now . The time had passed , the Lord had not come , and the world might remain the same for thousands of years .
The earnest , sincere believers had given up all for Christ and had shared His presence as never before . They had , as they believed , given their last warning to the world ; and , expecting soon to be received into the society of their divine Master and the heavenly angels , they had , to a great extent , withdrawn from the society of those who did not receive the message . With intense desire they had prayed : " Come , Lord Jesus , and come quickly ." But He had not come . And now to take up again the heavy burden of life ' s cares and perplexities , and to endure the taunts and sneers of a scoffing world , was a terrible trial of faith and patience .
Yet this disappointment was not so great as was that experienced by the disciples at the time of Christ ' s first advent . When Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem , His followers believed that He was about to ascend the throne of David and deliver Israel from her oppressors . With high hopes and joyful anticipations they vied with one another in showing honor to their King . Many spread their outer garments as a carpet in His path , or strewed before Him the leafy branches of the palm . In their enthusiastic joy they united in the glad acclaim : " Hosanna to the Son of David !" When the Pharisees , disturbed and angered by this outburst of rejoicing , wished Jesus to rebuke His disciples , He replied : " If these should hold their peace , the stones would immediately cry out ." Luke 19:40 . Prophecy must be fulfilled . The disciples were accomplishing the purpose of God ; yet they were doomed to a bitter disappointment . But a few days had passed ere they witnessed the Saviour ' s agonizing death , and laid Him in the tomb . Their expectations had not been realized in a single particular , and their hopes died with Jesus . Not till their Lord had come forth triumphant from the grave could they perceive that all had been foretold by prophecy , and " that Christ must needs have suffered , and risen again from the dead ." Acts 17:3 .
Five hundred years before , the Lord had declared by the prophet Zechariah : " Rejoice greatly , O daughter of Zion ; shout , O daughter of Jerusalem : behold , thy King cometh unto thee : He is just , and having salvation ; lowly , and riding upon an ass , and upon a colt the foal of an ass ." Zechariah 9:9 . Had the disciples realized that Christ was going to judgment and to death , they could not have fulfilled this prophecy . In like manner Miller and his associates fulfilled prophecy and gave a message which Inspiration had foretold should be given to the world , but which they could not have given had they fully understood the prophecies pointing out their disappointment , and presenting another message to be preached to all nations before the Lord should come . The first and second angel ' s messages were given at the right time and accomplished the work which God designed to accomplish by them .
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