Should Be Fulfilled by F. D. Star

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Dec 23, 1913

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 40, No. 49.

“Should Be Fulfilled”

By F. D. Star

Some Predictions of the Prophets

IN Rev. 6:9-11 we have the account of the little season of rest during which the holy martyrs should wait till their fellow servants and their brethren should be killed as they were.

The fact that the souls of these martyrs are said to cry to God for vengeance, need not seem strange, as the blood of the first martyr, Abel, called to God in the same manner. According to the German translation of Deut. 12:23, this would be the very same thing: “Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the soul; and thou mayest not eat the soul with the flesh.” So, according to this reliable translation, the blood, being the life, is sometimes called the soul; and the crying of the soul is really the same thing as the crying of the blood.

But how much longer must these martyred dead wait?—Till some others meet the same fate that has befallen them. Attention is called to this host of martyrs just before the opening of the sixth seal, which is preceded by the great earthquake, the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. This was near the time of the close of the 1,260 years of papal persecution. And were there to be other cases of martyrdom following that period?—So it seems. Concerning that company and that time, this language is used: “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” Rev. 13:10. Their fellow servants would of course bear a similar description. Such a company is described in Rev. 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” The two companies both possess patience and faith; while in addition to this, the latter company are keeping the commandments of God, which many of the first company were not doing, owing to the prevailing ignorance concerning the law of God, especially concerning the fourth or Sabbath commandment.

It is largely on account of the observance of this precept, that persecution comes upon the latter company, the remnant. Rev. 12:17. This remnant might very properly be considered the fellow servants and brethren of the martyrs of the long period of papal persecution. No doubt some will suffer death at the hand of their persecutors just before the Lord comes. James says concerning those who have heaped treasure together in the last days, “Ye have condemned and killed the just.” James 5:6. Some of the just, then, meet a violent death for righteousness’ sake in the last days. For this we may look as a fulfilment of inspired prediction.

The prophecy of Daniel 11 concerning the Eastern question may well be closely watched, as its fulfilment shows the time to be near when Michael shall stand up. The prediction concerning the image of the beast and the enforcing of its mark must be fulfilled, and is truly rapidly reaching that point. Our Lord tells us, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” This is a very clear and interesting prophecy, upon the fulfilment of which we keep our eyes, and rejoice to know it is so rapidly reaching its culmination.

All these and other movements must be developed, and rapidly they are being brought about. And any indications that preparations are being made for the execution of a new company of martyrs, must be accepted as one more condition that should be fulfilled before deliverance comes to the martyred dead and all the sleeping saints, as well as to the living victims of persecution. A fulfilment of this kind can readily be detected in the movement for a combination of religious forces to crush out non-conformity by the strong hand of the church supported by the civil law. Are we preparing to share the triumphs of those who “loved not their lives unto the death”?

F. D. Star.