The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1915-12-16
SHADOWS OF COMING EVENTS
Latter-D Day scoffers Contradicted BY
tho Signs OF tho Times

To the Editor
The scoffers at God s word, of whom
Peter speaks in his prophecy, declare
that call things continue as they were
from the beginning of the creation.
2 Peter 5:4. They profess to see no
marked change in the course of events,
no signs of the time heralding the full
fillment Of Bible prophecy. The in
spired writer says Of them that they
are willingly ignorant, 1t is posi-
BILE to be willingly ignorant of even the
most evident truths. With the eyes
shut, it is impossible to see anything.
There can be no excuse for ignorance
Of the fact that all things have not con-
tinued as they were from the begin
ming of the creation. 1t is true that
for thousands of years no marked
change took place with respect to the
knowledge of the arts and sciences;
men lived in the days Of George Wash
|ington very much as they did in the
days Of Abraham. They fought their
battles and hunted with different wea-
pons; but in other respects there was
nothing to indicate marked distinc-
ton between the civilization Of the
eighteenth century A. d. and that of
q thousand or two thousand years
earlier.
Great events had, however, occurred
in the political and physical worlds.
The empire of Rome had passed and
the ten kingdoms foretold in the pro-
phecy of Daniel had taken its place.
A revolt against the doctrine Of the
divine right of kings had begun to make
Roadway in the world. Absolutism in
both state and church had been terribly
shaken and to large extent discredit-
ed among the nations. And near the
close of the eighteenth century great
signs had appeared in the heavens; the
sun had been mysteriously darkened,
and the moon at the same time had been
as if blotted out of the sky, and had
next appeared as ball of blood.
But as we come down to "the last
days. at which time these scoffers
were to appear, great change is to be
noted in the civilization of the world.
No longer do men live as their ancestors
lived thousand years before; no long
er do things continue to move in their
accustomed channels; aud whatever
excuse could have been made before
the assertions of scoffers, there is no
possible excuse for them now. If
George Washington could arise from
his grave and look out over the world
as it is today, and note the events that
have taken place in the world since the
close of the eighteenth century, would
he affirm that all things had continued
and were going on as they had from
the beginning of the creatione Prob
ably he would be impressed above all
things with the rapidity of travel and
communication over all parts of the
world. Speed is certainly the charac.
teristic of this age. Men live their
lives at a rapid pace.
This, however, does not contribute to
the happiness of the race, or to their
health, or to their morality. When we
come to inquire what good purpose is
served by the lightning rapidity with
which things are done at the present
time, we can find no reasonable answer
except that it has come about in the
fulfilment of prophecy, to prepare the
way for the setting up of the kingdom
of Christ.
All the world must be warned of the
coming of the day of God. While that
great day is nigh at hand, and when
the generation is reached which is to
DtuOIu tne return Oh tntlSb III bnt CLOUDS
of Heaven, then some means must be
available for giving the warning to the
world in the time of that generation.
God has prepared the means today, and
he has been and is preparing the world
for the coming of the warning, by the
work of the explorer, of the Bible So
cieties, of the statesmen and of the
inventor.
Let us then, not be among the scot
fers, saying, Where is the promise Of
His coming!' Neither let us be Of
those who say we cannot tell whether
His coming will take place tomorrow
or at the end of ten thousand years.
Let us not shut our eyes to the signs
of the times and the plain fulfllment
of Bible prophecy pointing to that
event. The promise is, ''This gospel Of
the kingdom shall be preached in all
the world for witness unto all ma
tions; and then shall the end come. -
Matt. 24:l4.
Very sincerely yours,
r. w. CROSKREY,
Elder of the Seventh day Adventist