The origin of the Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs)
can be traced to the Millerite Movement of the
19th Century. This movement was largely responsible
for what has been called the "Great Second
Advent Awakening." William
Miller (1782-1849) was a farmer who settled
in upstate New York after the war of 1812. He
was originally a Deist (a person who believes
that God created the universe but has not been
actively involved since). After two years of
private Bible study, Miller converted to Christianity
and became a Baptist lay leader. He was convinced
that the Bible contained coded information about
the end of the world and the Second Coming of
Jesus. He also realized that he had an obligation
to teach his findings to others. In 1831, he
started to preach; the next year, he wrote articles
about his findings. In 1833, he published a
pamphlet on end-time prophecy. In 1836, his
book, Evidences from Scripture and History
of the Second Coming of Christ, about the
Year 1843 was published.
One of the key texts that he interpreted was
in the Book of Daniel: Daniel heard two angels
talking; one asked how long it will take until
the destruction of the Temple is avenged and
it is restored to its rightful state. The other
replied in Daniel 8:14
"And he said unto me, unto 2,300
days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."
Miller believed that the 2,300 days
were each of one year duration and that the
interval started in 457 BC. He concluded that
the cleansing of the temple (i.e. the Second
Coming) would occur sometime between two spring
equinoxes: 1843-MAR-21 to 1844-MAR-21. He found
other methods of calculating the end time which
also seemed to point to the year 1843 AD. In
common with all other predictions of the Second
Coming, the end didn't happen on cue. Samuel
Snow, a follower of Miller, then interpreted
the "tarrying time" referred to in
Habakkuk 2:3 as equal to 7 months and 10 days,
delaying the end time to 1844-OCT-22. That prophecy
also did not come to pass. Many believers left
the movement in what has become known as The
Great Disappointment. Miller himself gradually
withdrew from the leadership of the group and
died in 1849. His followers called themselves
Adventists; the group was often referred to
as Millerites by others.
about
us
Origin
INFORMATION SHEET
The Sabbath question has been
