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    June 29, 1888

    “North Pacific Camp-meeting” The Signs of the Times 14, 25, pp. 391, 392.

    THE annual camp-meeting of the North Pacific Conference was held at East Portland, Oregon, on a beautiful plat of ground, only about five blocks from the main part of the city. There were no shade trees on the grounds occupied, but as Oregon, true to herself, secured a copious down-pour of rain eleven out of the fourteen days of the meeting, the absence of shade trees was not counted a very serious thing. There were one hundred and five tents and about four hundred and fifty people in the encampment.SITI June 29, 1888, page 391.1

    The past year has been a very prosperous one for this Conference. The membership has increased more than fifty per cent, there having been two hundred additions, making now five hundred and seventy members in the Conference. Four new churches were received into the Conference. The regular tithes amounted to about $1,600 more than the previous year. More work was done in the canvassing field the past year than in the two preceding years. One brother visited six hundred families and sold four hundred copies of “Facts for the Times” in three months, besides taking a large number of short-term subscriptions for our periodicals.SITI June 29, 1888, page 391.2

    The Conference school has also had marked success. A school building was put up 26x44 feet with a projection 28x18 feet, two stories in height, and finished to accommodate one hundred students, and can be made to accommodate one hundred more by finishing the upper story, which at this Conference it was determined to do the present season. The school opened with sixty-one students, and the number increased to eighty-five, employing the time of three teachers, Brother T. H. Starbuck, principal. The building, finished as it was, cost about $2,100, and it is estimated that to finish the upper story ready for school work will cost about $500. The Conference voted unanimously to send Brother Starbuck East, to attend the teachers’ institute in Battle Creek, and he started from Portland Monday, June 18.SITI June 29, 1888, page 391.3

    Although the rain continued through almost the whole of the meeting, and was heavy, the attendance at the meetings throughout was very good, so good in fact that it could not be said that the rain made any material difference in the attendance, except in that from the outside, which was not so large as it doubtless would have been in fair weather. Those to whom fell the preaching of the word, endeavored to make it close and practical, and to get all to see their real standing in the light of the law of God, that the unsearchable riches of the salvation of Christ might be properly appreciated. The Lord blessed the effort made; the word was well received, and the response was hearty and general. We do not remember ever before to have seen a more general move of the whole congregation than was made on Sabbath afternoon, after a sermon on the words, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” It was impossible to call them forward, for almost all had risen at the call. Therefore the congregation was divided into sections, and a minister appointed to each section, who could carry forward the work there. As it was raining quite hard, the beating of the rain upon the large tent prevented any confusion of voices from a number of persons speaking at once, while those in the immediate vicinity of the speaker could hear distinctly enough. When the congregation had remained thus together as long as seemed profitable, it was dismissed, and the children went to the place where the children’s meetings were held, and the youth went to another tent that was made ready for them, where more direct efforts were made to help them than could be made in the general assembly. Of the adults those were invited to remain who had not yet found that desired “righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost,” which is promised to those who are citizens of the kingdom of God, for whom special effort was made so far as possible according as each one had need.SITI June 29, 1888, page 391.4

    It was a blessed day altogether; and we know of no one thing that helped to bring about the good results more than the Sabbath-school lesson for the day. This was upon the love of God. All had studied the lesson with interest; the teachers entered heartily upon their work with the classes; the general review was full of life, and deeply impressive. Thus the deep and tender impressions made by the Spirit of God, as the wonders of his great love were portrayed anew by his holy word, in the good Sabbath-school lesson, became the very best preparation for the effective preaching of the word, and the special effort in behalf of the people on the Sabbath day.SITI June 29, 1888, page 392.1

    Tuesday afternoon eighteen persons were baptized. The camp-meeting proper closed on Wednesday morning, but a workers’ meeting was held for another week, to which about eighty remained till the following Monday morning, when the most of them departed, but there were twenty-six at the very last session of the workers’ meeting, which closed at noon Tuesday, June 19.SITI June 29, 1888, page 392.2

    Sabbath afternoon, June 16, Brethren H. W. Reed and W. C. Ward were ordained to the gospel ministry. Sermon by Elder E. R. Jones, prayer by Elder Samuel Fulton, and charge by Elder A. T. Jones.SITI June 29, 1888, page 392.3

    Elder Samuel Fulton was elected president of the Conference for the coming year. His health is rapidly improving; he has met with a warm reception by the brethren throughout the Conference; the field is white already to the harvest; we believe there enters with him upon the work “a band of men whose hearts God has touched;” and we look for the year to come to be a prosperous one in the North Pacific Conference.SITI June 29, 1888, page 392.4

    Tuesday, June 19, at 4 P.M., we started from East Portland, and arrived at Oakland Thursday, June 21, at 7:15 A.M., glad to have had the privilege and the blessing of meeting with the brethren of Oregon and Washington in their annual camp-meetings; and grateful to God for his kind care, his tender mercy, and his wondrous love, “which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”SITI June 29, 1888, page 392.5

    J.

