The Spread of the Gospel a Sign of the End by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 6, 1870

The Spread of the Gospel a Sign of the End.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

Christ says, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matt. 24: 14. When the gospel has been preached in all the world, and to all nations, then, says Christ, the end will come. What are the prospects of the fulfillment of this sign? What are the present facts? From statements made by Bishop Clarke and others in The Methodist of Nov. 12, 1870, I compile these facts:

The first missionary sailed from England in 1789. The first missionary society formed was in 1793—within the lifetime of many now living. There are now 58 missionary societies in the world, expending $5,100,000 yearly for this work; 2500 edifices in heathen lands; 2000 missionaries; 2400 native preachers; 250,000 native members, and nearly 2,000,000 under Christian influence.

Says Bishop Clarke: “The present is the only time since the apostles’ day when the whole world was open to the missionary of the cross.” Again: “We know how these mighty interior gold regions of our country and the Pacific coast have been visited by the messengers of the cross; and those distant islands of the Pacific Ocean and Australia—a continent in itself—are not only open to the missionary, but are brought under the influence of the gospel of Christ to a very large extent. Africa is almost surrounded by a cordon of missionary stations, and the work is extending.”

Says The Methodist: “In the islands of the Pacific and Australia, paganism is nearly defunct. The largest of the island groups, the Sandwich Islands, constitute an entirely Christian State. The government is nearly everywhere in the hands of Christians, and Christianity is therefore sure to be soon the religion of this whole insular world.

“America is already, to an even larger extent than Europe, a Christian continent. The missions among the pagan Indians and the pagan Negroes are hopefully and steadily advancing.”

Again Clarke says: “And then, again, God is working in his providence. I have already remarked upon the wonderful fact, now apparent, that all the world is open to the missionaries of the cross. Doors are open everywhere, and the fields are white. But there are other providences by which God is indicating to us his purpose to move forward in this great work. What mean these extended lines of railroads that span a continent and bind nations together? What mean these utterances of the telegraph that speak around the globe? Are they not bringing the human family nearer together, so that they may feel each other’s heart-throbs, and catch influences that would have required years to travel the distance before the present age?”

Of course, the bishop sees in all this the speedy conversion of the world, while we see in it an unmistakable sign of the end. The facts are remarkable, showing the rapid and wide spread of the gospel within the last few years. What quarter of the globe has not had the gospel? and what nation has not heard it? Verily, none. Let us thank God and take courage.

D. M. CANRIGHT.