Albury Conferences

“Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:10).

— Owen Kindig

In June 1826, a group of about forty interested Christians, hosted by Henry Drummond, gathered in the English countryside at Drummond’s estate in Albury. They had come on foot, horseback, and by carriage or farm wagon. The few reference books and Bibles they had carried would absorb their time during a conference on Bible prophecy. They were a mix of Protestants from the few denominations that existed at the time — Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Moravians, Anglicans, and some independents. Also attending were the earliest charismatics, who would later be called Apostolics.

Eighty-six years earlier, the first “Great Awakening” had spread revival meetings throughout England. Twenty years after that, the “Second Great Awakening” reshaped biblical interpretation worldwide. Eight years after the conference, in the U.S., William Miller would preach Christ’s visible return in 1843 or 1844.¹

Bible Study

By the late 1820s, open-air preachers and itinerant evangelists, armed with tracts that called for obedience and faith, had spread personal Bible study throughout Europe. Yet only one translation was widely available, the King James or “Authorized” edition, and only the ninety-year-old Cruden’s Concordance was available for research. Young’s Analytical Concordance would be published some fifty years later, along with the Revised Version of the Bible. Ten years after that would come Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. However, the group at Albury, with the few references available, determined to research and thoroughly discuss the prophecies of Jesus’ return.

Their plan was simple: gather each day at 8:00 AM for a sermon from a different participant. Then, over a two-hour breakfast, they would have private conversations about what they had heard. After breakfast, they would meet in the Great Library from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM for group discussions. After dinner in the large dining hall, they would break into groups for further discussion. From 5:00 to 7:00, they were served dinner in the large dining hall of the estate and then broke into groups, wandering the gardens and further discussing the issues of the day. At 9:00 PM, they reassembled in the library for praise and singing, which lasted until 10. For five years, this conclave would be repeated every August, meeting for one week, with only the scriptures and the commentary from each participant as source material.

Before beginning, the Albury Circle, as it was then known, agreed that conclusions would not be published unless the entire body was in complete agreement on each point. “In March of 1829, the Albury Circle began publishing The Morning Watch for the dissemination of prophetic revelation. During its brief four year run The Morning Watch was arguably the most influential of prophecy studies and one of the most trenchant of Christian journals of its day. Nevertheless, the journal has remained essentially unassessed, written off as the brief project of a sectarian group and thus a doctrinal and historical backwater of no lasting impact or importance.”²

Although partial agreements were first published following the 1828 conference, it was in harmony with the 1829 fulfillment of prophecy when those gathered “perfectly agreed” on seven points:

(1) The present Christian dispensation is not to pass insensibly into the millennial state by a gradual increase in the preaching of the Gospel, but rather that it is to be terminated by judgments ending in the destruction of this visible church and polity, in the same manner as the Jewish dispensation was terminated.

At this time, so-called Christian countries and their churches held sway over the people. The French Revolution had been defeated (although not without consequence), and by 1826, France was again ruled by a “Christian” king, Charles X, who supported monarchist rule based on the “Divine Right.” It would be ninety years before the rule of kings in Europe would be abandoned.

Higher Criticism

Evolution, and science would not attack the beliefs of traditional Christianity for some fifty years. It was quite significant that in August of 1829, during the pinnacle of Christian power, after five summers of examining the Word of God, 44 Bible Students gathered at Albury agreed that Christendom had been judged and found wanting.

(2) During the time that these judgments are falling upon Christendom, Jews will be restored to their own land. In reality, it would be almost 40 years before Jews could begin to buy land in Israel, only to have it closed by the Ottoman Empire. However, in 1897 journalist Theodore Herzl began the Zionist movement with a conference in Basel, Switzerland. There, he proclaimed: “The world will be freed by our liberty, enriched by our wealth, magnified by our greatness. And whatever we attempt there to accomplish for our own welfare, will react powerfully and beneficially for the good of humanity.” This restoration of Israel had been prophesied by the prophets of old, including Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Zechariah. At the time this point was published by Albury, no Jew had discussed resettlement, let alone statehood. For Christians who were proclaiming Jews could only be in God’s favor by accepting Jesus now as Messiah, this was a most amazing consensus to place in print!

(3) The judgments or troubles of the world will fall principally, if not exclusively, upon Christendom and begin with that part of the church of God that has been most highly favored and is, therefore, most deeply responsible.

Most of those gathered at Albury were Protestants from major denominations. Hugh McNeile, moderator of the 1829 discussions and a well-connected, yet controversial, Irish-born Calvinist Anglican of Scottish descent, used the terms “Babylon” and “Christendom” as synonyms for the Roman Catholic institution. Although notoriously anti-Catholic, McNeile brought the entire Christian world together in the statement’s condemnation.

