Does a Disappointment in Connection With a Work Prove It to Be an Error?
By George I. Butler
The fact that the advent believers expected the Lord to come in 1844, and that he did not come, settles the question in the minds of multitudes that the whole movement was fanaticism and a humbug; that God had nothing to do with it; and that all the believers in it were a set of dupes. Learned doctors of divinity, and the great masses of the popular churches, have so regarded it since the passing of the time. Are they right in such conclusions? The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ the second time is certainly taught in many places in the Bible. It will be an event of the greatest possible importance to the whole human family. Nothing can exceed it in interest. The message telling the world of the coming of this event must evidently be a matter requiring time. A whole generation would be none too long for this message to do its work. The mistake of the Adventists in 1844 is very easy of explanation. As we have seen, the termination of the twenty-three hundred year-day period is fixed to the year 1844. There can be no mistake about that; for the good reason that to change the date of the beginning of that period from the going forth of the decree to restore and build Jerusalem by Artaxerxes, 457 B. C., to some other date, would literally disarrange all the other events included in the prophecy; but with that date, there is perfect harmony throughout. The prophecy did not say that Christ would come at the close of that prophetic period. It did say that the sanctuary would be cleansed (or “justified,” margin). The Adventists then believed the earth to be the sanctuary,—a belief without the support of a single text of Scripture. Supposing the earth to be the sanctuary, they expected it would be cleansed by fire, and so supposed that Christ would come at that time. This was their mistake. Yet not one of their learned opponents ever discovered the mistake. After the time passed, and the great disappointment came, in the careful, prayerful study of the Scriptures the whole glorious subject of the sanctuary opened up to their minds. They learned that the true sanctuary is in heaven, that God himself has made it, and that Christ has ministered in its first apartment about eighteen hundred years, as our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. But in 1844 his place of ministry changed to the most holy place, to close up the final period of man's probation. Then a flood of light illuminated the whole subject of God's plan of redemption, and the final work of its closing scenes. They saw clearly that the first angel's message, proclaiming the hour of his judgment, had been given, and that Christ's last work in the heavenly temple is now in progress,—the final investigative judgment preceding his coming to execute the decisions of that judgment; and that a great work is to be wrought in fulfilment of the third message, the last of the most solemn series of the three angels' messages of Rev. 14: 6-12. Then the great movement was clearly before them, which has already extended to the ends of the earth, and numbers a hundred thousand believers. We now wish to consider briefly the idea that a disappointment necessarily demonstrates that any important work connected with it is a failure. Let us illustrate, first, by a great engineering project,—the building of the ship canal across the Isthmus of Panama. For ages the desirability of such a canal was most evident. It was a great undertaking, necessarily costing hundreds of millions. First the French under De Lesseps, the great man of the Suez Canal opening, undertook the task. Millions were spent. A terrible disappointment occurred. The undertaking was an ignominious failure. The great man died with a sad heart, and the work stopped. The French gave it up. Was the whole scheme a failure?—By no means. The United States of America took it up, and now everybody expects it will be a success.
