My Epiphany in History Class...

History has always fascinated me. I am intrigued by how people have lived, by the deeds they accomplished, and most of all by the way God has worked behind the scenes to accomplish His plan. However, learning dates and time periods has never held much appeal for me. This past week I was sitting in my U.S. history class, listening to the teacher elaborate on the stages of immigration into the U.S. and the corresponding time periods, wondering why I had chosen to minor in social studies. The teacher directed our attention to a graph illustrating the annual immigration rates from 1800-2000. I idly stared at the graph as she continued to talk about the fact that the annual immigration rates peaked between the years of 1870-1910, adding that about 50% of the immigrants actually went back to their homelands after working in the States for awhile. Suddenly, things clicked...

In the year 1900, a book was printed entitled Testimonies for the Church, Volume 6. On page 450 of this book, Ellen White said, "Had the purpose of God been carried out by His people in giving to the world the message of mercy, Christ would, ere this, have come to the earth, and the saints would have received their welcome into the city of God." Think of it: thousands of immigrants from all over the world were coming to the U.S. every year (many of them stayed in the New England states where Adventism was growing rapidly) and roughly half of those immigrants would return to their homelands. If God's professed people had worked as He had wanted them to work (instead of arguing over the 1888 General Conference session, among other things), they would have been able to reach many of those immigrants, who in turn would have taken the truth to their own people. The work would have been finished, and Christ would have come. 

In the history of ancient Israel, the people God had chosen as His special people were directed to cross the Jordan River and conquer the land of Canaan. Because they were not faithful in carrying out His directions, they had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Eventually, though, their children were brought to the same place where their fathers had failed. 

But the rate of immigration from 1870-1910 wasn't all the information on the graph. Interesting. There is one other time during the years 1800-2000s when the annual immigration rates actually surpassed the wave of immigration between 1870-1910. From the 1980s onward, annual immigration rates have equalled and even surpassed those of the years 1870-1910!

Now God has brought us, His spiritual Israel, full circle. Our forefathers missed the opportunity back in the late 1800s/early 1900s. Because of their mistake, we've been here on Earth longer than our Father wanted. But the question each of us must answer is: Will we make the same mistake our forefathers did? Or will we learn from their mistake and focus on fulfilling the commission our Savior gave us so long ago? 

The promise is sure ("Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."), but it is for those who will obey the command ("Go ... into all the world..."). People from around the world are coming to our very doorstep. Are we reaching them? Others are waiting in darkness around the globe. Are we going to their doorsteps? The promise is sure for those who obey. Will you obey right where you are?

(By the way, I remembered why I had chosen to minor in social studies. "We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history." Selected Messages, volume 3, page 162)