"I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein." (Rev. 10:10-11; 11:1)
In scriptural language, the "eating" of a book represents the reception of truth in order to communicate it to others, as is seen in Ezekiel, where the prophet is shown "a roll of a book," and it was said to him, "Eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel." After eating the roll, he says, "Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness." (Eze. 3:1-3)
The prophet Jeremiah uses this same figure: "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart." (Jer. 15:16) From this language we learn that the "sweetness" of the book while eating it represents the joy and satisfaction experienced by those who thus feed on the word of the Lord.
The Book Sweet, then Bitter
The book mentioned in Revelation 10, of which it is said that to the eater it was sweet as honey, but as soon as eaten was "bitter" (or, as some translate, "as soon as I had digested it, in my stomach it was picra" [1], was that book from which the angel announced, on the authority of him who made heaven, earth, and sea, "Time shall be no longer." Eating this book, then, must represent the joyful acceptance of the time proclamation. The sudden bitterness of the morsel to those who ate it must represent the sad contrast in their experience after the time of the book is expired, and they find themselves sorely disappointed in their expectations.
The Time Proclamation a Sweet Morsel
The proclamation of the time in 1844 was indeed joyful news to those who believed, and who, without a doubt, expected so soon an eternal deliverance from all the ills, woes, and sorrows of this sinful world. The thought that in a few short weeks they should be glorified, immortalized, and be in the golden city of God, with their King, was indeed soul-inspiring. As expressed by one who had that experience, "Those who sincerely love Jesus can appreciate the feelings of those who watched with the most intense interest for the coming of their Saviour. . . . We approached this hour with a calm solemnity. The true believers rested in a sweet communion with God, an earnest of the peace that was to be theirs in the bright hereafter. Those who experienced this hope and trust can never forget those precious hours of waiting."
The peculiarly trying position of those who, on the eleventh day of the seventh month, found themselves still in this dark world of trial and temptation, where they must meet the scorn, sneers, and ridicule of those whom a few hours before they had exhorted to get ready to meet their Lord, finds a fitting illustration in the case of Mary as she "stood without at the sepulcher weeping;" and when accosted by the angels with the question, "Woman, why weepest thou?" said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him." (John 20:13)
Disappointed, but not Discouraged
Those who passed through this trying scene said of it: "We were perplexed and disappointed, yet did not renounce our faith. We felt that we had done our duty; we had lived up to our precious faith; we were disappointed, but not discouraged. We needed unbounded patience, for the scoffers were many. We were frequently greeted by scornful allusions to our former disappointment. 'You have not gone up yet; when do you expect to go up?' and similar sarcasms were often vented upon us by our worldly acquaintances, and even by some professed Christians, who accepted the Bible, yet failed to learn its great and important truths. Mortality still clung to us; the effects of the curse were all around us. It was hard to take up the vexing cares of life that we thought had been laid down forever."
Compared with the Disappointed Disciples
The feelings of such, when compared with their joy and rejoicing of a few hours previous, must have been to them like the pungent bitterness of picra. The world around supposed, as no doubt the masses did after Christ's crucifixion, that the believers would now renounce their faith, and join in scoffing at their own supposed folly. They very soon learned to their astonishment that the love of the Lord's appearing was not easily eradicated from the affections of those who had truly consecrated themselves to God.
"Sat not with the Mockers"
The course these earnest ones did pursue, and their feelings, are well defined by the words of the prophet Jeremiah, where he says, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced: I sat alone because of thy hand; for thou hast filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? Wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?" (Jer. 15:16-18)
James White on the Disappointment
A few brief quotations from some of these disappointed, yet hopeful ones, will give a good idea of the situation. The first is from Elder James White, who labored very successfully in 1843 and 1844. He says:-
"The disappointment at the passing of the time was a bitter one. True believers had given up all for Christ, and had shared his presence as never before. They had, as they supposed, given their last warning to the world, and had separated themselves, more or less, from the unbelieving, scoffing multitude. And with the divine blessing upon them, they felt more like associating with their soon-expected Master and holy angels, than with those from whom they had separated themselves. The love of Jesus filled the soul, and beamed from every face, and with inexpressible desires they prayed, 'Come, Lord Jesus, and come quickly,' but he did not come.
"But God did not forsake his people. . . . And with especial force and comfort did such passages as the following to the Hebrews, come home to the minds and hearts of the tried, waiting ones: 'Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.' (Heb. 10:35-39) The points of interest in this portion of Scripture are these:-
- "Those addressed are in danger of casting away their confidence in that in which they have done right.
- "They had done the will of God, and were brought into that state of trial where patience was necessary.
- "The just at this time were to live by faith, not by doubting whether they had done the will of God, but faith, in that in which they had done the will of God.
- "Those who should not endure the trial of faith, but should cast away their confidence in the work in which they did the will of God, and drew back, would take the direct road to perdition." [2]
From N. Southard, Editor of the Midnight Cry
In the Midnight Cry of Oct. 31, 1844, about ten days after the close of the twenty-three hundred days, the following was published from the pen of the editor:-
"In view of all the circumstances attending this movement, the blessed effects it has produced on the minds of God's children, and the hatred and malice his enemies have displayed, we must regard it as the true 'midnight cry.' And if we have a few days in which to try our faith, it is still in accordance with the parable of the ten virgins; for when they had all arisen and trimmed their lamps, there was still to be a time when the lamps of the foolish virgins would be going out. This could not be till after the passing of the tenth day; for till that time their lamps would burn. There must, therefore, be a passing by of that day, for the foolish to give up their faith, as there must have been of 1843, for the tarrying time. A little delay is therefore no cause for disappointment, but shows how exact God is in the fulfillment of his word. Let us therefore hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful who has promised."
From Joseph Marsh, Editor of the Voice of Truth
In the Voice of Truth of Nov. 7, 1844, we read:-
"We cheerfully admit that we have been mistaken in the nature of the event we expected would occur on the tenth day of the seventh month; but we cannot yet admit that our great high Priest did not on that day accomplish all that the type would justify us in expecting. We now believe he did."
It was expected by the Adventists that on the tenth day of the seventh month, 1844, the twenty-three hundred days would end, and that on that day Christ would complete his priestly work and come to earth to bless his people. Later investigation has demonstrated that it was the beginning of his work of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary that took place on that day, and not the completion of his work as a priest. [3] Instead of regarding the work of cleansing the sanctuary as any part of Christ's work as a priest, it was claimed that the cleansing of the sanctuary was to be the purification of the earth by fire at Christ's coming. If not the whole of it, at least the land of Canaan would be cleansed at that time.
The Sanctuary Believed to be the Earth
This idea is brought out in an article by Geo. Storrs, in the Midnight Cry of April 25, 1844. He asks, "What is the sanctuary to be cleansed? My previous views have been that it was the whole earth. That it is a part of the earth I still believe. But what part? is the inquiry I shall endeavor to answer."
He quotes the promise to Abraham, the establishment of the same to Isaac, and its renewal to Jacob, and then quotes the song of Moses, composed by Miriam after the passage of the Red Sea, in which they sang: "Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established." (Ex. 15:17)
If the reader will carefully compare the above text with the record of its fulfillment made by the psalmist, he will see that it does not state that even the land of Palestine is the sanctuary. David says, when speaking of the Lord's leading the children of Israel: "He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased." (Ps. 78:54) In the song at the Red Sea it is said of the land of Canaan, that it was the place he had made to "dwell in, in the sanctuary." So in this quotation from the psalms, the Mount Moriah, where the sanctuary was built, is only called "the border of his sanctuary." But in this same psalm it is said, "He chose the tribe of Judah, the Mount Zion which he loved. And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established forever." (Ps. 78:68-69)
Cleansing the Sanctuary Thought to be Purifying the Earth
In the article above referred to, after quoting the supposed proof that the earth, or at least the land of Palestine, was the sanctuary, the elder next proceeds to inquire, "How will the sanctuary be cleansed?" In the words of the prophet Micah, he replies, "For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place." (Micah 1:3-4)
With the idea, commonly accepted at that time, that the earth was the sanctuary, the reader will readily see why they supposed, without a doubt, that at the end of the twenty-three hundred days the Lord would come and purify the earth in the manner described by Micah. In all the opposition raised against the Adventists, not an opponent even intimated that the cleansing of the earth by fire was not the event to take place as the cleansing of the sanctuary, at the end of the twenty-three hundred days.
