God's Strange Work: William Miller and the End of the World

The fascinating story of an intriguing — and little understood — religious figure in nineteenth-century America

Calvinist Baptist preacher William Miller (1782–1849) was the first prominent American popularizer of using biblical prophecy to determine a specific and imminent time for Christ's return to earth. On October 22, 1844 — a day known as the Great Disappointment – he and his followers gave away their possessions, abandoned their work, donned white robes, and ascended to rooftops and ...