SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS by J. H. D.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Nov 28, 1895

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 21, No. 47.

SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS.

By J. H. D.

BY J. H. D.

The Lord has a tender regard for his people. He is not arbitrary in any of his requests. He has good reasons for all his acts, and is willing that his servants shall know of his plans. We may therefore expect that the Lord will be as faithful in warning the world and enlightening his people in regard to the time of his second appearing, as he was in regard to any of the judgments of the past.

There Shall Be Signs.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars.” Luke 21:25. He leaves on record the plain declaration that there shall be signs in the heavenly luminaries. That these signs, whatever they are to be, are to enlighten the world in regard to his coming, the context fully proves. After speaking of other signs than those already mentioned, he concludes by saying, “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Thus we must conclude that the signs referred to are to precede the second advent.

While we are to deal only with the signs that are to be seen in the heavens, yet these are but the beginning of a series of signs that are mentioned by our Saviour, which are to precede his second appearing. These signs that open the series must be clearly defined, or men may be mistaken in them, which would cast reflection on the One who gave them. Signs are inscriptions that give clear directions as to some place. The believer is on the road to the kingdom of God, and the signs must tell him something about the way and the nearness to the consummation of his hope.

In the Sun.

The sun, the great luminary that was given to rule the day, is to contain the first sign of this series which the Saviour gives in his discourse. Simply the declaration that there shall be a sign in the sun is not sufficient. We must not be left to decide what this sign is, for men would as likely go wrong as right in the matter. In Matthew 24 we are told what this sign is to be, and when it can be looked for: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened.”

The sign of which our Saviour speaks is a darkening of the sun, which, in itself, is not remarkable, as it occurs quite frequently in the way of a total eclipse. So we must study this sign more carefully before we decide as to the time of its fulfillment.

The text says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened.” Then the darkness was to come at a specified time. In verses 21 and 22 we read of the tribulation:—

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

There are three points in this text that should receive especial attention: (1) The tribulation spoken of in this chapter is to be the greatest one that ever was to that time, or ever would be in the future. (2) It is a tribulation upon the elect, or the saints of God. (3) It had a certain allotted time, which had to be shortened in order to preserve any of the seed of the elect.

Do the Scriptures or history give us any account of such a tribulation? We read in Dan. 7:25 of a power that was to wage war against the saints of God for a specified time: “And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they [the saints, the times, and the law] shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time and half a time.” R. V. This period, three and a half times, is three and a half prophetic years, or 1,260 years. This was the period that marked the supremacy of the great apostasy, or the papal persecution, which began in A. D. 538 and ended in 1798. But the Saviour says, “Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” The only way to shorten the days would be to check the persecution, or tribulation.

But what was the character of this tribulation? If it is the one spoken of by the Saviour, it must be the most severe ever known to the people of God in the history of the world. History bears witness to the fact that not less than fifty millions of souls were put to death between A.D. 538 and 1798. And had not the Reformers begun their work when they did, thus checking the persecution, there soon would not have been a soul left as a witness for the true faith once delivered to the saints. About A.D. 1776 circumstances had so changed that some of the persecuting states had issued edicts of toleration, and the truth had made such inroads in the others that the tribulation had practically ceased. Yet the 1,260 years, the days of tribulation, did not end until 1798 A.D.

“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened.” Mark 13:24. It is here plainly stated that the darkening of the sun to which the Saviour referred as the opening of this series was to occur after the tribulation, and within the days. Then this sign must be seen between A.D. 1776 and 1798. There may be darkenings of the sun innumerable, but the one that Jesus gives as the sign was to take place just after the great tribulation, and before the end of the time allotted to the Papacy, as a persecutor of the saints.

Was there such a sign at that time? Let authentic records answer this question. Webster’s Dictionary, edition of 1869, has the following:—

The Dark Day, May 19, 1780—so called on account of a remarkable darkness on that day, extending over all New England. In some places persons could not see to read common print in the open air for several hours together. Birds sang their evening songs, disappeared, and became silent; fowls went to roost, cattle sought the barnyard, and candles were lighted in the houses. The obscuration began about ten o’clock in the morning, and continued till the middle of the next night, but with differences of degree and duration in different places. For several days previous the wind had been variable, but chiefly from the southwest and the northeast. The true cause of this remarkable phenomenon is not known.—Vocabulary of Prominent Names and Events.

The dark day in North America was one of those wonderful phenomena of nature which will always be read with interest, but which philosophy is at a loss to explain.—Herschel’s Astronomy.

History testifies to the fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy so clearly that it must be clear to all that we have entered the series of signs that were to mark the soon coming of the Lord. Since May 19, 1780, the world has entered the time when the signs were to be hung out in the heavens and seen upon the earth. The darkening of the sun is in the past, and we are fast hastening on to the time when the heavens shall roll together as a scroll.

In the Moon.

