Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Mar 10, 1904
Publishers' Page
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The Presentation Edition of Paradise Home
HAVING received so many calls for “Our Paradise Home” in special bindings, the publishers have placed this little book, in addition to the board and cloth bindings, in a very fancy cover, which sells for 75 cents. The styles of bindings for this book now are:—
Board .................... 25 cts.
Cloth .................... 50 cts.
Presentation edition ...... 75 cts.
The Lover's Love, or John Three Sixteen
ONE of the best books of the day! “The Lover’s Love” is certainly an excellent and inspiring work. To read one chapter is to have an appetite created which will refuse to be satisfied until the whole work is read. Placed in the hands of a sinner, he will be touched by the exposition of God’s love through Christ. Placed in the hands of a Christian, he will appreciate more than ever his relationship to God. Few are the books on the market so beautifully written, so descriptive of the greatest attributes of God, so calculated to lift individuals to a higher standard of living.
It contains 176 pages well printed in large type. Price is only 75 cents. Send your order at once.
New Health Books and Revised Editions of Old Ones
THE Good Health Publishing Company is bringing out revised editions of a number of books which have been previously published, and also a series of new books. We are authorized to announce the following:—
Science in the Kitchen
BY MRS. E. E. KELLOGG
The author has thoroughly revised this book, which has been out of print for several months, and has added a large number of new recipes, besides other new and important matter. This work contains more original matter in relation to healthful cookery, and more new, practical, and thoroughly wholesome recipes than any work which has appeared within the last twenty-five years. Indeed, it is the most complete guide to the healthful preparation of food which has ever been published. It represents the results of more than twenty years’ constant study and research, together with the practical experience in catering to the needs of many thousands of invalids who have during this period visited the Battle Creek Sanitarium.
The new edition is provided with a large number of beautiful and instructive plates to illustrate in a novel and very practical manner the art of hygienic cookery. No recipe has been admitted to this work which has not been previously thoroughly tested and approved.
Man the Masterpiece
The new edition of this work has been thoroughly revised by the author. Much new matter has been added, together with a large number of new plates. With its forty full-page plates, this makes a very attractive volume, and one which may be placed in the hands of any young man with the confidence that it will be of substantial service to him.
The Science of Eating
BY J. H. KELLOGG, M. D.
A compendium of the results of sound experience and important scientific research in relation to dietetics. In preparation.
Nature Remedies
A presentation in popular form of the natural, or physiological, method of treating disease. Terse, comprehensive, practical, up-to-date. The manuscript of this work is completed, and it will be rapidly put through the press.
The A B C of Exercise
A practical treatise upon exercise as the means of developing and regaining health. This is not a mere book on gymnastics, but presents in a condensed form the most important facts which have a practical bearing upon health training for both the well and the sick. The work contains chapters on exercises for children, special exercises for women, exercise for aged persons, and household gymnastics.
Orders for the above books may be sent as indicated in the last column of this page.
Early Writings
THE best book that we have at present to substitute for “Rise and Progress,” which is now out of print. The price is 75 cents, postpaid. Order of the State Tract Societies.
History of the Sabbath
AN exhaustive treatise on the Sabbath and first day of the week, or Sunday. The object of the work is to give the Bible record of the Sabbath from the time of creation, also the record of the Sabbath and Sunday in secular history. Every text in the Bible that has any bearing on the Sabbath is examined, and the complete testimony of the Fathers is given.
The author, John Nevins Andrews, spent ten years in careful and painstaking research of Bible history, and gives us the result in convenient form in this volume. The book is really a mine of information, as the writer has consulted several hundred authorities, and has quoted their exact words. The index is especially valuable, as it gives a list of the authorities quoted, references to Scripture texts used, and also to any point or subject dwelt on.
It contains 548 pages, and is bound in the following styles:—
Heavy paper covers ............ $ .50
Cloth ........................ 1.50
Paper, three volumes, per set .75
Bible Text Book
Is in reality a Pocket Topical Concordance. Beginning with creation, it takes up, in their order, studies on The Word, Government, and Law of God; The Rebellion and Fall; Plan of Redemption; Change of the Sabbath; Faith; The Prophecies of Daniel and Revelation; Second Coming of Christ; and many other topics.
