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.