William Miller

The Great Disappointment was a major event in the history of the Millerite Christian denomination in the United States. Around 50,000 people joined the movement that was to receive Jesus on October 22, 1844. Based on an interpretation of the event portrayed in Daniel 8:14, they waited to see the Second Coming as the event that was to be fulfilled on the appointed day. The Biblical passage (KJV) is as follows: Image File history File links William_Miller. ... Image File history File links William_Miller. ... AFI, in recent years short for A Fire Inside, is an American band from Ukiah, California. ... Sing the Sorrow was the first major-label release by the alternative rock band AFI, released in 2003. ... A denomination, in the Christian sense of the word, is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and/or doctrine. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... For other uses, see Book of Daniel (disambiguation). ... The Second Coming refers to the Christian belief in the return of Jesus Christ, an event that will fulfill aspects of Messianic prophecy such as the resurrection of the dead, last judgment and full establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth (also called the Reign of God), including the... The King James or Authorised Version of the Bible is an English translation of the Christian Bible first published in 1611. ...

And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. (Daniel 8:14)

Overview

1843 prophetic chart illustrating numerous interpretations of prophecy yielding the year 1843

Between 1831 and 1844, William Miller, a Baptist preacher, played a notable role in what historians have called the Second Great Awakening. The Millerite movement , named for William Miller, had significant influence on popular views of biblical prophecy, including upon the movement that later consolidated as the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Miller preached a set of fourteen rules for the interpretation of the Bible.^[1] Based on his study of the prophecy of Daniel 8:14, Miller calculated that Jesus would return to Earth sometime between 21 March 1843 and 21 March 1844.^[2] After the latter date came and went, the date was revised and set as October 22, 1844 based on the yearly Day of Atonement in Karaite Judaism. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1546x2003, 1377 KB) Millerite prophetic time chart from 1843, about the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1546x2003, 1377 KB) Millerite prophetic time chart from 1843, about the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. ... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Jan. ... William Miller William Miller (1782 - 1849) was an American Baptist preacher, whose followers have been termed Millerites. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging... The Second Great Awakening (1800–1830s) was the second great religious revival in United States history and consisted of renewed personal salvation experienced in revival meetings. ... William Miller The Millerite tradition is a diverse family of denominations and Bible study movements that have arisen since the middle of the 19th century, traceable to the Adventist movement sparked by the teachings of William Miller. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1843 (MDCCCXLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... Yom Kippur (IPA: ; Hebrew:יוֹם כִּפּוּר, IPA: ) is the Jewish holiday of the Day of Atonement. ... Karaite Judaism or Karaism is a Jewish movement characterized by the sole reliance on the Tanakh as scripture, and the rejection of the Oral Law (the Mishnah and the Talmud) as halakha (Legally Binding, i. ...

When Jesus did not appear, Miller's followers experienced what came to be called "the Great Disappointment". Most of the thousands of followers left the movement. A group of the remaining followers concluded after biblical study that the prophecy predicted not that Jesus would return in 1844, but that the investigative judgment in heaven would begin in that year. The Investigative Judgment is a unique Seventh-day Adventist doctrine, which asserts that a judgment of professed Christian believers has been in progress since October 22, 1844. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Miller recorded his personal disappointment in his memoirs: "Were I to live my life over again, with the same evidence that I then had, to be honest with God and man, I should have to do as I have done. I confess my error, and acknowledge my disappointment."^[3] Miller continued to wait for the second coming until his death in 1849. The Second Coming refers to the Christian belief in the return of Jesus Christ, an event that will fulfill aspects of Messianic prophecy such as the resurrection of the dead, last judgment and full establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth (also called the Reign of God), including the... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Repercussions

Seventh-day Adventists

Seventh-day Adventist Church historians writing about the morning of 23 October refer to a vision said to have been received by Hiram Edson, an early Adventist.^[4] Edson claimed he had a vision that indicated the date predicted by Miller was in fact correct. Later Bible study and visions led to the belief by the early Seventh-day Adventists that Christ went into the second compartment of the heavenly sanctuary in 1844 to begin the investigative judgment of both righteous and wicked to see who is worthy of going to heaven.^[5] This investigative judgment is said to take place prior to his second coming, which they believed to be very soon. Numerous issues related to the doctrine of this investigative judgement were raised by Adventist theologian Desmond Ford in the 1970s. The Seventh-day Adventist (abbreviated Adventist) Church is a Christian denomination with a worldwide membership of over 14 million and an active presence in most countries of the world. ... October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Hiram Edson (1806–1882) was a pioneer of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, known for introducing the investigative judgment doctrine to the church. ... Dr. Desmond Des Ford (?1928—) is an Australian Adventist scholar, known for his dynamic and grace centred preaching. ...

