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20 - A Great Religious Awakening - The Great Controversy · Sacred Texts Archive

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Chapter twenty, a great religious awakening, A great religious awakening under the proclamation
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of Christ's soon coming is foretold. In the prophecy of the First Angel's Message
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of Revelation fourteen, an angel is seen flying in the midst of heaven,
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having the Everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and
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to every nation enkindred and tongue in people. With a loud voice, he
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proclaims the message, Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour
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of his judgment is come, and worship Him that made heaven and earth,
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and the sea and the fountains of waters. The fact that an angel is
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said to be the herald of this warning is significant. By the purity,
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the glory, and the power of the heavenly messenger. Divine wisdom has been
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pleased to represent the exalted character of the work to be accomplished by the message
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and the power and glory that were to attend it. And the angel's flight
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in the midst of heaven. The loud with which the warning is uttered,
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and its promulgation to all that dwell on the earth, to every nation and
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kindred and tongue and people, give evidence of the rapidity and worldwide extent of
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the movement. The message itself sheds light as to the time when this movement
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is to take place. It is declared to be a part of the Everlasting
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Gospel, and it announces the opening of the Judgment. The message of salvation
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has been preached in all ages, But this message is a part of the
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Gospel which could be proclaimed only in the last days, For only then would
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it be true that the hour of Judgment had come. The prophecies present a
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succession of events leading down to the opening of the Judgment. This is especially
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true of the Book of Daniel, But that part of his prophecy, which
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related to the last days, Daniel was bidden to close up and seal to
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the time of the end. Not till we reach this time could a message
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concerning the judgment be proclaimed based on a fulfillment of the UK prophecies. But
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at the time of the Ensis, the prophet many shall run to and fro,
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and knowledge shall be increased. The apostle Paul warned the church not to
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look for the coming of Christ in his day. That day shall not come,
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he says, except there come a falling away first, and that man
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of Sin be revealed. Not till after the great Apostasy and the long period
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of the reign of the Man of Sin, can we look for the advent
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of our Lord. The Man of Sin, which is also styled the Mystery
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of Iniquity, the son of Perdition, and that wicked represents the papacy,
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which, as foretold in prophecy, was to maintain its supremacy for twelve hundred
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sixty years. This period ended in seventeen ninety eight. The coming of Christ
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could not take place before that time. Paul covers with his caution the whole
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of the Christian dispensation down to the year seventeen ninety eight. It is this
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side of that time that the message of Christ's second coming is to be proclaimed.
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No such message has ever been given in past ages. Paul, as
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we have seen, did not preach it. He pointed his brethren into the
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then far distant future for the coming of the Lord. The Reformers did not
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proclaim it. Martin Luther placed the judgment about three hundred years in the future
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from his day. But since seventeen ninety eight the Book of Daniel has been
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unsealed. Knowledge of the prophecies has increased, and many have proclaimed the solemn
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message of the Judgment near. Like the Great Reformation of the sixteenth century,
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the Advent movement appeared in different countries of Christendom at the same time. In
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both Europe and America, men of faith and prayer were led to the study
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of the prophecies and tracing down the inspired record, they saw convincing evidence that
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the end of all things was at hand. In different lands, there were
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isolated bodies of Christians who, solely by the study of the scriptures, arrived
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at the belief that the Saviour's advent was near. In eighteen twenty one,
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three years after Miller had arrived at his exposition of the prophecies pointing to the
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time of the Judgment, doctor Joseph Vulf, the missionary to the world,
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began to proclaim the Lord's soon coming. Wulf was born in Germany of Hebrew
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parentage, his father being a Jewish rabbi. While very young, he was
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convinced of the truth of the Christian religion. Of an active inquiring mind,
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he had been an eager listener to the conversations that took place in his father's
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house as devout Hebrews daily assembled to recount the hopes and anticipations of their people,
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the glory of the coming Messiah and the restoration of Israel. One day,
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hearing Jesus of Nazareth mentioned, the boy inquired who he was? A
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Jew of the greatest talent was the answer, But as he pretended to be
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the Messiah, the Jewish tribunal sentenced him to death. Why, rejoined the
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questioners, Jerusalem destroyed? And why are we in captivity? Alas Alas,
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answered his father, because the Jews murdered the prophets. The thought was at
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once suggested to the child, perhaps Jesus was also a prophet, and the
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Jews killed him when he was innocent. So strong was this feeling that,
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though forbidden to enter a Christian church, he would often linger outside to listen
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to the preaching. When only seven years old, he was boasting to an
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aged Christian neighbor of the future triumph of Israel at the Advent of the Messiah.