The book contains 150 readings, and is specially adapted for use in home study. Leather, 50 cents; cloth, 30 cents.
Scriptural References
A VALUABLE compilation of Scripture texts, arranged to assist the reader in the study of a large number of Bible subjects, such as, The Second Advent, Home of the Saved, Millennium, Sanctuary, Sabbath, Spiritualism, Nature and Destiny of Man, etc.
The texts are used in proof of leading propositions made under each subject, and will be found a real help to Bible study.
Thirty-two pages. Price, 2 cents each, or $1.40 per hundred.
Testimony, Volume Eight
THE type is all set, except the index, and several forms are off the press at this writing (Feb. 19, 1904). The complete book will be ready for the market within a very short time.
Price, in cloth, 75 cents; red limp leather, $1.25.
Who Changed the Sabbath?
CAN you answer this question? The small pamphlet “Who Changed the Sabbath?” will give you information on the subject: (1) it gives what the Bible has to say about the law and the Sabbath; (2) what history reveals as to the change; (3) what members of the church and other noted persons have to say in regard to this question. Price, 1½ cents; in hundred lots, $1.
Signs of the End
THE question, “What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?” was not only in the minds of the disciples as they sat overlooking Jerusalem on that day so long ago, but was and is the one great question which interests all. The Saviour’s answer as recorded in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew is, therefore, of interest to every individual. Its exposition as given in the work entitled “Matthew Twenty-Four” is complete, thorough, and readable.
Bound in cloth covers. Price, 10 cents.
Steps to Christ
In Limp Leather Binding
THE Review and Herald still has a few copies of “Steps to Christ” in limp leather binding, printed on thin paper, which makes the book about the size of “Bible Text Book.” It is of convenient size for ministers and workers to carry in the pocket for ready reference.
As long as they last, they will be sold for 60 cents a copy, postpaid. Order of the Review and Herald, Battle Creek, Mich.
Order of State Tract Societies; Review and Herald, Battle Creek, Mich.; Review and Herald, Washington, D. C.; Pacific Press, Oakland, Cal.; Kansas City, Mo.; Southern Publishing Assn., Nashville, Tenn.
Within or Without?
By Editor
Editorial
Within or Without?
Where shall we look to find the God of our salvation? Shall we look within or without? Is the power for righteousness developed from within, or is it a gift from without? In the gospel according to man we are instructed to look within, and to develop the power within. In the gospel according to God we are invited to accept power from without. “Power belongeth unto God.” “Except one be born from above, he can not see the kingdom of God.” “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.” “The bread of God is that which cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” “He that hath the Son hath the life.” We may well be afraid of any teaching which leads us to look within for salvation, even though it claims to find God within. Such teaching is simply a variation of Spiritualism, and will lead us finally to despair. That God who created all things, whose throne is in heaven, and whose kingdom ruleth over all, the giver of life, is the only Saviour. To his throne of grace he invites us to come that “we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need.” “Cursed is the man that trusteth in man,” even though that man be himself. “From within . . . proceed . . . wickedness, deceit, . . . pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within.” “Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.”
