V. The Aftermath of the Two Disappointments

Those Jews, it may well be recalled, who refused to accept any other than a triumphant kingly Messiah and turned sorrowfully or scornfully away from Christ as the dying victim on the cross, were the very ones who were soon deceived by successive Messianic pretenders that began to appear, followed in turn by succeeding disappointments—and with ultimate disillusionment and repudiation of all Messianic expectations. But the minority of Christ’s followers who accepted His appointed death as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world-though they were but few at first, and without money or influence as they broke with the majority groups—in the end became the great Christian church, destined to far outnumber the old Jewish church.PFF4 887.3

And similarly, in the historical developments between 1845 and 1855, and later, three groups of Adventists developed. The first and larger group of Millerite Adventists came to the conclusion that since Jesus obviously had not come, the “true Midnight Cry” had therefore not. yet been given. And in consequence, the prophetic periods had not yet actually ended. And in thus looking to some future fulfillment, most of this group erelong came to challenge the key dates and specifications of the 2300 years. Led on by specious reasoning, they split up into factions, not a few setting successive later dates for Christ to come—in all of which expectations they were sorely disappointed. Many others gave up in despair, and drifted back to nominal church membership or out to the open sea of skepticism.PFF4 888.1

A small second group contending that prophecy had been fulfilled in the 1844 movement, but that the mistake was in the nature of the event, drifted into fanaticism. Snow was one of these. In common with all Adventists, he was deeply disappointed in the failure of the Bridegroom to descend from heaven on October 22. And like others, he had concentrated on the chronology of the time periods, giving relatively little study to the events actually involved. He too had waited for light. But for a brief time after the Disappointment he was uncertain as to whether a mistake had been made in the year. Then he went to New York City, where, in the spring of 1845, Joseph Turner brought him the concept of Christ’s coming as a Bridegroom—not in personally descending from heaven, but taking the throne spiritually, preparatory to the advent, much the same as taught by Apollos Hale.PFF4 888.2

However, Snow soon began to preach a “judgment dispensation” —a subtle blending of error and truth. He published the Jubilee Standard from March to August, 1845. Sharp conflict developed with the Millerites, and for a time he indulged in serious fanaticism, particularly in 1847 and 1848. But until his death he held to the integrity of October 22, 1844, as the true terminus of the 2300 years-the date correct, but the event expected wrongly understood. He had a small following, but they soon disappeared.PFF4 888.3

But a third and distinctly separate little group, steadfastly maintaining the soundness of the 1844 time reckoning of the 2300-year period, but contending that the event to occur had been misunderstood, held that this last and longest time prophecy of the Bible had been fulfilled according to the specifications, that “time” should no longer be a test and that Christ had now entered the second and final phase of His heavenly ministry before coming back to earth in power and glory at His second advent. Accepting the views advanced by Edson and Crosier, they were saved from further time-setting errors by this Biblical concept of the two phases of the ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, which was specifically involved in the fulfillment of the 2300-year prophecy. ^{10This group, accepting the fourth commandment Sabbath as well, finally took the name Seventh-day Adenlists, in 1860, and are now the largest Adventist body.} This third group will become the object of further detailed study.PFF4 889.1

But first, let us pause to become better acquainted with the principal characters of the post-Disappointment episode, that we may have before us the leading personalities who played a major part in the crucial events that followed.PFF4 889.2