Miller’s prediction was that the world would end “somewhere between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844.” (“Life of Miller,” page 363.) He regarded March 21, 1844, as the date for Christ’s appearance.
When March 21, 1844, passed and Christ did not come, Miller, confessing that he had been wrong in his calculations, went back to the farm, whence he had come thirteen years before his disappointment, and died without taking any leading part in the new speculations.
But readers of Adventism know that October 22, 1844, is the date that is generally thought of as the Advent disappointment. That is very true, and it came about after this fashion:
THE SEVENTH-MONTH MOVEMENT.
After the passing of March 21, 1844, there began to be preached that the correct date when the Lord would come was October 22 of that year. The promoters of this new theory were S. S. Snow, George Starrs, James White, N. Southard, Stickridge Howland, and a number of others. (“Great Second Advent Movement,” page 170.) Miller himself did not accept the theory until “about two or three weeks previous to the 22d of October.” (“Life of Miller,” page 364.)
The reason for this new theory was this: From a study of Ez. 7 it is seen that Ezra did not reach Jerusalem with the commission as governor in the spring (March), but in the autumn (October). Hence, practically speaking, they argued that the decree did not go into effect on March 22, 457 B.C., but on October 22, 457 B.C. For that reason the twenty-three hundred years would not end on March 21, 1844, but on October 22, 1844. (“Great Controversy,” page 495, Old Edition.)
Upon the first day of the first month (457 B.C.) Ezra began to go up from Babylon, and upon the first day of the fifth month he reached Jerusalem. (Ez. 7: 9.)
The reader may ask: “Why did they not begin to date the twenty-three hundred years with the first day of the fifth month—the day Ezra arrived in Jerusalem?” It really seems that they would have; but the twenty-three hundred years, my dear reader, were not begun until two months and ten days later. The twenty-three hundred days were begun with the day of atonement, which was the tenth day of the seventh month. The reader will ask: “Why skip two whole months and ten days?” The writer of these lines has asked that very question many a time himself, and the question always puts the would-be answerer into a difficult position. Here is the way the question is answered by two leading Adventist writers:
Uriah Smith: “After he [Ezra] had reached the city, the large company that went up with him were to be provided with homes and arrangements made for their living, etc.…Two months would certainly be short enough time to allow for this work, which would bring us to the seventh month, or the autumn of the year.” (“Looking Unto Jesus,” page 196.)
J. N. Loughborough: “As the observance of the tenth day of the seventh month seemed to be the event which marked the beginning of the period, it was shown conclusively that on the tenth day of the seventh month (Jewish time)—October 22, 1844—the twenty-three hundred days would end.” (“Great Second Advent Movement,” page 160.)
Here, then, is a loophole of two months and ten days which present-day Adventists would feign fill if they were able. And in all this it is clearly seen that they lost sight of the original statement that the twenty-three hundred days were to be dated from the “going forth of the commandment” to rebuild Jerusalem. Now they have it that the twenty-three hundred days began two months and ten days after Ezra arrived in Jerusalem as governor.
S. S. Snow was the original promoter of this “seventh-month movement.” During the summer of 1844 he began to preach the new theory. But “no particular manifestation of its effects was seen until about July.” (“Second Advent Movement,” page 158.)
About this time, midway between March 21 and October 21, Adventists (Millerites) began to fall into Snow’s new prophetical net. The Millerite movement, in other words, came to life. They had fallen into a lukewarm state after Miller’s date failed. Their coming to life closely resembled the parable of the ten virgins spoken of in Matt. 25. This confirmed their faith in the new speculations. (“Great Second Advent Move-ment.” Chapter X.; also “Great Controversy,” page 398.)
On October 22, therefore, the Lord would come.
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- II. Miller and His Mistake - September 10, 2026
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