〉 Chapter 20—Love for Christ’s Coming
Chapter 20—Love for Christ’s Coming
A great religious awakening is foretold in the first angel’s message of Revelation 14. An angel is seen flying “in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” “With a loud voice” he proclaims: “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelation 14:6, 7. (HF 221.1)
An angel represents the exalted character of the work to be accomplished by the message and the power and glory that were to attend it. The angel’s flight “in the midst of heaven,” the “loud voice,” and its promulgation “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” give evidence of the rapid, worldwide extent of the movement. As to the time when it is to take place, it announces the opening of the judgment. (HF 221.2)
This message is a part of the gospel which could be proclaimed only in the last days, for only then would it be true that the hour of judgment had come. That part of his prophecy which related to the last days, Daniel was bidden to close up and seal “to the time of the end.” Daniel 12:4. Not till this time could a message concerning the judgment be proclaimed, based on a fulfillment of these prophecies. (HF 221.3)
Paul warned the church not to look for the coming of Christ in his day. Not till after the great apostasy and the long reign of the “man of sin” can we look for the advent of our Lord. See 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The “man of sin”—also “the mystery of iniquity,” “the son of perdition,” and “that wicked,”—represents the papacy, which was to maintain its supremacy for 1260 years. This period ended in 1798. The coming of Christ could not take place before that time. Paul covers with his caution the whole of the Christian dispensation down to the year 1798. This side of that time the message of Christ’s second coming is to be proclaimed. (HF 221.4)
No such message has ever been given in past ages. Paul, as we have seen, did not preach it; he pointed into the then far-distant future for the coming of the Lord. The Reformers did not proclaim it. Martin Luther placed the judgment about 300 years into the future from his day. But since 1798 the book of Daniel has been unsealed, and many have proclaimed the message of the judgment near. (HF 222.1)
Like the Reformation of the sixteenth century, the Advent Movement appeared in different countries at the same time. Men of faith were led to study the prophecies and saw convincing evidence that the end was at hand. Isolated bodies of Christians, solely by the study of the Scriptures, arrived at the belief that the Saviour’s advent was near. (HF 222.2)
Three years after Miller had arrived at his exposition of the prophecies, Dr. Joseph Wolff, “the missionary to the world,” began to proclaim the Lord’s soon coming. Born in Germany of Hebrew parentage, he was, while very young, convinced of the truth of the Christian religion. He had been an eager listener to conversations in his father’s house as devout Hebrews assembled to recount the hopes of their people, the glory of the coming Messiah, and the restoration of Israel. One day, hearing Jesus of Nazareth mentioned, the boy inquired who He was. “A Jew of the greatest talent,” was the answer; “but as He pretended to be the Messiah, the Jewish tribunal sentenced Him to death.” (HF 222.3)
“Why,” rejoined the questioner, “is Jerusalem destroyed, and why are we in captivity?” (HF 223.1)
“Alas, alas!” answered his father, “because the Jews murdered the prophets.” The thought was at once suggested to the child: “Perhaps Jesus was also a prophet, and the Jews killed Him when He was innocent.” Though forbidden to enter a Christian church, he would often linger outside to listen to the preaching. When only seven years old, he was boasting to a Christian neighbor of the future triumph of Israel at the advent of the Messiah. The old man said kindly: “Dear boy, I will tell you who the real Messiah was: He was Jesus of Nazareth, ... whom your ancestors have crucified.... Go home and read the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, and you will be convinced that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (HF 223.2)
He went home and read the scripture. How perfectly it had been fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. Were the words of the Christian true? The boy asked of his father an explanation of the prophecy but was met with silence so stern that he never again dared to refer to the subject. (HF 223.3)
When only eleven years old, he went out into the world to gain an education, to choose his religion and his lifework. Alone and penniless, he had to make his own way. He studied diligently, maintaining himself by teaching Hebrew. He was led to accept the Romish faith and went to pursue his studies in the College of the Propaganda at Rome. Here he openly attacked the abuses of the church and urged reform. After a time, he was removed. It became evident that he could never be brought to submit to the bondage of Romanism. He was declared incorrigible and left to go where he pleased. He made his way to England and united with the English Church. After two years’ study he set out in 1821 upon his mission. (HF 223.4)
Wolff saw that the prophecies bring to view Christ’s second advent with power and glory. While he sought to lead his people to Jesus of Nazareth as the Promised One, to point them to His first coming as a sacrifice for sin, he taught them also of His second coming. (HF 223.5)
