Prophets and traveling preachers touting their visions in the days before PowerPoint couldn't flip open their laptops to illustrate their orations.

But they could hang up painted images of fantastic winged lions, burning temples, fanged and tentacled heads of mythical beasts or blue-robed angels, to clarify their interpretations of Scripture.

A 19th century group called the Millerites did just that to teach their belief that the world would end between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844, a doomsday timetable they found in the Bible.

At camp meetings and lecture halls, they spread the word of a righteous cosmic battle between good and evil, using the oil-painted banners of muslin or canvas.

A dozen of the rare pieces, from a collection of 32 prophetic charts at Aurora University, will be on display through Feb. 23 at Intuit Gallery, 756 N. Milwaukee [Chicago].
[...]

The Millerite movement took its name from William Miller, who studied the Bible for four years and by 1822 concluded that it taught that Christ would descend to Earth a second time and that the end of the world could come "on or before 1843."

When the world continued much as before, another Millerite re- calculated and figured the new end of time would be Oct. 22, 1844.

Miller's "midnight cry"' had been heard from Boston and Philadelphia to Cincinnati and St. Louis, according to scholars at Aurora, and books, writings and the prophetic charts were gathered by Orrin Jenks, president of the institution from 1911 to 1933.

The collection of advent materials is the largest, most complete anywhere, said David T. Arthur, professor emeritus of history and curator of the Jenks collection.

The Intuit show is the first time they have been off campus.

"The charts were a means to an end, the end being the acceptance of the message of Christ's return to the earth to establish God's kingdom," Arthur said.
[...]

At one time, Miller had 100,000 followers.

As the millennium approached two years ago, there was a surge in interest in the Millerites and the collection, Arthur said.
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