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Birthed by the teachings of a Deist turned Baptist preacher named William Miller who began in 1831 to declare that the second coming of Christ (The Advent) would occur sometime between 1843 and 1844. Despite many scoffers and doubters, he steadily gained followers and by 1840, these “Millerites”— between 50,000 and 100,000 in 1844 — lived in central and eastern Massachusetts. Millerite meetings continued in the same vein as the Cane Ridge Revival meetings.
Miller was soon joined by many congregants of the “Christian Connection” (Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian groups that were the early forerunners of the Church of Christ). Then tragedy would strike the Millerites, because William Miller failed to heed the words of Jesus when Jesus said “No man knows the day or the hour of the return of the Son of Man” (Math 24:36). Miller’s 1831 book predicted that the exact date of Jesus’ return would be October 22, 1844. Many of his followers, called Millerites, would sell their possessions, farms and goods; they would quit their jobs and go to wait for Jesus’ return. This set up his followers to deal with what has historically been called the “Great Disappointment” when, after the false prediction of the “advent” bombed, his following imploded with many broken lives. Thereafter, William Miller faded into obscurity and the “Millerites” shrank to only a few followers.
Many groups came out of the Millerite following. One significant group was called the Adventists, a group which based its entire identity on the Second Coming of Christ. This group would give rise to the Seventh Day Adventists which at worst is considered a cult by many Christians and at best an exo-orthodox Christian denominations by others and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a group which all Biblical Christians recognize as a cult. Both groups would continue to attempt, unsuccessfully, the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
No one receives eternal life and eternal presence with God, from who all good things come (James 1:17), by belonging to the right church, denomination, world religion, or by having a particular world view. Rather only those who trust in the Lord Jesus preached by the Apostles in the Bible, for their own sin. We will not trust in a Savior for sins that we either don’t believe we have or that we think aren’t deserving of hell. But the Bible says that ALL have sin and the wages of that sin is eternal separation from God (death). The good news is that the Bible says that you can know that YOU have eternal life. Click the button below to see if you are genuinely saved from your sins according to the Bible: