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Review and Herald, Vol. 37, No. 5.

OUR FAITH AND HOPE;

Review and Herald

Jan 17, 1871

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · BATTLE CREEK, MICH. · Jan 17, 1871

OUR FAITH AND HOPE;

By James White

Or, Reasons Why We Believe as We Do.
NUMBER FIVE.—SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
BY ELDER JAMES WHITE.

NOAH'S TIME, AND OURS.

“What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?”—DISCIPLES.
“When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.”—JESUS. Matt. 24: 3, 33.
Verses 36, 37. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.” The day and hour, and even the year, of the second advent are purposely hidden. Some of the prophetic periods reach to the time of the end, while others extend still farther down, very near the end itself; yet none of them reach to the coming of the Son of Man. The prophecies clearly point to the period of the second advent, but do not give the definite time of that event. But many suppose that the text proves that nothing may be known of the period of the second advent. In this, they greatly err, as may be seen from the following reasons:
1. Because our Lord, after stating that the sun should be darkened, and that the moon should not give her light, and that the stars should fall from heaven, gives the following forcible parable, and makes the most distinct application of it to this subject. He says: “Now learn a parable of the fig-tree: When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” Verses 32, 33. No figure should exceed the fact illustrated in a single particular. This being the case in the parable of the fig-tree, the point becomes an exceedingly strong one. No language can be more direct. No proof can be more complete. With all that certainty with which we know that summer is nigh when we see the buds and the leaves shoot forth from the trees in spring, may we know that Christ is at the doors. The most daring unbelief will hardly venture to deny these words of the Son of God, and assert that nothing can be known of the period of his second coming.
2. Because our Lord declares that as the days of Noah were, so should also the coming of the Son of Man be. Said God to Noah, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” Gen. 6: 3. The period of the flood was given to the patriarch. And under the direct providence of God, he prepared the ark and warned the people. So the fulfilling prophecies and the signs distinctly declare that the second coming of Christ is at the doors, and the solemn message has gone forth.
3. Those who claim that the text proves that nothing may be known of the period of the second advent, make it prove too much for their own unbelief. As recorded by Mark, the declaration reads: “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in Heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” If the text proves that men will know nothing of the period of the second advent, it also proves that angels will know nothing of it, and also that the Son will know nothing of it, till the event takes place! This position proves too much, therefore proves nothing to the point. Christ will know of the period of his second advent to this world. The holy angels who wait around the throne of Heaven to receive messages relative to the part they act in the salvation of men, will know of the time of this closing event of salvation. And so will the waiting, watching people of God understand.
An old English version of the passage reads, “But that day and hour no man maketh known, neither the angels which are in Heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” This is the correct reading, according to several of the ablest critics of the age. The word know is used in the same sense here that it is by Paul, in 1 Cor. 2: 2: “For I determined not to know [make known] anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Men will not make known the day and hour, angels will not make it known, neither will the Son; but the Father will make it known.
Says Campbell: “Macknight argues that the term know is here used as a causative, in the Hebrew sense of the conjugation hiphil, that is, to make known. . . . His [Christ's] answer is just equivalent to saying, The Father will make it known when it pleases him; but he has not authorized man, angel, or the Son, to make it known. Just in this sense, Paul uses the term know: 1 Cor. 2: 2: ‘I came to you making known the testimony of God; for I determine to make known nothing among you but a crucified Christ.’”
Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Gospels, says: “Others have said that the verb rendered knoweth means sometimes to make known, or to reveal, and that the passage means, ‘that day and hour none maketh known, neither the angels, nor the Son, but the Father.’ It is true the word has sometimes that meaning, as 1 Cor. 2: 2.”
