p. 78 | Untitled article by Roswell F. Cottrell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 31, 1869

THE CLOSING MESSAGES.—NO. 3.

By Roswell F. Cottrell

As we have seen, the seventh chapter of Daniel brings the advent of Christ very near at hand. The great anti-christian power, there spoken of as the little horn arising among the ten, has had his time and done his work—has passed through every stage of his career and decline, so that nothing remains of the prophecy to be fulfilled, but his destruction, which takes place at the second advent of Christ, and the beginning of the everlasting kingdom under the whole heaven, or over the whole earth. Is it not time to look for the announcement of the closing messages of the gospel?

The signs also which our Saviour gave as the sure precursors of his second coming, and the end of the world, have appeared in the visible heavens above us. The sun has been darkened without an eclipse, the moon also withdrew her light, and the stars of heaven have since fallen, as a fig-tree casts her untimely fruit, when shaken of a mighty wind. “Now,” says the Saviour, “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.”

To the generation now living upon the earth, these predictions have become facts of history. The Saviour assures us in the most impressive manner, that this generation shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Is not this the generation to hear the solemn warning—the messages prepared for the close of probation? And if these warnings are now being given, are they not being given in truth and verity?

The first of these proclamations is a message of definite time: “The hour of His Judgment is come.” This, it is natural to suppose, must be founded on prophetic time, and come at the close of a given period. Prior to 1844, it was thought by those who interested themselves most in the study of the prophecies, that light was developed on the prophecies, and especially on the prophetic numbers. The fulfillment of shorter periods was demonstrated, the key to these periods was clearly exhibited, and it was claimed, hence, that the great period of 2300 days, at the close of which the sanctuary should be cleansed, would end about 1844. With this as a basis, the cry was raised, “Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his Judgment is come.” Now this was either a false alarm, or it was the true fulfillment of the first message of Rev. xiv.

The evidences on the prophetic periods were so great that the strongest opponents of Wm. Miller admitted that he was right on time, but wrong in the event. It was not the personal advent of Jesus that was to be expected, said they, but the millennium, the spiritual coming and reign of Christ. This was Prof. Bush’s position. Since the disappointment, all have heard of Mr. Miller’s great mistake, but who has ever heard of the mistake of Prof. Bush? What explains this partiality, but the prejudice existing against the personal advent of Christ? But, unless we have now been more than twenty years in the temporal millennium, Prof. Bush was equally mistaken with Mr. Miller. If we have, who wishes to live to see the remainder of this millennium? R. F. COTTRELL.