Under the necessity of choosing.
By John Nevins Andrews
It is a fact not to be disguised, that the Advent people are now under the absolute necessity of yielding one of two long cherished positions. They must yield the view that the earth is the Sanctuary, or they must deny the connection between the 70 weeks and the 2300 days. For it is evident that if the 70 weeks are the first 490 days of the 2300, then the 2300 days have expired. And if the 2300 days have expired, it is certain that the earth is not the Sanctuary; for no part of the earth has as yet been cleansed. The question, Which shall we yield? is fairly before the mind, and every Advent believer is now placed where a choice cannot be avoided. Before either view is yielded it will be well to carefully consider each. If we deny the connection between the 70 weeks and 2300 days, we must adopt the following conclusions: 1. That the great period of 2300 days, which God gave for the benefit of his people cannot be understood, as there is no starting point from which to commence it. 2. That Gabriel is a fallen angel; for in Dan. viii, he was charged to make the prophet understand the vision, and at the close of the chapter it is testified that none understood it. Hence it follows that if Gabriel in Dan. ix, where he explains what he omitted to explain in chapter viii, was not acting in obedience to the divine mandate, "Make this man to understand the vision," he never obeyed that precept, but fell from the favor of God. The absurdity of these two conclusions may be seen at a glance, and yet it is equally evident that they are necessary conclusions if the connection between the eighth and ninth chapters of Daniel be denied. In addition to the above we may remark that the argument of Bro. Miller in proof of the connection of these two periods, which is familiar to all Advent believers, remains unanswered, and is confessed to be unanswerable. We therefore conclude that the connection between these two periods cannot be set aside, or explained away. As we cannot yield the connection between the 70 weeks and the 2300 days, we now inquire whether it is possible for us to give up the idea that the earth is the Sanctuary. Does the Bible call the earth the Sanctuary? The word Sanctuary occurs 146 times in the Bible, and it is not applied to the earth in a single instance. Hence so far from there being any impropriety in yielding the view that the earth is the Sanctuary, it is evident that there never was any propriety in calling it such. We now ask which position shall be yielded?—The connection between the 70 weeks and the 2300 days, which is fortified by unanswerable argument? or the view that the earth is the Sanctuary, for which there is no argument at all? J. N. ANDREWS.