By equating societal troubles with the Judgment of God, these observers opened a door to collective conscience and accountability that had perhaps never been entered before. No longer would the rich nations be allowed to proclaim dominance over God’s elect. At the time, England was far and away the richest of nations, but God was in the process of bringing it and every other nation to judgment and destruction.

(4) The termination of these judgments is to be followed by a period of universal blessedness for all humankind and even for the beasts, commonly referred to as the Millennium.

While Bible Students today openly proclaim this biblical promise, it is surprising that this group once proclaimed the restitution of all things during a 1000 year period known as the Millennium. Five years of diligent study, aided by the prophetic significance of the time of the end, created the perfect moment for the discovery “agreed upon by all” to be generated from this conference

(5) The Second Advent of Messiah precedes or occurs at the commencement of the Millennium. Note the words “precedes or takes place at the commencement.” This finding could be iterated in our own day. In that one phrase, we see allusions to some of the discussions of our own day: when does the reign of Christ begin? When is the beginning of the 7th chronological day? When does the invisible return of Christ occur? Perhaps the entire range of chronological expectations could be included in this one phrase issued by the Albury group in 1829. Those gathered had agreed to include a hint of uncertainty and disagreement in their assessment of scripture summarized in those words, and decided to include the possibility in their statement rather than omit it entirely.

(6) A great period of 1260 years commenced in the reign of Justinian and terminated at the French Revolution. The vials of the Apocalypse began to be poured out then.

Now we enter the zone of Bible Prophecy, which is the most difficult to nail down with precise dates. It is perhaps fitting that the only time prophecy that the brethren at Albury could “perfectly agree” upon was the 1260 years. Reading the notes, many were close to agreement on the 2520 years relating to the Gentile Times and the 2300 years, which some then thought referred to the actual return of our Lord.

There was considerable interest and discussion of the 70 weeks or 490 years. But in 1829, there was too much conflicting historical data to come to a consensus on those dates we now feel have been revealed. Even the precise beginning and end of the 1260-year period could not be agreed upon. Principal contenders for the ending year were 1793 and 1798. However, because of the incredible repetition of the period in scripture — five times in multiple descriptive frameworks — those gathered settled on the reign of Justinian to the end of the French Revolution. Both events were pivotal benchmarks, with solid historical evidence that identified the period as the time when the Bible would be largely silenced and the Church, represented by the Woman in Revelation, would be in the wilderness. The Beast (Papacy) would be in control. Today, with the benefit of almost two centuries of history since, the dates are somewhat more precise although not easy to distinguish from history alone. What was first discerned at Albury can now be accepted occurring in 538-539 and ending in 1798-1799.

(7) Our blessed Lord will shortly appear — and therefore it is the duty of all who so believe to press these considerations on the attention of all people.

“I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1290 days” (Daniel 12:8-11 ESV).

This prophecy weighed heavily upon the minds of the Albury group, but they could not come to consensus about its precise meaning. Who were the wise who would understand and when would the understanding come? Their notes suggest they thought that it might be 1290 days (years) after the abomination was set up, 30 years after the Time of the End, when the books would begin to be opened. Today we understand the correctness of their interpretation. The decree of Justinian and events in Rome which established the Papacy with actual lawmaking authority occurred in 539. 1260 years later the fourth-longest reigning Pope up to that time died in prison, five years before Napoleon Bonaparte placed a crown on his own head which had been manufactured from the melted remnants of Pope Pius VI’s own crown.³

What Did the Wise Understand in 1829?

In the five decades that followed the Albury Conference, feverish interest in the return of Christ captured Christians in England and the United States. William Miller first publicly declared his belief that the 2300 year prophecy of Daniel pointed to the return of Christ in 1843. That premature outlook led to the discovery that the actual return came invisibly 30 years later in 1874, fulfilling Daniel’s prophecy of 1335 years after the suppression of the Bible beginning in 539. How amazing that the Albury meetings consummating with these findings published in 1829 had at least partially fulfilled the 1290-year prophecy of Daniel 12.

Beyond these seven findings, the three volumes of Circle meeting transcripts reveal that the Albury Conferences did not produce an understanding of what we would proclaim today as important Harvest truths: a proper understanding of the Trinity, Hell, and Conditional Immortality. They apparently did not concur on two salvations or the philosophy of the Ransom. They likely could not have had a fruitful conversation about the Covenants. Although discussed, the participants did not agree on free will, predestination, eternal security, or even what prophetic Babylon really is.