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When the old man said, kindly, dear boy, I will tell
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you who the real Messiah was. He was Jesus of Nazareth, whom your
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ancestors have crucified as they did the prophets of old go home and read the
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fifty third chapter of Isaiah, and you will be convinced that Jesus Christ is
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the Son of God. Conviction at once fastened upon him. He went home
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and read the scripture, wondering to see how perfectly it had been fulfilled.
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In Jesus of Nazareth. Were the words of the Christian true? The boy
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asked of his father an explanation of the prophecy, but was met with a
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silence so stern that he never again dared to refer to the subject. This,
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however, only increased his desire to know more of the Christian religion.
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The knowledge he sought was studiously kept from him in his Jewish home. But
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when only eleven years old, he left his father's house and went out into
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the world to gain for himself an education, to choose his religion and his
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life work. He found a home for a time with kinsmen, but was
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soon driven from them. As an apostate and alone and penniless, he had
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to make his own way among strangers. He went from place to place,
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studying diligently and maintaining himself by teaching Hebrew. Through the influence of a Catholic
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instructor, he was led to accept the Romish faith and formed the purpose of
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becoming a missionary to his own people. With this object, he went a
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few years later to pursue his studies in the College of the Propaganda at Rome.
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Here, his habit of independent thought candid speech brought upon him the imputation
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of heresy. He openly attacked the abuses of the church and urged the necessity
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of reform. Though at first treated with special favor by the papal dignitaries,
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he was after a time removed from Rome. Under the surveillance of the Church.
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He went from place to place until it became evident that he could never
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be brought to submit to the bondage of Romanism. He was declared to be
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incorrigible and was left at liberty to go where he pleased. He now made
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his way to England, and, professing the Protestant faith, united with the
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English Church. After two years study, he set out in eighteen twenty one
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upon his mission. While Wulf accepted the great truth of Christ's first Advent as
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a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, he saw that the prophecies bring
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to view with equal clearness his second advent with power and glory. And while
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he sought to lead his people to Jesus of Nazareth as the promised One,
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and to point them to his first coming in humiliation as a saxon sacrifice for
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the sins of men, he taught them also of his second coming as a
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king and deliverer. Jesus of Nazareth, the true Messiah, he said,
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whose hands and feet were pierced, who was brought like a lamb to the
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slaughter, who was the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, who after
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the scepter was taken from Judah and the legislative power from between his feet came
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the first time, shall come the second time in the clouds of heaven,
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and with the trump of the archangel and shall stand upon the mount of Olives.
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And that dominion once consigned to Adam over the Creation and forfeited by him
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Genesis one, twenty six three seventeen, shall be given to Jesus. He
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shall be king over all the earth. The groanings and lamentations of the creation
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shall cease, but songs of praises and thanksgivings shall be heard. When Jesus
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comes in the glory of his Father with the Holy angels. The dead believers
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shall rise first first Thessalonians four sixteen, First Corinthians fifteen twenty three. This
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is what we Christians call the first Resurrection. Then the animal kingdom shall change
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its nature Isaiah eleventh six through nine, and be subdued unto Jesus Psalm eight.
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Universal peace shall prevail. The Lord again shall look down upon the earth
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and say, behold, it is very good. Wolf believed the coming of
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the Lord to be at hand, his interpretation of the prophetic periods placing the
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Great Consummation within a very few years of the time pointed out by Miller.
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To those who urged from the scripture of that day and hour, knoweth no
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man that men are to know nothing concerning the nearness of the advent, Wulf
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replied, did our Lord say that that day and our should never be known?
