I’ll be transparent: I didn’t always take Advent seriously.

For most of my life, it seemed more like a tradition than a need—something liturgical Christians did, or a decorative way to count down to Christmas. But recently, I’ve begun to slow down and listen. I’ve started to ask what this season is really about.

And what I’m discovering is sobering.

Advent isn’t about getting ready for a holiday. It’s about preparing for a return. It’s about training the soul to wait without panic—to long without demanding. And the more I learn, the more I realize how much I need this.

This post is part of that journey.

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There’s a kind of tragedy that sincere believers can experience.

Not the tragedy of doubt.
The tragedy of certainty born too soon.

Throughout history, people who loved Jesus—who longed for His return—became convinced they had found the date.
They sold everything.
Left their fields.
Abandoned families.
Climbed hills in white robes.
Some wept.
Some sang.
Some waited in silence for the sky to split.

It never did.

They weren’t mocking Christ.
They were rushing Him.

And the cost was devastating.

When Waiting Was Traded for a Date

In the autumn of 1844, thousands across the American Northeast gathered to watch the end of history.

A preacher named William Miller had studied the Scriptures and boldly declared that October 22 would be the day Christ returned. He wasn’t a heretic in his eyes. He wasn’t playing games. He believed the Bible. He believed in prophecy. And he believed in his calculations.

So did tens of thousands of followers.

They gave away their money.
Left behind their lives.
Waited through the final night with hearts pounding in their chests.

And then…

Midnight passed.
The stars stayed still.
The sun rose.

And Jesus did not come.

They called it the Great Disappointment.
People collapsed in grief. Some went mad. Some took their lives. Many abandoned the faith entirely.

And Miller wasn’t the first.

In the 1500s, a group of zealots declared the German city of Münster the “New Jerusalem.” They believed Christ would descend there. Instead, it became a nightmare of starvation, forced marriages, and slaughter.

In the 2nd century, a prophetic movement called Montanism swept the early Church, claiming the Spirit was descending for one final age—tearing churches apart.

Even now, in our generation, false prophets and self-made messiahs hijack the language of Christ’s return to lead people into delusion—and sometimes, mass death.

Different centuries.
Same mistake.

They tried to turn waiting into a schedule.

The One Verse We Keep Ignoring

Every one of those movements—every tragedy—collided with the same immovable command:

“It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.” — Acts 1:7 (NASB)

Not “figure it out.”

Not “keep trying.”

Not “search harder.”

Not for you to know.

But the human heart doesn’t like that answer.

We crave control—even in holy things.

When Faith Becomes Demand

This is what happens every time people rush the return of Christ:

• Hope becomes obsession
• Watchfulness becomes anxiety
• Expectation becomes entitlement
• Waiting becomes unbearable

There’s something comforting about a calendar. Something more solid about a date than a promise.
But the Kingdom of God does not bend to pressure.
It bends to the will of the Father.

And every time we try to force heaven to act, it doesn’t produce revival.
It produces wreckage.

Advent Is God’s Antidote

Advent is not just a countdown to Christmas.
It is a confession:

“We will wait the way God commands—not the way fear demands.”

Advent trains the Church to:

• Long without control
• Hope without deadlines
• Watch without obsession
• Prepare without prediction

It anchors us in two unshakable truths:

1. He is coming.
2. We do not know when.

Advent forms a people who are ready—but not frantic.

Delay Is Not Failure

Scripture never treats God’s delay as incompetence or confusion.

It calls it mercy.

“The Lord is not slow about His promise… but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” — 2 Peter 3:9 (NASB)

Every day that feels like silence from heaven … is actually another door swung open for repentance.

The delay is not failure.
The delay is grace.

The Quiet War of Waiting

There is a kind of faith that doesn’t grow in miracles or signs—only in the silence of ordinary days.

It’s the faith that lives when there is:

• No new prophecy
• No open heavens
• No dramatic signs
• No thunderous voice

Just…

• Faithfulness in obscurity
• Obedience in private
• Hope that breathes even when the sky stays closed

This is the soil of Advent.

The Question Advent Asks

Not:

“Is today the day?”

But:

“If today were the day… would I be found faithful or frantic?”

Would my life show:

• Steady devotion
• Ordinary obedience
• Ongoing repentance
• Quiet love
• Trust without conditions?

Or would it reveal panic dressed up as faith?

The Promise Still Stands

Every generation that tried to predict the date has been wrong.

But no generation has been wrong about the promise:

“Behold, I am coming quickly.” — Revelation 22:12 (NASB)

Not on your calendar.
Not by your countdown.
Not when pressure peaks.
But in the fullness of time, exactly as the Father has ordained.

Why We Still Wait

This is why Time For Providence exists—especially in seasons like this.

Because waiting is not wasted time.

Waiting is where:

• Character is forged
• Motives are exposed
• Faith is stripped of theatrics
• And trust becomes real

Advent doesn’t call us to guess.
It calls us to grow.

It doesn’t ask us to predict heaven.
It asks us to prepare our hearts for it.

Reflection

Some stood on hills, staring into the sky, hearts wide open—only to shatter when it didn’t open back.

Others…
Lit a candle in the dark.
Breathed a quiet prayer.
And learned to wait—not with demand, but with devotion.

Advent belongs to the second kind.

And so do we.

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SOURCES & FURTHER STUDY

The Great Disappointment (1844) – Millerites

• Library of Congress – Millerite Movement Archive
• Encyclopaedia Britannica – “Great Disappointment” Entry
• Andrews University – Millerite Primary Sources

Münster Rebellion (1534–1535)

• German Historical Institute – Münster Anabaptists
• The Tailor King by Anthony Arthur
• BBC History – Münster Rebellion Overview

Montanism (2nd Century Apocalyptic Prophecy)

• Early Christian Writings – Montanist Texts
• Catholic Encyclopedia – Montanism Entry
• Biblical Archaeology Society – Prophetic Movements in the Early Church

Heaven’s Gate (1997)

• FBI Vault – Heaven’s Gate Case Records
• Stanford University – Cult Psychology Research
• PBS – Heaven’s Gate Documentary Archive

Psychological Safeguards (Why People Fall for Dates)

• When Prophecy Fails – Leon Festinger
• American Psychological Association – Group Delusion & Certainty Bias
• National Institute of Mental Health – Apocalyptic Anxiety

Some Participating Bloggers include:
Bridget A. Thomas – Every Day Is A Gift
Loring Schultz  – Word For The Soul
Alan Kearns – Devotional Treasure
Nathan R Dooley – Time For Providence
David Duncan – David’s Daily Dose
Cindi West – God Still Speaks
Barb Hegreberg – My Life in our Father’s World
Rainer Bantau – The Devotional Guy™