Heaven’s Pledge
There is no possible excuse for weakness and failure in the Christian life. Every provision has been made for success, and he who accepts the gospel of Christ, “the power of God unto salvation,” may have the constant assurance that he is more than conqueror. In entering into covenant relationship with God through faith in Christ we become connected with infinite resources, which can be drawn upon in time of need. This is the pledge of heaven which is given to us as we become united to Christ in his experience of death and resurrection by being “buried with him by baptism.” “As a Christian submits to the solemn rite of baptism, the three highest powers in the universe—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—place their approval on his act, pledging themselves to exert their power in his behalf as he strives to honor God. He is buried in the likeness of Christ’s death, and is raised in the likeness of his resurrection. He went down into the grave, but he rose from the dead, proclaiming over the rent sepulcher, ‘I am the resurrection, and the life.’ The three great powers of heaven pledge themselves to furnish to the Christian all the assistance he requires. The Spirit changes the heart of stone to the heart of flesh. And by partaking of the word of God, eating the flesh and drinking the blood of his Son, Christians obtain an experience that is after the divine similitude. When Christ abides in the heart by faith, the Christian is the temple of God. Christ does not abide in the heart of the sinner, but hearts that are susceptible to the influences of heaven’s instrumentalities, and have been sanctified by obedience to the truth, are representatives of his righteousness. The light that shines forth from the lives of such ones testifies to their humility. Self is hidden from view, and Christ is revealed by good works.” How wonderful is the loving-kindness of the Lord! How complete is the provision for our salvation! How full of meaning is that gospel ordinance, when we are truly baptized “into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”! “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness!”
The Setting up of the Kingdom of God
THE gospel which Jesus preached during his ministry was the gospel of the kingdom of God, the good news of the coming of the kingdom of righteousness and peace and joy. During the forty days between his resurrection and his ascension, he talked with his disciples of “the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” The gospel of the kingdom has been the theme of his disciples and their successors during all the centuries since the great commission was given by our risen Lord, and the hope of the faithful has centered upon his second coming as the time when the saved of all ages would enter upon the full possession of the kingdom.
The prophecies of the Bible deal very fully with the question of the kingdom of God. They set forth with much definiteness the rise and fall of the kingdoms of earth, and point to the time when all these earthly kingdoms will pass away, when a new heaven and a new earth will be created (Isa. 65: 17; Rev. 21: 1), and when the kingdom of God will fill a renewed earth. The book of Daniel is largely occupied with prophecies of this character, and will richly reward the patient effort of the thoughtful student of the Scripture. In the second chapter of this book we have—
A Remarkable Line of Prophecy
And in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and the inspired interpretation of the dream, as given through the prophet Daniel. “Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.”4
The Inspired Interpretation
“This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter’s clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly brittle. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.” Dan. 2: 31-45.
The Dream in History
The inspired interpretation of the king’s dream is so plain that it is only necessary to call attention to its perfect fulfilment up to the present time, and the nearness of the final event predicted—the setting up of the kingdom of God. According to the prophet’s interpretation, Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, Babylon, was represented by the head of gold. “Thou art this head of gold.” After Babylon there would arise “another kingdom.” This was fulfilled when Babylon fell in B. C. 538, and Medo-Persia became ruler of the world. The “third kingdom of brass” was Grecia, or the Macedonian empire, which was fully established in the sovereignty in B. C. 331 by the issue of the battle of Arbela. Then came “the fourth kingdom . . . strong as iron.” This was none other than “the iron monarchy of Rome,” which became the undisputed ruler of the world in B. C. 168 after the victory at the battle of Pydna.
Of this fourth kingdom it was said, “The kingdom shall be divided.” This points out the downfall of the Roman empire, and the division of its original territory into ten kingdoms, corresponding to the ten toes of the image. This overthrow of the fourth kingdom was accomplished during the years A. D. 395-476 by the repeated inroads of the barbarians of the north, and particularly by the Visigoths under the leadership of Alaric, the Vandals under Genseric, the Huns under Attila (who styled himself the “Scourge of God”), and other barbarians under Odoacer. And so, when the last vestige of the Western Empire of Rome had vanished, the territory was found partitioned into exactly ten parts occupied by exactly ten independent nations—no more, no less. Named in order from the northern to the southern limits of the Western Empire, these ten, as they stood in 476 at the extinction of the empire, were as follows: (1) the Angles and Saxons in Britain; (2) the Franks in all Gaul north and west of the river Moselle; (3) the Alemanni in north Switzerland, Swabia, Alsace and Lorraine; (4) the Burgundians in west Switzerland and the valleys of the Rhone and Saone in southeast Gaul; (5) the Visigoths in southwest Gaul and Spain; (6) the Suevi in that part of Spain which is now Portugal; (7) the Ostrogoths in Pannonia—what is now Austria; (8) the Lombards in Noricum, between the Ostrogoths and Alemanni; (9) the Heruli in Italy; (10) the Vandals in North Africa, with their capital at Carthage.
