p. 1 | Review of the New Time Theory by E. Everts

Publishing Committee · Rochester, N. Y. · Jan 10, 1854

Review of the New Time Theory.

By E. Everts

It seems necessary, in this time of strong delusion, that we should examine ourselves, to see if we are in the faith. We need line upon line, line upon line, daily.

I am reminded, by the many positions of the opposers of the present truth, that while the true church has but "one head, [Christ,] and speak the same things, and glorify God with one mouth," the harlot church is aided by the dragon of many heads, whose name is legion.

Truth affirms that "the vision for an appointed time," after the "tarry" of 1844, "spoke," on the tenth of the 7th month, had its end, and did not lie.

It was so plain that he who run could read it. Yes, the preaching of time which was accompanied by God's providence, by a corresponding work, ended short, precisely at the time appointed: A. D. 1844.

Light on the Sanctuary shows that the judgment commenced on the tenth of the 7th month, at the end of the 2300 days, and our High Priest commenced cleansing the Sanctuary and true Tabernacle which is in heaven, because of the iniquities of the people of God in all their uncleanness, A. D. 1844. Lev. xvi; 1 Pet. iv, 17.

But infidelity towards that work, has led to a multitude of erroneous views. For a while, some advocated that the end of the 2300 days must be in the future, but presumed not to disconnect from them the 70 weeks. This showed the necessity of commencing the 70 weeks at another period, than B. C. 457. To this the Advent Herald, March 2d, 1850, objected; maintaining that it is demonstrated by more than twenty concurrent eclipses, that the prophetic period of the 70 weeks commenced B. C. 457. This sustained the view that the 2300 days ended 1844. To escape this, came the denial of the connection of the 70 weeks and the 2300 days. This glaring error of disconnecting those periods, is now healed. But how? By acknowledging the true starting point, 457 B. C., the connection of the 70 weeks and the 2300 days, and consequently their end A. D. 1844! No! But after acknowledging their connection, then denying their commencement, and end, which have been so firmly established.

The strong delusion is going through Maine, N. H., Mass. and part of Conn., like fire in stubble, as one of its advocates told me; and now it is making progress here in Vt. Base coin comes from wrong authority; although it aims to imitate every feature of the true, to deceive; but he that is conversant with the genuine, by comparing them, can detect the counterfeit.

Let us examine this new doctrine in part, as far as I learned from a preacher of it. He said that he saw the connection of the 70 weeks and the 2300 days; then set about solving the mystery of their end. He said, that he first ascertained the end of the 70 weeks, by taking the account of Paul and Barnabas (Acts xiii) to be the ending of the seventieth week, of confirming the covenant, which was A. D. 45. Then he sought for a corresponding event, to mark their commencement; this he found by taking the decree of Nehemiah, to be the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' reign B. C. 445. This, said he, just admitted the required time of 490 years, ending A. D. 45; then he added the remaining 1810 of the 2300 years, which brings us to A. D. 1855. Then, whatever may be the Sanctuary, its cleansing will be ended, and it will be fitted for the saints' abode.

Now, said he, I set about settling the much disputed point, the cross; this he did by allowing all the confirmation week to the apostles; which places the cross seven years prior to A. D. 45, which is A. D. 38, and makes Christ's age 38. He said, that even the apostles doubted Christ's being the Messiah till after the resurrection, which took place at the end of the sixty-ninth week, A. D. 38. How calculated this sort of reasoning is to deceive them whose lamps are gone out. Once, Adventists were proverbial for having for their companion the Bible; but with many now, how sad the reverse.

Why all this liberal theory, that can bend to events or dates, applicable, or foreign to the fundamental basis of the question at issue? It appears to be this: because the event expected in 1844, was not realized. Feeling keenly the disappointment, many doubted the genuineness of the work; called it mesmerism: some doubted the correctness of the calculation of the time; but where the defect was, neither they nor any of our opposers could tell. Unwilling to yield the position that the earth is the Sanctuary; unwilling to allow what we and they once challenged our opponents to disprove, that the 70 weeks and 2300 days are connected, and commenced in the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes, B. C. 457, and ended A. D. 1844; therefore comes this scattering and diversity of sentiment.

Now they are prepared to abandon plain fulfillment of prophecy, and assume that the decree in the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes, answers not the instruction mentioned to Daniel, "to restore and build Jerusalem;" because to it is added, "the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times." Therefore the decree of the seventh is rejected, and that of the twentieth year of Artaxerxes is taken; because it was under the superintendence of Nehemiah, that the street and the walls were built in troublous times.

Now, by reading the work under Nehemiah, it is plain that his work in building the street and wall, could not alone answer the instruction mentioned to Daniel; but it required the work of Ezra, commissioned to him by the decree of the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes, 457 B. C., "to restore and build Jerusalem;" which must commence the seven weeks, which end with the completion of the walls. Even it is evident that Ezra understood that his grant permitted the restoration of Jerusalem in all particulars; viz. repairing the altar; offering sacrifices; appointing judges and magistrates; and building the house or temple of God, and the wall. Ez. vii, 17, 25, 26; ix, 8, 9.

Here let us notice three points of the views of the new-timeists: 1. That the 69 weeks reach to the cross. 2. That Christ was not known to be the Messiah, till after the resurrection. 3. That all the "confirming of the covenant one week," was done by the apostles, and ended A. D. 45; which terminated the seventy weeks. Also they contend that Christ was crucified A. D. 38.

