1844 – Present. The Age of Revolution in the Laodicean Church Period.

By Neetham Al-muhaisen

Background (Before 1844)

The Great awakening culminated in the preaching of William Miller. The nearness of the second coming of Jesus was emphasized. 1844 was the year Jesus was said to come. His absence thus caused what is termed “The great disappointment”, as many who had previously been zealous became deflated upon their hopes being shattered. The build up to 1844 was impressive, and Advent believers had good reason to believe.

In 1750 the great Lisbon earthquake had rocked the mostly catholic Iberian peninsula on the venerated day of ‘All saints-day’, what is also known to be halloween, taking the lives of 40,000 people. In 1776 the American revolution was taking place to bring about, as quoted on the USA seal, A “ New Order of the Ages”. In May 19th, 1780 the daytime skies of new england (US) and eastern canada, had become darkened known as “The great dark day”, In 1789 the French revolution was underway bringing about the destruction of the monarchist French state, by 1798 the papacy had received a “mortal wound” by the armies of french general Berthier, the Pope was taken prisoner and the papal state disbanded. And by 1800 Napoleon had emerged as the leader of the French, and the first French empire had become the most dominant power in Europe. Between 1792 and 1815 a series of 7 coalitions were sent against France by opposing European powers. From 1750 to 1840 the industrial revolution was also taking shape characterized by the progress from hand made production to machinery, chemical manufacturing, machine dominated factory systems, and the increased use of steam and water power, all in a relatively short time, creating mass production and new sources of wealth.

With the Lisbon earthquake rocking catholic Europe in 1750, with the “Great dark day” in 1780 on the North American continent, and a successful revolution in America ending in 1783. With Europe then under the heavy hand of Napoleon engaging in a series of wars, with the boom of the industrial revolution underway creating mass production and therefore the possibility of abundance and wealth like never before. For religionists It seemed the world was on the precipice of some great culminating event. Old world power structures, so dominant for thousands of years, were being shaken or weakened allowing for the emergence of new ways of governance. America had broken away from the old world, France for a time from its monarchist-Catholic heritage then enjoyed a period of European supremacy under Napoleon, still more ‘signs of the end’ would come.

Within the context forestated, between 1790 and 1840 America and parts of Europe were experiencing a great religious awakening known by contemporary historians as “The second great awakening”, then “A great awakening”, in a world on edge, religious revival was beckoned with new power. In 1833 the great Leonid meteor shower had made midnight become day-light. In the night and early morning of november 12th and 13th, 1833 it is estimated that between 50,000 and 150,000 meteors had fallen each hour. “The stars of heaven were falling!”. Finally, On August 11th, 1840, the Muslim empire of Turkey placed itself under the protection of European Christian Powers through its ambassadors. Islam in 1840, and the Papacy previously in 1798, two old world orders, so dominant for so long, had come to a halt giving great impetus to the revivals taking place in Europe and America.

In Conclusion for this chapter, From 1750 to 1840 a series of events had stirred the world to look unto the prophetic writings of the bible, perhaps Jesus would come. Earthquakes, revolutions, the fall of the papacy, the concession of the ottoman islamic power to christian europe, strange astronomical omens, coupled with strong currents of religious revival, had many in no doubt, Jesus would certainly come. Finally a man by the name of William Miller had set a date, 1844. And when the date came to naught the religious world would much have said, “has not my master delayed his coming”. Deflated, the Church had now moved into a new age.

OUT OF 1844:

We now enter post 1844. This was by no means a time of passivity. New ideas and theories were immediately pumped into the world scene. Since the old world had been undone, and christianity deflated in the New, quick was the stagnation to be contested. The New world was emerging from the old, it was America’s Century, but how would it be remodeled? In 1848 Karl Marx had officially published his communist manifesto; this book, in the turn of the century, would soon become one of the most influential, and one of the most contested, as communist thought, characterized by the collective ownership of property, as well as the agitation of a workers revolution and the eventual unraveling or overthrow of capitalism, which is characterized by the private ownership of business, swept through the world particularly following the Russian Revolution in 1917 when Russia was given over to Communism in the violent overthrow of the monarchy following military exhaustion and discontent from World War 1.