The Kings of To-day
Three of these ten were afterward “plucked up by the roots,” according to another prophecy, leaving seven kingdoms still remaining, and these seven are in that territory to-day, and are the powers of Western Europe to-day. The Saxons, the Franks, the Alemanni, the Burgundians, the Visigoths, the Suevi, and the Lombards are the powers respectively of the Britains, France, Germany (in the French language, and with the French people of to-day, the Germans are only Les Allemands, and Germany is only L’Allemagne), Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and Italy of to-day. These nations, just according to the interpretation of the dream, are “partly strong, and partly brittle.” And it is further true that the rulers of these kingdoms are closely related through intermarriages (“they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men”), and yet these ties are not sufficiently strong to unite them in anything like a common kingdom, “even as iron is not mixed with clay.”
The Fifth Kingdom
There is only one specification of the dream as yet not a matter of history—the smiting of the image on the feet. This is still future, and is interpreted as meaning that “in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which . . . shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Other prophecies, some of which have already been cited in these studies, enable us to determine with certainty when we have reached the generation which will witness the breaking in pieces of these earthly kingdoms and the setting up of God’s everlasting kingdom. It is evident that it will not be accomplished by the conversion of the world to the principles of truth and righteousness. The fifth kingdom is not established by gradually absorbing the kingdoms represented by the image, but by breaking them in pieces together. It is the stone which fills the earth, and this stone is not even composed of the materials which constituted the image when it was smitten.
The Everlasting Kingdom in this Generation
The signs in the heavens (Luke 21: 25), the signs upon the earth (verses 25, 26), the lack of spiritual life in the church (2 Tim. 3: 1-5), the wide-spread departure from the true standards of the faith (1 Tim. 4: 1), the heaping up of riches (James 5: 1-3), the scoffing at the doctrine of the nearness of the second coming of Christ (2 Peter 3: 3, 4), the increase of violence and crime, such as marked the times of Noah and of Lot (Luke 17: 26-30)—all these signs, and others as well, mark the present generation as the last, and as the one in which the God of heaven will set up his kingdom. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”
“Perilous Times”
By L. A. S.
In a recent issue of The Independent one of the foremost educators of New York City, Mr. Charles B. Hubbell, calls public attention to a new national peril,—the cigarette habit. Twenty-five years ago, says Mr. Hubbell, the cigarette was almost unknown in this country, its use being first observed at a polytechnic school at Troy, N. Y., among students from Cuba and South America. “The cigarette habit and the inhaling habit spread from that point until now it is more devastating to the health and morals of boys and young men,” he says, “than any habit or vice that can be named.”
It is a strong statement to make, that within the last twenty-five years a vice more deadly than any previously known has arisen in, and is fastening its hold5upon the young people of this country; but made by such authority, its truth is hardly open to question. The visible effects of this vice in the public schools have amply demonstrated its nature and possibilities. Mr. Hubbell continues:—
The astonishing feature of the situation is that so comparatively few people realize the inroads that it has already made on the health, morals, and possibilities of usefulness of our American youth. One explanation of this, in my opinion, is contained in the fact that a very large number of physicians in every community are addicted to the cigarette and the inhaling habit, and naturally are handicapped in the influence that they should exert in advising and suppressing this alarming evil. It is seldom that one meets a medical student who is not banefully addicted to this vice, and once the cigarette habit becomes established, its servitude is almost certain and unending.
The greater evil of this form of tobacco indulgence over other older forms of its use is due to the “inhaling habit,” to which it naturally leads. “The juvenile cigarette smoker,” Mr. Hubbell says, “almost immediately learns to inhale the smoke. Not one cigarette smoker in twenty, I venture to assert, uses them in any other way, and when once the victim has acquired the inhaling habit in connection with cigarettes, he can seldom secure any satisfaction with pipe or cigar without indulging his inhaling propensities.” The difference between this inhaling and ordinary smoking, Mr. Hubbell explains, is that the inhaler draws the smoke into the upper air-passages of the lungs, instead of simply into the mouth. In the lungs the deadly products of the smoke, chief among which is carbon monoxide gas, are taken up and carried into the circulation, producing a slight dizziness and a mild but very fascinating intoxication.
