THE PROPHECY UNSEALED IN THE TIME OF THE END.
By James White
"But 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. xii, 4. Here it should be noticed that the book is not to remain shut up and sealed till the end; but "to the time of the end." This period, called the time of the end, evidently commenced about 1798. In chap. xi, 32–35, the 1260 years of Papal supremacy are referred to: "And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end." Verse 35. In 1798, the 1260 years, in which the Papacy had power to put the saints to death, closed, marking the commencement of the time of the end. Since that time, great light has shone upon the book of Daniel. This prophecy, which before had been considered obscure, and was hardly read, has become one of the plainest books of the Bible, and the attention of the people has been called to it. "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." This was to be fulfilled in the time of the end, when the prophecy of Daniel should be unsealed. At this time knowledge was to increase. This, we think, does not mean general knowledge on all subjects, but should be understood as referring exclusively to those prophetic chains in the book of Daniel which reach down to the end of earthly kingdoms, the resurrection of the just, and, consequently, the second advent. Duffield on Prophecy, p. 373, says: "The word translated run to and fro, is metaphorically used to denote investigation, close, diligent, accurate observation—just as the eyes of the Lord are said to run to and fro. The reference is not to missionary exertions in particular, but to the study of the Scriptures, especially, the sealed book of prophecy." Clarke says: "Many shall run to and fro. Many shall endeavor to search out the sense; and knowledge shall be increased by these means. This seems to be the meaning of this verse, though another has been put upon it; viz., 'Many shall run to and fro preaching the gospel of Christ, and therefore religious knowledge and true wisdom shall be increased.' This is true in itself; but it is not the meaning of the prophet's words." Matthew Henry says: "They shall read it over and over, shall meditate upon it; they shall discourse of it, talk it over, sift out the meaning of it, and thus knowledge shall be increased." Gill says: "Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased; that is, towards the end of the time appointed, many shall be stirred up to inquire into these things delivered in this book, and will spare no pains or cost to get a knowledge of them; will read and study the Scriptures, and meditate on them; compare one passage with another, spiritual things with spiritual, in order to obtain the mind of Christ; will carefully peruse the writings of such, who have lived before them, who have attempted any thing of this kind; and will go far and near to converse with persons that have any understanding of such things; and by such means, with the blessing of God upon them, the knowledge of this book of prophecy will be increased, and things will appear plainer and clearer, the nearer the accomplishment of them is; and especially when prophecy and facts can be compared: and not only this kind of knowledge, but knowledge of all spiritual things, of all evangelical truths, and doctrines, will be abundantly enlarged at this time." That there is a period when the church of Christ is especially to look for the second advent, is evident. Many, however, take the ground that it was right for the early Christians to look for Christ's second coming in their day, that it has been scriptural for the followers of Christ, ever since to expect his coming in their day, and that nothing more, in this respect, is required of the church at this time. But the fact that the signs of Christ's second coming are given, shows the error of this view. How absurd for past generations to expect the event, before the signs were fulfilled. That some of the early church received the idea that Christ would come in their day, we do not deny. And it is evident that the Thessalonian church thus believed, from the fact that St. Paul in his second epistle to them, corrects this error. The Apostle says, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God," &c. 2 Thess. ii, 1–4. From this testimony we conclude that there were those who taught the Thessalonians to expect the second advent in their day. But Paul told them not to be troubled with this idea, and warned them against being deceived by it. He then stated that the day of Christ would "not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin [Papacy] be revealed." He pointed the church of Christ over the period of the apostasy and 1260 years of Papal supremacy, down to 1798, and guards all the way with his warning against being deceived with the idea that Christ might come during that period. And why did his warning cease there? Answer. At that point, the time of the end commenced, when the prophecy of Daniel was to be unsealed, and when knowledge on the subject of Christ's coming was to increase. What a beautiful harmony here is in the testimonies of the angel and Paul. The angel said to Daniel, "The words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end." Paul said to his brethren, "Let no man deceive you, . . . that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed." The Apostle's warning reaches down to the time of the end, where the words are to be unsealed, and no farther. This plainly shows that the last half century has been the period for the subject of the period of the second advent to be brought out, and this the only time that the church could scripturally look for the immediate coming of the Lord. Thus we see the way was fully prepared for the solemn warnings, symbolized by the angel's messages