American Reformer
277
On the day following its appearance, Henry Dana Ward wrote thus
of the wonderful phenomenon: “No philosopher or scholar has told
or recorded an event, I suppose, like that of yesterday morning. A
prophet eighteen hundred years ago foretold it exactly, if we will be at
the trouble of understanding stars falling to mean falling stars, in the
only sense in which it is possible to be literally true.”
Thus was displayed the last of those signs of his coming, concern-
ing which Jesus bade his disciples, “When ye shall see all these things,
know that it is near, even at the doors.” [
Matthew 24:33
.] After these
signs, John beheld, as the great event next impending, the heavens
departing as a scroll, while the earth quaked, mountains and islands
removed out of their places, and the wicked in terror sought to flee
from the presence of the Son of man.
Many who witnessed the falling of the stars, looked upon it as a
herald of the coming Judgment,—“an awful type, a sure forerunner, a
merciful sign, of that great and dreadful day.” Thus the attention of the
people was directed to the fulfillment of prophecy, and many were led
to give heed to the warning of the second advent.
In the year 1840, another remarkable fulfillment of prophecy ex-
cited widespread interest. Two years before, Josiah Litch, one of the
leading ministers preaching the second advent, published an exposition
of
Revelation 9
, predicting the fall of the Ottoman empire, and specify-
ing not only the year but the very day on which this would take place.
According to this exposition, which was purely a matter of calculation
on the prophetic periods of Scripture, the Turkish government would
surrender its independence on the eleventh day of August, 1840. The
prediction was widely published, and thousands watched the course of
events with eager interest.
At the very time specified, Turkey, through her ambassadors, ac-
cepted the protection of the allied powers of Europe, and thus placed
herself under the control of Christian nations. The event exactly ful-
[335]
filled the prediction. When it became known, multitudes were con-
vinced of the correctness of the principles of prophetic interpretation
adopted by Miller and his associates, and a wonderful impetus was
given to the Advent movement. Men of learning and position united
with Miller, both in preaching and publishing his views, and from
1840 to 1844 the work rapidly extended.