A post was made on the Adventist Today website called, 1844 and Me. An interesting personal reflection on the Great Disappointment, and what it means to the author, David Hamstra. He encouraged others to post their own personal reflections on the topic, and I’ve decided to take up that challenge – or, at the very least, explore my own feelings on the topic through a loose analysis of his article.
William Miller
Like Hamstra, indeed, like all Adventists, I was taught that 1844 was a year of great cosmic importance (as Hamstra puts it). The story of William Miller‘s journey to 1844 is quite an interesting one. Don’t get me wrong, he is no saint of the church. As a matter of fact, outside of learning Adventist History, or discussions/sermons on 1844 and the Great Disappointment, Miller is hardly mentioned at all, but his determination to hear God’s voice through the bible, without the filter of any particular denomination’s interpretation, is admirable, even today. And it was through this dedicated study that he began to put the pieces together that would lead him to his 1843/1844 conclusions.
Chart illustrating the calculations to 1843
There is a very interesting (if somewhat confusing and unreadable) chart that he used to demonstrate his calculations. At some point I actually managed to get my hands on a reproduction print of this poster, and just found an image of it on the interwebs.
I have never quite understood why, with direct biblical commentary such as Mark 13:32, people throughout history have insisted on trying to divine the exact time of Christ’s return. I mean, I understand the desire to know, and the longing to know, but having already been told that no one but the Father knows, why would you begin to think that it was calculable?
I suppose there is some sympathetic understanding to be awarded, given the situation. Miller got very wrapped up in the prophesies of Daniel and Revelation (who hasn’t? [no sarcasm]). When you start with Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, as told in Daniel 2, you have the starting point for all future prophetic time lines – The Gold Head which represented the Babylonian Empire. From there, you just work your way out, using the rest of the statue, and the 70-week and 2300 day prophecies as guideposts. Eventually, Miller arrived at a set of dates, but had no idea what it meant beyond the somewhat cryptic prophetic statement, “then shall the sanctuary be cleansed” (Daniel 8:14). Miller originally attributed the Earth as the sanctuary, and came to the conclusion that to cleanse the sanctuary would mean the Second Coming.
After the Great Disappointment, three major factions splintered from the Millerites. One of these factions, which would later give birth to the Seventh-Day Adventist denomination, held that the sanctuary to be cleansed was not the earth, but rather the Heavenly Sanctuary, which has been Shadowed by the earthly sanctuary, as outlined in Exodus 25.
In this way, we come to our 1844 dilemma – as Hamstra put it:
the last 165 years we have been living in the last of the last days. But those 165 years have not been kind to 1844. The fact that they exist has leached 1844 of its apocalyptic power to motivate piety. (Will it take another 165 before Jesus comes?) And that delay has allowed us to question the cosmic significance of the date itself. (How can we know that a prophecy has been fulfilled in Heaven? At least Miller’s prediction was falsifiable.)
Hamstra encourages persona reflection – not on whether to ignore the topic or not, but rather on how we make sense of it. We claim that 1844 marks the beginning of the end … but what does that mean to you as an individual child of God?
I admit, I haven’t really given the topic much thought. Reading Hamstra’s view, however, made me sympathetic to his views. Scripture always builds on itself, and if there’s a Shadow on earth, than the heavenly version follows that pattern as well. Salvation is no different. 1844 reinforces this, and reminds us that Christ continues to petition on our behalf. 1844 also serves as a common marker for both earthly history and heavenly history – a shared bond, to reassure the lost children of God that our experiences here on earth are still directly tied to rest of creation; we are an integral part of a grander, cosmic story – a connection that can so easily be overlooked or forgotten.
But, as we look back on the Cross with bitter-sweet tears – joy and awe at the sacrifice of the Son of God, mixed with the pain and grief at the folly of humans which necessitated it – so too should we reflect on 1844; not with the hubris of, “we are the remnant,” but with the humility of our own situation and God’s constant struggle to lead us out of darkness when we are so willing to remain there.
Just as the disciples of Christ wept because they misunderstood the prophecies of Christ’s mission, so too did the Millerites weep at their misunderstanding of 1844. Humans screw up. And God, in His infinite love and mercy, works with that. He works with the 1844s of our lives, never stopping His attempts to bring us home.
This is what 1844 means to me.
