1844 Made Simple

If you are following the SDA Bible Study Guides this quarter you will have already digested the ins-and-outs of this week's study which deals with 1844.  Was it as simple as the title suggests? Are you clear on what happened in 1844 and are you able to explain it in simple terms to a friend?  In his usual unconventional style, Marco Belmonte offers  the following commentary on this study where he deals specifically with conflicting and most popular views concerning the 2300 day prophecy of Daniel.  Please feel free to share your thoughts on our message boards, pro or con. 

Instead of repackaging the mechanics of how The 2300 Days Prophecy in Daniel 8 brings us to the date 1844, I’d like to share some information that many who stand in opposition to this interpretation may find intriguing. While some have rejected this prophecy based on the fact that they can not reconcile it with their views on The Atonement of Christ I’d like to submit that instead of rejecting the wonderful truth about a God who wants to bring complete restoration and harmony to His universe they may want to investigate other perspectives on the meaning that encompasses The Cross. Unfortunately, that topic is not even addressed this quarter. And why should it, right? Jesus died for me, me, me… end of discussion.

Realizing that the prophecy of the 2300 days is not valid without the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel 9, one can deduce that any interpretation of the 70 weeks that differ from the one in the lesson would nullify the year 1844. With that in mind, let’s look at some alternative viewpoints propagated throughout Christianity.One popular idea has been called “The Critical View” named after those who believe the book of Daniel was never actually written by Daniel, but by an anonymous author around the year 164 BC. The students of this view understand the last week of the 70 weeks as pertaining to the years 171 BC to 164 BC. The events described are the murder of the high priest Onias III (171 BC), the destruction of the Jewish temple by Antiochus Epiphanes (167 BC) and the rededicating of the temple by Judas Maccabaeus (164 BC). This is probably the most popular view among Christians finding itself within most Bible commentaries. I have a feeling that The Three Zoroastrians (you know, those three heathen wise men who didn’t go to church on Saturday) who made the long journey to Bethlehem for Christ’s birth would probably disagree with this view – since in all likely hood – it was the 70 week prophecy they were studying that helped them realize they were living during a special time. Furthermore, the implications that Daniel wasn’t written by Daniel, or Dan, Danny or D. Aniel – well – the whole book becomes quite a paradox.

Another fashionable view that has become extremely popular as of late is called “The Dispensational View.” Almost all Christians who claim to be Evangelicals subscribe to this interpretation of the 70 weeks – the greatest modern proponents being Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye, the co-authors of the Left Behind series. It’s true that “Dispensationalism” has many variants, but all of them agree on one thing – that the last week of the 70 weeks is still waiting to happen. They also agree that Jesus Christ, The Cross, the destruction of the temple and the entire history of The Christian Church is after the 69th week. If you like this view and decide that it makes a lot of sense, and are ready to denounce the idea of 1844 and The Heavenly Sanctuary, please remember that this view makes the life of Christ, The Cross and the entire history of Christendom so trivial that it doesn’t even get mentioned. Of course, these days, one would rather read books about The Anti-Christ then accept the good news of a God who would wash the feet of Judas.

Finally, there is the perspective which has been called “The Traditional View.” This is the view which was most widely accepted by the early Christian church fathers, and it is the view which laid the groundwork for the view expressed in our Lesson Quarterly. Almost all subscribers of this view agree until they get to the last week of the 70 week prophecy where they disagree on just how long the time period is within that week. One could put their trust in this view and still not agree with 1844 but they would be supporting the viewpoint which allows the interpretation of the 2300 days to exist for those who may believe that something significant happened in 1844.

As many of my fellow HeavenlySanctuary.com team members have written previously during this quarter’s lesson study, this whole thing is about a great cosmic battle over the character of God. Unfortunately, as much as I whole-heartedly believe that 1844 marked the date of a very special event, I’m saddened that even those who would agree with my interpretation of Daniel 7 to 9 would explain it to others in a way that makes God look fearful, selfish and quite frankly, Satanic.