THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.
By Elder F. M. Wilcox
LAST week it will be remembered we dwelt at some length upon the "great tribulation" spoken of in Matt. 24:21. We showed that it could not refer, as some contend, to the judgment visited upon the Jews at the destruction of Jerusalem. On the other hand, we found that every specification of the prophecy regarding this period met a complete and plain fulfillment in the long reign of papal persecution which came upon the church from 538 A.D. to 1798. There was also noted the fact that, while the days of the temporal power of the Papacy continued till 1798, owing to the restraining influence brought to bear through the opening up of the New World and the edict of toleration by the empress of Austria, the persecution was not continued after 1776. In this paper we desire to consider what relation this period of tribulation bears to the coming of the Lord. Let us say, by the way of anticipation, that the relation it bears to our subject is a most important one, for it furnishes valuable data regarding the time when the Lord may be expected. After speaking of the "great tribulation" (verses 21, 22 of Matthew 24), and of the rise of false Christs and false prophets (verses 23-26), and showing, in contradistinction to the secret manner of their work, the open and widely visible manner in which he himself will be manifested at the last day (verses 27, 28), Christ comes directly to the answering of the question, "What shall be the sign of thy coming?" In verses 29 and 30 he says: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days SHALL THE SUN BE DARKENED,
and the moon shall not give her light; . . . and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Here, then, is a notable sign predicted by Christ, indicating in its fulfillment the near approach of the coming of the Lord. Surely God could not have chosen a more conspicuous way in which to warn the world than in the matter of darkening the great light-giving luminary of day. When God created the "lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night," he said, "Let them be for signs, for seasons, and for days and years." In the prediction of Christ we find but the repetition of this same expressed purpose. Let us now determine from the words of Christ WHEN THE SUN WAS TO BE DARKENED.
And right at this point we note the relation between the period of persecution and the coming of the Lord: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light." It was not after those days, but "after the tribulation of those days." Upon this point the record given by Mark is somewhat clearer: "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light." Chapter 13:24. Then it was to be in the days of papal supremacy, or before those days ended, but after the persecution had ceased, that this great sign was to occur. As before stated, the days ended in 1798, and there was no persecution after 1776. Here, then, is a period of twenty-two years to which309we are shut up to look for the fulfillment of this notable event—the darkening of the sun. Another proof that the sun was to be darkened about this time is found in connection with the prophecy of the seven seals, as brought to view in Rev. 6:12: "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood." The earthquake here referred to is undoubtedly what is known as the great earthquake of Lisbon, which occurred November 1, 1755. As will be noted, the darkening of the sun was soon to follow this. An additional feature regarding the moon is presented here—"it became as blood." Joel bears this testimony with reference to these wonderful signs: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come." Chapter 2:31. And as to the time of day when the sun would be darkened, the prophet Isaiah thus speaks: "The sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine." Chapter 13:10. We have, then, collated before us these wonderful predictions regarding this twofold sign: (1) The sun was to be darkened as a sign of the day of the Lord (Matt. 24:29; Joel 2:31); (2) it was to be darkened after the great earthquake of 1755 (Rev. 6:12); (3) it was to be darkened somewhere between the years 1776 and 1798 (Mark 13:24); (4) it was to be darkened in the morning (Isa. 13:10); (5) in connection with this sign the moon should not give her light (Matt. 24:29; Mark 13:24; Isa. 13:10); (6) and whenever the moon should chance to be seen, it would present the appearance of blood (Rev. 6:12; Joel 2:31). It now becomes us to inquire if this twofold sign was fulfilled at the time and in the manner above specified? We affirm unhesitatingly that it was. May 19, 1780, witnessed the fulfillment of all these specifications. In proof of our affirmation we wish to present the following undisputable testimony, selected from the many witnesses who might be called upon to testify. Says Robert Sear's "Guide to Knowledge," published in New York in 1844:— On the 19th of May, 1780, an uncommon darkness took place all over New England, and extended to Canada. It continued about fourteen hours, or from ten o'clock in the morning till midnight. The darkness was so great that people were unable to read common print, or tell the time of day by their watches, or to dine, or to transact their ordinary business without the light of candles. They became dull and gloomy, and some were excessively frightened. The fowls went to roost. Objects could not be distinguished but at a very little distance, and everything bore the appearance and gloom of night. . . . The cause of these phenomena are unknown. They certainly were not the result of eclipses. Milo Bostwick, writing from Camden, N. J., March 3, 1848, says:— The 19th of May, in the year 1780, I well remember. . . . The sun shone with a pale and yellowish hue, but kept growing darker and darker, until it was hid from sight. At noon we lit a candle, but it did not give light as in the night, and my father could not see to read with two candles. My father and mother, who were pious, thought the day of judgment was near. They sat up that night, during the latter part of which they said the darkness disappeared, and then the sky seemed as usual, but the moon, which was at its full, had the appearance of blood. Webster's "Unabridged Dictionary," edition of 1869, contains 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. . . . The true cause of this remarkable phenomenon is unknown. In closing our testimonials on this most interesting event, we append the following tersely written lines from the Quaker poet, J. G. Whittier:— "Twas on a May day of the fair old year
Seventeen hundred eighty, that there fell
Over the bloom and sweet life of the spring,
Over the fresh earth and heaven of noon,
A horror of great darkness, like the night
In day of which the Norland sages tell—
The twilight of the gods.
Birds ceased to sing, and all the barnyard fowls
Roosted; the cattle at the pasture bars
Lowed, and looked homeward; bats on leathern wings
Flitted abroad; the sounds of labor died;
Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp
To hear the doom blast of the trumpet shatter
The black sky." In these historical extracts we see a fulfillment of every one of the six specifications noted above. Truly the fulfillment is a remarkable one. Scientific men have sought to divine the cause of these remarkable phenomena, but they are forced to confess, after all their searching, "the true cause of this remarkable phenomenon is unknown." What was the cause, kind reader? Was it the workings of natural law?—Certainly not, at least so far as lies in the power of man to determine. Rather does it seem the direct interposition of divine power, setting aside for the moment natural law, and proclaiming himself, in the darkening of the sun and moon, a wonder-working God. The time came for the prophecy to be fulfilled, and God, as it were, reached forth his hand of power and obscured the great orb of light as a token of the day of his manifestation. To what point are we brought in this prophecy?—Down to the year 1798, less than one hundred years ago. We have seen through others' eyes the great forerunner of the day of wrath. Other signs in the prophecy bring us still further down the stream of time, still nearer the great sea of the eternal ages. Soon He that shall come will come and will not tarry. The opening heavens will reveal the coming of the great King. Are we prepared for that great day? Will you, dear reader, be found of him in peace at that great day? This question is one of eternal importance, and may this solemn subject of the soon-coming King receive from you that careful consideration which it so justly deserves.