Having foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, and given to the believers
signs by which they might find deliverance in the day of its overthrow,
Christ yet more fully answered the second part of the disciples'
question, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the
world?" Matt. 24:3.
[Illustration: THE CATACOMBS NEAR ROME
In these underground passages persecuted Christians found a hiding
place, held their services, and buried their dead.]
The Period of Tribulation
Quickly He passed to the events of the latter days. But first He
sketched, in a few words, the tribulations through which His church was
to pass during the intervening centuries. Daniel the prophet had written
of this experience, foretelling the long period during which the papal
power was to "wear out the saints of the Most High." Dan. 7:25. Of these
times, Christ said in His prophetic discourse:
"Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of
the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days
should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's
sake those days shall be shortened." Matt. 24:21, 22.
It is evident that Christ referred to the time of tribulation foretold
by Daniel, not to the trials attending the flight of the Christians from
Jerusalem, for their flight was a deliverance of the elect from trial.
However much the weak may have suffered temporarily in fleeing from
their homes, the great suffering of that time came upon the unbelieving,
who had no shelter.
This prophecy given by our Saviour presents the picture of a
long-continued persecution of His own elect, and foretells the
shortening of the allotted time. God was to intervene in some special
way to save His people. And it was even so. The elect did suffer all
through the centuries of intolerance, until the rise of the Reformation
and the spreading abroad of God's Word broke the power of
ecclesiasticism, thus shortening the days of bitter tribulation.
The End Drawing Near
According to Daniel's further prophecy, the period of trial and
persecution was to reach "even to the time of the end." Dan. 11:35.
Naturally, then, we should look for the signs of the latter days to
begin to appear following these days of tribulation. And so we find the
next words of Christ's discourse introducing the topic of His second
coming. From now on the prophetic outline deals with events leading
down to the end of the age.
First the Saviour utters a warning against false ideas concerning His
second coming. That no theories of a secret coming or of a mystic coming
might deceive the unwary, He says in plain words:
"If any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it
not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall
show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they
shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore
if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth:
behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the
lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. 24:23-27.
Today we see the need of this warning. Some of the most subtle
deceptions are found in the teaching that Christ has already come,
secretly, or that He comes in the chamber of death, or in the
spiritualistic séance. Against all these errors we are forewarned, as
well as against any agencies that may come showing marvelous signs and
wonders. The close of human probation, the coming of the day of God,
will be as a thief in the night; and Christ's coming itself will
overtake the unwatchful all unprepared. Nevertheless, when He comes,
"every eye shall see Him," and all the glory of heaven will burst upon a
quaking world.
Signs in the Heavens and the Earth
Now the Saviour's outline of prophecy presents the signs which were to
show when the coming of the Lord was near. Referring again to the days
of tribulation foretold by the prophet Daniel, Christ says:
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall
fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and
then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven." Matt. 24:29,
30.
In Luke's record of the same prophetic discourse, additional signs are
given, describing conditions in the earth as Christ's coming draws near.
His account reads:
"There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and
upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the
waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after
those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven
shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to
pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth
nigh." Luke 21:25-28.
Yet again, the prophet John, in the Revelation, foretells these signs in
the sun and moon and stars, as they were presented to him in a vision of
the last days. But his record shows that this series of signs was to be
preceded by a great earthquake. He describes the order of events as
follows:
"I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great
earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon
became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a
fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty
wind." Rev. 6:12, 13.
In these scriptures four great signs of Christ's approaching advent are
listed for our study, as follows:
1. The great earthquake.
2. The darkening of the sun and moon.
3. The falling of the stars.
4. Distress of nations, and other signs.
The Time When the Signs Begin
Christ's prophecy points out approximately the time when the first of
the signs that He gave, the darkening of the sun, should
appear,--"immediately after the tribulation of those days." And the
"great earthquake" of John's vision was to precede this sign in the
heavens.
The Reformation of the sixteenth century began to cut short the days of
tribulation; but some countries shut out the liberalizing influences of
the Word of God, and there the persecution continued.
Even as late as near the end of the seventeenth century, in 1685, France
revoked the Edict of Nantes, that had granted toleration, and
persecution raged as of old. The church was driven again to the desert.
Speaking of the early decades of the eighteenth century, Kurtz says:
"In France the persecution of the Huguenots continued.... The
'pastors of the desert' performed their duties at the risk of
their lives."--_"Church History," Vol. III, p. 88._
There was severe persecution of the Moravians in Austria, in these
times, many of the persecuted finding refuge in Saxony. It was in 1722
that Christian David led the first band of Moravian refugees to settle
on the estates of Count Zinzendorf, who organized through them the great
pioneer movement of modern missions.
But by the middle of the century, the era of enlightenment and the force
of world opinion, in the good providence of God, had so permeated the
Catholic states of Europe that general violent persecution had ceased.
One incident will suffice as evidence of this.
The scene was in France, where alone, of all the Catholic states, there
were any great numbers of Protestants. In 1762 a Huguenot of Toulouse,
unjustly charged with crime, was put to torture and to death, under the
pressure of the old persecuting spirit. Many Huguenots thought the
persecutions of former times were reviving, and prepared to flee to
Switzerland. But Voltaire took up the matter, and so wrought upon public
opinion that the Paris parliament reviewed the case, and the king paid
the man's family a large indemnity.
This shows that by the middle of that century the days of any general
persecution had ceased. In the nature of the case, we may not point to
the exact year and say, Here the days of tribulation ended.
From these times, then, we are to scan the record of history to learn if
the appointed signs began to appear. As we look, we find the events
recorded, following on in the order predicted:
1. The Lisbon earthquake, cf 1755.
2. The dark day, cf 1780.
3. The falling stars, cf 1833.
4. General conditions and movements betokening the end.
"There shall be signs," the Saviour said. We are to study the record of
events, watching to catch the signs of the approaching end as earnestly
as the mariner watches the beacon lights when he nears the longed-for
haven on a dark and stormy night.
[Illustration: AN ANCIENT FLOUR MILL
"Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and
the other left." Matt. 24:41.]
FOOTNOTES:
[B] It was in the autumn that the army of Cestius closed in upon
Jerusalem. According to the careful record of Graetz, the Jewish
historian, it was evidently on a Wednesday that the Roman army retired,
pursued by all the forces of the city. This was the instant for the
flight of the Christians. Next day "the Zealots, shouting exultant war
songs, returned to Jerusalem (8th October)."--_"History of the Jews,"
Vol. II, p. 268._ The day before was the time for unhindered flight.
