Where Are we in the World's History ?
By H. F. PHELPS
DEAR BRETHREN, suffer a word of exhortation. Of late, as I have been looking over the evidences of our position, they look like walls, mountain high, on either side of us a wall. Before us we can discern a sea of trouble, trials and afflictions, and just beyond, the kingdom, the immortal kingdom. While here, upon either side, loom up the evidences of our position, and behind us are our enemies. But what are these evidences? Let us pause for a few moments to contemplate them, and by this means get fresh courage. I have been trying to wake up. Let us try to get the scales from our eyes, that we may see clearly where we are. Christ gave the signs that were to precede his coming. These were the darkening of the sun, which took place, as you all know, the 19th of May, 1780. It was a day of supernatural darkness, darkness which it was impossible to explain away by natural causes. And this stands first in the list of signs. At this time, then, men might begin to look for the coming of Christ; for says our Saviour, “When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.” Then came the darkening of the moon, on the night following. And next in the list, the falling of the stars, “even as a fig-tree when she is shaken of a mighty wind,” which sign has been given to the people of both continents. And, says Christ, “The powers of heaven shall be shaken, and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven.” Can it be that this is the next event? Yes, so says he who has said, “My words shall not pass away.” And then again, Dan. 7 : 26, in speaking of the little horn or the papacy, says, “They shall take away his dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end.” This they have been doing ever since the overthrow of the temporal power of the pope, 1798, by the French, till we now see the pope a voluntary prisoner, his best prop of civil power taken from him, and the church property confiscated by the government. And right in the midst of these reverses, listen to his blasphemous assumptions of infallibility, in fulfillment of verse 11. “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame.” This, then, is the next event. And while we thus behold this power coming to his end, we see that people occupying important ground on this continent, and, without doubt, here to play a conspicuous part in the formation of the image of the beast. It is almost needless to refer to the wonderful strides that are being made here in our midst in this direction. We refer to the efforts to amend the Constitution, so as to recognize God in it, and so constitute this a Christian nation; and further to set the Sunday upon a surer foundation, namely, The law of the land. How fast these things are moving onward. And we pause to ask the question, Where are we? Again, look at Dan. 11 : 45 and 12 : 1. That this prophecy has reference to Turkey, none can doubt. (See Thoughts on Daniel.) Read these verses and then compare with it the present condition of this empire, which has for so long a time been used as an “extended bomb-shell” to keep the nations of the East at bay. But when Russia strikes, as she is preparing to do, who can tell the end? Can it be anything else than the retiring of this power back into the land of Palestine, and then “he shall come to his end and none shall help him.” But, blessed thought, “At that time,” says the angel, “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 this same time, and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” We say again, Where are we in this world's history? (Since writing the above, the REVIEW, No. 11, came to hand with article The “Eastern Question,” to which the reader is referred.) Then again, as we compare God's dealings with the world in ages past, let us see what conclusions we can come to. To whom was Noah sent? Was it not to the very generation who drank the waters of the flood? To whom did he preach for one hundred and twenty years, giving the solemn warning and calling on them to repent? It was the very generation who listened to these warnings, who saw Noah's preparation, witnessed his godly life, heard his reproofs, powerful testimonies, and urgent invitations, these, and no others, were found guilty in slighting and rejecting offered mercy, and were compelled to suffer the just judgments of God. What generation in the cities of the plain was condemned by an overthrow? Was it any other than the very men who heard the warnings of righteous Lot, and who vexed the soul of that righteous man by their unlawful deeds and filthy conversation? It was no other. And yet it will be more tolerable for them in the day of Judgment than for this generation,109who have for so many years been listening to so many entreaties, so many exhortations, so many warnings based on the fulfillment of so many signs. Pray tell me, in view of God's dealings with man in the past, who will witness the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven, if not that generation to whom God sends the warning? What people will taste the unmixed wrath of God, if not that people who hear and reject the warning against the reception of the mark of the beast, as brought to view by the third angel? Just as surely as the present generation has for these twenty or more years been listening to the warning voice of this angel, just so surely are they the ones who will witness the consummation of the mystery of the gospel. A few will heed the warnings given, while the multitude will pass them by as an idle tale of a few crazy fanatics. And again, I ask, Where are we in this world's history? Our Saviour says, “This generation shall not pass away till all these things be fulfilled.” Never, in my experience, did these words come home with more force than at the present time. Yes, it is this generation that, having seen that these signs are in the past, base their faith upon the fulfillment of these predictions, and raise the warning voice, this generation, and no other. “This generation shall not pass away.” “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” But, solemn question, Where are we, as individuals? Where is your faith? Is it drooping? God grant that it may be revived. Have you been looking for your Lord for twenty-five years? for fifteen? or for ten? All things, as with one voice, seem to say, It will not be as much longer. “Signs in the sun, and the moon, and the stars,” and “on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity,” wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, floods, inundations, “waves of the sea roaring,” “fire and hail, snow and vapors, stormy wind fulfilling his word,” these all faithfully tell us the great day is near. Then, brother, wake up. Let us quicken our pace. Our Master is near. What we do must be done quickly. My heart cries out, “O come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.” But I pause a moment. I look within. I look at my brethren. Are we ready? Then I would cry, “Spare thy people, O Lord.” May God help us to awake. I begin to feel a little as if I were waking. My Master has been trying to awake me. I hear his voice. Shall I open the door of my heart? I will. I will try. I will make one more effort in the strength of Israel's God. May be I shall succeed. It is but death if I do not. I have been looking too long to give up now. May I watch. May we all watch, and so be ready. Amen. H. F. PHELPS. Pine Island, Minn.