“There shall be signs in the sun and in the moon.” The moon borrows its light from the sun, and when its source is obscured, it must also be darkened. But what was the sign to be seen in the moon?—“The moon shall not give her light.” Matt. 24:29. In another description of these signs another phenomenon is spoken of: “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.” Rev. 6:12.

The great earthquake evidently refers to the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 A.D. This great calamity marked the opening of the sixth seal, the seal under which all these signs were to be seen, and covering a period from 1755 to the coming of Christ. Verses 13–17. The seal opened just twenty-five years before the first signs were hung out in the heavens.

But did the moon refuse to give her light on the evening of the dark day? Did she appear as blood when seen at all? Again we must call to our aid the historical records:—

The night succeeding that day [May 19, 1780] was of such pitchy darkness that, in some instances, horses could not be compelled to leave the stable when wanted for service. About midnight the clouds were dispersed, and the moon and stars appeared with unimpaired brilliancy.—Stone’s History of Beverly (Mass.).

Some authorities inform us that when the moon was seen that evening it appeared like a ball of fire,—as red as blood. Thus we see that the second sign which our Saviour gave was as literally fulfilled as the first, and that the public mind at that time was deeply impressed that they were phenomenal.

In the Stars.

“And the stars of heaven shall fall.” This sign is the last definite one that will be set in the heavens, until they see the heavens departing as a scroll. It must be as literal as the previous signs, and of a character that will call the mind to that event of which it is a sign. There is another prediction of this phenomenon that is more minute than the one recorded by either Mark or Matthew: “And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.” Rev. 6:13. Here it is not only stated that “the stars shall fall from heaven,” but the manner in which they will fall is also given. They are to fall as unripe fruit falls when the tree is shaken by a mighty wind.

Let us again appeal to historical evidence:

By far the most splendid display of shooting meteors on record was that of Nov. 13, 1833. It seems to have been visible over nearly the whole of the northern portion of the American continent, or, more exactly, from the Canadian lakes nearly to the equator. Over this immense area a sight of the most imposing grandeur seems to have been witnessed. The phenomenon commenced about midnight, and was at its height about 5 A.M. Several of the meteors were of peculiar form and considerable magnitude. One was especially remarked from its remaining for some time in the zenith over the Falls of Niagara, emitting radiant streams of light. In many parts of the country the population were terror-stricken by the beauty and magnificence of the spectacle before them. A planter of South Carolina thus narrated the effect of the phenomenon on the minds of the ignorant blacks:—

“I was suddenly awakened by the most distressing cries that ever fell on my ears. Shrieks of horror and cries for mercy I could hear from most of the negroes of the three plantations, amounting in all to about six hundred or eight hundred. While earnestly listening for the cause, I heard a faint voice near the door calling my name. I arose, and, taking my sword, stood at the door. At this moment I heard the same voice still beseeching me to rise, and saying, ‘O my God, the world is on fire!’ I then opened the door, and it is difficult to say which excited me the most—the awfulness of the scene or the distressed cries of the negroes. Upwards of one hundred lay prostrate on the ground—some speechless and some with the bitterest cries, but with their hands raised, imploring God to save the world and them. The scene was truly awful; for never did rain fall much thicker than the meteors fell toward the earth. East, west, north, and south it was the same.”—Quoted in Milner’s Gallery of Nature, p. 140.

The meteors of which the above shower was composed seem to have been seen of three different kinds:—

1. Phosphoric lines, apparently described by a point. These were the most abundant; they passed along the sky with immense velocity, as numerous as the flakes of a sharp snowstorm.

2. Large fireballs, which darted forth at intervals across the sky, describing large arcs in a few seconds. Luminous trains marked their path, which remained in view for a number of minutes, and in some cases for a half an hour or more. The trains were generally white, but the various prismatic colors occasionally appeared, vividly and beautifully displayed. Some of these fireballs were of enormous size; indeed, one was seen larger than the moon when at its fall.

3. Luminosities of irregular form, which remained stationary for a considerable time. The one above mentioned as having been seen at the Falls of Niagara was of this kind.—Quoted in Milner’s Gallery of Nature, Chambers’ Astronomy, pp. 795, 796.

Other records of this wonderful phenomenon describe it nearly in the language recorded in Rev. 6:13. It is said that the stars seemed to fall towards the four points of the

compass and form one center in midheaven. In every case the people were impressed with the judgment day. It impressed upon the mind the very thing of which it was a sign.

After this sign others follow, and in conclusion the Saviour says, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28. Have not they begun to come to pass? Then is it not time to lift up the head and look for the final redemption? Reader, are you looking up? Do you see the signs that show you that he is near, even at the door? To them that look for him he is to appear without sin unto salvation. Do you look for him? Some will be asleep, but he has given us the signs to show us that he is near.

May the Lord help us to see the signs that he has given us. May we look up, and say, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.”