Harvest Preparations

The French Revolution marked the beginning of the Enlightenment, which culminated in the worldwide proclamation of human rights and the opening of biblical truth. In this issue, we explore that period through the people who contributed to it.

The Importance of 1799 introduces the significance of the time prophecies in Daniel 12, specifically the 1260, 1290, and 1335-day periods, which paved the way for a deeper understanding of eschatology and the end times. A Note on the French Revolution describes the impact on both Protestant and Catholic circles. Many theologians began to write on biblical prophecy and the importance of historical interpretation.

Two notable individuals, James Strong and John McClintock, published Bible helps in the early 19th century that are still used today. These opened the scriptures to all who desired to understand the meaning and use of all the words in the Bible, something previously only available to Hebrew and Greek scholars.

The Albury Conferences in England, less widely known than the Miller movement, may have contributed to the fulfillment of Daniel’s 1290 days, culminating in 1829. In The Wise Shall Understand, the details of the three-year summer conferences contributed to the remarkable publication of biblical truth.

Pastor Russell believed that God’s overruling led to the founding of the United States, where truth could be published freely. Influencers of the Past discusses some who had significant influence over the establishment of religious freedom.

William Penn was the founder of Pennsylvania and had a prominent role in exposing long-accepted false doctrines such as the Trinity. Penn’s work as a Quaker in the New World and his proclamation that one must suffer if they are to reign with Christ freed many from the previous confines of Christianity.

The final article, A Vision for the Appointed Time, discusses the work of Pastor Russell, the seventh messenger to the Church. His publications, which showed that Jesus had returned invisibly in 1874 — to fulfill the 1335 days of Daniel — and that the Gospel Age harvest had begun, led to a worldwide movement proclaiming the Kingdom of God on earth and the resurrection of all who had ever lived.

May our Heavenly Father bless your studies of these significant events, which opened up the scriptures in a new light.