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Did he not give us signs of the times in order that we may
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know at least the approach of his coming, as one knows the approach of
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the summer by the fig tree putting forth its leaves Matthew twenty four thirty two.
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Are we never to know that period? Whilst he himself exhorteth us not
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only to read Daniel the Prophet, but to understand it. And in that
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very Daniel, where it is said that the words were shut up to the
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time of the end, which was the case in his time, and that
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many shall run to and fro a Hebrew expression for observing and thinking upon the
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time, and knowledge regarding that time shall be increased Daniel twelve four. Besides
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this, our Lord does not intend to say by this that the approach of
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the time shall not be known, but that the exact day and hour knoweth
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no man. Enough, he does say, shall be known by the signs
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of the times, to induce us to prepare for his coming, as Noah
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prepared the ark. Concerning the popular system of interpreting or misinterpreting the scriptures,
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Volfe wrote, the greater part of the Christian Church have swerved from the plain
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sense of scripture and have turned to the phantomizing system of the Buddhists, who
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believe that the future happiness of mankind will consist in moving about in the air,
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and suppose that when they are reading Jews, they must understand Gentiles,
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and when they read Jerusalem they must understand the Church and if it is said
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earth, it means sky. And for the coming of the Lord, they
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must understand the progress of the missionary societies, and going up to the mountain
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of the Lord's House signifies a grand class meeting of Methodists. During the twenty
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four years from eighteen twenty one to eighteen forty five, Wolf traveled extensively in
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Africa, visiting Egypt and Abyssinia. In Asia, traversing Palestine, Syria,
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Persia, Bakara, and India. He also visited the United States on the
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journey, thither, preaching on the island of Saint Helena. He arrived at
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New York in August eighteen thirty seven, and after speaking in that city,
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he preached in Philadelphia and Baltimore, and finally proceeded to Washington. Here,
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he says, on a motion brought forward by the ex President John Quincy Adams
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in one of the Houses of Congress, the House unanimous that granted to me
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the use use of the Congress Hall for a lecture, which I delivered on
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a Saturday, honored with the presence of all the members of Congress, and
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also the Bishop of Virginia, and of the clergy and citizens of Washington.
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The same honor was granted to me by the members of the Government of New
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Jersey and Pennsylvania, in whose presence I delivered lectures on my researches in Asia
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and also on the personal reign of Jesus Christ. Doctor Wulf traveled in the
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most barbarous countries without the protection of any European authority, enduring many hardships and
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surrounded with countless perils. He was best and otted and starved, sold as
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a slave, and three times condemned to death. He was beset by robbers,
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and sometimes nearly perished from thirst. Once he was stripped of all that
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he possessed and left to travel hundreds of miles on foot through the mountains,
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the snow beating in his face and his naked feet benumbed by contact with the
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frozen ground. When warned against going unarmed among savage and hostile traps vibes,
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he declared himself provided with arms, prayer, zeal for Christ, and confidence
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in his help. I am also, he said, provided with the love
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of God and my neighbor in my heart, and the Bible is in my
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hand. The Bible in Hebrew and English he carried with him wherever he went,
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of one of his later journeys, he says, I kept the Bible
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open in my hand. I felt my power was in the book and that
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its might would sustain me. Thus he persevered in his labors until the message
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of the Judgment had been carried to a large part of the habitable globe,
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among Jews, Turks, Parsis, Hindus, and many other nationalities and races.
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He distributed the word of God in these various tongues, and everywhere heralded
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the approaching reign of the Messiah. In his travels in Bakara, he found
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the doctrine of the Lord's soon coming held by a remote and isolated people.
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The Arabs of Yemen, he says, are in possession of a book called
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Sirah, which gives notice of the second coming of Christ and his reign and
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glory, and they expect great death events to take place in the year eighteen
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forty. In Yemen, I spent six days with the children of Recab.
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They drink no wine, plant no vineyard, sow no seed, and live
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in tents and remember good old Jonadab, the son of Recap. And I
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found in their company children of Israel, of the tribe of Dan who expect
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with the children of Recab the speedy arrival of the Messiah in the clouds of
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heaven. A similar belief was found by another missionary to exist in Tartary.
