The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites to Central Asia, 1880-1884, Fred Richard Belk, 1976

orld empires.” With Epp absent for several weeks, his followers began wondering what was happening outside their refuge. Abruptly Epp returned, however, and began to proclaim Ak Metchet as the “way” of refuge from the Antichrist and that the remaining three years before the inauguration of the millennium would be important ones. Later it was learned that during Epp’s trip west he had been advised by several ministers to stop his revelatory preaching, but Epp did not take their suggestion. As the predicted second coming of Christ came closer, Epp regained a deeper respect as he announced the very date, March 8, 1889, not earlier, not later, as the great day. The Lord, he said, had revealed this to him in His glory. With the millennium approaching, some of the people wondered why refugees from the Occident were not arriving to take up residence during the tribulation, but they were so preoccupied with their own preparations that they decided not to worry about details. March 8, 1889 The great day came. Epp explained that the Lord had decided he would be the first to be caught up and then the rest would fol- low. A church altar table was carried outside as a ‘‘throne’’ for Epp, and when the community assembled Epp gave a prayer and seated himself on his throne.'* All day the standing assembly, dressed in white robes, waited for the Lord in an attitude of fasting and prayer. At nightfall Epp told the group that the Lord had tar- ried; they were to return later. Although they assembled three times that day, the resurrection day came and went in bitter disap- pointment.'® Epp Explains Failure Epp, however, would not be discouraged by the tarrying of the Lord. He explained to Penner and P. Dyck that the Lord had decid- ed to leave him with his community, and that was why Christ had not come. Besides, he pointed out, his clock, which had revealed to 174 The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites him the date by pointing with its hands to the eight and nine, had caused the mistake. Actually, he excitedly explained, the clock was hanging on the wall lopsided; had it been straight it would have pointed to nine and one, indicating the second coming would occur in 1891. This explanation aroused Epp so much that he called the whole com- munity to see the ‘‘miracle.’’ And he even persuaded many that they could look forward once again to a great day two years hence.” This humiliating fiasco prompted some disenchanted Ak Metchet families to leave for America, Aulie Ata, or a small Russian settle- ment near Tashkent named Konstantinovka in honor of General von Kaufmann.”' Many of those remaining stopped attending Epp’s wor- ship services.22 When in 1891 the postponed second coming still did not materialize, Epp’s completely irrational attitude caused the population of Ak Metchet to dwindle even more. Although discouraged, the patient Penner even then did not repudiate Epp’s leadership though he was livin