What the Millerites Were About
The "Millerites" were a group of Christian persons who arose in the years preceding 1844, teaching the imminent arrival of the judgment hour for man and the literal, physical, audible, personal second coming of Christ - in direct contrast to the widespread teaching of the time that the coming of Christ would be about 1000 years in the future.  They eventually derived from Bible prophecy a sound computation for what they expected to be the Lord's return. Although they arrived at a sound computation of the time prophecies, they were mistaken as to the event expected.  The Seventh-day Adventist Church, (a vigorous and growing religious movement now (1997) 10+ million members strong throughout the world, with some 800,000 in the USA), arose out of the aftermath of the failed expectations and was founded as a church in 1863.

As a people, the Millerites were about

• Following their Lord fully
• Thoroughly believing and studying the Bible
• Putting their faith into action
• Willingly presenting an unpopular message because they loved the Lord

Whenever I found anything obscure, my practice was to compare it with all collateral passages; and by the help of Cruden [a concordance], I examined all the texts of Scripture in which were found any of the prominent words contained in any obscure portion. Then, by letting every word have its proper bearing in the subject of the text, if my view harmonized with every collateral passage in the Bible, it ceased to be a difficulty. In this way I pursued the study of the Bible, in my own perusal of it, for about two years, and was fully satisfied that it is its own interpreter.[]

What Happened
Having reached this extraordinary conclusion after years of study, Miller faced what seemed to him an unpleasant prospect in knowing that the material must be presented, but not himself desiring to be the one to do it. He began to present his views in private as he had opportunity, praying that some minister might feel their force and devote himself to their promulgation. But he could not banish the conviction that he had a personal duty to perform in giving the warning. As he communed with God in prayer, he finally indicated that he was willing to present it, if he would be called to preach. To his discomfort and surprise, a knock was heard at the door within the hour. It was, of course, an unanticipated invitation to preach![]  Miller began, reluctantly, to preach. He had no intention of beginning any independent religious movement. He never did start one, nor left the baptist church of which he was a part. He died in 1849 much poorer than when he began preaching. Nonetheless, when he began to preach the response rapidly became overwhelming.  Churches of nearly every denomination opened their doors to him and invited him to come and speak. He held lectures all over the northeast U.S.A., and revivals followed wheverever he went.

Initially, his work was accepted. The Advent movement was perhaps the modern precurser of the ecumenical movement, as congregations and persons out of every faith flocked to the meetings, the lovely thought of so soon seeing their Lord stimulating them with hope and fervor.

Unfortunately, however, Miller's teaching that Christ would come at the beginning of the millenium (the 1,000 years of Revelation 20) was in direct contradiction to the widespread belief of his day that Christ would come at the end of the millenium. Nearly all churches in the 1830's and 1840's taught that the world had to be converted to Christ before the millenium would begin. After that conversion there would be peace and plenty on earth for 1,000 years. Then Jesus would come. That belief had fueled the great reform movements of the day. It stood at the very heart of Protestant teaching when Miller began to preach.

At first the churches and their ministers were not overly offended by Miller's views. After all, he could draw a crowd and bring about conversions to fill the churches. So even though many in the various denominations believed him to be wrong about the Second Coming, they were willing to tolerate him for pragmatic reasons.

That worked fine as long as the predicted date was still five or six years away. But because Miller had predicted a specific year for the end of the world, he and his movement were set on a collision course with the churches as the time approached. Before the early 1840's the pulpits of nearly all churches had been open to Miller, but that rapidly began to change in 1842.[]

In all my labors, I never had the desire or thought to establish any separate interest from that of existing denominations, or to benefit one at the expense of another. I thought to benefit all. Supposing that all Christians would rejoice in the prospect of Christ's coming, and that those who could not see as I did would not love any the less those who should  embrace this doctrine, I did not conceive there would ever be any necessity for separate meetings. My whole object was a desire to convert souls to God,  to notify the world of a coming judgment, and to induce my fellow men to make that preparation of heart which will enable them to meet their God in peace. The great majority of those converted under my labors united with the various existing churches.[]

As the Millerites shared the necessity of reform, they came face to face with several factors which opened their eyes to the fulfillment of the second angel of Revelation 14:8, announcing the fall of Babylon. Charles Fitch began to preach what became known as the midnight cry. Babylon had been previously identified by Protestants, and even Catholics, as being the Roman Catholic church.  But now the advent believers personally experienced bitter treatment at the hands of those who felt condemned by their simple desire to seek readiness for their Lord's appearing.  Now fellow church members whom they had grown up with sought to suppress even the discussion of the second coming. Fitch proclaimed that those who persisted in this opposition and behavior were indeed themselves fallen, and that much of Protestantism must also be included in the scriptural designation "Babylon." Christians must flee error if they were to make preparation for the imminent return of their Lord. The message which God had sent for the testing and purification of the church revealed all too surely how great was the number who had set their affections on this world rather than upon Christ. The ties which bound them to earth were stronger than the attractions heavenward.  They chose to listen to the voice of  worldly wisdom and turned away from the heart-searching message of truth.  In refusing the warning to prepare for the imminent return of Jesus and thus the judgment, they rejected the crucial eschatological light sent by God.

