February 28, 1895
WE have in two previous articles replied at some length to certain strictures upon our methods and work by the Monitor. A few points yet remain to be noticed. Continuing to quote from us and commenting thereon, the Monitor says:—
That the pope is going to take possession of America is also prognosticated for the same reason. “It is on the authority of the scriptures of Revelation 13:8; Daniel 7:21, 22, and Revelation 18:7, that we know that the papal movement mapped out by Leo XIII. will certainly succeed.” We have no time to look up these references or we would explain how the thing is made out, but it must strike ordinary people as very foolish that the AMERICAN SENTINEL should go into a losing fight.
Lest the Monitor should still “have no time to look up these references,” we shall tell what they say, so that they can be seen at once. The first one cited says that “All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [the beast], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb.” The second one says that he “made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High: and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” The third one shows that the kingdoms of the earth once more united in illicit connection with the papacy—Babylon the great—and live deliciously with her to such an extent that, instead of lamenting her widowhood and the loss of her power, as now she is doing, she glorifies herself and lives deliciously, and “saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see now sorrow.”
Then it is also that she will be so pleased with herself as to exclaim, “I shall be a lady forever.” This, her day, is coming shortly. And when it does come—then, and “therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.” No, no; the AMERICAN SENTINEL is not engaged in a losing fight. Ours is a fight for victory all the way along, and of triumph at the end; for when this Babylon, Rome, the papacy, thus sinks and is annihilated under the fiery judgment of the Lord, then also it is written: “I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.”
The Monitor continues:—
Of course we have the comforting assurance that the pope’s visit to America will only be for one day. His voyage across the Atlantic will be fatal to him. This is proved by Revelation 18; and after that happy event there will be no use for the AMERICAN SENTINEL.
The SENTINEL has never said a word about the pope coming to America. This suggestion is altogether gratuitous on the part of the Monitor; for we have not only not said anything about the pope coming to America, but we have no said anything that could be fairly construed to mean any such thing.
It is true that when this Babylon sinks, when “the beast” is destroyed, there will be no use for the AMERICAN SENTINEL; but now, and for some time to come, there is, and is going to be, great use for the SENTINEL and for a number of other papers devoted to the same cause.
With the following attempt at wit the Monitor closes:—
Now, considering that all this is going to happen anyhow, and to happen soon, for the editor remarks, “We certainly expect to see it,” we can’t imagine why the AMERICAN SENTINEL is making such a noise. It would be a great deal more comfortable, for instance, if the editor should go to sleep until the event comes off. The only danger to suffering humanity is that he might talk in his dreams. If his utterances when awake are of such an inflammatory character, it is appalling to contemplate what he might say in his sleep.
Yes, we do certainly expect to see it, and that is precisely why we are “making such a noise.” It is the duty of a sentinel to make a noise at even a distant sign of danger; but when the danger is imminent, as this is, then he is not only to make a noise by crying out an alarm, but he is also to “fire off his piece.” The ruin of Babylon means the ruin of all who may then be in any way connected with her; and therefore the message from heaven now is: “Go out from her, my people: that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and the Lord hath remembered her iniquities.” Revelation 18:4, 5. (Catholic Version.)
Against ancient Babylon, the Lord by the prophets, denounced judgment even unto her utter ruin. See Jeremiah 50 and 51. Many of God’s people were held in captivity there; and to escape the doom of Babylon which was certainly fixed, they must flee out of the midst of her. And so it was written: “Go out of the midst of her, my people: that every man may save his life from the fierce wrath of the Lord.” Jeremiah 51:45. And that every one might know that this ruin was so near that he must certainly leave her if he would save his life, the Lord told them that there would come two rumors in the land, and the rumors would be a year apart. And thus is was written: “A rumor shall come in one year, and after this year another rumor: and iniquity in the land, and ruler upon ruler.” Verse 46. When that second rumor should come, then every one who respected this word would flee out of Babylon and so escape the destruction that came with her fearful fall.
Accordingly, in the spring of the year 539 B.C., the Medo-Persians armies started from Ecbatana under the command of Cyrus. Then the first “rumor” spread to Babylon; but any one could take his time to leave the doomed city, as the danger was not pressing till the second rumor should come in another year. At the river Gyndes Cyrus tarried with his army until the next spring, and then again took up his march toward Babylon. The second rumor spread rapidly to Babylon. This meant her utter destruction. This was the token which God had named; and now every one must flee and escape from Babylon if he would escape the ruin that was certain to fall upon her and that quickly. (Daniel the prophet of the Lord remained in the city, and for a purpose: see Daniel 5.)
Now this is a type of the situation as it now exists with respect to this latter “Babylon, the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.” God would have healed her: but she would not be healed. Therefore her doom is fixed, and her ruin is certain. By the prophecies the word of the Lord has gone forth upon her. Long ago this was settled. And, as in the case of ancient Babylon, there were to be two rumors of the fall of this Babylon—not one year, nor any particular set number of years apart. The first of these is recorded in Revelation 14:8, and the second and last one is [66] this one in the 18th chapter, which we have already referred to—“Go out from her, my people: that you be no partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and the Lord hath remembered her iniquities…. She saith in her heart: I sit a queen, and am no widow: and sorrow I shall not see. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine, and she shall be burnt with the fire: because God is strong, who shall judge her.”
The first of these two rumors was sounded, and was heard, some time ago. The second and final rumor is now being sounded through the earth with a loud voice; and it means that the everlasting ruin of Babylon, mother and daughters, is near and hasteneth greatly; and whosoever would save his soul alive and escape from the fiery judgment of the Lord upon Babylon, must separate from her and all that is connected with her in any way.
This is why the AMERICAN SENTINEL “is making such a noise.” And we are not going to stop the “noise” till the work is done; for it is written: “Upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen all the day, and all the night, they shall never hold their peace.” Isaiah 62:6. Whether the people will believe and escape is for them to decide: ours is to sound aloud the rumor. “Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying: Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them: When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man, one of their meanest, and make him a watchman over them: and he see the sword coming upon the land, and sound the trumpet, and tell the people: then he that heareth the sound of the trumpet, whosoever he be, and doth not look to himself, if the sword come, and cut him off: his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and did not look to himself, his blood shall be upon him: but if he look to himself, he shall save his life. And if the watchman see the sword coming, and sound not the trumpet: and the people look not to themselves, and the sword come, and cut off a soul from among them: he indeed is taken away in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at the hand of the watchman.” Ezekiel 33:1-6.
We do not deny that it would indeed “be a great deal more comfortable” for the Monitor, for Catholicism, and for the papacy—for Babylon and the beast—if the SENTINEL and all others who are bearing a like testimony “should go to sleep until the event comes off.” But this cannot be; for now and upon this subject, it is as it was that time before—“If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” And in that case it might be indeed “appalling to contemplate” what would be said. But in any case it is certainly appalling to contemplate the situation of the world under the impending ruin, and the listlessness and unbelief of the people in the presence of the solemn warnings so fully given in the prophecies of the Word of the Lord. [66]