1. The beginning of the 2520 for Israel ↩︎
  2. Here is a view from William Miller (before he knew the true date to be 10-22-1844 and the true event of that same date. Therefore, substitute the date and event of 08-15-1844 , mentioned in the quote, for the date and event of 10-22-1844 ):
    ..
    When, then, may we not ask, did the bondage of the children of God begin? I answer, when literal Babylon began to exercise authority over them. In the twenty-second year of Manasseh’s reign, in the year before Christ 677, the last of the ten tribes were carried away, and Israel ceased to be a nation, according to the prophecy of Isaiah 7:8 : “For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin: and within three-score and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.” Isaiah prophesied this in the year 742 before Christ, which prophecy was literally fulfilled in sixty-five years afterwards, in the year B. C. 677. Then, too, Manasseh king of Judah was carried a captive into Babylon, and the threatenings of God began upon his people. 2 Kings 21:10-14 : “And the Lord spake by his servants the prophets, saying, because Manasseh, king of Judah, hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: therefore, thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies.” Also, 24:3, 4 : “Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed, (for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood,) which the Lord would not pardon.” And although Josiah, who was king of Judah after Manasseh, did many good acts, yet the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his wrath against Judah. 2 Kings 23:26, 27 : “Notwithstanding, the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal. And the Lord said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.” The decree against Judah, was the same as against Israel. They must be scattered among all nations. It could not be revoked, notwithstanding their repentance and partial reformation. Jeremiah 15:4 ,-“And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem,”-tells us of the same thing, that Judah as well as Israel must be made captives. Israel began to be carried away in the days of Hoshea, 722 B. C., and from that time to 1798 after Christ, is exactly 2520 years, or the seven prophetic years. How remarkable, that when the seven years ended, God began to deliver his church from her bondage, which for ages had been made subject to the kings of the earth. In 1798 the church came out of the wilderness, and began to be delivered from her captivity. But the completion of her slavery to the kingdoms of the earth, is reserved for another period. Beginning B. C., 677 years, seven prophetic years, or 2520 common years, would end in A. D. 1843. Therefore, beginning at the captivity of Manasseh and the final dispersion of the ten tribes of Israel, where God has fixed the time for the dispersion of the people of God and the scattering of the holy people, until the year 1843, will be the end of the seven years, when the acceptable year of the LORD will commence; and, in my humble opinion, the children of God will be delivered from all the evils enumerated by Moses in Leviticus 24 , and Jeremiah 15:1-21 ; from war or the sword, from pestilence and famine, from captivity and spoil, from death and corruption; and all will be comforted, and all tears be wiped from off all faces; sighs and sorrows shall cease forever, and there shall be no more curse, for the throne of the Lamb shall be there, and he shall dwell with them, and be their God, and they shall be his people. This will take place in the acceptable year of the Lord, the antitypical year of release. LTSGJ 18.1) ↩︎
  3. The beginning of the 1290 ↩︎
  4. 5. The dominion of the Papal power was taken away just 1260 years from the above occurrence , 538. From A. D. 538-1260 years will bring us to A. D. 1798. At that time General Berthier, a French general, with a French Republican army, entered Rome, took possession of the city, deposed the Pope, abrogated the whole Papal government, instituted in its place a republican form of government, and carried the Pope a captive to France, where, in 1799, he died. Thus the dominion of the little horn, which was to continue a time, times, and the dividing of time, continued 1260 years, viz., from A. D. 538 to A. D. 1798. Therefore, a time is a year of 360 days; times , two years of the same length; and the dividing of time half a year; the whole making 1260 days, and each day standing for a year; the whole period being 1260 years. Again; the Papal power existed just that time, and was then taken away; therefore, the Papal power is the kingdom predicted by the little horn of Daniel’s fourth beast. APEC 65.3
    From 1798, when the Papal dominion was taken away, and God’s great judgments were poured upon Papal Europe, the Papal power and influence, although nominally restored, have been steadily consuming up to the present time. APEC 66.1
    This point is so evident and so fully before the community, that it is needless to present evidence on the point. Popery is the mere shadow of what it once was; nor can it by any artifice ever again resume its former vigor and power. It is a plant of darkness; it cannot live and flourish under the flood of light and liberty which irradiates almost every point of our earth. Protestants are now tolerated in every Papal kingdom on the continent of Europe. APEC 66.2 ↩︎
  5. In the case of Nebuchadnezzar, there is nothing in the nature of the event which renders it necessary to understand anything but literal time; seven times , or 2520 days. But in the case of the “seven times” punishment of the church, it began in the days of Manasseh, B. C. 677, but it is not yet accomplished. Hence we must either deny matter of fact, or it is symbolical time. What does a day symbolize? I answer a year. Thus God explains it, Ezekiel 4th chapter, “I have given thee each day for a year.” It may be said that this was only in a single instance that God gave the rule, and in reference to a particular and specified event, and so cannot form a general rule. To this it is answered, that such a rule is given; other symbolical periods are given; also, but no other rule for understanding them. Hence, we are bound to follow the rule we have, until we find another. And following it in all the periods which have transpired, we have an exact fulfilment. This was the case of “the time times, and dividing of a time” of Daniel 7:25 , and Revelation 13:6 , the 42 months when the dragon gave the beast his power, his seat, and great authority, and way to continue 42 months, and then he was to be led into captivity. The Greek Emperor conquered Rome from the Ostrogoths in 538, and gave it to the pope; in 1798 just 1260 years from that point, the French took Rome abolished the papal government, erected Rome into republic, and carried the pope into captivity to France JUO 31.1
