The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 3

II. Addis-1843 the Grand Focal Point of All Prophecy

ALFRED ADDIS (b. 1806), graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1827 ⁹ wrote Heaven Opened (1829), with the subtitle stating that it covers the “twelve visions of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel, and St. John.” The next year he produced The Theory of Prophecy (1830). His Concise View of the Language, Scheme, and Spirit of the Chronological Prophets, following a year later, holds essentially the same positions and uses the same diagrams. (Title page reproduced on page 550.) Here are his positions. PFF3 556.3

1. HOLDS HISTORICAL VIEW OF FOUR KINGDOMS

In the great outline prophecies Addis concurred with the Historical School view of Daniel 2, with the Babylonic-Assyrian golden head, from 680 B.C., the Medo-Persian silver breast and arms, from 536 B.C., the Grecian brass belly and thighs, from 331 B.C., and the two iron legs of Rome, from 168 B.C. The feet are the divided European kingdoms. ¹⁰ PFF3 557.1

2. PAPAL ELEVENTH HORN (553-1813) FOLLOWS ROME’S DIVISIONS

The paralleling four beasts of Daniel 7 represented the same world kingdoms, with the division of the fourth into ten horn-kingdoms and the eleventh horn as the papal power. ¹¹ These ten kings he lists as the Huns, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Alans, Burgundians, Heruli and Thuringia, Saxons and Angles, and Langobards. ¹² The 1260 days are rated as years in harmony with all prophetic time ¹³ -the “tyranny of the pope” rather uniquely placed from 553, the date of the plucking up of the Ostrogothic horn by Justinian’s generals, when the East and West were reunited, to the end of intolerance in 1813. ¹⁴ “ PFF3 557.2

3. 2300 YEARS DATED FROM 457 B.C. TO A.D. 1843

The ram of Daniel 8 is Medo-Persia, ¹⁵ and the he-goat is Grecia. The desolation of the sanctuary for 2300 years is placed as beginning in 457 B.C. ¹⁶ The 490 years extend from 457 B.C. to A.D. 33. ¹⁷ The seventieth week is placed from A.D. 26 to 33. ¹⁸ The cleansing of the sanctuary at the end of the 2300 years Addis locates in 1843. ¹⁹ This is, in fact, his focal date, as it occurs again and again. PFF3 557.3

4. SEVENTY WEEKS THE KEY UNLOCKING 2300 YEARS

Anentire section is devoted to the 2300 years, and is titled, “Cleansing of the Sanctuary, and Triumph of Jewish Independence,” with the running title, at the top of the page, “Cleansing of the Sanctuary, B.C. 457-A.D. 1844.” ²⁰ This Addis convincingly places from the “perfect reestablishment of the religious affairs of the Jews by Artaxerxes, B.C. 457.” ²¹ The 2300-year period ends when “the church is sanctified and cleansed with the washing of water by the word, and presented to Christ a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.... Ephesians 5:26, 27; Revelation 21:2; 19:7.” ²² The “ostensible key” to Daniel 8:14, he asserts, is furnished by the 490 years of Daniel 9, which reach to Messiah and are dated from 457 B.C. ²³ Then Addis adds: PFF3 557.4

“But as the 487 years expired A.D. 80, at the commencement of our Lord’s ministry, the remaining 1813, or the whole 2300, will expire A.D. 1843.” ²⁴ PFF3 558.1

5. ANTICHRIST’S OPPOSITION ENDS AT SANCTUARY’S CLEANSING

As preliminary to his discussion of the 2300 years, Addis expatiates upon the Church of Rome’s policy of using priest craft to play upon the “credulity of the vulgar,” as did the pagan hierarchy before them. Here is perhaps the most pertinent and striking section in the entire book: PFF3 558.2

“Elate with their power the Caesars and their decemvirate have exalted themselves above all laws human and divine. They have sat in the seat of Christ, enforcing their own dogmas of religion by the arm of their power; and in the midst of peace have destroyed many, who possessed the truth, by sword, by flame, by captivity, and by spoil many days. Their existence has been a continual opposition to the Prince of princes, truth itself, Christ, from the time of his temporal crucifixion under Pontius Pilate to the present time: and they have thus incontestably shown themselves to be that Anti-Christ which should appear. But the desolation of the church must have an end; the autocracy of the civil power in the affairs of those who are Christ’s must be swept away, and the Sanctuary be cleansed. The re-establishment of God’s people after the seventy years’ captivity, and their subsequent scattering were, together, to last 2300 years. In the year B.C. 457, they were re-established by Artaxerxes under Messiah as sole Leader; and their scattering will consequently be accomplished A.D. 1843.” ²⁵ PFF3 558.3

6. ENDS 1290 YEARS WITH 2300 IN 1843

The “seven times” of the Gentiles, or 2520 years, Addis dates from 680 B.C. to A.D. 1840. ²⁶ And the vision of Daniel 11 he carries down through Persia, Grecia, Rome, and the divisions, ²⁷ with the 1290 years of Daniel 12 dated from 553, and terminating with the 2300 years in 1843-44, ²⁸ when also the Little Horn is broken without hand. ²⁹ The “fall of the Roman Church” in 1843 is repeatedly noted. ³⁰ Thus he reasons: “This abomination will therefore be set up A.D. 553; and the 1290 years will begin from thence, and consequently expire, A.D. 1843.” ³¹ While Acldis ends the 1290 years with the 2300 in 1843, he begins the 1335 years with this latter time, and therefore extends this prophetic period ³² on through the millennium. PFF3 558.4

7. FIFTH TRUMPET, SARACENS; 6TH VIAL, OTTOMAN DISSOLUTION

Addis begins the seven heads of the “dragon and sea beast,” with Babylon, ³³ and places the church-woman in the wilderness from A.D. 553, with the Two Witnesses as the opposers of the “corrupt papacy.” ³⁴ The fifth trumpet is the Saracenic, conquest, with the “five months,” or 150 years, dated from 786 to 936. ³⁵ The falling of a tenth part of the “city” and the pouring out of the vials in the French Revolution are noted. ³⁶ The fifth vial was poured out on the seat of the Papacy, and the sixth pertains to the “dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.” ³⁷ PFF3 559.1

8. LAST EVENTS ALL FOCALIZED ON 1843

The climactic date of 1843 is presented by Addis in tabular form under the heading: “VII. The Era of the Seventh Trumpet, Seventh Thunder, Seventh Vial, Third Woe, Millennium, and general Judgment.” ³⁸ PFF3 559.2

Here is placed the establishment of the mountain kingdom, the second advent, the Beast committed to the burning flame, the Little Horn broken, the sanctuary cleansed, the commencement of the 1335 years, the great multitude coming out of tribulation, the time of judging the dead, the treading of the wine press, the deliverance of the church, the desolation of the Whore, the first resurrection. The second resurrection and the destruction of the wicked come at the end of the thousand years. ³⁹ While Addis does not connect the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 with the prophetic organizations, as did some, he specifically ends the witness of each message in 1843 as the consummation of the Reformation, and he ties the thrusting in of the sharp sickle to the “signal overthrow” of the Papacy. ⁴⁰ Such is the over-all picture presented by Addis. PFF3 559.3