Wolff believed the coming of the Lord to be at hand. His interpretation of the prophetic periods placed it within a few years of the time pointed out by Miller. “Did our Lord ... not give us signs of the times, in order that we may know at least the approach of His coming, as one knows the approach of the summer by the fig tree putting forth its leaves? Enough ... shall be known by the signs of the times, to induce us to prepare for His coming, as Noah prepared the ark.” (HF 224.1)
Concerning the popular system of interpreting the Scriptures, Wolff wrote: “The greater part of the Christian church have swerved from the plain sense of Scripture, and ... suppose that when they are reading Jews, they must understand Gentiles; and when they read Jerusalem, they must understand the church; and if it is said earth, it means sky; and for the coming of the Lord they must understand the progress of the missionary societies; and going up to the mountain of the Lord’s house, signifies a grand class meeting of Methodists.” (HF 224.2)
From 1821 to 1845, Wolff traveled in Egypt, Abyssinia, Palestine, Syria, Persia, Bokhara, India, and the United States. (HF 224.3)
Dr. Wolff traveled in the most barbarous countries without protection, enduring hardships and surrounded with countless perils. He was starved, sold as a slave, three times condemned to death, beset by robbers, and sometimes nearly perished from thirst. Once he was stripped and left to travel hundreds of miles on foot through mountains, snow beating in his face and his naked feet benumbed by the frozen ground. (HF 224.4)
When warned against going unarmed among savage, hostile tribes, he declared himself “provided with arms”“prayer, zeal for Christ, and confidence in His help.” “I am also provided with the love of God and my neighbor in my heart, and the Bible is in my hand.” “I felt my power was in the Book, and that its might would sustain me.” (HF 224.5)
He persevered until the message had been carried to a large part of the habitable globe. Among Jews, Turks, Parsees, Hindus, and other nationalities and races he distributed the Word of God in various tongues, and everywhere heralded the approach of the Messiah. (HF 225.1)
In Bokhara he found the doctrine of the Lord’s soon coming held by an isolated people. The Arabs of Yemen, he says, “are in possession of a book called Seera, which gives notice of the second coming of Christ and His reign in glory; and they expect great events to take place in the year 1840.” “I found children of Israel, of the tribe of Dan, ... who expect, with the children of Rechab, the speedy arrival of the Messiah in the clouds of heaven.” (HF 225.2)
A similar belief was found by another missionary in Tatary. A Tatar priest put the question as to when Christ would come the second time. When the missionary answered that he knew nothing about it, the priest seemed surprised at such ignorance in a Bible teacher, and stated his own belief, founded on prophecy, that Christ would come about 1844. (HF 225.3)
As early as 1826 the advent message began to be preached in England. The exact time of the advent was not generally taught, but the truth of Christ’s soon coming in power and glory was extensively proclaimed. An English writer states that about 700 ministers of the Church of England were engaged in preaching “this gospel of the kingdom.” (HF 225.4)
The message pointing to 1844 as the time of the Lord’s coming was also given in Great Britain. Advent publications from the United States were widely circulated. In 1842 Robert Winter, an Englishman who had received the advent faith in America, returned to his native country to herald the coming of the Lord. Many united with him in the work in various parts of England. (HF 225.5)
In South America, Lacunza, a Spaniard and a Jesuit, received the truth of Christ’s speedy return. Desiring to escape the censure of Rome, he published his version under the assumed name of Rabbi Ben-Ezra, representing himself as a converted Jew. About 1825 his book was translated into English. It served to deepen the interest already awakening in England. (HF 226.1)
In Germany the doctrine had been taught by Bengel, a Lutheran minister and a biblical scholar. While preparing a sermon from Revelation 21, the light of Christ’s second coming broke in upon his mind. The prophecies of the Revelation unfolded to his understanding. Overwhelmed with the importance and glory of the scenes presented by the prophet, he was forced to turn for a time from the subject. In the pulpit it again presented itself to him with vividness. From that time he devoted himself to the study of the prophecies and soon arrived at the belief that the coming of Christ was near. The date which he fixed as the time of the second advent was within a few years of that afterward held by Miller. (HF 226.2)
Bengel’s writings spread in his own state of Würtemberg and to other parts of Germany. The advent message was heard in Germany at the same time that it was attracting attention in other lands. (HF 226.3)
At Geneva, Gaussen preached the second advent. When he entered the ministry he was inclined to skepticism. In his youth he had become interested in prophecy. After reading Rollin’s Ancient History, his attention was called to the second chapter of Daniel. He was struck with the exactness with which the prophecy had been fulfilled. Here was testimony to the inspiration of the Scriptures. He could not rest satisfied with rationalism, and, in studying the Bible he was led to a positive faith. (HF 226.4)
