TIME-SETTING by A. J. Dennis

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 30, 1879

TIME-SETTING

By A. J. Dennis

Disreputable as time-setting is, it is not confined to those calling themselves Adventists. Rather an unusual feature of this pernicious practice was indulged in lately by one of the popular churches of the day. It was embodied in two sermons on the “millennium,” and was as follows:—

Christ would not come till after the millennium, but at the end of that time he would come to judge the world. The millennium was explained to mean, in the judgment of the speaker, a thousand years of literal time.

Now it is plain to be seen that if the beginning of the millennium be located, this, of necessity, would locate the second coming of Christ; for no matter when the millennium commences, the coming of Christ will be one thousand years from that date, according to this theory.

In view of so necessary a conclusion, it would seem strange that one who thought that Seventh-day Adventists were setting the time because they thought the coming of Christ was “near, even at the door,” would presume to undertake the task of locating the time when the millennium would commence. But theory is often dearer than consistency, and so it appeared to be in this case.

In speaking of the “signs of the times” in regard to the approach of the millennium, the 7th chapter of Daniel was referred to in connection with Rev. 12:14, and it was thought the “time, times, and the dividing of time,” or 1260 years, referred to the continuation of the papacy, and began about A. D. 737, at the time when the pope received universal temporal power. (Query. How is it that these days continue after his temporal power has passed away?) Another date was referred to (probably A. D. 538), but as it could not be right, it was passed over without even being named.

Twelve hundred and sixty years forward from A. D. 737 would give A. D. 1997, which, added to what some consider the age of the world at the beginning of the Christian era (A. M. 4004), would give A. M. 6001.

It was thought by some, that, as days are reckoned by sevens, every seventh day being a Sabbath, and as the years were formerly reckoned in the same way, every seventh year being a sabbath of rest for the land, and every fiftieth year a year of jubilee, the world, after six thousand years of trouble and sin, would have one thousand years of rest, during which the saints of God would “long enjoy the work of their hands.”

It did not make much difference whether his hearers believed this theory or not, in the opinion of the speaker (and in our opinion, too, so far as any practical benefit to be derived from it was concerned); it was his theory, and he simply presented it as such.

We think it very probable that the land will “enjoy her sabbaths” (2 Chron. 36:21), of which she has been robbed for six thousand years; but it would hardly be possible, if she is compelled to sustain the teeming millions with which our temporal-millennium friends are wont to people the earth during the millennial period.

According to 2 Chron. 36:21, it was only while the land “lay desolate” that “she kept sabbath,” and if we adopt this theory, that the seventh thousand years are years of rest, analogy would require that it be desolate during the thousand years. It matters not, as to the fact of time-setting, whether the coming of Christ be at the beginning of the thousand years, as we believe it will be, or at their close. Any school-boy who has learned to cipher can readily tell that 1000 years from A. M. 6001, will be A. M. 7001.

Thus it will be seen, that, in spite of himself, our friend has set the time of Christ’s second coming, even if he does not come, as he believes he will not, till the end of the thousand years. But we believe he has even named the year in which (if his theory of the time of the beginning of the millennium be correct), Christ will appear. We draw this conclusion from the fact that we believe Christ will come at the beginning of the thousand years. We will now briefly state why we so believe. By reference to Rev. 20:4–6, it will be seen that the beginning of the thousand years is to be marked very distinctly. Among other things, the “first resurrection” is to take place. By reference to 1 Thess. 4:16, it will be seen that the second coming of Christ is to take place at the time of the first resurrection.

We think our friend hardly appreciated the position in which he placed himself by his improbable theory; but this is hardly the worst of it, the theory itself is very unreliable. The 1260 years naturally begin at the setting up of the papacy, A. D. 538, and close with its overthrow and temporary abolition, by the capture of the pope by Berthier, the French general, in 1798. But this did not mark the beginning of the thousand years; for the dead are not yet raised, and Christ has not yet come.

Let our temporal millennium friends beware, when they find fault with the preaching of the near approach of the coming of Christ, calling it setting the time, when no time is named, lest, in searching for this (imaginary) mote, in some one else’s eye, they should afterward find that they were cherishing a beam in their own eye.

A. J. DENNIS.

Henry, Ill., Oct. 9.