by
E.E. Franke
And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed
exceeding great toward the South, and toward the East and.
toward the Pleasant Land (Daniel 8).
We have emphasized the word "toward" to bring out the true intent
and meaning. Are any justified in assuming from the wording of
this verse that the prophet meant to imply that the "little horn"
would be greater than Medo-Persia and Grecia? NO - absolutely no.
Only careless, indifferent and superficial reading could account
for such a far-fetched conclusion. The facts are that the "ram"
became "great" and the "goat" became "very great," as empires,
but the "little horn" became "exceeding great" not as an empire -
NO, but exceeding great toward the South, and toward the East and
toward the Pleasant Land.
Why should any throw out the last twelve words of the verse in
question? What could induce men to take simply half of a passage
or verse of Scripture and deliberately discard the other half,
unless it be a deceitful effort to attempt to establish a weak
and false theory? The word "toward" indicates direction. The
verse clearly states in what directions the little horn became
"exceeding great."
The verse says that the "little horn" waxed exceeding great
toward the South, and toward the East and toward the Pleasant
Land, which is precisely what Antiochus Epiphanes did. He waxed
exceeding great toward Egypt, the South; toward Persia, the East,
and toward Judea and Jerusalem, the Pleasant Land. Those who hold
the false view take the adjectives great, very great and
exceeding great, as expressing a higher and still higher degree,
thus:
GREAT, as positive degree.
VERY GREAT, as comparative degree.
EXCEEDING GREAT, as superlative degree.
Thus they make it appear that the "little horn" was to be greater
than either the "ram" or the "goat." This conclusion
might be warranted were it not for the fact that the words
"exceeding great" are not used in the superlative sense, by
comparison with the others at all, but merely to show that the
"little horn" was to wax "exceeding great" in certain directions:
and moreover, the dishonest handling of the Word. Wresting
Scripture and distorting and mutilating passages is dangerous,
and displeasing to God.
A doctrine that is in harmony with God's Word requires no
assassination of Scripture to sustain it, but will stand alone on
God's say-so. We are doing business for eternity and it pays well
to do that work honestly and in the fear of God.
WHAT HAPPENED IN 1844? Where Did S.D.Adventists Get Their Theory?
It is characteristic of all prophecy that some event, more or
less startling in its nature, marks its fulfillment. But can
anyone tell what happened in 1844 to mark a fulfillment of what
Adventists claim to be the most important prophecy and the surest
sign of Christ's soon appearing? Nothing whatever, except that
before Oct. 22,1844, at which time they claimed its fulfillment,
William Miller and his followers were preaching that Jesus would
come on that date, and contrary to all Scripture were setting
time for the end of the world.
What happened after the date was passed? Nothing - only that many
of these same Millerites, including the late Mrs. E.G. White and
her husband, went into the rankest kind of fanaticism.
Meeting with an accident in her early days, and afterward being
connected with the great excitement of the Millerite movement,
she became a cataleptic and an enthusiast, manifesting all of the
symptoms, not only of catalepsy, but also of hysteria and
ecstasy. Her cataleptic spells and trances, explainable on
perfectly natural pathological grounds, became to her, visions
from the Lord, and while for a time it was hard to convince her
followers of her pretended "gift," as she called it, the spirit
of fanaticism that prevailed carried many beyond reason and
common sense. The writer has been to Maine, and in Portland,
where she (Mrs. White) was raised. There are still some who
remember the wild fanaticism that caused the officers of the law
to raid their meetings at times, to stop their boisterous
conduct, as she herself admits in a little book called "Spiritual
Gifts," published in 1858, and which lies before me as I write.
Of course, it is hardly to be expected that she would tell of all
their fanatical actions, but she tells just enough to verify the
statements of the ones who knew her. The following, related by
her, is a sample to the point:
While I was speaking, two men looked in at the window. We
were satisfied of their object. They entered and rushed past
me to Eld.Damman. The spirit of the Lord rested upon him,
and his strength was taken away, and he fell to the floor
helpless. The officers cried out: "In the name of the State
of Maine, lay hold of this man." Two men seized his arms,
and two his feet, and attempted to drag him from the room.
They would move him a few inches only, and then rush out of
the house. The power of God was in that room and the
servants of God with their countenances lighted up with his
glory, made no resistance. The efforts to take Elder D. were
often repeated with the same effect. The men could not
endure the power of God, and it was a relief to rush out of
the house. Their number increased to twelve, still Eld. D.
was held by the power of God about forty minutes and not the
strength of all those men could move him from the floor. At
the same moment we all felt that Eld. D. must go; that God
had manifested his power for his glory, and that the name of
the Lord would be further glorified in suffering him to be
taken out of our midst. And those men took him up as easily
as they would a child (Experience and Views [1860], P.40).