of Rev. xiv, 6–12, to go forth to the inhabitants of the earth to prepare to meet the Lord. John saw this angel "fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth." This angel says, "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come." His message not only relates to the Judgment, but also to the time of the Judgment; therefore must symbolize a class of religious teachers who proclaim a corresponding message. Mark this: The angel does not symbolize a class of men who are teaching that the Judgment is more than a thousand years in the future, or that we may know nothing of the time of its coming. But he does symbolize that class who teach that the period has come for the Judgment; therefore the first angel's message has its fulfillment in the proclamation of the immediate coming of our Lord Jesus Christ which has been given to this generation. Luther did not teach that the hour of the Judgment had come. He looked forward for that event about 300 years. This message, based on the book of Daniel, could not have been given while that book was closed up and sealed, which was the case until 1798. But it may be said that the Advent movement was not of God, because those engaged in it did not realize all they expected. But if we had realized all we expected in 1843, if Christ had then come, where would the second and third angels give their messages? Think of this. A disappointment and delay is as necessary to fulfill this chapter, as to expect and proclaim Christ's coming. Again, look at the shouting multitude who cried Hosanna, when Christ meekly rode into Jerusalem. Were their hopes realized? Not at all. They expected the Master to immediately ascend the throne of David; but see him in a few days on the cross, and the disciples scattered. Yet the whole display was a fulfillment of Zech. ix, 9. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy king cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." The Pharisees wished the Master to rebuke the disciples when they shouted in fulfillment of this prophecy; but he replied, "I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." The whole plan was according to the mind and Spirit of God. They had to cry "Hosanna" to fulfill the prophecy; yet all their expectations failed. So when the right time came for the first angel's message to be given, hundreds were at once moved out to swell the note of warning. God's Spirit urged them out. And if they had held their peace, ten thousand voices would have been heard from the very stones, "Fear God and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come." It may also be said that the Advent movement has not been sufficiently extensive to be a fulfillment of prophecy, and a forerunner of the second advent. Please look at the fulfillment of prophecy in the preparatory work of the first advent. "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made strait, and the rough places plain." Isa. xl, 3. This prophecy was fulfilled in the person of John the Baptist, in his short and limited ministry. He had neither printing-presses nor the benefit of railroad cars. But one voice was raised, and that in the wilderness of Judea. Hundreds of ministers of Christ have gone forth, proclaiming the doctrine of the Second Advent; and instead of one voice, thousands have been raised, until the earth has rung again with shouts of "Behold he cometh." In 1843, six or eight Advent periodicals were published, and sheets and tracts were scattered throughout the land like the leaves of Autumn. The second angel's message has also been given. "And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen," &c. This angel does not give the burden of his message at the time of the first; but follows after. It is a well known fact that the burden of the first message was given from 1840 to the first part of 1844. It is also a fact that the announcement, "Babylon is fallen," was made in 1844, and that the burden of that message, which called fifty thousand from the different churches, closed in the Autumn of 1844. This movement being local, the angel is not said to make his proclamation with a loud voice. But the first angel an131nounces the hour of God's judgment with a loud voice. The fulfillment was a mighty movement, which took hold of the public mind. The solemn announcement of the third angel is made with a loud voice. And this is the period of the preparatory work of another mighty movement, in fulfillment of the third angel's loud cry. "And the third angel followed them with a loud voice," &c. See verses 9–12. This is another distinct message which follows the second. We have stated that the burden of the second message closed in the Autumn of 1844. That was the period of confident expectation for the coming of the Lord, and the great disappointment to those who loved his appearing. A scene of severe trial has followed, which has called for the patience of the saints. Those who have stood firm have had "need of patience." See Heb. x, 35–39. "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus." Verse 12. This is the closing part of the message of the third angel, and perfectly applies to the period since 1844. This has been our time of patience. And it is an interesting fact that in this period the subject of the commandments of God has been agitated by those who are waiting for the Lord. Commandment-keepers are, therefore, a sign of the immediate coming of Christ; for the next event in the prophecy is the Son of man on the white cloud with a sharp sickle in his hand ready to reap the harvest of the earth. See verse 14. For a full exposition of this subject read a tract of 150 pp., entitled the Three Angels of Rev. xiv, 6–12, for sale at the Office of the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald.