The Great Controversy - Righteousness is Love

543IMPULSE GIVEN RISE TO SO MANY NEW MOVEMENTS. NEVERHAD IT HAD QUITE SO GREAT AN EFFECT UPON WESTERNEUROPEAN PEOPLES. IT WAS FROM THIS ABOUNDING VIGORTHAT THERE ISSUED THE MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE WHICHDURING THE NINETEENTH CENTURY SO AUGMENTED THENUMERICAL STRENGTH AND THE INFLUENCE OFCHRISTIANITY."--KENNETH SCOTT LATOURETTE, A HISTORY OFTHE EXPANSION OF CHRISTIANITY, VOL. IV, THE GREAT CENTURYA.D. 1800-A.D. 1914 (NEW YORK: HARPER & BROTHERS, 1941), PP.2-4.ORIGINAL TEXT PAGES 327, 329. PROPHETIC DATES.--ACCORDING TO JEWISH RECKONING THE FIFTH MONTH (AB) OFTHE SEVENTH YEAR OF ARTAXERXES' REIGN WAS FROM JULY23 TO AUGUST 21, 457 B.C. AFTER EZRA'S ARRIVAL INJERUSALEM IN THE AUTUMN OF THE YEAR, THE DECREE OFTHE KING WENT INTO EFFECT. FOR THE CERTAINTY OF THEDATE 457 B.C. BEING THE SEVENTH YEAR OF ARTAXERXES, SEES. H. HORN AND L. H. WOOD, THE CHRONOLOGY OF EZRA 7(WASHINGTON, D. C.: REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING ASSN.,1953); E. G. KRAELING, THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM ARAMAICPAPYRI (NEW HAVEN OR LONDON, 1953), PP. 191-193; THESEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST BIBLE COMMENTARY (WASHINGTON,D.C.: REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING ASSN., 1954), VOL. 3, PP.97-110.ORIGINAL TEXT PAGE 335. FALL OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.--THE IMPACT OF MOSLEM TURKEY UPON EUROPE AFTER THEFALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE IN 1453 WAS AS SEVERE AS HADBEEN THE CATASTROPHIC CONQUESTS OF THE MOSLEMSARACENS, DURING THE CENTURY AND A HALF AFTER THEDEATH OF MOHAMMED, UPON THE EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE.THROUGHOUT THE REFORMATION ERA, TURKEY WAS ACONTINUAL THREAT AT THE EASTERN GATES OF EUROPEANCHRISTENDOM; THE WRITINGS OF THE REFORMERS ARE FULLOF CONDEMNATION OF THE OTTOMAN POWER. CHRISTIANWRITERS SINCE HAVE BEEN CONCERNED WITH THE ROLE OFTURKEY IN FUTURE WORLD EVENTS, AND COMMENTATORS ONPROPHECY HAVE SEEN TURKISH POWER AND ITS DECLINEFORECAST IN SCRIPTURE.