event is not foretold. But, turning from the light, they continued to set
time after time for the Lord to come, and as often they were disappointed.

When the Thessalonian church received erroneous views concerning the
coming of Christ, the apostle Paul counseled them to test their hopes and
anticipations carefully by the word of God. He cited them to prophecies
revealing the events to take place before Christ should come, and showed
that they had no ground to expect Him in their day. "Let no man deceive
you by any means,"(768) are his words of warning. Should they indulge
expectations that were not sanctioned by the Scriptures, they would be led
to a mistaken course of action; disappointment would expose them to the
derision of unbelievers, and they would be in danger of yielding to
discouragement, and would be tempted to doubt the truths essential for
their salvation. The apostle's admonition to the Thessalonians contains an
important lesson for those who live in the last days. Many Adventists have
felt that unless they could fix their faith upon a definite time for the
Lord's coming, they could not be zealous and diligent in the work of
preparation. But as their hopes are again and again excited, only to be
destroyed, their faith receives such a shock that it becomes well-nigh
impossible for them to be impressed by the great truths of prophecy.

The preaching of a definite time for the judgment, in the giving of the
first message, was ordered of God. The computation of the prophetic
periods on which that message was based, placing the close of the 2300
days in the autumn of 1844, stands without impeachment. The repeated
efforts to find new dates for the beginning and close of the prophetic
periods, and the unsound reasoning necessary to sustain these positions,
not only lead minds away from the present truth, but throw contempt upon
all efforts to explain the prophecies. The more frequently a definite time
is set for the second advent, and the more widely it is taught, the better
it suits the purposes of Satan. After the time has passed, he excites
ridicule and contempt of its advocates, and thus casts reproach upon the
great Advent Movement of 1843 and 1844. Those who persist in this error
will at last fix upon a date too far in the future for the coming of
Christ. Thus they will be led to rest in a false security, and many will
not be undeceived until it is too late.

The history of ancient Israel is a striking ill