The Greatest Religious Movement of the Ages; Another Pentecost Due
By G. W. Reaser
AFTER Pentecost the next great world movement, in the order of Heaven, was the Reformation, under Martin Luther and his associates. In this movement at least two definite specifications of prophecy were fulfilled, and men of God were in readiness to proclaim the message, and were qualified for their work by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The specifications of prophecy that were fulfilled were these: Evidently referring to the long period of papal persecution known as the dark ages, Christ said, "Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." Matt. 24: 21, 22. And again, referring to the same period, he said through his angel to John, "I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy." Rev. 11: 3. Having made these prophecies, it devolved upon Heaven to insure their fulfilment. Relative to the first of these, it is a historical fact that the Reformation broke the persecuting power of the Papacy, causing the whole system to tremble at its very foundations, shortened the days of persecution, and saved the "elect," the people of God, from being utterly blotted out. Concerning the literal fulfilment of the second prophecy, John William Draper, a secular writer, in his work entitled "Intellectual Development of Europe" (page 491), in discoursing upon the scathing criticism to which all classes of literature were subjected as a natural result of the unchaining of thought produced by the Reformation, pays glowing tribute to the Bible in these words: "From this burning ordeal, one book alone came out unscathed. It was the Bible. It spontaneously vindicated for itself what Wyclif in former times, and Luther more lately, had claimed for it. And not only did it hold its ground, but it truly became incalculably more powerful than ever it had been before." God's "two witnesses" are the Old and New Testaments, which constitute the complete Bible. The only things that can be said to weaken the Bible are unbelief and the curtailing of its circulation among the people. During the papal supremacy, unbelief ran riot, and the Bible was a forbidden book to the masses of the people. An occasional chained copy could be found. But even in this state, power was given to it to inaugurate the Reformation, for, from a copy thus chained, Luther, himself a monk, obtained the flaming sword which he wielded to accomplish the Reformation. If there was any one thing above another that was characteristic of the Reformation, it was the power given to the Word of God in the movement. Jesus had said, "I will give power unto my two witnesses," to which the historian responds that one result of the Reformation was that the Bible "truly became incalculably more powerful than ever it had been before." The Reformation, therefore, was the direct agency of Heaven in the preservation of the people and the Word of God from extinction. One of the prophecies mentioned referred to the people, and the other to the Word of God. Thus it is evident that the mightiest, the most far-reaching heaven-appointed religious movement that the world had ever seen up to that time, was foretold by at least two specific prophecies, and God-fearing men, chosen of Heaven for the movement, were filled with the Spirit to proclaim the message. The Announcement of Judgment
Following the Reformation of the sixteenth century, the next specific, prophetic, heaven-ordained movement in the realm of religion, world-wide in extent, was what is known as the advent movement of 1838-44. By a study of Daniel 8: 14; 9: 20-27; Ezra 7; and Revelation 10, there is no room for reasonable doubt that this mighty religious awakening, otherwise known as the William Miller movement, was a matter not simply of prophecy, but of definite time prophecy. That God had human agents in waiting to proclaim it, is evident from the fact that three thousand clergymen joined in its proclamation, that it reached every missionary station on the globe, and that two hundred and fifty thousand persons were converted by it. The World's History to Close With a Series of Mighty Religious Movements
In the fourteenth chapter of Revelation (verses 6-12) we find a prophetic announcement of a series of three world-wide religious movements, which, in point of time, immediately follow the movement of 1844, and continue their work until the second coming of Christ. Verse 14. Each of these thrilling movements is typified by a herald angel flying through the midst of heaven, proclaiming his message. Beginning with this fixed time period (1844), the last messages of Heaven to mankind follow consecutively, in regular order, with no break nor interval between them,—expanding, unfolding, till the end of time. How We May Forecast the Power to Attend the Last Religious Movement
We may get a correct idea of the power attending each of the great messages proclaimed in the closing scenes of this world's history, by the prophetically inspired description of the manner in which each herald angel delivers his message, and in some instances by the characteristics of the angel himself and of the effects and the extent of his message, as outlined by the prophet. In the description of the angel which prefigured the beginning of the last series of heaven-appointed, world-wide religious movements, we find these specifications, indicative of the power attending the message: He was "a mighty angel," he came "down from heaven," and he "cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth." Rev. 10: 1, 3. A definite suggestion of the fact that his message was to be world-wide in extent is found in the statement that "he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth."797To give further emphasis to the fact that great solemnity and power would attend the message, it is stated that he "lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware," by the Creator, "that there should be time no longer." Verses 5, 6. The work of this same angel is brought to view in Rev. 14: 6, 7. Aside from the extent of the proclamation of the message of this angel and the character of his message, the only indications of power connected with the message are that he was seen to "fly in the midst of heaven," and that he spoke "with a loud voice." Of the next (verse 8) we have no hint of any special power to accompany the presentation of his message, with the possible exception that his words are repeated; while of the next angel in the series, there is a suggestion of power in the delivery of his message in the statement that it was proclaimed "with a loud voice." Verse 9. Any person who is at all familiar with the manner in which these messages have been proclaimed, will at once recognize that these prophetic descriptions have been perfectly fulfilled. The mightiest religious awakening of modern times was the William Miller movement of 1838-44, thus answering to the inspired description of "a mighty angel," who, in delivering his solemn message, "cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth." It is too well known to require proof, that the proclamation of the next two messages in the series has been attended with a less degree of power than was the Miller movement, and that as regards the second of the three, we have even been cautioned by the spirit of prophecy, instead of proclaiming it with a loud voice, to soften its presentation. Have we not given much more force and stress to the first and to the third in this series than we have to the second? And was not this fact indicated with the utmost accuracy in that the first and the third were each to be proclaimed "with a loud voice"? For threescore years we have been fulfilling certain details of prophecy in regard to the manner in which the threefold message must be proclaimed, and yet have not been conscious of it. Therefore there has been no studied effort on our part to fulfil these specifications; it has all come spontaneously, being prompted by the very inspiring Spirit of the messages. Were it possible to turn the wheels of time backward three quarters of a century to start the advent movement over again at the exact time prophetically foretold, it would be absolutely impossible that the details of the prophecy relating to the movement could be more literally fulfilled by men than they have been in the giving of the threefold message since the year 1844. Consequently when we cast a backward glance over the movement and discover that all details foretold have been so definitely and clearly fulfilled,—and that all unconsciously on our part,—how profoundly are we impressed that the movement with which we are connected is of God, and that its early triumph is certain. No people in the history of the world, except the Seventh-day Adventists, have claimed to fulfil this great advent movement, and no others today make any claim to fulfilling it now; and starting at the exact point when its fulfilment must begin, no others have fulfilled the details prophetically foretold of Heaven's last series of religious movements. (To be continued)
Phoenix, Ariz.