Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 43
to recoghisie the manner and object of the Messiah's advent. Mr: Dimbleby brought 'out his famous book "The Appointed Time," of which a second edition" was published soon afterwards in 1896. He was well-known as a member of the British Chronological and Astronomical Associations, and as the author of several works such as "All Past time," and "Date Repeating Cycles of Eclipses. " By the application of the -principal of the measurement of time by Eclipses or Solar Cycles he calculated the year 1898 to be the ultimate date of the appearance of the Messiah. In th'e preface to "this book, the learned author wrote : "This book is written in order to place before Christian readers the best and latest methods by which evidence is obtained of the approaching fulfilment of the great prophecies, and in such a way that readers may see and judge for themselves. . . . . Now that the" study of prophecy has become a science, we are' reaping a great harvest of new facts, and accumulating a mass of overwhelming evidence which places the subject beyond all question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . When the prophecies are thus tabulated, they form a framework of completeness which cannot be altered without rejecting the words of scripture, and wrecking the universe ,. . . !" have, therefore, had to continue the same cardinal dates, all of which focus their light on the end of the Gentile times in 5896J (our 1898J), which every intelligent mind must now admit is the beginning of a new era. " To people who were impatiently waiting the advent of the Promised Messiah, this book came as a blessing, for it helped them to keep on the hope which had brought disappointment so many times. But even this book was characterized by the same mistake, viz. , no heed was paid to the manner of advent and therefore, it brought only a fresh disappointment. The year 1898 passed away but nothing happened which the Christians,