OUR PRESENT POSITION : or, the Waiting, Watching Time.
By James White
TEXT : "Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is." Mark 13 : 33. The time mentioned in the text is the time of the second coming of Christ. This is the theme of the closing portion of the chapter where our text is found. The definite time of the second advent is not revealed. Hence, Seventh-day Adventists do not set times for that event, as many first-day Adventists do. We believe, however, that the Scripture of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God for our instruction, faith and practice; and that the prophetic numbers of Daniel and John were designed for a specific object in the threefold warning to the last generation to prepare for the coming of Christ. Timists, or time-setting Adventists, reason well respecting the definiteness of the prophetic numbers, and that they were given for our learning, and demand our attention, as an important portion of the revealed word. But in supposing that two of the numbers of Daniel reach to the final conflagration and the resurrection of the just, they are seen by the discriminating to occupy a position where they should feel the rebuke in our text—"Ye know not when the time is." Seventh-day Adventists deny that any of the prophetic numbers reach to the second advent of Jesus Christ. They hold that William Miller was correct in the main in his calculations of the prophetic times; that his mistake, and consequent disappointment, was in the event, and not in the time. William Miller and his associates held that the events to take place at the close of the 2300 days of Daniel 8 : 14, and the 1335 of chap. 12 : 12, 13, were the renovation of the earth by fire, and the resurrection of the just. But close investigation, by light that has since shone from the sacred Scriptures upon the subject of the heavenly sanctuary, has discovered the fact that proof is greatly wanting to sustain the positions, that the cleansing of the sanctuary, at the close of the 2300 days is the burning of the world, or that the prophet standing in his lot at the end of the days means the first resurrection. The reader is cited to Thoughts on Daniel, by Uriah Smith, and works on the sanctuary and 2300 days, for sale at this Office, for a full, clear, and satisfactory exposition of this important subject. The prophetic times have a purpose to serve. But, not reaching to the second advent, believers are now left without definite time for that event. The reader, then, can at once see that our position does not disregard, but respects the periods of Daniel and John as important portions of the prophetic word, and at the same time is in harmony with all such expressions from the lips of our divine Lord as, "Ye know not when the time is." The position of the Adventists of 1844, that our Lord's discourse in Matt. 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, was a prophetic sketch of the leading events from the first advent down to the second, and that, therefore, all such expressions relative to the definite time applied to the last generation, gave these texts still greater force against their time position, and made it necessary for them to explain away the apparent difficulty. But with the vast majority the objection would not stay explained away, but constituted a popular and forcible objection—"Ye know not when the time is." And yet we solemnly believe that the hand of God has been in the great second-advent movement. William Miller, as an honest man, gave to the world the best light he had. He was right on the nature and object of the second advent; right in his application of the prophetic symbols; and right in his calculation of the prophetic numbers; but he was mistaken in the event. But even that mistake was in the providence of God, as verily as that of the chosen twelve, and the shouting multitude, when they cried, Hosannah, in fulfillment of Zech. 9 : 9, in view of Christ's taking the throne of David in old Jerusalem. They, in the direct providence of God, in fulfillment of the words of the prophet, were mistaken. So William Miller and fifty thousand Adventists of 1844 were mistaken in the event, while fulfilling the message of the angel of Rev. 14 : 6, 7, and the oath of the mighty angel of chap. 10. We do not blame William Miller and his friends for preaching the time, though while holding that the second advent would be at the termination of the periods, we see their difficulties in harmonizing such passages as our text with their position. But we do blame them for disgusting the public, and dividing and weakening their own ranks with setting a new time right upon the heels of each failure. And it is just here to state, that William Miller and his favorite organ, the Advent Herald, though he and his conductors did not embrace the scriptural view of the heavenly sanctuary—the only position that connects the past with the present, lights up the glorious future, and justifies the great advent movement—yet were not guilty of perpetual dabbling with definite time. Sylvester Bliss, who was for more