SDA CHURCH HISTORY 1844-1863

1844 AFTER THE DISAPPOINTMENT

When the time passed at which the Lord's coming was first expected,—in the spring of
1844,—those who had looked in faith for his appearing were for a season involved in
doubt and uncertainty. While the world regarded them as having been utterly defeated,
and proved to have been cherishing a delusion, their source of consolation was still the
Word of God. Many continued to search the Scriptures, examining anew the evidences
of their faith, and carefully studying the prophecies to obtain further light. The Bible
testimony in support of their position seemed clear and conclusive. Signs which could
not be mistaken pointed to the coming of Christ as near. The special blessing of the
Lord, both in the conversion of sinners and the revival of spiritual life among Christians,
had testified that the message was of Heaven. And though the believers could not
explain their disappointment, they felt assured that God had led them in their past
experience. GC 88: 391

***The midnight cry: Not only the calculations of a definite time, but the
realization that the Holy Spirit was in the Work.
 The Sanctuary
(H. Edson, FB Hahn & OL
Crozier)

The Sabbath
Foundational Truths (TM Preble, JB Cook & J
Bates)

The Spirit of prophecy

(December 1844, First
Vision)
 FINDING THE SANCTUARY TRUTH

 Hiram Edson: Cornfield Vision, October 23, 1844, “I saw distinctly and clearly that instead of our High
Priest coming out of the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary to come to this earth at the end of the
2300 days, that He for the first time entered on that day, the second apartment of that sanctuary and that He
had a work to perform in the most holy place before coming to this earth”
 Edson’s mind directed to Revelation 10, with its account of the bittersweet book—the chapter ending with the
command to prophesy again—What to prophesy again? Development of third Angel’s message would span 4
decades leading to 1888, with the publication of The Great Controversy 1888 by E G White, explaining
Christ’s work in the Two Apartments of the Heavenly Sanctuary.
 Hiram Edson, ORL Crozier and Dr FB Hahn continued to study and were convinced that in the sanctuary lay
the key to understanding what had happened on October 22, 1844, they commissioned ORL Crozier to write
their findings and financed a publication, with the findings brought out more fully in an expanded version
titled “The law of Moses” in the 1846 Day Star Extra.
 DAY STAR EXTRA, FEBRUARY 7 1846
→ A literal real sanctuary exists in heaven
→ On October 22, 1844, Christ moved from the first apartment of this sanctuary to the second (The most holy place).
→ Before He returns to earth, Christ has a work to do in the most holy place that differs from what He had been doing
since His ascension
As anciently the sins of the people were by faith placed upon the sin-offering, and through its blood transferred, in
figure, to the earthly sanctuary, so in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ, and
transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary. And as the typical cleansing of the earthly was accomplished by the
removal of the sins by which it had been polluted, so the actual cleansing of the heavenly is to be accomplished by
the removal, or blotting out, of the sins which are there recorded. But, before this can be accomplished, there must
be an examination of the books of record to determine who, through repentance of sin, and faith in Christ, are
entitled to the benefits of his atonement. The cleansing of the sanctuary therefore involves a work of investigation,—
a work of judgment. This work must be performed prior to the coming of Christ to redeem his people; for when he
comes, his reward is with him to give to every man according to his works. [Revelation 22:12.], GC88, 421.
→ The Hebrew sanctuary system was a complete visual representation of the plan of salvation with every type having its
antitype.
→ The real purpose of the Day of Atonement (which began on October 22, 1844) is to prepare a cleansed people
→ Christ’s cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary also involves cleansing the hearts of His people
→ The scapegoat represents not Christ but satan, the originator of sin
→ As the author of sin, satan will receive the ultimate guilt for the sins which he has caused God’s people to comit
→ Atonement (final) for sin did not begin until Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary following His resurrection

“It was seen, also, that while the sin-offering pointed to Christ as a sacrifice, and the
high priest represented Christ as a mediator, the scape-goat typified Satan, the
author of sin, upon whom the sins of the truly penitent will finally be placed. When
the high priest, by virtue of the blood of the sin-offering, removed the sins from the
sanctuary, he placed them upon the scape-goat. When Christ, by virtue of his own
blood, removes the sins of his people from the heavenly sanctuary at the close of his
ministration, he will place them upon Satan, who, in the execution of the judgment,
must bear the final penalty. The scape-goat was sent away into a land not inhabited,
never to come again into the congregation of Israel. So will Satan be forever
banished from the presence of God and his people, and he will be blotted from
existence in the final destruction of sin and sinners”, GC88, 422
 WHAT IS THE FINAL ATONEMENT?
“And, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and
they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages, should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not
pass away.” [Daniel 7:13, 14.] The coming of Christ here described is not his second coming to the earth.
He comes to the Ancient of days in Heaven to receive dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, which will be
given him at the close of his work as a mediator. It is this coming, and not his second advent to the earth, that
was foretold in prophecy to take place at the termination of the 2300 days, in 1844. Attended by heavenly
angels, our great High Priest enters the holy of holies, and there appears in the presence of God, to engage in
the last acts of his ministration in behalf of man,—to perform the work of investigative Judgment, and to
make an atonement
“As anciently for all
the sins of who
the are shown
people to be
were by entitled to its benefits”
faith placed upon theGC1888, 479 and through its blood
sin offering
transferred, in figure, to the earthly sanctuary, so in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith
placed upon Christ and transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary. And as the typical cleansing of the
earthly was accomplished by the removal of the sins by which it had been polluted, so the actual cleansing
of the heavenly is to be accomplished by the removal, or blotting out, of the sins which are there recorded.
But before this can be accomplished, there must be an examination of the books of record to determine who,
through repentance of sin and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of His atonement. The cleansing of
the sanctuary therefore involves a work of investigation—a work of judgment.”—GC 421-2.
 THE SABBATH