The Father will make known the time. He gave the period of the flood to Noah, which well represents the proclamation of the second advent, given in connection with the evidence of the termination of the periods of Daniel, during the great Advent movement of 1840–44.
And when the patriarch's work of warning and building was finished, God said to him, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark.” “For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” So when the waiting, watching, weeping, toiling time shall be finished, and the saints shall all be sealed, and shut in with God, then will the voice of the Father from Heaven make known the definite time. See Rev. 16: 17; Joel 3: 16; Jer. 25: 30.
The present is emphatically the waiting, watching time. It is the especial period of the patience of the saints. In definite time we would find relief from the state of suspense to which our present position subjects us. The Lord appeals to us thus: “Watch ye therefore; for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch.” Mark 13: 35–37.
One of the fatal consequences of not watching is distinctly stated in Rev. 3: 3: “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” The consequence of not watching will be ignorance of the time. What will be the consequence of watching? The inference is unavoidable, that it will be a knowledge of the time. In answer to the agonizing prayer of the Son of God, “Father, glorify thy name,” there came a voice from Heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The disciples understood these words from Heaven, while the people that stood by said it thundered. John 12: 27–29. So will the waiting, watching disciples of Christ understand the voice of God when he shall speak from on high. But the unbelieving world will not understand the voice. “The wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” In comparing Noah's days, and ours, the Lord continues:
Verses 38, 39. “For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.” A picture of the present condition of the mass of mankind is here drawn. How dark the features! The people of the last generation will be like those before the flood, while the ark was preparing. Noah preached and warned them of the coming flood, and they mocked. He built the ark, and they scoffed and jeered. He was a preacher of righteousness. His works were calculated to give edge to, and set home to the heart, what he preached. Every righteous sermon, and every blow struck in building the ark, condemned a careless, scoffing world. As the time drew nearer, the people were more careless, more hardened, more bold and impudent, and their condemnation surer. Noah and his family were alone. And could one family know more than all the world? The ark is a matter of ridicule, and Noah is regarded as a willful bigot.
But the Lord calls Noah into the ark. And by the hand of Providence the beasts are led into the ark; and the Lord shuts Noah in. This is regarded at first by the scoffing multitude as something wonderful; but it is soon explained away by the wiser ones, so as to calm their fears, and they breathe easier.
The day of expectation finally arrives. The sun rises as usual, and the heavens are clear. “Now where is old Noah's flood?” is heard from a thousand impious lips. The farmer is caring for his herds and lands, and the mechanic is pursuing his work of building. On this very day, some are being joined in marriage. With many, it is a day of unusual feasting and sports. And while all are looking to long years of future prosperity and happiness, suddenly the heavens gather blackness. Fear fills every heart. The windows of heaven open, and the rain in torrents descends. “The fountains of the great deep are broken up,” and here and there come gushing up rivers of waters. The valleys are fast filling up, and thousands are swept away in death. Some flee to the highest points of land; but the water fast follows them up. Men bear their wives and children to the mountains, but are obliged to part with them there to drown, while they climb the highest trees. But soon they, too, are covered with water, so that there is not a resting-place for Noah's dove. All are still in death. Horrid death! made still more horrible by being in consequence of slighted mercy! But where is Noah? Ah! safe in the ark, borne upon the billows. Safe from the flood; for God “shut him in.”
