"The Finished Mystery" - William Miller, a member of the "little flock"

by EdenOne 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  EdenOne

  Wiki: "William Miller (February 15, 1782 – December 20, 1849) was an American Baptist preacher who is credited with beginning the mid-nineteenth century North American religious movement now known as Adventism. Among his direct spiritual heirs are several major religious denominations, including Seventh-day Adventists and Advent Christians. Later movements found inspiration in Miller's emphasis on Bible prophecy. His own followers are known as Millerites."

  I've once described the Jehovah's Witnesses as "children of William Miller". What I didn't realize until today is that, at some point, the WTS acknowledged just that, even crediting Miller for a role in the Bible prophecy. In a passage from "The Finished Mystery" book, page 163, there's a commentary on Revelation 9:14. Apparently, William Miller, between 1829 and 1844 is the 'voice from the golden altar before God'. He's also indicated as a member of the "little flock", which is, according to the book, "the consecrated Church". The whole thing is utter nonsense, but it's curious that at some point, William Miller was reckoned as a member of the "little flock" with a prominent role in denouncing the "Evangelical Alliance-Spiritism movement".

  Eden
• 

  AndDontCallMeShirley

  Consequently, this explains why the WTS has marginalized Russell, his contemporaries and the faithful slave to the category of "also ran".

  Revisionist's history to nullify the too-uncomfortable-to-explain.
• 

  designs

  Interesting, checked my copy of TFM. Seems Russell felt Miller's work was still relevant in some capacity.
• 

  whathappened

  Russell and Miller, like minded men.
• 

  AndDontCallMeShirley

  Interesting, checked my copy of TFM. Seems Russell felt Miller's work was still relevant in some capacity.

  ----

  No different than Russell still teaching his own doctrines and prophecies were still relevent, despite a 100% failure rate.

  Seems like so much more work than simply saying, "sorry, I was wrong", and moving forward.

  Obviously, Russell didn't think Miller's 100% failure in 1844, which became famous as "The Great Disappointment", was that big of a deal either.

  Further, it is obvious Rutherford, creator of TFM, wasn't bothered by any of it either.
• 

  Comatose

  The truly amazing thing is no one I know still in knows anything about this. They would accuse me of apostasy for telling them that Miller was an inspiration to Russel. Disturbing.
• 

  AndDontCallMeShirley

  The truly amazing thing is no one I know still in knows anything about this. They would accuse me of apostasy for telling them that Miller was an inspiration to Russel. Disturbing.

  ----

  If JWs actually read their own literature it would come as no suprise. Of course, they'd still accuse you of apostasy, but not for the reason of speaking untruths- but for speaking truths too difficult to acknowledge.

  -------------------------

  ka chap. 11 pp. 184-185 par. 3 "Here Is the Bridegroom!"

  Those who followed up Bengel’s publications and acted according to them did not meet the heavenly Bridegroom in the year 1836 by a visible return of Him in the flesh. In course of time there came other stirrings among those Christians who professed to be of the "chaste virgin" class, particularly that in connection with a man born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A., in the year 1781. This man was William Miller, who became the founder of the so-called Millerites or Adventists. Says M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia, Volume 6, page 271:

  .... Jv chap. 4 p. 40 The Great Apostasy Develops

  In the United States, William Miller predicted the return of Christ in visible form in 1843 or 1844. The German theologian J. A. Bengel set the date for 1836; the Irvingites in England looked first to 1835, then 1838, 1864, and 1866. There was a Mennonite group in Russia that looked first to 1889, then to 1891.

  Such efforts to keep on the watch served to awaken many to the prospect of our Lord’s return. However, these efforts at Christian watchfulness ended up in disappointment. Why? For the most part, because they relied too much on men and not enough on the Scriptures

  jv chap. 5 p. 60 Proclaiming the Lord’s Return (1870-1914)

  Meanwhile, what about October 1914? For decades Russell and his associates had been proclaiming that the Gentile Times would end in 1914. Expectations were high. C. T. Russell had been critical of those who had set various dates for the Lord’s return, such as William Miller and some Second Adventist groups. Yet, from the time of his early association with Nelson Barbour, he was convinced that there was an accurate chronology, based on the Bible, and that it pointed to 1914 as the end of the Gentile Times.

  ...

  chap. 6 p. 62 A Time of Testing (1914-1918)

  Disappointed expectations as to the return of the Lord Jesus had in the 19th century caused many followers of William Miller and various Adventist groups to lose faith. But what about the Bible Students associated with Russell?
• 

  barry

  William Miller is still held in very high regard in the Seventh Day Adventist church and in the Advent Christian Church even today. Those churches and the Jehovahs Witness religion have a common spirituall connection. Barry
• 

  Crazyguy

  I find it amazing that Ellen White when Jesus did not come in 1844 said 'yes he did but invisibly' and that's how we got 20 million 7th day Adventists. Then a few years later in 1874 when Barbour thought Jesus was coming one of his guys said 'yes Jesus did come, but in a invisible Presence' and that how we got 7 million Jw's. Yet now one of those religions is the only channel of god and the other is a despicable piece of sh*t, and of course no JW sees the connection between the two even when you point it out to them.
• 

  AndDontCallMeShirley

  When you can't actually prove your claims with evidence, the only other alternative you have to keep people fooled is to convince them it happened just as you said it would- only "invisibly".

  Imagine if a lawyer went into court and said, "your honor, my client is innocent. We have no physical evidence to support our case- all of it actually exists but is invisible. We fully expect everyone in the court to accept our invisible evidence as fact because we say it's true".