However, their grasp of vital, saving faith in the blood of Jesus as the only hope of the world and their full consecration of their lives to serve and follow Him make their seven published agreed-upon findings in 1829 worthy of consideration as at least a possible fulfillment of Daniel’s 1290 years.

A Challenge

After publishing their findings, the group met with hostility, ridicule, and even persecution. Henry Drummond, host of the meeting, founded “The Apostolic Catholic Church,” which was non-Trinitarian. Hugh McNeile, host of the Albury conference, dedicated his book, The Times of The Gentiles, to Henry Drummond in 1828. In this dedication, he defends Drummond against attacks made upon him on the topic of Drummond’s perceived novelty concerning the interpretation of Biblical prophecy. Another leading participant, Edward Irving, was a part of the founding group, and the group was accused of false teachings regarding the nature of Christ. He was forced to resign as pastor of the Church of Scotland. There is no evidence that the findings persuaded any leaders in denominational Christianity, yet this work was instrumental in the development of eschatology and the development of Harvest Truth.

What lessons might we who seek Truth today take from these efforts? Wisdom many times comes to us through our failures. These failures, driven by what we believe is right, help us develop character-fruitage. A comforting grace of our walk with God is that we do not need to be right or do things in the best possible way in order to gain the character lessons we need. Every failure in action or error in our understanding has consequences that prove to be positive because God is with us.

Understanding more deeply and precisely as time progresses is a wonderful heritage that all of the Lord’s children share. None understand fully, but all eventually learn that being a child of God means that God understands us. He knows our frame, remembering that we are dust (Psalm 103:14).

Joseph Wolff (1792-1862)⁴

A Jewish Christian missionary, Wolff had been expelled from his studies in Rome for attacking the doctrine of infallibility and criticizing his tutors. In 1821, Wolff, a Jewish convert to Christianity, began to proclaim the Lord’s soon coming. Wolff saw that the prophecies brought to view Jesus’ second advent with equal clearness, power, and glory. While he mainly sought to lead Jews to Jesus of Nazareth as the Promised Messiah and his death as a sacrifice for the sins of men, he also taught them of His return as a king and deliverer.

Wolff believed the coming of the Lord to be at hand, his interpretation of the prophetic periods placing the great consummation within a very few years of the time pointed out by Miller. To those who urged from the scripture, “Of that day and hour knoweth no man,” that men are to know nothing concerning the nearness of the advent, Wolff replied: “Did our Lord say that that day and hour should never be known? Did He not give us signs of the times, in order that we may know at least the approach of His coming, as one knows the approach of the summer by the fig tree putting forth its leaves? Matthew 24:32. Are we never to know that period, whilst he himself exhorteth us not only to read Daniel the prophet, but to understand it? and in that very Daniel, where it is said that the words were shut up to the time of the end (which was the case in his time), and that ‘many shall run to and fro’ (a Hebrew expression for observing and thinking upon the time), ‘and knowledge’ (regarding that time) ‘shall be increased.’ Daniel 12:4. Besides this, our Lord does not intend to say by this, that the approach of the time shall not be known, but that the exact ‘day and hour knoweth no man.’ Enough, he does say, shall be known by the signs of the times, to induce us to prepare for His coming, as Noah prepared the ark” (Wolff, Researches and Missionary Labors, pages 404, 405).

“The greater part of the Christian church have swerved from the plain sense of Scripture, and have turned to the phantomizing system of the Buddhists, who believe that the future happiness of mankind will consist in moving about in the air, and suppose that when they are reading Jews they must understand Gentiles; and when they read Jerusalem, they must understand the church; and if it is said earth, it means sky; and for coming of the Lord they must understand the progress of the missionary societies; and going up to the mountain of the Lord’s house, signifies a grand class meeting of Methodists” (The Reformation Messenger, Journal of the Rev. Joseph Wolff, page 96).

(1) Papacy as a civil power was established stepwise from 538 to 540; the end of 1290 years was 1828-1829. Hence, there is some uncertainty between 1843 and 1844.
(2) Edward Irving, Designing the Last Days. Mark Rayburn Patterson, The Albury Circle and the Theology of The Morning Watch.
(3) Napoleon crowned himself on December 2, 1804, five years after Pius VI died. Pius VII was watching.
(4) Joseph Wolff attended Albury Prophetic Conferences starting not later than 1828. His Adventist message was
of a kingdom following Christ’s return rather than only the utter destruction taught by Miller and other American
Adventists. He also taught that Israel would be restored to its land. A subsequent article discusses Wolff.