Of the effects of this vice observed upon boys in the public schools, our authority says:—
Boys of ten, twelve, and fourteen years of age, naturally bright, were observed to be losing the power of concentration and application of mind. Nervousness, listlessness, and a tendency to truancy were associated with the names of nearly every one of them. Further investigation disclosed the fact that very many of these boys stole money from their parents, or sold all sorts of articles that they could lay their hands on, in order that they might gratify an appetite that fed on its own indulgence.
A justice of the supreme court of this State, since deceased, told me that in his last year that he was practising at his bar, he had had nine office boys in his employ who had been discharged for stealing postage-stamps, it having been proved in every instance that the boys stole in order to purchase cigarettes.
The police magistrates of this and other cities have stated again and again that the majority of juvenile delinquents appearing before them are cigarette fiends, whose moral nature has been warped or destroyed through the instrumentality of this vice. The managers and trustees of institutions for the correction and reformation of youthful offenders have the same story.
Mr. Hubbell says that so far as his information goes, “there is not a college in the country where any effort has been made to stamp out the cigarette inhaling habit, and little or no effort has been made to warn college students who are leaving our academic institutions every year by hundreds, with health more or less shattered, as a direct result of four years’ indulgence in the inhaling habit. Many of the physicians in the college towns are themselves inhaling fiends, and are not in a position to give influential advice.”
It is as a national more than an individual evil that this new vice presents its most serious aspect. What is to be expected from men who in youth had their moral natures warped or destroyed by cigarette indulgence? Are national prosperity and peace, or the reverse of these, to be expected under a government conducted by such individuals? The use of tobacco among men in this country is almost universal; it is securing a strong hold even upon women; and the cigarette is rapidly becoming the most popular form of indulgence. Such developments of evil are what we may expect in the last days, when the end draws near. They are what bring society in the last days to a condition comparable to that of the days of Noah and of Lot, as the Scripture has foretold. And in the light of such facts, how evident it is that now especially the heart of the fathers should be turned to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers. Mal. 4:6. Fortunate are those who receive and obey special instruction from God for the safeguarding of their children in this evil time.
L. A. S.
Angry Nations and Angry Men
By W. A. S.
The prophet John heard voices crying from heaven in the last days: “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged.”
The very last days, then, are specially characterized by a disposition to give way to anger and irritation. The nations are angry because there is anger in the hearts of men who compose the nations. The British statesman, Lord Salisbury, stated the case when he said:—
For years public opinion was in favor of a pacific policy, but now that state of opinion has passed away. The tide has turned. . . . If the tide has turned, we shall have to go with it. We are in the presence of forces far larger than we can wield.
The perilous times have come, and with them the “fierce” spirit that characterizes lovers of their own selves in the last days. The tide of hate has set in. Men are impatient of restraint, and bound to have their own way. This makes angry men, and angry men make angry nations. The prophet saw the agencies of evil sowing this spirit of strife and anger—the spirits of devils going forth to the kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them together to the battle of the great day of Armageddon.
As surely as we see the forces gathering for that conflict, it is a dangerous time now for us to give way to anger. The evil spirits are endeavoring to make everybody angry and irritable. The agents of evil are going abroad not only to the kings of the earth, but to the peoples of all the world. Wherever a soul is cultivating an irritable disposition, and giving way to angry passion when something crosses the will, there we see the working of the spirits of evil. The angry disposition not overcome will surely line up every one who possesses it in the devil’s side at the great day of Armageddon.
Those who have seen the papers of late must have been struck with the frequency of crimes committed in a sudden fit of anger, the criminal himself confessing that there was no settled motive for the act. Something let loose the evil temper, anger unbalanced the mind, and before the culprit could recover his senses, the evil deed was done. The devil had taken full possession.
