The world’s position that places all time-proclamation on the same level is contrasted with our explicit position. Our position is not of all time-proclamation, but specifically that no time-proclamation is to intervene between the close of the prophetic periods in 1844 and the time of our Lord's coming, because we do not know when the definite time is. After 1844, there is no specific proclamation of the time of our Lord's coming.

What were the prophetic periods spoken of here? “The time of the cleansing of the sanctuary —which was almost universally believed to take place at the Second Advent—was definitely pointed out.” (GC88 328.2) “The 2300 years of Daniel 8:14 must terminate with 1843. Accordingly we looked to the end of this year for the coming of the Lord.” (ST, March 30, 1876 par. 1) “God tested and proved His people by the passing of the time in 1843. The mistake made in reckoning the prophetic periods was not at once discovered…” (LS80 186.1)

The prophetic period, the 2300-years extending from 457 BC to 1843 when the Sanctuary was to be cleansed, was definitely pointed out as the time of Christ’s Advent. Early Adventists including Ellen White also knew that the papacy was supreme from 538 AD to 1798, a period of 1260-years within the 2300-years and that the 1290-days foretold in Daniel 12 were the 1290-years from 508 to 1798. Thus when the 1335-days ended in 1843; the prophetic period from 457 BC to 1843 was the 2300-years of Daniel 8:14; and that the 1260, 1290, and 1335-years of Daniel 12 all fit that timeframe perfectly. Ellen White explained: “the 1843 chart was directed by the hand of the Lord, and that it should not be altered; that the figures were as He wanted them.” (EW 74.1) But when Jesus did not come in 1843, the early Adventists reexamined and recalculated the prophetic period.

“The prophetic periods reached to 1844 and that the same evidence which they had presented to show that the prophetic periods closed in 1843 proved that they would terminate in 1844.” (EW 236.1) How can the same evidence possibly prove that the prophetic period from 457 BC closed in 1843 and terminated a second time in 1844?

The intersection of BC with AD is like a time zone. A man from Chattanooga is doing lunch with a friend in Nashville. To meet at noon, they must specify the time zone because noon in Nashville is 1:00 in Chattanooga, and noon Chattanooga time is 11:00 in Nashville.

Likewise, the 2300-years viewed from the BC perspective ended in 1843 and when viewed from the AD perspective, they ended in 1844. After Christ did not come in 1843, it was discovered that 1844 aligned perfectly with the prophecy of Daniel 9 identifying Christ’s baptism in 27 AD, His crucifixion 3.5-years later, and the gospel going to the Gentiles in 34 AD. This prophecy had 1810-years remaining that counted down to 1844, and “in the year 1844 … the 22d of October, was regarded as the time of the Lord’s coming.” (GC88 399.3)

Since Jesus did not come in 1844 either and the dual fulfillment of the 2300-years of prophetic time were understood and it was obvious that time was correct from both the BC and AD perspectives, something other than the timing had to be in error. The cleansing of the Sanctuary that was assumed to be Christ’s Advent was reexamined. “Thus those who followed in the light of the prophetic word saw, that, instead of coming to the earth at the termination of the 2300 days in 1844, Christ then entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, to perform the closing work of atonement.” (GC88 422.1 and see 4SP 266.2) The error was not the timing, but the event.


For Seventh-day Adventists, understanding the 2300 and the 1335-years are blessings, but they are blessings that the world has lost. It is a blessing to know that Bible prophecy is true and trustworthy and that Jesus is Coming Again for His saints and that the evil done by the man of sin has been counteracted by light from Heaven that dispels the darkness. It is a blessing to know that Jesus is ministering in the Sanctuary in Heaven; confessing the names of His saints before His Father and the holy angels. And it is a blessing to know that this is the time to live life to the glory of God as one who will be rewarded for the way that the life is lived. And while Jesus is confessing the saints in Heaven, they are also blessed as they confess Him here.

