Second Coming Of Jesus

In the 19th century, there was a wave of enthusiasm for prophecies predicting the actual date for the Second Coming of Christ. One such prophecy was an Adventist leader name William Miller. After studying Daniel 8, Miller predicted that Christ would return on March 21, 1842, but then revised the date to April 3, 1843. Over 3,500 of his followers jammed the Boston Advent Temple, only to be disappointed. You might have thought that the movement would have died. But it didn’t. Rather it continued to grow. Miller decided to recalculate his date for the Second Coming and soon publicized a new date - April 18, 1844. When the messiah did not show up on that date, there was again frustration and some followers left the Adventist ranks. Undeterred, Miller came up with a third date – October 22. 1844. And, surprisingly, this third date rallied his followers. They began to spread the news of the new date of the Second Coming with an enthusiasm that had not seen before. Churches that did not accept this message were denounced as agents of “Babylon.” and the devil. And - despite opposition from established, mainline religious groups, thousands of people – including many clergy – began to prepare. One account notes that “Fields were left unharvested, shops were closed, people quit their jobs, paid their debts, and freely gave away their possessions with no thought of repayment.” Huge press runs of Advent publications like The Midnight Cry warned the public that “The Time Is Short”. “Prepare to Meet Thy God!” and “The Lord is Coming!” William Miller himself began peddling white “ascension robes” to the faithful, many of whom waited for the miraculous event in freshly dug graves. But as we all know, the Second Coming did not occur. A few weeks later after the Great Disappointment, William Miller wrote, “Although surrounded by enemies and scoffers, my mind is perfectly calm and my hope in the coming Christ is as sure as ever… I have fixed in my mind upon another time and here I mean to stand until God gives me more' light. And that is Today, Today Today. Until He comes and I see Him, my soul yearns for him.”