October 22, 1844 – Failed Prediction of Jesus Christ’s Return Results in “Great Disappointment”

180 years ago this month, New York-based Baptist preacher William Miller’s predicted date of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ failed to occur. This “Great Disappointment” left thousands to ponder their faith in the months and years afterward and resulted in various new American religious sects, including what would become the Jehovah’s Witnesses and various Adventist movements.​

Years earlier, Miller became fascinated with the biblical book of Daniel and convinced the text contained key prophetic insights into his own time. Starting from the estimated end of the Israelites’ exile in Babylon in 457 BCE, Miller added 2,300 years — an interpretation of Daniel 8:14 — and arrived at the year 1843. Miller initially asserted that Jesus would return at some point in between March 1843 and March 1844, but he eventually provided a date of October 22, 1843, following internal pressure for specification.​

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