Our position matured as prophetic understanding increased. But since our position is that no time-proclamation is to intervene between the close of the prophetic periods in 1844 to give the definite time of Christ’s Advent, has a private interpretation changed our position to the world’s position that places all time-proclamation on the same level? Is the changed signpost now pointing the wrong way? Perhaps misreading of Ellen’s grammatical phrasing is partly at fault? But now instead of being different from the world’s position, our position is: ALL TIME PROPHECY STOPPED at 1844! For our position to be: No Time Prophecy Beyond 1844, it has to be different from our position that Ellen set forth that Time prophecy specifying the definite time of our Lord's coming stopped after 1844. In the opening statement, our position is clearly not one of ALL TIME PROPHECY and when the context is considered, Ellen repeatedly links our position to the time of Christ’s Coming.



After the first proclamation of the time of Christ’s Advent that was ordained of Heaven past in 1843 and 1844, the definite time of Christ’s Second Advent was often recalculated by time-setters, who were undermining the faith of God’s people. Then Ellen explains that the world placed all prophetic time-proclamation on the same level and called it a delusion. But ever since 1844 our position has been one of waiting and watching, with no time-proclamation giving the definite time of our Lord's coming to intervene between the close of the prophetic periods in 1844 and Christ’s coming because we do not know the day nor the hour, or when the definite time is, and yet the prophetic reckoning shows us that the appointed time is at the door. Then she repeats that the prophetic time in question is the definite time of Christ’s Advent:



Our position has been and should be a belief that is not dependent on knowing the definite time of Christ’s coming. The truth is that: 1) the time proclamations identifying the definite time of Christ’s Advent in 1843/44 are scripturally correct; 2) other than the 1843/44 dates, the day or time of Christ’s Advent is not given in Scripture; 3) Christ’s Advent will come at an appointed time; and 4) attempting to recalculate the time of Christ’s Second Advent is biblically unsound eschatology that destroys faith. (See EW 22.1)

Though Ellen White corrected the errors of the time-setters and clearly made a distinction between our position and the position put forth by the world, how did our position that there will be no proclamation giving the day and hour intervening between 1844 and Christ’s Advent get changed to the world’s position that places all time-proclamation on the same level: No Time Prophecy Beyond 1844? “At that time [after the 1844 disappointment] one error after another pressed in upon us; ministers and doctors brought in new doctrines.” (3SM 31.4)

Ellen White does not contradict herself or the Bible. “I would not be inclined to set time for Christ to come, and thus place myself under the same condemnation with those whom I was reproving.” (LS80 221.1) But by replacing our position with the private interpretation that has crept into the church, our position now contradicts both Ellen White and the Bible regarding prophetic time.

How so? If there is No Time Prophecy Beyond 1844, then the Bible and Ellen White will contradict our position when they cite prophetic time after 1844.

Ellen wrote: “Study the Revelation in connection with Daniel; for history will be repeated.” (SpTA07 55.1) But as the widely accepted private interpretation tears our position on prophetic time from its context, it also tears the repeating of prophetic history from the very prophecies that predict the history. It asserts: The history will be repeated but not the prophecy.

Is history independent of the prophecy that foretold it? Since prophecy predicts the history, when the prophecy repeats, the history repeats.

When the little book of Daniel was opened in Revelation 10, Heaven consoled the believers, who were disappointed by their misunderstanding of Daniel’s prophecy relating to 1843 and 1844. Heaven declared, “Thou must prophesy again” (v. 11). Thus Daniel and/or Revelation will prophesy again, but the time element is changed because the command is within the context: “there should be time no longer” (v. 6).

In Bible prophecy, a day is a year -- long time. For time to be no longer, when these prophecies prophesy again after that declaration, a day cannot be a year (long time), a day must be literal time.