Now it appears only necessary to ascertain at what point we find the Messiah; for that point ends the 69 weeks; and 69 weeks prior to that point, must be the decree to restore and build Jerusalem; from which point it is seven weeks, and three score and two weeks, unto Messiah the Prince. Messiah, according to Bolls' lexicon, is the Anointed; the Christ; the Saviour of the world; the Prince of Peace. We will examine the assertion that Christ was not known to be the Messiah, during his ministry, before the cross. "John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." Andrew said, "We have found the Messias." Nathanael said unto Christ, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." The woman at Jacob's well said, "I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ; when he is come he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he." And many of the Samaritans said, we "know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." The devils said, "Let us alone: what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth! art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God." "And devils came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God." "Peter said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus said, Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." At Christ's baptism the Holy Ghost testified by descending in a bodily shape like a dove upon him; and a voice came from heaven, and testified, saying "Thou art my Beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased." All this, and much more might be added to this clear testimony, that the Messiah was manifested at the commencement of his ministry. This fact settled, it settles the termination of the 69 weeks. After Jesus was baptized, he preached, saying, "The time is fulfilled." (Accomplished—Campbell.) Mark i, 15. What time? No time can be found to be fulfilled, but the 69 weeks, which are accomplished at "the Messiah the Prince," when he was baptized. This, according to Usher, was A. D. 26. Here is fixed the termination of the 69 weeks.

"And after three score and two weeks (from the end of 7 weeks, allowed to build Jerusalem) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself." Dan. ix, 26. How long after 69 weeks, or Christ's baptism, before Messiah was cut off, or crucified? This may easily be ascertained, by ascertaining the length of Christ's ministry, from his baptism to his cross where he was cut off. This may be determined by the number of yearly passovers he attended. We find that but four passovers occurred during his ministry, which he attended; [John ii, 13; v, 1; vi, 4; xiii, 1;] and at the fourth he was crucified. These four passovers could not cover more than three and a half years. These three and a half years added to Usher's chronology of Christ's baptism, A. D. 26-7, could not extend beyond A. D. 31; where must stand the cross. Clear, it is, that as at his baptism, the 69 weeks ended, so at his cross, the end of three and a half years more

must be the midst of the week, where Christ caused the sacrifice and oblation to cease, by becoming our passover, sacrificed for us. Christ said, 'Sacrifice and offering and burnt-offering and offering for sin thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.' 'By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.' Heb. x, 8-10.

Does any one doubt that Christ's being offered on the cross, 'caused the sacrifice and oblation virtually to cease,' by the above commentary of Paul; and also, from the circumstance that 'the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom,' when Christ hung on the cross: [Matt. xxvii, 51:] showing the rejection of that typical economy?

The cross plainly stands according to the Scriptures, in the midst [middle] of the one week, the seventieth, during which he was to confirm the covenant with many. Dan. ix, 27. This fact shows that the apostles had but half of one week, three and a half years left them in which to confirm the covenant. Now as the cross stood in the Spring, A. D. 31, the middle of the seventieth week, three and a half more, the confirming, by them that heard him, [Heb. ii, 3] must bring us to the Autumn of A. D. 34, where end the seventy weeks, or 490 years of the 2300, [Dan. viii, 14] which leaves 1810 years to transpire after the Fall of A. D. 34, which end A. D. 1844, 10th of the 7th month, sacred time. Then the Sanctuary, according to time and type, law and prophets, must be cleansed.

We ask where the Bible plainly calls the earth, or Palestine the Sanctuary? We unhesitatingly say, Nowhere! Out of the 146 texts, where the Sanctuary is expressed, two or three, only, are claimed [Ex. xv, 17; Ps. lxxviii, 54] as referring to the earth, or Palestine. But, on examination, it is clear that they refer to the true, Bible Sanctuary, which God commanded Moses to make, where the High Priest officiated between God and his people; which is brought to view under the Levitical dispensation, in Ex. xxv, 8, under the gospel, Heb. viii, 2, and on the New Earth, Rev. xxi, 3; Eze. xxxvii, 26, 28.

In regard to the apostles' confirming the covenant, alone, one week, it conflicts with the plain proof, that Christ's ministry extended to the middle of the confirmation week, and during that time, he confirmed that he was the 'Saviour of the world.' As he declared—I have greater witness than that of John: for 'the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. John v, 36. These works of healing the sick, casting out devils, forgiving sins, and raising the dead, declared his salvation; 'which,' says Paul, 'at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them, who heard him.' These texts plainly show that Christ first began to confirm the covenant, and it was finished by the apostles.

Dear brethren, may the Lord impress us with a deep sense of these truths. May the Lord help us to walk in the light, lest it in us become darkness as it is in those whose lamps are gone out. O, for grace to walk softly; knowing that the last work in the heavenly Sanctuary is closing. How few the months or days may be, when in heaven, there will be no Intercessor, no Days-man for poor sinners; destinies of mortals will be sealed; the filthy will be so still, and the holy, ever holy be; when the Son of man, with his sharp sickle, will harvest the earth; when the downfall of kingdoms will come; the land be soaked with blood; the slain be from one end of the earth to the other; for they shall not be lamented, neither gathered nor buried. 'In that day shall this song be sung: We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.' 'Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.' O, may this be our end. Amen.

New Haven, Vt., Dec. 28th, 1853.