Elder Israel Damman afterward renounced the whole thing, and
said:
We were formerly acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. White, and for
a time had confidence in her visions, but for a good many
years had none at all. When we saw that they conflicted one
with another, we renounced them altogether, and betook
ourselves to the Word of the Lord.
No person with even ordinary intelligence can read the foregoing
without seeing the result of the 1844 time-setting fanaticism.
Mrs.L.S.Burdick, formerly wife of Elder John Howell, lived in
Maine and was well acquainted with Mrs.White and her work. She,
on one occasion, held Mrs.White's head in her lap while she was
in one of her cataleptic trances and professed to have a vision.
Mrs. Burdick said:
I became acquainted with James White and Ellen Harmon (Mrs.
White's name before her marriage) early in 1845. At the time
of my first acquaintance with them, they were in wild
fanaticism-used to sit on the floor instead of chairs, and
creep around the floor like little children. Such freaks
were considered a mark of humility.
At one time she saw that the Lord would come the second time
in June, 1845. The prophecy was discussed in all the
churches, and in a little "shut door" paper published in
Portland, Maine. During the summer, after June passed, I
heard a friend ask her how she accounted for the vision. She
replied that they told her in the language of Canaan, and
she did not understand the language; that it was the next
September that the Lord was coming, and the second growth of
grass instead of the first in June.
Such was the result of the time-setting of 1844 to 1850, and out
of this mess of fanaticism there was no way to extricate
themselves, until, in the year 1850, Elder O.R.L.Crosier invented
the 1844 sanctuary-cleansing theory, which we have so fully
exposed. Mrs.White was greatly relieved by Elder Crosier's
supposed discovery and soon claimed to have a vision that Elder
Crosier had the correct view; and now Adventists cannot give up
these false theories without rejecting their prophetess. By hook
or crook it must stand - but they dare not meet it in open
discussion.
Thus we find the origin of that theory, and have given it so that
souls may not be deceived, but that they may have their eyes open
and see the truth.
When Elder Crosier's theory was advanced and endorsed by Mrs.
White, it was soon accepted by all her followers, and they at
once began to set time, again, for the second coming of Christ.
The older ones among them knew this. They reasoned the as one day
was spent by the high priest every year in the work of atonement,
in the most Holy Place of the sanctuary, so Christ our high
priest would spend a proportionate time or one three hundred and
sixty-fifth of his entire ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, in
its cleansing, and as they supposed and reasoned that he went to
his work in the heavenly sanctuary after His resurrection in
A.D. 31, and continued in the first apartment until 1844,
therefore His work as High Priest would continue about five years
or one three hundred and sixty-fifth of the time of His entire
service, and that would make His second coming take place
somewhere about the year 1850.
There is no doubt that Mrs.White believed this new theory, and it
was just here that she thought that she had another chance to
make good her predictions, and uttered another of her disastrous
failures in the form of a vision, as follows:
Some are looking too far off for the coming of the Lord.
Time has continued a few years longer than they expected,
therefore they think that the time for Jesus to be in the
most holy place was nearly finished, and that time cannot
last but very little longer (Early Writings, Part 2 P. 49,
Written 1850).
On June 27, 1850, she claims to have been shown the following in
vision:
Said the angel "Deny self; ye must step fast." Some of us
have had time to get the truth, and to advance step
by step and every step we have taken has given us strength
to take the next. But now time is almost finished and what
we have been years learning, they will have to learn in a
few months (Early Writings, Part 2, P. 57).
These so-called visions show conclusively that Mrs. White
believed the theory that the time would be up somewhere about
1850, according to the proportionate one three hundred and
sixty-fifth of a year theory, and that the ministry of Christ in
the most Holy Place would end somewhere about 1850.
According to her vision they had "years (from 1844 to 1850)
learning" what others "would have to learn in a few months."
In other words they had from Oct.22,1844, to the time of her
vision June 27,1850, not quite six years, to learn what others
would then have to learn in a few months; but lo, this prophet of
disaster was wrong again and this is now the 1990s (revised date
for this reprint), more than one hundred and forty years after
she claimed to have had her vision that "they would have only a
few months." With her, the less than six years were in comparison
with the nearness of the finishing of Christ's work in heaven and
His coming again, a long time, as compared with the few months
left, and yet all of these mistakes are regarded as inspired by
Seventh Day Adventists.
One cannot help quoting the words of Scott just here:
0, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to
deceive.
In the light of eternal consequence - all honest Seventh-day
Adventists should read this pamphlet.
If their preachers tell them not to read it, that should make
them all the more anxious to do so. There's a reason why they
will advise against reading this booklet, but such advice is an
insult to the intelligence of their members, and a testimonial
for the pamphlet.
If you are not a Seventh-day Adventist, you should read it to
understand their errors and so be able to discern the truth, for
you may meet these things and be unprepared to answer them, and
thus be deceived.
.............
Entered on Keith Hunt's Website August 2003
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