He arrived at the belief that the coming of the Lord was at hand. Impressed with the importance of this truth, he desired to bring it before the people. But the popular belief that the prophecies of Daniel cannot be understood was a serious obstacle. He finally determined—as Farel had done before him in evangelizing Geneva—to begin with the children, through whom he hoped to interest the parents. He said, “I gather an audience of children; if the group enlarges, if it is seen that they listen, are pleased, interested, that they understand and explain the subject, I am sure to have a second circle soon, and in their turn, grown people will see that it is worth their while to sit down and study. When this is done, the cause is gained.” (HF 227.1)
As he addressed the children, older persons came to listen. The galleries of his church were filled with hearers, men of rank and learning, and strangers and foreigners visiting Geneva. Thus the message was carried to other parts. (HF 227.2)
Encouraged, Gaussen published his lessons with the hope of promoting the study of the prophetic books. He afterward became a teacher in a theological school, while on Sunday he continued his work as catechist, addressing the children and instructing them in the Scriptures. From the professor’s chair, through the press, and as a teacher of children, he for many years was instrumental in calling the attention of many to the prophecies which showed that the coming of the Lord was near. (HF 227.3)
In Scandinavia also the advent message was proclaimed. Many were roused to confess and forsake their sins and seek pardon in the name of Christ. But the clergy of the state church opposed the movement, and some who preached the message were thrown into prison. (HF 227.4)
In many places where the preachers of the Lord’s soon coming were thus silenced, God was pleased to send the message through little children. As they were under age, the state could not restrain them, and they were permitted to speak unmolested. (HF 228.1)
In the humble dwellings of laborers the people assembled to hear the warning. Some of the child preachers were not more than six or eight years of age; and while their lives testified that they loved the Saviour, they ordinarily manifested only the intelligence and ability usually seen in children of that age. When standing before the people, however, they were moved by an influence beyond their natural gifts. Tone and manner changed, and with solemn power they gave the warning of the judgment, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.” (HF 228.2)
The people heard with trembling. The Spirit of God spoke to hearts. Many were led to search the Scriptures, the intemperate and immoral were reformed, and a work was done so marked that even ministers of the state church were forced to acknowledge that the hand of God was in the movement. (HF 228.3)
It was God’s will that tidings of the Saviour’s coming should be given in Scandinavia, and He put His Spirit upon the children that the work might be accomplished. When Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, the people, intimidated by the priests and rulers, ceased their joyful proclamation as they entered the gates of Jerusalem. But the children in the temple courts took up the refrain, and cried, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Matthew 21:8-16. As God wrought through children at the time of Christ’s first advent, so He wrought through them in giving the message of His second advent. (HF 228.4)
America became the center of the great advent movement. The writings of Miller and his associates were carried to distant lands, wherever missionaries had penetrated in all the world. Far and wide spread the message of the everlasting gospel: “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.” (HF 228.5)
The prophecies which seemed to point to the coming of Christ in the spring of 1844 took deep hold of the minds of the people. Many were convinced that the arguments from the prophetic periods were correct, and sacrificing pride of opinion, they joyfully received the truth. Some ministers left their salaries and churches and united in proclaiming the coming of Jesus. Comparatively few ministers, however, would accept this message; therefore it was largely committed to humble laymen. Farmers left their fields; mechanics, their tools; traders, their merchandise; professional men, their positions. They willingly endured toil, privation, and suffering, that they might call men to repentance unto salvation. The advent truth was accepted by thousands. (HF 229.1)
Like John the Baptist the preachers laid the axe at the root of the tree and urged all to bring forth “fruits meet for repentance.” In marked contrast to assurances of peace and safety heard from popular pulpits, the simple testimony of Scripture brought conviction which few were able wholly to resist. Many sought the Lord with repentance. The affections that had so long clung to earthly things they now fixed on heaven. With hearts softened and subdued they joined to sound the cry: “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.” (HF 229.2)
