SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 January 1922, Page 6

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS.

WEEK-END MEETINGS. The proceedings on the Adventist camp ground at New Plymouth on Saturday were conducted in harmony with the sanctity which is attached to the seventh day of the week by Adventists the world over. In the morning Divine worship was conducted in the preaching pavilion by the President, Pastor Cormack. At the close of an impressive discourse on the seriousness of the times in which we live, and the solemn responsibilities of the Christian life, a number of the congregation arose to their feet as a pledge of their determination to aim for the higher life. In the afternoon a Sabbath school, which included most of the adults on the ground, was conducted, and in the evening Pastor Westerman, from Australia, Vice-President of the Australian Union Conference, preached a very interesting and stirring discourse. Young people’s and children’s services were also conducted in their respective tents.' Yesterday morning the business session was resumed. The annual balance sheet showed that the New Zealand Conference is in a very satisfactory financial position. In the afternoon an address was delivered by Pastor Rampton to a wellfilled tent, consisting of campers and visitors, the subject being “The Millenium,” in which it was shown that the views held by Adventists are very pronounced against the teaching of the doctrine of the “temporal millenium.” The speaker referred to a number of scriptures, clearly showing that the binding of Satan for one thousand years was symbolic, being brought about by circumstances, the destruction of the living wdeked, the translation of the living and the resurrected souls, and there being caught up into the air to be forever with the Lord, leaving the desolated earth empty. The ruined earth constitutes the “bottomless pit,” the home of Satan for one thousand years, at the end of which he is loosed for a little season by the second resurrection, which event sees the wicked of all ages living upon the earth again. Satan and his hosts are then destroyed by the fire that purifies the earth and prepares it for the ocupation of the righteous as the “new earth.” The righteous then come back from the many mansions which they have occupied during the “millenium.” In the evening the tent was filled v to overflowing by campers and numerous visitors from the town, who assembled to listen to an address delivered by Pastor A. W. Anderson, from Australia. His subject was the prophecy found in the 2nd Daniel. The speaker, who was attentively listened to, pointed out that the prophecies of scripture differed from all other predictions in that they were of Divine origin. Introducing the special prophecy for study, the speaker alluded to it as the “alphabet” of prophecy owing to its simplicity. This prophecy was embodied in a dream. He showed that the dream consisted of a great image composed of gold, silver, brass and iron, the feet and toes being part iron and part clay. A stone cut out without hands smote the image and destroyed it. It was shown that the metals represent the four grea' monarchies of history, Babylon, Media, Persia and Rome, the ten toes representing the ten kingdoms into which Western Rome divided, the ten leading kingdoms of Europe of to-day, which are to stand until Christ comes, His kingdom representing the stone cut out without hands. The meetings will continue as per advertisements, and the public are heartily welcome.