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A Tartar priest put the question to the missionary as to when Christ would come
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the second time. When the missionary answered that he knew nothing about it,
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the priest seemed greatly surprised at such ignorance in one who professed to be a
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Bible teacher, and stated his own belief founded on prophecy, that Christ would
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come about eighteen forty four. As early as eighteen twenty six, the Advent
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message began to be preached in England. The movement here did not take so
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definite a form as in America. The exact time of the Advent was not
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so generally taught, but the great truth of Christ's soon coming in power and
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glory was extensively proclaimed, and this not among the dissenters and nonconformists. Only.
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Morunt Brock, an English writer, states that about seven hundred ministers of
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the Church of England were engaged in preaching this Gospel of the Kingdom. The
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message, pointing to eighteen forty four as the time of the Lord's coming was
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also given in Great Britain. Advent publications from the United States were widely circulated.
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Books and journals were republished in England, and in eighteen forty two,
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Robert Winter, an Englishman by birth who had received the Advent faith in America,
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returned to his native country to herald the coming of the Lord. Many
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united with him in the work, and the message of the judgment was proclaimed
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in various parts of England. In South America, in the midst of barbarism
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and priestcraft, La Cunsa, a Spaniard and a Jesuit, found his way
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to the scriptures and thus received the truth of Christ's speedy return. Impelled to
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give the warning, yet desiring to escape the censures of Rome, he published
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his views under the assumed name of Rabbi Ben Israel, representing himself as a
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converted Jew. Lacunza lived in the eighteenth century, but it was about eighteen
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twenty five that his book, having found its way to London, was translated
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into the English language. Its publication served to deepen the interest already awakening in
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England in the subject of the Second Advent. In Germany, the doctrine had
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been taught in the eighteenth century by Bengal, a minister in the Lutheran Church
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and a celebrated biblical scholar and critic. Upon completing his education, Bengal had
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devoted himself to the study of theology, to which the grave and religious tone
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of his mind, deepened and strengthened by his early training and discipline, naturally
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inclined him like other young men of thoughtful character. Before and since, he
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had to struggle with doubts and difficulties of a religious nature, and he alludes
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with much feeling to the many arrows which pierced his poor heart and made his
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youth hard to bear. Becoming a member of the Consistory of Rittenburg, he
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advocated the cause of religious liberty. While maintaining the rights and privileges of the
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church. He was an advocate for all reasonable freedom being accorded to those who
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felt themselves bound on grounds of conscience to withdraw from her communion. The good
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effects of this policy are still felt in his native province. It was while
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preparing a sermon from Revelation twenty one for Advent Sunday, that the light of
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Christ's second coming broke in upon Bengal's mind, the prophecies of the Revelation unfolded
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to his understanding as never before. Overwhelmed with a sense of the stupendous importance
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and surpassing glory of the scenes presented by the prophet, he was forced to
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turn for a time from the contemplation of the subject in the pulpit. It
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again presented itself to him with all its vividness and power. From that time
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he devoted himself to the study of the prophecies, especially those of the Apocalypse,
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and soon arrived at the belief that they pointed to the coming of Christ
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as near the date, which he fixed upon as the time of the Second
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Advent was within a very few years of that afterward held by Miller, Bengal's
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writings have been spread throughout Christendom. His views of prophecy were quite generally received
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in his own state of Wurtemburg, and to some extent in other parts of
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Germany. The movement continued after his death, and the Advent message was heard
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in Germany at the same time that it was attracting attention in other lands.