Jehovah's Witnesses

Jonas Wendell, an Adventist preacher, experienced periods of weak faith after 1844. After studying Bible chronology, he came to the conclusion that the Second Coming would be in 1868, and in 1870 he published a booklet concluding it was to be in 1873. Elder Jonas Wendell (December 25, 1815 - August 14, 1873) of Edenboro, Pennsylvania, was a zealous Adventist preacher following in the spirit of William Miller. ... The term Adventist generally refers to someone who believes in the Second Advent of Jesus (popularly known as the Second coming) in the tradition of the Millerites. ...

Charles Taze Russell was in turn influenced by Jonas Wendell (as well as by the Millerites in general). One-time Millerite ministers George Storrs, George Stetson, and Nelson H. Barbour were also influential in Russell's doctrinal development. Like Wendell, Barbour had also predicted Christ's return in 1873, and when that failed, he revised the prediction for 1874. Soon after that disappointment, Barbour's group came to believe that Christ had returned in 1874 but invisibly. Russell met Barbour in 1876 and accepted the teaching of an invisible presence of Christ from Barbour. Russell developed an elaborate chronology with 1914 being viewed as the end of a forty year "harvest period." A schism in the movement occurred after Russell's death. In the early 1930s, the leadership changed the date of the Second Coming to 1914. The main branch of that movement came to be known as the Jehovah's Witnesses, while many members refused the change; Bible Students today still hold that the Second Coming was in 1874. Charles Russell in 1911 Charles Taze Russell (February 16, 1852 – October 31, 1916), known as Pastor Russell, was an American evangelist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who founded what is known as the Bible Student movement. ... Nelson H. Barbour, (1824-1905) a Millerite Adventist (see Millerites) born in Throopsville (misspelled Toupsville in a newspaper profile), a village near Auburn, New York. ... Charles Russell in 1911 The name Bible Students is used by many segments of what has been termed the Bible Student movement, all of whom follow the doctrinal views of Charles Taze Russell. ...

Religious studies

The Great Disappointment is viewed as an example of how the psychological phenomenon of cognitive dissonance manifests itself through failed prophecies which often arise in a religious context.^[6] The theory was proposed by Leon Festinger to describe the formation of new beliefs and increased proselyting in order to reduce the tension, or dissonance, that results from failed prophecies. According to the theory, believers experienced tension following the failure of Jesus' reappearance in 1844 which led to a variety of new explanations. The various solutions form a part of the teachings of the different groups that outlived the disappointment. Cognitive dissonance is a psychological term which describes the uncomfortable tension that comes from holding two conflicting thoughts at the same time, or from engaging in behavior that conflicts with ones beliefs. ... Leon Festinger Leon Festinger (May 8, 1919 – February 11, 1989) was a social psychologist from New York City who became famous for his Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (Festinger, 1957). ...

Other references

Bahá'í

Members of the Bahá'í Faith believe that Miller's interpretation of signs and dates of the coming of Jesus were, for the most part, correct. They believe that the fulfillment of biblical prophecies of the coming of Christ came through a forerunner of their own religion, the Báb, who declared that he was the "Promised One" on May 23, 1844, and began openly teaching in Persia (Iran) in October 1844.^[7] Several Bahá'í books and pamphlets make mention of the Millerites and the prophecies used by Miller, most notably William Sears' Thief in the Night.^[3] Seat of the Universal House of Justice, governing body of the Baháís, in Haifa, Israel The Baháí Faith is the religion founded by Baháulláh in 19th century Persia. ... Shrine of the Báb at night from above in Haifa, Israel. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the old Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. ... William Sears William Sears (1911 - 1992) was a prominent American Baháí teacher and writer. ...

References

William Sears William Sears (1911 - 1992) was a prominent American Baháí teacher and writer. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 9 is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 175 days remaining. ...

See also

• Millerites
• Adventist
• Jerry Falwell
• 1000
• Apocalyptic predictions about 2012