On the 24th of November, 1859 Darwin’s book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of favored Races in the struggle for life, was published contesting the Biblical worldview of creation, and becoming the bedrock for the social-darwinian principles of eugenics, abortion, and even Nazi Germany’s scientific views concerning the idea of ‘undesirables’ and ‘favored races’. Both Marx and Darwin had a materialistic and naturalist view of the world, that is, a world absent of the spiritual, or God. Even still, the idea of “evolutionary progress”, progress of lesser forms of life evolving into more advanced forms of life, “Monkeys to Man”, would not be limited to the material-physical world alone, but spiritual evolution also came into play. The need to advance humanity’s spiritual perceptions, to become “ascended masters”, to reach “Enlightenment”, of which some people were more advanced on this journey than others, was also gaining prominence. In 1875 the Theosophy society was set up by notable occultist names such as Helena Blavasky, drawing from far eastern buddhist and hindu inspiration. Occultism is characterized by seances, channeling, reaching what is termed “enlightenment”, and mystical visions. Occult groups like the German thule society would eventually steem the Nazi party, with its views of the inherent God-hood through the blood of those deemed Aryans, known as ariosophy. In 1844 the Baha’i faith was set up in Iran with a message of a new prophet or messenger of God to emerge who would overturn old beliefs and customs and usher in a “New age”. Bahaism is concerned with social ethics and the overturning of all racial and social prejudices, and structures, to form ‘one humanity’.

Post 1844 the world was rife with revolutionary ideas all which began to germinate in the 1900s, which would be the world’s most bloody period. We see in World War 1 the desolation of Europe’s remaining monarchies, and the eventual coming of Communism in Russia, aided with the materialistic views and writings of Marx and Darwin. In World War 2 we see the fruition of spiritualistic (Theosophic and Arysophic) thought in the formation of National socialism, and its ensuing wars, in the belief that the God-hood inherent in the prevailing Aryan peoples makes them destined to rule the world, and a revival of nordic paganism. Following the second world war we see the emergence of thought concerning the necessity for the fraternity, friendship, equity, and brotherhood of all peoples, and the pulling down of national barriers, with the formation of globalist institutions like the United nations, in order to prevent more wars. Well and alive are the teachings of Mirza Ali, and his Bahai faith, calling for the oneness of humanity, as founded in 1844.

OUR MODERN AGE:

Following WW2 two power blocks had formed, the Eastern Communist bloc (dominated by the Soviet Union and Red China) and the Western capitalist block (dominated by the United States and Western Europe) all competing for influence around the world. By 1990 the Soviet Union had come to an end. What the soviet union had come to represent was secularism, materialism, and naturalism. Secular in that no religious affinity existed. Materialism, in that man, was merely a creature of matter beholden to its movement and modification. And naturalism, that all things arise from purely natural processes, that there is no Spirit or invisible God. Man had only to answer to natural forces, or the collective will of man embodied in the state. Because of these factors the fight against communism was seen by some as a kind of crusade against godlessness. Against material forces seeking to overcome the world, and destroy all things to do with spirituality and God. In 1956 the motto “In God we trust ” was adopted by US congress replacing “Out of many, one”. This would be a means of fighting the materialistic communists. And soon, “In God we trust” was printed on every dollar.

With the triumph of the capitalist system, there is growing discontent with the monotonous cycle of money and banking. And the progress of the industrial revolution has been pitted against environmentalism and its concerns. During the turn of the century, discontent emerged in the embodiment of spiritualistic and neo-pagan beliefs in the system of National Socialism, or the throwing off of the christian yoke, in communism . What will emerge “from the abyss” in this interlude? Already, many have gone back to pagan and pre-colonial roots in order to find meaning and belonging. Many others have explored religious systems outside of the established christian mold, and christianity itself has gone through a transformation, embracing “The spiritual” at the expense of doctrine and truth. This can be seen in the great striving towards ecumenism, the unity of religions, the employment of love at all costs as opposed to fundamentalist dogma characterized by adherence to the Bible as the primary source of faith, for the ushering in of the long expected millennium, or new age. Darwinian evolution is seen as a part of Christianity, being accepted by many protestants and catholics, as a legitimate way to view the world. We are at an interlude, a period of search and experimentation. The cultural revolution following Woodstock in 1969 which embraced “sex, drugs, and rock n roll”. The Flaunting of newfound freedom free from moral restraint, LGBTQ ideology, the domination of media following the internet revolution, the influence of Hollywood and music, “Wokeism”, Social justice, climate change, make up the ideological and social space of today. What will these ideas produce?

