Editorial Keynotes

A Statement as to the Progress and Significance of the Undertaking

The deep and widespread interest in the history of the advent hope and ex­pectancy which I have been commis­sioned to prepare, as evidenced by the constant stream of solicitous inquiries as to its progress, together with the frequent question as to why so long a time has been required to assemble the needed materials, makes advisable the re­lease of a general statement at this time. I have just returned from a second period of research in the great libraries of Europe, in quest of certain additional source materials imperative to the completion of an adequate, balanced, and satisfying presentation, such as is demanded by the importance of the theme and the rightful expectation of our worker body for this last hour.

Those in America and Europe who have heard the oral presentations, particularly dur­ing the past year or so, have some idea not only of the vastness of the task and the obvious difficulty of the quest, but of its fundamental importance as well. The vastness of the undertaking was not fully realized by any of us when it was entered upon. Perhaps if we had known, we should not have had the cour­age to assume such a responsibility, because of the tremendous amount of grueling toil in­volved. Serious obstacles have had to be over­come. But tenacity of faith and unremitting effort, together with heaven's manifest bless­ing, have solved these grave difficulties. But of these I need not speak here.

We have obviously come to an era in our work, and in the affairs of mankind at large, which demands a more adequate and compell­ing reason for our separate existence as a movement than has ever before been called for. We have been forced by circumstances to grow increasingly apart from all other religious groups. And now the hour has clearly come for a more unassailable line and body of evi­dence that will not only fully justify our sepa­rate existence and our tenacious belief in the second advent as the sole solution for a hope­less world situation—and thus fulfill the age-old promise and purpose of God—but will at the same time connect us indissolubly with God's true line of witnesses in various lands through the ages past.

More than this, we need that which will overwhelm men with the sheer weight of unimpeachable historical evidence, coupled with an irresistible logic that will enable us to drive home the sober fact that this movement is the finale, the inevitable climax of God's witness of the centuries, recovering and restoring the lost truths of the ages and constituting God's final appeal and warning to mankind. It must take on its rightful world-embracing character. It must appeal as never before to the Old World and the New alike, as well as to all groups of the honesthearted therein—Protes­tant and Catholic, Gentile and Jew, skeptic and believer.

Two years ago I was urged to begin writ­ing, and made some attempt. But I soon dis­covered that there were important gaps that must of necessity be filled in. These neces­sary but missing sources could be secured only in Europe—the actual scene of the epochal events marking the pathway of the advent hope and expectancy through past cen­turies. The quest this past summer which occupied nearly five months, thus became im­perative. And I am happy to report, at its conclusion, that it has proved even more fruit­ful and confirmatory than I dared anticipate at the outset. I went to Europe primarily to fill in the important gaps in the main line of evidence already in our possession. Not only was this accomplished, but entirely new sup­porting fields of evidence were discovered that are of major importance to us.

For example, there were the amazingly com­plete coin and medallion collections of the British Museum, which disclosed certain ir­refutable evidence covering both pagan and papal Rome. And likewise as pertains to the seemingly uncoordinated voices in the difficult period between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries. The master key is now unques­tionably in our hands. Again, the amazing extensive chorus of voices which have been recovered, which perceive and declare, at the moment of fulfillment, the ending of the 1260 years of papal supremacy in and through the French Revolution, and the consequent over­throw of the papal government at Rome, is another signal gain. And then there was the sudden, amazing phenomena of men in differ­cnt lands and continents simultaneously turn­ing from the historically accomplished 1260 years to the astonishingly uniform exposition of the great approaching judgment hour, with virtual agreement and emphasis upon the time of the ending of the 2300 years in 1843, 1844, or 1847.

Nothing like it in the annals of prophetic exposition has ever occurred before or since. And the evidence I would stress is not confined to a few isolated voices in one or two lands, but to a surprising chorus of harmonizing voices in various lands, obviously led by the same Spirit to essentially identical conclusions. Truly, only the compulsion of a divine mes­sage whose hour had come can explain the thing that happened. The tremendous ad­vantage of such an approach, lifted above all national lines, is apparent to all who have caught the full force of its significance, par­ticularly for our presentation in lands outside of North America.

Y inexorable facts I have been led over un­expected pathways and away from certain previous conceptions and anticipations, to the inescapable conclusion that the history of the advent hope is inseparable from the history of prophetic exposition. The one depends basically upon the other, and simply cannot be studied without the other, for the status of the one determines the status of the other through the centurieS—since the advent hope is the goal and climax of the prophecies. The two have been inseparable. As the one flourishes or wanes, so the other flames high or burns low. As the one is revived, re­established, and carried forward, so the other comes forth from the shadows and assumes its rightful place again. Thus the field was unavoidably widened, and though our task wasmade more difficult, the pursuit of it became even more vital than ever to the advent move­ment today.

I have thus been carried far beyond my original plans, expectations, and scope of study. This has unavoidably required more time and effort. But it has clearly been the hand of God that has so led. Extraordinary courtesies and favors were extended by the libraries and universities. Providential open­ing and guidance are clearly apparent to all who know the facts. And in following this indelible trail, a wealth of evidence has been found and assembled in the field of progressive prophetic exposition that will prove of in­estimable worth to us denominationally in days to come. The clue to it all, I hasten to add, was given through certain clear statements and suggestions in the Spirit of prophecy, which declarations have been my guiding star and stay when at times it seemed that I had come to the blind end of a broken road, and when in the earlier period of this investigation there was skepticism on the part of not a few as to the profitableness of the investment of time and money involved. That difficult period, I am grateful to add, is now largely in the past, and there is general acceptance and apprecia­tion of the fundamental place and importance of the undertaking.

Those who know most about it have the greatest confidence in it. And those who have penetrated farthest into the field of church history involved are the most impressed with the solidity and certainty of the findings. The problem now will be to subdue the pressure that will inevitably be exerted by some to condense and epitomize to the extent that the real effectiveness and the full value of this diversified source evidence—which is the le­gitimate heritage of the entire ministerial force of this movement—may be jeopardized, because it cannot properly be given in cramped form and limited space.

The very expansiveness of this movement, spreading onward through the five continents and the seven seas, has come to demand an expansion of our vision. A lengthening of our cords and a strengthening of our stakes as relates to a greater and more unanswerable line of evidence of a world character than was heretofore possible, because it was un­known and unsought, are called for. This assembled mass of impressive historical facts —representing not simply the voice of one nation or tongue, but the simultaneous and united voices of a host of competent witnesses —confirms and immeasurably strengthens every main fact, epoch, and advance in the great prophetic outline, and at the same time corrects minor misunderstandings.