Finally, his followers set the date of October 22, 1844, as the final date when Christ would return to earth for his saints, execute judgment on sin, and establish the kingdom of God on earth. It is enough to turn to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in order to see that Miller's teaching is directly opposite to the Word of God. Jesus said: "Of that day and hour no man knoweth, not even the angels of heaven, but only my Father alone" (Matt. 24:36 and 24:42; 24:44; 25:13). The Gospel of Mark also tells us that specific dates cannot be fixed. In verse 33 in chapter 13, the Lord says, "Take heed, watch, pray; for you do not know when that time will come"... And one of His last words to His disciples is a rebuke to those who try to fix specific dates: "And He said to them, It is not for you to know the times and seasons which the Father has set in His own power" (Acts 1:7). Naturally, this should have been enough of a deterrent for Miller and his followers, but sad as it is to admit, the opposite actually happened.

Let us compare Miller's position in comparison with the texts of the Holy Scriptures. God declared that no man could know the exact time—Miller stated that he did know that time; God said that all times and ages are in His own power alone - Miller's followers claimed to have a prophetic key to times and ages. Jesus Christ says: "No man can know the day and the hour"... - the Millerites fixed the date of the day (October 22, 1844) and history preserves the bitter experience of their tragic disappointment.

Almost everyone, looking at the various calculations of the era of popularity of Millerism in the United States, comes to the conclusion that Miller and his followers were either "crazy" or "unconscious tools in the hands of Satan." However, it is necessary to take into account the following facts3.

The Great Advent revival movement that swept people from the Atlantic to Europe was supported by a huge wave of modern biblical scholars. Although Miller himself did not have sufficient academic theological training, theologians in Europe and America expressed Miller's "point of view" before he himself announced it. In fact, there was only one statement of his own, that in 1843-44 the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 would be fulfilled. (In other words, a period of 2300 days from 457 BC, ending in 1843-44 AD).

William Miller was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts on February 15, 1782, and was still a young man when his family moved to Law Hampton, New York, near the Vermont border. Miller was brought up under the tutelage of a deeply religious mother, but despite all her zeal in instilling the foundations of faith in her son, Miller became a deist. It was only after many spiritual searches that led to his conversion that he began to prepare for a career as a Baptist minister. A great many books have been written about Miller and his followers, but for the information of their authors, none of them has ever proved that Miller was not sincere in his interpretations of the prophecies of the Holy Scriptures. In fact, he valued his reputation as an honest and righteous Christian among his acquaintances. No one should compare the mistakes of the Millerites and their delusions with the personality of Miller himself. Despite his shortcomings, Miller was a deeply religious man and a Christian. But those who had a broader knowledge of the texts of the Holy Scriptures would never have embarked on the tragic path of searching for and calculating specific dates.

It can be clearly seen that although Miller popularized the concept of the Second Coming of Christ in 1843-44, he was by no means alone in this. If we try to condemn Miller, we must simultaneously condemn the vast number of internationally recognized scientists who were among the most highly educated people of the time. Although they also had false interpretations of the prophecies about the time of the Second Coming. Leaving the scholars alone, who later mostly admitted their mistakes, the fact remains that Miller and the Millerite movement acted contrary to the texts of the Holy Scriptures and instead of the expected reward for their labors, received humiliation and deep despair.

William Miller established the time of Christ's Second Coming between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844, by making calculations according to the Hebrew calendar.4 As soon as the first of the received dates approached, religious horror seized the Millerites - the Lord comes to earth. Although Miller's followers were quite sincere in their errors, nevertheless, the greatest disappointment awaited them at the end of 1843 C.E. - the Lord did not come. When the dream that had lived in their hearts all this time turned to dust, they turned their questions to Miller and waited for his explanation. He answered his followers with his characteristic honesty and directness. In a deep emotional shock, Miller wrote: "If I were given the opportunity to live my life anew with the same testimony that I possessed, I would be honest before God and men if I did as I did. Although opponents say that this time will not come or it is far away, they cannot provide any weighty arguments to support their point of view. It is obvious that they base their knowledge on assumptions or guesses, but I believe that their position is largely based on their own unwillingness to the Lord's coming. I admit my mistake and express my disappointment, although I still believe that the Day of the Lord is near, He is at the door, and I urge you, my brethren, to watch and be on guard and not to let the day find you unprepared."5

In light of this stunning statement, the Millerites turned their energies to trying to reconcile the various interpretations of the prophecies of Scripture with the fact that the Lord did not come to earth.

At the end of his life, Miller, with great reluctance, founded the "Seventh-day Adventist Movement," or the belief that Christ would come to earth on October 22, 1844, the tenth day of the seventeenth month, according to the calculations of the Karaite Jews and their "sacred calendar." Again the Millerites had hope for a new date and October 22, 1844 was a new slogan for the expectation of the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The result of this expectation can best be expressed in the words of Dr. Leitch, the leader of the Millerites in Philadelphia, who wrote on October 24th: "Today is a cloudy and gloomy day—the sheep are scattered—the Lord has not yet come."

Из этого заявления Литча легко представить психологический облик миллеритов после двух этих разочарований. Они представляли собой заикающуюся глубоко разочарованную публику - Христос не пришел очистить святилище (землю), не произвел суда над людьми и не установил “вечное евангелие”. Вместо этого небо было покрыто тучами и исторические горизонты также были неясны с концом движения миллеритов. Царило ужасное смущение о чем многократно предупреждало Священное Писание.

Последняя стадия движения закончилась вместе с “Великим разочарованием 1844 года”, но как скоро миллериты покинули организацию они устремились в другие группы, такие как “Адвентисты Первого дня”. Однако, мы коснемся трех аспектов, которые в последствии привели к образованию движения Адвентистов Седьмого дня. Уйльям Миллер, следует заметить, никогда не был адвентистом седьмого дня и говорил, что у него нет “доверия” к “новым теориям”, которые вышли на первый план после краха движения миллеритов. Доктор Лерой Фрум, профессор по толкованию пророчеств, на семинаре адвентистов седьмого дня в Такома-парк, Вашингтон, в четвертом разделе своего труда “Пророческая вера наших отцов”, стр. 828-298, описывает позицию Миллера как следующую: “Миллер был негласным противником различных новых теорий, которые возникли после 22 октября 1844 года как попытки оправдать неудачу миллеритов.

Он не приветствовал призыв вступать в новоиспеченные церкви и никогда не принимал позицию “субботарианцев”. Учение о бессознательном сне умершего и окончательная гибель грешников не было, как он утверждал, изначальной позицией миллеритов, но появилось исключительно стараниями Джорджа Сторрза и Чарльза Фитча. Он даже пришел к отрицанию использования притчи “Полуночного плача” в движении Седьмого месяца и очевидно негласно подразумевал, что это движения нельзя рассматривать как основанным на пророчествах ни с какой точки зрения”.

В стороне от хронологических теорий, поэтому, философия У. Миллера отличалась от философии Адвентистов седьмого дня в трех характерных пунктах:

он отрицал Субботу Седьмого дня, учение о сне душе и окончательную гибель грешников. Все эти постулаты входят в учение адвентистов седьмого дня. А также никогда не поддерживал теории о “святилище” и “нелицеприятном суде” выдвинутыми адвентистами седьмого дня. Для Миллера эпоха хронологических теорий была закончена, и он умер немногим позже фиаско своего движения разбитым разочарованным человеком кто был, несмотря ни на что, честным в признании своих ошибок и заблуждений. Я верю, что сейчас он наслаждается присутствием Господа, чье Пришествие он так безуспешно ожидал.