than twenty years the local conductor of the Herald said a few years before his death, that any evidence for the termination of the periods at any time since 1844, when compared with the evidence for that date, was like a rush-light compared with the light of the sun. The statement in the publisher's preface to the Memoir of William Miller, that his "erroneous calculations of the prophetic periods he frankly confessed," gives a wrong impression. He confessed that he had been disappointed; that there must be, therefore, errors in chronology. But he never attempted to point out any error in his calculations, only that the time had passed. But his biographer has set this matter in its true light in honorably extracting largely from a pamphlet, dictated by William Miller and reported by himself, and published in 1845, entitled, Apology and Defense, from which we take the following statements :— "That I have been mistaken in the time, I freely confess; and I have no desire to defend my course any further than I have been actuated by pure motives, and it has resulted to God's glory. My mistakes and errors God, I trust, will forgive. I cannot, however, reproach myself for having preached definite time; for, as I believe that whatsoever was written aforetime was written for our learning, the prophetic periods are as much a subject of investigation as any other portion of the word. "I, therefore, still feel that it was my duty to present all the evidence that was apparent to my mind, and were I now in the same circumstances, I should be compelled to act as I have done. I should not, however, have so done, had I seen that the time would pass by; but not knowing that it would, I would, I feel even more satisfaction in having warned my fellow-men than I should feel, were I conscious that I had believed them in danger and had not raised my voice. How keen would have been my regret, had I refrained to present what in my soul I believed to be truth, and the result had proved that souls must perish through my neglect! I cannot, therefore, censure myself for having conscientiously performed what I believed to be my duty. "But while I frankly acknowledge my disappointment in the exact time, I wish to inquire whether my teachings have been thereby materially affected. My views of exact time depended entirely upon the accuracy of the chronology. "There is not a point in my belief in which I am not sustained by some of the numerous writers who have opposed my views. Prof. Bush, the most gentlemanly of my opponents, admits that I am correct in the time, with the exception of the precise day or year; and this is all for which I contend. That the 70 weeks are 490 years, and the 1260 and 2300 days are so many years, are admitted by Messrs. Bush, Hinton, and Jarvis. That the 2300 days and 70 weeks commence at the same time, Prof. Bush does not deny. And Dr. Jarvis admits that the former carry us to the resurrection and Judgment. Prof. Bush, Dr. Jarvis, Mr. Hinton, and Mr. Morris, admit that the legs of iron and the fourth beast of Daniel 7, are Rome, and that the little horn of Dan 8, is Rome. The literal resurrection of the body, the end of the world, and a personal coming of Christ, have not been questioned by several who have written against me. "Thus there is not a point for which I have contended that has not been admitted by some of those who have written to disprove my opinions. I have candidly weighed the objections advanced against these views; but I have seen no arguments that were sustained by the Scriptures that, in my opinion, invalidate my position." Thus William Miller speaks for himself in July, 1845. In a letter to the Herald, of Dec. 3, 1844, several weeks after the passing of the time, he says :— "I believe the ground we have formerly stood upon, as it regards the chronology of prophecy, is the only ground we can take; and if the defect is in human chronology, then no human knowledge is sufficient in this age to rectify it with any degree of certainty; and I see no good that can be accomplished by taking a stand for any future period, with less evidence than we had for 1843-4. For those who would not believe, with all the evidence we then produced, we cannot expect will now believe with much less evidence. "Again, it is to me almost a demonstration, that God's hand is seen in this thing. Many thousands, to all human appearance, have been made to study the Scriptures by the preaching of the time; and by that means, through faith in the sprinkling of the blood of Christ, have been reconciled to God. And those of us who have been familiar with the fruits and effects of the preaching of this doctrine must acknowledge that he has been with us in so doing, and his wisdom has in a great measure marked out our path, which he has devised for such good as he will accomplish in his own time and manner; as in the case of Nineveh by the preaching of Jonah. If this should be the real state of the case, and we should go on to set other times in the future, we might possibly be found frustrating, or trying to at least, and receive no blessing. I