Looking Down the Ages by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Jun 14, 1883

Looking Down the Ages.

By Editor

THE publisher, John Burns, St. Louis, Mo., has favored us with a copy of a book of 160 pages with the above title, by J. T. Walsh. Years ago we knew something of Mr. Walsh as a vigorous writer, whom we considered sometimes rather erratic. But we have lost sight of his name for a score of years, until its appearance in this book. We shall give the book a careful reading as soon as possible. From the Introduction we copy the following paragraphs, which ought to receive the hearty indorsement of every lover of the Bible and its truths:—

“Some claim that the prophecies cannot be understood until they are fulfilled, and, indeed, that they were never intended to be understood until accomplished. There are prophecies difficult to understand, and which in all their details may not be fully understood until fulfilled; but God has given us grand outlines of future events, and these, as well as some of their details, can be understood by the diligent student of prophecy.

“A chief reason why the prophecies have not been better understood, is, they have been ignored—they have not been read, much less studied. This is true, even of many preachers of the gospel, who ought to be prepared to bring out of the sacred treasures of God’s word, ‘things new and old.’

“A large portion of the Bible is prophetic, and to ignore that portion, or to neglect to study it with all diligence, is to treat its divine author with irreverence and disrespect. The prophecies were intended to be understood, and hence we read: ‘Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.’ Rev. 1:3. And what is said of the blessedness of the reader and hearer of Revelation, I suppose is equally true of other prophecies.

“‘All Scripture given by inspiration of God is profitable.’ ‘Holy men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.’ Let us then with humble hearts, and prayerful spirits, free from all bias and prejudice, carefully study the prophetic map spread out before us, and learn ‘the deep things of God.’

“The prophecies of the Old Testament must be studied in connection with the New Testament, where many of them are repeated, thus throwing additional light on the prophetic chart of the ages and events yet to come.”