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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 26, 1911

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 88, No. 43.

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Our Press Bureau Work

By K. C. R.

THIS feature of the Religious Liberty Department of the work is being attended with very encouraging results.
On October 4 we gave an article to the Associated Press, which was accepted, and which we herewith quote:—

“Prophecy and the Turkish Question

“Seventh-day Adventists have maintained for many years that the refusal of the powers to help the Turk, his final expulsion from the map of Europe, and the scramble for his territory by the nations, would be a signal for the second coming of Christ and the end of the world.
“This belief is based upon the prophecies of the Bible, chiefly the eleventh and twelfth chapters of the book of Daniel. The following verses are perhaps the most significant relating to this question:—
“‘And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.’ Dan. 11:45; 12:1.
“The personage referred to in Dan. 11:45 is conceded by commentators to be none other than the Turkish empire. And the text shows that this power shall ‘come to his end, and none shall help him.’ This language plainly indicates that his existence as an empire up to this time has depended upon the sufferance of the European nations, a fact so well known that it requires no proof. Furthermore, the text shows that when driven from Europe, ‘he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain,’ indicating that the Ottoman power will transfer his capital to Jerusalem, which is between the seas in the glorious holy mountain, a fact in accord with the specifications outlined in the prophecy.
“The prophet is further shown that when these things take place, ‘there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation,’ evidently produced by the international war referred to in the Scriptures as Armageddon. Then Christ will come and deliver his people, ‘every one that shall be found written in the book.’”
“Seventh-day Adventists are not alone in pointing out the fact that the expulsion of the Ottoman from Europe will produce a direful and calamitous effect upon the world of nations. Lord Salisbury, prime minister of Great Britain, has said:—
“‘Turkey is in that remarkable condition that it has now stood for half a century, mainly because the great powers of the world have resolved that for the peace of Christendom it is necessary that the Ottoman empire should stand. They came to that conclusion nearly half a century ago. I do not think they have altered it now. The danger, if the Ottoman empire falls, would not merely be the danger that would threaten the territories of which that empire consists; it would be the danger that the fire there lighted would spread to other nations, and should involve all that are most powerful and civilized in Europe in a dangerous and calamitous contest. That danger was foreseen by our fathers when they resolved to make the integrity and independence of the Ottoman empire a matter of European treaty, and that is a danger which has not passed away.’
“As to the exact time when these events will take place, we do not profess to know; nor do we regard any single episode, as, for instance, the present imbroglio between Italy and Turkey, as the critical stroke. We do, however, regard the various disturbances taking place from time to time as significant; for they tend further to weaken the Turkish empire, and thus hasten the time when the prophecy concerning its final overthrow shall be fulfilled.”
This article was sent to fifteen hundred of the leading newspapers of the country. It is beyond our ability to compute the number of persons who read it, but it is safe to say that a large per cent of our national population had an opportunity to read it. In some papers the article was abbreviated, but in the main it was correctly quoted. There were, however, other papers that commented upon it in the characteristic newspaper style; hence we have quoted the original article in order that those who have read only the partial reports may have the privilege of seeing what was written. The article has brought inquiries from readers in different sections of the country. For instance, a minister in Georgia writes:—
“My father was a licensed minister in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but died in my infancy, and I was removed from all connection with his church. I desire to know his faith, and will appreciate any information received.”
A card from Denver, Colo., says:—
“I am interested in what you say of the Seventh-day Adventists’ view of the Turkish war as a sign of the second coming of Christ. Are there any leaflets printed by the Seventh-day Adventists on the fall of the Turkish empire and the prophecy of it in the Bible?”
Other persons have written from Louisiana and Nebraska.
We are now preparing another article on the question of capital and labor, with the hope of securing its publication in many leading newspapers. In view of the great trial of the celebrated labor leaders, the McNamara brothers, it seems an opportune time to present that subject.
We expect that a well-illustrated, several-column article on the war question and other up-to-date signs will appear in the near future in one of the leading New York dailies. Thus the message will again be brought to the attention of hundreds of thousands of other readers.
Besides the press work we are doing with the great metropolitan newspapers, through the cooperation of our people we are securing the publication monthly of live, up-to-date articles on vital points of the message in town and county papers throughout the country.
K. C. R.