By Alina Ehrlich
“Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come! Give your hearts to Jesus, He is coming soon!”
In 1843, this proclamation was heard throughout Europe, but it did not come from the lips of gray-haired men trained in theological seminaries. It came from the lips of little children.
“That boy is just filled with the Bible!” said the surprised parishioners. “Did you hear how many verses he quoted? How could he memorize so much without any education? We should talk to our priest about this.”
But the priest from Karlskoga, Sweden scowled as he listened to reports about this “child preacher.”
“I need to expose him,” the priest responded. “Bring the boy before me!”
When the little boy arrived, the priest opened a hymnbook, and asked, “Young man, read this hymn for me.”
“I cannot read,” the boy answered
Adapted from The Great Second Advent Movement by J.N. Loughborough, pp. 140–145, and The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White, pp. 355–374. Alina Ehrlich is a Christian Publications Management graduate of Hartland College.