rist was crucified, in the spring of A.D. 31. The seventy
weeks, or 490 years, were to pertain especially to the Jews. At the
expiration of this period, the nation sealed its rejection of Christ by
the persecution of His disciples, and the apostles turned to the Gentiles,
A.D. 34. The first 490 years of the 2300 having then ended, 1810 years
would remain. From A.D. 34, 1810 years extend to 1844. "Then," said the
angel, "shall the sanctuary be cleansed." All the preceding specifications
of the prophecy had been unquestionably fulfilled at the time appointed.

With this reckoning, all was clear and harmonious, except that it was not
seen that any event answering to the cleansing of the sanctuary had taken
place in 1844. To deny that the days ended at that time was to involve the
whole question in confusion, and to renounce positions which had been
established by unmistakable fulfilments of prophecy.

But God had led His people in the great Advent Movement; His power and
glory had attended the work, and He would not permit it to end in darkness
and disappointment, to be reproached as a false and fanatical excitement.
He would not leave His word involved in doubt and uncertainty. Though many
abandoned their former reckoning of the prophetic periods, and denied the
correctness of the movement based thereon, others were unwilling to
renounce points of faith and experience that were sustained by the
Scriptures and by the witness of the Spirit of God. They believed that
they had adopted sound principles of interpretation in their study of the
prophecies, and that it was their duty to hold fast the truths already
gained, and to continue the same course of biblical research. With earnest
prayer they reviewed their position, and studied the Scriptures to
discover their mistake. As they could see no error in their reckoning of
the prophetic periods, they were led to examine more closely the subject
of the sanctuary.

In their investigation they learned that there is no Scripture evidence
sustaining the popular view that the earth is the sanctuary; but they
found in the Bible a full explanation of the subject of the sanctuary, its
nature, location, and services; the testimony of the sacred writers being
so clear and ample as to place the matter beyond all question. The apostle
Paul, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, says: "Then verily the first covenant
had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there
was a ta