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At an early date, some of the believers went to Russia and there formed
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colonies, and the faith of Christ's soon coming is still held by the German
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churches of that country. The light shone also in France and Switzerland. At
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Geneva, where Ferrell and Calvin had spread the truths of the Reformation, Gaussan
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preached the message of the Second Advent. Student at school, Gaussin had encountered
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that spirit of rationalism which pervaded all Europe during the latter part of the eighteenth
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and the opening of the nineteenth century, and when he entered the ministry he
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was not only ignorant of true faith, but inclined to skepticism. In his
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youth, he had become interested in the study of prophecy. After reading Rollin's
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Ancient History. His attention was called to the second chapter of Daniel, and
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he was struck with the wonderful exactness with which the prophecy had been fulfilled as
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seen in the historian's record. Here was a testimony to the inspiration of the
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scriptures, which served as an anchor to him. Amid the perils of later
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years. He could not rest satisfied with the teachings of rationalism, and in
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studying the Bible and searching for clearer light, he was, after a time
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led to a positive faith. As he pursued his investigation of the prophecies,
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he arrived at the belief that the coming of the Lord was at hand.
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Impressed with the solemnity and importance of this great truth, he desired to bring
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it before the people. But the popular belief that the prophecies of Daniel are
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mysteries and cannot be understood was a serious obstacle in his way. He finally
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determined, as Farrell had done before him in evangelizing Geneva, to begin with
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the children, through whom he hoped to interest the parents. I desire this
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to be understood, he afterwards said, speaking of his object in this undertaking.
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It is not because of its small importance, but on the contrary,
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because of its great value, that I wished to present it in this familiar
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form, and that I addressed it to the children. I desired to be
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heard, and I feared that I would not be if I addressed myself to
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the grown people first. I determined therefore to go to the youngest. I
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gather an audience of children. If the group enlarges, if it is seen
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that they listen, are pleased, interested that they understand and explain the subject.
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I am sure to have a second circle soon, and in their turn
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grown people will see that it is well worth their while to sit down and
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study. When this is done, the cause is gained. The effort was
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successful. As he addressed the children, older persons came to listen. The
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galleries of his church were filled with attentive hearers. Among them were men of
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rank and learning, and strangers and foreigners visiting Geneva, and thus the message
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was carried to other parts. Encouraged by this success, Gossamp published his lessons
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with the hope of promoting the study of the prophetic books in the churches of
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the French speaking people. To publish instruction given to the children, says Gossan,
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is to say to adults who too often neglect such books under the false
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pretense that they are obscure. How can they be obscure? Since your children
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understand them. I had a great desire, he adds, to render a
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knowledge of the prophecies popular in our flocks, if possible. There is no
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study indeed, which it seems to me answers the needs of the time better.
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It is by this that we are to prepare for the tribulation near at
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hand, and watch and wait for Jesus Christ. Though one of the most
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distinguished and beloved of preachers in the French language, Gaussan was after a time
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suspended from the ministry, his principal offense being that, instead of the Church's
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Catechism, a tame and rationalistic manual almost destitute of positive faith, he had
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used the Bible in giving instruction to the youth. He afterward became teacher in
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a theological school. While on Sunday he continued his work as catechist, addressing
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the children and instructing them in the scriptures. His works on prophecy also excited
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much interest from the professor's chair, through the press, and in his favored
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occupation as teacher of children. He continued for many years to exert an extensive
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influence and was instrumental in calling the attention of many to the study of the
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prophecies, which showed that the coming of the Lord was near. In Scandinavia,
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also, the advent messages proclaimed and a widespread interest was kindled. Many
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were roused from their careless security to confess and forsake their sins and seek pardon
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in the name of Christ. But the clergy of the state church opposed the
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movement, and through their influence, some who preached the message were thrown into
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prison in many places where the preachers of the Lord's soon coming were thus silenced,
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God was pleased to send the message in a miraculous manner through little children.
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As they were under age, the law of the state could not restrain
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them, and they were permitted to speak unmolested. The movement was chiefly among
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the lower class, and it was in the humble dwellings of the laborers that
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the people assembled to hear the warning. The child preachers themselves were mostly poor
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cottagers. Some of them were not more than six or eight years of age,
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and while their lives testified that they loved the Savior and were trying to
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live in obedience to God's holy requirements, they ordinarily manifested only the intelligence and
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ability usually seen in children of that age. When standing before the people,
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however, it was evident that they were moved by an influence beyond their own
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natural gifts. Tone and manner changed, and with solemn power they gave the
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warning of the judgment, employing the very words of scripture, fear God and
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give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come. They
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reproved the sins of the people, not only condemning immorality and vice, but
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rebuking worldliness and backsliding, and warning their hearers to make haste to flee from
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the wrath to come. The people heard, with trembling, the convicting spirit
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of God spoke to their hearts. Many were led to search the scriptures with
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new and deeper interest. The intemperate and immoral were reformed, others abandoned their
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dishonest practices, and a work was done so marked that even ministers of the
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State Church were forced to acknowledge that the hand of God was in the movement.