[C] Apollonius, the friend and counselor of Titus, left a similar
testimony to the latter's conviction that there was something
supernatural about the forces of destruction let loose upon Jerusalem:
"After Titus had taken Jerusalem, and when the country all round was
filled with corpses, the neighboring races offered him a crown: but he
disclaimed any such honor to himself, saying that it was not he himself
that had accomplished this exploit, but that he had merely lent his arms
to God, who had so manifested His wrath."--_Philostratus, "Life of
Apollonius," book 6, chap. 29._
[Illustration: LISBON FROM ACROSS THE BAY
The scene of the great earthquake and tidal wave, Nov. 1, 1755, when in
six minutes sixty thousand people perished.]
THE LISBON EARTHQUAKE OF 1755
"Lo, There Was a Great Earthquake"
The first of a series of signs of the approaching end is thus described
by the revelator:
"I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great
earthquake." Rev. 6:12.
[Illustration: THE LISBON EARTHQUAKE
"There shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers
places." Matt. 24:7.]
The verses immediately preceding this scripture plainly describe the
days of persecution of the saints of God, and the era of protest and
reform that cut short that time of tribulation. Then this first sign
appears. This is in harmony with Christ's statement that the signs of
His second coming should begin to appear following the tribulation of
those days.
Just about the close of the days of tribulation occurred the Lisbon
earthquake, as it is called, though its effects reached far beyond
Portugal. Prof. W.H. Hobbs, geologist, says of it:
"Among the earth movements which in historic times have
affected the kingdom of Portugal, that of Nov. 1, 1755, takes
first rank, as it does, also, in some respects, among all
recorded earthquakes.... In six minutes sixty thousand people
perished."--_"Earthquakes," pp. 142, 143._
"Lo, there was a great earthquake," the revelator said. It was indeed "a
great earthquake," and great was its influence. In all the world, men's
hearts were mightily stirred. James Parton, an English author, says of
it:
"The Lisbon earthquake of Nov. 1, 1755, appears to have put
both the theologians and philosophers on the defensive.... At
twenty minutes to ten that morning, Lisbon was firm and
magnificent, on one of the most picturesque and commanding
sites in the world,--a city of superb approach, placed
precisely where every circumstance had concurred to say to the
founders, Build here! In six minutes the city was in ruins....
Half the world felt the convulsion.... For many weeks, as we
see in the letters and memoirs of that time, people in distant
parts of Europe went to bed in alarm, relieved in the morning
to find that they had escaped the fate of Lisbon one night
more."--_"Life of Voltaire," Vol. II, pp. 208, 209._
The World Set to Thinking
This earthquake set men to thinking of the great day of God. Voltaire,
the French philosopher, was "profoundly moved" by it, we are told. "It
was the last judgment for that region," he wrote; "nothing was wanting
to it except the trumpet." More than a month afterward, while still the
perturbations of the earth were continuing, this skeptic wrote a poem
upon the problem presented, voicing the sentiment:
"My heart oppress'd demands
Aid of the God who formed me with his hands.
Sons of the God supreme to suffer all
Fated alike, we on our Father call....
Sad is the present if no future state,
No blissful retribution mortals wait,
If fate's decrees the thinking being doom
To lose existence in the silent tomb.
_All may be well_; that hope can man sustain.
_All now is well_; 'tis an illusion vain.
The sages held me forth delusive light,
Divine instructions only can be right.
Humbly I sigh, submissive suffer pain,
Nor more the ways of Providence arraign."
--"_Poem on the Destruction of Lisbon,_"
_Smollet's translation; Works, Vol. XXXIII, ed. 1761._
Just at the time, plans were under way for the opening of a theater at
Lausanne for the special performance of some of Voltaire's rationalistic
dramas. But the enterprise was deferred. One writer says:
"The earthquake had made all men thoughtful. They mistrusted
their love of the drama, and filled the churches
instead."--_Tallentyre, "Life of Voltaire," p. 319._
So, in an age of rationalism and unbelief, men's thoughts were turned
toward God, and human helplessness and earth's instability were
recognized.
Extent of the Lisbon Earthquake
As to the extent of the earthquake, a writer of the period shows that it
was felt in Sweden and in Africa and in the West Indies, adding:
"The effects were distributed over very nearly four millions of
square English miles of the earth's surface, and greatly
surpassed anything of the kind ever recorded in
history."--_"History and Philosophy of Earthquakes" (London,
1757), p. 333._
The commander of an English ship, lying off Lisbon at the time, thus
described the scene in a letter to the ship's owners:
"Almost all the palaces and large churches were rent down, or
part fallen, and scarce one house of this vast city is left
habitable. Everybody that was not crushed to death ran out into
the large places, and those near the river ran down to save
themselves by boats, or any other floating convenience,
running, crying, and calling to the ships for assistance; but
whilst the multitude were gathered near the riverside, the
water rose to such a height that it overflowed the lower part
of the city, which so terrified the miserable and already
dismayed inhabitants, who ran to and fro with dreadful cries,
which we heard plainly on board, that it made them believe the
dissolution of the world was at hand; every one falling on his
knees and entreating the Almighty for His assistance.... By two
o'clock the ships' boats began to ply, and took multitudes on
board.... The fear, the sorrow, the cries and lamentations of
the poor inhabitants are unexpressible; every one begging
pardon, and embracing each other, crying, Forgive me, friend,
brother, sister! Oh! what will become of us! neither water nor
land will protect us, and the third element, fire, seems now
to threaten our total destruction! as in effect it happened.
The conflagration lasted a whole week."--_Thomas Hunter,
"Historical Account of Earthquakes" (Liverpool, 1756), pp.
72-74._
Recognized as a Sign
Looking down through the ages, the prophet of the Revelation saw the
coming of the latter days, when signs of the approaching end were to
begin to appear. Just there he beheld "a great earthquake." The terrible
event was noted by inspiration as a sign of the coming of the final
judgment. Earthquakes there had been before, and increasing earthquakes
were to follow after,--"earthquakes in divers places,"--as Christ
foretold, speaking of the signs of His second coming. But as befitted
this first of the series of signs of the approaching end, a conviction
from God seemed to come into the hearts of men in that generation, that
this was indeed a token to remind the world of a coming day of doom.
