to teach a secret rapture of the Church are false. The other teachings that a person called Antichrist, a great tribulation, etc. will occur. I believe that much of the prophecies about Jesus’ coming such as Matthew 24:29-31 are not literal language but are written much like the Old Testament prophets using Old Testament judgment language. Jesus said in Matthew 24:34 that all these things will take place in this generation. The “time texts” are key to biblical prophecy and often are ignored.
Furthermore, when May 21, 2011 passes the followers of Harold Camping will follow suit of the Millerites and others who have made claims about Jesus coming back such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses by claiming that Jesus did do something. The Millerites claim that Jesus entered into the holy of holies on October 21, 1844 while the Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Jesus invisibly came back in 1914 and since then He has been leading His organization from Brooklyn, New York. Camping’s followers will do the same. They will find something that took place invisibly that only Camping figured out. They will not go away just because May 21 passes anymore than the Millerites didn’t go away after October 21, 1844.
I do believe that Jesus will return (Acts 1:11). I believe that He will come in His timing. It could be May 21 or June 9 or August 16 or 2046. One way or another Jesus will come but to name dates, to set up a rapture based on dispensational views of prophecy is not accurate.
© 2011, Matt. All rights reserved.
