p. 184 | THE THREE MESSAGES AGAIN by Dudley Marvin Canright

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 26, 1867

THE THREE MESSAGES AGAIN.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

In No. 4, Vol. xxix, of Review, was a sermon from my pen, on the Three Messages of Rev. xiv, 6–14. To several positions there taken, a certain J. L., of Unionville, Ohio, has some objections to offer. The first angel says, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.” I remarked that this proclamation must be fulfilled some time, and that just such a message as this was preached by Miller and others in 1840–44. Opposers say, that Miller’s work was a failure, as Christ did not come. But the message does not say that Christ will come at that time; it says, that the hour of judgment has come. On this J. L. says, “I know, sir, that John the Revelator, says so; but Miller said it was the time of Christ’s coming, (Miller’s Lectures on Christ’s Coming, p. 263.) So part of the message that he proclaimed was false, was it not?”

That the Adventists were disappointed in 1844, all readily admit; but that God was not in the movement, and that it did not fulfill the prophecy, we do not admit. That they had a wrong idea of what was to take place at the end of the 2300 days, is true; and that they expected the Lord to come then, when the Bible did not say so, is also true; but that the days did not end there and the judgment begin, is not true. They could prove conclusively that the prophetic periods would end and the judgment begin in 1844, and hence they supposed that the Lord would come. In their argument they labored to prove that the judgment would come on the tenth day of the seventh month, 1844. This is what the angel announces, “The hour of his judgment is come.” The Adventists

preached just such a message as this in 1844. All the world heard this. Hundreds preached it on both continents. Papers, books, tracts, &c., were sent to all parts of the world, and the people were mightily moved by it. But Christ did not come to the earth as they expected, hence, J. L. argues that it was a false warning. Had he lived in the days of Christ he would have been found scoffing at the apostles in the same manner. Just before his crucifixion, see Jesus riding into Jerusalem. The disciples were in the highest joy, supposing that he was now to take the kingdom. Mark says, “And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Chap. xi, 9, 10. The Pharisees said, “Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” Luke xix, 39, 40. Now follow these same disciples a few days; see this same Jesus on the cross; see them hiding themselves for fear, and weeping for grief. Did ever mortals suffer a more bitter disappointment? Never. Did this prove that Jesus was not the Christ, or that God was not in this? No; for it was a direct fulfillment of prophecy, and had they held their peace the stones would have cried out. They were right in supposing that Jesus was the Christ, but they mistook the event that was to occur. Why does not J. L. object to this also? All can readily see that it is a parallel case. In 1844 they were right in believing that the prophetic periods ended, but mistook the work that Christ was to do at that time. Hence they were disappointed the same as the disciples were.

The disappointment of the people of God in 1844 is also shown in prophecy. In Rev. x, the message that time should be no longer is first given, then the disappointment is shown by John’s eating a book which is first sweet and then bitter, Rev. xiv, shows the same fact. The first angel proclaims the hour of judgment come; then, before Jesus comes, two more messages follow; then Christ is seen coming on the white cloud. Hence there is no evading the conclusion that after the judgment has come there will be two warning messages given to the world. This fact J. L. admits, for on this point he says, “I know, sir, that John the Revelator says so; but Miller said it was the time of Christ’s coming.”

J. L. next attempts to show that I have contradicted sister White’s visions by saying that the prophetic periods ended in 1844. He represents her as saying that they did not end there. Referring to my comments on Rev. x, he says, “But he asks, ‘How could it be true that time should be no longer?’ He says it is prophetic time which ended in 1844. There are no prophetic periods reaching this side of that time. But stop! Mrs. White’s Visions, Vol. I, p. 137, says there was a mistake in the prophetic periods. Now which shall I believe, Eld. Canright, or Mrs. White?”

Mrs. White never said so. Let us see how he has perverted her testimony. He says, “Mrs. White also says, Vol. I, p. 137, ‘I saw the people of God joyful in expectation, looking for their Lord; but His (God’s) hand covered a mistake in the reckoning of the prophetic periods. Those looking for the Lord did not discover it—all failed to see the mistake!! Hence she acknowledges that the first angel proclaimed a false (false) message both in sermons, books, and tracts, &c., sent over the world. But she (Mrs. White) goes (goes) further, and Says that God intended to deceive his people to try them. & [an, I suppose he means] odd way Sure for God to take.’”

Has J. L. correctly quoted sister White? No; it is a willful misrepresentation, the whole of it. He gives the page where he quotes from; hence he knows how the connection reads. On page 133 she says, “I saw that God was in the proclamation of the time in 1843.” Mark: it is ’43 that she speaks of. The Adventists first thought that Christ would come in 1843, though they fixed on no definite day or month. After giving a short history of the work of 1843, she says, “I saw the people of God, joyful in expectation, looking for their Lord. But God designed to prove them. His hand covered a mistake in the reckoning of the prophetic periods. Those who were looking for their Lord did not discover it, and the most learned men who opposed the time also failed to see the mistake. God designed that his people should meet with a disappointment. The time passed, and those who had looked with joyful expectation for their Saviour, were sad and disheartened. . . . Again they were led to their Bibles to search the prophetic periods. The hand of the Lord was removed from the figures, and the mistake was explained. They saw that the prophetic periods reached to 1844, and that the same evidence they had presented to show that the prophetic periods closed in 1843, proved that they would terminate in 1844.” On page 148, she says, “I saw that they were correct in their reckoning of the prophetic periods. Prophetic time closed in 1844.”

Yet J. L. represents her as saying that prophetic time, or the prophetic periods did not close in 1844. A man who will misrepresent in one thing to gain a point, is not to be believed or trusted anywhere.

Again he says, “Mr. C. says, the reed is the law of God, and the temple is man’s character and the angel was sent to measure the temple (man’s character) and them that worship therein (that is in character.)” What an audacious misrepresentation! No such language occurs in that sermon, nor anything from which he could conclude that I thought that the temple was man’s character.

Once more I quote from J. L., giving it word for word, spelling and all, just as he writes it. “Canright, Says there are many professed Adventess who say the work of 1840–44, was a failure and they have Spliced, out the prophetic periods, in every conceivable Shape &c., & deny all they had so positively proved before, (He Says) They have many false warnings of Christ’s coming, and last of all the true. But I notice, he Says, That the Bible order is just the reverse of this. Is this true I ask, if so, why did you print an article in your paper a Short time ago headed, Faltz Christs, Stating that you had received a printed letter from a Sertain one claiming to be Christ &c., asking you to acknowledge him as such?” He then quotes from Matt. xxiv, 5, 24; Luke xxi, 8, which says that, there would many false christs come after Jesus had finished his mission. Then he says, “I think you Should not allow such positive contradictions in your paper, for they have a bad influence when they so plainly contradict the word of God.”

I think that it would trouble any one excepting himself, to see where this wonderful contradiction comes in. Either I fail to comprehend his argument, or else he has simply confirmed what I stated. The point is this: Many Adventists have set time after time for the Lord to come, always claiming that the last time set is the true one; thus, of course, making all the preceding ones false warnings. They have the false warnings first and the true one last. On this, I remarked that the Bible order was the reverse of this. God has so guarded the fulfillment of his word that the true fulfillment of any prophecy is always first given; then Satan follows on with his counterfeit fulfillments. To illustrate: For ages it was foretold by all the prophets that Christ should come, and how he should come. Yet no one came claiming to fulfill these prophecies till the true Christ had come and truly fulfilled them. Then many false Christs immediately sprang up. So it has always been with the fulfillment of prophecy—the true first, then the false. Men do not counterfeit money till the genuine has first been issued. So with the first message: the true was faithfully given in 1844. Since then, false warnings have come along thick and fast. To this J. L. thinks that he finds an objection in the fact that many false christs have appeared since Jesus Christ’s time. What a “positive” contradiction indeed! It is just what I asserted. J. L. will have to try his powers of criticism again on this point.

J. L. proceeds: “C. Says that the object of the Health Reform is to prepare the saints or Advents to pass over the Pestelances fammis Trobles &c and the 7 last plagues that is coming on the earth. But John the Revelator, reveled the fact that the saints are those that had had the victory, ever the beast, & the number of his name, & they Stood on the Sea of glass, at the time when the seven last plagues were pored out on the Earth Rev. xv, 2: He See the first fruits of the resurrection on the sea of glass, & the 5th verse Says ‘AFTER that the seven angels come out of the temple,’ &c.”

His objection is, that the saints are all taken from the earth before any of the seven last plagues are poured out. I wonder if he ever read Rev. xvi? If he will take the trouble to read it, he will there find a prophetic history of the pouring out of these plagues. Under the pouring out of the sixth plague, verses 12–16, it reads, “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”

But how about Rev. xv? J. L. claims that this proves that the saints are safe on the sea of glass before the plagues are poured out. Why? Because in verses 2–4 they are seen on the sea of glass; then verse 5 says, “And after that” commission was given to the seven angels to pour out the plagues. This is a very weak argument for a professed Adventist to make. The book of Revelation is made up of many consecutive chains of prophecy. The expression, “and after this,” generally marks a change in the subject and the introduction of a new scene. See chap. iv, 1; vii, 1; xviii, 1; xix, 1, &c. So in Rev. xv. In verse 1 he sees the seven angels with the seven last plagues and briefly states their whole work; “for in them is filled up the wrath of God.” Then he sees the saints safe on the sea of glass, saying, “Thy judgments are made manifest.” They have seen the plagues poured upon the wicked; hence they can say, “Thy judgments are made manifest.” Beginning with verse 5, we have a more lengthy and particular account of the seven last plagues. If the plagues are not poured out till after the saints are taken up, why are they introduced first? See verses 1, 2. Why is the coming of Christ placed under the sixth plague? Chap. xvi, 15.

“Mr. Canright further says, To eat a book is to read and understand, (Eze. ii, 8; iii, 1–3.) In 1844, the people (He says) of God was glad at the prospect of immediate immortality, this he says is represented by the Sweetness of the book while eating it (Sweetness & eating is to read & under stand) Still he goes (goes) right on to say they did not understand the book and was disappointed. I do not understand, or cannot Comprehend, Such reasoning as the above.”

Another misrepresentation. I never said that they did not understand the book. J. L. has a wonderfully loose way of quoting the language of others; scarcely in a single instance giving it correctly. Such recklessness and disregard of truth is inexcusable. He says, “I feel as though I would sacrifice any thing for the truth.” Well, he has a poor way of showing it. If I see correctly, he has sacrificed the truth several times in this article, simply to gain his point.

But to the objection: It is true that they did not understand what the cleansing of the sanctuary was; yet they did understand the book of Daniel in general, and the fulfillment of the prophetic periods.

But Bro. Miller did not preach the Sabbath, hence J. L. argues that, according to our theory, he had the mark of the beast. Any one who is at all acquainted with our teachings on this point, ought to know better than to make such a statement. We have always held that the image of the beast is yet to be formed and that men cannot worship it until it is formed. Bro. Miller lived up to all the light he had, did the work which God assigned him in his day, and now sleeps in Jesus.

D. M. CANRIGHT.

Portland, Me., 1867.