 Rachael Oakes Preston: Early spring 1844 [Seventh Day Baptist]—introduced the Sabbath truth to F Wheeler, a
Methodist Minister
 End of Summer 1844, TM Preble of New Hampshire accepted the Sabbath and was instrumental in disseminating the
Sabbath Truth to Joseph Bates. February 1845, Preble presented the Sabbath question to Adventists in Joseph Turner’s
publication called “hope for Israel”
 TM Preble and JB Cook embraced the Sabbath, taught it and published it, yet in 3 years they were backslidden into
Sunday keeping, however, their publications fell into the hands of J Bates and J N Andrews, which men proclaimed
the sabbath truth more fully.
 But while they caught the facts and arguments of the teaching, they somehow missed its real spirit. It became an
academic question rather than a living vital spiritual thing in their lives—he sign of the Creator’s power and so
they soon gave it up”
 Joseph Bates: Vindication of the Seventh Day Sabbath and the Commandments of God (1848), A seal of the Living
God (1849)
 J N Andrews: The Sanctuary and the 2300 days, The Three Angels of Revelation 14 (later publications)
 THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY: EGW FIRST VISION
 The travels of the Advent people to the Holy City and the rich reward to be given those who wait the return of
their Lord from the Wedding.
 While I was praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell upon me, and I seemed to be rising higher and higher,
far above the dark world. I turned to look for the Advent people in the world, but could not find them, when a
voice said to me, "Look again, and look a little higher." At this I raised my eyes, and saw a straight and narrow
path, cast up high above the world. On this path the Advent people were traveling to the city, which was at the
farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the beginning of the path, which an angel
told me was the midnight cry. This light shone all along the path and gave light for their feet so that they might
not stumble. If they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the city, they were
safe.
 1848 SABBATH CONFERENCES
i. Rocky Hill, Connecticut, April 20-24 (Albert Belden’s house): HS Gruney, J Bates and J White were keynote
speakers. Bates presented the Sabbath truth and law, JW emphasis was on the dawning significance of the Third
Angel’s message, its scope and specifications
i. “April 20th Brother Belden sent his two-horse wagon to Middletown for us and the scattered brethren in that
city. We arrived at this place about four in the afternoon, and in a few minutes in came Brethren Bates and
Gurney. We had a meeting that evening of about fifteen. Friday morning the brethren came in until we numbered
about fifty. These were not all fully in the truth. Our meeting that day was very interesting. Brother Bates
presented the commandments in a clear light, and their importance was urged home by powerful testimonies.
The word had effect to establish those already in the truth, and to awaken those who were not fully decided.”
Life Sketches, 108
ii. Volney New York, August 18: Joseph Bates presented Sabbath truth, J White presented the parable of the 10 virgins
Matthew 25:1-13
i. There was much diversity of view on minor matters on which hardly two were agreed—this occasioned much
serious prayer and study.
ii. Mrs White in vision was shown some of their errors in contrast to the opposite truths, she was bidden to
admonish the contenders to yield their errors and unite upon the fundamentals of the Third Angel’s Message of
Revelation 14:6-12
iii. To this they responded and the discordant elements were brought into harmony (Life Sketches, 110,111)
 Our first general meeting in western New York, beginning August 18, was held at Volney, in Brother David Arnold's barn.
About thirty-five were present,—all the friends that could be collected in that part of the State. But of this number there
were hardly two agreed. Some were holding serious errors, and each strenuously urged his own views, declaring that
they were according to the Scriptures.
One brother held that the one thousand years of the twentieth chapter of Revelation were in the past, and that the one
hundred and forty-four thousand mentioned in the seventh and fourteenth chapters of Revelation, were those raised at
Christ's resurrection.
As we had before us the emblems of our dying Lord, and were about to commemorate His sufferings, this brother arose and
said that he had no faith in what we were about to do; that the Lord's supper was a continuation of the Passover, and should
be partaken of but once a year.
These strange differences of opinion rolled a heavy weight upon me. I saw that many errors were being presented as truth. It
seemed to me that God was dishonored. Great grief pressed upon my spirits, and I fainted under the burden. Some feared
that I was dying. Brethren Bates, Chamberlain, Gurney, Edson, and my husband prayed for me. The Lord heard the prayers
of His servants, and I revived.
The light of heaven then rested upon me, and I was soon lost to earthly things. My accompanying angel presented before me
some of the errors of those present, and also the truth in contrast with their errors. These discordant views, which they
claimed were in harmony with the Scriptures, were only according to their opinion of Bible teaching; and I was bidden to
tell them that they should yield their errors, and unite upon the truths of the third angel's message.
Our meeting closed triumphantly. Truth gained the victory. Our brethren renounced their errors and united upon the
third angel's message, and God greatly blessed them and added many to their numbers.
iii. Port Gibson, NY, August 27,28 (Hiram Edson’s Barn)
“The meeting at Port Gibson was held in Brother Hiram Edson's barn. There were those present who loved the
truth, but were listening to and cherishing error. Before the close of this meeting, however, the Lord wrought for us
with power. I was again shown in vision the importance of the brethren laying aside their differences, and uniting
upon Bible truth”. Life Sketches, 112