By most people, the evidences of the soon coming of Christ are considered insufficient to base faith upon. But mark: the testimony and acts of one man condemned the people destroyed by the flood. The evidences then were sufficient, otherwise the world would not have been condemned. But a hundred times more convincing evidences come pouring in upon us, that the day of the Lord is near, and hasteth greatly. We follow down the numerous prophetic chains of Daniel, and of the Revelation, and we find ourselves in every instance standing just before the day of wrath. We see the signs spoken of by prophets, by Christ, and in the epistles, fulfilling, or fulfilled. And at the right time, and in the right manner, to fulfill certain prophecies, a solemn message arises in different parts of the world: “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” Joel 2: 1. Wherever we look, we see prophecy fulfilling. While the knowledge of God and the spirit of holiness are departing, spiritual wickedness, like a flood, covers the land.
But these evidences are considered insufficient to rest faith upon. Well, what kind of evidence would the unbelieving have? “When the signs of the end,” says the skeptic, “are fulfilled, they will be so plain that no one can doubt.” But if the signs are of such a nature, and are fulfilled in such a manner, as to compel all to believe in the coming of Christ, how can it be as it was in the days of Noah? Men were not then compelled to believe. But eight believing souls were saved, while all the world besides sank in their unbelief beneath the waters of the flood. God has never revealed his truth to man in a manner to compel him to believe. Those who have wished to doubt his word, have found a wide field in which to doubt, and a broad road to perdition; while those who have wished to believe, have ever found everlasting rock on which to rest their faith.
Just before the end, the world will be hardened in sin, and indifferent to the claims of God. Men will be careless about hearing warnings of danger, and blinded by cares, pleasures, and riches. An unbelieving and infidel race will be eating, drinking, marrying, building, planting, and sowing. It is right to eat and drink to sustain nature; but the sin is in excess and gluttony. The marriage covenant is holy; but God's glory is seldom thought of. Building, planting, and sowing, necessary for convenient shelter, food, and clothing, are right; but the world has gone wholly after these things, so that men have no time nor disposition to think of God, Heaven, Christ's coming, and the Judgment. This world is their god, and all their energies of body and mind bow down to serve it. And the evil day is put far away.
The faithful watchman who sounds the alarm as he sees destruction coming, is held up before the people from the pulpits of our land, and by the religious press, as a “fanatic,” a “teacher of dangerous heresies;” while in contrast is set forth a long period of peace and prosperity to the church. So the churches are quieted to sleep. The scoffer continues to scoff, and the mocker mocks on. But their day is coming. Thus saith the prophet of God: “Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt. And they shall be afraid; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them. . . . Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” Isa. 13: 6–9.
Most dreadful day! And is it near? Yes; it hasteth! It hasteth greatly! What a description given by the prophet! Read it; and as you read, try to feel how dreadful will be that day: “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord; the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy; for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.” Zeph. 1: 14–18.
Now we hear the “peace and safety” cry from the pulpit, and all the way along down to the grogshop. “Where is the promise of His coming?” is murmured from the impious lips of a thousand last-day scoffers. But the scene will speedily change. “For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, . . . and they shall not escape.” The scoffing of the haughty scoffer will soon be turned to wailing and howling. “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low.” Isa. 2: 11, 12. “And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.” Jer. 25: 33.
The last plagues, in which is filled up the wrath of God, now bottled up in Heaven, waiting for mercy to finish her last pleadings, will be poured out. Unmingled wrath of Jehovah! And not one drop of mercy? Not one! Jesus will lay off his priestly attire, leave the mercy-seat, and put on the garments of vengeance, never more to offer his blood to wash the sinner from his sins. The angels will wipe the last tear shed over sinners, while the mandate resounds through all Heaven, Let them alone. The groaning, weeping, praying church on earth, who in the last message employs every power to sound everywhere the last note of warning, lest the blood of souls be found in her garments, is now hushed in solemn silence. The Holy Spirit has written within them these prophetic words of their soon-expected Lord: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Rev. 22: 11.

