Unveiling the Lost Foundations: William Miller’s Prophetic Truths and the Last Days of Adventism
Key Takeaways
This article delves into the hidden truths of William Miller’s foundational beliefs within Adventism and how they have been obscured over four prophetic generations. It explores Miller’s second dream and its significance in restoring these truths as emphasized in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy for the last day’s mission. The article also examines Miller’s framework, which draws from Paul’s testimony in 2 Thessalonians, highlighting the connection between the increase of knowledge and the end times. It delves into the consequences of rejecting the “love of the truth” and the strong delusion forewarned by Paul. Ultimately, it sheds light on the transformation of Adventism’s understanding of “the daily” from a satanic symbol to a symbol of Christ and the implications of this shift.
- William Miller’s foundational truths were progressively concealed over four generations of Adventism, but his second dream served as a guide to restore these truths.
- Miller’s framework was anchored in recognizing the rise of paganism followed by papalism and drew from Paul’s testimony in 2 Thessalonians.
- The increase of knowledge during the end times is closely linked to Paul’s writings in 2 Thessalonians, which also warn about strong delusion for those who reject the “love of the truth.”
- The rejection of the Millerite movement is tantamount to rejecting the light revealed in 1798, representing an increase of knowledge.
- The spiritual drunkenness symbolized by “the daily” in the last days represents a departure from the true doctrine, leading Adventist leaders to change allegiances without realizing it.
- The rebellion in Adventism is marked by leaders turning things upside down, calling sin righteousness and righteousness sin, and the symbol of this rebellion is “the daily.”
- In the last days, the symbol of “the daily” shines ten times brighter, signifying a final test, as those who once recognized it as a satanic symbol now identify it as a symbol of Christ.
- The article ends with a parallel to the Pharisees attributing Christ’s works to satanic agencies, equating modern Pharisees with those who attribute pagan beliefs to the holy power of God.
William Miller’s foundational truths were covered up over the four generations of Adventism. The restoration of those foundational truths are set forth in his second dream, and repeatedly identified in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy as the work God’s last day people are to accomplish. Miller’s dream identifies that when the dirt brush man restores the jewels, they will shine ten times brighter than the sun.
Miller’s framework was based upon recognizing the two desolating powers of paganism followed by papalism, and the apostle Paul’s testimony in chapter two of Thessalonians, provided Miller with the anchor for his framework. There Paul identifies that pagan Rome had restrained the papacy from rising to power, until pagan Rome was taken away. In Second Thessalonians, Paul also provided the anchor for the framework of Future for America, when Paul identified that the “man of sin” in the chapter was also represented as the king that exalted himself, in Daniel chapter eleven, and verse thirty-six.
It is essential to see that the increase of knowledge in the movement of both the first and third angels, was directly connected with Paul’s testimony in chapter two of Thessalonians. At the time of the end in 1798, and also in 1989, the book of Daniel was unsealed, thus initiating a three-step testing process. The testing process always produces two classes of worshippers in the history where the book of Daniel is unsealed. It is essential to see Paul’s writings in connection with the increase of knowledge at the time of the end, for it is in that very chapter where Paul warns that those who do not receive the “love of the truth,” will receive strong delusion from God. The strong delusion is what is brought upon the wicked in Daniel chapter twelve, who reject the increase of knowledge. In both histories the strong delusion is most directly referring to Adventism.
“One who sees beneath the surface, who reads the hearts of all men, says of those who have had great light: ‘They are not afflicted and astonished because of their moral and spiritual condition.’ Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before Mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.’ ‘God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie,’ because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved,’ ‘but had pleasure in unrighteousness.’ Isaiah 66:3, 4; 2 Thessalonians 2:11, 10, 12.
“The heavenly Teacher inquired: ‘What stronger delusion can beguile the mind than the pretense that you are building on the right foundation and that God accepts your works, when in reality you are working out many things according to worldly policy and are sinning against Jehovah? Oh, it is a great deception, a fascinating delusion, that takes possession of minds when men who have once known the truth, mistake the form of godliness for the spirit and power thereof; when they suppose that they are rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing, while in reality they are in need of everything.’