iv. Rocky Hill Connecticut, September 8,9, 1848 (Albert Belden’s Home)

v. Topsham Maine, October 20-22 (Stockbridge Howland’s home)

At this meeting the brethren began praying that a way might be opened for publishing truths connected with the
Advent Message.

vi. Dorchester Massachusetts, November 18 (Otis Nichols home)

JW: We all felt like uniting to ask wisdom from God on the points in dispute (the sealing message), also Bro Bates
duty in writing
Ellen white was given light on the Sabbath truth and the Sealing truth
EGW presents the message to James White that he should commence writing—The Present Truth is born: It stressed
the Sabbath, The Sanctuary and Spirit of Prophecy as the truths for the time then present.
 RESULT OF THE SABBATH CONFERENCES

 The imminent, personal and premillennial second advent of Jesus

 The twofold ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary where cleansing had begun in 1844
 The Seventh Day Sabbath
 The Spirit of Prophecy [God’s supernatural enlightenment through EG White]
 The duty to proclaim the three Angel’s Messages
 Conditional immortality and death as a dreamless sleep
 The timing of the seven last plagues and,
 The final, complete extinction of the wicked after the millennium.

***Thus, by 1848, the basic concepts had been worked out and began the era of using the printed church in
communicating the truths to the scattered Flock***
 BIBLE BASED AND SOP CONFIRMED

“Many of our people do not realize how firmly the foundation of our faith has been laid. My husband, Elder Joseph Bates,
Father Pierce, [Older brethren among the pioneers are here thus reminiscently referred to. “Father Pierce” was Stephen
Pierce, who served in ministerial and administrative work in the early days.] Elder [Hiram] Edson, and others who were
keen, noble, and true, were among those who, after the passing of the time in 1844, searched for the truth as for hidden
treasure. I met with them, and we studied and prayed earnestly. Often we remained together until late at night, and
sometimes through the entire night, praying for light and studying the Word. Again and again these brethren came together
to study the Bible, in order that they might know its meaning, and be prepared to teach it with power. When they came to
the point in their study where they said, “we can do nothing more,’ the Spirit of the Lord would come upon me, I would be
taken off in vision, and a clear explanation of the passages we had been studying would be given me, with instruction as to
how we were to labor and teach effectively. Thus light was given that helped us to understand the scriptures in regard to
Christ, His mission, and His priesthood. A line of truth extending from that time to the time when we shall enter the city of
God, was made plain to me, and I gave to others the instruction that the Lord had given me”, Early Writings, 22
“During this whole time I could not understand the reasoning of the brethren. My mind was locked, as it were,
and I could not comprehend the meaning of the scriptures we were studying. This was one of the greatest
sorrows of my life. I was in this condition of mind until all the principal points of our faith were made clear to
our minds, in harmony with the Word of God. The brethren knew that when not in vision, I could not understand
these matters, and they accepted as light direct from heaven the revelations given.”—Selected Messages 1:206,
207
“Thus the doctrinal foundation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church was laid in the faithful study of the Word of
God, and when the pioneers could not make headway, Ellen White was given light that helped to explain their
difficulty and opened the way for the study to continue. The visions also placed the stamp of God's approval
upon correct conclusions. Thus the prophetic gift acted as a corrector of error and a confirmer of truth”. (See
Gospel Workers, 302.)

In 1854 EGW wrote: “We had to search and wait for the opening of truth and receive a ray of light here and a
ray there, labour and beg for God to reveal truth to us. But now the truth is plain, its rays are brought together.
The blazing light of truth can now be seen at once and when it is presented as it should be, it is brought to bear
upon the heart” MS 3, February 12, 1854.
 ADVENT REVIEW AND SABBATH HERALD
This was composed of extracts from the leading Millerite papers and publications prior to the disappointment, showing
that the Sabbatarian group were simply retaining and perfecting the prophetic interpretations that all Adventist leaders
had once taught, particularly in the 7th month phase.