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S. D. Adventists and Their Critics

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · BATTLE CREEK, MICH. · Jan 17, 1871

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 37, No. 5.

Read the full edition

S. D. Adventists and Their Critics.

By Joseph Harvey Waggoner

BY ELD. J. H. WAGGONER.
(Continued.)
Permit me now to call your attention to what I consider the

TRUE ADVENT DOCTRINE.

Although there are many prophetic declarations concerning the last days or closing up of this dispensation, there is only one chain of prophecy carrying us down this world's history to the second advent. This chain is found in Dan. 7, and Rev. 13 and 14. Dan. 7 gives the history of the world through the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome; with the dividing or breaking up of the Roman Empire, and the rise and work of the papal power. These empires and kingdoms are represented by a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a dreadful and terrible beast; and the breaking up of the Roman Empire is represented by the ten horns of this fourth beast, and the papal power by “another little horn” which came up among them. This power wore out the saints of the Most High, who were given into his hands for a time, times, and dividing (half) of a time, or twelve hundred and sixty years.
These facts are all embraced in the first part of Rev. 13. A beast is there described with seven heads and ten horns—as many as were seen in Daniel's vision; the body of a leopard—Daniel's third beast; the feet of a bear—Daniel's second beast; and the mouth of a lion—Daniel's first beast. The dragon, pagan Rome, gave this beast his power (secular), and his seat (city of Rome), and great authority; and the beast had power to make war (margin) forty-two months—forty-two thirties, equal to twelve hundred and sixty, as in Dan. 7: 25. The 2d chapter of Daniel is preliminary to chapter 7, and in connection with chapter 7, proves the correctness of our application of the whole chain, by giving the starting point in Nebuchadnezzar's reign, (chap. 2,) and the succession in Persia and Greece, (chap. 8.) In Dan. 7, the little horn became very strong—“his look was more stout than his fellows.” As all the characteristics of the beasts and horns of Dan. 7, inhere in the beast of Rev. 13, it is evident that this beast represents the dominion of Rome, when all these characteristics are developed, that is, under its last or papal form. The close of his power to make war, when he was led into captivity, was in 1798. Thus far, this power is described in Rev. 13.
But in the latter part of Rev. 13, from verse 11 and onward, “another beast” is described, generally called the two-horned beast. This we apply to the United States. The past and future of this power are shown.
1. It is seen “coming up” as the other is going into captivity, 1798. This was very soon after the establishment of our government—in its infancy.
2. It came up “out of the earth.” The other beast rose out of “the sea.” We learn by Rev. 17 that “waters” in prophetic symbol represent the people. But the second beast of Rev. 13 did not there arise; like a plant it grew up out of the earth, and not by conquest as the other powers arose.
3. He exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, that is, before the first beast, or in his sight. The power of the first was two-fold, secular and ecclesiastical. Although these, to a certain extent, combined in the establishment of this nation, we do not think this is yet fulfilled as contemplated in the prophecy.
4. It had two horns as a lamb. Republicanism and Protestantism, upon, or by which, this government was established, are lamb-like when contrasted with the first beast.
5. It spake as a dragon. This is contrary to its appearance. And so we note the contrast between the Declaration of Independence and our laws to sustain slavery. Also note the professed reverence for freedom of conscience by those who did most to form our free government, and their persecution of others, as the Baptists and Quakers. And yet we think this is not fully accomplished, a more bitter persecution awaiting the faithful people of God.
6. It does great wonders, and deceives them that dwell on the earth by the miracles which it has power to do. This refers to the wonders of modern Spiritualism, which arose in the United States. According to this, and also Rev. 16, Spiritualism will bear a prominent part, not only in the deception, but also in the persecution, of the last days.
7. It says to them that dwell on the earth “that they should make an image to the beast, which had a wound by a sword, and did live.” Two points are shown by this quotation: 1. The dwellers on the earth make the image—it is the work of the people, which indicates a Republican form of government. 2. It does these things in the sight of the beast after his deadly wound was healed. But as the first beast received his wound in 1798, it was of course healed in the present century, which proves the work of the two-horned beast to be in our days, and not in the past, as is very often claimed.
8. He causes fire to come down from Heaven upon the earth in the sight of men. This wonder has not been fulfilled, which proves also that a part of the work of this beast is in the future.
9. It also causes them to receive “the mark” of the first beast. For an exposition of this, see our published works on the subject.
And now we call your attention to Rev. 14. This chapter contains, in verses 9–12, a sequel to the chain of prophecy just examined; that is, in these verses is a warning against the worship of the beast, and his image, and the receiving of his mark, all of which are brought to view in the 13th chapter. But these verses (or this warning) are what is called the third angel's message, and therefore it will be necessary to examine the two messages preceding, that we may understand the relation they sustain to each other, and mark the fulfillment of each. Rev. 14 is eminently a chapter of Adventism; and all who “love the appearing” of our Lord, and are waiting for the day of his coming on the “white cloud,” Rev. 14: 14, with a crown on his head, denoting that the kingdom is then given to him, will love to read these soul-cheering scriptures relating to his coming. Indeed, I cannot see how any one can claim the name of Adventist who does not love to study the 14th chapter of Revelation; it being the only chapter giving a clear view of the advent in connection with the great events immediately preceding and succeeding it. Let us, then, briefly examine