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It was God's will that the tidings of the Saviour's coming should be given
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in the Scandinavian countries, and when the war vices of his servants were silenced,
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he put his spirit upon the children that the work might be accomplished.
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When Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, attended by the rejoicing multitudes that, with
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shouts of triumph and the waving of palm branches, heralded him as the son
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of David, the jealous pharisees called upon him to silence them. But Jesus
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answered that all this was in fulfillment of prophecy, and if these should hold
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their peace, the very stones would cry out. The people, intimidated by
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the threats of the priests and rulers, ceased their joyful proclamation as they entered
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the gates of Jerusalem. But the children in the temple courts afterward took up
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the refrain, and waving their branches of palm, they cried Hosanna to the
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son of David. When the pharisees, sorely displeased, said unto him,
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hearest thou what these say? Jesus answered, yea, have ye never read
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out of the mouth of babes and sucklings? Thou hast perfected praise. As
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God wrought their children at the time of Christ's first Advent, so he brought
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through them in giving the message of his second Advent. God's word must be
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fulfilled, that the proclamation of the Saviour's coming should be given to all people's
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tongues and nations. To William Miller and his co laborers, it was given
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to preach the warning in America. This country became the center of the Great
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Advent movement. It was here that the prophecy of the First Angel's message had
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its most direct fulfillment. The writings of Miller and his associates were carried to
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distant lands wherever missionaries had penetrated in all the world were sent the glad tidings
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of Christ's speedy return far and wide spread the message of the everlasting Gospel.
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Fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of his judgment his come.
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The testimony of the prophecies, which seemed to point to the coming of
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Christ in the spring of eighteen forty four, took deep hold of the minds
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of the people. As the message went from state to state, there was
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everywhere awakened widespread interest. Many were convinced that the arguments from the prophetic periods
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were correct, and, sacrificing their pride of opinion, they joyfully received the
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truth. Some ministers laid aside their sectarian views and feelings, left their salaries
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in their churches, and united in proclaiming the coming of Jesus. There were
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comparatively few ministers, however, who would accept this message. Therefore, it
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was largely committed to humble laymen. Farmers left their fields mechanics, their tools,
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traitors their merchandise, professional men their positions, And yet the number of
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workers was small in comparison with the work to be accomplished. The condition of
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an ungodly church and a world lying in wickedness burdened the souls of the true
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watchmen, and they willingly endured toil, privation, and suffering that they might
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call men to repentance unto salvation. Though opposed by Satan, the work went
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steadily forward, and the advent truth was accepted by many thousands. Everywhere,
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the searching testimony was heard, warning sinners, both worldlings and church members to
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flee from the wrath to come like John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ.
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The preachers laid the axe at the root of the tree and urged all
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to bring forth fruit meet for repentance. Their stirring appeals were in marked contrast
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to the assurances of peace and safety that were heard from popular pulpits, and
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wherever the message was given, it moved the people. The simple, direct
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testimony of the scriptures set home by the power of the Holy Spirit, brought
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a weight of conviction which few were able wholly to resist. Professors of religion
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were roused from their false security. They saw their backslidings, their worldliness and
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unbelief, their pride and selfishness. Many sought the Lord with repentance and humiliation.
