It is in a crisis that character is revealed. When the earnest voice proclaimed at midnight, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him,” and the sleeping virgins were roused from their slumbers, it was seen who had made preparation for the event. Both parties were taken unawares; but one was prepared for the emergency, and the other was found without preparation. So now, a sudden and unlooked-for calamity, something that brings the soul face to face with death, will show whether there is any real faith in the promises of God. It will show whether the soul is sustained by grace. The great final test comes at the close of human probation, when it will be too late for the soul’s need to be supplied.COL 412.1
From the above quote a number of things can be deduced and from it we will try to illustrate briefly what characterizes midnight. The first place that the word midnight is mentioned in the Bible is Exodus 11:4
“And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:” Here from the first place that midnight is mentioned in the Bible we see a real crisis, the first born of Egypt were to be slain, anyone knowing this story knows also that it has to do with the deliverance of Israel from their Egyptian bondage.
In the first paragraph quoted the parable of the ten virgins of Matthew 25 is bought to view as well and if we are familiar with the history of the Millerites we know that this parable was fulfilled from April 19, 1844 when God removed his hand from the mistake that was on the 1843 chart and the brethren realized that according to Habakkuk’s vision of Habakkuk 2:2-3
And the Lord answered me, and said,
Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables,
that he may run that readeth it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time,
but at the end it shall speak, and not lie:
though it tarry, wait for it;
because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
Jesus and all the heavenly host looked with sympathy and love upon those who had with sweet expectation longed to see Him whom their souls loved. Angels were hovering around them, to sustain them in the hour of their trial. Those who had neglected to receive the heavenly message were left in darkness, and God’s anger was kindled against them, because they would not receive the light which He had sent them from heaven. Those faithful, disappointed ones, who could not understand why their Lord did not come, were not left in darkness. Again they were led to their Bibles to search the prophetic periods. The hand of the Lord was removed from the figures, and the mistake was explained. They saw that the prophetic periods reached to 1844, and that the same evidence which they had presented to show that the prophetic periods closed in 1843, proved that they would terminate in 1844. Light from the Word of God shone upon their position, and they discovered a tarrying time—“Though it [the vision] tarry, wait for it.” In their love for Christ’s immediate coming, they had overlooked the tarrying of the vision, which was calculated to manifest the true waiting ones. Again they had a point of time. Yet I saw that many of them could not rise above their severe disappointment to possess that degree of zeal and energy which had marked their faith in 1843. EW 236.1
There is much that can be said about the above passage but what I would like to bring to our attention is when this discovery was made
- It was after the first disappointment which in the Millerite history was, April 19, 1844.
- It was discovered based on the examination of God’s word.
- The prophetic periods were what gave them the correct understanding.
Samuel Sheffield Snow as far back as, August of 1843 had realized that the fulfillment of these periods extended to the autumn of the year. At first he thought it was the year 1843 but by February 16 of 1844 wrote an article highlighting the autumnal feasts. William Miller also from, May 3,1843 had also pointed the attention of the brethren to the autumnal feasts but as the servant of the Lord says the people were too excited to take heed to these hints given. However, Samuel Snow kept on studying and in a study given at the Boston Tabernacle, July 21, 1844 told the sleeping virgins to arise and go forth to meet the bridegroom. This is what the spirit of prophecy says: In the summer of 1844, midway between the time when it had been first thought that the 2300 days would end, and the autumn of the same year, to which it was afterward found that they extended, the message was proclaimed in the very words of Scripture: “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!” CIHS 82.2 Notice she says midway between the time when it had first been thought that the 2300 days would end this is April19, 1844 and the autumn of the same year October 22,1844 the scripture of Matthew 25 was quoted, but what date marks “midway”? Midway was the 21st of July 1844; midway also becomes another name for midnight. In his lecture given on that day he asked the question what is a day in bible prophecy to which the response was given a year then he asked about the half of the year and the people answered he then told them it is yet three months to the harvest behold the bridegroom cometh go yet out to meet him. Upon further studies of the Karaite reckoning the brethren also discovered that in Ezekiel 1:1-3 the following thoughts:
“Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, the word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.” Ezekiel 1:1-3
As said a study of this time led to the discovery that July 21, 1844 was actual the Jewish time of the 5th day of the 4th month these two dates became associated with Midnight
- The number 21
- The 5th day of the 4th month
There are many other symbols associated with midnight of which we cannot get into but these two are the two primary things associated with this time.
As the first quote defines midnight to be a sudden and unlocked for calamity, one that brings the soul face to face with death. She says it comes at a time when it will be too late for the souls need to be supplied, so it was in the Millerite history when the cry went forth the sleeping virgins arouse five having oils in their vessels with their lamps while five had empty lamps with no extra oil at hand and the great advent movement which started out with over 50,000 was brought down to a mere 50 because the soul was not sustained by the grace, oil of God’s word.
The ten virgins are watching in the evening of this earth’s history. All claim to be Christians. All have a call, a name, a lamp, and all profess to be doing God’s service. All apparently wait for Christ’s appearing. But five are unready. Five will be found surprised, dismayed, outside the banquet hall. COL 412.2
Recent Comments