AT THE GREAT CAMP

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 29, 1910

AT THE GREAT CAMP

Over 300 People in Tents

Elder Josiah Greatheart Present, Representing the General Conference

The Day’s Work; Evening Sermon

Ideal weather at the camp-meeting made the Adventists happy to-day, and brought out crowds of sightseers to watch the exercises and listen to the evening sermon.

Every hour, there was something being presented, apparently, in one or the other of the two large tents, and in both, sometimes, simultaneously. The days are occupied by conference meetings of various kinds,—business meetings; meetings of the Sabbath-school association; the children’s meetings; health and temperance meetings; meetings to consider the interests of their fine sanitarium, and health-food factory, belonging to the conference, as well as religious liberty meetings. The meetings, though largely of a business character, are still very interesting.

These people are missionaries, and their work is all a development of the missionary idea. They number about one hundred thousand members, scattered all over the world; have twenty-five hundred churches united into one hundred conferences, which again are grouped into twenty-one union conferences, composing the head organization, or General Conference.

The missionary work of this people is divided into departments. The Foreign Mission Department, for instance, looks after all the mission fields, with a working force of over five hundred missionaries, located in sixty different lands.

The Publishing Department owns twenty-two printing plants, occupying thirty-seven buildings, with a total force of over five hundred workers. These plants turn out over one million dollars’ worth of printed matter yearly, in fifty-four different languages.

The Educational Department operates thirteen colleges, thirty-two academies, and twenty or more intermediate schools, besides several hundred primary schools, employing over nine hundred teachers, who have charge of over fifteen thousand pupils.

The Medical Missionary Department controls nearly seventy medical institutions, employing over sixteen hundred physicians, nurses, and helpers.

In addition there are several special departments, as for instance, the Religious Liberty Department, which furnishes literature on this subject, and arranges for lectures and other forms of meetings to present the principles of liberty which they advocate. In support of these various kinds of missionary work the Seventh-day Adventists contribute, yearly, in tithes and voluntary offerings, something like two million dollars.

Sixty-five living-tents are pitched on the grounds, and every one is occupied. At the entrance to the grounds is a directory, telling the number of the tent where each family may be found. Between meetings the campers seem to be busy cleaning up the surroundings, or else they may be seen seated under the great oaks, studying their Bibles, or commenting on the proceedings of the previous meetings. The camp is a model in every respect, the sanitary arrangements being excellent, to which the cleanly habits of the campers contribute in maintaining perfect sanitation; therefore the health of the camp is good.

The book tent attracts visitors continuously between meetings. The display of books, pamphlets, periodicals, and

miscellaneous printed matter, all published by this denomination, on exhibition and for sale in this tent, is very surprising. Our reporter’s pockets bulged with fulness because of the donations from the obliging clerks in charge, as he left the tent. Every conceivable missionary principle, it is claimed, is covered by these publications, many of them being for free distribution.

The Evening Sermon

The speaker of the evening was Elder Josiah Greatheart, one of the visiting ministers representing the General Conference. Without a preliminary text he announced as his subject, “The Blessed Hope.” He argued that the hope of a Christian is centered on Jesus, and, of necessity, includes a resurrection through him, because death is a sleep from which the voice of Christ alone can awaken, and that, therefore, unless Jesus shall come again to call the dead from their graves, no after-life is possible.

The resurrection out from among the dead, Elder Greatheart declared, is a leading principle of the gospel. Heb. 6: 1, 2. It was Paul’s hope, and he preached it. Acts 24: 14, 15. It was a doctrine taught by the Saviour to his followers,—that the dead sleep, and will remain in their graves, sleeping, until raised at the last day. John 11: 11-24.

Paul declared that the resurrection would take place at the coming of Christ (1 Cor. 15: 21-25), and described the descent of the Lord and the calling of the righteous from their graves (1 Thess. 4: 16-18), the speaker showing clearly, from these and other texts, the necessity for, and certainty of, the second appearance of the Saviour, which, he said, is now near at hand.

That death is a sleep, the speaker proved from Bible quotations. For instance, David declared that the thoughts perish at death (Ps. 146: 3, 4), and that the dead know not anything. Eccl. 9: 5, 6. David pleaded with God to spare his life, lest he “sleep the sleep of death” (Ps. 13: 3); for the dead can not praise God. Ps. 115:17.

The speaker showed plainly from the Bible that at the coming of Jesus only the “dead in Christ” will be called from their graves, quoting again 1 Thess. 4: 16, 17, as the proof. Also that “the rest of the dead”—the wicked out of Christ—will not be wakened for another thousand years. Rev. 20: 5, 6.

This hope of having part in the first resurrection is the hope that buoyed up Paul, and the soon coming of the Lord to call his faithful believers out from sleep, and to translate his waiting followers, who will be alive to meet him, should be, the speaker declared, in closing, the hope of every child of God to-day.