p. 75 | Lo, Here!

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 3, 1863

“Lo, Here!”

When Jesus was asked, “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” he said, “Take heed that no man deceive you; for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” We learn that only one appeared before the destruction of Jerusalem; but afterward, there were many. Next in order is mentioned wars and rumors of wars. Then nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows; consequently the end must be some distance in the future, after the foregoing events have transpired. Jerusalem was destroyed in the first war of any note, after the foregoing prophecy was uttered. We do not see how nation could rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, while the Roman empire was undivided, and occupied almost the entire known world. In order that kingdom should rise against kingdom, it was necessary that the Roman kingdom should be broken up into fragments, as symbolized by the ten horns of Daniel's fourth beast; which was not accomplished till the fifth century; hence, we cannot look for kingdom to rise against kingdom, till the separate kingdoms were established. Since the breaking up of the Roman empire, it has been most literally fulfilled.

Following the wars of kingdoms, is another long string of events, which brings us near the end. He then says, “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not. It appears that there is to be a second edition of false christs, who will show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

At the present time the demons are making great efforts, through their mediums, to persuade people that the second coming of Christ is now taking place through Spiritualism.

The following is from a late number of the Monthly Religious Magazine, published by the Boston Unitarians, and said to be probably the most popular of our religious magazines. It has an article headed, Modern Spiritualism, from which the following is quoted:

“But it is our solemn conviction that these things (spiritual manifestations) do announce that second coming of which the Scriptures teach. The condition of the earth and its people, the signs of the times, indicate this more than ever before; whilst the near presence of the spirit-world brings with it holy influences which must elevate and spiritualize all of earth's creatures who will receive them, and, as good is ever stronger than evil, will sooner or later drive off into outer darkness all who willfully reject and oppose them out of the ignorance of their hearts. If God's holy angels can and do so come, why may not the blessed Spirit of Jesus come too? Has he not come already? Is he not in the midst of us even now, and we know him not?”—World's Crisis.