In the year of the disaster, an English poet, John Biddolf, published a
book of verse, pointing some of the lessons of the hour, from which we
quote a few descriptive stanzas:
"Calm was the sky; the sun serenely bright
Shot o'er the sea long dazzling streams of light.
Through orange groves soft breathing breezes play'd
And gathered sweets like bees where'er they stray'd.
In fair relievo stood the lofty town,
Set off by radiant lights and shadows brown.
"Ill-fated city! there were revels kept;
Devoid of fear, they ate, they drank, they slept.
No friendly voice like that of ancient Rome
Was sent to give them warning of their doom:
No airy warriors to each other clung,
Such as 'tis said o'er destin'd Sion hung,
But like a nightly thief their dreadful fate
Unlooked for came and undermined their state....
"Lo, what a sudden change! On ruin's brink
The proud turn humble, and the thoughtless think.
Dark, gloomy sadness overclouds the gay,
And hypocrites for once sincerely pray....
But let it not be thought their horrid deeds
Had pulled this dreadful judgment on their heads,
Or that for crimes too horrible to tell,
Like guilty Sodom, thunderstruck they fell....
"Who can with curious eyes this globe survey,
And not behold it tottering with decay?
All things created, God's designs fulfil,
And natural causes work His destined will.
And that eternal Word, which cannot lie,
To mortals hath revealed in prophecy
That in these latter days such signs should come,
Preludes and prologues to the general doom.
But not the Son of man can tell that day;
Then, lest it find you sleeping, watch and pray."
Thus this first of the predicted latter-day signs bore its message to
men. Its immediate scene was set in the Old World, but its warning was
world-wide. The next sign foretold was to appear in the New World, but
like the Lisbon earthquake, its message of warning was for all men.
[Illustration: THE FLOOD
"So shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. 24:39.]
[Illustration: MIDDAY AT SEA MAY 19, 1780
"Between one and two he was obliged to light a large candle to steer
by." See p. 89.]
[Illustration: SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS
"Can ye not discern the signs of the times?" Matt. 16:3.]
THE DARK DAY OF 1780
"The Sun Shall be Darkened"
We recall that in the vision of latter-day signs given to the prophet
John, he saw the "great earthquake" followed by a sign in the heavens:
"The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as
blood." Rev. 6:12.
Of this event our Saviour spoke, in giving the signs of His second
coming which were to begin to appear following the cutting short of the
days of persecution. We repeat His words:
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light." Matt. 24:29.
The Prophecy Fulfilled
True to the order of the prophecy, following the great earthquake of
1755 in Europe, there came, in America, the second sign of the
approaching end, the wonderful darkening of the sun, known in history as
"The Dark Day."
This sign appeared at the time indicated in the prophecy, "immediately
after the tribulation of those days;" or as Mark has it, "in those days,
after that tribulation." On May 19, 1780, the sun was darkened, and the
following night the moon did not give her light. Whatever explanation
men may have to offer as to the cause of the phenomenon, the fact
remains that when the time of the prophecy came, the sign appeared.
The first volume of the "Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences," published in Boston in 1785, contains a paper entitled, "An
Account of a Very Uncommon Darkness in the States of New England, May
19, 1780. By Samuel Williams, A.M., Hollis Professor of Mathematics and
Philosophy in the University at Cambridge [Massachusetts]."
Of the extent, duration, and degree of darkness on that occasion, this
scientific observer said:
"The extent of this darkness was very remarkable.... From the
accounts that have been received, it seems to have extended all
over the New England States. It was observed as far east as
Falmouth [Portland, Maine]. To the westward, we hear of its
reaching to the furthest parts of Connecticut, and Albany. To
the southward, it was observed all along the seacoasts. And to
the north as far as our settlements extend....
"With regard to its duration, it continued in this place at
least fourteen hours: but it is probable this was not exactly
the same in different parts of the country. The appearance and
effects were such as tended to make the prospect extremely dull
and gloomy. Candles were lighted up in the houses; the birds
having sung their evening songs, disappeared, and became
silent; the fowls retired to roost; the cocks were crowing all
around as at break of day; objects could not be distinguished
but at a very little distance; and everything bore the
appearance and gloom of night." (See pages 234-246.)
Whittier has commemorated it in the poem, "Abraham Davenport:"
"'Twas on a May day of the far old year
Seventeen hundred eighty, that there fell
Over the bloom and sweet life of the spring,
Over the fresh earth and the heaven of noon,
A horror of great darkness....
"Birds ceased to sing, and all the barnyard fowls
Roosted; the cattle at the pasture bars
Lowed, and looked homeward; bats on leathern wings
Flitted abroad; the sounds of labor died;
Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp
To hear the doom blast of the trumpet shatter
The black sky."
The words of the poet are substantiated by the plain prose of the
dictionary maker. In the department explanatory of "Noted Names,"
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (edition 1883) says:
"_The Dark Day_, May 19, 1780--so called on account of a
remarkable darkness on that day extending over all New
England.... The obscuration began about ten o'clock in the
morning, and continued till the middle of the next night, but
with difference of degree and duration in different places....
The true cause of this remarkable phenomenon is not known."
Cause Unknown
At the time, some explained the darkness as being due to smoke from
forest fires, others to the exceptional rise of vapors and atmospheric
dust in the warm spring following the melting of unusually heavy winter
snows. But forest fires were not of extraordinary occurrence in these
regions, and many a springtime since has seen the melting of heavy
winter snows and the rise of vapors; yet May 19, 1780, still stands
unique in the annals of modern times as "the dark day." However
observers and writers disagreed as to the nature of the mantle of
darkness that was drawn over New England that day, they were _one_ in
recognizing the extraordinary character of the event.
The facts are fully covered by the statement in the dictionary, "The
true cause of this remarkable phenomenon is not known."
What we do know is that the Saviour's prophecy declared, "Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the
moon shall not give her light." And when the time for it came, the sign
appeared.
Contemporary Records
Though the comparatively small-sized newspapers of the day were crowded
with news of the progress of the Revolutionary War, then raging, no
little space was given to reports and discussions of this remarkable
darkening of the sun.
