The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4

V. Direct Exposition on the 1260-years

Miller was an effective reasoner, and at times indulged in effective colloquy. At other times he was very solemn and direct. Maintaining that we must be beyond the close of the 1260 years of Daniel and John from the fact that the church is no longer in the “wilderness,” he says: PFF4 691.10

“Can we be mistaken in the fulfillment of this prophecy? Is the church now in the wilderness? And if you should respond, She is,—I ask you, When, then, was she out? Not in the apostolic age; for she was not more free then than now. And then, let me inquire, where are your twelve hundred and sixty years? They can have no meaning. O, Christian I beg of you, believe in the word of God; do not, I pray you, discard time, any more than manner. Is it not selfishness in us to discard the set times which God has fixed, and not man? Where is our faith? Why are we so slow of heart to believe? Three times we have witnessed,—yes, in the lifetime of some of us,—the fulfillment of the ‘time, times, and an half,’ in the accomplishment of the ‘forty-two months,’ in the completion of the ‘twelve hundred and three—score days,’ and yet, O God, we refuse to believe! Shame on that professor who will not open his eyes! PFF4 691.11

“They tell us we cannot understand prophecy until it is fulfilled. PFF4 692.1

“But here it is three times fulfilled in this day in which we live. What excuse have you now, O ye heralds of the cross? Ah! say you, that is your construction; we are not bound to follow your explanations. No, no! But for ages you and your fathers have been telling us that these prophecies were true; and you have told us that when they come to pass we should know what they meant; and, although ages on ages have rolled their rapid course, yet nothing has transpired, as you will own; and we, if we should search, and find, as we believe, the prophecies fulfilling, and tell our reasons, you then can taunt us with a sceptic argument,-‘this is your construction/—and then not dare to tell us what it means! Awake, awake, ye shepherds of the flock! Come, tell us why these things are not fulfilled. Deceive us not. You stand upon the walls, both night and day; then tell us what it means. We have a right to ask, ‘Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?’ An answer we must have; or you must leave your towers. It will not do to answer us, ‘I am under no obligation to tell you.’ ²¹ PFF4 692.2

“Has Zion no better watchman on her walls than this? Alas! alas! then we may sleep, and sleep, until the trumpet’s dreadful blast shall shake our dusty beds, and the last angel raise his hand and swear ‘that time shall be no longer.’ Why are you thus negligent and remiss in duty? If I am not right in my construction of God’s holy word, pray tell us what is truth, and make it look more plain,—and will we not believe? Thus you will cleanse your garments from our blood, and we must bear the shame. What time of night? Come, tell us plainly. There are portentous clouds hanging over our heads; we hear the murmurs of the fitful winds; we see sad omens of a dreadful storm; and where is our watchman’s voice? Your silence gives us fears that we are betrayed. Awake! awake! Ye watchmen, to your post! PFF4 692.3

“It is no false alarm. There are judgments, heavy judgments, at the door. ‘Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.’ How shall the fearful stand in that great day, when heaven and earth shall hear his mighty voice, and they that hear must come to judgment? Where will the unbelieving scoffer then appear? When God makes inquisition for the blood of souls, and when the under shepherds stand, with their flocks, around the ‘great white throne,’ to have each motive, thought, word, act, and deed, brought out to light, before a gazing world, and tried by that unerring rule, ‘the word.’—I ask you, scorner, jester, scoffer, how will you appear? Stop, stop, and think, before you take a fatal leap, and jest away your soul!” ²² PFF4 692.4