“God has not changed toward His faithful servants who are keeping their garments spotless. But many are crying, ‘Peace and safety,’ while sudden destruction is coming upon them. Unless there is thorough repentance, unless men humble their hearts by confession and receive the truth as it is in Jesus, they will never enter heaven. When purification shall take place in our ranks, we shall no longer rest at ease, boasting of being rich and increased with goods, in need of nothing.
“Who can truthfully say: ‘Our gold is tried in the fire; our garments are unspotted by the world’? I saw our Instructor pointing to the garments of so-called righteousness. Stripping them off, He laid bare the defilement beneath. Then He said to me: ‘Can you not see how they have pretentiously covered up their defilement and rottenness of character? ‘How is the faithful city become an harlot!’ My Father’s house is made a house of merchandise, a place whence the divine presence and glory have departed! For this cause there is weakness, and strength is lacking.’” Testimonies, volume 8, 249, 250.
Adventism was “the faithful city” when it proclaimed the Midnight Cry in 1844. By 1863, it began the process of rejecting the “foundations” that were established through the ministry of William Miller. When they began to set aside the foundational truths, thus covering them with counterfeit jewels and coins, they were building a new foundation. Those that began, carried out and continue that work, are represented in the writing of the Spirit of Prophecy as “those who have had great light.”
The “great light” they once had, was represented in Miller’s dream as the jewels in the casket, which Miller placed upon a table in the center of his room, that shone brighter than “the sun.” In the passage just cited Sister White identifies, “those who have had great light,” but who “have chosen their own ways.”
They chose a new way in 1863. She says it is “a fascinating delusion, that takes possession of minds when men who have once known the truth, mistake the form of godliness for the spirit and power thereof; when they suppose that they are rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing, while in reality they are in need of everything.”
She is identifying the Laodicean condition, which she and her husband identified occurred in 1856. They were then tested for seven years, but failed the test in 1863, and began erecting the false foundation that brings the strong delusion of Paul’s warning message in Thessalonians. Paul’s warning in Thessalonians is an anchor for both the movement at the beginning and ending of Adventism, and aligns perfectly with Miller’s dream, which addresses both the beginning and ending of Adventism. His dream identifies that when the work of restoring the original jewels of truth is accomplished, those truths will shine ten times brighter than when they first shone at the Midnight Cry in the beginning of Adventism. How is it that Miller’s understanding shines any brighter now, than when he first recognized the truth?
There are several truths represented upon the two sacred charts of Habakkuk chapter two. Those truths were represented in Miller’s dream as jewels that would ultimately be restored in the last days, just before the Midnight Cry. The counterfeit jewels that are carried out of the window in Miller’s dream represent both the false doctrines that were brought into Adventism to create a false foundation, and also to hide the true foundation; but they also represent those who refuse to turn loose of the false doctrines that make up the false foundation. “The daily” was the anchor for William Miller’s framework of truth that established the original foundation, and in the last days “the daily,” symbolizes not only paganism, as Miller correctly identified, but it is the symbol of the rebellion that produced the false foundation.
The Bible, the Spirit of Prophecy and history all testify that the judgment-hour cry of 1798 through 1844, was the proclamation of the message discovered and presented by William Miller. This is why the movement is called the Millerite movement. Logically to reject that movement, is to reject the light that was produced in 1798, that Daniel identified as an increase of knowledge.
Isaiah speaks of the drunkards of Ephraim, and identifies those drunkards as the scornful men that rule the people of Jerusalem. Isaiah identifies that they are not drunk with literal wine, they are drunk with spiritual wine. Spiritual wine in the Bible is either true or false doctrine, depending upon the context. The drunkards of Ephraim are drunk on false doctrine, which is the wine of Babylon, as represented by the whore of Tyre in chapter seventeen, of Revelation and by Belshazzar in his last night of partying.
Isaiah identified the effects of the spiritual drunkenness that comes upon the scornful men that rule the people of Jerusalem.
Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? Isaiah 29:9–16.
Sister White quotes these verses and then adds:
“Every word of this will be fulfilled. There are those who do not humble their hearts before God, and who will not walk uprightly. They hide their true purposes, and keep in fellowship with the fallen angel, who loveth and maketh a lie. The enemy puts his spirit upon the men whom he can use to deceive those who are partially in the dark. Some are becoming imbued with the darkness that prevails, and are setting the truth aside for error. The day pointed out by prophecy is come. Jesus Christ is not understood. Jesus Christ is to them a fable. At this stage of the earth’s history, many act like drunken men. ‘Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry; they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes. The prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.’ A spiritual drunkenness is upon many who suppose they are the people who shall be exalted. Their religious faith is just as is represented in this Scripture. Under its influence, they cannot walk straight. They make crooked paths in their course of action. One and then another, they reel to and fro. They are looked upon by the Lord with great pity. The way of truth they have not known. They are scientific schemers, and those who could and should have helped, because of a clear spiritual eyesight, are themselves deceived, and are sustaining an evil work.
“The developments of these last days will soon become decided. When these spiritualistic deceptions are revealed to be what they really are,—the secret workings of evil spirits,—those who have acted a part in them will become as men who have lost their minds.
“‘Wherefore the Lord saith, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men therefore, behold I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, who seeth us, and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay; for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it. He had no understanding?’
“It is presented to me that in our experience we have been and are meeting this very condition of things. Men who have had great light and wonderful privileges have taken the word of leaders who think themselves wise, who have been greatly favored and blessed by the Lord, but who have taken themselves out of the hands of God and placed themselves in the ranks of the enemy. The world is to be flooded with specious fallacies. One human mind, accepting these fallacies, will work upon other human minds, who have been turning the precious evidence of God’s truth into a lie. These men will be deceived by fallen angels, when they should have stood as faithful guardians, watching for souls, as they that must give an account. They have laid down the weapons of their warfare, and have given heed to seducing spirits. They make of no effect the counsel of God and set aside his warnings and reproofs, and are positively on Satan’s side, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.
“Spiritual drunkenness is now upon men who ought not to be staggering as men under the influence of strong drink. Crimes and irregularities, fraud, deceit, and unfair dealing fill the world, in accordance with the teaching of the leader who rebelled in the heavenly courts.
“History is to be repeated. I could specify what will be in the near future, but the time is not yet. The forms of the dead will appear, through the cunning device of Satan, and many will link up with the one who loveth and maketh a lie. I warn our people that right among us some will turn away from the faith, and give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, and by them the truth will be evil spoken of.” Battle Creek Letters, 123–125.
All the prophets, including Isaiah and Sister White are identifying the last days. In these days the leaders of Adventism “are positively on Satan’s side, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.” Sister White sets forth a prediction when she says, “When these spiritualistic deceptions are revealed to be what they really are,—the secret workings of evil spirits,—those who have acted a part in them will become as men who have lost their minds.” The leadership of Adventism will become as men who have lost their minds, at the point in the history of the last days when their drunkenness is revealed to be “the secret workings of evil spirits.”
There is an unsealing of the work of the scornful men that rule the people in Jerusalem in the last days. That unsealing was illustrated in Miller’s dream, when Miller prayed and then there was a door opened. It takes place just before he closed his eyes for a moment, identifying the very end of the sealing process of the one hundred and forty-four thousand. The opening of a door identifies a change of dispensations, and at that point the Laodicean movement of the third angel transitions into the Philadelphian movement of the third angel.
In the passage in Isaiah, there is a summary of the evil work of the drunkards of Ephraim, who are the men who “should have stood as faithful guardians.” The summary is expressed as, “‘Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay; for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it. He had no understanding?’”
Miller’s identification of “the daily,” as either the religion of paganism or pagan Rome is ultimately a symbol of Satan, for Satan and pagan Rome are both represented as the dragon.
“Thus while the dragon, primarily, represents Satan, it is, in a secondary sense, a symbol of pagan Rome.” The Great Controversy, 439.
