Modern Modes of Travel — The Increase of Knowledge — Our Fathers Knew Nothing of These Things — What Does It All Mean?
By E. E. Andross
UNDER the above caption, the following editorial appeared in the Los Angeles Tribune, December 16, 1914:
LOCOMOTIVE BUILT IN 1865 — THE FIRST OVER THE SIERRAS
"Discussing the project to construct a steel railroad across the American continent, Senator Dayton, of New Jersey, made the following statement in the senate on February 23, 1844: 'The power of steam to reach that country has been suggested. Talk of steam communication — a railroad to the mouth of the Columbia! A railroad across 2,500 miles of desert, prairie, and mountains! The smoke of an engine through those terrible fissures of that great rocky ledge where the smoke of the volcano has rolled before! Who is to make this vast internal — rather external — improvement? All the mines of Mexico and Peru disemboweled would scarcely pay a penny of the cost.'
"To the New Jersey senator of seventy years ago the construction of a transcontinental steam road did seem like an extravagant dream, concerning which the use of extravagantly doubtful expressions was warranted. If the senator were here now, he could take his choice of half a dozen transcontinental routes, and then run on down to Mexico, at least, to find the mines still not disemboweled.
"But more to his astonishment, possibly, would be his realization of the practical utilization of electricity. Were he here now, he would find work under way for the electrification of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul road through the Rockies in pursuance of a project which is to cost from $13,000,000 to $15,000,000. 'Many things have taken place in the past seventy years.'"
THE WORLD HAD JUST AWAKENED
Great changes have surely taken place during the past seventy years. As we compare the world of seventy years ago with the world of to-day, it seems to have been just beginning to waken from the sleep of centuries. The modern methods of railway and steamship travel, making possible the present splendid system of rapid transit, were then in their experimental stages. Not until an exposition in Berlin, Germany, in 1879, was the practicability of electro-motor traction demonstrated. Within this period, the electric telegraph system has come into practical use for rapid communication. Marvelous indeed have been the changes that have come about in all departments of scientific knowledge during these seventy years.
WHY THIS SUDDEN CHANGE?
Why these great changes within the short period of one generation, after the world had moved on in the old way for nearly sixty centuries? After recording four distinct lines of prophecy, covering the history of earthly kingdoms from the days of ancient Babylon and Medo-Persia to the establishment of the eternal kingdom of glory, the prophet Daniel was undoubtedly extremely anxious to know the meaning of all that he had seen and heard; but the angel said to him, "Thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Dan. 12: 4.
MALLET COMPOUND ENGINE, WEIGHT 800 TONS
"Shut up the words, and seal the book," was the command from the angel, "even to the time of the end." "The time of the end" was a fixed period, which began in 1798, and will terminate with the end itself, at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Till "the time of the end" was reached, the book of Daniel was to be "shut up" and "sealed."
PROPHECY OF THE OPEN BOOK
The beloved disciple John on Patmos saw a "mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: and he had in his hand a little book open." Rev. 10: 1, 2. The prophet then "went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up. . . . And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings." Verses 9-11.
This prophecy undoubtedly represents a religious movement based on some prophetic book of the Bible; and immediately our minds revert to the book of Daniel, which the prophet was instructed to shut up till the time of the end. If we find that the prophecy indicates that this movement was to take place after the beginning of the time of the end (1798), we will have good reason for the conclusion that the open book in the hand of the angel was the book of Daniel.
The tenth chapter of Revelation, and part of the eleventh, are thrown in parenthetically between the sixth and seventh trumpets of Revelation 9 and 11. The sixth trumpet closed with the loss of the independence of the Turkish power in 1840; and after a brief period covered by the word "quickly" (Rev. 11: 14), the seventh trumpet began to sound in 1844.
THE LONGEST PROPHETIC PERIOD
The longest prophetic period in the Scriptures — the 2,300 days of Dan. 8: 14 — began 457 B. C., and terminated in 1844 A. D. This period of 2,300 days is fixed unchangeably by the remarkable fulfillment of certain parts of it in the baptism and crucifixion of the Saviour. At the expiration of the prophetic period in 1844, He entered upon the work of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary. At that time, our great High Priest passed through the veil separating the holy from the most holy apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, "the Judgment was set,114and the books were opened." Dan. 7: 10. The world-wide message of Rev. 14: 6, 7 was then due:
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His Judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
PROVISION FOR QUICK WORK
This message must be carried to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people," in a very brief period; hence provision must be made for a quick work to be accomplished. The messengers bearing such a message must hasten to every part of the earth. Every provision must be made for its publication in all the tongues of earth, and it must then be carried on the wings of the wind to the remote corners of the world.
With confidence, yet with all humility, we may say with the Saviour, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." Luke 4: 21.
Since 1844, in the providence of God, a people have been raised up, small at first, but "like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." Matt. 13: 31, 32. This people, known as Seventh-day Adventists, are inspired with the profound conviction that God has brought them into existence to preach this very message to all the world. They believe that the wonderful facilities for rapid transit and swift communication even to the farthest corners of the earth, the marvelous development in the art of printing, and all other inventions that have largely been produced within the past seventy years, and that help to bring the world to our very doors, were designed of the Lord as aids in the preaching of the everlasting gospel to all the world in this generation.
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matt. 24: 14.
THE JUDGMENT MESSAGE
Truly great changes have occurred during these seventy years; and this has not been by mere chance, but under the overruling providence of the supreme Head of the universe. The time had come for the mystery of God to be finished; for the proclamation to be made in all the earth, "The hour of His Judgment is come"; for the last invitation of mercy to be given. A people must be raised up to do this work, to fulfill the prophecy. In every instance in the past, when "the fullness of time" came for the accomplishment of a certain work of which the prophets had spoken, the thing came to pass at just the right time; for "the Scripture cannot be broken." John 10: 35. When, therefore, the time came for "the mystery of God to be finished," a people appeared upon the stage of action burdened to give the very message then due, "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His Judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." Rev. 14: 7.
The distinguishing features of the people who are to fulfill this scripture are, they "keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Verse 12. The Seventh-day Adventist people, as indicated by their name, observe the seventh day as the Sabbath "according to the commandment," instead of the first day of the week. They believe very ardently that "there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved," than the blessed name of Jesus; that there is salvation in none other.
A WORLD-EMBRACING MOVEMENT
Beginning their work in obscurity in 1844, they are now conducting work in 48 non-Protestant countries and 20 non-Christian countries, containing 85 per cent of the population of the world. Their workers in these lands are using 84 languages orally, and are distributing literature in 68 languages. Work is conducted in 170 main mission stations and 100 substations. 507 churches have been organized in non-Protestant and non-Christian lands, with 18,287 adherents. 5,208 laborers are devoting their entire time to the advancement of this message. In 1913, 122,386 believers contributed $2,866,727.40 for the advancement of the cause they love, and the hastening, as they sincerely believe, of the coming of Christ. This represented a per capita contribution of $23.42. They believe that with the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain, as the apostolic believers received the early rain on Pentecost, the whole world may soon hear the gospel of the kingdom, and the way be prepared for the return of the King.
Surely we may truly say, "What a change in these seventy years!" But, dear reader, has your heart been changed, and are you ready for the great change so soon to take place in this old world, for the breaking of the eternal day with the advent of our glorious Lord? If not, delay no longer, but quickly prepare to stand before Him.