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The affections that had so long clung to earthly things they now fixed upon
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heaven. The spirit of God rested upon them, and with hearts softened and
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subdued, they joined to sound the cry God and give glory to Him,
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for the hour of his judgment is come. Sinners inquired with weeping, what
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must I do to be saved? Those whose lives had been marked with dishonesty
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were anxious to make restitution. All who found peace in Christ longed to see
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others share the blessing. The hearts of parents were turned to their children,
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and the hearts of children to their parents. The barriers of pride and reserve
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were swept away. Heartfelt confessions were made, and the members of the household
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labored for the salvation of those who were nearest and dearest. Often was heard
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the sound of earnest intercession. Everywhere were souls in deep anguish pleading with God.
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Many wrestled all night in prayer for the assurance of their own sins were
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pardoned, or for the conversion of their relatives or neighbors. All classes flocked
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to the Adventist meetings, rich and poor, high and low, were for
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various causes, anxious to hear for themselves the doctrine of the Second Advent.
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The Lord held the spirit of opposition in check, while his servants explained the
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reasons of their faith. Sometimes the instrument was feeble, but the spirit of
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God gave power to his truth. The presence of holy angels was felt in
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these assemblies, and many were daily added to the believers. As the evidences
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of Christ's soon coming were repeated, vast crowds listened in breathless silence to the
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solemn words. Heaven and Earth seemed to approach each other. The power of
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God was felt upon old and young and middle aged men sought their homes with
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praises upon their lips, and the glad sound rang out upon the still night
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air. None who attended those meetings can ever forget those scenes of deepest interest.
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The proclamation of a definite time for Christ's coming called forth great opposition from
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many of all classes, from the minister in the pulpit down to the most
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reckless heaven daring sinner. The words of prophecy were fulfilled. There shall come
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in the last day, scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying,
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where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep,
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all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. Many
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who professed to love the Savior declared that they had no opposition to the doctrine
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of the Second Advent. They merely objected to the definite time. But God's
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all seeing eye read their hearts. They did not wish to hear of Christ's
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coming to judge the world in righteousness. They had been unfaithful servants. Their
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works would not bear the inspection of the heart searching God, and they feared
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to meet their Lord. Like the Jews at the time of Christ's first Advent,
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they were not prepared to welcome Jesus. They not only refused to listen
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to the plain arguments from the Bible, but ridiculed those who were looking for
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the Lord. Satan and his angels exalted and flung the taunt in the face
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of Christ and holy Angels that his professed people had so little love for him
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that they did not desire his appearing no man knoweth the day nor the hour,
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was the argument most often brought forward by rejectors of the advent faith.
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The scripture is of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not
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the angels of heaven, but my Father only. A clear and harmonious explanation
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of this text was given by those who were looking for the Lord, and
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the wrong use made of it by their opponents is clearly shown. The words
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were spoken by Christ in that memorable conversation with his disciples upon all of it,
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after he had for the last time departed from the temple. The disciples
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had asked the question, what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of
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the end of the world. Jesus gave them signs and said, when ye
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shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the
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doors. One saying of the Savior must not be made to destroy another.
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Though no man knoweth the day nor the hour of his coming, we are
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instructed and required to know when it is near. We are further taught that
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to dis regard his warning and refuse or neglect to know when his advent is
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near, will be as fatal for us as it was for those who lived
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in the days of Noah not to know when the flood was coming, and
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the parable in the same chapter, contrasting the faithful and the unfaithful servant,
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and giving the doom of him who said, in his heart, my Lord
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delayeth his coming. Shows in what light Christ will regard and reward those whom
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he finds watching and teaching his coming, and those denying it. Watch.
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Therefore, he says, blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he
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cometh, shall find so doing. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I
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will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour
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I will come upon thee. Paul speaks of a class to whom the Lord's
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appearing will come unawares. The day of the Lord, so cometh as a
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thief in the night. For when they shall say peace and safety, then
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sudden destruction cometh upon them, and they shall not escape. But he adds
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to those who have given heat to the Saviour's warning, ye brethren, are
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not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are
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all the children of light and the children of the day. We are not
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of the night nor of darkness. Thus it was shown that Scripture gives no
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warrant for men to remain in ignorance concerning the nearness of Christ's coming. But
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those who desired only an excuse to reject the truth closed their ears to this
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explanation, and the words no man knoweth the day nor the hour continued to
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be echoed by the bold scoffer and even by the professed Minister of Christ.
