The Globe-republican., 1894-02-23
Are we Near the Time OF the Second
Coming Of Christ?

coming OF christ!
Immediately after the tribulation of
those days the sun shall be darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light, and
the stars shall fall from Heaven, and the
powers Of the Heavens shall be shaken.
Matt. A:29.
In my second paper, we have seen by
looking back at history, that the frs, two
signs Of this prophecy have been fulfill
ed. and many also believe that the third,
too, has came TO pass.
THERE'S great reason to believe that
this is true, though am afraid that many
ministers and even doctors of divinity
deny it. They tell you '.Oh that is all
nonsense, nobody knows anything about
when the world will end" These
things are but to be and have not been.''
They say the stars fall from Heaven all
the time and that there never was any
falling Of stars that was not foretold by
astronomers.
Well, suppose we grant that to be a
fact. is it then impossible for God to use
the courses of natural phenomenon for
signs between Himself and His chosen
ones? Did He not do so in the plague
of frogs upon Pharoah in Egypt? And
of flies and lice? And the bOils and
blains upon the people, and murrain Of
their cattle, were they supernatural in
and of themselves? And we may ask the
same in regard to the hail storm. All
these were but natural phen omenon used
in miraculous manner. 1t was not
that these things occurred, but that they
were so far reaching and fearful in their
effects, was Gods power shown forth;
and in the fact that they came and went
by the power of Ged, at the command of
Moses.
Nor was it strange that locusts should
be brought upon the land by an east
wind, for 1t is known that they are often
found far from land upon different oceans
where high winds have carried them.
But was it not an evidence of Gods
power and His presence with Moses, that
the locusts were brought upon the land
with an east wind after Moses stretce-
ed forth bis rod for them, and were carried
away by a west wind Immediately after
he stretched forth his rod to rid the land
of them?
And was death not to be looked for
by the first born of the land of Egypt, rs
well as by the rest of the inhabitants?
Yes, they indeed looked for death in the
regular course of nature. So we see it
was not in the supernatuIalness Of death,
but in the supernaturalness of his COM
ing upon the first born of all flesh in
Egypt in one night.
And when Moses stretched forth his
rod over the Red Sea an east wind back
ed up the waters aud left dry land for
the children of Israel to pass over upon.
Then said the hosts of Pharoah, "Why
shall we stand here and let our slaves
escape? ''There is nothing supernatural
in this backing up Of the waters by
strong wind. "Let us be up and follow
for the wind will not cease until we can
get over"
But even as they went out to the midst
of the sea ''the Lord took off their char
iot-wheels.'' Then it began to dawn up
on the hearts of these doubters that there
was indeed God of power against them
who had opened this way for His people
to escape.
But 1t was too late, then, for as they
thought to turn back God commanded
Moses to stretch forth his rod over the
way behind his people, and the waters
closed in upon the Egyptians and they
were destroyed.
Take care, then, when you cry out
against natural causes being used for
signs to Gods people, denying that they
are signs because they are natural.
Take care that He does not take off your
chariot wheel and leave you to be swal-
lowed up by the waters of the sea of uu-
belief into which you wilfully entered
dry shod.
God did indeed use the falling stars
which many astromers are said to have
predicted,
But He foretold distinctive mark by
which it might be known as the sign Of
His coming. This mark we find spoken
Of in the sixth chapter of Revelations
thirteenth verse: 'And the stars fell
from Heaven even as a fgtree casteth
her untimely fruit when shaken by .
mighty wind.''
In the night after the thirteenth Of
November, 1888. 1.-THE stars fell from
Heaven as q figtree casteth her untimely
fruit.''
Professor Olmstead of Yale College
said of this shower of stars ''The extent
Of this shower of stars of 1888 was such
as to cover no inconsidersble part of
the earth's surface, from the middle Of
the Atlantic OF the east to the Pacific on
the west. and from the northern coast of