One Reason for Making a Large Offering on Sabbath, July 2
By A. G. Daniells
THE one great reason which I wish to urge in this appeal for a large Fourth-of-July offering for missions, is that by it the finishing of our work may be hastened. Every well-informed Seventh-day Adventist believes that the generation now living is the last one that will occupy a place in the history of this world. This is so serious a position to hold, and to proclaim to the world, that it should be supported by the best of evidence from the Scriptures, and by the most consistent lives of those who make the claim. No truth set forth in the Scriptures is more clearly and positively declared than that relating to the return of Christ to this world. “I will come again,” is his positive promise to his people. That promise will be fulfilled. He will as surely come the second time as he came the first time. And the generation to whom he will come will be the last that will live on this earth in its present sin-cursed condition. I repeat, Seventh-day Adventists believe and teach that the generation now living is the one to whom Christ will come, and for this reason they believe that this is the last generation of human history. This view is based upon what the Bible says regarding the signs of his coming. The great lines of prophecy recorded in the Scriptures furnish the most reliable evidence respecting the time of the second advent. Each great line, after giving more or less relating to the affairs of this world, terminates with the second coming of Christ, and not And the establishment of his kingdom in the highest place of the kingdoms of this world. Now it is not at all difficult to find the place of the generation now living in these lines of prophecy. Beyond all question, we are now, to-day, at the end, the terminating point, of every line of prophecy that reaches to the end of time. All the events pointed out by the symbols of the prophecy of the second chapter of Daniel are in the past, save the very last one, and that is the smiting of the image by the stone which will dash it to pieces. That event represents the setting up of Christ’s kingdom. It is yet to come, but it will as surely come as any of the events of the prophecy that have already been fulfilled. The same general statement may be made with reference to the seventh chapter of Daniel. The symbols of the earthly kingdoms end where the prophecy of the second chapter ends; but the symbol of the Papacy brings us down to 1798, thirteen hundred years nearer our own time. Here this prophecy leaves us with but one event yet to come, and that is the setting up of Christ’s kingdom. By the twenty-three-hundred-year period of the prophecy of chapter eight, we are brought to 1844, half a century nearer our own time, or to the beginning of this generation. This brings us to the last definite period of prophetic time. At this point the Judgment began. All prophecies relating to events to take place after the termination of the two thousand three hundred years in 1844, deal with the affairs of the generation now living. The church of Christ living in this generation is to proclaim to all the world the solemn truth that in 1844 the hour of God’s judgment began. To this same generation the signs of Christ’s coming and of the end of the world are to be proclaimed by the people of God. And in this generation, before it passes from the stage of action, the kingdoms of this world are to become “the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ.” This will mark the close of probation and the end of the world. Thus we are forced by the Word of God to the belief that the generation now living must witness the end of all things. That which stands between us to-day and the coming of our Lord is the unfinished work of his church on earth. That which we should pray for most devoutly, and work for most earnestly, is that the finishing of his work may be hastened. Now it is for this that a large offering for missions should be made in all our churches on Sabbath, July 2. The work the Master has given us to do can not be hastened as it should be in all14parts of the world without means to send and support messengers. We are not at this time beginning to answer, as we should, the very definite, reasonable, pressing calls that are coming to us from every land. We are paralyzed for lack of funds. Brethren and sisters, just in proportion as we long to see our blessed Saviour, just to the extent that we desire to see the end of the reign of sin and sorrow and death, to just that degree should we put forth all our powers in service and sacrifice for the finishing of the work yet to be done. This is why a large offering is called for and should be made at this time.