The prophetic periods of Daniel throw a flood of light upon events to transpire in the end time and with Revelation, they relate especially to our own time. From the context, the command to prophesy again in Revelation also applies to Daniel. In our own time, the period just prior to the appearing of the Son of man, to which the prophecies of Scripture point, here their warnings and threatenings pre-eminently apply. Ellen is not divorcing the prophecies from the history that they foretell. “The book of Daniel is unsealed in the revelation to John, and carries us forward to the last scenes of this earth’s history.” (TM 115.3) “Those things which have been will be repeated.” (17MR 11.1)







Particularly notice Revelation 13:5 "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months."

Though Ellen states that the 42-months have been fulfilled in the past; 58-years after 1844, she quotes Revelation 13:5 in the context that the 42-months will have a final fulfillment in the last days. They cannot be 1260-years. They are literal time. And by quoting the Bible to predict a specific prophetic time in the last days that intervenes between 1844 and Christ’s Advent, Ellen contradicts the private interpretation: No Time Prophecy Beyond 1844.

If not corrected, this private interpretation will steal the blessing from God’s people as Satan has stolen the blessing of prophetic understanding from the world. Heaven’s blessings are not to be carelessly lost or stolen through satanic theories that are accepted as truth!

By their fulfillment, the prophecies of Daniel and John now explain themselves. The 1260, 1290, and 1335-days are waymarks in God’s word to those living in the last days. “The great waymarks of truth, showing us our bearing in prophetic history, are to be carefully guarded, lest they be torn down and replaced with theories that would bring confusion rather than genuine light.” (1MR 54.3)

How do you interpret the following?



Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

In light of what I have posted, EGW is not contradicting herself. thus she must be saying:'I have borne the testimony since the passing of the time in 1844 [when Christ did not come], that there should be no definite time set [for the Second Advent] by which to test God's people. The great test on time [relating to the hour of Christ's Advent] was in 1843 and 1844; and all who have set time [for the appearing of Christ] since this great period marked in prophecy, were deceiving and being deceived.' {LS88 221.1}

That is the correct meaning of what she said. Or she is contradicting herself and the Bible when she gives an example of prophetic time that intervenes between 1844 and Christ's Advent. Certainly if she had intended us to believe that there is NO prophetic time to intervene between 1844 and Christ's Advent, then she would not have cited any examples of prophetic time in that interval.

By having us misunderstand a plain statement from the Spirit of Prophecy Satan is casting his shadow over the final message so that we will not see the very thing that God put into His word for our admonition.

The error that some would attribute to me is that they want to read me as if I were setting a time for the Second Advent. The test of time has past and it is not coming again! The final test is belief in the Third Angel's Message! My understanding of the time references in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy tell me that IT IS TIME FOR THE 3RD ANGEL'S MESSAGE TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY because the Mark of the Beast is soon to be upon us!

His Child,

I tend to agree with you. I was just wondering how you answered such a question. Many people do not seem to grasp the distinction Mrs. White is making between the "definite time" and other prophetic periods. Looking at the context of her statements, it is clear that "definite time" refers to the Second Advent. That does not mean all prophetic times have become null and void. For example, what about the 1000 years (millennium) that Satan and company are here upon the earth, just contemplating all the damage they've caused? Must we say that said millennium can no longer be known? Is it no longer 1000 years?

Obviously, as that period of time is still future, it is a prophetic time. If, as such, it is "no more" after 1844, then it would appear that we have to either reinterpret the timing of it, to put in into the past, or else we have to say there was a contradiction between Mrs. White and the Bible...unless we recognize that Mrs. White is not saying what many think she is.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Dear Green,

Thanks for your encouragement. But alas according to the parable of the 10-Virgins there remains 1/2 the church that awakes too LATE!

What can be done? PRAY & PRAY some more.

Blessings
Henry

If you have not read Echoes of Doomsday that warns about the very day in which we live, it is not too late.

loudcry.2007@gmail.com

Praise the Lord! Half the church is awake!
Two surprises in one day.

Amen!

But how can I let the others go?

I think you are trying too hard to find fault. The 1000 years is not dated in the Bible or SOP. That is what she means by prophetic time. All the prophecies about time have been fulfilled. Those have nothing to do with the millennium.
Harold.