The Atonement

By L. D. Santee

I know that the Saviour on Calvary died To save fallen man from death's dark control; His temples were wounded, and pierced was his side, And in death on the cross, he poured out his soul; Yes, Jesus the Saviour came down from above, That mortals might enter the haven of bliss; Oh! if there is aught that can fill me with love, It is this, it is this!
And now he is pleading the penitent's part; He offers his blood in atonement for sin; He says to the fallen, O give me thy heart, And through gateways of crystal you'll soon enter in. He offers a home with the skies ever blue, In that beautiful region of joy and of bliss; Oh! if there is aught that would make us be true, It is this, it is this!
Our glorified Saviour will soon come again, Surrounded by clouds while bright angels attend, He'll banish from Zion all sorrow and pain, His saints will rejoice, for their sorrows will end; With glorified bodies they'll leave this dark earth, And soar through the skies to the city of bliss; Oh! if there is aught that to joy can give birth, It is this, it is this!
L. D. Santee.
Dixon, Mo.

S. D. Adventists and Their Critics.

By Joseph Harvey Waggoner

BY ELD. J. H. WAGGONER.
(Continued.)
Permit me now to call your attention to what I consider the

TRUE ADVENT DOCTRINE.

Although there are many prophetic declarations concerning the last days or closing up of this dispensation, there is only one chain of prophecy carrying us down this world's history to the second advent. This chain is found in Dan. 7, and Rev. 13 and 14. Dan. 7 gives the history of the world through the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome; with the dividing or breaking up of the Roman Empire, and the rise and work of the papal power. These empires and kingdoms are represented by a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a dreadful and terrible beast; and the breaking up of the Roman Empire is represented by the ten horns of this fourth beast, and the papal power by “another little horn” which came up among them. This power wore out the saints of the Most High, who were given into his hands for a time, times, and dividing (half) of a time, or twelve hundred and sixty years.
These facts are all embraced in the first part of Rev. 13. A beast is there described with seven heads and ten horns—as many as were seen in Daniel's vision; the body of a leopard—Daniel's third beast; the feet of a bear—Daniel's second beast; and the mouth of a lion—Daniel's first beast. The dragon, pagan Rome, gave this beast his power (secular), and his seat (city of Rome), and great authority; and the beast had power to make war (margin) forty-two months—forty-two thirties, equal to twelve hundred and sixty, as in Dan. 7: 25. The 2d chapter of Daniel is preliminary to chapter 7, and in connection with chapter 7, proves the correctness of our application of the whole chain, by giving the starting point in Nebuchadnezzar's reign, (chap. 2,) and the succession in Persia and Greece, (chap. 8.) In Dan. 7, the little horn became very strong—“his look was more stout than his fellows.” As all the characteristics of the beasts and horns of Dan. 7, inhere in the beast of Rev. 13, it is evident that this beast represents the dominion of Rome, when all these characteristics are developed, that is, under its last or papal form. The close of his power to make war, when he was led into captivity, was in 1798. Thus far, this power is described in Rev. 13.
But in the latter part of Rev. 13, from verse 11 and onward, “another beast” is described, generally called the two-horned beast. This we apply to the United States. The past and future of this power are shown.
1. It is seen “coming up” as the other is going into captivity, 1798. This was very soon after the establishment of our government—in its infancy.
2. It came up “out of the earth.” The other beast rose out of “the sea.” We learn by Rev. 17 that “waters” in prophetic symbol represent the people. But the second beast of Rev. 13 did not there arise; like a plant it grew up out of the earth, and not by conquest as the other powers arose.
3. He exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, that is, before the first beast, or in his sight. The power of the first was two-fold, secular and ecclesiastical. Although these, to a certain extent, combined in the establishment of this nation, we do not think this is yet fulfilled as contemplated in the prophecy.
4. It had two horns as a lamb. Republicanism and Protestantism, upon, or by which, this government was established, are lamb-like when contrasted with the first beast.
5. It spake as a dragon. This is contrary to its appearance. And so we note the contrast between the Declaration of Independence and our laws to sustain slavery. Also note the professed reverence for freedom of conscience by those who did most to form our free government, and their persecution of others, as the Baptists and Quakers. And yet we think this is not fully accomplished, a more bitter persecution awaiting the faithful people of God.
6. It does great wonders, and deceives them that dwell on the earth by the miracles which it has power to do. This refers to the wonders of modern Spiritualism, which arose in the United States. According to this, and also Rev. 16, Spiritualism will bear a prominent part, not only in the deception, but also in the persecution, of the last days.
7. It says to them that dwell on the earth “that they should make an image to the beast, which had a wound by a sword, and did live.” Two points are shown by this quotation: 1. The dwellers on the earth make the image—it is the work of the people, which indicates a Republican form of government. 2. It does these things in the sight of the beast after his deadly wound was healed. But as the first beast received his wound in 1798, it was of course healed in the present century, which proves the work of the two-horned beast to be in our days, and not in the past, as is very often claimed.
8. He causes fire to come down from Heaven upon the earth in the sight of men. This wonder has not been fulfilled, which proves also that a part of the work of this beast is in the future.
9. It also causes them to receive “the mark” of the first beast. For an exposition of this, see our published works on the subject.
And now we call your attention to Rev. 14. This chapter contains, in verses 9–12, a sequel to the chain of prophecy just examined; that is, in these verses is a warning against the worship of the beast, and his image, and the receiving of his mark, all of which are brought to view in the 13th chapter. But these verses (or this warning) are what is called the third angel's message, and therefore it will be necessary to examine the two messages preceding, that we may understand the relation they sustain to each other, and mark the fulfillment of each. Rev. 14 is eminently a chapter of Adventism; and all who “love the appearing” of our Lord, and are waiting for the day of his coming on the “white cloud,” Rev. 14: 14, with a crown on his head, denoting that the kingdom is then given to him, will love to read these soul-cheering scriptures relating to his coming. Indeed, I cannot see how any one can claim the name of Adventist who does not love to study the 14th chapter of Revelation; it being the only chapter giving a clear view of the advent in connection with the great events immediately preceding and succeeding it. Let us, then, briefly examine

THE FIRST MESSAGE.