think my brethren will admit that God has been in the work, and he has tried our faith in the best possible manner." William Miller still held that the coming of Christ would be personal and visible; so do Seventh-day Adventists. He believed his application of the prophetic symbols had been correct; so do we. He still believed that he had been right in the year-day theory, and that the seventy weeks were the first 490 years of the 2300, consequently that the two periods commenced together, at the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem, Ezra 7; so do we. He could not see why his position was not correct, that the 2300 years commenced in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, 457 before Christ, and consequently would end in 1844; neither can we. What, then, is the real difference between the position of William Miller, after the time passed, and that of Seventh-day Adventists on this subject? This question should be fairly and clearly answered. William Miller still held that two of the periods of Daniel reached to the coming of Christ; therefore did not terminate in 1844. And as he, and his associates were not able to point out any error in his entire system of calculation, the most intelligent and consistent of them did not fix on any other dates from which to commence the periods. And those who did adopt other dates, rejected those adopted by William Miller only on the ground that the time had passed. In such a state of things it is no marvel that discouragement, division and apostasy have crumbled and wasted the once united and happy second advent body. Seventh-day Adventists do not recognize the advent of Christ to this earth, and the conflagration of the world, in the cleansing of the sanctuary at the close of the 2300 days of Dan. 8 : 14. Neither do they see the resurrection of the just in Daniel's standing in his lot at the end of the 1335 days of chap. 12 : 13. Both these are connected with the investigative Judgment of the righteous, which must take place in Heaven before the Lord comes to reward them at the resurrection of the just.74 The real difference, then, between the position of William Miller on this subject and that of Seventh-day Adventists is simply in relation to the event to take place at the termination of the periods. The subject is now one of the clearest, and most satisfactory to the close Bible student, in all the range of Christain theology. Such critical examiners and close reasoners as J. N. Andrews and Uriah Smith are enabled to show in their works that there is not one text in all the Bible which contains any evidence that the earth, or any part of it, is the sanctuary of Dan. 8 : 14, and that it is to be cleansed by fire; while at the same time they present a large amount of scriptural proof that the prophet refers to the new-covenant sanctuary in Heaven, and that its cleansing is in connection with the closing portion of the ministry of Jesus Christ as our high priest in the heavenly sanctuary, just prior to his second advent. And a critical review of the whole question of prophetic calculations fully justifies William Miller in rejecting the succession of new times for the second advent, urged upon him by some of the more restless of the Adventists, upon almost infinitely less evidence than that he had published to the world, which terminated the periods in 1844. Seventh-day Adventists adopt the positions of William Miller and his associates of 1844, relative to the manner and object of the second advent, the application of the prophetic symbols of Daniel, and the calculation of the periods. The time passed, the periods have ended, we are in the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary, waiting for the appearing of the Son of man. And right here the subject of the three messages of Rev. 14 : 6-12, opens before us with great clearness, and applies with tremendous force. The past, present, and future, are all made plain. The great advent movement of 1840-4 was of God. The position of Seventh-day Adventists upon this subject, resurrects the position of William Miller upon the prophecies. It most gloriously harmonizes the sacred Scriptures. And it relieves the subject of Christain experience, as manifested in the labors, sacrifices, and lives of such men as William Miller and those who associated themselves with him in honestly and zealously warning the world, giving them the best light they then had on the prophecies. The position of Seventh-day Adventists, then, has all the force of evidence of that of William Miller and his friends before the passing of the time; and in addition to that they have a perfectly satisfactory position upon the sanctuary, the nature and time of its cleansing, and the forcible application of the messages of the three angels of Rev. 14 to the past, the present and future history of the Second Advent movement, embracing the great Sabbath reformation. Every true Seventh-day Adventists may with cheerful confidence sing :— "For He has been with us; and he still is with us;
And he's promised to be with us to the end."