Sinners inquired with weeping: “What must I do to be saved?” Those who had been dishonest were anxious to make restitution. All who found peace in Christ longed to see others share the blessing. The hearts of parents were turned to their children, and the hearts of children to their parents. Malachi 4:5, 6. Barriers of pride and reserve were swept away. Heartfelt confessions were made. Everywhere were souls pleading with God. Many wrestled all night in prayer for the assurance that their sins were pardoned, or for the conversion of relatives or neighbors. (HF 229.3)
All classes, rich and poor, high and low, were anxious to hear the doctrine of the second advent. The Spirit of God gave power to His truth. The presence of holy angels was felt in these assemblies, and many were daily added to the believers. Vast crowds listened in silence to the solemn words. Heaven and earth seemed to approach each other. Men sought their homes with praises on their lips, and the glad sound rang out upon the still night air. None who attended those meetings could ever forget those scenes of deepest interest. (HF 230.1)
The proclamation of a definite time for Christ’s coming called forth great opposition from many of all classes, from the minister in the pulpit to the most Heaven-daring sinner. Many declared that they had no opposition to the doctrine of the second advent; they merely objected to the definite time. But God’s all-seeing eye read their hearts. They did not wish to hear of Christ’s coming to judge the world in righteousness. Their works would not bear the inspection of the heart-searching God, and they feared to meet their Lord. Like the Jews at the time of Christ’s first advent they were not prepared to welcome Jesus. They not only refused to listen to the plain arguments from the Bible but ridiculed those who were looking for the Lord. Satan flung the taunt in the face of Christ that His professed people had so little love for Him that they did not desire His appearing. (HF 230.2)
“No man knoweth the day nor the hour” was the argument most often brought forward by rejecters of the advent faith. The scripture is: “Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” Matthew 24:36. A clear explanation of this text was given by those who were looking for the Lord, and the wrong use of it by their opponents was clearly shown. (HF 230.3)
One saying of the Saviour must not be made to destroy another. Though no man knoweth the day nor the hour of His coming, we are required to know when it is near. To refuse or neglect to know when His advent is near will be as fatal for us as it was for those in the days of Noah not to know when the Flood was coming. Christ says, “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” Revelation 3:3. (HF 231.1)
Paul speaks of those who have heeded the Saviour’s warning: “Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day.” 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5. (HF 231.2)
But those who desired an excuse to reject truth closed their ears to this explanation, and the words “No man knoweth the day nor the hour” continued to be echoed by the scoffer and even the professed minister of Christ. As the people began to inquire the way of salvation, religious teachers stepped in between them and the truth by falsely interpreting the Word of God. (HF 231.3)
The most devoted in the churches were usually the first to receive the message. Wherever the people were not controlled by the clergy, wherever they would search the Word of God for themselves, the advent doctrine needed only to be compared with Scripture to establish its divine authority. (HF 231.4)
Many were misled by husbands, wives, parents, or children and were made to believe it a sin even to listen to such “heresies” as were taught by the Adventists. Angels were bidden to keep faithful watch over these souls, for another light was yet to shine upon them from the throne of God. (HF 231.5)
Those who had received the message watched for the coming of their Saviour. The time when they expected to meet Him was at hand. They approached this hour with a calm solemnity. None who experienced this can forget those precious hours of waiting. For some weeks preceding the time, worldly business was for the most part laid aside. Sincere believers carefully examined their hearts as if in a few hours to close their eyes upon earthly scenes. There was no making of “ascension robes” (See Appendix), but all felt the need of internal evidence that they were prepared to meet the Saviour. Their white robes were purity of soul—characters cleansed by the atoning blood of Christ. Would that there were still with the people of God the same heart searching, the same earnest faith. (HF 231.6)
God designed to prove His people. His hand covered a mistake in the reckoning of the prophetic periods. The time of expectation [that is, that Christ would come in the spring of 1844] passed, and Christ did not appear. Those who had looked for their Saviour experienced a bitter disappointment. Yet God was testing the hearts of those who professed to be waiting for His appearing. Many had been actuated by fear. These persons declared that they had never believed that Christ would come. They were among the first to ridicule the sorrow of the true believers. (HF 232.1)
But Jesus and all the heavenly host looked with love and sympathy upon the faithful yet disappointed ones. If the veil separating the visible from the invisible world could have been swept back, angels would have been seen drawing near to these steadfast souls and shielding them from the shafts of Satan. (HF 232.2)