Anniversary date for Adventism

The church of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is faced with a problem: How does it account for the apparent delay of Christ's second advent? More than one hundred years ago a small group came up with an answer that still merits a close look.

Warren H. Johns is an associate editor of MINISTRY.

Anniversaries and birthdays are meaningful only to the ones experiencing them. Holidays and memorial days hold significance only to those who are intimately connected with the celebrated events or to those who are the descendants of the ones originally involved in the events. Three summers ago I was attending some meetings in Paris, and early in the morning of July 14 I heard the continuous rumble of what I thought at first was heavy construction machinery going past our hotel. Soon I discovered that hundreds of tanks and army vehicles were streaming down the wide Boulevard de la Grande Armee, in preparation for the celebration of the French independence day. I followed the procession to the Arc de Triomphe (Arch of Triumph) , where I witnessed a most impressive military display. What a thrill to see the French president, Giscard d'Estaing, saluting the crowd from a military vehicle less than 100 feet from where I stood! However, had I been in the United States at the time, the date of July 14, which commemorates the storming of the Bastille in 1789, would have passed by totally unnoticed.

Likewise July 4 is meaningful only to an American, and July 1, Dominion Day, only to a Canadian citizen. The twenty-fifth of Kislev, commonly known as the first day of Hanukkah, brings on a warm glow only to those of Jewish descent. In the same manner the date October 22, 1844, holds significance and hallowed memories only to Seventh-day Adventists, and we would not expect it other wise. We will review here why this date holds such importance to us as a church, but at the same time we would not expect that it would occupy a similar place for others. Of these we simply ask for a willing ear.

October 22, 1844, marks the birth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, although its formal organization did not take place until nearly two decades later. But this date is more than the beginning of a church; it is the beginning of a movement, a movement so broad that it links Creation with the Second Advent, yet so small in its beginning that it was composed of a handful of families living in New England in the 1840s. It is more than a date; it is an event—not simply an event composed of earthly happenings, but an event of cosmic significance involving the heavenly sanctuary.

The date 1844 is at the terminal end of the Bible's longest time prophecy, the 2300-day/year prophecy of Daniel 8:14- The story does not begin simply with Daniel the prophet, however, but it begins much earlier in history. When ever this planet of ours has experienced a spiritual crisis, God has sent a prophet or given a prophetic blueprint for His people to follow. Through Noah, His special messenger, the Lord gave a 120-year prophecy that ended with the destruction of the old world in a watery grave. The ark became the cradle for a newly born church headed by Noah, "a preacher of righteousness." Israel's escape from Egypt marked the termination of a 400-year prophecy given to Abraham (see Gen. 15:13; cf. Ex. 12:40, 41). Having been baptized in the Red Sea, "the church in the wilderness" was born, and its birth was marked by a time prophecy. "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).

Daniel the prophet was called to meet another crisis. His homeland was in shambles, his people were in disarray, like sheep without a shepherd, and the former pride of Israel, the Temple, had become not much more than a rock heap. Daniel was in constant mental agony as he tried to contemplate what it would take to resurrect and reconstruct the Temple and its services. During the third year of Belshazzar's reign (about 550 B.C.) Daniel was given a prophetic vision, or blueprint, portraying to him a temple that exceeded both the time and space limitations of his finite under standing. The new temple with its new order was not to be Palestinian nor was it to be sixth century B.C. It was to be eschatological, not contemporary to Daniel; it was to be cosmic, and not local.

The conversation which Daniel over heard (while presumably still in vision) was as follows: "Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?" (chap. 8:13). The answer came back: "And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (verse 14). A superficial glance at this prophecy might suggest that it was to meet fulfillment in the reconstruction of the Jerusalem Temple, perhaps under Zerubbabel. But this prophetic dialog must be viewed within the context of the whole chapter. The "vision" mentioned here includes the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires that were symbolized by the "ram," the "he goat," and the "little horn." Since the vision encompassed the existence of the Roman empire as well as the preceding Persian and Greek empires, the work of cleansing the Temple could not apply to the Jerusalem Temple. There was no rebuilding or refurnishing of the Temple during Roman times, although there was such during the Persian and Greek periods. God wanted Daniel to look beyond his own nationalistic aspirations; in fact, one of the reasons the Lord has given His people apocalyptic messages is to widen their vision beyond their narrow nationalistic concerns.

The specific time period, the 2300 days (literally "2300 evening-mornings"), does not fit into any events or combination of events in Daniel's time when interpreted literally. Like the 70 weeks of the neighboring chapter (Dan. 9), the 2300 days can best be explicated on the basis of one prophetic day equaling one year of time—the "year-day principle," which is illustrated in pas sages outside of the apocalyptic (see Num. 14:34; Eze. 4:6). Thus God wanted the prophet to look far beyond the horizon of his own time and gave him the 2300-year prophecy for that purpose.

Daniel still was torn between focusing on the temporal (the Temple lying in ruins hundreds of miles to the west of him) and the cosmic or eschatological. The timing was crucial to him: Would 2300 days, or more than six years, be tacked on to the end of the 70 years already predicted by Jeremiah for the Babylonian captivity? At the close of the prophetic dialog over the 2300 days, an angel visitor of no less stature than Gabriel himself uttered these words to the puzzled prophet: "Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision" (verse 17).

