The Great Appointment
Jarrod Stackelroth: You know how
sometimes life just doesn't go
the way you thought it would.
You have a plan, you're sure it's
right, and then everything falls apart.
That's exactly what happened
in 1844 thousands of people
thought Jesus was coming back.
And when he didn't, most gave up,
but a small group didn't walk away.
They chose to keep studying,
keep praying, and keep trusting.
And what started in that moment of
heartbreak ended up changing the world.
When Jesus didn't return on October 22nd,
1844, the advent movement was shattered.
Thousands had believed he was coming.
And when he didn't,
most people walked away.
Some from the movement and some from faith
altogether, but not everyone gave up.
A small group chose to stay.
They didn't have it all figured out.
They didn't even know what to do next.
But they still believed God was
good and they believed that truth
must still be found in his word.
So they did something simple but powerful.
They opened their bibles, they
studied, they prayed, they wrestled
with their disappointment, and as
they did, something began to happen.
One of them, Hiram Edson, shared that
he'd had a moment of clarity the very next
morning, October 23, while walking through
a cornfield, he felt convicted that Jesus
hadn't been wrong and the date hadn't
been wrong, but maybe their understanding
of the event had been together
with others such as, or er and Dr.
FB Han Hiram began to study the
idea of the heavenly sanctuary
and what the Bible really said
about Jesus's priestly ministry.
What if Jesus had entered the most
holy place of the heavenly sanctuary?
Not to return to earth, but to
begin a new phase of ministry.
This small group continued exploring
the idea, comparing scripture
with scripture, and as they did,
a bigger picture began to emerge.
They realized October 22
wasn't a day to mourn.
It was the beginning of something
new, a divine appointment.
Over time, this group rediscovered
more than just one piece of doctrine.
They came across Bible truths that
had long been forgotten or ignored.
They found the Sabbath not
as a burden, but as a gift of
rest and relationship with God.
They found clarity and prophecy and a
bigger view of Jesus's ministry in heaven.
They saw that the message of the
soon return of Christ still mattered,
but now it came with a renewed
call to prepare, serve, and grow.
They didn't sit around waiting
for Jesus to come back.
They got to work.
They started printing Bible
studies and tracts some by hand.
They held simple meetings and began
to share what they were learning.
They had no buildings, no budget,
and no platform, but they did have
a conviction, and that was enough.
Soon young leaders began to emerge.
People like James White, Joseph Bates,
and a teenage girl named Ellen Harmon,
who had begun receiving visions, pointing
the group back to Jesus and the Bible.
They believed God had not abandoned them.
In fact, he was just getting started.
They built schools and hospitals.
They sent missionaries across oceans.
They trained young people to
lead, to teach, and to heal.
They didn't just wait
for Jesus to come back.
They got to work.
And in 1863, nearly 20 years after the
disappointment, they formally organized
as the Seventh Day Adventist to church.
What began with weeping in a
cornfield became a movement
that would span the globe.
The great disappointment wasn't the end.
It was the great appointment
because in their greatest moment of
confusion, God was still leading.
He was still speaking.
He was still preparing a people to
share a message of hope with the world,
maybe your life hasn't gone as planned.
Maybe you face moments of heartbreak,
confusion, or even failure, but what if
the setback is actually the beginning?
You don't need to have it all figured out.
You don't need to be perfect.
You just need the courage
to keep showing up.
That's what those early
Adventists did, and because of
that, the world was changed.
Episode four, the Great Appointment.
Read by Jared Stacker Roth.
