GOSPEL ADDRESS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 143, 19 May 1932, Page 10

GOSPEL ADDRESS.

“SIGNS IN THE SUN.” A large congregation attended at the United Evangelical Church on Sunday night to bear an address by Pastor Wesley E. Richards on the subject;—“Warnings in the Sun, Moon and Stars of Tremendous Happenings.” Taking at his text Luke 21, 25, Mr Richards introduced his subject by referring to Gen. 1, 14, which states that one purpose of God in creating the sun, moon and stars was that they would be signs. Pastor Richards then drew attention to the meaning of the word, which signifies a signal—as a flag, beacon, omen, evidence. The text thus set forth, said the speaker, that there would be signals or omens associated with these bodies as the age was drawing to its close. “Evidence is multiplying that this is the condition of things that is now developing very fast. We are told from reliable scientific sources that the great luminary is being affected by some unknown causes. ‘At times its face assumes a wild and menacing aspect.’ A New York journal says: ‘The sun is beginning to be an object of great anxiety to many scientific minds.’ In all the 18th century scientists were not alarmed for the sun’s fixity or safety. But there is now great alarm. It is claimed by some," stated Mr Richards, “that the sun is shrinking. There is increased and diminishing light and heat in connection with it. On June 29, 1927, there was an extraordinary eclipse of the sun which stretched from Criocieth (meaning cry of distress) to Sunderland (land asunder). Surely,” remarked Pastor Richards, “we have something here which is extraordinarily significant in view of developments since that time. It will bo readily conceded that the past five years, as much as we would like to think otherwise, have been fruitful with much distress throughout the world. We have to notice that the ‘cry of distress’ went out to ‘land asunder,’ and the whole trend of Bible teaching was that the earth was sundered or put out of harmony with its Creator, when Adam, to whom was given dominion over, all things on the earth, rebelled and brought down the whole creation with him. This surely is the' sun speaking in signs to us that the ‘time of trouble such as never was since there was a world nor ever shall be’ is dead ahead. The moon’s behaviour, also, is of an extraordinary nature. Eclipses are now taking place on significant anniversaries, such as Good Friday and the Feast of Tabernacles, while it has swung twelve miles off its course. Surely,” remarked Pastor Hichards, “these are signals set at danger points. Are we heeding them? Tremendous things are happening among the stars. Dr Duffield says that for tlte last 60 years tho celestial phenomena have been more varied and frequent than in any previous age of | the world. ‘No less than 1900 stars have faded out of the heavens,’ to say nothing of falling meteors and explosions of balls of fire in various places. These things,” concluded the speaker, “are leading up to the condition of things described in Rev. 6: 12-17, when the sun turns black, the moon becomes as blood, and the stars fall to the earth. Such signals in the sun, moon and stars are undoubtedly warnings to be ready, for in such an hour as ve think not the Son of man come.th.’ ”