No soul can safely harbor an irritable, sensitive disposition. Once let the temper be humored and nursed into a habit of irritation and anger, and the poor victim is ready to be led about a slave to the fleshly mind. There is deliverance from the angry passions of the carnal mind in absolute surrender to the love of Jesus. Then in the strength of Jesus we may fight the evil to the end.
The enemy’s plan of campaign in this time is to make people impatient and cross. Against this tide of irritation that is coming in like a flood, making all the nations angry, the Spirit of God lifts up a standard. As the third angel’s message is accepted, the heavenly watchers cry, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Whenever the demon of impatience and anger springs into the life, think of the angry nations and their fate at the swift-coming Armageddon, and in the name and strength of Jesus crush down the evil thing. We have enlisted in the ranks of the patient ones.
W. A. S.
Looking on the Bright Side
“LOOKING on the bright side” is easy when we keep in view the love and mercy of God. In the light of God’s goodness the bright side will always appear.
A Glorious Opportunity
By J. S. Washburn
HAPPY is he who lives in this day, beholding the working out of God’s great purpose. Happy is he who sees with understanding eyes and believing heart the fulfilment of the word of prophecy.
It has been a blessed privilege in every time and age to have a part in God’s work. But how glorious the opportunity, not only of seeing the last great message rising to a position where it can finish its appointed work; not only of seeing, but, by voice or pen or by the God-given talent of money, of actually proclaiming that message at the very head of the nation that leads the world.
Our church paper, the REVIEW AND HERALD, is now issued from 222 North Capitol St., the old “Washington House,” the very house which the “father of his country,” the founder of American national liberty, chose as his capital home in the early days of the republic. Is it not significant that from this very building, now the headquarters of the representatives of the third angel’s message, is to-day sent forth the great proclamation of eternal liberty, not only to this nation, but to all the world?
From this building, looking south, as I write, the magnificent Capitol building, the actual seat of the United States government, less than one block away, fills all the vision. The bold statue of Freedom, with drawn sword, aloft on the towering dome, stands out against the southern sky.
Within a stone’s throw of each other are the headquarters of the—
Last Great Nation
on earth, and the headquarters of the denomination representing the last great proclamation of God’s message to a fallen world—the one representing the last, and the highest effort and attainment of human law, the other bearing aloft the law of God, the King of the universe.
Across the Capitol and Library grounds is the building used as the headquarters of the International Reform Bureau, the organized society, under the leadership of Mr. W. F. Crafts, to destroy American liberty.
This is not a dream. This is the actual, the literal situation. Does not this situation appeal to every Seventh-day Adventist who has read the thirteenth chapter of Revelation and the “Great Controversy”? We are here because we believe the Bible and the spirit of prophecy. We are here because God has seen that the time has come when his message must be brought to the front. He has not brought us here in vain.
The soldiers of the Lord are wheeling into line, literally taking position, securing vantage-ground for—
The Final Conflict
Here at the head of the nation that has been the cradle, the stronghold, of this great truth, a mighty conflict must be fought. Here on this battle-ground Romanism, Spiritualism, Christian science, theosophy, and many other ancient and modern delusions are strongly entrenched. Here where the legions of darkness will make a last desperate stand, the mighty God of battles, the Lord of hosts, is planting his banners, marshaling his forces to stand in the evil day, to conquer, to win the victory that shall be final and everlasting.
A Definite Prophecy
made many years ago is just being fulfilled. Note the Testimony: “I saw that when the message shall increase greatly in power, then the providence of God will open and prepare the way in the East for much more to be accomplished than can be at the present time. God will then send some of his servants in power to visit places where little or nothing can now be done.”
Never have I seen a place so free from prejudice as is Washington, D. C., at the present time. One of the leading papers of Washington stated that the “coming of the Adventists to Washington is to this city one of the most important events of the year.” The people have received us with open arms. God has certainly opened and prepared the way in the East. And notice, too, that the work shall go “in power.”