    The 1260 days were years in this instance; and the rule must be considered as general. JUO 31.2 ↩︎
  6. “He had in his hand a little book open .” It can only be inferred from this language that this book was at some time closed up; and in striking harmony with this, we read of a book in Daniel which was closed up and sealed to a certain time. “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Daniel 12:4 . Since this book was closed up only till the time of the end, it follows that at that time the book would be opened; and as its closing was mentioned in prophecy it would be but reasonable to expect that in the predictions of events to take place at the time of the end the opening of this book would be mentioned. There is no book spoken of as closed up and sealed except the book of Daniel’s prophecy; and there is no account of the opening of that book unless it be here in the tenth of Revelation. We see furthermore that the contents of these books are the same. The book which Daniel had directions to close up and seal had reference to time: “How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?” And when the angel comes down with the little book open, on which he bases his proclamation, he gives a message in relation to time: “Time shall be no longer.” Nothing more could be required to establish the identity of these two books and to show that the little book which the angel had in his hand open, was the book of the prophecy of Daniel. ARSH August 13, 1861, p. 84.17
    An important point is now determined toward settling the chronology of this angel; for we have seen that the prophecy, more particularly the prophetic periods, of Daniel, were not to be opened till the time of the end; and if this is the book which the angel has in his hand open , it follows that he proclaims his message, this side of the time when the book should be opened, or somewhere this side of the commencement of the time of the end. All that now remains on this point is to ascertain when the time of the end commenced; and the book of Daniel, itself, furnishes data from which this can be done. In Daniel 11 , from verse 30 , the papal power is brought to view. In verse 35 , we read, “And some of them of understanding shall fall to try them, and to purge and make them white, even to the time of the end .” Here is brought to view the period of the supremacy of the little horn, during which time the saints, times and laws should be given into his hand, and fall through his persecutions. This is declared to reach to the time of the end. It ended A. D. 1798, where the 1260 years of papal rule expired. There the time of the end commenced, and the book was opened. And since that time many have run to and fro, and knowledge on these points has marvelously increased. ARSH August 13, 1861, p. 84.18
    The chronology of this angel is further ascertained from the fact that he is identical with the first angel of Revelation 14:1-20 . The points of identity between them are easily seen. 1. They both have a special message to proclaim. 2. They both utter their proclamation with a loud voice. 3. They use similar language, both referring to the great Creator, as the maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and the things that are therein. 4. They both proclaim time: one swearing that time shall be no more, and the other proclaiming that the hour of God’s judgment has come. But the message of Revelation 14:6 , is located this side of the commencement of the time of the end. It is a proclamation of the hour of God’s judgment come, and hence must have its application to the last generation. Paul did not preach the hour of judgment come: Luther and his co-adjutors [sic] did not preach it. Paul reasoned of a judgment to come, indefinitely future; and Luther placed it at least 300 years off in his day. Moreover Paul has warned us against any such preaching as the hour of God’s judgment has come, until a certain time. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 , he says, “Now we beseech you brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed , the son of perdition,” etc. Here Paul introduces to our view the man of sin, the little horn, the papacy, and covers with a caution the whole period of his supremacy, which, as already noticed, was 1260 years, ending in 1798. In 1798 therefore the restriction from proclaiming the day of Christ at hand, ceased; in 1798, the time of the end commenced, and the seal was taken from the little book. Since that period therefore the angel goes forth proclaiming the hour of God’s judgment come, and since that time, too, the angel takes his stand on sea and land, and swears that time shall be no more. Of their identity there can now be no question; and all the arguments which go to locate the one, are equally effective for the other. We need not enter into any argument here that the present generation has witnessed the fulfillment of these two prophecies. In the Advent preaching, more especially from 1840 to 1844, they met a full and circumstantial accomplishment. The position of this angel, having one foot upon the sea, and another on the land, denotes the rapid spread of his proclamation by sea and by land. ARSH August 13, 1861, p. 84.19 ↩︎
  7. The first angel in the 6th verse represents the sending out of Missionaries and Bibles into every part of the world, which began about 1798. The second angel is the messenger of God, denouncing the judgments of God upon mystical Babylon. HST July 1, 1840, p. 50.12 ↩︎