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As the people were roused and began to inquire the way of salvation, religious
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teachers stepped in between them and the truth, seeking to quiet their fears by
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falsely interpreting the word of God. Unfaithful watchmen united in the work of the
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great deceiver, crying peace, peace when God had not spoken peace. Like
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the Pharisees in Christ's day, many refused to enter the Kingdom of Heaven themselves,
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and those who were entering in they hindered. The blood of these souls
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will be required at their hand. The most humble and devoted in the churches
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were usually the first to receive the message. Those who studied the Bible for
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themselves could not but see the unscriptural character of the popular views of prophecy,
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and wherever the people were not controlled by the influence of the clergy wherever they
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would search the word of God for themselves. The Advent doctrine needed only to
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be compared with the scriptures to establish its divine authority. Many were persecuted by
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their unbelieving brethren. In order to retain their position in the church. Some
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consented to be silent in regard to their hope, but others felt that loyalty
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to God forbade them thus to hide the truths which He had committed to their
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trust. Not a few were cut off from the fellowship of the church for
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no other reason than expressing their belief in the coming of Christ. Very precious
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to those who bore this trial of their faith were the words of the prophet.
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Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake,
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said, let the Lord be glorified, but he shall appear to your
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joy, and they shall be ashamed. Angels of God were watching with the
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deepest interest the result of the warning. When there was a general rejection of
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the message by the churches, angels turned away in sadness. But there were
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many who had not yet been tested in regard to the Advent truth. Many
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were misled by husbands, wives, parents, or children, and were made
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to believe it a sin even to listen to such heresies as were taught by
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the Adventists. Angels forbidden to keep faithful watch over these souls, for another
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light was yet to shine upon them from the throne of God. With unspeakable
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desire, those who had received the message watched for the coming of their Savior.
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The time when they expected to meet him was at hand. They approached
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this hour with a calm solemnity. They rested in sweet communion with God,
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an earnest of the peace that was to be theirs in the bright hereafter.
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None who experienced this hope and trust can forget those precious hours of waiting.
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For some weeks preceding the time, worldly business was for the most part laid
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aside. The sincere believers carefully examined every thought and emotion of their hearts,
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as if upon their death beds, and in a few hours to close their
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eyes upon earthly scenes. There was no making of ascension robes, but all
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felt the need of internal evidence that they were prepared to meet the Savior.
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Their white robes or purity of soul characters cleansed from sin by the atoning blood
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of Christ. Would that there was still with the professed people of God,
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the same spirit of heart, searching the same earnest, determined faith. Had
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they continued thus to humble themselves before the Lord and press their petitions at the
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mercy seat, they would be in possession of a far richer experience than they
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now have. There is too little prayer, too little real conviction of sin,
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and the lack of living faith leaves many destitute of the grace so richly
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provided by our redeemer God designed to prove his people. His hand covered a
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mistake in the reckoning of the prophetic periods. Adventists did not discover the error,
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nor was it discovered by the most learned of their opponents. The latter
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said, your reckoning of the prophetic periods is correct. Some great event is
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about to take place, but it is not what mister Miller predicts. It
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is the conversion of the world and not the Second Advent of Christ. The
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time of expectation passed, and Christ did not appear for the deliverance of his
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people. Those who, with sincere faith and love had looked for their savior
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experienced a bitter disappointment. Yet the purposes of God were being accomplished. He
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was testing the hearts of those who professed to be waiting for his appearing.
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There were among them many who had been actuated by no higher motive than fear.
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Their profession of faith had not affected their hearts or their lives. When
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the expected event failed to take place, these persons declared that they were not
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disappointed. They had never believed that Christ would come. They were among the
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first to ridicule the sorrow of the true believers. But Jesus and all the
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heavenly host looked with love and sympathy upon the tried and faithful, yet disappointed
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ones. Could the veils separating the visible from the invisible world have been swept
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back, angels would have been seen drawing near to these steadfast souls and shielding
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them from the shafts of Satan. End of Chapter twenty