Your ShelfYour Projects

Prophecy Fulfilling

8%

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jul 31, 1879

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 5, No. 29.

Read the full edition

Prophecy Fulfilling.

By S. N. Haskell

BY ELD. S. N. HASKELL.
About eighteen hundred years ago it was prophesied by John on the Isle of Patmos that there would be three messages given to the inhabitants of the earth. The first proclamation was, "Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come." It was to be preached to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." The second was, "Babylon is fallen." The third was a solemn warning against worshiping certain powers represented by the expression, "the beast and his image."
The result of preaching the third message is that a class of Christians will be brought to keep "the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14: 6-12.
The "faith of Jesus" is the doctrine of the plan of salvation through Christ, as preached by the apostle Paul and the early disciples. Acts 13: 8, 12. The commandments of God are the ten, given upon Mount Sinai, which constitute God's moral law, by which sin is made known, and shows the necessity of a plan of salvation by grace. 1 John 3: 4; Rom. 4: 15; 5: 13.
These messages immediately precede the second coming of Christ, as it is a connecting event between the ending of probation, when the wrath of God will be poured out, Rev. 14: 10; 16: 1, 2, and Christ taking his seat upon the great white cloud, Rev. 14: 14. Also the proclamation of the hour of God'sjudgment is given in connection with that event. 2 Tim. 4: 1.
From 1840 to 1844 commenced a work which was an exact fulfillment of this prophecy. Wm. Miller, of Low Hampton, N. Y., had, for many years previously, been comparing history with prophecy, until he came to the conclusion that we are near the day of Judgment and second coming of Christ. He publicly stated his faith to others which was received by many.
During the time above mentioned, this doctrine of Christ's soon coming was preached by William Miller and his co-laborers throughout this country, and publications upon these subjects were sent to every missionary station in the world.
About this time Edward Irving proclaimed the same in England, and Joseph Wolf preached very extensively the same in Asia. Through these men and their co-laborers and publications, the subject of the Judgment and soon coming of Christ was very extensively known and believed over no inconsiderable portion of the earth's surface.
The great departure of the churches from spirituality and holiness in these days proves the second message to be correctly applied, as this message was understood to be an announcement of the moral fall of professed Christendom.
It was in the autumn of 1844 that a class of Christians who believed in the soon coming of Christ commenced to keep the seventh day of the week as the Lord's Sabbath. This was in Washington, N. H. From this small commencement the doctrine of the third angel's message has been preached, and believers are now found almost everywhere. Of these it may be truly said they keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ. Sabbath literature in connection with the doctrine of the soon coming of Christ is sent by mail to the islands of the sea, and many places where the living preacher has never gone, and without effect. In Christiana, Norway, is a prosperous mission with many believers; and publications are issued and sent to all parts of Europe, wherever the Swedish and Danish languages are spoken. France and Spain have their living witnesses for these solemn truths. Italy, the territory of that blasphemous power which changed the law of God, has her Seventh-day Adventist churches and missionaries who are laboring ardently in behalf of the third angel's message. News from Greece gives us the fact that there are individuals belonging to churches in Russia where there are many bodies of Sabbath keeping Christians. In Egypt, which was the birthplace of Moses, and the asylum of our Saviour from the wrath of Herod, there are churches of those who believe these truths. In Alexandria, a city of over 150,000 inhabitants, representing all the nationalities of the world, is a school established where the doctrines of the third angel's message are taught in many of the ancient languages to those who carry it to their fellow-men in their own countries. In Basle, Switzerland, is a prosperous mission. At this place are publications issued in the French, German, and Italian languages, and sent to those portions of the globe where these languages are spoken.
Old England has many Sabbath keepers in different parts of the kingdom, and at this time a mission is established at Southampton, where Eld. J. N. Loughborough is preaching in his cotton meeting-house—a large 60-foot tent. These meetings are creating no inconsiderable interest, and success is attending his labors. In those States and Territories in this country, where the living preacher has never visited to preach these views, there are a goodly number of believers, made so by reading publications sent by vigilant missionary societies. Leading colored men in the South, who have never heard a single sermon from our people, have been raised up to proclaim these views to their people. And thus it is in all the civilized world; witnesses are raised up who become light bearers to their fellow-men. More than ten thousand copies are taken of periodicals in the different languages, and remailed by our missionary societies to different portions of the globe where the English, Danish, Swedish, German, French, and Italian languages are spoken.
Certainly these times call for action. The prophecy is being rapidly fulfilled. We should take broader views of this work, and engage in it as though it were a part of life's business. We have no time to delay. Time is short. The Lord is coming, and we have something else to attend to besides our farms and merchandise. God is signally blessing the reading of our periodicals as never before. He is raising up friends of influence and ability in different parts of the world, who enter the ranks and voluntarily defend these truths. Every man and woman, and every child who has reached the years of understanding should be at their post of duty in a time like this.