The formation of a new Christian era:

A new phase of fanaticism, a false religious awakening, was starting to emerge just after 1844, and has only been spreading since its first renditions in what is termed “the holy flesh movement” of 1900, then the pentecostal movement of 1901, then the Charismatic movement and charismatic renewal in the mid 20th century, followed by the toronto blessing in 1994. These movements emphasized spiritual experiences and manifestations as the bedrock of the faith and have steadily become part of the mainstream experience of christianity. To give an idea of what encompassed this new wave of christian belief and practice, here is a quote:

2 Selected messages book 2: Chapter 3—The “Holy Flesh” Doctrine

[A fanatical teaching termed “The Doctrine of Holy Flesh” was started in 1900 in Indiana, leading the conference president and various workers into serious error. This theory alleged that those who follow the Saviour must have their fallen natures perfected by passing through a “Garden of Gethsemane” experience, thus acquiring a state of physical sinlessness as an essential preparation for translation. Eyewitness accounts report that in their services the fanatics worked up a high pitch of excitement by use of musical instruments such as organs, flutes, fiddles, tambourines, horns, and even a big bass drum. They sought a physical demonstration and shouted and prayed and sang until someone in the congregation would fall, prostrate and unconscious, from his seat. One or two men, walking up and down the aisle for the purpose, would drag the fallen person up on the rostrum. Then about a dozen individuals would gather around the prostrate body, some singing, some shouting, and some praying, all at the same time. When the subject revived, he was counted among those who had passed through the Gethsemane experience, had obtained holy flesh, and had translation faith. Thereafter, it was asserted, he could not sin and would never die. Elders S. N. Haskell and A. J. Breed, two of our leading denominational ministers, were sent to the camp meeting held at Muncie, Indiana, from September 13 to 23, 1900, to meet this fanaticism. These developments were revealed to Mrs. White while she was in Australia in January, 1900, and she bore testimony of warning and reproof against it, as seen in the two following messages.—Compilers.]

In 2014 at a Charismatic evangelical leadership conference led by Keneth Copeland, the Pope addressed the conference calling for unity. The Pope was prayed over in tongues. And a man by the name of Tony Palmer spoke on how the reformation was over. And that the miracle of unity was beginning. There are 644 million Charismatics/pentecostals worldwide. As of 2013 there are 160 million Catholics part of the Charismatic renewal.

The kind of christianity that is emerging is one based on spiritualistic experiences and manifestations, falling over, weeping and wailing, speaking tongues in the form of babbling.

Social justice, environmentalism, and “tolerance” have also become part of the experience of the newer generation of “woke” churches.

We live in the period the bible outlines as ‘Laodicea’. Following the “Great disappointment” of 1844 Christianity was hit with a series of strange ideologies that would come to challenge the Christian worldview. Within the church, spiritualistic manifestations, as explained from things like the “Holy flesh” movement, have derailed Christianity even further. The only way to make progress is to pick up from where the “Great awakening” left off. To “Prophesy again” and outline the prophecies of Daniel and revelation as they relate to end time events. We may gloat in our abundance of spiritual wealth and knowledge, but Christ sees his church and their experience as dead and filthy. To what degree have we been awake to the signs of the times? From 1750 to 1840 the great religious awakening of the day was attune to the events taking place, expecting the coming of Jesus, and making reforms. How does our experience, in the light of all that is happening since 1844, all that has happened, two world wars, the recent end of the world’s most bloody century, measure?