Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-03-22
/ tND OF THE WORLD NEAR
,ropLE THINK 1T is CLOSE
AT HAND.
nav Advcntists Give Away
po,.essions and Prepare for
,.,.ut-Prophets of the Grand
an, BADLY Disappointed.

air Possessio"s
..nt-prophets of the Grand
.a.pp BADLY Disappointed.
seventh Day Adventists, who
rssr gained notoriety through
' SG1 10 their churches various
~ ~ value. the whole aggregat-
I'm, $50 900. last week made an
Wv Years Offering at Battle
,ueh.. in the presence of sew
,honsand persons. a close esti-
n Inc value Of the articles pre-
has NOT yet been made, but 1t
r,red 10 be not far from $4,000.
N the elders. before the gift CIV
NAN preached a short sermon. in
10 Expressed his belief that the
4 \, m world was near at hand, and
Talent occurances OF the time indl-
-.nr the articles heaped In the
Ssm when the gifts were called
~ watches and chains. diamond
bracelets, silverware, clocks,
=. and, in fact, everything in
Sgelry line that could be convert
IA cash. Nearly forty bicycles
also given. The whole collection
4, h sold and the proceeds will be
a 10 extending the theories of the
disappointment of those who had
Evidently predicted and believed
Ne end OF the world was liked
n first da5y of January. 1895, Is not
mt experience of the kind that has
10 the lot OF those who have at
asi TO set limit to time and cut
lts flight. From the days of
there have been those who be-
that the world was to be de-
"a. but It was not until after the
ii Christ that this belief In the
lua destruction of the world as
a definite shape. His immediate
I ,i,s firmly believed that the utter
ivttion OF the world would take
IN their time, and through all the
n Years of the Church the second
BIZ Of Christ was confidently looked
because He did not SO appear
lost their faith in Him and re-
q 10 their ancient gods. This
specially the case in apostolic
with the Shurch at Thessalonica,
he Apostle Paul took occasion
he Of his epistles to warn the
"a that the day of the second COM
vas not known and was Of very
fiin date.
Many Disnppointments.
y history Of the church shows
Hgy now and then u wave Of
Int the end of the world was
Il hand has swept over the
b MY 10 be followed by a period
spaaaency because of the disap-
neht experienced. During the
rniury and half this second
h was looked for almost from
b day. Then preachers and pre-
prophets would set fixed
Some of them would assign no
nlar reason for fixing on the
Elected, while others would pre-
y have received a special revela-
Not long after the establishment
paramount authority OF Rome
church matters, such teachings
aeelsred to be heretical. and eX-
measures were resorted 10 in
u with ouch sensational teach
Lake all other heresies. how
\ hourished on opposition and Its
ngs began to see in the Roman
my one OF the beasts seen by
N on the Isle of Patmos.
Ally there arose those who under
Y Interpret prophecy and to tell
vas meant by the visions of
and the other Jewish prophets,
ilBure from their mysterious
slons the exact time when the
would be destroyed. Up to the
Of these latter day prophecy
refers It had not been considered
hef Jewish or Christian students
le prophecies spoken of had any
&c 10 the end of the world, but
nal always been considered as
ag 70 the political or temporal
q me Jews, ms connected with
q urrounding nations.
nlormatlon OF Luther and Calvin
host of these Bible interpret
we world, and in their interpre-
me church OF Rome was the
~. against whom the visions of
sue specially aimed. and Its to-
narrow and destruction was soon
20 be followed by the glorious
me millennium. All such proph-
y mad their following. and dis
,snent has followed dlsappoint-
~ steady succession. yet each
yplet OF evil would find ready
y IN his theory. Every great
1saon IN nature has been sue
revival of the cry that the
Me total destruction of the
~ ~, near at hand. The dark
NV the shower OF meteors in
he sudden appearance of the
comet in 1S43 were looked upon
rsrursors OF the speedy over
all sublunary things.
hiilerite Excitement.
latest and most widely extend
sneht OF this kind was that
rowed the preaching OF Will
Miller was himself an en-
au iully convinced OF the
me Doctrine he taught. He
,.sd up any claim as a prophet.
al his teachings upon the
M sGns he placed upon the
visions of Daniel, especially
iu IN the eleventh chapter.
nv, man OF limited education,
NJ man ordinary ability. snd
lansa. pronounced Delst up TO The
sI sm year Of mia age, when he
r.rhs views az became AN IA
gsn or the Baptist church.
fse.,aa close study of the Script
h. y oil the mysterious proph-
~ assumed to have discovered |
meant by the Seven tines"
.,s'enty weeks" fixed by the \
,hor,, NE period when certain |
rssau happen. BY this chron-
as 1 ,hasn he fixed on a date for !
M, " calculation of the term
lles weeks, and figuring from
lon nus chosen he reached a
rcpit at The destruction OF the
q NJ II occur sometime during the |
NJ 4, ulu not fix the exact date, !
dld nis more enthusiastic fol- /
n ~ he began teaching this
ornn. a,iy as 1881. at first using |
fono,.gt Vermont newspaper |
d I'M, ,.g year he set forth his
q senphlet, which was widely
ID a,al a attracied the attention 1
a ihnlrv Holars throughout the en- /
n q ~, lie did not begin to .
~ 1e,r,ture until 1888, but once
M NAln hia p,shtf