A GREAT LITERAL PROPHECY.
III. Special Signs of His Coming.
THE disciples asked: "What shall be the sign of Thy coming?" In response Jesus said: "And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Luke 21: 25-27. Matthew and Mark are more specific as regards the signs: "In those days, immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; and then shall they see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory." Matt. 24: 29, 30; Mark 13: 24-26. There are three specific signs mentioned here to occur before Christ's coming; for the fourth—the shaking of the powers of the heavens—takes place in direct connection with His coming. Heb. 12: 56; Joel 3: 12; Rev. 6: 14-17. The darkening of the sun and moon from their light-relations would naturally occur together. And so they did, and they occurred just when Jesus declared they would, in those days, immediately after their tribulation. The days began A.D. 538. They ended in 1798. The tribulation ceased in 1776. Within those days, only four years after the ending of the general tribulation, May 19, 1780, the sun was supernaturally darkened. Long before noon candles were lighted, cattle came lowing from the pastures, and fowls went to roost. The following night was fearfully dark, tho the moon was at the full. Other predictions of the same signs are found in Joel 2: 31; Rev. 6: 12, 13. The latter prophecy was written twenty-five years after Jerusalem was destroyed. A volume of evidences might be given as to the historical facts; we must content ourselves with references to a few. As to the "Dark Day" Timothy Dwight, D.D., in "Connecticut Historical Collections," says: The 19th of May, 1780, was a remarkably dark day. Candles were lighted in many houses. The birds were silent, and disappeared. The fowls retired to roost. It was the general opinion that the day of judgment was at hand. The Legislature was in session at Hartford, but being unable to transact business, adjourned. Dr. Samuel Tenney, in 1785, wrote to the Historical Society concerning it as follows: Altho the uncommon darkness which attracted the attention of all ranks of people in this part of the country on the 19th of May, 1780, was a phenomenon which several gentlemen of considerable ability have endeavored to solve, yet I believe you will agree with me that no satisfactory solution has yet appeared. It was not an eclipse; for the moon was at the full, and the darkness lasted much longer than that of an eclipse could. It was God writing in the sun and in the moon what He had spoken through his Son eighteen centuries before. The following night, altho the moon was at the full, it was as dark as tho "every luminous body in the universe," says one writer, had been "struck out of existence." When, however, the moon appeared, as it did at times, it had "the appearance of blood," says another writer. But these alone were not a sign of His coming, till the "stars fell." The third sign came Nov. 13, 1833, in the falling of the stars, or the great meteoric shower, of that date, the like of which is not recorded in all the annals of time. Prof. Denison Olmstead, of Yale College, a celebrated scientist, says of that event: Those who were so fortunate as to witness the exhibition of shooting stars on the morning of November 13, 1833, probably saw the greatest display of celestial fireworks that has ever been since the creation of the world. . . . The extent of the shower of 1833 was such as to cover no inconsiderable part of the earth's surface. Abundance of historical testimony exists for all these, and many are now living who witnessed the latter. When the stars fell, the great threefold sign was complete, and it has been heralded to the world in the light of the prophecy, and thousands have thus seen it as a sign of Christ's coming. God has thus given His own twofold witness, between which there could be no collusion, as to the signs of Christ's coming. Eighteen and three-fourths centuries ago, by the voice of His Son, He declared when the signs would come and where they would be seen. Eighteen centuries rolled their round, and then God wrote again the words in sun and moon and stars, in order that all might learn the divine mission and truth of that Son, and that He was coming again as surely as He first came. But you say, "These signs were not seen all over the world, only in the eastern part of America." Granted. Jesus spoke the first words to only a few, but the world soon heard them. Those who looked upon these visible signs did not "see" them in the true sense. They saw awful sights in the heavens, but many knew not their import. Not until the last sign occurred and the first witness—Christ's own word—was proclaimed, could men truly see the second witness. But when the message of Christ's second coming was heralded to all the world in 1840 to 1844 the whole world saw or had the privilege of seeing, in the light of that Word, the signs of His second coming. But there are other signs to occur in this very time of the giving of the message, comprehended in the abounding iniquity, the growing cold, the false Christs and prophets of Matt. 24: 11-13, 24-26, and the distress of nations, the perplexity, the storms and cyclones, intimated in Luke 21: 25, 26, and elsewhere. There are a score of these specific signs of Christ's coming falling within the giving of the last threefold message, the proclamation of the everlasting Gospel with the proclamation of impending judgment, the preaching of the Gospel of His kingdom. Rev. 14: 6-14; Matt. 24: 14. Thus we have not alone the specific signs in the sun, moon, and stars, in the light of His Word, but we have the cumulative evidence of all the other omens, signs, precursors, which the same Word, inspired by the same Spirit, predicted of this very time. Among these may be mentioned, increase of knowledge, of riches, of crime; capital and labor troubles, great social unrest, great corruption in church and state, spiritual declension and unbelief, growth of Socialism and Catholicism, preparation for war, peace-and-safety cry, last-day scoffers, and amid all of earth's confusion the preaching of God's great threefold message of instruction, warning, and salvation. Therefore, with all these things in mind as applying in these our days, our Lord continues His prophecy: "Now from the fig tree ["and all the trees," Luke] learn her parable; when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh; even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that He is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away." Matt. 24: 32-35. The signs have been given, piled one on another, massed and battalioned, for this time, that all may see and know. We see not one, but many. It is not the witness of one, but many. It is cumulative evidence, piled upon evidence. One of these events, which the Master has given as signs, may have appeared in another generation. Two or more of them may have occurred in another age. But it is safe to say that no time since the Nazarene uttered His prophecy has any generation seen all these omens as this generation now sees them, and has been witnessing them for the last three-score years. What then?—In the words of Him who spake as never man spake: "When ye see all these things, know ye that He is nigh, even at the doors." We see them, we may know. "This Generation" will be continued in our next.