However, more than a decade later Daniel still did not understand. He was grappling with the meaning of Jeremiah's 70-year prophecy as it related to the 2300 day/years (Dan. 9:2). According to the ensuing narrative, Gabriel himself appeared before the prophet a second time with the words: "Therefore under stand the matter, and consider the vision" (chap. 9:23). In the intervening years no new vision had been granted Daniel; therefore, Gabriel was referring to the puzzlement over the meaning of the 2300 day/years described in the previous chapter. The explanation came in the form of a new time prophecy, the 70 weeks. Since the 70 weeks was given as an explanation of the 2300 days, then both must be interpreted on the same basis, and both must have the same starting point. The starting point for the 70 weeks was made crystal clear: "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks" (chap. 9:25). The beginning of this prophecy can be nailed down to 457 B.C. , and the end of the 69 prophetic weeks, or 483 years, found its precise fulfillment in the baptism or anointing of Christ in A.D. 27. This remarkably accurate prophecy can be interpreted only on the basis of the year-for-a-day principle. So with the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14. They must represent 2300 years. Daniel 9 becomes the key for unlocking the meaning of Daniel 8.

Now that the starting point of the 2300 years has been affixed to 457 B.C., we can then establish its terminal point as being A.D. 1844. What is specially significant about the year 1844? From a purely historical perspective, it is no different than any other given year in the nineteenth century. Obviously, if 1844 is the end of the Bible's longest time prophecy, then serious Bible students must have taken note of it. Indeed, in the early nineteenth century the world experienced an awakening expectation of the imminent return of Christ.

The most prominent preacher in the 1830s and early 1840s to proclaim Christ's fast-approaching advent was William Miller. His followers, reaching about 100,000 in number, became known as Millerites. Based largely on a study of Daniel 8:14, Miller projected the literal return of Christ to be in the fall of 1844. He interpreted the cleansing of the sanctuary to mean the final cleansing of the earth by fire, followed by the creation of new heavens and new earth (2 Peter 3:7-13). But Miller was wrong on two major points: (1) the cleansing contains no hint in it that it is a cleansing by fire; (2) the sanctuary is not a reference to the earth.

What, then, is the prophetic significance of Daniel 8:14? As mentioned previously, God always provides a prophet or a prophetic blueprint when ever a major spiritual crisis or turning point occurs. It would be strange indeed if the Lord brought a major prophecy, such as the 2300 years in 1844, to a climax without having anyone know the significance of it. He never gives a message without inaugurating a movement, and contrariwise, He never calls a movement without providing it with a message. The crisis of the 1840s was the nonreturn of Christ, and the post-1844 bewilderment was concerning the question of why the world had not come to an end as the prophetic timetable seemingly predicted.

At that time a little nucleus of Seventh-day Adventists was formed, and through careful Bible study they concluded that the answer to the delay, or apparent delay, of the Second Advent was to be found in the high priesthood of Christ. Significantly their Bible-based answers for the delay of the Advent are precisely the answers that hold relevance for us living some 140 years later. The answer is not to be found by spiritualizing away the Second Coming so that it becomes the spiritual reign of the presence of Christ in the hearts of His people. The answer is simply that certain events must take place before the Advent, and one of these is the pre-Advent judgment, which takes place in the heavenly sanctuary.

The cleansing of the sanctuary, then, is not the cleansing of the earth by fire, but a carrying on of the work of judgment within the confines of the heavenly sanctuary. The book of Hebrews tells us that the sanctuary is no longer on earth, but 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. 9:22, 23). Scripture clearly gives support to the reality of a heavenly sanctuary (Psalm 102:19, Heb. 8:1-5, Rev. 11:19). The focus of the cleansing of the sanctuary should be directed toward heaven rather than earth.

What is the God-given message that accompanied the newborn movement of the 1840s? The message actually is threefold: (1) Christ's righteousness should be viewed not only from the standpoint of the cross, but also from the standpoint of His mediatorial role in the heavenly sanctuary. (2) The law of God should be seen as the basis of God's government, the reflection of His character, and the standard by which He judges. (3) The sanctuary is the site of the pre-Advent judgment, in which the righteous, both living and dead, are to be judged.

One may rightfully ask, How is all this deciphered from the cryptic message of Daniel 8:14? Simple. One does not have to rely solely upon this one text, because many other passages amplify and illuminate it. The mention of the sanctuary in Daniel 8:14 suggests a heavenly sanctuary because of the demise of any earthly tabernacle/temple long before the end of the 2300 years. The year/day principle takes the "2300 evening-mornings" far beyond the time of Daniel and eliminates any earthly event as marking the fulfillment of that prophecy. This is borne out by an examination of Daniel 8 and 9, which should be treated as Siamese twins—inseparable.

