The Observations of Sir Isaac Newton – Part 2

The Observations of Sir Isaac Newton – Part 2

December 5, 2015

TimeWatch Editorial

A careful reading of Isaac Newton’s “Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John,” soon reveals the effort he put forward to do this. He was convinced that the word of God was truth. This work in his time had to be done in secret. For, if he had let his real beliefs be made known, he would have been put to death for being a heretic. There are those who, having had access to his writings, have sought to debate the accuracy of some of his findings. It should be remembered, however, that when working in secret, access to corroborating materials are often difficult. But that did not stop him from burrowing deep into the prophecies of God’s Word.

Alan Jacobs is a Distinguished Professor of the Humanities in the honors program at Baylor University. Baylor is a private Baptist university in Waco, Texas. Chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas, Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas. On June 19, 2012, Alan Jacobs wrote an article in “The Atlantic Magazine” entitled: “Why Seventh Day Adventists Revere Isaac Newton.” In it Alan Jacobs says:

“Newton believed that encoded in Scripture was a perfectly specific identification -- as specific and reliable as the Inverse Square Law -- of the time of the Second Coming, or Second Advent, of Jesus Christ. And he believed he had discovered this date just as surely as he had discovered what he called "fluxions," or what we now call calculus.” 

Alan Jacobs continues:

In this sense Newton was one of the first great Adventists, and almost exactly one hundred years after Newton's death, William Miller in Vermont would also interpret the book of Daniel as a blueprint of the Second Advent.

The Second Advent of Christ was not the only prophetic interpretation shared by these two men.

In the book: “Memoirs of William Miller” on page 157 we find the following agreement between William Miller, Martin Luther and Isaac Newton on the matter of the Little Horn.

Mr. Miller believed The Little Horn of the eighth chapter of Daniel that became exceeding great to be a symbol of Rome. In this view he was sustained by Sir Isaac Newton, Bishop Newton, Dr. Hales, Martin Luther, Dr. Prideaux, Dr. Clarke, Dr. Hopkins, Wm. Cunninghame, and others.

I do believe that Mr. Alan Jacob’s article in “The Atlantic Magazine” entitled: “Why Seventh Day Adventists Revere Isaac Newton” was not intended to be complementary, however it does buttress the fact that this genius of a scientist, whose accomplishments are unquestioned, had a deep relationship with the Word of God. Perhaps his genius was the result of that relationship, and the wisdom that inspired his science was the wisdom of the Creator.

We have always been impressed with quantity and the accuracy of predictions. I notice however that we are not at all impressed with quality and the endurance of persistence. The date of Christ’s return is by no means as important as our readiness for that occurrence. When, in 1844, the majority of those who were anxiously awaiting His return were disappointed, they gradually returned to their listless unready condition. This is always the case when character is not the obsession. The smirk that lingers upon the face of those who believe that they are will never be deceived into believing that Christ will return, will one day be replaced with another expression.

The question would therefore be, did Sir Newton die with the hope of the resurrection, believing that one day he would see the one who had inspired him in his field of discovery? If the answer to that question is yes, then would it matter if the date he chose was the wrong date? I think not.

Cameron A. Bowen