A correspondent of the Boston _Gazette and Country Journal_ (of May 29,
1780) reported observations made at Ipswich Hamlet, Mass., "by several
gentlemen of liberal education:"
"About eleven o'clock the darkness was such as to demand our
attention, and put us upon making observations. At half past
eleven, in a room with three windows, twenty-four panes each,
all open toward the southeast and south, large print could not
be read by persons of good eyes.
"About twelve o'clock, the windows being still open, a candle
cast a shade so well defined on the wall, as that profiles were
taken with as much ease as they could have been in the night.
"About one o'clock a glint of light which had continued to this
time in the east, shut in, and the darkness was greater than it
had been for any time before.... We dined about two, the
windows all open, and two candles burning on the table.
"In the time of the greatest darkness some of the ... fowls
went to their roost. Cocks crowed in answer to one another as
they commonly do in the night. Woodcocks, which are night
birds, whistled as they do _only_ in the dark. Frogs peeped. In
short, there was the appearance of midnight at noonday.
"About three o'clock the light in the west increased, the
motion of the clouds [became] more quick, their color higher
and more brassy than at any time before. There appeared to be
quick flashes or coruscations, not unlike the aurora
borealis.... About half past four our company, which had passed
an unexpected night very cheerfully together, broke up."
Of the night following, this gentleman (then at Salem) wrote:
"Perhaps it never was darker since the children of Israel left
the house of bondage. This gross darkness held till about one
o'clock, although the moon had fulled but the day before."
The Boston _Independent Chronicle_ of June 8 quoted from Thomas's
_Massachusetts Spy_:
"During the whole time a sickly, melancholy gloom overcast the
face of nature. Nor was the darkness of the night less uncommon
and terrifying than that of the day; notwithstanding there was
almost a full moon, no object was discernible, but by the help
of some artificial light, which when seen from the neighboring
houses and other places at a distance, appeared through a kind
of Egyptian darkness, which seemed almost impervious to the
rays.
"This unusual phenomenon excited the fears and apprehensions of
many people. Some considered it as a portentous omen of the
wrath of Heaven in vengeance denounced against the land, others
as the immediate harbinger of the last day, when 'the sun shall
be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light.'"
Not only over the land, but out at sea also, the unnatural darkness of
the day and night of May 19, 1780, was observed. In the _Independent
Chronicle_ of June 15, 1780, a correspondent, telling of interviews with
various observers, said:
"I have also seen a very sensible captain of a vessel, who was
that morning about forty leagues southeast of Boston. He says
the cloud which appeared at the west was the blackest he ever
saw. About eleven o'clock there was a little rain, and it grew
dark. Between one and two he was obliged to light a large
candle to steer by.... Between nine and ten at night, he
ordered his men to take in some of the sails, but it was so
dark that they could not find the way from one mast to the
other."
Thoughts Turned to the Judgment
This writer commented as follows concerning the feelings awakened by the
event:
"Various have been the sentiments of people concerning the
designs of Providence in spreading the unusual darkness over
us. Some suppose it portentous of the last scene. I wish it may
have some good effect on the minds of the wicked, and that they
may be excited to prepare for that solemn day."
The _Independent Chronicle_ of June 22, 1780, printed a letter from Dr.
Samuel Stearns, who had been appealed to because of his knowledge "in
philosophy and astronomy." First, he disposed of one suggestion that had
been made:
"That the darkness was not caused by an eclipse is manifest by
the various positions of the planets of our system at that
time; for the moon was more than one hundred and fifty degrees
from the sun all that day."
Then, in the rather heavy language of the science of that period, this
writer told how the action of the sun's heat was continually projecting
into the atmosphere particles of earthy matter; and in his opinion it
was some "vast collection of such particles that caused the late
uncommon darkness." But as to the real accounting for the phenomenon he
wrote:
"The primary cause must be imputed to Him that walketh through
the circuit of heaven, who stretcheth out the heaven like a
curtain, who maketh the clouds His chariot, who walketh upon
the wings of the wind. It was He, at whose voice the stormy
winds are obedient, that commanded these exhalations to be
collected and condensed together, that with them He might
darken both the day and the night; which darkness was, perhaps,
not only a token of His indignation against the crying
iniquities and abominations of the people, but an omen of some
future destruction."
Thus men's minds were exercised by this sign "in the sun, and in the
moon."
The early records of New York City tell of the interest excited there,
though evidently the darkness was not so marked as it was farther north.
In the Connecticut Legislature
President Timothy Dwight, of Yale College, a contemporary, left the
following account of one of the historic incidents of the day:
"The legislature of Connecticut was then in session at
Hartford. A very general opinion prevailed that the day of
judgment was at hand. The house of representatives, being
unable to transact their business, adjourned. A proposal to
adjourn the council [a second legislative body called the
Governor's Council] was under consideration. When the opinion
of Colonel Davenport was asked, he answered, 'I am against an
adjournment. The day of judgment is either approaching or it is
not. If it is not, there is no cause for an adjournment; if it
is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that
candles may be brought.'"--_Barber, "Connecticut Historical
Collections," p. 403._
It was this striking incident that Whittier described with the poet's
pen:
"Meanwhile in the old Statehouse, dim as ghosts,
Sat the lawgivers of Connecticut,
Trembling beneath their legislative robes.
'It is the Lord's great day! Let us adjourn,'
Some said; and then, as with one accord,
All eyes were turned to Abraham Davenport.
He rose, slow cleaving with his steady voice
The intolerable hush. 'This well may be
The day of judgment which the world awaits;
But be it so or not, I only know
My present duty, and my Lord's command
To occupy till He come. So at the post
Where He hath set me in His providence
I choose, for one, to meet Him face to face,--
No faithless servant, frightened from my task,
But ready when the Lord of the harvest calls;
And therefore, with all reverence, I would say,
Let God do His work, we will see to ours.
Bring in the candles.'"
Thus, in a manner that arrested the attention of men and put awe and
solemnity into their hearts, with thoughts of the coming of the great
day of God, the first of the predicted signs in the heavens was
revealed.
At a later time, when students of the Bible seemed moved upon
simultaneously, in both Europe and America, to give attention to the
doctrine of Christ's second coming, it was more generally understood
that these signs had come in fulfilment of prophecy.
As we look to the past, we see how truly the tokens of the coming King
began to appear as the church of Christ emerged fully from the long,
dark period of tribulation. A new era was dawning, in which the Lord was
to fill the earth with light before His second appearing, according to
His word to Daniel the prophet:
"Thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time
of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased." Dan. 12:4.