The existence of the sanctuary implies a priesthood, and the book of Hebrews provides us with the most detailed description of this priesthood. The new order, established at the cross, is as much higher than the old Aaronic priesthood as the heavens are higher than the earth. Since the 2300 years reach their climax clearly this side of the cross, they must find their fulfillment in the heavenly sanctuary and priesthood of Christ, the earthly services having been abolished at the cross (Matt. 27:51, Col. 2:14-17).

The existence of a priesthood, then, suggests a priestly ministry accompanied by services of some kind. The finest window we have for viewing the activities and services of the heavenly is provided in the earthly tabernacle and its services. The sanctuary teaches us that there is a direct correlation between what happened under the Aaronic priesthood and what takes place under the high priesthood of Christ, although in a different sphere and on a different magnitude. If this were not true, then the book of Hebrews would not have been written or entered the sacred canon. The Passover service met its direct fulfillment in the sacrifice of Christ, our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7). The great harvest festivals,the waving of the first-fruits, and the final harvest of the feast of the tabernacles pictorialize for us Christ's resurrection and the final resurrection of His saints (1 Cor. 15:23).

If there were services and festivals connected with Christ's heavenly priest hood, then we would expect the Day of Atonement to be included. All the sacrifices connected with Jewish services were fulfilled at the cross. Likewise the sacrificial aspects of the Day of Atonement were fulfilled at Calvary. However, according to Leviticus 16, the Day of Atonement involved more than the offering of sacrifices; it also included the removal of sin from the camp, symbolized by the scapegoat, or Azazel. But sin has not been removed from the camp of God's people today. True, Christ has already paid the price for sin on the cross, but sin still exists. The final removal of sin is yet future and cannot take place until the wheat is separated from the tares, the good fish from the bad, and the sheep from the goats. The Day of Atonement, then, depicts a work of judgment—the separation of sin from the camp. Since the righteous receive their rewards at the Second Advent (Rev. 22:12), they must be judged before the Advent. No other Levitical ceremony depicts so graphically the work of judgment as does the Day of Atonement.

The heavenly sanctuary becomes the setting in which the judgment takes place. God's throne is situated in the middle of the sanctuary—in fact, surrounded by the cherubim, which were two in number in the earthly tabernacle. "The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims" (Psalm 99:l;cf. 103:19). The very heart of the sanctuary, known as the Holy of Holies, contains the ark of the covenant, which is described by the Revelator (Rev. 11:19). Just as the earthly ark contained the tables of the law, so the heavenly in a sense contains the eternal law of God. It is significant that the divine law becomes the foundation of God's government, for His throne is situated above the ark of the covenant in similar fashion to the Shekinah glory appearing above the mercy seat of the ark in the Levitical tabernacle. The law becomes the standard for the judgment that takes place in the sanctuary setting (James 2:10-12).

A careful look at the description of the judgment in Daniel 7 would place it within the setting of the sanctuary. "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame. . . . The judgment was set, and the books were opened" (verses 9, 10). In the book of Revelation the Son of man is pictured in much the same fashion, walking amidst the seven candlesticks, which are definitely sanctuary items: He was "clothed with a garment down to the foot. . . . His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire" (chap. 1:13, 14). Christ, then, is at the center of the judgment, and His spotless robe symbolizing His righteousness is conveyed to His people, as described in Zechariah 3. The message of the judgment is the message that we are saved by faith in Christ.

Some modem translations, such as the R.S.V. and the Jerusalem Bible, suggest that Daniel 8:14 should have the idea of the sanctuary being "restored" to its rightful position in place of "cleansed" as in the K.J.V. Actually the root meaning does include the idea of "vindicating" or "setting right." Every reform movement has the task of vindicating the ways of God on earth and restoring His truth to its rightful place. The movement that began in the 1840s has no less a challenge than that, and no movement will find a higher aim than that of justifying the ways of God before men.

In a sense the pre-Advent judgment puts the Judge Himself on trial. Satan, the great "accuser of our brethren," is pictured as standing within the sanctuary setting and accusing Joshua, the high priest, of all his moral deficiencies (Zech. 3:1). But the moment when one of God's children is under accusation, the Creator Himself comes under attack as well. The sanctuary message tells us that the Creator is just and fair with all His created beings who have sinned against Him. That's why we have a pre-Advent judgment—so that the whole universe can witness God's amazing love and grace blended with divine justice in dealing with erring humans.

When men today are complaining, Where was God when the Holocaust took place? we can turn to the sanctuary for the answer. Like Stephen, we can say, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56). When even we, His own followers, are beginning to doubt and to question, "Where is the promise of his coming?" then it is time that we turn our gaze toward Christ, our High Priest, ministering in the sanctuary, who is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:4, 9). When we are tempted to complain that the wicked have it so easy and the righteous have it so difficult, then we need to remember that the psalm writer had the same experience. Speaking of the prosperity of the wicked, he writes: "When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; until I went into the sanctuary of God: then understood I their end" (Ps. 73:16, 17). The mystery of the problem and existence of evil dissipates in the flood light shining from the throne room of the heavenly sanctuary. The heavenly Judge stands vindicated!


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Warren H. Johns is an associate editor of MINISTRY.

September 1983

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