THE FIRST MESSAGE.

This message is given in these words: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” On this I remark:
1. These messages being given before the appearing of the Son of Man on the white cloud, must be preparatory to that event. They are three advent messages. That they all precede the advent, or are given in the order in which they are written in the chapter, will be made more evident as we examine the other messages; and that they are given in near connection with the advent is proved by the first one announcing that the hour of “judgment is come.” This justifies the remark that they are “Advent messages.”
2. It is said to be “the everlasting gospel.” All who reject it do so at their peril. The gospel is composed of different parts or proclamations (comp. Isa. 61: 1–3, and Luke 4: 16–21), and he who rejects any part or proclamation of the gospel despises the authority of God and the work of the Saviour. In this they “make their own destruction sure.”
3. It says, “the hour of his judgment is come.” It is a message of “DEFINITE TIME.” A great deal has been said among Adventists for a number of years past about definite time. Here we have it. And this is the only definite time message in the Scriptures. Of course it is the will of God—a fulfillment of his prophetic word—that definite time shall once be proclaimed; but all proclamations of definite time besides that one must be imitations or counterfeits. The Lord is not in them; and instead of arousing the world to the blessed truth of the Lord's soon coming, they bring the doctrine of Adventism into contempt. Like the boy in the fable, whose frequent cries of “Wolf!” when there was no danger, so destroyed confidence in his word that no one believed him when the danger came, so they who so often set times for the Lord's coming, instead of awakening the world to the importance and nearness of that event, are really lulling them to sleep. We do not indeed say they are a “hypocritical wart,” &c., &c., but we do say they are, unwittingly, doing real injury to the blessed cause of Adventism.
4. It is no objection to this view that it brings the Judgment before the advent. If it be true as the Scripture affirms, that we (the living righteous) shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye when the last trump sounds, and the dead shall be raised immortal, it follows that the Judgment which determines their fitness for immortality will then be past. It must appear evident to every one that, if the righteous are raised at Christ's coming, and the rest of the dead do not live again till the thousand years are finished, a determination of their respective destinies must be then already made; and this we call the Judgment; the Judgment of investigation or determination, if you please. This is the view advanced by Sylvester Bliss in his masterly review of Prof. Bush on the resurrection. The following are his words:—
“We are inclined to the opinion that the Judgment is after death and before the resurrection; and that before that event the acts of all men will be adjudicated; so that the resurrection of the righteous is their full acquittal and redemption—their sins blotted out when the times of refreshing shall have come, Acts 3: 19; while the fact that the wicked are not raised, proves that they were previously condemned.” Advent Shield, No. 3, p. 366.
And again:—
“The Judgment at the coming of Christ we regard as the bestowal of the award, or the infliction of punishment, under the previous decision respecting the allotments of the human race, for which the departed wait till the resurrection morn.” Id., p. 370.
5. Has this message of Rev. 14: 6, 7, been given? We say it has. Three things we should judge necessary for its fulfillment. (1) A people must arise and make the proclamation. (2) It must go to the people and nations of the earth. (3) It must so arouse them to the subject of the Lord's coming that it shall constitute a warning to them in view of that event. But these points are all met in the second advent movement of 1836–44. For proof I refer to the Advent Shield, published in 1844, No. 1, p. 87, article, “Rise and Progress of Adventism,” by Josiah Litch. He therein said:
“We look upon the proclamation which has been made as being the cry of the angel who proclaimed, the hour of his judgment is come. (Rev. 14: 6, 7.) It is a sound which is to reach all nations; it is the proclamation of ‘the everlasting gospel,’ or ‘this gospel of the kingdom.’ In one shape or other this cry has gone abroad through the earth, wherever human beings are found, and we have the opportunity to hear of the fact.”
Also in Advent Shield, No. 2, pp. 161, 162, article, “The Reformation of Luther—its Similarity to the Present Times,” by S. Bliss, are these remarks:—
“In these last days the reformed church has sunk into the same lethargy and stupor, from which Luther, with the thunders of the gospel, aroused it. The odious practices of Rome, and her disgusting mummeries, it is true, have not been again embraced. But there are again the same respect for the opinions of men, the same fear of the human church, the same reliance upon creeds and formulas, the same worldly-mindedness and love of the things which now exist, the same deadness, and coldness, and lukewarmness, and putting far off the day of the Lord, and the same substitution of human commentaries for the unadulterated word of God; so that when the angel, flying through the midst of heaven, began to preach the everlasting gospel to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come;’ she was unwilling to heed the cry.”
This was the belief and claim of the Advent body in 1844. Again, in 1846, a tract was published at the Advent Herald office for the express and avowed object of keeping alive in the hearts of Adventists the great principles on which their faith rested. This tract was entitled, “The Last Hour—Our Specific Work.” It started out with the proposition that “the proclamation of Rev. 14: 6, 7, ‘the hour of his judgment is come,’ is the leading advent proclamation—the main branch of our specific work.”
In regard to its results, we think we may safely say that no other proclamation of a gospel fact since the announcement of the resurrection of our Saviour, has been attended with such power and such wonderful effects. While it swept over the land like a hurricane, in its speed and power, it bore every mark of a work of God; it gave every evidence of being attended with a divine blessing. And we should as soon expect to see the “four monarchies” of Daniel arise and again take their places on the earth, as to see another fulfillment of Rev. 14: 6, 7, so marked, so literal, and complete as that of 1844. Here is an immovable Advent landmark. One fulfillment proves the truth of a prophecy; a second would destroy it. But “the Scriptures cannot be broken.” The “first angel's message,” has been given.