At last the time of the end was at hand, and the signs of the latter
days had begun to appear in the earth and in the heavens. The Lord was
preparing to send to all the world the closing gospel message of
Christ's soon coming in glory.
[Illustration: THE GREAT METEORIC SHOWER NOVEMBER 13, 1833
"The stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her
untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind." Rev. 6:13.]
[Illustration: A STAR HERALDS HIS FIRST ADVENT
"We have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him." Matt.
2:2.]
THE FALLING STARS OF 1833
"The Stars Shall Fall from Heaven"
A great impetus was given to the study of divine prophecy by the events
of the closing years of the eighteenth century. Observers had seen the
papal power receive a "deadly wound" in the events and effects of the
French Revolution; and it was understood that the world was entering a
new era of enlightenment and liberty.
Bible students began to see more clearly the lesson of the great
outlines of historic prophecy, and hearts were stirred with the
evidences that the coming of the Lord was drawing near. In Europe and
America, in the early decades of the nineteenth century, there was the
beginning of a revival of the study and preaching of the advent idea.
Another Sign in the Heavens
Just here appeared another great sign in the heavens, foretold by the
word of prophecy. Of the sign that was to follow the darkening of the
sun and moon, Christ's prophecy says:
"The stars shall fall from heaven." Matt. 24:29.
The prophet John beheld the spectacle in a vision of the last days, and
described it in these words:
"The stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her
untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind." Rev. 6:13.
On Nov. 13, 1833, came the wondrous celestial exhibition of falling
stars, which is listed as one of the most remarkable phenomena of the
astronomical story.
Meteoric displays, swarms of shooting stars, have been observed at
various times all through the ages; but this phenomenon, coming in the
order given by the prophecy, that is, following the darkening of the
sun, constituted the sublime display answering to the pen-picture of the
Apocalypse,--as if all the stars of heaven were falling to the earth.
The essential thing about a sign is that it shall be seen, that the
circumstances of its appearance shall fasten attention. Not in America
alone, but equally in all the civilized world, as a topic of study, this
sign in the heavens commanded the attention of men.
An English scientist, Rev. Thomas Milner, F.R.G.S., wrote:
"The attention of astronomers in Europe, and all over the
world, was, as may be imagined, strongly roused by intelligence
of this celestial display on the Western continent."--_"The
Gallery of Nature" (London, 1852), p. 141._
This writer called it "by far the most splendid display on
record."--_Id., p. 139._
Another English astronomical writer of more recent date says:
"Once for all, then, as the result of the star fall of 1833,
the study of luminous meteors became an integral part of
astronomy."--_Clerke, "History of Astronomy in the Nineteenth
Century," p. 329._
This same work describes the extent of the display as follows:
"On the night of Nov. 12-13, 1833, a tempest of falling stars
broke over the earth. North America bore the brunt of its
pelting. From the Gulf of Mexico to Halifax, until daylight
with some difficulty put an end to the display, the sky was
scored in every direction with shining tracks and illuminated
with majestic fireballs."--_Page 328._
The Spectacle Described
The closest scientific observations were made by Prof. Denison Olmsted,
professor of astronomy at Yale, who wrote in the _American Journal of
Science_:
"The morning of Nov. 13, 1833, was rendered memorable by an
exhibition of the phenomenon called shooting stars, which was
probably more extensive and magnificent than any similar one
hitherto recorded.... Probably no celestial phenomenon has ever
occurred in this country, since its first settlement, which was
viewed with so much admiration and delight by one class of
spectators, or with so much astonishment and fear by another
class. For some time after the occurrence, the 'meteoric
phenomenon' was the principal topic of conversation in every
circle."--_Volume XXV (1834), pp. 363, 364._
Prof. Simon Newcomb, the astronomer, declares this phenomenal exhibition
of falling stars "the most remarkable one ever observed." (See
"Astronomy for Everybody," p. 280.)
This was not merely a display of an unusual number of falling stars,
such as Humboldt observed in South America in 1799, or such as we find
recorded of other times before and since. It was a "shower" of falling
stars, just such a spectacle as one must picture from the words of the
prophecy, "And the stars of heaven fell."
The French astronomer Flammarion says of the density of the shower:
"The Boston observer, Olmsted, compared them, at the moment of
maximum, to half the number of flakes which we perceive in the
air during an ordinary shower of snow."--_"Popular Astronomy,"
p. 536._
This affords us a better idea of the scene than the estimate of 34,640
stars an hour, which was made by Professor Olmsted after the rain of the
stars had greatly abated, so that he was able to make an attempt at
counting.
Dr. Humphreys, president of St. John's College, Annapolis, said of the
appearance at the Maryland capital:
"In the words of most, they fell _like flakes of
snow_."--_American Journal of Science, Vol. XXV (1834), p.
372._
Nothing less than this could have presented the counterpart of the
prophetic picture.
Thoughtful hearts were solemnized by the unwonted spectacle. Prof.
Alexander Twining, civil engineer, "late tutor in Yale College," giving
his views as to the nature of the flaming visitants from space, wrote:
"Had they held on their course unabated for three seconds
longer, half a continent must, to all appearance, have been
involved in unheard-of calamity. But that almighty Being who
made the world, and knew its dangers, gave it also its
armature--endowing the atmospheric medium around it with
protecting, no less than with life-sustaining, properties....
"Considered as one of the rare and wonderful displays of the
Creator's preserving care, as well as the terrible magnitude
and power of His agencies, it is not meet that such occurrences
as those of November 13 should leave no more solid and
permanent effect upon the human mind than the impression of a
splendid scene."--_American Journal of Science, Vol. XXVI
(1834), p. 351._
Multitudes felt that the great Creator had spoken to men in this notable
wonder of His heavens. Again and again in the records and reminiscences
of that time, testimony is borne to the fact that observers were
impressed with the likeness of the scene to that described in the divine
prophecy as one of the signs of the end of the world.
The Prophetic Picture Reproduced
The New York _Journal of Commerce_ emphasized the exactness of detail
with which the prophecy described the scene as it appeared in 1833. This
is the apocalyptic picture, as the ancient prophet saw it in vision:
"The stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her
untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind." Rev. 6:13.
