Miller taught that
a great trumpet from heaven would sound, Jesus Christ would gather
up the faithful, and the wicked would be immediately destroyed by
fire. As many as 100,000 followers gathered, many of those here in
Summit County, at the predicted time
in makeshift temples and on hillsides to "meet the bridegroom."
When midnight came and Christ had not returned, people grew
restless. Some walked out. One person said allowance must be made
for differences of latitude and longitude between Palestine and
the US.
One of Miller’s
associates, Samuel Snow, figured that Miller was off by one year
in his calculations. Snow was now certain that Christ would return
on October 22, 1844 [or, again, according to
our local historians - April 23, 1843], at midnight. Miller eventually endorsed this
new date. Miller and Snow claimed that there was no possibility of a
mistake this time.
They warned that the unbelieving, the signs of Christ’s coming were too
plain to be doubted. Magazines were printed, heralding the coming
of Christ. Newspaper reporters attended and covered Adventists’
speaking engagements. Fifteen hundred
Millerites traveled
across the United States proclaiming that the Advent was near.
Many quit their
jobs and gave all of their possessions to nonbelievers in the days
before October 22nd as a testimony to their faith. When the day
came, the Millerites watched and prayed. Donning white
ascension robes, many stood upon rooftops, anticipating a heavenly ride.
As the midnight hour approached, the faithful were at peace with
God. They spent the last hours in quiet solitude. Softly praying.
Resting. Waiting.
Nothing happened.
For the faithful, heavy depression set in. This day was perhaps
the greatest disappointment to befall the church in the history of
the New Dispensation. Fifty thousand of Miller’s followers had
found it impossible to stay in fellowship with their former
congregations. These fifty thousand now had to face the truth.
They hadn’t been taken into glory. The wicked still weren’t
destroyed by fire. One by one, they retreated back into their
lives.
Humiliated by what has been called "The Great Disappointment,"
some Millerites shucked their faith completely. Led by Miller,
others formed the Adventists. The majority returned to more
traditional churches.
Shortly afterward,
Miller wrote a letter to his followers: “Brethren hold fast; let
no man take your crown. I have fixed my mind on another time, and
here I mean to stand until God gives me more light, and that is
today, today, and today, until he comes.” (Bliss, Memoirs, p. 278)
Many of those, that didn't learn the first two times, resorted to
believing that Jesus Christ had returned to earth on October 22,
1844, and that he is invisible. This particular theory was that it
would take an additional three and a half years after Christ’s
invisible return before his kingdom would be thoroughly
established, which led to setting another date in 1848. What
happened in 1848? You guessed it.
For more than five
years, William Miller went back to the book of Daniel and
Revelation, he went back to his prophetic chart and his numbers,
still pondering why he had missed the truth about Christ's Second
Advent.
Miller seems to have missed, or ignored, the repeated words of
Christ which contain the answer for which they had so avidly
searched. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even
the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
Matthew 24:36; "Therefore keep
watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."
Matthew 24:42; "No one knows about that day or hour,
not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
Mark 13:32.