Weymouth's translation of the old familiar text in Matthew 24:14 reads : "And this gospel of the Kingdom shall be proclaimed throughout the whole world to set the evidence before all the Gentiles; and then the end will come." Your task and mine is to set -the evidence before all the people in all the nations of earth—truly a tremendous undertaking for six hundred thousand Seventh-day Adventists But that is the basic thing which stands between us and the coming of the Lord.
It is now no longer a matter of time but of finishing the task assigned to us. The Voice of Prophecy is doing a grand work in setting the evidence of the kingdom of God before millions of people each week. But we must bear in mind that people remember only 10 percent of what they hear, whereas they remember 30 percent of what they see. Therefore, it becomes our responsibility to place the tangible evidence of the kingdom of heaven before their eyes as well as their ears, for this will make a more powerful impact upon them. What is more, let us not forget that people want our message, are waiting for it and asking for it as never before in our history.
During the past few years we have received many letters from students and teachers in colleges, universities, and seminaries requesting our literature to help them to understand our Advent Movement, and to give them material for papers, theses, and special studies which they are making in comparative religion. We have been impressed by these requests, and quote from one received from the Divinity School of Duke University as a good example of what they desire:
"Our class in church history, taught by Dr. Ray C. Petry, is making an intensive study of present-day religious movements in America. We have several good textbooks, but, unfortunately, these are usually written by men not intimately connected with the movements discussed.
"What we desire is information written by leaders and historians within your church. We feel that such firsthand information will be more true to the spirit and purposes of the group.
"You can help us. Your organization doubtless has pamphlets setting forth its history, doctrines, polity, and present emphases. Would you kindly send us such material as will help us to a clearer understanding of your place in American religious life?
"All materials received (such as sample publications, manuals, disciplines, et cetera) will be gratefully acknowledged and placed in our Divinity School library for future reference."
Our conferences and publishing houses have responded to such requests by placing a set of more than twenty standard Seventh-day Adventist books in five hundred selected libraries, 150 of which are public libraries.
Think of it—in the great library of the British Museum in London, among their millions of books, L. E. Froom, last summer, found catalogued as Seventh-day Adventist literature, just one old Year Book for 1918, a bound volume of Australian church papers, and two or three small pamphlets. And this is typical of many great libraries. Shame ! Yes, thrice shame on us all ! Is that setting before the world the evidence of the kingdom of heaven ?
We must set about to change that situation, and we are changing it in five hundred great libraries.. But what about the thousands of smaller public libraries, like the one in your home town ? May we make a suggestion to our workers for your Dorcas and Missionary Volunteer societies, or your Societies of Missionary Men in every church ? Why not make it one of the first projects on your list for 1949, or perhaps a New Year's gift, to present this same set of wonderful books, as pictured, to the library in your own town? Then perhaps in the following year you might do the same for the next town nearest to you, where there is no Adventist church.
Think it over, fellow workers. Would it not be a splendid way to set the evidence of the kingdom and its grand truths before the reading public in every city and town of the North American Division territory? Thirty-five dollars or less will put these more than twenty books in your library.
This is a good project for your church or district, and one which will bring our fine literature before the reading public—the real book lovers of every community. The Review and Herald Publishing Association is handling the distribution of this particular set of books. Your church missionary secretary knows how to place the order, and we hope the public libraries, as well as the college and seminary libraries all over the country, may be supplied without delay. Look at the list of books in the set. They present the message in all its phases : (See PDF or list of books)
The evidence of the kingdom of God and its message must be placed before the people, "and then shall the end come."
