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days terminated in the year 1844, and that the great event represented
by the cleansing of the sanctuary must then take place.
Entering upon the study of the Scriptures as he had done, in order
to prove that they were a revelation from God, Miller had not, at the
outset, the slightest expectation of reaching the conclusion at which
he had now arrived. He himself could hardly credit the results of his
investigation. But the Scripture evidence was too clear and forcible to
be set aside.
He had devoted two years to the study of the Bible, when, in 1818,
he reached the solemn conviction that in about twenty-five years Christ
would appear for the redemption of His people. “I need not speak,”
says Miller, “of the joy that filled my heart in view of the delightful
prospect, nor of the ardent longings of my soul for a participation in
the joys of the redeemed. The Bible was now to me a new book. It
was indeed a feast of reason; all that was dark, mystical, or obscure to
me in its teachings, had been dissipated from my mind before the clear
light that now dawned from its sacred pages; and, oh, how bright and
glorious the truth appeared! All the contradictions and inconsistencies
I had before found in the word were gone; and although there were
many portions of which I was not satisfied I had a full understanding,
yet so much light had emanated from it to the illumination of my before
darkened mind, that I felt a delight in studying the Scripture which I
had not before supposed could be derived from its teachings.”—Bliss,
pages 76, 77.
“With the solemn conviction that such momentous events were
predicted in the Scriptures to be fulfilled in so short a space of time, the
question came home to me with mighty power regarding my duty to the
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world, in view of the evidence that had affected my own mind.”—Ibid.,
page 81. He could not but feel that it was his duty to impart to others
the light which he had received. He expected to encounter opposition
from the ungodly, but was confident that all Christians would rejoice in
the hope of meeting the Saviour whom they professed to love. His only
fear was that in their great joy at the prospect of glorious deliverance,
so soon to be consummated, many would receive the doctrine without
sufficiently examining the Scriptures in demonstration of its truth. He
therefore hesitated to present it, lest he should be in error and be the
means of misleading others. He was thus led to review the evidences
in support of the conclusions at which he had arrived, and to consider