This message is given in these words: “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.” On this I remark:
1. These messages being given before the appearing of the Son of Man on the white cloud, must be preparatory to that event. They are three advent messages. That they all precede the advent, or are given in the order in which they are written in the chapter, will be made more evident as we examine the other messages; and that they are given in near connection with the advent is proved by the first one announcing that the hour of “judgment is come.” This justifies the remark that they are “Advent messages.”
2. It is said to be “the everlasting gospel.” All who reject it do so at their peril. The gospel is composed of different parts or proclamations (comp. Isa. 61: 1–3, and Luke 4: 16–21), and he who rejects any part or proclamation of the gospel despises the authority of God and the work of the Saviour. In this they “make their own destruction sure.”
3. It says, “the hour of his judgment is come.” It is a message of “DEFINITE TIME.” A great deal has been said among Adventists for a number of years past about definite time. Here we have it. And this is the only definite time message in the Scriptures. Of course it is the will of God—a fulfillment of his prophetic word—that definite time shall once be proclaimed; but all proclamations of definite time besides that one must be imitations or counterfeits. The Lord is not in them; and instead of arousing the world to the blessed truth of the Lord's soon coming, they bring the doctrine of Adventism into contempt. Like the boy in the fable, whose frequent cries of “Wolf!” when there was no danger, so destroyed confidence in his word that no one believed him when the danger came, so they who so often set times for the Lord's coming, instead of awakening the world to the importance and nearness of that event, are really lulling them to sleep. We do not indeed say they are a “hypocritical wart,” &c., &c., but we do say they are, unwittingly, doing real injury to the blessed cause of Adventism.
4. It is no objection to this view that it brings the Judgment before the advent. If it be true as the Scripture affirms, that we (the living righteous) shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye when the last trump sounds, and the dead shall be raised immortal, it follows that the Judgment which determines their fitness for immortality will then be past. It must appear evident to every one that, if the righteous are raised at Christ's coming, and the rest of the dead do not live again till the thousand years are finished, a determination of their respective destinies must be then already made; and this we call the Judgment; the Judgment of investigation or determination, if you please. This is the view advanced by Sylvester Bliss in his masterly review of Prof. Bush on the resurrection. The following are his words:—
“We are inclined to the opinion that the Judgment is after death and before the resurrection; and that before that event the acts of all men will be adjudicated; so that the resurrection of the righteous is their full acquittal and redemption—their sins blotted out when the times of refreshing shall have come, Acts 3: 19; while the fact that the wicked are not raised, proves that they were previously condemned.” Advent Shield, No. 3, p. 366.
And again:—
“The Judgment at the coming of Christ we regard as the bestowal of the award, or the infliction of punishment, under the previous decision respecting the allotments of the human race, for which the departed wait till the resurrection morn.” Id., p. 370.
5. Has this message of Rev. 14: 6, 7, been given? We say it has. Three things we should judge necessary for its fulfillment. (1) A people must arise and make the proclamation. (2) It must go to the people and nations of the earth. (3) It must so arouse them to the subject of the Lord's coming that it shall constitute a warning to them in view of that event. But these points are all met in the second advent movement of 1836–44. For proof I refer to the Advent Shield, published in 1844, No. 1, p. 87, article, “Rise and Progress of Adventism,” by Josiah Litch. He therein said:
“We look upon the proclamation which has been made as being the cry of the angel who proclaimed, the hour of his judgment is come. (Rev. 14: 6, 7.) It is a sound which is to reach all nations; it is the proclamation of ‘the everlasting gospel,’ or ‘this gospel of the kingdom.’ In one shape or other this cry has gone abroad through the earth, wherever human beings are found, and we have the opportunity to hear of the fact.”
Also in Advent Shield, No. 2, pp. 161, 162, article, “The Reformation of Luther—its Similarity to the Present Times,” by S. Bliss, are these remarks:—
“In these last days the reformed church has sunk into the same lethargy and stupor, from which Luther, with the thunders of the gospel, aroused it. The odious practices of Rome, and her disgusting mummeries, it is true, have not been again embraced. But there are again the same respect for the opinions of men, the same fear of the human church, the same reliance upon creeds and formulas, the same worldly-mindedness and love of the things which now exist, the same deadness, and coldness, and lukewarmness, and putting far off the day of the Lord, and the same substitution of human commentaries for the unadulterated word of God; so that when the angel, flying through the midst of heaven, began to preach the everlasting gospel to 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;’ she was unwilling to heed the cry.”
This was the belief and claim of the Advent body in 1844. Again, in 1846, a tract was published at the Advent Herald office for the express and avowed object of keeping alive in the hearts of Adventists the great principles on which their faith rested. This tract was entitled, “The Last Hour—Our Specific Work.” It started out with the proposition that “the proclamation of Rev. 14: 6, 7, ‘the hour of his judgment is come,’ is the leading advent proclamation—the main branch of our specific work.”
In regard to its results, we think we may safely say that no other proclamation of a gospel fact since the announcement of the resurrection of our Saviour, has been attended with such power and such wonderful effects. While it swept over the land like a hurricane, in its speed and power, it bore every mark of a work of God; it gave every evidence of being attended with a divine blessing. And we should as soon expect to see the “four monarchies” of Daniel arise and again take their places on the earth, as to see another fulfillment of Rev. 14: 6, 7, so marked, so literal, and complete as that of 1844. Here is an immovable Advent landmark. One fulfillment proves the truth of a prophecy; a second would destroy it. But “the Scriptures cannot be broken.” The “first angel's message,” has been given.