A correspondent of the _Journal of Commerce_ draws the picture as it was
seen nearly eighteen centuries later, the likeness to the prophetic
description being emphasized in every line:
"No philosopher or scholar has told or recorded an event like
that of yesterday morning. A prophet eighteen hundred years ago
foretold it exactly, if we will be at the trouble of
understanding stars falling to mean falling stars."--_New York
Journal of Commerce, Nov. 14, 1833._
In this connection was noted by the same writer the special
appropriateness of the prophet's figure of the fig tree casting the
green figs in a mighty wind:
"Here is the exactness of the prophet. The falling stars did
not come as if from _several_ trees shaken, but from _one_.
Those which appeared in the east fell toward the east: those
which appeared in the north fell toward the north; those which
appeared in the west fell toward the west; and those which
appeared in the south (for I went out of my residence into the
park) fell toward the south; and they fell not as ripe fruit
falls; far from it; but they _flew_, they were _cast_, like the
unripe fig, which at first refuses to leave the branch; and
when it does break its hold, flies swiftly, straight off,
descending; and in the multitude falling, some cross the track
of others, as they are thrown with more or less force."
Professor Olmsted's long and carefully elaborated account in the
_American Journal of Science_, gave a report from a correspondent in
Bowling Green, Mo., as follows:
"Though there was no moon, when we first observed them; their
brilliancy was so great that we could, at times, read
common-sized print without much difficulty, and the light which
they afforded was much whiter than that of the moon, in the
clearest and coldest night, when the ground is covered with
snow. The air itself, the face of the earth as far as we could
behold it, all the surrounding objects, and the very
countenances of men, wore the aspect and hue of death,
occasioned by the continued, pallid glare of these countless
meteors, which in all their grandeur flamed 'lawless through
the sky.'
"There was a grand and indescribable gloom on all around, an
awe-inspiring sublimity on all above; while--
"'The sanguine flood
Rolled a broad slaughter o'er the plains of heaven,
And nature's self did seem to totter on the brink of time!'
"... There was scarcely a space in the firmament which was not
filled at every instant with these falling stars, nor on it
could you in general perceive any particular difference in
appearance; still at times they seemed to shower down in
groups--calling to mind the fig tree, casting her untimely figs
when shaken by a mighty wind."--_Volume XXV (1834), p. 382._
[Illustration: THE SIGN OF FIRE
"As this sign of fire in the watchtower was a signal to God's people
anciently to flee from the coming danger (see Jer. 6:1), so the signs
appearing now in the heavens and in the earth are God's signals of
warning to the people of our day."]
A Sign to All the World
It was not in North America alone, but in all the civilized world, that
the attention of men was called to the prophetic word by the discussions
of this event. Thus the English scientific writer, Thomas Milner,
writing for the British public, spoke as follows of the profound
impression made:
"In many districts, the mass of the population were
terror-struck, and the more enlightened were awed at
contemplating so vivid a picture of the apocalyptic image--that
of the stars of heaven falling to the earth, even as a fig tree
casting her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty
wind."--_"The Gallery of Nature" (London, 1852), p. 140._
So the sign in the heavens made its solemn appeal to all the world. It
brought to the multitudes who saw it, thoughts of God and the last great
day. An observer living at the time in Georgia, wrote, "Everybody felt
that it was the judgment, and that the end of the world had come."
Another, in Kentucky, wrote, "In every direction I could hear men,
women, and children screaming, 'The judgment day is come!'"
Rather, it was a signal that the hour of God's judgment was drawing
near. The signs so long foretold were appearing, one by one, to register
their enduring mark on the record of fulfilling prophecy.
Immediately following these times, there began an awakening concerning
the vital Bible doctrine of the second coming of Christ, which has grown
into the definite advent movement that is carrying the gospel message of
preparation for the coming of the Lord to every nation and tongue and
people.
The Sign of 1833 Emphasized by Other Displays
We have mentioned the fact that Humboldt had observed an extraordinary
fall of meteorites in South America, thirty-three years, before, in
1799. And he reported at the time that the oldest inhabitants there had
a recollection of a similar display in 1766.
From these reports, scientists deduced the theory that these showers
were to be expected every thirty-three years. Hence in 1866 they were
watching for a repetition of the 1833 display.
That there was a measure of truth in the deduction was made evident by
an unusual fall of meteorites Nov. 14, 1866. This time Europe was the
scene of the display. But the event was not to be compared with that of
1833. This appears plain from the account of observations made by Sir
Robert Ball and Lord Rosse, the British astronomers.
Sir Robert Ball says that when the meteorites began to fall, he and Lord
Rosse went out upon the wall of the observatory housing Lord Rosse's
great reflecting telescope:
"There, for the next two or three hours, we witnessed a
spectacle which can never fade from my memory. The shooting
stars gradually increased in number until sometimes several
were seen at once."--_"Story of the Heavens," p. 380._
Grand as the spectacle was, it was but a reminder, apparently, of the
star shower of 1833, when not "several" meteorites fell at a time, nor
many, merely, but, as it appeared, "the stars of heaven fell unto the
earth."
However, the spectacle of 1866, which was observed over a great part of
the Old World,[D] served to direct renewed attention to the incomparable
event of 1833, as well as to the prophetic descriptions of the "wonders
in the heavens" (Joel 2:30) which were to appear as the end drew near.
[Illustration: CHRIST'S PROMISE TO RETURN
"I will come again, and receive you unto Myself." John 14:3.]
Textbooks and astronomical works thereupon began to count it as fully
established that every thirty-three years the displays would be
repeated. It was confidently predicted that 1899 would witness a
repetition, possibly on the scale of 1833.
Professor Langley's "New Astronomy" (published in 1888) said:
"The great November shower, which is coming once more in this
century, and which every reader may hope to see toward 1899, is
of particular interest to us as the first whose movements were
subject to analysis."
Chambers's Astronomy, published in 1889, said:
"The meteors of November 13 may be expected to reappear with
great brilliancy in 1899."---_Volume I, p. 635._
But the November date passed in 1899, and the years have passed; and the
wondrous scene of 1833 has not been repeated. Clerke's "History of
Astronomy in the Nineteenth Century" says:
"We can no longer count upon the Leonids [as the meteorites of
1833 were called, because they seemed to fall from a point in
the constellation of Leo]. Their glory, for scenic purposes, is
departed."--_Page 338._
The Lord's Signal to Watch
Thus the wisest astronomical predictions made shortly before 1899, based
upon the apparently recurrent regularity of the phenomenon, failed; but
the predictions of the sure word of prophecy, set down on the sacred
record eighteen centuries before, were fulfilled to the letter.