Speaking of the men who rule Jerusalem in the last days, Sister White states: “Some are becoming imbued with the darkness that prevails, and are setting the truth aside for error. The day pointed out by prophecy is come. Jesus Christ is not understood. Jesus Christ is to them a fable.” In 1901, a leader of Adventism from Germany began to introduce apostate Protestantism’s false view of “the daily” in the book of Daniel. That view identifies that “the daily” represents Christ’s sanctuary work, or some variation of that thought. I say some variation for there have been different emphasis placed upon the falsehood through the history that followed 1901, but those false views always manifest a conclusion that “the daily” represents some type of Christ’s work.
The jewel that was the doctrine of “the daily,” which Miller identified as a satanic symbol, in the Adventism of the last days, is a symbol of Christ. When introduced in 1901, very few accepted the view that “the daily” was a symbol of Christ, and not a symbol of Satan, but by the 1930’s the jewel of the doctrine of “the daily,” which Miller had dug out of the vein of truth found in Second Thessalonians, chapter two, was rejected as had the “seven times” of Leviticus twenty-six been rejected in 1863. Somewhere in the history of 1863 unto the 1930’s Adventism had changed leaders, without recognizing it.
“Brethren, I see your peril, and again I ask, Do you who err make any effort to correct the wrong? Souls may be stumbling along, walking in darkness, because you have not made straight paths for your feet. If you are in positions of trust, I appeal the more earnestly to you, for your own souls’ sake and for the sake of those who look to you as guides, repent before God for every mistake made, and confess your error.
“If you indulge stubbornness of heart, and through pride and self-righteousness do not confess your faults, you will be left subject to Satan’s temptations. If when the Lord reveals your errors you do not repent or make confession, his providence will bring you over the ground again and again. You will be left to make mistakes of a similar character, you will continue to lack wisdom, and will call sin righteousness, and righteousness sin. The multitude of deceptions that will prevail in these last days will encircle you, and you will change leaders, and not know that you have done so.” Review and Herald, December 16, 1890.
The scornful men that rule over the people of Jerusalem, who are men “in positions of trust,” will “call sin righteousness and righteousness sin,” and “Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay; for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it. He had no understanding?’” In the progressive rebellion over the four generations of Adventism, those who are positions of trust change leaders, and don’t know it. They do not know it, for they progressively and consistently rejected evidence of their errors. In that progressive rebellion “the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.”
They will turn things upside down, and call sin righteousness and righteousness sin. The symbol of this rebellion is the doctrine of “the daily,” which for Miller was a satanic symbol, and which Adventism today identifies as a symbol of Christ. What once was the anchor that established the framework of William Miller’s prophetic applications, is now become a symbol of the drunkenness of the scornful men that rule over the people of Jerusalem. The symbolism associated with “the daily,” in the book of Daniel shone bright as the sun when recognized in Miller’s casket at the beginning of Adventism, but in the last days that truth shines ten times brighter, for the number ten is a symbol of a test, and for ancient Israel the tenth test was the final test.
We will continue our consideration of the increase of knowledge that was unsealed in the movement of the first angel in the next article.
“The Pharisees sinned against the Holy Ghost. Their talent of speech was used to abuse the world’s Redeemer, and the recording angel wrote their words in the books of heaven. They attributed to satanic agencies the holy power of God, manifested in the works of Christ. They could not evade His wonderful works, or attribute them to natural causes, so they said, ‘They are the works of the devil.’ In unbelief they spoke of the Son of God as a human being. The works of healing done before them, works which no man had done or could do, were a manifestation of the power of God, but they charged Christ with being in league with hell. Stubborn, sullen, ironhearted, they determined to close their eyes to all evidence, and thus they committed the unpardonable sin.” Manuscript Releases, volume 4, 360.
Modern Pharisees have “attributed” “the works of Christ” “to satanic agencies” identifying paganism as “the holy power of God.”
The situation within the organized structure of Adventism is indeed a dire situation today!