The Apostles Disappointed, Yet Fulfilled Scripture
This is not the only instance where people have done the will of the Lord, fulfilled scripture, and yet have been disappointed in their expectations simply because they did not understand the nature of the event to transpire. Thus it was with the apostles of Christ. When he was seated on the colt, riding into Jerusalem, they shouted as they remembered the words of the prophet: (John 12:16) "Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." (Zech. 9:9) It was so needful that there should be shouting on that occasion that had they held their peace, the very stones would have cried out. (Luke 24:21) The disciples supposed that Christ, then and there, was going to ascend the throne of David as a temporal king ("we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel" ), and so they shouted, "Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord." How much shouting would there have been on that occasion had they understood that within a week Christ would be dead in Joseph's tomb, surrounded by the Roman guard? How much of giving "glory" to God and of consecration would there have been with the Adventists in 1844 had they understood that the cleansing of the sanctuary at the end of all prophetic time was to occupy a series of years before the Lord would come?
No Mistake in Reckoning the 2300 Days
As this people carefully looked over their reckoning of the period, they found no defect; but the Lord did not come, neither was the earth cleansed by fire. What did it mean? Of a surety they knew that the Lord had been with them in the great movement; but now they were in suspense. Their confidence in the Lord was unshaken. They knew he would not forsake them. The light would come from some source. The trying question before them is stated in the words of Jeremiah already referred to, "Wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?" Faith did not cherish this doubt, for the words of the Lord by the prophet Habakkuk respecting the vision occurred to their minds, "At the end it shall speak, and not lie." (Hab. 2:3) The expression already quoted from the editor of the Voice of Truth well sets forth their position: "We cannot yet admit that our great High Priest did not on that very day accomplish all that the type would justify us in expecting."
Light on the Sanctuary Discovered
Hiram Edson, of Port Gibson, N.Y., told me that the day after the passing of the time in 1844, as he was praying behind the shocks of corn in a field, the Spirit of God came upon him in such a powerful manner that he was almost smitten to the earth, and with it came an impression, "The sanctuary to be cleansed is in heaven." He communicated this thought to O. R. L. Crosier, and they together carefully investigated the subject. In the early part of 1846 an elaborate exposition of the sanctuary question from a Bible standpoint, written by Mr. Crosier, was printed in the Day Star, a paper then published in Canandaigua, N.Y. In that lengthy essay it was made to appear that the work of cleansing the sanctuary was the concluding work of Christ as our high priest, beginning in 1844 and closing just before he actually comes again in the clouds of heaven as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Churches Seeking Lost Members
The tenth day of the seventh month had passed, and the churches thought they were going to have an easy time regaining lost members, who had been separated from them under the "midnight cry" and the second angel's message; but in this they were greatly disappointed, as will be shown by the following reply to the importunities to return to their former organizations, as given in the Midnight Cry of Dec. 26, 1844:-
"But what are the facts? They well know that in the great mass of these churches the prominent themes are, 'The world's conversion,' 'a thousand years' millennium,' and 'the return of the Jews to Palestine,' before the personal advent of the Savior. Those that go back to sit under the lullaby songs of such unscriptural, unreasonable doctrines, do it with eyes open; and such a course on their part will be 'going back,' indeed.
"Having become 'free' in a scriptural sense, it is much more safe to 'press forward' than either to 'go back' or to 'draw back,' especially at this time, when the crown of glory is so soon to be given to the faithful in Christ Jesus."
The course of the churches in putting off the coming of the Lord by the advocacy of the above unscriptural doctrines, suggested to the Adventists these words of the prophet Ezekiel: "Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off." In the same connection is found the reply which the Adventists used, "Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God: There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God." (Eze. 12:27-28)
"Thou Must Prophesy Again"
Those who "ate" the book, and gave the "time" proclamation, deemed their work for the world was done; hence the declaration that they must again teach nations, and tongues, and kings. Another part of the work, hitherto unseen, must now be accomplished, -that of presenting to the people the real character of the temple of God in heaven and its altar service. The command to measure the temple [4] is needful in order to gain a knowledge of the nature of the event to transpire at the close of the prophetic time, and thus an explanation be given of the words, "Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."