At the close of the days of the predicted tribulation of the church, the
signs began to appear--the sun was darkened, the moon withheld its
light, and the stars of heaven fell.
The series began at the time specified, the signs came in the order
given in Christ's prophecy. The record of history bears witness that the
prophecy was fulfilled.
It may be that on a yet more awful and universal scale these phenomena
will be seen again in that last shaking of the powers of heaven which is
to attend the rolling back of the heavens as a scroll, the immediate
prelude to Christ's glorious appearing. But Christ's prophecy, at this
point, was not giving a description of events at the very end of the
world, but signs by which it might be known when the end was drawing
near.
As the signs should be recognized, the Saviour intended that those who
loved His appearing should be quickened with hope, and inspired to
hasten to the world with the gospel message preparing the way of the
Lord. The Lord's word for His children was,
"When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your
heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke 21:28.
Long ago these signs began to come to pass. Now may the Lord's believing
children well look up and rejoice, knowing that the day of eternal
redemption is indeed nigh at hand.
He Will Come for His Own
In the glad time of the harvest,
In the grand millennial year,
When the King shall take His scepter,
And to judge the world appear,
Earth and sea shall yield their treasure,
All shall stand before the throne;
Just awards will then be given,
When the King shall claim His own.
O the rapture of His people!
Long they've dwelt on earth's low sod,
With their hearts e'er turning homeward,
Rich in faith and love to God.
They will share the life immortal,
They will know as they are known,
They will pass the pearly portal,
When the King shall claim His own.
Long they've toiled within the harvest,
Sown the precious seed with tears;
Soon they'll drop their heavy burdens
In the glad millennial years;
They will share the bliss of heaven,
Nevermore to sigh or moan;
Starry crowns will then be given,
When the King shall claim His own.
We shall greet the loved and loving,
Who have left us lonely here;
Every heartache will be banished
When the Saviour shall appear;
Never grieved with sin or sorrow,
Never weary or alone;
O, we long for that glad morrow
When the King shall claim His own!
--_L.D. Santee._
[Illustration: SATAN OFFERS GOLD, AND THE WORLD STAMPEDES TO ITS
DESTRUCTION
"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come
upon you." James 5:1.]
FOOTNOTES:
[D] The display was most brilliant, apparently, in Western Asia. The
veteran missionary, Dr. H.H. Jessup, of the Presbyterian Missionary
College, of Beirut, describes the scene in his "Fifty-Three Years in
Syria:" "On the morning of the fourteenth [November], at three o'clock,
I was roused from a deep sleep by the voice of one of the young men
calling, 'The stars are all coming down.' ... The meteors poured down
like a rain of fire. Many of them were large and varicolored, and left
behind them a long train of fire. One immense green meteor came down
over Lebanon, seeming as large as the moon, and exploded with a large
noise, leaving a green pillar of light in its train. It was vain to
attempt to count them, and the display continued until dawn, when their
light was obscured by the king of day.... The Mohammedans gave the call
to prayer from the minarets, and the common people were in
terror."--_Volume I, pp. 316, 317._
[Illustration: THE MISER
"Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days." James 5:3.]
THE MEANING OF PRESENT-DAY CONDITIONS
"THERE SHALL BE SIGNS ... UPON THE EARTH"
From the specific signs in the heavens, which were to herald the coming
of the latter days and awaken the church to look for its coming Lord,
our Saviour's prophecy passed on to designate certain general conditions
in the world which were to continue until the great day of God comes:
"There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and
upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the
waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after
those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven
shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory." Luke 21:25-27.
Among the developments here foretold, and which contribute to the
"distress of nations, with perplexity," we may list the following:
[Illustration: THE ARMING OF THE NATIONS
"Prepare war,... beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning
hooks into spears." Joel 3: 9, 10.]
1. Political Unrest--the Arming of the Nations
Following on closely with the signs in the heavens, there appears also
the awakening to national aspirations and rivalries in Europe, out of
which has grown the arming of the nations. The beginning of the modern
race of armaments may be dated from those stirring and eventful years of
1830 to 1848. We have seen the resources of the soil and the inventive
genius of man devoted to preparations for war on a scale never before
thought of. The prophet Joel foretold these conditions in the last days:
"Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles ["the nations," R.V.]: Prepare war,
wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come
up: beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into
spears: let the weak say, I am strong.... Let the heathen be
wakened.... Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision [or
"cutting off"]: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of
decision." Joel 3: 9-14.
[Illustration: READY FOR THE CONFLICT
"For the day of the Lord is near." Joel 3: 14.
PHOTO FROM UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD, N.Y.]
Another prophecy forewarns of the "peace and safety" cry that is to be
heard as the end draws near. We are told that many people in the last
days will be saying that swords are to be beaten into plowshares, and
that the nations will cease from war (Isa. 2:3, 4); but the actual
conditions are repeatedly described in prophecy as warlike and perilous.
Thus the revelator saw the closing days:
"The nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the
dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldst give reward
unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear
Thy name, small and great; and shouldst destroy them which destroy the
earth." Rev. 11: 18.
[Illustration: A FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT
"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." Matt.
24: 42.]
What we see then among the nations proclaims the approaching end.
2. Signs in the Social World
A New Testament prophecy of the latter days says:
"In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of
their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers,
false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of
God." 2 Tim. 3: 1-4.
The "perilous times" have come, when, as never before, the world is
pleasure mad.
"Unrestrained passion for pleasure," said M. Comte, editor of the French
_Relèvement Social_, writing just before the European war, is bringing a
terrible train of evils into modern society. Along with it he put "the
hunt for money without regard for means," adding:
"This is the theme which manufacturers, business men, men in
the public administration, continually harp on with ever the
same conviction and ever the same wealth of proof.
"The note is ever the same, and the conclusion identical: _Nous
sommes perdus!_ [We are lost!]"--_Quoted in Record of Christian
Work, July, 1914._
Many agencies for social and temperance reform are rendering the
greatest human service; but for lost humanity the only hope is Christ,
the divine Saviour. With an urgency born of the last call, His gospel is
sounding to a world on the verge of eternity. Yet with divine love
longing to save, the world sweeps on, less and less mindful of eternal
interests. Christ's prophecy foretold it as it is:
"As the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe
entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them
all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. 24:
37-39.