In the summer of 1844, midway between the time when it had first been thought the 2300 days would end, and the autumn of the same year, to which it was afterward found that they extended, the message was proclaimed in the very words of Scripture: "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!" An application was made of the parable of the bridegroom in Matthew 25:5-7: "While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps." What led to this movement was the discovery that the decree of Artaxerxes for the restoration of Jerusalem which formed the starting point for the period of the 2300 days, went into effect in the autumn of the year 457 B.C., and not in the beginning of the year, as had been formerly believed. Counting from autumn of 457, the 2300 years terminate in the autumn of 1844 (there is no year zero in the change from B.C. to A.D.). The movement spread throughout the land, and thousands upon thousands sought the heart preparation that could prepare them to meet their Lord. Study of the matter affirmed that October 22, 1844, was the date of termination of the 2300 years.

What Didn't Happen
The Lord did not come to an earthly tabernacle on October 22, 1844. The Millerites waited seemingly in vain. The day came and passed, and Jesus did not come to this earth. The sky was dark. The Millerites were stunned and shocked. There was intense weeping through the night. The event expected at the close of the 2300 year period, the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary had begun in heaven, and not upon earth.

Stories of Millerite believers donning "ascension robes" and waiting upon high eminences and hills for the return of Christ have never been confirmed. No evidence of such occurances has ever been uncovered. No 100 suicides in relation to any passing comet, or any other aspect of the movement ever happened. As to such events, no historic sources provide any evidence or even suggestion. No credible, or even incredible evidence exists to support such assertions.

Were They Led By God?
As we consider this snapshot of their experience, we cannot help but wonder if these persons were led by God or not. Can they have been so sincere, and yet so wrong? Mustn't we consider them to be just another batch of misguided nuts from a bygone era of confusion and ignorance? But I say, as we answer this question, we must also come squarely to grips with our own presuppositions. For example, would one be justified in believing that because a date was actually set for the Lord's coming, the whole experience must be written-off as misguided? What about it?

We must indeed affirm that the Bible teaches that "Of that day and hour knoweth no man." Even our Lord said that He did not know, but only the Father. Yet these statements only represent part of the Scriptural picture. The same Bible also teaches that we may indeed know when it is near, even at the doors (Matthew 24:32,33). Again, Paul tells us that the last day will come upon the wicked as a great surprize. Yet of that final closing time, he reminds them "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day" (1 Thessalonians 5:4,5). In our day things will be as they were in the days of Noah. The Noachin world heard the preaching of Noah - they saw the animals entering the ark in supernatural manifestation. There were many signs of the nearness of that event. And did the Bible say we would never know the day or the hour? Was even this portion of the Millerite's belief so far fetched?

What of the disappointment they suffered? If they were truly led by God, they would never have experienced the suffering of disappointment, would they? But consider the disappointed expectations of God's people throughout history - A foremost example being the apostles of Christ. They expected Jesus to ride triumphally into Jerusalem and take the throne of David, but He took the cross and death. True-hearted believers in God have experienced disappointment, but still God has blessed their efforts for Him and in spite of their sometimes misguided service, has used them to proclaim timely truth that they otherwise might not have been able to proclaim. The testimony of history indicates that we must be wary, and not close our mind because of our underlying presuppositions. Sometimes they may blind us to broader truths.

What of William Miller?  What did he say after the disappointment? He could say in earnest

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.[]

• First of all, that we must orient ourselves firmly to the continual seeking of light from the Bible.  The Bible defines light as "that which reveals." And the Bible itself is the great lamp, the great revealer of objective truth. Unlike the tragic comet Hale-Bopp cult suicide participants, the Millerites turned to the revelation of God as recorded in the Bible for their light.  They followed out the teachings of that Word, and sought to live out the fullest implications of that Word.  There was a renouncing of subjective and whimsical human interpretations in favor of the bedrock of the Bible.
• Again, we must purpose to hold unshakably to a personal seeking of Jesus Christ and the presence of His sustaining Holy Spirit. This was the driving motivation ofthe Millerites. It must also be ours. If it is not, we will easily drop into the abyss of the ridiculous or the whimsical and empty.
• Notwithstanding their fervent desire and their intensity of belief, even they were disppointed in the end, because they failed to eradicate from their belief system entrenched presuppositions not supported by the Scriptures of inspiration.  Encrusted theories not sustained by the Bible led them to misunderstand the event expected at the close of the 2300 year period in 1844.  Today the Christian world in general seems to have wandered even further from Bible solidity, and unsound interpretive methods have led many to throw up their hands in confusion and resignation to give up even trying to understand Bible prophecy. Every soul who falls into this trap shall almost certainly be lost!

Would that we might emulate them instead of make fun of them.

Damsteegt, P. Gerard        Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist Message and Mission 1977
Froom, Leroy Edwin         Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, Volume IV 1954
Knight, George R.            1844 and the Rise of Sabbatarian Adventism1994
Land, Gary                       Adventism in America 1986
Loughborough, J. N.         Rise and Progress of Seventh-day Adventists 1892
Maxwell, C. Mervyn         God Cares, volume 2  1985
Nichol, Francis D.             The Midnight Cry
Shwarz, R. W.                  Light Bearers to the Remnant 1979
White, Ellen G.                 The Great Controversy 1911

Last Modified 23 March 2000