Secret History: How Adventists Ended the Civil War

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One day in 2013 in Northern California a couple went out with their dog to walk their property. As they were walking they noticed an old rusty can sticking out of the ground among the moss. Imagine their surprise when they dug up the can and found it filled with gold coins. This can and other buried cans nearby contained the largest treasure trove of gold coins in USA history. The Saddle Ridge Hoard is estimated to be worth at least $10 million.

Ironically, at the exact same time this couple was pulling a treasure out of their backyard I was completing a course on Seventh-day Adventist History. One day as I was reading from the textbook  Light Bearers: A History of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church I came across the section about the civil war. That is when I read that Adventists believe they brought an end to the civil war.

Stop! Say What!?

Yes, Seventh-day Adventists are convinced that they are the reason that the civil war came to an end.

Now someone who has even a rudimentary understanding of the history of the civil war would immediately consider this statement to be totally absurd and preposterous. How did this tiny group of Sabbath keeping Christians have anything to do with stopping what “was incontrovertibly the bloodiest, most devastating conflict in American history”?

The civil war presented many dilemmas to the Adventists. The top two challenges being the difficulty of evangelism in a time of war and the challenges of Adventists facing the call to fight. While initially there was optimism that the war would be over quickly, the “tightening coils of war during the next three years” strangled all hope. Every year it was becoming harder and harder. With President Lincoln’s call for 300,000 more soldiers the Adventist church faced certain extinction. Uriah Smith would describe the situation “…The mind of the nation is so absorbed in this dreadful contest that it is almost impossible to call attention to religious subjects…” and with an additional draft of soldiers  “The cause would be crushed. We are thus brought, as it plainly appears to us, to a place where if the war continues, we must stop. We repeat it, The war must stop, or our work in spreading the truth, must stop.”

During this time of great pain and desperation Adventists were forced to stop and adopt a different strategy: they would fast and pray.

On January 31, 1865, James White wrote “…we recommend that the second Sabbath in each month be especially set apart to fasting and prayer in view of the present terrible war…” A month later on February 21 another call was issued by the General Conference Committee for more fasting and prayer from March 1-4.

What happened after Adventist humbled themselves and prayed for just four days?

Adventist historian Richard Schwarz delivers this amazing statement “Within six weeks Lee had surrendered, and the war was over. With the nation, Adventists rejoiced; many felt they had seen a direct answer to prayer.”

Another Adventist historian Arthur Spalding wrote  “In His inscrutable wisdom, having permitted the cup of woe to be drained by the nation, having purified His people of selfish thought, and bound their wills to His, God put forth His hand and touched the machine of war, and lo! It stopped, and there was silence. Scarce a month had passed when, on April 9, Lee surrendered at Appomattox, and on April 26 Johnston capitulated at Durham. The war was over.”

Wow! What an amazing answer to prayer! Praise the Lord!

However, it is impossible to read this story and not ask the following questions

1.      What is God not doing today because His people do not fast and pray?

2.      What great victories are we missing because we will not spend focused time in prayer?

3.      Why are the “prayer warriors” a bunch of old ladies that meet once a week? Why are our youth not trained to pray?

4.      Why do we all attend church but do not go to prayer meetings? Why does only %1 of the church go to prayer meetings?

5.      Why do people wait until they are in pain and desperation before they fast? Can’t great victories be obtained when we are well and “doing just fine”?

6.      Why do many churches have no prayer meetings at all?

7.      Why are people that fast often labeled as radicals, weirdos, and extremists?

This has to be one of the most amazing stories in Adventist history. That God would respond to a few days of prayer and fasting in such an extraordinary way is very motivating and encouraging.

Fasting and Prayer is the Saddle Ridge Hoard of the Seventh-day Adventist church. It is a treasure of immense wealth just sitting in the ground ignored and despised. It looks like an old rusty can with no value but it’s full of gold!

Fasting and prayer is a nuclear bomb. It is a weapon of mass destruction that can be used to greatly advance God’s cause in the world. Why is there such resistance to something that is so effective? Daniel, Moses, Elijah, Jesus, Jehoshaphat, Samuel’s mother, Anna, Paul, John the Baptist and many other Bible heroes would testify to the efficacy of fasting and prayer.

Do you think that we are not in a time of war? You are wrong. There is a war right now to stop all missionaries from entering unreached areas with the gospel of Christ. There is a war to obscure the gospel so that billions of Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists can never learn of Christ. There is war upon men, a war upon women, and war upon youth. Every day and from every angle the church of Christ is under attack. Many argue that we are losing more ground than gaining and unless there is divine intervention we face certain extinction.

But what if Adventists came together for a few days of prayer and fasting? Why does it have to be boring? Why can’t there be a few days of unlimited fruit and juice in a nice setting in the mountains or on a beach somewhere? Where is the rule that says fasting and prayer must feel like hell? Where are the ideas to make fasting and prayer desirable and attractive?

What if today we could set aside a time to attack a very real enemy? Can you think of some? I can. Personally, I really hate pornography. I really hate how this worldwide cancer is eviscerating the souls of youth and the bonds of families. Unlike physical enemies on the field of war, porn is everywhere and seemingly impossible to stop. But God can reach his arm down in to this world and cause such destruction to the pornography industry that they should hardly recover. As if God is glad this is happening and we must sit here and accept it! This is a call to arms! Read how Adventists Destroyed the Porn Industry.

References:

1.  "incontrovertibly the bloodiest, most devastating conflict in American history” here
2. James White call to fasting and prayer. Advent Review January 31, 1865. {January 31, 1865 UrSe, ARSH 77.2} 
3. General Conference call to fasting and prayer for March 1865. {February 21, 1865 UrSe, ARSH 100.26}
4. Richard Schwarz, Lightbearers
5. Arthur Spalding, Captains of the Host can be downloaded free here.