Who can look out upon mankind today without the conviction that this
scripture is being fulfilled? The drift is strong toward the world and
away from God; but we are bidden to watch and pray, lest the coming day
find us unprepared.
3. Signs in the Industrial World
Industrial conditions today add their contribution to the "distress of
nations, with perplexity." Through the word of prophecy the Lord long
ago foretold these conditions, with a warning to the careless rich, and
a warning to the laborer and the poor, not to be drawn into contention
over the things of this world, for the Judge is at the door. The
prophecy, it will be seen, refers specifically to latter-day conditions.
[Illustration: "AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?"
A night scene on the Thames embankment, London.]
"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come
upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a
witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have
heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the
laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by
fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into
the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth,
and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of
slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist
you.
[Illustration: THE RICH YOUNG MAN
"Sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure
in heaven." Matt. 19: 21.]
"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold,
the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath
long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye
also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth
nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned:
behold, the Judge standeth before the door." James 5: 1-9.
There is no need to argue that the issues with which the prophecy deals
are pressing upon the world with ever-increasing perplexity. We quote
but two statements, by men not engaged in agitation, but calmly and
thoughtfully setting down the signs of the times.
The late Lord Avebury (Sir John Lubbock) wrote a few years ago in the
_Review of Internationalism_:
"The religion of Europe is not Christianity, but the worship of
the god of war.... Unless something is done, the condition of
the poor in Europe will grow worse and worse. It is no use
shutting our eyes. Revolution may not come soon, not probably
in our time, but come it will, and as sure as fate there will
be an explosion such as the world has never seen."
Of the rapid growth of discontent and its propaganda, Mr. Frederick
Townsend Martin, of New York, wrote:
"Fifty years ago there was scarcely a voice of protest; indeed,
there was hardly anything to protest against. Twenty-five years
ago the protest was clear and distinct, and we understood it.
Ten years ago the protest found expression in a dozen weekly
publications, but today the protest is circulated not by
hundreds or thousands of printed copies of books, pamphlets,
magazines, and newspapers, but actually by the million.
"This propaganda of protest has its daily papers that are
distinctive and published for that purpose, and that purpose
only. It has its magazines and tens of thousands of weekly
papers. Only a fool sneers at such a volume of publicity as
that....
"The warnings that hundreds of us are uttering may be ignored.
The squandering may go on, the vulgar bacchanalia may be
prolonged, the poor may have to writhe under the iron heel of
the iron lord--the dance of death may go on until society's E
string snaps, and then the Vesuvius of the underworld will
belch forth its lava of death and destruction."--_Hearst's
Magazine, September, 1913._
Thus hearts grow faint "for looking after those things which are coming
on the earth." But while the increasing "distress of nations, with
perplexity," abounds, the Lord sends the steadying, assuring message
that soon Christ will come to end the reign of sin and strife. He would
have His children keep the gospel light glowing, and wait patiently for
Him.
4. The Great Missionary Movement
The Saviour's prophecy of the signs of His second coming places the work
of world evangelization as the culminating sign. This in itself is a
joyful token of the approaching end, a bright signal of hope in a
suffering world. He said:
"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matt. 24: 14.
Before the end, the light of the gospel was to shine into every dark
corner of the earth. True to the sure word of prophecy, when the latter
days began,--"the time of the end,"--there sprang up the great movement
of modern missions which has been one of the leading characteristics of
the last century. Here are a few facts showing the missionary
developments of a single century:
"In 1800 the foreign missionary societies numbered seven. In
1900 they numbered over 500.
"In 1800 the income of seven societies amounted to about
$50,000. In 1900 the income was over $15,000,000.
"In 1800 the number of native communicants enrolled in
Protestant mission churches was 7,000. In 1900 there were
1,500,000 native communicants.
"In 1800 the adherents of Protestant churches in heathen lands
were estimated at 15,000. In 1900 they numbered 3,500,000.
"In 1800 only one fifth of the human family had the Bible in
languages they could read. In 1900 nine tenths of the people of
the world had the Word of God in languages and dialects known
to them."
Since 1900 the missionary movement has remarkably increased in extent
and activity. It is estimated that now there are about 22,000 foreign
missionaries in the fields, with many thousands of trained native
evangelists and helpers.
The prophecy is fulfilling before our eyes. It is not the conversion of
the world that Christ's words foretold, but the evangelization of the
world; and when all the world has heard the gospel of the kingdom, "then
shall the end come."
Another prophecy--that of Rev. 14: 6-14--shows that the closing phase of
this world-wide missionary movement is to be the proclamation of the
special gospel message of preparation for the coming of the Lord,
calling all men to worship God and keep His commandments, and warning
them against following the traditions of men that make void the Word of
God.
[Illustration: THE SUNSET HOUR
"The work that centuries might have done Must crowd the hour of setting
sun."]
With the coming of this generation there has come just such a message,
in the rise and progress of the advent movement, the burden of the
message being expressed in the very language of the prophecy--"Fear God,
and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come." Rev. 14:
7. And the movement is spreading rapidly "to every nation, and kindred,
and tongue, and people." Thus in vision the prophet on Patmes heard the
message given; and when its warning cry had reached all nations, he saw
Christ coming in the clouds of heaven to reap the harvest of the earth.
"Even at the Doors"
Of the beginning of the special signs of the last days, Christ said:
"When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your
heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke 21: 28.
But of the time when these signs should all be seen fulfilled or in
process of fulfilment, the Saviour said:
"Now learn a parable of the fig tree: When his branch is yet tender, and
putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when
ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these
things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words
shall not pass away." Matt. 24: 32-35.
In this generation we see these things. All about us the signs have
appeared. We know, then, by the word that shall not pass away, that the
generation has at last appeared that is to see the Saviour coming in
power and great glory. "Of that day and hour knoweth no man," but we may
know "that it is near, even at the doors"--the day for which the saints
of God have hoped through all the ages.
[Illustration: PHILIP AND THE EUNUCH
"Understandest thou what thou readest?" Acts 8:30.]
[Illustration: THE ROYAL PALACE OF BABYLON
"The God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and
glory." Dan. 2:37]
THE HISTORIC PROPHECY OF DANIEL 7
FOUR GREAT UNIVERSAL EMPIRES