Let us notice Bible illustrations. To carry out his9great designs and educate and discipline a people to uphold his work in the earth till Christ, the light of the world, should come, God caused Israel to go down into Egypt. They remained there for centuries. They were oppressed, and became a race of slaves under a bondage worse than the African slavery in this country. But God proposed to deliver them, and place them in their native land. He raised up Moses. He revealed his almighty power with a strong hand and a stretched out arm, till at last all Egypt was glad to see them depart. Several million strong, they crossed the Red Sea triumphantly, and came to Sinai. God there revealed himself to them in a wonderful way, gave them his law, and fed them miraculously forty years. The journey from Mount Sinai to the promised land was only eleven days (Deut. 1: 2), but they were forty years in reaching the promised land. Why?—Because of their rebellious spirit, their lack of faith, their Egyptian ways, and their stiff-necked disobedience. Only two of that vast host of adults who crossed the Red Sea ever entered Canaan. Don't you suppose this was a most grievous disappointment?—Yes, it was. But was the whole thing a failure?—Far from it. When Israel learned the lesson of obedience, and were fit to be entrusted with such a land, flowing with milk and honey, they victoriously succeeded. Elijah was one of the grandest prophets God ever raised up. He mourned because of the backslidings of Israel, most of whom had gone into idolatry. Because of their sins, God sent a famine. For years no rain fell, the streams dried up, the cattle perished, and it was a time of great anguish. Elijah remained hidden. The king hunted for him in all kingdoms. At last he showed himself to the king. All Israel were summoned to Mount Carmel. Hundreds of the prophets of Baal were in attendance, and a test was made to ascertain who was the true God. The God who should answer by fire was to be recognized as the true God. All day long the prophets of Baal prayed and cried to their god, but there was no answer. Finally an altar to the God of heaven was erected; the sacrifice was laid upon it; barrels of water were poured over it, so that all could see there was no deception; Elijah prayed, and fire from God descended, consuming the sacrifice, licking up the water, and consuming the very stones. All the people shouted, “The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.” It was a wonderful triumph. All the prophets of Baal were killed, and Elijah was almost enraptured at this glorious victory. He prayed, and a great rain fell, watering the whole country. Filled with hope and courage, he ran before the chariot of Ahab many miles. He doubtless thought that all Israel would turn to the worship of God. Jezebel sent him a message declaring that his life should be taken before the morrow passed. Elijah fled for his life, far away to Mount Sinai. His heart was nearly broken. He prayed that he might die, and seemed to give up all hope. How terrible was the disappointment of this valiant servant of God! But was his work a failure?—Ah, no. The great reformation was carried on triumphantly by Elijah, and by Elisha, his assistant, and became a great success; and Elijah went up to heaven in a chariot of fire. At the close of our Saviour's ministry, upon his last visit to Jerusalem just before his crucifixion, he sent his disciples to get a colt, and upon this humble beast he rode into the city. It was a triumphant ride. Wonderful fervor filled the hearts of his disciples. They began to shout, “Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” With their garments and beautiful palm branches they carpeted the very ground over which he rode, thus showing honor to their king; for they thought that he, the Son of David, was to take the kingdom and reign as king upon the throne. This had been their hope, and they felt sure that the auspicious moment had come. The Pharisees were enraged. They could not silence the disciples, and they did not know what to do but ask Jesus to rebuke them for thus honoring him. Consider the remarkable words spoken by our Saviour in reply to this demand: “If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” Luke 19:40. Were Christ's words true? Why did he say them?—Because a prophecy given some five hundred years before this event had foretold that these disciples should thus shout. The prophet had said: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Zech. 9:9. Surely God was in this shouting. He had plainly foretold it. His word must be fulfilled, even if he had to give voices to stones. What a wonderful evidence of how God and Christ regard prophecy, which so many proud professors to-day depreciate and despise. Note another fact: these very disciples who shouted and fulfilled that prophecy, labored under a mistaken conception of what was about to happen. They thought that Christ was to mount the throne of David then and there, but instead he was to be nailed upon a cross of wood, and die as an impostor. Was there ever a greater disappointment than that which the disciples then endured? It is quite evident they were in danger of giving up their faith. Peter said, “I go a fishing,” returning to his old occupation. Others went with him. But the risen Christ soon corrected their views. When he gave Peter his work of feeding his lambs and sheep, then the great work of the gospel began gloriously. Ah, no! Disappointments prove little; they tend to cast aside the weak and faint-hearted, to humble the believer so God can work through him, and to pave the way to a glorious success. So it was in 1844. Many of the weak and self-confident dropped out. The true believers carefully studied, prayed, saw the truth more clearly, cast aside their errors, and went on with their grand work with greater clearness and power than ever. And thus the work is going to-day. Said the angel, “Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” We are now in the very closing days of this great work of warning the world of Christ's second coming.