Notice that the angel of this time proclamation came from heaven, and before his work is completed he gives a commission to teach the people again. The message, then, which is to explain the sanctuary question, to give confidence to the disappointed ones, and at the same time furnish them with a "reed," or "rod," or rule, by which the people of God can try their moral standing before him, must bear evident marks that it is heaven born, and not of human origin.
Prejudice Barred Access to the People
The existing prejudice against the advent doctrine was an almost impassable barrier to the people; and to try to teach them again without clear and positive light as to the cause of the disappointment, would be useless. The Adventist believers themselves needed to have their own souls inspired anew with a heavenly commission, before the people could be correctly taught; and how could this be accomplished? Could it be done by merely human wisdom? or would those who had experienced the deep work of the Spirit of God under the late movement, be satisfied with simply human reasoning? Nothing but a work like that of the "third angel's message" (Rev. l4:9-l2) could lift them out of their perplexities; and this, step by step, as they could receive it, was duly inaugurated, bearing most convincing proofs that it was of heavenly origin.
Like Sheep without a Shepherd
Here was the great advent body, in one sense, as sheep without a shepherd, thousands of whom only a few weeks previously had separated themselves from all churches and creeds, no human organizations being responsible for their spiritual welfare. They had no earthly counselors in whom they could confide; in God alone was their trust.
They were confident, however, of one thing, and this to them was like an anchor, -the time proclamation was right. [5] But as a people they were in a position where, unless God should guide and keep them, they were liable to accept false explanations, or lose "patience" and give up faith in their past experience. This some did; while others, with an eye of faith fixed on him whom their souls loved, earnestly inquired, "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come." (Isa. 21:11-12)
J. N. Andrews on the Disappointment
Elder J. N. Andrews, one who passed through this experience in 1844, thus speaks of the disappointment:-
"Those were disappointed who expected the Lord in 1843 and in 1844. This fact is with many a sufficient reason for rejecting all the testimony in this case. We acknowledge the disappointment, but cannot acknowledge that this furnishes a just reason for denying the hand of God in this work. The Jewish church were disappointed when, at the close of the work of John the Baptist, Jesus presented himself as the promised Messiah. And the trusting disciples were most sadly disappointed when he whom they expected to deliver Israel was by wicked hands taken and slain. And after his resurrection, when they expected him to restore again the kingdom to Israel, they could not but be disappointed when they understood that he was going away to his Father, and that they were to be left for a long season to tribulation and anguish. But disappointment does not prove that God has no hand in the guidance of his people. It should lead them to correct their errors, but it should not lead them to cast away their confidence in God. It was because the children of Israel were disappointed in the wilderness, that they so often denied divine guidance. They are set forth as an admonition to us, that we should not fall after the same example of unbelief." [6]
Truth Has a Baptism of Unpopularity
It seems to be the Lord's plan to place important truths in an unpopular channel where it will be a cross (Matt. 16:24) to accept and obey them. This is especially true in these last days. Peter, speaking of that time when the end of all things will be "at hand," and when the "judgment" shall "begin at the house of God," says, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye: for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified." (1 Peter 4:7,17,12-14)
When the truth has received its baptism of unpopularity, to accept it requires more grace than simply to follow the faith of the masses. Hypocritical pretenders see no great inducement to accept a truth which requires action, like rowing up stream " 'gainst wind and tide." Thus the truth becomes a test to the loyal, honest-hearted, sincere, and conscientious.
We have before shown that the prophecy of the advent movement calls for a disappointment. It came; and thus, in the providence of God, the acceptance of that message had its cross.
Notes:
- Picra - a most disagreeable, bitter preparation of alcohol, aloes, and gum myrrh.
- Life Sketches, pp. 107-109.
- No one at that time had any idea of a sanctuary in heaven.
- In a measurement where no figures are given as the result, it is character, and not dimensions, that is involved.
- By the most careful review of their reckoning of the 2300 days, they could find no mistake, neither yet can any be found.
- The Three Messages of Rev. 14:6-12, p. 33.