THE SECOND ANGEL'S MESSAGE.

“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Rev. 14: 8.
As in the case of the first message, we inquire, What is necessary to fulfill this? And, has it been fulfilled? We notice that
1. It is the simple announcement of a fact. It gives no special warning, and calls for no particular action.
2. It precedes the destruction of Babylon, and is not therefore the announcement of that destruction, as many have supposed. That it precedes the destruction of Babylon is proved by comparing it with Rev. 18: 1–8. In this text the cry is repeated that Babylon is fallen, with additional statements, as follows: 1. Babylon is fallen. 2. She is become the habitation of devils, and a hold of foul spirits. 3. The call, Come out of her my people. 4. In one day shall her plagues come. 5. She shall be burned with fire. All, I think, will agree that her being burned with fire is the same as her destruction, and will take place when the Lord comes. Rev. 19: 20. But before her destruction, her plagues come; and before her plagues come, God's people are called out of her; and before God's people are called out of her, she becomes the habitation of devils; and before she becomes the habitation of devils, she is fallen. Therefore her fall cannot be her destruction, but must be a moral fall. And if, as has been remarked, and with which all will agree, the first message was the everlasting gospel, all who reject it do so at their peril. As it was generally rejected by the churches of the land, and is to this day shut out of their houses, we consider that fact sufficient to warrant the conclusion that they are fallen. And we consider it more than a mere coincidence that immediately after the time message of Rev. 14: 6, 7, was proclaimed, and the churches turned against that proclamation, the Adventists as a body did declare their belief that they were Babylon, and were fallen. Many thousands, acting on that belief, left the various churches to which they belonged. And this belief largely prevails among Adventists at the present time. It has been extensively proclaimed by both speakers and writers. That the present low state of the churches, in all that is essential to vital Christianity; their wealth and pride, fashion and folly, their world-loving and pleasure-seeking; that these justify the application of this scripture to them, I shall not stop to argue. Suffice it that such an announcement has been made, and that it followed the time message of 1844. And this is the second step in the fulfillment of Rev. 14. Here we have the second landmark of Adventism. And here it would not be out of place to ask, What reason have they, who deny the experience of the advent movement, who deny the fulfillment of these two messages of Rev. 14, for calling themselves Adventists? If these messages have not been given, then it is clear that they will yet be given before the Lord comes. But how could they be more forcibly given than they have been? Would the world be more greatly moved if these proclamations should be repeated? Impossible! But if they have been given, where do we stand? What comes next in our Advent experience? The Son of Man on the white cloud, to reap the harvest? Not quite. Standing between the past Advent movement, and the coming of the Son of Man, is the third angel's message which we now proceed to notice.
(To be Continued.)