    “The Commentary. The Third Angel’s Message” The Signs of the Times 14, 25, pp. 394, 395.

    [CD-ROM Editor’s Note: This article has no initial attached to it. Both EJW and ATJ were co-editors of the Signs for this issue. It is attributable to ATJ or EJW.]

    THE TIME OF THE MESSAGE

    (Lesson 1. Sabbath. July 7.)

    1. TO what event, and date, were we brought in the previous lesson?SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.1

    2. In this dealing with the Papacy what additional prophecies were fulfilled?SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.2

    “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death.” “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity; he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” Revelation 13:3, first part, and verse 10.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.3

    3. How may we know that the prophecy relates to the same power as that in the previous lesson? Compare Daniel 7:4-8 with Revelation 13:1, 2; and Daniel 7:8, 25 with Revelation 13:5-7.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.4

    4. Was this captivity and deadly wound to put a total end to the Papacy?SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.5

    “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed; and all the world wondered after the beast.” Revelation 13:3.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.6

    5. When was it that this captivity occurred?—A.D. 1798.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.7

    6. At that time what else did the prophet see?SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.8

    “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” Revelation 13:11.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.9

    7. Is it for us to know what this means?SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.10

    “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.11

    8. Is this a revelation?SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.12

    “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein; for the time is at hand.” Revelation 1:1, 3.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.13

    9. What part of the world was represented by the symbol of the leopard?—Grecia. What by the bear?—Media and Persia. What by the lion?—Babylonia. What by the beast and the ten horns?—Western Europe and North Africa.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.14

    10. Then as the characteristics of all these are found in the first beast of Revelation 13, what parts of the world are covered by the description of this first beast?—The principal parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.15

    11. Whence was this other beast seen coming up?—“Out of the earth.Revelation 13:11.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.16

    12. Whence had the first beast risen?SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.17

    “And I stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his head as the names of blasphemy.” Revelation 13:1.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.18

    13. What is meant by “sea,” when used as a symbol?SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.19

    “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth our peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Revelation 17:15.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.20

    14. What then is represented by a power coming up out of the sea? See note.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.21

    15. What by power coming out of the earth? See note.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.22

    16. In 1798 how much of Europe, Asia, and Africa was occupied by peoples, multitudes, and established an organized nations?—All the known parts of them.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.23

    17. How long had it been so?—For ages.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.24

    18. Therefore, as the symbols which are directly connected with the beast, embrace the principle parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa; as all the rest of the known parts of the Eastern Continent had been for ages occupied by established nations; and as the other beast was to arise were this had not been so, were must this “other beast” arise!—In the Western Continent.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.25

    19. Did the dominion of the first beast or any of the ten kingdoms extend to any part of the Western Continent in 1798?—It did. Spain, France, Portugal, and Britain then owned all except the possessions of what had been the thirteen British colonies, which then formed the United States America.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.26

    20. What position than did the Government of the United States occupied 1798?—It was the only independent nation than on the earth, which had arisen where there had not formerly been for ages, peoples, multitudes, and established nations.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.27

    21. What then is the inevitable conclusion?—That the United States Government is the power signified in the prophecy of Revelation 13:11-17.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.28

    22. What is to be said to the people of this Government?SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.29

    “Saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” Verse 14, last part.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.30

    23. When they shall have made an image to the beast, what will he do?SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.31

    “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and then which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Verses 12, 15.SITI June 29, 1888, page 394.32

    NOTE

    QUESTIONS 14, 15.—In his vision of the seventeenth chapter, Daniel says: “The four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.And four great beasts came up from the sea.” These four great beasts represented the four great kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome. Each of these arose by overthrowing the one that had gone before it.And as a symbolic sea represents peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues, it is easy to understand how these great powers came up from the sea.It is also plain that a power symbolized as coming up out of the earth would arise from a condition of things the opposite of that represented as the sea; that is, from a place where, before it, there had not been peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.SITI June 29, 1888, page 395.1

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