p. 9 | Events at the Close of the 2300 Year-Days

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 10, 1908

Events at the Close of the 2300 Year-Days

By GEORGE I. BUTLER

GEORGE I. BUTLER

THIS prophetic period is not only much the longest period of the Bible, but by far the most important and all-embracing. It covers the years between the height of the world-empire of the Medo-Persians, embracing the world-wide Grecian and Roman empires, till the beginning of the investigative judgment in heaven, preceding the second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It gives us, as explained by Gabriel, the exact time when the city of Jerusalem and the civil polity of the Jewish nation would be restored, and the year when Jesus would go forth in his work as the Messiah, proclaiming the gospel; the time when he would be put to death by the Jews and Romans; the time when the Jews would lose their special privileges as a nation, which they had enjoyed for fifteen centuries, and the Gentiles would be offered the gospel on terms of perfect equality with that favored nation. The period closes with the announcement, “The hour of his judgment is come.” Who can contemplate the importance of such a prophetic prediction without wonder and astonishment?

At the risk of being accused of repetition, the writer will briefly rehearse the angel’s explanation to Daniel of the meaning of this great prophetic period, because of the importance of an understanding of this subject. The beginning of this prophetic chain was the “going forth” of the decree to restore and build Jerusalem. It was the well-established historical date of 457 B. C., in the autumn of the year, when Ezra the prophet, and his large company, reached Jerusalem to carry forward the work of repairing the temple and city. From this point, it was to be seven weeks of years—that is, forty-nine years—till the city, wall, temple, and Jewish polity should be fully restored. The reliable historian, Dean Prideaux, in his important historical record of the events between the close of the canon of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament, clearly states that it was precisely forty-nine years till these were fully restored. The angel declared that seven weeks and threescore and two weeks, that is, sixty-nine weeks (or four

hundred eighty-three years), would bring us to Messiah the Prince.

Messiah, in the Hebrew, and Christos, in the Greek, mean the same thing,—Christ, “the Anointed One.” Four hundred eighty-three years from B. C. 457, when the commandment went forth, brings us to the fall of A. D. 27, when Christ was baptized, and the Spirit of God in the form of a dove descended upon him, and the voice of God proclaimed, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” He became the Anointed One when he was thus anointed by the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:38. Then Jesus went forth preaching, “The time is fulfilled.” Mark 1:15; Luke 4:18-20. The angel’s words were thus fulfilled to the letter. One week of the seventy allotted to the Jewish people remained. After Jesus had taught three and one-half years, that is, in the spring, when the passover was held, in the year A. D. 31, he was crucified. He was thus “cut off.” The whole typical system of the Jewish priesthood, sacrifices, etc., then ceased, in the plan of God, to be of any account. Type gave place to the antitype, the shadow to the substance, the offering of lambs and other creatures to the one offering, the only true sacrifice. Their blood never could take away sin. Christ’s blood could do this. Then the temple veil was rent from top to bottom, and the temple house became “desolate.” Matt. 27:51; 23:38. This all occurred in the “midst,” that is, the middle, of the last prophetic week of the seventy, A. D. 31, in the spring of the year. Three and one-half years remained of the period which was cut off upon the Jewish people. The close of that period occurred A. D. 34.

In close connection with that date occurred several important events. At that time, because of the persecution, the Christians were driven out of Jerusalem, and went everywhere preaching the gospel. Peter was miraculously sent to preach to Cornelius, who was the first Gentile convert of the gospel record. Saul, the persecutor, was miraculously converted, and became Paul the apostle of the Gentiles. And the gospel soon went to all lands. Surely all these occurrences mark conspicuously a change at the close of the seventy weeks.

We have thus noticed each and every point in the wonderful prophetic chain, except its close. The four hundred ninety years, as we see, reach to A. D. 34. Four hundred ninety deducted from the whole period of twenty-three hundred years, leaves eighteen hundred ten. Eighteen hundred ten, added to A. D. 34, brings us to the fall of the year 1844. Did anything remarkable occur then?—Indeed there did. A little before the close of that period the nearness of Christ’s coming began to be preached in various parts of the world. The signs of Christ’s coming, as given in the Bible, were proclaimed in many lands. This proclamation was no obscure matter. It was not “done in a corner.” Earnest, devoted reformers, themselves students of prophecy, looked forward to this very period in which we live, for Christ to come. Martin Luther in his writings stated that he thought the Lord would come in about three hundred years, or in our times. John Wesley thought it would not be far from the year 1836. It is most remarkable that at this point the advent proclamation was rising to great prominence. William Miller in this country, with others, was already proclaiming it. Are we not justified, then, in claiming that these godly men, had they lived in our times, would have been Adventists?

It is said upon good authority, that in Great Britain about seven hundred ministers were proclaiming the soon coming of Christ. Some three hundred in the United States were also thus engaged. It is probable that in our own country the message was proclaimed with more definiteness and power than in other lands. Good evidence could be given that there were a hundred thousand persons in the United States alone who fully took their stand as believers in the soon coming of Christ. Here the very message we are considering was preached in mighty power and with the demonstration of the Spirit.

The close of this great prophetic period of twenty-three hundred year-days was marked with wonderful power in the preaching of that time. “The hour of his judgment is come,” was the glad announcement made in multitudes of pulpits in those days. Those ministers claimed to be giving this message; they believed that the time was fulfilled when it must be proclaimed. The writer well remembers it. Multitudes were spell-bound, and were most deeply affected by this proclamation. Thousands upon thousands of unbelievers were converted, baptized, and united with the various Protestant churches. Infidels, whom nothing else could reach, were converted by scores and hundreds, and became devoted Christians. If ever God’s blessing accompanied any preaching, it accompanied the proclamation, “The hour of his judgment is come.” It went to every mission station on the globe. It claimed to be the fulfilment of the prophecy of Rev. 14:6, 7.

In this respect there was a striking parallel between the work of John the Baptist and this message. He was the forerunner of Christ’s first advent, as the preaching of this message was the announcement of the nearness of his second coming. John stirred the back-slidden Jews mightily. It is stated that “Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan,” went out to hear him. They were all mightily stirred. The Pharisees and leading men sent messengers to ask John who he was. At that time there was much expectancy of the coming of the Messiah, as the prophecy of the seventy weeks was nearly fulfilled. When the messengers asked John, “Who art thou?” John said, “I am not the Christ.” Then they said, “Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet [referring doubtless to Moses’ prediction. Deut. 18:18]? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?” Thus interrogated, John told them just who he was, and what prediction of prophecy he was fulfilling. He then quoted the prophecy of Isa. 40:3: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” John knew who he was, and the work he was given to do. God was with him in mighty power, thus witnessing to his work. The great men of the nation never accepted his mission. John was beheaded in prison.

So it was when the first angel’s message was preached. The believers knew what they were doing: they were giving the glad announcement that Christ was about to make his second advent to the world. They knew the message that was to go forth at the beginning of the judgment period, which must necessarily precede the coming of Christ. It must be decided by the grand assize, the supreme court of the universe, who were to be saved, and who were not. Then Christ would come to give each his due reward. The grandest prophetic period of all the Bible closed in 1844. Its close has been proclaimed all over our earth. It is still being proclaimed, and will be till Christ shall come in glory.

Bowling Green, Fla.