In a letter of instruction, written July 5, entitled “Our Work at the Nation’s Capital,” after quoting Acts 1:13, 14, and 2:1-5, 9-11, a parallel is drawn between Jerusalem and Washington as centers of influence, between the early and the latter rain of the Holy Spirit, in these words, “In the days of the apostles, Jerusalem was a great—
Center of Influence
and in this place, light from heaven was to shine in its most powerful rays upon the Lord’s witnesses who were to bear the gospel message.
“Read the whole of the second chapter of Acts, and see if you are not convinced that there has been a decided failure to understand that one of our first duties is to make at the nation’s capital a special presentation of the truth for this time.” Dear reader, study the significance of this statement.
We are sure that every loyal Seventh-day Adventist who keeps the commandments of God and believes the spirit of prophecy will rejoice to help in the establishing of the—
Sanitarium, School, and General Conference Offices
to be located here. Those who have read the articles by Elder Daniells in recent numbers of the REVIEW will fully understand that the General Conference council in Washington, October, 1903, without a dissenting voice fully indorsed the raising of one hundred thousand dollars for this purpose. We believe that the hearts of all our people who were represented at that council are with us in this work, and as surely as it is true that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” just so surely where your heart is, there will your treasure be also.
From all parts of this country, and from foreign lands, comes to our ears with united voice the testimony that this move to Washington is of God. This leads us to believe that our loyal people will respond to this call; for it means as never before in the history of this work, that God will do a new thing; that this money will be raised quickly, and that these institutions will be built without paying interest on borrowed money. The glorious opportunity is now given to help build these institutions, so that the item of interest will not enter into the expense account. You can help decide that this shall be.
The wonderful response to our appeal for help in paying for the Memorial church, assures us that vastly deeper interest will be manifested by our people in these institutions, which are of much greater importance. The church building was paid for Nov. 13, 1903, and almost enough has since that time been sent us to make the recent alterations. We believe the Lord will move on hearts to supply the amount yet needed, and more, so that a good balance may be left for the—
One Hundred Thousand Dollar Fund
If all who have sent money to help pay for the church will send ten times that amount, the money will easily be raised. A few may not be able to do this; many can do even more. We believe that many who did not send money for the church will help these more important enterprises. We earnestly trust that the Lord will put it into the hearts of some who read this appeal to give from five to twenty thousand dollars. Surely there are a goodly number who will give one thousand dollars. Many will give from one to five hundred, and we trust that every man, woman, and child throughout our ranks will have something invested in these heaven-appointed institutions.
Let no one fear that the raising of this fund at once, will reduce the offerings to missions and other enterprises. When the health of the heart is sound, new, strong life will flow through every artery. When the work is established strongly, firmly, at the center, then the life-line will be thrown with sure aim to the sinking souls, far and near.
Mark this statement from the spirit of prophecy: “The Lord calls on us to awake to a realization of the opportunities presented before us, to let our light shine in the city of Washington by establishing there memorials that will hasten forward the proclamation of the third angel’s message to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.” This is truth.7
O! who will help at once to light the light that shall shine to the ends of the world? Twenty-five thousand dollars should be raised by the first of May with which to begin the work of building economically these institutions directly indicated by the spirit of prophecy. While the Testimony has spoken plainly concerning the erecting of buildings that will rightly represent the work in this important center, it has also given plain directions concerning economy. Some statements from these Testimonies will be published later. Those who have the work in charge are adhering to these directions very carefully.
Will not our people look on it as a great privilege to provide the means now while we are waiting? The matter is in your hands to decide how much we shall be able to do. We believe that all our people will respond freely, quickly, and unitedly. The last call to give to the work will soon be heard; the door of the last glorious opportunity will soon be closed forever. A late Testimony says: “Ministers and people, wake up. Be quick to seize every opportunity and advantage offered in the turning wheel of providence.”
We trust we shall be able to start our published list with a donation of at least one thousand dollars from some brother or sister who believes that this message is of God. We wait with confidence. May God speak to hearts!
Send all money to W. T. Bland, 222 North Capitol St., Washington, D. C.