The Twenty-three Hundred Days.
By Editor
The 2300 days, the seventy weeks forming the first 490 of those days, was the main pillar of the Advent faith. Here was the great point of difference between Wm. Miller and his opponents. But the Advent Herald which professes to be the only true defender of the doctrines held by Wm. Miller, denies the connexion of the two periods. In doing this, instead of defending the views of Wm. Miller, it tears down the main pillar of his prophetic expositions. Wm. Miller and thousands of others rejoiced that the visions of Daniel were unsealed. They held forth to the world that the seventy weeks was the key that unlocked the vision. This key is now virtually thrown away by the Herald, professedly the defender of Wm. Miller's sentiments!! And why is the key thrown away? Answer:—Because if the 70 weeks be a part of the 2300 days, then the whole period ended in 1844. And as Christ did not then come, and cleanse the earth by fire, (which was supposed would be the cleansing of the Sanctuary, but for which there is not a particle of evidence,) it is concluded that the 2300 days have not yet ended, therefore, could not commence with the 70 weeks, B. C. 457. But with the scriptural view of the Sanctuary, there is no necessity of throwing away the key. That the 70 weeks are the first 490 of the 2300 prophetic days is one of the plainest truths of revelation; and that the days have ended is evident. The book of Hebrews contains an inspired commentary on the law of types, and teaches in the plainest terms what God's Sanctuary is, and the nature of its cleansing. Christ, our High Priest, hath entered the Most Holy to complete the great work of atonement and cleanse the Sanctuary. Wm. Miller gave the best light he then had on the Sanctuary and its cleansing. In one of his discourses on this subject he says:—"Sanctuary, in the scriptures, generally means the place where God is worshiped and adored, and where he or his glory dwells, when it has reference to God or holy things; but when it has reference to man, it means his house, or dwelling place, city, or defence." He then states, that Jesus Christ, Heaven, Judah, the Temple at Jerusalem, Holy of Holies, the earth and the saints are called a Sanctuary, and adds:— "The question now arises, Which of these Sanctuaries does Daniel mean, or the saint who talked with Daniel, when he said, Then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed? I answer, Not the first, Christ, for he is not impure. Not the second, Heaven, for that is not unclean. Not the third, in Judah, for literal Judah is cut off, and is no more a people. . . . Not the fourth, the Temple, for that is destroyed. . . . Neither the Holy of Holies in the Temple at Jerusalem, for that too was destroyed with the temple. . . . Then there are but two things more, which may be called the Sanctuary, which may, or ever will need cleansing; and these are the EARTH and the CHURCH." It really seems strange that so thorough a Bible student as Wm. Miller should not comprehend the following testimony which plainly shows that a Sanctuary to be purified or cleansed is IN HEAVEN. "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." Heb. ix, 22, 23. This he overlooked, and not seeing that the Sanctuary of which Christ is a minister is to be purified with blood, he was driven to the conclusion that the earth and church is the Sanctuary. All will see at once the impropriety of calling the church the Sanctuary of Dan. viii, for the church is there represented by the "host." The Sanctuary is one thing, and the host another. There are three texts of scripture where it is claimed that the word Sanctuary is applied to the earth; these we have repeatedly shown do not apply to the earth, or any part of it. Now if the 70 weeks are the first 490 of the 2300 prophetic days, and if they commenced B. C. 457, then the days have ended, and therefore, Wm. Miller did not see all the light on the Sanctuary question. It is well known that he held to the opinion that the two periods were connected up to the time of his death, Dec. 22d, 1849. In the Memoirs of Wm. Miller by Sylvester Bliss, published in 1853, by J. V. Himes, Boston, the evidence of the connexion of the two periods is given as one of the strong points of Wm. Miller's faith, and that evidence is conclusive. Now would it not be a much wiser course for the professed defenders of Wm. Miller's views, to correct their error in regard to the Sanctuary, to give up the view that it is the earth or a part of it, for which they cannot produce one plain text, rather than to disconnect the two periods, and tear down the main pillar of his faith? We have no idea that Wm. Miller had all the light on every point. The path of the just was to shine more and more till the perfect day should come. He shed a flood of light on the prophecies; but the subject of the Sanctuary was to be opened to the waiting flock, in the period of the third message. Rev. xiv, 9-12. We closely adhere to the fundamental doctrines taught by Wm. Miller, because we believe them to be sound; yet we are willing that the march of Time, and the increase of light should convict all the errors in that theory. And we do protest against this profession of standing on the original Advent faith, and in defense of the distinctive views of Wm. Miller, while, at the same time, pulling down one after another of the pillars on which Wm. Miller's faith rested.