THE SECOND ANGEL'S MESSAGE.

“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Rev. 14: 8.
As in the case of the first message, we inquire, What is necessary to fulfill this? And, has it been fulfilled? We notice that
1. It is the simple announcement of a fact. It gives no special warning, and calls for no particular action.
2. It precedes the destruction of Babylon, and is not therefore the announcement of that destruction, as many have supposed. That it precedes the destruction of Babylon is proved by comparing it with Rev. 18: 1–8. In this text the cry is repeated that Babylon is fallen, with additional statements, as follows: 1. Babylon is fallen. 2. She is become the habitation of devils, and a hold of foul spirits. 3. The call, Come out of her my people. 4. In one day shall her plagues come. 5. She shall be burned with fire. All, I think, will agree that her being burned with fire is the same as her destruction, and will take place when the Lord comes. Rev. 19: 20. But before her destruction, her plagues come; and before her plagues come, God's people are called out of her; and before God's people are called out of her, she becomes the habitation of devils; and before she becomes the habitation of devils, she is fallen. Therefore her fall cannot be her destruction, but must be a moral fall. And if, as has been remarked, and with which all will agree, the first message was the everlasting gospel, all who reject it do so at their peril. As it was generally rejected by the churches of the land, and is to this day shut out of their houses, we consider that fact sufficient to warrant the conclusion that they are fallen. And we consider it more than a mere coincidence that immediately after the time message of Rev. 14: 6, 7, was proclaimed, and the churches turned against that proclamation, the Adventists as a body did declare their belief that they were Babylon, and were fallen. Many thousands, acting on that belief, left the various churches to which they belonged. And this belief largely prevails among Adventists at the present time. It has been extensively proclaimed by both speakers and writers. That the present low state of the churches, in all that is essential to vital Christianity; their wealth and pride, fashion and folly, their world-loving and pleasure-seeking; that these justify the application of this scripture to them, I shall not stop to argue. Suffice it that such an announcement has been made, and that it followed the time message of 1844. And this is the second step in the fulfillment of Rev. 14. Here we have the second landmark of Adventism. And here it would not be out of place to ask, What reason have they, who deny the experience of the advent movement, who deny the fulfillment of these two messages of Rev. 14, for calling themselves Adventists? If these messages have not been given, then it is clear that they will yet be given before the Lord comes. But how could they be more forcibly given than they have been? Would the world be more greatly moved if these proclamations should be repeated? Impossible! But if they have been given, where do we stand? What comes next in our Advent experience? The Son of Man on the white cloud, to reap the harvest? Not quite. Standing between the past Advent movement, and the coming of the Son of Man, is the third angel's message which we now proceed to notice.
(To be Continued.)
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